Pakistan Cement Industry Analysis

LUCKY CEMENT This report studies LUCKY CEMENT as a target against other companies studied as a basis for comparable analysis in the industry. Lucky Cement is the largest cement manufacturer in Pakistan and its upcoming expansion in Karachi will take its capacity from 6. 5mntpa to 9mntpa, further cementing its spot as the market leader. Lucky Cement Limited was incorporated in Pakistan on September 18, 1993 under the Companies Ordinance, 1984 (the Ordinance). The shares of the company are quoted on all the three stock exchanges in Pakistan.The Company has also issued GDRs which are listed and traded on the Professional Securities Market of the London Stock Exchange. BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Lucky Cement aims at producing cement to suit every user. The following types of cement are available: ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT (OPC) Ordinary Portland cement is available in darker shade as well as in light shades in Lucky Star with different brand names to s uit the requirement of users. SULPHATE RESISTANT CEMENT (SRC)Sulphate resistant Cement’s best quality is to provide effective and long lasting strength against sulphate attacks and is very suitable for constructions near sea shores as well as for canals linings. It provides very effective protection against alkali attacks. The company currently  produces five brands: * Lucky Cement * Lucky Star * Lucky Gold * Chairman * Lucky  sulphate resistant cement(SRC) CUSTOMERS AND END MARKETS Lucky Cement aims at producing cement to suit every user.At present, it is producing Grey Portland Cement and also Sulphate Resistant cement. The customers are able to get Portland cement both in dark shade as well as in light shade with different brand names to suit the requirement of user. The Portland cement specifically made for prefabrication industry with a lower setting time is also available. In addition, the plant also produce Slag cement for specific users. DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS Deal ers, retailers and block makers are the integral part of Lucky Cement's sales strategy.This strong network of more than 200 dealers, located at strategic locations throughout the country, has enabled the company to create an impressive distribution system and access to markets at even the remote parts of the country. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| | | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| | | Restated| PKR| Reclassified| PKR| Gross Profit Margin| 25. 69%| 37. 26%| 32. 55%| 33. 48%| EBITDA Margin| 23. 91%| 31. 77%| 23. 07%| 25. 87%| EBIT Margin| 18. 14%| 27. 41%| 17. 31%| 19. 83%| Net Income Margin| 15. 79%| 17. 45%| 12. 08%| 15. 26%| Return on Invested Capital| 9. 06%| 19. 2%| 11. 17%| 12. 63%| Return On Equity| 14. 35%| 19. 77%| 12. 50%| 14. 29%| Return On Assets| 7. 82%| 11. 97%| 8. 18%| 9. 63%| Leverage Ratio| 3. 84%| 1. 82%| 2. 33%| 1. 99%| Debt to total capitalization| 45. 51%| 39. 43%| 34. 49%| 32. 60%| PROFITABILITY The profitability of the company is quite decent, a nd shows an upward trend, which can be seen by the financial ratios of the firm. There was a slight dip in the year 2010, but then increased considerably in year 2011. This was mainly due to the decrease in the cost of production for Lucky Cement (decrease in the cost of raw materials).The prospects of the company are bright, which are demonstrated by high net income margin and return on invested capital ratios. GROWTH PROFILE Lucky Cement is growing at a brisk pace, as the overall cement industry is facing a desirable scenario, which is also demonstrated by high return on equity and return on assets ratio. The company is also paying its creditors back shown by the decrease in leverage and debt to total capitalization ratios, which is a positive sign for the firm, and shows that it is growing at a considerable rate. RETURN ON INVESTMENTThe return on investment of Lucky Cement from years 2008-2011 is above 10% on average, which is quite a decent number, and shows the profitability of the firm’s investments. It is 12. 63% in year 2011, and displays a favorable scenario for Lucky Cement. CREDIT PROFILE The credit profile of the company shows a positive sign as the firm’s debt to total capitalization ratio declined from 45. 51% in year 2008, to 32. 60% in year 2011. Moreover, the leverage ratio of Lucky Cement has also seen a decline, which shows that the company is paying back its debts and is maintaining a decent credit profile among its lenders and suppliers.ATTOCK CEMENT Attock Cement Pakistan Limited (ACPL) is a public limited company, listed on KSE since 2002. Main business of the company is manufacturing and sales of cement. ACPL, is part of the Pharaon Group, which in addition to investment to cement industry has diversified stakes in Pakistan mainly in the oil and gas sector, power and real estate sector. The Attock Cement project was conceived and the company was incorporated in 1981, the plant finally commenced commercial production on Jun e 1, 1988. The project is a Pak Saudi joint venture and involved initial capital outlay of around Rs 1. billion with foreign exchange component of around US $ 45 million. This made it one of the largest enterprises in the private sector. Pharaon Commercial Investment Company Limited holds 84. 06% of total paid up share capital whereas the general public holds a total of 15. 94% shares. BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: The main product of the Company is ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT (OPC) but in addition to this ACPL also produces SULPHATE RESISTANT CEMENT (SRC) and PORTLAND BLAST FURNACE CEMENT (PBFC), which sells under the registered brand name of â€Å"FALCON CEMENT† in the market.DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: At ACPL Sales and Marketing team focuses on delighting customers through making available quality products at the market place. ACPL has a network of dealers all around Pakistan. ACPL keep on recognizing the efforts of its dealers through periodic i ncentive plans based on their sales performance. Sales and marketing forces lead in taking initiatives ahead of the competitors. Few example of ACPL faster first include the export of clinker to the UAE and Qatar, along with cement exports to Iraq. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| | | Restated| PKR| Reclassified| PKR| Gross Profit Margin| 22. 27%| 31. 80%| 25. 53%| 20. 23%| EBITDA Margin| 24. 22%| 28. 56%| 20. 12%| 14. 69%| EBIT Margin| 16. 20%| 22. 99%| 16. 59%| 11. 52%| Net Income Margin| 8. 69%| 17. 54%| 13. 25%| 8%| Return on Invested Capital| 14. 06%| 32. 07%| 19. 23%| 13%| Return On Equity| 12. 31%| 31. 24%| 18. 84%| 11. 80%| Return On Assets| 7. 41%| 21. 41%| 14. 40%| 8. 83%| Leverage Ratio| 1. 93%| 0. 90%| 1. 08%| 1. 54%| Debt to total capitalization| 39. 84%| 31. 47%| 23. 56%| 25. 11%| PROFITABILITYThe profitability of Attock Cement is quite satisfactory too but not as good as Lucky Cement. The company’s gross profit mar gin was very low as compared to that of Lucky Cement, however, the firm’s net profit margin is at par. It can be seen that Attock Cement has more operating expenses as compared to Lucky Cement, which it needs to cut and achieve efficiency, to match with the profitability performance of Lucky Cement. GROWTH PROFILE Attock Cement has a very fluctuating, or rather, a very inconsistent growth rate, as can be seen by the return on equity and return on assets ratios.Both the ratios were fairly decent in the year 2008, but then both saw a decline in consecutive years 2009 and 2010, after which they came back to an acceptable level in year 2011. RETURN ON INVESTMENT The return on investment of Attock Cement was again very unpredictable, fluctuating drastically between years 2008-2011. It touched a very high 32. 07% in year 2009, but then declined to a level which was similar to that in year 2008. Overall, the return on invested capital was at a satisfactory level as compared to Lucky Cement, which shows the positive nature of the company’s investments. CREDIT PROFILEThe credit profile of Attock Cement is a fairly acceptable one, as can be seen by the decreasing leverage and debt to total capitalization ratios. This means that Attock Cement, like Lucky Cement, is also paying back its creditors and suppliers, which will mean that the lenders will be happy to lend money and raw materials to the company, as they’re able to meet their financial obligations effectively. D. G. KHAN CEMENT D. G. Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKCC), a unit of Nishat group, is the largest cement-manufacturing unit in Pakistan with a production capacity of 5,500 tons clinker per day.It has a countrywide distribution network and its products are preferred on projects of national repute both locally and internationally due to the unparallel and consistent quality. It is list on all the Stock Exchanges of Pakistan. BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: There are two types of cement products of D. G. Khan: * Ordinary Portland Cement * Sulphate Resistant Cement DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: Two different products are produced at DGKCC namely Ordinary Portland Cement and Sulphate Resistant Cement.These products are marketed through two different brands: * DG brand ; Elephant brand Ordinary Portland Cement * DG brand Sulphate Resistant Cement DG Khan  Cement Company  supplies cement throughout Pakistan especially in the provinces of Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan. This extensive distribution is achieved through following regional sales offices: * Lahore Regional Sales Office * Multan Regional Sales Office * Rawalpindi Regional Sales Office * DG Khan Regional Sales Office * Karachi Regional Sales OfficeThese regional sales offices operate in assigned areas and have netweork of dealers in each area to achieve maximum sales in their territories. Moreover, direct sales are also make to institutional Clients for projects. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| 30-Jun| | | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| | | Restated| PKR| Reclassified| PKR| Gross Profit Margin| 15. 51%| 31. 61%| 17. 93%| 24. 00%| EBITDA Margin| 21. 25%| 28. 05%| 19. 24%| 17. 91%| EBIT Margin| 10. 25%| 20. 33%| 10. 74%| 10. 32%| Net Income Margin| 0. 24%| 2. 46%| 1. 61%| 0. 95%| Return on Invested Capital| 2. 9%| 8. 55%| 3. 77%| 3. 93%| Return On Equity| 0. 01%| 2. 12%| 1. 01%| 0. 60%| Return On Assets| 0. 06%| 1. 03%| 0. 56%| 0. 36%| Leverage Ratio| 8. 73%| 4. 17%| 6. 61%| 5. 91%| Debt to total capitalization| 43. 12%| 51. 54%| 44. 45%| 40. 16%| PROFITABILITY The profitability of DG Khan Cement is very low and unsatisfactory as compared to the other two companies in the cement industry, Lucky and Attock Cement Ltd. DG Khan Cement is paying a hefty amount as interest expense, which can be seen by the lower net income margin ratio of the firm, ranging from 0. 4-2. 46%. However, the EBIT and EBITDA margins of DG Khan Cement were quite satisfactory, and at pa r with the other two companies in the industry. GROWTH PROFILE DG Khan Cement has a very poor growth rate, evident by the very low return on equity and return on assets ratios. The growth of the company is badly hampered by the interest expense and the debt the firm has taken. Furthermore, the debt to total capitalization ratio of the company is also very high (higher than the other two companies in the industry), which was more than 50% in year 2009.These are negative implications for the company, and the investors must be unhappy with the performance of the firm. RETURN ON INVESTMENT: The return on invested capital for DG Khan Cement was also quite inadequate when comparing with that of Lucky and Attock Cement. It was 2. 