Finance Proposal Essay

.1.INTRODUCTION: This research is an overview that how organization can improve their output by information system planning and implementation? Ethical and professional practices as well as effective risk management, improving the outcomes and monitoring the performance.ERP system gives flexibility, quick response.ERP was introduced in early 1990’s to cope with the requirements of the market. This system is difficult to get in practice as it has many modules and can be modified according to the need of an organization. 1.1Company’s introduction SSGC (Sui Southern Gas company limited) is the Pakistan’s most leading company. Its purpose to provide natural gas to all the regions of the country. Beside transmission construction off all high and low pressure distribution systems. The vision of the company is to provide excellent services by maintaining high level of ethical and professional standards. The mission of the company is to meet the needs of the customers in friendly environment and securing the the responsibility of all stakeholders. 1.2ERP Overview: Question arises what is actually ERP? How it works? ERP are software packages comprise different modules e.g. Human resource, sales, marketing etc. These software’s can be modified according to the needs of the department of an organization.ERP system is not a project which will end one day, they are the way of life. However ERP does not guarantee the solutions of the problems but those who will understand and implement it will be most likely to succeed. 1.3Importance of ERP: ERP is the most important and effective tool used in today’s time across the globe. It is not that easy for business people to start competing on global scale because there will be complications and hardship for them to line-up their operations and processes and makes them works smoothly.ERP is not the solution to all problems . Researches From the beginning ERP was the most expensive tool only handful companies afford it at that time. Even it was difficult for workers to accept and work with new tool, due to lack of knowledge about the ERP tool workers failed to make it useful and how to implement it companies’ purchases falling in loss. Setting up the ERP system in organization is complex and time consuming minimum time for fully implementation for big organization is six months and maximum eighteen months for some reasons. It is important for workers to understand and have plenty of knowledge about the tool so it gone a be easy for organizations to meet its needs, Every organization have different needs and make it ERP tools more effective to meet the needs of an organization. 1.4Dominant factors in ERP: Different studies has been conducted on critical factors that should be carefully analyzes to make possible and successful implementation of an ERP project. Implementation of ERP project on all levels carried out by these factors. Researches highlighted these factors play important role in ERP implementation. These factors monitor all stages of ERP implementation top management, experienced project management, world class training are all main factors of ERP project. 1.5Dimensions and phases of ERP: ERP life cycle phases contains many stages that ERP system goes through longer span of life hosting within an organization. Following are the phases of life cycle of ERP. 1. Adoption decision phase 2. Acquisition phase 3. Implementation phase 4. Maintenance phase 5. Evolution phase Retirement phase. In ERP dimensions first preference is to analyzing phases of life cycle which are 1)product 2)process 3)People 4)change management. 1.6Advantages and disadvantages of ERP: ERP system has more advantages than disadvantages. Its been used to solving number of problems that are faced by large organizations. Using this technology a company can get a path to sucees but it does not guarantee it, This technology costs very high so every organization can not implement it .It is complex system only trained employees can modify it according to the need of an organization Otherwise it is useless and wastage of time and money. 1.7 Research problem: * To find out the factors of implementation of ERP. * To analyze the structure and planning of ERP in Sui Southern Gas Company Limited. 1.8Objective: * To overview the implementation of ERP in Sui Southern Gas Company. * To explain the importance of ERP as best practice in an organization. 1.9Limitations: There are many limitations in our current study due to which our research work got effected. Due to limitation of time(4 months) we do not at this point differentiate between alternative explanations for our findings. Also due to the limited financial resources. 2.Literature Review 2.1Social capital: Social capital :is the way to secure benefits via social networks. These benefits include gaining knowledge about network norms. It also represents the benefits of the benefits of members of human networks and communities. Repetition of interaction between people while they perform routine actions and work and procedure will form and transfer information .Social capital bridges the gap between the people within organization. Social capital; enhances communication, collaboration, knowledge access between the employees of organization. Social capital exploits knowledge and information skills. It is positively much related to post implementation learning. 2.2Post implementation: It is the process in which knowledge is created through experience. Post implementation gives an idea to look after its implementation. Post implementation focus on effectiveness of training before making any project operational.ERP is the complex system and limits the amount of knowledge. There is a gap between the usage and potential of technology. Post implementation learning realizes the firm specific of knowledge within the organization which is the key to know the potential of technology. Social capital is positively related to Post implementation learning Post training Self efficacy: 2.3Post training Self efficacy: Self efficacy defines ones maximum capabilities to perform its task to accept the situations face by an organizations which brings changes in behavior and decisions taken by employee. According to Campeau and Higgins (1995)introduce to IT field that’s computer self efficacy is only the believe that how an individual can use computer effectively. Self-efficacy is just a construct during the acqui ions of new technology. Self-efficacy can be improved by trading internalizing the conceptual models into their mental model to fill the gaps in understandings, it can provide knowledge and experience. It also provides the firm believer of an individual to perform specific task according to his or her ability after training, self- efficacy positively related to motivation learning and skills. 2.4ERP usage: ERP performs different task and it refers to the usage of the ERP system on individual basis in an organization such as problem solving and customer services.ERP usage gives competitive advantage competency and increase in productivity. The ERP system integrative the characteristics that learn new knowledge and skills training gives the brief idea of proper implementation of ERP systems and it doesn’t ensure that sustain the stability. Post implementation and obtaining knowledge based on practical work communication and feedback and knowledge transfer to improve ERP usage and major progress can be seen in the financial suggestion of an organizations it also give vast area for knowledge transfer from social networks ERP system has different modules and factors usage of ERP highly dependent on the training of employs and modification of ERP software’s according to the need of an organizations. 2.5ERP Impact: ERP gives a brief summary on the research of success of information system concluding six major categories system quality, quality of information, use, user satisfaction, individual and organization impact. ERP impact depend on the individual uses of knowledge and information of the technology. According to delone and mclean (1992) suggested that â€Å"Individual impact is closely related to performance with the impact indicating whether IS has given the users a better understanding has improved their productivity has produced to change their activities and change the perception of importance and usefulness of IS.† Continuous learning of the system leads to the reminding and modifying but absence will cause the gap and will effect the performance of individual work 3.Conceptual Framework: 3.1.Independent variable: * Social capital * Post training self efficacy Social Capital ERP impact ERP usage Post implementation learning Post training Self efficacy Fig. 2.Conceptual Framework 3.2. Dependent variable: * Post implementation learning * ERP usage * ERP Impact 4. Research methodology: Research methodology is financial in this research. It focuses on the implementation and planning of ERP system in SUI southern gas company. financial assessment helps us to analyze the financial position of organization. trends and abnormalities can also be highlighted and determined through these analysis. 5. Sources of data collection: 5.1.Primary source of data collection: Data for this research has been collected from the visits of company and help was taken from personal contacts, meetings and discussions and with executives. 5.2. Secondary source of data collection:It was collected from annual reports, institute magazines, department manuals, and the data was gathering by the 6 published research paper. 5.2. Statistical tools: Descriptive statistic and other test are employed. 6. Findings: Analysis shows positive trend in the company. As the profitability increases every year. The abnormalities shown in the analysis are clearly defined in notes at the back of annual report.The company indicates good asset position of the company. The company also got sufficient reserves and Surplus to meet the future financial contingencies of the company. Company considers Corporate Social Responsibility as one of the pivotal functions to accelerate the process of overall sustainable development and make significant contribution to Nation building. 7. Conclusion: The research which we have done gives a relative briefing by the ERP system. We have analyzed that ERP usage can give Competitive atmosphere in productivity and personal competency, by the powerful and integrative characteristics of ERP usage, the knowledge and skills increases. ERP usage and impact increases after the implementation. Although ERP is the best practice but it does not guarantee success.

Morality As Anti-Nature Essay

Friedrich Nietzsche, a prominent German philosopher in the 19th century is one of the most well-read philosophers of the past two-centuries. His ideas regarding morality and nature continue to be discussed and debated to this day among scholars of all beliefs. All living things are given desires by nature. These desires exist as part of who we are. They define us in a way; they can aid us and they can also do us great harm. The cardinal sin of Pride, for instance, can be a good thing, to have pride in yourself and your abilities, and be able to brag about them may be what stands between you and another person applying for the same job. But according to the Bible, it is a sin. So the other person might have the moral high ground, but you will end up with the job. Which is better? Only you can decide that for yourself. Another way to look at it is this. You have a great passion for reading, but morality says that reading is evil. So you deny yourself the pleasure of a good book, magazine article or even a street sign in order to follow what someone else has deemed to be a moral code. You are denying your true self, for no other purpose, but to be accepted in society. In your heart, and in your mind, you know that reading is no more evil that breathing, but because society has told you differently, you ignore reality. To Nietzsche, denying your own passions is like denying reality. If your passions were a tiger, a strong man would catch the tiger and tame it. A weak man would at least run away. But it is only a fool who pretends that the tiger doesn’t exist. The greatest of moralities are those that accomodate nature†¦ the weakest of moralities are those that deny it. Even though many people at the time truly believed that the church provided them a great direction in life, Nietzsche strongly disagreed. Nietzsche believed that following a religion is to ignore the very nature of humanity. He believed that man is born naturally good, proposing that the church  should not be followed in order for humans to allow their passions be presented in themselves as they desire. Throughout his writings, Nietzsche aims to inform his readers that we as humans can only reach our potential by following our passions and ignoring the flawed ideals of the church. Under the doctrine of the church’s morality, innate passions of its followers must be abolished in order to become proper Christians. By destroying the inner passions of its followers, the church is doing a great disfavor by using morality to rule out nature from their lives. When someone begins to follow the ideals of the church, they are introduced with the doctrine of the idea of free will. Basically, this concept claims that even if God is an all righteous and all powerful being, only â€Å"his† followers have the ultimate responsibility for their actions. As human beings, we have a certain weakness to make great mistakes. This is where Nietzsche claimed that there is a case of cause and effect. At the time of his writing, Friedrich Nietzsche saw that when events were not proven scientifically, followers of the church were very naà ¯ve to credit an act of God rather than searching for the answers differently. Christianity had become the enemy of life and nature and the church has stifled its followers by turning them into closed minded and weak humans. Nietzsche ultimately believed that religion creates a concept of anti-natural morality which damages our development as humans quite severely, eventually ending our status and rights as individuals once the church gets involved. Nietzsche believed that the church is at war with the passionate and the intelligent in favor of the poor and spirited. He believed that the ones who began the mental and spiritual decapitations of others are truly the ones who were unable to control their passions and were very ill willed. The people of the church who imposed morality as anti-nature were the ones who were unable to impose moderation in their lives. He believed that an immoralist is an ideal human being, because they are the ones who truly understand the rights and wrongs in life by applying passions and a chosen lifestyle that best coincides with their lives.

