Virtual Work

1. Introduction Recent years have witnessed an incredible development of information technology and the structure of traditional work environment is changing. The emergency of virtual work has been reflected in some companies’ new work policy. For example, Jetblue Airlines has changed its working conditions and established a virtual call centre where employees can work from home without a central office. Despite the technology advancement that enables virtual working, the amount of people adopting this new working pattern is still very low.This report will explore the nature of virtual work and analyse the barriers of adopting this work policy, as well as give suggestions on how to overcome these barriers. 2. Nature of virtual work Virtual organisation, by definition, is a principle of management that has been used in a variety of applications, including virtual memory, virtual reality, virtual classrooms, virtual teams, and virtual offices (Mowshowitz, 2002). Unlike tradition al organizations, the virtual organization itself has no need for physical representation.Its output, however, might influence the physical world directly, such as the direct buying or selling of stocks, or indirectly, such as providing decision support for a human agent in a traditional organization. Virtual offices, also known as virtual working, allow employees to operate in dynamically changing work environment. Virtual working as part of the virtual organization can be defined as the use of communications networks rather than buildings and physical assets, meaning that the physical location of work is now less important (Pang, 2001). As the result, departments and teams no longer have to work in close contact with each other.The common denominator for all virtual workers is that they communicate and perform work duties almost entirely through electronic technology, such as instant messaging, blogs and social networking. Employees in this situation, need a certain level of self- control ability, andvery often need to structure the environment and systems they use to perform a variety of tasks, for example, getting familiar with different types of communication software. 3. Advantages of virtual work 3. 1 For companies 3. 1. 1 Less cost Virtual work enables a company to reduce costs in renting, travelling and labor salary.Telecommuting allows people to work from home or anywhere they want instead of staying in an office and thus helps an organisation to reduce expenditure in renting the building (Tomic, nd). Also, no office means that the company does not have to hire cleaners or other labors and pay their salary. Additionally, companies can reduce the travel expenses as geographical distance in virtual organization is no longer an obstacle to hold meetings and conferences. Virtual workers can communicate through the internet instead of going to other places to observe and study. 3. . 2 Increased effectiveness Companies that implement virtual work policy can increase effectiveness because employees can save the time of commuting to work. Better communication, fewer distractions, better concentration and less traveling time contribute to the increased 15-50% productivity in a virtual organization (Tomic, nd). Employees can also improve work quality due to more strategic use of work time and less disruption. 3. 2 For employees 3. 2. 1 Less stress Virtual working not only eases their traffic problems, but also relieves employees office pressure.Most employees worry about their privacy and do not feel comfortable in office. By working from home or other places employees no longer have to deal with office politics and office gossip (Anderson, 2012). Also, virtual workers do not have to rush bus and metro during the peak hours. By working from home, employees can have more time dealing with work in a relaxing environment, which is beneficial for their mental health. 3. 2. 2 Improved work-life balance Working from home gives employees the opp ortunity to balance their work and life. Telecommuters have more flexible work hours and are able to manage their own time.They do not have work in an office from 9am to 5pm every day and they can do anything they want as long as the work can be finished as planned. For example, they can go shopping and are able to respond to phone calls from their family (Anderson, 2012). Also, when the work is done, remote workers can clean the house, communicate with family members, and take care of their children which are beneficial for improving family life. Furthermore, if employees want to better equip their knowledge, they have the ability to go to school without affecting normal work. 3. For society Adopting telecommuting brings benefits to the society. Working from home eases the traffic pressure. Remote workers do not need to commute to work, therefore, there is less air pollution and fewer traffic problems. Also, virtual working creates more business opportunities for people in suburbs and rural areas because it is not restricted by region. 4. Why virtual working is still not universal Innovative workplace strategies that efficiently leverage human capital are becoming increasingly valuable in today’s economic environment (Thompson and Caputo, 2009).Some organizations have long employed virtual work arrangements as a tool to recruit and retain key employees. Despite the technological capabilities that enable lower operating expense and offer employees greater work flexibility, organizations that adopt the virtual work policy and the amount of workers working virtually is still very low. The problem can be analysed from two aspects: companies and employees. 4. 1 For companies As company’s major goal is to maximize profit in each activity, virtual working enables lower operating expense.Adopting the virtual working approach for organization seems the most tendency option. However, basic on company’s strategy and structure, in some case, virtual working would more like to be the obstacle for it’s development. The communication issues are not always technical in nature, but related to human factors. Members in a virtual team would face the misunderstood messages, thereby resulting in inefficiencies (Pang, 2001). More importantly, as there might be different security data protection in employees network, the risk of leakage of information will be increased.Organizational restructuring resulting in an increase in virtual workers and decrease in on-site employees can yield cost savings (Pang, 2001). However, having a human capital management strategy for newly transitioned virtual workers would cost an amount of money for training. Controlling and monitoring off-site employees become essential. For organization restructure, large amount of money would be invested for supporting the restructuring. That would be the difficult for company to adopt the virtual working. 4. 2 For employeesDespite the conveniences of telecommut ing, the potential downsides of the virtual workplace often go overlooked (Heidrick, 2011). Employees who work outside the office, feels isolated from coworker. In some cases, these employees start to feel disconnected from company culture and come to believe they are less respected in their organizations than their colleagues who work together in person. An organization’s ability to flexible depends on employees’ commitment to the organization, their motivation to stick with it. Respect ensured that employees are up to the challenge.Most employees generally feel respected when managers and coworkers hold them up to the same standards as everyone else at the organization. As employee feels isolated and disrespected while working by telecommuting, an organization that adopted the virtual working approach will most likely turn into less efficiency. 5. Barriers to virtual working 5. 1 For companies 5. 1. 1 Technical issues Increased data security concerns One of the bigge st barriers for companies implementing virtual work policy is the concern for data security. Virtual work needs technical support, which creates safety hazard potential nowadays.Due to the fact that multiple clients are in a web-based architecture, there are many points of possible intrusion into the centralized applications and data sources of an organization (Pang,nd). When a company holding e-conference to make important decisions or transfer confidential documents, hackers who have ulterior motives may filch the core strategy or information of the company by attacking system vulnerability. 5. 1. 2 Managerial issues Controlling and monitoring difficulties Controlling and monitoring telecommuters’ work is the most difficult section in managing a virtual organisation.Lipnack and Stamps (1997) stated that managing a successful virtual company requires 90% people and 10% technology. Productivity can be reduced without controlling and monitoring system because some employees ar e not self-disciplined and can be interrupted by an overabundance of distractions around the home (Hortensia, 2008). There are also some critical situations where managers are not able to contact subordinates and make remedial measures timely. Employee incentive difficulties High productivity of a company will largely depend on good employee incentive.However, in a virtual organization which has inefficient measuring methods to evaluate employee’s contribution, the manager may not detect potentials of different employees. Employee incentive is often overlooked in virtual organizations (Liu, 2004). Therefore, companies need to adjust their internal performance assessment and salary system, and spend a lot of time establishing a complete system for training and motivating employees. 5. 1. 3 Communication issues As virtual team members are usually in different area or even different time zones, communication can be a big issue. Lack of trustThe lack of face-to-face interaction o f remote workers can lead to difficulties in building trust. Virtual work is based on Computer-Mediated Communication, which is different from the communication pattern that traditional work has. When communicating face-to-face, the speaker can use visual cues from the audience to gain immediate feedback quickly and make necessary rapid adjustments (Storper et al, 2004). Visual cues and social existence in face-to-face dialogue also help team members to know background, skills, experiences, and areas of expertise of each other (Rosen et al, 2007).The traditional communication pattern can help people build trust within groups, but remote workers can find it difficult to achieve this. Additionally, virtual organizations are usually short termed. Employees may feel that the team will break up when the task is finished, and they do not feel their membership in the organization. Mayo George Elton pointed that employees need good inter-personal relationship, and also need feel being cared by the organization, the satisfactory feeling of being cared by the employer is very helpful to improve work productivity.Lack of trust in virtual organizations may cause low motivation and low productivity. Cultural barriers and limited knowledge/ experience sharing Virtual workers are usually separated by geography, which restricts knowledge or experience sharing opportunities by working together. Also, cultural barrier exists and is adverse to good teamwork in a virtual organisation. Members of a virtual team sometimes come from different countries. Virtual works go against the transfer of tacit knowledge, or knowledge that is not written or definable, but are gained through experience (Griffith et al, 2003).It is clear that many of the behaviors of a good teamwork are culturally rooted. For example, in some cultures, sharing information is both a manifestation of power and a way of building relationships. In other cultures a number of information sharing take place in off-line settings, which are limited in the virtual work environment. Furthermore, direct communicators who are low-context focus on sharing just the facts, which will leave high-context communicators feeling under informed. 5. 