Eva Duarte de Peron Essay

Eva Duarte de Peron started her life in Los Toldos in Buenos Aires. She was born on May 7 1919. Her father spent some time in high position in the political ladder where he was able to acquire great wealth. Her father died through a road accident in 1926 leading to the family to lead a poor life. At this moment, Eva was still in primary school. As she grew older, she took much of her life thinking on what she would do in her life. She was active in local theaters and spent much of her young life as an actor. She also engaged in poetry where she would right poems and perform recitations. She had the vision that her calling was in the public eye and therefore she refused to be just a small town girl. She collaborated with Tango singer Augustin Magadi whom she went with to the city of Buenos Aires where she started her life as an actress. She arrived in Buenos Aires in the3 1930’s. By 1945, she had already become a star in acting. She was heard in numerous radio shows and appeared in many plays. She joined a company of Armado Disepolo who was one of the best directors at that time. In 1943, she joined a radio station known as Radio Belgrano in 1943 where she started a series where she continued until 1945. It is at this time when the political climate had started growing hot because the elections were near (Del Testa   & Lemoine   pg 144-146). Eva got in a relationship with Juan Peron who was the chair of National department of labor. They faced some hardships at the beginning of their relationship. In 1945, Peron was asked to leave his office. This enhanced Eva to start questing for power when she realized that Peron was out of power. This motivated her to pull off her ideas. She was able to influence others by making her own personal appeals to the workers and military. She asked for favour of all the people on the basis on their personal loyalty to Juan Peron. This shows one of the qualities of leadership which she showed because this was an effective tactic by requesting people to do something that is not necessary for them to do (Gunson   & Chamberlain pg 221-222). This is a tactic, which Eva used in the rest of her political life. Eva accompanied her husband in his campaign trails where at each campaign she greeted people and introduced her husband to give speech. In 1946, Peron won the elections with a landslide and became the 29th president of Argentina. The determinant of Eva to gain what she wanted us seen in whole of her life. She worked tirelessly to make her husband gain the power that he aspired. She was able to set goals, which were achievable throughout her political career. This began when she was taken to labor secretariat where she was supposed to develop a labor policy for women (Adams pg 16). Despite the opposition that she got from men who thought that women were not supposed to hold such powerful positions, she was able to accomplish all, what was required of her in her position. The opposition did not deter her from doing what was expected of her (Chasteen & Wood pg 214-215). She was a charismatic leader who showed evident strong need for power. She would work long hours during the day and during the night so that she would get her work done. She also used to gain influence and impress her followers with furs and expensive clothes and jewellery. After years of fighting for women rights and freedom in Argentina, a law was passed in 1947, which gave women the right to equal suffrage. Eva worked with legislators, women who gathered in the civic centers, delegates who would come to see her and used the media to advertise the cause of equal suffrage to women. Her persistence and commitments was clear, as she would broadcast personal messages to all women urging them to join the fight for human rights. She possessed practical intelligence which helped her to network her ideas and which led to success. It is during this time that women in Argentina started seeing Eva as their spokesperson (Lewis pg 195-196). This is because she would motivate them and also encouraged and pushed them to go as far as they could in their lives. Women movements acted as good stepping stone for Eva. She attained the position of the president of the Peronista Women’s Party. As a result of her leadership skills throughout the fight for women suffrage, women put their loyalty in her. They put trust on her to make the right political decisions on their behalf. This lead to women to vote for Peron in the 1951 election as a show of allegiance to Eva because of her good leadership. It is believed that it is Eva’s constant workings with the descamisados or the shirtless ones that gave Peron the much political power that he enjoyed. Eva was able to make Eva Peron Foundation, which was established in 1948 to stand until 1955 when the military dismantled it. (Aufderheide   pg 159). Another characteristic that made Eva be a good leader is that she was able to articulate her goals, which had deep roots in the mind of her followers and in their hearts. She led the jobless, the laborers and the jobless. She was able to tell them what they wanted to hear and supplied them with what they needed in order to live. She was able to connect what she told the people with her upbringing. She used herself as an example of what they could be because herself she came from a humble background to attain the position that she held. She gave people of Argentina hope and self confidence in their lives. This shows the kind of charismatic leader she was which helped people to be loyal to her. Eva had a social exchange with Argentinean’s people. She provided them with hospitals, schools and houses. As a result of these connections, they gave her their everlasting loyalty. One of her greatest achievement was the construction of a huge housing project known as Eva city. (Chasteen & Wood pg 214-215). It consisted of four thousand homes where many people lived. This enhanced the connection that she had with the people. Eva made also of self sacrifices by working long hours and she showed total dedication to her work. She would take breaks to go to benefits and to attend functions, which were established by the workers. This loyalty and dedication made people have so much love for her. She sent personal funds to Italy to assist the poor people in Italy. It is this characteristic that people liked in Eva because they were able to see the more personal side of the leader and see the devotion she had to their cause by sacrificing her personal resources. Eva had great amount of surgency in her work. She was very dynamic, exuded self confidence and never showed any signs of staggering. She wanted people to look at her for help and she wanted them to see her as their savior. She showed dominance in political matters and her extrovert character in 1947 when she addressed six hundred women. It is here where she insisted her name to become the battle cry for women allover the world. She was very courageous in his persistence for women to be given the same rights as men especially when the issue of women suffrage was a hot topic in Argentina (Spengler   pg 27-30). She was also an expert in matters of social welfare. She received also of praise from other countries for the social services that she offered. She received the medal and ribbon of the Legion of Honor by the French government. This made her to be elected as a knight to French government. She also received the Great Cross of Isabel the Catholic that is the highest decoration in Spain. Her transformational leadership led the country to become New Argentina. She assisted in reduction of joblessness, hunger and poverty among the people. Her vision of creating a new society for her and the people realty (Lewis   pg 195-196).   As a result of the connection that she had with her followers, she was able to target what was most great importance to the masses by taking an active role in every project. Eva will remain to be remembered in Argentina and in all parts of the world because of her leadership during her times. This is because of all the contribution that she made in the society despite the criticisms that were directed towards her because she was a lady. However, she will be remembered for proving her critics wrong and proving that women can also be leaders just like men (Chasteen & Wood pg 214-215). Work cited Adams Jerome. Liberators, Patriots, and Leaders of Latin America, 2nd edition, New York, McFarland & Co., 2010. Aufderheide Arthur .The scientific study of mummies, New York Cambridge University Press 2003. Chasteen John & Wood James. Problems in modern Latin American history: sources and interpretations: completely revised and updated, Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. Del Testa David & Lemoine Florence. Government leaders, military rulers, and political activists, New York, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Gunson Phil & Chamberlain Greg .The dictionary of contemporary politics of South America, 1st edition, New York, Routledge, 1989. Lewis Daniel .The history of Argentina, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Shafik Aasef .Global Peace Lovers,1st edition, Bloomington, Author House, 2009. Spengler Kremena. Eva Peron: First Lady of the People, 1st edition, Minnesota,

The Colonial Experience in West Africa

The Twentieth Century brought with it vast changes for the peoples of West Africa. The yoke of colonialism bound them together into a new political, economic, and social order. It was as if hundreds of years of history had suddenly ended, and begun again anew. In the wake of the Berlin West Africa Conference, in 1885, the great powers of Europe – Britain, France, Germany, and even Portugal and Belgium – had carved up West Africa among themselves. European overlords either completely replaced, or else adopted a â€Å"supervisory† position over the native African authorities. Proud kingdoms, like those of the Asante, Benin, and Dahomey, found themselves forced to adapt or disappear, as West Africans struggled to make sense of a world that had been turned completely upside down and inside out. For â€Å"inside out,† could easily describe the reversal of economic roles that came along with European conquest. Formerly, European traders had stayed close to the coast, allowing the African rulers and merchants to supply Europe and her New World colonies with slaves and other â€Å"merchandise. The British had finally succeeded in ending the slave trade some years before, and many of the coastal kingdoms of West Africa had languished as a result. Some had been almost wholly dependent upon the trade in human beings – now there would have to be new sources of revenue. For the most part, these new sources of income would be developed by Europeans who would exploit West Africa's people and resources for the benefit of their home countries. However, the Africans would also learn from their new masters. Some of them would obtain a Western education, or work to introduce the ideas of the modern industrial world to Africa. European science, technology, education, political, economic, cultural, and religious ideas would all have a profound impact on West Africa. The pre-colonial relationship between Europeans and West Africans was one of mutual trade. In the first half of the Nineteenth Century, Europeans vastly increased their purchases of palm oil, and also continued to buy tropical hardwoods, while Africans received the products of Europe's industrial revolution: cotton and woolen textiles and iron. 1 It was only as direct European influence began to increase that economic conditions were gradually modified. The introduction of cocoa by European missionaries in the 1860s, led to its becoming a major cash crop and primary export by the earliest period of European colonial domination, around 1900. Gold and coca were the mainstays of the economy in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). To keep up with their seemingly insatiable demands for these and other products, the British, French, and other others, introduced more modern techniques of production. In particular, they employed industrial methods of mining, and built railroads and port facilities to enable a vastly increased flow of goods. Yet it would be wrong to think that was no African response to changed economic conditions. Already, in the late 1800s, African merchant families, such as the Sarbahs, began to encourage rubber production: In contrast to the palm oil trade, the rubber trade, because of a greater monetary return per unit of labour input and weight, drew into its orbit thousands of producers from the deep interior, including Sefwi, Kwahu, Asante and the distant states of Brong-Ahafo, all more than 100 miles from the coast. The rubber trade also gave rise to a new group of middle-men or broken from the Fanti states, Asin, Denkyera, and Akim, who carried the trade to the further limits of the forest zone and in so doing accelerated the extension of the cash economy. Rubber became a major export with shipments totalling well over one million pounds volume in 1886; and by 1893, the Gold Coast ranked first among the rubber exporting countries of the British Empire and third in the world. 3 Africans were, therefore, fully able to adapt themselves to European conditions in order to increase the size and extent of their markets, even if this necessitated adopting new techniques, and even entirely new crops, like rubber. On the down side, an economy based on growing and harvesting rubber latex caused significant social upheavals. The influence of the coastal mercantile families and kingdoms waned in favor of inland economic interests. 4 Families like the Sarbahs expanded their trading networks deep into the Interior, opening up branch story, cajoling purchasers, and further turning economic focus toward the one paramount crop. They also became increasingly dependent on fluctuations in the European market. 5 Furthermore, the conflict between European sponsored economic development, and meddlesome European control can be seen in the 1920's Gold Coast, where British Governor Guggisberg pursued a policy that was in many ways detrimental to the future of the African peoples under his control: Anti-modernisation, anti-urban, and anti-development. Regulations and barriers against innovation proliferated†¦. Official policy did nothing to encourage the emergence of a commercial middle class. Its effect instead was to establish a highly formidable machinery of bureaucratic control†¦. The most damaging effect of colonial policy on the ground was the way in which it hindered the emergence of a ‘native modernizing cadre', one result of which ‘was to divert into long and bitter anti-colonial struggles much brilliant talent which could have been used creatively in development sectors'. 6 The subordination of African interests to European profits condemned West Africans to economic backwards through lack of skills and genuine opportunities. The lack of skill and opportunity open to native West Africans leads naturally to a discussion of European education and the new horizons it presented. Prior to the era of colonial domination, West Africa's peoples had had little contact with Western ideas, except for he occasional interactions with Christian missionaries. The states, large and small, of West Africa had been universally pre-industrial, and had possessed nothing in the way of modern communications, transportation, or even the kind of complex educational and political institutions that existed in the Christian and Muslim worlds. Missionaries were the first to introduce Western educational methods into West Africa: For them education took place in schools, where obedient pupils listened to teachers, took examinations, and received diplomas certifying knowledge. Discipline was important, not only to make the children study, but also to mold desirable habits and (that was usually considered to be even more important than learning itself). 7 On the whole, Western education extended only to teaching subjects that Europeans thought would be useful to their â€Å"charges. Vocational training was sufficient for people who would never have to govern themselves. 8 Nevertheless, an exposure to the Western academic tradition inspired many African families to push for a higher level of education for their children. â€Å"Few pupils wanted to undergo the cost and the hardship of study, only to be prepared for a rural life and a low living standard. † 9 In the 1930's, in French West Africa, Colonial Government officials began to formulate a new approach that appeared to look forward to a synthesis of the European and Native traditions. France's redefined mission civilisatrice [civilizing mission] was to be fulfilled†¦ by teaching the subject populations how to live according to â€Å"authentic African traditions,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ This vision of France's role overseas as the protector of indigenous cultures in the colonies challenged earlier presentations of the colonial mission that had presented France as the bearer of â€Å"European civilization† and â€Å"French culture† destined to bring Africa out of the â€Å"darkness† in which many late-nineteenth-century colonizers claimed its people lived. 10 The French administrators went so far as to strongly encourage African arts and crafts, sponsor African festivals – even to teach Africans â€Å"how to be African†(! ). In order to avoid contamination by native teachers already trained in the earlier European methods, the French actually brought in teachers from France to lead the Africans in the study of their native West African culture; these teachers being observed leading Natives in local folk dances, etc. 11 Such plans represented an interesting attempt to keep Native elites loyal to France, while at the same time, well-rooted in their Native lands and cultures. Ostensibly, such practices would avoid the â€Å"stateless† quality of Africans educated under the earlier system. Nonetheless, exposure to European educational and economic ideas – even when those ideas were fused with African traditions – could not forestall an African thirst for greater freedom and opportunity along European lines. Colonial rulers often imposed a dual system of justice – a European one for major offenses, and a Native one for those offenses deemed minor by the Colonial Authorities. The French, early on, abolished the Native courts and legal system, except in rare cases, while even under the British, it was quite clear that Native justice was distinctly secondary to the â€Å"real† justice of the Europeans. 12 Dichotomies such as these further entrenched notions of West African inferiority. The French instituted a policy of not interfering in African customs and culture, as long as those customs did not conflict with the French aim of achieving some sort of â€Å"evolution† among Africans. 13 It was taken utterly for granted that African culture was inherently inferior to French civilization. By contrast, the British authorities endeavored to maintain equilibrium by combining traditional African smallholder society with the demands of the British Cocoa Board. Rural West African society was to be maintained at all costs to prevent a breakdown of the social order, such as occurred when jobs were scarce and peasants left for the cities in the hope of finding work. There, oddly enough, the British actually encouraged the growth of an urban petit bourgeoisie in the dream of preventing rebellion. With the collapse of world markets during the Great Depression, urban and peasant unrest increased – with the noticeable difference that now a radicalized bourgeoisie was available to lead that unrest. 14 In short, the European colonial administrations of West Africa both helped and exploited Africans. With their thirst for profits, and a belief in the superiority of their own institutions, technology, and culture, they dreamed of â€Å"advancing† the native population while at the same time keeping that population economically productive, and under firm European control. Yet in so doing, they introduced many attributes of the modern world to the peoples of West Africa. European notions of development, education, and justice split traditional African life into separate public and private spheres – especially for those who embraced European learning and techniques. 15 The divide that grew up between Europeanized Africans, and those who have remained closer to their traditional ways of life remains a problem even today. One of the lasting legacies of European Colonization in West Africa was this impartial transformation; this creation of a society existing in two worlds, trained properly for neither. Once opened to the full force of the industrial (and later post-industrial) economy, the traditional African economy could not compete. At the same time, not enough West Africans were educated, in the European sense, to provide the skills and leadership to easily lead their people into a new era. European rule has left West Africa with many choices, not all of them good.

