Managing Products and Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Products and Finance - Assignment Example Under a process cost system, the key points in costing are the various departments or processes in the production cycle. In a process cost system, the focal points in accumulating manufacturing costs are the individual production departments (or processes) involved in the production cycle. As a first step, the cost of raw materials, direct labour and factory overhead applicable to each department or process for a given period of time is compiled. Then the average cost of running a unit of product through each department is determined by dividing the total departmental cost by the number of units processed in that department during the period. When a product moves through two or more departments, the total unit cost of finished product is accumulated by tracing the costs of incurred in each department to the product as it moves from process to process. A basic objective of a process cost system is to determine the unit cost of direct materials, direct labour and overhead for each manufacturing process or department. These unit costs become the basis for valuing inventories and for tracing the flows of costs though the departmental work in process accounts and finally to finished goods inventory and to cost of goods sold (Meigs & Meigs, p1022-1033). To assess all the processes through whi... To evaluate the favorable and unfavorable variances determining labor capacity and efficiency. To inspect the reasons behind the unfavorable labour efficiency variance and total direct labour variance. To assess all the processes through which the production of the three doors passes in order to depict the correct picture of the process of production and the space occupied by joinery business comprising 5 units for every step involved in the production. To critically figure out the causes resulting into the tightening of joinery shop and to examine the existing shop layout. To gather the required data and information necessary to visualize the positioning and placement of machines used in the process of production within the joinery shop. To put forth suggestions for changes in the process and procedures within the joinery shop outlet to make it sufficiently spacious to carry out the process of production in different units of the shop. This study would help the company to reassign space to different units of joinery shop as appropriate and required for the process to be completed properly. Suggestion and Reason for Extending the Study The report has been extended to the study of process and procedures of materials and goods moving between the different estate units in order to give a complete account of the space occupied by different units through which the production of the three doors passes. This analysis has been considered necessary for an investigation into the effectiveness of product management being carried out by the company. The company did not have any provisions for product management at the outset. After having invested in a combined thicknesser and planer, the

Elizabeth Gaskell and Industrialization Essay Example for Free

Elizabeth Gaskell and Industrialization Essay Two of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels—North and South and Mary Barton—provide a critical insight into the author’s attempt at probing the issues surrounding industrialization in Victorian England. Apart from the fact that both novels feature female characters as protagonists, they also highlight the classic struggle between rich and poor classes in the face of an emerging industrial society. Without losing track of the flow of the stories’ plots, Gaskell is able to incorporate the vital aspects of industrialization. In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell writes about the struggles of the urban working class in industrial England, specifically in its northern regions, during the 19th century in contrast to the lifestyles of those who live in the wealthier south. Because the story is shown from the perspective of the heroine, Margaret Hale, Gaskell is able to display the other side of the stereotypes attributed to women during the 19th century. For the most part, women at that time were barely able to face their personal circumstances and address them on their own. Margaret Hale, however, defies the notion that women largely depend on men just to live. She initially resists that belief by rejecting romantic proposals—a move that shows how she is in control of her life—and displays it at its highest when she throws her arms around John Thornton in an effort to protect him from the angry mob. The latter indicates that it is not always women who seek the protection of men because women can also protect men even at the expense of such women. As Patsy Stoneman indicates in her book Elizabeth Gaskell, â€Å"[Margaret Hale] confronts the fact that men of all classes are governed, in the public sphere, by a masculine code,† a code that effectively prevents the characteristic of tenderness attributed to females (Stoneman, p. 86). Margaret’s willingness to protect Thornton does not only imbibe the thought that women are tender and should not be harmed. It also presents the idea that women—especially those who are considered outsiders to industrial areas such as Milton—can also learn to sympathize with the people who are working under poverty. The incident in the story where the workers were in a strike against Thornton, the local mill owner, also underlines the idea that an outsider can relate to the woes and conditions of the workers more than those who are directly involved in the industrial system. Another interesting aspect of Gaskell’s thematic exploration of industrialization in North and South is how she was able to reunite, in a manner of speaking, the classes considered as polar opposites. As Dorice Williams Elliott observes in her article: â€Å"the novel bases its case for women’s mediation between classes on an analogy between marriage and class cooperation† (Elliott, p. 25). The presence of the outsider, Margaret, in the industrial town makes it possible for the marriage between the classes to commence. Margaret became no less than a person who paved the way for the better understanding between the rich and poor divide although her presence alone did not entirely dissolve the prevalent disparity. Elliott’s observation that Margaret’s mediation led to class cooperation simply reaffirms the idea that ‘class cooperation† in itself still presumes differences between social classes. In Mary Barton, the disparities between the rich and the poor classes take the shape of the story of a father who seeks to protect his daughter from becoming a fallen woman. Like Margaret Hale in North and South, the story revolves around the life and struggles of Mary Barton in Victorian England. John Barton, Mary’s father, is a millworker who lost most of the members of his family except Mary. One interesting part of the story is when John shot Henry Carson, the son of a rich mill owner. Being someone who deeply questions the wealth disparities between rich and poor—largely because he was â€Å"chairman at many a Trade’s Union meeting; a friend of delegates,† someone who was â€Å"ambitious of being a delegate himself† and a â€Å"Chartist† who was â€Å"ready to do anything for his order† (Gaskell, p. 25)—John’s murder of Henry symbolizes how the members of the poor class sometimes grow desperate. The story is ingenious in the sense that it perfectly subsumes the issues surrounding industrialization in Victorian England into the tale of a woman’s quest for love. Mary Barton is a classic example of how Gaskell effectively writes about the problems caused by industrialization in Victorian England without losing sight of the story’s plot. Despite the debates as to whether Gaskell’s novels genuinely reflect the true nature of the Victorian English society during the onset of the industrial period, it should be reminded that what her novels do is to give a fictional account of the problems people face when dealing with people from another social class. Susan Morgan writes that â€Å"the criterion of likelihood is an inappropriate approach to Gaskell’s work† (Morgan, p. 44). For example, â€Å"it may have well been unlikely in Manchester for relations between worker and employer to find solutions through individual friendships† (Morgan, p. 44). Whatever reasons there may be as to why Gaskell wrote as she did, it is enough to note that North and South and Mary Barton capture the struggles of fictional characters in the face of industrialization. The novels may be fiction at best, yet the circumstance they suggests—the epic divide between rich and poor—remains as real today as it once was. Works Cited Elliott, Dorice Williams. â€Å"The Female Visitor and the Marriage of Classes in Gaskell’s North and South. † Nineteenth-Century Literature 49. 1 (1994): 21-49. Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn. Mary Barton. Ed. Shirley Foster. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Morgan, Susan. â€Å"Gaskell’s Heroines and the Power of Time. † Pacific Coast Philology 18. 1/2 (1983): 43-51. Stoneman, Patsy. Elizabeth Gaskell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.

Variola rex smallpox Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Smallpox

Variola rex (Smallpox) Smallpox is a virus that was first founded in ancient times. The virus?s proper name is Variola rex, and it has various different forms as well as various symptoms. Among these forms are typical smallpox, hemorrhagic smallpox, and malignant smallpox, all of which usually always cause death in their victims. Some of the typical symptoms of smallpox include red vesicles and pustules all over, bleeding from all orifices of the body, swelling in the face, throat, and eyes, difficulty eating and swallowing, delirium, malaise, deterioration of the bone marrow, lymph nodes and mucus membranes of the body, and a multitude of other secondary symptoms. Smallpox is typically diagnosed by ruling out the possibility of other viruses, which manifest themselves initially in a similar way, such as measles, and chicken pox. There is no known cure for smallpox once it has been contracted, and a majority of its victims die from it. Variola rex is considered to be one of the most contagious infectious diseases know to man. The virus is not bound to one particular race, culture, country, sex or age but can found at almost any location. Over the centuries Variola rex has been associated with a multitude of titles including, La Petite Verole, Blattern, Lesser Pox, and Plague. However, the virus that once possessed these various aliases is now most commonly known as Smallpox. Smallpox is typically diagnosed through the characteristic progression or particular physical as well as internal symptoms. The virus is divided into three groups depending upon initial symptoms, and progression of the infection. These groups include the most common and typical smallpox, which is divided into two, more rare forms of the disease includi... ...er reaches it victims. However to this day there is no known cure for smallpox and once contracted the chances of survival are slim. Works Cited Aufderheide, AC.The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1998. p. 201-07 Gehlbach, Stephen H. American Plagues: Lessons from our Battles with Disease. New York: Mc Graw Hill Companies, 2005. 26-27. Hopkins, DR. The greatest killer: smallpox in history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2002. p. 13- 317 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. "Smallpox." CNN. 12 Aug. 2005. 30 July 2006 http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00424.html McNeill, WH. Plagues and peoples: a natural history of infectious diseases. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday ; 1976 Oldstone, MBA. Measles. Viruses, plagues, and history Oxford: Oxford university Press; 1989. p. 73-89