2For employees 5. 2. 1 Reduction in chances of promotionAt an organizational level, virtual employees’ efforts may not be recognized and valued and therefore chances of promotion in career are far less than traditional office counterparts. Adams(2012) noted researchers’ finding that managers are 25% more likely to attribute the traits ‘committed’ and ‘dedicated’ to people who logged extra hours in the office instead of those who work remotely. As a result, employees are not willing to work from home, holding the belief that managers consider them less committed to their task, and give them less career support.Employees’ desire for organizational identification is not necessarily satisfied due to negligible mentoring from supervisors and the lack of opportunities for developing relationship with crucial person in the workplace. To conclude, working from home distance employees from their manager, and leave them with less support and direction than on-site workers may get, thus reduce the chances of career advancement. 5. 2. 2 Social and professional isolation Perception of isolation from the group is one of the major concerns for employees who work from home.When employees are isolated in remote workplaces, the physical distance can diminish their opportunities for interacting and communicating with colleagues, further raising their perception of being separated. Marshall et al (2007), cited in Buss (1996) found that humans have long perceived physical and social separation from the group as negative, for the reason that isolation means deprivation of support and protection, which are critical for survival. The unavailability of networking, gaining support and recognition from co-workers creates peop le’s consciousness of not being part of the group and sense of loneliness. . Overcome barriers of adopting virtual work The barriers of adopting virtual work can be overcome by utilizing online communication techniques, conducting prior training and holding regular meetings etc. Virtual teams have to develop the better way for communicating, trust between each other and knowledge sharing in the electronic space. Developing a team culture and common procedures are essential for the development of credibility and trust among virtual team members in a virtual environment. (Raghuram, et al, 2001). Utilize online communication techniquesVirtual employees often need to share work-in-progress with others, which may require advance technologies to support. As a result, virtual team can work more effectively by using online communication techniques. Microsoft is the world’s largest software maker has developed some software that can be very useful collaboration tools for managi ng the virtual team, such as instant messaging, live meeting and Outlook (Courtois, 2012). By using collaboration software, virtual employee can check coworkers’ status to see whether they are available to chat online.Manager can held web-based staff meeting, make a shared calendar, and cloud computing that everyone can edit and see any changes instantly (The Observer, nd). Prior training Prior training or experience is positively associated with virtual work efficacy. Organisations should implement adequate training programs in order to provide better understanding of telecommuting for both virtual employees and their managers. Caudron(1992) suggested that training activities can include dealing with interruptions by family members and friends, communications with virtual co-workers etc.Hiring the right people can be helpful for the virtual organisation, like someone can be productive in an isolated environment but is wise enough to maintain connections with other outside co mmunities. Managers should always be open to the comments of employees and give supportive mentoring. Hold regular meetings In order to better manage remote employees, ensure efficient communication and information sharing, holding regular meetings is important. All employees should be included in all team meetings. During these meetings, manager should provide the perception of how things are progressing.This type of meeting is especially valuable in a virtual work environment, as there are fewer opportunities for interpersonal communication. Also, managers can organize employee retreats once a year so that virtual and traditional employees can interact with one another, to share information and to create a sense of unity and teamwork. These can reduces employee’s loneliness and make them feel a part of the team. Reward virtual employees’ desirable behavior in ways that are meaningful to them (Deannamaio, nd). Manager can simply reward extra holiday time off for emplo yees who work hard.Benefit from the reward policy, employee would feel more motivating in their job. 7. Future of virtual work Today only a small proportion of virtual teams have reached a level of performance that goes beyond what the individuals concerned could achieve independently (Benson et al, 1997). Despite difficulties in implementing virtual work, the overall trend for future is the increase of telecommuting. Development of technology is helping organisations to adopt a virtual work policy, and employee expectations will change towards a more flexible working environment. IBM has announced Virtual Desktop for Smart Business.The new workforce mobility provided anytime, anywhere access to personal desktops from mobile devices — including tablets, netbooks and laptops (Khalil, 2011). With the significant development of technology nowadays, more and more firms will adopt the virtual working in order to gain competitive advantage worldwide. 8. Conclusion Virtual work as a new pattern of work is exposing invaluable potential advantages to organisations, employees and the society as a whole. As information technology is developing at an incredible speed, some organisations have already evolutionisedtheir traditional office work pattern to virtual working.However, teleworking is still not universal despite the technology capabilities that enable people to work from home or remote offices. The barriers of adopting virtual work can arise from both companies’ and employees’ considerations. Companies will face a lot of difficulties such as technical, managerial and communication issues. Employees are also not willing to work from home due to their fear of being isolated and reduced promotion opportunities. In order to overcome these barriers, there are some practical solutions such as utilizing online communication techniques, prior training and holding regular meetings.Therefore, the future of virtual work is promising, and there will be an increasing number of people who change their professional roles from traditional office workers to telecommuters. Bibliography Adams, S 2012. ‘Why Working At Home Could Hurt Your Career’, Forbes. Com, p. 39, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 December 2012. Anderson,  A. (  2012). Demand  Media. Advantages  of  Telecommuting  Jobs. [online]  Available  from:  http://smallbusiness. chron. com/advantages-telecommuting-jobs-765. html  [cited  28  Nov  2012] Bullock, C. (2011). ‘Virtual Work Environments in the Post – Recession Era’.Brandman University. Available at http://www. brandman. edu/pdf/virtual_teams_brandman_forrester_white_paper. pdf. Access in 2 December, 2012. Buss, D. M. (1996). The evolutionary psychology of human social strategies. In E. T. Higgins& A. W. Kruglanski (Eds. ), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles(pp. 3-28). New York: Guiford Press. Courtois, J. (2012). ‘Microsoft’ s new world of work is all about people’. Available at http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-17064032. Access in 3 December, 2012. Deannamaio (nd). ‘Managing and Motivating Virtual Employees’. Available at http://deannamaio. om/managing-and-motivating-virtual-employees/. Access in 5 December, 2012. Fried, C. (2011). ‘8 Ways to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work from Home’. Available at: http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-505123_162-41141951/8-ways-to-convince-your-boss-to-let-you-work-from-home/. Accessed 28 November 2012. Gitman, L. J. and McDaniel, C. (2008) The Future of Business: The Essentials, Cengage Learning. Page 242 Heidrick, R. (2011). ‘Why Off-Site Employees Feel Virtually Disconnected’. Available at http://www. texasenterprise. utexas. edu/article/why-site-employees-feel-virtually-disconnected.Access in 1 December, 2012. Hortensia,  G. (2008). Virtual  workplace  and  telecommuting:  challenges  that  red efine  t he  concept  of  work  and  workplace. Annals  of  the  University  of  Oradea,  Economic  Science  Series,  17(4),  269-274. Liu,  T. Ma,  G,  C. (2004)  Human  Resource  Management  in  Virtual  enterprise. Theoretics  Study,  (4):  48-49(in  Chinese) Griffith,  T. L. Sawyer,  J. E. Neale,  M. A. (2003). Virtualness  and  knowledge  in  teams:  Managing  the  love  triangle  of  organizations,  individuals,  and  information  technology. MIS  Quarterly,  27(2),  265-287 Peng,  L. (nd). Understanding  Virtual  Organizations.ISACA. Journal. [online]  Ã‚  Available  from:  http://www. isaca. org/Journal/Past-Issues/2001/Volume-6/Pages/Understanding-Virtual-Organizations. aspx  [cited  20  Nov  2012] Hurd, Brian M. (2011). ‘Virtually engaged: the effect of a virtual work environment on task engagement, its antecedents, and consequences’. Colorado State Unive rsity. Libraries. Available at http://digitool. library. colostate. edu/R/? func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=129655&local_base=GEN01. Access in 1 December, 2012. Khalil, L. (2011). ‘IBM offers virtual desktop solution for workers on the go’. Available at http://www. igitaltrends. com/computing/ibm-offer-virtual-desktop-solution-for-workers-on-the-go/. Access 5December 2012. Lipnack, J. and J. Stamps. (1997). Virtual Teams: Reaching Across Space, Time, and Organizations with Technology, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Marshall, G, Michaels, C, &Mulki, J 2007, ‘Workplace isolation: Exploring the construct and its measurement', Psychology & Marketing, 24, 3, pp. 195-223, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 26 November 2012. Marshall, M (nd). ‘3 key to building trust between managers and employees’. Available at http://www. eliableplant. com/Read/27611/Build-trust-managers-employees. Access in 5 December, 2012. Mowshowitz, A. (2002) Virtual Organization: T oward a Theory of Societal Transformation Stimulated by Information Technology. Greenwood Publishing Group. Page 24 – 25 Pang, L. (2001). ‘Understanding Virtual Organizations’. Available at: http://www. isaca. org/Journal/Past-Issues/2001/Volume-6/Pages/Understanding-Virtual-Organizations. aspx. Accessed 28 November 2012. Panteli, N and Dibben, M. (2001) Revisiting the nature of virtual organizations: reflections on mobile communication systems.Futures, 33(5). Page 379 – 391 Panteli, N. and Dibben, M. R. (2001) Revisiting the nature of virtual organizations: reflections on mobile communication systems. Futures, 33(5). Page 379 – 391 Pinola, M. (nd). ‘ Stress Management for Mobile Professionals and Telecommuters: 5 challenges remote workers face& how to reduce the stress they cause’. Available at: http://mobileoffice. about. com/od/tipsfortelecommuting/tp/stress-management-for-telecommuters-and-mobile-professionals. htm. Accessed 2 Decem ber 2012. Raghuram, S and Garud, R and Wiesenfeld, B and Gupta, V (2001). Factors contributing to virtual work adjustment’. Journal of Management 27 (2001) 383–405 Rosen, B. Furst, S. Blackburn, R. (2007). Overcoming barriers to knowledge sharing in virtual teams. Organizational Dynamics, 36(3), 259-273. Storper, M. Venables, A. J. (2004). Buzz: Face-to-face contact and the urban economy. Journal of Economic Geography, 4, 351-370. Sundin, K. (nd). ‘Virtual Teams: Work/Life Challenges – Keeping Remote Employees Engaged’. Available at https://est05. esalestrack. com/eSalesTrack/Content/Content. ashx? file=9e2e8332-6b1b-4592-9dd2-4963636c94c4. pdf. Access in 1 December, 2012.

