Monday, September 30, 2019

“Animal Farm” Essay Introduction Essay

Animal Farm, like the first book of  Gulliver’s Travels  (a satire on Queen Anne’s court), began as a tract with a political motive. Farmer Jones’s Manor Farm is an Orwellian Lilliput, satirising the pretensions of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and its prompt corruption by a new, more ruthless power elite than even the Czarist regime under Ivan the Terrible. Manor Farm was once owned by aristocrats – lords of the manor. Hence its name. Before the ‘Rebellion’ it has become the property of a gentleman farmer, who is in fact, a drunken, philistine brute, lower, morally, than the animals he owns and exploits. The clever pigs make the political analysis that the animals slave, and are harvested, for the sole benefit of their owner. What right has Jones to exploit them, their labour and their very flesh on his table? They draw up a political code – ‘Animalism’ (ch. 2). Its slogans are ‘All Animals Are Equal’ (ch. 2) and ‘Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad’ (ch. 3). The pigs mastermind a successful uprising, calling it a ‘Rebellion’. After much bloodshed the animals take over the farm. Power then has its universal effect. Having ruthlessly secured their leadership, the pigs install a totalitarian state, complete with canine police, thought control, liquidation and purges. They reserve for themselves creature comforts and owners’ privileges. For the lower animals, life is, if anything, even harder than it was under Jones: But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration, the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm. (ch. 9) In the fable’s controversial conclusion the pigs – now owners of a highly profitable enterprise (for them and their dogs) – make peace with their ‘fellow’ human farmers. The animals look, in perplexity, through the windows of the farm-house: The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. (ch. 10) The new guiding slogan for the future of the farm is: ‘All Animals Are Equal But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others’ (ch. 10).

Panera Bread Company Essay

Executive Summary This report focuses on what Panera Bread Company (PBC) needs to do in order to be profitable, provide healthy and quality foods to consumers and above all retain its leadership potentials in the restaurant and fast food business. The report also looks at what organization’s vision and mission statement means. It touches strategic objectives by dealing with strategy formulation, analysis and implementation. Corporate governance has to be used to reposition the operations of PBC, analysis of both the micro and macro environmental points of view of the organization – where demographic, socio-cultural, political/legal, technological and global considerations of the organization in question. It also dwells on strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats including studying trend analysis of the organization. Porter’s five forces model, concept of strategy groupings, resource based view, triple bottom line reporting, value chain analysis and financial analysis would have to be examined critically so as to make PBC have competitive advantage over its rivals. Based on the above concepts in this report, it is hereby recommended that PBC has to:†¢open new markets and establish branches in other countries by targeting major cities and towns using same standards, quality, menu, site selection and construction. †¢develop more healthy and quality foods, unique brands, always be ahead of competitors and try to use trend analysis to know the lifestyles of people, tastes, maintain its corporate social responsibility with stakeholders, look at marketing mix, develop its technological base and have a friendly atmosphere at their various cafes including motivating employeesIf these recommendations are implemented, it is believed that PBC will occupy more than 30% of the market share within the next few years. 1.Introduction1.1The aims of the report†¢how PBC can reposition its leadership edge by ensuring the management concepts remains special, opening up franchises, encourage transparencies in management practices and be  proactive in terms of change and innovations. †¢how PBC can sustain its rising profit and growth levels. 1.2Objective of the report†¢how PBC can ensure consistency in their vision, mission and strategic objectives by using major processes like strategy analysis, strategy formulation, implementation and corporate governance†¢Analyzing the micro and micro environments of PBC †¢Using Porter’s five forces model and concept of strategy groupings to make PBC have competitive advantage over their competitors. †¢Using resource base view and value-chain analysis to identify possible opportunities and threats for PBC. 2.Background of the CompanyPBC is a market leader in the restaurant industry business. Started business in 1981 with three bakery cafes and by 1997, their bakery cafes were 160 with branches in five countries and cafes in domestic airports and hotels. PBC’s concept is to sell only fresh dough and no preservatives. Their mission is ‘a loaf of bread in every arm’ with 18 different products. It intends to establish Wi-Fi access in 2003, and has many awards in its kitty. They have a good distribution network, franchise operations, management information system and supply chain management and highly professionalized staff. The 2004 first quarter performance showed an increase of 26% over same period in 2003 with a highly priced shares. 3.Case Study AnalysisStrategies are set of actions that firms use to achieve its goal. While strategic management focuses where an organization is at present and where it intends to be in the future. The task of analyzing a firm’s internal and external environment and selecting an appropriate strategy is known as strategy formulation. Strategy implementation involves  putting appropriate controls and organization mechanisms to keep the company’s chosen strategy into action. Vision statement is the long run aspirations of the organization while mission statement means what is expected of the organization by its stakeholders. This report focuses on micro-macro environment of PBC in order to retain their leadership role, increase market share and profitability. Resource Based View, Porters five forces model, strategic groupings, value chain, SWOT and financial analysis including triple bottom line reporting, and how these concepts would help the PBC to be a market leader would be analysed. 3.1Macro EnvironmentMacro economic factors are political, socio-cultural, environmental, economic, technological and legal. 3.1.1Political considerationPBC has to maintain its corporate governance issue by making sure that taxes are paid promptly and study government policies as it affects the business. At the moment political consideration is not really a big issue with PBC but if it intends to expand its operations, government polices of countries it wants to do business would have to be examined to see if it is business friendly or not. 3.1.2Demographic forcesAreas that are less profitable by the organizations should be closed down and move to areas that increases profitability (Hill et al 2004). Presently there is significant growth for young people and children who rarely cook at home and they patronize these fast casual restaurants. These youths are concerned about their health by eating healthy and quality foods which PBC should target for high profitability. 3.1.3Socio-cultural factorsIncreases in the population of women in workplaces are massive and higher levels of health consciousness have created a boom to many industries (Campbell et al 2006). PBC should study population demographics, income distribution and lifestyles changes within their areas of operation to their advantage. 3.1.4EnvironmentalOperating environments have to be friendly. This should  done in such a way that corporate social responsibility to communities in terms of pollution, waste disposal and environmental protection laws are adhered to (Johnson et al 2005). At the moment it runs ‘Operation Dough Nation’ where all monies received and all unsold inventories goes back to the community it operates. 3.1.5Economic factorsAlmost all the industries are prone to general economic conditions. High interest and exchange rates, and average disposal income can affect organizations to larger extent (Campbell et al 2006). At the moment business is booming for PBC, therefore it has to consider business cycles, product trends, interest rates, inflation and also disposable income of consumers in order to have a competitive edge. 3.1.6TechnologicalThis is now a global phenomenon in virtually every business. For a company to remain competitive it has to enhance its technological base to compete with rivals (Campbell et al 2006). PBC is expanding its technological base by introducing point of sale machines and credit cards network at each cafà ©. This helps in planning for marketing information, product mix, quicker accounting information and other variance analysis. 3.1.7LegalJohnson et al (2005) pointed out that organizations should be cautious of health and product safeties, employment laws and legislations. Taken into account its franchise operations with other organizations, it has to make sure that organizations’ it enters into agreements comply with its standards, quality, menu, site selection and construction of cafes. The training program organized by the organization prior to franchisee starting business is applauded. 3.1.8GlobalChanges in the environment such as political and economic have created a business boom to some countries, while some have witnessed economic recession as a result of this. Government policies and changing cultural patterns by consumers have had a positive impact in some industries while some are unhappy with these changes (Hill et al 2004). PBC should study these changes and know those ones that affect their business  especially intra-country trades where they have to convert currencies of their branch companies overseas. 3.2SWOT AnalysisThis shows the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization from the customers’ point of view as they relate to external opportunities and threats (Hannagan 2002). 3.2.1StrengthStrengths of organizations are the committed leadership zeal of managers, experience in the industry, clear and articulate line with external stakeholders, strong product design and commitment to consumers in the area of innovation (Lee et al 1999). The strengths or core competencies PBC has at the moment over its competitors include the product, distribution and franchising, operations, marketing mix, general managerial ability and low personnel turnover. 3.2.2WeaknessesThese can be in the form of no clear management styles, poor image, research and development issue, competitive disadvantage, poor track record, insider problems, financing problems and possible training problems by managers and supervisors (Dess et al 2007). PBC has to invest in research and development, improve its image with stakeholders and improve on its marketing strategies. 3.2.3OpportunitiesThe growing demand for healthy and quality foods is an opportunity that PBC has at the moment over its competitors and it has to be sustained to make them have continuous dominant role in this industry (Stead et al 2004). Managers of PBC should analyse competitive forces in the restaurant sector in order to identify the various opportunities in terms of product enhancement and new products, create new markets and prediction of trends. 3.2.4Threats:What makes an organization to be strong is to identify possible threats within its operational base. The threats could be in the form of government policies, research, competitive pressures, new entrants, changing customers tastes, adverse demographic changes, recession, growing bargaining power of suppliers and customers (Dess et al 2007). PBC has to lay  particular emphasis on new entrants, watch industry indicators, government adverse policies and changes in customers needs and tastes. 3.3Resource based viewThis considers the opportunities available to a company either to add value to its products and services or look at ways of reducing costs (Dess et al 2007). It may be possible to add value to the value chain of an organization in terms of procurement of raw materials and production processes. The present system that PBC is using where it has signed agreement with Dawn Food Products and also having economic of scale in terms of supplies makes the pricing of their product very competitive. 3.4Porter’s five force industry competitionPorter’s five force industry competition include the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the degree of rivalry among competitors in the same industry, the bargaining power of buyers and the threats of substitutes products. Porter argues that the stronger these forces are within an industrial setting the more limited companies raise prices and earn greater profits (Campbell 2006). As far as this is concerned a strong competitive force can be regarded as a threat because it would drastically reduce the profit of an organization (Williamson 2004). 3.4.1The threat of substitute productFirms within the same industrial setting are competing amongst themselves. Substitutes limits potential returns on an industry by placing a ceiling on the prices companies charge. This should be a lot of concern for PBC because there are lots of organizations offering same product in the market. 3.4.2The threat of new entrantsWhen new entrants enter the industry they tend to take extra effort in order to take full control of the industry. The extent to which new entrants can enter an industry exerts a significant influence on the degree to which companies may act to earn above average in terms of bottom line (Johnson et al 2005). At the moment PBC enjoys some element of economies of scale, brand recognition, access to distribution channels and experience in carrying out operational activities leading to lower cost of production. But it is good for new entrants to enter the  market because this brings about competition in the industry. 3.4.3The power of buyersBuyers are seen as competitive threats when they are in a position to demand lower prices or better service . Conversely when buyers are weak, a company can raise its prices and declare higher profits (Johnson and Scholes 2002). This has to be taken into account by PBC following volume of restaurants around. PBC should recalculate its costs since it intends to increase prices by 2% to see the justification prior to embarking on it. 3.4.4The power of suppliersSuppliers can be viewed as threats when they are able to force up the price for raw materials or reduce quality of materials. However, if suppliers are weak, companies can force down their prices and demand higher raw material quality. PBC believes it can have cost savings from switching to Dawn. 3.4.5Rivalry among established companiesIf rivalry is weak this will result to increase in prices of products at the detriment of consumers and ultimately increase profits and vise versa (Johnson 2005). PBC should regularly study competitors’ moves. 3.5.Value Chain Analysis (VCA)VCA helps managers to understand how effectively and efficiently the activities of their organizations are structured and coordinated. In other words, it seeks to provide an understanding of how much value an organization’s activities add to its products and services compared to the costs of the services used in their production. This helps management to identify core activities, know if there is breakdown or blockages to their detriment (Tsai et al 2006). The distribution network of PBC is good since it uses an independent contractor that delivers products to the bakery cafes and thus making the organization to concentrate in the retail operations. Their franchise operations should be sustained. 3.6Strategic groupsPotter (1980) defined strategic (SG) groups as group of firms in the same line of business having identical strategy following  through the strategic direction. Carroll et al (1992) as cited in Flavian and Polo (1999) organizations within the same SGs often compete for market share. PBC has a lot of organizations within the same SGs, and therefore should use this to their advantage by understudying their competitors strengths and weaknesses. 3.7Tripple bottom lineThis is the combination of social, environmental and financial reporting for an organization to its stakeholders (Dess et al 2006). PBC does not show its report in this format, although this is optional for organizations but to enable stakeholders understand PBC’s business better they should incorporate this into their report like the Operation Dough Nation and the unsold inventory proceeds. 4Recommendation†¢Encourage research for new products and branding. †¢Explore the possibility of new branches across borders. †¢Improve marketing drive to increase sales since its closing inventory in 2003 was $8066 million dollars as against $5191 million dollars in 2002. †¢Identify threats and weaknesses through strategic groupings†¢Pursue recovery of debts from debtors which shows $9646 million in 2003. Reduce its liabilities which gave $35,552 million dollars. †¢Plan for succession incase of possible changes in leadership hierarchy. 5.ConclusionIn conclusion, PBC should regularly scan the micro and macro environments for signals of environmental changes or general trends that are occurring. On observing a trend that may lead to a market changes, the company needs to monitor the change so it has a better understanding of the exact nature of the change and whether it applies to the organization. If the monitoring mechanism suggests the change is relevant, then the company needs to forecast how the change will affect its operations in future. It is then necessary to assess the forecast implications to determine whether the market change will require a change in the company’s strategy. Benchmarking,  reengineering and total quality management should not be left out. . References Dess, GG, Lumpkin, GT, Eisner, AB 2007, ‘Strategic management’ , 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Campbell, D, Stonehouse, G, Houston, B 2006, ‘Business strategy’, 2nd edn, Elsevier Butterworth-Heeinemann, Oxford. Stead, EW, Stead, GJ, Starik, M 2004 ‘Sustainable strategic management’, M.E. SharpeInc., New York. Tsai, YC, Fan, CL, Liou, CN, Wu, CL 2006 ‘The application of parts control and standardization by exploration of the value chain in new product development and innovation’, The Business Review, vol. 6, no. 2, pp 213 (online Emerald). Hanaagan, T 2002 ‘Mastering strategic management’, Palgrave, New York. Hill, CWL, Jones, GR, Galvin, P 2004, ‘Strategic management: an integrated approach’, 5th edn., John Wiley, Milton. Johnson, G, Schooles, K, Whittington, R 2005, ‘Exploring corporate strategy’, 7th edn, Prentice Hall, Harlow. Williamson, D, Jenkin, W, Cooke, P, Moreton, KM 2004, ‘Strategic management and business analysis’, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Burlington. Johnson, G, Scholes, K 2002, ‘Exploring corporate strategy’, 6th edn., Prentice Hall, Harlow. Porter, ME 1980, ‘Competitive strategy’, The Free Press, New York

