Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Biotechnology - Essay Example Recent technological advancements in the application of biotechnology have raised certain ethical concerns among people. Genetically engineered food has been a subject of hot debate for the past three decades. Genetically engineered food is an application of biotechnology in agriculture which has enabled us to design and create plants with the desired characteristics through genetic engineering. This idea has been rejected by some and praised by others. Both parties do realize how this technology could revolutionize the world but the idea of this revolution differs. The proponents and opponents of biotechnology and its application envision different futures. The idea of biotechnology is to aid human life but no one can guarantee whether it will be used to aid life or not. Scientists face such criticism everyday but this does not mean that they should stop doing their research. If they did so in the past then we may probably be living in miserable conditions. Technology is only a tool that has helped humanity survive through tough times. The crux of the matter is that the rewards of biotechnology do outweigh the risks associated with it. Biotechnology or Bioengineering has been accused of carrying potential threat but this does not mean that no reward comes with this threat. In fact Biotechnology does promises potential rewards whose proof can still be observed. Risks and threats have always accompanied technology but this in no way implies that one should give up on technology as I further stated that it is our moral obligation to provide our future generations with whatever we can to help them battle the problems of the world. This can in fact be termed as a compensation for using the resources of this planet for our present generation of people. Evidence of the fruits of Biotechnology has been most visible in the

Literature of Cyber Security Strategies

Literature of Cyber Security Strategies Natora Shepherd Abstract Staying Safe: Cyber Security for people and Organizations lucidly iterates the imperativeness of cyber security. The journal focuses considerably on how the lack of knowledge of both professional and personal environments has caused a surging level of threats due to security ignorance. The key topics covered by this paper is- The 8 Most Infamous Data Attacks, The Map of Breaching, Whats a PoS Attack, How Consumers View Hacked Business and The Rippling Effect, Heed The Waring Signs Well Provide A Solution. For the reason that 80% or more businesses process significant amounts of data or use PoS systems. Learning The Ins and Outs of Data Breaching May Save Your Company We live in a digital era, where computers are a part of everyday operations. As our technology advances, society has seen how much our nation struggles to secure government, personal, business, and financial data. Currently, the country suffers from a half-million cyber-attacks every minute, making it merely impossible to issue a patch promptly to seal exploited vulnerability and isolate the attack. Unfortunately, computers are not the only electronic devices subjected to cyber-attacks, for this purpose, its imperative that business, government agencies, and organizations construct a systematic approach to safeguarding their computers. Reading this document will provide a clear understanding of- Why are Business Attacked,The 8 Most Infamous Data Attacks, The Blueprint for Breaching, Whats a PoS Attack, How Consumers View Hacked Business and The Rippling Effect, Heed The Waring Signs Well Provide A Solution. Ultimately, as we progress into the future, the level of cultivation breaches upsurges throughout the cyber world. A data breach occurs when hackers exploit a weakness in the targets system. As a result, hackers can extract and access confidential information without the consent or knowledge of the user. Importantly, knowing why hackers mark government agencies, department stores, online stores, and healthcare organization is equally beneficial. Hackers fabricate attacks, where enormous amounts of confidential data are accommodated. Why are Business Attacked. Attacks against companies are increasing at an astounding rate. Yet, in still they continue to ignore incident until its too late. Understanding the motives behind the many attacks discussed enables corporations to concentrate on areas within the business infrastructure a hacker should possibly attack. For one large company, government agencies, and organizations process massive amounts of data on a daily basis. The amount of data acquired through these attacks is the driving force. Needless to say, knowledge holds power and information pertaining to any business is the biggest source of knowledge for a company. For instance, organized crime groups specifically use cyber exploits to commit identity theft, online fraud, and computer extortion. In many cases hacker prey on the knowledge that many businesses has lower defenses which are easy to penetrate. Once the information is in the criminals possession, their free to upload the content on Black Markets sites, underground trading sites. Meanwhile, admittance users navigate through the site scanning immense amounts of debit cards, bank account numbers, credit cards, social security numbers, and so forth (Wright, Sean). In this section, we take a look at five well-known companies that fell victim to data breaches. Data breaches continue to take our nation by storm, with business and organizations being the primary target. The reason why many companies become targets is that more and more businesses have become more contingent on digital data. Companies store the majority of sensitive data on local machines, cloud servers, and enterprise databases, because of this hacking, a companys data is simpler than ever. Lets take a look at some of the largest and most hindering breaches on records dating as far back as 2009. In 2012 Experian was indirectly involved with one of the largest data breaches after acquiring a company called Court Ventures. Court Ventures had a contract with the company U.S. Info Search that enabled clients of U.S Info Search to locate individuals addresses in order to determine which court registers to assess. The data retrieved was then sold to a number of third parties resulting in the data falling into the hands of a Vietnamese fraud service. The Vietnamese fraud service gave its own customers the opportunity to view Americans social security numbers and financial information. 2009 marked a major turning point for the company Heartland Payment Systems suffered a massive data breach resulting in 130 million records being compromised. The system was penetrated by malware planted on their network. Heartland obtained data from more than 250,000 businesses along. Sony PlayStation Network- experienced an outage back in 2011 from an external intrusion resulting in all network users losing access to their system. It was stated that approximately 77 million accounts were compromised. Living Social- is a local marketplace where consumers can buy and share the best things to do in their area. More than 50 million users accessed this site on a daily basis. In 2013 hackers attacked their servers and made off with more than 70 million members personal data worldwide. Evernote- runs a cloud base storage which allows its users to access notes from multiple devices. In 2015 tens of millions of their note-takers found themselves worrying about their security. No, customers, financial information was extracted. However, the hackers were able to gather customers user names, encrypted passwords, and email addresses(Andromeda botnet). The Blueprint for Data Breaching As with anything else, theres more than one type of attack that could put a business in a compromising situation. In this section well talk about the five most popular attacks, leaving any business in devastation. Brute force attack is a very sophisticated algorithm or software written to perform any actions necessary to attack a companies infrastructure. The software does this by searching for vulnerabilities- and several cases targets password protect mechanism. This attack is designed to go through hundreds of thousands of different words, combinations of words combined with numbers in efforts to crack passwords; it does this by evaluating each word in the dictionary seeing if they can access somewhat like a password. DDoS also known as distributed denial of service attacks happens when servers are overloaded with connections, the goal is shutting down the targets network system or website. An example of this particular attack is covered under The 5 Largest Data Breaches section. Next on the list is Phishing attacks which are perhaps among the most frequently reported method of cyber attacks. Theres numerous types of phishing attacks but the one used depends upon the industry. With this approach, hackers send out hundreds of thousands of emails with attachments or link hoping someone will click on them, given hackers system access. Coming in last is ransomware. Ransomware prohibits the use of the infected computer. In other words, it holds files or the PC for ransom. Now, there are various types of ransomware; however, all of the prevents the victim from using the PC. Point-of-Sale (PoS) Malware Point-of-sale malware is a malicious software expressly written to detect, aggregate and exfiltrate payment data. This malware was first exposed in October of 2008 when Visa issued an alert on a new type of exploit. Point-of-sale malware is a memory scraper that searches for data in its true format for track two credit card data. Chewbacca, BlackPOS, Kaptoxa, and Backoff are all types of POS malware. Orchestrating a POS attack is much simpler and a less risky way to obtain customers data without physically visiting the premises. So, what makes POS systems an easy target, well the systems are proprietary set up either by third-party consultants or vendors and may not be well comprehended by clients IT staff. The anatomy of a POS attack on a corporate network involves multiple stages. Ultimately, the hacker must acquire access to the victims network. This access is usually gained through an associated network not directly linked to a common desktop environment. Secondly, they can scan for vulnerabilities in external-facing systems, such as utilizing SQL injection on a web server or pinpointing a periphery device still using the default manufacturer password. Once inside the network, the attacker directs their attention toward the ultimate prize the POS system. They may achieve their objective in various ways, although, the simplest method is collecting user credentials, through password hash extraction, cracking, keylogging Trojans, or brute force. The third step entails the use of data-stealing tools-like RAM-scraping malware and network-sniffing(Colasoft Capsa,/Wireshark). All data gathered during this process is then stored locally in a file until exfiltration. Because POS attacks often take time to carry out the primary goal, hackers need their code to remain persistent on the compromised terminal. Lastly, the hacker may attempt to hijack the internal system acting as the companies primary server. During this process their trying to identify a server that regularly communicated with the POS system, while piggybacking on normal communications to avoid detection (Andromeda botnet). How Consumers View Hacked Business and The Rippling Effect First and foremost just in case, the company you work for has forgotten all business are in the market to make money. However, not possess customer rapport makes it merely impossible to do so. By this token, it is necessary to view this situation through the clients eyes. How exactly does a breach on a company affect consumers or customers perspective of them? Take a moment to rewind back to a time where you felt betrayed by either a business or person. Surely the memory resonates clearly in everyones mind because the human psyche holds a great capacity for feelings of abuse or betrayal. Clearly, it should not come as a surprise that consumers harbor those same negative emotions against business that allow their personal information to be stolen. If it where you would the level of trust remain the same? According to recent statistics75% of consumers say they would cease to do business with a company who had been hacked. Moreover, hacking has a tremendous impact on a business future. So, why are many businesses willing to take the chances of subjecting themselves to these types of threats. Perhaps, saving money now is worth losing loyal customers and withstanding the devastation and setback a breach would have on any companies future. Afterward, depending on the type of corporation or business it could leave them paying out millions of dollars to every customer compromised. Ironically, then and only then companies wish to ponder on the repercussions.(Last Name, Year) Heed The Waring Signs Well Provide A Solution. Most organizations and business are coming to terms with why hacker breaching techniques are becoming more sophisticated. Even with this being the case some companies place all their trust in their antivirus software not recognizing the need to take other precautionary measures. All businesses whether big or small struggles to allocate security resources. In some case its not that IT dont have the required tools to improve their risk of exposures- its more about not having the time. So, here are some early warning signs. Improperly trained employees Solution: Cybersecurity awareness is critical to the operation of any business. All users need appropriate training on how to safeguard all devices on the company network, spot fraudulent e-mails, and when to contact IT personnel. Unclear security policies Solution: Reinforces policies for accessing data, sharing data, granting user permission, and how employees use mobile devices on company network Unforeseen file activity or uncommon log-in patterns from team members Solution: track relationships among users and activities. Keep an eye out for various security product in the ecosystem. Unsupported or None-patched operating systems Solution: All workstations connect to network servers must be continuously patched and up-to-date as a preventive measure against criminals exploiting vulnerabilities. Joint user accounts Solution: one of the most insecure actions, even though it creates conveniences. Oftentimes using shared accounts results in a lack of accountability for access confidential data. Reframing from creating shared accounts prevents these types of data leaks. Unsubstantial Passwords Solution: reframe from the use of short password. A strong password is said to consist of longer words (15 characters at minimum) mixture of numbers, capital letters, lower-case letters, and symbols. Not managing file syncing Solution:make sure all company files remain under company controls at all times. The employees should never use personal accounts for work. In addition, invest in business-ready versions of products like Box, given executive granular authority over company Unsupported or None-patched operating systems Solution: All workstations connect to network servers must be continuously patched and up-to-date as a preventive measure against criminals exploiting vulnerabilities (Warning Signs Of A Breach, n.1-7). Time-consuming account lockouts (security professional encounter 10,000 or more alerts per month). Solution: make sure the SOC team can distinguish between real security incidents which take hours to investigate and heavy fingers. Some many SOC teams proceed to unlock accounts prematurely as a means to save time. Distractions like DDoS attacks used to steer a security operations center(SOC) attention towards isolated the breach, while allowing hackers to move in undetected. Solution: the companies SOC team should have a mitigation solution in place for possible violations. The key is being prepared for what might come, and constantly monitor for suspicious activity across the network(Shteiman, B n.8-9). Conclusion To conclude for years, our nation has felt the crippling effects of cyber attacks targeting business and government sectors. Many of these attacks have brought agencies and corporations to an abrupt halt, as they attempted to veil the devastating effects. Yet, they still choose to ignore the risk by rejecting adequate security and failure to educate themselves. Weve approached the modern day area of cyber attacks; this is why organizations must heed the warnings by taking action. Our nation must move forward by learning how to recognize warning signs and guard against various data breaches and pos attacks. The information from this document was designed to stress the importance of knowing all the threats that lurk around in the cyber world by offering insight on two prominent threats of Data Breaches, PoS devices, and avoidance methods. References 5 types of cyber attacks and how they can affect your business. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2017, from http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2016/06/22/5-types-of-cyber-attacks-and-how-they-can-affect-y?slreturn=1487565444page=6 Mid-Year Review: 6 of the Biggest Cyber Threats of 2016. (2016, September 28). Retrieved January 03, 2017, from https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/2016-biggest-cyber-threats/ New point-of-sale malware distributed by Andromeda botnet. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2016, from http://www.csoonline.com/article/2948966/cyber-attacks-espionage/new-pointofsale-malware-distributed-by-andromeda-botnet.html (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-warning-signs-your-business-may-risk-data-breach-sean-wright (n.d.). 3 Warning Signs Of A Breach What Security Teams Should Be Looking For. Retrieved December 30, 2016, from https://techcrunch.com/gallery/3-warning-signs-of-a-breach-what-security-teams-should-be-looking-for/ Types of Phishing Attacks. (2007, August 24). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from http://pcworld.about.com/od/emailsecurity/Types-of-Phishing-Attacks.htm