Online Games

The effect of Online Games to the academic performance of the Students.. .. it is a habit that many of us teenager get hooked up. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group.The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental g roup and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study.Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used.Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group.Th ere were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group.The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.

INTERNET Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INTERNET - Research Paper Example There are almost 100 countries that use internet for variety of purposes. The main purpose is yet the demand of information. Business on the internet is growing at a much faster pace. EBay and other such internet based corporations used internet to provide a customer an ease to shop online with going anywhere. Similarly some organizations use the internet to hire persons from all over the world. Electronic marketing or such marketing strategy which involve internet for the marketing purposes is widely utilized now a day to promote the products. The concepts of E-learning, E-banking, E-health, E-commerce and E- governance which were a dream of the past now became the reality. Some institutes provide internet based learning, where one can participate in the lecture with going anywhere. Internet based banking provided us an ease to check our account and transfer funds from anywhere in the world. Internet is a term, which is used to refer a global network of computers or other networks. The word is derived from a term ‘internetwork’. The global network of internet involves an infrastructure to support the communication through the internet. Internet service providers (ISPs) are engaged to enjoy the services on the internet (Castells, 2001). The most common services that are provided by the internet are World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic mail (E-mail). Internet holds a lot of information which is pre-stored in main frame computers at different locations. When user requests particular information, the request is sent to the mainframe computer, the mainframe computer then completes the requested information. The whole process involves different networks that support the internet. To support and serve millions and billions of users in the whole world, internet uses the standard internet protocol suite which in computer derived as TCP/IP, where TCP is transmission control protocol and IP is internet protocol. The networking hardware is associated with the internet protocol (Moschovitis, et. al, 1999). Internet protocol is important, as it provides an identification of a user. Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) and internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) are two internet protocols. The whole communication system works in a well organized manner and updated according to the technology. The wireless technologies in the internet communication system has revolutionized the utilization of internet and provided an ease for the users to use the services. Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) or wireless local area network (WLAN) is the common type of wireless network that is capable of providing wireless internet. Internet banking is now a common service that almost every international bank is providing (Moschovitis, et. al, 1999). Internet has a major impact on the society and country. Internet has a powerful impact on the social setup of country, as it describes social freedom. It is a powerful medium of communication and the numbers of internet users are increasing day by day (Castells, 1996). The sites like orkut, facebook , MySpace and other similar networking sites are playing an important role in increasing the social network of users. Some countries make internet available to the residents but in a restricted manner (Moschovitis, et. al, 1999). The restriction restricts some of the internet content from viewing. Iran, Saudi Arabia, People’

Leadership Skill-Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Leadership Skill-Building - Essay Example The indicators are engaged in the measurement of performance drivers such as organizational vitality, productivity gain and market position strength. The metrics also measure the financial performance outcomes as well as stakeholder value generated. Research on life cycle model shows different organizational growth stages in the model’s growth through a basic illustration of revenues (for profit) and budget (non-profit) activities. Evaluation reports may illustrate absence of extensive predictors for international executive success while agreeing that open flexibility; drive, language, and personality skills contribute towards successful international leadership. More teams are comprised of people from different nationalities, languages, ideas, behaviors, cultures and ways of achieving objectives. A section of a given team may argue that international business language negates the communication issues for which cross-cultural teams are involved in developing hands-on experience for such disagreeing teams (DuBrin, 2013). People of different backgrounds of culture gather come together within settings that are always in a position of promoting interaction. The implication of such a balance is the energizing elements of the organization. Such a dimension also reflects a truthful culture and organization under which decision-making policies are traditionally held closely by smaller groups of individuals. The systems and mechanics of broadening senior teams vary based on organizational and cultural considerations. The scope of leadership includes creation of common contexts within the item and reason of the strategies that serve as critical milestones for broader leadership teams. In a number of cases, the approach prefers creating groups of between 50 and 100 people recognizing collective accountability for success of entire strategies (DuBrin, 2013). The steps present effective partnering

COST ACCOUNTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL Essay

COST ACCOUNTING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL - Essay Example In order that the costing system is effective so as to support the management control systems, a consideration of various financial and non-financial performance measures is undertaken to introduce the costing systems. This so because the functions of the management control systems is not only to collect the information but also to act upon an analysis of such data and information to steer the organization towards success. Hence arises the need for these performance measures. Some organizations present financial and non-financial performance measures for their subunits in a single report called the Balanced Scorecard. Different organizations stress different elements in their scorecards, but most scorecards include Considering the incorporation of the financial and non-financial measures in the management control systems, an Activity Based Costing system (ABC) would be appropriate for the new online company as well as the existing merchandising division of the company. Activity based costing systems refine costing systems by focusing on individual activities as the fundamental cost objects. An activity is an event, task, or unit of work with a specified purpose; for example designing, setting up machines, distribution.

Waste equals Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Waste equals Food - Essay Example Human influence significantly affects the cycle through which nature replenishes itself. The human practices introduce a model through which the nature cycle becomes obstructed. The substances humans pick from nature cannot safely return into the natural cycle developing a closed end. The writer also identifies the demarcation of substances into two material flow pathways. These are technical and biological pathways. Of late, human advancement has blended the two pathways with the result of obstructing both. This is through the creation of hybrids which can neither benefit the biological pathway, nor the technical pathway. A banana peel may undergo different processes depending on its mode of disposal. When placed in a landfill, organic matter remains in a form that is not reusable by nature. The landfill contains other contaminants that make the peel not to be salvaged by either the biological process or the technical process. The benefits obtainable from the peel become unrecoverab le. When placed in a compost pile, however, the peel forms the raw material for microorganisms which salvage the carbohydrates present. This way, the peel undergoes decomposition to release minerals, which replenish the soil (Picq et al 34). The authors’ main objective is to caution the human race from entangling in processes that do not promote continuous replenishment of the earth. In their view, the earth is the source and should be protected to promote life. Several practices by humans, however, interrupt with the earth’s life cycle and contribute to adverse effects. With the advent of modernization and increasing population, agricultural practices vary from the ancient methodologies with a marked increase in use of chemicals in farming. Though more food than ever is produced, the practices leave the earth vulnerable to erosion, and death of natural fauna. Chemicals used in farming end up killing the beneficial microorganisms thus interrupting the natural ecosystem . Deforestation, as a result of tree felling at a rate lower than that of planting, has led to erosion. The incorporation of technical nutrients with biological ones means that once the lifespan of the product ends, the waste cannot reenter the nature’s pathway or be reused in the technical pathway. The chapter addresses the issue of how human beings can be responsive in ensuring the stability of earth. The emphasis is that the earth is the primary source of livelihood for survival of life. The earth has its own mechanism of ensuring continuous flow of nutrients. This happens through the nature’s life-cycle involving death and decomposition of matter. It is critical to come up with technologies that do not end with products that cannot be reused or recycled. Substances used as technical nutrients should allow reuse in other systems rather than end up being disposed or degrading the environment. Technical and biological nutrients should not be blended. Else, the systems in which they gain application as hybrids, should allow the materials to be recovered separately to re-enter the separate pathways. In order to support their conclusions, the writers cite the intervention in making materials for wheelchairs with nutritive biodegradable matter. This was done through elimination of harmful dies and a terrific selection of natural fibers. The products not only ensured comfort and aeration to the user, but once worn out, they could be

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 19

Personal Statement Example I hope to acquire advanced knowledge of leadership models and strategic planning approaches used in the United States so that I can eventually apply them in Macedonia. I have taken critical steps to lay a strong foundation for my career. Currently, I am working at IMG Prishtina and Skopje offices as a national support staff. My job responsibilities include the evaluation of projects undertaken by the Norwegian Embassy Civil Society Fund and other nonprofit organizations. In the past, I have served as a volunteer with a nongovernmental organization named Camp Glow, which focuses on helping young women maximize their potential and become influential leaders in the society. I graduated with a business administration degree at the South Eastern European University in 2008. I was fortunate to serve as an intern at the UNDP Skopje. Immediately after graduation, I had the opportunity to work for the Macedonian Nation Electricity Distribution Company at the billing department. The position helped me develop remarkable computational and quantitative skills. I have pursued master courses in information systems at the University of Lund in Sweden. I have sel ected the United States for my master’s program because of its highly developed curriculum in leadership and management courses and the fact that the country has some of the prestigious universities in the world. After gaining the remarkable knowledge and skills from the United States, I will focus on using such knowledge to influence the Macedonian society positively by transforming nonprofit organizations. In conclusion, I am well aware that the Macedonian society can benefit immensely if young people adopt modern leadership models. For this reason, I will do my best to become an exemplar for others and help nonprofit organizations adopt effective leadership styles as a measure of promoting

Management Experience in the Creative and Cultural Industries Essay

Management Experience in the Creative and Cultural Industries - Essay Example The first concept which is applied to setting up a new restaurant is based on the franchise requirements which are associated with IHoP. The building has to be free standing and should be an average of 5,000 feet, which seats 185 people. If it isn’t free standing, then it is required to be on an end – cap space, such as at the end of a shopping center. The site is also to be located in an area that has a minimum population of 25,000 and a maximum of 50,000 within a 3 mile population. The traffic which goes through the location should be 28,000 daily, which is specific to the area that the building is located in. It is also required to have a parking space for 50 – 80 people. The property terms are on a triple lease to own, which is based on a lease agreement which lasts from 20 – 30 years. The utility service requires gas at 2,000,000 BTUs, water at 2 inches and 55 pounds minimum flow pressure fire service. Electricity is required to be at 1,000 Amps and 1 20 / 208 2 phase 4 wire. The sewer should contain a 6 inch line minimum lateral (IHoP, 2010). The expectations with the franchise are followed by the establishment and main way in which the operations will work. The first aspect to this is safety. The safety for employees relates to keeping the place clean and free from slipping, spills, burns and other hazards while cooking or serving guests. To ensure this, safety standards will be required through both internal standards and federal regulations, such as continuously cleaning the floors and counter space as well as taking preventative measures while cooking (Almanza, 2004). The food safety will be added into this, specifically with the purchase, storage, handling, preparation, cooking, transport and service. Each of these stages has to meet specific regulations through a food management safety system. The purchase, storage and handling will be monitored by keeping the area clean and by

Commercial Aircraft Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Commercial Aircraft Industry - Essay Example This tells just how competitive an industry really is. A market structure defines the condition of a prevailing market and identifies how it is made up in terms of Perfect Competition: Large number of firms, with homogenous products, characterizes this and therefore there is no specific preference by the consumer for the product. The barriers of entry are low and so competitors exit in and out of the market. Since there is myriad options for the customers, prices are set by customer demand. Consumers and suppliers have a complete knowledge of the market. In an ideal scenario, a perfectly competitive market on one extreme balances a monopoly on the other. In reality, no such thing as a true perfectly competitive market exists. Let us now consider the other popular types of market structures, monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. Monopolistic Competition: Monopolistic competition is a market structure in which many companies operate independent of each other in an industry. In monopolistic competition, there are too many companies and so the primary aim is to attract customers to one's own product specifications. In monopolistic competition due to the large number of firms, the companies can enter the market relatively easily since the barriers of entry are less, although more compared to perfect competition. This makes profit margins low due to the long-term equilibrium Due to the competitions; firms drop prices in order to expand volumes. Monopolistic competition has a normal downward-sloping demand curve. The competing companies in monopolistic competition are forced to vary the price rather than set a stable price and hold it. In monopolistic competition, there are many firms vying for control of one market. Each firm offers a different type of product or differentiate their product to achieve that edge in marketing of their products. Differentiation is a necessity to attract consumers by a parameter beyond the price. Monopoly: A monopoly is a market structure in which, there is only one company that operates within the industry. This generally does not exist, since substitutes in some form emerge usually. Unregulated monopolies with no government ties can generally do whatever they want. After all, there is no one else to offer a different sort of service or a different price. Monopoly may be characterized by high influence on prices and output. Barriers of entry are high and pricing strategies are employed to stifle competition. Monopolies are achieved by being the first in the field, by mergers and acquisitions or being a patent holder or by nationalisation. Complacency may be an issue due to the lack of competition, rendering it inefficient and consumers may be affected by the high pricing power of the firm. Oligopoly: An oligopoly is a market structure in which there are a small number of interdependent companies in the industry. In oligopolies, there are few companies so if you were a company and you made some sort of decision, it will

