Role of Youth in Environment Protection

CHAPTER 20 – WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT I. II. III. IV. Introduction Progress, 1996-2000 Prospects, 2001-2005 Conclusion LIST OF TABLES Table 20-1 Table 20-2 Table 20-3 Table 20-4 Employment Distribution By Gender Within Sectors, 1995 And 2000 Employment Distribution By Sector And Gender,1995 And 2000 Employment Distribution By Occupation And Gender, 1995 And 2000 R&D Personnel By Gender And Qualification, 1998 Chapter Chapter 20 Women and Development Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl 8 an Malaysia PlanMalaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 556 20 I. WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION 20. 01 Women constitute an important pool of resource that can be mobilized to achieve the national development agenda. Through the continuous efforts of the Government in providing an enabling environment during the Seventh Plan period, women continued to participate in and contribut e towards the social and economic development of the country. 20. 02 During the Eighth Plan period, efforts will continue to be undertaken to enhance the role, position and status of women to ensure their participation as equal partners in national development.Women will be provided with the skills and knowledge to cope with the challenges of globalization and fulfil the needs of the knowledge-based economy. II. PROGRESS, 1996-2000 20. 03 During the Seventh Plan period, women continued to make significant contributions in various fields of national development through greater participation in the economy. This was made possible through the further operationalization of the National Policy for Women and its Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women, which included the implementation of gender-sensitive and awareness training programmes.In addition, the removal of legal and institutional constraints that inhibited the participation of women in the development process further facilit ated the involvement of women. Population, Labour Force and Employment 20. 04 Based on the 2000 Population Census, about 48. 9 per cent or 11. 4 million of the total population were women. The age-structure of the female Chapter 20 557 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan Ma population was similar to that of the male, with 52. 4 per cent of the female population in the age-group 24 years and below.The Census also revealed that due to the improved female life expectancy, the proportion of the female population in the 65 to 74 years age-group increased from 3. 0 per cent in 1991 to 4. 3 per cent in 2000. 20. 05 Although 48 per cent of women were in the working age population of 15-64 years, they only accounted for a third of the labour force. Female labour force participation registered an increase, from 43. 5 per cent in 1995 to 45. 8 per cent in 1997, but declined to 44 per cent in 1998 due to the economic downturn. W ith the economic recovery, this rate subsequently increased to 44. per cent in 2000. 20. 06 Female employment in the mining and quarrying sector experienced the largest decline of 4. 9 per cent, between 1995 and 2000, followed by the agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishing sector, which recorded a decline of 1. 8 per cent during the same period, as shown in Table 20-1. Various efforts were undertaken to assist these women to re-enter the job market, including the implementation of training programmes to encourage them to venture into small businesses as well as retraining, and the identification and placement of these women in alternative jobs. 0. 07 Overall, the manufacturing sector absorbed the largest share of employed women accounting for 27. 3 per cent in 2000, consistent with the expanding opportunities in the sector. Another sector that recorded high female employment is the wholesale and retail trade, hotel and restaurants, as shown in Table 20-2. 20. 08 Improvements we re recorded in the occupational structure, with more women moving into higher-paying occupations during the Plan period. The proportion of women in the professional and technical category increased from 12. 7 per cent in 1995 to 13. per cent in 2000, while the proportion of women in the administrative and managerial category recorded an increase of 0. 4 per cent during the same period, as shown in Table 20-3. The share of women employed as agriculture workers declined from 16. 6 per cent in 1995 to 14. 8 per cent in 2000, consistent with the overall decline in total employment in the sector. Women were mainly employed as production and related workers, which accounted for 22. 6 per cent of total female employment in 2000. 558 TABLE 20-1 EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION BY GENDER WITHIN SECTORS, 1995 AND 2000 (%) 1995 2000Sector Male Female Male Female Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock & Fishing 71. 4 28. 6 73. 2 26. 8 Mining & Quarrying 82. 1 17. 9 87. 0 13. 0 Manufacturing 57. 2 42. 8 58. 9 41. 1 Construction 93. 5 6. 5 94. 0 6. 0 Electricity, Gas & Water 90. 4 9. 6 90. 5 9. 5 Transport, Storage & Communications 87. 9 12. 1 86. 9 13. 1 Wholesale & Retail Trade, Hotel & Restaurants 61. 3 38. 7 60. 7 39. 3 Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services 60. 1 39. 9 60. 1 39. 9 Other Services 60. 0 40. 0 54. 7 45. 3 66. 1 33. 9 65. 5 34. 5 Total TABLE 20-2 EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION BY SECTOR AND GENDER, 995 AND 2000 (%) 1995 2000 Sector Male Female Male Female 21. 6 16. 9 20. 2 14. 1 0. 5 0. 2 0. 4 0. 1 Manufacturing 20. 2 29. 4 20. 6 27. 3 Construction 11. 3 1. 5 12. 1 1. 5 0. 9 0. 2 0. 7 0. 1 Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock & Fishing Mining & Quarrying Electricity, Gas & Water Transport, Storage & Communications 6. 2 Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services 1. 7 6. 1 1. 7 16. 6 Wholesale & Retail Trade, Hotel & Restaurants 20. 5 18. 1 22. 3 4. 5 5. 7 17. 2 27. 1 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 Chapter 20 559 5. 6 24. 0 100. 0 Total 4. 3 18. 4 Other ServicesMalaysia P lan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan Ma TABLE 20-3 EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION BY OCCUPATION AND GENDER, 1995 AND 2000 (%) 1995 2000 Occupation Category Male Female Male Female Professional, Technical & Related Workers 8. 4 12. 7 8. 9 13. 5 Administrative & Managerial Workers 3. 9 1. 8 4. 7 2. 2 Clerical & Related Workers 7. 5 17. 5 7. 1 17. 5 10. 5 11. 6 11. 1 12. 1 9. 4 14. 4 9. 5 17. 4 Agriculture Workers 21. 9 16. 6 20. 4 14. 8 Production & Related Workers 38. 3 25. 4 38. 4 22. 6 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 100. Sales & Related Workers Service Workers Total 20. 09 Various measures were undertaken to improve female participation in the labour market. The Employment Act 1955 was amended in 1998, which among others, provided for flexible working hours and empowered the Minister of Human Resources to make rules on statutory benefits to be paid to part-time workers proportionate to that of full-time employees. This amendment permitted wome n, especially housewives, to be gainfully employed in part-time employment, while allowing them the flexibility to meet their family obligations.In an effort to allow women in the public sector to care for their newborn and to encourage breastfeeding, as of May 1998, maternity leave up to 60 days was allowed for a maximum of up to five children. In addition, provisions for tax deductions were provided to employers for the establishment of child-care centres near or at the workplace. Employers were also encouraged to provide facilities such as proper housing, transport and healthcare for the benefit of rural migrants, the majority of whom were women. Educational Attainment 20. 0 An important factor that contributed towards the social and economic advancement of women was the huge investments in educational facilities 560 accompanied by the provision of equal access to educational opportunities. Female primary and secondary school enrolment in local public institutions reflected the g ender ratio in the country. At the primary and secondary levels, enrolment of female students was about half of the total enrolment, while at the upper secondary level, female students accounted for about 66 per cent of total enrolment in 2000.Intake of female students into public universities expanded significantly from 50 per cent in 1995 to 55 per cent in 2000. 20. 11 With regard to preference for courses, female dominance in the arts streams continued to be prevalent accounting for 65 per cent of total enrolment in the arts and humanities courses in 2000. Females also made further inroads into science and technical courses. Female enrolment in the sciences in institutions of higher learning accounted for 60 per cent, while in the technical field it was 30 per cent in 2000.Skills and Entrepreneur Development 20. 12 Specific skills and entrepreneur training programmes were implemented to enable women to improve themselves and take advantage of the opportunities in the job market. In this regard, courses in areas such as business, organizational and financial management were implemented. Skills training programmes provided by the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skills Training were expanded, resulting in an increase of 19. 4 per cent in the female enrolment between 1995 and 2000. 20. 3 With improved literacy and the changing needs of the rural community, courses that contributed towards the involvement of women in income-generating activities were also undertaken. Towards this end, extension services in the form of the provision of equipment, initial capital grants, advisory services and training in areas such as product processing, as well as leadership and motivation courses were conducted. 20. 14 Measures were undertaken to facilitate the involvement of women in business through the provision of easy access to capital. The Women Entrepreneurs Fund was established in 1998 with an allocation of RM10 million.A total of 12 projects amounting to RM9. 5 milli on was approved under the Fund. Through the Small Entrepreneur Fund, a total of about 6,000 women entrepreneurs obtained loans amounting to RM65 million. Chapter 20 561 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan Ma 20. 15 Various women entrepreneur and industry associations were formed, generally to serve as a platform for women entrepreneurs to establish networks and exchange information and experiences as well as to conduct training programmes, seminars, and workshops on motivation, leadership and entrepreneur development.The Women’s Institute of Management (WIM) offered skills training courses, particularly in the area of entrepreneurship as well as operated an on-line network called WIMNET that provided database search facilities to businesswomen around the world. In addition, the Institute of Women’s Advancement, the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association and the Association for Bumiputera Women En trepreneurs conducted courses and seminars in skills and entrepreneur development.A total of about 10,000 women benefited from these courses. Research and Development 20. 16 Women were actively involved in research and development activities during the Plan period. According to the 1998 National Survey of Research and Development, which covered research undertaken by government research institutions, institutions of higher learning and the private sector, women accounted for about a third of the total number of researchers with masters and bachelor degree qualifications, as shown in Table 20-4.In terms of research fields in the public sector, females were predominantly found in the medical and health and information sectors. TABLE 20-4 R&D PERSONNEL BY GENDER AND QUALIFICATION, 1998 (%) Phd Masters Bachelor Non-Degree Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female GRI1 29. 2 8. 0 38. 0 16. 4 14. 6 8. 5 11. 8 9. 2 2 39. 8 15. 0 15. 0 14. 0 9. 7 9. 0 14. 0 19. 6 7. 0 1. 0 13. 0 3. 6 43. 2 15. 0 36. 8 8. 6 76. 0 24. 0 66. 0 34. 0 67. 5 32. 5 62. 6 37. 4 IHL Private Sector Total Notes: 1 Refers to Government Research Institutions 2Refers to Institutions of Higher Learning 562 Health Status 20. 17 Women were equal recipients of the benefits of developments in the health sector. As such, the health status of women continued to register improvements during the Plan period. The average female life expectancy continued to improve from 74 years in 1995 to 74. 7 years in 2000 compared with 69. 3 years and 69. 9 years, respectively, for males. The maternal mortality rate, which is an indicator of the health status of women, remained low at 0. 2 per 1,000 live births during the Plan period. 20. 8 With the introduction of the Family Health Programme in 1996, women’s health was given emphasis from two perspectives, namely, the health of the family comprising maternal and child health, immunization, family planning, early detection of cancers and nutrition, as well as diseases affecting women with specific attention to human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The maternal and child health programme, aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, improving prenatal and antenatal healthcare and providing health and utrition education continued to be implemented. In addition, increased accessibility to safe delivery services contributed towards the achievement of a satisfactory maternal mortality rate. As a result, deliveries in the public sector health facilities increased from 85. 1 per cent in 1985 to 95. 3 per cent in 1999. Concerted efforts were also undertaken to widen the coverage of antenatal health care services resulting in 72 per cent of pregnant women having access to such services.The Government introduced the Nutrition Rehabilitation Programme for Pregnant Mothers in 1997 to further improve the health status of women through the provision of adequate nutrition, particularly women in t he low-income group. 20. 19 With longer life expectancy and to ensure that women are healthy and remain healthy in their old age, health education programmes, seminars and workshops on healthy lifestyles, nutrition and the importance of regular medical examinations were introduced by the public and private sectors.In view of the fact that women, especially young women, are in the high-risk category in terms of vulnerability to AIDS, greater emphasis was given towards providing information on AIDS awareness and education. Despite these efforts, the percentage of women with HIV infection increased from 4. 3 per cent in 1995 to 5. 1 per cent in 1999. A programme, specifically for pregnant mothers infected with HIV, was also introduced at all antenatal clinics. Chapter 20 563 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan MaPoverty among Female-headed Households 20. 20 Recognizing that increasing poverty among women is a world-wide phenomenon, various efforts were undertaken by the Government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to reduce the incidence of poverty among women. These included the provision of micro-credit facilities to about 22,850 women through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia to facilitate their involvement in small businesses and training programmes to assist single mothers to obtain employment. Despite these efforts, the incidence of poverty among female-headed households increased from 15. per cent or 585,688 households in 1997 to 16. 