Conrads Intent In Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Distilling the Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In analysis of Heart of Darkness, much is made of Conrad’s intentions in telling his tale. People search for a moral lesson, a strict social commentary, an absolution for the evil of the dark jungle. It isn’t there, and that’s not the point.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In works of philosophy (like The Republic), or works of political theory (like Socialism: Utopian and Scientific), or works of natural science (like The Origin of Species), this sifting of important and clear ideas from the mess and confusion of experience is what writers like Plato, Darwin, or Engels are doing. They experience the world in all its messy confusion, and then they attempt to abstract from the mess, by careful selection, a system of ordering principles which other people can comprehend and make use of. In more figurative words, they are trying to shed the light of intelligence upon the darkness of experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As, primarily, students and teachers, we naturally look for the conveyance of such ideas in any material we encounter. We miss that books like Heart of Darkness are fundamentally different in intent and we continue searching for that lesson from which to make a rational response to the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even literary professionals seem often to fall into the error of neglecting or misunderstanding the novelist's purpose. Consider, for example, the criticism leveled against Heart of Darkness by Paul O'Prey in his introduction to the Penguin edition. He writes: â€Å"It is an irony that the ‘failures’ of Marlow and Kurtz are paralleled by a corresponding failure of Conrad's technique--brilliant though it is--as the vast abstract darkness he imagines exceeds his capacity to analyze and dramatize it, and the very inability to portray the story's central subject, the ‘unimaginable’, the ‘impenetrable’ (evil, emptiness, mystery or whatever) becomes a central theme.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. O'Prey's sentence is somewhat impenetrable itself, but his complaint is that Conrad wants to evoke an abstract notion of darkness, but he doesn't manage to adequately define it or analyze it. He then goes on to quote, approvingly, another critic, James Guetti, who complains that Marlow â€Å"never gets below the surface,† and is â€Å"denied the final self-knowledge that Kurtz had.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In other words, according to Mr. O'Prey and Mr. Guetti, Conrad has somehow failed in his attempt to delineate the horror that is Kurtz's final vision, failed to penetrate the darkness that Marlow evokes, failed to give a precise name and shape to the dark and tragic human condition. Mr. O'Prey and Mr. Guetti want, as all good academics want, clarity, definition, intellectual coherence, order, a well-stated and well-argued thesis; they

Asi Questions Essay

The Interview Format – Does It Have to be an Interview? This is perhaps the most often asked question regarding the ASI. In the search for faster and easier methods of collecting data many clinicians and researchers have asked for a self-administered (either by computer or paper and pencil) version of the instrument. We have not sanctioned the use of a self-administered version for several reasons. First, we have tested the reliability and validity of the severity ratings by having raters use just the information that has been collected on the form – without the interview. This has resulted in very poor estimates of problem severity and essentially no concurrent reliability. Second, we have been sensitive to problems of illiteracy among segments of the substance abusing population. Even among the literate there are problems of attention, interest and comprehension that are especially relevant to this population. Finally, since the instrument is often used as part of the initial clinical evaluation, it has been our philosophy that it is important to have interpersonal contact for at least one part of that initial evaluation. We see this as simply being polite and supportive to a patient with problems. We have seen no convincing demonstration that the interview format produces worse (less reliable or valid) information than other methods of administration and we have found that particularly among some segments of the substance abusing population (eg. the psychiatrically ill, elderly, confused and physically sick) the interview format may be the only viable method for insuring understanding of the questions asked. Particularly in the clinical situation, the general demeanor or â€Å"feel† of a patient is poorly captured without person-to-person contact and this can be an important additional source of information for clinical staff. There are of course many useful, valid and reliable self-administered instruments appropriate for the substance abuse population. For example, we have routinely used selfadministered questionnaires and other instruments with very satisfactory results (eg. Beck Depression Inventory, MAST, SCL-90, etc.) but these are usually very focussed instruments that have achieved validity and consistency by asking numerous questions related to a single theme (eg. depression, alcohol abuse, etc.). The ASI is purposely broadly focussed for the purposes outlined above, and we have not been successful in creating a viable self-administered instrument that can efficiently collect the range of information sought by the ASI. Thus, it should be clear that at this writing there is no reliable or valid version of the ASI that is self-administered and there is currently no plan for developing this format for the instrument. We would of course be persuaded by comparative data from a reliable, valid and useful self-administered version of the ASI and this is an open invitation to interested parties. Role of the Interviewer – What are the qualifications needed for an ASI interviewer? Having indicated the importance of the interview process it follows that the most important part of the ASI is the interviewer who collects the information. The interviewer is not simply the recorder of a series of subjective statements. The interviewer is responsible for the integrity of the information collected and must be willing to repeat, paraphrase and probe until he/she is satisfied that the patient understands the question and that the answer reflects the best judgment of the patient, consistent with the intent of the question. It must be emphasized that the interviewer must understand the intent of each question. This is very important since despite the range of situations and unusual answers that we have described in the manual, a new exception or previously unheard of situation occurs virtually each week. Thus, ASI interviewers should not expect to find answers in the workbook to all of the unusual situations that they will encounter in using the ASI. Instead it will be critical for the interviewer to understand the intent of the question, to probe for the most complete information available from the patient and then to record the most appropriate answer, including a comment. There is a very basic set of personal qualities necessary for becoming a proficient interviewer. First, the prospective interviewer must be personable and supportive – capable of forming good rapport with a range of patients who may be difficult. It is no secret that many individuals have negative feelings about substance abusers and these feelings are revealed to the patients very quickly, thereby compromising any form of rapport. Second, the interviewer must be able to help the patient separate the problem areas and to examine them individually using the questions provided. Equally important qualities in the prospective interviewer are the basic intelligence to understand the intent of the questions in the interview and the commitment to collecting the information in a responsible manner. There are no clear-cut educational or background characteristics that have been reliably associated with the ability to perform a proficient ASI interview. We have trained a wide range of people to administer the ASI, including receptionists, college students, police/probation officers, physicians, professional interviewers and even a research psychologist!! There have been people from each of these groups who were simply unsuited to performing interviews and were excluded during training (perhaps 10% of all those trained) or on subsequent reliability checks. Reasons for exclusion were usually because they simply couldn’t form reasonable rapport with the patients, they were not sensitive to lack of understanding or distrust in the patient, they were not able to effectively probe initially confused answers with supplemental clarifying questions or they simply didn’t agree with the approach of the ASI (examining problems individually rather than as a function of substance abuse). With regard to assisting the interviewer in checking for understanding and consistency during the interview, there are many reliability checks buil t into the ASI. They are discussed in some detail in the workbook and they have been used effectively to insure the quality and consistency of the collected data. Severity Ratings – How important and useful are they? It is noteworthy that the severity ratings were historically the last items to be included on the ASI. They were considered to be interesting but non-essential items that were a summary convenience for people who wished a quick general profile of a patient’s problem status. They were only provided for clinical convenience and never intended for research use. It was surprising and interesting for us to find that when interviewers were trained comparably and appropriately, these severity estimates were reliable and valid across a range of patient types and interviewer types. Further, they remain a useful clinical summary that we continue to use regularly – but only for initial treatment planning and referral. A Note on â€Å"Severity† – It should be noted that much of the reason for the reliability and validity of these severity ratings is the structured interview format and the strict (some would say arbitrary) definition of severity that we have adopted: ie.†need for additional treatment.† Many users of the ASI have selected the instrument exclusively for research purposes and these ratings have never been used for this purpose – especially as outcome measures. Other users do not agree with our definition of severity. Still others do not have the time or inclination to check and recheck severity estimates among their various interviewers. For all of these potential users the severity ratings would not be useful or worth the investment of man-hours required to train reliability. Even for those with primary clinical uses, these ratings are not essential and are perhaps the most vulnerable of all the ASI items to the influences of poor interviewing skills, patient misrepresentation or lack of comprehension and even the surroundings under which the interview is conducted. Therefore, it is entirely acceptable to train ASI interviewers and to use the ASI without referral to the severity ratings. Composite Scores – What are they for, why were they constructed this way and what are the norms? Users familiar with earlier editions of the ASI know there is a separate manual designed to describe their use and to show how to calculate them (See Composite Scores from the Addiction Severity Index – McGahan et al. 1986). The composite scores have been developed from combinations of items in each problem area that are capable of showing change (ie. based on the prior thirty day period, not lifetime) and that offer the most internally consistent estimate of problem status. The complicated formulas used in the calculation of these composites are necessary to insure equal weighting of all items in the composite. These composites have been very useful to researchers as mathematically sound measures of change in problem status but have had almost no value to clinicians as indications of current status in a problem area. This is due to the failure on our part to develop and publish normative values for representative groups of substance abuse patients (eg. methadone maintained males, cocaine dependent females in drug free treatment, etc.). At the risk of being defensive, our primary interest was measuring change among our local patients and not comparing the current problem status of various patient groups across the country. Further, we simply did not foresee the range of interest that has been shown in the instrument. A Note on â€Å"Norms† for the Composite Scores – At this writing, we are collecting ASI data from a variety of patient sampl es across the country. These samples will be used to convert the composite raw scores into T-scores with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 (as MMPI and SCL-90 scores are presented). Our intention is to publish these â€Å"normative data† and to circulate copies of the tables to all individuals who have sent to us for ASI packets. We will also provide programs written in Basic, Lotus 123 ® or Excel ®to calculate these composite scores and to convert existing composite scores into Tscores. In this way we hope to make up for the lack of standardization that has been a problem with the composite scores to this time. Appropriate Populations – Can I use the ASI with samples of Substance Abusing Prisoners or Psychiatrically Ill Substance Abusers? Because the ASI has been shown to be reliable and valid among substance abusers applying for treatment, many workers in related fields have used the ASI with substance abusing samples from their populations. For example, the ASI has been used at the time of incarceration and/or parole/probation to evaluate substance abuse and other problems in criminal populations. In addition, because of the widespread substance abuse among mentally ill and homeless populations, the ASI has also been used among these groups. While we have collaborated with many workers on the use of the instrument with these populations; it should be clear that there are no reliability or validity studies of the instrument in these populations. This of course does not mean that the ASI is necessarily invalid with these groups, only that its test parameters have not been established. In fact, workers from these fields have turned to the ASI because they felt that no other suitable instrument was available. In cases where this is true, it is likely that the ASI would be a better choice than creating a totally new instrument. However, it is important to note circumstances that are likely to reduce the value of data from the ASI among these groups. For example, when used with a treatment seeking sample and an independent, trained interviewer, there is less reason for a potential substance abuser to misrepresent (even under these circumstances it still happens). In circumstances where individuals are being â€Å"evaluated for probation/parole or jail† there is obviously much more likelihood of misrepresentation. Similarly, when the ASI is used with psychiatrically ill substance abusers who are not necessarily seeking (and possibly avoiding) treatment, there is often reason to suspect denial, confusion and misrepresentation. Again, there is currently no suitabl e alternative instrument or procedure available that will insure valid, accurate responses under these conditions. The consistency checks built into the ASI may even be of some benefit in these circumstances. However, it is important to realize the limits of the instrument. Regardless, systematic tests of the reliability and validity of the ASI in populations of substance abusers within the criminal justice system and within the mental health system are necessary but have not been done and this is an open invitation to interested parties. A Special Note on Adolescent Populations – Despite the fact that we have repeatedly published warnings for potential users of the ASI regarding the lack of reliability, validity and utility of the instrument with adolescent populations there remain instances where the ASI has been used in this inappropriate manner. Again, the ASI is not appropriate for adolescents due to its underlying assumptions regarding self-sufficiency and because it simply does not address issues (eg. school, peer relations, family problems from the perspective of the adolescent, etc.) that are critical to an evaluation of adolescent problems. At this writing, there are two versions of the ASI that have been developed for adolescent populations and have shown at least initial evidence of reliability and validity in this population. A third instrument is not in the same format as the ASI but has shown excellent reliability and validity. Interested readers may contact these individuals directly for more information about these instruments. Kathy Meyers, Research Department, Carrier Foundation, Belle Meade, New Jersey â€Å"Carrier – Addiction Severity Index† or Yifrah Kaminer, Adolescent Chemical Dependency Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. â€Å"Teen – Addiction Severity Index† or Al Friedman, Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia Psychiatric Center, Phila., Pa. â€Å"Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Diagnostic Assessment† ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE ASI Can I ask additional questions and/or delete some of the curr ent items? As indicated above, the ASI was designed to capture the minimum information necessary to evaluate the nature and severity of patients’ treatment problems at treatment admission and at follow-up. For this reason, we have always encouraged the addition of particular questions and/or additional instruments in the course of evaluating patients. In our own work we have routinely used the MAST, an AIDS questionnaire, additional family background questions and some self-administered psychological tests. We do not endorse the elimination or substitution of items currently on the ASI. Again, the ASI items (regardless of whether they are good or bad for particular individual needs) have been tested for reliability and validity as individual items and as part of the composite and/or severity scores. The elimination or substitution of existing items could significantly reduce the reliability and comparability of these ASI scores. It is possible to eliminate whole sections (problem areas) of the ASI if particular problems are not applicable for specific populations or the focus of specific treatment interventions. In the current version of the ASI and in this workbook, we have included a set of additional items and instruments that have been developed by us and others over the past ten years, to add information in areas that are now inadequately covered by the existing ASI questions. The items themselves are presented on the latest version of the form (See Appendix 1) and the specific instructions for asking these questions and for interpreting the answers are discussed in each of the problem areas in the Specific Instructions part of the workbook. It should be clear that we have not used these items in the calculation of the composite scores or in the determination of severity estimates. Obviously, the use of additional information for these purposes would alter the reliability and validity of the ASI and reduce the comparability of the resulting scores across sites and time points. Thus it is important to stress that the use of earlier ASI versions will still provide comparable data on the composite scores and on the majority of items, since they have not been changed or eliminated, only supplemented in the current version. In addition to these items, there has also been significant work over the past ten years in the development of general and specialized information collection interviews and questionnaires for substance abusers. Some of these instruments bear special note in that they can be used instead of or in addition to the ASI to provide enhanced or specialized information. Some of the more widely used and better validated instruments are presented below but the interested reader is advised to consult the tests and measurements literature for additional information.