Group Long Term Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Group Long Term Insurance - Essay Example Employer-based group long term insurance is an essential comprehensive benefits package that offers long term insurance to the employees (Wiener and Illston 66). Reasons for use There are numerous advantages for enrolling in a group long term insurance since the patient does not need to meet any medical requirements before obtaining the group long term policy cover. The relatives and immediate family members of the individual may also be covered, since many group long term care policies allow the retirees and spouses to apply for the long term care coverage. If the group long term insurance consists of a high proportion of relatively younger employees, the insurance provider will be able to charge lower premiums compared with the individual long term plans (Beam and McFadden 357). Group long term insurance helps protect the employee retirement plans. Well informed employees understand that without a Group long term care, medical expenses after retirement can adversely deplete the emp loyee portfolio of assets (Beam and McFadden 369). Some Group Long term insurance policies enable employees to receive benefits and care from any place in the world. The Group long term insurance eases the emotional and physical burden of the family members since they are involved in the care-giving process but are not the primary providers. Group long term insurance covers the costs of care received at home, in the community and also in the nursing homes (Beam and McFadden 378). There are various benefits that accrue to employers who provide Group long term care to their employees. The employer is able to retain the most qualified and skilled employees in the company therefore reducing production losses associated with work stoppages (Beam and McFadden 357). Group long term insurance acts as an incentive of attracting and hiring new employees in the Company. The insurance cover offers the employer a competitive edge since it is an alternative to increasing salaries (Long Term Care Insurance 2). The employees will also receive additional benefits from the Group long term insurance since other programs like training of caregivers and care providers are included in the insurance plan. The employees also receive assistance on claim filling and can enjoy other wellness programs that may be incorporated in the Group long term insurance (Long Term Care Insurance 3). Administration and process All the insurance products for group long term insurance are consistent with Long term Insurance Model Act. HIPAA has imposed several standards that have led to increase in the coverage. The Act has reduced the revenue losses associated with coverage due to changes in the income tax codes. For eligibility to favorable tax treatment, the insurance contract should be qualified therefore contract is guaranteed renewable and all the refunds of premiums and dividends are applied as future reductions in premiums or to increase the future benefits (Beam and McFadden 360). The cost of the group long term insurance is covered by the employee. The initial premiums are calculated on five year age period brackets and increase significantly with the increase in the age of the employee (Wiener and Illston 65). Most of the States require the insurance companies to protect the benefits of employee from

Visions for International Education Essay Example for Free

Visions for International Education Essay Klafki introduces terms like increasing interrelations, mutual dependencies, fate of all continents, cultures, states and societies when addressing the core problems our modern world faces at the turn of the century. A world, which has shrunk since the tunes of Walt Disney’s â€Å"It’s a small world after all†¦..[1]†, and in the aftermath of wars, trade and spheres of progress – appears to be closely knit. The points he makes are very clear through the discussion on 6 complexes of development, though you could look at them solitarily, they are very much intermeshed, as he points out. The entwinement of both individual capabilities and society focus, is very evident in all 6 points, be it: information availability or existential necessity. I couldn’t agree more; unfortunately conflicts exist in our own society, while promoting and claiming a route of tolerance and inclusion on one hand, we wish to be selective and limit the amount of â€Å"fugitives† we can accommodate annually, on the other. First, Klafki approaches education and educational science from a universal standing, where conditioning and development have to have common ground globally. There are many perspectives to developing knowledge and awareness and students of the future need to have an international stance to problems at a very early age. Although he tends to draw a very utopian picture, he keeps focus through his discussion with five key issues towards implementation and involvement. First key issue is â€Å"the problem of peace† and its educational value, as he addresses it, which consists of two main elements: 1. Macro-sociological and macro-political causes of threats to peace or of wars. 2. Moral justification for wars if there are any. The second key issue, he reflects upon, is that of â€Å"environment†, again globally and in conjunction to â€Å"accountability and controllability of scientific-technological development† he addresses the possible need to assist the lesser developed countries in global interest by removing blatant inequality through insight to First world knowledge. An excellent point and one very much current through efforts like movements such as â€Å"Camp for Climate Action[2]†. Klafki makes points on 3 main tasks for dealing with this global initiative towards educating the youth of tomorrow about the environment: 1. Awareness of ecological obligations and the consequences of unchecked tech-eco development. 2. Appreciation of developing energy-saving and environmentally sound consumer behavior. 3. Realization of maintaining, monitoring and further development of initiatives at an international and local level: glocal commitments. Third key issue addresses the inequality which certainly exists within societies and internationally between social classes, gender, employed/unemployed. He points out that at a national level and where the task of inter-cultural education really poses itself, is between a countrys foreign nationalities and even between them and the native population. The fourth key issues, as he puts it, are threats and opportunities amidst a vast and evolving field of new technical control, information and communications media. These tools should be embraced critically and included in any form that can boost education, while weighing the pros and cons of their effect on the user, through both possible social consequence and media misuse. Nay to both euphoria and phobia, but involve them in furthering didactic concepts in the classroom. His fifth and final key issue is on inter-personal engagement, involvement, recognition and responsibility: I-You relationships are central and enlightenment is very much the field for this issue. Now just because we are able to agree across the board on these issues being the basis, problems are not solved, because enlightenment is simply our first global quest. We need to maintain concentration on the key issues to succeed at the international level of education and promote discussion and debate via national curricula. In fact, if we are merely able to promote the significance of these key issues, then solutions can be nationally various and toned, as long as they are based in general for those who are potentially concerned. Soundly enough we also need to address four fundamental attitudes and abilities, which can assist in our quest towards global teachings and classroom practices: 1. Ability to criticize: as well as receive by furthering a point, suggestion or solution. 2. Ability to argue: to contribute to a better-founded insight on all angles of cognition. 3. Empathy: in understanding a counterpart – even if a solution is far from the scope. 4. Networked thought: interrelationships that connect everything with everything. Even after all of these discussions, it boils down to time and teaching – planning and teams. There is a clear necessity to organise and discuss reform: 1. How should class activity be blocked for lessons? 2. Should lessons be in 45 minute intervals or 2 hours? 3. The responsibility of the teaching team and its structure: How much or how little? These are simple questions and a minute contribution which need to be addressed, if there is to be any fruitful outcome through this process. The interrelated educational principles of exemplary teaching and learning, method oriented learning, action-oriented teaching and co-operative learning, all need a more fluid approach. Mutual trust is a necessity and with a realistic approach to implementation and evaluation we are well on our way – whether it seems utopian or not.

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Analysis English Literature Essay

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Analysis English Literature Essay An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, is a short story with a unique plot twist. Ambrose Bierce uses time as a way of manipulating the readers perspective. Time is defined by a nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession. (TheFreeDictionary.com) This distortion of the continuous forward motion of time disrupts the perception of reality. When the reader can no longer distinguish actual reality from a perceived reality, other character judgments come into question as well. The disruption of time allows the sequence of events in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge to be presented in a manner that forces the reader to question any assumptions made about Peyton Farquhars true character. By taking the reader through the mind of Peyton Farquhar during the moments prior to his death, his miraculous escape, and his sudden snap back into the present, the reader is left wondering about the true nature of time and the effect it has on the awarene ss of reality. The narrators description of every tangible detail to the story sets a specific time period for the events that take place. The reader can easily distinguish a historical time line for the story. Being a slave owner and like other slave owners a politician he was naturally an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southern cause. (Bierce p. 72) The story is set in the south, during the Civil War. Ambrose Bierce uses a specific time period as a method of developing the readers perception, of not only the situation, but of the character of Peyton Farquhar himself. By labeling Peyton Farquhar as a slave owner (Bierce p. 72), politician (Bierce p. 72), and original secessionist (Bierce p. 72), the reader may begin to empathize with the reasons for Peyton Farquhars situation. The reader can easily believe that by being devoted to the Southern cause (Bierce p 73) during the Civil War, the man who [is] engaged in being hanged (Bierce p. 74) is justifiably in the situation. The de scriptive language used to describe Peyton Farquhar during this specified moment in history, elicit strong emotions in the reader. Ambrose Bierce easily manipulates the readers perception of Peyton Farquhar while solidifying the reality of the story. Ambrose Bierce continuously foreshadows the disruption of time and Peyton Farquhars upcoming death. The moments leading up to his hanging, Peytons reality begins to become distorted. He became conscious of a new disturbance. (Bierce p 74) A sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmiths hammer upon the anvil. (Bierce p 75). What should be an irrelevant background noise suddenly becomes extremely significant and loud. Ambrose Bierce clearly expresses just how significant the few moments before death become. More significantly for Bierces purposes, though, is that time itself, when employed to calibrate human experience, seems to become indeterminate at points of maximum emotional disturbance. (Stoicheff) Peyton Farquhar only hears the ticking of his watch. (Bierce p 75) This distinct reference to time gives the reader a moment to ponder just how many ticks of Peytons watch actually occur during the upcoming s equence. As the noose tightens around his neck, and he is as one already dead (Bierce p 75) from this state he [is] awakened ages later. (Bierce p 75) Death is a reality each and every individual must eventually accept. Having to face death in such a brutal manner leaves Peyton Farquhar reminiscent of his wife and home. He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children. (Bierce p 76) Although improbable, the thoughts of escape begin to cloud Peytons mind. If I could free my hands, he thought, I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream.' (Bierce p 76) Until this point in the story, Ambrose Bierces narration has maintained a steadfast objectivity. In the third and most notable section of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, when the sergeant stepped aside and the board is released from beneath Peyton Farquhar, the narration becomes much more emotion-laden. The reader begins to experience the pain and terror that must come from facing death in such a manner. Although the events of his escape are surreal and improbable, because time-flow is normally irreversible, the reader is continuously pushed forward into believing Peyton has actually survived his escape. Thus, allowing time to continue uninterrupted, yet more subjective. The reader is finally given small insight into the thoughts and emotions of Peyton Farquhar. The internal thoughts and fears of a man just moments from his death can be unnerving and terrifying. However, the reader nearly cheers for Peyton Farquhar to escape unharmed. The narrator continues the objective description of even such a traumatic scene. It seemed to himby the pain of a sharp pressure upon his throat, followed by a sense of suffocation. (Bierce p 75) With each passing moment, with each detailed description of the pain Peyton Farquhar must endure to achieve his escape, time seems to slow down. As in any adrenaline filled moment, time becomes slightly distorted, however Bierce again uses descriptions to what can only be a method of elongating a single moment. As [Peyton Farquhar] rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he had been a long time under water. (Bierce p 75) Farquhars ordeal describe[s] the sensations of an exhausted escaper as those of a hanged and dy ing man. (Palmer p363) Reality becomes further muddled in the readers mind. Initially the reader was left with many assumptions about the character of Peyton Farquhar. The factual descriptions given allowed the reader to sympathize with Farquhars captors. However, in the second section of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the reader is given the opportunity to see the events unfold. It becomes apparent that although a secessionist, (Bierce p74) Farquhar was entrapped into the events that unfolded by a union soldier. The reader can than begin to sympathize with the character. Ambrose Bierce uses this opportunity to and entrance into the surrealist dream sequence to develop character more fully (Walz p262-265) The Truth the reader has come to accept begins to unravel and suddenly becomes questionable. The distortion of time and perception begin to distort the awareness of reality for the reader. Ambrose Bierce shows that time can be manipulated and elongated significantly by highly emotional events. (Stoicheff) The narrators description of the a single insign ificant sound and how it comes the most abundant thought before death should make the reader question the subjectivity of not only time, but reality and truth as well. The readers ability to sympathize with the character through a distortion of time and to begin to question the nature and subjectivity of time make apparent how relative truth is. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, reality is subject to time, emotions, and the reader assumptions. Each individual aspect effects reality significantly. Ambrose Bierce reiterates the fact that time, reality, and truths are all created in the readers mind. If the readers perception creates each aspect and the readers perception can be easily manipulated, then it stands to reason that each aspect can then be manipulated as well. However, although time is nature to subjective perceptions, Ambrose Bierce makes it obvious that it cannot be escaped. In the end, all is darkness and silence! (Bierce p75) Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge. (Bierce p76)