39% in year 2008, increased to 8. 55% in year 2009, after which it settled on a level between 3-4% in years 2010-2011. This adversity was again due to the high debt ratio and hefty interest payments made by the company, because of which the return on investments w ere very low as compared to its competitors.CREDIT PROFILE: As opposed to its competitors, DG Khan Cement has a really horrific credit profile, as it is maintaining its debt to total capitalization and leverage ratios at a very high level and took up more loan in the year 2009, due to which its profitability is also getting affected adversely, and also its creditors and suppliers will be unwilling to lend DG Khan Cement more in the future, doubting the firm’s ability to pay them back, as it already has outstanding amounts to be received from the company. FECTO CEMENTEstablished at Sangjani, near Islamabad, the ISO 9001:2000 certified Fecto Cement Limited is Pakistan's first anti-pollution cement manufacturing plant and also the first of its kind in South Asia. As one of the most integrated manufacturing units in the country, it has a rated capacity to produce 600,000 tonnes of clinker per annum BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: It supplies cement throughout Pakistan through a huge properly maintained distribution channel consisting of wholesalers, retailers and finally to the customers. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| Gross Profit Margin| | 8. 3%| 23. 21%| 5. 26%| 18. 33%| EBITDA Margin| | -2. 64%| 13. 88%| -7. 77%| 5. 42%| EBIT Margin| | -51. 03%| 11. 96%| -10. 04%| 2. 78%| Net Income Margin| | -3. 53%| 9. 49%| -7. 17%| 1. 98%| Return on Invested Capital| | -4. 67%| 13. 74%| -8. 02%| 2. 47%| Return On Equity| | -13. 80%| 33. 80%| -30. 20%| 8. 93%| Return On Assets| | -51. 50%| 15. 21%| -9. 33%| 2. 95%| Leverage Ratio| | -22. 30%| 3. 11%| -9. 56%| 11. 59%| Debt to total capitalization| | 61. 52%| 55%| 69. 10%| 67%| PROFITABILITY The company has increased its gross profit margin from last year as sales have improved more than the rise in cost of sales.The net profit margin has improved as compare to the last year as the company was incurring loss in 2010. However, it under performed in comparison to the indus try. GROWTH PROFILE The growth rate has considerably improved from last year but the overall industry growth is much more than Fecto. The company needs to increase its growth by retaining more than half of its earnings and re-investing it to increase its income in the coming years otherwise it will fall way behind the industry and would take a long time to recover. RETURN ON INVESTMENT The return on investment has improved from the prior year.This implies that company is capitalizing its assets in a more efficient manner with an increase in the accumulated profits. However, it is not at all satisfactory in comparison to its competitors. CREDIT PROFILE: The debt to capitalization and leverage ratio is very high which means Fecto has more debt as compare to its equity. It has declined from the preceding year but it is fairly high with regards to its competitors. This shows a weak financial position as compared to the industry and poses more default risk for the company. MAPLE CEMENT A t the time of privatization in 1992, the capacity of Maple Leaf to produceOrdinary Portland Cement (OPC) was 1000 tones per day (tpd). A second plant of 4000 tpd was commissioned in 1998 and a third plant of 6700 tpd came into production in 2006. It increased the total capacity to 11,700 tpd. The capacity of White Cement has also increased from 100 tpd to 500tpd with the addition of a new plant. This plant also has provisions for doubling the capacity to 1000tpd. Presently Maple Leaf cement has 9% of the market share of OPC and is a leading brand in Pakistan with a diverse customer base. It is also the largest producer of White Cement in the country with 80% of market share.BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES The two main products are: * Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with a capacity of 11700 tones per day. * White Cement, its present capacity is 500 tones per day which shall be doubled to 1000 tones per day in near future. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | | 2008| 20 09| 2010| 2011| Gross Profit Margin| | 16. 94%| 32. 49%| 21. 56%| 16. 64%| EBITDA Margin| | 16. 88%| 23. 19%| 3. 45%| 14. 14%| EBIT Margin| | 5. 73%| 16. 27%| -3. 74%| 4. 47%| Net Income Margin| | -8. 65%| -6. 45%| -18. 96%| -13. 53%| Return on Invested Capital| | 1. 72%| 9. 1%| 1. 69%| 1. 75%| Return On Equity| | -8. 08%| -14. 63%| -50. 32%| -20. 37%| Return On Assets| | -2. 58%| -3. 83%| -9. 90%| -5. 25%| Leverage Ratio| | 13. 47%| 5. 35%| 38. 80%| 13. 52%| Debt to total capitalization| | 68. 02%| 73. 80%| 80. 32%| 74. 23%| PROFITABILITY The net profit margin increased by 5. 43% and settled at 13. 53% as compare to the prior year which was in negative. This is a good sign as the company is moving towards profitability as compare to the last two years. However, the company needs to improve its asset management in order to compete with the industryGROWTH PROFILE The growth rate is improving as compare to the previous year which is surely a green sign for the company. From last year the earnings have fairly increased but Maple Leaf is still under performing as compared to the industry earning. A lot of efforts need to be put in for the company to be competing with the industry. RETURN ON INVESTMENT The return on investment is almost the same as compare to the last year. This means that the company needs to increase its sales in order to get a favorable outcome in the coming years. CREDIT PROFILEThe leverage ratio as well as the debt to equity ratio is fairly high as compare to the industry which refers to declining operational efficiency and ineffective asset management. Maple needs to decrease its reliance on debt to get a better ratio in the coming years. FAUJI CEMENT A longtime leader in the cement manufacturing industry, Fauji Cement Company, headquartered in Rawalpindi, operates a cement plant at Jhang Bahtar, Tehsil Fateh Jang, District Attock in the province of Punjab. The Company has a strong and longstanding tradition of service, reliability, and quali ty that reaches back more than 13 years.Sponsored by Fauji Foundation the Company was incorporated in Rawalpindi in 1992. BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Ordinary Portland cement is the major product. CUSTOMERS: The Company has been set up with the primary objective of producing and selling ordinary portland cement. The finest quality of cement is available for all types of customers whether for dams, canals, industrial structures, highways, commercial or residential needs using latest state of the art dry process cement manufacturing process.FINANCIAL PROFILE | | | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| Gross Profit Margin| | 18. 56%| 31. 75%| 13. 54%| 17. 35%| EBITDA Margin| | 18. 56%| 17. 12%| 32. 61%| 21. 35%| EBIT Margin| | 16. 96%| 30. 98%| 9. 61%| 12. 48%| Net Income Margin| | 11. 66%| 18. 96%| 6. 57%| 8. 98%| Return on Invested Capital| | 3. 69%| 9. 90%| 1. 95%| 1. 71%| Return On Equity| | 4. 45%| 10. 39%| 2. 60%| 3. 86%| Return On Assets| | 3. 32%| 4. 70%| 0. 93%| 1. 32%| Leverage Ratio| | 4. 18%| 8. 29%| 25. 70%| 20. 40%| Debt to total capitalization| | 25. 0%| 67. 06%| 62. 60%| 55. 90%| PROFITABILITY: The profit margin has increased as compare to the previous year but if we match it with past performance of the company it is still at a declining rate. This decrease is also due to the overall decline in the cement industry GROWTH PROFILE: The growth rate has improved but it is not much satisfactory when compared with the industry. In order to compete with the dominant companies, Fauji needs to utilize its assets in a more efficient manner RETURN ON INVESTMENT:As compared with 2011 to 2010 it has been in the same position, Fauji needs to increase its growth by retaining more than half of its earnings and re-investing it to increase its income in the coming years otherwise it will fall way behind the industry and would take a long time to recover. CREDIT PROFILE: The credit profile of the company is fairly below the industry. However, the leverage ratio of Thatta Cement has seen a remarkable increase, which shows that the company is paying back its debts and is maintaining a decent credit profile among its lenders and suppliers.THATTA CEMENT Thatta Cement Company Limited was incorporated in 1980 as a public limited company. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the State Cement Corporation of Pakistan (Pvt. ) Limited. The manufacturing facility was commissioned in 1982. The plant based on dry process technology, had a total installed capacity of 1,000 tons per day of clinker. The plant was supplied by M/s. Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan. In the year 2004 the consortium of Mr. Arif Habib and Al-Abbas Group acquired 100% shares of the Company from the Privatization Commission and took over its management control.BUSINESS PROFILE SECTOR: Cement Industry PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: * Ordinary Portland Cement * Sulphate Resistant Cement * Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement * Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag CUSTOMERS AND END MARKETS: Some of the valued customers: * Lucky Paragon (Ready-Mix) * DGDP, FWO (Frontier Works Organization), Siam Group, CGGC, AJK,SAMBU Pakistan, Bahria Icon, Envicrete, Hubcrete and Atlas Ready Mix. FINANCIAL PROFILE | | | 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| Gross Profit Margin| | 14. 69%| 27. 69%| 17. 96%| 12. 88%| EBITDA Margin| | 8. 95%| 21. 50%| 5. 96%| 0. 79%|EBIT Margin| | 5. 65%| 18. 96%| 2. 63%| -2. 04%| Net Income Margin| | 2. 79%| 11. 36%| 0. 06%| -4. 02%| Return on Invested Capital| | 39. 15%| 84. 50%| 36. 40%| 36. 28%| Return On Equity| | 6. 92%| 26. 45%| 0. 12%| -10. 64%| Return On Assets| | 2. 94%| 0. 07%| 14. 37%| 3. 75%| Leverage Ratio| | 6. 11%| 16. 77%| 7. 25%| 68. 25%| Debt to total capitalization| | 0. 57%| 4. 56%| 0. 46%| 0. 51%| PROFITABILITY The profitability has declined as compare to the previous year due to the performance of the plant was badly affected by frequent interruptions in power supply by HESCO.The substantial loss is also due to the increase in the pr oduction cost such as the purchase price of raw materials and huge increase in fuel and power cost. GROWTH PROFILE The growth rate is declining as compare to the last year mainly due to the increase in COGS and also the company has also invested in the long-term. There is also an increase in the distribution cost which is due to the increase of appreciation in exports related freight and other charges which increased by 11. 61% despite of decrease in sales volume of export by 18. 3%. RETURN ON INVESTMENT: The return on invested capital is same as the previous year which is fairly high as compare to the other companies. This means that return from investments is considerably more than the industry average. CREDIT PROFILE: The credit profile of the company is not much satisfactory. Moreover, the leverage ratio of Thatta Cement has also seen a decline, which shows that the company is paying back its debts and is maintaining a decent credit profile among its lenders and suppliers