Marketing and Mini Cooper Essay

Abstract My paper will be about how the MINI cooper has been worked on to continue to be reliable to the old customers and new customers. It has been around since the 1950’s and it looks like it will continue to be around. My paper will hit up information about explicit and implicit brand of communication for the MINI cooper. Levi’s positioning 1. How has BMW achieved continuity of brand message without alienating existing customers and encouraging new Mini purchasers? The Mini cooper is a very historical car. The original mini was designed in 1959 by Sir Alec Issagonis. Two years later the Mini took on a more racing and sporty model called the Mini Cooper, named after the racing expert John Cooper. Minis are known to be a smaller, sportier car with maximum interior space for the driver and passengers. In 2001, BMW managed to bring back the retro image of the Mini, while at the same time making it modernized, affordable and safe. The Mini continues to appeal to the younger audience and also the older audience. The company tries to retain an emotional association towards the product. With German engineering and British character, there was now a more European character to the new Mini. That is how is keeping its old customers. 2. What elements of the marketing communications mix have been used to build and/or maintain the Mini brand narrative? According to the book, the marketing communications mix is a subset of the marketing mix, both being the tools which deliver respectively communications and marketing strategies. It provides a mix of communication methods that blend to achieve a message. The marketing communication mix that have been used to build and maintain the Mini brand narrative has been using publicity stunts, advertisement all over the London and also using online communication. There have been many online advertisements that are created to catch attention and encourage website visitors. Use of press and outdoor billboards and posters has installed a since of excitement about the brand. 3. List the ‘explicit’ and ‘implicit’ elements of communication illustrated by the ‘It’s a Mini Adventure’ campaign. The explicit elements of communication illustrated by the â€Å"It’s a Mini Adventure’ campaign is featuring in the product in a music video. There had been many publicity stunts demonstrating spacious feature of the MINI. The implicit elements are illustrated in a serious of MINIs packaged as if they were toys viewed in shopping malls. It ensured high impact and generating a tremendous amount of consumer interest and word of mouth amongst potential buyers. References Dahlen M, Lange F, Smith T. (2010). Marketing Communications A Brand Narrative Approach. The marketing communication mix, (275-277)

definition of capitalism Essays

definition of capitalism Essays definition of capitalism Essay definition of capitalism Essay From an economic standpoint, capitalism is an economic system whereby all capital (defined in next essay below) employed in commerce is privately owned and the benefits (the return generated on the employed capital) accrues to the owners of the capital. The market (individuals willfully making decisions) determines where to allocate capital (what goods and services to produce and what price to sell them) for and the benefits (profits or return on capital) from this exchange accrue to the individual. The primary alternative to capitalism is socialism or centrally-planned economic ystems whereby all the capital (in the form of ownership interests in companies) is owned by the government, and therefore the benefits accrue to the government, not to individuals. In addition, the government, not the market, determines what goods and services to produce. Some countries may employ a combination of the two systems (companies may be privately owned as well as owned by the government). Capitalism, however, is more than Just an economic system. It is a philosophy that revolves around the individual and combines many of mans natural instincts and the natural forces of economics. As discussed in the Human Nature essays, man has a natural desire to be free and no economic system allows the individual more freedom to make their own decisions in an economic context than capitalism. In addition, man has a natural desire for wealth and no economic system is better at facilitating the creation of wealth. Furthermore, capitalism is based on the concept of fairness. As discussed in the Morals essays, the concept of fairness is at the heart of all morality. In an economic context no system is fairer with respect to the rewards accruing to those who have arned and deserve them. One could certainly argue that unequal distribution of wealth is not fair but it is this very concept that drives people to create wealth, which in the end benefits everyone from an economic standpoint as discussed in the Economics essays. In the context of economics, no economic system is more in line with the natural forces of economics than capitalism. At the highest level, the natural forces of economics compel capital to be allocated to its most productive use and no system accomplishes this more successfully than capitalism. The primary goal of capitalism is to create and maximize wealth which is accomplished by maximizing the return on capital (see Goals of Capitalsim essay below). Capitalism, however, is not perfect and does have its disadvantages. In a capitalist society only goods or services that can be sold at a profit will be produced which one could argue may not encourage the most desirable culture or maximize the quality of such an environment encourages unethical behavior, which is the primary enemy of capitalism as will be discussed below

Dorian Grey Review essays

Dorian Grey Review essays In the novel The Picture of Dorian Grey homosexuality is an important aspect of the novel, and the book deserves credit as a pioneering depection of homosexual relationships in serious English fiction. The depection of homosexualtity in the book is undoubtedly shaped by Wildes personal ambivalences toward his own sexuality which is found expressed both in idealized love affairs and in liaisions with prostitutes. It is important to stress that the novels primary intrest is literaty rather than biographical, and that Wilde hints at homosexuality rather than expresses it directly. Homosexual readers would certainly have responded to the books under current of gay feeling, and may have found the very name Dorian suggestive of Greek homosexuality, since it was the Dorian tribesman who allegedly intorduced homosexuality into Greece as part of their military regimen. Wilde purposely leaves the exact nature of the sins of Dorian Grey mysterious and vague, suggested but not Wildes attitude toward homosexuality in the novel may best be seen in his portrayal of Basil Hallward. Hallward is the character mast clearly defined as homosexual, and it is significant that he is presented as the most morally sensitive character as well. His love for Dorian seems altogther noble, especially in contrast to the blandishments of Lord Henry, his rival for the young mans affection. In the triangle formed by the competition of the two older men for the attention of the beautiful boy, Basil represents an idealized, platonized homosexuality, linked to a long tradidtion of art and philosophy. Wilde conceives of Basils homosexual love for Dorian as something positive but dangerous, an emotion that inspires guilt and fear: measures , respetively, of the internal and external condemnations brought to bear against homosexuality. In the end it seems that it is Basil homosexual love for Dorian th...

Expansionary Monetary Policy and Aggregate Demand

Expansionary Monetary Policy and Aggregate Demand To understand the impact of expansionary monetary policy on aggregate demand, lets take a look at a simple example. Aggregate Demand and Two Different Countries The example starts as follows: In Country A, all wage contracts are indexed to inflation. That is, each month wages are adjusted to reflect increases in the cost of living as reflected in changes in the price level. In Country B, there are no cost-of-living adjustments to wages, but the workforce is completely unionized (unions negotiate 3-year contracts). Adding Monetary Policy to our Aggregate Demand Problem In which country is an expansionary monetary policy likely to have a larger effect on aggregate output? Explain your answer using aggregate supply and aggregate demand curves. The Effect of the Expansionary Monetary Policy on Aggregate Demand When interest rates are cut (which is our expansionary monetary policy), aggregate demand (AD) shifts up due to the rise in investment and consumption. The shift up of AD causes us to move along the aggregate supply (AS) curve, causing a rise in both real GDP and the price level. We need to determine the effects of this rise in AD, the price level, and real GDP (output) in each of our two countries. What Happens to Aggregate Supply in Country A? Recall that in Country A all wage contracts are indexed to inflation. That is, each month wages are adjusted to reflect increases in the cost of living as reflected in changes in the price level. We know that the rise in Aggregate Demand rose the price level. Thus due to the wage indexing, wages must rise as well. A rise in wages will shift the aggregate supply curve upwards, moving along the aggregate demand curve. This will cause prices to increase further, but real GDP (output) to fall. What Happens to Aggregate Supply in Country B? Recall that in Country B there are no cost-of-living adjustments to wages, but the workforce is completely unionized.Unions negotiate 3-year contracts. Assuming the contract is not up soon, then wages will not adjust when the price level rises from the rise in aggregate demand. Thus we will not have a shift in the aggregate supply curve and prices and real GDP (output) will not be affected. The Conclusion In Country B we will see a larger rise in real output, because the rise in wages in country A will cause an upward shift in aggregate supply, causing the country to lose some of the gains it made from the expansionary monetary policy. There is no such loss in Country B.

BSBWOR501B Manage personal work priorities and professional Assignment

BSBWOR501B Manage personal work priorities and professional development - Assignment Example In addition, these officers also work together with other sales employees in an effort to improve the sales of the organization. Finally, a marketing officer obtains data and makes reports about the marketing strategies of the company. According to Marshall, (2013, p. 44), marketing officers must have adequate knowledge base, skills and experience in marketing for them to succeed in the field. The minimum education qualifications required for one to succeed in marketing is a bachelor’s degree in marketing. In addition, one must possess skills and experience such as skills in research, ability to do analysis and interpretation of information and skills in report writing. One should also have both written and oral communication skills. The marketing officer should have experience in teamwork and possess creative and innovative minds in order to come up with competitive marketing strategies. The personal goals were set based on the organization and team goals. This enables the marketing officer to maintain teamwork cooperation and also achieve the overall organization goals. The knowledge obtained from organization’s training on goal setting was used to set the objectives. In addition, policies of the organization provided direction in planning and achieving the goals in marketing. Finally, according to Mathur, (2006, p. 56), the personal experience and possession of strong power and skills in persuading people to accept things helps in achieving the goals especially increasing the sales volume. Another motivation for setting goals involves the need for personal performance management and the need to offer role modelling to others. This includes performance appraisal to determine achievement of marketing standards. The goals also help in guiding through the work of marketing to avoid wastage of time. The activities are carried out systematically, that is, allocating timeframe for each

Global Perspective of a Nursing Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Perspective of a Nursing Theory - Essay Example ry by Selye as well as Lararus writing on coping and stress are all great inspirations, which influenced the birth of the theory of systems by Neuman. It was based on many assumptions, which include that every individual client’s system is distinct and unique. There exist very many stressors, which are universal while other universally known while others are still unknown. Particular interrelationships by variables in a client determine the level of defense that a patient enjoys from a particular line of defense. Environmental factors are major influences to the evolution of the lines of defense as described previously. Lines of resistance explain the uniqueness of individual clients capacity to challenge and take defense against the stressors. Primary prevention strategies define the possible or the actual risk factors that are associated to individual client condition. The secondary factors provides the practitioner with direction to address the outcome of a particular treat ment administered to a particular client in regard to stress. The tertiary level on the other hand explains reconstitution adjustive processes to be adopted for addressing the stress and factor causes. However, bottom line to the theory is that the client system is quite dynamic and involves constant exchange of energy between the client and the environment. A client system according to this theory is the depiction of the interplay of the internal and environmental factors as variables to individual person. Selection of a Nursing theory and reasons for selection The selection of this theory for discussion in this paper has been influenced by various factors. The theory has been in application in nursing discipline in the understanding that an individual client is a person as at the bottom line... This essay approves that the systems theory as developed and used by the theorist had basic conceptual framework in management of stress for the clients, which is associated for both internal and external factors. The internal factors are the inherent factors such as the disease conditions and as such, management of the stress resultant is best addressed from the perspective of treating the disease first. On the other hand, environmental factors such as would cause the diseases are blamed on causing the stress that is externally influenced. In this regard in addition, management of the stress by practicing nurses and the clients designing and application of lines of defense that span from appreciating these causative factors. This report makes a conclusion that theorist Betty Neuman is globally acknowledged as one of the most dynamic contributors to the nursing model based theories in the nineteenth century. She developed the conceptual framework through which the particular roles of nurses and the patients are defined concerning the management of stress. She derived her inspiration from various other works of philosophy, which had the inclination to understanding stress and the management. The client is depicted as a system, which comprises of psychological, physiological, social cultural, developmental as well as spiritual dimensions. In sum, the study reveals that Newman’s work in nursing has had great impact towards the universal discipline of nursing. Having great foundation in other theorists works, the theory of stress as developed by her have undergone great evolution over time and is most celebrated in changes notable in nursing research, education and curriculum development among other ar eas.

UK Education Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

UK Education Policy - Essay Example In the long run this is assumed to have a great impact over the larger proportion of the population which will lower down the economic development of the country. Overview of the Problem Initially there was a strong emphasis in the United Kingdom over the attainment of post compulsory qualification i.e. continuing education after 16. But the trends of 2009 have shown that only 80% of the overall population which is above 16 years of age is having full time education. It is not the case that UK has stopped its progress in the field of education however the much stronger efforts made by other countries have put United Kingdom in to a much competitive market. Apart from this the percentage of the younger generation who comes under NEET (not in education, employment or training) has significantly increased in the last few years which have a deep relationship of the skill development of students under 16. It is also noticed that students who have the opportunity of gaining basic education are not availing it to its fullest. Students at the age of 16 or below are having lower grades and poor performance over the examinations. It is a fact that the UK organizations give higher wages and salaries to their employees for very basic and essential skills as compared to the other countries in OEDC. This clearly reflects that UK does not have exceptionally skilled workers and that they do not have choice other than to appoint them. United Kingdom has a greater proportion of unqualified and unskilled individuals as compared to its significant competitors for instance, 60% population of Germany has the intermediate education whereas UK have only 48%. Similarly another major competitor of UK such as Canada has 49% of high... This paper approves that the Education Maintenance Allowance came up with an incentive plan in order to encourage the disadvantaged students from poor family backgrounds. The plan constituted of giving a substantial amount to the students who are willing to carry on with their studies beyond the age of 16. This has significantly increased the number of students applying for higher education. The social mobility is very closely affiliated with the development and upbringing of a child. The interferences made in child development are sometimes made to be more effective on the cognitive achievement or it becomes an unavoidable requirement in order to be successful in the later life. The early cognitive development is important for the future academics of a child but the study shows that there other interventions as well which encourages or discourages a student to enroll in full-time education after crossing the age of 16 though their abilities still have an effect over their social mob ility. This essay makes a conclusion that The socio economic differences among the population are mainly because of inequality at the school level and the educational attainment which further leads to noteworthy differences in choice of studying after 16. This can be controlled by establishing the same academic structure throughout the country with similar expenses and rewards so that the inequality on the basis of education can be eradicated. In addition to this the social mobility can also be improved by the individual participation at the school level for this the teachers would have to inspire students to some celebrity or social model in order to realize them the ultimate outcomes of good education

Introduction to Human Resource Management Essay - 1

Introduction to Human Resource Management - Essay Example that employee-related laws were followed, and that all staff members were following the company’s policies and procedures (Cafà © Co Case Study, 2009). Also, the company’s hard HRM approach made the HR manager less of a director of HR but more of a policy-maker to make sure employees followed the company rules and regulations. Allen (2007) also describes the soft HRM approach which deals with issues of human behaviour, making sure that people are led rather than managed, are communicated with effectively and are motivated by leadership. The soft HRM approach views staff members are being important to meeting strategic goals and should be treated as valuable assets to achieving what the company wants to accomplish. One aspect of the Harvard model of HR outlines that people should be given rewards for their support to meeting goals (HRM Guide, 2007). After the review of Cafà © Co HR policies, this approach was undertaken with performance management systems and attempts to increase pay. The HR manager role, now as a member of the Board, already has a difficult time trying to improve existing HR policy at the company. Being in such a high position does not give Kim first-hand access to in-store employee behaviours, skills and abilities, therefore the line manager must take on this role in order to provide fair and accurate employee assessments. One HR expert offers that in order to have a good HR policy, line managers should â€Å"interview job applicants, provide training, carry out disciplinary procedures, and provide performance ratings† (Kleiman, 2007). Because there is already such a high turnover rate at Cafà © Co due to HR being unable to perform these tasks, it is both logical and benefitting to the business to have line managers take on these responsibilities since they are the regular point of contact for in-store staff activities, skills and behaviours. Kim simply cannot do this with her busy job role. Ulrich’s first role is being a strategic partner,