A Study Of The Theme Of Panopticism And Jeremy Benthams, Michael Foucaults Ideas In Panopticon By Jenni Fagan And 1984 By George Orwell

A Study Of The Theme Of Panopticism And Jeremy Bentham's, Michael Foucault's Ideas In Panopticon By Jenni Fagan And 1984 By George Orwell A panopticon can be used in order to effectively keep surveillance of society. This, in all of its senses, is manipulative and coercive. As society started growing, it kept getting more difficult to control the people, and therefore, other resources or mechanisms had to be used for the monitoring of these people. In the late eighteenth century, Jeremy Bentham had an architectural design for prisons, asylums, schools, hospitals, and factories, and received help from an architect in order to put his ideas on paper . Michael Foucault, a French philosopher, did extensive research on panopticons and his ideas were taken into consideration by future authors. Bentham’s plan for the prison design gained popularity because Foucault saw it as a strategic model to internalize discipline and authority. The Panopticon, written by British young adult author Jenni Fagan, is directly linked to these ideas. 1984 by George Orwell, however, was published in 1949, so it cannot be said that Foucau lt influenced it, since the panopticist ideas were published in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of a Prison (1975). On the other hand, Bentham could have slightly influenced Orwell’s writings. These panopticist ideas come into play in today’s world as well, and it has become a controversial topic because of modern technology that society feels has become more and more invasive. The Panopticon and 1984 both have the recurring theme of panopticism, which affect the main characters in different manners. This paper aims to show the correlation between Bentham, Foucault, and how the same ideas and theories influenced works that were written decades apart. The ideas of a panopticon originally had good intentions; Jeremy Bentham created it in order to retire violent methods of punishment. He wanted to punish in another form, this being more psychological. Foucault stated that the panopticon â€Å"reverses the principle of the dungeon†. The dungeon had â€Å"three functions: to enclose, to deprive of light, and to hide; it (the panopticon) preserves only the first and eliminated the other two† . Knowledge comes from power, and the panopticon can allow the authorities to see everything that is going on around them, leading them to know more things. The panopticon also creates a constant state of control, and makes those that are observed internalize the fact that they are always watched. â€Å"Constant observation acted as a control mechanism; a consciousness of constant surveillance is internalized†. The Panopticon, as the title states, revolves around the idea that people are always being watched. Anais feels as if she is involved in an experiment, and she knows that people are always watching her, and wants to escape it. It’s a novel that goes in depth into the main character’s psyche, and the reader gets an insight into her life and fears. She’s strong, but copes with drugs and her own imagination. Ironically, these are the things that should not be done when one knows that they are under vigilance. For Anais to escape the experiment and cope with her uncertainty of where she comes from, she seeks comfort by playing the â€Å"birthday game†. By creating a life for herself, she is able to rely on those facts and pretend that she has a semi-normal life. On the other hand, it is a sign of resistance from the panopticon, because people can see her actions, but not her thoughts. Since the novel is written from her perspective, the readers do get to see h er thoughts, so the readers act as the panopticon in this case. Anais is very skeptical of all that goes around her, and has been forced to grow up quickly. In the Panopticon that she lives in, the watch tower gives no privacy, which is an act against human rights. Being in a constant state of surveillance drives Anais mad, which in the end pushes her to escape her life. She was able to run away because the watch tower shattered, â€Å"the whole surveillance window shatters, and I see them; turning on their fucking tails; the experiment, for a fraction of a fucking second: exposed† . At this point, Anais is liberated and can start her life in Paris, just like she had decided with her birthday game. The last sentence of the novel is, â€Å"I begin today† . Because the windows hiding the faces of those surveilling her have shattered, they are now at her level because they are real people. She has the power to run away and fight the system, and therefore, becomes her own person. Orwell’s novel is dystopian and reflects the society as powerless and robotic. Big Brother in this case is the panopticon. There is no face to Big Brother, but society fears him. By using these scare tactics they have been able to brainwash society into being permanently scared. They have to be in constant control of what they say or do because the consequences are brutal. It is impossible to trust anybody, because when Winston did, he was turned into the police. Orwell also introduces â€Å"Newspeak† into the novel, which would now be considered simple English. It is the official language of Oceania. Because the words are so simple and there is no complexity to them, it gives people no reason to rethink words or give other definitions to them. It limits their language so they cannot rebel against the system, which is the main reason behind changing the language. Apart from limiting language, it also limits personality and personal identity, which is also a method of br ainwashing. Newspeak does not allow for any type of personal development, and Winston breaks this by keeping a diary. He is able to express his feelings in it, but realizes he has written â€Å"DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER† multiple times on the page and sees that he has committed thoughtcrime. If the level of intelligence of this society were higher, one might have realized that it would be impossible to track all the thoughts of all the members of society, but because of the various methods of brainwashing that have been carried out, no one was able to think it through. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you† . Fear is the most common tactic used by oppressive societies to stay in power. If society fears the system, one will rebel against it and the oppressive state continues. Winston is also guilty of doublethink, although he realizes he is. He works for the system, but secretly is rebelling against it. At the Ministry of Truth, slogans that read â€Å"WAR IS PEACE†, â€Å"FREEDOM IS SLAVERY†, and â€Å"IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH† all brainwash society. These words are antonyms of each other, and the people do not realize that. By working at the Ministry of Truth, he is supporting these statements, but by writing in his diary and being secretive he is rebelling against it. The difference between 1984 and The Panopticon is that the latter has partial freedom. Although Winston Smith is not a prisoner and works for the party, he has less freedom than Anais does. He has no freedom of any type, he cannot do, say, or think as he pleases, because the society is a microscope that is being observed by Big Brother. Anais, though she has been arrested and is a victim of countless foster homes and misfortune, is in a controlled environment but has the freedom to think, which is extremely powerful. As Foucault stated, knowledge is power. She can liberate herself of the constant pressure from the social workers and of the panopticist society she is in. There is no type of Thought Police or thoughtcrime like it exists in 1984. On the other hand, Anais is psychologically incarcerated at times, which is why she resorts to drugs. Although she has the freedom to think and create her past life, it stops her from really knowing who she is and where she comes from. However, her mind is so powerful that she can brainwash herself into creating a past life for herself. Winston, nevertheless, is very aware of what goes on in his life and that can give him a sense of security. Even though he is not following the rules, he knows his consequences. Because both novels share similar themes, the panopticist ideas appear throughout and the characters share common traits. Anais and Winston are very similar in the sense that they are both victims of their society. They are both incarcerated metaphorically. Their minds are free, but only one of them can be safe expressing their true thoughts and feelings. There is an internal struggle occurring with each, and although the characters are very different in terms of lifestyles and persona, their inner struggles clash. Being in a state of liminality like both characters are, they struggle with their daily lives and may or may not go against their basic beliefs, like Winston did when he turned in the love of his life, Julia. Anais differs in this manner, but as the novel progresses, there are signs of maturity on her part, and she becomes more conscious of her desires. The novels also share a major common aspect; the fact that both of the societal powers do not have a face to them. In 198 4, Big Brother does not have a face, so there is enough reason to believe that he does not exist, and that there is a group of people controlling society. Likewise, in The Panopticon, Anais does not see the faces of the people in the watch tower until the windows are shattered and she is able to see for a fraction of a second. Power does not come from one sole person; there is generally a group of people in control or a political figure who is puppeteered by others. A panopticist society currently exists among us, and although it may not be in the traditional sense, people definitely feel the effects of it. People are raised to believe that they are under constant watch of those that cannot be seen, for example Santa Claus for the young, or even more in depth, a God. A panopticon is essentially what God is, all watching and all knowing. In the end, people fear the consequences that God can give them, which is why many are so dedicated to their religion. This can make people feel anxious all the time and it is not fair to make people believe that they are not free because there is a radar on them at all times. It is psychologically damaging, because there is no true freedom. Currently, there have been happenings of government interference with the general public, not only terrorists or potential suspects. Wire-tapping goes against the American Constitution, and although the Patriot Act is named and worded in a way that makes it seem as if it is s omething that is a duty to ones country, it strips society of basic human rights. Under no circumstance is it okay to spy on one’s own, because it betrays trust between the government and members of society. One very current situation is the power behind Cuba’s dictator: Fidel Castro. There is no factual evidence that he is alive, but because â€Å"his people† say he is, Cubans believe it because they have been brainwashed to extreme extents by the communist party. Panopticons exist in all various forms, but the only way that society can fall into the trap is by succumbing to the power behind the words, because words are the most powerful thing when gaining power. Ignorance is not strength, and one should have the freedom to think freely and act within reason. Being under a constant state of vigilance like the characters of The Panopticon and 1984 were wears out ones mind and persona. Anais was able to break out of the cycle, but Winston on the other hand, fell back into the system and was brainwashed once again.

Article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article - Assignment Example The first article â€Å"Aligning Supply Chain Strategies with Product Uncertainties† by Lee discusses theoretically the process involved in supply chain management and the factors, which necessitates the same. The article elaborately discusses the risks in production entailed by demand and supply sides. The center point is supply uncertainties that thereby leads to reinforce the necessity of supply chain management. The second article ‘Avon gets its Makeover’ by Cohen and Roussel point out how Avon, a global cosmetics firm has reformed the infrastructure in its manufacturing and transportation base using an end-to-end approach and the benefits which resulted form this step. The third article ‘Making Supply Meet Demand’ by Fischer, Hammond, Obermeyer and Raman focuses on the errors in forecasting and other means of uncertainties affecting demand supply interaction. The fourth article ‘Mass Customization at’ by Feitzinger and Lee explains t he strategies employed for mass customization. All four articles also incorporate the role played by information in supply chain management. Demand-Supply interaction and supply chain management Managing supply chains is closely associated with demand related uncertainties. Supply Chain Management is an integrated set of complex operations needed for a business to succeed in a competitive atmosphere. Efficient supply chain management functions practiced by a company help it in achieving several business objectives. It helps in reducing the cost of operations, improving the quality of the products and services rendered and in maintaining efficient delivery system. Moreover effective supply chain management practice promotes the system of spontaneous innovation taken by a concern. Effective supply chain management helps in the augmentation of the value and quality of products through proper forecasting of market demand and thereby making necessary replenishment (Fischer, Hammond, Ober meyer and Raman). The challenges and benefits of supply chains should be closely studied before any practical strategies are framed and Lee successfully explore that focusing on the uncertainties on both demand and supply sides. Management of supply chains have been more complicated owing to the shortening of life cycles of a product, expansion of business worldwide and persistent up gradation of information technology. The main indicators of the health of supply chain are its market position, inventory, customer service, cost and returns on assets. One important thing must be noted here. Every product or segment cannot have the same kind of supply chain management and a market with unstable demand or uncertain supply source cannot be managed in the same way as that with a stable demand and supply dynamics. For instance products, which are functional, might have lesser uncertainties in demand structure than those that are innovative in nature (Lee). The distinction on grounds of pre dictability can also be made on grounds of accurate response. Fischer, Hammond, Obermeyer and Raman discuss different models for forecasting demand and consequently supply. The products, which are functional in nature, can be forecast without much risk of deviation (Lee). An instance of a successful supply chain management might be found in case of Avon. The company undertook an end-to-end supply chain structure where it could see the entire chain as

Management- Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management- Strategies - Essay Example The growth of the specialty discount industry is attributed to the wide selection of merchandise that the stores carried and their everyday low pricing strategy. Full line chains perceived this segment as â€Å"category killers† since their merchandise line-up could not offer the same amount of shelf space and square footage to any one product category. Research shows that consumers are likely to find what they are looking for in specialty stores than they would in full line discount stores. Buying preferences and buying patterns of consumers also change more often (Gamble, p.957). The full-line discount segment is also growing faster than the U.S. economy. The entire retail discount industry was both rapidly going into consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, liquidation, and bankruptcy. Rivalry in this sector revolves around store location, pricing, and promotion. The advent of consolidation will make it easier for Wal-Mart to merge with or acquire smaller retail stores in the U.S and abroad. Considering that Wal-Mart is one of the leading stores in the industry, they have the bargaining power over their suppliers which in effect would give them pricing advantages over other retailers. If a Wal-Mart moves into a community, chances are the other retailers in that community, especially if they are privately owned are going to lose money and may even be forced to close down. SinceWal-Mart is the largest retailer in the United States and number 1 on the Fortune 500 list, they have the ability to lower their prices and therefore can force other retailers out of business because they can not match Wal-Marts low prices (Pereira et al, 2002). Business level strategies describes how firms outperform each other and enjoy such competitive advantage over time. Michael Porter identifies three generic strategies: cost leadership,differentiation, and focus (Dess & Lumpkin, 2002). From the 1940s to the 1970s, the cola industry was dominated by

No Tolerance Disciplinary Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No Tolerance Disciplinary Policy - Essay Example The No Tolerance Disciplinary Policies are usually a last resort to resolve the issue and show the degree of importance the organization places on the specific issues discussed in them. Organizations must take strict action against the offenders so that others are discouraged from doing such an act again. The offenders should be given a chance to defend themselves but if they are unable to provide proper justification for their actions then they would bear the punishment placed on them by the administration (Holloway, 2007). Actions which would result in the No Tolerance Disciplinary Action to be taken upon them could be ranked as: 1) Offences to the organization; 2) Offences to employees. Offences to the organization includes cheating on work, stealing from the organization, not following the rules and regulations of the organization and other similar actions which could in any way damage the organization's standing or cause disrepute to the organization's name would be dealt with harshly and swiftly. Offences to other employees involve using foul language in the office place, committing sexual harassment, using racial terms or comments against fellow employees.