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Common Problems for an Extended War and the Solutions Essay

Neither the North nor the South had prepared for an extended war. Two years into the conflict, both faced common difficulties. Foremost was the lack of money and manpower. The war was expensive and both treasuries were depleted. While neither initially wanted to impose direct taxes to finance the war, they were forced by circumstances to turn to taxation though on a small-scale. The North seemed to have had more success in raising funds. With the North’s population greater than that of the South, the new tax was able to finance 21% of the war expenses while it was only 1% for the South. Both also tried borrowing. The North being more committed to the idea and was able to obtain more than $2 billion worth of bonds in loan. Another solution that was considered and eventually enforced was the printing of paper money. The Confederacy started with $100 million while the Union printed $150 million worth of â€Å"greenbacks† so called because of its color. The flooding of paper money expectedly led to inflation that resulted to food prices increasing to 80%. This led to hardships in the urban areas which were unable to produce their own food. Volunteers in the army for both sides dwindled off as disillusionment set in. The prestige of army life with its military parades and victories were gone as the harsh realities of deadly diseases, camp life boredom, loss of values, impersonal destruction and conditions of being â€Å"half-starved, half-frozen and half-drowned† were experienced. There were also desertions. To entice would-be soldiers, sign-up bonuses of $800 to $1000 were given to outsiders. Soon, they resorted to the draft despite anticipated opposition and anger by the general populace. However, instead of forcing men to serve, they encouraged those who are already in the army to re-enlist and attract volunteers. The South needed more of these draftees since the North had about 180,000 able immigrants to choose from. The allowance for substitution and exemption, however, led to even further resentments as the conditions clearly favored the rich.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb - Essay Example There were discussions on several occasions about the need to warn the Japanese civilians on an impending attack. While on the surface this seems morally admirable, it was considered a vain action and may have imperiled millions of civilians and military personnel.2 By June 1 1945, the industrial infrastructure had been decimated, but Japan showed no signs of surrendering.3 The unwillingness of Japan to reach a military surrender prompted the Truman administration to pursue the plan of using the bomb. Though it would ultimately be Truman's decision, he carefully considered the other options and weighed the opinions of his closest advisors. The Truman administration had little trust in Russia's long-term intentions in regards to the Asian continent. There were millions of American and Japanese lives at stake. Truman's decision would involve all these stakeholders in a Kohlberg stage five thinking that recognized "...national self-interest itself must be limited and compromised".4 Truman had reached a moral decision based on the interests of the world at large, and the stakeholders involved. Truman has been criticized for acting in his own political interests. However, there was a plan on the table to warn Japan, but this plan was discarded due to the real possibility of the bomb being a dud5.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

World history (1500 to the present) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World history (1500 to the present) - Essay Example He represented a growing population of Catholics who were dissatisfied with the administration of the church and who felt that reformation was called for. This one action spurred detractors and supporters of the Catholic Church to decide once and for all what was acceptable practice within the religion. The primary outcome of this movement was the establishment of Protestantism in Europe and the splintering of the Christian faith into many different factions. The African slave trade is something that was both very localized in terms of certain participating countries, such as the United States, Great Britain, Portugal and the various African countries from which slaves were taken; however it was also an undeniably global force. From the earliest years of the African slave trade in the 15th century, Portugal took a leading role in the spread of slaves from their native continent to Europe and to the South American continent (Bulliet et all, 2000). As trade progressed, countries such as Spain, France, England and Denmark joined in with their own ships. What has been termed a 'middle passage' refers to the triangular journey from Europe to Africa, then to the Americas. Captives were forcibly led to collection points in Africa where they were purchased by Europeans, then loaded onto ships for delivery to the New World. Men were chained together to save space, and all captives were fed one meal a day. Many of the Africans died due to dysenter y, scurvy, measles, smallpox and other diseases. The 18th century was peppered with revolution and rebellion in terms of politics and human rights; it is generally thought that these events led to a more widespread political participation within many nations. The French Revolution and the Irish Revolution (1789; 1798, respectively) were two such events that certainly did lead to a higher interest in politics and social structure in both countries and other nations nearby (Overfield and Andrea, 1993). The French Revolution saw the abolition of the aristocracy and the rise of the working class because of a burgeoning idea that all people were equal and were born with certain inalienable rights. The absolute monarchy was removed and the next years were spent in constant governmental reconstruction. The Irish Revolution was unsuccessful in that it failed to shake off the control of Great Britain in Ireland, however the social atmosphere before, during and after the Revolution shows clearly that the Irish people were very concerned for their own welfare and willing to participate in any number of plans to gain autocracy. Reference List Bulliet, R., Crossley, P., Headrick, D., Hirsch, S., Johnson, L. and Northrup, D. (2000). The Earth and its Peoples: A Global History, volume II, 3rd edition. Houghton Miflin Company. Overfield, A. and Andrea, J. (1993). The Human Record: Sources of Global History, 2nd edition. Houghto

