Global Health

This is a reaction essay to Cholera in Sierra Leone: the case study of an outbreak retrieved from According to A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia,â€Å"Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea. Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water from cells in the intestines, which produces severe diarrhea (National Institute of Health ,U.S. National Library of Medicine – The World's Largest Medical Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, May 30th 2012). † If left untreated, it can kill within hours and almost eighty percent of cases can be successfully treated with oral rehydration salts. People get infected by eating or drinking contaminated food and water and it usually manifests in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine like Africa, Asia, India, Mexico and South and Central America. The availability of safe drinking water and proper sanitation is critical in reducing the impact of cholera and other waterborne diseases.Oral cholera vaccine also reduces the risk of death by fifty percent . Sierra Leone, a West African country that has been ravaged by wars for years , experienced the worst Cholera outbreak in fifteen years. As of september 19th of this year, 19000 cases and 274 deaths have been reported. It was unusual for the Cholera outbreaks to occur in February , the middle of the dry season because most cholera outbreaks take place in the rainy season. At the onset of the cholera outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, WHO , UNICEF and Medecins Sans Frontieres-Belgium worked together to detect, confirm ,treat and prevent the cholera outbreak .But when it started raining in June, cholera spread rapidly and by August, 2000 cases were reported per week. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation have also set up a network for all health centres to report daily cases of outbreaks and have been working with W HO and partners in spreading messages about safe drinking water, hand washing and food preparation. WHO has also brought in additional experts in epidemiology, surveillance, logistics, social mobilization, water and sanitation from other WHO country offices and set up a ‘ Cholera command and control centre’.Inspite of all these efforts, there is a severe shortage of oral rehydration salts and they are expecting 32 000 cases in this outbreak. * ————————————————- â€Å"? The health of a country is often based on infant and mother morbidity and mortality rates (GCH-205-DL2, Module 4, Lauren Savaglio). † In 2007, Sierra Leone had the highest level of child mortality in the world. Maternal mortality is also one of the highest in the world. One in eight women risk dying during pregnancy and childbirth. The infant mortality rate of Sierra Leone is 123 deaths p er 1000 live births in 2009 .Babies born in Sierra Leone in 2005 had a life expectancy of only 38 years. So it can be said that public health is generally poor in Sierra Leone. â€Å"Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and causes of health and illness in populations (Jacobsen,p. 7). † In the case of the cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, the infections started in the western area of the country where the capital, Freetown, is located. Cholera outbreaks usually occur in the rainy season but the outbreak in Sierra Leone started in February which is in the middle of the dry month.According to World Health Organization, â€Å" Cholera is an extremely virulent disease. It affects both children and adults and can kill within hours. About 75% of people infected with V. cholerae do not develop any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their faeces for 7–14 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people. Among people who develop symptoms, 80% have mild or moderate symptoms, while around 20% develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if untreated.People with low immunity – such as malnourished children or people living with HIV – are at a greater risk of death if infected (National Institute of health ,U. S. National Library of Medicine – The World's Largest Medical Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, May 30th 2012). † Therefore the risk factors of transmission of Cholera in a developing country like Sierra Leone is very high since there is no adequate environmental management and no minimum requirements for clean drinking water and sanitation. Like Jacobsen states in the textbook, Introduction to Global Health, â€Å"†¦ eep in mind socioeconomic, political, behavioral, and environmental risk factors that contribute to creating the context in which the disease occurs(Jacobsen,p. 13). † * ——â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Since cholera causes dehydration, the disease is treated using oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which is basically a solution made with water, sugar and salts. They can be bought as prepackaged mixtures or can also be made at home by combining clean, boiled 1 litre of water with 8 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.But sometimes, severe cases of cholera require intravenous fluid replacement. Antibiotics can shorten illness, but should still be used in combination with the Oral Rehydration Therapy. The most basic way of preventing cholera is making sure communities prone to these epidemics have access to clean water and proper sanitation . Communities should also be educated about the importance of proper hygiene like hand-washing with soap after using the restroom and before cooking or eating . They should also be educated about safe handling , preparation and storage of food .Media such as radio, television or newspapers and even community and religious leaders can also be effective in spreading health education messages. And at times, early detection of the outbreak and timely provisions of treatment , like in the Sierra Leone case, is also necessary to reduce the number of deaths. * ————————————————- I think, at the onset of the outbreak, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation did a great job in working with the government and other health sectors to confirm the outbreak of the disease even though the country has very few resources and capacity.With the help of WHO, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and partners including UNICEF and Medecins Sans Frontieres-Belgium was also able to detect, treat and prevent the spread of cholera. They also set up a â€Å" cholera command and control centre† and trained healt h workers in cholera treatment and prevention. They were successful in reducing the number of outbreaks to fewer than 40 per week but when the rainy season started in June, the epidemic spread rapidly to other districts and the number of cases arose to 2000 per week. But it should be noted that in Freetown, where the first outbreak occurred, there has been ignificant reduction of cases. WHO’s Representative in Sierra Leone, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, states that many villages affected by the epidemic still face a shortage of Oral Rehydration Therapy solution, the most effective and life saving treatment for an outbreak like this. The cholera epidemic in Sierra Leone made me realize how health inequalities does exist between the poor and rich population and how â€Å" even with improved prevention and therapeutic techniques, infectious diseases continue to be health risk in all populations (Jacobsen,p. 1). † It is also evident that the Socioeconomic status (SES) of Sierra Leone has played a major role in the cause and prevention of this cholera epidemic. Like Dr. Alemu mentioned in the article, an outbreak like this is a â€Å"major crisis for a country with a fragile health system recovering from several years of conflict (Health topics:Cholera in Sierra Leone: the case study of an outbreak; World Health Organization, September 2012). But looking at the bright side, Dr Eugene Lam, epidemic intelligence service officer from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) working for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,states that â€Å" Messages about safe drinking water, hand washing and food preparation will not only reduce the cholera infections but also reduce all diarrhoeal disease, a big killer of children under-five in Sierra Leone (Health topics:Cholera in Sierra Leone: the case study of an outbreak; World Health Organization, September 2012). Jacobsen states in the preface to the textbook â€Å" If health is a human right, then basic health care and protection from preventable diseases should be available to all people , regardless of the condition that have made them vulnerable to illness, disability, and premature death (Jacobsen,preface xi). † I only hope one day by working together as a global community , we can make sure every single human being, irrespective of their socioeconomic status , can achieve a â€Å"state of complete physical, mental and social well- being (Jacobsen)†. * ————————————————- ————————————————- * ————————————————- References: * —————————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Health topics:Cholera in Sierra Leone: the case study of an outbreak; World Health Organization, September 2012. Retrieved from http://www. who. int/features/2012/cholera_sierra_leone/en/index. html on September 30th,2012. * ————————————————- National Institute of health ,U. S. National Library of Medicine – The World's Largest Medical Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, May 30th 2012 . Retrieved from www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001348/ on September 30th,2012 * ————————————————- * ————————————————- Health statistics of Sierra Leone;World Health Organization,2012. Retrieved from http://www. who. int/countries /sle/en/index. html on september 30th, 2012 . * ————————————————- * ————————————————- Introduction to Global Health, Kathryn H. Jacobsen . * ————————————————- * ————————————————- GCH-205-DL2 (FALL 2012), Module 4, Lauren Savaglio.

Poor Academic Performance in Mathematics

The study sought to determine the effects of Math Enrichment Approach and Math Trail Activity Approach as interventions to solve the respondents’ poor academic performance in Mathematics IV as a result of the following causes: negative attitudes towards mathematics, parents’ socio-economic status and difficulty of the subject.The study further sought to compare the respondents’ pre-test as affected by their negative attitudes towards mathematics and post-test as influenced by the interventions.The study adapted the studies of Beaton & Dwyer (2002), Kellaghan&Madaus (2002) on the causes of poor academic performance in mathematics. The instruments used were the teacher-made pre-test and post-test, Aiken (1994) Mathematics Attitudes, Survey Questionnaire for the Respondents and the Socio-Economic Status Indicators by Liberatos et. al. (1998) & Simich & Dugeon & Weinstein-shr (2005).This action research has a statistical treatment of mean, standard deviation and T â €“ Test for the significant difference.  Results revealed that the major cause of the respondents’ poor academic performance in Mathematics 1V was their negative attitudes towards mathematics. This was confirmed by Broussard & Garrison (2004) on his study.Math enrichment and Math trail approaches were effective interventions to poor academic performance in Mathematics IV.Introduction Mathematics is a changing body of knowledge rather than a set of rules to be  learned and practice. Learning mathematics is an active process where a student’s gathers, discovers or creates knowledge through a purposeful activity. An integral part of this learning process is the use of concrete models and manipulative to learn concepts. (NCTM, 2008.)Felipe (1990) as cited by Foronda (1995) said that every person must have corresponding growth in desirable degrees and types of mathematical concepts in order to orient himself satisfactorily during the changing times.Performance in ma thematics offers a valuable lens for analyzing the quality of the mathematics teaching and learning experiences. Rodd (2003.)  Poor academic performance results in the child having a negative attitudes and less motivated.(Karande & Kulkarni 2005.) Identification of the causes of poor academic performance in mathematics and execution of the interventions must beproperlyaddressed so that the respondents can perform up to their full potential prior to their entrance to tertiary level.In Gingoog City Comprehensive National High School (GCCNHS) poor academic performance in Mathematics was noticed by the researcher. In National Achievement Test (NAT) conducted recently,Mathematics mean scores were the lowest among other areas. Hence this study sought to find the causes of this problem.