Issues in the natural environment created by business Essay

Issues in the natural environment created by business - Essay Example Unfortunately, as Mahatma Gandhi said, â€Å"This world has enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’ s greed.’ Fortunately now, the relation between economic growth and its adverse impact on natural environment has been widely recognized, and corrective steps are being taken. Our environment is a complete natural system evolved over the ages and held in fine balance that promoted life on this planet. Human beings are but one part of this intricate ecosystem. All species of life, with the marked exception of human beings, follow the natural process of evolution to the extent the environment permits. On the other hand, the same environment that promoted the human race, has also given it the genius to explore and exploit it for a variety of reasons. People have basic needs in food, shelter and clothing and once these basic needs are satisfied, they aspire for higher needs viz., a better standard of living, leisure and recreation. Businesses meet these demands by exploiting resources found in nature. With the world population rising continuously, the demand for goods and services is increasing faster than the can be sustained by the fragile ecosystem. While there is a limit to the exploitation of the natural resources, there appears to be no limit for the avarice. What started as a welcome industrial revolution in the 20th century, soon gave rise to the much-discussed environmental issues like pollution of air and water, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse gases, global warming, climate change etc. Every business impacts the environment in some way or the other; yet there is also no escaping from business growth. Here lies the dilemma of demand for goods and services from growing economies coupled with their lesser concern for environmental issues on the one hand, and, serious environmental concern from the developed countries, which is impacting their businesses! The all-encompassing word for environmental issues is ‘sustainability’, which is

Professionalism in the Classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professionalism in the Classroom - Essay Example The manner in which teachers dress shows the level of professionalism they exhibit. They are supposed to maintain an appearance that is fit to generate respect from the students in the classroom. Dressing and appearance have three main impacts on the students. Not only do they maintain respect from the students, but also establish the teacher as an authority figure and solicit credibility. Research shows that students tend to model their behavior or appearance from the way they see their teachers or other close authority figures. Proper dress code policy for educators demands that they avoid visible piercings, bright hair colors, and tattoos. For this reason, educators can apply professionalism in the classroom by grooming well, setting high grooming standards and maintaining the same all though. Interaction with the students is another element of professionalism that is applicable in the classroom. With the concern to the student, a thin line separates friendship with students and care as an adult figure (Lawn, 1996). As a professional responsibility, educators/teachers should enforce school or classroom rules as a priority without compromise. They should not be driven by the desire to get students to like them or create a good relationship at the expense of instilling the required educational principles in them. They can show professionalism by executing their mandate in the best way possible without undue influence to control the execution. Additionally, professionalism in the classroom comes in the form of shunning favoritism and discrimination of pupils. For a teacher exhibiting professional qualities in the classroom, all students are equal and should be given equal opportunities to contribute and learn (Green, 2011). Thirdly, teachers can apply professionalism in the classroom through their educational strategies they embrace for their students. It requires them to have proper classroom management skills for effective

Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media - Assignment Example They also explain the meaning of the internet and give insight into the significance of this medium of communication especially when conducting business. 3. Did you read or listen first? Why? Do you think the order you chose helped you or not? How many times did you need to read & listen before you felt confident about understanding the topic and vocabulary? How do you feel about this topic, e.g. positive or negative feelings? Do you agree/disagree with the ideas?† I listened first to this documentary then read the article about the development of the internet. I wanted to grasp the key terms used. Through listening to something, I believe that it is easier to quickly understand the context of the subject being discussed. This order greatly helped me because I have discovered that new information and communication technology through the internet has changed our communication landscape as well as improving the way we conduct business. I listened to the documentary twice and I managed to grasp the meaning of the vocabulary used. I have positive feelings about this topic and I strongly agree with the ideas. I learnt something new from listening to this documentary. I discovered that it is impossible to access information that is secured on the internet though the internet is a network of connected computers. Somehow, I think this topic is connected to my future studies because I am increasingly using the internet for conducting my academic researches as well as to stay connected with friends and relatives. Through using the internet, I hope to discover new features of this medium of communication. Listening to this documentary was easier given that the presenter was very audible and his voice was clear such that I could grasp everything he said. Reading the article was also easy and I could understand everything. I found that both reading and listening were not very challenging since

Virtual Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Virtual Letter - Essay Example When bringing you up I applied different theories and principles in order to make sure that you grow as a good person. My principle is to abide by the Christian teaching and refuse what is evil. According to social learning theory, by Bandura people learn behaviour whether good or bad from the people around them. I was much strict to make sure that you only learn the behaviour that is acceptable to the community and Christian teaching. When you were only 15 years, you wanted to go out with your boyfriend but I opposed. This is because it is not good to go out and have sex before marriage as it is forbidden by the society and Christian teachings. When I noticed that this could come as a result of peer pressure or learned from your friend, I had to forbid you from interacting with bad people. This made you to even avoid class discussion and interaction with other students in the schools. My parents used authoritarian parenting styles, and this has shaped my behaviour and enabled me to uphold religious and moral values. In order for you to grow up with moral and Christian values, I had to apply the same principles and parenting styles my parents used. In the process of growing, you adopted different behaviour. When you were two years as described by Erikson, you could trust the environment and people around you. When I left, you could cry and calm down after I left. This showed that you could trust me as well as the sitter. You could also feel guilty when you do something wrong that is the third stage of development as explained by Erikson. At age 15 you got a boyfriend, and you wanted to go out with him which is the six stage marked by development of isolation and intimacy. Your growth was well, and you passed through all developmental stages. In order to develop socialization, development and growth we should engage in social events like weddings, birthday parties and graduation parties among others. This will enhance our

The claim that in 1914 states went to war Essay Example for Free

The claim that in 1914 states went to war Essay How valid is the claim that in 1914 states went to war due to fear rather then motives of gain?Austrias quarrel, Germanys warOne of the theories about the outbreak of the First World War is that nations went to war not to necessarily gain something but mainly because of fear which caused by many different factors. Europe before the war can be compared to a round-about with the countries involved, Germany being the central pole, speeding up and thus causing the nations into uncontrollable chaos resulting in them breaking off. The basis of the alliance systems started forming as early as 1871. France and Russia had been supportive of each other ever since France lent Russia money to start industrialization during the reign of Alexander II. The bond between these two great powers was strengthened by their shared enemies, the Central Powers. Their reasons to agree on such alliance, however, were very different. After the Franco-Prussian war of 1871, in which France lost Alsace and Lorraine, both rich in coal and iron reserves to the Prussians, there was a bitter, revengeful feeling in France-Revanchism. The French believed it was their right to fight a victorious war against Germany and retrieve Alsace and Lorraine. Germany was aware of this and Bismarck demanded 5 billion francs as war reparations, believing that this punishment will cripple France for years. Bismarck was, however, no economist, and Germany was to fear France ever since 1873, when last francs were handed over to Germany. German acquisition of Alsace and Lorraine meant that there must be a war between Germany and France Karl MarxAt the Algeciras conference in Spain, almost all great powers and other nations decided to support the French rights in Morocco during the First Moroccan crisis, leaving Germany without any potential allies except for Austria-Hungary. This conspiracy against Germany led to her fear of encirclement and their alliance, therefore, was not because of strong mutual sympathy or the Gross Deutschland ideal, but simply due to this fear of encirclement- Austria-Hungary was the only option. As Germany was relatively young, full of energy, ambitions, and primarily a respect-wanting country, its main potential gain- if a war was to break out- would be widening its colonial empire. This is understandable when we realize that in the 19th century power, respect and an empire were tightly tied together. From now nothing will happen in the world without Germany and its Kaiser Wilhelm IIGermany already had some colonies, but this number was relatively small and certainly not big enough to satisfy its aspirations. But even for these colonies a navy was necessary. Therefore, under Admiral Tirpitz, the great improvement of the German navy began with the goal of protecting their existent and potential colonies. However, it was obvious that the main goal is to tease Britain. This turned out to work well; Britain had always been dependant on its navy as it was the best and only way of keeping all prospective threats away from the islands. It could not afford to let Germany develop its navy so drastically, especially because of Germanys strategic position by the North Sea where Britain had her weakest point. This accumulated with Kaisers arrogance (especially Realpolitik- accomplishes the goal no matter how- murders, blackmail†¦) and clumsy politics (The Daily Telegraph affair) resulting in a strongly anti-German felling in Britain. Except for her colonial ambitions, another goal that would come out of a war for Germany was what Von Moltke called an immediate, preventive war against France and Russia, since Russia was planning on increasing her army from 1.5 to 2.0 million. Except for the threat of German navy, Britain was not affected by the actions on the continent too much- and it did not want to get affected. It remained in Splendid isolationism as Britains attitude towards continental Europe was described by Lord Salisbury. English policy is to float lazily downstream, occasionally putting out a diplomatic boathook to avoid collisions. Lord Salisbury. As Britain did not have much to gain from a war with the Central powers, it was not clear until the last moments whether it will stick to its promise and join the war on the French side. In the end, however, the British found something profitable in the war. There were many protests in Britain as socialist parties were emerging. Ireland also wanted its own rule and first suffragettes appeared. A short, successful war would have been a good way of moving the focus of the society on something else. The obvious potential gain was destroying German navy and causing a stop to its growth. This was, on the other hand, too risky, as this could inflict big damage to the British navy. Slavs looked up to Russia as the mother of all Slavs (this is called Panslavism). The goal of most Slavic nationalists, liberals and intellectuals at the time was to form a state in which all Slavs would live together. This very much concerned Austria-Hungary, Germanys main ally, as many Slavic nations were included in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It also had its own ambitions in the Balkans (annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908). Austria was worried as Serbia was growing stronger and stronger, wanting to form a state similar to later Yugoslavia. Russia supported this Serbian struggle. With Austria-Hungary and her support of the Central powers on one side and Russia with French, and perhaps even British support on the other, the Balkans formed a perfect conflict site. We have to crush Serbia like a viper Austrian commander in chief. Austria-Hungary and Germany thus had reasons for their slight paranoia. As and addition to this served the image of barbaric hordes from the steppes of Asia, charging the civilized central Europe. This visceral fear and the fact that with the population of 166 million people, Russia had practically unlimited human power reserves (and would be therefore practically undefeatable if there were an adequate amount of equipment) made Russia itself the biggest fear of the Central Powers, as proved by the Schlieffen plan, which stated that it was necessary to focus on Russia after quickly defeating France. We cannot compete with the Russian masses. Von MoltkeA perfect example of the fact that nations went to war mostly because of fear and not gain is first war declaration. This was caused by the Russian mobilization, which was a reaction to German aggression towards Prussia. Russia, however, was for now not going to precede any further then a mobilization. But fear and confusion led the Germans into the certainty that Russia is about to attack. German mobilization was then the obvious next step, and The Great War was about to begin. States therefore did go to war because of fear of different issues. But it must be remembered that without any perspective of profit, there would not be anything to fear in the first place. For example, Frances gain would be Germanys loss and thus reasons for war for all countries included both gain and fear aspects. It is, however, obvious that the many miscalculations of mainly, but not only, the German government caused severe confusion and uncertainty about who is actually the one in control, causing this to result in the dominance of fear reasons. Bibliography: my history teacher