The Last Lecture Randy Pausch Reflection

Reflection of Randy Pausch’s â€Å"The Last Lecture† Pennsylvania State University Berks Campus The Last Lecture began as a good-bye speech, made by Randy Pausch, a 47 year old professor diagnosed with terminal cancer. His speech at Carnegie Melon University became an Internet phenomenon. It has also been published as a book. I really thoroughly enjoyed his Last Lecture speech. He had a lot of good talking points and brought up some new perspectives, or ways of looking at life situations that got me thinking. He talked a lot about his dreams when he was a child and was very humorous and inspirational throughout his speech.He also had a lot of quotes that I really enjoyed and they are what I want to focus on. â€Å"When you screw up and no one yells at you about it then they have given up on you. † They yell at you because they care. This is something that applies to my life. I have had presumably some of the worst years of my life my junior and senior year of hig h school through entering college. I always believed my parents never understood where I was coming from, and if I did anything slightly wrong, they would blow the situation out of proportion.This is not exactly the same thing, because I would not say that I have â€Å"screwed up† in my actions, but more, I have done things that my parents disagreed with. My parents would yell at me for reasons that I did not understand, and things that my friends’ parents would never yell at them for. I know that there are individual differences between families and their own beliefs, but at the time, I hated my parents. We would get into the pettiest fights, and my parents never knew how much I did not do to try and please them. I just wanted to run away and leave and or find a way out.These were somewhat dark times for me because my relationship with my parents was just extremely terrible. Our arguments took an emotional toll on me, and it affected all of my relationships outside of my family and my schoolwork; anything that was important to me was not anymore. All this being said, now that I have been in college I have realized that my parents do really care about me and when they ever got angry or would not let me do something, I know now that it was out of love and parental instinct to protect their child and have my best interests in mind.They also were so strict and disciplinary with me because they just wanted a better life for me than they had, and they did not want for me to â€Å"screw up†. I really appreciate all that my parents have done for me to have the life I had, and I am so lucky to have parents who care about me and my future so much. This ties back into another thing Randy Pausch said, which was â€Å"when you do something when you are young, it sticks with you. † My parents are pretty conservative and raised me with strict discipline, placing all their emphasis on my academics.My dad would always make me sit at the dinner tabl e and do all of my homework before I could go play or do anything else. This is something that has stuck with me for a long while. I am not as good at still doing this, but what my dad made me do, helped contribute to my work ethic that would get me good grades, organization, and good time management skills all throughout grade school. Also, like Pausch’s father, my dad taught me humility. I try to live my life as modestly as I possibly can, and I get the most gratification out of the smallest things.Unlike Pausch’s father though, my dad never let me draw and write on the walls, even though that never stopped me from doing it, but rather my dad still let me express my creativity in other ways that would not cause property damage. Having a creative outlet is such an important thing and I was glad I was able explore and let my imagination run. If anything, in today’s society, creativity is something that is being undervalued and sacrificed in the sake of making pr ogress and conforming to an academic standard, where the arts and other areas of study are not looked as highly upon as studying science or business, for example.It also comes down to material goods and earnings when choosing a course of study. A statement that stuck out to me was that â€Å"people are more important than things. † This is an idea that seems to have been innate for me. Since I was young, I always cared a lot about the people in my life, and that has translated to how I am now. I value friendships so much. I believe that yes, you have your family and they should always be there and support you, but having friends creates such more stable foundation in the relationships that you have. You can make a lot of money and buy whatever you want, but money does not equate happiness.I appreciate the people who are in my life and all the experiences we have shared together, which I will continue to reminisce about and keep forever. Money or things could not give me all t hose experiences. Sometimes I feel like people are so driven by their need for a sense of achievement and wealth/power that they push people away and give up any chance of building their friendships and enjoying the fruits of life that you can only get through your interaction with people. These people just end up alone, and that is something I do not want to do.Randy Pausch was very successful at being able to always put people before things. â€Å"Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want† and â€Å"brick walls are there to show how much people want something,† we two of my most favorite quotes that came out of his speech. The more I reflected on these words, the more I thought about how true they are. I never thought of experience in that way, but I guess that is what results from at least some of my experiences. I feel like I have great experiences, but they are times when I do get exactly what I wanted.No doubt though, many of the best ex periences I have had were ones where things did not go exactly as planned but they ended up being just as great, if not more great, than they would have been if I had gotten my way. Another important thing about experience I think, is that you have to let yourself experience, and not hold yourself back. You could look at something that happened to you and complain and cry about it, but you could look at it from the perspective that you have gained knowledge for future events, and you only grow and learn from your experiences, either good or bad.I know that many times, I feel like only bad things happen to me, and as much as I appreciate gaining experiences from them, it feels like I always have to the route of learning from my mistakes. I got into my first car accident on my way back home from FTCAP at Berks, and clearly that was not something I wanted. But I gained experience from it, and I guess it has made me become a more cautious driver. The other quote about brick walls really struck a nerve with me and that is why it was one of my favorites.I feel like I have come up against many brick walls in my life. Sometimes I cannot break them down, but I guess that means that I did not want something enough. Physically, I know that there are those times where I am in a game, and I am just exhausted. When I feel like I cannot push anymore, something inside me, whether it be my want to be better than someone else, or sense of competition and want to win, I find a whole source of energy and intensity that was not there before. Usually this allows me to overcome my fatigue and perform better.If I looked at every obstacle in my life as a brick wall that I would have to break down or overcome, I feel like I usually come up short and only make maybe a crack in the wall. I believe that when I am really passionate about something, I put literally everything I have into it and hope that it shows how badly I really, truly want something. Most of the time, I will admit, I ge t discourage or frustrated easily. I want to be able to not let these walls stop me from achieving anything.So this is a quote I have up so I can see it everyday, and it is quite motivating to see that I have to put effort into my day to achieve anything. I found the part of his speech where he talked about working on Imagineering inspirational. This was something that was his dream, and once he finally achieved his dream, this forever changed his life. I am not sure if I have an ultimate dream of what I want to be, in the future, but I hope to be like Pausch and enable childhood dreams of others.I do not even know what it would be like to fulfill your own dream or the dreams of others, but I would love to be a part of something bigger than myself and help others. I am realizing that there are so many people out there who are less fortunate than I, and those people work so much harder to achieve their dreams. My parents could even be used as examples. Their dream was to escape commu nism, and lead a better life for themselves and for their children. They worked extremely hard to build themselves up from nothing.I hope to someday have a dream that I want to achieve that badly. Pausch had pancreatic cancer, three kids, and did not want to be an object of pity even though he knew when his life would end. I envy that about him. He continued in his speech to talk about how to live and achieve your childhood dreams. I think that that was very motivational to us, especially as college students, because he is basically saying that we can be whatever we want to be and we should not let anything get in the way of our dreams.Pausch said that you should have a sense of fun and wonder which should never go away. I could not agree more. We are young, and should be curious and enjoy life. Often the flame of life seems to dim until it blows out over time, but like Pausch I hope to be able to have as much fun and fulfillment out of anything that I do. When I get out of school, and begin to work, I hope that I will be able to go to work everyday and be excited about it. I realized that I am basically living out a dream that I laid out for myself, whether I knew it or not.It has taken a lot for me to get to where I am now, and I have worked for â€Å"my dream† for so many years, it has become one of the only things I know how to do and work towards. I guess this dream is become a child psychiatrist, or work with children and help them medically. His conclusion of the lecture gave me a lot to really just think about. Really, his entire speech conveyed that you should never underestimate the value of having fun. You should work and play well with other, tell the truth, and apologize.You should show your gratitude. And not to complain, just work harder. This is such a great way I think to look at life. Life is all about living, and living is having fun and enjoying yourself. That is the only reason for doing anything. I mean it is simple, but why would you want to put all your time and energy into doing anything you do not like? Even those things that are difficult can be made easier if you just look at the situation from a different and more hopeful perspective. I know that I do not show my gratitude enough.I know that I am thankful, but sometimes a simple â€Å"thank you† does go a long way. I know that I do a lot for people and I do it because I want to, but those two words carry a lot of weight. I also know that I tend to complain a lot. His speech definitely was motivational in the fact that so many people, like myself, can spend an excessive amount of time being negative and looking at everything as a long and arduous task, when life is all about just trying to do the best you can and having an optimistic point of view.If you do not complain about things and just force yourself to get them done, you will be so much more satisfied with yourself and the work you accomplished. He went on further to talking about how you should live your life. Pausch said that if you live properly, your dreams will come to you. I am skeptical of this, but maybe if I try to live more â€Å"properly† then things will all fall into place. I realized that I often know what I want, but I do not do anything to help me achieve what I want.Also there are times when I feel like I am trying my best to live â€Å"properly† and make the best of every situation, but sometimes, I just do not want to make myself feel better about myself or any situation I would be in, and I would just rather sulk and pity myself. Randy Pausch definitely had ego integrity as he entered the last stages of his life. His attitude and his approach to facing death was something very awe-inspiring. He is not afraid of death, and he feels as if he has lived a fulfilling life. Even though he is leaving his children and family behind, he knows that they will carry on and live life to its maximum otential because he has shown them how. As upset ting and devastating as it is to lose someone who is very close to you and has made such an impact in your life, I believe that his family will be able to handle his death and have a positive outlook on the future, even without Pausch’s presence there, because he was so positive about his life and what he has contributed and done. I think as much as I would want to be optimistic or realistic about death and accept it, I think I would be more upset and more ego despair than Pausch was.Yes, death is a naturally occurring event and everyone dies. It is just somewhat unfair to me that certain people do not have the chance to live out their life. I also am just more afraid of when my life ends, I will not have accomplished everything that I wanted to, or made any difference in the world. Maybe someday, I will be able to give a â€Å"Last Lecture† speech that is just as motivational and inspirational as Randy Pausch. I also hope to get into the mindset that Pausch talked abo ut in his speech—living life, not worrying about death, having fun, and going after my dreams.