English speech- RAW / Girl, Interrupted Essay

No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings. â€Å"While an institution might encourage individuals to change through enforcing rules and regulations, it is the individual who ultimately holds the power to change.† -Scott Monk Scott Monk uses the protagonist Brett Dalton in the novel RAW as the individual who is able to change his previous life and attitude through the effect of the institution, The Farm. Scott sets the readers mind straight away with the first 3 words of the book, â€Å"busted, Brett panicked.† The reader immediately registers that Brett is a criminal which emphasizes the dramatic change Brett experiences during his stay on the farm. As a caretaker, Sam says to Brett at the beginning, â€Å"just remember, Brett: only you can change your life†. He implies that the power to change lives within the individual. Before becoming friends with Sam, Brett often protested against his rules and regulations due to his previous negligent personality. In response to these restrictions, Brett leaves in hope for the city, but gives in after he realises he would not be able to cope with society. This is where I felt Brett is beginning to alter his personality, and respect Sam’s authority. As this friendship develops, others are created. In the past Brett had severe difficulty confronting his problems, and first instinct in a sticky situation was to run away. This could be said as conforming with everyone else, as they too in the past must have been in the same situation, but are now friends with Sam, and have ultimately changed their lives. An example of this is the way that Josh. He, demonstrates to everyone that reads the book that institutionalisation can indeed be a positive experience. Brett admits this â€Å"positive experience† in the ending of the novel where Sam questions him, â€Å"did you learn anything while you were here?† to which Brett answers, â€Å"yes, of course. Lots of stuff. Like friendship, trust, love, and loss.† This to me sounds like words coming from a normal, happy, average human being. The concept of change in an individual is equally evident in Susanna Kaysen in the movie Girl, interrupted. The director, James Mangold, introduces the main character in a similar fashion to how Scott Monk introduces Brett Dalton in Raw. Susanna Keysen’s faults and flaws are exposed immediately, first seen being taken to the hospital after trying to kill herself with vodka and Aspirin pills. The audience’s immediate reaction is that something is wrong with her. Her psychologist establishes this after her recovery, asking questions like â€Å"Are you stoned?† and â€Å"how are you feeling right now?† to which her response was â€Å"I don’t know.† He then sends her to Claymore, a private mental institution. During her stay at claymore, Susanna experiences much of what Brett describes he had experienced at the farm. He mentions friendship, trust, love, and loss which is everything Susanna came across. She made many new friends while being in the establishment, realising that crazy people aren’t so scary, but are fun, interesting people to be around. As she grows closer to all of them (In particular, Lisa), she learns to trust them and adapts to their behaviours in the institution. Unfortunately, their flaws also begin to have an affect on Susanna. An example of this is the way Susanna acts out of character when Valerie tosses her into a cold bath unexpectedly. She imitates Janet Webber’s racist comments and mocking tone when she had her clothes denied due to the lack of eating. One day while escaping the world with Lisa, Susanna discovers that sometimes to be sane can be a choice to some people; everyone is insane, but the insanity is to be kept to yourself, and if expressed, you are considered to be crazy. Something’s are just not meant to be said. The line between normal and crazy is a blurry one even in today’s world. I believe sane and insane can be defined as common or uncommon behavior. Support and help is still given without having to be hospitalized. In the end of the novel, Susanna â€Å"recovers† from her diagnosis although she never really understood it or even knows if she really is â€Å"recovered.† She feels the same way about leaving the hospital as when she came in the hospital.

Drug Exposed Infants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Exposed Infants - Essay Example Mothers should be prevented, through education, from using drugs while pregnant. As a result of the illicit drug use, the children require intense monitoring by their pediatrician. Women who use cocaine while pregnant -- especially those who are likely to get noticed as addicts or be tested for drugs in the hospital -- tend also to drink more booze, smoke more cigarettes, and dip into a greater variety of illicit drugs than other women. Cocaine is not truly associated with any pattern of defects. Nor does it produce infantile withdrawal, like opiates. Today there is something approaching scientific consensus that cocaine increases the risk of low birth weight and perhaps premature delivery. Left unmonitored and untreated, the babies, as shown by studies have long term developmental delays. This article explains to any reader that there are serious ramifications with illicit drug ingestion during pregnancy. Moreover, it explains that the child is severely damaged and begins life at a tremendous disadvantage. It explains the mental, social, educational, physical and legal implications of this behavior on the child. It is important for doctors and their employees to learn about in utero drug use from a suspected mother because the babies need treatment. The key is to question them in a manner that is non threatening and non judgmental. The mothers will already feel guilt or fear about legal consequences. Toxicology testing alone will not provide all of the information needed. Above all, pediatricians must be able to identify babies that have been exposed to neo natal drug use. 3.) What are the ramifications if the problem is not addressed If the problem is not addressed, there will be an outbreak of drug addicted babies. Some of the defects these babies suffer remain undiscovered. The failure to teach the mothers the dangers of drug use to their babies is sure to create repeat behavior. Moreover, there is a strong likelihood of the children being exposed to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. This is a pattern that will continue to repeat itself. Forced intervention, according to the academy will not work. Mothers will not seek help for themselves or their babies if there is the threat of jail. The academy feels that the only intervention that will be effective is education. 5) What are the tangible benefits of resolving the problem The tangible benefits of course, are healthy mothers and children. The educated parents can not only help their babies, but teach them the importance of maintaining a drug free life. In short, a positive cycle is created instead of the negative one discussed in the article. There will not be an overflow in an already taxed foster care system. There will not be criminal charges, and separation of mothers and their children which is often the result of Child Protective Services Interventions, without the needed support. 4) Describe and evaluate any solutions provided in the article. The article mentioned several ways to educate mothers suspected of taking illicit drugs. The article encourages pediatric employees to take a social work approach in informing the community about the dangers of

The effect of immigration on US economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The effect of immigration on US economy - Essay Example Because of their presence in United States, immigrants normally increase the tax revenue of the government. This is because most of them engage in economic activities within the country. However, there is a general consensus that immigrants who are less educated, and earn low income, are a fiscal drain to the country(Davies, 380). Furthermore, immigrants who are highly educated, earning high income are a fiscal benefit to the government. The third issue is that immigration affects employment opportunities of workers who are born in America (Brumfiel, 459). A basic economic theory gives a prediction that immigration should lead to a gain for the native workers. To achieve this objective, there is a need of redistributing income amongst immigrants and native workers. It is therefore right to explain that immigration plays an important in increasing the economic growth of United States. Immigration helps in increasing the revenue base of the US government. Anderson (24) explains that the presence of immigrant workers in the US labor market leads to the collection of approximately 1.6 trillion US dollars per year (Davies, 379). The government may use this money to develop its economy. The government can spend this type of money on security, defense, labor, foreign relations, etc. However, Miller (13) argues that despite this contribution to the economy of United States, the Native Americans do not benefit. Of this amount, a large percentage goes to the payment of labor and other wages to the immigrant workers. In fact, the percentage stands at 97.8%. This is a massive percentage, and it leaves little room for the government to use this money for development projects. However, Dvorak (23) maintains that with proper planning and management, chances are high that the wage rate of immigrant workers can reduce. This is beneficial to the government, mainly because it woul d remain with money to use for development

Wk2 Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wk2 Journal - Assignment Example The company relies on its brand reputation to market its internet services. To meet the needs of different consumers, the company has various subscriptions depending on the type of data connection a customer wants (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2008). With shops in almost all major cities in the US (Place), customers can be sure to get internet connections whenever they want. Additionally, customers can visit the shops during working hours or call the company’s customer care lines for home connections. Verizon Wireless acknowledges that pricing (Price) is a critical factor in marketing and as such, the company provides internet connections at varying rates depending on the needs of consumers and their financial capability. In so doing, the company targets both low income earners and high-income earners. Pricing is also made with consideration of the company’s competitors (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2008). Equally, the company promotes (Promotion) this service through advertising on TV, radio and billboards. This ensures that it remains competitive in the market and that potential customers are reminded, continuously, of the company’s

Women's movments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women's movments - Essay Example Mass women’s movements are no longer there since the beginning of the era of organizations that acts on their behalf such as the National Organization for Women. Opposition to women demands also led to the decline and the backsliding of the women’s movement in many forms such as silence and backlash in legal attacks on the actions taken, and the media portrayal of some women. There were also a lot of opposition from politicians, employers, and bureaucrats in the private and the public arena as Epstein (2002) asserts. The job evaluators were not keen on increasing women’s salaries to equalize it with the mens but wanted to protect the interests of their private employers. Employers also opposed any pay rises due to the fear of high costs, and working men feared a pay cut to increase the womens wages. Men with masculine superiority never wanted women work to be equal to theirs and opposed the idea greatly. There were also employment and economic changes by capitalists aimed at achieving flexibility, maximize profits, and make the movement weak. Males were opposed to payrise for women, as they wanted them to remain inferior to them in all aspects (Ehrenreich, 2005). Many changes occurred in the organizations such as labor movements not related to feminism leaving feminism organizations to focus on races, cross-class, and global focus.Women remain the active caregivers with or without pay. One major cause of the decline in the womens movement is the continuous attack on feminism and the decline of the other activist’s movements that encouraged women to demand their rights. There is a big decline in the Black Power Movements and the civil rights such that they have weakened. The other groups such as the gay and lesbian rights groups nowadays have no direction and the movement’s leaders are not willing to discuss the problems facing movements in the