Managing Groups in a Multicultural Setup

Surviving and succeeding in today’s global competitive business environment is obviously difficult. Cross-cultural working, managing changes, technological advantages give the much needed edge to set organizations apart. Our progress and approach strategies clearly defines our success. Developments in recent years have reinforced the view that we are moving from a world in which we determined our destination to one in which we must learn to navigate a path between myriad future possibilities (Stickland,1998).I had been assigned to a study group, which I was to work with, during the first semester. The group members met each other for the first time in the lecture theatre and decided to meet after class. The meeting was informal and we all introduced ourselves, exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers. All five team members talked about their backgrounds and I seemed to like the team from the beginning.Everyone seemed humble. As we kept on talking, it became apparent that s ome team members were more talkative than others. Team members, A and B were very talkative and kept asking questions while C and D were more quiet. I was more like an average participant, but in the end I too talked less. A and B looked at each other and me but not at C and D; C and D were thus not included in the conversations. I noticed this, but decided to ignore it for the time being. I thought I need to only change it later.The five members came from different countries across four continents. A was from India and from experience I knew that Indians would talk a lot and have strong opinions. B was from Honduras whom I thought would be talkative and easy going like my friends from Nicaragua and other Central American countries. While C was from Georgia, a country I did not know much about, D was from the US whom I thought would be a hard working, self-centered and confrontationist.The team was truly diverse. Having lived in Asia, North America and Europe, working with several m ulticultural teams for over a decade; I knew from the beginning that I had to learn more about their cultures and backgrounds. This was perhaps the only way I could interpret their behavior and adapt to them, while they could adapt to me too. I believed that judging people even before you get to know them was wrong, while at the same time I was sure that my assumptions about certain cultures and the norms within these cultures, were mostly right.We were assigned the first group task in management science. I walked into the assignment with a positive attitude and everyone else in the group did, too. After all, the first get-to-know meeting had been positive. Once we had gathered, we decided on where to work. We sat down and focused on the task that had been given to us. We read the assignment and were ready to discuss the task.Here things started to go wrong. As group members are not much familiar with each other, there is a certain amount of uncertainty and suspicion, when interpret ing each other’s conduct and action. Lack of positive relationship carries opportunities for development of serious conflicts. These may not only be difficult to resolve, but also decrease team performance, particularly when a relationship conflict is not differentiated from task disagreements. (Pamela and Sara 2002)As we had not established a hierarchy structure, there was no leader. It was an equal platform for all to put forth their contributions, at an identical level. I come from a consensus driven society and thought that it was the right approach. I believed that everyone knew how dynamics in a consensus driven group works. However, I was proven wrong. People were not listening to each other! People would not let each other talk. Instead they interrupted each other!I could not overcome the feeling that some people wanted to prove that they were intelligent and knowledgeable. We did not have a dialogue. The task’s problems and scope were not discussed. We did not talk about how to solve the task at hand. Instead people presented their solutions!. The team found it hard to keep up the schedules, and inefficient communication was taking its toll.I have worked as a management and strategy consultant in many countries and even founded companies in cultures foreign to me and I had never seen such chaos and unstructured behavior. In fact, gradually the team structure itself broke down and began functioning like two divided teams working on separate agenda. Did this have to do with some people’s inexperience?! Or was this peculiar only to me?.I went along with what was happening in the group, always trying to pull people back to discuss the task’s scope. The group agreed that we needed to look at the scope and understand it. However, people continued to argue their causes defending their ideas. We were not getting anywhere. Time was running out and I knew that we did not have a good solution. This was confirmed when we saw what other groups presented. Now, I wondered whether the other people in the group saw it the same way? But I never asked them. We had talked to each other in the first assignment but not with each other now . We were not communicating well.Several days later, the second assignment was given to us. We went back to the same room we had used earlier. We read the task and, to my surprise, nobody’s approach had changed. Everyone was talking and no one listening. D who had been quiet in the first meeting tried to explain his idea which I thought was good. I wanted people to listen to D and they did after I specifically asked them to. D has only studied English for four years and he had a hard time expressing his thoughts, lacking the necessary vocabulary.Everyone else in the group speaks English fluently. I believed this might be the reason why no one listened to him. Anyway, after D had talked, they resumed their unconstructive debating, ignoring D’s ideas. After I initiated a secon d attempt to get D back into the discussion without any success I must admit that emotions replaced my otherwise logical and rather rational thinking. The other group members’ ignorance upset me. I decided not to participate anymore. Instead, I decided to observe what was going on in the team, making mental notes and checking my initial assumptions about each others’ attitudes.I then realized that initiating a groupwork successfully is very important and difficult. Perhaps the task or objectives at hand need to correspond to an initiation level too. Not much has been said or written on tasks, which are more suitable for groupwork, particularly at the initiation level. But it has been widely accepted that group work must be established in defined stages or steps, so that there is a better sense of direction and focus at the early stages. It would also be more beneficial if the topics and activities are initially focused at a simpler, straightforward and interesting agen da, gradually moving on to complicating issues. (Elisabeth 1990)Once again, we ran out of time without having completed the task, we returned to the lecture theatre only to find that our solution was substandard. At this point, I thought we have had enough and decided that we need to have a team discussion to analyze why we were under performing and how can we improve?. I sent out an e-mail to the group on this and to my surprise the team agreed with me, and we met the next day. During the subsequent meeting everyone admitted that we have been under performing.We also agreed that an important problem was that we were not letting everyone speak up and that some members dominated the discussions. We had to change this. This is when we created a â€Å"Group Work Guidebook† and work structure guidelines. We established guidelines on courtesy, respect, conduct and criticism, which are to be exhibited by all, in the course of our groupwork. We also took certain strategic initiative s like sharing our strengths and weaknesses and setting up a roadmap for achieving our objectives.Even though we did not have specific roles I soon became the facilitator, with many suggesting that I take over as a secretary. I made sure to empower others in the group as we went along but also made sure that discussion went smoothly without getting stuck in details. When emotions started to come up in discussions I tried to intervene usually with humor. I had to skip a meeting as I was sick; however it gave me an opportunity to understand how the team performed in my absence. I was surprised to note that the team was indeed more receptive to each other than before. Meetings were however becoming more hectic due to time constraints caused unnecessarily by professors, and at times we felt like we were slipping off as before.What made me uncomfortable at times was that some group members started to see me as the leader, which I did not like. Group members would look at me when there wa s an argument or when they had questions. I felt like a judge! I did not want this because I felt that it would hold the group back from having open and productive discussions. I believed that we could have â€Å"new leaders† every time depending on what we talked about. The leader would naturally emerge and it would obviously be the one who knew the most about the matter at hand. When I received for example questions, and people looked at me.I would give my opinion but then make sure that I asked everyone else what they thought. It was a time consuming process and ate into our efficiency but it was worth it. We ended up with good results and everyone felt involved. However, not everyone felt that they had been involved every time we met. C had never worked in a multi-cultural team before and likes task-focused approaches. C took over the role of coordinator without us noticing.A says that she comes from a passive culture and thinks she is helping us which isn’t. . In the session, A mentioned that she was not feeling that everyone understood her and she had a hard time expressing her feelings in the group. I spoke to A about it, who needed more reassurance when she worked in groups. She had a tendency to talk a lot and many group members found it distracting and I sensed that she was being kept outside the team a little bit. We had agreed on some guidelines but, especially A and C wanted to work the way they were used to, unwilling to accept others’ ways of working. We started to prepare slides so that we could hit the ground running and it took a long time before we felt comfortable with dividing tasksThe initial phase helped us to bond. As we went along, the group worked harmoniously with some few interruptions. The group bonded more and more as we went along. Mostly, because we now understood each other’s needs and how everyone liked to work. Our team outing also contributed to this bonding, giving us an opportunity to talk on so mething personal. Also, we started to split tasks and worked in small groups. The objectives and approaches were discussed with the team.Then tasks were delegated. We were able to work faster this way. This also satisfied C who wanted a more task oriented approach. However, we did not exaggerate the task focus. A admitted that she in general has problems to express feelings, and we as a team assured her that everyone does have it, but that it is better to talk to us, so that we can support her as we work together almost every day. We were here to learn, try new things and have fun. In the â€Å"group therapy† session, the team agreed that efficiency was an issue although, it had improved over the past weeks. The question now was how quickly we could improve our efficiency and how?. We decided, especially during our project, to pick up the pace and set more deadlines.As we continued to progress well, it was becoming obvious that some team members missed a hierarchical structur e. The more experienced members however, were fine with not having one, while the less experienced ones looked for guidance and at some time even thought that they had turned into leaders as they tried to enforce a hierarchy or assigned themselves tasks such as structuring meetings, etc. I believe this helps them tackle their insecurity.The younger members showed that they could not handle stress very well. When we had client meetings C would get nervous and start bossing people around. I laughed at it initially, but pointed it out to him. Even other group members pointed it out to him and he improved. As we entered the final phase of the project I discovered that the younger members liked to talk in the â€Å"I† form more and more. When I had put together a model with A or C they would still say â€Å"I created XYZ† in the group. B picked up on this and it irritated her as well as me. I explained to them the importance of teamwork and made it clear that it should alwa ys be ‘We’ and not ‘I’.The study group bonded more and more. Even C who in the beginning thought that dinners were simply a waste of time now started to enjoy them and even initiates them. He felt comfortable with the team and the team in general spoke openly about everything. Today, we are still improving our organizational skills and efficiency. However, we are very comfortable with each other, joking and laughing more than we work at times. This slows down work, but we still achieve good results and most importantly we discuss things outside the assignment, which is also a way of developing.The project presentation went very well. C talks and jokes more than he has ever done before – not just with the group. D has found a humorous side as well and has been very calm throughout the process. B is very involved sometimes at a level that is too detailed but she keeps everyone positive. A is motivated again after the Management Science debacle when we scored lower than we had expected. I am more structured in my approach and communicate much clearer (harder) than before pulling the teams back to the essential problems, when needed. And, yes, I still spend much time talking to group members outside the group, helping in any way that I possibly can. Did it require much energy and time? Yes! But it was worth it.I look forward to working with this group again, because we are now working well together, learning more and faster; being adapted to each other’s working style and body language. There are people in the MBA with whom I do not want to work with. These are people who do not understand integrity, honesty and respect. Selfishness does not go well with me. I have understood and realized this only in the past few weeks, more than ever before. I continue to believe that my passive leadership style in which I try to make people discover their flaws themselves is good. Sometimes I have to be more direct, or there will be misun derstandings leading to potential conflicts.Creating a group and implementing a working plan or road map is a difficult and time-consuming task. The planning stage is very crucial for the effective working of the group, however it is also essential that we do not hold on completely to the plan. The group and leader must react to situations impulsively. (Linda 1997). I see myself more of a transformational type leader who set goals and inculcate awareness on the setting and achieving of goals by others to pull them from unworthy preoccupations.Transformational leadership elevates levels of morality and motivation among others and are more effective, It has not been possible to relate their leadership with demographic, social or personal characteristics (Linda et al). I have indeed been benefited by this groupwork experience, a benefit that will remain with me, contributing to whatever I would be involved in.REFERENCESLinda et al., 2001;Organizational Behavior; A Management Challenge, Lawrence Erlbaum AssociatesLinda. F. Groupwork in Occupational Therapy. Nelson Thornes (1997)Elisabeth D. Talking and Learning in Groups. Routledge (1990).Pamela J. and   Sara. K Distributed Work   MIT Press, (2002)Stickland, F.; The Dynamics of Change. Publisher: Routledge, London (1998).