Problem Solution: Global Communications Essay

Global communication is an operating in the telecommunication industry which provides communication solutions to customers worldwide but currently it is under tremendous pressure and uncertainty as the company is facing challenges pertaining to the rights of its stakeholders and increasing competition in the industry that has left GC behind other companies. This company is getting adversely affected by the over all situations to this extent that the share value of GC fell from $28 to $11 which is a huge blow to the shareholders of GC. So it is high time that they need to take measures and some changes in the policies in order to counter the existing problems. This paper is going to discuss the aggressive approach that the management of GC plans to implement which the introduction of new services to the local and long distance customers, further more the company has planned out a strategy on developing cost cutting measures for the reduction of costs and improve profitability and growth and then do the marketing on a global scale in order to become a truly global firm. Situation Analysis Issue and Opportunity Identification There are a lot of reasons for Global Communications standing in the market today, some of them are due to the external forces, over which the company had no control that is the strengthening of the cable company, however the company did not analyze the future trends in the market and the possibilities of growth and competition which lead to an extreme pressure on the company while some reasons were internal which they could have avoided through strategic planning and strong organizational policies. Broadly defined some of the major issues that GC faced are as follows which require some immediate action by the management: 1) To much competition in the external environment especially because of the emergence of cable companies which came up with distinct solutions related to television, phones and computers increased the pressure on firms such as Global communications, due to which the market share of GC is decreased in the industry. 2) Global communications operates in an industry which requires flexibility and quick adoption of technology advancements and if you fail to do so then even survival becomes and issue. This is what happened with Global communication it was not being as innovative as the other companies which lead to these problems. 3) The company has to deal with the plunging stock price from $28 to $11. This was as a result of intense competition. Shareholders also got worried due to the 60% reduction in the stock value and investments opportunities decreased for the company. 4) Another issue is the lay off of the employees and salary cuts while relocating, when relocation decision took place then there are several other issues that need to be dealt with it these are the relocation of the workforce or hiring newer ones from the local environment and so on. 5) The internal communication of the company is not very effective which leads to other problems and challenges within the internal environment since they are facing problems in delivering the information to the employees. The communication process of the company has been one way in this major decision of relocating. This means that GC was not able to win the workers confidence and support. The company was divided among the different stakeholders and their interests. 6) The management did not involve the workers union in the decision making of relocation due to which they are threatening to take some legal action against the company. Not only this, this also leads to lack of motivation and dissatisfaction among the workers. 7) Employee morale is low because of the management’s way of working and dealing with their issues of interests and concern. This directly has an impact on the result and outcome of the firm. The company needs to address to all the issues in the best possible ways so that it has a positive impact on the organizational performance. Some of the opportunities that they have in hand are as follows: 1) The introduction of new services as addressed by the management of the company to cater to the consumer needs and small businesses , this is also beneficial from the growth perspective 2) Outsourcing of their call centers in places such as India and Ireland which are currently located in the United States will lead to lowering of costs 3) Growth in the international markets 4) Partnership with the wireless provider company this will provide connectivity and ease of access to the customers. 5) Develop and invest in the research and development Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas The negotiations between Global communication and the technologies Workers Union (TWU) is a proof that the company has learnt from its past experience and has decided to implement new ethical codes of decision making. The company plans on resolving them in the coming future and show that business ethics matter at all times. They need a team leader which they have in the form of Katrina who is the CEO; she will come up with relevant theories which will incline towards employee and the company’s benefit and protection. She is well learned individual who is capable of revamping the organization and make it accountable in front of the senior Board. She has the leadership skills and ability to lead the company and implement an effective appraisal system and establish goals and set standards for the work, further more the decisions made will be made under consideration of the ethics of decision making. The core values of the business will be ingrained in the system which will focus of integrity and honesty. All the stakeholders are going to use the theories of ethics as a basis of guidance and reference. Problem Statement Global communications wants to develop the business further into the global market share and stock value for the benefit of all the stakeholders of the company. Global communication is under similar situation like other telecommunication firms in the industry that is competition and pressure. Therefore they have to formulate adequate yet aggressive policies and plans in order to resolves key issues of the firm else even survival will become an issue for the company. However the management has come up with two broadly defined solutions to the company’s current situation that is relocation of the business and developing new services. Along with this there is a lot that needs to be done within the firm to make it strong and integrated. Until the organizational goals, management and the employees are not focused and unified towards one direction and consistent then the long term value of the company can not be increased. Organizational communication Organizational communication is a key to organizations sustainability and grooming. Communication is the exchange of information and ideas that lead to better understanding and implementation of plan which further leads to outcome, results and organizational performance. It can be in any form such as upward, downward or informal which is more like a casual communication way. The form of communication as organization is using depends on its culture and setup and varies from one place to another. However the idea is that the communication process should be clear, concise, and correct and the next person should understand its meaning and should be able to comprehend the message which can be checked after getting the appropriate feedback. Global communication has to work on its internal communication method because of its weaknesses and in ability to give results. It has to strengthen it immediately, and take corrective measures in order to connect everybody in the organization and all the different stakeholders. The company has to address the problem of grapevine, the barriers to communication, the work place structure and the gap between the employees and the management communication which is leading resentment and dissatisfaction among them. The company at the moment needs satisfied and motivated employees which can help the company together to work towards strengthening its position in the industry. The company can set benchmarks by setting the best practices of communication method whichever suits it but it should be a two way method. Benchmarking Benchmarking is the general principles set by the organization to address to key issues and is extremely valuable for the long term performance of the business. These are the points of orientation to which you can refer after completing a specific job area as it helps in analysis and measurement and also effective usage of resources. They set standards of performance. Global communication also needs to set benchmarks for themselves in each department and system procedure of the company. By adopting this into all areas of business the company can give itself room for improvement and efficiency and it will lead to better understanding; the employees need to be trained with the best practice so that the new system can be in built in the organization’s system. Impact of risks and ethics on decision making Business ethics and conduct is an essential part of decision making. But it depends that how much consideration is given by each firm on its importance. Research and study has shown that risk can have an influence on ethical decision making. The global business environment has got increased laws and regulations which can lead to organizational crisis. Unethical decisions can not damage the reputation of the company but also stop the people from consuming their products, the sales and profits go down. Therefore apart form the laws that govern the businesses to act in the company also have to do their job. The managers at GC have to see that the employees have a high moral ground; they are honest to their work, to the community and to the organization. The manager should be aware of the possible risks and the holistic understanding of the external environment and the company’s social responsibility. The job of the management and the leaders in the company is to see that how this is made part of the value system of the company. In this way the individual employee will be able to control their own decisions and conduct and they will not be dependent on the managers and co- workers. To integrate this into the organizational constant vigilance and training of employees is required. Managers also have a tough time in understanding the risks and business ethics. One way of doing this is to understand all the stakeholders who form the ethical issues and concerns and how is this important to the organizations decisions. Measures for performance evaluation The employees and the management of an organization are like partners, together they need to give their best for results and success. GC will set standards for the entire corporation and along with that an effective monitoring system, in the mean time there should be discussions regularly on the performance. The managers need to plan an alternate plan of action in case of failure of the appraisal. It is not a one time process; it’s an ongoing thing that will go on, on a regular basis. It requires proper planning where the company goals are set and the role of each employee is described in detail to them ad to what is expected from them, the performance metrics are set and the employees are given training based on that. There will be a two way communication in this where the employee and the management will meet on regular basis and discuss the issues related to work and performance. Feedback should be taken from the employees and their issues dealt with their involvement in it. The reason GC should invest so much time and effort in the performance evaluation is because it benefits the employees, the managers and the company as a whole. Employees know their contribution to the work and understand it and get the sense of responsibility since everything is so well explained to them so they know their job. Work is more organized and mangers spend more time in planning and managing rather than taking stress. The over all profitability of the company improves and so does the productivity. Research and development Since it is operating in the telecommunication industry here technology changes occur rapidly. Therefore Global communication need to invest in this extensively and allocate separate budget for this in order to stay ahead of the market and come up with better solutions and improved quality for its customers. End-State Vision Global communication wants to see itself grow in the telecommunication industry and gain back more than what it had in this market previously. In order to achieve this goal the company wants to 1. Set realistic, achievable and timely goals for the organization 2. Produce high quality solutions to the customers and service ands products that is way above their expectations 3. Produce a working environment that gives opportunities for continuous learning and growth. It wants to make Global communication as learning organization where innovations and best practices will be implemented and new methods of efficiency would be used and 4. Maximum utilization of company’s resources 5. Set standards for work and effective use of appraisal system 6. Individual Goals should be aligned with the organizational goals 7. Take ethical issues and conduct in considering while decision making 8. Develop relations with other service providers Alternative Solutions 1. Global communication needs to work on strengthening its internal weaknesses and make them the company’s strengths. The other option that it has is to improve its external relations with other companies and rather than working individually it can work with other firms; GC can merge or collaborate with other company’s in the telecommunication industry. In this way the competition will reduce. It will make the two firms more competitive and strong. Their market share will also increase when they join. When two firms merge they will be able to share the knowledge, expertise and technical facilities and capabilities of one another. This will help them in utilizing their resources in a combined and effective manner. The two firms can set organizational goals and work towards its accomplishment. 2. Another alternate the company has is to outsource the business to some other company in the industry however under global communications name. Analysis of Alternative Solutions The solution to merge with some other company has been given the maximum weight because it seems appropriate under the current scenario, however there are different kind of problems when it comes to merger, such as if the management of the two firms do not agree on common terms and conflict of interest, goals an ideas can lead to organizational crisis. The other option is given less weight relatively because if the outsourced company fails to produce results then the name and image of Global communication will get damaged. The share value can further depreciate of the company therefore there is high risk in both the scenarios and it only depends, it is on GC to se that whether they are merging with the right kind of company. For that proper investigation and study will take place, the company will have to find another company in the telecommunication industry that will be willing to merge with GC. Even while outsourcing the business the company will have to analyze whether they are giving it to reliable people and save hands, which would be able to do to justice to the deal. Optimal Solution The company will have to analyze its structure all over again. Starting from the core activities, organizational structure, the values, traditions and working environment, lines of communication and authority they will have to find the flaws in the system before starting up any new venture and plan. After the flaws are found then planning need to done to overcome them and make Global Communication a better working place. The company will redefine its goals and communicate it to the employees. There will be effective lines of communication, benchmarking with the best in the industry and later the employees in the GC should be trained according to that. The company will adopt an effective evaluation appraisal system and proper research and development department in order to stay innovative and competent. There will be monitoring system and the end results will be compared with the set goals. The corporate culture and decision making will be based on honesty, correctness, ethics and code of conduct. The new policies and strategies of the company will give special consideration to all the interests of all the stakeholders, employee’s welfare and involvement will be one of the priorities. It is very necessary to keep a satisfied workforce as this will be reflected in the performance. Apart from that the company will invest in developing new products and services for the customers. Quality will be of high standards and the business will relocate in a country where all the infrastructure, resources and facilities are available however whatever the decision the company will take the labor union and all the important stakeholders will be involved in order to avoid any legal action or resentment among them. Implementation Plan For the accomplishment of the long term objectives of the company there need to be an effective leadership which they have in the form of the CEO Katrina, she along with her co workers are going to make this plan successful. Katrina is going to lead them and each employee’s responsibility will be explained to them thoroughly. Every one will have to work as a team and view the organization as one unit where everyone should work for the company rather than indulge in fulfilling individual goals. This is going to be gradual procedure because integrating values and ethics and appraisal system and its results will take time. All this will be reflected in the performance of the company and the decisions made by the management. Things would start to work by themselves and the lost place of GC will be regained. Evaluation of Results If the planned solution set is applied affectively into GC then soon there will be evident positive changes in the company. There will be set targets for the sales and costs and those will be compared with the end results, thus the end results measurements for the effectiveness of the plan is going to be quantitative as well as qualitative. The quantitative ones will be to amylase the sales and costs results, the employee turnover rate, and the market share and so on where as the qualitative will be in the form of employee job satisfaction and the company’s image in the externally, the management system and the internal communication efficiency and so on. Conclusion Global communication has been facing challenges in the telecommunication industry due to which its stock value and market share was decreasing this lead the company to rethink its strategies and add something new into the company in order to make it compete with the other firms in the industry. The company has plans to expand in the international markets and relocate in India and Ireland and introduce new products however first it needs to overcome the weaknesses in its internal structure that is the relations and interests within the different groups of stakeholders. This problem solution helped me to analyze the interpersonal relationship of different stakeholders and their impact on the company’s decisions and performance, the importance of ethics in decision making and the different roles played by each individual within an organization. References Abbatangelo-Gray, J. , Cole, G. E. , & Kennedy, M. G. (Sep. 2008). Guidance for Evaluating Mass Communication Health Initiatives (AN 26389567). Evaluation & the Health Professions , 229-253. Breaking Cultural Communication Barriers. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 7, 2009, from www. essortment. com/all/culturalcommuni_raxq. htm Dasgupta, S. (2006). Is Globalization Causing A ‘Race To The Bottom’ In Environmental Standards? (Part 4 of a four part series). PREM Economic Policy Group and Development Economics Group , 2-4. Downsizing With Dignity. (2009). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://humanresources. about. com/od/layoffsdownsizing/a/downsizing. htm Employee Involvement. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from Employee Empowerment: humanresources. about. com/od/involvementteams/Team_Building_Employee_Empowerment_Employee_Involvement. htm Globalisation and Environment. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://www. blogspot. globalisation. com/14021 Najam, A. , Runnals, D. , & Halle, M. (2006). Environment and Globalization: Five Propositions. International Institute for Sustainable Development , 13-14. Pealy, J. (2001). Fundamentals of Communication. New York: Gale Research Company.