Goal Statement Management of Secure Information System Personal

Goal Management of Secure Information System - Personal Statement Example In addition to that, I completed my Associate program in Computer Studies in August 2014. These basic ingredients coupled with determination to excel and ability to learn under any condition will enable me to succeed in this program. I possess strong communication skills which will contribute to my success in this study program since I am well informed that it involves a lot of communication and interaction. Others skills that I have gained over time that will increase my level of competency in this program include excellent quantitative and analytical skills, data analysis, keen to details, ability to deliver excellent customer service, conceptual thinking skills and proper time management ability. I am a person who can work effectively with others so as to realize a common goal. I have great leadership skills which were made evident when I served as a youth coordinator for my community. Under that docket, I handled a number of duties such as meeting the needs of the youths by initiative a number of programs that favored them, initiating formation of youth organizations, creating a platform through which youths from various parts of the world can interact and network, initiating recreational activities for the youth among other activities. I am a self-motivated person who is guided by set principles pertaining any program or institution that I am based in. I have had a number of work experiences which are closely related to the program that I am applying for. I am currently working as an IT specialist by providing second level support for the Information Technology help desk. I have also worked under department IT support in which I handle various issues affecting IT customers and clients. That position exposed me to handling very challenging clients thus being able to strengthen my customer relation skills.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Role of the Father in a Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Role of the Father in a Family - Essay Example He was happier than ever when Paul born. He used to say me that it was his dream to see his grandchildren. As he is on the deathbed, all I wanted to say him is that "Father I love you, and thank you for all that what you did for us". And this was what I did. I went to him and I said "Father I love you, and thanks for all that what you did for me". At this time we have different types of families in the society. Single career, dual career, married, unmarried and homosexuals. But all these families comprises of children, mother and father. although single mothers are also considered to be a family but actual definition of family isn't completed without father. This shows the importance of father. As father is the root of the family. Or we can say a nuclear of the family. As few years back, father's role in family was confined to the one who go out and earn money and mother had to stay at home to take care of children. Fathers usually were not concerned about children's bringing up. Religiously it's appreciated that fathers should pay proper attention to their families and they should never abandoned them just to their mothers. As it's said in Bible: "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Mal 4:5-6) One frequently finds thoughts like the following, which are those of Stephen Pasquier: "We should consider our fathers like gods on earth, who were given to us not only to transmit life to us and conserve it, but also to sanctify us by a wise instruction."But now we can see that this traditional father's role is changed. Mother's are in the work force same as fathers, so both of them divided the tasks equally. Fathers are becoming more involved in child care and family as compare to their own fathers. Different schools are offering home classes to boys as well. So that they should face less difficulty in future while dealing with their own kids. Mothers today are giving space to their husband's so that they can give some proper time to their families. They are sacrificing their time with friends to their families. But father's own upbringing also matters in it. If he got a caring father who understands that mother alone cannot take care of family as well as her career. Then of course he can bring up a good family. But if he thinks that his masculinity is affected becau se of spending time with his children then it can be the other way. Dr. Lawson says what you might guess: "The father's role in the drama between the borderline mother and her child is crucial in determining the outcome for the child." p.178 In regards to a father's duty, President Benson also taught us that: Those in the Book of Mormon who were taught nothing concerning the Lord but only concerning worldly knowledge became a cunning and wicked people (see Mosiah 24:5, 7). All truths are not of the same value. The saving truths of salvation are of greatest worth. These truths the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

From War to War, the world in the years 1918-1939 Essay

From War to War, the world in the years 1918-1939 - Essay Example The U.S., being the only Western country with an economy nearly unaffected by the war was in a position to assist the war-torn nations. It supplied loans to Germany and Austria, the losing parties in the Great War. Germany and Austria, on the other hand, were obliged to pay reparations to France and Great Britain. Both Great Britain and France, for their part, had to repay the U.S. which had provided them with loans in the duration of World War I. In such situation, the U.S. financial institutions saw that investments in Europe had become no longer viable and they were prompted to pull out their funds out of the continent, leaving Germany and Austria in serious economic turmoil. The U.S too suffered greatly in the economic sphere. For a time, its agricultural sector grew while there was virtually no competition from Europe, which has yet to recover from the war. However, when Europe’s farmers began to produce the same agricultural products as the Americans came up with, an ove rproduction occurred. The crisis of overproduction eventually led into the downfall of a great number of farms and agricultural enterprises. As the stock market crashed in 1929, industrial and commercial activities came to a slowdown, depriving hundreds of thousands of workers of their jobs. The market contracted further and resulted in more joblessness. This was because â€Å"consumer demand no longer sufficed to purchase all the goods that businesses produced, and when business realized that could not sell their inventories, they responded with cutbacks in production and additional layoffs† (Bentley & Ziegler, 2011, p.986). As America suffered great setbacks in its economy, a chapter in history called the Great Depression, the countries in Europe also began to experience worse economic crisis. Among those that bore the brunt is Germany. As the Great Depression wreaked havoc on the U.S. and other countries of Western Europe, the Soviet Union managed to pursue more seriously its own socialist economic programs. The Great Depression was pointed out as a sign that capitalism is a bankrupt system and that socialism is the only path towards economic development. Both V.I. Lenin and Josef Stalin were able to initiate programs that aimed to industrialize the Soviet Union, less concerned this time with external threats coming from the weakened West. Lenin, however, was pragmatic as he considered certain aspects in the economy that should bear the hallmarks of capitalist system at least for a certain period of time. Through the New Economic Policy or NEP, â€Å"large industries, banks, and transportation and communications facilities remained under state control, but the government returned small-scale industries (those with fewer than twenty workers) to private ownership† (Bentley & Ziegler, 2011, p.992). When Lenin died, however, his successor Stalin, decided to hasten the construction of a purely socialist state. He did so by overturning the NEP and i nitiating the collectivization of agriculture. The objective was apparently to bolster the efforts in national industrialization. However, Stalin’s policy led to the alienation of many peasants, especially the kulaks who benefitted much from the NEP. Discontent grew and many began to oppose the Stalin’s government. In response to this, Stalin used the full force of the state and the Communist Party in running after individuals who are suspected of opposing the policies

Monday, September 23, 2019

US army leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

US army leadership - Essay Example Perhaps, it is these values, principles, and system that make the soldier have the respect that is accorded him everywhere he goes. ‘An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot’. The implementation of the structures however depends largely on the functions of personnel in the army. The military institution is made up several officers whose duties are to ensure that there is orderliness with within the rank of soldiers put under his control and that the structures and systems are well implemented. One of such indispensable figures in the implementation of military structures is the non-commissioned officer. The non-commissioned officer however does not work untamed: for the non-commissioned officer to succeed in his role as a leader, he needs to be guided by basic military principles. This is to say that the non-commissioned officer cannot rule within his own discretion but needs to be guided by principles such as the application of the FM 6-22, c ounseling and the seven Army Values. Roles of Non-Commissioned Officers Who is a non-commissioned officer? A non-commissioned officer is a military officer who is given authority through a commissioned officer, but he or she is not technically considered to be in command. Non-commissioned officers rise up through the enlisted ranks, generally with several years of experience to their names before they reach positions of nominal power.The rank an officer has to reach to be accorded the position of a non-commissioned officer varies from country to country and from military force to military force. Also among the ranks, there divisions such as Junior NCOs and Senior NCOs depending on which nation is in question and which military force, be it the Navy, Army or Air Force. In the United States for instance, all ranks of Sergeant in the United States Army, United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps are termed Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) as are Corporals in the Army and Ma rine Corps. However, the rank of Corporal (E-4) in the US Army is known to be a junior NCOs whereas Corporals in the grades (E-7, E-8, and E-9) are referred to as senior noncommissioned officers. The non-commissioned officer can however be generalized to be ‘an enlisted member of the armed forces, such as a corporal, sergeant, or petty officer, appointed to a rank conferring leadership over other enlisted personnel’ (The Free Dictionary, 2003). What are the roles of the non-commissioned officer in the army? The role a non-commissioned officer is supposed to play simply refers to the leadership functions of the officer that is focused on maintaining army values. ‘NCOs must maintain fundamental soldiering at the forefront of everything we do. And that means we must focus on the basics, maintain Army values and facilitate the transformation’ (Anthony, 2001). Even though all roles performed by non-commissioned officers are geared towards enhancing administratio n in the army force, there are varying roles and these roles cut across different areas of operation; defining who may be under the orders or authority of the non-commissioned officer and who may not. In a generalized system however, the role of a particular NCO depends on his rank. The FM 7-22.7 makes a list of five (5) major categories of non-commissioned officers and what their roles are. These categories are classified according to ranks of officers and they are Sergeant Major of the Army, Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major, First Sergeant and Master Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and Sergeant First Class, and Squad, Section and Team Leaders. The Sergeant Major o

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Denver Airport bagage system Essay Example for Free