The Performance Of Unilever

The Performance Of Unilever In 1999, Unilever implemented what they considered to be an ambitious strategy named Path to Growth which they believed achieved a lot in terms of brand focus, global buying, operating margins and capital efficiency (Cescau Rivers, 2007b). However, according to the then Group Chief Executive Patrick Cescau, the strategy failed to transform growth performance (Cescau Rivers, 2007b, 1). Consequently, adjustments were made to the strategy between 2005 and 2006, aimed at reorganizing and streamlining Unilevers organization and to increase awareness of the Unilever brand (Johnson Scholes, 2006). In terms of innovation, Unilever delivered bigger and better innovations, rolled out faster and to more markets (Unilever, 2009, 5). The tremendous success in fast and effective rollout of innovations was enhanced greatly by the one organizational structure (One Unilever) introduced into the business as a result of the adjustments made to Path to Growth (Unilever, 2009a). For example, the Dove Minimising Deodorant has been rolled out across 37 markets and Clear Shampoo across 37 markets. The success in this area has also been reward by the business publication Fast Company which recently recognized us as the fourth most innovative company in advertising and marketing. In terms of cost saving, the business focused on discontinuing and cutting out activities that failed to add value. The restructuring was one such activity. In 2009 alone, Unilever, achieved cost savings of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.4bn, which was better than expected and also improved working capital by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.9bn (Unilever, 2009a. Despite these and other successes including mergers and acquisitions, operational and sustainability and corporate responsibility, Unilever also failed to achieve some of their targets. For example, in two key markets, India and Spain, we took longer to respond to changing market dynamics and to the intense level of competition especially from low-cost local competitors (Unilever, 2009a, 6). In the processed and packaged goods industry in which Unilever operates, this is a significant failing as the battle for market share is fierce (Ehlers Estes, 2007). Companies primarily achieve this primarily by cost leadership strategies, therefore the need for Unilever to continue on their cost cutting drive cannot be overestimated. Another significant challenge is their inability to develop their brands to top quality status. In their own estimation, product quality is getting better, but we need more of our products to show superiority and there is ample scope to sharpen our communications and to set the innovation bar even higher (Unilever, 2009a, 6). Financial Performance To put Unilevers performance into context, let us look at some of their financial ratios for both the financial year ended 31 December 2009 and ratio averages for a five year period which includes 2006 to 2009. Figure 1: Sales Growth (%) of Unilever, Processed Packaged Goods Industry and SPs 500. Data Source: Yahoo Finance Figure 1 shows Unilevers performance compared against its competitors and the SPs 500 benchmark which has been widely regarded as the best single gauge of the large cap US equities market since the index was first published in 1975 (Standard and Poors, nd). The chart on the left shows the close to 5% decrease in growth of Unilevers sales while the industry average recorded an increase between 2008 and 2009. This reveals that the competition is making inroads in regaining lost market share during the period of the economic downturn. The five year average for Unilever is still showing a positive although it is significantly below industry average. Figure 2 below shows the earnings per share position for the last three years for Unilever. Figure 2: Earnings per share for Unilever (2007 2009) Data source: Yahoo Finance The earnings per share ($) shows the profit attributable to each share held by Unilever for the last three years (McLaney, 2006). Despite a recovery from 2008, the 2009 EPS has fallen again and to levels below 2007s. Figure 3 shows the Price/Earnings ratio compared with competitors and the SP benchmark. Figure 3: P/E Ratio (2009) Source: Yahoo Finance The price earnings ratio is the number of years that it would take at the current share price and rate of earnings, for the earnings from the share to cover the price of the share (McLaney, 2006, 58). This is one of the most important measures investors use to assess a company. Unilever is once again operating below industry average and way below a benchmark of companies in the stock market. This implies that investors are less confident of growth in future earnings (McLaney, 2006, 58) of Unilever compared with industry average and the benchmark of leading companies. In terms of profitability, Figure one shows the position. Profitability Ratios % Unilever Industry SP Gross margin 30.40 38.50 Net margin 9.20 9.80 10.50 5 yr Gross margin 48.60 46.80 37.80 5 yr Net margin 10.10 9.50 11.30 ROCE 15.60 15.00 9.30 ROE 30.60 29.80 20.50 Table 1: Profitability Ratios Source: Yahoo Finance Gross margin figure for 2008 2009 was unavailable for Unilever. The net margin which shows the proportion of profit left for Unilever after all expenses have been taken into account is around the industry average for the period 2008 2009. The 5 year average positions for both gross and net margins are favourable for Unilever, compared to its competitors. Its 5 year gross margin is also significantly better than SPs 500. The return on capital employed (ROCE) and return on equity (ROE) positions are also marginally better than the industry average and significantly better than SPs 500. While the ROCE is a measure of profit as a percentage of total assets less current liabilities, the ROE looks at matters more specifically from the shareholders viewpoint, and reports on profit earned by shareholders after all charges have been accounted for (McLaney, 2006). Table 2 below shows the liquidity and gearing positions of Unilever and comparisons with other companies. Gearing and Liquidity Unilever Industry SP 500 Debt/Equity Ratio 0.83 0.81 1.37 Interest Coverage 48.30 21.00 27.10 Current Ratio 0.90 1.20 1.40 Quick Ratio 0.60 0.80 1.20 Table 2: Gearing and Liquidity. Data source: Yahoo Finance The Debt/Equity Ratio as with all Capital Gearing ratios is concerned with the relative sizes of the funds provided by shareholders on the one hand, and by loan creditors on the other (McLaney, 2006, 56). The higher the ratio, the riskier the business is concerned to be. In this case, the ratio is around industry average and less than the benchmark of top companies, so it should not cause too concern. The interest coverage shows that Unilever can comfortable meet interest payments as they fall due way above the industry average. In terms of liquidity, the current ratio is a measure of whether the current assets are able to meet current liabilities obligations as they fall due. This does not appear to be the case if payment is requested immediately (which a ratio of at least 1:1 will be able to do). In practice however, it is unrealistic to expect to ask for their payments at once unless the business was in serious problems. Therefore, although lower than the competition the current ratio and the quick ratio (which looks at the most liquid of assets, normally excluding inventory) should not cause panic although ways to increase it must be looked at. Brand Awareness According to Unilever, brands and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We develop our products to keep pace with changes in consumer lifestyles and to appeal to people at all income levels. Success means getting bigger and better innovations into the market faster, supported by the very best marketing (Unilever, 2009, 8). These statements are indeed backed up by initiatives undertaken in the last few years in the UK to increase brand awareness. Some of these initiatives will be briefly described. According to Mathiesen (2009, 19), a recent campaign for Lynx for Men, one of Unilevers mens deodorants, resulted in a 56% increase in (prompted) brand awareness in the UK. This campaign was done through mobile marketing. The campaign sought to achieve the following objectives (Mathiesen, 2009): To enhance awareness of the Lynx brand To market to the 16-24 year old male who are traditionally hard to reach through traditional advertising methods To promote the Lynx brand as attractive to women and modern The success is not only evidenced by the 56% promoted awareness, according to Mathiesen (2009), 86% could recall the Lynx advert and 44% of people felt more positive about Lynx after seeing the add. Not only are Unilever working on improving product branding, they have most significantly moved to increase the company brand image. In March 2009, Unilever UK and Ireland began putting the corporate branding on its product brand advertising including TV, posters and press (Unilever, 2009b), starting with Flora. This move was influenced by research which showed that consumers in the UK and Ireland have relatively low awareness and knowledge of our company, compared to some of our competitors. They are open to the idea of us promoting Unilever more overtly and see this as a sign of honesty and transparency. For a company as large as Unilever, it is surprising that a lot of people who use a lot of their products on a daily basis do not know the name of the company. The same could not be said of its competitors like Nestle or Kraft, for instance. In an industry as competitive as the processed and packaged goods industry, where the extent of competitive rivalry is very high, brand awaren ess is a vital source of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage (Porter, 1998b). Brand Theories Indeed, the importance of Unilever focusing on promoting brand awareness is supported by relevant theory. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 1), citing Rossiter and Percy (1987) described brand awareness as being essential for the communications process to occur as it precedes all other steps in the process. Without brand awareness occurring, no other communication effects can occur. In other words, a consumer is likely to buy a brand if they are made aware of it. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 1) also go on to discuss memory theory where brand awareness is position as a vital first step in building the bundle of associations which are attached to the brand in memory (citing Stokes, 1985). Brand awareness is very important when a consumer is making what are usually very quick purchase decisions. According to MacDonald and Sharp (2003), where a customer can identify certain brands, he or she spends very little time looking at unfamiliar brands. Consequently, an unfamiliar brand name or one that is not aggressively promoted risks being ignored, irrespective of the quality of the product. Even after a consumer has formed a consideration set and chosen the few brands from which she will make her purchasing decision, consumers decide to purchase only familiar, well established brands (Keller, 1993). The decision is usually made very quickly as well. According to Dickson and Sawyer (1986), it takes approximately 12 seconds on average for a consumer to view product alternatives and make a choice from different brands. MacDonald and Sharp (2003, 2) also explained that brand awareness affects customers perception of quality. They cited Hoyer and Brown (1990) who found in a consumer choice study that over 70% of consumers selected a known brand of peanut butter from among a choice of three, even though another brand was objectively better quality (as determined by blind taste tests) and even though they had neither bought or used the brand before. This result is even more surprising considering the subjects were given the opportunity to taste all of the brands. Just being a brand dramatically affected their evaluation of the brand (MacDonald and Sharp, 2003, 2). Therefore, Unilever has tremendous opportunities to marry the popularity of their tremendous brand image for most of their products to the corporate brand image. With effective marketing strategies they can generate enough consumer trust and loyalty to dominate entire shopping trolleys of families. This is because in the industry that Unileve r operates in and the kind of products it offers, consumers (buyers) have high bargaining powers. There is also low switching costs which means that a consumer may decide to switch from competitors deodorants to Lynx for the simple reason that the consumer has been used to buying Knorr stock. Recommended Strategy for Unilever Vision We work to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. We will inspire people to take small everyday actions that can add up to a big difference for the world. We will develop new ways of doing business that will allow us to double the size of our company while reducing our environmental impact (Unilever, nd). SWOT Analysis Based on an internal analysis of Unilever, their strengths and weaknesses were identified. The opportunities and threats facing Unilever were also determined by undertaking an external analysis. The internal analysis included a review of its financial performance, its marketing function, employees, operations, management, and management information (including technology and RD) which helped to pinpoint Unilevers strengths and weaknesses (Lynch, 2005). The external analysis used the PESTEL and Co. framework which stands for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ethical, Legal and Competition. From this analysis, the opportunities and threats facing the business were identified. Strengths Global company Economies of scale Good profit margins Competitive prices Strong brand image for products Innovation Developing and emerging markets Weaknesses Room for improvement in enhancing brand awareness Negative sales growth Company still not a household name Liquidity Opportunities Focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility Speed of technological advancement Low switching costs Threats Low consumer confidence Low consumer spending Volatile political climate in developing and emerging (DE) markets Global economic downturn Fierce competition Figure 4: SWOT Analysis In terms of Unilevers strengths, as was seen from the financial analysis above, they made good profit and their level of gearing is in line with competitors. They maintain a very strong presence in the developing and emerging markets with nearly 50% of their revenues coming from areas such as India and China. However, they need to increase their brand awareness although they are doing it with targeted advertising campaigns. In terms of opportunities, Unilever are well positioned to exploit the opportunities that result from being seen as a company that takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. For example, to meet their aim of growing their business while reducing their environmental impact, our Code of Business Principles and other operational and business polices are designed to ensure that we consistently maintain high social and environmental standards an d we have established processes to track performance in these areas. Our strategy benefits from the insights of the Unilever Sustainable Development Group, comprising five external specialists in corporate responsibility and sustainability that guide and critique the development of our strategy (Unilever, 2009a) In terms of threats facing Unilever, the threat of political volatility especially in emerging markets are mitigated by Unilevers already strong presence there. There have experience of operating in these markets for a good number of years, therefore, they can cope with the volatility. However, the economic downturn has proved constraining to not only Unilever but its competitors. This has also adversely affected consumer confidence and consequently consumer spending which companies like Unilever depend on for their success. Competition is fierce due to low profitability, fairly equal market share and undifferentiated products (Ehlers Estes, 2007). To be successful in the processed and packaged goods industry, there must exist high brand awareness, effective cost management to be able to charge low prices and the commitment to meet ethical standards. Unilever have the strengths to achieve these and are well on their way to overcome weaknesses relating to brand awareness. Once brand awareness increases and the economic conditions become better then this should impact positively on their business as consumer spending and confidence returns. Strategic Options and Choice Based on the SWOT analysis above Unilever are faced with different strategic growth options which are provided below, based on Ansoffs matrix (Johnson Scholes, 2006): Market penetration of existing products into existing markets Market development of existing products into new markets New product development introducing new products into new markets Diversification new products into new markets Strategic Option 1 (Market penetration of existing products) is recommended with details as follows: Maintain and sustain competitive advantage in the DE markets where which is expected to continue to grow Focus on enhancing brand awareness in the developed markets like the UK Develop cross selling and other initiatives to increase usage by existing customers The rationale behind this strategy is that with such fierce competition, Unilevers rivals will unsurprisingly be doing all they can to increase their market share and that will include offering products at low prices. Unilever, by employing the market penetration strategy, will effectively be doing business as usual, while employing cost cutting measures designed to bolster profits. This strategy is less risky especially in an environment of a global economic downturn (Johnson Scholes, 2006). It is also recommended that the strategy be achieved through organic growth as opposed to other activities like mergers and acquisitions which have high potential for failure. In terms of competitive strategy, it is recommended that a combination of cost leadership and differentiation be employed. Although Porter argues for a single generic strategy (1998b), this is not always the best option because customers will require different thing from the same product. For example, for the success of the Lynx brand is because it combines low price with perceived coolness. This combined generic strategy has great chance of success as it enables Unilever to be price competitive while also using obtained brand loyalty to keep customers from rivals. Choosing the right strategy is important. However, more important is the successful achievement of the strategy. This will involve effective deployment of Unilevers resources (those used in the internal analysis above) to achieve set objectives. Communication is also key to ensure that those responsible for implementing the strategy buy into it sufficiently to be motivated enough to implement it successfully (Johnson Scholes, 2006). Finally, it is important that once implemented the strategy should be monitored regularly with a view of making changes or enhancing it as required to achieve set objectives.

Total viable count

Total viable count Microbiology practical: Total and viable counts of microorganisms Abstract: Introduction: Total and viable counts of microorganisms There are several methods for determining total and viable counts of microorganisms Total Cell counting is used Viable counting are used Details of uses of cell counting, including their advantages and disadvantages. There are several methods for determining total and viable counts of microorganisms Include other methods and include references to your source Brief detail of your actual experiment, mentioning the organism and which techniques will be used Total Viable Count This involves counting the colonies produced by viable cells under favourable growth conditions. In pour-plate method, an aliquot of suitably diluted sample is mixed with nutrient agar at a temperature where it is liquid. Then the mixture is poured into petridishes and allowed to set. Alternatively an aliquot of the sample is spread over the agar surface of a Petridis using a sterile spreader. Membrane filters can also be used to determine the bacterial numbers. In this method cells are filtered onto membrane filter which is then placed over nutrient agar surface. Total Cell Count The most common method of enumerating the total microbial cells is the direct counting of cell suspension in a counting chamber of known volume using a microscope. One such counting chamber is Neubauer counting chamber. Another method involves an electronic instrument, Coulter counter. http://www.microbiologyprocedure.com/aquatic-environment-microbiology/total-cell-count.htm http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~sabedon//biol4038.htm http://www.rapidmicrobiology.com/test-methods/Total-Viable-Count.php http://www.biochemj.org/bj/021/0104/0210104.pdf Materials and methods: 1 ) A pour plate method using viable count: Explain the procedure where cells crosses gridlines of the haemocytometer Discussion In this discussion you should discuss the errors associated with measurement of viability. Discuss ways of improving the experiment and whether this could be achieved with the material provided The experiment could be improved by: Transferring the diluted solution quicker to the agar plate, so that the plate will not get contaminated by the air. The experiment could be repeated more than 3 times for a reliable test The main source of error occurred during experiment was leaving the agar plate lid open to transfer the dilutions for a long time which could of contaminated the agar plate by air. (Madigan, 2009) Reference: Madigan, M. C. (2009). Brock Biology of Microorganisms (12th edition ed.). San Francisco: Pearson international Education.