Comparing and Contrasting

Compare and contrast the way the poets present a rustic activity? The two poems ‘Photograph of Haymaker 1890’ by Molly Holden and ‘Hay-making’ by Gillian Clarke portray rustic activity in a similar way. The poem ‘Photograph of Haymaker 1890’ consists of two stanzas and this could be linked to the fact that it is a reminiscing photo of a man who cuts hay. This shows the rustic activity due to the fact it is the poet possibly describing a relative of hers working. Whereas, the poem ‘Hay-making’ has three very short stanzas. We can link the short, fast flowing stanzas with the fact that the title seems synonymous with love making.The poet Molly Holden cleverly uses the imagery of life and death throughout her poem ‘Photograph of Haymaker’. An example being ‘to whet his scythe’ this conveys the message of death and an image of a grim reaper. Holden cleverly juxtaposes this with the phrase ‘white shirt lit by another summer’s sun’. Gillian Clarke also uses an intriguing juxtaposition, ‘these hot nights’. This juxtaposition shows a sultry image of natural passion. You could also link this to rustic activity if you imagine a worker possibly working in the night time. The tones of the two poems seem completely different from each other.Holden’s poem, ‘Photograph of Haymaker’ has a nostalgic tone ‘he pausing from his work†¦ trousers tied below the knee’. The phrases used give the connotation of the poet bringing back good memories. This is what photographs tend to do. Clarke uses enjambment as she does not use punctuations to break up the flow of her poem and this adds to the dreary tone. Towards the end of the poem we see more evidence of rustic activity. The poet Molly Holden uses enjambment throughout the last stanza, ‘sweet hay and gone some seventy years ago and yet they stand before me in the sun’.This en jambment gives the image of hay possibly falling down. We can link this to rustic activity if we create an image in our head of hay falling down in a country farm. Gillian Clarke’s poem has an interesting caesura before the word ‘Breathe’, this can be seen as a command possibly suggesting how the ritual of harvesting is metaphorically inspirational. Another important phrase which is strongly linked to rustic activity is, ‘in the scratch of the hay’. The ‘scratch’ of the hay creates a physical link between rural nature of a farm for instance and the act of human love making. We can also say that this is onomatopoeia.

Carbon Tax. A&B Carboniferous Australian Company Essay

Carbon Tax. A&B Carboniferous Australian Company - Essay Example The campaign has a sole goal of letting the citizen embrace this newly introduced taxation in totality. There has been a lot of misinformation that has cropped up in response to the government’s attempt to implement this new taxation plan, the reason why this company is out to let the citizens understand pure intention of the government. This is where the importance of this company arises in view of creating an Integrated Market Communication (IMC) Plan. In real sense, Australian government is in a need to let the general public to understand gains entailed in the implementation of this new tax on carbon. In addition, there is a genuine cost that comes along in it, which is something that the government wishes the public to understand. Carbon dioxide is a gas that is released in our environment in various ways some of which include a natural way by plants in a definite carbon cycle. The other one is through our own activities which include burning of bushes, as well as smoke a nd soot arising from industries that individuals have established. As Kondrat’ev et al. (2003) observed and noted in their book, climate warming across the globe is as a result of growing carbon dioxide concentration. The reason behind this is endless emissions of fossil fuel burning in the atmosphere which ultimately contain adverse effects on human kind. So many scholars and researchers have come up in an attempt to estimate social cost of carbon. For instance, Bell (2011) has done a deep research and seen how recent technology is capable of reducing dangerous effects of carbon on human beings all over the world. She saw how different scholars have come up with integrated assessment models in their attempt to bring together knowledge in different disciplines just to show whether climate change policies bear any efficacy. This is the sole reason why my company is also out to let introduction of carbon tax in Australia, to inform the general public of its importance. Target A udience Segment Analysis In Australia, there are so many individuals that are targeted in order to let the information about carbon taxation circulate. For instance, it is a matter of fact that the entire people of great political diversity and different social backgrounds and understanding. In this case, carbon taxation is applicable to those citizens that are employed in various sectors by the government. In addition, individuals that are also employed by different nongovernmental organizations are also a target to this new taxation. The government will is not to hesitate in letting all the above targeted audience out in any way. There are still so many people that are neither employed by the government nor nongovernmental institutions. Most of them are self employed running their errands individually to earn a living. For instance, there are so many individuals who run their own business enterprises. This may be a small business enterprises (SMEs) or even bigger ones of which the y may be having many employees to run and manage this. Such like group is a good target and because introducing this new carbon taxation ultimately results in what is benefiting them, they should be able to embrace it with in totality. These are the business people that will for sure make the taxation a success in the long run. Using an approach related to integrated communication is significant and more as relevant to a desired audience as Shahaf (2009), Integrated Marketing Communication plan is still essential in ensuring that everybody who earns a salary, be it from the government or through individual means are reached out.

ORGANISATION AND BEHAVIOURS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

ORGANISATION AND BEHAVIOURS - Essay Example There are different types of organisational structure, however the three main types are: (1) Functional / Market; (2) Product and Market; and (3) Matrix. The functional/market type of organisational structure is basically categorised under the traditional style of management (Droege 2011). Per definition, it is a kind of structure wherein people are arranged according to the role they perform in the organisation (Brooks 2003). This type of structure is highly hierarchical and bureaucratic because distinctly classifying and separating the job from one to another creates a kind of structure that can be described as top-down authority management. In a functional organisational structure, people are arranged in departments which operate based on certain rules, policies, and standard operating process. Order and discipline are highly valued in this kind of organisation which normally results to a reporting system that usually follows a strictly entwined chain-of-command. However, the grow ing competition that exists in the business arena compels most organisations to expand and adjust to the changing needs of the business. With this circumstance, the purpose of the functional/market structure does not do companies any more justice as this kind of structure usually works well in small scale organisations. Hence, another organisational structure comes into operation and this is the product and market structure. Unlike the functional structure, product and market structure is more diversified and enhanced in terms of providing a quality and speedy decision-making (Droege 2011). Decision-making becomes more efficient and prompt in this organisational structure because the people who work within a certain product, customer, or geographic location are grouped together based on their capabilities, knowledge, and expertise. Compared to the functional structure, the product and market structure does not follow a strict top-down system of reporting, thus lessens pressure and i ncreases work performance. However, one major problem with product and market organisational structure, which is minimised in the functional structure, is that the interest of a particular group can be put ahead of the goals of the entire organisation. Another problem here, which is also not an issue with functional structure, is the fact that creating different groups for different products, costumers, or locations can possibly lead to unnecessary expenses due to duplication of resources. The matrix organisational structure, on the other hand, is perceived to be the most effective kind of management system, specifically for large organisations (Droege 2011). It is basically the combination of the functional and product, or more structures. The matrix structure considers what the organisation requires in order to get the best of both worlds. Unlike the first two structures, the matrix is considered to be the most intricate organisational structure but most effective if properly pull ed off. Not like the product and market structure wherein duplication of resources is an issue, a matrix structure can facilitate sharing of highly specialised employees and equipment. For instance, an employee who is an expert in a particular field can divide his/her time between one project and another. Also, because of this

British politics in the 21st century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

British politics in the 21st century - Essay Example The event did not only unleash Major’s daring spirit, but also brought out a dormant political acumen by his participating openly in the fight against Saddam Hussein and by his deciding to topple the despotic regime. He was one of the prime movers of the so-called Operation Desert Storm, or its British equivalent, the Operation Granby. Among European nations, it was the UK who sent the largest military contingents in the combat operations of the war. The prime minister worked closely with the United Nations Security Council and the United States to free Kuwait from an Iraqi invasion and to protect thousands of Kurds from the deposed dictator’s persecution. UK then established its ‘Safe Haven’ policy to accommodate refugees and saved tens of thousands of lives (Jones & Kavanagh 2003). Major also sought solution to the long-time tensions in Northern Ireland and launched the government’s peace process initiative. He discussed pivotal agreements with the Taoiseachs of Ireland, and subsequently issued the 1993 Downing Street Declaration, which affirmed the right of the Irish people to self-determination and that Northern Ireland be transferred to the Republic of Ireland upon a referendum.   Aside from being a staunch advocate of public services and education, Major was also a key player in the economic recovery of UK. During his term, inflation rates were kept low and the unemployment incidence down (Buxton et al. 1998). This, he obtained through his strong.... Major also sought solution to the long-time tensions in Northern Ireland and launched the government’s peace process initiative. He discussed pivotal agreements with the Taoiseachs of Ireland, and subsequently issued the 1993 Downing Street Declaration, which affirmed the right of the Irish people to self-determination and that Northern Ireland be transferred to the Republic of Ireland upon a referendum.    Aside from being a staunch advocate of public services and education, Major was also a key player in the economic recovery of UK. During his term, inflation rates were kept low and the unemployment incidence down (Buxton et al. 1998). This, he obtained through his strong convictions on UK’s role in the European Union and against the Social Chapter. He was also responsible for the creation of the Council Tax, which resulted in premium public services such as policing and garbage collection during the time. In addition, Major launched the National Lottery with the go al of raising supplemental budget for the arts, culture and sports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ultimately, Major can be considered a lucky politician because amid fierce faultfinding and disapproval both from his colleagues in the government and from the general public, propelled by media’s insinuation, he still emerged victorious in the General Election of 1992 and in 1995.    2- To what extent, if at all, did the SDP succeed in â€Å"breaking the mould of British politics† and the main impact of the creation of the SDP was to delay Labour’s recovery and keep the Conservative Party in office for longer than it would otherwise have been†. Discuss? Created in 1981, the Social Democratic Party came as a surprise