Denver Airport bagage system Essay This article discusses the fundamental design difficulties of the fully automated baggage system originally planned for the New Denver Airport, and their implications for airport and airline management. Theory, industrial experience, and the reality at Denver emphasize the difficulty of achieving acceptable standards of performance when novel, complex systems are operating near capacity. United Airlines will thus make the Denver system work by drastically reducing its complexity and performance. Automated baggage systems are risky. Airlines and airports considering their use should assess their design cautiously and far in advance, and install complementary, backup systems from the start. Ref: â€Å"The Baggage System at Denver: Prospects and Lessons,† Journal of Air Transport Management, Vol. 1, No. 4, Dec. , pp. 229-236, 1994. The City and County of Denver have built a massive new airport, the New Denver International Airport. It extends over 13,568 hectares (about 53 square miles); has 3 parallel North-South runways, 2 parallel East-West runways, and room for a total of 12 major runways. In many ways the New Denver Airport represents a model of the airport of the future (de Neufville, 1995). At opening, the Airport will have cost about US $ 5 billion including the US $ 685 million contribution of the Federal Government and the over US $ 400 million investment of airlines in fitting out their passenger buildings, catering facilities and cargo centers (US Government Accounting Office, 1994). At the end of 1994, the bonded debt of the municipally owned Denver Airport System was more than US $ 3. 8 billion (City and County of Denver, 1994b). A mechanized baggage system is at the heart of the New Denver Airport, as for all major new airports. In the case of Denver, this was to be something unique: the Integrated Automated Baggage Handling System, originally designed to distribute all baggage -including transfers automatically between check-in, the aircraft and pick-up on arrival. Unfortunately, massive problems plagued this automated baggage system. (See Henderson, 1994, for example. ) Consequently, the New Denver Airport did not open in October 1993 as scheduled. After missing later opening dates in April and May 1994, the Airport seems as of January likely to be open in March 1995. The delay would then be around 16 months. This delay costs the owners a lot. The interest on their bonded debt exceeded US $ 271 million for the single year of 1994 (Deloitte and Touche, 1994). The costs of maintaining the new airport are extra. A commonly accepted estimate of their costs of delay, endorsed verbally by officials in Denver, has been US $ 33 million a month. By March 1995, the delays may thus have cost them around US $ 500 million. A year after the original opening date for the airport, the City and County of Denver borrowed a previously unscheduled US $ 257 million (City and County of Denver, 1994b). This delay is also expensive for the airlines. United Airlines invested about US $ 261 million, and Continental 73 million, in peripheral facilities in anticipation of the 1993 opening (United Airlines, 1993; US Government Accounting Office, 1994). FedEx likewise created a sorting center for around US $ 100 million. By the time the airport opens, the opportunity cost of the idle investments may have cost the airlines around US $ 50 million. Both the airport owners and the airlines will also suffer losses to the extent that the automated baggage system does not deliver the productivity and efficiency that they had bargained for. Airline and airport management can learn much from this unfortunate experience. As indicated by the discussion that follows, the most fundamental problems with the automated baggage system designed for Denver had been predicted by theoretical studies and consulting reports, were avoidable, and should not be repeated. The basic lesson is that automated baggage systems are risky, and therefore that airlines and airports considering automated baggage operations should assess their design and performance cautiously, and should implement them with the insurance of backup systems from the start. Design of the Automated Baggage System The fully automated baggage system originally planned for the New Denver Airport was unique in its complexity, its novel technology, and its anticipated capacity. It was designed to deliver each bag, including transfers, individually from check-in or the unloading of the aircraft to the outward bound aircraft or baggage reclaim. The delivery mechanism consists of about 9 km. (5. 5 miles) of conveyors and over 27 km. (17 miles) of track on which circulate 4000 individual, radio-controlled carts, the so-called destination coded vehicles or DCVs (US Government Accounting Office, 1994). The capacity of each track was supposed to be 60 DCVs per minute, one a second. The essential layout of the automated baggage system at Denver is that conveyor belts feed the central network of DCVs. The bags do not flow continuously from the conveyor belts, however, as they do in traditional systems. Each bag must independently be placed on its exclusive cart, and thus the delivery of the bags from the conveyor belts must be carefully controlled. Furthermore, the conveyor belt can only advance when there is an empty cart onto which the leading bag on the conveyor belt can be placed. The speed at which the conveyor belts can advance and thus the performance of the entire system depends on the rate of delivery of empty carts to each conveyor belt. This is a crucial point, at the root of the deeper difficulties with the original design. The destination of each bag and its individual cart is defined by bar-coded labels, and transmitted by radio to tags (the radio frequency identification or rf ids) on the constantly moving vehicles. The operation of these vehicles is to be entirely controlled by a network of about 150 computers (Myerson, 1994; US Government Accounting Office, 1994). Speed in handling baggage is critical to achieving acceptable boarding and transfer times at Denver, since the distances are much greater those at other airports. The space between the midfield concourses provides for two taxiways (one is standard) between the tails of the aircraft parked at the concourses, and the terminal building in which passengers check-in and pick up their bags is separated from the first concourse by an office block, a garage, and the Customs and Immigration (FIS) facilities. Speed has been considered crucial to the commercial success of the New Denver Airport, which the owners have marketed to the airlines as a highly efficient platform for hubbing operations because of its multiple parallel runways and prospective ability to 1 turn around aircraft flights very rapidly. United Airlines, the dominant airline at Denver, insisted on a rapid baggage handling system before signing its lease with Denver (Flynn, 1994b). The Denver system was thus originally designed to deliver bags much faster than current norms at major airports at up to 38 kmh (24 mph) (US Government Accounting Office, 1994). The maximum delivery time was apparently set at 20 minutes for narrowbody and 30 minutes for widebody aircraft (Leigh Fisher, 1994). The installers are quoted has having planned a design that will allow baggage to be transported anywhere within the terminal within 10 minutes (Airport Support, 1993). Despite the central importance of the automated baggage system, its design was largely an afterthought. This is a common practice, unfortunately. The Denver system was detailed well after the construction of the airport was under way and only about two years before the airport was to open. Being late, the design was thus subject to two important constraints. First, the geometry was tight. The automated system had to fit within the confines of the airport passenger buildings and the underground tunnel connecting the concourses and the terminal; in many instances it was shoe-horned in at considerable inconvenience. Second, the schedule was tight. The system was to be implemented within 21 months, since Denver executed the contract only in January 1992. This schedule precluded extensive simulation or physical testing of the full design. Remarkably, the design of the fully automated baggage system at Denver did not include a meaningful backup system. The planners provided neither a fleet of tugs and carts that could cope with the level of baggage expected, nor even access roads between the check-in facilities and the aircraft. Obvious Problems Highly visible mechanical problems have plagued the automated baggage system at Denver. As shown by television and widely reported in the trade and popular press, the baggage carts have jammed in the tracks, misaligned with the conveyor belts feeding the bags, and mutilated and lost bags (Flynn, 1994; Henderson, 1994; Myerson, 1994). In 1994, United Airlines accounted for well over 60% of the passengers at Denver. Continental Airlines, which was the launch tenant for the New Airport and which used to operate a considerable hub at Denver, has largely canceled this operation: as of November 1994 it closed its crew base in Denver and cut its daily departures to 23 about a tenth of the number offered by United. The airport consultant to the City and County of Denver predicted that by 1995 the United System will account for 90% of the passenger traffic at Denver (Leigh Fisher, 1994). To deal with these difficulties, the contractors are installing additional equipment. For example, more laser readers will reduce the probability of misreading the destination of each bag. More controllers will slow down the carts, reduce misalignments with the conveyors feeding bags, and minimize the momentum that tossed bags off the carts. Overall, solutions to the mechanical problems come at the price of increased costs, reduced performance, and lower cost-effectiveness of the system. Deeper Problem of Reliable Delivery The blatant difficulties with the automated baggage system designed for the New Denver Airport are almost certainly only the tip of the iceberg. There is a deeper, fundamental problem associated with all complex systems of handling baggage, cargo or materials. The more extensive and long-term difficulty is that of reliable delivery times. The fully automated system may never be able to deliver bags consistently within the times and at the capacity originally promised. This difficulty is a consequence of the extreme complexity of its design combined with the variability of the loads. The entire system consists of well over a hundred waiting lines that feed into each other. For example, bags can only be unloaded from the aircraft and put into the system when the unloading conveyor belt is moving, this belt will only advance when there are empty carts on which to place bags, empty carts will only arrive after they have deposited their previous loads and have proceeded through the system, and so on. In short it is a complicated cascade of queues. The patterns of loads on the system are highly variable. These depend on the season, the time of day, the type of aircraft at each gate, the number of passengers on these aircraft, the percentage traveling with skis, etc. , etc. There may be over a thousand reasonable scenarios! Managing a complex network of interacting, fully loaded queues efficiently for any single scenario is complicated. Managing these flows under all the realistic scenarios is exponentially more difficult. Learning how to do this appears to be a major, long-term research project. Both airports, such as Frankfurt am Main, and companies attempting to automate their materials handling, have routinely spent years trying to make their systems work correctly under all circumstances (Auguston, 1994; Zitterstein, 1994). It is not clear that anyone, anywhere, is currently capable of managing a fully automated baggage system one without any backup system or use of tugs and carts for transfers to ensure full capacity, on-time performance, or is likely to be able to do so anytime in the near future (Knill, 1994). Causes of Reliable Delivery Problem Any automated baggage system is subject to risk. The difficulties at Denver are not due to any obvious bad luck or incompetence. On the contrary, the contractor responsible for the installation (BAE Automated Systems) had enjoyed the reputation of being among the best and, on the strength of its good work, has been responsible for most of the major baggage systems recently installed in the United States.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Stakeholder Tertiary Project

Stakeholder Tertiary Project Task Statement: To address the theme of project requirements carry out research and from your finding draft clearly structured notes that explain what is: Meant by the primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders The purpose of a scope document and sections it should contain Task Objectives: This task is given to find out the description about primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholder of a project and their activities with their concern area. All these will be described on the first section of this task. And the second section here will be defined and described about the purpose of a Scope document and also will be mentioned about its sections it should contain. Stakeholders The persons or organizations having an investment in what will be learned from an evaluation and what will be done with the knowledge. Stakeholders are groups of people who have an interest in a business organization. They can be seen as being either external to the organization, or internal. But some may be both. Primary Stakeholders Primary stakeholders are the intended beneficiaries of the project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: Participation of primary stakeholders is essential in projects which are expected to have a direct positive impact on defined groups of people Examples of Primary Stakeholder: Employees Owners/Stockholders Customers Suppliers Stakeholder Secondary Stakeholders Secondary stakeholders are those who perform as intermediaries within a project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: The main role of secondary stakeholder is linking local governance with national policies. In a few cases, secondary stakeholder plays a role also in consensus building, conflict management, decision making and financing. Example of secondary stakeholder: Intermediate government Local government NGOs The General Public Tertiary Stakeholders Tertiary stakeholders are those actors who are considered to have significant influence on the success of a project. Roles of tertiary Stakeholder: Tertiary stakeholders provide technical assistance, backstopping, extension and training services in their area of competence. They participate in decision-making and action taking and in awareness raising activities Tertiary stakeholder may assist in marketing, and provide financial support through investments. Example of Tertiary Stakeholder: Line agencies Enterprises and companies Banks National government authorities NGOs The purpose of Scope Documentation: The scope document is a general term for any document that refines and defines the requirements aspect of the triple constraint of time, cost, and requirements. In this general sense, it provides an overview of what the project is supposed to accomplish and clarifies how those accomplishments will be achieved. It may also provide the team members, customer, and project manager with insight on what is specifically not in the scope. The sections of a scope document: The outline for a scope document may include the elements discussed in the following sections. 1. Introduction/Background of the Project This includes the history and any environmental definitions required to understand the project. 2. Rationale/Business Opportunity This component expresses the advantages of moving ahead with the project and why it was undertaken. 3. Stakeholders and End Users This will list both business areas and individuals, citing their responsibilities, involvement, and any responsibilities or deliverables they may generate associated with the project. 4. Project Details This will sometimes be broken out into the functional requirements for the project and the technical requirements. The scope statement may only include the functional requirements. It should incorporate all of the mandatory requirements from the contract or memorandum of understanding, Should incorporate detail on the features of the deliverable that will serve those requirements. Administrative Requirements Because administrative responsibilities can be almost as onerous as project deliverable responsibilities, they should be clearly defined as components of the project scope Postproject Considerations Because the project effort normally makes up only a small component of a total system life cycle, any long-term considerations that will directly affect the project decision-making process should be incorporated in the scope document. Conclusion: This task was about the types of stakeholders and their respective responsibility in a project. And about their working roles with the example of stakeholder are provided in the task solution as I understand by reading the task statement and from my findings. I also tried to provide the information about scope documentation and its possible purposes. Reference: Web site: http://e-articles.info/e/a/title/Scope-Document/