Comparing Fall of the House of Usher, Young Goodman Brown, and Rip Van

Comparing Fall of the House of Usher, Young Goodman Brown, and Rip Van Winkle In the early eighteen hundreds, literature in the Americas started a revolution of style in upcoming authors. Authors started to look towards nature for symbolism and society as a source of sin. The underlined meaning in most of these stories was meant to leave the reader with a new perspective of their personal lives and society as a whole. Three stories that use this particular technique are Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," Edgar Allen Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher," and Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle. "Young Goodman Brown", by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of a man named Goodman Brown, who is of strong Puritan belief. Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to travel into the depths of the woods one dark night led by a stranger. Goodman Brown is led to some secret meeting in the woods, where some of his fellow villagers are present. At this point in the story Goodman brown discovers that he is about to unravel hidden parts of the villagers' lives. "This night it shall be granted to you to know their secret deeds†¦"(946). Goodman Brown feels out of place and worried that his fellow Puritans would have secret hidden sins. The conflict for Goodman Brown comes in his decision whether he should join in the circle of sin and be like the rest of his village or hold true to his beliefs and reject any attempt to be persuaded. The climax of the story comes when Goodman Brown decides to stick by his religion and not to enter the circle of sin even though his wife, Faith, is a part of the sinning group. "Faith! Faith!†¦look up to heaven and resist the wicked one"(947). The denouement of Goodman Brown is tragic in an off beat sense. Goodma... .... These meanings dealt with the different aspects of live and their force of influence. These stories dealt with unexplained mysteries, imagination of characters, and the influence of nature. Each character had a certain conflict to confront or over come and each other their fates in the story explains the author's points of individual and societal problems. Bibliography: Hawthorne, Nathaniel,"Young Goodman Brown." Anthology of American Literautre. Ed. George McMicheal et al 2 vols. 7th ed.New York: Macmillan, 2000. Vol.1. 938-948 Irving,Washingtion."Rip Van Winkle." Anthology of American Literautre. Ed. George McMicheal et al 2 vols. 7th ed.New York: Macmillan, 2000. Vol.1. 619-632 Poe,Edgar Allen."Fall of the House of Usher." Anthology of American Literautre. Ed. George McMicheal et al 2 vols. 7th ed.New York: Macmillan, 2000. Vol.1. 763-777

Analysis of Neuromancer by William Gibson :: Neuromancer Essays

Analysis of Neuromancer by William Gibson  Ã‚         William Gibson's Neuromancer sets tone 'postmodern science fiction' or 'cyberpunk science fiction.'   According to the author of "Science Fiction and the Postmodern," John R. R. Christie, postmodern requires that humans take the associations of everyday life and transform them into something different (39).Sarah also claims that Neuromancer follows the cyberpunk category.Unlike other science fiction books that we read in this class, Gibson's story takes place everywhere in this planet, starting from Chiba in Japan, Istanbul, Paris and Vancouver in Canada.   These familiar settings make Gibson's story more understandable and believable.      Gibson's Neuromancer reveals itself as apostmodern science fiction contrasting postmodernity and humanism by setting the story in familiar places.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story begins at one of the bars in Chiba, Japan.   This bar is where only foreigners (gaijin) come to drink the Japanese beer, Kirin.   In fact, these types of bars existed in Japan even when ten to twenty years ago.   Gibson used many specific names of places and companies' names in the story.   For example, Tokyo Bay, Shinjuku, and even minor city, Sendaiwere used with less description to make readers feel that the places are common in our life; it is not strange like the city in The Martian Chronicles.  Ã‚   Throughout the book, Gibsonused existing companies' names, such as; Fuji Electric Company, Mitsubishi-Genetic, Hilton Hotel, and Sony.   Melissa thought that this setting is representative of what American percieve to be what they can expect in the future. Gibson's setting uses glo bal level and includes minor cities such as Sendai, Istanbul, and Vancouver, to show this story could take place anywhere.From our perception, these cities are far from relating to science or technology development.   The traditional science fiction writers usually set their stories in the major cities of the United States or other well-known technologically-developed countries.   The author of "Preface from Mirroshades,"Bruce Sterling noted that "Cyberpunks aim for a wide-ranging, global point ofview," (347).   Gibson's Neuromancer proves this notion by setting his story in worldwide.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cyberpunks or postmodern science fiction writers create their story into our everyday life and make it more real.

Essay Comparing Beowulf and A Knights Tale :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Beowulf and A Knight's Tale In the stories of Beowulf and A Knight's Tale, there are many different themes. One of the major themes is the religion that runs through both of them, yet both stories have a very different view of religion. In Beowulf, it seems as if God has chosen where our life will end and where it will begin, everything happens by the will of God in a fair and just way. In The Knight's Tale, we see Greek gods playing with the characters and when they "play" with them, there is no real pattern to how they choose things. Each vies is different and this affects the stories in different ways. Beowulf has multiple references to God and how God chooses what happens in his life. For example on the very first page of the story (Beowulf, 27) we see that God saw the need for a king so he sent a king to the Danes. This shows us that God is able to see his people and in a fair and just way he sends them a much needed king. Later on, we see how God punishes those who go against his will. On page 29 we read that Grendel is from Cain. For the eternal Lord avenged the killing of Abel. He took no delight in that feud, but banished Cain from humanity because of his crime. From Cain were hatched all evil progenies: ogres, hobgoblins, and monsters, not to mention the giants who fought so long against God - for which they suffered due retribution. (Beowulf, 29) This shows that for Cain's sin of killing Abel, he receives a just punishment not only to him but also to his "offspring." Also in Beowulf, God decides when people will die in advance. This is shown many times by Beowulf himself. For example, every time Beowulf is faced with a major battle, he always goes in with the faith that if it is God's will, he will be brought out alive. Also, God must give him the victory because he cannot win it by himself. "Tonight we will do without weapons ... God in His wisdom must allot the victory as He thinks fit.

Road to Mecca

The Road to Mecca examines the bio-psycho-social systems and issues that are part of the aging process. There are many issues introduced that are useful in understanding the social workers role in evaluating and developing a plan of care for young adults through late adulthood development. Since the passing of her husband, Helen has devoted her time to creating and transforming her home into her own â€Å"Mecca† of beauty and freedom. The dozens of sculptures of wise men, mermaids and other figures inside and outside of her home has secluded Helen from her neighbors who are very rigid white Calvinists.Her neighbors are trying to get rid of Helen by encouraging her to move into a local old folk’s home because of her eccentric work of art surrounding her home and because they fear for Helen’s safety living alone, now that she is in late adulthood and recently almost burnt her house down. Elsa is a young career minded woman who has befriended Helen and the only pers on that respects and accepts Helen’s work and interest. Throughout this play there are many psychoanalytic themes such as love, abandonment, dependency and loss to name a few.Both Helen and Elsa appeared to have grown up with a sense of abandonment and lack of trust from their families and others. Before the death of Helen’s husband, she lived as a conventional member of society. After becoming a widow, she began expressing herself in an artistic way and displaying her creativity throughout her house. Now that she is in late adulthood and becoming gradually unable to manage on her own as she use to, her sense of creativity seems at an end and she finds herself faced with a sense of darkness and hopelessness that at times overwhelms her.Helen discusses that when she was a child her mother would take away her candle at night; to be in pure darkness as a child was frightening for her and when her mother took away the candle, she took away Helen’s only source of com fort. That fear of darkness transformed into a feeling of abandonment for Helen which has caused her to search for intimacy and trust in her life that she fears she will not find before she dies. Helen’s darkness that she once saw on the outside when the candles were blown out is now darkness she feels on the inside; candles can no longer help this kind of darkness.This darkness symbolizes Helen’s depression. She is frightened that old age is over taking her and affecting her ability to continue creating her Mecca, take care of herself and find the true intimacy in her life that she needs. When Helen meets Elsa and their friendship blossoms, she becomes Helen’s only source of light. The day Helen met Elsa is the day she felt like her true self. Elsa didn’t judge Helen because of her statues and mermaids, she accepted her and after this, Helen felt she could trust Elsa. Elsa revived Helen’s life by accepting her true self.Elsa has extreme trust issu es which are exposed throughout this play. All trust is lost and feelings of abandonment resurface after Elsa’s married boyfriend leaves her and chooses his wife and child. Shame and guilt arise when Elsa has an abortion and when her plan to live happily ever after with a married man goes sour. The relationship with the married man opened her up to life and love, she felt like a woman for the first time. Her heart was wide open to someone that ended up betraying her. Now she feels as though she can’t trust at all and will think twice before she trusts again.Elsa feels you can love someone without trusting them, she is stuck in a mind set of all you need is love. This situation brings up feelings from the past for Elsa. It’s apparent that Elsa never learned trust as a child and trusting another is what she fears most. â€Å"Trust is more dangerous because that’s when you drop your defenses, lay yourself wide open, and if you’ve made a mistake, youà ¢â‚¬â„¢re in big, big trouble. And it hurts like hell. † Helen and Elsa’s fear of abandonment, trust and feelings of possible rejection also emerge when they both hide secrets from each other.Helen lies to Elsa about her suicidal attempt when the house almost burnt down and Elsa hesitates to tell Helen about the abortion and the married boyfriend. The two women have found love in each other and trust; they have had too much rejection in the past and fear their friendship will end badly if their secrets are revealed. Both women are very desperate to see if their friendship will survive their struggles. When Helen explains to Elsa about Marius and the rest of the community encouraging her to move into an old people’s home, Elsa becomes furious with Helen for not standing up for herself.Elsa becomes so angry about this issue, she needs Helen to stand up for herself and fight because Helen is the only one that lives her life the way she wants. If Helen goes into the old people’s home, Elsa will feel a sense of abandonment. Helen serves as a source of inspiration for her and her reaction to Helen’s inability to cope is tied to her need for Helen to remain a strong role model. There are many instances where both women provide a mirroring experience for each other in their lives. Elsa understands Helen’s life of expressing herself through her statues and she allows Helen to see how special she is.Elsa represents the good enough mother for Helen. She provides a holding environment for her. Especially after Elsa receives Helen’s letter of despair and comes to her side for support. Helen is able to challenge Elsa, to be herself and nobody has ever done that. This is what a mother would provide for her child. Both have a fear that if one is in darkness how will the other survive. Helen and Elsa need each other to take away their darkness inside. Miss Helen and Elsa develop a twinship with one another.Both allow themselves t o be vulnerable with each other, Miss Helen even states she allows the little girl inside of her come out to play when she is around Elsa. They both provide a sense of belonging and acceptance for each other. A mother holds the key to her child’s development. Helen and Elsa are on a journey of self discovery and both are at two different developmental stages in their lives. They are both stuck in two areas of the life cycle, trust and abandonment. The mirroring experience Miss Helen and Elsa have, allows a social worker to assess that both women are searching for the mother they never had.These two women were each other’s therapist. A therapist in many cases acts as the â€Å"mother† or â€Å"caretaker† for their clients. Therapists provide a safe holding place for their clients to be able to fall apart in. Therapists also mirror back strengths and uniqueness of a client that typically a good enough mother would provide. With support for each other Miss H elen and Elsa were able to move on with life. At the end of the play, Elsa helps Helen gain confidence when she stands up to Marius about not moving into the retirement home.Helen was able to explain to Marius that her home is the only place where she feels real. After Helen is able to stand her ground against Marius and the rest of the town, Helen and Elsa’s bond deepens. Elsa is able to admit that her choice of abortion has caused some depression. Helen is able to understand the pain that Elsa feels just like Elsa is able to understand Helen’s unconventional art work. The understanding that Helen has for Elsa’s troubles helps Elsa recognize the special role that Helen plays in her life.In the first act of the play when Elsa was very mean and disrespectful to Helen, she was displacing her anger and grief about her married ex-boyfriend and aborted child onto Helen. Elsa is even able to trust again by the end of the play, which is evident in the closing line, â⠂¬Å"Open your arms and catch me, I’m going to jump. † At the end of Act two, Helen is also able to move on with her life by allowing her candles to be blown out which symbolizes she is accepting her development in late adulthood and the completion of her Mecca.The childhood background of a person plays a major part in their adulthood life. When one has a healthy family typically the experience of abandonment and trust issues do not occur. Elsa felt trapped in her early adulthood; she had a job as a teacher in a â€Å"colored† school and ultimately had to conceal her true self to keep her job. Her heart was broken by the man she loved and opened her heart to and she experienced guilt and shame for terminating her pregnancy. Helen was also feeling trapped in her life.Creating her Mecca allowed her to create her own freedom and show her true self instead of complying with Cape Town’s religious ways of living. Both women were able to find a way out of their tr apped lives by finding trust and true intimacy with each other. This play shows the development of a great friendship and how having true intimacy in your life means showing all your faults and rawness without rejection. Helen and Elsa’s characters show that you can continue to grow until the end of life.

Unemployment in Columbia

Its infamy impacts tourism and trade, despite Colombia being the second largest producer of coffee in the world. The unemployment, especially among the youth, acts like fuel to the fire with regards to Colombians economic uncertainty. The country Itself does have the potential to have a stable economy and at least the minimum acceptable level of public welfare. It will be Interest to analyze why the country Is embroiled In warfare Instead of welfare, which Is why I have chosen It to be the topic of my research. 2. Relationships between selected economic concern and country?Economy/other variables (40 points): According to the US Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) World Fact Book, Colombia had a total work force of about 21. 27 million (2010 estimates). For a country whose population stood at 44,725,543 (2011 CIA estimates this figure is abysmal. The unemployment rate is at 11. 8% (2010 estimates). It is also important to note that nearly half of the country population (45. 5% â€⠀œ 2010 estimates) lives below the poverty line. According to a SEPAL (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) 1 7% of these are homeless.It Is obvious that when a errors remains unemployed for a long time, he or she cannot provide the bare necessities of life for their families. However, the high level of poverty In Colombia Is not just attributed to unemployment alone but to the quality of work that those who are employed have. Nearly 32% of those who state themselves to be employed do not have a formal work contract or access to a healthcare system while 48% hold informal jobs such as street vendors and garbage recyclers (SEPAL). So not only is the population of Colombia plagued with unemployment but those who are employed ark in very low paying jobs.When a person is unable to support his or her family by legal means, they find themselves to be helpless and turn towards illegal trades to earn a living. This applies especially to the youth, who find themselves without an education, without a job and without a bright future prospect. They tend to get Involved in the local drug mafia In one way or the other. Those who are considered Incapable of violence or physical brutality, find work on cocaine farms while the others get Involved In more dangerous aspects of the trade.This draining of possible working populace towards an Illegal sector Tanat Is causing more nary than good to ten overall progress AT ten nature takes its toll on the economy. High unemployment has also led to an increase in the economic class divide among the population. The upper class, which accounts for 20% of the population, accounts for about 75% to 80% of the Gross National Product (GNP). The rest of the 20% GNP is shared between the remaining 80% of the population. Being far richer than the masses, the elite class has access to education, healthcare and security.