The Diagnosis Of Urinary Tract Infections Essay

The Diagnosis Of Urinary Tract Infections - Essay Example Current references from medical and other peer reviewed sources were used to collect information for the discussion and evaluation. A discussion of urine analysis procedures, methods and evaluations is included. Examples are given and evidence to support conclusions about the evaluations and reasoning for choices of method are provided. These are provided to assist in making the choice of the best method to diagnose urinary tract infections under several different arenas and sets of circumstances. Urinary Track Infections (UTIs) have been estimated as one of the most common bacteria infections. Except in neonates, UTI occur more frequently in females than in males. It is estimated that 20% of women will suffer a UTI during their lifetime. Furthermore, in both sexes, UTI reportedly accounts for approximately 7 million visits to outpatient clinics, 1milion visits to emergency departments and 100,000 hospitalisations annually. UTI also account for more than 23% of all hospital acquired infections and is the second most common cause of bacteremia in hospitalised patients (Graham and Galloway, 2001; Wilson and Loretta, 2004). In all ages, the most common cause of infection as been shown to be enteric bacteria, especially Escherichia coli. This organism is known to multiply and colonise the perineum, and then ascend the urethra to infect the bladder (the most common site of infection), the kidney and adjacent structures (Graham and Galloway, 2001). While some UTIs are symptomatic, i.e. presenting with typical signs and symptoms like dysuria, fever, suprapubic heaviness and pain; others are asymptomatic (Wilson and Loretta, 2004; Manoni et al, 2002). *UTI aew directly related to Escherichia coli (E. coli) , inj many instances. This is because the anus, a constant source of bacteria, is so close to the female urethra. More than 90 percent of cystitis cases are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) , a species of bacteria commonly found in the rectal area. Urinalysis, ChemStrip (BMC) and Multistix (Bayer) are two types of UTI tests used in labs. Otheres include UA-1000 and UA-2000 . Another test thatr was popular was the Yellow IRIS. The chemical principles of the reagent pads on the strips are: 1. pH - this test is based on a double indicator principle that gives a broad range of colors covering the urinary pH range from 5 to 9. Colors range from orange through yellow and green to blue. 2. Protein - This test is based on the protein-error-of-indicators principle. At a constant buffered pH, the development of any green color is due to the presence of protein. Colors range from yellow for "Negative" through yellow-green and green to greenblue for "Positive" reactions. 3. Glucose - This test is based on a double sequential enzyme reaction. The reaction utilizes the enzyme glucose oxidase to catalyze the formation of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide from the oxidation of glucose. In turn, a second enzyme, peroxidase, catalyzes the reaction of hydrogen peroxide with a potassium iodide chromogen to oxidize the chromogen to colors ranging from green to brown. 4. Ketone - This test is based on the development of colors ranging from buff-pink, for a negative reading, to purple when acetoacetic acid reacts with nitroprusside. 5. Bilirubin - This test is

How does poverty effect disabled children living in a single parent Dissertation

How does poverty effect disabled children living in a single parent family - Dissertation Example In reference to the paper, it has been proved that, disabled children exhibit higher chances of growing in poverty in comparison to their developing peers. The correlation between child disability and poverty is of great concern as it gives a clue that disabled children are prawn to conditions that impede their development, education adjustment and attainment. Moreover, the conditions increases exposure of the disabled children to poor health risks, social exclusion and additional impairment. Similarly the connection between child disability and poverty represents a significant challenge to formulated social policies that aims at improving the disabled individual life chances and also addressing the discrimination and the disadvantage faced by individuals with disability. Child disability socio-economic factors prevalence has been documented repeatedly. However, little is known about the factors that trigger the socio-economic impacts. Empirical evidence shows that there exist three factors that impact on socio-economic gradients. As a matter of fact, families taking care of a disabled child have higher chances of getting into poverty; moreover, chances of them avoiding poverty are very limited. This is because of the indirect and direct causes that come with raising a disabled child. Indirect costs are such as the financial effects of declined maternal employment rates among families with disabled children. ... 2004). In reference to the paper, it has been proved that, disabled children exhibit higher chances of growing in poverty in comparison to their developing peers (Emerson & Hatton 2007, Fujura & Yamaki 2000). The correlation between child disability and poverty is of great concern as it gives a clue that disabled children are prawn to conditions that impede their development, education adjustment and attainment. Moreover, the conditions increases exposure of the disabled children to poor health risks, social exclusion and additional impairment. Similarly the connection between child disability and poverty represents a significant challenge to formulated social policies that aims at improving the disabled individual life chances and also addressing the discrimination and the disadvantage faced by individuals with disability (Cabinet Office 2005, Department for Education and Skills 2003, United Nations 2006, Department of Health and Human Services 2005). Child disability socio-economic factors prevalence has been documented repeatedly. However, little is known about the factors that trigger the socio-economic impacts. Empirical evidence shows that there exist three factors that impact on socio-economic gradients (Emerson & Hatton 2009, P.120). As a matter of fact, families taking care of a disabled child have higher chances of getting into poverty; moreover, chances of them avoiding poverty are very limited. This is because of the indirect and direct causes that come with raising a disabled child (Dobson et al. 2001, Leonard et al. 1992, Tibble 2005). Indirect costs are such as the financial effects of declined maternal employment rates among families with disabled children (Loprest &

Social issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social issues - Essay Example If the figure of 200 000 backstreet abortions is used (assuming that it is accurate which highly questionable) and these backstreet abortions are now performed legally, then this will cost the state R200 million a year! Consider also that the abortion increased 16 fold in the USA when it was legalised - from 100 000 to 1,6 million a year.1 Can the Health Department cope with this In terms of the economy, abortion undermines future growth. It is still too early for us to see the effects now, but the disastrous consequences are going to be visable very soon. A recent study shows that abortion is going to be an economic disaster. The report calculates that for every European and American who is aborted, it costs their economy $1 5000 000. In terms of today's (1994) money adjusted to present value, the average American or European spends over $1 177 000 in his lifetime in terms of housing, medicine, clothes, transport and so on. He also pays over $440 000 in taxes in his lifetime. This makes $1 617 000 in total. So this means that the doctor may get $300 for murdering that baby which immediately helps the abortion industry. However, there are other industries that will be adversely affected. The cost to America alone of their aborted babies is well over $41 trillion! These figures are too large for any of us to grasp, but understand that America's entire deficit is $4 trillion, while their abortions will cost 10 times more than even the total debt of America. What will the cost for South Africa be2 2. Backstreet Abortions Increase Will those who perform these abortions have either the equipment or the knowledge to deal with complications that may occur Count the cost in terms of money and human lives that will result from botched legal abortions. Speaking before the 93rd Congress of the US, Senator James Buckley stated: "Data from foreign countries having far longer experience with legalised abortion than we have had in the US, suggest that legalisation has no effect on the criminal abortion rate. In at least three countries, the criminal abortion rate has actually risen since legalisation. Legalised abortion moves the back alley abortionists into the front office where their trade can be practised without fear of criminal prosecution."3 Dr Christopher Tietze, an abortion advocate, concedes: "Although one of the major goals of the liberalisation of abortion laws in Scandinavia was to reduce the incidence of illegal abortion, this was not accomplished. Rather as we know from a variety of sources, both criminal and total abortions increased." [original emphasis]4 Regardless of whether abortions are legal or not, some women will have abortions and some women will die from complications. Certainly all the babies will die. However, legalising abortion greatly increases the number of abortions. In various surveys 40-85% of the women said they would not have aborted their babies if it had been illegal. 5 We must not legalise procedures that kill the innocent just to make the killing process less dangerous. 3. Parallels between Abortion & Slavery Slavery in centuries past and abortions in this century were defended and promoted by the same arguments. Consider the case in the USA: In 1857, in the Dred Scott case, the US Supreme Court decided, by a 7 to 2 majority, that according to the US Constitution, black