Friday, September 20, 2019

Knowledge and importance of exclusive breastfeeding

Knowledge and importance of exclusive breastfeeding Breastfeeding is the most precious gift a mother can give her infant. When there is illness or malnutrition, it may be a lifesaving gift; when there is poverty, it may be the only gift. Ruth Lawrence, M.D. 1.1 Background of research Exclusive breastfeeding starts from a new born to the age of six months. It is an ideal and incomparable to any infant formulas created for them recently. As it has been known that breastfeed contains the perfect food for a newborn which has immunization to diseases, easy to digest and at the perfect temperature to be fed to infants. Breast milk is the natural first food for babies which provides all the energy and nutrient that the infant needs for the first months of life. The first breastfeed milk is known as the colostrums which can only be found in breast milk that contains all best nutrients for the new born babies. Colostrums contain antibodies that protect the baby from bacteria and viruses in the early age. It helps to increase the babys intelligence and growth and strengthen the close bond between mother and the baby ( Gartner et al. 1997). It strongly proven that breastfeed is the best food for a baby that no other food has the same nutrients values. Pregnant mothers should have the knowledge and awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding to newborn infants. This study is to find out how much the awareness and knowledge of 30 pregnant women in the antenatal and postnatal wards through questionnaires. They should be aware of the benefits of breast milk to infants and to their own health. Many women make infant feeding decisions before delivery and before any contact with healthcare professionals. Although health promotions campaigns are influential in educating women about breastfeeding, they often do not dissuade women from formula feeding once the decisions has been made. Antenatal preparations of pregnant women for breastfeeding rises awareness of the importance of breastfeeding, empower them with practical knowledge and skill in breastfeeding techniques, and prepare them for possible difficulties. Though many campaigns and seminars were done nationally to educate the public, yet the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is still to the unsatisfactory level. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Malaysia has been decreased from 92% ( in 1950s) to 78% (in 1970s) but there was a slight of increment in the early year of 1975( Da Vanzo, 1991) although for only less than 10%. Report done by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA, 2005) , showed that millions of babies fell sick every year as they were not breastfeed. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) estimated that more than 1.5 million babies died yearly may be avoided if the babies were given exclusive breastfeed, from birth to six months and continuously until the age of two years old. Malaysia has been doing a lot of promotions and activities lately to give the knowledge and importance of exclusive breastfeeding through activities such as World breastfeed week and Baby friendly Hospital. 1.1 Problem of statement Breast feeding have multiple benefit to the mother and child but there are still postnatal mother that are not confident and not interest to breast feed their baby. This problem might be due to lack of knowledge on information sources regarding breastfeeding. This research is done to elevate the knowledge between antenatal and postnatal mothers in this hospital. Breastfeeding offers irrefutable and long-lasting health benefits for both mother and baby, which are supported by a comprehensive scientific research. Many research and evidence base has been conducted and proven that the benefits of breastfeeding are undeniable. Ministry of Health has set and implements various strategy in promoting exclusive breastfeeding. One of the strategy is the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative on 1993.The aim is neither than to develop an environment that support mother to breastfeed their baby, create a policy that control exclusive breastfeeding. On Mac 1998, Malaysia had been announced as the 3rd country in the world which all the government hospital has been given the Baby Friendly Hospital status. Over time, the percentages of births to subgroups with higher rates of breastfeedingparticularly Malays and more highly educated womenhave increased. However, there is also evidence of changes in rates of breastfeeding within these subgroups. Many Malaysian infants have a total duration of breastfeeding (including with supplementation) considerably shorter than WHO recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding. The national breastfeeding policy has been revised in 2006, according to WHO all mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their babies exclusively from birth until 6 months of age and thereafter to continue until their child is 2 years old. Complementary foods should introduce when the baby is 6 month old. 1.2 Hypothesis The postnatal mothers have a higher level of exclusive breastfeeding knowledge compared to the antenatal mothers. 1.3 Significance Of Study The benefits of breast milk is undeniable, manufacturer are trying to create a milk that are at least having similar benefits and nutritional value as the breast milk, yet no strong research study has been conducted to prove it. Not all the properties of breast milk are understood, but its nutrient content is relatively stable. Breast milk is made from the nutrients in the mothers bloodstream and bodily stores. Some studies estimate that a woman who breastfeeds her infant exclusively uses 400 600 extra calories a day in producing milk. The composition of breast milk depends on how long the baby nurses. Research shows that the milk and energy content of breast milk actually decreases after the first year. Breast milk adapts to a toddlers developing system, providing exactly the right amount of nutrition at exactly the right time. In fact, research shows that between the ages of 12 and 24 months, 448 milliliters of a mothers milk provide these percentages of the following minimum daily requirements: Energy 29% Folate 76% Protein 43% Vitamin B12 94% Calcium 36% Vitamin C 60%10 Vitamin A 75% . 1.4 Research Objective 1.4.1 General Objective The aim of this study is to identify all antenatal and postnatal mothers have the confidence and knowledge to exclusive breastfeeding. 1.4.2 Specific Objectives 1.3.2.1 To examine the knowledge of antenatal and postnatal mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding 1.3.2.2 To educate antenatal and postnatal mothers with exclusive breastfeeding knowledge and understandings. 1.5 Significant of Project 1.5.1 The importance of this study is to find out the difference knowledge level between antenatal and postnatal mothers on exclusive breastfeeding. 1.5.2 This study needs to assess the knowledge level of the antenatal and postnatal mothers after informations, campaign and educations given by health care staff and to show the teaching techniques by them are effective. 1.5.3. The is to esure that it will increase the knowledge and improvements to induviduals involvements in exclusive breastfeeding 1.6 Scope of Project 1.6.1 The study sample is limited to antenatal mothers who was come for screening in labour room from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 and postnatal mothers discharge from integrated ward. 1.6.2 Antenatal mother who was not delivered baby from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 1.7 Definition 1.7.1 Assessment Assessment is a process that follows a continuous cycle of improvement based upon measurable goals, involving data collection, organization and interpretation leading to planning and integration. 1.7.2 Knowledge Knowledge is the awareness and understanding of facts, truths or information gained in the form of experience or learning. Knowledge is an appreciation of the possession of interconnected details. 1.7.3 Exclusive breastfeeding Exclusive breastfeeding defined as no food or liquid other than breast milk , not even water, is given to the infant from birth until six months of age. 1.7.4 Antenatal mother Occurring or present before birth; during pregnancy 1.7.5 Postnatal mother post meaning after and natalis meaning of birth- is the period beginning immediately after the birth of a child and extending for about six weeks. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction Although the health benefits of breastfeeding are acknowledged widely, opinions and recommendations are divided on the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding. We systematically reviewed available evidence concerning the effects on child health, growth, and development and on maternal health of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months vs. exclusive breastfeeding for 3-4 months followed by mixed breastfeeding (introduction of complementary liquid or solid foods with continued breastfeeding) to 6 months. Two independent literature searches were conducted, together comprising the following databases: MEDLINE (as of 1966), Index Medicus (prior to 1966), CINAHL, HealthSTAR, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE-Medicine, EMBASE-Psychology, Econlit, Index Medicus for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, African Index Medicus, Lilacs (Latin American and Carribean literature), EBM Reviews-Best Evidence, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register quoted by Kramer MS , Kakumar R.( Departments of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Mothers often are uninformed about the health benefits of any amount of breastfeeding, their ability to continue breastfeeding while employed, and the convenience and cost differential of breastfeeding as compared to formula feeding. Although there is a tendency in the literature to stress the time-intensive nature of breastfeeding, in fact it may require less time and attention than bottle-feeding (Barber-Madden, 1990). First, the promotion of breastfeeding without practical help and knowledge which led to many frustrated, unsuccessful breastfeeding attempts with subsequent backlash. Second, a much shorter hospital stay which does not provide adequate time for mothers milk to come in or for appropriate education and support. In Australia in 1993, a country which is known for its support of breastfeeding, the average hospital stay for vaginal delivery was still 5 to 7 days, and for C-section, 7 to 10 days. Australia also has the foresight to send home health visitors once the mother is discharged to offer further assistance and support. Third, the continued increase of women in the workplace, many times by necessity and not by choice, has influenced the incidence and duration of breastfeeding. A non supportive work environment makes breastfeeding difficult at best. Finally, the decline of breastfeeding has been assisted by the ambivalence of some health care professionals. This ambivalence is based on the lack of familiarity with current breastfeeding research, reliance on formula company nutritional information, and the very well meaning issue of not wanting to push breastfeeding because it might make the Mom who chooses artificial feeding feel guilty. Despite these initiatives, only 14.5 per cent babies were exclusively breastfed below six months in 2006, . In addition, only 19.3 per cent babies were exclusively breastfed below four months. Jaafar,2008 Compared with the findings of the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2 (1996), there was a significant decline of 9.7 % in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding below four months and a concurrent rise in the prevalence of babies who were predominantly breastfed but given additional water. Analysis of the breastfeeding pattern showed generally that exclusive breastfeeding rates were high in the first two months but dropped rapidly after the age of two to three months .It was also found after the age of two months, more than half of the breastfed babies were supplemented with infant formula and given other foods like commercial baby foods or home-cooked baby food while 20 percent of breastfed infants were supplemented with plain water.Few factors that contribute to early discontinuation of breastfeeding as follow : 2.1 Cultural Beliefs And Myths Of Breast Feeding The cultural beliefs, myths and ignorance have to be blame for the countrys poor breastfeeding performance. The myths that breastfed babies need water in addition to breast milk are wide spread in the country. Lack of knowledge and skill of mothers on when to start complementary food and how to maintain breastfeeding are other prohibitive factors, Complementary food, including water, should ONLY be introduced after the age of six months 2.2 Lacks Of Benefit And Facility Other factors according to Jaafar ( 2008 ) are the lack of benefits and facilities to promote and facilitate breastfeeding practices amongst women who also make up some half of the countrys working population. These include the absence of longer maternity leave, the lack of flexible working hours and missing childcare centers at work places. Breastfeeding patterns in Malaysia suggest that inadequate maternity leave may in fact be denying babies their right to mothers milk, and one of the reasons why only 1 in 7 infants were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in 2006. (Nadchatram ( 2008 ) According to Ministry of Health analysis of national breastfeeding data, exclusive breastfeeding rates in the country were high in the first two months but dropped rapidly after two or three months, roughly the period when maternity leave ends and working mothers return to paid employment.   In Malaysia, women are entitled to 8 weeks (60 days) paid maternity leave, 6 weeks short of the recommended 14 weeks by the International Labour Organisations Maternity Protection Convention 2000 (No. 183). Malaysia is not a signatory of the Convention. 