Aberdeen Tartan Day This repo

Aberdeen Tartan Day This repo Aberdeen Tartan Day    This report examines the data from a Market Research Questionnaire presented to visitors of Aberdeen. Awareness of past events is reviewed and, preferences for future events are examined, with various alternatives being explored. On August 5, 2005 Aberdeen City Council held its second Tartan Day. In an effort to expand this newfound tradition Council wishes to explore levels of interest in different types of potential activities. In the past such activities as the Country Fair, walking tours, a family day at the Union Terrace and special Jacobite displays at Provost Skene’s House were included in the programme. The data, provided by the client, consisted of 30 respondents to the questionnaire. Although this number is small it is sufficient to extract some general information for Aberdeen City Council to make decisions regarding future events. The raw data were assumed to be correct as well as the methods for collecting the data deemed appropriate. The raw data were copied to a minitab file (available upon request) and various graphs and statistical tests performed. Means and medians were compared and, in some cases, correlation coefficients were calculated to identify relationships between areas. Demographically the respondents were evenly split by gender and equally distributed in the three age ranges 15-19, 20-24 and 25-29. Twenty-eight live in Aberdeen City, 23 are college students, one secondary student and six employed full time. All six of the respondents employed had salaries below  £1500 per month. There was huge variance in the level of awareness respondents had in the events held in Aberdeen last year. Of the 30 people surveyed almost all were aware of the â€Å"Free at the Dee† event but less than 25% were aware of ‘Tartan Day’. Event Number Aware Number Attended Aberdeen Jazz Festival 6 2 Aberdeen International Football Festival 14 1 Aberdeen International Youth Festival 13 1 Free at the Dee 28 14 Tartan Day 7 1 International Traders Fair 4 0 10k Fun Run 8 2 Highland Games 15 3 Apart from the traders fair, the football and youth festivals, the Tartan Day attracted the fewest percent of the people aware of its existence. Free at the Dee seems to have generated the keenest attraction. How respondents find out about events connected with their hobbies and interests is shown below: Communication mode Percent who used this TV 50% Press 22% Posters 18% Text Message 20% Internet 60% e-mail 30% Word of Mouth 93% Leaflets 13% Clearly word of mouth and the internet seem to be the most effective communication modes with traditional print modes (leaflets, posters, press) among the least. A review of the cost effectiveness of e-mail and the internet compared to TV may be worth undertaking. Note that since many respondents make use of more than one media the above percents add to more than 100%. The pie chart below shows the relative popularity of the five proposed themes for future Tartan Day events. These are based on the number of respondents who chose each activity as either their first or second choice. The boxplot below poignantly illustrates how the respondents voted. The shaded area shows how the middle half voted with the line in the box showing the median. The broad box for sports indicates the wide range of opinions related to the desirability of sports as a theme but whereas the small shaded area for music indicates a strong consensus (the median is actually 1). The star at 4 for music is a lone dissenter called an outlier. Clearly neither theatre, art nor highland games are very attractive as themes to the respondents. No one ranked theatre or art as number one and a singular champion of highland games voted it a first choice. Both sport and music seem to be popular. Twenty ranked music as number one and 8 ranked it as number 2 where sport received nine votes in each category. A closer inspection of the data revealed that those that placed music high as an activity tended to place sports low. A similar relationship held between highland games and theatre. This information could be valuable should the committee decide to hold two events concurrently. Most people who expressed a preference voted for the event to be held at the beginning of July either at the beach or Duthie Park. Month Count Time Count Place Count June 11 Beginning of month 13 Beach 11 July 16 End of month 1 Duthie Park 14 August 2 No preference 16 Union Terrace 3 September 1 Castle Gate 1 Exhibition Centre 1 Seventy percent of the respondents would like to see a Scottish theme (Haggis, Angus Beef burgers, Whisky and tartan) at the festival. Almost a quarter had no preference. Two-thirds of the respondents claimed to be willing to pay for this event and, of those, an overwhelming 80% peg  £1 to  £5 as reasonable with the rest willing to pay between  £6 and  £10. Since a full two thirds of the respondents selected music as the theme they would prefer for future events a review of their preferences might reveal some additional information. The music lovers showed the same generally low level of awareness and participation at the various events held in Aberdeen last year as the complete sample of thirty respondents. The first surprise is the mode of communication for the people who selected music. Communication mode Music People Percent who used this Full Sample Percent who used this TV 50% 50% Press 75% 22% Posters 65% 18% Text Message 20% 20% Internet 60% 60% e-mail 30% 30% Word of Mouth 90% 93% Leaflets 20% 13% The group that choose music made use of most media the same as the full cohort with the notable exceptions that the music group made much more use of the printed media: press, posters and leaflets. The planning committee may wish to take this into account when designing their advertising. Advertising in the printed media could place more emphasis on the music aspect and other forms of media target a more general audience. The music group favoured the beginning of July as did the whole group with an even greater percentage favouring Duthie Park. They also would like to see a Scottish theme added to the festival although whether this is confined to food, drink and dress or includes the music was not indicated. Last years brochure heralded ten out of its sixteen venues as ‘admission free.’ Two-thirds of the respondents expressed a willingness to pay for the event they chose as a potential theme for Tartan Day (ie. they expressed a willingness to pay for a music event). The committee will need to consider the question of fee from a philosophical view as well as a pragmatic one. Generally the profile of the group willing to pay aligns closely to the whole group of respondents with a few notable exceptions. The potential payers showed greater attendance at both the 10K fun run and the highland games. They relied less on internet for communication and slightly more on e-mail. They showed a significantly greater reliance on TV for communication. None of the potential payers wished to see Tartan Day in August and they favoured Duthie Park very strongly. The data were reviewed by parsing other subgroups with no startling results. The age groupings and the groupings according to employment status showed no difference from the group as a whole. There were slight gender differences in the choice of media. Females tended to favour the press and posters. A number of questions emerge naturally from the above results. If music is to be a theme what kind of music would be best received? Could there be two themes like music and sport? The survey did not indicate family status. If Tartan Day is to be a family event this group could be targeted in any follow-up surveys. The general level of awareness as indicated by the participants of the survey of Tartan Day in the past has been low and the attendance even lower. Based on the survey results the committee should consider changing the date of Tartan Day to early in July. The majority favour a music theme with the venue at Duthie Park and they are willing to pay a small entrance fee (below  £5). Depending on the target group a variety of media should be used to communicate the events of the day.

The Changing Face Of Basketball Essay example -- essays research paper

The Changing Face of Basketball Basketball has come a long way since its soccer ball and peach basket beginnings in that its style, players, facilities and leagues have developed dramatically and gained tremendous popularity. Salaries have increased from Bob Cousy's minute $45.00 a game (Minser 37) to Michael Jordan's $300,000 + per game (Minser 37). Basketball is a sport in which all ages can participate in any way, shape, or form and is a big part of American society today. In 1891 James A. Naismith invented basketball at a YMCA gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts (Hollander 4). He told a custodian to nail two peach baskets 10 feet high on opposite ends of the gymnasium walls. The first teams consisted of nine players on each side (this was later changed to five because of roughness) (Hollander 5- 7). The main rules were one could not take more than two steps with the ball, which meant one would have to dribble it and it was not to be a contact sport, so one was not allowed to tackle or push, etc... or a foul would be called. The rules have developed in that a shot clock was installed. The shot clock is a 24 second clock that a team had to shoot within that time period (Minsky 12). Basketball has developed in that players have become more flashy, facilities have become bigger and more complex, and leagues have grown. The 50's marked a period of fundamentals. Teams practiced shooting, dribbling, and passing. they also emphasized execution; something lacking in today's game. Execution is the running of plays to perfection. Basketball in the 50's was dominated by 6'10† George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers (Minsky 14).Mikan was a disciplined team leader who had a masterful soft shot. Big George led the Lakers to five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in six years, making them the first professional basketball dynasty (Minsky 14). Growing up, George was very uncoordinated and was cut from almost every basketball team he tried out for; however, a man named Ray Meyer was the coach of DePaul University and dedicated his training sessions to Mikan (Minsky 15-16). George worked very hard; he even took dance lessons to improve his agility and footwork. He also played one - on - one with shorter but faster players in order to improve his defensive positioning. He also jumped rope, played hours of catch with tennis and medicine balls, and pra... ...arenas, enormous crown support, and plenty of luxuries (Hollander 60-69). Original salaries were microscopic compared to salaries today, especially when compared to other professionals. Basketball today is being sold to the public more than any other sport. Corporate sponsors have lured players with million dollar offers. It is amazing at the difference between the salaries of basketball players and professionals such as teachers, nurses, social workers , and even what we pay our clergy. The public wants to be entertained, and will pay for it, but fails to give adequate payment to professionals who affect our daily lives. The style of play, players, facilities, and leagues have developed dramatically and gained tremendous popularity since its soccer ball and peach basket beginnings. Thesis Statement: Basketball has come a long way since its soccer ball and peach basket beginnings in that its style, players, facilities and leagues have devoloped dramatically and gained tremendous popularity. I. History A. What B. When C. Basic rules II. Development A. First great players B. Facilities C. Leagues III. Salaries A. Original B. Salaries now C. Salaries compared to other professions