Toy Story Or Lion King essays

Toy Story Or Lion King essays How is it that you make a decision between two cartoons about which is better? Some say that you should judge them by which of the cartoons has the best plot, others say to decide on how well the characters relate to humans? I however did neither of these, I decided by the amount small details the artists put in to the film. I divided the details in to three different categories: background The movie The Lion King had excellent backgrounds and foregrounds. At the beginning of the movie there is a brilliant sunrise, this sunrise showed an extremely high-quality background. It slowly transfers from a dark blue, through a variety of mauves Toy Story does not achieve as great of detail in this category, however it does have a few good points. Throughout the movie, whenever there is a close-up of one of the characters faces, the background is in great detail (e.g. at the beginning of the movie, Woody is sitting on a chair with Andy, and you can see the intricate weaving patterns of the chairs material. There is also great detail put into the wooden floor of Andys room, all of the different pattern in the grains of wood can be seen). The Lion King has rather respectable character detailing. All of the animals walk and fly accurately, and the artists...

madonna and child essays

madonna and child essays Giovanni Bellini was born in 1426 - 1516. He was born in Venice, Italy. His father, Jacopo was also a painter. Giovanni more than likely began his career as an assistant in their fathers workshop. In his first years as an artist Bellini was strongly influenced by his brother-in-law, Andrea Mantegna, from who he took a sculptures figure style. Giovanni Bellini was the founder of founder of the Venetian school of painting. He raised Venice to a centre of renaissance art that rivalled Florence and Rome. I will discuss two of his paintings further on in the essay. - Madonna with the child (Greek Madonna) - Madonna of the Meadow (Madonna del Prato) Madonna with the Child (Greek Madonna) 1460-64, Bellini Rafaello Santi was born in Urbane on good Friday 6th Aril 1483. His father was a painter and poet and worked for Frederica da Montefelto who was of the most famous princes and art patrons of the early Italian renaissance . Raphael helped his father in his studio from an early age. This is where he is believed to have learned about art. His father died in 1494 and in 1504, Raphael moved to Florence and lived there for four years. He studied works by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo here which inspired him even more. It was in Florence he began his series of Madonnas. I will talk about two of his Madonna paintings later. The Small Cowper Madonna - Raphael c1505 In this essay I am going to discuss Raphaels and Bellinis approach to the theme Madonna and child. Both Bellini and Raphael painted many versions of the Madonna and child, both viewed this theme as a religious one however we can see that both portrayed the Madonna and child differently. Raphael painted Madonna and childs relationship as a warm and loving one. Be ...

Aerial, Areal, and Ariel

Aerial, Areal, and Ariel Aerial, Areal, and Ariel Aerial, Areal, and Ariel By Maeve Maddox The word aerial has long been in common usage as an adjective to describe things having to do with the sky and atmosphere. Although documented in English as early as the 1670s, the word areal is fairly new in popular usage. The first time I encountered it, my misspelling detector tingled, but I soon realized that it could have nothing to do with the air because it was being used to describe such things as computer memory and flooding. Aerial has to do with air, but areal has to do with area. aerial: adj. relating to the air or atmosphere. From Latin aerius airy, from Greek aerios of the air. As a noun, an aerial is a wire, rod or other structure by which airborne radio waves are transmitted or received. Aerial View of Oil Leak Shows Size Branching of Aerial Roots in Aranda Orchids Air Power: World War I Aerial Combat areal: adj. of, pertaining to, or of the nature of, an area. Linguistics: of, pertaining, or relating to the comparative study of languages or dialects in terms of geographical distribution and contact rather than historical development. Areal Flood Watch in Force Effects of pulse duration and areal density on ultrathin foil acceleration Evidentials and Areal Typology: A Case Study from Amazonia In computer speak, areal density is defined by PC Magazine as The number of bits per square inch of storage surface. It typically refers to disk drives, where the number of bits per inch (bpi) times the number of tracks per inch (tpi) yields the areal density. In meteorology, areal flooding differs from flash flooding in that it covers a larger area and is of longer duration. Ariel Like aerial, the name Ariel is related to air. An early meaning of the noun aerial was a creature or spirit of the air. The 1800 reference in the OED tells us that some aerials have feathers, like pigeons, and others have wings of skin, like bats. Long before the 1989 Disney movie in which Ariel is the name of a mermaid, writers were using the name for supernatural creatures. The sprite in Shakespeares The Tempest is named Ariel. Milton made his Ariel into an evil angel. Alexander Popes mock epic The Rape of the Lock is narrated by a playful spirit named Ariel. For a very long list of real people, places, and fictional characters all named Ariel, see the Wikipedia article with the title Ariel. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?

Wreiter choice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wreiter choice - Research Paper Example The effects of media are felt differently in various parameters but there are common effects that will be critically analyzed in this article. The evaluation will therefore incorporate more knowledge into the reader of the article on the absolute effects of media in the society. This article will highlight appropriate issues that an individual should know in the matter of effects of mass media to the society. The influence of media in our lives thus the society as a whole is greatly related to the degree in which an individual interacts with the elements of media on a daily basis. Books are always highly influential because they came first before articles such as magazines, newspapers, and radio. In the 20th century, the television and radio were very influential as they were used in advertisements, marketing and many more. By the 21st century the great influence was from the internet through the worldwide website inform of blogs, social networks, and wikis. First, there should be a distinction between the effects and effectiveness of the mass media. In the capacity to achieve certain objectives whether attracting large audiences or influencing opinion and behavior of individuals. Both of these matters are paramount though there are a different set of consideration relating to each other. The second issue is whether individuals are concerned with the future or past thus this will facilitate their interaction with media to be often due to the search of particular important information. The last point is to know if the effects occur on an individual, group, culture, institution, or the society. In this case the major focus is on the effects and influence on the society (Perse & Elizabeth, 51). The effects of media on the society are always difficult to recognize because they take long to happen and they are always evolving on a daily

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 93

Journal - Essay Example His demise was so painful that whenever I think of him I shed tears. 3. Death of my idol. I am the biggest fan of Michael Jackson. His music is both entertaining and inspirational to me. His death was one of the biggest shocks for me. It took me several days to accept that he had passed on. I was very depressed. I felt like I had lost a part of me. 4. The strange kid in school. There was this quiet girl that was surrounded by mystery and creepiness. Apart from wearing dark clothes, she was also a loner and enjoyed moody songs. One day she collapsed in class and was rushed to hospital. We later discovered she had deep cuts on her thighs and hands. At first we thought it was a case of parental abuse. However, bizarre knives and other sharp objects were confiscated from her room. 5. A fish and a coin. I love fishing. One day, my father and I went fishing during the holidays. Basically, it is always my father who catches fish. However, on this particular afternoon, none of us was successful. As the evening approached, I felt my fishing rod shake. I pulled it instantly and shockingly, a fish bigger than the palm of my hand was writhing and begging for mercy beside me. The shock in my father’s eyes was priceless. As we opened the fish, guess what we found- A $25 cent

