Debate Team paper on Obamacare

Our team’s debate topic covers a controversial issue within the Affordable Care Act in America, known as Obamacare. Obamacare is the universal health care in the United States that provides Americans access to affordable, quality health insurance, with a goal of reducing growth in healthcare spending. This universal health plan is technically a mandate or tax, in which non-compliers may be penalized through their federal return. Our topic debates whether Americans should be forced to pay this ‘shared responsibility fee’ for not complying with Obamacare. Arguments for Pro’s The United States of America is a rich and powerful country.The way we handle political, social, and ethical issues are closely watched by the entire world. We are a free democratic society who has entrusted our government to make the best, most appropriate decision for each individual in this country, even if that means we have to pay a little more. Obamacare is one of many policies that illustrate the American people’s willingness to help one another.According to â€Å"Obamacare Facts† (2013), Health and Human Services (HHS), the department in charge of implementing and overseeing the Affordable Care Act, reported that in the first two months of open enrollment nearly 1.2 million Americans had selected a health plan. With so many people utilizing these policies, it sends a positive message to other countries demonstrating how, through democracy the American people’s concern for and willingness to help one another is evident. In countries like Japan, the government has been working together with its citizens to help with healthcare costs without any hesitation. According to â€Å"The Lancet† (2011), â€Å"In healthcare the government overtime succeeded in changing the basis of medical practice from Chinese to Western medicine.Moreover the transition was achieved without minimal cost and limited social disruption [ The same social compli ance can be achieved through Obamacare, even with the tax mandate in place. Throughout history, the American people has overcome tremendous social hardships (9-11 and Sandy Hook/Connecticut to name a few), by coming together and supporting one another, exemplifying our tenacity, resilience and dedication to each other] Arguments for Con There is another side of the coin that should be addressed.With the tax penalty and the implementation of Obamacare not being as smooth as our government would have liked, many Americans who were in favor of Obamacare are quickly rethinking their stance. For Americans to fully utilize the Obamacare healthcare system, Americans must accept responsibility and pay the tax for non-compliance. Obamacare offers healthcare packages specific to ones’ needs along with many added benefits. Due to a significant amount of Americans who need or want to obtain health insurance, the cost of these plans must be covered.For Americans who are experiencing an in crease in healthcare expenses due to the unacceptable regulations of insurance companies and the rising costs of prescription medications, Obamacare seems to be a perfect solution. Yet, some Americans insist that the tax is unfair and feel they should not be forced to pay anything. According to the â€Å"ARC† (2007), â€Å"Observe that all legitimate rights have one thing in common, they are rights to action not to rewards from other people. The American rights impose no obligations on other people, merely the negative obligation to leave you alone.The system guarantees you the chance to work for what you want not to be given it without effort by somebody else. † Ethical, Moral, Legal, and Technical Issues There are many ethical, moral, and legal issues that lie within the Affordable Care Act. Ethical issues like younger American’s being relied upon to cover the benefits of the older, sicker Americans. The moral issues like the fact that other countries with uni versal healthcare- Japan for example, strictly regulates cost to keep insurance affordable yet, Obamacare does not guarantee affordability for its citizens; and legal issues like the â€Å"fix† on grandfathered health plans.Americans who will consume healthcare less frequently are â€Å"needed to subsidize the cost of older sicker ones† (Oliphant, 2013). In order to achieve affordable health insurance and include the benefits of the packages, not only must Americans actively participate in the healthcare law but younger Americans especially. â€Å"In theory, the law would create large pools of younger, healthier participants whose premiums would help offset the cost of providing care for older policyholders who use the health care system more† (Cohen, 2013).As the  deadline approaches for Americans to shop and purchase healthcare packages, the desperate need for compliance by young Americans has increased and has been communicated to the People. According to C NN News reporters, President Obama encouraged young supporters to recruit their peers to sign up for healthcare on Wednesday December, 4th 2013 (Cohen, 2013). Americans who will be depending on their healthcare more, will also depend on Americans who are healthier, to comply and pay into the plan as an attempt to maintain affordability in Obamacare.Affordability in Obamacare is not however guaranteed. â€Å"The ACA was enacted with the goals of increasing the quality and affordability of health insurance [and] lowering the uninsured rate by expanding public and private insurance coverage† â€Å"Wikipedia/Affordable Care Act† (2013). As Americans shop, some are experiencing significant rate increases. Obamacare offers many rights, protections and benefits including, â€Å"improvements to women health services†, â€Å"better care and protection for seniors†, â€Å"no annual or lifetime limits† (Obamacare Facts, 2013), and acceptance of pre-existing c onditions.In order to include these essential additions, some Americans are facing increases in their premiums or, for Americans who were not covered before, experiencing higher than expected insurance costs. â€Å"Several studies on insurance premiums expect that with the subsidies offered under the ACA, more people will pay less (than they did prior to the reforms) than those who will pay more, and that those premiums will be more stable (even in changing health circumstances) and transparent, due to the regulations on insurance† â€Å"Wikipedia/Affordable Care Act† (2013).Even though many Americans will notice a discount, when compared to health care in Japan, Obamacare communicates a stance of quality over affordability. The Japanese Government strictly regulates health care to ensure its consumers are paying as little as possible out of pocket. The affordability of Japanese healthcare may be a factor in utilization that is 4x that of the United States. This govern ment regulation guarantees affordability for the Japanese causing an increase of usage of health care.Not to mention,â€Å"people who live in Japan can expect to remain in good health longer than anybody else in the world, according to the World Health Organisation(WHO)† (BBC news, 2000). Legal issues like the â€Å"grandfathered plan† fix have impacted the roll-out of Obamacare. Confusion raised when already insured Americans experienced significant increases in costs of current premiums. This confusion was due to the promise of President Obama to Americans, â€Å"if you like your plan you can keep it†; that Americans who were already insured would experience no change in premium costs.After further review, Grandfathered plans (plans in effect before March 23, 2010) now remain effective until 2015. President Obama’s statement â€Å"if you like your plan you can keep it† still stands. Previously insured Americans can take advantage of their current plans that â€Å"don't have to follow ObamaCare's rules and regulations or offer the same benefits, rights and protections as new plans† (Obamacare Facts, 2013). The issues that exist within the healthcare law require the American people to develop skills that aid in the execution of complying with Obamacare guidelines.Despite these issues, all Americans share a responsibility to obtain the means and abide by the healthcare law Career Competencies Obtaining health insurance requires many Americans to develop a skill-set of research, evaluation, critical thinking, decision making, and also coping with pressure due to the many inconsistencies of the roll-out and progression to deadline. Too short paragraph. One’s competence in assessing and shopping for plans provides him or her (or business) the incentive to choose the package that fully covers all specific needs.Creating an understanding of information on plans and details within the package, along with applying these expertise to shop and choose the perfect plan, allows consumers to take an active role in achieving health insurance. Whether you are shopping for individual, family, or employee coverage, paying attention to the qualifications, offers, and costs of each package will allow one to find quality health insurance while remaining aware of the benefits of Obamacare. Americans who choose not to shop for healthcare packages must also achieve competence in evaluating fees.â€Å"The individual mandate goes into effect January 1st, 2014. The penalty will be applied to your annual taxable income for each month you do not have health insurance. The fee for not having insurance in 2014 is $95 per adult and $47. 50 per child or 1% of your taxable income (up to $285 for a family), whichever is greater† (Obamacare Facts, 2013). For employers who have over 50 fulltime equivalent employees and wish not to provide insurance, competence in calculating the fee is also important.â€Å"The annual fee is $2,000 per employee if insurance is not offered. The fee is a per month fee due annually on employer federal tax returns starting in 2015. So the per month fee is 1/12 of the $2,000 or $3,000 per employee† (Obamacare Facts, 2013). Americans who choose to shop, as well as those who make the decision not to comply must obtain the necessary skill-set to remain informed and be prepared of how Obamacare will affect their finances and life beginning January 1st, 2014.In times of non-compliance, web-site flaws, the need to become familiar with new information, and fighting the clock to deadline, Americans must also cope with pressure. Maintaining a positive outlook and working productively to choose a plan, despite the circulating flaws that may arise, will promote healthy mental processes that will guide one to successful decision making. Keeping emotions under control during difficult situations will help individuals, families, and businesses obtain quality health insurance while remaining stress free and open-minded.Making the decision to pay tax rather than comply with standards of Obamacare may also increase stress. Americans making this tough decision must think critically on the matter yet remain level-headed to ensure valid and sound arguments against the insurance of their health. Conclusion American’s may feel stripped of their â€Å"freedom of choice† when forced to either pay more taxes on private health insurance or enroll in the Affordable Care act, better known as Obamacare.Many years Americans have gone without having health insurance which has increased the cost of insurance, as well as increased the cost of hospitals, medications, health insurance premiums, and other medical related costs. Over the past few decades, health in American people had deteriorated due to lifestyle choices. One of the initiatives of Obamacare is geared towards young people also known as â€Å"get covered†. â€Å"It also seeks to nudge you ng adults into action by portraying insurance as a social responsibility, and encouraging peers and parents to put pressure on the uninsured† (Bohan,2013).After many years of this continued practice and still increasing costs, we are indirectly paying for the people who go to receive treatment and do not pay their medical bills. It could be argued that Obamacare will force Americans to reassess and accept responsibility of their healthcare. Obamacare allows Americans to make a conscious decision to carry the cost for being provided quality health insurance, whether it is choosing to pay the â€Å"penalty tax† or enrolling in a healthcare plan.Life expectancy has increased over the past decades and unfortunately, this means more people have utilized Medicaid over a longer period of time. Instead of being reactive when diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, or other long term conditions which are very costly over time, Obamacare will make Americans proactive in awareness of their health by having set parameters of the requirements in coverage, i. e. , â€Å"requiring a physical†. Having a healthy nation that helps young Americans understand the importance of health is something we all must contribute to.The mentality of why Americans must pay penalties, follow requirements, and how freedom of choice will change is the first reaction to the unknown. Obamacare provides access to a market of quality and affordable health insurance for Americans. Obamacare mandates that anyone who can afford it must provide themselves, family, or employees with quality health insurance. To ensure a more healthy nation and align with the notion of shared responsibility and a willingness to help each other, Americans must abide by the mandate or pay the shared responsibility fee.