2.4 Not Enough Milk Hussain (2003) has revealed that other factor for early discontinuation of exclusive breast feeding is not enough milk .In his study,54% of the sample express that this is one of the reason. The reason for not having enough milk might be highly influenced by the mothers emotional and psychological well-being. Low levels of stress, healthy nutrition, plenty of fluid intake, emotional support and nipple stimulation through babys sucking are all important contributors to breastfeeding success. However, living circumstances often dont allow perfect breastfeeding conditions: another child in the family, the death of a loved one, money worries etc. all add to an increase in stress levels. Other factors such as breast surgery can contribute to low amounts of breast milk. It has also been found that more women who gave birth by caesarean section Encountered breastfeeding problems, this may have various reasons such as the initial separation between mother and baby or the physical pain as a result of the surgery which ultimately affects the mothers ability to enjoy the breastfeeding experience. Chen ( 2006 ),conclude in his research that breastfeeding-friendly policies can significantly affect breastfeeding behaviors. However, an unfavorable working environment, especially for fab workers, can make it difficult to implement breastfeeding measures. With health professionals emphasizing that the importance of breastfeeding for infant health, and as only females can perform lactation, it is vital that womens work productive role and family reproductive role be respected and accommodated by society. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The length of maternity leave is positively associated with the duration of breastfeeding The International Labour Organization (ILO) recommends a period of maternity leave of not less than 14 week. However, the typical maternity leave in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries falls below these levels, only offering less than 12 weeks paid leave. In Taiwan, most companies provide only eight weeks of maternity leave. A national survey in 2005 showed that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Taiwan at one month postpartum was only 22.3%, and dropped to 16.7% at three month. To bring Taiwan in line with WHO guidelines, effective worksite strategies needed to be implemented to encourage new mothers to breastfeed in the workplace. 2.5 Levels of Influence and the Breastfeeding Decision 2.5.1 Health Professionals Roles Multiple studies indicate that health professionals support of breastfeeding is important in increasing breastfeeding rates (Lawrence, 1993, Winikoff Baer, 1980; Winikoff, Laukaran, Myers, Stone, 1986, 1987). Health professionals have made important promotion contributions, yet many health professionals who provide care to pregnant women and infants do not demonstrate explicit support of breastfeeding; nor do they have adequate knowledge about breastfeeding. In an American Academy of Pediatricians study, only 65 percent of pediatricians recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first month and only 37 percent recommended breastfeeding continue for the first year (Schanler, OConnor, Lawrence, 1999). Many women do not initiate breastfeeding because they know they will be returning to full-time employment that will entail separation from the baby. Perhaps they believe that they will not be able to continue breastfeeding once they return to work, and they adopt an attitude of Why start something I will not be able to continue? (Fein Roe, 1998). Furthermore, women who return to full-time work wean their infants earlier than other women. It has been found, however, that expecting to work part-time following the birth of a baby did not affect initiation of breastfeeding. Part-time work of four or fewer hours a day did not affect duration of breastfeeding. Part-time work for more than four hours per day affected duration of breastfeeding less than full-time work (Fein Roe, 1998). Because of economic necessity and the need for other benefits such as health insurance, many women cannot afford to work less than fulltime. When possible, however, delaying separation from the infant and reducing the amount of time mother and infant are separated during the infants first six months increases the likelihood that breastfeeding will be successful (Stuart-Macadam Dettwyler, 1995). In a qualitative study carried out by MacLaughlin and Strelnick (1984), many women suggested it would be helpful to receive breast-feeding information about combining breast-feeding with working and to have open discussions of the topic with other mothers. A survey of 567 women who breastfed while employed outside the home showed that the most significant difficulty was role overload, a result of the multiple demands to which they were responding. This aspect does not differ markedly from what is found for non-breastfeeding, working mothers (Auerbach Guss, 1984). About 60 per cent from 451 mothers who stopped breastfeeding, did so during the first postnatal month and another 20 per cent during the 2nd and 3rd month after the babies birth. The mothers age, education or parity, did not affect the rate of breastfeeding. Low birth weight, especially birth weight less than 2 kg, was a risk factor for early termination of breastfeeding. Caesarean delivery and hospitalization of the infant during the neonatal period was also associated with a higher rate of bottle feeding compared with newborns who had been delivered normally, discharged early, and nursed at home. Although breastfeeding rates are high, the finding that the majority of mothers who give up breastfeeding do so in the early weeks, calls for better support to all mothers by committed health personnel during the period when breastfeeding is being established, and for extra assistance to women whose infants are hospitalized or have a low birth weight (Shiva , 2003 ) 2.6 Advantages of breast milk to babies Breast milk is best for newborn baby, and the benefits of breastfeeding extend well beyond basic nutrition. In addition to containing all the vitamins and nutrients baby needs in the first six months of life, breast milk is packed with disease-fighting substances that protect baby from illness. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months (although any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial). And scientific studies have shown that breastfeeding is good for mothers health, too. Numerous studies from around the world have shown that stomach viruses, lower respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and meningitis occur less often in breastfed babies and are less severe when they do happen. Exclusive breastfeeding (meaning no solid food, formula, or water) for at least six months seems to offer the most protection. A study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences showed that children who are breastfed have a 20 percent lower risk of dying between the ages of 28 days and 1 year than children who werent breastfed, with longer breastfeeding associated with lower risk. The main immune factor at work here is a substance called secretor immunoglobulin A (IgA) thats present in large amounts in colostrums, the first milk mothers body produces for the baby. (Secretors IgA is present in lower concentrations in mature breast milk.) The substance guards against invading germs by forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes in the babys intestines, nose, and throat. 2.7 Advantages to breastfeed mothers A study of more than 33,000 Danish women who had given birth between 1999 and 2002 evaluated the effect of breastfeeding on maternal weight at 6 and 18 months postpartum compared to reported pre pregnancy weight. The authors calculated that a Danish woman with normal or obese pre pregnancy weight who gained 11-12 kg during the pregnancy and exclusively breastfed her infant for 6 months would be back to her pre pregnancy weight by then. At 18 months postpartum, women who exclusively breastfed for 6 months and continued breastfeeding until their infant was 12 months of age had the lowest probability of retaining 5 or more kg of weight no matter how much weight they gained during the pregnancy (Baker, 2008) 2.8 Conceptual framework The research conceptual framework will be carried out as shown in the flow chart below. INTERGRATED WARD HOSPITAL TUANKU AMPUAN NAJIHAH POSTNATAL MOTHERS ANTENATAL MOTHERS QUESTIONAIRE RESULT ANTENATAL MOTHERS POSTNATAL MOTHERS CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction In this chapter the researcher will discuss the main aspect of the research methodology in detail. There are five aspects that consist of the research design, population, sampling and methods, study instruments, collection of data and limitation of study. 3.1 Study design The study uses a descriptive and quantitative method. The researcher will distributes the questionnaires to the respondents as the main instrument to collect data for the study. The collection and the analysis of data is done in two weeks. 3.2 Population and sample The population is all antenatal mothers who will be come for screening in the labour room from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 and postnatal mothers discharge from integrated ward in Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Najihah. 3.3 Study subject All 15 antenatal mothers who will come for screening in integrated ward from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 and 15 postnatal mothers discharge from labour room during the study period. . 3.4 Sample size calculation The sample size will be calculated so that the study has the capability to detect clinically importance difference as statistically significant. The sample size also will be calculated to estimate effect with stated precision. Only 30 cases will be selected as the sample. 3.5 Study participants 3.5.1 Inclusion criteria All antenatal mothers who are conceiving their second child and above that warded from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 and postnatal mothers discharge from integrated ward. 3.5.2 Exclusion criteria All antenatal mothers who are conceiving their first baby from 30 January to 30 Mac 2011 was not included in this study. 3.6 Data collection procedures 3.6.1 This study will be using questionnaires that will be given to the antenatal and postnatal mothers before and after the campaign. 3.6.2 Permission to carry out the study will be obtained from the Hospital Director and the Chief Matron. An inform consent will also being obtained from the respondents ( Appendix II / Lampiran II). 3.6.3 Self Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) Self Administered Questionnaire will be used to determine the medical personal knowledge as shown in Appendix III / Lampiran III. 3.7 Sampling methodology Sampling refers to the process of selecting a portion of the population to represent the entire population (Polit Hungler, 1999). In this study only 30 participants will be selected among the antenatal and postnatal mothers in HTAN from January till March in the year of study. The study was done with pilot test 10 antenatal and postnatal mother and the cronbachs alpha= 0.732 3.7.1 Statistical analysis The result of this study was based on the responses from 30 of the antenatal and postnatal mothers. The independent variables identified namely were designation. The data was analyzed and presented in percentage. 3.7.2 Research tools Data was collected by using structured questionnaire. See Appendix III and Appendix IV. 3.8 Expected results Antenatal mothers have the knowledge and understanding of the importance in exclusive breastfeeding. Antenatal mothers will be making decisions on exclusive breastfeeding before delivery. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH RESULTS 4.0 Introduction In this chapter the collected data is analysed from the questionnaires given to the respondents. The demographic factors usually tested as it is often used as the inference study as it is easy to get and easily analysed the effect (Jack Fiorito et el 2007) . The first part is a demographic data about the respondents for example race, age , education level and their exclusive breastfeeding knowledge. 4.1 Characteristics of demographic respondents Section A Table 1 : Ethnic :- Antenatal mothers Antenatal mothers Post natal mothers Ethnic Number of respondents Percentage Number of respondents Percentage Total number Malay 11 73.3 % 13 86.7 % 24 Chinese 1 6.7 % 0% 1 Indian 3 20.0 % 2 13.3% 5 Referring to the table above, majority of the respondents are from the Malay ethnic which gives 73.3% for the antenatal mothers while the postnatal respondents gives 86.7%. The second higher percentage of ethnic comes from the Indians that give 20 %for the antenatal mothers and the postnatal mothers contributes 13.3 %. The least is the Chinese that gives only 6.7% that is only one respondent for the antenatal but none for the postnatal mothers.. As usual majority of the respondents are the Malays as most of them preferred to give birth in government hospitals comparing to the Chinese who prefer going to the private hospitals. Table 2 : Age of the respondents Age range Number of respondents for both ante and postnatal mothers Percentage 20 -25 years old 9 30.0% 26 30 years old 12 40.0 % 31 35 years old 6 20.0 % 36 40 years old 3 10.0% The age range for this study is done to get a better view to the majority of the ante and postnatal mothers involved. As shown in the table above the age range between 26 to 30 years of the antenatal and postnatal mothers gives the majority which contributes 40.0 %. The least comes from the age range of 36 to 40 years that gives only 10% which only 3 respondents involved. Table 3 ; Education Level Academic level Number of respondents Percentage Non- schooling 1 3.3 % Primary school 2 6.7% Secondary school 17 56.7% College/ University 10 33.3% As shown in the above table, the majority of the educational level comes from the secondary school level which contributes 56.7 % from all the respondents. This shows that this group of respondents have the great trust in the government hospital so does the college/ university level respondents that gives 33.3% of all. Table 4 : Occupation Occupation Number of respondents Percentage Housewife 17 56.7 % Self employed 4 13.3 % Government servant 5 16.7% Private sector 4 13.3% Referring to the above table, the housewife is the majority respondents in this study that carries 56.7% which is more than half of the respondents involved. The government servants contributes 16.7% while the self employed and the private sectors employees give the same percentage of 13.3% each. Table 5. : Exclusive breastfeeding prior knowledge YES NO Number Of respondents 25 5 Percentage 83.3% 16.7 % Referring to Table 5, 83.3% of the respondents have the prior knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding which means that they had the experience and knowledge to breastfeeding. Five respondents, contributing 16.7% had no knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. Table 6 : Number of child Number of child (conceiving/ give birth) Number of respondents Percentage 2 12 40% 3 11 36.7% 4 3 10% 5 2 6.6% 6 2 6.6% As shown in the table above , 12 respondents conceiving or giving birth to their second child that gives 40% of the study. 36.7% conceive or give birth to their third child, 10% or 3 respondents conceive or give birth to their 4th child and 6.6% contributed by respondents who conceive or give birth to their 5th and 6th child. SECTION B Knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding Question number 1