Social and Physical Benefits of Parks and Recreation Annotated Essay

Social and Physical Benefits of Parks and Recreation Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example The findings revealed that park use is an instrumental source of physical activity which benefitted users and residents within the area. As such, it was noted that the current number and location of public parks are insufficient to optimize service to the general local population. The article is deemed beneficial as a source of pertinent information regarding accessibility and overall improvement in physical activity of local residents, specifically those coming from the low-income level. Cohen, Deborah A., et al. "New Recreational Facilities for the Young and the Old in Los Angeles: Policy and Programming Implications." Journal of Public Health Policy (2009): Volume 30, S248–S263. Print. The study was conducted to determine any significant changes in terms of use of recreational facilities or parks after being remodeled or refurbished and compared with those which were not changed. The aim was specifically noted as determining whether â€Å"higher quality recreation faciliti es promote physical activity and serve communities better† (Cohen, Sehgal and Williamson S248). One skate park and one senior center were used as observation avenues and compared with two other skate parks and two senior centers that were not refurbished. The methods used the System for Observing Parks and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) and validating interviews. The findings revealed that â€Å"park use results from a complex mix of factors that includes not only higher quality recreation facilities but also programming, staffing, fees, hours of operation, marketing, outreach, and perhaps a host of other human factors† (Cohen, Sehgal and Williamson S257). The information contained herein are therefore useful to the current research in terms of specifically identifying factors that could contribute to increased use of these facilities and therefore are instrumental in improving the health condition of users. Godbey, Geoffrey C.Caldwell, Linda L., Myron Floyd and Lau ra L. Payne. "Contributions of Leisure Studies and Recreation and Park Management Research to the Active Living Agenda." American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2005): Vol. 28, 150 –158. Print. The authors aimed to determine the source of studies involving leisure, recreation and park use with their alleged link to active living. Other concerns pertinent to the study included presenting aspects of government recreation and park services, concepts and methods in leisure studies as well as the management of recreation and park use, urban park use, and diverse factors that were apparently contributory to increased physical activity in leisure times. The findings revealed that a deeper understanding of leisure and the use of recreation and parks provide rationales on how park and recreational activities apparently contribute to physical activity, among others. The information contained in the study would therefore provide valuable insights to the current research. Payne, Laura L ., et al. "Local Park Use and Personal Health Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study." Journal of Park and Recreation Administration (2005): Volume 23, Number 2, 1-20. Print. The study was reportedly conducted for the purpose of evaluating the relationship between the use of local parks and the health status of elders, aged 50 and above. Five specific research questions were explicitly stated; as the researchers allegedly used the exploratory research method with a conducted

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 25

No topic - Essay Example Malcolm X was just advocating self-defense, calling for them to band together to protect themselves. He also advocated for equality, and his assertion that Negroes should have the right to vote manifests his belief in the legal system that does not endorse violence. His last paragraph is a good strategy to gain freedom. In fact, it is the only way to have freedom. You have to get or seize it when it is not given to you. The oppressor can call names but if you insist, even the timid will join you once you have enough critical mass for the oppressor either to give freedom or for you to take it. Yusef Iman’s point was basic, love others but you have to love yourself first. Love is good but one has to love himself or herself also. When somebody burns your house, water-hoses you down and does many other despicable things, your love for yourself must prevail and you have to protect yourself. So, in protest to such despicable acts, resorting to violence becomes an act of love. One has to love but he or she has to love himself or herself

Advice to Future Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Advice to Future Students - Essay Example Consequently, more efficient teaching strategies are developed. In the class setting, the student is required to develop a learning relationship with other students. The course requires training for an effective learning experience. Training can be done through personal effort of the in groups (Jennings 26). A student should, however, develop both training mechanism. Personal training entails personal studying and practice. This is done effectively in a private location. In addition, a student may reflect on the previous classes or focus on the future classes. This enables the students to transition one learning experience to another. Moreover, this provides student with sufficient knowledge of the classroom content. The course also requires practice in both oral and writing skills. Oral skills are acquired through communication with other student. Writing skills may be developed without aid. A student should also be able to access classroom resources such as reading and writing materials. This ensures a student keeps track of course development. With access to reading materials, a student is enabled to practice and refer to notes from previous lessons. In addition, learning resources improve the participation of students in the classroom setting. This significantly improves their learning

Hardware Clouds--Pros and Cons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hardware Clouds--Pros and Cons - Essay Example Traditionally, clouds only support the software services wherein the hardware component is provided by the end users. However, due to increasing complexity of the technology as well as changing requirements, it becomes more costly and beneficial for the firms to also use hardware clouds. Apart from this, hardware clouds can help organizations to save costs on infrastructure development, construction costs as well as energy savings. (Low, Chen, & Wu, 2011) 2. The portability of the hardware clouds wherein firms offer hardware cloud servers packed in containers and can be plugged even from parking lots suggests that the companies can take advantage of the portability offered by hardware clouds. 3. Hardware clouds are completely scalable in nature therefore organizations can actually tailor them according to their own requirements. Off-the-shelf hardware often cannot fulfill the exact requirements of the organizations however, due to scalability of the hardware cloud, it offers a viable alternative to gain access to hardware tailored exactly according to the requirements. Though the above benefits of hardware cloud computing can be sufficient enough to allow firms to go for such organizational shift in terms of managing information technology resources however, hardware clouds may not fulfill all the requirements of the companies. Hardware clouds may not be beneficial under following conditions: 1. One of the key areas where hardware cloud can fail to provide results is the issue of performance. Especially on the public clouds, many organizations may be sharing the same hardware therefore the performance may slow down. Further, even with the dedicated hardware, extra load on the hardware can slow the execution of processes and thus result into loss of efficiency. (Sharif, 2010) 2. Single hardware clouds function in single point therefore the failure of the hardware can shut

Advice to Future Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Advice to Future Students - Essay Example Consequently, more efficient teaching strategies are developed. In the class setting, the student is required to develop a learning relationship with other students. The course requires training for an effective learning experience. Training can be done through personal effort of the in groups (Jennings 26). A student should, however, develop both training mechanism. Personal training entails personal studying and practice. This is done effectively in a private location. In addition, a student may reflect on the previous classes or focus on the future classes. This enables the students to transition one learning experience to another. Moreover, this provides student with sufficient knowledge of the classroom content. The course also requires practice in both oral and writing skills. Oral skills are acquired through communication with other student. Writing skills may be developed without aid. A student should also be able to access classroom resources such as reading and writing materials. This ensures a student keeps track of course development. With access to reading materials, a student is enabled to practice and refer to notes from previous lessons. In addition, learning resources improve the participation of students in the classroom setting. This significantly improves their learning

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 32

Analysis - Essay Example Last, but not the least, the third failure in materials can be identified as the corrosion fatigue which occurs in metals like iron most of the time. These failures have importance because avoiding them can reduce cost, manpower effort and energy. One of the common mistakes made in engineering work is employing material like iron in instances where there is a chance of corrosion. If as an engineer iron is used in structures which come in contact with water, then within years metal corrosion can takes place and structures like building and bridges can collapse. However, in such cases, the Swiss Cheese Model comes into play as it is used to gauge risk analysis in relevant engineering constructions. With this model, we can understand that corrosion in metal passing through corresponding holes in the layers of defences can cause active and latent failures. One of the failures which can be identified in Delatte’s reading is the stress corrosion in relevance to bridge collapse. If this failure is focused on then it can be characterized through one of the method described by Brosnan which is incompetence. According to (Brosnan 34 )â€Å" The correctness of engineering calculations represents only one part of the large scope of potential human error in construction work†. It means the engineering experts are misunderstanding the engineering principles and characteristics of system and materials in case of building

Corruption Essay Example for Free

Corruption Essay Introduction: If two or more persons meet together and start talking about the present society of India, they soon come to the conclusion that every system, every institution of India is infested with corruption. Corruption has become so common in public life that people are now averse to thinking of public life without this phenomenon. Meaning: But what does Corruption actually mean? Corruption means perversion of morality, integrity, character of duty out of mercenary motives (e.g. bribery) without regard to honour, right or justice. In public life, a corrupt person is one who bestows undue favor on someone with whom; he has monetary or other interests (e.g. nepotism). Simultaneously, those who genuinely deserve those things as their right remain deprived. Not a new phenomenon: Corruption in public life is not a modern phenomenon. It was prevalent in the political and civic life of even Maura period as has been discussed by Chanakya in the Arthassastra. (Give other examples)†¦ But it is only recently that Corruption has become remnant in our public life. People no longer protest against corrupt practices, fight injustice or express any shock when big scandals are exposed. Also corruption is not uniquely Indian phenomenon; it is witnessed all over the world (USA, Japan, Italy, etc.) Forms of corruption in India: Explain bribery, nepotism, theft and wastage of public property, dereliction of duty†¦ etc. Extent of corruption: Start with a hospital where a child is born and move further on to education – system, career opportunities, political system, judiciary, law and order, other day – to – day activities†¦ till post – modern report and crematorium. Results of corruption: Individual sufferings, people lose faith in the existing system, prevalence of chaos and ‘anarchy, society disintegrates, country becomes weak, foreign invasion may occur†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Causes of corruption: It is a vicious circle. Start with those politicians, who run the state, come down to higher officials†¦ then to the lowest rung of bureaucratic hierarchy. Lastly, come to the general people’. Who elect the† corrupt people as their representatives’ and expect special favors from them.