Blinds to Go Company Essay Example for Free

Blinds to Go Company Essay Executive Summary: The case, based on the company Blinds to Go, emphasizes the importance of staffing in stores as they expand to meet their growth objectives. Being a manufacturer and retailer, with a unique sales model 100% commission based and focus on customer service gave the company an advantage over its competitors. According to the senior management Quality of staff was paramount and hence their original compensation system motivated best performance and fostered a high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. To attract more recruits for its expansion phase, the management changed the compensation system from full commission to salary on the recommendation of a newly hired vice president. Sales declined and the overall staff turnover increased. Seeing this the company brought back the old culture and experienced a sales turnaround. This shift also caused another huge turnover in stores. A large percentage of voluntary turnover occurred in the first four months. The higher turnover after eight months was partly due to termination because of sales performance. The biggest challenge the company now faced was understaffing. The need for additional staff was further aggravated due to its continued push for growth and the tight US and Canadian labour markets. Another concern to be addressed was that the company had planned for 80 per cent of its expansion in US where the employees preferred the fixed pay than the company’s commission based pay structure. During this period BTG had tried several recruiting methods with varying degrees of success. With an IPO in the pipeline and plans to add on average 50 stores per year for the next five years, it was critical for the company to come up with a staffing strategy with focus on Quality of the staff and low employee turnover. The Company: Blinds To Go (BTG) was a retail fabricator of window dressings. It was started by David Shiller in 1954 in the Cote-des-Neiges district in Montreal, Canada. From the mid 1970s, BTG focussed on the sale of blinds. It was able to create a production system that reduced the delivery time frame of custom blinds from six to eight weeks to 48 hours. The reduced delivery time led to overwhelming customer response and the business flourished. The firm, realising their unique advantage of being a manufacturer and retailer simultaneously, began expansion by opening stores throughout Canada and US. By June 2000, BTG operated 120 corporate owned stores in North America. BTG expected to add 50 stores per year for the next 5 years, 80 percent of which targeted to US expansion stores. BTG’s business philosophy was that quality of staff was cardinal than the store location, customer demographics or advertising. The firm established this by experimenting with a store that was locationally disadvantaged and had declining sales. BTG was able to triple the sales of the said store in one month by deploying their ‘A’ management team and trained staff there. The four staff roles in BTG stores were 1. Sales associate 2. Selling Supervisor 3. Assistant Store manager 4. Store Manager. Sales associates were the junior most employees and their job was to follow a set plan to help walk in customers to make a purchase. Consistent sales performers among them were promoted to selling supervisors, who were assistant store managers in training, or assistant store managers. Assistant store Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 managers were in charge of the stores in the absence of store managers. The store manager was responsible for overall store operations. The BTG selling process involved a high level of customer interaction, which set a very high level of service expectation. Their emphasis on customer satisfaction and sale closure led to higher volume of orders relative to their retail competition Original Compensation of Retail Staff: The compensation structure at Blinds To Go incentives performance based on number of sales deal closed. The commission based structure fosters the high energy, sales hungry culture at BTG. This structure was believed to be a motivating factor to boost performance. High performers at BTG actually made more money than comparable retail outlet salesman. For Sales Associate the salary structure was a mix of fixed pay and variable pay with $3 $5 comprising of fixed and 3% of sales as variable component. For Managers/Assistants the salary structure was $10,000 $15,000/yr as fixed pay with 1.5% to 3% of overall sales as variable pay. Changes in Compensation Structure – 1996: As per the recommendations from a newly hired Vice President of store operations the compensation structure for the store staff was changed from being fully commission based to salaried. Under the new structure, the sales associated were paid Cdn $8 per hour as a fixed component. For the store managers a higher base salary component as compared to the commissions was set. The main focus of the move was to make the compensation more attractive to the prospective hires. Another change being brought was to limit the involvement of store managers in the sale process. All these changes had an adverse effect on the sales figures which showed a decrease of 10 to 30% from 1996 to 1997. The staff turnover increased to 40% from the earlier 15%. Even thought the new pay structure helped in recruiting more hires, it led to the hiring of lower calibre people. The existing good performers did not appreciate the changes, thus affecting their morale and hence their commitment to sales. To counter this adverse effect, the management introduced a variation of the commission based compensation plan in May 1998. The effect of the change could be seen in the 10 to 30% increase in store sales from the previous year. Still the BTG stores experienced a high employee turnover that year. It was probably because of the employees accustomed to fixed pay were leaving the organisation, being dissatisfied from the commission based structure. Analysis of the employee turnover reflected that the highest no of employees left the firm in the first 4 months from their hiring. Most of the new expansion plans were in US. But the people of US were uncomfortable with the 100% commission based pay structure. Thus there was a requirement in the change to the structure to adapt to the US market. Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion Case Analysis SECTION E: Group #5 Channels of Recruitment To be able to attract and recruit people who had certain sales driven qualities, several channels of recruitment were harnessed to fill in the job positions. Since BTG was already understaffed and with massive growth plans (50 stores per year ) lined up, we need to analyse the various pros and cons of the channels of recruitment. Employee Referral: Current staffs refer friends and family to BTG which helped company attract candidates already briefed on the company’s ideology. This channel was very effective which is evident by its highest ratio of leads to hire. The success of the ER scheme was partially due to the fact that referrals generally continued employment excited by the opportunity that the friend or family member who is a BTG employee recounted. Though maximum hiring was effected through this channel yet this alone did not currently satisfy BTG’s hiring needs. Internet Sourcing: This is one of the non-store recruitment channels which BTG used in two ways. First, BTG solicited resumes at its blindstogo.com site. Second, DSM’s and recruiters actively searched online jobs sites like Monster.com to contact potential candidates. Currently 12 out of 143 recruits were through this channel. DSM Compensation Readjustment: DSM’s were mainly responsible for store source of recruitment mainly walk-ins and employee referrals. They had to hire 10 new sales associate every month. Their importance in recruitment process is highlighted by the fact that their salary was based on number of new staff selected rather than on sales targets. Currently 16 out of 143 sales associate were recruited through this channel in past two months. BTG Retail Recruiters: They were professional recruiters who were paid @20000/year with a bonus of $150 -$500 for each successful hire. They generate leads through cold calls, networking referrals, colleges, job fairs, Internet and employment centres. Though they had performed sub- optimally in terms of number of number of new recruits, their training had increased to enable to get in at least 4 new recruits per week. Newspaper Advertising: Newspaper channel generated the maximum number of leads but the senior management believed that this medium did not generate the quality of candidates that BTG needed. This channel attracted more of the people who did not meet the desired skills standard and core values expected by BTG in potential candidates. To be able to meet our desired staff requirements, we believe this channel needs to be harnessed to its full potential and complemented by necessary training to new recruits to enable them to meet company’s performance standards. Store Generated Leads: BTG believed in direct store walk-in mode of recruitment as well. It had put â€Å"help wanted† signs on its windows to attract potential candidates to meet its recruitment needs. But this policy was successful only in densely populated areas with high footfall. HR Strategy: Udofia, Vice Chairman BTG, is looking for a strategy that solves all the major issues currently faced by the company, which would include unstaffed stores, staffing for future expansion and high employee turnover. Following are the steps that could be taken by him to achieve its growth objectives: ï‚ · A Robust Training Module: As mentioned, the quality of staff is extremely important in the retailing business. The crunch in the labor market doesn’t give the company a flexibility to choose Blinds to Go: Staffing a Retail Expansion employees on a strict criterion. A training module would help BTG to relax the criterion and increase the number of selected employees by recruiting people who are trainable. In order to keep a check on the quality of the employees, the company can recruit the employees at a trainee level with a fixed pay. The training would be mostly on the Job led by experienced Store Managers. A review system would help these selected candidates to get promoted as Sales Associate. The initial pay as a trainee would be low. But the incentive to get promoted as Sales Associate would drive them to work and learn quickly. Currently we can see that there are large numbers of people who are attracted by the Newspaper Channel and Internet. But the problem is with this medium is that it didn’t generate quality employee. By a robust training module the company would be able to hire trainable people and give them opportunities on the basis of their performance. The Promotion Structure: A scheduled review and internal promotion structure could be followed which attracts the current employees and increases the retention rate. The review can be conducted on at 2 levels, Sales Performance and Soft skills. A feedback mechanism would help the employees to work on the areas they lag. The review can be scheduled every 8 months and every employee can be given an opportunity to get promoted. The internal promotion structure could be leveraged as a tool to advertise. This would attract people who currently don’t want to join at Sales Associate Level. The promotion structure would also help in filling up the vacancies of Supervisors and Managers. Pay Structure: The pay structure for Sales Associate could be revised in a manner as explained below: According to the current pay structure, a Sales Associate is paid $6-$8 per hour or 6% of sales, whichever higher. Clearly it can be seen that the Marginal and the Poor performers are the once who are enjoying the fixed compensation system. In order to motivate them, fixed + variable compensation could be followed for these below par performers. This structure would demotivate the top performers as there will be a reduction in their salaries. So it would not be the best idea to implement this structure for top performers. A benchmark of $10000/sale/week could be set. This would not only motivate them to perform but the company also would overcome the problem of social loafing. The structure is explained below: Marginal-Poor Performers ($10000-/sales/ week) $3 per hour + 3 % of sales Leadership Program: The highly experiences set of Store Managers could be given an option to join the leadership program. Under this program the Senior Employees would take up the responsibility of the training module and help the company attain the level of quality it requires in its workforce. Their compensation could be based on the rate of conversion of trainees to Sales Associate instead of Sales. Increased Stock Options to senior and experienced Store Managers would give them a feel of ownership in the firm which is what an employee needs after serving an organisation for years.