The Civil Rights in the 1950s and 60s :: American America History

The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's (1) Trumans civil rights committee: In 1947 Trumans Civil Rights Committee recommended laws protecting the right of African Americans to vote and banning segregation on railroads and buses. It also called for a federal law punishing lynching. He issued executive orders ending segregation in the armed forces and prohibiting job discrimination in all government agencies. (2) Brown V. the Board of Education (1954): In 1954 the Supreme Court made one of the most important decisions in its long history. It decided in the case of Brown v. Board Of Education of Topeka that it was unconstitutional for states to maintain separate schools for African American and white children. This case over turned the "Separate but equal" doctrine established in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson back in 1896. (3) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): After the supreme court decided to end segregation, African Americans started to speak out more about their racial opinions. In Montgomery, Alabama, a bus boycott ended with a victory for the African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama segregation laws were unconstitutional. During the boycott a young African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. became well known. Throughout the long contest he advised African Americans to avoid violence no matter had badly provoked by whites. Rosa Parks tired of sitting in the back of the bus, and giving up her seat to white men. One weary day she refused to move from the front of the bus, and she became one of history's heroes in the Civil Rights Act movement. (4) The Civil Rights Act: In 1964 congress passed a Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination in restaurants, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and public facilities of all sorts. This civil rights act also made it easier and safer for Southern Blacks to register and vote. Laws were passed to help poor people improve their ability to earn money, a program to give extra help to children at risk even before they were old enough to go to school, and a program to train school dropouts. (5) The Great Society: These actions were very popular. Johnson easily won the 1964 presidential election and then proposed what he called the Great Society program. This was Johnson's plan. He would work to improve the lives of all people, but especially the poor and the powerless. Programs were aimed at helping every segment in society. The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's :: American America History The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's (1) Trumans civil rights committee: In 1947 Trumans Civil Rights Committee recommended laws protecting the right of African Americans to vote and banning segregation on railroads and buses. It also called for a federal law punishing lynching. He issued executive orders ending segregation in the armed forces and prohibiting job discrimination in all government agencies. (2) Brown V. the Board of Education (1954): In 1954 the Supreme Court made one of the most important decisions in its long history. It decided in the case of Brown v. Board Of Education of Topeka that it was unconstitutional for states to maintain separate schools for African American and white children. This case over turned the "Separate but equal" doctrine established in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson back in 1896. (3) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): After the supreme court decided to end segregation, African Americans started to speak out more about their racial opinions. In Montgomery, Alabama, a bus boycott ended with a victory for the African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama segregation laws were unconstitutional. During the boycott a young African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. became well known. Throughout the long contest he advised African Americans to avoid violence no matter had badly provoked by whites. Rosa Parks tired of sitting in the back of the bus, and giving up her seat to white men. One weary day she refused to move from the front of the bus, and she became one of history's heroes in the Civil Rights Act movement. (4) The Civil Rights Act: In 1964 congress passed a Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination in restaurants, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and public facilities of all sorts. This civil rights act also made it easier and safer for Southern Blacks to register and vote. Laws were passed to help poor people improve their ability to earn money, a program to give extra help to children at risk even before they were old enough to go to school, and a program to train school dropouts. (5) The Great Society: These actions were very popular. Johnson easily won the 1964 presidential election and then proposed what he called the Great Society program. This was Johnson's plan. He would work to improve the lives of all people, but especially the poor and the powerless. Programs were aimed at helping every segment in society.

space :: essays research papers

People arguing over shuttle costs on the net are usually arguing from different assumptions and do not describe their assumptions clearly, making it impossible to reach agreement. To demonstrate the difficulty, here are a range of flight cost figures differing by a factor of 35 and some of the assumptions behind them (all use 1992 constant dollars). $45 million - marginal cost of adding or removing one flight from the manifest in a given year. $414 million - NASA's average cost/flight, assuming planned flight rates are met and using current fiscal year data only. $1 billion - operational costs since 1983 spread over the actual number of flights. $900 million - $1.35 billion - total (including development) costs since the inception of the shuttle program, assuming 4 or 8 flights/year and operations ending in 2005 or 2010. $1.6 billion - total costs through 1992 spread over the actual number of flights through 1992. For more detailed information, see the Aviation Week Forum article by Roger A. Pielke, Jr.: "Space Shuttle Value Open To Interpretation", July 26, 1993, pg. 57. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the Saturn V blueprints have not been lost. They are kept at Marshall Space Flight Center on microfilm. The Federal Archives in East Point, GA also has 2900 cubic feet of Saturn documents. Rocketdyne has in its archives dozens of volumes from its Knowledge Retention Program. This effort was initiated in the late '60s to document every facet of F-1 and J-2 engine production to assist in any future re-start. The problem in re-creating the Saturn V is not finding the drawings, it is finding vendors who can supply mid-1960's vintage hardware (like guidance system components), and the fact that the launch pads and VAB have been converted to Space Shuttle use, so you have no place to launch from. By the time you redesign to accommodate available hardware and re-modify the launch pads, you may as well have started from scratch with a clean sheet design. Other references: Several AIAA papers delivered in recent years discuss reviving the Saturn V. For example, AIAA paper 92-1546, "Launch Vehicles for the Space Exploration Initiative". This paper concluded that a revived Saturn V was actually cheaper than the NLS vehicle. An overview of the infrastructure still available to support production of a 1990s Saturn V and how that vehicle might be used to support First Lunar Outpost missions can be found in the December 1993 issue of _Spaceflight_, published by the British Interplanetary Society. WHY DATA FROM SPACE MISSIONS ISN'T IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE

Socio cultural and traditional practices on breastfeeding

It is a good established fact from assorted extended researches since old ages that suckling patterns have extended consequence on immature kid ‘s wellness and mortality particularly in developing states. â€Å" Assorted life-long effects such as impaired cognitive development, intelligence, strength, growing and development are associated with Undernutrition due to hapless breastfeeding patterns at the initial stage of kid ‘s life. † Harmonizing to WHO, major proportion of deceases under 5 old ages of age are associated with malnutrition. From assorted researches published in Lancet in the twelvemonth 2003, it is revealed that there would hold been a decrease of about 13 per centum of child deceases if the per centum of sole suckling up to six months reaches to 90 % and breastfeeding is continued thenceforth for around two old ages of age. India has a really high Infant Mortality Rate of 57 % and the major ground for this high mortality rate is malnutrition which is a common issue here. Uttar Pradesh ranks 2nd with Infant mortality rate of 81 per 1000 unrecorded births. National Family Health Survey study shows that Uttar Pradesh stands at 2nd place to Bihar in figure of malnutrition instances amongst kids less than 5 old ages of age. This substantiates why there are lower rates of kid endurance in Uttar Pradesh. The breastfeeding indexs for India ( harmonizing to WHO guidelines ) are far from the optimum mark. Harmonizing to the DLHS-3 in twelvemonth 2008, per centum of kids in India having suckling within an hr after birth is 40.5 and it is farther really low in UP with merely 15.4 % . Similarly, sole breastfeeding rate upto 5 months amongst Indian kids is 46.8 % while its lowest in UP with merely 19.4 % . A survey conducted by Sinha et.al reveals that in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu breastfeeding patterns and absten tion are greatly influenced by the societal, cultural and traditional patterns and coevals age difference. Through this survey, it is aimed to research the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns in rural portion of Uttar Pradesh ( India ) in order to do recommendation for effectual schemes to better suckling index. Study capable and method: The method used for this survey will be ethnographic qualitative research methodological analysis. This survey is proposed to be conducted in four small towns of UP, India. The survey population comprises of female parents of kids with age group of 0 to 23 months and their mother-in-laws. Besides a group of small town wellness commission members, ASHA workers and traditional birth attenders will be a portion of this survey. Triangulation of two research informations aggregation techniques i.e. FGDs and In-depth interviews will be preferred for informations aggregation. Data analysis will be done by integrating it in qualitative research packages such as NVivo or Atlas utilizing thematic analysis. This survey will be for merely a short continuance of 6 months with the attempts to accomplish the maximal consequences with minimum resources. The budget for this complete survey along with the airing of cardinal findings comes to US $ 41,087.Background:Introduction to the subject Breastfeeding patterns impacts well on the wellness of an baby and immature kid as he/she grows. Relation between the breastfeeding patterns with wellness and mortality rate of baby and immature kid is good established through assorted extended researches since old ages. It is the best alimentary and immune fluid the babe receives in its natural signifier which is most suited for babe ‘s metamorphosis. Particularly in developing states where hygiene and sanitation is one of the major concerns, sole chest eating helps in minimising the hazard of consumption of disease doing agents ( Anandaiah, R. et al. , 2000 ) . Adequate proportion of chest milk satisfies about all the nutritionary demand of an baby for atleast the first six months of babe ‘s life ( Reddy, S. 1995 ) . Children who are breastfed have better neurodevelopment results, and the continuance of suckling besides affects a kid ‘s intelligence. ( IBFAN et al. 2005 ) . Assorted researches have proved a positive impact of chest eating on baby and immature kid survival particularly among the population with elevated baby mortality and deprived socioeconomic status peculiarly among rural kids with hapless households and deficiency of safe imbibing H2O and sanitation installations ( Cited by Anandaiah, R. et al. , 2000 ; Palloni et al. , 1986 ; Retherford et Al in 1989 ) . A set of guidelines is recommended by WHO for infant eating patterns in developing states on the footing of assorted researches that provinces: â€Å" Breastfeeding should be initiated instantly after childbearing. Babies should have merely chest milk up to 4-6 months of age. At such immature ages, no other nutrients or liquids are recommended. Get downing at age of 6 months, equal and appropriate auxiliary nutrients should be added to the baby ‘s diet in order to supply sufficient foods for optimum growing. It is recommended that suckling continues, in combination with auxiliary nutrients, up to the 2nd birthday or beyond ( World Health Organization. 1991, P. 4 ) . † Situation/ Problem Analysis. Malnutrition during the initial stage of kid ‘s life leads to life-long serious growing and developmental effects and its consequence becomes about irreversible if occurs during the first two old ages of important stage of kid ‘s growing. The steep rise in malnutrition amongst kids during first two old ages of life reflects upon hapless infant eating patterns. Adequate and proper eating in the initial stage of kid ‘s life helps in forestalling malnutrition and ensures proper growing and development of kids. As per WHO study, malnutrition histories for more than half of all under five deceases. Improper eating had lead to two-third of all deceases under five old ages of age. As mentioned above researches published in Lancet in 2003 shows that 13-16 % child deceases can be prevented by increasing the coverage of sole breastfeeding for first six months to 90 % and so continued feeding for about two old ages ( BPNI, 2006 ) . Malnutrition being widespread in India, it is accountable for about 55 % of the kid mortality. It can be prevented by advancing sole chest eating upto 6 months and uninterrupted breastfeeding for 2 old ages and beyond as per the WHO guidelines for developing states and recommended by planetary public wellness ( Gupta, A. et al. , 2004 ) . In India babes are normally breastfed but the rate for early induction of chest eating and sole chest eating upto 6 months is rather low ( Oommen, A. et al. , 2009 ) . After birth about 49 % of the babes are given prelacteal provenders such as honey and farther sugar H2O ( normally used ) , apparent H2O, unreal milk, etc as per the cultural and traditional beliefs and rites. Around 20 % of babes are besides given solid nutrient addendum along with the chest milk during the first four to six months of the life. Some of the Key suckling Indexs of India as per DLHS-3 and its comparing with UP province is as below: Child feeding patterns as per DLHS-3 ( Year 2008 ) India ( % ) Uttar Pradesh ( % ) Rate of suckling within one hr in kids upto 3 old ages 40.5 15.4 Rate of sole breastfeeding for 0-5 months kids 46.8 19.4 Rate of sole breastfeeding for 6 months for kids of 6-35 months 25.5 8.2 Rate of 6-9 months kids having solid/semi-solid nutrient and chest milk 57.1 54.5 Indian cultural and traditional beliefs have strong influence on wellness related patterns of its population. A survey conducted by BPNI showed that due to the traditional and cultural belief ‘s influence, sole breastfeeding rate is low and the usage of supplying pre-lacteal provender is widespread. The above given figures reflects that infant eating patterns in India are far from range of recognized rates. ( Gupta, A. et al. , 2004 ) A survey was conducted by R. K. Sinha and A. Pradhan on cultural impact of suckling patterns and abstention in Uttar Pradesh and Tamilnadu, India. They found that in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu breastfeeding patterns and abstention are greatly influenced by societal, cultural and traditional patterns and coevals age difference ( Sinha, R. et al. , 2000 ) . I want to further research the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns in rural Uttar Pradesh ( India ) in order to do recommendation for effectual schemes to better suckling status/indicator. Research inquiry or hypothesis: What are the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns in rural portion of Uttar Pradesh ( India ) ?Already Known:India has a really high Infant Mortality Rate of 57 % . ( NFHS-III, Jan 2008 ) . Uttar Pradesh has 2nd highest Infant Mortality Rate of 81 per 1000 unrecorded births. It besides has highest less than five mortality rate. ( Indicus Analytical, 2008 ) Malnutrition is the most common cause of immature kid mortality in India accounting for approximately 55 % of entire child deceases. National Family Health Survey study shows that Uttar Pradesh stands at 2nd place to Bihar in figure of malnutrition instances amongst kids less than 5 old ages of age. This substantiates why there are lower rates of kid endurance in Uttar Pradesh. ( NRHM, 2010 ) As per District Level Household and Facility Survey indexs for the kid feeding patterns in Uttar Pradesh is highly hapless and unacceptable ( informations shown in table above )My Study Will Add:This survey aims to look into assorted single, experiential, socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns ‘ influence on breastfeeding patterns By the results of the survey recommendations can be made for effectual schemes to better the position of chest eating in rural Uttar Pradesh, IndiaAim and aims:Purpose: This survey intends to research the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns in rural portion of Uttar Pradesh ( India ) in order to do recommendation for effectual schemes to better breastfeeding indexAims:To look into single, experiential, socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns ‘ influence on breastfeeding patterns To urge effectual schemes sing the findings of the survey to better the position of chest eating in Uttar Pradesh, IndiaProposed research methodological analysis:The research method to be used to reply this research inquiry is qualitative research method.Study Design:â€Å" Ethnography is a qualitative research methodological analysis used for descriptive surveies of civilizations and people. † Hence, Ethnographic survey design will be used here to look into the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns as there is a call for inductive qualitative research to understand the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs related to suckling and research that identifies beliefs and patterns that may be hinderance for early induction of chest eating, foremilk eating and care of sole suckling harmonizing to WHO guidelines for developing states.Study Area:Uttar Pradesh province of India has a population of 90,415. Number of kids age 12-23 mo nths are 11,990 out of which 10,181 of these kids lives in rural portion of Uttar Pradesh. There are 62.5 % of married adult females who are non-literate ( non able to read and compose ) and 65.4 % of them reside in rural countries. Actually major proportion of Indian population resides in rural parts in smaller units called small towns where literacy rate is low particularly amongst females as compared to males. This survey is proposed to be conducted in two small towns of Barabanki and two small towns of Sultanpur territory of Uttar Pradesh ( Maps of Uttar Pradesh, 2010 ) .Study Population:India has cardinal authorities at national degree and farther province and local authorities. Within Local Government there are two bifurcations: ‘Panchayats ‘ ( rural ) and ‘Municipalities ‘ ( urban ) . The Panchayats are formed by locally available resources and is divided into â€Å" small town panchayets † , â€Å" panchayet samities † , and â€Å" terr itory panchayets † . An enterprise called National Rural Health Mission ( NRHM ) is started by wellness ministry to guarantee effectual health care at single, family, community, and wellness system degrees. National Rural Health Mission makes proviso of â€Å" ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activist for every 1000 people † . ASHA worker is chosen from small town and trained to work as a nexus between community and wellness system. ( NRHM, 2010 ) At small town degree there is a small town wellness commission. The survey population for this survey comprises of female parents of kids with age group of 0 to 23 months and their mother-in-laws. Besides a group of small town wellness commission members and traditional birth attenders will be a portion of this survey.Sampling Technique and Sample Size:Two qualitative research techniques will be used for this research survey. Focus Group Discussion: Focus Group Discussions will be done to be cognizant of the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns most prevailing among this population that is act uponing the breastfeeding patterns. Entire 12 FGD ‘s are proposed to be conducted with each dwelling of a little group of 6-8 members. In-depth interviews: Purposive and convenience trying method will be used for in-depth semi-structured interview. It is proposed that about 32 interviews will be conducted in four small towns ( eight interviews in each small town ) selected indiscriminately within Uttar Pradesh province. But farther alteration in Numberss can be applicable depending upon the impregnation point for the informations aggregation.Data Collection Method:A ‘question matrix ‘ will be developed at the really beginning of planing the information aggregation tool. â€Å" A inquiry matrix is a tabular array that allows you to put out the subjects ( frequently matching to the aims of your research ) , more item on the information required, the informations aggregation method, the beginning ( i.e. the participant / papers ) and, eventually, some bill of exchange inquiries. † ( Designing informations aggregation tools by Dr Rebecca King ) Data will be collected by triangulation of two informations aggregation techniques i.e. FGDs and In-depth interviews. Initially FGDs will be conducted followed by In-depth interviews as the subjects and cardinal findings emerged from FGD ‘s will be used for farther geographic expedition under the in-depth interviews. Field proving or navigation of the informations aggregation tools will be done to look into its pertinence and relevancy one time before originating the full-fledge survey. Focus Group Discussion: Three FGDs will be done for each small town selected