1 per cent or 588,554 households in 1999. Supportive Legislation 20. 21 During the period, efforts to further enhance the status of women continued to be undertaken. Existing regulations were reviewed and new ones enacted to protect the rights and dignity of women in both public and private life. In recognition of the importance of women’s contribution to the labour force, the amendment of the Employment Act 1955 encouraged more women to join the labour for ce.With the increased participation of women in the labour force, the existence of a healthy working environment is crucial. Towards this end, in 1999 the Government introduced a code of ethics for the prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace. This code, although applicable to both men and women, contains specific provisions to protect women in the workplace. In addition, women taxpayers, whose husbands had no taxable income, were provided taxable relief similar to that available to a male taxpayer whose wife had no taxable income. 20. 2 To enhance the capability and capacity of syariah courts, including in the handling of issues pertaining to Muslim women, the Government initiated a review of the organization of syariah courts in the country. Consequently, the Department of Syariah Judiciary was established in 1997, among others, aimed at ensuring uniformity among states in the judgement of cases pertaining to Islamic Family Law. During the period, five states, namely, Mela ka, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Pulau Pinang and Selangor as well as the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur implemented the Islamic Family Law.With this implementation, Muslim women were provided with better protection. 564 20. 23 Various efforts were undertaken to further protect the rights and dignity of women. The Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 and the Child Protection Act 1991 were reviewed and streamlined into the Child Act 2000. In addition, recognizing the role of women in caring for their families, the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 was amended in 1999 to allow joint guardianship of children in matters relating to immigration and registration.In implementing this amendment, the Government, in 2000, also allowed mothers to sign all documents involving their underage children. National Machinery for the Advancement of Women 20. 24 The national machinery for the advancement of women in Malaysia comprises the Government, the private sector and NGOs, working in tandem towards the common objective of improving the status of women. Recognizing the need to further enhance the effectiveness of the national machinery, the Women’s Affairs Department at the Ministry of National Unity and Social Development was transferred to the Prime Minister’s Department in 1999.To enable more effective implementation of the National Policy for Women, the Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women was introduced to all public and private sector agencies to be used as a guide in the planning and implementation of development programmes. In addition, gender sensitization training programmes continued to be implemented in the public sector and similar programmes were initiated in the private sector. 20. 5 During the period, the National Advisory Council on the Integration of Women in Development (NACIWID) continued to function as the coordinating, consultative and advisory body on women’s affairs by highlighting to the Government issues and concerns pertain ing to women. Measures were also undertaken to institute links with the grassroot through the establishment of women service centres at the state level and women’s affairs consultative committees at the state and district levels.During the Plan period, centres were established in the States of Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Sabah and Selangor, which provided various services such as counselling, legal assistance and temporary shelter for women in need. The consultative committees monitored the implementation and impact of programmes and projects for women and provided the necessary feedback for improved project formulation and implementation. 20. 26 NGOs played an important role in complementing the efforts of the Government in advancing the status of women.In addition to organizing courses in family health, legal literacy, entrepreneurial development and parenting skills, Chapter 20 565 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malays ia Plan Ma NGOs also implemented various activities to increase the knowledge and skills of women in the vocational and technical fields. Specific programmes were also introduced to assist single mothers in obtaining employment and caring for their families. NGOs also played the catalytic role in highlighting issues to further improve the status and rights of women.III. PROSPECTS, 2001-2005 20. 27 During the Eighth Plan period, efforts will continue to be undertaken to further enhance the role, position and responsibilities of women so as to increase their participation and involvement in the social and economic life of the country. In implementing the Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women, the Government will continue to ensure that strategies and programmes implemented are consistent with Malaysian values, religious beliefs and cultural norms. 20. 8 Taking cognizance of the changes in the global environment and the need to adjust to these changes, efforts will be undertaken to provide women with the skills and knowledge to cope with the twin responsibilities of family and career. Towards this end, the strategic thrusts for the future advancement of women will be: t increasing female participation in the labour market; t providing more education and training opportunities for women to meet the demands of the knowledge-based economy and improve their upward mobility in the labour market; t enhancing women’s involvement in business; reviewing laws and regulations that inhibit the advancement of women; t improving further the health status of women; t reducing the incidence of poverty among female-headed households; t strengthening research activities to increase participation of women in development and enhance their well-being; and t strengthening the national machinery and the institutional capacity for the advancement of women. 566 Increasing Female Participation in the Labour Force 20. 29 Although women account for nearly half of the working ag e population, their participation in the labour force is relatively low.Various efforts will be undertaken to mobilize this available pool of resource, thus increasing the supply of labour and contributing towards enhancing the nation’s output. The private sector, being the largest employer, will be further encouraged to introduce the necessary support facilities such as establishing child-care centres as well as providing transportation and housing facilities for their women employees. In addition, the Employment Act 1955 will be amended to include new and flexible working arrangements such as teleworking, part-time work and job sharing, to enable women to integrate career with household duties.Providing More Education and Training Opportunities 20. 30 Women will be provided with more education and training opportunities to meet the demands of the knowledge-based economy as well as to facilitate their upward mobility into higher-paying occupations. To encourage more women to pursue non-traditional fields of study such as science, engineering and vocational and technical education, career counselling programmes will be implemented to provide information and instill greater awareness among female students and parents regarding career opportunities in the professional and technical fields. 0. 31 With the need to increase knowledge and skills as well as move towards higher capital intensity, there will be a greater demand for highly and multiskilled workers. Women will thus be provided with more training opportunities to acquire new and advanced skills relevant to the needs of the industry. In addition, in response to the rapid changes in technology that requires constant upgrading of skills, women will be provided with increased opportunities for retraining.The private sector will also be encouraged to complement the efforts of the Government in providing more skills training opportunities for women, including in new technologies. 20. 32 Efforts will be u ndertaken to improve women’s access to information and communications technology (ICT). Formal and non-formal training in areas such as computer literacy and applications of ICT will be conducted jointly by the Government and NGOs, with special emphasis given to rural women. In addition, to enhance the effectiveness of the training programmes, efforts will be taken to ensure that software development is gender sensitive.Chapter 20 567 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan Ma Enhancing Women’s Involvement in Business 20. 33 Efforts to enhance women’s involvement in business will continue to be undertaken. Training in business-related areas such as marketing, accounting, budgeting and planning will be implemented by the Government and NGOs. Programmes will be implemented to enable women entrepreneurs to be more competitive in terms of production, product quality and design as well as packaging and la belling. In addition, the utilization of ICT in business will be emphasized.The Government will also continue to provide funds under the Women Entrepreneurs Fund to enable more women to participate in business. Through the implementation of gender sensitive strategies, more opportunities will be provided to women to increase their participation and involvement in business ventures. Reviewing Laws and Regulations 20. 34 Existing laws and regulations will be reviewed to eliminate provisions that discriminate or have adverse effects on women. Legislation that will be reviewed includes those pertaining to family law and the distribution of property for non-Muslims.The Government will study the feasibility of establishing family courts with a view towards ensuring that issues pertaining to the family are discussed and decisions made in a more conducive environment. Efforts will also be undertaken to ensure the effective enforcement and speedy implementation of court decisions, including decisions of syariah courts, so as to provide for the protection and welfare of women. In addition, steps will continue to be taken to ensure the implementation of Islamic Family Law in the remaining states. Improving the Health Status 20. 5 Emphasis will continue to be given to promoting women’s health and that of their families. Through the family health programme, special attention will be given to HIV and sexually-transmitted infection prevention, family planning, as well as the identification of factors causing non-communicable diseases such as cancers, mental illnesses and cardiovascular diseases. In view of the fact that women have longer life expectancy and to ensure that women remain healthy in their old age, specific health education programmes including the promotion of healthy lifestyles and nutrition will continue to be implemented. 68 20. 36 Recognizing the peculiarities of illnesses confronting women, such as osteoporosis and those related to reproductive healt h, and in an effort to provide higher quality healthcare for women, the Government will establish a special hospital for women. This hospital will be the national referral centre for women’s health and well-being. In addition, research on various aspects of women’s health will be undertaken, with emphasis on biomedical, socio-behavioural and clinical research. Reducing the Incidence of Poverty among Female-headed Households 20. 7 In view of the increasing number of female-headed households and the rising incidence of poverty among them, efforts will be undertaken to ensure that these women have the capacity and capability to care for their families. Towards this end, research on the difficulties faced by women as head of households as well as the differing impacts of poverty on women and men will be undertaken to assist in the development of relevant programmes and projects. A special programme aimed at reducing the incidence of poverty among female-headed households w ill also be formulated to improve their quality of life as well as that of their families.Strengthening Research Activities 20. 38 During the Plan period, emphasis will be given to strengthening research in specific areas that will contribute towards increasing the participation of women in national development and enhancing their well-being. Research will be undertaken in areas such as the involvement of women in science and technology and ICT, the welfare of women in the informal sector, the role and status of women in the workplace, mobility of women in the labour force and remunerations received, women and mental health, and difficulties faced by women as head of households.Findings from these activities will assist in the formulation of policies and programmes that will further promote the advancement of women. Strengthening the National Machinery and the Institutional Capacity 20. 39 The establishment of the Ministry for Women and Family Development will provide greater focus on issues relating to women as well as ensure the effective implementation and coordination of programmes for women and families. Chapter 20 569 Malaysia Plan Ma laysia Plan Malay 8 sia Plan Malaysia Plan Malaysia Pl an Malaysia Plan Malaysia Plan MaConsistent with the goals of the National Policy for Women, efforts will be undertaken to improve and strengthen the national machinery for the advancement of women. Towards this end, measures will be instituted to ensure greater coordination and collaboration in the implementation of activities for women. In addition, links with the grassroots will continue to be strengthened with the establishment of women service centres in the remaining 10 states. 20. 40 During the Plan period, various mechanisms will be instituted to enable women to participate in decision-making processes at all levels.This is to ensure the incorporation of the needs of women in the formulation of policies and the development of strategies and programmes for the fu rther advancement of women. Gender analysis training and sensitization for policy-makers and planners and programme implementors will continue to be implemented in the public and private sectors. Greater efforts will also be undertaken to ensure the systematic collection and compilation of gender disaggregated data to facilitate analysis, create awareness and formulate appropriate and effective follow-up action on gender issues. IV. CONCLUSION 0. 41 With the provision of equal access to healthcare as well as educational and training programmes and improved employment opportunities, women made advancements in various fields of development. During the Eighth Plan period, efforts will continue to further enhance the status of women as equal partners in development. Towards this end, the Government will provide the enabling environment and supportive mechanisms, including the implementation of gender sensitive programmes, to enable women to reach their full potential in the social and e conomic fields of development. 570