Visual Analysis Paper for Art Humanities Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visual Analysis for Art Humanities - Term Paper Example For instance, comprehension is improved greatly. It becomes more insightful and many people become interested in the message passed across1. A glance a clear visual analysis at the pieces of works by Pieter Bruegel, harvesters clearly portrays the plights of an ordinary or common man. The fact is, this is a true reflection of what happens world over, however much it may face suppression to suit the current humanism. This is so due to two possible reasons; either due to forced labour from the purported land owners or masters or by the circumstantial life challenges which includes economic constraints. Whatever the reason, it shows a basketful of challenges facing the ordinary man who has to struggle too much in order to survive and fit in the society. From the harvesters’ case, there is farming which is of a great thematic concern. It is natural to perform such duties as farming and this accords accreditation from both the traditional and supernatural commands. However, there is something very sceptical about this call. This is toil and it is supported by the individuals portrayed as exhausted and possibly taken away by a light nap. Others slightly off duty do so at the behest of the call of nature and that is for them to have a bite to keep them moving on. It shows that the struggles undergone by these so called farmers in order to get bountiful harvest; not in the sense of the word is excess. However much it may seem of a picnic, it depicts the realities of nature. That is, it makes the whole idea very natural, the time setting being appropriately manipulated. The terrain displays a beautiful landscape and the motivation exhibited by individual persons in the drawings is very real. There is nothing more appealing to the eye as a natural setting. The landscape shown in the drawing is ideal and is immensely handy in the art industry. Naturalness has brought more delight in the work of Pieter. It can be noted that the

Social Justice and Policies for Children Learning English Essay

Social Justice and Policies for Children Learning English - Essay Example Supporters of social justice like Nancy Fraser and John Rawls have formulated various approaches or theoretical perspectives of the core ideologies and processes of what comprises social justice. As regards to the relevance of social justice theories to education, Cribb and Gewirtz (2003) have developed one of the most valuable theoretical models, which explain three types of social justice - associational, cultural, and distributive. This paper focuses on the cultural aspect of social justice, particularly in relation to social inclusion policies for linguistic minority children learning English as an additional language in the UK. Cultural justice supports respect for or consideration of cultural diversity. Cribb and Gewirtz (2003) argue that this is an effective way to eliminate hindrances to social justice. Societies act in response to cultural differences in distinctive ways. Educational policies for the needs and demands of children belonging to cultural minority groups in the UK have changed since the immigration from earlier British colonial states in the 1950s. Language became the emphasis on educational policies for this progressing culturally diverse society in the UK with the Department of Education and Science’s (DES) (1963) English for Immigrants. This was the earliest key government programme into the English language instruction for children whose mother tongue was not English. The language requirements of the schools’ immigrant students were dealt with as regards the observed necessity to guarantee that their being there did not interrupt learning for the majority population who are white monolingual. The immigrant students’ cultural requirements were not tackled in official policy, a phenomenon that is experienced until now.

Visual Analysis Paper for Art Humanities Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visual Analysis for Art Humanities - Term Paper Example For instance, comprehension is improved greatly. It becomes more insightful and many people become interested in the message passed across1. A glance a clear visual analysis at the pieces of works by Pieter Bruegel, harvesters clearly portrays the plights of an ordinary or common man. The fact is, this is a true reflection of what happens world over, however much it may face suppression to suit the current humanism. This is so due to two possible reasons; either due to forced labour from the purported land owners or masters or by the circumstantial life challenges which includes economic constraints. Whatever the reason, it shows a basketful of challenges facing the ordinary man who has to struggle too much in order to survive and fit in the society. From the harvesters’ case, there is farming which is of a great thematic concern. It is natural to perform such duties as farming and this accords accreditation from both the traditional and supernatural commands. However, there is something very sceptical about this call. This is toil and it is supported by the individuals portrayed as exhausted and possibly taken away by a light nap. Others slightly off duty do so at the behest of the call of nature and that is for them to have a bite to keep them moving on. It shows that the struggles undergone by these so called farmers in order to get bountiful harvest; not in the sense of the word is excess. However much it may seem of a picnic, it depicts the realities of nature. That is, it makes the whole idea very natural, the time setting being appropriately manipulated. The terrain displays a beautiful landscape and the motivation exhibited by individual persons in the drawings is very real. There is nothing more appealing to the eye as a natural setting. The landscape shown in the drawing is ideal and is immensely handy in the art industry. Naturalness has brought more delight in the work of Pieter. It can be noted that the

Cross-Cultural Study of Sex and Gender Assignment

Cross-Cultural Study of Sex and Gender - Assignment Example It has been widely known that all of those given parameters contain provoking issues that affect the whole society throughout history. There is no excuse for all forms of societies around the world have one or more of those problems. Each problem has its own topics of debates among the societal members. The pros and the antis regarding specific issues take their stance by proving the other side as wrong. They present details to support their claims and arguments are sometimes placed in a book form where they show all of the details. They explain those arguments as much as they can and share those with other people. Though that may be the case, some books do not side with any argument as they try to objectively study, analyze and present the issues and the probable solutions from both sides. As mentioned above, those issues are very important to solve though they already exist for decades. One of those is the issue of sex and gender and how the society views it. As a topic, it is a broad and controversial concept with many issues deep within. The concept is not restricted to the view on the sex as an act pertaining intercourse but also includes genital health, pregnancy, gender orientation, gender equality, and many more. They are all important topics to be discussed since everybody is affected by one or the other. In the paper, three books are presented and are reviewed critically regarding the various issues in gender and sexuality in various settings. Each book tackles the different issue which is important to be disseminated to everyone to prevent oppression and negative effects. After looking deep into the issues, possible solutions are made and further studies can be done to strengthen the understanding and establish the solid answers to existing societal problems. The first book is entitled Fixing Men: Sex, Birth Control, and AIDS in Mexico written by Michael Gutmann based on the research he made in Oaxaca. He revealed some unfamiliar facts mixed with new findings regarding the role of men in reproduction as AIDS has become rampant.  Ã‚  

Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges for Coca Cola

Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges for Coca Cola Corporate social responsibility (CSR) promotes a vision for the accountability of businesses in a wide range of stakeholders beyond shareholders and investors. The main areas of interest of CSR are the protection of the environment and welfare of workers, community and society at large, both today and tomorrow. The concept of CSR is based on the idea that companies are no further independent, but they are closely connected to the society. The traditional views on the competitiveness, survival and profitability of businesses no longer exist. The Coca Cola Company has fully implemented all the variables of CSR. While it is not a company that applies dishonest practices (such as Mc Donalds), it could be said that it seeks the maximization of profit but also believes in CSR and the contribution of the business to the prosperity of society. However, there is a difference. It has gone much further and has developed a code of ethical business conduct. This business conduct is communicated to all interested parties. Terms of reference Corporate Social Responsibility Stakeholders Business Ethics Multinational Companies Procedure (Methodology) The present paper is based on discussing corporate social responsibility theory and how the Coca Cola Company implements it. The research is based on CSR literature and the Coca Cola Corporate Social Responsibility Report as well as on some informal interviews with executives of Coca Cola Hellas. Some of the reasons that make companies adopt CSR principles are: 1. The shrinking role of government. The decrease of government funds, coupled with the growing distrust of the state regulations has led to the implementation of voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives. 2. The existing demands for greater corporate disclosure. There is an increasing demand for corporate disclosure on behalf of the stakeholders involved, such as customers, suppliers, employees, etc. 3. The increasing interest of customers. There is evidence that the ethical behaviour of companies has an increasing influence on customers purchasing decisions. 4. Growing investor pressure. A survey by International Environics (Frazer 2005), revealed that more than one quarter of the shares Americans own, was purchased by taking into account the ethical values of the companies. 5. The competitive labour markets. Employees seek more than just a salary and bonus. They want employers whose philosophies and operating practices suit to their own values. To be able to recruit and keep qualified employees, companies are obliged to improve working environment. 6. Relations with suppliers. Since interested parties are increasingly concerned about business matters, many companies take steps to ensure that their partners behave in a socially responsible manner (Alexander and Buchholz 1978). Some of the positive results that can occur when companies adopt corporate social responsibility are the following: Benefits for the company: Improved economic performance. Lower operational costs. Improved brand image and company reputation. Better sales performance and customer loyalty. Increased productivity and quality. Increased ability to keep qualified employees. Access to funds for capital purposes. Diversified employees/workforce. Safe products. Benefits for the community and the public: Charitable contributions. Employee volunteer programs. Corporate involvement in community programs in education, employment and programs for the homeless. Product safety and quality (Arlow and Cannon 1982). The concept of corporate social responsibility is now established in the global business agenda. However, many hindrances need to be overcome. An important challenge for the modern enterprise is the need for more reliable progress indicators in corporate social responsibility, along with the implementation of CSR strategies. The issues of dialogue and transparency can help the business be more reliable, and at the same time to reach the standards of other firms (Dierkes 1990). Critics of CSR, question the relationship of CSR to the nature of the business and believe that its incentives are insincere and hypocritical. They believe that it is more efficient to impose governmental and international regulations to make sure that companies act in a manner that is socially responsible. With regard to the relationship of CSR to the nature of the business, critics argue that the aim of the business is production and profit maximization for shareholders. Theorists such as Milton Friedman and others go a step further and argue that the goal of companies is to maximize returns to shareholders, and that only people can have the social responsibility, companies are only responsible for their shareholders and not for the society as a whole. While acknowledging that companies should respect the laws of the country in which they work, they have no further obligation to the society. Some people think that corporate social responsibility is incompatible with the nature and purpose of the business, but also that it is an obstacle to free trade. Those who argue that CSR is incompatible with capitalism and in favour of neoliberalism suggest that improvements in health, human life and infant mortality are due to the economic growth caused by the free business activities. In the theory and criticism to the CSR, the separation of firms according to their behaviour in relation to profit / ethics is included. Under this separation, the behaviour of enterprises is defined as follows: 1. The Amorals who seek only to maximize profit and return profits to shareholders. 2. The Loyalists who believe that their only obligation is not to derogate the law. 3. The Sympathizers who recognise the need to listen to the messages of society. 4. The Suspicious, in other words, the businesses that understand the need to combine profit with morality and make corporate values. 5. Finally, the Believers who are the firms that have developed and follow a code of ethics which has been notified to all interested parties (Caroll 1991). Most businesses (the Coca Cola company is among them) are between the two poles i.e., on the one hand, they want to achieve profits and have satisfied shareholders and on the other they want to conform to the social imperatives) and the current trend is that CSR can improve to a large extent long-term business profitability because it minimizes the risks and weaknesses and offers a range of potential benefits such as improved brand image and the involvement of employees. Other critics of CSR argue that some companies like the British American Tobacco, etc. use CSR to distract public attention from ethical issues raised regarding their core operations. They argue that some companies start CSR programs for the commercial benefits enjoyed by raising their reputation in the public or the government. They argue that companies exist only to maximize profits, and they do not promote social interests (Frazer 2005). Another problem is when companies promote CSR, they are also committed to sustainable development, but in reality, they engage in harmful business practices. For example, Mc Donalds while it promotes CSR, the salaries of its employees are very low. They work in unhealthy environments, and its products are a health risk because of their high fat content. Despite these problems and the use of CSR by certain companies to cover up bad business practices it could not be supported that all companies operate in the same way. Findings According to the Coca Cola Corporate Social Responsibility Report (2010) the CSR programme of the company is the following: The main objective of the CSR programme is Sustainability. This is expressed through the actions of the company in the following areas: consumer health, packaging and recycling, water stewardship, employee development, involvement of suppliers and energy and climate. Regarding of Consumer Health, the company wants to meet the modern life trends of consumers. For this reason, it has broadened the product portfolio with products that are not fattening, and it has reduced the amount of calories in its beverages by 88% according to school beverage guidelines. It has also supported Michelle Obamas campaign (Lets Move) with the initiative Clear on Calories. With respect to the axis of Packaging Recycling, the company introduced PlantBottle, which is a fully recyclable PET bottle made from a blend of petroleum based materials and up to 30 per cent of plant-based materials (Coca Cola CSR 2010). Coca Cola has also managed to achieve high recycling rates of its bottles (99 per cent in Europe and 92 per cent in North America). Regarding Water Stewardship, the company strives to improve the efficiency of water use. It has improved the use of water by 3.5 per cent from 2008. It current average water use ration to make one litre of its products is 1.67 litres. The development of employees is a further objective of the CSR of the company. The company believes that employees are the foundation for success. In its previous CSR programs, Coca Cola has created special programs to attract, retain and develop the skills and abilities of employees. These programs enable employees to properly exploit their potential while developing leadership skills and talents needed by the company in all sectors and in all countries. Its current CSR programme promotes employees equality regarding diverse cultures. According to the first Employee Engagement Survey, Coca Cola has improved the levels of its employee engagement, whereas on the Corporate Equality Index of the Human Rights Campaign it has received a 100 per cent score. Finally, with regard to energy and climate, the company co-signed the Copenhagen Communique. It was a supportive action to the global agreement on climate change. For the second year in the row, it has reduced company carbon footprint. Recommendations Coca Cola was based on the 6 pillars of business ethics i.e. contribution to economic growth, creation and preservation of jobs, contribution to training, protection of the natural environment, contribution to the development of the region and finally contribution to the fight against social rejection (Lantos 2001). To achieve these goals, Coca Cola involved all stakeholders i.e. employees, shareholders, consumers and their movements, and local governmental bodies and NGOs. If the pillars are examined one by one the following can be seen: For the employees, Coca Cola has created a healthy and safe working environment, it is against discrimination (in terms of gender, race, nationality), the remuneration offered to employees is satisfactory (Coca Cola supports that the wages offered are above the average level of wages, and that it implements benchmarking regarding remuneration). Regarding consumers, Coca Cola is famous for its marketing abilities. Given its global nature, it pays special attention to the different cultures of people. Furthermore, it targets both to the moral and sustainable consumption through the production of environment-friendly (regarding the chemical composition, packaging, etc.) products. It has also set up recycling programs for their products and consumer training programs to recycle its products. Coca Cola has followed all the basic rules of the CSR theory, and its programs are successful. Its programs are long term and include many activities. Its strategy includes environment care, dialogue with all stakeholders and is in line with both its history and activities. Coca Cola provides job positions and is taxed. For example, Coca Cola Hellas specifically paid 100 million euros in income taxes. 1,084.1 million euros in salaries and benefits and 2,441.8 million euros to suppliers for materials required e.g. packaging and services. Coca Cola is also interested in philanthropy. In 2007 it gave more than 10 million euros to charity programs. The aim of all these programs is the achievement of sustainable development and where this is not achieved to the desired level, Coca Cola has established the necessary controls to achieve it by changing the rules and models. In this context, Coca Cola uses and social accounting, which is the disclosure of data (other than financial) on the activities of the company in social, ethical and environmental issues. This disclosure is not required by law. Coca Cola publishes an annual Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability Report, which is included in the material provided to stock exchange markets for investor information. In order for social accounting to present factual and reliable data, Coca Cola implements annual audits and inspections by external partners. At the same time, it has created management systems (including all operational functions) to achieve this aim. Communication with all stakeholders is a key element of its strategy because this is the only way it can achieve continuous improvement in every activity. Consequently, the CSR programs of Coca Cola are considered as highly successful and worthy of emulation by other companies. Coca Cola appears to have long term CSR programs because every year it communicates its actions and its faith in it. The author suggests to continue do so because the global conditions (economic, social) impose CSR programs and on the other hand, it is a way to give value and thus achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The value includes all stakeholders. The suppliers feel that they cooperate with a reliable company that respects its agreements and society and is a partner who will help them grow. Employees acquire a sense of identity and identification with the company because it respects human rights and recognizes their contribution. Value for the customers because they see that the company produces products that respect human health and the environment in which they live. Value for partners (banks, etc.) who perceive that the company is trying to develop and understand the messages of the market. Value for shareholders because the company remains a leader, understands the needs of consumers, acts accordingly, and as a result it is profitable. Value to society by offering programs that governments cannot provide and aimed at improving the quality of life of people suffering. All these lead eventually to profit maximization and the market value rises and as a result the company is not only profitable but also consumers have a positive opinion about it. Conclusions Coca Cola is a multinational company. As such it has to implement management practices worldwide. Therefore, it establishes standards in all its operations and exploitation of employees, and environmental destruction are out of the question. On the contrary, it implements CSR programs for environmental protection as well as charity programs. It has also never been involved in corruption issues or in issues involving child labour. However, it recognizes the fact that there is always place for further improvements in employee and environmental issues. Therefore, each annual Coca Cola CSR report includes additional practices in these areas.