Chooses an artist between 15th century till 19th century Term Paper

Chooses an artist between 15th century till 19th century - Term Paper Example Leonardo achieves a prominent influence because he integrated many concepts in his creations. Leonardo struck a vision of future inventions and the development of religion in his creations (Zollner 23). The most revered works of Leonardo’s efforts include Mona Lisa and the Vitruvian man. It is essential to examine Leonardo’s background to realize the elements that shaped his works and intellectual direction. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in, Tuscan hill, Italy. He was born in an illegitimate relationship and, therefore, he spent most of his childhood while living among relatives. In his early life, he received elementary education in Latin, mathematics and geometry. There are meager records as to what pertains to Leonardo’s childhood. However, there are records that show that he had made earlier paintings way before he attended an art school. Leonardo expressed a strong quest for artistic ventures that his father collected his paintings and took them to his friend. The friend, Verrocchio, later admitted Leonardo into his workshop. The mainly revealed part of his childhood concerns a scary cave that he witnessed during his early adventures. This scene seems to be a basic part to the abstract painting that Leonardo obsessed. At fourteen years of age, Leonardo began attending workshop of a local painter (Kemp, 238). The local painter was known as Verrocchio and was deemed as the most successful in a state known as the republic of Florence. Apart from painting, Leonardo might have learnt about other skills such as carpentry. In addition, Leonardo explored other forms of art such as sculpting and drawing. Verrocchio was a vital influence on Leonardo since he collaborated with Leonardo in several works. Leonardo continued to work jointly with Verrocchio on notable works. At the workshop, Leonardo had refined and critical drawings that drew his contemporaries’ attention. However, he showed an early inclination towards painting. Leonardo

The 2004 Elections in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The 2004 Elections in USA - Essay Example Many issues were raised at this time including alleged obstacles in voter registration, voter suppression, and reliability of the voting machines in question along with racial discrimination. Minor issues like registration offices rejecting forms because they were not printed on a certain type of paper and other major issues like voter eligibility issues, voter suppression - a lot of voters were turned away in trepidation of voting for the opponent etc. In A Note on the Presidential Election in Ohio, Dennis Kucinich said. "Dirty tricks occurred across the state, including phony letters from Boards of Elections telling people that their registration through some Democratic activist groups were invalid and that Kerry voters were to report on Wednesday because of massive voter turnout. Phone calls to voters giving them erroneous polling information were also common" clearly depicting the nefarious activities brimming during the elections. There were other instances like endless lines at voting stations bringing about general discomfort for people trying to get their votes in as the whole time balance went wrong for them. Moreover, road blocks put in place by the police were an enormous hold back for people trying to access certain polling places.

Midas Case Study Essay Example for Free

Midas Case Study Essay Winners: From the customers perspective the winners which ensures they utilise Midas are Speed and Price. In order to assess the anticipated impacts of the introduction of maintenance services on the existing business process it is necessary to analyse the potential fit of the new business with the existing areas. This analysis will indicate whether or not the process can be effectively integrated within the existing production process without jeopardising the companys existing winning qualifiers. Potential negative impacts ?Need to new skills within taskforce ? training is necessary; ? Complicates the operation process; ?Demands on physical space and potential capacity constraints; ? Pressure on storage space of inventory ? may require offsite storage which may complicate the operation process; ? Additional labour demands; ?Planning complexity; ?New machinery will be required creating further pressures on location space; ? More time is required to offer all services; ?Possible bottlenecks in the operation process; ?Customer awareness of new services needs to be addressed. The problem with the proposed introduction of the maintenance services is that Midas is moving from specialised services, namely mufflers and brakes into more general services such as maintenance. The potential negative impacts have been outlined above, and the successful product line extension must be managed to ensure effective allocation of resources so that the existing businesses are not harmed. Suggested implementation We believe that the inherent nature of the maintenance services is different in form from the very specialised areas of replacement mufflers and brake servicing. Therefore we believe that effective product extension should be introduced in an isolated manner to ensure that the existing operation processes are affected as little as possible. Additional space, additional equipment and labour force retraining would be required in order to implement this new service. Certain information should be gathered from the shop owners. Midas should find out the amount of available resources (labour, space, etc? ) to gain a clearer picture of storeowners ideas/feedback, and to engage them in the product line extension. The storeowners are closer to day to day operations and therefore are better suited to assess the viability of the extension. Extension of the services should be restricted to those stores that have sufficient resources (including floor space, under-utilised labour, and inventory storage onsite) to allow product line extension so as to ensure that the Midas brand image in their main business of muffler and brake servicing are not harmed by capacity and service problems. Extension of the services should be monitored by preset criteria by the head offices in the various countries. If the service proves successful the viability of purchasing extra land to expand these services in other stores should be explored.