Assessment And Repair Of Fire Damaged Structures Engineering Essay

Assessment And Repair Of Fire Damaged Structures Engineering Essay This chapter explains how a structure is assisted and repaired after the aftermath of a fire. Often the initial response when looking over a fire-damaged structure is one of despair and horror at the extent of damage. This situation is shown by the amount of non-structural debris lying around together with the unpleasant smell of many combustion products. In most cases, the damage is not as severe as is at first thought, even though immediate decisions must be taken on the short-term safety of the structure and whether any temporary propping is necessary or, indeed, whether some demolition work is necessary. This judgment will often need to be taken very quickly after the fire and will generally be based on a visual survey and expert judgement. It should be pointed out that the assessment of fire damaged structures is very much a black art in that it relies heavily on experience.. 4.1 Visual Inspection The aim of the visual inspection is to determine: Structural stability of the structure and The extent and severity of the fire. 4.1.2 Structural Stability If possible, the original drawings for the structure should be consulted at this stage these allow assessment of how the structure transmits the applied loading and enables the principal load carrying members to be identified, as well as those providing structural stability. The inspection needs to check any excessive deformation, deflection or cracking in the main load-carrying members and integrity at the connections between the main members (1). It is vital to check for structural stability if excessive bowing of structural elements such as masonry cladding or internal compartment walls, which would be observed in the inspection stage of a structure. Anywhere the fire has only affected part of the structure, it is crucial that the inspection also extend to any part of the structure not damaged indirectly by the fire; it is possible that a significant redistribution of forces can occur into the unaffected part of the structure. For a example in the Broadgate fire scenario when the structure behaved during the fire in a totally different manner to the way it was designed, in that forces were redistributed away from the fire by columns acting in tension to transmit forces to the relatively cool upper stories of the structure(2). 4.1.3 Estimation of fire severity The first method of obtaining a rough estimate of the fire severity is by the use of the fire brigade records in terms of the number of vehicles called out, the length of time taken to fight the fire, the length of time between the fire being noted and the arrival of the brigade, the operation of any automatic fire detection or fire fighting equipment and the degree of effort required to fight the fire. The second method is to estimate the temperature reached in the fire by studying the debris caused by the fire and therefore it is essential that no debris is removed until such a study is carried out in order to maintain evidence. Provided the materials generating the debris can be identified, the knowledge may be used to give an indication of temperature reached, since most materials have known specific melting or softening temperatures. Table.1 gives typical melting temperatures of different materials that could be found in a fire according to the Building Research Establishment (BRE). material Behaviour Approximate temperature (ËÅ ¡C) Softening or collapse of polystyrene 120 Melting of polystyrene 250 Aluminium softens 400 Aluminium melts 650 Softening of glass 700-800 Melting point of brass 800-1000 Melting point of sliver 950 Melting point of copper 1100 Melting point of cast iron 1100-1200 Table.1: melting point data (Source: Parker and Nurse (1956) BRE) It is very important that care is taken in consideration when using data as the temperatures varies over the height of a fire compartment; therefore the original position of a particular artefact is important. This method of assessment only gives an Indication that particular temperatures were reached but not the duration of exposure to that temperature. The third method that is available to give an estimate in terms of either the standard furnace test duration or a known fire, is to measure the charring depth on any sizeable piece of timber known to have been exposed to the fire from the start of the fire. The charring depth can be related back to the standard furnace exposure since timber of known, or established, density can be assumed to char at a constant rate between 30 and 90 min standard exposure. The position of the timber specimen in the compartment should also be noted. A fourth method is to calculate the fire severity from estimates of the compartment size, the fire load density and the area of openings (ventilation factor). In practice, no one of the above methods is completely reliable and therefore a combination of methods must be used to give a reasonable answer. The visual inspection, once carried out, will have identified those areas which must be either immediately demolished (where the damage is beyond that capable of being repaired) or those areas which may be capable of being repaired if sufficient strength can be attained (1). The inspection will also identify where there is no, or only very apparent damage. If repair of a structure is considered feasible, then a much more detailed investigation is required to ascertain the extent and severity of any damage and the residual strength of the structure. To do this, it is first necessary to clear all debris from the structure and to clean as much smoke damage as possible to allow an unhindered examination of all surfaces. 4.2 Damage Assessment In order to carry out any assessment of damage on a steel structure a number of stages needs to be carried out. The first stage involves a complete fully detailed survey of the structure. The second stage ascertains the residual strength of both the individual members and of the complete structure. 4.2.1 Structural survey For all structures, the first stage is to carry out, where appropriate, a full line and level survey. This is required to assess the residual deformations and deflections in the structure. The measured deflections should be compared with those for which the structure was designed. Care should be taken to note the effect of any horizontal movements due to thermal actions during the fire. Such effects of horizontal movement are often apparent away from the seat of the fire (Malhotra, 1978; Beitel and Iwankiw, 2005). In steel structures, since most structural steels regain more strength on cooling, there will be a slight loss in strength. However, the resultant deformations are likely to indicate the state of the structure. In this case, it is important to assess the integrity of the connections; it is possible that bolts could have failed within the connection or could have become excessively deformed. Where the floors comprise of profile sheet steel decking and in situ concrete, examination should be made for any separation between the decking and the beams. This separation can still occur even if thorough deck stud welding was used. Another potential point of failure is the shear bond between the decking and the in situ concrete. Fig 4.1 shows concrete separated away from the metal deck floor. Even with substantial damage of the types mentioned above, the structure may still be intact as demonstrated after the fire tests on the steel frame structures at Cardington (Bailey, 2004a)(6). Fig 4.1 Measurement of the gap of concrete gap after the fire (http://www.google.ie/images) Whilst carrying out the visual survey, attention should be given to the need for carrying tests on the structural materials to ascertain their residual strengths. The testing methods used may either be non-destructive or involve the taking of samples from damaged portions on the structure, together with control specimens from undamaged areas. 4.3 Testing There are two approaches that may be used to assess residual steel strengths for steel. The first is to remove test coupons or samples and subject those specimens to a standard tensile test.Fig.4.1 shows test results for a piece of S350GD+Z structural steel. Great Care should taken in removing test specimens in that the damaged structure is not further weakened, and that again any necessary propping should be used. Fig 4.2 Tensile test results for structural steel S350GD+Z, the test pieces taken before and after high temperature compression tests, where the material reached temperatures up to 950 °C, (Y. C. Wang P6) The second is to use non-destructive tests of which the most suitable is a hardness indentation test usually measuring the Brinell hardness. There is a direct, sensibly linear, relationship between the Brinell hardness number (BHN) and tensile strength as shown in fig.4.2. It is important that care is taken in using this test since a number of results are needed before the strength estimates are statistically reliable. Fig4.2: Relationship between steel strengths and Brinell hardness number (BHN) (Kirby, Lapwood and Thompson, 1986, p 370). 4.3.1 Residual strength For Grade 43A (S275) steel there is no residual strength loss based on the 0,2% proof s0 tress when the steel is heated to temperatures up to 600à ¢- ¦C but a 30% reduction at a temperature of 1000à ¢- ¦C(5). The variation in residual strength between these temperatures is sensibly linear. The pattern for Grade 50D (S355 J2) steel is similar except that the strength loss at 1000à ¢- ¦C is only about 15%. It should be noted that in all the tests, except for the American steel at 800à ¢- ¦C, the measured tensile strengths exceeded the minimum guaranteed yield strength. Data on such steels are presented in Fig. 4.4 (Holmes et al., 1982), where it is seen that the yield strength for reinforcing steel shows an increase above ambient strength at temperatures below about 550à ¢- ¦C, but a decrease at temperatures above 550à ¢- ¦C. Pre-stressing steels show no change in strength below 300à ¢- ¦C, but a substantial drop after this point such that at 800à ¢- ¦C only around 50% of strength remains Wrought iron appears to show a marginal strength increase at temperatures up to 900à ¢- ¦C and thus appears able to perform well in a fire provided however, that excessive deformations do not occur. Cast iron will also perform reasonably well unless undue large bending moments are applied to the member during the fire. The good fire performance in real structures is in part due to the very low stresses to which cast iron members were subjected in design. One problem that can occur is that brittle failure is possible if cast iron is quenched by cold water from firemens hoses whilst still red-hot, or if additional loads are induced during the fire (7). Fig.4.4: Variation of residual strengths of reinforcing and pre-stressing steels with temperature (Holmes et al., 1982). 4.4 Methods of repair As far as steelwork is concerned, any repair will be in the form of partial replacement where the original structure has deformed beyond the point at which it can be reused. Where the steelwork is still intact, it is almost certain that the fire protection system used will need partial or total replacement. Any intumescent paint systems will certainly need renewing. 4.5 Demolition of fire damaged structures Clearly, the same safety hazards that exist for structures being demolished for reasons other than fire damage exist for those so damaged; except that problems of stability are exacerbated for fire-damaged structures as the structure itself is naturally weaker, often to such an extent that little physical effort may be needed for demolition. 4.6 Re-use of steel after a fire An often quoted general rule for fire affected hot rolled structural steels is that if the steel is straight and there are no obvious distortions then the steel is probably still fit for use. At 600 °C the yield strength of steel is equal to about 40% of its room temperature value; it follows therefore that any steel still remaining straight after the fire and which had been carrying an appreciable load was probably not heated beyond 600 °C, will not have undergone any metallurgical changes and will probably be fit for re-use. However, where the load in the fire was less than the full design load, and also with high strength steels, this cannot always be held to be true. In such cases it is recommended that hardness tests are carried out on the affected steel. In practice it is recommended that, in all instances, some hardness tests should be carried out. For grade S275 steel, if the ultimate tensile strength resulting from the tests are within the range specified in  the table 2 below, then the steel is reusable. Table.2Ultimatetensilestrengths (source:http://www.corusconstruction.com/en/design_guidance/structural_design) For grade S355 steel additional tensile test coupons should be taken from fire affected high strength steel members when hardness tests show that: There is more than 10% difference in hardness compared to non-fire affected steelwork, or Hardness test results indicate that the strength is within 10% of the specified minimum. Where deflections are visible, general guidelines on the maximum permissible levels of deflection to ensure satisfactory performance are difficult to specify. The amount of deflection or distortion must be checked so that its effect under load can be calculated to ensure that permissible stresses are not exceeded and the functioning of the building is not impaired. Therefore every building should be considered as a separate case and the structural engineer involved in the reinstatement exercise must decide what level is acceptable to satisfy the relevant Codes. 4.7 Conclusion It can be concluded that the assessment of steel structures after a fire is crucial in order to judge the structural stability of the structure and seen can the building can be reused after the fire. Steel structure can behave different that they have been designed for and this can have a effect on the structural stability of the building, for example the broadgate fire behaved in a different manner than it designed for. It is essential that testing of steel is carried out after the fire in order to see if the steel is capable of been reused.It can be conclude that for Grade 43A steel there is no residual strength loss based on the 0,2% proof stress when the steel is heated to temperatures up to 600à ¢- ¦C but a 30% reduction at a temperature of 1000à ¢- ¦C. The variation in residual strength and temperatures has a linear relationship as they are directly proportional to each other. [1] Steel Construction Industry Forum (SCIF), 1991. Structural Fire Engineering: Investigation of Broadgate Phase 8 Fire, Steel Construction Institute, UK. [2] Fire Safety Engineering Design of Structures Second Edition John A. Purkiss BSc(Eng), PhD [3] Outinen,J.Mà ¤kelà ¤inen,P.,2004.Mechanical properties of structural steel at elevated temperatures and after cooling Fire and Materials, 28 (2-4), pp. 237-251. [4] Kirby, B.R., Lapwood, D.G. Thomson, G., 1986. The Reinstatement of Fire Damaged Steel and Iron Framed Structures, British Steel Corporation (now Corus), London, p. 46 [5] Wang Y.C., Wald F., Tà ¶rà ¶k A., Hajpà ¡l M., 2008. Fire damaged structures, in Technical sheets Urban habitat constructions under catastrophic events, Print PraÃ…Â ¾skà ¡ technika, Czech Technical University in Prague. [6] Bailey, C.G. (2004b) Structural Fire Engineering Design: Materials Behaviour- Steel, Digest 487 Part 2, BRE. [7] Holmes, M., Anchor, R.D., Cooke, G.M.E., and Crook, R.N. (1982) The effects of elevated temperatures on the strength properties of reinforcing and prestressing steels. Structural Engineer, 60B, 7-13 [8] Barnfield,J.R. and Porter, A.M. (1984) Historic buildings and fire; fire performance of cast-iron structural elements. Structural Engineer, 62A, 373-80. 4.0 Assessment and repair of fire-damaged structures 4.1 Visual Inspection 4.1.2 Structural Stability 4.1.3 Estimation of fire severity 4.2 Damage Assessment 4.2.1 Structural survey 4.3 Testing 4.3.1 Residual strength 4.4 Methods of repair 4.5 Demolition of Fire-Damaged Structures