Understanding Logistics Performance Measurement And Importance Commerce Essay

Understanding Logistics Performance Measurement And Importance Commerce Essay Probably the first attempt to define logistic performance was made by Chow et al. (1994), and they presented some measures for measuring logistics performance. Since then, most of the literature on logistics performance appears to focus on models and frameworks (Clarke and Gourdin, 1991; Mentzer and Konrad, 1991; Rao and Grenoble, 1991) and on managing different aspects of logistics (Larson, 1994). Logistics performance may be thought as a subset of the larger notion of firm or organizational performance. For Instance, Gleason and Barnum decided to distinguish between effectiveness and efficiency. They defined effectiveness as the extent to which an objective has been achieved, while efficiency was defined as the degree to which resources have been used economically [journal of logistics management. Simply put, efficiency is doing things right, while effectiveness is doing the right thing [journal of logistics management, 42, pp. 3, 4]. Sink and his colleagues defined seven dimensions in order to illustrate the notion of what performance means: they are effectiveness, efficiency, quality, productivity, quality of work life, innovation and profitability/budgetability [journal of logistics management 43, pp. 266-7]. Performance measurement in the logistics functions, like all the business functions, begins at the individual metric level. However, there is forceful need for a method with which to evaluate the existing metrics as there is great abundance of metrics already in existence Logistics performance Indicators: Complex process of logistics is divided into activities which carried out at high quality will not automatically turn a process into a high standard one but they offer chance. The logistics system has the following areas with quality concerns: Logistics facilities, Logistics process and sub processes Human services, organization, management. If we talk about the quality of logistics beyond the three areas mentioned above, then we have to involve the performance and productivity indicators . Quality of logistics facilities: These facilities include: Delivery Facilities warehousing facilities packaging facilities material handling facilities Quality indicators of logistics facilities: Load capacity and performance Modern design Suitability to jobs Maintenance background Man-facilities relation (environment protection) Good-facilities relation (specialties of goods, unit load, packaging, etc.) Ways-vehicles relation Performance-price relation Relation of expected life and price of facilities Specific energy and lubricant costs Specific performance costs Specific maintenance costs Reliability Featurelessness (failure rate,) Longevity (general overhaul cycle, life span) Restorability (av. Restoring time, total break-down time) Storability, transportability Quality indicators of Transport ways Capacity, length, network, way leading (curves, slope etc.) Easy to survey, surface, illumination speed, sensibility to weather, comfort Information, signs Safety, help (telephone, helicopter etc.) Quality indicators of logistics process(es) Optimum combination of jobs (tasks) and facilities Optimum packaging and load unit Optimum logistics chain Optimum route and time Minimum transfer of goods Minimum warehousing time and event Organizing and managing logistics activities in environment-friendly way Capacity supply/capacity demand Appear time/ordered time Damage events/total activities (packaging also) Missing volume/total volume (packaging also) Error delivery/total delivery commitments Physical processing time Performed commitments/ demanded commitments Number of customers/year Logistics performance measures can be categorized into two categories such as qualitative and quantitative measures. Qualitative measures include such as customer satisfaction and product quality etc., and quantitative measures include such as order-to-delivery lead time, supply chain response time, flexibility, resource utilization, delivery performance, etc. Quantitative metrics of supply chain performance can be classified into two broad categories: Non-financial and financial. In fact, in the late 1880s the main emphasis was on financial measures such as return on investment (Christopher, 1992; Schermerhorn et al.,, 2000). However as the second progressed during 1980s, the world market changed and companies began to lose market share to overseas competitors who were able to provide higher-quality products with lower costs and more diversity. To re- capture the competitive edge, companies not only directed their strategic focus from low-cost production to quality, flexibility and short lead time, as non-financial measures (Bower Hout, 1988; Rushton Oxley, 1989; Stewart, 1995). . One of the studies conducted on performance measurement clearly suggests that each entity or company on the supply chain needs to adopt a more balanced perspective in its performance measurement and management approach. It is also suggested companies can measure more adequately non-financial indicators in addition to the financial ones (BSC). Companies need to recognize more the importance of drivers of strategic future performance as represented by the indicators within the internal process perspective and the learning and growth perspective. As it is, it would appear that though these non-financial drivers of growth indicators are recognized as important, they are often overshadowed by the financial indicators. Moreover, managing a given supply chains overall performance necessitates the coordination of measures across the different entities on the supply chain. In nutshell, requires all entities on the supply chain to adopt a common balanced perspective in their performance measurement and management in order to facilitate the overall performance and competitiveness of the entire Business logistics performance metrics could also be classified as Operational performance metrics Day to day technical representation adherence to developed schedule ( important to give time and location dimensions for quality assurance) Ability to avoid complaints(means minimizing the possible complaints) Achievement of defect free deliveries Inventory carrying cost(Levy (1997) Information carrying cost (Steward (1995) Tactical performance metrics Efficiency of purchase order (using economic order quantity and other approaches) Cycle time Booking in procedures Cash flow Quality assurance methodology Capacity flexibility Total transportation cost Strategic performance metrics Rate of return on Investment (is the ratio of money gained or lost (whether realized or unrealized) on an investment relative to the amount of money invested) Total cash flow time lead time against industry norm, Quality level Cost saving initiatives supplier pricing against market(Gunasekaran et al. (2004) Customer query time Importance of performance Measurement The importance of performance measurement cannot be denied as one of the manufacturing and management consultant said that you get what you inspect, not what you expect. (Melnyk et al. 2004) It has also been affirmed that organizations would gain competitive advantage, through logistics, when they seek and achieve excellence in the twin peaks of cost and service leadership (Christopher (1992, pp. 8-10). Similarly, another states that in operations strategy, organizations can compete not only on productivity, but also by giving perceived value through innovation and quality (Garvin (1992, pp. 126, 204, 321). Metrics are required to evaluate work done and to direct the activities, since what we measure indicates how we intend to deliver value to our customers Performance measurement can be defined as the process of quantifying the efficiency and effectiveness of action (Neely, Mills, Platts, Gregory, Richards, 1994). Pressures (severe competition, globalization, and rapidly changes in customer requirements) are significantly driving force to organizations in order to re-focusing on utilizing of people and resources based on organizational objectives. Organizations need to provide a performance measurement system to evaluate the resource utilization so that they can strategically manage and properly control to achieve their objectives and goals. it has been pointed out that performance measurement is vital part of controlling process in order to take action for ensuring desired results. (Schermerhorn and Chappell ,2000) Case Example: Many people are surprised how Wal-Mart is able to charge such low prices and continue to make a profit. There are several factors in their business model that contribute to this ability, but a big one is their ability to adapt to an ever-changing global marketplace and running an efficient supply chain system. Moreover, the giant retailer is implementing the most advanced technological solutions and measures to be efficient market player. This ability requires a flawless logistical system that allows product to be shipped anywhere at a moments notice. Wal-Marts commitment to improving operations, lowering costs and improving customer service is making it efficient and effective retailer. However, Wal-Marts success lies in its ability to drive costs out of its supply chain and manage it efficiently. Wal-Mart is considered to be a supply chain-driven company that also has retail stores. Running the whole business model on the low prices strategy and low cost transportation enables Wal-Mart to sell its products at the lowest possible prices. Wal-Mart operates each of its stores like a small company. Trained store managers manage one store at a time, one department at a time, and one customer at a time. Wal-Mart has implemented advanced logistics solutions like RFID (radio frequency identification). These solutions assist in maintaining lower costs, identifying out-of-stocks and increasing sales. Wal-Mart has successfully established Distribution centers (DC) instead of warehouses, cross-docking technology and automated replenishment also reduce inventory carrying costs. (Anonymous, 2007) Conclusion: The logistics challenge is that organizations have to be more responsive, with high levels of flexibility in delivery. The emphasis should be on processes and performance rather than on functions and profit. The competitive battleground will be in the fields of quality, productivity, speed and innovation. Progress towards performance excellence will be aided greatly by relevant and integrated measurement frameworks and models (Christopher (1994). It has been proclaimed that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and expresses it in numbers; you will know something about it (Lord Kelvin, 1996) Realizing the importance of performance measurement in logistics, many big market player are trying to be more efficient by investing huge resources in latest financial as well as non financial tools Moreover, logistics costs take 18-23% of total production costs (in a wider sense even 40%).For this reason production companies are going to make these activities more effective and efficient. Big companies have third partners (forwarders) make it. A forwarder can comprehend and optimize a longer interval of logistics chain. The share of distribution and production logistics is not right. The border is not sharp. In the case of quality the question is how and not where.