Why Many Projects Fail At Rural Areas Construction Essay

Why Many Projects Fail At Rural Areas Construction Essay The construction industry is regarded as one of major indicators of the countrys economy, especially for developing countries. Periods of prosperity are usually associated with a large volume of construction activity, yet the rate of construction project failures is unacceptably high. 2. Abstract Purpose investigation into the cause of construction projects failure in rural areas, the research has been working at Kwazulu Natal (KZN) Province. The is research going to look at poor management, poor planning, lack of proper skill and cost overspend which is a merger problem to all construction Industry special to developed and developing countries. The purpose of this research is to find the factors enforce cost overspending to the construction industry which is affect south Africa economy. Literature reviews- Survey, curried out challenges through interviews of 2 Local Municipalities in rural areas, projects managers, project planners and also look at the budget were allocated for projects in rural and also conducted interview to the relevant stakeholders, through different news paper, through internet so that can be able to access the opinions of other people and get some literature books, the information will reveal proper equipments that is good for rural condition and it will come out with solution regards project failure. Findings research will be assist the government and other stakeholders to achieve good production in rural development, Analysis of theory via literature review would be aimed at finding answers to the question regarding the essential elements of project failure in rural developments and interview would be recorded with the permission of the interviewees. Internet would be the preferred method of obtaining precedents. We as consultant employed by government to identify the problem and find the solution so that we can give advice to government we undertake the research up to the ends. Ever since the research is on process to reach all the goals regards project failure in KZN special in rural areas. Conclusion-The consultant that will undertake studies concerning the cause and factors that influence to project in rural areas, were reliable because has found from construction Industry. As a consultant I will do my best to keep client happy and respect all stakeholders and would resolve the issue, if government and other stakeholders improve the standard too and ensure that all the work that carry out by Municipalities at rural has to be done effectively and efficiently. 3. Introduction Background of the study Many challenges in construction industry throughout the country are presented by different Personalities, financial limitations, time and scheduling, technical barriers, development work faces issues that are unique to the developing country. These problems may be present in country but due to inherent characteristics of developing, these issues are exacerbated and pose even larger challenges in development work. Throughout the developing people suffer due inadequate or failing of infrastructure. Infrastructure which are houses, roads, school and bridges, is the physical foundation on which development efforts and improved living standard are established. The construction industry in developing countries states that the construction industry is an essential contributor to the process of development, influencing nearly every sector of the economy. Improving the capacity and capabilities of the construction industry in developing countries is a critical step to improving infrastructure development that is over looked. (Kraig Lothe). According Kraig Lothe; South Africa is developing country and there have big demand of infrastructure for the people of the country special those who stay in rural areas to improve lives and reduce homeless people. People are still suffering in rural areas due to the problem of project failure which cost government alot of money without a change that was a reason of such research Attempts have been made to identify critical factors that lead to project failure in the relevant collected works; however the causes of project failure in South Africa are not well known or documented especially the degree to which project consultants contribute to this failure. The construction projects, however, fail at a shocking rate international more than 50% by some estimates. The South Africa construction industry, which is generally considered to be dysfunctional, is no exception with many stakeholders in the construction process concluding, although not necessarily to the same degree, that project failure is rampant. A research will go to identify the causes of project failure especially in rural area. 4. Statement of the problem Infrastructure throughout the developing country consistently falls into disrepair. The project are not built to the same level of quality expected industry national and in many instances the local Municipalities in KZN do not have the capacity or desire to implements the project. This occurs because projects are initiated from the top, down, paying little attention to the needs and capacity of the local Municipalities. Difficulties that projects manages experience during the planning stage of a projects, need to look at insufficient propel skill in the construction industry that were used in rural projects. It is clear that this project lacked key elements in its design and implementation. A successful project is flexible and able to adapt to various contexts and still maintain Monitoring and evaluation of project progress through indicators is always necessary, especially in rural areas. In terms of implementation, project officers working on the ground, especially in extreme situa tions like current in KZN, should have some overseas experience and background information before arriving. Context where national institution cannot be relay on similarly, alternative methods of keeping track of finances needed to be developed in the context of a cash-only local economy. 5. The aim This study aims to examine the service delivery in rural areas, and to come up with a solution of finding a better way of project delivery in rural areas at KZN. 6. Objective of the study The objectives of study are to: ? Is to find the cause of project failure in rural areas ? Is to check the capacity of local Municipality to manage themselves their project. ? The need of proper skill in construction industry ? To emphases quality work in construction industry. 7. Research questions The study will be guided by the following research questions: ? What causing construction projects to fail in rural? ? Why local Municipality fail to rectify soon a problem of poor project delivery in rural? ? How could improve construction industry in rural areas? ? Which purposes does the research would achieve regards construction project in rural? 8. Research design As defined by the Construction Specifications institute (CSI), project delivery is the contractual relationships between the owner, designer, contractor(s), and the management services utilized to design and construct a project (CSI, 2005). Project delivery is the framework used to take a project from its initiation stage to completion. The most common delivery systems used today in the developed country are design-bid-build, design-build and construction management (Arditi et al., 2002). In the developing country, engineers have only recently been introduced to different project delivery systems. Before this, the contractors acted as master builders coordinating everything from start to finish. This master builder system leaves no gaps between participants and uses a simple contractual agreement. Unfortunately, the system can no longer be implemented effectively as modern construction has become too complex. There is a large separation of knowledge and responsibility between the design and construction phases. This causes major problems in both the design and construction. Designers do not have practical construction experience so local knowledge and construction techniques are not taken into account during the design, causing unreasonable expectations and inadequate specifications. The skill levels and knowledge of the contractors vary greatly. Designers also complain that they have to over compensate for the expected lack of skill in operations and maintenance (Davis and Brikke, 1995), but this is exactly what is needed to design for sustainability. According Arditi information that is a reality, system have to follow to all project in order to minimize the problems and because project includes many parties need to be involve and satisfied with process, the project manager have to play a big role to make all parties happy and project could be smooth. 9. Literature Survey Conducting an interviews with the different Municipalities and Transport in rural areas that are affected by the issue of project failure in construction industry. They are serious factors that are influencing construction project which are uncoordet building environment professionals, collection of data, poor user input, poor project design and leadership; design and construction problems; and inappropriate staff skills; unrealistic timescales and cost estimation; poor selection of building procurement methods; failure to plan and lack of pre-project planning, and researching information on people who were specialist in the construction industry namely: architect, quantity surveyor, project manager, and structural engineer that are play a leading role in the development team. 10. Methodology Interview conducted through emails and telephonically with two municipalities which is Jozini and Umvoti. Jozini is local Municipality in rural area which is in North Coast of Kwazulu Natal at 125km towards the bonder of Mozambique and 78km towards the bonder of Swaziland, that municipality is under UMkhanyakude district Municipality. Jozini municipality is on struggle to push service delivery at rural area. Interview conducted with the Technical director regarding challenges that led to construction project to fail explain the following issue: Housing project Municipality has been experiencing a lot of challenges to housing project that was allocated to Kwajobe Area under Jobe Traditional Authority, as a rural insitu upgrade, project has been finish on 2008 June but there were many defects that need to be attend such as , floor cracks, wall cracks, roof took off by storm. The beneficiaries were unhappy at all about houses that were built; therefore municipality got a challenge to rectify those houses because consultants who were project manager have overspending the cost. And he added that there is a current insitu upgrade housing project that allocated Emakhonyeni area is still in planning stage for 4yrs, consultant report many difficulties that might cause project fail. The Municipality which has influence over the Munyeni Traditional Council area has forwarded a request for the approval of 1000 rural subsidies, for this project. Due to the limited capacity of the Municipality, an Implementing Agent has been appointed to undertake the housing development. The submission for stage 1(beginning of the planning process) was approved by the MEC of Human Settlements on 02 March 2010, since then there is no progress and consultant declared to municipality that they fails to undertaking the project to other stage. According Jozini municipality they employed Implementing Agents that were not qualified to do work in order such big project because in the rural areas need advance equipment to reach even a place that are not easily to reach. There is a big challenge facing rural areas even also government tried to developed relevant skilled people in order to fight against the insufficient of unskillful people in rural. Road construction Jozini Municipality plan to networking of the road comprises a hierarchical network of roads, being Primary, District and Local roads. The Jozini Municipality aims to develop a road network that will service all its communities and people to ensure that they need not walk more than 5 km to reach a Primary road or District road. This objective is already realized for some areas in the municipality area the runs. The condition of gravel roads are deteriorating rapidly and maintenance there to appear to be inadequate and roads often become impossible in wet conditions. The maintenance of these roads are a dedicated responsibility of the Department of Transport. An assessment of the location of the proposed development nodes have indicated an adequate all weather access to each of these. The nodes are further located on bus routes, which enhances the development potential thereof. The development nodes identified are located on district roads. The challenges regarding roads construction era equipment that were not easily to found because its cost lot of money here and transport it, as the result company s were failed to keep it until project would be over. The Road is 17 km from Jozini village to Makhathini flats and supposed to take one and half year to constructed but seems as it will take 6 years, still there is lot of work to be done. Municipality has been changing contractors to do something. There is a road from uMbombo to Mbazwane that road connecting uMbombo hospital and Mseleni hospital minister of transport at KNZ had approved the project in 2009 August and the contractor has been employed since then there is no visible progress regarding the project. The maintenance of these roads is a dedicated responsibility of the Department of Transport. . Proposed Transport Facilities In order to enhance the public transport facilities, it is proposed that taxi/bus stops be introduced at current locations two types of facilities are foreseen, namely: Major taxi/bus facilities which will comprise formal paved areas with passenger waiting facilities, the last mentioned which will be roofed. This will normally be served by existing shops and post boxes. This facility can be enhanced by formalized institutional facilities in the form of clinics, tribal courts and pension payout points. Minor taxi/bus facilities which will be only mark stall facilities and passenger waiting facilities. Provincial Roads As indicated above, the provincial roads have merely been provided as guidance as this has no effects on the analysis. The majorities of the provincial roads, being specifically the P and D roads, are of reasonable standard and frequently maintained by the authorities. The L and A roads are generally of inferior quality and only portions thereof are maintained by the authorities, and not on a Regular basis. Municipal Roads The municipal roads have been identified as those roads which serve at least 10 households as Secondary roads and 20 households as primary roads, whilst the household access roads predominantly will serves individuals household. Arising from aforementioned, the cost to establish the household access roads appears to be fairly prohibitive and should be prioritized only after the municipal rural roads have been established and after a maintenance budget have been affected therefore. The condition of the rural roads was assessed during in loco inspections. The condition could be classified according to the following norms: Surfaced roads, being those that have been formally