Brand equity Essay

How much a product can earn over its identical competitor by virtue of its brand, determines its brand equity. It can be a neat result of many factors like years of experience, proven track record of quality, legacy, emotional bondage and company outlook, where it adds more value to the product and thereby helps the product to score over its identical competitors. Without brand equity a product loses its competitive advantage, and for that matter some companies â€Å"measure brand equity relying on financial measures of brand performance† (Dobney, 2007). Thus Brand India should be able to score over its Asian counterpart. Figure – 3 The brand management chain (Based on Wood, 2000; Kapferer, 2004) Integration of the theoretical constructs brand equity (Aaker, 1996) and brand orientation could be instrumental in the understanding of brand value, where brand equity commands more attention as it aims for generating long-term values for the company by â€Å"understanding the conceptual basis for the value of brand and its implications† (Keller, 1993). Brand loyalty. Brand loyalty refers to the customers’ consistent preference to buy a selected brand in a particular product category, irrespective of other provocative options presented by the competitor of that brand. This situation occurs after the customers make a trial run of the brand and get convinced about the efficacy of that brand towards fulfilling certain needs of theirs and decide to buy that brand again and again. That practice â€Å"forms the habit and thus customers continue purchasing the same brand because the product is safe and familiar† (Giddens, 2002). This situation speaks of the dual responsibility of branding too, where on one hand it should influence the rationality of its prospective customers, while invoking the emotional response among them on the other. As for example, a particular meal in a restaurant might declare about a possible health benefit with the inclusion of tomato in it by saying, â€Å"lycopene in tomato lowers the risk of cancer†, thereby influencing the rationality of the customers, and at the same time it can evoke the nostalgia in customers by labelling the meal as â€Å"grandma’s special recipe†. In this strategy lies the clue of embedding medical/healthcare tourism with general tourism and Incredible India should utilize it. Figure – 4 Brand Awareness: Brand awareness is â€Å"a gauge of marketing effectiveness measured by the ability of a customer to recognize and/or recall a name, image or other mark associated with a particular brand† (Waters, 2008). Though brand awareness cannot measure the customers’ approach towards the brand, yet it is very helpful in forming a positive attitude among the target audience about the brand. Incredible India Campaign should take care of that. Figure – 5 The above diagram shows that recollection or identification ability first created ‘aided awareness in the prospective customers, which might convert into a top-of mind awareness, if the brand convinces customers either with its logistics or direct service. Thus, brand awareness can work on two folds, primarily making its way into the mind of the customer and then working on its way to achieve the recognition, where the brand first generates strategic awareness in customers, where the customers understands the distinctive qualities of the product and associates them with their need. Current campaign strategy of Incredible India lacks that finesse. Brand Value While brand loyalty proves to be a cost-saving yet effective tool to garner higher sales, brand value â€Å"reflects how a product’s name, or company name is perceived by the marketplace† (Free, 2004), which involves both target audience and the general audience. Brand value can be tangible too, in the event of a brand being sold, where extracting the value of the brand from the value provided by other, tangible, resources becomes possible (Simon, C. J. & Sullivan, M. J. , 1993, Conchar, et al, 2005). From this perspective, even the title of the campaign in discussion, Incredible India needs to be reviewed and if needed may be replaced. The name should denote the power and strength of a brand. As for example, â€Å"if Coca-Cola’s facilities Atlanta were to burn overnight, the company would still be able to start up the next day due to its brand value† (What, 1998). Therefore it is the success story of a company that earns its brand value. However, to gauge the impact of brand value, the company needs to take help of empirical research. The process might then looks like below (Persson): Figure – 6 Brand value is the outcome of consistent and successful brand building, where the action of the company would speak louder than words, besides proving its ethical standings in the marketplace. IV. 7. Brand personality Much like a human being, a brand too serves as the ambassador of the company personality, depicting its outlook and aspirations, besides its services and promises. Thus much depends on the carriage of the brand, because it is the coveted message of the company to the outer world about its activities, aims, aspirations and promises – in short, a package of total company outlook. From this angle too, the campaign in discussion needs to be reviewed. Figure – 7 A strong brand does more than it meets the eye, however, its activity should be powered towards achieving the targeted benefit out of it. For that matter, the first step towards creating a strong brand â€Å"is to identify the benefits† (Saarte, 2008). Target benefit would surely help to determine the nature of the branding, which would help the company to identify the necessary elements into branding, such as company image, the USP of its product, type of promises, and desired platforms of bonding and more. Incredible India is yet to create a clear USP to position itself. V. Conclusion/Recommendation The detailed discussion and analysis above clearly shows that Incredible India Campaign falls far too short in achieving its desired outcome and thus needs to be thoroughly reviewed and modified to meet the demand of the time and position India as a strong brand in the global tourism market. Thus this study recommends following steps towards achieving the target of building a strong Brand India in the global market: 1. Incredible India needs to review its name, packaging, price and its history and modify it concerning the current demand. 2. Ensuring that it becomes capable of Delivering the message clearly.   Confirming the credibility of the company. Connectingthe target prospects emotionally. Motivating the buyers.   Concretizing the user loyalty 3. Incredible India has to focus more on emphasizing emotional bond with UK through exploiting the earlier history of close communication. 4. It must study and research other Asian countries pros and cons in this sector to ensure that Brand India should be able to score over them. 5. It should embed medical/healthcare tourism with general tourism to generate brand loyalty. 6. Through constant, consistent, cohesive and cogent campaign, it should create the brand awareness (UK still have a poor awareness, around 30%) 7. Periodic assessment of the campaign is a must to check the brand value. 8. Campaign should get facelift periodically with a central theme of personality. Ends. References Aaker, D. A. (1996) Building Strong Brands. The Free Press, New York. ISBN 0-02- 900151-X Atithi Debo Bhava. (2004) Incredible India [online] available from http://www. incredibleindia. org/newsite/atithidevobhava. htm [accessed 4 September 2008] Bizhelp. (2008) What is Branding? [online] available from http://www. bizhelp24. com/marketing/what-is-branding-. html [accessed 4 September 2008] Brand Definition. (2008) [online] available from http://www. investorwords. com/568/brand. html [accessed 3 September 2008] Brand. (2008) [online] available from http://whatis. techtarget. com/definition/0,,sid9_gci211703,00. html [accessed 4 September 2008] Brandguru Inc. â€Å"What IS Branding? † Viewed 24 March 2008, http://www. brandidentityguru. com/popUps/whatisBranding. html Conchar, M. P. , Crask, M. R. & Zinkhan, G. M. (2005) Market Valuation Models of the Effect of Advertising and Promotional Spending: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 33, No. 4, 445-460. Dobney. com. (2007) Brand equity and brand value [online] available from http://www. dobney. com/Research/Brand_equity_research. htm [accessed 4 September 2008] Dolak, D. (2001) Building A Strong Brand: Brands and Branding Basics [online] available from http://www. davedolak. com/articles/dolak4. htm [accessed 5 September 2008] Dunn, S. (2008) What is Branding and Why Do You Want It? [online] available form http://www. ecomhelp. com/KB/Branding/kb_what-is-branding. htm [accessed 5 September 2008] Free Definitions: Define Brand. What is Brand? (2004) [online] available from http://www. learnthat. com/define/view. asp? id=279 [accessed 4 September 2008] Giddens, N. (2002) Brand Loyalty [online] available from http://www. extension. iastate. edu/AgDM/wholefarm/html/c5-54. html [accessed 4 September 2008] Incredible India campaign woos more Americans (2008) The Press Trust of India Ltd [online] available from http://www. accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286- 34809894_ITM [accessed on 4 September 2008] Indian Tourism’s ‘Incredible India’ Campaign (2005) Research paper [online] available from http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/marketing%20communications/C LMC010. htm ] India’s rise in medical tourism (2007) News [online] available from http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/travel/destinations/india/article2257994. ece [accessed 4 September 2008] Kapferer. (1994) Strategic brand management: new approaches to creating and evaluating brand equity. Free Press, New York. Keller, K. L. (1993) Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing,Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 1-23. King, T. E. (2007) Incredible India? Campaign has Incredible Budget [online] available from http://www. travelmole. com/stories/1118243. php [accessed 5 September 2008] Lake, L. (2008) What is Branding and How Important is it to Your Marketing Strategy? [online] available from http://marketing. about. com/cs/brandmktg/a/whatisbranding. htm [accessed 4 September 2008] McCall, K. (2003) Marketing Angel [online] available from http://business. mainetoday.com/smallbusiness/mmm/030601. shtml [accessed 5 September 2008] O & M (2003). Incredible India [online] available from http://www. ogilvyindia. com/work/incredibleindia. asp [accessed 5 September 2008] Persson, N. Understanding of the nature and relevance of brand orientation and brand equity in B2B brand management – implications for future research. Ph. D. Thesis [online] available from http://www. nhh. no/Admin/Public/DWSDownload. aspx? File=%2FFiles%2FFiler %2Finstitutter%2Ffor%2Fconferences%2Fnff%2Fpapers%2Fpersson. pdf [accessed 1 September 2008] Saarte, L. A. (2008) Fitting It All Together. EzineArticles. [online] available from http://ezinearticles. com/? Branding—Fitting-It-All-Together&id=1043858 [accessed 1 September 2008] Simon, C. J. & Sullivan, M. J. (1993) The Measurement and determinants of Brand Equity: A Financial Approach. Marketing Science, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 28-52. UK Indian doctor sets shop in Goa for medical tourists (2007) News [online] available from http://www. newkerala. com/topstory-fullnews-14322. html [accessed 4 September 2008] Waters, S. (2008) Brand Awareness [online] available from http://retail. about.com/od/glossary/g/brand_awareness. htm [accessed 1 September 2008] What is the Value of a Brand? [online] available from http://www. csom. umn. edu/Assets/3478. pdf [accessed 31 August 2008] Why Brand Loyalty is Important? [online] available from http://www. brandloyalty- int. com/site. asp? pagina=8 [accessed 1 September 2008] Why India? (2007) Government report [online] available from http://www. medical-tourism-india. com/medical_tourism_india. htm [accessed 5 September 2008] Wood, L. (2000) Brand and brand equity: Definition and management†. Management Decision, Vol. 38, No. 9, pp. 662-669.