Marketing in Contemporary Context

Marketing in Contemporary Contexts| October 15 2012 | From: Hong Minh VuStudent ID 1216011To: Dr. Amandeep TakharUnit leader of Marketing in Contemporary Contexts| | There can be various answers to this question, and it can be varied in depth and example. From my understanding, I feel that marketing does both. It creates and also satisfies needs of customers. For establised firms, it's essential to be able to satisfy the needs of customers. As they say, a satisfied customer is a profitable one.To be able to satisfy the customer's needs, the firm thus tries to understand it's customer's needs and then attempt try to deliver it. On the other hand, new firms or marketing these days also attempt to ‘create' needs. By doing so, the customer have a reason to buy the product. The basic reason customers purchase anything is they need it. However if customers have a perception that they do not need it, they may not purchase the product. Hence marketing these days have evolved to create needs for customers.Marketing these days does not only mean existing customers, which have needs but also non existing customers, which have no needs. Creating needs by marketing can mean the excellent usage of promotion activities, from words on a poster to colours on it. It can also mean effective sales techniques by the door to door salesman which can talk their way to sell you anything. The traditional concept of marketing was only about sales or meeting the â€Å"current needs† of a consumer. But the same cannot be felt, today with the number of firms on the rise in the same industry, state and even the same street.Everyone is in a race either to: * Capture a customer   and satisfy their needs * Create a customer and satisfy their needs. So what If the competitor has already captured the potential customer, there are many more people in the market yet to realize the need which is created but not actually needed. Let’s take an example. Mac Books or laptops are su ch a common commodity among students and even school kids irrespective of the fact that it is not really needed. Can’t they manage with a desktop at home? But now day’s companies do more! They educate people and give them eason to buy their products and this is what people might call it â€Å"creation of needs† people purchase something when they need it, if they think they do not need the product they may not purchase it. How many people today in Pakistan need I-pod? How many people really need Mobile + Internet + Camera + TV all in one set? Can we call it marketers created their needs? References Parsons, E. and Maclaran. P. (2010), Contemporary issues in Marketing & Consumer Behaviour, Butterworth Heinemann Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (2012), Marketing Management, Pearson Education

Managers

INTRODUCTIONManagers are one of the most important elements for an organization to be successful. Sometimes we refer them as the brains of an organization. They are the ones directing and controlling the works and staff of a department or an organization. They are vital in the states of affairs of an organization. How they perform and deal with people around them contributes to the welfare of the whole organization.It is very important to know that each manager knows his role and how to make it well. It is in their handling of work and how they deal with people around them that brings great significance to the success of their organization. They are very much the key to a successful organization. They are the criteria in which an organization ought to have success.  In this paper, we will try to unravel the responsibilities and functions of a manger. May this paper be a guide to all managers working in an organization.ROLE OF MANAGERSA manager must be well versed regarding the syst em of the organization he is working and he must convey to his people all matters regarding the system. It is important that the mangers have the knowledge of the system. He must relay such information to his people so that his people will know the flow of the system of the organization. A manager educates his people on the structure of the organization. A manager must also give emphasis on the work of their unit and the contributions it will give to the welfare of the whole organization.The knowledge of the group regarding their function is then vital in their performance and to the organization’s success. Educating his people regarding the system of the organization and the function of their unit must be the first focus of a manager. It is in this dissemination of information that shapes what and how the unit can contribute to the whole organization. A manager must always banner this state of mastery regarding the organization for him to function well and to be able to educ ate well his people.Managers must also inculcate to his people their value as a component of the system. This is very important in an organization in order for the employees to know their worth to the entire system. Employees need to know this thing because the idea of value plays a vital role in the performance in working in the system. When employees know their value, they are most likely to be inspired in working. The presence of value makes employees really connected to the system. This will enable them to see themselves as important parts of the whole system.Employees finding their value to the system of the organization will bring about the idea of being one with the system. This idea is a very powerful factor in the performance of employees. This makes them one with the system and will make them appreciate that what they will do will contribute to the welfare of the whole system and if they do well, the system’s success will also be their own success and vice versa. To inform the employees and make them appreciate their value to the system is one of the roles of the manager.A manager must also understand that his employees are different from each other. A manager must see every employee’s background (family, education, skills, abilities, etc.). This is not an act of ranking each employee but this is an act of looking at each of them and tries to discover and organize plan on how they will gel and complement each other. The manager must try to put each and every employee to a position where they can contribute to the organization as a whole.This role of the manager is very vital because it enables him to facilitate plans that would be so much beneficial to the organization’s welfare. Team work leads to success and how a manager puts together diverse people will be key to success. This is an art that a manager will have to master. This is like putting together a puzzle, a puzzle that leads to success.A manager loves learning. He is al ways open to growth and development in learning. This openness to growth and development is not only limited to his own self but also to his members and employees. A manager must provide a good learning condition not only for himself but also to his employees. He encourages education for those who have deficiencies in educational attainment. He also provides seminars and courses to his people for the advancement of learning such as personality development seminars, leadership seminars and the likes.Openness to learning is an act of adapting to the changing world. Knowledge always evolves and thus people must also adapt to its evolution. People’s minds are also dynamic and thus needs to be catered by new trainings and seminars. This is one great manifestation of a good manager, a manager that is in constant search for new ideas and methods, a practice that a manager must always look forward and do.A manager must understand a stable system and the interaction of people and the circumstances that work in. Performances of everyone depend on a stable system. When coaching an employee or correcting a mistake, it must be in a good manner that does not distract employee’s attention to work. It must come from an orderly manner and must not be an insult to the employee. AS good working atmosphere must always be in the mind of a manager and must not do away from it.Lessons will always take its effects in a manner of good coaching. People will always take suggestions for growth and development if it comes from a professional and even brotherly manner. Managers must not be the menace of the workplace instead and avenue to freely express one’s self and grow. This is very important in a manager’s role in an organization, a manager that makes learning easy and not a personal attack to someone.A manager must not rely always on authority of office. This means that he does not rely on power and does not use power to manipulate employees. Power creates difficulties for employees to work with. It sometimes makes employees feel that they are lesser persons than the manager. They at times lose the will to persevere in every endeavor when subjected to power and thus losses the will to do their job well.A manager must use knowledge in persuading an employee to a particular task. His personality as knowledgeable and open person will make an employee at ease in different situations. If an employee is at ease, this will then pave way to a more constructive learning process between an employee and a manager. Both feel something good in learning and both will then work hard and support each other in the organization’s aims.A manager must always study results of performances not only his own performance but the performances of his people. This is again an important task to do. This entails that a manager must always look not only to his accomplishments but also to the accomplishments and performance of his people. A manager must look if he had an employee that needs help. It is van inevitable part of an organization that someone will commit mistakes. If someone commits a mistake, that someone surely needs help. Help may come from simple things such as just rearranging tasks that somehow is too burdening to the employee or by just giving more explanation regarding the task involve.A manager must create trust to his employees. This presupposes an environment of freedom and innovation. Given that a manager must have trust to his people, this will then give way for his people to have confidence in themselves. This confidence will now give them an opportunity to innovate and create for the organization on what they deem important and vital for its success. Employees can now be part of the whole brain that runs an organization. This will not only lead to growth of every employee but also to the organization as a whole.A manager must not demand and expect perfection from his people. No one is perfect in this world and no employee can give a perfect accomplishment. A manger must understand this reality so that he can truly relate in good manner with his people. This is also an avenue to a more helping and cooperative way of doing work because everyone knows that they are not perfect and they need each other for them to achieve the goal of the organization as a whole.A manager must always listen and must always be objective in listening. In times of conflicts, managers will hear feedbacks from his people and it may contain degrading words for others employees. He must not judge instantly and must not take everything to be correct. His judgment on a certain matter must always be coupled with rational thinking. In this state, the organization will have a better inter human relationship that will always be key to success.A manager must also be engaged in informal conversations with his people not to judge them but just giving time to listen to them. This will promote a closer and free relationship be tween him and his people. This will also enable the manager to know his people’s plans and feelings and are vital to his decision making. This is a must for a manager for him not only to be able to be in a good relationship to his people but also in learning more about them because some of his people will work for a long time with him and good relationship is very much imperative. This will make them create better teamwork.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A manager must also know the benefits and losses that an organization may get from competition between employees and groups. Competition will always be present in an organization. This is a ubiquitous reality. It is important that a manager will know its effects, positive or negative. With this knowledge, the manager can easily make adjustments and comments if one competition is not fruitful. It is also important that a manager will always remind employees of sportsmanship in every competition in accomplishments. Everything must be done in good manner and everything must not be personalized when we refer to competition.CONCLUSIONA manager must always be a person who banners good traits and has the capability of handling people. This is very important for a manger to be successful. A manager must always be for development and growth not only for himself but also for his people. It is important that all of them will have further education and skill trainings. As a manager, you are not only a facilitator but also a teacher, friend and a brother at times. It is very important to banner all these traits.The betterment of an organization will always rely on the manager efficiency in facilitating works and the people around him. This is the demand that a manager must meet in order to be successful in his job. A successful manager will surely contribute big to the success of the organization and in return the success of all the people working under it. The manager’s role will always have a chained effect on the peo ple and organization in general.BIBLIOGRAPHYJohn Maxwell(1999). The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow. Maxwell Motivation.Change Management Basics: the Role of Managers and Supervisors.Role of Managers.