constructed and provided with an all weather surface. Gravel roads, being those that had formally been shaped and provided with a gravel surface. Dirt roads, being those that were merely formed through blading. Tracks, being those formed through use of only vehicles. The majority of the municipal roads in existence were classified as dirty roads, being those which had merely been bladed, with no formal gravel surface or storm water drainage. These however still provide access to homesteads. Operations and Maintenance The provision and maintenance of roads is a dedicated responsibility of the Department of Transport. The said Department has established Road Transportation Forums, which prioritize the provision thereof in terms of the needs expressed by the community. This includes the provision of river crossings and bridges. Umvoti Municipality is a Category B municipality and is one of the four local municipalities within Umzinyathi District.Greytown,the main centre is situated approximately 65km from Pietermaritzburg and 100km from Stanger, and includes the town of Kranskop (refer to Map 1). It is about 2509km in extent and its population is estimated between 92 419 people and 117 000 people who are spread unevenly among the eleven municipal wards. It is located on the southern part of UMzinyathi District, and borders onto uMgungundlovu District to the south, Mshwathi Local Municipality, and largely falls within the Pietermaritzburg functional economic region. The parts of the municipality that borders onto King Shaka District enjoy the influence of Stanger-KwaDukuza economic region. Umvoti Local Municipality is well integrated into the Provincial transportation network. Route 33 MAP 1: LOCALITY MAP Umvoti serves as a major link between Greytown and Dundee while R74 connects the urban centre of Greytown, Kranskop and is the largest of four Municipalities, in terms of area, in the UMzinyathi District. Umvoti local municipality has been challenged both housing and road although that municipality has advantage of big road passing through which is R74, but they challenged to the access road and bridges that connect communities. According municipal official those access road have been identified and also bridges were approved because of the different challenges since then no bridges been constructed. Housing project have a big problem because Umvoti municipality surrounded by privates property that is not easy to develop, like one project is called Muden housing project that was given CHS developments as Implementing Agent. Muden housing project has been takes more five years still in the planning stage1. The cause of the matter is property that owners not by ingonyama trust as policy state that rural project was awarded only people who live under ingonyama trust land or property. CHS Developments still waiting approval for a proposal to use a property as Implementing Agent . Consultants Interview conducted with some of project managers regarding project failure in rural areas which is a big problem that affects people who are living at rural. There number of issue mention which is a policy, shortage of equipments, skill challenge, material, political leadership. 1. Policy that government had been set as guide lines of how to implements a project, sometime makes things to be more difficult end up cause many problems, eg a stage1 application its take time to approve and it s process usually been very slow than expected. 2. The shortage of equipments mentioned as a major problem in construction actually is not a rural areas problem only even at urban areas is a common problem but that s worse in rural areas. The project has been stack if is difficult to find relevant equipment. 3. The construction industry has a big challenge in term of people who have skill because most of them got relevant qualification with very poorer performance in practical work, as the results project fail to met the construction standard will end up fails. 4. The most problem in rural areas is material that s not easy to find it due the smaller stock in hardwires shop, even if you please order will takes long time to receive it, that one cause lot of delays end up whole project fail. 5. Political leadership sometimes cause lot of confusion in the project when they made unnecessary decision without observing the policy that should follow to runs a project. What causing construction projects to fail in rural? The budget that allocated for the projects in rural might be not enough amounts to compared with work to be done. The Consultants spend long time to prepare the projects and to implementation of it, material require according to the specifications is not easily to find at rural areas, equipment to be use are not found because due to the area condition need the advance machine so to be able to reach even the steep slope and unaccesseble sites. The main challenge projects were failing to reach the quality standard of construction industry. Many challenges in construction projects throughout the country are presented by different personalities, financial limitations, time and scheduling, technical barriers, and various surprises of difficulties. Development work faces issues that are unique to the developing country. These problems may be present in industrialized national but due to inherent characteristics of developing country, these issues are exacerbated and pose even larger challenges in development work. The municipality employed unqualified consultant as the results there is no progress. Cost/ benefits Travelling expenses in conducting the interviews to the different of Municipality and Department of Public Work Transport at rural areas, I have been get newspaper articles and using internet cafes to get more information and even makes number of calls. Impact 5. Advantages and Disadvantages Rural area have still challenged with A problem with the apolitical approach is that it is not apolitical. In addition to including an academic perspective to appreciate context, it is also important to include political perspectives to avoid unintentionally or indirectly causing harm in a situation. Any astute observer may wonder, if development projects without Multidisciplinary collaborations, as they are most often designed and implemented, have not produced positive results then are it possible that the good intentions have produced negative results? There are countless ways in which external interventions can thwart the internal development of a community or a nation and in some cases, fuel violence and corruption and contribute to the degradation of existing structures and systems. Why local Municipality fail to rectify a problem of poor delivery in rural? Projects also fail because they do not meet user requirements and are full of assumptions that give rise to conflict. Architect sometime get their briefs from people who are not regular users of the building or do not know the specific requirements of the building. Informed end users must give meaningful input during every phase of the briefing, design and construction. Some of projects are finally cancelled simply because people did not like each other. Others fail because the design team did not know or did not bother to find out who the real stakeholders are or whether they were going to support it. Parties also tend to rigidly defend their positions. 7. Model processing The rural project process in different system unlike unban project is severely fragmented and there appears to several barriers to development, particularly that of parties tending to rigidly defend their own turfs. The property development requires a combination of specialist, traditionally organized into a district occupation groups. According to Hindle (1996), the differences among the specialist consultants involved in a project are emphasized with the results that major discontinuities are created by the focus on function rather than process. For project success these professionals should not act in isolation but a well defined and closely knit network. 8. Model Output The outcome of the construction project in the context of its relevant solution system. The planners and designers of a construction project team, irrespective of the number of members, contribute the cognitive complexity mentioned, inadequate management knowledge and systems. One needs to identify the root causes of systems failures and to select and implement effective measures .Needs to adopt the basic principle of systems thinking can increase the prospects of project success. Definition of terms For the purpose of this study the following definitions apply Projects in rural areas Construction Construction is a risk-driven, multi-dimensional process; it is a series of interdependent steps, each requiring specific technical knowledge and participants working together. In the developing country, construction employs techniques, materials and expertise that make perfect use of available resources and expertise, while others compromise the integrity of the final product. Material delays, misunderstandings, and discrepancies in design are a few common problems that prevent projects from being completed successfully, on time. Every party in the project must work together in a coordinated effort because tasks are interdependent. If one person fails, so may the entire project. The following are some of the most common problems encountered during the construction, sometime Municipality facing a difficulties to find a good project manager as the results project fails to manage propel. The rural projects include many parties such as community, traditional leadership work together with Municipality and other stockholders, usually the common project in rural such as housing, schools roads working. Material Procurement Material procurement in developing countries require significant pre-planning due to road conditions, scarcity of transportation, and inconsistency of suppliers. Many sites are remote and are accessed by small 4-wheel drive vehicles, horse, and in some cases only by foot. Roads are also often washed out and thus prevent any vehicles from passing. For example, gravel, sand and aggregate are taken from local river beds. Often rivers swell, access to the river beds becomes impossible, and aggregate cannot be obtained. Local materials should be ordered early to prevent delays Project in Urban areas In many countries administration was the capital city and all development was focused on the capital city with infrastructure such as transport (road, rail, and air) concentrated around the capitals. The urban areas are the centre for economic growth and offer employment opportunities not found in the rural areas. Worldwide there is a drift towards the urban areas creating strains on the infrastructures and administration of these areas. At some time the rural areas are usually poorly serviced and sup-ported. (Peter Utting) According Proff. Peter Utting is agreed that many countries included South Africa did what others do. Focus is in big towns such as Johannesburg, Durban, Middleburg and Cape Town whereas the rural areas are in need of infrastructure. Structure of the report The project deals with the investigate the cause leads construction project fail in rural areas. The whole structure of the report have set as follows: Introduction/background, statement of the problem, the aim, objective of the study, research question, research design, literature survey, methodology, definition of terms, and conclusion. Construction Management The construction management project delivery system introduces professional management throughout the project acting as an agent of the owner. Owner has separate contracts with the contractor, designer, and construction manager. The role of construction manager as an agent of the owner does not bear any financial risk. The construction manager works closely with the designer and contractor during the design and construction phases in the best interest of the owner. The construction management entity has expertise in construction and allows the owner to execute complex projects which require extensive coordination between project participants The construction manager s expertise and involvement improves efficiency of even the most complex projects by minimizing rework, change orders, and cost overruns. The construction manager advises the owner in the design and construction stage allowing the owner have influence throughout the project. This involvement facilitates constructability, Integrating construction knowledge during the design phase. The construction manager oversees Design implementation during construction, often diminishing the designer s role in construction, but the involvement of the designer in construction differs in each project. In expensive, complex projects the extra cost of hiring a construction manager is offset by avoiding general contracting fees, savings in cost management, and the reduction of cost overruns. There is no delivery approach that is best in every situation. These three systems are the basic frameworks used in most projects. From each of these frameworks many variations and hybrids have evolved and been implemented. Projects may be adapted in any way that may aid in the project delivery and utilize the strengths of all project participants. The best project delivery system will address each of the project s unique needs and characteristics. Conclusion In conclusion this study identifies the needs of infrastructure and determines the challenges that municipalities are facing when are searching for information. Construction managers provide valuable construction expertise during design in the construction management delivery system. Acting in this role, development agencies need to involve construction personnel in design. Development agencies can either staff a contractor or hire contractors during the design to gain construction knowledge early. As involving potential contractors in the detailed design phase also provides continuity of construction personnel between the design and construction. If the contractor is involved early he can express his needs and learn those of the other participants. Through partnering, the parties can understand each other s needs and common goals can be created. However, the owner s goal of a cost-effective project may conflict with the contractor s profit motive. Incorporating these changes into typical project delivery is a viable way to address constructability issues in Honduras. The changes are small and affordable, effectively improving sustainability. Based on the research outlined in this report, shows a proposed delivery system for development work aimed to maximize community participation and involve a contractor in the design. While we have not tried to argue that multidisciplinary collaborations are the key to radically changing the development in rural, the cases presented do demonstrate that the lack of multidisciplinary collaborations does have a negative impact and does contribute to the failure of many development projects in rural area. More specifically, we have found that without consulting people, information and/or other resources from other sectors: I. Planners fail to fully understand the complexity of contexts; II. Planners gravitate towards grandiose, general, sectarian and superficial solutions rather than holistic and strategic ones; III. Planners, in their developme