Goals for Students

Goals for students So what is it that we want students to gain from a k-12 science education? What are the goals we should constantly work to promote in students? Considering that rote memorization of scientific ideas leads to little understanding, I have identified ten goals for students that focus on life learning skills, and other traits that will be valuable to them in the future, no matter their career choice. Each goal below is accompanied by more specific explanations of what I might see students doing who meet that goal. I hope whatever your goals are for your students, you have thought about them extensively. We all want great things for our students, but if we do not have well articulated goals, our efforts will not be focused. I will post later on how we can consistently work to promote the goals below. Student Goal 1) Students will demonstrate critical thinking. A student who demonstrates critical thinking will defend their viewpoint using relevant evidence. Students will pose questions when new information does not agree with their current understanding, and look for further sources of evidence to support the new idea if necessary. Students will not accept blindly new information and be willing to question teachers, texts and other sources of information. A student who is capable of critical thinking should be able to solve problems in a stepwise sequence, and be able to revise the sequence if necessary. Student Goal 2) Students will demonstrate a deep understanding of content and be able to apply this knowledge to problems in and out of the classroom. Students with a deep understanding of the content will be able to clearly articulate that understanding by citing relevant evidence and sources when confronted with a question. Students will be able to make connections between various concepts and apply multiple concepts to a single problem when needed. Students will be aware of resources to find information regarding content, and use such resources when necessary. Students will use their knowledge of content when approaching a relevant problem and will be able to recognize which concepts are of value for specific situations. Student Goal 3) Students will demonstrate creativity and curiosity. Students who are creative will propose original ways to approach or solve problems. Students will ask thought-provoking questions during class discussion, and try to answer questions by piecing together previous knowledge. Students who are curious will come up with possible investigations and ask questions seeking explanation of ideas during class discussions. Students will develop their own ways to explain their ideas and look for evidence that supports their ideas. Student Goal 4) Students will demonstrate respect. Students will not interrupt others during discussions. Students will listen to other ideas and treat them as valid. Students will discuss positive aspects of ideas they do not necessarily agree with; this helps them to understand both sides of an issue, and makes them a better critical thinker. Students will follow classroom rules, and treat school property as though it were their own. Work area will be kept clean and students will remind each other of classroom rules. Each student will work cohesively with a team and treat themselves as part of that team. Student Goal 5) Students will be responsible and conscientious members of communities. Students will address global problems concerning the environment, energy needs, human needs, social concerns and others. Students will seek out remedies to such problems and debate which ideas offer the most effective solutions. Students will propose possible measures to be taken as citizens when a problem is found. Student Goal 6) Students will exhibit confidence. Students who exhibit confidence will be willing to participate in class, and willing to provide ideas, even if they are unsure of the idea’s worth. These students will be willing to try new procedures and willing to try again when they fail. Students will ask the teacher to clarify when they do not fully understand, and be willing to look for additional help if needed. Student Goal 7) Students will set goals and assess their own learning and progress. Students will set realistic goals for the semester, quarter, unit, and week. As weeks go by, students will become better at setting goals they are capable of achieving. Students will revise goals as needed. Students will use a journal to track their progress and to assess their own understanding. Students will seek ways to express their learning and check for understanding of new concepts. Student Goal 8 ) Students will be active in their own learning. Students will look for further resources when they feel they do not yet fully understand. Students will ask questions in class to clarify points of confusion. Students will create models to explain their ideas. Active learners will look into topics of interest beyond the classroom. Students will bring concerns about understanding to class discussions, and also cite how current material applies elsewhere, besides the classroom. Student Goal 9) Students will use communication and cooperation skills effectively. Students will be able to communicate clearly in large groups as well as one on one. Students will be able to communicate ideas succinctly through written language. Students will use correct terminology where appropriate. Students will use correct grammar and punctuation. Students will listen to other ideas and maintain eye contact during conversation and debates, and will speak in a respectful manner during such debates and discussions. Students who are able to cooperate are willing to let others do their fair share as well as pull their own weight in a group. Students will value all suggestions of group members equally. Students will attempt to resolve problems within their group before asking the teacher. Student Goal 10) Students will understand the nature of knowledge. Students will partake in discussions about the nature of knowledge and compare different ways of knowing. Students will apply principles of the nature of knowledge to different content areas. Epistemological discussions with students can help them become more reflective concerning their own thinking. By reflecting on what it means to know something in diverse areas, students will better understand how to learn effectively. I hope these goals are lofty, children deserve no less than our highest expectations. Assessing these goals is difficult, but by carefully designing lessons and providing important experiences for students, we can promote these goals – however, like with anything, they must carry the goals to fruition. I’m sure some will tell me I’m an idealist with a goal list like that, so I leave you with some John Lennon’s Imagine:

''The Malaysian Culture'' Short Documentary Essay

''The Malaysian Culture'' Short Documentary - Essay Example Dining or eating out is a relatively cheap experience. Family and friends enjoy being together as Malaysian occasions are celebrated with food. Malaysians never settle with one meal, they always have supper, dessert, and post-lunch and tea time. All this is rewarding because there is plenty of food. I also saw the art of shearing which brings peace and harmony among people. The Malaysian observes religious values as not eating pork so as not to affront the Muslim faith. However, they are so used to using plastic bags and, as a result; they pollute their once beautiful environment. The ultimate price of pollution is expensive and affects the current generation and generations to come. What I did not like about the documentary is that it did not tell us briefly where the food is found if it is cultivated or processed in the industries. Again the documentary did not educate its people about the effects of excessive use of plastic back and give alternative bags for that matter. To my opinion, important elements to that I would apply are helping my nation have plenty of food in order to promote peace and also control excessive use of plastic

Compare and Contrast Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Compare and Contrast Research Methods - Essay Example They enable researchers to study and analyze information with specific criteria (Woodside 57). When using this research method, researchers select a particular sample such as a geographical area and use it as an instance for the study. Case studies define and examine real life instances that are clearly visible and can be easily related. Boundaries have to be set in order to have relevance in selecting appropriate solutions when solving problems (Gagnon 76). In most cases, extensive examination and analysis of an event or an instance are used in case studies. For instance, in studying the development of child language, a researcher would sample a locality. Then the researcher selects an example of a school and a definite population to use as a sample. There are different types of case study research methods, namely: multiple and singular research methods. In multiple methods, the researcher would sample from different cases then analyze and come up with the most probable finding or solution (Yin 85). It is necessary for the researchers to insist on real life situations to avoid ambiguity. A singular case study only requires a single case that the researcher would use to formulate the most appropriate solution. Informal and in-depth interviews can incorporate other research methods for proper and satisfactory results. The main goals of a Informal and in-depth interviews are to ensure that the research findings are a true reflection of the real issues on the ground (Swanbon 47). Any resources or reports used in the processes should prove that: It is the only valid method or source of information and that the information could not be acquired from anywhere else. The report should correspond and respond appropriately to the questions asked in the Informal and in-depth interviews of the research. The report should follow the correct laid down procedures of research and data mining. The usual rules and guidelines of an ordinary research and social sciences must be