Subculture Theory Through Music Media Essay

Subculture Theory Through Music Media Essay The leading society did not tranquilly sit on the sidelines all through the period and observe the subcultures at play. What started as a response of puzzled bewilderment-caught in the pat phrase, the generation gap-turned out to be, over the years, a strong and intensified struggle. In the 1950s, youth came to represent the most advanced point of social change: youth was employed as a symbol for social change. The most tremendous trends in an altering society were identified by the societys taking its bearings from what youth was up to: youth was the front line party-of the classless, post-protestant, consumer society to come. This displacement of the tensions aggravated by social change on to youth was an uncertain maneuver. Social change was observed as normally helpful (youve not at all had it so good); however as well as eroding the conventional landmarks and undermining the sacred order and institutions of conventional society. It was consequently, from the first, escorted by f eelings of diffused as well as dispersed social anxiety. The limits of society were being redefined, its ethical contours redrawn, its basic relations (in particular, those class relations which for so long gave a hierarchical constancy to English life) transformed. As has been frequently remarked, movements which distress a societys normative contours mark the beginning of troubling times-particularly for those sections of the population who have made an irresistible promise to the continuance of the status quo. Troubling times, when social anxiety is extensive however fails to discover an organized public or political expression, cause the displacement of social anxiety on to convenient scapegoat groups. This is the source of the moral panic-a twisting in which the social groups who distinguish their world and position as threatened, recognize a responsible enemy, and come out as the vocal guardians of conventional values: moral entrepreneurs. It is not astonishing, then, that you th turned out to be the focus of this social anxiety-its displaced object. In the 1950s, and again in the early 1960s, the most noticeable and identifiable youth groups were involved in theatrical events which activated moral panics, focusing, in displaced form, societys quarrel with itself. Events associated with the rise of the Teds, and afterward, the motor-bike boys and the Mods, precipitated typical moral panics. Each event was observed as signifying, in microcosm, a wider or deeper social problem-the problem of youth all together. In this crisis of power, youth now played the part of symptom plus scapegoat. Moral panics of this order were mainly focused to start with, around Working-class youth. The firmly organized sub-cultures-Teds, Mods, etc.-represented merely the most noticeable targets of this reaction. Alongside these, we have to recall the way youth became linked, in the 1958 Notting Hill riots, with that further submerged and displaced topic of social anxiety-race; and the general anxiety regarding rising delinquency, the rising rate of juvenile involvement in crime, the panics concerning violence in the schools, destruction, gang fights, and football hooliganism. Reaction to these and further signs of youth took various forms: from modifications to the Youth Service and the extension of the social work agencies, through the protracted debate regarding the decline in the influence of the family, the clampdowns on absence and indiscipline in the schools, to the Judges remarks, in the Mods vs. Rockers trial, that they were nothing superior than Sawdust Caesars. The waves of moral panic arrived at new heights with the appearance of the territorial-based Skinheads, the football uprisings and destruction of railway property. To this was added, a set of moral panics of a new sort in which particular genres of popular music have sparked controversy and opposition, both upon their appearance and intermittently since: rock n roll in the mid-1950s, psychedelic rock in the late 1960s, disco and punk in the 1970s, heavy metal and rap in the 1980s, to name merely the better known instances. Criticism has centered variously on the power of such genres on youthful values, attitudes as well as behavior through the musics (apparent) sexuality and sexism, nihilism and violence, black magic, obscenity, plus anti-Christian nature. The political edge of popular music has been partially the outcome of this antagonistic reaction frequently accorded to the music and its connected causes and followers, helping to politicize the musicians and their fans. Whereas such episodes are a standard part of the history of rock music, hardly ever are their nature and cultural importance more completely teased out. Besides on-going debates over the consequences and influence of rock, there have forever been attempts to harness the music to social plus political ends, and arguments around the validity of ideas of rock as an empowering and political force. To place such opposition to rock music in framework, it is significant to admit that popular culture on the whole has historically been the target of fault, denunciation and regulation. In the 1930s, in accordance with the Payne studies in the United States and similar studies elsewhere, the cinema was having harmful effects on childrens health, attitudes to authority and hold on realism; in the 1950s, psychologist Frederic Werthams powerful best-seller, Seduction of the Innocent, quarreled for a direct causal association between comic books and juvenile delinquency; whereas since the 1960s television (and video) has turned into the favored whipping medium, accused of warping imaginations, heartening violence, and turning us all into couch pota toes (Gilbert, 1986; Shuker and Openshaw, 1991). It is value adding that music hall, jazz, and further innovative forms of popular music were as well all stigmatized in their day. Concern over new media along with the activities of their youthful consumers appears to periodically reach a peak, often linked with boundary crises, periods of vagueness and strain in society, which show the way to attempts to more obviously set up moral boundaries. In numerous instances, such boundary crises are forms of moral panic, an idea popularized by sociologist Stanley Cohens now classic study of mods and rockers in the United Kingdom. In Folk Devils and Moral Panics, Cohen utters that a period of moral panic takes place when: A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible. Sometimes the object of the panic is quite novel and at other times it is something which has been in existence long enough, but suddenly appears in the limelight. Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten, except in folk lore and collective memory; at other times it has more serious and long-lasting repercussions and might produce such changes as those in legal and social policy or even in the way the society conceives itself. (Cohen, 1980:9) The subsequent stage of Cohens view of moral panic is mainly important, concerning as it does the denial of the common sense view that the media just report what happens. Cohens own case study of the 1960s conflicts between mods and rockers in the UK (the folk devils of his title), demonstrated just such a procedure of the selection and presentation of news. The media reporting of the clashes simplified their causes, labeled and stigmatized the youth implicated, whipped up public feeling, and encouraged a retributive, restriction approach by those in authority. Investigativing the historical association between youth, antisocial approaches and behaviors, and popular music means, again, to believe culture as a political issue. At a deeper level moral panics around new media are incidents in cultural politics and the repeated reconstitution and contestation of cultural domination. Fundamental debates over popular comics, fiction, television, film, video and rock are a sequence of assumptions regarding popular or mass culture, which is often observed as completely opposed to a high culture custom. As this dichotomy is an uncertain foundation for assessing particular forms of culture, and such a difference is more and more difficult to continue in practice. The whole idea of a high-low culture distinction has to be regarded as a social construct, resting on class-based value judgments (Taylor, 1978). It is more suitable to inspect particular cultural forms in terms of both their formal qualities plus their social function for consumers, whilst keeping in mind the most important point that any assessment have to be primarily in terms pertinent to the group that produces and appreciates it. This is mainly the case with popular music (Shepherd, 1977). Both the music industry as well as the social context of the early 1950s was prepared for rock n roll. With fuller employment, general economic affluence, and their appearance as an imperative consumer group, teenagers started to demand their own music and clothes, and to build up a generational-based identity. Before 1956, popular music was subjugated by American sounds, typified by the recurrent image of the crooner. The music was mostly safe, solid stuff, what Cohn terms the palais age-the golden era of the big bands, when everything was soft, warm, sentimental, when everything was make believe (Cohn, 1970:11). There was little here for young people to recognize with, despite the fact that riot-provoking performers like Johnny Ray symbolized prototypes for rock. Even though rock music started with rock n roll in the mid-1950s, as Tosches (1984) documents it had been developing well prior to this, and was barely the only formation of Elvis Presley and Alan Freed. The expression rock n roll itself was popularized with its sexual connotations in the music of the 1920s. In 1922, blues singer Trixie Smith recorded My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll) for Black Swan Records, and a variety of lyrical elaborations pursued from other artists through the 1930s and 1940s (Tosches, 1984:5-6). Rock n roll was fundamentally a mixture of two traditions: Negro rhythm and blues and white romantic crooning, colored beat and white sentiment (Cohn, 1970:11). Negro rhythm as well as blues was good-time music, danceable and unassuming. While extremely popular on rhythm and blues charts and radio stations, it achieved little airplay on white radio stations, and was often banned due to the explicit sexual content of songs for instance Hank Ballards Work With Me Annie, Billy Wards Sixty Minute Man, and the Penguins Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Cohn, 1970:15). It is this connection between sex and rock n roll-the Devils music-which underpinned the ethical reaction to its popularization in the 1950s. In April 1954, Bill Haley made Rock Around the Clock. The record was a hit in America, then universal; ultimately selling fifteen million copies. Whilst it did not start rock, it did symbolize a critical symbol in the popularization of the new musical form. Rock Around the Clock was marked in the MGM movie Blackboard Jungle, the story of a young teacher at a tough New York school. The triumph of the film with teenage audiences, and the fame of Haleys song, caused Haley being signed to make a film of his own. Rock Around the Clock (1956) told how Bill Haley plus his band popularized rock n roll; however the thin story line (explained by Charles White as brain damage on celluloid!) was actually a platform for the rock acts on the soundtrack. The film showed extremely popular. Riots ensued at several screenings, as teenagers danced in the aisles and ripped up the seats, and a few countries banned the film. Haley was an unlikely hero for youth to imitate since his image (old, hairless, a nd chubby) barely matched the music, however others were waiting in the wings. In this brief summary, complex developments have to be reduced to their key moments. The triumph of Haley was one, the appearance of Chuck Berry and Little Richard another. Elvis Presleys Heartbreak Hotel (1956) was the major so far: His big contribution was that he brought it home just how economically powerful teenagers could really be. Before Elvis, rock had been a feature of vague rebellion. Once hed happened, it immediately became solid, self-contained, and then it spawned its own style in clothes and language and sex, a total independence in almost everything-all the things that are now taken for granted. (Cohn, 1970:23) Cohn is excessively enthusiastic regarding teenagers independence, however by the end of 1957 Elvis had grown into an annual twenty million dollars industry, and the procedure of homogenization of both the King and the music had started. The new music aggravated substantial criticism, with several older musicians disdainful of rock n roll. British jazzman Steve Race, writing in Melody Maker, asserted: Viewed as a social phenomenon, the current craze for rock n roll material is one of the most terrifying things ever to have happened to popular musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Musically speaking, of course, the whole thing is laughableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It is a monstrous threat, both to the moral acceptance and the artistic emancipation of jazz. Let us oppose it to the end (Rogers, 1982:18). O=Old-fashioned band leader Mitch Miller criticized rock n roll as musical baby food, it is the worship of mediocrity, brought about by a passion for conformity (Gilbert, 1986:16). Other criticisms centered on the ethical threat, somewhat than the new teenage musics perceived aesthetic boundaries. To many, rock n roll came into view hostile and aggressive, typified by Elvis Presleys sensual moves. Conservative commentators desired to save the you th of America from the screaming, idiotic words, and savage music of these records (Story of Pop, 1974:17). The cultural implication of the moral panic over rap can be measured alongside the earlier arguments over rock n roll, gothic suicides, as well as obscenity in rock. There are significant distinctions and stresses to be drawn when unfolding rock n roll and the bodgies, the Dead Kennedys, the gothic cultists and rappers for example Ice-T in such terms. Not all folk devils are of completely hypothetical stature and not all can be honored the status of true moral panics. The bodgies appeared to be defined as a danger to established social values as well as interests in the late 1950s. They stood out partially as an outcome of the visibility of their cultural style in mostly conformist society, a style which reflected their low socio-economic position in a period of prosperity and the purposeful adoption of an anti social stance. In Cohens terms, the label bodgie obtained representative power through its media usage, being recognized as a local folk devil. Consequently, this symbol and its connected images of delinquent behavior were consolidated in the public stadium into a collective theme: the bodgie was exaggerated by press coverage so the scale of the phenomenon turned out to be conceived as extensive, and the public sensitized so that various incidents were associated with the initial incidents (which caused the perceived ethical threat). At this point, the control culture took a greater role, with police, Parliament, and judiciary all responding to curb and contain the threat. In the case of the bodgie, even the army became informally involved to neutralize a subculture that was regarded by some as fair game. In all this, as with other folk devils, the media transmitted a stereotype of the bodgie, giving the deviant group the appearance of a greater uniformity and magnitude than they actually possessed . The association between this treatment of a youth subculture and value laden conceptions of high-low culture was obviously obvious in the extensive condemnation of the bodgies preferred music, rock n roll, on both aesthetic and moral grounds. There was no conversation of why the rock n roll of Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley appealed to the bodgies, specifically, the social functions the music performed in the subculture. As Willis observes of the British scene: It is difficult to evidence, but the motor-bike boys fundamental ontological security, style, gesture, speech, rough horseplay-their whole social ambience-seemed to owe something to the confidence and muscular style of early rock n roll (Willis, 1978:35). Informal interviews with former bodgies propose similar relations between musical styles and group values and identity, whereas twelve of Mannings fifteen bodgies owned motorbikes! If the bodgies and rock n roll carefully fit the traditional pattern of moral panics, the case of the Gothic cultists is much less clear-cut. Once more, the media at first fastened on and sensationalized a youth subculture, presenting the gothic cultists in a stylized and stereotyped way. Though the suicides which sparked off the flurry of press comment symbolized a definite human tragedy for those concerned, press coverage tended to too-easily make a causal connection between the suicides and the subculture and its music. This labeling process fits Cohens use of symbolization, however the process did not obtain the status of a collective theme. It soon became obvious that adolescent suicide was a multifaceted issue, and surely not an act which a style of music alone could be held accountable for. The scale of the incidents was as well a factor: three gothic suicides close together, with suggestions of death pacts, were clearly newsworthy. Once it became obvious though, that these we re an isolated episode, and the intricacies of suicide among adolescents started to be aired, the press rapidly lost interest. Further, the gothic subculture, (even supposinf it had such a collective standing) did not fit the folk devils image apparent in other moral panics over youth. However clearly not socially condoned, suicide constitutes a crime against the self somewhat than a threat to society in any criminal sense. Nor was the subculture linked with delinquent behavior; being seen quite in terms of a particular style of hair, clothing and makeup-weird, surely, but no more so than further historical and modern youth subcultural styles. Lastly, the reaction to the Gothic suicides barely represented a crisis of domination, requiring a reassertion of Cohens control culture. If the gothics were not folk devils, and scarcely comprised a full-blown moral panic, as a minimum their music fitted the conventional negative reaction accorded popular culture, particularly its more fringe variants. As with the bodgies preference for rock n roll, there was almost no severe press discussion of the reasons for the Gothic preference for music that was often simplistically typified as macabre and depressing (Dominion; 25 September 1988). It was as well too willingly assumed that the lyric content of songs was significant, ignoring the long debate on this point amongst consumers and critics of rock music. Similar points can be made in the case of the Dead Kennedys and rap, with both achieving the status of modern folk devils. The rap music of Ice-T and NWA, as well as the punk thrash of the Dead Kennedys were observed as obscene and politically intimidating to the status quo by its conservative critics. Raps position was complicated by being associated by many on the le ft with sexism and homophobia. So far, as Gilmore observes: While it is true that there are rap performers who deserve to be criticized for their misogyny and homophobia, it is also true that by and large rap addresses questions about race, community, self determination, drug abuse and the tragedy of violence in intelligent and probing ways and it does so with a degree of musical invention that no other form can match (Gilmore, 1990:13). One can as well point to a racist aspect in the attacks on rap. In the case of 2 Live Crew, for example, numerous commentators asked why a black group must be singled out for an obscenity prosecution in a state (Florida) where strip shows, pornographic videos and magazines are readily accessible. As with gothic music, the rap and thrash genres were observed in minority cult terms by their critics, and their song lyrics were eminent to a central position in the music. This was mainly obvious in press coverage of the Ice-T controversy. These case studies have demonstrated the interrelationships between youth subcultures, rock music, as well as moral panics mostly generated by the conservative right and fuelled-and at times constructed-by the media. The controversies surrounding rock and censorship have to be regarded as key battles in the ongoing struggle between the advocates of censorship and those of free speech. Though, assessment of the bodgies and rock n roll, gothic suicides, the Dead Kennedys and rap obscenity trials proposes that while the notion of moral panic is important in explaining such episodes, we should attend to variations and differences in their development. What needs to be elucidated is not merely the social causes and nature of particular moral panics, however why the society reacts to them, in the extreme way it does, at that specific historical conjunction. In their study Policing the Crisis, Hall et al. examine the discovery of mugging as a serious crime in the UK during 1972-1973. They c onclude that this episode constituted a moral panic, a panic which fits in almost every detail the process described by Cohen (Hall et al., 1978:23). Hall et al. argue that a moral panic occurs within what Gramsci describes as a developing crisis of hegemony (Gramsci, 1971), arising out of a particular historical context where the leading class is endeavoring to win power and consent through ideological means. Cohens stresses on the significance of labeling is still adhered to, as labels place and recognize the initial events so that these events are allocated to a context, to allow a mobilization of the meanings and connotations connected with that label. In Hall et als, explanation, the inspiration for labeling a particular phenomenon a moral panic is elucidated by the crisis of hegemony which is working within the society at that time. Relating this to moral panics around rock, is to locate them against the global appearance of a New Right, embracing free market politics and a moral cultural conservatism. As Grossberg observes of the US manifestation of this trend: The new conservatismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is, in a certain sense, a matter of public language, of what can be said, of the limits of the allowable. This has made culture into a crucial terrain on which struggles over power, and the politics of the nation, are waged (Grossberg, 1992:162). As he concludes, this great effort involves a new type of regulation: a variety of attacks become tokens of a broader attack, not so much on the freedom of expression as on the freedom of distribution and circulationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (ibid: 163). The debates about the outcomes of rock and the linked calls for censorship of the music are a sharp memento of the force of rock as emblematic politics, operating in the cultural arena. In associated fashion, and debatably even more powerfully representing its cultural power, is the use of rock to declare and support political views as well as causes.