Credit Card Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credit Card Security - Research Paper Example is known as the Fraud Protection Guarantee, wherein the card holder is free from any fraudulent charges whether the credit card is used on the internet or not. It promotes maximum security because of its secure encryption technology that keeps the cardholders information strictly confidential (americanexpress.com, n. p.). For secure and safe online shopping, MasterCard has its MasterCard Secure Code; it works as having a personal code only known to the cardholder. Visa on the other hand, is also cooking up its own scheme of credit card security measure. counterfeit credit card, which makes up 37 percent of credit card frauds. Criminals who make fake credit cards employ the latest technology to "skim information" that are embedded on the magnetic stripes of the credit card and pass security measures, like holograms ("Credit Card Fraud Statistics and Facts," n. p.). In other words, using credit card online makes you susceptible to all kinds of credit card fraud. One interesting question is how criminals get a hold of your information. Although the most common perception is that credit card info is intercepted once the card is used online. That is an interesting theory, but experts explain that e-commerce has created an environment where anonymity is practiced; meaning cards are being used even without identifiers (Faughnan, n. p.). This could be the one problem that big credit card companies try to address with the code systems of their new security measure program. Another way of stealing a cardholders information is using a particular online business as a front to get credit card info. One common and enticing site is pornography site. Such is designed as a legitimate business, thus can easily asked for a persons credit card information once that person is interested in one of the sites services. This is what is identified as selling information because these are vendors and purchasers that only deal with information and need no physical a ddress for

Education, African American males Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Education, African American males - Essay Example Approaches There are many approaches through which studies on this trend where only a small percentage of the community bothers with higher education can be carried. One is the based on Emile Durkheim’s functionalist approach to the study of society (Poggi, 2000). Durkheim pointed out that institutions in the society played specific roles and became redundant once these roles became outdated or overtaken by events (Poggi, 2000). Higher education to the African-American was historically a preserve of the Caucasians hence the reason why some African-Americans still regarded it as alien and serving no real purpose in their lives. This could have accounted for their apathy towards education in the early days though this situation is gradually changing (Poggi, 2000). There were limited opportunities in the early days for the African Americans whose only employment was in the form of domestic and farm work hence there was no real need for advanced level of education for them. Conseq uently they developed the attitude that only basic education was necessary for them. With this came the latent factor, the blacks began regarding education as alien and part of their education. This formed the basis of their indifference towards education (Baird, & Walter, 2008). This situation only changed when the liberation movements of the early 20th century resulted in more opportunities for the blacks.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21

Philosophy - Essay Example On the other hand, categorical are principles that are intrinsically valid in and of themselves; they are acts that must be obeyed at all time and in all situations, in order for the actor be moral. Unlike hypothetical imperatives that are undertaken to achieve an end, for categorical imperatives the fulfilment of the act is the end in itself. There must be no other reason for undertaking a categorical imperative than its very compliance. Another difference is that while hypothetical imperatives are applicable only to those who desire the end (in the example above, only to those who desire to be good athletes), a categorical imperative is mandatory for all moral persons, whether they want to do it or not. For example, â€Å"Do not kill,† is a categorical imperative. Kant states that moral law can only be expressed in the form of a categorical imperative, because categorical imperatives are the demands of moral law. This is because moral law must be done purely out of duty, not because it accomplishes some other purpose for the actor’s advantage. If the actor undertakes the action to derive some specific benefit, then it is not done out of duty. Kant is theoretically correct in this, particularly insofar that all persons must perform categorical imperatives as they do moral law. In practice, though, Kant’s position may be too purist, because people do make moral decisions based on their outcomes. 2. People in distress often make "false promises" in order to alleviate their situation. According to Kant, is such action in accordance with the moral law or not? Paying particular attention to his understanding of the categorical imperative and what it prescribes, explain Kant’s position on this. Do you agree with Kant? Why or why not? According to Kant, â€Å"false promises† are not in accordance with the moral law, whatever the motivation behind it. For Kant, the moral law must be

Critically analyse Hofstede's 'Cultural Dimensions' What correlation Essay

Critically analyse Hofstede's 'Cultural Dimensions' What correlation does Hofstede make among groups of countries and ho - Essay Example He was the originator of relative intercultural research. His publication which proved to be a land mark in defining organizational cultural aspects was ‘Cultures and Organization: Software of the Mind’ (1991). He is renowned for his contribution in developing the earliest experiential replica ‘dimensions of national culture’. In this model he established a pattern for explaining the different elements pertaining to culture of global economics, collaboration and communication with reference to multinational company IBM. This model later gave rise to the development of a model for explaining the organizational cultures. Due to his extensive contribution in the field of intercultural research he is regarded as the foremost representative of cultural studies. His research work is now use as a study tool in different subjects including management sciences and psychological studies (Greet Hofstede, 2012). The cultural theory of Hofstede deeply describes the impac t of culture on the inhabitants of a society. Initially he used the factor analysis to develop a model which correlates the values and behavior. At first the theory projected four aspects of culture through which values could be examined. The original model contained individualism v/s collectivism, masculinity (the impact of gender over the cultural values), power distance (distribution of power and the vigor of social hierarchy) and uncertainty avoidance. Later Hofstede included one more aspect to his model, the long-term orientation. The 2010 edition of his famous book ‘Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind’ has an addition of another aspect, indulgence v/s self restraint. Later additions to the original model have enabled to differentiate between evaluation of individual and country level statistics (Hofstede, Geert et al., 2010). The Hofstede’s work on cultural dimensions has stimulated the research in social beliefs. In order to develop his theory Hofstede examined the 116,000 of IBM with varying backgrounds and lifestyles. They all represented 66 different nations of three regions of the world. Research was based on questionnaires and it was undertaken somewhere between 1968 and 1972. After recognizing the five different dimensions of culture Hofstede categorized them as being generalize able for every society or region of the world. As almost all the society have the same cultural issues and aspects. To further analyze the dimensions he developed an index to plot to the countries under consideration as per their scores (Sven Rosenhauer, 2009). The brief description of the model is as follows (Martin Sebastian Scheuplein, 2010): Power Distance It describes the value or ‘power’ that an individual or society possess with respect to others. It is explained in the form of hierarchy that reflects the ‘distance’ of authority between different groups. Low power distance refers to minimum level of inequali ty among the members of society and high power distance reflects the other point of view. Individualism v/s Collectivism Individualism maintains distance from subordinates in the organization and focus more on the achievement of personal goals whereas collectivism encourages the cooperative efforts in order to achieve goals and objectives. Individualism is based on the ‘I’ approach that working alone is better than belonging to a group. Masculinity/Femininity There is an obvious difference between

Task1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Task1 - Essay Example se the atoms of a metal within a crystal framework are flexible to shift from place to place or in any direction, the carbon steel becomes established with strength as opposed to pure metals which may go brittle in the absence of carbon. High Density Polyethylene which non-carbonated drink containers are made of is a linear polymer by nature so that this results into the existence of a ‘tightly packed structure’ within an HDPE material. Such property makes it possible for an HDPE to yield an increased density, hard texture, and an opaque look for this polymer is far from the tendency of branching upon high-temperature catalytic process of being derived from ethylene. The atomic geometry of an HDPE with an avergage molecular weight of 84,000 grams per mole is stabilized in equilibrium. Such is the case for HDPE that undergoes melting prior to the form required during the manufacture of plastic bottles. CFRP is composed of rigid material structure similar to that of a fibre glass and is aimed to acquire considerable strength despite the necessary lightness in weight for use in constructing an aircraft. A carbon fibre structure is built through textile weavings with resin application in order to come up with an epoxy polymer under reinforced condition which may as well be a composite of polyester, nylon, vinyl ester, or other relevant fibres. Hexagonally High Density Polyethylene Properties | Technical Information (HDPE). 2012. High Density Polyethylene Properties | Technical Information (HDPE). [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 12 June

Argumentive essay Write a 750-1,000 word essay on one of the topics

Argumentive Write a 750-1,000 word on one of the topics from pages 302-303 of Steps to Writing Well - Essay Example tudents have to become independent and are confronted with the problem of earning money to support themselves along with the problem of maintaining equilibrium between time for school and work. Although it looks like that working throughout high school is an objectionable idea, it could teach the students a lot regarding the real world and the obstacles it offers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1980, 40% of students were working. Today 80% of students are working 20-30 hours a week. As these results demonstrate, an ever increasing number of students work through high school and as a result, it is widely accepted by the world and moreover considered as a normal characteristic of adolescence (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2005). Schools have no problem with it, cities respect it and parents support it with a fact that it teaches kids the worth of dollar. Apart from earning an income; these students start to develop responsibility as an important trait in their personalities. Teenagers with a job develop effective communication skills and learn to balance their priorities at a young age. It not only adds another bonus to their resumes, it also gives them an opening opportunity into the working world. While working through high school at different jobs, students could pick up many expertises that they would otherwise not have learne d in school. Another advantage of working through high school is that a part time job at this stage helps the students discover their areas of interest, weaknesses and strengths. This benefits them a lot in choosing the right future career for themselves. With a stable income, students can learn about managing their money in responsible way and to maintain a balance between their expenditure and saving. Working through high school gives student a sense of independence and confidence. These children rise to be self- sufficient which is a vital quality in life as schooling lays the brickwork for upcoming profession where

Factors For and Against Essay Example for Free

Factors For and Against Essay Reasons for legalization (ranked from strongest to weakest) 1. Medical benefits for terminal illnesses such as cancer. 2. Police and court resources would be freed to pursue more serious crimes. 3. The FDA could regulate the quality and safety of the drug. 4. This drug has fewer side effects that most currently legal narcotics. 5. Legalization would lower prices, thereby reducing crimes such as theft. 6. If taxed sales of this drug would help lift the U.S. economy by billions of dollars a year. Reasons against legalization (ranked from strongest to weakest) 1. Issues such as driving under the influence may increase. 2. Legalizing this drug might increase the number of juvenile users. 3. This drug may be a gateway drug to more dangerous drugs such as heroin or cocaine 4. There would be an increase in lung damage and the damage to non-users through second hand smoke. 5. Legalization of this drug could lead to legalization of â€Å"harder† drugs 6. Some consider this drug morally wrong. I have seen the effects this drug has on a terminally ill patient. My late husband, who was just 39 years old when he died of colon cancer, used Marijuana on just a couple of occasions and the difference before and after its use were abundantly clear. Tom was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36, and only given 15 months to live, because of his military and ethical background he swore he would never use Marijuana unless it was legalized. As his illness got worse his thinking changed, he just wanted to feel better, and the narcotics he was prescribed by his oncologist made him weak, tired, decreased his appetite and caused nausea. He hated being on these narcotics as he didn’t feel he could enjoy the little life he had left, he could barely get out of bed let alone play with his children. During the second year of his illness we went camping with some friends, to a little cabin 2 hours off the paved road. Tom could scarcely sit up in front of the campfire, but tried his best to enjoy possibly the last camping trip of his life. After the children were asleep one of our friends began to smoke marijuana and asked if we wanted any, I declined but Tom wanted to try it, just to see how it would make him feel. Within five minutes of smoking marijuana Tom was up walking around, he ate, laughed and even began helping cut wood and attend to the fire. The difference was noticeable to us all, it was amazing. First thing in the morning he smoked some more marijuana, and was able to play with his children, go for a mile long walk and eat some more. Upon returning home Tom stated that while he would like to use the drug again, but he couldn’t bring himself to break the law, and therefore did not try the drug again. During Tom’s illness those two short days in the mountains were some of his best. The marijuana took away his nausea and pain, his appetite was increased and his pain was nowhere near the same high levels he experienced without the drug. Because I have seen the benefits of this drug in person, I have placed this as my strongest argument for the legalization of this drug. It was very difficult for me to rank the arguments for the legalization of marijuana, because I found them all to be quite beneficial, yet I had to place the fiscal benefit towards the bottom of the list. My reasoning for this is because if this drug were moved from a schedule I drug to a schedule II drug, and was only legal if prescribed, the prescription would not be taxed thereby eliminating this argument for the legalization. My strongest reason against the legalization of marijuana is the possible dangers of driving while under the influence of this drug. This is a big issue with most any drug, most notably alcohol, but this danger is not only posed to the user but those around the user as well. While many people are stopped and arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana, it would seem logical that this would only increase with legalization, much like alcohol. My weakest argument against legalization is that it is considered morally wrong by some people. The reason I placed this last is because not all people would consider this morally wrong. There are many things that people consider morally wrong, yet they are legal. For example the Mormon religion believes that alcohol, tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks are morally wrong, yet these are not made illegal. This argument seems to be the loosest of all the arguments, and therefore was placed at the bottom of the list.