Introduction to business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Introduction to business - Essay Example The expansion and diversification of consumer market with time has established the need for employing a diversified workforce that can satisfy the diversified demand of today’s consumer. The world’s demography is changing constantly, now no country is a complete blend of one race and ethnicity. Due to increased migrations, the minorities are increasing in world developing countries. With all of these changes, it has become important for countries to have a diverse workforce that represents all aspect of the society; this representation projects a better image of the organization in the society. A major advantage of an organization attempting to acquire diverse workforce is that it have access to a large pool of candidates by which it can hire the best possible person for the job. An organization that places importance on skills and talent over characteristics like age, gender, race etc is able to achieve competitive advantage over other organizations. Another advantage of diverse workforce besides projection of better image is that it helps diversified consumer to believe that they share common grounds with the company and it helps to increase their trust in the organization. Furthermore, employees with different perspective can provide the organization with different and varied objectives helping to identify unmet needs and new opportunities. Recruitment of a diversified workforce and creating a welcoming environment for these employees helps to increase motivation and commitment of employees towards the organization. This is because these employees feel valued. Recognition and acceptance of an employee’s unique perspective helps to create a comprehensive work environment, which is very beneficial for the organization. It is evident from the above discussion that the benefits of a diversified workforce far out-weigh the cost of it. It is an essential utensil for

American Fashion in 1980's through today Research Paper

American Fashion in 1980's through today - Research Paper Example The essay "American Fashion in 1980's through today" talks about the fashion and trends in America from the 1980s till today. In early 80s, men began wearing tight fitting trousers and loose shirts. This fashion applied in equal measure to women. In addition, men grew mustaches following the influence of TVs such as Magnum. Medium sized hair characterized the early 80s hairstyle for men. However, towards the end of 1980s men started growing long hair. Brand names were also a notable fashion of the time. Headbands were a popular fashion in early 1980s. Miniskirts and leg warmers were common among women. It is arguable that cheerleaders influenced the design and wearing of miniskirt. Valley girl a movie played in 1983 had a big influence to dressing style of many women. In mid 1980s, leather outfits and jeans gained popularity among women. Lace was also common among women. Women also dressed in miniskirts while going to business meeting. Notably, women wore miniskirts with leggings. So lid color, simple pattern, and silhouette were the design of most female clothing towards the end of 1980s. High-heeled shoes among women were common during this period. Another common shoe trend was dolly shoes, which edged to early 1990s. Fashion trends of 1980s started fading at the beginning of 1990s. Men started growing long hair. Flannel shirts were common among men. Navy blue blazers, Khaki slacks, canvas shoes, and leather jackets become common. Other common clothing was denim jackets, sheepskin coats, and polo shirts.

TheParableoftheSadhu- assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TheParableoftheSadhu- assignment - Coursework Example But this is just one side of the interpretation, for the various other key factors also have to be considered. (1) All the members of the group were fully exhausted and still had to cover a fair amount of distance, at such a high altitude. Had they decided in favor of taking the sadhu along with them, their progress on that treacherous snowy path would have been hindered. Their very lives would have then been endangered. Perhaps, the most vital factor, based on which, the group’s decision cannot be totally termed as being an unethical one is attributable to a key fact. Both McCoy and Stephen were vulnerable to altitude sickness, and in fact, the former already started to feel some of the symptoms, by the time the sadhu came into the picture. Overall, it (the decision) can be rated to be an intense dilemma related to ethical choice. (1) Owing to the decision of deserting the sadhu, the group went on to promptly finish their trek with minimal hassles. But that is just one side o f the coin, and there indeed was something that can be described as a kind of loss, for the group. All of them would have surely been bogged down by guilty feeling. As a matter of fact, McCoy himself admitted that the approach adopted towards the sadhu went on to prick his conscience, for a very long time.

Enzymes in Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enzymes in Industry - Essay Example It is the aim of this paper to discuss the workings and history of enzymes and to trace its research as well as to give an overview of how enzymes have been incorporated into various facets of industry and as a result make our day- to - day lives much easier. Enzymes are proteinaceous molecules. They catalyze a variety of reactions in the cell and every living organism is dependent on them to function. Being proteins, they are sensitive to the working conditions, like temperature, pH, etc. and often have stringent requirements of these factors in order to function properly. Each enzyme catalyses a specific reaction, and this specificity is one of the hallmarks of an enzyme. In addition, each enzyme also has certain conditions within which it will be active. The conditions vary from enzyme to enzyme, though there is generally a common overlap amongst them. However, some proteins will be more stable than others under condition x than others, or will have a wider range of toleration to circumstances. Enzymes in industry have their roots in the earliest civilizations. Fermentation of grapes to make wine is one of the earliest recorded uses of enzymes. Also recorded is the fermentation of milk to yield cheese and yoghurt. However, though they have been recorded, the significance of the process of fermentation was not looked deeply into for many centuries. People slowly became aware of yeast as a source of this fermenting activity. However it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that enzyme research as a field really took off. The history of enzyme research is given below. History Timeline 1810 - Joseph Gay Lussac discovers that the principle products of sugar decomposition in yeastare ethanol and carbon dioxide. 1835 - Jacob Berzelius postulates the first general theory of chemical catalysis by showing that malt extracts (diastase) were capable of better catalysis of starch hydrolysis than sulfuric acid. Mid 19th century - Pasteur proposes that fermentation can only occur in living cells; he assumes a "vital force" that is capable of this process and says that dead cells cannot catalyse fermentation. J. Liebig opposes this theory, postulating that biological reactions are caused by substances called 'ferments' which are themselves not living organisms. 1864 - Hansen extracts chymosin from calf stomach (rennet) and uses it to ripen and manufacture cheese. This appears to be the first industrial use. 1876 - William Kuhne coins the term "enzyme" in an attempt to emphasize that it is not the yeast but something within its cell that causes fermentation. Late 1800s - Jokichi Takamine is the first person to isolate an enzyme, Takadiastase, from a microbe, Aspergillus oryzae 1894 - Emil Fischer discovers that glycolytic enzymes can distinguish between stereoisomeric sugars leading to the lock- and - key hypothesis. 1897 - Eduard Buchner ends the debate on what causes fermentation by showing that a cell-free yeast extract is still capable of carrying out fermentation. 1917 - Bacterial amylase is used by Boiden and Effront to perform textile desizing. Pre- W.W.I - Otto Rohm uses pancreatic extracts to bate leather. He also later used enzymes in detergents. 1926 - James Sumner crystallizes the enzyme jack bean urease, demonstrating conclusively that enzymes are proteins. Mid- 1930s - John Northrop, Moses Kunitz confirm the proteinaceous nature of enzymes by showing a direct correlation

Leading and Building Effective Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leading and Building Effective Teams - Essay Example are many issues such as ethnicity, race, age, work experience, aptitude, and values that hugely interfere with the team’s capabilities hence making it hard for them to get things done implying that the qualities that that trigger success also undermines success. The objective of this article is to examine the importance of leading and building effective teams in a diverse range of organizational settings as well as exploring team diversity and team performance. â€Å"Managing the diversified team: challenges and strategies for improving performance,† by Agrawal highlights some of the significant factors that require close attention for successful management of a diversified team. The author aims at providing business managers and executives with an elaborate framework of how to ensure utilization and implementation of teams in the organizations in a manner that leads to maximization of both internal and external variety of skills. Agrawal believes that there are essential diversified skills present amongst team members that should be tapped to achieve the best out of a team. The author has dwelt on the existing literature to collect and synthesize the views of other authors on the issue of managing a diversified team. Agrawal carried out SWOT analysis in evaluating and analyzing diversified team as well as strong inclusion of both primary and secondary research to strengthen his views and opinions on the issue of diversified team. I n conclusion, the author’s findings indicated that teamwork requires that members view themselves as a unit with common objectives for better results. This article has highlighted some of the vital information that leaders and managers may use in ensuring that diversity of team members is fully utilized to produce positive results. â€Å"Motivating and demotivating forces in teams: Cross-level influences of empowering leadership and relationship conflict,† by Chen et al., addresses team-level stimuli that include motivating

Caterpillar's Organizational Structure and Culture Essay

Caterpillar's Organizational Structure and Culture - Essay Example For this reason, organizational environment has been divided into three sections: general environment, task environment and internal environment. The first of them refers to factors that are likely to impact the organization as a market’s unit, as for instance technological and socio-cultural factors. Task environment refers to factors influencing the organization’s daily operations; customers and suppliers are factors of such type. As for the organization’s internal environment, this refers to factors, which are related to the organization’s internal boundaries, meaning factors such as employees and culture (Caterpillar, case study). Changing organizational structure can be a challenging task mostly because all parts of organizational structure need to be transformed. If a change successfully occurs, this fact can be made known to the management in the following way: no problems appear in the organization’s daily operations, especially in regard to the areas where change was promoted. The organizational culture can include a series of elements, such as symbols, ceremonies and stories; in Caterpillar, the above elements have been set as value hallmarks (Caterpillar, case study). Moreover, organizational culture can set the rules on which organization’s plans are based; reference is made particularly to the plans that regulate employee relations across the organization. In Caterpillar, organizational culture also refers to understandings, beliefs and norms; the above elements are characterized as shared values and define the cultural framework of Caterpillar (Caterpillar, case study). In accordance with the case study, adaptability and involvement are key characteristics of Caterpillar’s culture, ensuring flexibility and employee participation in organizational plans. In Caterpillar corporate culture is of critical value; teaching