Experimental Training Program: Wilderness/adventure Learning :: essays research papers

Experimental Training Program: Wilderness/Adventure Learning Training employees is a fundamental element of a corporations success. A company succeeds only as well as the people running it can perform. This training process can cover many skills and go into many areas of expertise. One key element that has only recently come into action is an outdoor- based experiential training program. Commonly called "ropes courses," wilderness courses or adventure learning programs have been in use in the USA since the early 1980's, and by organizations in the UK since the early 1970's. Outdoor programs have been most beneficial when used to promote effective work teams and used to enhance leadership and management skills in the participants. Outdoor- based training programs seem to accomplish these objectives by allowing participants to develop a high level of trust in their peers, improve their problem-solving ability, and generally improve the level of interpersonal communications between group members. Companies are looking for leaders that can launch them into a new era. Constant improvement is necessary to meet the growth of challenging competition. So who defines leadership? What is a leader and how would you raise these skills that may be laying dormant in your subordinates? Organizations need great leaders to help them successfully survive the many difficulties of this decade. Yet, the very notion of leadership has rapidly degenerated into a clichà ©, a buzz word. In many people's minds, leadership has become identified with an overly simplistic conception of vision and empowerment. Although these concepts do play an important role in the leadership process, they only scratch the surface of what an exceptional leader actually does on a day-to-day basis. What do leaders really do to make an organization work well? In my research I found that great leaders exhibit nine different kinds of behaviors that enable them to bring out the best in the people around them. Some of the nine behaviors of leadership listed below involve building participatory teams, some involve using "situational management strategies," while others enhance personal resources. Listed separately, the nine behaviors include: Developing people. Being able to influence others. Encouraging teamwork. Empowering people. Using multiple options thinking. Taking intelligent risks. Being passionate about work. Having a strong, clear vision. Stretching one's personal creativity. While many people think leaders are unique, even born to that state of excellence, I have found just the opposite. With proper experiential training, it is possible for people to learn these leadership behaviors. In other words, leaders can be developed. By all means they should be developed at many levels in an organization because leadership in a hierarchical situation stimulates the best in their followers and thereby increases overall productivity.