Employment relationship Essay Example for Free

Employment relationship Essay Unitarism is a process assumes that everyone in an organization is a member of a team with a common purpose representing the goals and policies of a company. The Unitarism has a univocal concept for every individual associated with the company right from managers to lower-level employees, should share the same objectives and work together for a common gain. The various staff levels involved in the company from the unions, the relationship managers and the top line management was actively leveraged for an equal representation through all levels. The groups were accepted only as a part of the reflecting loyalty. The managers were the two way communicators between the workers to the management. The management or the ownership was not allowed to force the loyalty factors. The free market orientation introduced by Margaret Thatcher has elevated the roles of the three levels of the employee relationship. The team representation of various levels have had shifted to more personal attention. The equal employee group representation in a company gradually diminished with management focusing on the individual excellence. The relationship manager who acted as a mediator lost his significance with new profile evolved at the same level of designation. Initially in the early 80’s the personal management scenario was not well defined and without any confined objectives. The personal management system has lot of unanswered concerns like tuning up of the individual performance management concerns with their respective team performance levels. The personal management was general and it was not customized according to the functional and industry specifications to make the personal management more effective. The main concern of Unitarism is, the organization is more inclined towards the organization goals and objectives and may not concentrate on the personal career aspects. The employee may not find it comfortable to tune up the organization goals with his personal individual goals. Pluralism: The pluralism provides freedom to tune up the individuals career goals with the organizational goals. The organization values the employees feedback and encourages the employees to be a part of the decision making process. Every level of the employees has the right to sound his voice in the organization. The employees were thus made responsible to the organization’s performance and profitability. The managers have to play a versatile role in motivating and teaming up the employees. The decision making process can be complex as different brains focus on the concerns and there would be possibility of not arriving at concrete decision The influence of the unions, governing bodies will be more on the management. The influence can swing in both the extremes resulting in the profitability or decisions in favor of a particular sector. Marxism: The Marxism refers the labourers’ welfare and representing their concerns. The low level working class is the prime resource and the Marxism exerts more pressure on upliftment of the working class. The working class was prime resource of production which uses the resources for the prosperity of the organization. The Marxist theories strongly condemn the gap between the operating cost incurred and the profits incurred on the products. The dominance of the top level management and ownership is not accepted. The ownership making considerable profits is not accepted are forced to carry the gains for the benefits of the working class. The modern development has decreased the involvement of the manual labour with the advent of machinery to push the productivity index to a considerable extent. The employee job responsibilities were handled by the machines with the artificial intelligence which in turn does not enhance the skill sets of the working class. The employees at some point of time may perceive the same job profile as monotonous and may loose the expertise. The ownership may start ignoring the skills sets of the workers which in turn lead to termination of labourers. The capitalist dominance was widely disregarded in the later half of the 19th century and many experts has drawn various implications on reformatting the Marxist principles to suite the modern challenges. Among them include Rubery, Braveman, Littler and Paul Edwards, who presented various directions of the labor and employee relations. The main implications drawn by these experts revolve around enhancing the employee relations by activily considering processes like: By Elevating the conflicting raising issues and initiating extra circular efforts like incentives, games and recreation that sooth the workers pressure(Burawoy). The Burawoy definition was vital part of the human resource management in many companies in the today to make the employee feel that the company cares the resources in may other ways. †¢ Bridging the gap between the ownership control and the workers resistance for a mutual profitable accord †¢ A more robust job design keeping on view of the employee growth accepts with equal representation of the control leading to a satisfactory employee relationship(Littler). The management has to tune up the workers with abilities required for the productions(Rubery). The experts have had strongly disregarded the employee coherent methodology with asserting more on mutually acceptable strategies for sustainable business and economic growth. The contemporary organization were now-a-days more proactive in providing the employees with more freedom and flexibility to retain them. The compensatory systems were broadened with more virtual incentives along with salaries wooing the employees to stick to the organizations.

History of the Microwave Oven

History of the Microwave Oven A Brief History of the Microwave Oven Like many of todays great inventions, the microwave oven was a by-product of another technology. It was during a radar-related research project around 1946 that Dr. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, noticed something very unusual. He was testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron, when he discovered that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. This intrigued Dr. Spencer, so he tried another experiment. This time he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube and, perhaps standing a little farther away, he watched with an inventive sparkle in his eye as the popcorn sputtered, cracked and popped all over his lab. The next morning, Scientist Spencer decided to put the magnetron tube near an egg. Spencer was joined by a curious colleague, and they both watched as the egg began to tremor and quake. The rapid temperature rise within the egg was causing tremendous internal pressure. Evidently the curious colleague moved in for a closer look just as the egg exploded and splattered hot yolk all over his amazed face. The face of Spencer lit up with a logical scientific conclusion: the melted candy bar, the popcorn, and now the exploding egg, were all attributable to exposure to low-density microwave energy. Thus, if an egg can be cooked that quickly, why not other foods? Experimentation began Dr. Spencer fashioned a metal box with an opening into which he fed microwave power. The energy entering the box was unable to escape, thereby creating a higher density electromagnetic field. When food was placed in the box and microwave energy fed in, the temperature of the food rose very rapidly. Dr. Spencer had invented what was to revolutionize cooking, and form the basis of a multimillion dollar industry, the microwave oven. A Bit of Trivia: The Speedie Weenie Project In the spring of 1946, Percy Spencer and an associate, P.R. Hanson (Roly Hanson), were working on a secret project they called the Speedy Weenie. Muriel Withrow remembers the project well. She recalls, The Speedy Weenie Project was the nickname Mr. Spencer and my boss, Roly Hanson, gave to their secret project, the microwave [oven] Speedie Weenie meaning a quick hot dog!' (Our thanks to Mrs. Withrow for sharing this little known detail) Click HERE: 1958 Issue of Readers Digest article about Dr. Percy Spencer Click HERE: Wikiverse A World of Knowledge. Article about Percy Spencer with additional links. Nearly 6 Feet Tall, Weighing 750 Pounds Engineers went to work on Spencers hot new idea, developing and refining it for practical use. By late 1946, the Raytheon Company had filed a patent proposing that microwaves be used to cook food. An oven that heated food using microwave energy was then placed in a Boston restaurant for testing. At last, in 1947, the first commercial microwave oven hit the market. These primitive units where gigantic and enormously expensive, standing 5 1/2 feet tall, weighing over 750 pounds, and costing about $5000 each. The magnetron tube had to be water-cooled, so plumbing installations were also required. Initial Reactions Were Unfavorable Not surprisingly, many were highly reluctant about these first units, and so they found only limited acceptance. Initial sales were disappointingbut not for long. Further improvements and refinements soon produced a more reliable and lightweight oven that was not only less expensive, but, with the development of a new air-cooled magnetron, there was no longer any need for a plumber. The microwave oven had reached a new level of acceptance, particularly with regard to certain industrial applications. By having a microwave oven available, restaurants and vending companies could now keep products refrigerator-fresh up to the point of service, then heat to order. The result? Fresher food, less waste, and money saved. New and Unusual Applications As the food industry began to recognize the potential and versatility of the microwave oven, its usefulness was put to new tests. Industries began using microwaves to dry potato chips and roast coffee beans and peanuts. Meats could be defrosted, precooked and tempered. Even the shucking of oysters was made easier by microwaves. Other industries found the diverse applications of microwave heating quite advantageous. In time, microwaves were being used to dry cork, ceramics, paper, leather, tobacco, textiles, pencils, flowers, wet books and match heads. The microwave oven had become a necessity in the commercial market and the possibilities seemed endless. The First Radarange In 1947, Raytheon demonstrated the worlds first microwave oven and called it a Radarange, the winning name in an employee contest. Housed in refrigerator-sized cabinets, the first microwave ovens cost between $2,000 and $3,000. Sometime between 1952-55, Tappan introduced the first home model priced at $1295. In 1965 Raytheon acquired Amana Refrigeration. Two years later, the first countertop, domestic oven was introduced. It was a 100-volt microwave oven, which cost just under $500 and was smaller, safer and more reliable than previous models. By 1975 Sales of Microwave Ovens Exceeded that of Gas Ranges Technological advances and further developments led to a microwave oven that was polished and priced for the consumer kitchen. However, there were many myths and fears surrounding these mysterious new electronic radar ranges. By the seventies, more and more people were finding the benefits of microwave cooking to outweigh the possible risks, and none of them were dying of radiation poisoning, going blind, sterile, or becoming impotent (at least not from using microwave ovens). As fears faded, a swelling wave of acceptance began filtering into the kitchens of America and other countries. Myths were melting away, and doubt was turning into demand. By 1975, sales of microwave ovens would, for the first time, exceed that of gas ranges. The following year, a reported 17% of all homes in Japan were doing their cooking by microwaves, compared with 4% of the homes in the United States the same year. Before long, though, microwave ovens were adorning the kitchens in over nine million homes, or about 14%, of all the homes in the United States. In 1976, the microwave oven became a more commonly owned kitchen appliance than the dishwasher, reaching nearly 60%, or about 52 million U.S. households. Americas cooking habits were being drastically changed by the time and energy-saving convenience of the microwave oven. Once considered a luxury, the microwave oven had developed into a practical necessity for a fast-paced world. An expanding market has produced a style to suit every taste; a size, shape, and color to fit any kitchen, and a price to please almost every pocketbook. Options and features, such as the addition of convection heat, probe and sensor cooking, meet the needs of virtually every cooking, heating or drying application. Today, the magic of microwave cooking has radiated around the globe, becoming an international phenomenon. Inventor Spencer Doctor Spencer continued at Raytheon as a senior consultant until he died at the age of 76. At the time of his death, Dr. Spencer held 150 patents and was considered one of the worlds leading experts in the field of microwave energy, despite his lack of a high school education. On September 18, 1999, Dr. Percy LaBaron Spencer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and took his place in history alongside such great inventors as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. History of the Microwave Oven History of the Microwave Oven Have you ever imagined your life without a microwave oven? To begin with, the word microwave is originated from the Greek word ‘micros, which means small and refers to high frequency radio waves, the shortest waves of the electromagnetic spectrum (ideafinder, 2009). Furthermore, it can be said that microwaves work by heating up water molecules in the food and this saves time from cooking since it is a relatively fast method of cooking compared to others (history, 2009). It all began in 1946, during World War II while a research related to radars was carried out. Dr. Percy Spencer, commonly known as an electronics genius (ideafinder, 2009), was working at that time in one of his experiment laboratories at Raytheon Company. He then realised that something strange had happened. While experimenting on a magnetron, vacuum tube, a chocolate bar situated in his pocked melted and intrigued him. Dr. Spencer did not hesitate and carried out a second experiment to identify the cause of that outcome by placing some popcorn kennels next to the magnetron and as a result the popcorn eventually popped and was thrown all over his lab. Fascinated by this outcome, the next morning Dr. Spencer carried out a further experiment using an egg which exploded from the microwaves radiation and as a result burned his workmates face. At that point the brilliant idea of why not using microwaves to cook food faster came to Dr. Spencers mind. Having made his observations Dr. Spencer designed a metal box, where by using microwaves that could not escape the box, food could be cooked in it quickly. As a result, Spencer and Raytheon during the last months of 1946 manufactured the microwave oven, which was mainly used in restaurants, ocean liners and in the coaches of the trains. By 1947 the invention launched in the market after the name ‘Radarange and it must be noticed that microwave ovens are considered as by-products of another technology, since their invention resulted from the research of another technology, the radars. However, ‘Radarange was huge, weighted 750 pounds, cost around $5000 and had to be cooled down using water after each use which required further costs and acted as a disincentive to consumers. After having made several modifications to the product, the first commercial microwave ‘1161 Radarange launched in the market in 1954 and cost $1295 and its power was 1600 Watts making it enormous and expensive again. This products consumers were restaurants and specific institutions. Later on in 1967 a turning point in the microwave ovens history was made after Amana, a division of Raytheon designed the domestic microwave oven appliance. It cost about $500 and was smaller in size. As years passed by the demand for microwaves increased and in 1975 sales of microwave ovens overcame the sales of gas ranges. As reported 17% of Japanese homes used microwaves as well as 4% of US households. However in 1976, microwave ovens usage rose to 60% in United States (gallawa, 2009). The innovatio n process of microwave ovens resulted from consumers preferences (lecture notes2, 2009). The demand of microwave ovens kept rising and its price kept falling generating competition since even more companies were entering the market. However, Nelson and Winter (1982) support, that technical modification is a guidance to human advancement but can bring about negative externalities as well, influencing the stakeholders. Some believed that microwave ovens would have adverse effects on peoples health but consumers realised that microwave ovens could help them in their everyday life cooking without doing any harm to them since there were no signs of radioactivity (gallawa, 2009). It can be said that it is a result of lateral thinking due to the fact that it eliminates criticisms and disbeliefs of stakeholders (Lecture Notes 2, 2009). As a result of combining several ideas microwave ovens took several forms in order to reflect consumers taste and needs. This means that the manufacturers ac t as business men and target several markets trying to differentiate their products in order to be unique and gain large amounts of profits. An entrepreneur is ‘the owner or manager of a business enterprise who, by risk and initiative, attempts to make profits (Richard Cantillon, 1755, Lecture Notes 1). In this case Dr. Spencer in collaboration with Raytheon, are considered as entrepreneurs since they made the first microwave oven and launched it in the market with the purpose of making profits. According to Joseph Schumpeter ‘Whatever the type, someone is an entrepreneur only when he actually carries out new combinations, and losses that character as soon as he has built up his business'(1934, Lecture Notes 2). This exemplifies that Dr. Spencer was an entrepreneur while experimenting on the metal box in order to manufacture a microwave oven but lost this character when his product got in the market. Additionally, the innovation of this product according to Schumpeters crucial distinction is a discrete change, since this innovation transformed unexpectedly in the market and no existing technology related to it. Some can argue that previous oven versions can be compared to it but the technology used while manufacturing the microwave oven is way much different since it involves microwave waves, which automatically detach it from being similar to any typical oven. Moreover, no signs of previous research concerning the product existed in the market and microwave oven reflected the customers choice. ‘Radarage had nothing similar to it in the market, and therefore predictions about the products success couldnt be made. Dr. Spencer and Raytheon were taking a risk, which was later proven to be a total failure. Improvements to the microwave oven and modifications that occurred later on resulted to gradual changes in innovation. Being closely related to previous editions of the produ ct it then reflected customers choice and remained in the market (Lecture Notes 2, 2009). Freeman (1984) explains stakeholders as ‘any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the firms objectives and stakeholders can either be primary, those who have an immediate effect on the company or secondary, those who do not affect the company but can control it through primary ones. A stakeholder analysis would help while promoting the appliance and responding to the risks arising from this product being in the market. Will everybody be affected? All affected parties should be identified and considered and it must be stated how the product will affect their daily routine as well as if any legal issues might arise regarding the patent of the invention. Then, uncertainty would be reduced if all factors are considered fairly, since risks would be obvious and profits could be determined. Eventually, launch strategies would be designed like improving the current appliance and promoting it in the market by using the most suitable method (Lecture Not es 2, 2009). Nevertheless, the microwave oven plays a gigantic role on societys welfare. From the point in time when Dr. Spencer was experimenting on the magnetron and found out about the melt chocolate bar in his pocket until the conclusion was made stating that microwaves can be used to cook food, innovation started and it was defined. Then as a generating solution, Dr. Spencer through brainstorming and lateral thinking started the design of the new appliance. Afterwards, by combining several ideas he reached the ideal theory for the production of the microwave oven. Additionally, Raytheon Company helped Dr. Spencer with his idea and created the fist microwave oven to be launched in the market and this is described as selecting the optimal solution. Finally, after the construction of the microwave oven, one of the most crucial parts of the innovation process was done, that was to persuade the consumers that by investing in the product, they would get a benefit, and also persuade the company tha t microwave oven would generate profits. Abernathy and Clark (1985) and Martin (1994) highlighted the significance of the new market knowledge. The inventors of the microwave oven should have done enough research about producing exactly what the stakeholders would want and target those specific markets in order to succeed with their product, as it was later done when Amana designed the domestic microwave oven that was practical enough, small and affordable by households. Also, different markets have been approached since microwave oven is used for drying leather, paper and cork. Clarkson (1995) argues that stakeholders are of several ‘interests, claims or rights, proving again that research should be done. If it wasnt for the radical microwave oven, cooking nowadays would have taken more time. It improved peoples lives and it can be found in almost all households and where other kitchen appliances are situated since it is easy and safe to use. It is expected that gradual change will still be observed and that more advanced versions will be launched in the market in the near future just to meet peoples needs.