The Benefits of Running Essay example -- Exercise Health Fitness Paper

The Benefits of Running Why do they run? Running. It’s painful, tedious, and exhausting. So, why do so many Americans do it? People run for many reasons. Most often, people run to stay in shape and to reach an ideal body weight. Studies show that a combination of diet and exercise is the most effective way to lose weight, as it triggers a loss of body fat and a proportional increase of lean tissue. Running, a rigorous cardiovascular exercise, allows a person to burn an average of 100 calories per each mile he or she runs. Other popular activities, such as biking and walking, only burn a fraction of those calories in the same amount of time. While the average human being burns about 2000-2500 calories a day by simply existing, running 5 miles a day can burn an additional 500 calories, making it a legitimate way to lose weight. Furthermore, running is an easily accessible activity-- with a decent pair of sneakers and some determination, anyone can run. Surprisingly, how fast a person runs has little effect on the number of calories he or she will burn. The most important factor is weight. For example, a 220-pound person running an eight-minute mile burns 150 calories, while a 120-pound person running at the same pace burns only 82. Every person’s body requires an excess of 3500 calories in order to gain a pound or a deficit of 3500 calories in order to lose a pound. Thus, 180-pound person who runs 5 miles each day will lose about 5 pounds a month. However, as his or her weight goes down, he or she will burn fewer calories per mile. Eventually, a runner’s weight will stabilize. When this will happen depends on how much the runner eats and how far he or she runs. Most runners lose weight effortlessly at first, but eventually, t... ...test. It is a place where I can escape my problems and enter into a world where I am invincible. Bibliography Blinkie, David. What is an Ultramarathon? www.fred.net Fixx, James F. The Complete Book of Running. New York: Random House, 1977. Simbeck, Rob. "Running it Off." Nashville Scene. January 22, 1998. Pp. 18-26. Galloway, Jeff. Galloway's Book on Running. Bolinas, California: Shelter Publications, 1984. Hang, John. The Essential Runner. New York: Lyons and Burford, 1994. Henderson, Joe. Better Runs. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics, 1996. Rodgers, Bill. Lifetime Running Plan. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. Running with George. Eating Right to Fuel the Runner. www.brainbug.com Running with George. Finding the Right Fuel for Your Body. www.brainbug.com Running with George. The Fight Against Fat. www.brainbug.com

Media Stereotyping of Men and Women Essay -- Gender Roles in the Media

After watching television and flipping though ads and articles in several magazines, the stereotyping of men and women is so apparent but at the same time society is so blind to it. In society parents teach their children gender roles at a very early age. Gender roles refers to the attitudes, behavior, and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for each sex learned through the socialization process. Males are traditionally expected to show aggressiveness and toughness, and females are expected to be passive and nurturing. For example, little girls play with baby dolls and play "house" and little boys play with toy guns and play "cops and robbers." Mass media are powerful factors that influence society's beliefs, attitudes, and the values they have of themselves and others as well as the world. If a male is seen in media doing "feminine" things, such as shopping or cleaning he is seen as weak, and women who are seen doing "masculine" things such as car repair and management positions she is seen as callous and cruel. Even though media still pretends that men and women in society are equal, it isn't the case. Women are still seen as homemakers and men are still seen as professional, successful and independent. After watching an hour of television, several commercials and some programs, women are seen in makeup and all personal hygiene commercials, even male products feature women. The message here is that if a male shaves with our products lots of women wil...