indiscriminately with three different groups – female parents ‘ group, mother-in-laws ‘ group and the 3rd group consisting of few small town wellness commission members and traditional birth attenders. It will be arranged at topographic point where small town wellness commission meetings are held with their anterior permission. Altogether 12 FGDs will be done, each dwelling of 6-8 members. FGD ‘s will be conducted by adept qualitative research workers sooner from the same part as being good versed with local linguistic communication. Each FGD will prosecute two individuals ; facilitator and note taker. With informed consent voice recording equipment will be utilised to enter the FGDs along with the notes from the note taker who will concentrate on the of import subjects, issues to follow-up through an in-depth interview, organic structure linguistic communication and looks of partici pants. The estimated continuance for one FGD would be around two hours including the ice-breaker activity at the beginning of FGD. These FGDs will research the socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns most prevailing among this population that is act uponing the breastfeeding patterns and is responsible for the lower chest feeding index in the province. Single FGD will be held in a twenty-four hours, followed by written text and interlingual rendition of informations collected on the same twenty-four hours. Accuracy of the quality of informations translated will be ensured by back cheque of the interlingual rendition. In-depth interviews: A semi structured questionnaire with unfastened ended inquiries will be developed to carry on the in-depth interviews utilizing the identified subjects and cardinal information from the FGD ‘s conducted and besides from the findings of relevant old researches/literature. An interview inquiry usher will be developed dwelling of general clear ended inquiries on the chief subject followed by a scope of examining inquiries based on that peculiar subject to be explored. Interviews will be done by sing the interviewees in their ain house clasp puting but taking attention that a complete interview can be held without an external disturbance/interference. A tape recording equipment ( verbatim ) and field notes will be collected. It is intended that entire 32 interviews will be conducted, spliting it every bit into 8 interviews for each of the four small towns under survey. Further bifurcation of these eight interviews for each small town is made between female pare nts, mother-in-laws, village wellness commission members, ASHA worker, traditional birth attenders, etc. It should be exhaustively considered that this is an estimated figure and it can alter based on the impregnation point of the informations retrieved. Interviews will last for 1 to 2 hours and it would be made certain that no more than 2 interviews will be done by each informations aggregation officer on a individual twenty-four hours so that collected informations can be transcribed sooner on the same twenty-four hours to maximise the retrieval of informations collected. During the procedure of the interview, ab initio the respondent will be made comfy, explained the purposes and aims of this survey, provided the information sheet and informed consent and eventually informed that they can halt at any clip if they wish and ask if they have any farther inquiry in their head. [ Green and Thorogood 2004: 97 ]Datas Analysis Plan:If possible informations will be transcribed on same twenty-four hours of informations aggregation in order to obtain a written ‘script ‘ of the FGD and interviews to analyze. Transcribed informations will be farther translated from local linguistic communication to English. This information will be incorporated into qualitative research informations package such as NVivo along with the natural information in the signifier of voice recording and farther reviewed by an expert research worker. The information of the transcript will farther be organised, indexed and chief subjects will be identified from it. A cryptograph y frame will be developed and the informations will be rearranged harmonizing to this cryptography frame. Further by incorporating expertness, reading of informations will be done and happening will be reported. Analytic method to be used here will be thematic analysis utilizing thematic webs.Potential hazards:Inappropriate clip for informations aggregation: Data will be collected from females due to its relevancy to the research survey. Women in rural countries are really much occupied by their family jobs and work. It is really hard for them to be available at a peculiar clip. Hence anterior assignment will be made and interviews and FGDs will be conducted at their convenience. Unsuitable topographic point for informations aggregation: Due to sensitiveness of the subject and to avoid any intervention or biased responses, FGDs will be conducted off from their place at a peculiar suited topographic point where the group of female participants can talk up/open up. For interviews it is hard for them to name up at a peculiar topographic point, hence it will be conducted by place visit but attention will be taken about avoiding any intervention by keeping privateness. Trouble in placing right age of kids and remembering the exact continuance: Due to take down literacy rate it is hard to remember or right place the age of their kids. Therefore local calendar, festivals, fasting months, raining or reaping seasons will be used to assist female parents remember right clip. Garbage to talk or halt the interview: Look at the sensitiveness of the subject ; it will take some clip for them to open up. In Indian society many rural adult females are still really submissive and would some clip garbage to talk on a peculiar sensitive point or would likely non like to farther go on the interview or treatment. In that instance the interview will be discontinued as per the involuntariness. Cultural stigma: In the Indian civilization adult females would non discourse on subject such as chest eating patterns with a male so lone female informations roll uping forces will be used. Data aggregation prejudice, misunderstanding and incorrect paraphrasing: Interviewers good versed with the local linguistic communication and civilization will be appointed to avoid such errors. Missing or uncomplete informations: The questionnaires will be reviewed by supervisor before go forthing small town or block so as to maintain a cheque on any lost or ill-defined informations. Refusal for entering the interview or FGD: It is expected that some respondents particularly adult females can decline to enter the FGD or interview harmonizing to Indian traditions. In that state of affairs note-taker will observe the treatment with the aid of another individual who facilitates the treatment easy and non hotfooting, reiterating the responses to do certain that the note-taker note everything and the transcripts will be reviewed by both to finish any lost informations. Early feedback by ongoing informations analysis will assist minimising the opportunities of reiterating the same errors in informations aggregation.Ethical and Gender Equity issues:At state degree: Ethical blessing will be sought from MoHFW, MCH and secretariat general. Besides a descriptive missive will be provided to local authorities and small town panchayet to acquire their permission for transporting out the survey. In the Interview on family degree: At the beginning, the participant/respondent ( female parent, mother-in-law, ASHA worker, traditional birth attender, small town wellness commission member ) will be explained rationale behind the survey and permission will be sought from the caput of the household and the adult females take parting. They will be ensured about the namelessness and privateness of their responses. If agreed, further their informed written and verbal consent will be taken. They will besides be informed that they can halt at any clip if they wish and ask if they have any farther inquiry in their head. The participant will so be interviewed in her house with no 1 else around to maintain the responses confidential. During the note pickings, each respondent will be given a figure and respondent ‘s designation will be noted down in separate sheet along with the codification to acknowledge them for finishing losing informations. By making this their namelessness will be maintained. After completing the interview, if the respondent asks for any information or aid, interviewer can assist with that and suggest referral when needed. In the Focus Group Discussion: Consent will be obtained from all the respondents for audio recording of the FGD, after explicating them the intent of the survey. On understanding the treatment will be recorded but in instance of refusal, which is expected, the note-taker will take notes on the treatment.Gender Equity:As this survey is related to female and child wellness, the major engagement of will be of female respondents. Although it will be taken attention of that gender equality is maintained by equal engagement of both groups in survey design, informations aggregation and supervising, information analysis, drumhead readying and airing.Dissemination Plan:To do certain that the result of this survey will be utilised to better the chest eating patterns and highly low index in the Uttar Pradesh, following stairss will be taken ; In order to hold better acceptableness and integrating of the findings in the bing national enterprise for bettering the chest eating patterns, MOH and authorities governments will be involved in the research planning and processing. It will ease the procedure of acquiring their averment to program and implement schemes and put the recommendations in to pattern. Aga Khan Health Service India is presently implementing a â€Å" Maitreya Project † funded by World Bank on ‘Social Capital: A slingshot for bettering infant feeding ‘ in Gujarat part. Findingss from this survey can assist in developing effectual schemes and can be incorporated in the bing undertaking and farther replicated in Uttar Pradesh and other similar provinces with low index There is a Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India and besides some NGO ‘s which are working for the baby and kid wellness which will be indulged in be aftering for better committedness to work on bettering this. On completion of this research, the consequence will be disseminated by: Summary of the cardinal findings will be distributed to UNICEF, WHO, MoHFW, BPNI, AKF, AKHSI, and assorted other administrations working for the baby and kid wellness in order to guarantee that they are made cognizant about the consequence of this survey. Transcripts of the survey results will be circulated in assorted institutes for community medical specialty and pediatric sections to portion the findings with the academic staff. Provision of the transcript of the research result will be made available to assorted libraries in MOH, UNICEF, modules of medical specialty and wellness institutes and besides to free databases to do certain that it can be assessed by pupils and wellness professionals. Seminars and Workshops will be conducted aiming assorted stakeholders such as NGOs, MOH, international organisations, and faculty members to show the research outcomes and to discourse the recommendations made for possible intercessions. Findingss will be shared in the regional workshop â€Å" Promoting Child Survival, Nutrition and Health by accomplishing optimum IYCF patterns † held in India every twelvemonth. Health Promotion squad will be encouraged to concentrate on the wrong socio-cultural and traditional beliefs and patterns act uponing the breastfeeding patterns through wellness instruction massages by mass-media and wellness consciousness runs. The airing program besides requires peculiar budget and clip reflected in the budget and activities timetable given below.Forces and stuffs:ParticularsNumber requiredSenior Researcher or Senior Research Manager 1 Research Coordinator 1 Field Supervisor for Research 2 Research Assistant 8 Research Trainer 1 Data entry/typing clerk 4 Administrator 1 Room and projector 1 Training Material 16 Refreshments 16 ten 6 yearss Flip Charts 8 Stationary sets ( Pens, pencils, sharpener, eraser, highlighter, cartridge holders, etc ) 8 Transcripts of the usher for carry oning FGDs 16 Transcripts of the usher for carry oning Interviews 35 Transcripts of written consent signifiers 40 Tape recording equipments 10 Field note books for taking notes 50 Bags for field staff 10 Envelops 50 Log Books 8 Computers 4 Printer 1 Printing documents 6 Ink Cartilage 2 Rental auto and fuel 2Human ResourcesTraining ResourcesMaterialsTravelingTimetable for the research:UndertakingsW1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 Literature reappraisal Search for Research squad Develop research protocol Data-collection tools development Pretesting data-collection tools Recruitment of Research squad Develop preparation Faculty Prepare developing Kit Traning agreements Train Field squad Booking for travell Pilot-testing field vist Purchase field demands Reaching the local governments Data aggregation Advancement studies Review the collected informations Feedback to the squad Datas Entry Translation Datas Analysis Report composing Drumhead authorship Drumhead distribution in cardinal stakeholders & A ; libraries Behavior Workshops/Seminars to circulate the findingsResearch Time-tableSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuaryFebruaryBudgetBudget ClassPer Unit Cost in US $No.of Unit of measurementsBudget RequiredHUMAN RESOURCESSenior Researcher 3000 1 3000 Research Coordinator 2500 1 2500 Field Supervisor for Research 60 X 1 = 60 60 X 60 3600 Research Assistant 40X8 = 320 320 X 60 19200 Research Trainer 500 1 500 Data entry/typing clerks 150 X 4 = 600 600 X 3 1800 Administrator 1500 150 X 4 600Sub Total31200MATERIALS & A ; EQUIPMENTSStationary sets ( Pens, pencils, sharpener, eraser, highlighter, cartridge holders, etc ) 2 8 16 Transcripts of the usher for carry oning FGDs 0.5 16 8 Transcripts of the usher for Interviews 0.5 35 18 Transcripts of written consent signifiers 0.5 40 20 Tape recording equipments 20 10 200 Field note books for taking notes 1 50 50 Bags for field staff 5 10 50 Envelops ( for tapes and note book )A50 5 Log Book – day-to-day study to supervisorA8 8 Computers 300 4 1200 Printer 160 1 160 Printer documents box 10 6 60 Printer Ink Cartilage 50 2 100Sub Total1895Training COSTSTraining Room / projector 50 1X6X50 300 Training Material 5 16 80 Refreshments 6 16 ten 6 yearss 96 Training somersault chartsA8 16Sub Total492Travel COSTSCar lease and fuel 25 25 X 60 1500Sub Total1500Operating expense COSTSASub Total5000DISSEMINATION OF RESULTSASub Total1000GRAND TOTAL41087