Hidden Meaning in Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate Essay

Hidden Meaning in Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Laura Esquivel’s novel, Like Water for Chocolate, is a contemporary novel based on romance, recipes and home remedies. Very little criticism has been done on the novel. Of the few essays that are written on this work, the majority of them consist of feminist critique. This novel would be most easily approached from a feminist view because of the intricate relationships between women. However, relationships between women are only one of the many elements touched upon in the novel. Like Water for Chocolate is a novel that uses recipes as a crypt for many important themes in the novel. Jaques Derrida defines crypt as something that, "disguise[s] the act of hiding and to hide the disguise: the crypt hides as it holds" (Derrida 14). The recipes are more than just formulas, they hold, concealed within them, memories. These crypts are revealed through food and the process of food production. Esquivel has personal ties with food and feels that the prod uction of food creates a center of the household. Tita, being the person most closely associated with food preparation in the novel, becomes the primary focus in the structure of her family. The crypts that Esquivel uses are opened throughout the novel in a variety of ways. Tita is constantly struggling against her mother, tradition and inevitably her own destiny. Along the way many aspects of her trials are revealed in her cooking. Eventually, Tita is able to free herself from the emotional chains that her mother has bound her. In the end her destiny is revealed, which in return sets her free from her struggles. Esquivel begins each chapter of the novel with a different recipe. The various recipe... ...rodic Consumption of Popular Romance Myths in Como Agua Para Chocolate." Latin American Literary Review. 24.48 (1996): 56-66. Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Ibsen, Kristine. "On Recipes, Reading and Revolution: Postboon Parody in Como Agua Para Chocolate." Hispanic Review. 25 (1996): 133-146. Januzzi, Marisa. Laura Esquivel. "Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, with Recipes, Romances and Home Remedies." Review of Contemporary Fiction. 13 (1993): 246-246. Loewenstein, Claudia. "Revolucion interior al exterior: An Interview with Laura Esquivel." Southwest Review. 79.4 (1994): 592-607. Valdez, Maria Elena. "Verbal and Visual Representation of Women: Como Agua Para Chocolate/Like Water for Chocolate." World Literature Today. 69.1 (1995):78-82.

Murakami as an Existential Writer Essay -- Philosophy, Writing

Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy and school of literature that holds that life is meaningless and chaotic, and any abstract theories about it are useless. All that exists is the world of phenomena as perceived by our senses. Whatever metaphysical concept that lies behind this world is not only impossible to know and understand, but also holds no significant value. The only choice we have to make in life is to accept this world with a kind of determined joy, to discipline ourselves, and to defy the emptiness and the chaos by finding our own meaning in life (â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4†). Although Haruki Murakami does not directly express any existential views in What I Talk about When I Talk about Running and Norwegian Wood, he is a quintessential existential writer because so much of existentialism involves the working out of private dilemmas. There is much focus on introversion in existentialism, and it can be seen in the lives of Murakami’s chara cters. In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami was facing the dilemma of participating in a 62-mile ultramarathon that took place every June at Lake Saroma in Hokkaido, Japan (104). According to Murakami, â€Å"The runners run around the shores of Lake Saroma, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk. Only once you actually run the course do you realize how ridiculously huge Lake Saroma is† (105). The weather gradually changed from being freezing to being too warm for heavy clothes during the ultramarathon (105). While Murakami was running, he began feeling intense pain in different parts of his body (109). Even so, he felt very happy upon reaching the finish line, not so much pride as a sense of completion (115). Through running, Murakami finds his own meaning... ... Through perseverance, we overcome obstacles and find happiness in this chaotic world of ours. We find our own reasons to live and we choose to hold our own values. All of these things are tenets of existentialism. There is no purpose in life but what we make for ourselves. Works Cited "Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4 - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. New York: Vintage, 2007. Print. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. New York: Vintage International, 1987. Print. "Island of Freedom - Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard." RobertHSarkissian.com. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki, Alfred Birnbaum, and Jay Rubin. The Elephant Vanishes: Stories. (TEV)New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.

Peters and Waterman’s Eight Attributes of Excellence Essay

Some things can be learned about leadership by studying organizations directly. Tom Peters and Robert Waterman drew on their experience at Mckinsey and Company, a well-known consulting firm, and on further study of a number of businesses they identified as exceptional. Their message is that traditional methods of managing and leading need to be replaced with new methods and new modes of thought. They provide a provocative perspective on the history and practice of management and leadership and identify eight attributes associates with excellence and innovation: a bias for action, staying close to the customer, autonomy and entrepreneurship, productivity through people, hands-on value driven, stick to the knitting, simple form-lean staff, and simultaneous loose-tight properties. The Peters and waterman study used a fairly large sample of sixty-two financially successful firms across six industries that were considered to be excellent but did not attempt any comparison with unsuccessful firms. The Pride in Excellence team slowly transformed the three Peters and Waterman attributes into Toro values. They worked to translate the values into specific behaviors. They were pioneers, and they found few ready-made answers to their questions. Personal and company values systems became jumbled. More than once, team members wondered how they could talk about this stuff at work and still be taken seriously. From the start, they concentrated on ways to get the values down to the level of individual jobs. This was relatively easy when talking about values such as Service or Quality. However, Toro wanted to adopt Peters and Waterman’s productivity through people attribute as well. That led to values such as Respect and Trust. Their final statement even uses the word â€Å"compassion. †