The role of the human resources Director in a multi-national company Essay

The role of the human resources Director in a multi-national company - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that organizations worldwide often strive for high performance through well-laid strategies. However, it is technology and wise decisions that often influence several factors which are essential in managing global virtual teams. Global virtual teams often operate through enhanced communication and enhanced technology. Team participation and conflict management equally form part of improving leadership in areas such as Asia and Europe. Demonstrating effective leadership as a Human Resources Director (HRD) when working for a multi-national company requires skill and competence in order to attain maximum success. It begins with a display of leadership steps that are suited for a corporate culture especially when operating in offices based Asia and Europe. Therefore, it is vital to understand the operation of global virtual teams in relation to the existing culture and different time zones in such markets. Second, mapping out ways of gaining a strategic advantage is critical because it enables the organization to use a combination of other factors that include the application of theories and principles of teamwork. Additionally, leveraging on international presence is essential because it increases the chances of attracting more customers. In other words, there is an increase of responsiveness toward transforming hyper-competitive markets that define the overall success.

The crucial bearing of pursuing a Master of International Business Essay

The crucial bearing of pursuing a Master of International Business - Essay Example The researcher presents his long-term goal as to become a successful entrepreneur, like Richard Branson and Allen Sugar, both renowned British entrepreneurs. However, the researcher envision to venture as an entrepreneur not only London; but as an instrumental entrepreneurial contributor on a global realm. The Hult International Business School’s MIB degree is renowned worldwide to accord strategically innovative instructional methods that provide qualified students with the conducive learning environment for the program. Through their LEAP method focusing on hand-on and innovative approach, the researcher is confident that both short-term and long-term professional goals would be effectively achieved. The researcher’s educational background and current professional experiences would significantly contribute to the abovementioned plans as these undertakings have appropriately established the theoretical and practical framework for an MIB degree. By immersing in a founda tion program from an International Foundation Programme in Business Studies from the London Metropolitan University, the theoretical framework for higher education in the business sphere is befittingly honed. The researcher did not have the chance then to pursue higher education courses in the field of business management since working as a legal assistant for the UK Immigration Law Advisory Service in 2007 had made me determined and committed to pursue a degree in law. The course modules were all subservient as they delved into intricate concepts that are relevantly applicable in contemporary organizational settings. My current occupation in a supervisory and managerial capacity made me realize that more theoretical concepts are required to increase one’s competencies, qualifications and skills in performing the responsibilities expected of managers in a dynamic business environment. Through past employments, I had the opportunities to assume diverse functions and responsibi lities ranging from that of an administrative assistant for Yoga Magazine, a customer service representative for Max Telecom, and working as a bank teller in Askari Bank, Ltd. in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. These job responsibilities enabled me to gain personal and professional discipline in adherence to the highest quality of service to be accorded to customers and clientele of diverse cultural orientations. I gained proficiencies in different languages such as English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Arabic. I still plan to expand learning to communicate in other languages as I pursue the MIB degree. Further, my media exposure working as a host of a popular weekly talk show on a popular TV channel; as well as hosting a weekly Internet TV show focusing on discussing immigration and human rights law issues within the British-Asian community accords the development of communication skills and the credibility needed as a public figure. As such, much preparation and mental focus is eminently recogn ized, as part of one’s responsibility as a host, to gain the confidence and support of the discriminating viewers. At hindsight, I am aware that despite the knowledge and skills that were already developed, there is still a pressing need to focus on improving leadership skills, particularly the essential skills that are intertwined with assuming the position and responsibility of a manager and an entrepreneur: the skills of introspection, conflict-resolution, entrepreneurial, information-processing, decision-making, resource generation and allocation

Television Affects on Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Television Affects on Society - Research Paper Example The paper will provide arguments for and against as to why the television has negatively affected the society. Thesis statement: The society should refrain from excessive viewing of the television. The negative effects of excessive viewing the television such as retarding brain development and obesity, are deleterious to human life as compared to the positive effects like for entertainment and education. In the information age, the use of screen media is inevitable. As cited by Carde Napier, a psycholgical reseacher, in his journal article How Use of Screen Media Affects the Emotional Development of Infants â€Å"there is a critical need for evidence-based guidelines for professionals and guardians about the utilization of screen media†. Screen media, television in particular, has a significant impact on the quality and quantity of the parent and child interactions that are crucial in developing secure attachments (2). Roy Warren in his article Parental Mediation of Preschools Childrens Televsion Viewing argues that guidance and supervision of parents is the to overcoming the potential negative effects of television. (395) Research has indicated that as brains continue to develop after birth, they are shaped by experiences and relationships. Therefore, it is more likely that the infant will be vulnerable to the effects of their environment. Therefore, the children will grow up expecting the TV’s unnatural sights and sounds to be part of their natural life, thus associating their presence with relaxation, enjoyment and security (201). In the current world, parenting is very crucial in child development. The study by Carde Napier in the article How Use of Screen Media Affects the Emotional Development of Infants found out that â€Å"parental attitudes in relation to screen media were very contented to use the television as a source of entertainment and babysitter (5). Some of the parents were actually