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Selfishness Among Characters :: essays research papers

Characters in the stories we have read so far this semester have been faced with a multitude of problems, emotions and impulses to work through. It seems that from three stories the characters carry out very different actions, but they all have an underlying bond, selfishness and the desire to be something there not. It also seems that they are judged in the eyes of the narrator, as either succeeding or failing due to the way they carried themselves throughout the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the short story, 'A Pair of Silk Stockings';, by Kate Chopin, the main character, Mrs. Sommers, after finding fifteen dollars plans do things with it for her kids, and her family. However, this all changed after, buying a pair of expensive silk stockings for herself. She just totally forgets about all the nice things she was going to do with the money for her kids, for instance buy them new cloths for once in their lives. Once she put those silk stockings on, she received a small taste of the good life, and the greed and selfishness set in. She wanted more of it. So, she goes off and treats herself to things of a higher class, deep down knowing that she didn't belong where she was, for example, in the theater or going to a nice restaurant for lunch. At the end it seems that she has no recollection of her life before this day had begun. She was so wrapped up in assuming the identity of a wealthy person under false pretenses. The way that the narrator was telling the story, the main character Mrs. Sommers, both Succeeds and fails at the same time. She succeeds in the sense of fooling people and also herself into believing that she is a member of the upper class, at the same time failing in her responsibilities to her family of being a responsible mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the second story, we read by Kate Chopin, 'Regret';, the main character, Mamzelle Aurelie, has a selfishness to her, that to me was a somewhat a good kind of selfishness, unlike Mrs. Sommers. She was a strong woman who never really had a man in her life, probably because she had her own ways of doing things and didn't want a man telling her how to live her life. I believe that this is the reason she turned down the proposal, of marriage, earlier on in her life.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Sterilizing the World of ‘Dumb’ People . . . Why It Won’t Work :: Argumentative Persuasive Intelligence Essays

Sterilizing the World of ‘Dumb’ People . . . Why It Won’t Work â€Å"If we could just keep dumb people from having children, eventually there would be nothing but smart people and this would be a better place.† After reading this statement once and not really fully considering it, a lot of people may agree. At some point in their lives, many people may look at certain parents and their children and say, ‘those people really should not be allowed to have children.’ Usually these thoughts are just thoughts, for who are we to say who can and cannot have children. However, what if a government official proposed to sterilize everyone with less than an average IQ of 100. Would preventing ‘dumb’ people from reproducing really make this world a better place? Is the status of our society based on the intelligence of its people alone? The answer to solving the world’s problems and making this a better place to live are not that simple. There are many complex issues around defining and measuring intelligence. Even if we knew for sure that only ‘smart’ people make this place better, would sterilizing the ‘dumb’ work? How important is it to take into account other things that may affect a person’s development? Intelligence is influenced by the interaction of genetics, environment, and culture; therefore, sterilizing people would probably not keep the world free of people with an IQ of less than 100. If the world were cleansed of ‘dumb’ people, it would not guarantee a perfect world. Having a high IQ does not mean that a person will necessarily make this world a better place. Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, had the IQ of a genius. He spent years of his life terrorizing, injuring, and killing people. On the other hand, just because a person has a low IQ does not mean they cannot make this a better place. Take, for example, the ‘Forest Gumps’ of the world or the mentally challenged. They may not be very smart on what our society subjectively calls intelligence, but they may bring joy and purpose to someone else’s life. Making this world a better place is not something left strictly up to the intelligence of the people in it. Anyone supporting the government official’s proposal is assuming that people’s intelligence alone causes the condition of the world, and there is no proof of this.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Small Scale Textile Industry