Scarlet Letter Literary Paper Essay Example for Free

Scarlet Letter Literary Paper Essay The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, written in 1850, is a product of the literary struggle between Classicism and Romanticism. Classicism is based upon writing in a traditional tone that involves no emotion, while Romanticism is the idea of letting emotion flow through literary outlets, such as a novel. This struggle is plainly embodied in the character of Hester Prynne, who must contain her passionate personality to the guidelines placed before her in a strict Puritan society. Within a Puritan society, committing a sin is viewed as the worst possible thing one could do and one must be punished accordingly for it. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne turned back to the age of his first American ancestor for a historical background against which to display a tragic drama of guiltrevealed and concealed, real and imaginedand its effects on those touched by the guilt (Dictionary of Literary Biography, 3). Guilt is a strong after-effect of sin within The Scarlet Letter. The consequences and effects of sin are different to every person who commits one. The novel, The Scarlet Letter opens as the narrator states that Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale have committed adultery and that Hester has borne a child named Pearl. Hester is punished publicly for her sin of adultery by the placing of a scarlet letter on her breast and public humiliation, while Dimmesdale does not confess to the sin and is spared public scorning for it. Instead, Dimmesdale must seek inner redemption through physical beatings and praying, with little success. Hawthorne utilizes his novel to trace the less visible, long-range effects of a sin such as adultery, in the harsh setting of Puritan society through Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Hester Prynne in order to illustrate how an obsession with vengeance or a devotion to atonement can destroy a persons spirit or personality. Through the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne shows that man can decrease his spiritual worth through his devotion to atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale originally sees himself as a holy, righteous man of the Lord, but quickly begins to rethink his position in the Puritan society after he commits the sin of adultery and then publicly denies it. Dimmesdales view of his spiritual worth decreases when he notices that his actions have lead  to Hester facing public ridicule through her punishment, that she should stand a certain time upon the platform (63). While Hesters punishment exposes her to embarrassment in front of the entire community, Dimmesdales part in the sin is hidden from society to stew within his mind. The platform of pillory (62) that Hester is placed upon exposes her to the glaring eyes of Puritan society, leaving cowardly Dimmesdale to deny his part in the sin of adultery. Obvious to the Puritan society, Hester did not commit her sin alone, for she could not conceive a child without a male, but there is no way to expose the father. Another result of Dimmesdale keeping his sin to himself is leaving Hester open to the gossip of the well-to-do women in town. One woman decides that At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynnes forehead (59), and another woman states that Hester has brought shame upon all and ought to die (59). While Hester is being ridiculed on the scaffold, Dimmesdale screams to her that [He] charge[s] thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer (73) even though he knows in his heart that he is the fellow-sinner of Hester Prynne. In questioning Hester on her partner in adultery, he is once again lowering his spiritual worth by adding hypocrisy to his sin. Dimmesdale then makes Hester even more isolated in her sin of adultery by forcing Reverend Wilson to give a discourse on sin, in all its branches, with continual reference to the ignominious [scarlet] letter (74). His speech is so powerful that it causes Hesters scarlet letter to [assume new terrors in [the puritan societys] imagination, and it seemed to derive its scarlet hue from the flames of the infernal pit (74). Dimmesdale once again diminishes himself by not daring to show himself to Hester leaving her lonelyand without a friend on earth who dared to show himself (85). After Reverend Wilsons speech, Dimmesdale begins to try to improve his spiritual worth. He continues to ignore Hester but tries to help her in life. One day when she goes to the governors house to give him a pair of gloves she sewed for him, the governor tries to take Pearl, Hesters child and tells her my poor woman, the child shall be well cared for! Far better than thou canst do it (112). Hester cries out in terror and screams for Dimmesdale to speak thou for [her] (112), and Dimmesdale finally shows some spiritual improvement by telling the Governor that there is truth in what she says, and in the feeling which inspires her! God gave her the  child, and gave her, too, an instinctive knowledge of its nature and requirementsboth seemingly so peculiarwhich no other mortal being can possess. And, moreover, is there not a quality of awful sacredness in the relation between this mother and this child? (113). Dimmesdale tries to deal with the guilt of his sin by helping Hester. When he shows the Governor how much Hester needs her child, and her child needs her, he feels like he is finally doing something to help alleviate a little bit of his guilt. Reverend Dimmesdale begins to take responsibility for his actions when he defends Hester, but he still remains incapable of public confession. Because of this, Dimmesdale continues to physically punish himself his entire life through fasting and self-hatred. Chillingworth is introduced in The Scarlet Letter as being morally superior to Hester and Dimmesdale because he has not committed the sin of adultery. However, unlike Dimmesdale and Hester, Chillingworth does not work to further his spiritual worth, but instead he chooses to commit sin, perhaps leading to his ultimate demise. When Chillingworth arrives at Hesters public shaming on the scaffold he does not share in the societys anger at her because of her sin, and appears to sympathize with her. Chillingworth views himself as one of the causes for Hesters sin of adultery and make statements such as it was my folly (77) and mine was the first wrong (79). Chillingworth blames himself for Hesters adultery because he feels he betrayed thy budding youth into false and unnatural relation with my decay (80). Puritan society also views Chillingworth as a positive influence on the community because he brings a physicians frankly offered skill (70) to the society. However, the plot soon reveals that Chillingworth is not in the community for good, he is there to destroy Dimmesdale. Chillingworth has no intentions to harm Hester, however, and tells her Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what I could do better for my object than to let thee liveso that this burning shame may still blaze upon thy bosom? (78). Chillingworth avenges Hesters sin by letting her live and forcing her to go on with her shame. The consequence of sin upon Chillingworth is not a consequence of his own sin, but of the joint sin of Hester and Dimmesdale. At first, the reader cannot tell Chillingworths true intentions but Hester soon draws the conclusion that Chillingworths acts are like mercy, bit his  words interpret thee as a terror (81). She even goes as far as to describe him as the Black Man that haunts the forest (82). Chillingworth begins to act immorally, reducing his spiritual worth just like Dimmesdale. Chillingworths obsession commences with his unrelenting search for Hesters fellow sinner. This unhealthy search, not only deteriorates Chillingworths moral status within the novel, his inner sin begins to show itself in his outward appearance. Hester remarks, how his dark complexion seemed to have grown duskier(113). Hester also states that, his figure appeared more misshapen (113) than she remembered it from the years they lived together as husband and wife. The deterioration of his physical appearance shows the sin that is taking over his body and soul. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter a drastic change comes over Chillingworths character. Chillingworth ends the novel as a man obsessed with nothing other than vengeance upon those have committed sin against him. Within a Puritan society, committing a sin is viewed as the worst possible thing one could do and one must be punished accordingly for it. In The Scarlet Letter the sin of adultery not only affects the committers of the sin, Dimmesdale and Hester, but also Chillingworth, Hesters husband. The consequences and effects of sin are different to every person who commits one. Hester grows wiser from her sin, and becomes a better person, Dimmesdale slowly destroys himself, and Chillingworth becomes bent on revenge and eventually is the cause of his own demise.