Danone company in India analysis

Danone company in India analysis In early 1900s a small yogurt producing factory with a vision to reach its scrumptious yogurts in every part of the world was started in Barcelona, Spain. Later Danone entered the biscuit industry in 1986 by buying General Biscuit and in 1989 it added to its portfolio of biscuit brands by acquiring Nabiscos European subsidiaries  [1]  . Later Danone began aggressively venturing globally and took over 40 acquisitions in Asia, Latin America, Central Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The Globalization vision would have been futile if Danone Group would have not entered Indian market where 1/6th of the world population resided. It took 7 decades for Danone to reach India with an immense hope of stabilizing its brand through a joint venture with Wadia group. Together they took over 51 percent holding of Indias leading biscuit manufacturer, Britannia Industries Limited. Danone did foresee this venture as a potential growth for one its core business lines of biscuits. Along with stre ngthen its biscuit portfolio, it saw strategical entry of the other two businesses of dairy products and beverages (specifically water). Antoine Riboud founder of Danone stated during unveiling of the companies from BSN to Danone that We wanted our name to be an added source of momentum for the global expansion that is now our priority. The food industry has in the past treated markets as discreet entities separated from each other by the culinary traditions of countries or regions, but it is now caught up in the same swing to globalization as others. This is because not only tastes, but also distribution and media are becoming just as global (Franck, 1996). Antoine Riboud and his successor Franck Riboud knew that they had to develop a response to this allegation by entering the Indian market to strengthen the growth of its biscuits, dairy products and beverages. However Danones association with its joint venture persuaded a change of strategy which eventually restructured its core business line and future actions. However, Danone stayed consistent with its priority of expansion globally and considering India to be important nation to pursue its vision. About Danone Group The Danone Group is a multinational food products company and currently consists of four principal business lines namely fresh dairy products, bottled water, baby nutrition and medical nutrition. Danones fresh dairy products sector represents 60% of the group sales according to 2009 report making it the number one company in fresh dairy products. The two lines of probiotic dairy products named as Actimel and Activia are the most accepted products of Danone [refer exhibit 2]. As for the other business lines, the bottled waters and baby nutrition products were ranked number two in the world and its medical nutrition products as number one in European market (Press Pederson, 2000). The Globalization strategy of Danone products commenced in early 1990s. Before entering India, Danones major business lines consisted of fresh dairy, biscuits, glass containers and beer [refer exhibit 3]. Based on world rankings in 1995, Danone was categorized as the world seventh largest food group, and the pioneer in fresh dairy products and biscuits. It was also ranked as number two in pasta, beer and glass containers. In May 1997 Franck Riboud announced the adoption of a new company strategy focusing on three core business areas namely dairy products, biscuits, and beverages (specifically water and beer)in which the company had global leadership [refer exhibit 1]. These areas also represented 85 percent of group sales (Press Pederson, 2000). Background In far far away land a small cookie making factory was started and K. Ranjan Pillai sobriquet as Biscuit King was crowned in the late 1980s. The throne of Mr. Pillai resided with Britannia Industries Ltd (BIL), which was a pioneer in Indian Biscuit Industry. However the reign of the Biscuit King soon got over, as the 43-year old Biscuit-King was pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted he had authorised the release of the companys funds to pay debt incurred by two of his cashew-trading firms. The biscuit tycoon was sent to Tihar Central Jail of India in 1995 and whose death in the same year closed what  the Economic Times  referred to as one of Indias most dramatic corporate sagas (Padmakshan, 2007). This closed the case of Rajan Pillai, however opened its empire and assets for auction. Group Danone grabbed this opportunity and entered the Indian market by establishing a joint venture with oldest Indian conglomerate Wadia Group. A marriage of two diverse entities was formed giving birth to two equal joint venture companies, UK registered Associated Biscuits International Holdings Ltd in 1992 and Wadia BSN in 1995. The Groupe Danone and Wadia together hold 50.96% in Britannia through Associated Biscuits International Ltd. The ABI Holdings, was a 50:50 JV between Groupe Danone and Wadia group. Nusli Wadia owner of the Wadia Group took over as a chairman for Britannia and Sunil Alag was appointed as the Managing Director. Sunil Alag was known as the Danone man as he was instrumental for Danone to join hands with Wadia. This new entity, Wadia BSN India, was meant to manufacture and sell food products and beverages in India, covering all Danone products, but the venture did not move. As per the Wadia BSN agreement signed in 1995, in case of a deadlock between the partners, Danone is obliged to buy all the shares of the Wadia group at a `fair market value. This agreement does not include Britannias holding firm, ABIH which has a separate agreement signed in 1992 and is subject to the British law (Chatterjee, 2007). Expect the unexpected On 29th June 2007, the French dairy major, Group Danone formally initiated arbitration proceedings to end its partnership with the Mumbai based Wadia group. The 15 years of foray came to an end leading to speculations of Danones growth in India. Eight days before the final declaration of end of relation of Danone and Wadia group the shares  of Danone on 21st June 2007 fell by 1.1 percent, to 57.42 Euros in Paris as Frances benchmark CAC 40 stock index dropped 1 percent (Saikat Ladka, 2007). Danone Secretary General,  Philippe-Loic Jacob said that We are addressing the current issues with our Indian partner, and this was a priority as Danone wished to continue developing its activities in India. It was revealed by both parties that this discontinuation was advantageous to both parties as Danone was no longer interested in the biscuits business line globally. Whereas The Wadia group having increased its stake in Britannia gained an opportunity to focus on its core business of Bisc uits. Britannias core business was always biscuits, where it enjoyed 38 percent in value and about 32 percent in volume in 2007 (Babu, 2007). Further, the Rs 6,500-crore  [2]  organised biscuit market in India was growing at 14-16 per cent per annum (Archana Rai, 2003). Issue 1: 2001 On 27th October 2001, Britannia formed a joint venture with Fonterra Co-operative Group of New Zealand, the worlds largest milk company, to explore the potential for dairy products (www.businessweek.com, 2009). Britannia took this stand even though it was associated with one of the most powerful leaders of dairy products-Danone. Fonterra was among the ten biggest dairy companies in the world and had integrated process where it included every part of the chain from procurement of milk to value-added products such as cheese and buttermilk (Krishnan, 2002). This was unlike as that of Danone who did market dairy products such as yoghurt, cheese and desserts. Issue 2: 2003 On June 04, 2003, Sunil Alag was ousted as a CEO, but it was claimed that Danone was not informed until the last minute. There were speculations that Nusli Wadia had realized that outsiders were seeing Britannia as a one man show and Mr. Alag was its face. Alagh took all the critical operational decisions and had shaken up a company associated with staid biscuit brands-like Goodday, Marie and Bourbon-by launching Pure Magic and Tiger (Archana Rai, 2003). Mr. Alag had a support from Danone as he was a strong link between the two companies.. Apart from being a successful CEO, Alagh was also flashy, flamboyant, with friends among the Page 3 crowd in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. So its likely that he helped his friends in some way, as is common with most Indian CEOs. To oust Alagh, Wadia devised the idea of the audit report, the logic being Danone would not support a corrupt CEO (Archana Rai, 2003). An internal audit report, which was recently leaked to the media, did find that Alagh pro bably favoured ad agencies, media houses and ngos run by his friends. Other claims were that Wadia wanted to have a say in the company and eventually get his son, Jeh, on board (Archana Rai, 2003). Mr Alagh, 56, joined Britannia in 1974 and has been MD CEO for over a decade (Chakravarty Kurian, 2009). Issue 3: In June, 2006:  Danone registered the Tiger trademark in over 70 countries without prior consent  [3]  . Due to this Britannia demanded royalty from Danone for use of Tiger brand that was registered under them. The tiger brand was the strongest brand of Britnannia which corporate to 20% of the companys revenue  [4]  . To this Danone also asked Britannia for royalties for using its trademark recipes for Britannias product Little Hearts. Issue 4: In November, 2006 the Wadias dragged Groupe Danone to court over the French company picking up a minority stake in a Bangalore based bio-nutritional foods company Avestha Gengraine Technologies, through its subsidiary Daninvest.com SA (Sangameshwaran, 2007). This was in violation of the governments Press Note 1, 2005, which requires a foreign company to obtain the consent of its Indian joint venture partner before pursuing an independent business in a similar area  [5]  . Actions to be India The allegation of not informing Danones partner for picking up minority stakes of Avestha Gengraine Technologies was denied by Danone. A letter dated 10th May 2007 was sent to the Indian Government that it is not a joint venture with Britannia and its 25 percent shareholdings in the biscuit company is a joint venture with wadia group ABIH through UK and not India (Chakravarty, 2007). Hence, Danone claimed that it dint have any direct joint venture in India and hence the Press Note 1, 2005 was not applicable to them. However, to this the government repeatedly told Danone that it would require no objection certificate as per the press note regulation governing the joint venture between domestic and foreign market (Chakravarty Kurian, 2009). Shortly within few months, Danone had to address a court case in September 2007, for allegedly usurping the intellectual property rights (IPR). Vinita Bali the new managing director of Britannia, said: Danone paid 220 million rupees as fee for usin g the Tiger brand  [6]  . However, to this Danone asked Britannia to pay royalty for using its trademark recipe the brand Little Hearts. However this claim was turned around as Britannia had obtained Danones approval for it and was authorized to sell it elsewhere. Ironically the exchange of technical co-operation and intellectual property was approved during Sunil Alaghs tenure as Britannia CEO, who was known to share a good rapport with the Danone top brass (Vijayraghavan, 2007).  On April 14, 2009, Groupe Danone officially exited Britannia Industries by selling its entire 25.48 per cent interest to a Wadia Group company, Leila Lands, which indirectly held a similar stake in the biscuit firm  [7]  . In 2007, Danone sold its global biscuit business to Kraft Foods for à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5.3 billion, enabling the American company to add the portfolio to its Nabisco cookies and crackers  [8]  . Danone position now in India Group Danone is now particularly keen on focusing on the dairy products in India. The Danone India, the firms fully-owned subsidiary in India, will manage the dairy and baby foods business, the water business will be managed separately through a new joint venture (JV) with Narang Hospitality Services, which is the distributor for Evian in India. Group Danone is particularly keen on the baby nutrition segment, especially after its $17 billion acquisition of Dutch firm Royal Numico, which made it Europes largest player in the baby foods category and the second-largest in the world after Nestle. According to Yakult group (http://yakult.co.in/), In 2005 Yakult Danone India (P) Ltd was formed with a joint venture between Yakult Honsha, Japan and Group Danone of France. The 50:50 Joint venture Yakults probiotic drink was launched in December 2007  [9]  . Conclusion Danones main motive to enter Indian market was to seek potential growth for its products. Indian market being complex and diverse, the best option Danone predicted was through Joint Venture. However Danone when coming out of the Indian joint venture certainly learnt about the social environment, consumer behaviour and organizational cultures in India. With this it also got aware factors of strategic asset seeking. The trail and turbulence in the Indian market undoubtedly lost focus of the firms orientation where its earlier core business was of Biscuits, Dairy products and beverages. However during its reign in India Danone completely mislaid its establishment in biscuit sector and ended up having its new portfolio of nutrional and baby products instead of biscuits. In 2007 it swapped its world number 2 position as producer of cereals and biscuits  for the same position in baby foods, having sold the biscuits division to  Kraft Foods  [10]  . The 15 years of learning also all owed Danone to change from its diversification strategy to being focused in its Business line. According to Comment/ Jarrell (1995) companies with decrease diversification show better result in the market. This is eventually being true with Danone, however adding its risk due to focused diversification. As observed in the case study, Danone did foresee growth in India. Also as per the Global Competitveness report [Exhibit 5] India ranked second in world which showed huge opportunity for the Danones growth. Danone assumed that the even though perceived distance of India and France and opposite, its establishment in India through joint venture would minimize any complexity. Moreover unperceived rules, regulations and laws of Indian company made the Danones existence in India more complex. However, one of the profound complexity Danone faced was adapting to the managements working ethics. India corruption index is more than double to that of France. Positioning the French company as not to be affected by the political sway was challenging. Lastly the Power Distance Index (PDI) according to Hoftedes model shows that India had higher power index than the France. The higher PDI states that there is unequality of power and acceptance of rule by higher authority. This lead to monopoly in the Indian joint venture by giving rise to diverging and setting of incoherent rules. However, the French had lower power index than India, stating that challenging and opposing inequality was within them. Eventually this was perceptible and which lead French Danone to break its joint venture with the Indian partner. Appendix Exhibit 1 Consolidated sales report according to business lines in 1995 Source: http://www.danone.com/images/pdf/10_danone.pdf Exhibit 2 Best sellers of Danones dairy range: Actimel and Activia Exhibit 3 DAIRY PRODUCTS: Bledina SA; Danone GmbH (Germany; 99.9%); Danone SA (Argentina; 99.5%); NV Danone SA (Belgium); Danone SA (Brazil); Danone Inc. (Canada); Danone SA (Spain; 55.7%); Danone Kft (Hungary); Danone SpA (Italy; 99.7%); Danone de Mexico SA de CV; Danone Sp zoo (Poland); Danone Portugal SA (52.8%); Danone A/S (Czech Republic; 95.1%); Danone Clover SA (South Africa; 66.8%); The Dannon Company (U.S.A.; 89%); Galbani (Italy; 90%). Beverages: Aguas de Lanjarà ³n (Spain; 78.5%); Aguas Minerales (Argentina; 50%); Alken-Maes (Belgium; 99.6%); Birra Peroni Industriale (Italy; 24.4%); Evian; Font Vella SA (Spain; 77.8%); Italaquae SpA (Italy; 91%); Kronenbourg; Mahou SA (Spain; 33.3%); San Miguel (Spain; 80.5%); Volvic. Biscuits: Bagley SA (Argentina; 91%); Bolshevik (Russia; 72.8%); Danone Cokolà ¡dovny A/S (Czech Republic; 49.1%); Danone SA (Brazil); Griesson-De Beukelaer GmbH Co.KG (Germany; 40%); Heudebert; Irish Biscuits (Ireland); The Jacobs Bakery Ltd (U.K.); LU; LU Benelux (Belgique) (Belgium; 99.6%); LU Benelux (Pays-Bas) (Netherlands; 99.6%); LU Espaà ±a (Spain); Papadopoulos (Greece; 60%); Saiwa SpA (Italy). OTHER: HP Foods Ltd (U.K.); BSN Emballage (44%); Amoy Food Ltd (Hong Kong; 90.3%); PT Aqua Golden Mississippi (Indonesia; 36.1%); Britannia Brands (Malaysia) SDN BHD (90.3%); Britannia Industries Ltd (India; 18.4%); Calpis Ajinomoto Danone Co Ltd (Japan; 25%); Continental Biscuits Ltd (Pakistan; 44.7%); Griffins Foods Ltd (New Zealand; 90.3%); Hangzhou Wahaha Co. Ltd (China; 41%); Shanghai Danone Biscuits Foods Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Shenzhen Danone Health Drinks Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Tangshan United European Haomen Brewery Co. Ltd (China; 63.2%); Wuhan Euro Dongxihu Brewery Co. Ltd (China; 54.2%); Danone International Brands Paris; Great Brands of Europe. Exhibit 4 The controversial tiger brand Exhibit 5 Source: Global competitiveness report, world economic forum (2009-2010) Link: https://members.weforum.org/pdf/GCR09/GCR20092010fullreport.pdf Exhibit 6 Source: Corruption Perception Index (2010) Link: http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