ONeill Cylinders Essay -- physics space

Science fiction authors for many years have written book after book exploring, as Star Trek described space, "the final frontier". While many people focus on the exploration side of space, there are some who believe that space is our next refuge. Stephen Hawking has said " I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread into space". While some speak of moonbases, or planet-side bases, one of the most intriguing ideas is the O'Neill Cylinder. Gerard K. O'Neill created the O'Neill Cylinder in his book "The High Frontier". An O'Neill Cylinder consists of two cylinders which counter-rotate around each other, each one has a two mile (3 kilometer) radius, and a 20 mile (30 kilometer) length. The two cylinders counter-rotate to create simulated gravity by centripetal force: everything is pushed to the outer wall due to that force. However, some design choices stem from this, some to combat the negative effects, and others to take advantage the centripetal force. Due to the nature of artificial gravity, many people might experience nausea and dizziness. To combat this, the speed of rotation would need to be decreased to about two revolutions per minute. To take advantage of artificial gravity, different parts of the O'Neill Cylinder can rotate at different speeds. In the middle of the cylinder, the artificial gravity will be smaller than everywhere else in the cylinder, and manufacturing facilities would be placed here to take a dvantage of that fact. The cylinders themselves would have six sections on them, half of them are windows, the other half is the ground. Behind each window would be a mirror so they could direct the sunlight into the cylinder, while night could be simulated by simply moving ... ... an object is at a Lagrange Point, it acts much the same as a satellite that is in geosynchronous orbit with a planet. Things at a Lagrange point are at a "fixed" place in space, which is quite an advantage for O'Neill Cylinders. Bibliography Books: O'Neill, Gerard K. The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space 1997. Webpages: Cornish, Neil J. Lagrange Point http://www.physics.montana.edu/faculty/cornish/lagrange.html Hall, Theodore Wayne:The Architecture of Artificial-Gravity Environments for Long-Duration Space Habitation http://www.artificial-gravity.com/Dissertation/FrontMatter.htm/ Dyson, Freeman J. Life of Gerard K. O'Neill http://ssi.org/?page_id=11 Baez, John. Lagrange Points http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/lagrange.html Heppenheimer, T.A. Colonies in Spae: Chapter 2. http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/colonies_chap02.html

Writing Flaws Displayed in Steinbecks Sweet Thursday :: Steinbeck Sweet Thursday Essays

Writing Flaws Displayed in Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday Steinbeck's novel takes place on the coast of California, centered around one town: Monterey. When Doc returns home from war, Mack, one of his closest friends, tells him the stories of all the people who used to and still live in their town. Lee Chong, another one of Doc's closest friends, has moved away, and Joseph and Mary Rivas have taken over the grocery story. Fauna, whose original name is Flora, has taken over the Bear Flag, which still remains to be a prostitute house. Doc then comes to understand that through time, many people have changed. Doc is a middle-aged man who begins to experience great discontent and tries to understand life's purposes. In addition, Doc is struggling with writing an informative paper about marine biology. The people of the town see his discontent, so they try to devise plans to make Doc happier, the way he used to be before the war. Doc's main interest is Marine Biology, which is his occupation, so he decides to take a trip to La Jolla in order to search for octopi and have time to think. Upon returning, he meets a new girl named Suzy. Suzy is the newcomer to the Bear Flag. She fits into the town well, but just doesn't seem like she quite belongs at the Bear Flag. Doc, who was never interested in women or love before, begins to take an interest in Suzy, as Suzy does in him. This is the point were the entire story changes. Doc's focus starts to be on Suzy, which causes him to be happier. The town sees his happiness and starts to try to make Doc and Suzy close enough to where they would want to get married. Though many problems and mistakes occur, Doc and Suzy are faced with many struggles, mainly on one day, Sweet Thursday. However, the issues of this day result in the way that they both wish their lives to be, which is together. The story line of John Steinbeck's novel, Sweet Thursday (1954), is directly correlated with the author's style of writing. This change detracted from the overall enjoyment of the book. There are three main flaws that Steinbeck displayed in the novel that show this: a premature climax, an incomplete motif, and an unfinished conflict. Small town issues, incidents, and all of the characters begin the novel as the centered focus, which gives the reader an insight to all of the characters and their personalities.