Formal Informal Social Support Systems Health And Social Care Essay

Formal Informal Social Support Systems Health And Social Care Essay Realising that it is the natural right that all those who labour should enjoy to the fullest extent the fruits of their labour the Colonial Government of the Gold Coast initiated a package for public service workers who went on retirement after serving in the public service for over 30 years, passed an ordinance as part of the reforms in the colony. That ordinance came to be known as CAP 30. The following category of workers were entitled to enjoy this package, Ghana Armed Forces, Police Service, Fire Service, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Civil Service etc. However, by 1972 the law was amended to allow another body, SSNIT to take responsibility of some category of workers contribution towards their retirement. After 1972, employees of the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, and Judiciary Service amongst others were directly under the SSNIT Pension Scheme with the exception of the Security Services. The Social Security Pension Scheme was established under the PNDC Law 247 of 1991. The Scheme is administered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to cater for Civil and Public Servants, Employees in the private sector, Professionals, Traders, Artisans, Farmers and also the self-employed. The Social Security Scheme is the only basic Social Security Scheme that insures a worker against the following contingencies: Old Age, Invalidity and Death. The worker contributes 5% of his/her basic salary and the employer adds 12.5% of the workers basic salary, making a total of 17.5% which is paid to SSNIT. The rate of Contribution for Self-Employed or Voluntary Contributor is 17.5% of declared income. It would interest you to know that Government Pension or cap 30 attracts a huge sum of money than the SSNIT pension which is relatively lower. This disparity in the pension administration has brought about workers agitation for fairness in their retirement benefits. In the public sector a person qualifies for full pension at the age of 60years and you must have made a minimum contribution of 240 months in aggregate but can voluntarily go on retirement at age 55years for reduced pension and must have made a minimum contribution of 240 months. As a result of ill-health one qualifies for invalidity pension. In that case you must have made contributions for not less than 12months in aggregate within the last 36 months and you must have been declared permanently invalid and incapable of any normal gainful employment by a qualified and recognized medical officer and certified by a Regional Medical Board on which a SSNIT Medical Officer is represented. Since 1957 when the country gained independence expatriate officers in the Ghana Civil Service opted to retire and many vacancies occurred. This created the opportunity for Ghanaians who were on pension to be re-engaged in the Civil Service on contract. These officers enjoyed their pension in addition to their remuneration as contract officers. However, in 1968, the Government of Ghana ordered the cessation of the payment of the pension package in addition to the salaries attached to the contract appointment. This measure obviously did not go down well with the affected pensioners who considered it a stab at the back and a breach of faith. ( Tachie-Menson, 2003). In Accra, a group of pensioners engaged the services of lawyers to fight their cause for them. They succeeded and thus the emergence of the Ghana Government Pensioners Association for Accra which also assumed a national status. The way was then opened for branches in all the regional capitals to register members and make payment of part of their monthly dues to Accra. In Wa the pensions Association was formed in 1986 to cater for retired workers in the municipality. Pensioners under the Government Pensions Association are over six hundred as the number keep dwindling due to death. Pensioner with the SSNIT, as at February, 2010 stood at one hundred thousand four hundred and fifty eight with a retirement rate of 0.65%. It was my doubt that some retired public service workers would live uncomfortable lives after long years of contributing meaningfully to mother Ghana as those kinds of assumptions, suggestions, and my personal experience of my aged parents that prompted me to undertake this proposal in this area. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM There is a general perception out there that retirement from active service in Ghana renders one jobless and with nothing to do which often leads to frustration and early death in life if one does not plan life properly. This is attributed to the fact that people on retirement who do not plan well use their benefits to find shelter for themselves after which they end up living on their meager monthly allowance. It is claimed because most workers are not able to put up shelter during their working lives before they go on retirement. This has been the situation over the last decade and more and has rather impoverished retirees. Such claims are not hard to find in the municipality if one visits these retired workers at their homes. Therefore retired workers whose family members are not there to support them are left to their fate or are forced to put up with neighbours. It is also worrying to find frail looking pensioners go to their banks every fortnight to struggle for their allowance s. In some situations those incapacitated to the extent that they cannot make the journey to the bank would not have access to their money unless they prepare an authority note to be endorsed by the Association and countersigned by the Accountant Generals representative for the bank to effect payment, a process quite laborious. Calculation of retirement benefits of Government Pension which was originally based on the pension constant of 1/960th of ones terminal salary multiplied by the number of years served in months was reviewed in 1946 by the Harragin Salary Commission to 1/600th and has since been increased to 1/480th. The amount arrived at is spilt for 25% to be paid as gratuity and the remaining 75% as pension which is spread over 20 years and is payable monthly. On the death of a pensioner what is due him/her from the remaining period out of the twenty years is paid to his/her beneficiaries as commuted pension. (Tachie-Menson, 2003) For beneficiaries of a deceased pensioner to claim the unexpected portion of the twenty years pension there are three approaches towards that end:- (a)The nomination form filed with his Department while a civil servant in which he indicated his beneficiaries is the first to be used as authority for disbursement. However, the nomination forms can be revised at any time that the person wishes. (b)The will is the next authority to be used for disbursement, if it super cedes the nomination form. (c)In the absence of the two above, Letters of Administration prepared jointly by the head of the pensioners family on one side and the wife and children on the other, must be obtained from the Law Courts with which to claim the commuted pension. As the years roll by for inflation to set in adjustments are made to salaries by the grant of allowances in various forms to the basic salaries of Civil Servants. However, when allowances are added to the basic salaries to mitigate the effect of the rising cost of living, it does not reflect in the pension calculation. This prompts the Ghana Government Pensioners Association to enter into serious negotiations with the Government for pension to be increase. When the consolidated salary was introduced pensioners were left in the lurch. The Associations negotiating machinery was put to the test with the bargaining power of the Public Services Workers Union of which the Association is a Division; Government then consented to the grant of 50%. Therefore to address the issue of social support for the retired public sector workers in the municipality, it is important to know that the enormous concern of this essay is focused on the poor adoption of measures on the part of local authorities and community members to provide additional welfare resources and other social interventions to support the retired. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: This research would give an in-depth knowledge of the formal and informal social support systems of retired workers and to know the plight of retired workers so as to come out with remedies to assist these aged citizens. It would also contribute to prepare would- be retirees to adequately plan for their future retirement. Furthermore, before a research of this nature is meaningfully carried out in the municipality of Wa, it is imperative to have some knowledge about what the area under study is made up of. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study are as follows: Specific objective: A. To evaluate the adequacy of available formal and informal support and welfare resources to the retired persons at the community level. The investigation will be directed toward the identification of social support systems that would meet the growing and changing needs of the retired. GENERAL OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine, in some Ghanaian communities, social support systems for elderly persons. 2. To study both support providers and the beneficiaries comprehensively in order to understand how poverty and the needs of the retired are distributed, and how they are dealt with in practice. 3. To determine the degree of success of formal interventions of support provision to the elderly. 4. To ascertain the social pattern of relief and support, and to draw the social implications of the existing and changing patterns so that appropriate and adequate social policies may be formulated. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: These specific objectives above will be framed around the following specific and general questions: How adequate are the formal and informal social support and welfare resources of retired public sector workers? GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What are the general cultural expectations about the retired person in the community and how are these changing? 2. What resources are available to them? 3. To what extent do retired persons avail themselves of the community resources and at what cost? 4. What factors encourage or discourage utilization of such resources? 5. To what extent do the resources available complement one another to meet the needs of the retired and what needs are left unmet? 6. What are the principles of reciprocity involved in these various support arrangements in the family and the community? LITERATURE REVIEW: In reviewing literature, the study will triangulate conceptual and theoretical frame work of the topic understudy. The operational definition of key concepts include the terms formal, informal, social support systems and public sector workers. I am interested in defining formal as the official government situation in the line of events. Informal means private and unofficial initiative. Social support system means social interventions to the vulnerable. My construct of these concepts is similar to other concepts that are in use. However, in the past Social welfare protection, in the form of insurance and assistance programmes, emerged in Europe in the 1800s in order to provide citizens with an economic safety net during periods of illness, economic hardship, and other shocks as discussed (Palacios Sluchynsky, 2006). Today, nearly every country has some form of social protection developed to provide economic support in times of need (International Social Security Association, 2005). Assistance comes in the form of old-age pensions, survivor benefits, family allowances or other supports. In Africa, the author suggests that social welfare programmes were originally developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a safety net for white workers (Dixon, 1987). Employer-based contributory pensions were the dominant model. Still today, these pensions primarily serve the wealthiest workers who live in urban areas and have secure careers in the public sector (Palacios Sluchynsky, 2006). Those who are excluded from these benefits are left to rely upon the traditional safety net of family aid, mutual support, and communal living. For example, in Kenya, the clan system has operated as a labour union world, pooling resources and providing extra support during vulnerable periods (Dixon, 1987). This informal system has eroded. However, as countries have developed and urbanized, sources of livelihoods have diversified, family sizes shrunk, and the population aged. Moreover, throughout sub-Saharan Africa, poverty has further destabilized households, changed demographic patterns and orphaned enormous numbers of children (UNICEF, 2006). Vulnerable populations face a social protection vacuum when both formal programmes and informal practices fail to provide the safety nets that families need to survive, even though social protection is a proven component in fighting poverty and responding to families overwhelmed by disease or other shocks (Barrientos DeJong, 2004; Bourguignon, Ferreira, Leite, 2002; Chronic Poverty Research Centre, 2005; Skoufias di Maro, 2006). Throughout Africa, social protection programmes could well be mechanisms that enable families to economically survive and help children reach their potential. The reality that social welfare schemes in Africa exclude more people than they cover, has been established (Dixon, 1987; Fultz Pieris, 1999; Taylor, 2001) and yet there are important reasons to revisit this topic. He argues that in the last decade, a growing number of countries have expanded or developed new programmes in an effort to reduce poverty as well as to invest in human and economic development. Evidence of the growing momentum around social protection schemes include the Livingstone Call For Action (2006) where thirteen Eastern and Southern African governments pledged to draft costed national social transfer plans within two to three years. In a related situation, the African Union is driving and supporting efforts to promote the development of better social welfare systems; while heads of states throughout the world, have committed to building, where needed, and supporting the social security systems that protects the aged (United Nations General Assembly, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of existing social welfare policies in Ghana and countries throughout Africa. These policies are described and the characteristics of existing social welfare schemes are analyzed in order to facilitate dialogue on how governments, supported by the international community, can improve current welfare schemes and build new systems that are better aligned with the needs of vulnerable populations, in order to provide a meaningful social safety net. METHODOLOGY: In order to examine the characteristics of government and employer provided social support schemes to retired workers, the research must conduct an enquiry aimed at increasing knowledge based on facts. Therefore to achieve this, a systematic method and instruments of collating and collecting data should be used since the appropriateness of these methods and instruments to a large extent determine the validity and reliability of the data. Also the sample used should be a true representation of the population as well as the instrument utilized in the research. STUDY AREA The Wa Municipality is one of the oldest districts in the region, and the biggest of the nine districts. It is the capital town of the region. The estimated population of Wa Municipality for 2008 is 124,476 as against 105,065 in 2000, an increase of about19%. The population density of the area is 38 persons per square kilometers. It has about 32 communities. Because Wa doubles as the Municipal and Regional capital, it has a high population growth rate of 4% per annum with a greater proportion of the total population of the Municipality and the Region concentrated in it. Wa Municipality covers the Southwestern parts of the region. It stretches from longitude 1Ù’Â °40N to 2Â ° 45N and from latitude 9Â ° 32W to 10Â ° 20W. It covers an area of approximately 5899.30 square kilometers, which is about 32% and 2.56%of the region and the nation respectively. To the South, Southwest and Southeast, Wa Municipality shares common boundaries with Wa West/Wa East, Wa West and Wa East Districts respectively. To the north, Wa Municipality is bordered by Nadwoli District. It has more retired civil and public servants and also suitable in terms of providing sufficient sample sizes of retired persons. TARGET POPULATION The target population for this research is the retired civil and public sector workers in the municipality and their families. Retired civil and public sector workers are of two categories. The first category is made up of pensioners under Government Pension scheme and the second category is made up of pensioners under SSNIT Pension scheme. SAMPLE A number of samples will be drawn for the study. Unlike Census, where the entire population is covered by the study, sampling enables a researcher to study a relatively small part of the target population and yet obtain accurate and detailed data that are representative of the whole at a lower cost (Sarantakos, 2005). . The first sample of respondents will be made up of community members who are 60 years and above. The second respondents will be made up of family members, kin relationship and local authorities. SAMPLING PROCEDURE A snowball sampling procedure will be used. By this method a retired public sector worker is identified within the community and interviewed. This first respondent then leads the researcher to the next respondent who also falls with the target group. The process is continued until the required number of respondents is interviewed. CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHOD Considerable interest is shown in the choice of research methods to use in this research proposal. There is the quantitative data and method approach which often is associated with positivism, the prevailing paradigm in recent times. Under this approach scientific methods can more or less readily represent and measure concepts which seek to predict and explain causal relations among key variables. However, some critics are of the view that positivistic methods reduce the contextual meanings in the process of developing quantified measures of phenomena. Though the issue of empirical approach to research has been justified by its success in measuring quantitative research, in more recent years, scientists have been challenged to explain phenomena that defy measurement and their inability to quantitatively measure some phenomena, and the dissatisfaction with which the results of measurement of other phenomena have led to an intense search for other approaches to study human phenomena. A modern approach, which came to be known as post positivism, is a recent evolution of positivism which focus has been on qualitative methods, and is modeled on positivistic methods and experimental designs (Miles and Huberman, 1993). This approach has led to the acceptance of qualitative research approach which does not need empirical data to discover knowledge. However, one cannot help but to stuck by the success of qualitative research methods in the market place of academic ideas (Atkinson, 1995, p. 117). The tradition of using qualitative methods to study human phenomena is grounded in the social sciences. The tradition came about because aspects of human values, culture, and relationships were unable to be described fully using quantitative research methods. More recently, the practice of qualitative research has expanded to clinical settings because empirical approaches have proven to be of limited service in answering some of the challenges and pressing clinical questions, especially where human subjectivity and interpretation are involved (Thorne, 1997, p. 28). However, the use of qualitative research has its own flaws as well. It is unable to study relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends. For the purpose of this proposal a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methodology would be used to analyse data. However qualitative method has a more flexible approach in pr ocedure to construction of research design in the sampling, data collection and processing and reporting. DATA COLLECTION Data will be collected from a variety of sources within the selected community, from families, kin, neighbours, educationists, legal and health practitioners, from neighbourhood and community associations, religious groups, welfare agencies, specialised groups such as trade unions, from local councils and other organised groups. Further information gathered will come from retired persons themselves, from their families/kin, extra familial networks, neighbourhood, their community and from state agencies. The material gathered from these levels will be in a complementary relationship to one another in order to approximate a high degree of reliability and validity. The principal data that will be gathered include the followings: (a) Community profile: geographic, demographic, historical, political-social and economic conditions of the community, placed within the national context. (b) Prevailing cultural norms and the expectations concerning the retired persons and their care, conceptions about reciprocity and exchange, family and kinship relationship etc. (c) Inventory and detailed descriptions of indigenous informal support systems and of formal support systems available within the community. Another source of data collection will be a historical review of formal and informal support systems available in the community and local levels. At the formal level, data will include the public services and programmes instituted by the government at different levels. At the informal level, data will include information on the traditional supporting roles played by family, kin, patrons and others. Data collection will proceed by means of primary sources of data such as interviews, questionnaire, and focus group discussions. Secondary data through existing literature will be used by the researcher. In terms of priorities, it is expected that questionnaires will be constructed and pretested. INTERVIEWS The interview is a face to face meeting between a questioner and a respondent, or an oral presentation of an opinion or attitude scale (Zikmund, 1994). Structured interview will be used for meeting the respondents. It will however be inter space with unstructured interviews when interacting with non pensioners. QUESTIONNAIRES A questionnaire is a written instrument that contains a series of questions or statements called items that attempts to collect information on a particular topic. It is useful for large scale surveys that involve collection of data from literate respondents. Questionnaire will be administered to pensioners as well. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION Another source of data collection will be focus group discussions. This third phase about 9-12 pensioners will be grouped for discussions about their personal experience before and after active service. The selection of participant will be balance in terms of sex to give it a fair representation. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION In recording the information or data gathered, I will employ both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data will be described and in other cases subjected to quantitative analysis regarding trends in each dimension of the topic. Correlations between aspects of the topic and a series of other variables to establish more detailed results will be conducted. Beyond this, the researcher is expected to explain behaviours more extensively and more accurately. Where data needs empirical analysis quantitative model will be used and where it needs description and collection and analysis occur simultaneously, qualitative model will be suitable. INTENDED BENEFITS The Government under the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare is seriously considering the development of a national policy for the aged. Local authorities should compliment government effort by initiating social and community activities to engage the elderly in the community as well as supplement government efforts of finding welfare resources for them. The results of this study should identify and address gaps in existing interventions. My contribution to the study is to draw to attention that every worker dreams of going on retirement one day. Therefore adequate preparations should be made for the aged who have live most of their life working to develop the country so that they dont retire and still wallow in poverty. My motivation stern from the very experience of having to handle my aged parents who were once public servants and are now on retirement and in addition to relations and friends who are affected in one way or another of their aged relatives. The intention of spending time and money on this exercise is to bring about an improvement of the status quo. TIME PLAN PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 FROM TO FROM TO FROM TO DATA GATHERING METHOD 1 use of questions 2 interviews 3Focus grp Dis. June-July. Pre test Decem.-Jan. Retired workers. June-July Cap 30 Retired Workers Oct. Nov. August-September Commty. profile Feb-Mar. Families Kin. Commty mmb August Sept. SSNIT Retired Workers Octob.- Novem. Prevailng cul. Norm April.-May edu, Leg., Health workrs ANALYSIS METHODS 1 Qualitative Mainly descriptive analysis of data. Often collection and analysis will occur simultaneously. METHODS 2Quantitative Mainly statistical analysis of data. Correlation between aspects of the topic and a series of variables will be established. BUDGET. Activity Quantity/number Frequency Unit Cost Total Cost GHÂ ¢ Internet Browsing Browsing and printing 20.00 Documents acquired 40.00 Travel expenses Fuel for local movement 20.00 Feeding accommodation Rent for two years and food GHÂ ¢ 120.00 240.00 Printing and photo copying questionnaires 15 pages 100 respondents 100.00 Printing 80 pages 8 copies 60GP 384.00 Binding of books 8 copies GHÂ ¢10.00 80.00 Grant Total GHÂ ¢884.00