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections Research Paper

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections - Research Paper Example Alongside its benefits are its shortcomings. It is widely believed that the internet has alienated people from their surroundings. It has led many people to stay home and chat with their friends online rather than going out with them in person. Other than that the internet has been exploited by the sex industry. Free pornographic images are put up online which corrupt people’s mind and children often become the main target of such an action. On an overall basis, the internet has given us a lot to gain from it and social networking without any doubt has bridged distances between people and brought them together. There aren’t many people who wouldn’t know about Facebook. It has been the most famous social networking site of all time as it allows almost 600 million people across the globe to be socially connected to each other. Famous social networking forums on the internet do not only allow people to talk to each other, rather it enables them to share a lot of vit al and important information. The creation of organization wide pages on Facebook allows workers to socially reach with each other – something that they don’t really get much time for while they’re at work. Facebook has gained so much popularity that many people think that Facebook is like a new worldwide telephone network; only difference being it carries personal connections and profiles instead of voice (Feenberg, pp. 222-240). Another famous social connection tool is Skype. This software allows its user to make free Skype to Skype audio as well as video calls. Internet technology has no doubt reached great extremes as soft wares like Skype allow two people from across the globe to be socially connected to each other by making calls without even paying a single penny. This software has also enabled businessmen to schedule important business meetings online and thereby save on important time and costs. With technologies like Skype, parents worry less before se nding their kids to study abroad knowing they can see them and talk to them whenever they want (Stadler, pp. 29-42). Social connectivity has without doubt reached great extremes with the advent of internet related software. There aren’t many people who say they know they know all about social networking and don’t know about MSN Messenger. Not only does this software provide a common platform to chat with relatives and mates throughout the world, but it also comes with a lot of other exciting options for entertainment. It allows its users to play games with each other, do voice and video chat and set common backgrounds. In this fast paced world, the internet has done a lot to keep people close to each other and software like MSN, Facebook and Skype have defined what we call the twenty first century social connectivity. Had it not been for the internet, it would take the current world company CEO and presidents ages till they get to meet their family, given the fact that they’re always engrosses with tons and tons of workload. The critics of internet as a means of social networking come up with many arguments. One study available regarding the negative effects of internet on teenagers states, (Web) â€Å"The proliferation of pornographic materials is undeniably one of the alarming things that has brought about by the Internet. It does not only corrupt the minds of the young people that are exposed to them but also it paves the way for the degradation of human dignity. It also strains the moral make up of society. The Internet

Managing human resource in travel and tourism management Essay

Managing human resource in travel and tourism management - Essay Example In most situations, the driver becomes multipurpose; that is, acts as both the driver and guard. This is important because it reduces cost. However, the driver has to undergo training to be considered an expert in guiding. This training is arranged by the human-resource department. It is worth noting that the guide has extensive knowledge of history, literature and of England. As a result, the information aired is accurate hence the customer enjoys and appreciates the time with P&P Tours (Mathis & Jackson, 2003). The demand and supply forces are the most important forces in a business organization. This is because these forces keep the company in check hence make the right decisions. In the travel and tourism environment, the demand for the personnel in this sector is very high. This is because the tourism sector in the United Kingdom is considered to be one of the best in the world. Therefore, the influx of tourists to see the world sites is considered to be on an all-time high. Thi s translates to the fact that demand for tour companies is high, hence personnel to work in these companies is also high. Supply of the personnel, on the other hand, is notably low. This is because the industry requires skilled personnel to work in the sector. This is because some detail is crucial for a tour to be considered successful, hence personnel need to be trained on this information. However, persons that have undergone this training are less compared to the demand for these personnel. It is, therefore, right to say that the demand for personnel in this business environment is more than the supply (Human-Resource Resource Planning Society, 1998).). A human-resource plan exists as a departmental document thatstipulates programme that... "Human Resource in Travel and tourism management" essay outlines the value of the human resource in the travel industry, describes important skills and forces in business organization. It shows the different examples how to achieve a superior product through improving staff. The demand and supply forces are the most important forces in a business organization. This is because these forces keep the company in check hence make the right decisions. In the travel and tourism environment, the demand for the personnel in this sector is very high. This is because the tourism sector in the United Kingdom is considered to be one of the best in the world. Therefore, the influx of tourists to see the world sites is considered to be on an all-time high. This translates to the fact that demand for tour companies is high, hence personnel to work in these companies is also high. Supply of the personnel, on the other hand, is notably low. This is because the industry requires skilled personnel to wo rk in the sector. This is because some detail is crucial for a tour to be considered successful, hence personnel need to be trained on this information. However, persons that have undergone this training are less compared to the demand for these personnel. It is, therefore, right to say that the demand for personnel in this business environment is more than the supply. A human-resource plan exists as a departmental document thatstipulates programme that are to be followed in the next few years to facilitate proper human-resource management.

Korean-American adolescents' academic success Article

Korean-American adolescents' academic success - Article Example entional cultural values and beliefs have been preserved by the originating migrants, their children have completely adapted and adjusted to Western culture. It is interesting to delve into finding out the factors which contribute to the academic performance of migrants’ children, specifically Korean Americans. Adolescents from today’s generation have grown with relatively antithetical thinking and preferences compared to generations that their grandparents and parents were accustomed to. Likewise, academic performance, attitudes and behaviors of previous generations were influenced by traditional and conventional norms. The methods of teaching as well as the instructional materials available during those times provide limited or more constrained opportunities for access of a broader knowledge base. The impact of advances in technology in the past decades has drastically altered the values, views and preferences of adolescents including their study habits and academic performances. The objectives of this research are threefold: (1) to present the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in schools in the US; (2) to identify which factors contribute to academic success of Korean-American adolescents; and (3) to determine the effect of family and culture in the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in US schools. Ethnic Identity as a Predictor of Problem Behaviors among Korean American Adolescents, a Journal article by Eunai K. Shrake, Siyon Rhee; Adolescence, Vol. 39, 2004 presents the underlying problems that Korean American adolescent’s experience. Chung, Jungsook Park. 1998. "A Study of Self-Esteem in Selected Korean-American Youth in the Fort Worth-Dallas Area." Ph.D. Thesis, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary aims to discover certain significant predictors of self-esteem among Korean-American adolescents and to determine the difference in self-esteem scores across the variables of gender, length of residence in the

Einhorn asserts that 'democracy stops at the factory gates'. What are Essay

Einhorn asserts that 'democracy stops at the factory gates'. What are the limits to organisational democracy within market economies and what might a post-capitalist form of work organisation look like - Essay Example ; moreover, it has been noted that the limitation of democracy in the workplace has been out of the control of political leaders; current paper focuses on the examination of the aspects of democracy across organizations, or else, the organisational democracy. Through the research made on the existing literature, it has been proved that organisational democracy is reduced under the influence of the interests of employers; on the other hand, the need for salary has been proved, in most cases, to be stronger than the need for fairer conditions of work. In this context, the phrase of Eihorn that ‘democracy stops at the factory gates’ can be characterized as justified. However, the limitation of freedom in its various aspects cannot lead to the limitation of the fights for fair conditions of life; entrepreneurial interests need to be satisfied – at the level that each enterprise is based on the entrepreneur’s – or the shareholders – investment; how ever, a balance should exist between the interests of all parties in the workplace; the succession of the capitalist (by a post-capitalist) form of work organisation can be considered as necessary; this succession has been started; the terms of this transition and the characteristics of the post-capitalist form of work organisation are also explained in this paper. In order to understand the role and the characteristics of national democracy it would be necessary to refer primarily to its definition; in accordance with Salamon (2000, p.147) ‘organisational democracy involves an interrelationship between participative democracy (membership involvement in policy formulation and decision making) and representational democracy (election of representatives to positions of ‘government’ or leadership)’; organizational democracy can refer to all aspects of organizational activities being depended on the organizational environment (internal and external) and the country’s political system and social ethics. The