Grameen Phone Selection Process

24 May 2008 MR. Amlan J. Haque Senior Lecturer School Of Business Independent University, Bangladesh Subject: Submission of the report on â€Å"Recruitment and Selection Procedure of GP. Dear Sir, We have the immense pleasure to submit our report on â€Å"Recruitment and Selection Procedure of GP† for your kind consideration. While making this report we came across many hurdles and pleasant experiences. But the valuable experiences we have gained during the period will undoubtedly benefit us in the real work field. Despite the several constraints, we gave our all efforts to make this report a meaningful one and in this way we express our deep gratitude as you kindly have given us the scope and assigned the task. We have tried heart and soul to make this case analysis perfect but for time limitation and other difficulties we may be some mistakes. We hope that you will ignore our faults and consider our lacks while judging the report. We enjoy this study and gladly attend any suggestion of you to clarify on any point, if necessary. At last, thanking you very much for assigning us such a pragmatic and interesting topic for preparing the report. Sincerely yours, Md. Khaleque Faisal Emon ID: On behalf of Group: All praises to be ALLAH and peace is on his prophet Mohammed (sm) We are higly indebted to those who helped us to prepare the report. We are alsoindebted to our course teacher MR. Amlan J. Haque for giving us this topic to make the report. Then we would like to express our sincere thanks to some of our friends for their help & we are grateful to those participants whose participation made possible to accomplish our report. we would like to thank IUB computer lab and library for their support that helped us to complete this work successfully. At last i wish to express my earnest gratitude to all of my course mates. Executive summery Recruitment and selection are one of the most important concerns for every organization. Recruitment process starts from the advertisement until the receipt of CV. As soon as the CV is dropped the recruitment process ends and the selection process begins. Strategic planning for recruitment and selection indicates the past trends and future forecast of organization. Grameen phone is the largest telecommunication company in Bangladesh, which holds nearly fifty percent share ofthis industry. Grameen Phone is gradually expanding its business to the edge of the country and holds a substantial share. Introduction & Background of The Study: Report is a compulsory requirement for everybody pursuing an BBA degree at the Independent University. We studied a lot of things about GrameenPhone and collected documents in various prospect in this regard. When we were continuing our study, we came to know a lot of things about GrameenPhone because this study attempts to produce a constructive report on recruitment and selection procedure of GrameenPhone. Ressons For Choosing GP: Reports play a vital role in the field of communication both in the educational orientation and in practical life. So from this side, it must be better in choosing or selecting the entire organization. Because a well-established organization or company can provide the best materials or documents to prepare a report easily which is very important in BBA. GP is a high ambitious and well-reputed company in Bangladesh currently used by over 1. 3 billion people in some 250 countries. GrameenPhone believes in service, a service that leads to good business and good development. Scope of the Study: The report covers the procedure of the recruitment and selection and emphasizes the human resource management on some position. The total industry and investment situation of the country is not observed in the report so this report does not actually compare the position of the mobile companies in the context of the total business situation of the country. Objectives of the Study: Broad Objective The broad objective of this study is to present the GrameenPhone’s entry-level function and practices in the overall industries in Bangladesh. Specific Objectives The specific objectives were as follows: Finding out the current process of GrameenPhone’s Recruitment and Selection. * Present factors to be considers in Selection Procedure. * Problems and prospects of Selection Procedure. And — * Categories of people/candidates who are mainly recruited. Methodology of the Study: Two different methodologies had to be designed to complete the parts: * Information regarding the overall procedure of Recruitment and Selection was gathered from the Internet and different literature survey. * To get a closer look at what different operators are providing it was necessary to collect different literatures published by the companies. Another source of information was interviews with different professionals of GP organizations. Limitations of the Study: * The information that we used to conduct our survey was mostly from secondary studies. So, it was not a perfectly representative sample. * The major limitation of the report is that it took a very short period of time in preparing this report fully. So ultimately there must be some lacking in its premises. * Moreover, it was not possible to get all required internal information of the company as these are treated as confidential company information. Vision of Grameen Phone: To become the largest telecommunication company in the world and reach the hands of every people around the world. Mission of Grameen Phone: To serve the customer with better quality and retaining existing customers. A Brief Profile of Cell Phone Sector in Bangladesh Introduction of Cellular Technology: Mobile technology introduced in St. Louis, Mississippi in 1946. From the beginning, mobile technology was very costly and was very rare and the service was limited to a single call and was not satisfied enough. After 1950 period, the cost of the technology become lower and coverage become wider. USA innovated an AMPS system in 1979, which was not very power full and that, was an analogue system. There were two types of analogue mobile phone system namely NMT & TACS were introduced respectively in North Europe and in UK in 1981. But with the pace of timeall these three analogue systems became unable to fulfill the demand. As a result, after more than one decade of analogue system digital system in mobile phone was introduced in 1992. The name of this technology is Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). More than 2o million subscribers in almost 130 countries worldwide use GSM technology. CDMA is another digital technology in mobile telecommunications. This GSM system can be said as the digital cellular system, which is fully featured with services like Basic Telephony, Data and Value Added services (VAS). The existing GSM technologies are GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. Cellular Operation in Bangladesh: Bangladesh is one of the least developing countries in the world. It is also reflected in her telecommunication sector. Telecommunication is one of the important parameter to measure a country’s development. In 1988 the telephone density of Bangladesh was only 21 connections per 100 people. The main reason behind this poor performance is incapability of Bangladesh Telegraph and Telegraph Board (BTTB) to provide connection. Moreover their service quality was very poor. Against this background, Government of Bangladesh (GOB) took a reform program for the sector. The objectives of this reform program were to expand access to telecommunication services all over the country, improve service quality, satisfy all demand for telecommunication and promote efficient operation. The main strategy to achieve these objectives was to introduce private investment and operation in this sector. Ultimately in 1989, GOB issued license to private operator for provision of cellular, paging and radio trucking with exclusivity for five years services. In this five year contract was extended to thirty years. Ultimately, the evolution of cellular technology is duly justified. In 1989, a 20-year license with a five-year exclusivity was issued to a privatecompany, Bangladesh Telecom Limited (BPTL), for the provision of nationwide cellular telephone services. This license was cancelled and subsequently, Hutchison Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. (HBTL) was awarded the license, which commenced operation in 1991. HBTL offered a mobile phone to all the Bangladeshi citizens in Dhakawithin a periphery of 26 miles at a charge of Tk. 1. 25 lac and call charge of Tk. 10 (per minute) for in coming calls and the same for outgoing. Response from the consumers was impressive and remained so all through the monarch. HBTL gradually transformed to PBTL and simultaneously developed customer service quality by improving technical infrastructure. However, one of the serious discontinuance from the customers is that, ever-continuing price reduction creates a feeling of deprivation among the older users. World Telecommunication Industry: The corporate strategies and government policies in the international telecommunications sectors of the United States, the European Union, and Japan is very important to understand the present situation in the world telecom industry. Countries experience different rates of growth in telecommunications revenue in theirdomestic markets. An analysis revealed that the timing of the opening of domestic markets to competition made no difference in the rate of growth. Instead, thelevel of development and rate of overall economic growth were the determining factors. Trends of the international telecommunications industry are evaluated with strategic options for globalization for smaller countries and carriers. Between 1985 and 1995 telecommunications revenues for Japan and United States have generally grown at rates faster than new line activation or increasing call volume. Tariffs have been restructured, the mix of calls—local, long distance (trunk), and international—has changed, and leased-line and mobile services have grownrelative to traditional switched, wire-line telephony. Two major trends characterize the international telecommunications industry: Rapid technological advances, and The growing realization that liberalizing telecommunications industries is key to overall industry growth. These two trends hasten the liberalization of telecommunications markets around the world. The role of national governments is changing from that of a direct player to that of policy maker and regulator. The nature of international telecommunications trade is evolving from a bilateral, nation-to-nation framework to a multinational, multilateral company-to-company paradigm. Major international telecommunications alliances have taken many forms with the potential to dominate segments of international. Nevertheless, demand will increase for smaller firms able to provide local presence and technological expertise. There are various strategic options available to smaller countries and carriers. These strategies range from domestic to regional to international: * Lead the domestic market in phased liberalization * Seek opportunities to integrate vertically * Promote regional opportunities * Capture a major share of a regional market Expand enhanced services internationally. Recruitment and Selection of Grameen Phone Introduction: Human Resource Management is a strategic approach of processing or recruiting, developing, maintaining and utilizing the human resources of an organization. If a firm’s competitiveness depends on its employees, then the business function responsible for acquiring, training, appraising and compensating those employees who has to play a bigger roll in the firm’s success. As part of an organization, Human Resource Management must be prepared to deal with the effects of the changing world of work. For them, this means understanding the implications of globalization, technology changes, work-force diversity, changing skill requirements, continuous improvement initiatives, the contingent work force, decentralized work sites, and employee involvement. Factors to be considered in Selection Porcedure: Before going to the selection procedure, Grameen Phone should adopt some factors that are considered in selection process. These factors are: 1. Resignation and terminations. 2. Quality assurance and nature of Employee. 3. Technological and administrative changes of the Employee. 4. Financial availability of the candidates. 5. Trend analysis 6. Using computer and forecasting personnel requirements. This should be done by the Human Resource Manager of GrameenPhone when forecasting personnel needs. Finally the selected candidates are estimated the volume of output. Recruitment and Selection Process: GrameenPhone tries to discover industrious and innovative people ready to embark on a challenging career. During search for talent, GrameenPhone carry out a number of activities such as: †¢ Online Database. †¢ Advertisement in daily newspapers. †¢ Accept hard-copy submission of CVs in Human Resource Division. Occasionally from Job Fairs. Recruitment Procedure: GrameenPhone follow comprehensive and extensive selection procedures in search for the most ideal and competent professionals. The testing methods are effectively designed in order to accurately evaluate the required competence and skill for particular jobs. GP procedures for recruitment involve th e following steps: Recruitment & Selection Process: HR needs and Requisition: Department will inform the HR of any vacant position so that HR can co-ordinate / notify the other offices of the vacant position. Whenever needed, the head of HR will review the available records and database if there is any qualified and suitable candidate available from GrameenPhone’s internal sources or prospective external candidates already identified earlier. In special circumstances and to make a quick decision the head of HR may propose any suitable staff within the GrameenPhone for the position to the respective Unit/Department Head and/or project. Job Description: Recruitment process ideally begins with the analysis of job description and person specification for that job. A job description and analysis of person specification provide the foundation for stipulating the job title and salary scale of the position. Person specification defines the education, training and experience required by the jobholder. The person specification is vital because the key part of the person specification, established at the beginning, is used in structured selection interview. Job description is the basis of GrameenPhone’s recruitment, selection and placement, training, performance appraisal, salary administration, promotion and other personnel actions for its employees. The appointing authority and the line manager shall ensure that each employee has an appropriate and updated job description stating clearly the context, purpose, organogram, duties and responsibilities of the employees and person specification. Job description will be prepared and provided to the employee when he/she is appointed, promoted, newly assigned or when deemed necessary. Recruitment Sources: An effective recruitment always starts with the correct selection of sources of human resources. A recruited employee who has not the right skill cannot perform effectively. As a result the overall performance level is sure to deteriorate which has significant effect on the company performance. Therefore, GrameenPhone has been on continuous search of effective recruitment sources. Internal Sources: It is GrameenPhone’s policy to give preference to appoint internal candidates, provided that the employee is suitably qualified for the vacant or new position and also meets the existing and future requirements. Appointments may be made by the way of promotion, up gradation or transfer with the approval of the authority. As a usual procedure, job vacancies in GrameenPhone will be advertised through internal notices to the concerned offices. External Sources: Whenever job vacancies are required to be circulated outside, the main objective will be to attract a pool of candidates to apply from which qualified candidates for job vacancies can be chosen. Here are a number of external sources that is used by the company: * Newspaper Advertisement: Vacancy announced is circulated by publishing advertisement in the national dailies. The newspapers that are widely circulated are chosen for publishing advertisement. Employee Referrals: Employees of the company may refer prospective job seekers to HR department. There are professional and technical jobs, which are frequently harder to fill. Employees with hard-to-find job skills may know others who might meet the desired job requirements and do the same work. In such case, employee referral method may be useful. * Walk-ins and Write-ins: Often job seekers arriv e at HR department in search of a job. They are walk-in people. Write-ins are those who send their curriculum resume for suitable position. Both groups may be asked to fill up an application blank. Their relevant information may be kept in active database file for any suitable position in future. * Web site: Modern information technology such as web site is also used for advertising job vacancy of different positions. * Other: Depending on circumstances, other professional / employment agencies, technical institutes and journals may be chosen to give wider coverage of job openings. The role of HR personnel is very important in dealing with external job seekers because the outsider individuals draw an impression about the company on the manner their candidature has been dealt with. Application Receiving: HR department collects job applications against each vacancy announcement. There should have a minimum time period for application receiving. The period shouldnormally be around 10 days. All applications are sequentially numbered in HR. applications are not acceptedthat are received after the deadline. Under special