Louis Armstrong :: Music, Jazz

Q5. Armstrong’s contribution was also significant in regards of racial justice. His development of instrumental, vocal, and stylistic techniques partnered with his breathtaking talent open doors to the acceptance of white Americans. (Tanenhaus, 19) This was made evident when after Ford Motor Company made attempts to release Armstrong from The Edsel Show prior to their profligate TV laugh of their new automobile line for his public outburst and statements on race. Ford’s plans backfired when Armstrong remained on the show and played alongside of Rosemary Clooney, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Frand Sinatra no more than a short month after the controversy. With vast viewer popularity, white Americans made it apparent their unconditional love for him and his music. (Teachout, 334-335) Armstrong began making a step in racial acceptance that in that time had not been established yet. Q6. Lastly, through his contribution to early Jazz, he had a direct hand in developing the new field of academic jazz scholarship, although it had been extensively debatable on his contribution. (Teachout, 351) None the less, his talent formed a popularity that was surpassed by none even to the point that once in his career; he was more popular than the Beatles. (Teachout, 351) Undoubtedly, he was the first, if not the only to present Jazz to the public as a form of art. This changed the direction of Jazz to not just leaser listening music, but teachable and complicated talent. (Tanenhaus, 19) Q7. His contribution to jazz was primary made in early jazz music of the 1920s-1930s. (Teachout, 53,389) Though he received his first success as a teenager in 1914 when he took the place of King Oliver in the Kid Ory Band; (Raum 14) he had not yet made the impact on the stylistic and technical form as he did in the later years of his career. Q8. Armstrong’s contribution was made primarily in his home state of New Orleans and to the South with the exception of his travels out of the country to Japan, Egypt, Europe, and Africa. (McKissack, 22-23) In regards of where his impact was made beyond is undoubtedly to the progression of American as well as to jazz music itself. Q9. There are an immeasurable amount of people in Armstrongs life that helped him to succeed to his contribution but the contribution itself was souly because of Armstrong’s drive, talent and personality. If one were to choose who in Armstrong’s life played the biggest part, it would be back to where it all started, Peter Davis.

Flaws In Germinal :: essays research papers

The Flaws in Germinal At first glance, one might say the capitalist system is righteous and it leads to more productivity, but upon discreet examination, the system has numerous flaws. As we discussed in class, one of the main flaws was the inability of the workers to advance themselves in society beyond the point of keeping food in their stomachs. One generation after another follow each other down below into the mines without cessation. First and foremost the company needs to insure that all members of the mine town have enough to eat, enough to wear, and a roof over their head. The company can possibly provide clothing and food through a ration-based system that guarantees the people will not die of starvation or frostbite. These are necessities that the company should provide even if they are in debt. The workers should also receive a salary based on performance and profits of the company. This spending money can be used for amenities or the worker can save it if he or she one day desires to move away and attempt to start a better life somewhere else. The root of the problem lies with the education the residents of the mine town receive. Children as young as seven or eight are being sent down to work in the mines when they should be starting school. If families are unable to pay for schooling a type of â€Å"indentured worker† system might work out where children can attend school for free if they agree to provide the company with a year(s) work when they become of age to work. That also brings up the issue of child labor. Children should not work until at least 16 and even then they should not be responsible for dangerous and important jobs such as securing the limbering. Another important issue concerns the rights of the workers. Workers’ unions should be set up and all should join to make sure that the company does not use and abuse the workers. Unions should unite all workers with the same profession across the region. A strike when carried out effectively will cripple the company and force them to pay higher wages.

Cost Accounting Terminologies Essay

Cost accounting, as a tool of management, provides management with detailed records of the costs relating to products, operations or functions. Cost accounting refers to the process of determining and accumulating the cost of some particular product or activity. It also covers classification, analysis and interpretation of costs. The cost so determined and accumulated may be the estimated future costs for planning purposes, or actual (historical) costs for evaluating performance. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountant (ICMA), London, defined cost accounting as â€Å"the process of accounting for cost from the point at which expenditure incurred or committed to the establishment of its ultimate relationship with cost centers and cost units. In its widest usage it embraces the preparation of statistical data, the application of cost control methods and the ascertainment of profitability of activities carried out or planned.† Costing Cost accounting and costing have distinctly different meanings. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountant (ICMA), London, defined costing as the ascertainment of costs. Costing includes the â€Å"techniques† and â€Å"processes† of ascertaining costs. The technique refers to the principles or rules which are applied for ascertaining costs of products manufactured and services rendered. There are mainly two methods of costing job costing and process costing. The process includes the day to day routine of determining costs within the methods of costing adopted by the business enterprise. Within such a process, there could be historical costing, marginal costing, absorption costing and standard costing etc. Objectives of Cost Accounting There is a direct relationship among information needs of management and cost accounting objectives and techniques and tools used for analyses in cost accounting. Cost accounting has the following three important objectives: 1. To determine the product cost.  2. To facilitate planning and control of regular business activities. 3. To supply information for short and long-run decision. Product Costing The objective of determining the cost of products is the prime importance of cost accounting. The total product costs and cost per unit of product are important in making inventory valuation, deciding price of the product and managerial decision making. Planning and Control Another important objective of cost accounting is the creation of useful cost data and information for the purposes of planning and control by management. The different alternative plans are evaluated in terms of respective costs and associated benefits. The management control over business operations aims to establish balance between actual and budgeted performance. A properly designed cost accounting system includes the following steps in the control process: 1. Comparing actual performance with budgets and standard 2. Analyzing the variances between budget and standards and actual by causes, and management responsibility so that corrective actions may take place. 3. Providing managers with data and reports about their individual performances and performances of subordinates. Information for decision Another important objective of cost accounting system is to provide data and special analyses for short and long-run decisions of a non-recurring nature. Appropriate cost information must be accumulated to make a wide variety of short and long run decision. According to Henke and Spoede, the following are the cost information developed in cost accounting: 1. As a basis for valuing manufactured inventories and cost of goods sold in externally presented financial reports. 2. In controlling operations through the evaluation of operating results and the placement of responsibilities for the uses of organizational resources on the shoulders of specifically identifiable persons within the organization. 3. In planning operations through the establishment of cost and budgetary goals. 4. In making day- to- day operating decisions. The cost information is used for two purposes in most organizations: 1) the cost accounting systems provide information to evaluate the performance of an organizational unit or his manager, and 2) also provide the means for estimating the unit cost of products or services that the organization can manufacture or provide to others. a) Performance measurement: This measurement can be done by comparing current costs with those who were expected – or standard costs budgeted cost – to the degree of knowing which of them have been controlled. Deviations of expected with the current – variances – can be identified, evaluated and discussed by managers. b) Cost of goods and services: In manufacturing companies, the costs of goods must be measured to determine the cost of items transferred from work in process inventory to finished products. To meet the demands for information, a cost system should measure all the costs of manufacturing process and allocate a portion of those costs to each unit of output. The cost to obtain, maintain and manage the manufacturing plant or building should be added to the cost of material and productive work that requires each unit. The first are called indirect costs and the two last are called direct costs. c) Profit analysis. Information in costs is essential to analyze the profits obtained from a product or product line. The information on the cost of a product enables managers to assess the contribution margin – the difference between the price and variable costs – and the gross margin – the difference between the price and the total cost of the product. d) Product mix. For the companies that offer more than one product or service the cost information is key to handle the mix of products or services offered to customers. With information on cost-profit, a manager can lead the effort in sales and advertising for products that generate greater value. The products that do not create any profit can be removed, have a price reassignation, or tied up with products that have greater utility. e) Price assignation. Regardless of where prices are determined by the forces of market demand, product differentiation and advertising offer to many managers some sort of idea to assign prices to products or services. The costs of products and trends commonly offer signals to managers that prices should be changed. An example could be the change in the cost of a material or critical component which can give a signal to reassess the price of a product or service. f) Cost of service. Many products require the seller to provide additional services to customers. In such cases, the information about the cost of service is so important for managers as the cost of production. The same for companies that offer services only, unless the cost of service is measured, there is no way to know whether providing the service is profitable or not, or whether changes in prices or advertising are needed. Looked from another angle, the uses that the administration of a company can give to the costs can be grouped into 4 categories, specified below Method of costing As state earlier, the term costing refers to the techniques and processes of determining cost of a product manufactured or a service rendered. Different methods are applied in business enterprises to ascertain cost depending upon the nature of the product, production method and specific business conditions. For example, in a textile or steel company, raw material passes through different stages and production is done continuously. In some other industries, production is done at different customers specific orders and each job is different from the other job.