Outline How Material Things Essay Example for Free

Outline How Material Things Essay City Road is a big road filled with lots of different cultures, gender, class, age and history. When walking down the road it can be seen that the belonging and not belonging in the society. It opens your eyes as to what exactly goes on in different societies and City Road is a big street with a lot of demands and structures in it. Over the years society changed and so did the street. It goes by what is in demand, how society changes and by the vast majority of different cultures coming into the area. You see a lot of people trying to conform to the society and many trying to hold onto their own identities. First of all I’m going to talk about the Ethnicity on the street. We are going to the Xquisite Africa shop. Janet, the lady that owns the shop originates from Africa and moved to the UK over ten years ago. When she came to the UK she thought that she had to change her identity and conform to the society. She sells a lot of things from Africa and by doing this she gets to hold onto her identity of the African culture and also appeals to customers from the same ethnic background. She felt after being in the UK for ten years that she had lost her identity and so she decided to take a trip back home to Africa to re-charge her batteries as she puts it. She wanted to re-gain her culture that she so desperately lost. This aspect could help her re-gain her culture and identity and allows her to share this with the right clientele from a multi-racial background. She can share a state of belonging to a social group that has in common a national or cultural background, whilst negotiating with people on the complex of different identities. She contributes to the African social life and society as well as on City Road. Therefore promoting her African background and understanding there is no need to conform to the society and changing her identity. We then move onto class in the Municipal Club. A social stratum, whose members share a certain economic, social or cultural characteristics. For this instance the working class. It is aimed at the local residents and has over 100 years of history. A group containing members regarded as having certain attributes of traits in common has slowly disappeared and they long for the society to change back to what they believed it was. Whilst in the (DVD, Making social lives on City Road, 2009, scene 5) Lloyd Robson talks to couple of residents in the club and gets their insight of what is going on. He asked them if they thought the club had a future. They said no. no-one wants to know it anymore and even the members have started to lose interest. But because the society has changed it meant that they described city road as being dangerous and rough. They long for the past. They want it to go back to what they say it used to be or imagined it. The inequalities and differences that has changed and also the traditions has been lost. They lack the sense of belonging they used to have when City Road used to be theirs. Then we come across the Sanna Silk shop. This is where the female is favoured over the male. It’s a family business orientated around females as they sell and make dresses of different materials. They get to choose their type of material and their patterns. It is mainly focused at Asian women. In the (DVD, Making social lives on City Road, 2009, scene 6 by Raghuran) she says â€Å"it is a very different way of portraying Asian women than I often seen in the media. † They also have a section for jewellery. Most of their jewellery is 22 carat gold and is mainly aimed at the women. They also have a selection for their wedding day. So it has an Asian culture that is even though yes men go in to buy but is very female orientated. Conclusion Therefore in City Road, my examples favour female gender activities over male, is a very multi-racial area and favours specific class over others. Therefore explaining that society changes all of the time and conforms to whatever is more in demand in that specific time of era.

Grassroots Computing Essay Example for Free

Grassroots Computing Essay The article â€Å"Changing the corporate IT development model: Tapping the power of Grassroots† defines that the IT world in the 21st century corporate world is evolving. No longer are there programmers and users. Many times the users become ad hoc programmers. In some corporate structures the lines between the two worlds are disappearing. The plus side to this ad hoc programming is the ability for the end user to develop the tool needed to accomplish the task at hand. Many of the programs available to the business communities are generic in nature and the business will adapt to the program available. In some companies the grassroots computing types are adapting or improving the programming to meet the needs of the organization. The negative side to the grassroots computing model growing in the corporate world is the barriers and silos often built around the IT environment. These barriers need to be taken down for the full growth of the computer industry to be realized for all users and developers. The current license agreements around programing usage and modification will have to be adapted to the changes taking place in the enterprise. The article specifically identifies that the IT genre must – in addition to other needed steps â€Å"Actively cultivate an entrepreneurial atmosphere and Provide tools and services to enable workers to automate their own work environments. † (Cherbakov Et Al). With this changing idealism around IT and end user – corporate policy and culture needs to also evolve. The organization that will realize the full potential of the programing resources available – not only in the IT department – but across all boundaries in the organization – will establish a culture that will bring down established silos. There still needs to be licensing agreements and non disclosure agreements in place for proprietary rights. These licenses and agreements should not be drawn up in a way to quell the entrepreneurial spirit needed in any growing organization. Each member of the entire team needs to be able to contribute to realization of organizational objectives. Not seeking to be detrimental in any skill set in the organization – but creating a team culture that opens doors for the IT professionals and the professionals on the floor who use the IT tools. Bibliography Cherbakov Et Al. (2007). Changing the corporate IT development model: Tapping the power of grassroots computing. IBM Systems Journal, 46(4), 1-20.