Internship Report on Hr Practices in Popular Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Essay

The term industrial tour refers to the process of preparing report on an industry by visiting it physically, observing its production process and gathering relevant data from the management personnel, analyzing and evaluating data, and findings and drawing comment on the performance of the industry. As the part of 4th year, we have visited Industrial Hand Protection Ltd (IHPL). It was established in Bangladesh as a foreign Direct Investment(FDI).It is located in the area of Chittagong Export Processing Zone(CEPZ).It is established as Private Ltd company. It produces hand gloves for export only. It has no market in Bangladesh at present. It collects raw materials like yarn from different countries and convert raw material into finished goods. After that it exports those in different countries according to head office. Now a days Bangladesh is emerging as a leading economic region in South East Asia and there is an increasing competition between national and International Corporation. Since Industrial Hand Protection is a global company, it has to compete with the international corporation. Since the business environment is now highly competitive, customers are the king .As a result all companies are developing their products to satisfy their customer. IHPL is also developing its product and maintaining its quality according to their customer needs. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The basic or main purpose of report is to learn practical knowledge about business world for balancing the gap of our industrial policy in the modern job market. The objectives of this industrial tour are as below: i) The prime objective of the study is to know the production process of the company, types of raw materials and sources of the raw materials. ii) To know the management system of the industry. iii) To assess the potentiality strength and weakness of the company. iv) To identify an overview of Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. IMPORTANCE OF THE TOUR Now a day’s practical knowledge is mostly emphasized on business perspective. For this reason, industrial tour does a great work to achieve practical knowledge. After visiting Industrial Hand Protection Ltd we have gathered a huge practical knowledge like controlling system, training facilities, management system, and promotional system, production system and so on. We further know about the compensation policy, pricing policy, purchase & sales procedure, sources of raw materials and transportation system as well. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY Today’s study is conducted primarily in participatory research analysis method and secondary on practical and theoretical analysis. The research supervisor proposed research topic and thus questionnaire was made. This questionnaire was placed before the official of IHPL & subject to the approval of the research supervisor to provide their answers. Practical visit took place subsequently. Primary and secondary data was collected from every possible source. The primary sources are as follows: ⠝â€" Face-to-face conversation with the respective offices and stuffs of the branch. ⠝â€" Piratical work experience in the different desk of the department of the branch covered. ⠝â€" Observation of the production and management sector of the company. ⠝â€" Face-to-face conversation with production related employees ⠝â€" Related field study as provided by the officer The secondary sources of data and the information are: ⠝‘ Annual report ⠝‘ Web site address ⠝‘ Book basis articles Brochure provided by the company, catalogue, prospectus Limitation of the Study We tried our level best to collect information as much as necessary to prepare a perfect report on Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. Since the people of Bangladesh have a negative approach regarding research, it is very difficult to conduct a research in our country. As a result we face a lot of problems in collecting information. They are very much indifferent to provide relevant information. So we prepared this report on the available information we are able to collect from different sources. The limitations of the study are given below: †¢ Industrial Tour is organized for only one day. As a result it is very difficult to collect as much as information required preparing report. †¢ Some information is very much confidential. So they do not provide that information. †¢ Most of the officials are so busy to provide us enough time for discussion. †¢ It is established in Bangladesh in 2010.So we are unable to collect much information. †¢ Employees have the negativ e concept regarding the research. So they would not like to provide much information. †¢ They have no well organized website, annual financial report, magazine, and any periodical report. So to collect secondary data we have got very limited area. Brief History About Industrial Tour Industrial tour is very crucial for the BBA program. So during the BBA program every student needs to visit in any organization to gain practical knowledge which will help to make a connection between the theoretical and practical knowledge. Since we are the students of 4th year of the BBA program, we visited an industry named Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. At first our teachers made a group of four members. Our teacher along with the students fixed a date to visit the company. It was 30th June, 2012. On the due date we gathered in front of the shopping complex at 7.30 am. Teacher and all members came there in time. After taking breakfast we started our journey for IHPL under the direct supervision of our teacher named Anupam Kumar Das, lecture, Department of Management Studies, University of Chittagong. Surprisingly we got a guest teacher named Mr.Shanewas Mahmod Sohel, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, University of Chittagong. We reached at IHPL at 8.30 am. Mr.shihab Uddin, HRofficer, received us cordially and took us to the conference room. They provide us some snacks and tea as a breakfast. All personnel of the organization came and introduced with us at 9.00am.Mr.K.M.Arif Mohin Uddin gives a brief speech about what we will do during our tour and provided us the schedule of the activities of the tour. After completing the introduction, Mr.Akber Haqqani(DGM),Head of production provided a speech about the history of MIDAS, its mission, vision, and the present scen ario of it. He also described about the potentiality of it. He showed the overall picture of organization. We were listening the speech attentively. Because his presentation was very nice, easy to understand, clear and interesting. He also gave us an opportunity to ask any questions about IHPL. After the presentation we took a tea break according to the schedule at10.30 am. Then Mr.shihab Uddin, HRofficer, gave a presentation about the functions of Admin& Personnel Department. He described what HR Department does for motivating employees and achieves higher productivity. He also described how they evaluate their strength and weakness, opportunity and threats. After that he gave us opportunities to ask something and we asked different questions and noted answers. After that Mr.K.M.Arif Moin Uddin told very briefly about how to develop our career plan. Then Mr.Shihab Uddin and Mr.K.M.Arif Mohin Uddin (Manager Admin& Personnel) took us to visit the factory. We visited the whole factory and directly observed how they are producing different hand gloves and prepared them for final sell and the packaging process. They produce the gloves through two processes. One is automated process and another is semi-automated process. We saw that at first production engineer prepared a mixture of chemical .Then raw gloves was sunk into it. There were two boilers which are used for heating the gloves. Production engineer told us about the whole production process in detail. They also told us they will increase the number of boilers if the  government provides available gas and electricity. We saw that the production process is not so simple. It is very complex. Gigantic set up of compliance and its movement is glared and flickered to us. All production engineers clarifies how the gloves are made and about their features. After that we went to the warehouse. We saw that they had a very large warehouse. By visiting factory we had got a overall view of the production process, maintaining quality, and stored process. After that we took lunch with Mr.K.M.Arif Mohin Uddin and Mr.shihab Uddin, HRofficer, at pm. After taking lunch, we went back to our conference room. After tea break Mr.Adnan Peerzada from Pakistan, Deputy Manager, Fin.&com. gave a brief presentation on the responsibility of a good manger at2.00 pm. He is very sincere, co-operative and cordial. He shared with us about his personal life. He told us how he developed his career in practical. He also said shortly about supply chain management. He tried to provide a clear concept of supply chain management with a practical example. After that Mr.K.M.Arif Mohin Uddin invited us to discuss the total production process of the total plant in the conference room. He described the whole production process in brief and we noted it. After that different heads of the department as Manager Admin &Personnel, Deputy Manager of Fin. & Com. Production Engineers, AM-QA&QC, and HRO came to conference room and invited us to ask different questions about IHPL. We along with our teachers asked a number of questions regarding any confusion. They answered all questions nicely and very clearly. At last we can say that all the personnel of the organization were very much co-operative, friendly, and helpful. Our industrial tour formally was finished at 4.00 pm. GENERAL IDEA ABOUT INDUSTRIAL HAND PROTECTION LTD. (IHPL) MIDAS was started in 1975 in Pakistan. The owner of the organization was from Gujarat. The operated area of it is in India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Canada and Middle east country. The name of the sub-project of MIDAS is Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. It was located in Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ).It is only related with production of different types of hand gloves. It does all production according to the policy of head office which is situated in Canada. Head office determines all types of  production, marketing, financial policy. Industrial Hand Protection Ltd implements the policy that is taken by head office. IHPL collects raw materials from Malaysia and others countries. Then it converts these into finished products and export other countries directed by head office. It produces different types of industrial gloves for the purpose of export. IHPL is fully export oriented industry. It runs its production in two ways. One is automated production and another i s semi-automated production. It exports mainly in USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, Holland, Spain etc. At present it does not sell any products in our country. It also maintains large warehouses for ensuring same day services .Their market share in the world is 35 millions. Sales Volume in 2012 is 300 millions and their targeted profit in 2020 is 1200 millions. Their sourcing office is China in 2010. They mostly export in India and USA. Their manufacturing Locations are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada Company Profile Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. Company Profile 1. Name the company: Industrial Hand Protection Ltd.(IHPL) 2. Present Address: Plot No.6, Sector 1A, Road No.5, C.E.P.Z, Chittagong-4223, Bangladesh. 3. Head Office address: Chittagong Export Processing Zone(CEPZ) 4. Location of the factory: Chittagong Export Processing Zone(CEPZ) 5. Year of establishment: 2010 6. Initiative organization to establish this industry: Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) 7. Type of operation: Production Oriented. 8. Year of starting its production: November, 2010. 9. Total number of employees: 600 10. Nature of ownership: Wholly Owned 11. Type of company: Both Labor and Capital Intensive. 12. Legal status of the company: Private Ltd. Company 13. Purpose of production:100%Export oriented 14. Production Area: Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) 15. Head office : Canada. 16. Two types : Garments and Gloves. 17. Gloves production in Bangladesh: Automated process Semi-Automated process 18. Market: United States of America, Europe, Asia, Africa, 19. Exporting Countries: USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, RUSSIA, HOLAND, INDIA 20. Market share in the world: 35 millions 21. Sales 2012: 300 millions. 22. Sales 2020: 1200 millions. 23. Most Exported Countries: India and USA. 24. Annual Export Volume: $90,00000 25. Manufacturing Location: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Canada. 26. Product concern: Largest. Winning Strategies †¢ Effective Human Resource department resulted in a strong professional management and marketing team. †¢ Independent governing advisory boards in different countries. †¢ Strong purchase and finance departments in all MIDAS location with excellent relationship with banks. †¢ Establishment of different training centre for customer’s stuff, employees and new employees. †¢ Time and money spend to create brand value †¢ Establishment of large warehouse and same day service. †¢ Huge investment in research and development including 30% of time for improving existing product and 70% on new innovative product and process. †¢ Straight short line production with improved quality product. †¢ Team spirit, open communication and co-ordination among team members. †¢ Marketing by Web on cloud computing. Key Personnel of IHPL . Key Human Resource personnel of IHPL Mission And Vision of (IHPL) Vision 2020: To be one of the leading 5 safety companies in the world Mission: 1. Great team work. 2. Quality And innovative production. 3. Brand recognition in emerging world market. Gaining Drivers of Industrial Hand protection ltd(IHPL) †¢ Innovation: IHPL expends a lot amount for the purpose of innovative workers. About 70%of R&D is used for innovation of the product. †¢ Experienced Employees: Most of the employees of the IHPL are so much experienced. Because continuous training program is followed by the organization. †¢ Co-operation: Co-operation is the main driver of the higher productivity. Co-operation among the departments and that of the employees is important for achieving the goal effectively and efficiently. Since IHPL follows the participative management it can able to ensure co-operation. †¢ Quality Maintained: They maintain the standard quality of the product. They produce the customized product. They have a good monitoring team to continuously monitor the quality of the product. †¢ Human Resources Leadership: A good leaders exist in the organization. They create vision and directed the all employees toward the achievement of the organizational goal. †¢ Update Technology: They import the updated technology and used in the production process. As a result they have been able to automatize the production process the productivity of the employees has increased rapidly. †¢ Team Work: Team work is the best for increasing productivity of the employees. They have made a number of groups consisting of 24 members in each group and assign their target that must be achieved within a specific period of time period of time. Overal View of Organizational Strategy [pic] Main Themes of The Company †¢ Service. †¢ Quality. †¢ Cost Competitiveness. †¢ Innovation †¢ Organizational Structure. Core Safety Values SWOT Analysis of the IHPL Competencies of the Industrial Hand Protection ltd. †¢ Customer Focus †¢ Delegation. †¢ Motivating Others †¢ Customization. †¢ Perseverance. Management The key points of management practices of IHPL are discussed below: Management Style: IHPL follows the Line & Staff Management style. There are four level of management in this organization. There is no managing committee in this organization. Planning Process: Planning is the set of activities such as selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them, it also includes decision making. IHPL also has a strong planning process in which the authority has to formulate these plans. Most of the times top-level management makes decision. IHPL takes plans for intermediate term. Goals and Objectives: Objectives or goals are as Milestone where organization and individual activities are directed and it wants to reach. Objectives are state end results. Clear and verifiable objectives facilitate measurement of the surplus as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of managerial actions. IHPL considers, to be one of the leading 5 safety Co’s of the world as a vision of setting organizational goals and objectives. Specialization and Departmentalization: This organization follows work specialization for every employee. Work specialization refers to every employees should specialized in the particular field. MIDAS does not follow generalization. And it generally follows the departmentalization. MIDAS has eight departments. Span of Control: Span of Control means the number of subordinates a manager can effectively and efficiently direct. Wider span are more efficient in term of cost. However at some point wider pan reduce effectiveness. That is, when the span becomes too large, employee performance suffers because supervisors no longer have the times to provide the necessary leadership and support. Narrow span have three major drawbacks. * They are expensive because they add level of management * They make vertical communication in the organization more complex * Narrow span of control encourage overly tight supervision and discourage employees autonomy. IHPL follows narrow span of control and manage effectively. Decision Making: Decision-making is defined as selection of a course of action from among alternatives; it is at the core of planning. Decision-making may be either centralized or decentralized. The