Hrm in Garment Industry

Study on employee job satisfaction at liberty garments by Hemanth CRPatna on Nov 02, 2010 †¢ 3,109 views Study on employee job satisfaction at liberty garments More†¦ Study on employee job satisfaction at liberty garments Less Accessibility †¢ View text version Categories †¢ Fashion & Beauty †¢ Business & Mgmt Tags mba Upload Details Uploaded via SlideShare as Microsoft Word Usage Rights  © All Rights Reserved Flagged as inappropriate Flag as inappropriate Top of Form Flag as inappropriate Select your reason for flagging this presentation as inappropriate. If needed, use the feedback form to let us know more details. [pic][pic]Cancel Bottom of Form File a copyright complaint Embed Views |http://static. slidesharecdn. com |1 | Statistics Favorites 2 Downloads 0 Comments 0 Embed Views 1 Views on SlideShare 3,108 Total Views 3,109 †¢ [pic][pic]No comments yet †¢ Notes on Slide 1 Top of Form [pic] [pic]Subscribe to comments Post Comment Bottom of Form Top of Form Edit your comment [pic][pic]Cancel Bottom of Form †¢ †¢ 2 Favorites †¢ [pic]rajm2019 1 week ago †¢ [pic]Mohan Ranathunga , Partner at Msix Associate 3 months ago More†¦ Study on employee job satisfaction at liberty garments — Document Transcript †¢ 1. INDUSTRY PROFILE ABOUT GARMENT INDUSTRY: INTRODUCTION: As the business increases day by day to global standards, garment industry also takes its boom in the world trade. Though there are certain limitations and drawbacks in the business scenario, it is still trying to achieve a memorable growth in the world trade. From ancient days onwards, garments play an important role in each and every ones life. Now the fashion technology is growing not only in towns and cities, but also in small villages. People are now very much interested to wear new fashion garments. Media also playing an important role in evaluating the garment industry all over the world. ABOUT GARMENT INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (GIDC): To protect the rights of manufacturers and to create a beneficial marketing facility for garments, ‘THE GARMENT INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION’ came in to force. The GIDC is a non-profit organization established in 1984 in the city of New York by the garments workers union and the new York skirt and sports wear association to strengthen the worlds garment industry. For the past twenty years, GIDC has evolved in to multi-tiered service organization providing marketing, buyer referrals, training and technical assistance to the manufacturers and workers. GIDC acts as a link between designers & labels and high quality producers and it has the following directors: BRUCE RAYNOR -CHAIRMAN STEVEN E-THOMAS-VICE CHAIRMAN EDGAR ROMNEY -SECRETARY TREASURER ETC 1 †¢ 2. USE OF COMPUTERS IN GARMENT INDUSTRY: CAD: Computer aided and designing (CAD) is industry specific design system using computer as a tool. CAD is used to design anything from an aircraft to knitwear. Originally CAD was used in designing high precision machinery. Slowly it is found its way in other industries also. In 1970’s, it made an entry in the garment industry. Most companies in India and abroad have now integrated some form of CAD in to their design and production process. In fact, according to national garment association of US, of 228 garment manufacturers: 65% use CAD to create color ways. 60% use CAD to create printed fabric design. 48% use CAD to create merchandising presentation. 1% use CAD to create knitwear design. KNITTED FABRICS: Some systems specialize in knitwear production and final knitted design can be viewed on screen with indication of all stitch formation. PRINTED FABRICS: The process involves use of computers in design, development and manipulation of motif. The motif can then be resized, recolored, rotated depending on the designers goal. SKETCH PAD SYSTEMS: These are graphic programmes that allow the designer to use pen or stylus on electronic pad or tablet to create free hand images, which are then stored in the computer. TEXTURE MAPPING (OR) 3D DRAPING SOFTWARE: This technology allows visualization of fabric on the body. Texture mapping is a process by which fabric can be draped over a form in a realistic way. 2 †¢ 3. EMBROIDERY SYSTEMS: The designs used for embroidery can be incorporated on the fabric for making garment. For this, special computerized embroidery machines are used. Designers can create their embroidery designs on the computer or can work with scanned images of existing designs. INTERNET AND INFORMATION EXPLOSION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY (NIFT), Calcutta is linked to Internet with TCP/IP account and the students have continuous access to the sites of the top designers, trend forecasting agencies, fashion houses and fabric suppliers. This has helped both the institute and the students immensely keeping them updated with the latest trends. From the above information, it is clear that the computers play an important role in the development of garment industry. GARMENT INDUSTRY IN INDIA: The garment industry occupies a unique place in our country. It accounts for 14% of the total industrial production and contributes nearly 20% of the total exports and is the second largest employment generator after agriculture. Garment industry is providing one of the basic needs of people and maintained sustained growth for improving quality of life. Its vast potential for creation of employment opportunities on the agricultural, industrial organized and rural and urban areas, particularly for women. Although the development of garment sector was earlier taking place in terms of general policies. In recognition of its importance of this sector for the first time, a separate policy statement was made in 1985 in regard to development of garment sector. The textile policy of 2000 aims at achieving the target of garment and apparel exports of US $ 50 billion by 2010 of which the share of garment will be US $ 25 billion. The main market for Indian garments are USA, UAE, UK, GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY, RUSSIA, CANADA, BANGLADESH AND JAPAN. 3 †¢ 4. The main objective of the textile policy 2000 is to provide cloth of acceptable quality at reasonable prices for the vast majority of population of the ountry and to compete with confidence for an increasing share of the global market. From the above it is clear that garment occupies a unique position in our economy contributing to nearly a one third of the country’s earnings. The industry includes manufacturers, suppliers, whole sellers and exporters of cotton textiles etc. Today handloom and cotton textile exports in India is co unted among the most important sector. The garment industry in India is widely named for its superb quality garments. Total textile exports during April-march 1998-99 were rs 52720. 8 crores. Readymade garment exports comprises nearly 40% of the total exports. CURRENT SCENERIO: Developing countries with both textile and clothing capacity may be able to prosper in the new competitive environment after the textile quota regime of quantitative import restrictions under the multi-fiber arrangement (MFA) came in to an end on 1 st January 2005 under the world trade organization (WTO) agreement on textiles and clothing. As a result, the garment industry in developed countries will face huge competition in both their exports and domestic markets. The elimination of quota restriction will open the way for the most competitive developing countries to develop stronger clusters of the garment industry which enable them to handle all stages of the production chain from growing natural fibers to producing finished clothing. The garment industry is undergoing a major reorientation towards non- clothing applications of textiles known as technical textiles which are growing roughly at twice rate textiles for clothing applications and now account for more than half of total textile production. The processes involved in producing technical textile require expensive equipments and skilled workers. 4 †¢ 5. As a result of various initiatives taken by the government, there has been new investment of rs 50000 crore in the garment industry in the last five years. Nine garment majors invested rs 2600 crores and plan to invest another rs 6400 crore. Further, India’s cotton production increased by 57% over the last five years and three million additional spindles. The industry expects investment of rs 1,40,000 crores in this sector in the post MFA phase. A vision 2010 for garments formulated by the government after interaction with the industry and exports promotion councils aims to increase India’s share in the worlds garment from the current 4% to 8% by 2010 vision and plan to increase Indian garment economy from the current US $ 37 billion to $ 85 billion by 2010 and creation of 12 million new jobs in the garment sector. There will be opportunities as well as challenges for the Indian garment industry in the post MFA era. But India has natural advantages, which can be capitalized on strong raw-material base cotton, man made fabrics, jute silk. Further, for the benefit of exporters, there should be a state owned cargo-shipping mechanism. Several initiatives have already been taken by the government to overcome some of these concerns including rationalization. Shri Kamal Nath, union minister of commerce and industry has said that India will take up the issue of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in the world trade organization (WTO) Doha round of multi lateral trade negotiations, which are expected to gather steam from march 2005 onwards. On the eve of republic day, president DR. ABDUL KALAM said that, â€Å"India is presently exporting six billion US dollars worth of garments, where as with the WTO regime in place, we can increase the production and export of garments to 18 to 20 billion US dollars with in the next five years. This will enable generation of employment in general and in rural areas in particular with the help of export of garments. We can add more than 5 million direct jobs and 7 million indirect jobs in the garment sector. Primarily in the cultivation of cotton, efforts are needed in cotton research, technology, 5 †¢ 6. generation, transfer of technology, modernization and upgrading of ginning and pressing factories and growth in marketing strategy†. INDIAN GARMENT EXPORT INDUSTRY: India is a major exporter of garments, fabrics and accessories for the global fashion industry. Indian ethnic designs and materials are an important factor in the plans of fashion houses and garment manufacturers all over the world. Those buttons on the Levis you are wearing could well have been made in India. The welcome decision of phasing out Multi Fiber Agreement (MFA) will end the regime of quotas and other rules and regulations made by the Indian governments helps us to create a competitive export garment industry all over the world. For India, the clothing industry has performed quite well in exports. It has been facing most of the quotas every year. As compared to rs 12 crores in 1970-71, exports have reached rs 18000 crores by 1998. The major competitors in this segment of the market are developed countries, Asian tigers like Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Developing countries like Bangladesh and Mayan mar of china, of course. In order to ensure quality of garment exports, the SSI restriction of the garment exports, the SSI restriction of the garment industry should be removed. Present equity participation of 24% by the foreign partners need to be enhanced and joint ventures with majority shareholdings as well as technical collaborations should be allowed. Labor laws need to be reorganized and the export procedures should be liberalized. LATEST TRENDS (NEWS) IN GARMENT AND TEXTILE SECTOR: 1. India recorded exports of $ 461 million in March 2005, against $ 351 million in March 2004. The increase has continued from February, when textile exports stood at $ 410 million. India has shown a 28% growth for the period January to march 2005 as compared to the same period last year. While china remains the 6 †¢ 7. lead country in terms of textile imports to the US. Countries like Mexico and Canada continue to loose out to India and china. Imports were threatening thousands of US jobs. The us has the power to impose caps of 7. % growth in textile and clothing categories on china under an agreement that the way for Chinas membership in WTO in 2001. 2. Ministry of finance has added 165 new textile products under Duty Drawback Schedule. The new products included wool tops. Cotton yarn, acrylic yarn, various blended fabrics, fishing nets etc. further, the existing entries in the drawback schedule relating to garments have been expanded to create separate entries of garments made u p of (a) cotton 3. (b) Man made fiber blend (c) MMF 4. After the phasing out of quota regime under the Multi Fiber Act (MFA), India can 5. Increase its textile sector becoming $ 100 billion industry by 2010. This will include exports of $ 50 billion. The proposed target would be achieved provided reforms are initiated in textile sector and local manufacturers adopt measures to improve their competitiveness. A 5-pronged strategy aiming to attract foreign direct investment by making reforms in local market. Replacements of existing indirect taxes with a single nation wide VAT. Liberalization of contract norms for textile and garment units. Elimination of restrictions that cause poor operational and organizational performance of manufacturers was suggested. . The union minister shankar sinh vaghela said that the board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) had approved rehabilitation schemes for sick NTC mills at the cost of rs. 3900 crores. Of the 66 mills, 65 mills have been closed after implementing voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to all employees. The government has already constituted assets, sale commit tees comprising representatives of central and state governments, operative agency, BIFR, NTC and the concerned NTC subsidiary to effect sale of assets through open tender system. †¢ 8. 7. Proposals for modernization of NTC mills have been made to the consultative committee members including formation of a committee of experts to improve management of these mills. Even the present status of jute industry was under the scanner of the consultative committee. 8. The government had announced change from the value-based drawback rate followed to a weight-based structure for textile exports that will discourage raw material exports and also there is a scope for misusing the drawback claims by boosting invoice value of exports. . NCDEX launched its silk contract (raw silk and cotton) on Thursday, January 20, 2005. With this launch, the total number of products offered by NCDEX goes up to 27. The launch of silk contract will offer the entire suite of fibers to the entire value chain ra nging from farmers to textile mills. Government of India jointly with NCDEX has adopted a policy of encouraging future contracts of silk. The ministry of textiles and the central silk board (CSB) had decided to introduce Futures trading in mulberry cocoons and raw silk on NCDEX. Futures trading on the NCDEX will provide an alternative trading avenue for farmers, weavers and traders and help them to make a better price for their product and it will also helps them to reduce risks associated with natural calamities. From this, we can conclude that garment industry is still in developing stage in India. The government is taking a lot of efforts to upgrade the garment industry in India. Rules and regulations on small scale units should be liberalized and export procedures on exports of garments is to be simplified and some grants to be given to those farmers who are dependent on cotton and jute corps. †¢ 9. COMPANY PROFILE This firm was promoted by Late. Shri. Mohan das Kundanmal Mahataney, the founder /promoter of associated apparels Pvt. Ltd, who were the makers of â€Å"LIBERTY† shirts for the domestic market and also license makers of Maidem form, Jockey, Jantzen and Tootal. An illustrious son of an illustrious father, MR. Raju. M. Mahtaney is a commerce graduate from Mumbai University, started his business career way back in 1968 by joining his father’s business of ready-made garment exports. Later, he joined as a partner in K. MOHAN in 1973. He became the managing partner in 1991, and since then his contribution in terms of expertise has boosted the morale of the organization and thus gained to be recognized as a reputed manufacturer in exports of woven garments. In the present context of business scenario, he has been traveling extensively to western countries and further gained rich industrial experience especially in fabric and machine etc. he was a member of the executive committee and also chairman of EDP of apparel export promotion council. He also an active executive member in CIA & INDO_AMERICAN chamber of commerce. Ours is a garment manufacturing company fully equipped for exporting the finished products. K. MOHAN & CO is situated 10 kms from the center of the beautiful garden city of ban galore. We specialize in the manufacture of high quality of men’s and women’s wear in the woven fabrics category. We predominantly cater to the American market. K. Mohan among the oldest garment export houses in the country, established in the year 1973. K. Mohan & co is well equipped to meet any requirements of overseas clients. In other words, we are proud to maintain that we are compliant to all standards set by our clients. Our professional approach towards business makes us very easy to work with, and fosters our business tie-ups and relationships, a very pleasing association. It has locations at seven places in ban galore at Bannerghatta Road, Hulimavu, Begur, Bommanahalli, Hong Sandra, Sing Sandra and Veer Sandra. 9 †¢ 10. K. Mohan & co has an impressive product range in the woven garments sector. We are capable of manufacturing quality garments over a wide range of styles, size- ranges and fabrics. Though we have produced a wider range in the past, we are now focused on items such as men’s and women’s pants, shorts, shirts and blouses as well. We are proud to be associated with- The Gap Inc. , Banana Republic, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, The Boom Club, Lane Bryant, The Limited Group, Ralph Lauren, Polo Jeans, Kohl’s, Nill Blass, Vetir, Decathlon, Shopko, Jones Apparel group and the like. In every unit, we have a technical person viz. , production manager in charge of the unit associated by factory manager and production co-ordinators. The area group HRD managers also take care of all the issues relating to the workers, including HR activities, welfare, safety etc. here the number of employees exceed the limit prescribed under the factories act. We have a safety officer too. Also we have a lady medical officer visiting the units. We have our own two in-house laundry units at Hulimavu and Sing Sandra with modern machineries, which cater to all our wash requirements. To be candid, we have all facilities to meet the contingencies. We have obtained the necessary consent for both water and air in all our units. Running a bus iness with constraints in infrastructure facilities is a tough task, meeting simultaneously the requirements of the buyers. In the present power crisis, we are also running the generators in all our units, affecting the business profits to a large extent availability of water, yet another concern. With all these constraints around, our managing partner has been effectively managing the business. Labors, though available in the areas, are not skilled. Hence we trained them in our training school and absorb them with an amount of risk of their longevity. It is a family partnership firm registered under the Indian partnership act, 1932. Its corporate office is at begur road, bommanahalli hobli, Bangalore-560075. 0 †¢ 11. All raw materials is checked for quality and quantity and stored in a central warehouse. Inventory handling is fully computerized. The merchandising section and shipping department is well equipped with instant communication systems like EDI. We are working on implementing ERP. The CAD section is again fully equipped with the GGT ACCUMARK REALEASE 7. 