Management Control: Purpose and Strategies

Management Control: Purpose and Strategies Controlling is one of the four main functions in management. It is important to managers in order to ensure all planning, organising and leading run as smoothly as desired. If managers are able to ensure that each plan made and every task given to the employees are carried out perfectly, and the results expected is what had been planned, control is not required. Unfortunately, managers are not able to ensure these conditions will run smoothly without the occurrence of any problems since most planning is done by humans and humans are known to be diverse in terms of abilities, motivation and others. In a rapidly changing business environment, not only the expected results must be controlled, planning must also be monitored and controlled. 11.1.1 Definition of Control Management control is a systematic effort to fix or establish the standard of performance through planning objectives, designing information feedback systems, comparing true performance with the fixed standard, determining whether there are any disadvantages or weaknesses and taking suitable actions to ensure all resources within the organisation can be used in the most effective and efficient way in achieving the objective of the organisation. Control is the process of ensuring that organisational activities are running according to plan. This process can be carried out by comparing the true performance with the standard that has been established and taking corrective actions in order to rectify any distortion that does not comply with the standard. The main purpose of control in management is to prepare managers to face future or existing problems before they turn critical. In general, an organisation with a good control mechanism will have the advantage of competing strength compared to organisations without a good control system. The following are several examples of the importance of control for organisations: 11.1.2 Quality Assurance The smooth running of a particular process can be monitored and problems can be avoided by having control. Control is able to stimulate the organisation to monitor and increase the quality of products and services offered. Through the activities related to the control process, members of the organisation will always be driven to act according to the plans that have been established. 11.1.3 Preparation to Face Changes Change cannot be avoided. Change in environmental factors such as markets, competitors, technology and legislation makes the control process important for managers in responding towards opportunities and threats. Control helps the organisation to suit its products to the needs and wants of consumers in the market. 11.1.4 Steps in the Control Process A control process has three basic needs: fixing of standards to be used in measuring the level of growth; monitoring decisions and comparing it to the standards, that is, the comparison of the organisationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s true performance with the planned performance; and finally, taking corrective actions in rectifying any disadvantages and weaknesses that occurred in achieving the performance that has already been set. Establishing Standards Standard is the base for comparison to measure the level of performance of a company in order to find out whether the company is compliant. Standard is the point of reference in making comparisons to another value. Standard can be defined as what is required out of a particular job or an individual. In management control, standards are usually derived from the objectives. Standards should be easy to be measured and interpreted. A specific objective that can be measured makes it more suitable to be used as a standard. If this standard is not clearly and specifically stated, it may be interpreted in a different way and will then raise various difficulties that can affect the goals of the organisation. In general, there are three types of standards: physical standard such as quantity of products and services, number of customers and quality of products and services; financial standard which is stated in the form of money, and this includes labour cost, sales cost, material cost, sales revenue, profit margin and others; and lastly, time standard which includes the performance rate of a particular task or the time period required to complete a particular task. Measuring Performance and Making Comparisons Performance measurement is a type of control. Actual results need to be monitored to ensure that output produced is according to the specific standard. The main purpose of performance monitoring is to gather data and detect deviation and problem areas. Measurement has no meaning if it is not compared to the standard. The next step is performing the comparison of standards. Comparison of standard is a process where comparison is made between the true performances with the standard set. This step is important because it allows any deviation or distortion to be detected and corrective actions can be taken in order to achieve the goals that have been set. Corrective Actions It is often found that managers establish standards and monitor decisions but do not take suitable actions. The first and second steps in control will be meaningless if corrective actions are not taken. Before taking any steps in correcting, detailed analysis must be carried out in order to find out the factors that caused the particular deviation. This corrective action may involve change in one or more operation activities of the organisation such as modification, repairing of machines, preparation of certain courses and others, or it might also involve a change in the fixed standard. Corrective action is a process of identifying the distorted performance, analysing the distortion and developing and implementing programmes in order to rectify it. 11.2 THE CONTROL PROCESS The running of a control process is a continuous act. This process cannot be done only once in order to gain the achievement expected. This is considered as a dynamic process. This dynamic process begins with looking at the true performance and measuring the achievement level of that particular performance. Managers will then compare the performance achieved with the performance that has been fixed. If there happens to be any difference, it must be analysed in order to identify the cause of the differences and this is followed by the correcting act. This process must be done repeatedly and must be given full attention by the manager in order to achive the performance goals set. 11.2.1 Basic Methods of Control According to Williams (2000), a control process consists of three basic methods which are identified as future control, concurrent control and feedback control. 11.2.2 Future Control This type of control is also known as prevention control. This involves the use of information, including information from the latest results, is to forecast what will happen in the future so that preventive measures can be taken. It is implemented to prevent the occurrence of deviation between what had really happened with what is expected to happen. Prevention is carried out through detailed analysis on the input before it is accepted into the process of organisation transformation. Input is ensured to comply with the quality standards established so that the results obtained are as expected. One example of the use of this control is when a manager ensures that the sample of raw material that is going to be used complies with the standard established by the organisation or based on certain specifications to avoid damage towards the product in the future. 11.2.3 Concurrent Control Concurrent control is carried out during the process of transformation. When this control is carried out, restoration actions, corrective actions or modifications are done after distortion is detected. For a production-oriented organisation, this controlling action is taken while input is being processed while for service-oriented organisations, it is taken while service is being provided. Through this method of control, organisations will monitor their operations and simultaneously take the necessary corrective actions before the transformation process is completed. This will help to reduce mistakes in the outputs being produced. Examples of this method of control are mid-term examinations, control of accounts, control of inventories and others. 11.2.4 Feedback Control Feedback control involves gathering information related to the weaknesses of controlling measures after an incident takes place. This type of control is implemented after the transformation process has been completed with the purpose of finding out whether the whole activity ran properly with results as expected. This control is also able to determine whether the plan that is going to be carried out has the continuity with the previous programme. It is also able to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the involved parties in performing the activities of the organisation. An example of this method of control is the use of low-quality raw materials that resulted in the production of low-quality products. The act of changing the raw materials used is one of the examples of feedback control. 11.2.5 Types of Control According to Williams (2000), there are five forms of control that can be used by managers in implementing the process of control à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ bureaucratic, objective, normative, concertive and self. Figure 9.3 illustrates these five forms of control. Bureaucratic Control This method uses hierarchy authority to influence employees. Rewards are given to employees who obey and punishment is meted out to employees who do not obey the policies, regulations and procedure of the organisation. Objective Control This method uses the measurement of observation towards the behaviour of employees or output produced to evaluate work performance. Managers are more focused on the observation or measurement towards the behaviour of employees or outputs rather than the policies or rules. Objective control consists of two forms of control; behaviour control and output control. Behaviour control Behaviour control is the rule of behaviour and actions that controls the behaviour of employees in their tasks. Output control Output control is the form of control that controls the output of employees by granting rewards and incentives. Important features in the implementation of output control are reliability, fairness and accuracy, convincing employees and managers to achieve the expected results while rewards and incentives depend on the performance standard that has been established. Normative Control Normative control is a method that arranges the behaviour of employees and results through norms and beliefs shared together among all the members within the organisation. There are two main substances in this type of control which are, sensitivity towards selection of employees based on their attitude and norms, and obtaining inspiration based on experience and observation of employees. Concertive Control This is a method that uses the norms and behaviour discussed, formed and agreed by the work group. This form of control plays a role in an autonomous work group. An autonomous work group is a work group that operates without the presence of a manager and is fully responsible for the control of process, task group, output and behaviour. Autonomous work groups gradually grow through two stages of concertive control. First, members work and learn from each other, supervising the work of each member and develop norms and beliefs that guide and control them. Secondly, the appearance and acceptance of objectives as guide and control of behaviour. Self Control It is a system where managers and employees control their own behaviour by establishing their own goals; monitor their own progress and their own achievements of goals, and reward themselves when goals have been achieved. EXERCISE 9.2 11.3 FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE CONTROLLED Determining the matters to be controlled is as important as making decisions on whether to control or in what method should control be done. There are several perspectives that need to be controlled by a manager in order for the organisation to be able to achieve the goals expected. 11.3.1 Financial Perspective One of the important areas that need to be controlled is finance. There are times when the financial performance does not reach the expected standard. If this condition remains undetected and relevant actions are not taken, the existence of the company might be in jeopardy. Financial perspective is generally related to activities such as sales, purchases and others. Financial statements are important sources of financial information for an organisation. A balance sheet shows how strong the financial position, assets, liabilities and the position of the equity holder for a certain financial period. A profit-loss statement or income statement shows the summary of the operational activities and the relationship between expenditure and revenue for a particular financial year. There is a new approach in the financial perspective known as economic value added. Economic value added is the total profit of a company which exceeds the capital cost in a particular year. In this perspective, a manager must impose control so that the total profit of a company always exceeds the capital cost for the company to continuously gain economic value added. 11.3.2 Human Resource Perspective The control towards human resources is vital for organisations. If an organisation is unable to control its human resources properly such as losing expert workforce hence it will jeopardise the performance and achievement of the company. Organisations need to have planning that is able to motivate the employees. For example, organisations need to be concerned regarding the problems faced by the employees by creating harmonious discussions between the management and the employees union. 11.3.3 Quality Perspective Internal operations of organisations are usually measured through quality. Operations control is very important for every organisation especially for manufacturing firms. This is because efficiency and effectiveness of operations control will determine the level of production and organisational performance as fixed by the standard. The quality value of products and services produced based on the standard will be able to strengthen the perception of the customers towards the quality of goods that they had purchased. For example, the control of product quality is able to reduce waste and product defects and this will further save cost. Inventory control is also effective in reducing the costs of investments related to inventory 11.3.4 Consumer Perspective In order to measure the performance of customers, an organisation needs to impose control on customers who leave the organisation and not based on the survey of customer satisfaction. In this perspective, the manager will make evaluation by measuring the percentage rate of customers who left the organisation. By controlling customers from leaving the organisation, a company will be able to increase profits. For example, the cost in obtaining a new customer is five times more compared to the cost of retaining an existing customer. SUMMARY The main purpose of management control is to prepare managers to face existing or future problems before it becomes critical. Management control has three basic needs: establishing standards; monitoring decision and comparing it to the standard; and making corrections on any distortion that occurred between the true decision and the standard. Control is a dynamic process because it is a continuous process. Control process consists of three basic methods: future control which is also known as prevention control; concurrent or present control; and feedback control. There are five forms of control that can be used by managers in implementing the control process: bureaucratic, objective, normative, concertive and self. In order to ensure that the organisation can achieve its goals, several important perspectives must be controlled à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ finance, human resource, quality and customers.

Camaro SS vs Mustang GT Essays -- Compare Contrast Comparison

Camaro SS vs Mustang GT Ask any avid Camaro or Mustang fan about the original ponycar era, and you're bound to feel their pain. They'll describe cars that lit the tires on fire, floor it and hang onto the wheel excitement. When people utter the words, "American Muscle Car," two distinctive cars come to mind. The Camaro SS and the Mustang GT. Both of these cars have been around for generations and loved by all types of people. It has been only recently that both cars have battled head to head so fiercely. You are either a hard core Chevy fan or a hardcore Ford fan, most everybody picks either Chevy or Ford. There are many similarities and differences in both of these cars. The Camaro SS has leaps and bounds of muscle car DNA. It's there in numerous ways: overhead valves, V-8, and a stick shift transmission to get you where you want to go, just like the Z28's and SS's of thirty years ago. No gizmo-actuated variable-valve timing, no overhead cams, and no independent rear suspension, just a 320 horsepower monster V-8. The SS turns 0-60 times in the low five second range with 0-100 approaching in the low thirteens. There has been little change in the SS's from last year to this. The addition of audio controls on the steering wheel, an optional 12-disc CD changer, new interior fabrics, and new alloy wheels (available on all Camaro's). The Mustang GT is also a great "American Muscle Car." The GT produces a low but above average 260 horsepower, this will you...