decision making process of that organization is centralized by the authority while taking strategic decision. IHPL also follows participative management in decision making. [pic] Production Department Simply, Production is the process of converting raw materials into finished goods that have utility values. Production refers to the processes and methods employed to transform tangible input(materials,semifinished goods,or subassemblies)and intangible inputs(ideas, information, knowledge) into goods or services. Production management refers to the job of coordinating and controlling the activities required making a product, typically involving effective control of scheduling, cost, performance, quality, and waste requirements. IHPL production system is customer based. So IHPL production system is intermittent. IHPL production planning and production scheduling is order based. Basic raw materials and sources of raw materials: |Raw materials |Sources of raw materials | |Chemical |International and local suppliers | |Yarn |International and local suppliers | Problems in procuring raw-materials: †¢ Rising cost †¢ More time to collect raw material †¢ Frequent change in price Overcome in procuring raw materials: †¢ Building loyal relationship with suppliers †¢ Better transportation Types of Products There are different kinds of hand gloves are producing IHPL. Products are as follows – * Journey gloves * Industrial gloves * Chemical resistance gloves * Hit resistance gloves * Fashion garments gloves * Medical gloves * Cut resistance gloves * Sports gloves etc Uses of Gloves [pic] Production process of hand gloves Total 645 people (574 workers and 74 employees) are worked in IHPL for producing of hand gloves. Raw materials are important for gloves production. How IHPL produces hand gloves that means how chemical and yarn converts into hand gloves? There are two production process of producing hand gloves such as — †¢ Automated hand gloves production procedure and †¢ Semi-automated hand gloves production procedure. We can show it by following flowchart —— Automated hand gloves production procedure (oil based): Semi-automated/Manual hand gloves production procedures (water based): Oil based hand gloves are used for normal or rough use. On the other hand, water based hand gloves are used for different purposes such as glass factory, garments industry, steel industry, knitting industry, medical operation, sports, wok shops, chemical industry etc. HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT Human resource department is responsible for how people are treated in organizations. It is responsible for bringing people into the organization, helping them perform their work, compensating them for their labors and solving problems that arise. Management of human resources is that function of all enterprises which provides for effective utilization of people to achieve both the objectives of the enterprise and the satisfaction and development of the employees. Human resource management differs from traditional personal management. Opening of Human Resource Department signifies growing awareness of the importance of human factor in organizational performance. IHPL’s one of the winning strategies is effective HR dept. resulted in a strong professional management and marketing teams. The role of the HR department on the overall performance of the organization is emphasized by: †¢ Recruitment †¢ Maintenance †¢ Retention of employees FUNCTIONS OF HR DEPARTMENT †¢ Recruitment of workers / staffs through interview ( daily recruitment of workers) †¢ Workers and staff orientation and personal grooming training. †¢ Daily security setup checking †¢ Ensure cleaning in IHPL †¢ Logistics support †¢ Routine co-ordination among suppliers †¢ Attendance analysis and reporting †¢ Leave report maintaining †¢ Co-ordinate BEPZA and government offices †¢ Ensure staff’s salary bank account making †¢ Training information update and arrange recommended training †¢ Ensure health and safety at work †¢ Employee counseling †¢ Expatriate’s work permit †¢ Wastage management †¢ Updates of registration and record †¢ Employee records †¢ PETTY cash management †¢ Employee grievances †¢ Performance appraisal †¢ Job description and job specification †¢ Developing and implementing different policy Performance Management Performance management is the process employers use to make sure that employees are working towards organizational goals. Employee performance of IHPL is appraised on yearly basis and 3 month’s performance review is conducted for this purpose. [pic] High Performance Drivers It tries to maintain high performances through following 3c factors. IHPL do believe that, high performance is the outcome of the multiplication of clarity, capability and commitment. Those are: †¢ Competency. †¢ Capability. †¢ Commitment. It can be expressed as follows:Competency*Capability*Commitment = High Performance Absenteeism And Turnover Absenteeism: An absence refers to time an employee is not on the job during scheduled working hours , except for a granted leave of absence, holiday or vacation time. Turnover: Labor turnover is the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees. Simply we can say â€Å"how long employees tend to stay† or â€Å"the rate of traffic through the revolving door†. Overview of the absenteeism and turnover rate of IHPL Comparison of Satisfactory And Dissatisfactory factors of IHPL THE MAIN AREAS OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT The personnel manager is responsible for all the decisions regarding HRD but before taking any decision he consults with the HR officer. There is an organized HR policy in this type of production oriented company. IHPL’s HR policy is international although it’s an MNC. It’s human resource policy is: †¢ Recruit competent workforce †¢ Training and development of workforce †¢ Retain good workforce by logical benefits and compensation This department is of highest significance as IHPL do believe that â€Å" Our Strength is Our People† Co’s policy regarding HR planning, job analysis, recruitment, selection, training and performance management and reward system are discussed in the following segment of the paper: HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING HR planning is the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to fill and how to fill them. The main task of HRD is a good HR planning. HR planning, in turn, involves job analysis and forecasting the demand and supply of labor. JOB ANALYSIS An organization consists of positions that have to be staffed. Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it. It’s one of the most important task that performed by the HR staff. Through job analysis, the vacant position is found out and the job description and the job specification is prepared. In case of job analysis, IHPL follows 3types of methods: †¢ Observation method †¢ Structured questionnaire method †¢ Individual interview method Job description Job description is a written statement of what the worker actually does, how he or she does it and what the job’s working conditions are. Job specification The job specification takes the job description and answers the question, â€Å"what human traits and experiences are required to do the job well?† It shows what kind of person to recruit and for what qualities that person should be tested. IHPL conducts job analysis to come up with job evaluation. And for each and every position in it there are job description and job specification. In the selection of employees it follows job specification. RECRUITMENT In case of recruiting employees the company uses †¢ School placement †¢ Employee references †¢ Advertisements To search for required candidates. For advertisements for employee recruitment, IHPL uses: †¢ Daily newspapers †¢ Internet / on-line For skilled jobs for IHPL, the most popular recruiting sources are: †¢ Reference checking †¢ Labor market campaign †¢ Existing employee reference The most popular sources of managerial jobs are: †¢ Newspaper advertisement †¢ Walk in interview SELECTION After recruitment, the company goes for selection procedure. The preparation of a short list of candidates is based on the following criteria: †¢ Competency †¢ Chittagong zone living people †¢ Positively aggressive hard working person For employee selection, the company follows 3 types of selecton tests: †¢ Written tests †¢ Oral tests †¢ Medical tests In the selection process, the sequential steps involved can be shown in the following diagram: [pic] In case of daily worker selection, the procedure is: After selection, the employees are assigned to different types of jobs on the basis of job description. While selecting employees, the problem that the company faces is the lack of competent people TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Training is the process of teaching new employees the basic skills they need to perform their jobs. In IHPL there is an organized training and development program to develop employee skills and productivity. In determining the training needs of the employees, IHPL considers productivity. 3types of training methods are applied here: †¢ classroom lecture †¢ on the job training †¢ external training after the completion of the training program, employees are assigned to predetermined positions. Performance management is the process employers use to make sure that employees are working towards organizational goals. Employee performance of IHPL is appraised on yearly basis and 3 month’s performance review is conducted for this purpose. IHPL do believe that, high performance is the outcome of the multiplication of clarity, capability and commitment. That is: High Performance = competency* capability * commitment REWARD SYSTEM Before constructing it’s reward system, IHPL evaluates the jobs using Point Method. It sets it’s basic pay based on: †¢ experience †¢ performance †¢ position †¢ academic qualification traditional method of administrative pay is used in here. BEPZA has a great influence on it’s payment system. In order to retain highly experienced people, IHPL uses: †¢ motivation †¢ promotion †¢ providing extra facilities †¢ training benefits provided to the employees are: †¢ house rent †¢ DA / TA Employees get bonus on yearly basis. Facilities are reactive here. Quality Control †¢ QC is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the client or customer. †¢ In Order to implement an effective QC program, an enterprise must first decide which specific standards the products or service must meet. Then the extent of QC actions must be determined. (Ex: the percentage of units to be tested from each lot). Quality Control Procedure in IHPL ââ€" ª In IHPL Quality control procedure is done through internal & buyer consent. ââ€" ª 100% audit (Third party audits from buyer side). ââ€" ª Raw material inspection. ââ€" ª Dangerous article protection (steel fragmented, niddle parts, safety measures). ââ€" ª Accepted Quality level. ââ€" ª Quality accessories and chemical used. ââ€" ª Automated weaving machine. ââ€" ª ISO 9001 : 2008 is followed in case of product Quality control. ââ€" ª Customer expectation and ISO standard are followed for quality measurement. ââ€" ª They have a skilled inspection team for quality control. ââ€" ª This team consists of 24 members. ââ€" ª IHPL has two different maintenance policy for equipment including i. Preventive maintenance policy ii. Repair maintenance policy. Inspection services & testing in IHPL IHPL maintains some inspection services and testing procedures for ensuring product quality including:- Preshipment Inspection: An inspection to guarantee the conformity of production to their specification. Production monitoring: Constant oversight in factory with daily reports on quality and production status. During production check: Control and recommendation for production process and capacity. Initial production check: Inspection of machinery and materials to be used for their product prior to production. Container loading check: Guarantee the finished goods meet their specification (Product type & quality) and are loaded. Labor Management IHPL produces safety hand gloves under Midas Safety has been Protecting the Working Hands of the World. IHPL is a manufacturing unit of Midas Safety, and a thoroughly labor intensive unit also. About 574 labors are working in it with two distinct shifts – Day shift and Night shift. For manage a large number of labor there have a strong labor management unit. This unit recruits, selects, trains, reward and terminate labor. There have no labor union and no CBA also. Labor cannot participate in decision making. IHPL provide food facilities to its worker. It has own canteen for its worker and provide two snacks with tea and lunch for day shift and three snacks with tea and dinner for night shift. Though IHPL situated in CPEZ, thus it need to follow instruction provided by BEPZA. BEPZA labor administration: The BEPZA fixed minimum wages in October 1993 for categories of trainees, unskilled, semiskilled, and skilled workers at US$22 to US$63 per month. These rates have never been revised. The minimum has become the effective maximum. The classification of workers is also done entirely by the employer. Similarly, working hours, paid holiday and other leave, payment of wages, and maternity benefits are all decided unilaterally by management. The BEPZA document, Labor and Industrial Relations, rules that â€Å"BEPZA issues directives from time to time determining minimum wages.† It is understood that the minimum wage, US$22, issued in 1993 still remains valid, although in national laws, periodical revisions are provided for. This salary is less than US$1.00 per day, the criterion used internationally to identify the poor. These issues require collective bargaining and action including strikes if employers do not respond to workers’ demands. Official documents do not indicate h ow an offending employer is punished. There is no regular inspection by BEPZA Labor Administration, nor is there any requirement by employers to report on compliance. Because of this, exemption from the Industrial Relations Ordinance appears highly detrimental to workers’ interests. In February 1986 the government exempted the BEPZA from the Employment of Labor (standing order) Act. A notification in January 1989 also exempted EPZ enterprises from the Factories Act 1965. These two acts related to basic conditions of employment (daily, monthly, casual, etc.), dismissal procedure, and provision of safety, health, and sanitary conditions, including facilities for women workers and their children. Compensation for dismissal is mentioned in the BEPZA booklet on labor and industrial relations. But the reasons for discharge are not covered including arbitral dismissal. According to the BEPZA booklet, reasons for dismissal include physical and mental incapacity and continued ill health, with compensation of one month’s pay for every year of service or any part thereof in excess of six months. But the booklet does not clarify whether such dismissals are scrutinized by BEPZA prior to an employer’s order. Similarly dismissal on grounds of misconduct is permitted â€Å"after due enquiry proceedings,† (presumably by the employer). These provisions are li able to violation of workers’ rights by the employers. Remuneration: †¢ The parliament passed the EPZ Workers Association and Industrial Relations Act 2004(Amended up to October 2010). †¢ Competitive wages in respect of semi skilled, skilled and high skilled. †¢ The average monthly wages has been practiced as follow: ââ€" ª Unskilled US$ 39.00-48.00 ââ€" ª Semi-skilled US$ 55.00 ââ€" ª Skilled US$ 61.00-109.00 †¢ Other benefits include Conveyance Allowance, House Rent, Medical Allowance, Maternity Benefit, Festival Bonus, Provident Fund and Overtime. Considering the production cost investor is being deemed to be satisfied with the overall productivity of the labors. Human Rights in EPZ: (a) Pressure to enhance welfare It appears that the BEPZA and investors in EPZs are under social and international pressure not only to enhance the welfare of the workers, but also to consult the workers in the process. According to the BEPZA Bulletin October – December 1999, a Conference of Investors on issues pertaining to labor relations in EPZs of Bangladesh was held in Dhaka in December 1999. The Minister of Labor, the Minister of Industries and the American Ambassador to Bangladesh attended the conference. According to the Bulletin, the â€Å"investors in the EPZs of Bangladesh have proposed forming a Tripartite Welfare Committee to look after and protect the interest of workers†. And â€Å"the US Ambassador in his speech encouraged the investors to form a committee to help devise an acceptable method of ensuring the welfare of the workers in the EPZs of Bangladesh†. (b) Pressure from foreign/international agencies As early as 1991, AFL – CIO, the largest trade union federation in USA, petitioned to revoke Bangladesh’s general system of preferences (GSP – tariff concessions) because of various alleged infringement of labor rights, including the denial of freedom of association in the Chittagong EPZ. After a review of the petition, the US government decided to continue Bangladesh’s GSP privileges, following Bangladesh government’s assurance to allow freedom of association in the EPZs by 1997 (Daily Star, 28 October 1999). In June 1999, AFL-CIO filed another petition to revoke the GSP privileges of Bangladesh, based solely on the country’s failure to act in accordance with the assurance. Since then the US ambassador has repeatedly threatened withdrawal of GSP privileges on the same grounds. On the other hand in a meeting with BEPZA chairman, the Japanese ambassador categorically stated, â€Å"Japan does not want trade unions in the EPZs at this moment’ (Daily Star, 20 February 2000) and he expressed satisfaction at the congenial atmosphere in the two EPZs of the country.