Product Life Cycle of Nokia Essay

INTRODUCTION In the present context, managing has become one of the most important areas of human activity because of increasing role of large and complex organisations in the society. Because of their increasing role, the organisations have attracted the attention of both practitioners and academicians to find out the solutions for business problems. Concept Defining the term management precisely is not so simple because the term management is used in a variety of ways. Being a new discipline, it has drawn concepts and principles from a number of disciplines such as economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, statistics and so on. Each group of contributors has treated management differently. For example, economists have treated management as a factor of production; sociologists have treated it as a class or group of persons; practitioners have treated it as a process comprising different activities. DEFINITION â€Å"Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups† — Koontz â€Å"Management is the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing that it is done in the best and cheapest way† – F.W. Taylor â€Å"Management is the art of securing maximum results with minimum effort so as to secure maximum prosperity and happiness for both employer and employee and give the public the best possible service† — John Mee. â€Å"Management is the accomplishment of results through the efforts of other people† — Lawrence â€Å"Management is simply the process of decision making and control over the action of human beings for the expressed purpose of attaining predetermined goals† – Stanley V. â€Å"Management is a process involving planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling human efforts to achieve stated objectives in an organization.† From the above definitions, the following features are identified:1) Organised Activities: Management is a process of organized activities. Without organized activities, two groups of people cannot be involved in the performance of activities. Where a group of people are involved in working towards a common objective, management comes into existence. 2) Existence of objectives: The existence of objectives is a basic criterion of e very human organization because all organizations are deliberate and purposive creation and, therefore, they should have Introduction to Management some objectives. Without objectives, it becomes difficult to define the direction where organized group of activities would lead to. 3) Relationship among resources: Organised activities meant to achieve common goals are brought about to establish certain relationships about the available resources. Resources include money, machine, material, men and methods. All these resources are made available to those who manage the organization. Managers apply knowledge, experience, principles for getting the desired results. Thus, the essence of management is integration of various organisational resources. 4) Working with and through people: Management involves working with people and getting organisational objectives achieved through them. The idea of working through people is interpreted in terms of assigning and reassigning of activities to subordinates. 5) Decision Making: Management process involves decision making at various levels for getting things done through people. Decision making basically involves selecting the most appropriate alternative out of the several. If there is only one alternative, there is no question of decision making. Nature of Management: – The study and application of management techniques in managing the affairs of the organization have changed its nature over a period of time. The following points will describe the nature of management 1) Multidisciplinary: Management has been developed as a separate discipline, but it draws knowledge and concepts from various disciplines like psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, statistics, operations research etc.,. Management integrates the idea and concepts taken from these disciplines and presents newer concepts which can be put into practice for managing the organisations 2) Dynamic nature of Principles: Principle is a fundamental truth which esta blishes cause and effect relationships of a function. Based on integration and supported by practical evidences, management has framed certain principles. However, these principles are flexible in nature and change with the changes in the environment in which an organization exists. 3) Relative, Not absolute Principles: Management principles are relative, not absolute, and they should be applied according to the need of the organization. Each organization may be different from others. The difference may exist because of time, place, socio-cultural factors, etc.,. 4) Management: Science or Art: There is a controversy whether management is science or art. An art is personal skill of business affairs. Art is characterized by practical knowledge, personal creativity and skill. The more one practices an art, the more professional one becomes. Management can be considered as an art because it satisfies all these criterion of an art. A science is a systematized body of knowledge of facts. It can establish cause-and-effect relationships among various factors. It involves basic principles, which are capable of universal application. Management can be considered as science because it satisfies all these criterion of a science. Introduction to Management 5) Management as profession: Management has been regarded as a profession by many while many have suggested that it has not achieved the status of a profession. Profession refers to a vocation or a branch of advanced learning such as engineering or medicine. 6) Universality of management: Management is a universal phenomenon. However, management principles are not universally applicable but are to be modified according to the needs of the situation. Importance of Management Management has been important to the daily lives of people and to the organisations. The importance of management may be traces with the following. 1) Effective utilisation of Resources: Management tries to make effective utilisation of various resources. The resources are scarce in nature and to meet the demand of the society, their contribution should be more for the general interests of the society. Management not only decides in which particular alternative a particular resource should be used, but also takes actions to utilize it in that particular alternative in the best way. 2) Development of Resources: Management develops various resources. This is true with human as well as non-human factors. Most of the researchers for resource development are carried on in an organized way and management is involved in these organized activities. 3) It ensures continuity in the organization: Continuity is very important in the organisations. Where there are no proper guidelines for decision making continuity can not be guaranteed. It is quite natural that new people join while some others retire or leave the organization. It is only management that keeps the organization continuing. 4) Integrating various interest groups: In the organized efforts, there are various interest groups and they put pressure over other groups for maximum share in the combined output. For example, in case of a business organization, there are various pressure groups such as shareholders, employees, govt. etc. these interest groups have pressure on an organization. Management has to balance these pressures from various interest groups. 5) Stability in the society: Management provides stability in the society by changing and modifying the resources in accordance with the changing environment of the society. In the modern age, more emphasis is on new inventions for the betterment of human beings. These inventions make old systems and factors mostly obsolete and inefficient. Management provides integration between traditions and new inventions, and safeguards society from the unfavorable impact of these inventions so that continuity in social process is maintained. Functions of Management:To achieve the organisational objectives managers at all levels of organization should perform different functions. A function is a group of similar activities. Introduction to Management The list of management functions varies from author to author with the number of functions varying from three to eight. Writers Henry Fayol Luther Gullick R. Davis Management Functions Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating, Controlling POSDCORD- Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Directing Planning , Organising, Controlling Planning, Organising, Motivating, Coordinating, Controlling Planning, Organising, Staffing, Leading, Controlling Koontz Different authors presented different variations. By combining some of functions, these are broadly grouped into Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, and Controlling. 1) Planning: Planning is the conscious determination of future course of action. This involves why an action, what action, how to take action, and when to take action. Thus, planning includes determination of specific objectives, determining projects and programs, setting policies and strategies, setting rules and procedures and prepar ing budgets. 2) Organising: Organising is the process of dividing work into convenient tasks or duties, grouping of such duties in the form of positions, grouping of various positions into departments and sections, assigning duties to individual positions, and delegating authority to each positions so that the work is carried out as planned. It is viewed as a bridge connecting the conceptual idea developed in creating and planning to the specific means for accomplishment these ideas. 3) Staffing: Staffing involves manning the various positions created by the organizing process. It includes preparing inventory of personal available and identifying the sources of people, selecting people, training and developing them, fixing financial compensation, appraising them periodically etc. 4) Directing: when people are available in the organization, they must know what they are expected to do in the organization. Superior managers fulfill this requirement by communicating to subordinates about their expected behavior. Once subordinates are oriented, the superiors have continuous responsibility of guiding and leading them for better work performance and motivating them to work with zeal and enthusiasm. Thus, directing includes communicating, motivating and leading. 5) Controlling: Controlling involves identification of actual results, comparison of actual results with expected results as set by planning process, identification of deviations between the two, if any, and taking of corrective action so that actual results match with expected results. Introduction to Management TAYLOR & SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT The concept of scientific management was introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor in USA in the beginning of 20th century. â€Å"Scientific management is concerned with knowing exactly what you want to do and then see in that they do it in the best and cheapest way† Since Taylor has put the emphasis on solving managerial problems in a scientific way, often, he is called as father of scientific management and his contributions as the principles of scientific management. Taylor carried experiments about how to increase the efficiency of people. On the basis of experiments, he published many papers and books and all his contributions were compiled in his book â€Å"scientific management†. His contributions are divided into two parts. Elements and tools of scientific management Principles of scientific management FEATURES / ELEMENTS AND TOOLS OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT 1) Separation of planning & doing: Taylor emphasized the separation of planning aspect from actual doing of the work. In other words planning should be left to the supervisor and the worker should concentrate only operational work. 2) Functional foremanship: Taylor introduced the concept of functional foremanship based on specialization of functions. In this system, eight persons are involved to direct the activities of workers. Out of these four persons are concerned with planning viz., route clerk, instruction card clerk, time and cost clerk and disciplinarian. The remaining four persons are concerned with doing aspect of the job, viz., speed boss, inspector, gang boss and maintenance foreman. It is against to the principle of unity of command.