Nanotechnology: Global Prospects and Possible Introduction in Nigeria’s

Nanotechnology can be defined as the study of the manipulation and application of matter on a molecular scale. According to Wikipedia, it generally deals with developing materials or other structures possessing a size of at least one hundred nanometers. The concepts of nanotechnology were considered fiction until December 29, 1959 during a talk entitled â€Å"There’s plenty of Room at the Bottom† by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at the California Institute of Technology. In this talk, Feynman described a process by which individual atoms and molecules can be controlled and manipulated. The term, â€Å"Nanotechnology† was coined over a decade later by Professor Norio Taniguchi. It wasn’t until 1981, with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope and the atomic force microscope that could â€Å"see† individual atoms, that contemporary nanotechnology began (National Nanotechnology Initiative n.d). It is difficult to envision how small nanotechnology is. An illustrative example given by the National Nanotechnology Initiative is; a sheet of newspaper is one hundred thousand nanometers thick. This kind of size is extremely small and cannot even be seen by the typical microscopes used in high school science classes. Although the study is a new one, nanoscale materials have been in use for centuries. The colors of the stained glasses of medieval churches built hundreds of years ago were created by alternate sized gold and silver particles. The artists then did not know the process they employed to create those works of art. Today’s scientists on the other hand are discovering a variety of ways to exploit the science and its enhanced properties like higher strength, lighter weight and so on. The impending ... ...ll also be in the application stages of the study. â€Æ' Works Cited â€Å"Nanotechnology 101†. National Nanotechnology Initiative. n.d Web. 29 May 2012. http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101 â€Å"Nanotechnology† Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d Web. 29 May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology Dr. Ayman El-Fatatry. â€Å"Defense Applications† Systems Engineering Innovation Centre n.d PDF file. 29 May 2012 Admin. â€Å"Nanotechnology in Medicine - Nanomedicine† UnderstandingNano. n.d. Web. 29 May 2012. http://www.understandingnano.com/medicine.html Joseph, Tiju and Mark Morrison. â€Å"Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food†. European Nanotechnology Gateway. May 2006. Print. 29 May 2012. News Agency of Nigeria. â€Å"Government of Nigeria approves nanotechnology plan† August 13, 2007. Web. 29 May 2012. http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=2364.php

Social Role Play and the Search For Identity in Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby

Social Role Play and the Search For Identity in Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby When I think about women’s role in our society, especially nowadays, the first word that comes to my mind is ‘exhausted’. What I mean is that this subject is exhausted. There are so many literary and sociological interpretations of the physical and psychological female image that whatever I say or prove would be just another attempt to understand the ‘incomprehensible’. It’s not because I am a woman, or may be exactly because I am. But here the important expression is ‘I am’ and the extension can be endless. And what a human life is but an everlasting search for the right word that would complete the sentence. As if we could complete it, our personality will be completed as well. And after years of searching, finding and again searching, we finally understand that there are so many ‘I ams’ some of which have no logical explanation or certain definition and all are subjected to so many social and personal factors. Nevertheless I will turn to one literary interpretation, Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s ...

Engaging in Cio-Cxo “Conversations That Matter”

Individual Assignment Engaging in CIO-CxO â€Å"Conversations that Matter†: An Interview with Peter Keen. MIS Quarterly Executive 9(1): (2010). Hamza Lahkim Bennani 10-24-2012 MIS 3301 Dr. Chihab Benmoussa Reflection Q1: I have heard you say more than once that CxOs are not interested in â€Å"IT. † Can you explain what you mean by that? Peter Keen, The chairman and advisor of Keen Innovations, answered this question very clearly, where he stated that it is important that CxOs know the importance of information systems in their company and how it can extend and integrate relationships between the companies processes.For the majority of CxOs, knowing the innards of an information system is not as crucial as knowing how the plateform developed is used and how it can increase the performance of a company. He talked about Facebook where he showed how 300 million people use it daily but don’t know how the plateform works, they just use it for communicating with people . CxOs are tuning out, and the more comfortable they are about the value of IT, the less they want or need to tune in on the old technology discourses† said Peter Keen, which means that even when CxOs start using IS in their company and giving it importance, they don’t regret it and think that is enables more business capacities. â€Å"Over the last five years, the whole business has become much moreIT-aware and IT-literate, and sees the need to get more involved in IT so that business benefits are delivered.As a result, It has become more influential and more proactive. , and has driven an increasingly an entreprisewide culture. † (Andrew Mullock, CIO, BNP Paribas) As far as CIOs are concerned, Peter Keen thinks that their role in the corporation is as important as the role of any other CxO, sometimes even more important. CIOs know exactly what is going on inside the comany, and through information technology they know how to solve problems in a very efficient a nd effective way.CIOs should be among the decision making commitee inside the company; their influence on strategical decisions could be very important and fruitful. Peter Keen thinks that business-savvy CIOs are the ones who know how to communicate with other people inside the company, from the CxOs to the emloyees in the IS or IT departement. Key skills of today’s CIO include the ability to translate Board requirements into solutions. He needs to talk the language of the Board and the investors. All innovation in our industry will be technology- led or technology facilitated. (McGill, 2011)As I see it, CxOs and CIOs are interdependant in an organization, they should all work in a harmony that will enable the company to perform better in terms of solving inner problems that will eventually enhance profi making and more revenues. It is illustrated in the example Peter Keen gave by saying that and General is not an army without his subordinates. In this case, the general are t he CxOs, and the subordinate are the CIO and the people working in the IT department. To put it in a nutshell, companies should not think that It is involved only when there is something not working weel inside the company and work is not well synchronised.Q2: As you look back at the last 30 years, how do you think that the role of the CIO has changed in terms of its focus on the operations mission vis-a- vis business strategy, and what does that suggest for CIO role changes in the future ? For Peter Keen, the role of the CIO nowadays compared to 30 years ago underwent some changes. Before, a CIO was just a technology shop manager that is considered one of the costs to be controlled; but years later, the role of the CIO has changed to be a crucial part of an organization, that is now responsible for many tasks such as cost containment and operations liability.Insourcing and outsourcing is also one of the tasks a CIO is responsible of, and it is bringing competitive advantage to orga nizations. CIOs have got a lot of attention recently despite the economic turdowns in the recent years. CIOs have some skills and capabilities that can help comapnies concentrate on business operations and help them solve some cross-functional problems that still confuses many entreprises. â€Å"For yesterday’s CIOs, and many of today’s as well, it was enough to have two out of three key capabilities – personal leadership, technology leadership and business acumen. Tomorrow’s CIO will need all three. † (Brumby, 2010)I think that CIOs should be in charge of more strategic tasks. Being a CIO and evolving well inside the company is difficult and requires certain skills that not all CxOs have. As for Peter keen, he assumes that the CIO’s role will have more importance and gets more attention within time in the future. The following diagram illustrates the role of a CIO in an organization and how it works. (IBM, 2008) Q3: At your ICIS 2009 presen tation you talked about â€Å"conversations that matter. † Could you expand on that? Peter Keen in the answer of this question focused most on innovation, and how the CIOs innovation can better help an organization.Besides, Professor Keen talekd about the importance of use of the appropriate language to between CIOs. He also pointed that for a conversation to be effective, the things that should be discussed are things that are worth sharing, questioning and arguing about rather than shop-talk and social chat. For Peter keen, some intersections that are between CxOs, CIOs, IT proffesionals and educators’ dialogs, are the kind of discussions where CxOs are present and that are never cancelled anr successful because there is someone high up in the organization who cares about them as personal and leadership riority. In these intersections, some irreversible business decisions are made, where most fruitful discussions are about how to enter a market overseas and other imp ortant subjects. CIOs are usually present in those conversations for the aim of bringing somme innovation in sloving some issues like costs of operations and not discussing them. Few years ago, moving IT as a profession towards business awareness has well progressed as CxOs came late to see that IT is a great opporunity for them to evoluate the coordination of technology for thei company, saying that they were unimaginative ever before.As I see it, companies have been losing or badly investing in some things that are worthless relatively to what IT has done in the business domain. Q4: Why do conversations that matter in CxO circles address innovation, rather than invention? Dr. Keen thinks that innovation is better than innovation because invention is bout product features the logic of benefits, however innovation is about inventing value. As far as CxOs are consered, Peter Keen stated that they should be among the exclusive people in an organization to be able to talk about innovat ion.For him, no invention nor innovation should be under/overestimated. RFID is an example of the problems happening while going from invention to business value. â€Å"Successful companies actively cultivate new ideas, put those ideas to work quickly and efficiently, and harvest the business value benefits of successful innovations. Discussions of innovation often focus on what a company offers, that is, its products and services. In Managing Information Technology Innovation for Business Value, Esther Baldwin and Martin Curley show how successful IT innovations pay back handsomely as well.Innovation is not just about what a company offers, innovation is also about how a company conducts business and how IT innovation can transform an organization into a significantly more efficient company. † (Baldwin & Curley , 2009) What Peter tried to say here is that investing in an innovative IT solution provides even greater business value. Practicing innovation is necessary to make a firm’s IT investment successful, and that is what some Intel Corporation IT managers have learned through many years of experience. Q5: Can you give us some examples of conversations for innovation?Peter Keen explained and showed what conversations for innovation talk about, mostly about how IT is changing the financial structures of the enterprise in a deleveraged world, and how we are moved to a variable cost business model. He used Amazon as an example to show that IT makes organizations decrease their costs the maximum; for Amazon for instance, thei have over 2 million storesbut did not invest in fixed capital assets. For him, the discussions and conversations between the CIO and the CFO is very important, and that a good collaboration between the two is very advised for the better making of money.Both of them can learn from the other, and so come up with very good ideas and make strategic decisions when needed. He also said that these one of a kind companies like Google , Amazon, Apple and Wal-Mart inspire other companies and help them make better decisions based on one of a kind companies. There is the famous example of Wal-Mart, where CIOs and other CxOs work in harmony and have conversations mostly on implementing new strategies that will help them minimize costs as much as they could. The strategy of Wal-Mart is having no warehouses.When they run out of stock, people in the IT departement can have access and check their suppliers warehouse and see if the product they run out of stock from is available, if so they just order it through this database. This strategy helped Wal-Mart minimize the cost of the warehouses, their electricity bills, less employees to pay, and finally decrease their phone bills fee. Q6: Let us take the example of a currently-hyped technical issue such as cloud computing. How can we transform that into a conversation for innovation?For this question, Peter Keen said that when talking about cloud computing as a conversation for innovation, things that could be discussed are about how can cloud computing change the variabe cost structure of the entreprise, and how it can add flexibility and speed of responde for the IT organization. For Dr. Keen, chaning the customer experience is very important, and IT can help do that. He said that it is useless if CxOs are going to talk about virtualization or open cloud standards. Cloud computing has present an attractive opportunity to both small business and large enterprise.Traditional information systems were predominately operated on physical machines that were in house. The emergence of cloud computing makes it possible to develop information systems on virtual machines that are hosted by cloud service providers. For the companies that IT is not their core business, cloud computing presents an opportunity to save costs on the development of information systems that support their major business operations. (Chou, 2007) Q7: What is it that you think the IT prof essional worker in general knows that brings special value to the organization?What is their distinctive competence in the next decade? For Peter Keen, the competences that distinguish IT professionals are bein good at analyzing business processes and multi-functional at the same time. It is in usually necessary and plays a crucial role in the innovation conversation because CIOs know how to integrate and put all pieces together. He gave the example of people in the organization not kowing how things work in other departements, but stated that people in the IT departement have an idea about the general processes of the organizations they are working for.What also distinguishes IT people is that they really understand data assurance, data integrity and version control, which are distinctive competences thay have. For Keen, it is important not to underestimate the difficulties of implementing the innovation of a new genration technology. The IT coordination skills can equally live in the business, the IT organization, or in a third-party provider. In a world where achieving results can often require the participation of a multitude a loosely related resources, effective coordination skills are paramount. Among these skills we find coordination, analysis and innovation. (Reichental, 2011)Q8: What does all this mean for IS academics as researchers and teachers? Keen briefly stated that executive education needs to be reinvented in order to develop the next generation of IT leaders, for him CIOs and CxOs who innovate have their efforts becoming practice by other IT professionals who are growing in order to become next CIOs or CxOsIn terms of their educational function, IS academics need to consider their role in the wider context of social and political changes. These include the delivery of generic IS/IT skills through all levels and types of education (Gough, 2000). (Hemingway, 2000) References Charles, B. (2002).Successful e-business strategy: The potential of e lectronic marketplaces. Sydney: Pearson Education Australia. David , K. , & Richard , H. (1993). Business information systems. (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. Hemingway, C. , & Gough, T. (2000). The value of information systems teaching and research in the knowledge society. In Fluency with information technology (Vol. 3). Cranfield: Hussain, K. M. , & Hussain, D. S. (1995). Information systems for business. (2nd ed. ). Padstow, UK: T. J Press. Judith, C. S. (2001). Introduction to information systems. Crawfordsville: R. R. Donnelley. DOI: www. wiley. com/college/simon Kroenke. & Hatch, (1994). Management information systems. (3rd ed. ). Watsonville: McGraw Hill. Leonard, J. , & Joseph, V. (2003). Information systems today. New JErsey: Prentice Hall. Paul, L. (1994). Information-systems development. Great Britain: Clays Ltd, St Ives pls. Richard, N. (2002). Service management: Strategy and leadership in service business. (3rd ed. ). Weinheim: John Wiley & sons, LTD. Stuart, B. (2 002). Knowldege management systems: Theory and practice. (2nd ed. ). London: The Alden Press. Turban, R. P. (2003). Introduction to informatin technology. (2nd ed. ). Danvers: John Wiley & sons, Ltd. DOI: wwww. wiley. com/college/turban