Richard Feynman: Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom

Richard Feynman: Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom Describe his perspectives, its major points and its implications. The physicist Richard Feynman given a lecture at American Physical Society on December 29, 1959 named Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom. This article was very different from the other commonly written topics on physics at that time. These days this lecture is commonly mentioned due to its extraordinary imaginative power. In this article Feynman predicted nanotechnology as an entire innovative field and explained the prosperity of innovatory technology advancements and applications such as very high density data storage media and very tiny mechanical devices would be practicable, with many improvements until ultimately essential physical limits at the atomic scale become applicable (Breitfelder). Feynman asked in his lecture to envisage a smallness contest in which we manage to write on a pinhead. Also he stated the techniques to read and write on pinhead. Feynman also talked about miniaturization of computers which is what exactly happening today; at the time of his lecture compute rs were very big. Feynman measured the opportunity of direct management of individualatomsas an extra powerful form of artificialchemistrythan those used at the time. Feynman considered very interesting implications of a general ability to control substance on an atomic scale. He was mainly concerned in the potential of smallcomputers andmicroscopeswhich could see things very small than is likely withscanning electron microscopes. Before Feynman given this speech there was very limited information of nanotechnology exists as he stated there is lot more research and experiments need to be done. However, he described various aspects of this technology and some practical examples of how to achieve large things at small scale. It includes writing very small text (for example the complete 24 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on the top of a pin), small computers (such as wire) and swallow the surgeon (very tiny robot which can go inside a person and examine him internally). In this article, Feynman asked some questions (like how do wewritesmall?) and he presented the answers for these questions in very significant manner. As he described there was no standard technique to write on such a small scale but it is not impossible. The article also explained the solution of small scale writing using techniques available to engineers in 1959.It was to turn round the lenses of the electron microscope in order to shrink and to enlarge the particular text. If the source of ions sent through the reverse microscope lenses it could focus to a very tiny dot. He further stated that it’s possible to write with that spot such as we write in a TV cathode ray oscilloscope by leaving diagonally in lines, and doing an adjustment which decides the quantity of material we are going to put as we scan in lines. He further assumed that every bit of the information in all books in a library could hypothetically be transformed to digital information and can be stored like bi ts consisting of elements which can have only a few atoms each. These can be two different shapes to represent 0s and 1s. This would bundle much more information into a smaller space, and according to Feynman the complete contents of the worlds large libraries could fit in somewhat the size of a dust nit. The author also presented the very different opportunity (which is the idea of his friend and graduate studentAlbert Hibbs) of swallowing the doctor,†. This idea involved building a little, swallow able surgical robot. This tiny robot goes inside the blood vessel of a person and can examine the internal problem and do the surgery by itself. One tinier machine can be designed to put permanently inside the body which can assist the poorly functioning of organs. Feynman further discussed how to design such a tiny robot with giving the example of atomic energy plants. The author’s imagination about the computers is very interesting as on one side he wanted to add more functionality to the existing computers, on another point he wanted them to be very small. Feynman stated that if we want to add more abilities to these existing large computers (which are of the size of the room) those new computers could be bigger than the pentagon’s building and some other disadvantages includes power consumption, heat generation, slow speed and too much material required. If speed of computers has to be faster, computers have to be smaller. The author recommended that very small computers could be prepared by fabricating all the required wires and components using chemical techniques, to form a little block consisting all the compulsory electronics. Feynman also said that building useful things could be done at the atomic level, by manipulating individual atoms to arrange them however the engineer or scientist wanted .However, he discussed the problems associated with these changes such as the gravity for these little things is not appreciable. If the sizes go smaller, some of the tools would also require redesigning due to the change in the relative strength of various forces. Even ifgravitywould become inconsequential, surface tension would turn out to be more important. At the end of this article, Feynman gave two challenges and offered a prize of $1000 for the person who can accept and solve it first. These challenges involved the construction of atiny electric motor no larger than 1/64th of an inch square and the second challenge involved the opportunity of making size of letters adequately small so that the entireEncyclopaedia Britannica can be written on the top of a pin. The information from a book page could be written on a surface 1/25,000 smaller in linear scale. In November 1960 William McLellan of Caltech, a meticulous craftsman, achieved the solution of first challenge with a device made by hand using conventional tools and claimed the prize. These days this tiny motor is placed in the corridors of Caltech. The book challenge took longer time; it was achieved just three years before Feynmans death in 1985 by Tom Newman, a graduate student at Stanford University, US, using electron-beam lithography. He scaled down the first paragraph ofâ€Å"A Tale of Two Cities†by 1/25,000, and calmed the second prize from Feynman (Feynman’s fancy†). The field has seen remarkable achievements since then, indeed, most notably the reduction of the area of transistors in microelectronic circuits by more than a factor of 107, or of the space required to store 1 bit of information on a magnetic surface by ≈108. Nanomechanical devices have seen tremendous progress, too, through impressive advances in scanning probe microscopy (Feynman’s fancy†). Works Cited Breitfelder, Kim. Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Richard Feynmans Big Dream for Small Things. IEEE-USA Todays Engineer Online(2006): n. pag. Web. 17Jan.2014. Feynman, RichardP. Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom. Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 1.1(1992): 60-66. Print. Feynman’s fancy. Chemistry WorldJan.2009: 58-62. Web. 17Jan.2014.