SMALL SCALE TEXTILE INDUSTRY ABSTRACT India is the world’s second largest producer of textiles and garments after China. It is the world’s third largest producer of cotton—after China and the USA—and the second largest cotton consumer after China. The Indian textile industry is as diverse and complex as country itself and it combines with equal equanimity this immense diversity into a cohesive whole. The fundamental strength of this industry flows from its strong production base of wide range of fibres / yarns from natural fibres like cotton, jute, silk and wool to synthetic /man-made fibres like polyester, viscose, nylon and acrylic.The growth pattern of the Indian textile industry in the last decade has been considerably more than the previous decades, primarily on account of liberalization of trade and economic policies initiated by the Government in the 1990s. In producer-driven value chains, large, usually transnational, manufacturers play the central roles in coordinating production networks. This is typical of capital- and technologyintensive industries such as automobiles, aircraft, computers, semiconductors and heavy machinery.Buyer-driven value chains are those in which large retailers, marketers and branded manufacturers play the pivotal roles in setting up decentralized production networks in a variety of exporting countries, typically located in developing countries. This pattern of trade-led industrialization has become common in labour-intensive, consumer-goods industries such as garments, footwear, toys, handicrafts and consumer electronics. Large manufacturers control the producer-driven value chains at the point of production, while marketers and merchandisers exercise the main leverage in buyer-driven value chains at the design and retail stages.Apparel is an ideal industry for examining the dynamics of buyer-driven value chains. The relative ease of setting up clothing companies, coupled with the prevalence of dev eloped-country protectionism in this sector, has led to an unparalleled diversity of garment exporters in the third world. Apparel is an ideal industry for examining the dynamics of buyer-driven value chains. India’s textile industry comprises mostly smallscale, non-integrated spinning, weaving, finishing, and apparel-making enterprises. In this term paper, we study about the small scale Indian Textile Industry, its importance, role, roducts, finance, subsidies, attractiveness and the growth. We also present opportunities in this sector, the challenges, jobs and salaries in these industries. HISTORY OF INDIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY India has been well known for her textile goods since very ancient times. The traditional textile industry of India was virtually decayed during the colonial regime. However, the modern textile industry took birth in India in the early nineteenth century when the first textile mill in the country was established at Fort gloster near Calcutta in 1818.The cotton textile industry, however, made its real beginning in Bombay, in 1850s. The first cotton textile mill of Bombay was established in 1854 by a Parsi cotton merchant then engaged in overseas and internal trade. Indeed, the vast majority of the early mills were the handiwork of Parsi merchants engaged in yarn and cloth trade at home and Chinese and African markets. The first cotton mill in Ahmedabad, which was eventually to emerge as a rival centre to Bombay, was established in 1861. The spread of the textile industry to Ahmedabad was largely due to the Gujarati trading class.The cotton textile industry made rapid progress in the second half of the nineteenth century and by the end of the century there were 178 cotton textile mills; but during the year 1900 the cotton textile industry was in bad state due to the great famine and a number of mills of Bombay and Ahmedabad were to be closed down for long periods. The two world wars and the Swadeshi movement provided great stimulus t o the Indian cotton textile industry. However, during the period 1922 to 1937 the industry was in doldrums and during this period a number of the Bombay mills changed hands. The number of mills increased from 178 with 4. 5 lakh looms in 1901 to 249 mills with 13. 35 lakh looms in 1921 and further to 396 mills with over 20 lakh looms in 1941. By 1945 there were 417 mills employing 5. 10 lakh workers. The partition of the country at the time of independence affected the cotton textile industry also. The Indian union got 409 out of the 423 textiles mills of the undivided India. 14 mills and 22 per cent of the land under cotton cultivation went to Pakistan. Some mills were closed down for some time. For a number of years since independence, Indian mills had to import cotton from Pakistan and other countries.After independence, the cotton textile industry made rapid strides under the Plans. Between 1951 and 1982 the total number of spindles doubled from 11 million to 22 million. It incre ased further to well over 26 million by 1989-90. A SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY In most of the developing countries like India, Small Scale Industries (SSI) constitutes an important and crucial segment of the industrial sector. They play an important role in employment creation, resource utilization and income generation and helping to promote changes in a gradual and phased manner.They have been given an important place in the framework of Indian planning since beginning both for economic and ideological reasons. The reasons are obvious. The scarcity of capital in India severely limits the number of non-farm jobs that can be created because investment costs per job are high in large and medium industries. An effective development policy has to attempt to increase the use of labor, relative to capital to the extent that it is economically efficient. Small scale enterprises are generally more labor intensive than larger organizations.As a matter of fact, small scale sector has now emerged as a dynamic and vibrant sector for the Indian economy in recent years. It has attracted so much attention not only from industrial planners and economists but also from sociologists, administrators and politicians. Definition of Small Scale Industry: The Small Scale Industries Board in 1955 defined, â€Å"Small-scale industry as a unit employing less than 50 employees if using power and less than 100 employees if not using power and with a capital asset not exceeding Rs. 5 lakhs†. ‘The initial capital investment of Rs. lakhs has been changed to Rs. 10 lakhs for small industries and Rs. 15 lakhs for ancillaries in 1975. Again this fixed capital investment limit was raised to Rs. 15 lakhs for small units and Rs. 20 lakhs for ancillary units in 1980. The Government of India in 1985 has further increased the investment limit to Rs. 35 lakhs for small-scale units and 45 lakhs for ancillary units. Again the new Industrial Policy in 1991 raised the investment ceilings in plant and machinery to Rs. 60 lakhs for small-scale units and Rs. 75 lakhs for ancillary units.As per the Abid Hussain Committee's recommendations on small-scale industry, the Government of India has, in March 1997 further raised investment ceilings to Rs. 3 crores for small-scale and ancillary industries and to Rs. 50 lakhs for tiny industry. THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SUPPLY CHAIN TRENDS IN PRODUCTION- YARN AND FABRIC (SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES) Yarn and fabric production has been annually growing at 1. 9% and 2. 7% respecitvely since 2000. Yarn production has increased from 3,940 mn kg in 1999? 00 to 4,326 mn kg in 2004? 05. Man? made yarn has driven much of this, showing a robust growth of 4. % in the last five years. Spun yarn production and the cotton yarn sector have also grown, albeit less impressively, recording growths of 2. 4% and 0. 6% respectively. Fabric production has been growing at 2. 7% annually between 2000 and 2005, driven primarily by the smallscale, independent powerloom s ector. Growth in the 100% non? cotton segment touched 5%, followed by cotton fabric at 1. 5% and blended fabric at 0. 3%. Fabric production touched a peak 45,378 million sq mtrs in 2004? 05, and in Nov 06, production recorded a robust 9% growth compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.STRUCTURE OF INDIA’s SMALL SCALE TEXTILE INDUSTRY The textile sector in India is one of the worlds largest. The textile industry today is divided into three segments: 1. Cotton Textiles 2. Synthetic Textiles 3. Other like Wool, Jute, Silk etc. All segments have their own place but even today cotton textiles continue to dominate with 73% share. The structure of cotton textile industry is very complex with co-existence of oldest technologies of hand spinning and hand weaving with the most sophisticated automatic spindles and loom.The structure of the textile industry is extremely complex with the modern, sophisticated and highly mechanized mill sector on the one hand and hand spin ning and hand weaving (handloom sector) on the other in between falls the decentralised small scale powerloom sector. Unlike other major textile-producing countries, India’s textile industry is comprised mostly of small-scale, nonintegrated spinning, weaving, finishing, and apparel-making enterprises. This unique industry structure is primarily a legacy of government policies that have promoted laborintensive, small-scale operations and discriminated against larger scale firms: ?Composite Mills Relatively large-scale mills that integrate spinning, weaving and, sometimes, fabric finishing are common in other major textile-producing countries. In India, however, these types of mills now account for about only 3 percent of output in the textile sector. About 276 composite mills are now operating in India, most owned by the public sector and many deemed financially ? sick.? In 2003-2004 composite mills that produced 1434 m. sq mts of cloth. Most of these mills are located in Guja rat and Maharashtra. ? SpinningSpinning is the process of converting cotton or manmade fiber into yarn to be used for weaving and knitting. This mills chiefly located in North India. Spinning sector is technology intensive and productivity is affected by the quality of cotton and the cleaning process used during ginning. Largely due to deregulation beginning in the mid-1980s, spinning is the most consolidated and technically efficient sector in India’s textile industry. Average plant size remains small, however, and technology outdated, relative to other major producers.In 2002/03, India’s spinning sector consisted of about 1,146 small-scale independent firms and 1,599 larger scale independent units. ? Weaving and knitting The weaving and knits sector lies at the heart of the industry. In 2004-05, of the total production from the weaving sector, about 46 percent was cotton cloth, 41 percent was 100% non-cotton including khadi, wool and silk and 13 percent was blended c loth. Three distinctive technologies are used in the sector – handlooms, powerlooms and knitting machines.Weaving and knitting converts cotton, manmade, or blended yarns into woven or knitted fabrics. India’s weaving and knitting sector remains highly fragmented, small-scale, and labour-intensive. This sector consists of about 3. 9 million handlooms, 380,000 ? powerloom? enter-prises that operate about 1. 7 million looms, and just 137,000 looms in the various composite mills. ?Powerlooms? are small firms, with an average loom capacity of four to five owned by independent entrepreneurs or weavers. Modern shuttleless looms account for less than 1 percent of loom capacity. Fabric Finishing Fabric finishing (also referred to as processing), which includes dyeing, printing, and other cloth preparation prior to the manufacture of clothing, is also dominated by a large number of independent, small-scale enterprises. Overall, about 2,300 processors are operating in India, incl uding about 2,100 independent units and 200 units that are integrated with spinning, weaving, or knitting units. ? Clothing Apparel is produced by about 77,000 small-scale units classified as domestic manufacturers, manufacturer exporters, and fabricators (subcontractors).ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIALS India’s textile industry comprises mostly small-scale, non-integrated spinning, weaving, finishing, and apparel-making enterprises. Wool: India’s wool industry is primarily located in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. These three states alone account for more than 75 per cent of the production capacity, with both licensed and decentralized players. The woolen industry provides employment to approximately 1. 2 million people. Silk: India is the second largest producer of silk in the world, contributing about 18 per cent to global production.Growing demand for traditional silk fabrics and exports of handloom products has spurred growth in silk demand. Jute: Jute industry occupies an important place in India’s economy, being one of the major industries in the eastern region, particularly in West Bengal. It supports nearly 4 million farming families, besides providing direct employment to 260,000 industrial workers and livelihood to another 140,000 people in the tertiary sector and allied activities. Handloom: The handloom sector is based on Indian traditional crafts. It employs nearly 7. million people and contributes 13 per cent to cloth production. ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE ENTERPRISE – THE THRUST AREAS Textile Industry is unique in a sense that despite it being mainly small-scale, it follows the principles of large scale industries. The major thrust areas are:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Innovative marketing strategies Diversification of product Enhancement of textile oriented technology Quality awareness Intensifying raw materials Growth of productivity Increase in exports Financing arrangements Creating employment opportunities H uman Resource DevelopmentGROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES The future outlook for the industry looks promising, rising income levels in both urban and rural markets will ensure a rising market for the cotton fabrics considered a basic need in the realm of new economic reforms (NER) proper attention has been given to the development of the textiles industry in the Tenth plan. Total outlay on the development of textile industry as envisaged in the tenth plan is fixed at Rs. 1980 crore. The production envisaged in the terminal year of the Tenth plan are 45,500 million sq metres of cloth 4,150 million kg of spun yarn and 1,450 million kg of man made filament yarn.The per capita availability of cloth was 28. 00 sq meters by 2006-2007 as compared to 23. 19 sq meters in 2000-01 showing a growth of 3. 19 percent. Some of the factors that led to growth of this sector are: The textile industry has been doing extremely well during the last few years in terms of production & export and has been investin g heavily in expansion and modernization of capacity. India has been experiencing strong performance in the textile industry, across different segments of the value chain, from raw materials to garments. Domestic production has been growing, as well as exports. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? High operational efficiency in spinning and weaving Low-cost skilled labor Large and growing domestic market Easy availability of raw materials State-of-the-art design capabilities Well-established network of related and supporting industries Sophisticated machines of higher speed and production capability Lower raw material costs, wastage costs and labor costs when compared to other countries Fully developed textile value chain extending from fiber to fabric to garment exports Favorable demand conditions Managements with business background ? ? ?Presence of qualified technical personnel Large domestic market Availability of testing facilities JOBS AND SALARIES Small scale industries are labor intensive an d they provide a large number of jobs but the salaries are not so high. Small scale textile firms don’t produce sufficient profit so as to give high salaries to the laborers. But, most of the jobs have job security because of the perennial nature of the work. The workers are skilled and hence not easily replaceable. A very important point when it comes to small scale textile industries is the large involvement of women and hence a great women employability ratio.CHALLENGES FOR SMALL SCALE TEXTILE INDUSTRIES The small scale Indian textile industry is reeling under manifold problems. The major challenges that the industry faces:- ? Sickness Sickness is widespread in the Indian textile industry. After the engineering industry, the cotton textile industry has the highest incidence of sickness. As many as 125 sick units have been taken over by the Central Government. ? Obsolescence The plant and machinery and technology employed by a number of units are obsolete.The need today is to make the industry technologically up-to-date rather than expand capacity as such. This need was foreseen quite some time back and schemes for modernization of textile industry had been introduced. ? Government Regulations Government regulations like the obligation to produced controlled cloth are against the interest of the industry. During the last two decades the excessive regulations exercised by the government on the mill sector has promoted inefficiency in both production and management. This has also resulted in a colossal waste of raw materials and productive facilities.For example, the mills are not allowed to use filament yarn in warp in order to protect the interest of art silk and power loom sector which use this yarn to cater to the affluent section of society.? ? Competition from other Countries In the international market, India has been facing severe competition from other countries like Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan. The high cost of production of the India n industry is a serious adverse factor. ? Labor Problems Small scale industries are labor intensive. The Indian Textile Industry is frequently plagued by labor problems.The very long strike of the textile workers of Bombay caused losses amounting to millions of rupees not only to the workers and industry but also to the nation in terms of excise and other taxes and exports. ? Accumulation of Stock At times the industry faces the problems of very low off –take of stocks resulting in accumulation of huge stocks. The situation leads to price cuts and the like leading to loss or low profits. CONCLUSION The Indian textile industry is currently one of the largest and most important sector in the economy in terms of output foreign exchange earnings and employment in India.The Textile industry has the potential to scale new height in the globalized economy. The textile industry in India has gone through significant charges in anticipation of increased international competition. The i ndustry is facing numerous problems and among them the most important once are those of liquidity for many organized sector units, demand recession and insufficient price realization. The long-range problems include the need for sufficient modernisation and restructuring of the entire industry to cater more effectively to the demands of the domestic and foreign markets for textiles as per the needs of today and tomorrow.REFERENCES 1. http://www. Indianbusiness. nic. in/India-profile/textile. htm 2. http://www. economywatch. com/business-and-economy/textile-Industry. html 3. http://hotdocs. usitc. gov 4. http://www. texprocil. com/annreport/profile-texprocil. doc 5. http://www. aepcindia. com 6. http://www. in. kpmg. com 7. http://pd. cpim. org/2004/10312004-ganguly. html 8. http://www. pdexcil. org/export. htm 9. http://www. giftsnaccessories. com/magazine/Handicrafts/11. htm