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

First of all Mercutio is considered a character foil in the play because he only sees love in a physical way. In contrast Romeo thinks love is supposed to be romantic. In Act I, Scene 4, Mercutio’s speech about Queen Mab indicates that he is does not know of Romeo’s pure love. â€Å"O then I see Queen Mab hath been with you†¦This is she† (1.4.23-24) Romeo is about to tell Mercutio about a dream that he had. Mercutio interrupts Romeo of what he was going to say about his dream and tell him about Queen Mab. In Mercutio’s speech he thinks of love comes from Queen Mab being a dream fairy. She gives people dreams and decides what they will dream about.For example women dream of kisses and priests’ dream of tithes, lawyers’ dream of money. This speech shows Mercutio just does not get the romantic part of love. He does not believe in dreams. The references to the body show the physical realities of life as opposed to the ideals that Romeo holds . This speech shows much about the fiery spirit of Mercutio, but it also suggests a more brutal and realistic view of life, contrasting with the romantic of love. So the play using minor characters is a success because Mercutio helps make the pure love for Romeo and Juliet. Second of all Friar Lawrence is a mentor to Romeo and Juliet, but a poor planner.This character also leads to the success of the play. The friar marries Romeo to Juliet and he constantly advises them to act more with caution and provides plans to Romeo and Juliet. In act 4 scene 1 the friar says â€Å"take thou this vial being in bed/And this distilling liquor drink thou off† (4.1.93-101). When Paris wants to marry Juliet, the friar expresses his disapproval of the wedding. When Paris leaves, Juliet asks the Friar for help. The friar provide a plan. The plan includes using the drug for Juliet and deliver the message to Romeo. The friar attempts to make the marriage of Romeo and Juliet is very admirable but are poorly planned.The tragedy of their deaths could not have happened if Romeo have received the message in time. This is due to Friar Lawrence not planning how he is going to fake Juliet's death. It directly  leads to the tragedy in the play. Third of all the nurse makes comic relief by making a lot of inappropriate speeches. The nurse provides a contrast with Juliet because of the nurse’s view which if love is sexual, while Juliet’s way is all romantic. â€Å"If ye should lead her into a fool’s paradise/ it were a very gross kind of behavior† (2.4.151-52). The nurse act as Juliet’s mother. She cares for Juliet and her entire life. The Nurse is loyal to Juliet and she keeps the secret marriage a secret. The Nurse believes in love and wants Juliet to have a nice-looking guy, but the idea is that Juliet would sacrifice anything for love to Romeo. The nurse is the success to the play because there is humor to the play.In act 1 Mercutio to Romeo a nd Juliet strong   because the play shows Romeo is on a quest for love. When Romeo talks about he is love sick for Rosaline and Benvolio makes him look at another girl and Mercutio says â€Å"[Romeo is] a lover borrow cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound† (1.4.21-16). The importance of this quote is because he trying cheer Romeo up from being love sick. The quote shows the success of the play because of Mercutio being a minor does not understand the romantic part of love.In act 2 Mercutio thinks Romeo is still love sick over Rosaline but the when Romeo gets back from Friar Lawrence’s place which Mercutio does not know And sees Mercutio and he is all of a sudden happy. After Romeo says hi to Mercutio and he says â€Å"that’s as much as to say such a case as (Romeo’s) constrains a man to bow in the hams† (2.4.47-52). The importance of this quote is because when Romeo says hi to Mercutio so he is wondering why Romeo is all ha ppy. The quote shows the success of the play by using minor characters because Romeo was lovesick and all of a sudden he becomes happy so Mercutio thinks he made Rosaline like him. So the play using minor characters is a success because Mercutio helps make the pure love for Romeo and Juliet.He creates conflict by agreeing to marry Romeo and Juliet so he says â€Å"For this alliance may be so happy prove to turn [their] households’ rancour to pure love† (2.3.44-90). The importance of this quote is that He agrees to marry Romeo to Juliet because he sees it as a chance to bring back the families together. It is successful to the play using minor characters  because he is not supposed to marry them but he does it any way. He’s basically helping Romeo and Juliet even though their enemies.

Pakistan Cement Industry Analysis

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