† A Korean entrepreneur observed that international labor standards maintained in developed countries should not be applied in Bangladesh because the issues of industrial relations here were different. According to another report in the Daily Star of 19 October 1999, the Bangladesh government had signed an agreement with the US Trade Department in 1994 to withdraw the exemption from Employment of Labor (standing orders) Act 1965, and from the Industrial Relations Act 1969, by 1995 and 1997 respectively. Exemption from the Factories Act was withdrawn in 2000. On the other hand, the Chittagong EPZ investors told the US ambassador that permitting trade unions would also be a breach of contract by the Bangladesh government, which had promised a peaceful atmosphere in the Industrial Zones (Daily Star, 28 October 1999). Meanwhile acquisition of a huge area of land for a Korean EPZ has displaced 425 families and the process has been challenged in court by a religious group, as it sought to acquire a church. Complaints of corruption and harassment in payment of compensation to displaced landowners for land acquired for Comilla EPZ has also appeared in the press. (c) Pressure for consultation with workers In the conference, it was proposed that ‘the Welfare Committee will comprise of worker representatives, BEPZA, and BEPZA enterprises.’ This indicates a current lack of arrangements for consultation in any forum with representatives of workers. In the three bodies comprising the BEPZA, no representative of workers is included. The Ministry of Labor is not even represented in these bodies. (d) Divided opinion among ministers In the 1999 conference, the Minister of Labor made a vague statement that ‘the government will take some measures to protect the interest of workers  and the investors equally; while the Industries Minister was more categorical in saying, â€Å"The prime objective of the government is to increase employment opportunities through increased investment. Any issue relating to EPZs of Bangladesh should be considered cautiously.† (e) Opposition to ‘traditional trade unions’ Other speakers in the conference cautioned that foreign investment will be discouraged if ‘traditional trade unions’ are introduced. In Bangladesh, labor laws provide for election of a ‘Collective Bargaining Agent’ (CBA) from among the registered unions in an industrial undertaking and traditionally the CBAs have exceeded their legal rights and created labor unrest, allegedly for the interest of the CBAs. Major reasons for such a situation are an ineffective labor administration and political interference in implementation of labor laws. (f) BEPZA documents Several BEPZA documents mention that BEPZA pursues a production-oriented labor law. The authority administers labor matters in the EPZs of Bangladesh. Labor unions are neither allowed to form or operate within EPZs. This is a strong indication that the right to: organize and bargain collectively is denied to workers in EPZS. The BEPZA documents do not mention how the labor matters are administered in the absence of trade unions, particularly in matters that require collective bargaining, such as safety and health, minimum wage, dispute settlement, etc. From occasional reports in newspapers, it appears that labor unrest takes place once in a while due to causes like arbitrary dismissal of workers. (g) Exemption from certain labor laws On 25 February 1986, the government exempted Chittagong EPZ from the provisions of the Industrial Relations Ordinance 1969 which recognized ILO Conventions on Freedom of Association (No. 87) and on the Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively (No. 98). The ILO considers these conventions as basic human rights. It is possibly true that widespread misuse of liberal provisions for forming unions of workers gave rise to a multiplicity of unions and inter-union rivalry. Similarly, some collective bargaining agents are also criticized for misusing their representative strength. However, these situations arise due to political reasons and due to poor enforcement of laws by management and the state. Absence of laws permitting trade unions is no guarantee that such situations will not appear in the EPZs as well if the political situation deteriorates and if law enforcement slackens. The relevant issue is whether BEPZA’s labor administration has promoted any alternative relief for the workers. Export & Import IHPL is an export oriented company. They export their products to various countries. These are as follows- †¢ U.S.A †¢ Canada †¢ Australia †¢ South Africa †¢ Spain †¢ Russia †¢ Holland †¢ India †¢ U.A.E They mostly export to INDIA & USA. Their annual export volume is approx. 90 lac us dollar. They determine their international market demand and supply by its powerful sales team which is provided by its parent organization –MIDAS, situated in Canada. IHPL transport goods by air & water. They procure raw materials from different countries. It need not have to pay any taxes for importing raw materials. IHPL is situated in EPZ area where companies are given special facilities and incentives in favor of their export goods; also IHPL gets special incentive facilities from Bangladesh Govt for increasing their export. They use C&F agent for exporting their goods and collecting their raw materials. At the time of exporting product, they faces several problem. This are- †¢ Timely transportation(unavailability of movers) †¢ Dependency on middle organization: It may be caused by C&F agent. †¢ Lengthy process in port: Because of political problem mainly trade union. †¢ Corruption in every stage of processing †¢ Supply of wrong information by importer or exporter Above mentioned problems can be solved by – †¢ Providing adequate transportation facility †¢ Reducing interference of middle men †¢ Handling of shipping problem in time †¢ Providing reliable information at the time of export and import †¢ Eliminating corruption by enforcing rules and regulation IHPL is a big growing factory in Bangladesh and Bangladesh Govt. should support this kind of factory to develop the country by following steps- †¢ To increase mobility of port: There are many kinds of problems in time of shipping goods and services. In our country labor does it. That is politicize trade union in port. this type of situation govt. can take initiative to increase mobility of port. †¢ Production of export cargo: In our country ,we have no emergency career service. IHPL may expect to govt. this type of facility. †¢ Sound quality control and grading of export consignment: In Bangladesh BSTI can do it. They may expect to govt. that BSTI will be more effective than previous. †¢ Effective cost control: In our country cost increase due to delay delivery, delay production, delay documentation. To reduce this govt. can introduce one stop service centre in port and also need to make it more effective. †¢ Developing sound network and linkage with overseas market: To do it govt. can need to do EPB and Commerce Ministry more effective. Corporate social responsibility of IHPL: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as the way companies integrate social, environmental, and economic concerns into their values and operations in a transparent and accountable manner. It is integral to long-term business growth and success, and it also plays an important role in promoting business values locally and internationally and also contributing to the sustainable development of communities. The Government of Bangladesh works with the public and private sector, business community, civil society , with foreign governments and communities as well as other stakeholders to foster and promote CSR. WIKIPEDIA define CSR as CSR is a form of corporate self integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholder and all other members of the public sphere who may also be considered as stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility: THE BANGLADESH CONTEXT CSR practices in Bangladesh in its modern global terms, are relatively new, but not so for the concept itself. Because, being a part of the global market, it is difficult to ignore CSR standard specifically in the export sector like (MIDAS, young one, specific jeans) com. In general, it is true that in Bangladesh, the status of labor rights practices, environmental  management and transparency in corporate governance are not satisfactory level, largely due to poor enforcement of existing laws and inadequate pressure from civil society and interest groups like Consumer Forums (CAB) consumer association of Bangladesh. Globally, as CSR practices are gradually being integrated into international business practices and hence is becoming one of the determining factors for market accesses, it is becoming equally instrumental for local acceptability. A focus on CSR in Bangladesh would be useful, not only for improving corporate governance, labor rights, work place safety, fair treatment of workers, community development and environment management, but also for industrialization and ensuring global market access. Lack of enforcement of Industrial Laws and Regulations, weak unions, absence of consumer rights and high level of corruption within the regulatory bodies make CSR violation rampant in Bangladesh. CSR is neglected in two most significant foreign exchange sources is the RMG sector and the overseas manpower export. Unbelievably low compensation, working hours, health/hygiene/sanitation conditions, fire safety and various types of abuse are so common and to the extent of inhumanity that will shock any conscientious individual to the core. Recently, the RMG sector employees have embarked on a industry wide movement to establish their rights. Like savor, narayangong (kunchpur) in march-April in 2012. CSR Of Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. ( IHPL) IHPL is committed to ethical behavior and to sustainable economic development, while improving the quality of life of its workforce and their families, as well as the local community and society at large. IHPL is one of the organizations of MIDAS. It established in November 2010 in EPZ in Chittagong. Its a 100% export oriented safety material producer export gloves, heal mate, chemical resistant cover in India & others countries as per the requirement of MIDAS. Since its inception its carry our different types of CSR to govt., employees, BEPZA, EPZ & to the society. CSR to Govt.: * Provide tax, duty, others fees timely * Follow govt. prescribe rules & regulation * Promote diplomatic relation with exporting countries * Contribute t the up-liftment of GDP * Favorable balance of payment CSR to society: * create employment for 600 people( 50% male,50% female) * environment safety operation * raising living standard * Qurbani,a very new establishment, donation to orphanage. CSR to environment: * pollution free manufacturing * sound waste management policy * minimum emission of co2 * ISO 9001:2008 certified operation CSR to employees: * timely wage paid * provide free lunch & dinner * provide on job training * provide safety material for worker in time of working * improve skill among worker * provide pure drinking water * transportation facilities for employees CSR to BEPZA: * follow BEPZA role & regulation * follow labor act 2006 * operation is consistent with Bangladeshi culture, norms, value. Proper CSR practice in Bangladesh can also contribute a lot to community development. The corporate house can develop the community by creating employment, providing primary education, contribution to infrastructure development like road and high-ways and addressing environmental concerns. This is more relevant for a country like Bangladesh where the government interventions in these fields augmented by corporate alliance can go a long way in developing the economy, society and environment. Problems of IHPL IHPL faces generally two types of problems. They may be internal or external problems. Internal Problems: ââ€" ª Inadequate training and development program. ââ€" ª Poor investment in research and development. ââ€" ª Lack of infrastructural development of the organization. ââ€" ª Have no own power supply system. ââ€" ª High turnover rate of the organization. ââ€" ª Have no local supply of raw material. External Problems: ââ€" ª Political instability in Bangladesh. ââ€" ª Increasing inflation ââ€" ª Corruption in the port. ââ€" ª Lengthy process for exporting of the goods. ââ€" ª Economic factors: Exchange rate fluctuation, trade policy, trade relation with other country, tax rate, tariff and others non-tariff barriers ââ€" ª Non-availability and non-frequency of transportation. ââ€" ª Other Cultural differences like working attitudes, language, education and dexterity etc. ââ€" ª Lack of proper supply of gas, water, electricity and so on. ââ€" ª Labor union causes a lot of problems in case of export oriented organization. Recommendation Some recommended suggestions are given below: †¢ Continuous quality improvement concept should be applied for the improvement of the quality of the product. †¢ Investment in research and development has to extend to initiate a new idea. †¢ IHPL should provide adequate incentive, salary, bonuses and non-financial facilities to reduce the high turnover rate. †¢ IHPL should try to produce raw material in production country. †¢ IHPL should introduce the updated technology in the production to increase productivity. †¢ IHPL should think the possibilities of sells its products in Bangladesh. †¢ IHPL should introduce the housing facilities for the employees. †¢ IHPL should try to apply JIT concept in the inventory system. †¢ IHPL should try its best to minimize the lead time of the shipment of hand gloves. †¢ IHPL should be more social responsible and environment friendly company. CONCLUSION By Observing the above discussion we can concludes that the company has been maintaining excellent performance since its beginning. This is the proud of the company that it never incurred a loss since 2010 to 2012. The overall performance of accounting, management, and cost systems of Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. is to some extend conventional issue. The products of the company have wide market demand all over the world. The company earns a lot of foreign exchange which plays an important role in our national economy. Industrial Hand Protection Ltd will be the role model for export oriented industry sector within few years. Because of its quality product, uniqueness of their product, export volume and so on. One of the main problem is that IHPL uses automated machineries which hamper targeted production in case of electricity disruption. It imports all raw materials but it some times faced problems due to time limitation. If IHPL can overcome its drawbacks it will increase a large extent the volume of profit. Since this company is established in CEPZ area they have to maintain all the rules and regulations provided by the BEPZA. So the authority can not enjoy freedom of taking decision. Their turnover rate is quite high, it needs to be checked. If it does not take initiative to improve this situation it will face difficulties because they have several competitors outside the country. The production capacity of IHPL is limited because of their limited area. So this need to be considered by concerned authority . By analyzing sales trend and financial statement, profit and production diagram of IHPL, we can say that the overall performance of IHPL is satisfactory. It never incurs losses since its beginning. We also know that it is a newly established company. We hope Industrial Hand Protection Ltd. will carry out its production process smoothly by removing its some silly drawbacks. Reference: ———————– Electronic Works Mr.A.K.M.Arif Mohin Uddin Manager Admin & Personnel. Mr.Akbar Haqqani Deputy General Manager (DGM) Country Head in Bangladesh Mr Adnan Peerzada Deputy Manager. Department of Finance and Commercial. Senging point Load point Liner Bobbling Ship Industry Sports Road Construction Steel Industry. Fashion Industry Heat Resistance Chemical Industry. Journey Mr.Shihab Uddin Khan HR officer. ance Chemical Industry. Journey Mr.Shihab Uddin Khan HR officer. Quality service Quality Customer Price Quality Valuable customer Manufacture ââ€" Man ââ€" Machine ââ€" Material ââ€" Money Direct sale Formal Relation Interdepende-ncy Mertocracy T Trust Care For Others Ethics Team work Strength Weakness †¢ Unskilled labor †¢ Inexperience †¢ Poor industry environment †¢ Lack of local demand †¢ Lack of infrastructural development. †¢ Fresh Environment †¢ Higher Productivity of worker. †¢ Availability of labor †¢ Effective collaboration among employees. †¢ Effective and efficient labor supply †¢ Participative management system †¢ Unbalance market distribution †¢ Lack of energy †¢ Floating worker †¢ Devaluation †¢ High turnover rate †¢ Political instability †¢ Long lead time to export †¢ Emerging market †¢ Research and Development †¢ Established plan †¢ Building loyalty †¢ Growing demand †¢ Vast labor force with labor cost Threats Opportunity Spinning Pre-Jelling Air flow Showering Stamping Packaging Finished Goods Oven Liner Drying check Load point Methanol Deeping Pre-Jelling Evaporation Horizontal Jelling Oven Packaging Stamping Finished Goods What is expected? The way it is expected to develop. What has been achieved? The way it has been achieved. High Performance Absenteeism in percent Turnover in percent Month in 2012. January 19.46% 9.56% February 15.25 7.73 8.00 March 15.45 19.23 8.43 April 12.00 8.00 May Satisfaction Factors Dissatisfaction Factors †¢ Shortage of holidays †¢ Low medical allowance †¢ Long working hours †¢ Improper assistance from production. †¢ Lack of incentives †¢ Organizational environment †¢ Transportation problem in case of long distance †¢ Discipline †¢ Cooperation between staff and office employees †¢ Timely salary payment †¢ Freedom to work †¢ Basis of future platform †¢ Learning and participating †¢ Food and transportation facility Initial Screening Employment Tests Completing Application Form Comprehensive Interview Background Investigation Conditional Job Offer Medical or Physical Test Permanent job Offer Screening Collecting People Talk Personally Selection by Engineers Choose Effective Worker