circumstances, applicationsafter deadline may be accepted provided the concerned Manager gives written authorization. It is GrameenPhone’s policy to attract as many applicants to apply, provided thatthey meet the pre-requisites of the job. However, those who have been regretted within last six months period are not allowed to apply for whatsoever position in GrameenPhone and within one year, a candidate can not appear for more than two tests / interviews. Short Listing: Short listing is done on the basis of appraising information on the application form in the light of job specification of a position. The job criteria are critically reviewed during short listing. The short-listing method is qualitative one where managerial judgment plays important role. Before short listing of candidates for tests, job criteria are set by HR and line manager. There are general and technical job criteria that a candidate has to meet for consideration of next step of selection. HR determines general criteria while line manager determines technical criteria. Both the types of the criteria are important; however, it is the nature of job that determines which type of criteria should give more priority. Evaluating the followings does short listing: Educational Qualification: Whether the candidates have the required educational qualification, Relevant job experience and required skills: How far the candidate’s most recent job experiences and skills match the job requirements of the position. The candidate may have the irrelevant job experiences and skills that is not considered during short listing. GrameenPhone follows a standard set rule of short listing of candidates. For one position the number of candidates for written test should not be more than 8. The number of candidates in the oral test should not be more than 4-5. Administering tests and interview After short listing of prospective candidates, appropriate employment tests such as written tests, oral tests or any other tests as deemed fit are arranged to assess candidates’ suitability for the position. Through the test selected psychological factors such as intelligence, aptitude, temperament and attitude of the candidates are measured / observed. The main focuses of employment tests are on Job related questions to assess in-depth knowledge of the candidates Assessment of mental ability, reasoning, memory etc. * Assessment of potentiality and ability to learn. * Proficiency in performing tasks. * Assessment in line with job analysis. The selection is made on the basis of successive hurdle approach. The candidates are rejected following each of the stage or test being administered. HR drafts the written and oral test questionnaires. A set of questions of technical nature is drafted by line mangers and sent to HR. Few questionnaires from that list is included in the test by HR as random basis. While finalizing test question, HR considered the job requirements of the position and maintains relevance, consistency and standard on the pattern of questions. The type of question depends on the nature of the position. Usually a combination of multiple and narrative type of questions is set in the written test. HR exclusively checks all multiple type and non- technical narrative type of answers, while the line manager checks the narrative type of technical part. HR does the compilation of score in written test. It is the responsibility of HR to select and call candidates for subsequent tests based on the performance of written test. The minimum qualifying score in the written test is 45%. Candidates who have qualified in the written test are invited for the next selection test. Company Presentation: The candidates who have appeared for written test are briefed about GrameenPhone just before the test. HR organizes a half an hour presentation on the following topics: * The Company profile. * The present considerations, goals and targets of GrameenPhone. * The growth of GrameenPhone in the present market. * The brief job description of the position. * Type of the written test and evaluation of the result. Interview Steps: Selection interview is an in-depth discussion between interviewer and interviewee. An interview Board/Selection Committee is formed comprising of the following personnel: Line Manager Unit/Departmental Head Head of HRD HR processes all recruitment, however, for some senior management level position, outside recruitment may be permissible. Executive Search/ Professional Consulting Firms may be contacted by HR for this purpose. The interview board members ask questions that are relevant to the performancesof the job including questions regarding required skills. The type of questionsmay be mixed of open-ended, behavior-oriented; competency based and stresses type questions. The nature of questions varies according to the level of position. The interview board members rank all candidates and recommend candidates best suited for them. The basis of preliminary selection is marks obtained in oral tests and their judgment about the candidates fit for the position. The minimum acceptable score in the oral test is 4 in the 1-8 rating scale. The recommendation to be made does not necessarily be in favor of the top ranked candidate because the board member may be convinced in evaluating overall performance and background of the another close candidate. A consensual recommendation is made and forwarded to HR along with all papers for next course of action. The board members signed the Employment Approval Form. Medical Examination: In GrameenPhone, the job offer is contingent on passing medical examination conducted by the Company nominated diagnostic center. The medical examination is conducted once preliminary decision for recruitment is made but the employment offer has not yet given. The purpose for a medical examination is to obtain information on the health status of the applicant being considered for employment and to determine whether the applicant is physically and mentally capable of performing the job. The cost of medical examination is borne by the company. Information and Reference Check: Once a preliminary selection decision is made, HR verify certain information as provided in the job application such as educational degree, work experience, last employment status. The purpose of reference check is to obtain factual information confidentially about a prospective employee and seeking opinions from professional referees and previous employer about his/her suitability for the job. Final Selection and Appointment Offer: Based on positive report on health status from the medical center, and positive reference check, the candidate is selected for appointment. At this stage, the selected candidate is offered employment with GrameenPhone. The appointment authority of GrameenPhone issues an appointment letter to the selected candidates. The appointment letter includes: 1. Job title, Grade/Step and Salary 2. Nature of appointment 3. Place of posting 4. Name of section or department 5. Effective date of appointment 6. Probationary period, conditions of confirmation and notice period 7. Ending date of employment (applicable for contract employee) 8. GrameenPhone standard terms and conditions A current job description is also attached with the appointment letter. The appointment letter and job description will become valid only after signing by the Director HR and the employee, in the space provided for the purpose. Weaknesses of Selection Process: GrameenPhone faced some problems of selection process while maintaining its recruitment procedure. Although there is no process without lacking, GrameenPhone covers the weaknesses with soft-touch-smile. The weaknesses that the GrameenPhone faced are as follows: 1. Requirement not matched. 2. Double or triple CVs dropped by the candidates for getting opportunity cost. . Given wrong information. 4. Unreachable Mobile or Phone numbers. 5. Age factor. 6. Already working. 7. Salary range. 8. Confusion about contract position. 9. Reference problem. 10. Office proficiency. These are the problems that GrameenPhone faced in selection procedure. Sometimes it creates a serious problem in the way of selection but for the provision of the office proficiency, it must be overcome by the authority. Major Reasons o f Recruitment: Recruiting efforts are more successful when the recruiters themselves are carefully chosen and trained. Some employers use a recruiting yield pyramid to calculate the number of applicants they most generate to hire the required number of new employees. The following figure shows it. 50 New hires 100 Offers made (2:1) 150 Candidates interviewed (3:2) 200 Candidates invited (4:3) 1200 Leads generated (6:1) The recruiting and selecting process can best be envisioned as a series of hurdles, specifically, recruiting and selecting require: 1. Doing employment planning and forecasting to determine the duties of thepositions to be filled. 2. Building a pool of candidates for the job. 3. Having the applicants fill out application forms and perhaps undergo aninitial screening interview. 4. Utilizing various selection techniques such as tests, background investigations, and identify viable job candidates. 5. Sending to the supervisor responsible for the job. 6. Having the candidate(s) go through one or more selection interviews withthe supervisor and other relevant parties for the purpose of finally determining to which candidates(s) an offer should be made. During the process of recruitment and selection, GrameenPhone always prefer thebest categories of candidates to its finalized procedure. For this, the production of services of GrameenPhone is best. The best categories’ people and the highest educated candidates of students are engaged to GrameenPhone whose main aim is to give the country best services. People of different disciplines and activities are getting engaged with GP. Normally GrameenPhone recruit the experienced personnel to its senior level positions. In spite of that, the people who have minimum experience of 1-2 years are also getting employment in this company. Another types of people are currently getting employment opportunities in different units of GrameenPhone. They are the students of different Public and Private Universities. The work on the hourly basis and get a remuneration of Tk. 16,000 to 18,000. In the near future, GrameenPhone works with full swing by taking the hands of largest educated personnel’s so that it can make a contribution in the country’s mind and side by side to the heart of the rural and urban people. Summary: Recruitment and selection a vital role-played by the Human Resource Division of GrameenPhone. During its recruitment and selection procedure primary screening are taken through an advertisement. Then the HR division collects the CVs from the pool of candidates and makes sorting on the basis of education, experiences and out looking appearance. After the preliminary steps, they call for set in the exam that is called Employment Test. After getting the satisfactory marks, they are again call for interview where they are introduce with their job categories and expected salaries. When the HR getting the confirmation from the candidates, they send them for the medical examination and then hiring decision. After the placement, the role of HR is ended. But this is not the end; it is the beginning of the process. There are some weaknesses of HR through its recruitment and selection procedure. But GrameenPhone’s HR handles it with dedication. Findings and Analysis By analyzing the procedure of Grameen phone’s recruitment and selection procedure we can see that the HR division first collects the CVs from the pool of candidates and makes sorting on the basis of education, experiences and out looking appearance. After the preliminary steps, they call for set in the exam that is called Employment Test. After getting the satisfactory marks, they are again call for interview where they are introduce with their job categories and expected salaries. When the HR getting the confirmation from the candidates, they send them for the medical examination and then hiring decision. After the placement, the role of HR is ended. But this is not the end; it is the beginning of the process. There are some weaknesses of HR through its recruitment and selection procedure. But GrameenPhone’s HR handles it with dedication. Grameen phone is recruiting the best quality employees in the world. Conclusion and Recommendation An intense competitiveness has hit the very prospective and fast growing telecommunication sector in Bangladesh, specially the mobile telecom sector. And the credit goes to GrameenPhone, the eight years old private operator with new view of business solution and some other government-backed operators who have come to the market bringing down the cost to afford mobile communication. As an electric communication media, telecommunication industry makes people’s life more smooth, fast and enjoyable. But it seems few operators in the country are capable of meeting the growing demand of the city dweller’s need for communication. The market of mobile telephony still has great areas of unmet demand which if addressed properly could delight the consumers. GrameenPhone is a profit oriented mobile company seems together the highest energetic personnel who can serve better for the customer as well as human resource. Human Resource Management must be prepared to deal with the effects of the changing world of work. For them, this means understanding the implications of globalization, technology changes, work-force diversity, changing skill requirements, continuous improvement initiatives, the contingent work force, decentralized work sites, and employee involvement. This approach applies to GrameenPhone’s humanresources. Grameen Phone is a service company, one of it’s major objective is to ensure quality service to the customers, Generally Smart Loyalty agrees that in order to grow in business it is important to know which customers at all stages of commitment are thinking about the company, the products, services and competition. Furthermore, cellular service is a growing business in Bangladesh, competition is also increasing. Therefore, it is very important to retain and maintain exiting relationships with the subscribers. For this reason Human Resource Management of GrameenPhone plays and important role through its procedure of Recruitment and Selection because without recruit and select the most qualified employees, it cannot service better. A right person in the right place can do something better than the others. So the functions of Human Resource Division of GrameenPhone perform better. When a candidate appears in the recruitment and selection process, he/she may face several numbers of stares which is enough for his/her performance evaluation. From this, an evaluator can identify which categories of employee he/she is. After that he/she can be placed in the different unit under his/her ability or skills of works. In this way an employee can give the nation a better service according to their needs and earn profit to the attested company. That is doing GrameenPhone. Now-a-days, GrameenPhone’s Human Resource Division tries to follow the Multinational Human Resource Management strategies to adopt the international market, policy and prospects. Above all telecommunication industry is inevitably ministering our mobility, enhancing intensification of businesses, information systems, utilizing resources, pressing forward our economy & escalating social sensitivity One of the strongest sides of GrameenPhone is its customer’s satisfaction, human resource development and performance in the country and outside the country. An organization without comments is like a ship without a rudder. So I arrange the recommendation part under the following ways: – 1. GP should earn flexibility to be able to reduce the bill, if necessary. But currently they should reduce the billing rate as others are offering lower than them. 2. Capacity of the helpline should be increased in the pick hours. 3. Different programs should be taken to educate the subscribers regarding different essential features of mobile phone. 4. For the purpose of raising subscribers in the urban area, different levels of local employees should be increased. . GrameenPhone should take extensive program to build a positive image among their users. So for that reason experienced persons should be hired or made by them with functional selection process. 6. GrameenPhone should offer some special packages in the first week of every month so that it can get every customer and every customer must attach with products. 7. Human capitals should be u sed in a particular sector without misused. Because Today’s Human Resources is related to that’s Human Capitals, which earns revenue. 8. Unfair touch of internal pressure towards Human Resources should be stopped right now for the betterment and long ability of the company. 9. GrameenPhone must initiate the availability of employees as well as employment. References 1. GrameenPhone Limited (2004-2005), News Letter. 2. GrameenPhone Limited, Image Guide Book & Intranet. 3. V. A. Zeithmal and Mary Jo Bitner, Service Marketing, International Edit ion (1996), The MacGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , New York. 4. T. A. J. Nicholson, Measuring Consumer Service and Managing Delivery. 5. James Brian Quinn, Jordan J. Baruch and Penny Cushman Paquette, Technolo gy in Services, Scientific American (December 1987). 6. Earl Naumann and Kathleen Giel, Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Ma nagement. (1978) 7. Web Site: www. grameenphone. com 8. Grameen Phone Ltd. , Annual Report 2002-05. 9. GrameenPhone Ltd. , Human Resource Division-July-2005, Divisional Annual report. 10. GrameenPhone Ltd, Customer Management Division-July-2005, Divisional Ann ual Report. William P. Anthony, Pamela L. Perrewe, K. Michele Kacmar,(Florida State Universi ty,1993), A Strategic Approach, 3rd Ed. , Human Resource Management, pp. 233-290.