62 PATTERN MAKING, GRADING AND MARKI NG SYSTEM. We have automatic plotters (AP- 100) and pattern-cutting (MUTOH-1650) machines. We have a fully integrated CAD/CAS/CAM section at one of our units. It is equipped with state of the art automatic spreading (SYNCHRON 175) and cutting (GT-7250) machinery from Gerber technology inc. , of USA. We possess a 20-head embroidery machine capable of 7-9 colors. Machine is of Baruden make and stitching capacity is 20,00 –25,00 stitches per hour. The production floor is equipped with the latest machinery. Trained and specialized personnel who have lot of experience in the garment production field man it. We have technical experts who help implement the quality standards in our merchandise (like AQL levels). We use accredited testing labs for fabric package testing and garment testing. Our employers are dedicated and work for the company untiringly, sinciourly honesty, diligently, maintaining all the more a high standard of discipline which also contribute as one of the reasons for the growth of the company to this stage. 11 †¢ 12. CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION: JOB SATISFACTION: Job satisfaction is one of the important factors which have drawn attention of managers in the organization as well as academicians. Various studies have been conducted to find out the factors which determine job satisfaction and the way it influences productivity in the organization. Though there is no conclusive evidence that job satisfaction affects productivity directly because productivity depends on so many variables, it is still a prime concern for managers. Job satisfaction is the mental feeling of favorableness which an individual has about his job. DuBrins has defined job satisfaction in terms of pleasure and contentment when he says that: â€Å"Job satisfaction is the amount of pleasure or contentment associated with a job. If you like your job intensely, you will experience high job satisfaction. If dislike your job intensely, you will experience job dissatisfaction. DETERMINANTS OF JOB SATISFACTION : While analyzing the various determinants of job satisfaction, we have to keep in mind that: all individuals do not derive the same degree of satisfaction though they perform the same job in the same job environment and at the same time. Therefore, it appears that besides the nature of job and job environment, there are individual variables which affect j ob satisfaction thus all those factors which provide a fit among individual variables, nature of job, and the situational variables determine the degree of job satisfaction. Let us see what these factors are. 12 †¢ 13. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS: Individuals have certain expectations from their jobs. If there expectations are met from the jobs, they feel satisfied. These expectations are based on an individual’s level of education, age, and other factors. 1. Level of Education: Level of education of an individual is a factor which determines the degree of job satisfaction. For example several studies have found negative correlation between the level of education, particularly higher level of education, and job satisfaction. The possible reason for this phenomenon may be that highly educated persons have very high expectations from their jobs which remain unsatisfied. In their case, Peter’s principle which suggests that every individual tries to reach his level of incompetence, applies more quickly. 2. Age: individuals experience different degree of job satisfaction at different stages of their life. Job satisfaction is high at the initial stage, gets gradually reduced, starts rising up to certain stage, and finally dips to a low degree. The possible reasons for this phenomenon are like this. When an individual joins an organization. He may have some unrealistic assumptions about what they are going to derive from their work. These assumptions make them more satisfied. However, when these assumptions fall short of reality, job satisfaction goes down. It starts rising again as the people start to asses the jobs in right perspective and correct their assumptions. At the last, particularly at the fag end of the career, job satisfaction goes down because of fear of retirement and future outcome. 3. Other Factors: besides the above two factors, there are other individual factors which affect job satisfaction. If an individual does not have favorable social and family life, he may not feel happy at the work place. Similarly other personal problems associated with him may affect his level of job satisfaction. 13 †¢ 14. NATURE OF JOB: Nature of job determines job satisfaction which is in the form of occupation level and job content. 1. Occupational level: Higher level jobs provide more satisfaction as compared to lower levels. This happens because high level jobs carry prestige and status in the society which itself becomes source of satisfaction for the job holders. For example, professionals derive more satisfaction as compared to salaried people; factory workers are least satisfied. 2. Job content: job content refers to the intrinsic value of the job which depends on the requirement of skills for performing it, and the degree of responsibility and growth it offers. A higher content of these factors provides higher satisfaction. For example, a routine and repetitive job provides lesser satisfaction ; the degree of satisfaction progressively increases in job rotation, job enlargement, and job enrichment. Situational variables: Situational variables related to a job satisfaction lie in organizational context- formal and informal. As we shall see in the next part of text, formal organization is created by the management and informal organization emerges out of the interaction of individuals in the organization. Some of the important factors which affect job satisfaction are given below. 1. Working conditions: working conditions, particularly physical work environment, like conditions of workplace and associated facilities for performing the job determine job satisfaction. These work in two ways. First, these provide means for job performance. Second, provision of these conditions affect the individuals perception about the organization. If these factors are favorable, individuals experience higher level of job satisfaction. 14 †¢ 15. 2. Supervision: The type of supervision affects job satisfaction as in each type of supervision; the degree of importance attached to individuals varies. In employee- oriented supervision, there is more concern for people which is perceived favorably by them and provides them more satisfaction. In job-oriented supervision, there is more emphasis on the performance of the job and people become secondary. This situation decreases job satisfaction. 3. Equitable Rewards: The type of linkage that is provided between job performance and rewards determines the degree of job satisfaction. If the reward is perceived to be based on the job performance and equitable, it offers higher satisfaction. If the reward is perceived to be based on considerations other than the job performance, it affects job satisfaction adversely. 4. Opportunity for Promotion: It is true that individuals seek satisfaction in their jobs in the context of job nature and work environment but they also attach importance to the opportunities for promotion that these jobs offer. If the present job offers opportunity of promotion in future, it provides more satisfaction. If the opportunity for such promotion is lacking, it reduces satisfaction. 5. Work Group: Individuals work in group either created formally or they develop on their own to seek emotional satisfaction at the workplace. To the extent, such groups are cohesive; the degree of satisfaction is high. If the group satisfaction out of their interpersonal interaction and workplace becomes satisfying leading to job satisfaction. Effect of Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction has a variety of effects. These effects may be seen in the context of an individuals physical and mental health, productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Physical and Mental Health: The degree of job satisfaction affects an individuals physical and mental health. Since job satisfaction is a type of mental feeling, its favorableness or unfavourableness 15 †¢ 16. affects the individual psychologically which ultimately affects his physical health. For example Lawler has pointed out that drug abuse, alcoholism, and mental and physical health result from psychologically harmful jobs. Further, since a job is and important part of life, job satisfaction influences general life satisfaction. The result is that there is spillover effect which occurs in both directions between job and life satisfaction. Productivity: There are two views about the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity: 1. A happy worker is a productive worker. 2. A happy worker is not necessarily a productive worker. The first view establishes a direct cause-effect relationship between job satisfaction and productivity; when job satisfaction increases, productivity increases; when job satisfaction decreases, productivity decreases. The basic logic behind this is that a happy worker will put more efforts for job performance. However, this may not be true in all cases. For example, a worker having low expectations from his job may feel satisfied but he may not put his efforts more vigorously because of his low expectations from the job. Therefore, this view does not explain fully the complex relationship between job satisfaction and productivity. The another view: that is a satisfied worker is not necessarily a productive worker explains the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity. Various research studies also support this view. This relationship may be explained in terms of the operation and organizational expectations from individuals for job performance. 1. Job performance leads to job satisfaction and not the other way round. The basic factor for this phenomenon is the rewards (a source of satisfaction) attached with performance. There are two types of rewards-intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic reward stems from the job itself which may be in the form of growth potential, challenging job, etc. the satisfaction on such a type of reward may help to increase productivity. The extrinsic reward is subject to control by management such as salary, bonus, etc. any increase in these factors does not help to increase productivity though these factors increase job satisfaction. 16 †¢ 17. 2. A happy worker does not necessarily contribute to higher productivity because he has to operate under certain technological constraints and, therefore, he cannot go beyond certain output. Further, this constraint affects the managements expectations from the individual in the form of lower output. Thus, the work situation is pegged to minimally acceptable level of performance. However, it does not mean that the job satisfaction has no impact on productivity. A satisfied worker may not necessarily lead to increased productivity but a dissatisfied worker leads to lower productivity. Absenteeism: Absenteeism refers to the frequency of absence of a job holder from the workplace either unexcused absence due to some avoidable reasons or long absence due to some unavoidable reasons. It is the former type of absence which is a matter of concern. This absence is due to lack satisfaction from the job which produces a ‘lack of will to work’ and alienate a worker from work as far as possible. Thus, Job satisfaction is related to absenteeism. Employee Turnover: Turnover of employees is the rate at which employees leave the organization within a given period of time. As discussed earlier in this chapter under defense mechanism, when an individual feels dissatisfaction in the organization, he tries to overcome this through the various ways of defense mechanism. If he is not able to do so, he opts to leave the organization. Thus, in general case, employee turnover is related to job satisfaction. However, job satisfaction is not the only cause of employee turnover, the other cause being better opportunity elsewhere. For example, in the present context, the rate of turnover of computer software professionals is very high in India. However, these professionals leave their organizations not simply because they are not satisfied but because of the opportunities offered from other sources particularly from foreign companies located abroad. 17 †¢ 18. Improving Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction plays significant role in the organization. Therefore, managers should take concrete steps to improve the level of job satisfaction. These steps may be in the form of job redesigning to make the job more interesting and challenging, improving quality of work life, linking rewards with performance, and improving overall organizational climate. As part of a larger project whose goal was to create an employee-driven, survey- improvement process six factors that influenced job satisfaction. When these six factors were high, job satisfaction was high. When the six factors were low, job satisfaction was low. These factors are similar to what we have found in other organizations. 18 †¢ 19. 19 †¢ 20. Opportunity: Employees are more satisfied when they have challenging opportunities at work. This includes chances to participate in interesting projects, jobs with a satisfying degree of challenge and opportunities for increased responsibility. Important: this is not simply â€Å"promotional opportunity. † As organizations have become flatter, Promotions can be rare. People have found challenge through projects; team Leadership, special assignments-as well as promotions. Actions: †¢ Promote from within when possible. †¢ Reward promising employees with roles on interesting projects. †¢ Divide jobs into levels of increasing leadership and responsibility. It may be possible to create job titles that demonstrate increasing levels of expertise, which are not limited by availability of positions. They simply demonstrate achievement Stress. When negative stress is continuously high, job satisfaction is low. Jobs are more stressful if they interfere with employees' personal lives or are a continuing source of worry or concern. Actions: †¢ Promote a balance of work and personal lives. Make sure that senior managers model this behavior. †¢ Distribute work evenly (fairly) within work teams. †¢ Review work procedures to remove unnecessary â€Å"red tape† or bureaucracy. †¢ Manage the number of interruptions employees have to endure while trying to do their jobs. †¢ Some organizations utilize exercise or â€Å"fun† breaks at work. 20 †¢ 21. Leadership. Employees are more satisfied when their managers are good leaders. This includes motivating employees to do a good job, striving for excellence or just taking action. Actions: †¢ Make sure your managers are well trained. Leadership combines attitudes and behavior. It can be learned. People respond to managers that they can trust and who inspire them to achieve meaningful goals. Work Standards. Employees are more satisfied when their entire workgroup takes pride in the quality of its work. Actions: †¢ Encourage communication between employees and customers. Quality gains i mportance when employees see its impact on customers. †¢ Develop meaningful measures of quality. Celebrate achievements in quality. Trap: be cautious of slick, â€Å"packaged† campaigns that are perceived as superficial and patronizing. Fair Rewards. Employees are more satisfied when they feel they are rewarded fairly for the work they do. Consider employee responsibilities, the effort they have put forth, the work they have done well and the demands of their jobs. 21 †¢ 22. Actions: †¢ Make sure rewards are for genuine contributions to the organization. †¢ Be consistent in your reward policies. †¢ If your wages are competitive, make sure employees know this. †¢ Rewards can include a variety of benefits and perks other than money. As an added benefit, employees who are rewarded fairly, experience less stress. Adequate Authority. Employees are more satisfied when they have adequate freedom and authority to do their jobs. Actions: When reasonable: †¢ Let employees make decisions. †¢ Allow employees to have input on decisions that will affect them. †¢ Establish work goals but let employees determine how they will achieve those goals. Later reviews may identify innovative â€Å"best practices. † †¢ Ask, â€Å"If there were just one or two decisions that you could make, which ones would make the biggest difference in your job? † Employees with higher job satisfaction: †¢ Believe that the organization will be satisfying in the long run †¢ Care about the quality of their work †¢ Are more committed to the organization †¢ Have higher retention rates, and †¢ Are more productive. 2 †¢ 23. Recognition. Individuals at all levels of the organization want to be recognized for their achievements on the job. Their successes don't have to be monumental before they deserve recognition, but your praise should be sincere. If you notice employees doing somet hing well, take the time to acknowledge their good work immediately. Publicly thank them for handling a situation particularly well. Write them a kind note of praise. Or give them a bonus, if appropriate. You may even want to establish a formal recognition program, such as â€Å"employee of the month. † Advancement. Reward loyalty and performance with advancement. If you do not have an open position to which to promote a valuable employee, consider giving him or her a new title that reflects the level of work, he or she has achieved. When feasible, support employees by allowing them to pursue further education, which will make them more valuable to your practice and more fulfilled professionally. †¢ Job satisfaction is good not only for employees but employers, too; it increases productivity and decreases staff turnover. †¢ An organization's policies, if unclear or unfair, can stand in the way of employee satisfaction. Employees need a reasonable amount of social interaction on the job. †¢ Employees also need some degree of personal space, which diffuses tension and improves working conditions. †¢ To begin motivating employees, help them believe that their work is meaningful. †¢ To help employees achieve on the job, provide them with ongoing feedback and adequate challen ge †¢ When your employees do good work, recognize them for it immediately. †¢ To increase an employee's sense of responsibility, do not simply give them more work; give them freedom and authority as well. You can help employees advance in their professional lives by promoting them, when appropriate, or encouraging continuing education. 23 †¢ 24. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A STYDY ON EMPLOYEE JOB SATISFACTION: Employee satisfaction and retention have always been important issues for physicians. After all, high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover can affect your bottom line, as temps, recruitment and retraining take their toll. But few practices (in fact, few organizations) have made job satisfaction a top priority, perhaps because they have failed to understand the significant pportunity that lies in front of them. Satisfied employees tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their employers, and recent studies have shown a direct correlation between sta ff satisfaction and patient Satisfaction. 1 Family physicians who can create work environments that attract, motivate and retain hard-working individuals will be better positioned to succeed in a competitive health care environment that demands quality and cost-efficiency. What's more, physicians may even discover that by creating a positive workplace for their employees, They’ve increased their own job satisfaction as well. 4 †¢ 25. OBJECTIVES: 1. To know the satisfaction level towards the behaviors of peers and superiors. 2. To study the level of satisfaction towards his salary and also other benefits which are provided by the company? 3. To study the ESI facilities and safety measures which are provided by the company? 4. To suggest the company about the measures to be taken for more employee satisfaction. 25 †¢ 26. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY The research design used for the study is the descriptive research design. In this design structural information is u sed to gather information. METHODOLOGY: SAMPLING METHOD: The two major methods are probability and non-probability sampling technique. The study requires probability method since the sample was chosen or random. Hence the study was dealt with sample random tool, which is one of the most popular method sampling. SOURCES OF DATA: PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION: Primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time and thus happen to be original in character, questions and interviews methods were accede to collect primary data by visiting the factory premises and various departments in it. It was collected from the employees working in the factory. By using both the questionnaire method and interview method. I would gather information from the employees who was not willing or who did not have time for or who was shy about it. SECONDARY DATA COLLECTION: It is collected from the internal records of the company such as library records, trade journals, various manuals of the company, various training programs previously conducted and it’s responds etc; It is also conducted from the officials of the pursued department in the factory. Secondary data provides a better view 26 †¢ 27. of the problem study many magazines, tools and other references were also mean important in this study. TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION: SURVEY METHOD: The most widely used technique of gathering primary data is the survey method. The sources interviewed personally at the place of work and also with questionnaires. It is a direct and more flexible form of investigation involving face- to- face communication and through recorded questionnaires filled in personally. The information is qualitative, quantitative and accurate. The rate of refusal is low; it offers a sense of participation to the respondents. It usually leads to broader range of data than observation on experimentation methods. The data collected is tabulated and interpreted to draw conclusion. FIELD WORK: It is an important method of data collection. The questionnaire is used for interviewing the respondents. Additional questions (Personal interviews) can be used to secure more information. The respondents are interviewed in the factory. SAMPLE DESIGN FOR THE STUDY: SAMPLING METHOD: Stratified sampling method. SAMPLE SIZE : 100(Consists of Production, Finance, Human Resource, Systems, Marketing, Quality) SAMPLE UNIT : Employees of K. MOHAN & CO (Exports) Pvt. Ltd 27 †¢ 28. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 1. TABLE SHOWING PERSONALITY OF THE RESPONDENTS TABLE: 1 S. NO. RESPONSE RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE 1 Male 56 47 2 Female 64 53 Total 120 100 INFERENCE: From the above table, the analysis shows that, 46. 7 % of the respondents are male and the remaining 53. 3 % are female. The total respondents are 120 members. 28 †¢ 29. GRAPH:1 From the above table the chart is as follows. RESPONDENT GENDER 54 53 52 PERCENTAGES 51 50 49 PERCENTAGE 48 47 46 45 44 Male Female GENDERS 29 †¢ 30. 2. EDUCATION OF THE EMPLOYEE TABLE: 2 S. NO. QUALIFICATION NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Post graduate 12 10 2 Diploma/degree 26 22 3 SSLC/PUC/ITI 36 30 4 Less than SSLC 46 38 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The interpretation of the above table is,10% of the respondents are post graduates,21. 7 % are diploma/degree holders,30 % are belonged to SSLC/PUC/ITI,38. 3 % are having their qualification as less than SSLC. 30 †¢ 31. GRAPH:2 The graph showing the different percentages of education of the employees. EDUCATION OF THE EMPLOYEES 50 PERCENTAGE 40 30 Series1 20 10 0 ee e LC I /IT at gr SS du C de U ra an /P a/ tg LC m th s lo Po ss SS ip Le D QUALIFICATION 31 †¢ 32. 3. BELONGING CATEGORY TABLE: 3 S. NO. CATEGORY NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Staff 28 23 2 Employee 92 77 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the category of human resources i. e. staff and employees . This can be concluded as 23. 3 % recorded as staff members and remaining 76. 6 % are recorded as mployees in K MOHAN & CO (EXPORTS) GARMENTS. 32 †¢ 33. GRAPH:3 The graph showing the category of employees. EMPLOYEE CATEGORY 90 80 PERCENTAGES 70 60 50 PERCENTAGES 40 30 20 10 0 Staff Employee CATEGORY 33 †¢ 34. 4. BASIC SALARY OF THE EMPLOYEE TABLE: 4 S. NO. BASIC SALARY NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Below 5,000 82 68 2 5,000 to 15,000 16 13 3 15,000 to 30,000 18 15 4 Above 30,000 4 4 TOTA L 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the respondent’s basic salary. 63. 3 % respondents getting below 5,000 as their basic salary, 13. are falling in between 5,000 to 15,000, 15 % comes under 15,000 to 30,000 and the remaining 3. 4 are getting above 30,000 as their basic salaries. This can be concluded that most of the respondents are getting below 5,000 as basic salary. 34 †¢ 35. GRAPH:4 The graph showing the basic salaries of the employees. CHART SHOWING THEBASIC SALARYOF THE RESPONDENTS 80 70 60 PERCENTAGES 50 40 PERCENTAGES 30 20 10 0 Below 5,000 to 15,000 Above 5,000 15,000 to 30,000 30,000 BASIC SALARIES 35 †¢ 36. 5. WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE EMPLOYEE IN THE ORGANISATION TABLE: 5 S. NO. WORK EXPERIENCE NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Below one year 24 20 2 More than one year 32 27 3 More than three years 48 40 4 More than five years 16 13 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the work experience of the employees is recorded as 20 % belonging to below one year, 26. 7 % belonging to more than one year, only 13. 3 % belonging to more than 5 years and finally 40 % of employees belonging to more than three years. 36 †¢ 37. GRAPH: 5 The chart showing the work experience of the Employees in the organization. WORK EXPERIENCE IN THIS ORGANISATION More than five years EXPERIENCE More than three years PERCENTAGES More than one year Below one year 0 20 40 60 PERCENTAGES 37 †¢ 38. 6. SATISFACTION TOWARDS PICK AND DROP FACILITY TABLE: 6 S. NO. PICK & DROP NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE 1 Satisfied 52 43 2 Not satisfied 68 57 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the opinion of Pick & Drop facility provided in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 43. 3% of employees are satisfied and remaining 56. 7% are not satisfied. 8 †¢ 39. GRAPH:6 The chart showing the satisfaction level on Pick and Drop facility. SATISFACTION TOWARDS PICK & DROP Satisfied Not 43% satisfied 57% 39 †¢ 40. 7. SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS FREE CANTEEN TABLE: 7 S. NO. FREE CANTEEN NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Satisfied 102 85 2 Not Satisfied 18 15 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the opinion on Free Canteen facility pro vided in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 85% of employees are satisfied and remaining 15% are not satisfied. 40 †¢ 41. GRAPH:7 The chart showing the opinion on Free Canteen facility provided by the organization. SATISFACTION TOWARDS FREE CANTEEN Not Satisfied 15% Satisfied 85% 41 †¢ 42. 8. SATISFACTION WITH PEERS AND SUPERIORS BEHAVIOURS: TABLE: 8 S. NO. PEERS & SUPERIORS NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES BEHAVIOURS 1 Satisfied 96 80 2 Not Satisfied 24 20 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the coordination between the Peers and Superiors in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 80% of employees are satisfied and remaining 20% are not satisfied. 42 †¢ 43. GRAPH:8 The Graph showing the satisfaction level on Peers and Superiors in the organization. TOWARDS PEERS AND SUPERIORS BEHAVIOURS 90 80 PERCENTAGES 70 60 50 Series1 40 30 20 10 0 Satisfied Not Satisfied SATISFACTION TOWARDS PEERS & SUPERIORS BEHAVIOURS 43 †¢ 44. 9. THE TABLE SHOWING THE BONUS ALLOWANCES FROM THE COMPANY TABLE: 9 S. NO. BONUS NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 In six months 4 3 2 In a year 110 92 3 More than one year 2 2 4 No bonus 4 3 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the procedure of issuing the bonus allowance in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 3. 3% of the employees getting their bonus once in six months, 91. 7% employees in a year, 1. 7% getting in more than one year and 3. 3% are not getting bonus over the study period. 44 †¢ 45. GRAPH:9 The graph showing the issuing procedure of bonus allowances. BONUS ALLOWANCES FROM THE COMPANY No bonus 3% More than In six one year months 2% 3% In a year 92% 45 †¢ 46. 10. THE TABLE SHOWING THE REASON FOR GETTING OF BONUS. TABLE: 10 S. NO. BONUS BEEN ANNOUNCED NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 On employee working 16 13 performance 2 On companies profitability 104 87 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the reason for getting of bonus in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 13. 3% of employees are getting bonus because of working performance and remaining 86. 7% depends on companies profitability. 46 †¢ 47. GRAPH:10 The graph showing the reason for issuing of bonus in the company. ON BONUS SCHEMES PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY 90 80 70 60 PERCENTA 50 GES 40 30 20 Series1 10 0 On employee On orking companies performance profitability ON DIFFERENT VARIABLES 47 †¢ 48. 11. SATISFACTION TOWARD LOANS AND ADVANCES ISSUED BY THE COMPANY TABLE: 11 S. NO. LOANS & ADVANCES NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Yes 48 40 2 No 35 29 3 Not know 37 31 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that the opinion on issuing of loans and advances in K MOHAN & CO(E XPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 40% respondents were eligible for loans, 29. 2% were not eligible for loans and remaining 30. 8% respondents don’t know about, that they were eligible or not. 48 †¢ 49. GRAPH:11 The graph showing the eligibility for loans and advances. SATISFACTION TOWARDS LOANS AND ADVANCES Not know SATISFACTION OF LOANS AND ADVANCES No Series1 Yes 0 10 20 30 40 PERCENTAGES 49 †¢ 50. 12. RESPONSE TOWARDS INCREMENTATION OF EMPLOYEE’S SALARIES TABLE: 12 S. NO. SALARY IS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Incrementing 106 88 2 Not Incrementing 14 12 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, there is any incrementing in their salaries or not in K MOHAN & CO(EXPORTS) GARMENTS. This can be recorded as 88. 3% of employees had incrementing in their salaries and remaining 11. % had no any incrementing in their salaries. 50 †¢ 51. GRAPH:12 The graph showing the respondents opinion on Incrementation of their salaries TOWARDS SALARY INCREMENTATION 100 PERCENTAGES 80 60 Series1 40 20 0 g g tin tin en en em em cr cr In In ot N RESPONSE 51 †¢ 52. 13. RESPONSE TOWARDS COMPANIES PROFITABILITY DURING LAST 5 YEARS TABLE: 13 S. NO. C OMPANIES PROFITS NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Incrementing 98 82 2 Decrementing 22 18 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 81. 7 % of the respondents said that companies profitability is increasing from the last five years, and the remaining 18. respondents says that it is decreasing.. 52 †¢ 53. GRAPH:13 The graph showing the respondents opinion on company’s profitability from the last 5 years. TOWARDS COMPANIES PROFITABILITY 90 80 70 PERCENTAGES 60 50 Series1 40 30 20 10 0 Incrementing Decrementing COMPANIES PROFITS FROM THE RESPONDENTS THOUGHTS 53 †¢ 54. 14. REGARDING THE FOOD PROVIDED BY THE CANTEEN TABLE: 14 S. NO. FOOD NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Bad 15 13 2 Not Bad 45 37 3 Good 50 42 4 Very Good 10 8 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, the food provided in the canteen . 12. 2 % respondents feel that the food is bad. 7. 5% said that the food is not bad,41. 7% response is that the food is good, and the remaining 8. 3 % says that the food is very good. 54 †¢ 55. GRAPH:14 The graph showing the opinion on the food provided by the canteen. REGARDING CANTEEN FOOD 45 40 PERCENTAGES 35 30 25 20 PERCENTAGES 15 10 5 0 Bad Not Good Very Bad Good FOOD TOWARDS RESPONDENT'S OPENION 55 †¢ 56. 15. A TABLE SHOWING SATISFACTION LEVEL OF HIS JOB TIMINGS TABLE: 15 S. NO. JOB TIMINGS NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Satisfied 92 77 2 Not Satisfied 28 23 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 76. % respondents feel their job timings are satisfied and 23. 3 % respondents are not satisfied with their job timings. 56 †¢ 57. GRAPH:15 The graph showing the satisfaction towards job timings. SATISFACTION TOWARDS JOB TIMINGS Not Satisfied 23% Satisfied 77% 57 †¢ 58. 16. REGARDING ESI FACILITIES WHICH ARE PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY TABLE: 16 S. NO. RESPONSE ON ESI NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Yes 34 42 2 No 46 58 TOTAL 80 100 INFERENCE : The data provided in the above table shows that, the ESI facility provided by the company. 2% says that they are utilizing ESI facility and the remaining 58 % were not utilizing. 58 †¢ 59. GRAPH: 16 The graph showing the utilization of ESI facilities by the employees. REGARDING ESI FACILITIES Yes 42% No 58% 59 †¢ 60. 17. RESPONSE TOWARD SAFETY MEASURES, WHICH ARE PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY TABLE: 17 S. NO. SAFETY MEASURES NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Yes 110 92 2 No 10 8 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 91. 7 % employees said that the company is provided safety measures, and the remaining 8. % said that there is no safety measures. 60 †¢ 61. GRAPH:17 The graph showing the respondents opinion on safety measures. RESPONSE TOWARDS SAFETY MEASURES 100 80 PERCENTAGES 60 PERCENTAGES 40 20 0 Yes No RESPONDENTS 61 †¢ 62. 18. RESPONSE OF EMPLOYEE TOWARDS HIS JOB APPROACH TABLE: 18 S. NO. GOT JOB NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Re commendation 28 23 2 Skill 92 77 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 23. 3 % respondents are getting their jobs by recommendation, and the remaining 76. % depends on their skill. 62 †¢ 63. GRAPH:18 Response towards his job approach. TOWARDS HIS JOB APPROACH Recommendation Skill 63 †¢ 64. 19. RESPONDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL OF COMPANIES INFRASTRUCTURE TABLE: 19 S. NO. COMPANIES INFRACTURE NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Satisfied 68 57 2 Not Satisfied 52 43 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 56. 7% respondents were satisfied with the company’s infrastructure, and the remaining 43. 3 % respondents were not satisfied 64 †¢ 65. GRAPH: 19 The graph showing the satisfaction towards company’s infrastructure COMPANIES INFRASTRUCTURE 60 50 40 PERCENTA 30 GES 20 PERCENTAGES 10 0 Satisfied Not Satisfied RESPONDENTS VIEW 65 †¢ 66. 20. SATISFACTION OF EMPLOYEE TOWARDS HIS SALARY TABLE: 20 S. NO. SALARY NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Satisfied 78 65 2 Not Satisfied 42 35 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The data provided in the above table shows that, 65 % respondents are satisfied with their salary and the remaining 35 % were not satisfied with their salaries. GRAPH:20 66 †¢ 67. The graph showing the satisfaction level of salaries RESPONDENTS SALARY SATISFACTION 70 60 50 PERCENTA 40 GES 30 20 PERCENTAGES 10 0 Satisfied Not Satisfied RESPONDENTS VIEW 67 †¢ 68. 21. TOWARDS JOB SATISFACTION TABLE: 21 S. NO JOB SATISFACTION NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGES 1 Up to 25 % 16 13 2 25%to50% 31 26 3 50%to75% 64 53 4 Up to 100% 9 8 TOTAL 120 100 INFERENCE: The analysis of the above table shows that, 13. 3 % respondents are having job satisfaction up to 25 %. , 25. 8 % respondents are being in between 25-50% job satisfaction. under 50-75% there is a 53. 4 % of respondents and finally 7. 5 percentage of respondents are having job satisfaction up to 100 %. 68 †¢ 69. GRAPH:21 The graph showing the satisfaction on their jobs in the organization. RESPONDENTS JOB SATISFACTION CHART 60 50 PERCENTAGES 40 NO OF 30 RESPONDENTS 20 10 0 0% % 0% 5% 25 10 5 7 to to to to % % p 25 50 p U U SATISFACTION 69 †¢ 70. FINDINGS 1. Majority of the respondents are having the experi ence in between 1-3 years and poor percentage of employees are having above 5 years experience in this organization. . In my study, poor percentage of employees are of PG holders and the remaining majority people are having less than SSLC as their educational qualifications. 3. Majority of the employees are female and most of the respondents belonging to employee category than staff. 4. Most of the employees are getting basic salaries below 5,000 and a minor part of the employees getting their basic as above 30,000. 5. Employee attitude is positive towards canteen facilities, large number of employees is agreed that it is good and a few numbers response is towards poor. . Employee response is negative towards pick & drop facility, which is provided by the company. Only one shift of employees are benefited with pick & drop and the remaining two shifts were not having bus facility. 7. 92% of the respondents are satisfied with the safety measures which are provided by the company and t he remaining 8 % said that they were not satisfied. 8. More than 58% of the workers are not aware of ESI benefits and minor part of the workers felt that ESI benefits are good. 9. Most of the respondent’s attitude is bonus will be announced on the company’s profitability and it had been announced once in a year. 10. Majority (80%) of the employees satisfied with the peers and superiors behaviors and 20 % of the respondents were not satisfied. 70 †¢ 71. 11. 40% of the employees were well known about the loans and advances issued by the company and they were utilizing them, 29% are not utilizing them and the remaining 31% were not know about the loans and advances in the organization. 12. 5% of the respondents in the organization are satisfied with their salaries and the remaining 35% were not satisfied with the salaries. 13. In my study, 57% of respondent’s attitude is positive in the case of company’s infrastructure and the remaining 43 % respondents attitude is negative. 14. Majority of the respondents job satisfaction falling in between 50%-75% and a minor part of the respondent’s job satisfaction is up to 100%. SUGGES TIONS 71 †¢ 72. LIMITATIONS LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: 1. Some of the information given by the respondents may not be accurate. 2. Time period to be the major limitation. 3. Due to lack of time, the study is confined only to the few employees. 4. The area of study is limited to K. MOHAN & CO (Exports) Pvt Ltd only. 72 †¢ 73. 5. The questions that we asked being personal, some of workmen hesitated to answer some questions like their salary details and the relation with their superiors. A STUDY ON EMPLOYEE JOB SATISFACTION TOWARDS K MOHAN &CO (EXPORTS) GARMENTS, B’LORE. QUESTIONNAIRE PART: A 73 †¢ 74. 1. Name of the Respondent: 2. Age: 3. Sex: (Male / Female) 4. Educational Qualification: 1. Post Graduate: 2. Diploma / Degree Holder: 3. SSLC / PUC / ITI: 4. Less than SSLC: 5. Belonging Category: 1. Staff ( ) 2. Employee ( ) 6. Department: 7. Basic Salary:[ ] A)Below 5,000 B)5,000-15,000 C)15,000-30,000 D) Above 30,000 PART: B 74 †¢ 75. 8. Since how long you are working in this Organization? 1. Below one year 2. More than one year 3. More than three years 4. More than five years 9. Is the company provided the following facilities to you like? 1. Pick and Drop (Y/N) 2. Free Canteen (Y/N) 3. Quarters (Y/N) 10. Are you satisfied with your pears & superiors behavior? 1. Is company allowing bonus 1. In six months 2. In a year 3. More than one year 4. No bonus 12. Are bonus been announced 1. Based on employees working performance 2. Based on companies profitability 13. Are you satisfied with the loans and advances issued by the company? 14. Is the company incrementing salary for its workers? 15. What is company’s profitability during last five years? 1. Increasing 2 . Deceasing 75 †¢ 76. 16. Are the food provided by the company is a. Bad b. Not bad c. Good d. Very Good 17. Are you satisfied with job timings (Y/ N)? 8. Is any ESI facility provided by the company (Y / N)? 19. Are you satisfied with the pick & drop facility provided by the company? 20. Is there any safety measures for the labour who are working with huge machineries (Y / N)? 21. You got job by a. By Recommendation b. By skill 22. Reason for joining in this company? 23. Any Reason for quitting the company? 24. Are you satisfied with the company infrastructure? 25. Are you satisfied with your salary? 26. Your job satisfaction is up to a. Up to 25% b. 25% to 50% 3. 50% to 75% 4. Up to 100% SIGNATURE 76