Noonan Syndrome

Noonan Syndrome Nicole Mitchell Dr. Hendricks Principles of Biology 1114 April 19, 2013 Mostly everyone in the world has heard of some type of genetic disorder. But most people haven’t even heard or understand about Noonan Syndrome. Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by distinctive facial features, developmental delay, learning difficulties, short stature, congenital heart disease, renal anomalies, and bleeding difficulties. Noonan syndrome affects a good percent of the world and may happen to anyone. Noonan syndrome has many key symptoms and very few certain treatment options.Noonan syndrome used to be referred to as the male version of Turner's syndrome (and is still sometimes described in this way); however, the genetic causes of Noonan syndrome and Turner syndrome are distinct. The principal features of Noonan disorder include congenital heart defect (typically pulmonary valve stenosis) also ASD, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, short stature, learning problem s, pectus excavatum, impaired blood clotting, and a characteristic configuration of facial features including a webbed neck and a flat nose bridge.The syndrome is named after Dr. Jacqueline Noonan. Mutations that cause Noonan syndrome alter genes encoding proteins with roles in the RAS-MAPK pathway, leading to pathway deregulation. Noonan syndrome is a relatively common genetic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 1000 to 1 in 2500 births. If someone knows enough about this disorder, they may be able to spot them out. However, people who have Noonan syndrome have problems not only on the outside but mainly on the inside. Noonan patients have to battle a lot mainly when it comes to their heart.Cardiomyopathy is more than fifty percent of the problem and the main reason of death. To explain for a moment, Cardiomyopathy can cause heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Not only do they have to worry about cardiomyopathy, they have atrial septal defect (ASD). ASD only appears i n ten percent or less of Noonan patients and may be so small it will not affect the patient to an extreme level. To elaborate, ASD allows oxygen to get to the tissues, organs, and to each side of the heart. Not only does Noonan disorder have problems in the cardio area, but also in the gastrointestinal system.Infants up to adults may have problems with their appetite, digestive issues, forceful vomiting, and difficulties swallowing. Considering normal people eat through their mouth, it can be very hard or unpleasant for a child with Noonan syndrome to eat and not only eat but to keep it down. Another big issue with Noonan patients are they tend to have a hematologic symptoms like easy bruising, blood clotting disorders, and partial deficiency of Factor VIII:C, XI:C, and XII:C. Not only do I feel bad for the patient themselves, but whoever has to take care of them.Since no one has x-ray vision except for Superman, it comes in handy to know the external signs of Noonan Syndrome. Noona n syndrome sounds like a few disorders combined. Their body stature and posture is very unmannered. They normally have a short stature, cervical neck or spine, scoliosis, a depression or outward breast bone, and a very low muscle tone. Their head usually has excess skin on the back of the neck, a low hairline in the back and high hair line in the front. Their heads are usually large and triangular shaped. They have a short and/or webbed neck.Their eyes are unusually very wide and their eyelids droop excess fully. Over ninety percent has low set ears, backward rotated ears, thick outer rim of the ear and sometimes incomplete ear folds. They have a deeply grooved top lip line and their fingers are bluntly ended, sometimes extra padded (on toes as well), and may have poor tongue control. Sometimes we do not even notice most of these body parts, but now that people know they often look. Treatment of the symptoms and complications that occur with Noonan syndrome depends on their type and severity.Many of the health and physical issues associated with this syndrome are treated just the way they are in the general population. The heart will be treated with certain drugs and surgery may be necessary. Since there are no many different factors with Noonan syndrome children are checked multiple times a year. Family doctors or the doctors of the parents choosing focus on the blood chemistry, thyroid function, bone growth and hormone levels. If a child's growth hormone levels are insufficient, growth hormone therapy may be a treatment option.For the other factors like learning disabilities, vision care, and etc. , they are treated like every other special child and normal child. If the child does, and most likely will, have a learning disability then if caught early on doctors can find certain centers that teach on speech and the learning process. When you look up or study these genetic disorders, you learn that most of them are really not so rare. I have heard about Noona n Syndrome before but I never knew how common it was. I only learned that it is a very unique disorder and sounds very much like Turner’s syndrome.It makes me sad to believe that parents have to suffer so much through all of these treatments and never knowing really what they can do. They may wake up one morning and their child has gone into cardiac arrest. It’s a sad disorder and there is no treatment for the Noonan syndrome itself, but only what they can do for anyone else. Not saying that the medicine today is not good enough, but maybe not fast enough or efficient enough for a child or adult who has so many more problems to deal with. I can only imagine that they person will be required to take a minimum of fifteen pills a day depending on how many symptoms they have.Noonan syndrome is a terrible genetic disorder that affects both the inside and outside of every patient. It is a roller coaster ride of a life and never know what will or may happen once the child or adult falls asleep. It is common everywhere in the world and happens between one thousand and two thousand five hundred children a year. Even though it is very similar to Turners Syndrome, this happens in both males and females. Most children with the disorder look alike and have most of the same symptoms. It is unlikely to have other symptoms, but with this genetic disorder anything is possible.Signs or symptoms increase all of the time and there is no set guideline for the things that may occur. Work Citied Romano, A. , MDA, and Allanson, J. , MDb. â€Å"Noonan Syndrome: Clinical Features, Diagnosis, and Management Guidelines. † Google Scholar. 27 September , 2010. Pediatrics Vol. 126 No. 4 p. 746 -759. Web. 12 April , 2013. http://pediatrics. aappublications. org/content/126/4/746. full. Lisbona, P. and Moreno, M. â€Å"Noonan Syndrome† Google Scholar. March 2009 vol. 18 no. 3 p. 267-269. Web. 09 April, 2013. http://lup. sagepub. com/content/18/3/267. abstract. Pedi atr, C. Noonan Syndrome: An Update and Review for the Primary Pediatrician. † Google Scholar. September 1994 33:p. 548-555. Web. 12 April, 2013. http://cpj. sagepub. com/content/33/9/548. full. pdf+html Connor, W. and Noonan J. â€Å"Noonan syndrome: A clinical description emphasizing the cardiac findings. † Wiley Online Library. 19 JAN 2011. Japan Pediatric Society. Web. 10 April, 2013. http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1111/j. 1442-200X. 1996. tb03443. x/abstract. Baraitser, M. and Patton, M. â€Å"A Noonan-like short stature syndrome with sparse hair. † Journal of Medical Genetics. 23:2. Web. 08 April, 2013.

Economics Commentary- Prices of onions jumped yesterday, buoyed by a ban by India on the export of the item Essay

Prices of onions jumped yesterday, buoyed by a ban by India on the export of the item, traders said. The price of onions rose to Tk 36-45 a kilogram yesterday from Tk 32-42 on Thursday in markets in Dhaka, according to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. The wholesale prices of onions also rose. â€Å"There is a lack in the supply of onions in the market. Those who are still hoarding stocks are reluctant to sell as well,† said Idris Ahmed, owner of a wholesale store, Dhaka Baniyalaya at Shyambazar. He said onions were selling at Tk 35-36 a kilogram at the wholesale market of Shyambazar yesterday. Prices went up since Friday afternoon, after news of the ban by India, said Ahmed. The prices of locally produced onions also rose, influenced by the move by India, he added. This is the second time in less than a year that India restricted onion exports to curb the hike in prices, according to Indian news reports. On September 8, an Indian ministerial panel banned onion exports following a steep rise in prices, reports Reuters, quoting Food Minister KV Thomas. The restriction came in effect on Friday. â€Å"We will review the ban every fortnight,† said Thomas. Bangladesh meets much of its local demand for onions by importing it from the neighbouring country. Since Saturday, 80 onion-laden trucks entered Bangladesh till yesterday afternoon, our Chapainawabganj correspondent reports. No shipment took place at the Bhomra Land Port yesterday. The trucks carrying onions that came to the Ghojadanga Land Port on the Indian side returned without shipment, our Sathkhira correspondent reports. Babul Hasnat Durul, an onion importer at Sona Masjid, said their suppliers are not shipping onions against the previously placed orders by Bangladeshi importers. â€Å"We are worried. If onions are not exported against the already opened letters of credit (LCs), we will incur losses,† said Durul. The LCs came to a halt following the ban on exports, said Islam of the C& F Agents Association. The disruption in supply from India led to the hike in the prices of locally produced onions, said Mohammad Aminul Islam, an onion wholesaler at Karwan Bazar. He bought a 40 kilogram bag of onions from Pabna on Saturday at Tk 1,450, he said. Prices for the same stood at Tk 1,300-1,350 last week, he added. This article talks about the rise in onion prices that has happened in Bangladesh due to a shortage of onion. The shortage is due to the restriction on onion exports imposed by the Indian government. This has resulted in a decrease in supply (the amount of a commodity that sellers are willing and able to sell at different prices) resulting in price rise. Price of onion in the market is determined by the demand (the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to buy at different prices) for and the supply of onions. Initially the market was equilibrium (this is the point where demand is equal to supply) at point E where at P* price Q* amount was purchased and sold. Due to the ban imposed by the Indian government on exports of onions, the supply of onions in the Bangladesh market has decreased substantially. This is because Bangladesh relies on imports of onions from neighboring countries for the supply in its domestic market The decrease in supply will shift the supply curve to the left from S to S1. This will result in a new equilibrium E1 with a higher equilibrium price. As the article says that the â€Å"price of onion rose to Tk 36-45 a kilogram from Tk 32-42 The higher onion prices will reduce the quantity demanded and people with limited income or low income will have to switch to the available substitutes (goods which satisfy the same wants) like radish. Also industries like restaurants which use onions as inputs will experience an increase in the cost of produced and will be forced to increase price to keep profits constant. The Indian government’s decision to restrict exports of onions will increase the supply of onion in the Indian market. This will result in lower onion prices in India, and hence Indian consumers will benefit. On the other hand onion being a necessary commodity will have an inelastic demand (when for a certain percentage change in price, the quantity demanded will change less than proportionate.) Higher prices in onion will result in a greater expenditure of households and hence Bangladeshi consumers will be the losers. The Bangladeshi farmers and traders who have onion stocks will gain from the higher prices. The Bangladesh government may have to impose a subsidy (payment by government to producers of goods and services either to increase supply or reduced cost) or maximum prices (price imposed below equilibrium price through legislation by the government to protect the interest of consumers) in order to control the onion prices. Provision of subsidy will result in a greater government expenditure which will have an opportunity cost (the next best alternative for government) in terms of various welfare services which need to be sacrificed. Imposition of maximum prices will result in greater shortages and may increase the problem. In order to deal with this situation the government of Bangladesh may resort to import onion from other countries which have surplus. However this is only a short run solution (time period during which at least one factor of production cannot be changed) solution to deal with the immediate prices. Imports will increase supply and thereby reduced price of this commodity and benefit the Bangladeshi households. To deal with this problem in the long run (time period where all factors become variable) the Bangladeshi government should encourage greater domestic production of onion. This can be done by giving subsidy’s to onion producers or spreading awareness to popularise onion production. The government should also try and reduce onion hoarding by traders in Bangladesh market. Hoarding is an illegal activity and the government should be vigilant to stop this. The government also need to improve infrastructure facilities like irrigation, transportation and storage facilities to reduce the fluctuation in the supply of agricultural goods. The government can also build a buffer stock (a stock of essential food grain and strategic materials held by government to deal with unforced seen events) of essential food grains to reduce the fluctuations in the prices of agricultural products like onions. However all this involves a lot of government expenditure which may result in higher government borrowing and greater taxes.