The South Africa Overview Economics Essay

The authorities of South Africa is a Republic and the overall population is 50 million. The service sector is the major sector in South Africa with 65 part in the state ‘s GDP. The major import beginnings associated with South Africa are China, Germany, USA and Japan and the major export market are China, USA, Japan and Germany.Main beginnings of foreign exchange of South AfricaPlatinum ( 14 % ) , gold ( 8 % ) , coal ( 5.5 % ) , autos ( 3.5 % )Main disbursals of foreign exchangePetrochemicals ( 12 % ) , auto constituents ( 10 % ) , crude oil ( 4 % )Energy state of affairsSouth Africa has a big coal and mineral ( Pt, manganese, chrome, gold, U ) militias. Despite a well-developed man-made fuel production, 90 % of oil has to be imported.South Africa and the WorldSouth Africa is ranked 31st harmonizing to GDP and 129th harmonizing to Human Development Index and the major sectors are Agriculture, Technology, Textiles and Chemicals harmonizing to diary by Thomas White- Global Invest ing Co.POLITICS AND GOVERNANCEPolitical state of affairs: Reasonably stableHead of state/government: President Jacob Zuma ( since May 2009 ) South Africa runs by a democratically elected parliament and the major resistance portion there is Democratic Alliance. National Assembly and National Council of Provinces are the two chief parliaments with National Assembly being the more powerful and responsible.BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT South Africa was ranked 34 harmonizing to World Bank in 2010 and 2nd on the African continent. Restrictions to make concern in South Africa are really limited and the market is besides really crystalline. South Africa ‘s concern substructure is good established with good rail, route and airdrome substructure, advanced IT systems and good communicating web. The state is unfastened to foreign direct investing with both corporate concern and private persons.PROPERTY OWNERSHIP AND TAXATIONThe statute law which mentioned that foreign companies may non be able to borrow more than tierce of the purchase monetary value of any belongings if the company ‘s major stockholders are registered outside of South Africa, is no longer applicable. The new statute law effected from 1st January 2011. There are no limitations on ownership of commercial belongingss. However, the statute law for private persons purchasing belongings in South Africa remains the same and non-residents can merely measure up for a place loan of up to 50 % of the value of the belongingsTrade GROUP MEMBERWorld Trade Organization ( WTO ) : South Africa is a member of the World Trade Organization. Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) : South Africa has been a member of the Southern African Customs Union and the members of SACU include Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho. The understanding footings of SACU province that members use the South African duty as the common external duty and goods are traded free of responsibilities and quotas between member provinces Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) : -South Africa has besides been a member of the Southern African Development Community and the members include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe. SADC has committed itself to the creative activity of a free trade country ( FTA ) by subscribing a protocol on trade at SADC Summit in 1996.BILATERAL Trade Agreements:South Africa has bilateral trade understandings with the undermentioned states or groups of states: Nyasaland: A bilateral understanding between South Africa and Malawi, provided the discriminatory rates of responsibility, discounts and ordinances on certain goods traded between the two states. Due to the understanding signed between them, goods that belonged to Malawian beginning can easy come in South Africa duty-free. The goods of South Africa that enters Malawi, receive the most-favored-nation rate of responsibility. Rhodesia: A bilateral understanding between South Africa and Zimbabwe provided for discriminatory rates of responsibility, discounts and quotas on certain goods traded between them and some new footings were added to it in the twelvemonth 1996. The footings included decreased duties and quota degrees on fabric imports into South Africa. The farther possibility of the understanding is that, the extension would be to other sectors such as agricultural. Mocambique: The bilateral understanding between the two of them have been chiefly for modulating mine labour, railroad and port affairs, and trade. The understanding has non been a really utile one and hence a really few figure of Mozambian goods receive duty penchant from South Africa. Citations: South Africa provides for protection for points that are listed on the endangered species list. It ‘s a party to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) . European Union: -The European Union and South Africa signed a Free Trade Agreement ( FTA ) in 1999. The understanding will be phased in over a 10 to twelve twelvemonth period and will basically liberalise 86 % of South Africa ‘s imports from the EU and approximately 95 % of EU imports from South Africa. The overall understanding meets WTO demands of 90 % coverage.Document RequirementThe paperss required in importing are a commercial bill, measure of cargo, insurance paperss and packing list.IMPORT DUTIESThe import responsibility rates rangeA from zero to 30 % with a few exclusions, vesture industry, fabrics industry and motor industry merchandises. Import TAXESValue added revenue enhancement ( VAT )The ratings of imported goods for VAT is based on the f.o.b value plus 14 % of the value already considered with extra imposts responsibility.South Africa Import ProhibitionsThe merchandises which are prohibited for import in South Africa are drugs and narcotics, adult or obnoxious stuffs, workss, seeds, bulbs, natural cotton, uncooked meat/poultry, beeswax, honey, bees and their larvae or eggs, used beehive contraptions, , ammo, dry ice, furniture, unwrought gold, untrimmed diamonds, pelts.INDIA AND SOUTH AFRICADue to the bilateral dealingss between theA Republic of IndiaA and theA Republic of South Africa strong strategic, cultural and economic ties have been there since the terminal ofA apartheidA in South Africa in 1994. India and South Africa besides portion an extended energy partnership. In 2010, India imported 1.4 million metric tons of South African coal in February, doing it the largest buyer of coal from the state.BackgroundThere is a major residentA IndianA community in South Africa.A Mohandas Karamchand GandhiA had commenced his political-legal calling in South Africa in the 1890s and 1900s, experimenting withA civil noncompliance, to better the quality of life of the Indians life at that place. During theA 2003 Cricket World CupA a statue of him was unveiled inA PietermaritzburgA byA Sourav Ganguly, the captain of theA Indian national cricket squad.Development of bilateral dealingssIn 1994 both states established diplomatic dealingss after the terminal of apartheid. Indian authorities awarded South African leaderA Nelson MandelaA theA Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize. Both states have besides promoted featuring ties, with theA Indian national cricket teamA and theA South Africa national cricket teamA often interchanging visits and take parting in cricket tourneies hosted by either state.Economic tiesIn 2005-06 the Bilateral tradeA grew exponentially fromA USDA 3 million in 1992-93 to USD 4 billion, and the two authoritiess have targeted increasing bilateral trade to USD 12 billion by 2010.A Gold bullionA constitute tierce of India ‘s imports from South Africa, while India glosss and processesA diamondsA from South African mines.A South Africa has promoted subscribing aA free trade agreementA with India and theA Southern Africa Customs UnionA ( SACU ) , which includesA Botswana, A Lesotho, A NamibiaA andA SwazilandA along with South Africa. Bharti AirtelA was scheduled to acquireA MTNA to do one of the universe ‘s largest telecommunications companies, and besides touted as measure inA South-South cooperation. The South African authorities ofA Jacob Zuma, nevertheless rejected trade on the evidences that MTN would non be as South African any longer amid concerns of dual-listing on the Indian and South African stock exchanges.Military tiesMilitary cooperation, trading weaponries and joint exercisings and plans to develop forces have been developed by India and South Africa.IBSA ( India, Brazil, South Africa )India and South Africa signed an understanding withA Brazil, known as the Brasilia Declaration On June 6, 2003. The declaration called for extended three-party cooperation on strategic, cultural and commercial affairs.A A The three states have besides expanded military cooperation and conducted joint naval exercisings in 2008.India and South Africa Exploring Trade AgreementThe trade between two states continues to see strong growing as on Aug. 31 – India and South Africa are looking into subscribing a comprehensive bilateral trade understanding. India ‘s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said â€Å" We are traveling to analyze a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and South Africa, as the state is a strategic spouse, † while at the â€Å" India Show † in Johannesburg. Bilateral trade between the two has been increasing steadily over the last few old ages, with trade figures lifting from US $ 7.5 billion in the 2008-2009 financial twelvemonth to US $ 7.9 billion over 2009-2010. Both states agreed to seek and hit the US $ 10 billion milepost by 2011-2012 While South African President Jacob Zuma was in New Delhi this past June, but that may hold underestimated the trade potency between the two states as bilateral trade has already reached US $ 2.7 billion through the first one-fourth. Sharma said â€Å" It ( the US $ 10 billion trade mark ) is good below possible. I think it is accomplishable by 2011. Then we can look at higher rates † . â€Å" The chances are illimitable. South African corporations are coming to India with optimism. † Sharma besides said that he hopes to wrap up a limited free trade understanding between India and the Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) every bit shortly as possible. The SACU is made up of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. The 5th unit of ammunition of negotiations over duty decreases and other barriers to merchandise Union representatives will go to New Delhi following month.India-SACU ( Southern African Customs Union ) Framework AgreementSouth Africa is the largest, most diverse and most sophisticated state in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) three times that of Nigeria or Egypt. South Africa ‘s economic substructure dominates Africa though it covers less than 4 % of the continent and accommodates less than 6 % of its population. South Africa provides more than half of the electricity end product of Africa, moves more tunnage through its ports, has more air conveyance installations than all the other states of Southern, Central and Eas t Africa together. The figure of motor vehicles at about 5 million in that state is more than half of those in the remainder of Africa. South Africa has besides the advantage of a developed and systematic banking system. With a common usage duty policy, South Africa along with Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia has formed the Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) . Since most of the imported goods enter the sub-region through South African ports, a system of usage gross sharing is in topographic point. South Africa and India are members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation. South Africa is a member of the World Trade Organisation and has besides finalised a free trade and development understanding with European that provides for gradual liberalization of the two manner trade between South Africa and European Union. The degree of bilateral trade between India and South Africa is rather low at nowadays. South Africa is non a major export finish for India ; neither is the latter calculation in the list of chief merchandising spouses of South Africa. Less than one per cent of India ‘s exports go to South Africa. However, in the last few old ages bilateral trade has recorded a double-digit growing rate between the states. Following this meeting, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade ( IIFT ) was assigned to carry on a desktop survey for determining the feasibleness of come ining into a Discriminatory Trade Agreement ( PTA ) /Free Trade Agreement ( FTA ) between India and South Africa. The survey concluded that more than 50 % of India ‘s exports are subjected to a duty of less than 10 % in South Africa and merely 33 % are confronting a duty rate of more than 20 % . On the other manus, 55 % of imports from South Africa face high duties of more than 20 % in India. Merely 34 % of imports from South Africa are subjected to moo duty of 10 % and below. The leaden mean duties in India and South Africa are 22.89 % and 16.35 % severally. The survey concluded that even though the duty rates are more in India, the gross loss that would ensue from bilateral riddance of duty is greater in South Africa. The gross loss in South Africa is projected to be 1.4 times the gross loss in India. The survey besides suggested that as South Africa has a reasonably big import market, an Agreement with South Africa Prima facie is of importance because of its geographical location and rank of sub-regional trade understandings. Subsequently on, South Africa sought verification whether they can include other spouses of SACU for negociating a Comprehensive Trade Agreement. This suggestion was examined by Ministry of External Affairs in audience and the authorization was given to negociate with SACU as a group and non South Africa separately.FDI Scenario in South AfricaHarmonizing to the 2012 World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD ) , South Africa led the sub-region as foreign direct investing ( FDI ) inflows into sub-Saharan Africa jumped by 25 % in 2011. The study, released in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday, shows that FDI inflows to sub-Saharan Africa soared from US $ 29.5-billion in 2010 to $ 36.9-billion in 2011, a degree comparable to the extremum of $ 37.3-billion achieved in 2008, prior to the oncoming of the planetary fiscal crisis. FDI to South Africa rebounded from $ 1.23-billion in 2010 to $ 5.81-billion, doing South Africa the second-biggest FDI finish on the continent in 2011 after Nigeria, which procured $ 8.92-billion in FDI.Oil, gas manufacturers still dominantGhana ( $ 3.22-billion ) , Congo ( $ 2.93-billion ) , and Algeria ( $ 2.57-billion ) completed the top five African FDI finishs by Unctad ‘s calculation, underlining the laterality of oil- or gas-producing states – South Africa being the exclusive exclusion. Another important African oil manufacturer, Angola, besides received important investing influxs, harmonizing to Unctad, â€Å" but divestment and repatriated net incomes by multinational corporations rendered net influxs negative † . The one-year study found, Continuing addition in trade good monetary values and a comparatively positive economic mentality for sub-Saharan Africa were among the factors lending to the turnaround. For Africa as a whole, entire FDI influxs declined. However, this was due to a bead in FDI to North Africa, with influxs to traditional strong performing artists Egypt and Libya coming to a arrest as consequence of drawn-out political and societal instability in those states.Improved investor perceptual experiencesUnctad said, Overall the continent ‘s FDI chances for 2012 were promising, â€Å" as strong economic growing, current economic reforms and high trade good monetary values have improved investor perceptual experiences of the continent. † South Africa ‘s FDI inflows for 2011 accounted for 13.6 % of Africa ‘s entire as per Unctad ‘s figures, while amounting to 31.8 % of the state ‘s gross domestic merchandise ( GDP ) in 2011 – up from 9.9 % in 1995. Jorge Maia, research caput at South Africa ‘s Industrial Development Corporation, who presented Unctad ‘s study locally, said the state ‘s investing policy government was â€Å" rather broad compared to other states † â€Å" South Africa is non merely rich in natural resources, it besides has really good substructure comparative to its equals and really good proficient accomplishments, † Business Day reported Maia as stating. Leon Myburgh, sub-Saharan Africa strategian at Citigroup, told Business Day that Africa was executing good in most developed markets and some emerging markets besides. â€Å" Give its comparatively low rate of development, there are high chances for investing across the continent, either for new concern or substructure, † Myburgh told Business Day. â€Å" These are being exploited and will go on to be exploited in approaching old ages.ECONOMIC ENGINESAgribusinessAgribusiness is good organized though a really minor subscriber to the overall GDP. Large piece of lands of land, together with a long 1875 stat mi coastline, foster the production of a broad scope of Marine and agricultural merchandises. Africa has a double agricultural economic system catering to both commercial and subsistence based production. Maize, wheat, sugar cane, oats, and helianthuss are the state ‘s major agricultural merchandises. South Africa ‘s agricultural sector boasts some clear competitory advantages. First, the state ‘s turning season is reverse than that of Europe, offering complementary market chances. It besides has good developed cold concat enation installations and ports. A resource rich state, South Africa boasts an copiousness of mineral resources. In fact, the wealth of the state has been built on these resources. It holds about 90 % of the Pt metals on Earth, 80 % of the manganese, 73 % of the chrome, 45 % of the V and 41 % of the gold. The excavation industry is the biggest employer, with around 460,000 employees and another 400,000 employed by the providers of goods and services to the industry.Gold productionGold production, which one time formed the anchor of the economic system, has lost its lustre in recent old ages. In 2007, China displaced South Africa as the universe ‘s largest gold manufacturer. 95 % of South Africa ‘s gold mines are belowground operations, making deepnesss of over 3.8 kilometers. With worsening classs, increased deepness of excavation and excavation costs, and a slide in gilded monetary value in the 1990s, production fell. As one of the universe ‘s largest manufacturer s of gold, South Africa is more susceptible to slouch in monetary value because its deep degree mines are the highest cost manufacturers in the universe. However, the sector should see a resurgence in the current twelvemonth, on the dorsum of lifting gold monetary values. However, South Africa ‘s excavation sector continues to be the top FDI receiver for the state.Vehicle productionSouth Africa ‘s vehicle production is going a flourishing industry every bit good. It is the 2nd largest country in the fabrication sector and the fastest growth. Almost every planetary car major, has its operations based in South Africa.Other major industriesOther major industries in South Africa are chemicals fabricating, metals processing and pharmaceuticals. South Africa hosts a figure of superior quality infirmaries and well-trained medical staff which has helped enticement investings into the pharmaceutical sector. The fertiliser industry besides looks assuring due to the state ‘s large-scale diversified agricultural sector. Expansion in the Information and Communications Technology and electronics industry has besides been phenomenal, with the mean growing of the state exceling the universe norm. Yet, all is non cheery in Eden. The fabric industry has taken a hit due to increasing competition from Chinese goods. The South Africans have responded with new advanced fabric merchandises contending back. The production of improved parachute cloth, technically knitted cloth used in bomb disposal, fire deceleration kits and specialised medical fabrics are doing their grade in niche markets.Servicess sectorThe services sector is the major subscriber to the GDP. It comprises of fiscal services, touristry, retail gross revenues and telecommunications. South Africa possesses a robust and mature fiscal services sector, which is comparable to the best in the universe. The state ‘s banking sector has a good representation of foreign Bankss and offers modern services like a countrywide web of ATMs and Internet banking services. Mzansi, South Africa ‘s advanced new low-priced banking strategy provides banking services to more than 3.3-million low-income earners – a huge and turning market antecedently untapped by the fiscal sector.Johannesburg Stock ExchangeThe Johannesburg Stock Exchange is the lone stock exchange in the state and the 16th largest in the universe with 400 listed companies. Keeping the differentiation as the fourth-largest emerging market finish for investings, the exchange mopped up $ 9.4 billion in 2005, up from $ 1.5 billion a decennary before.SOUTH AFRICA: A Market FOR Clothing FROM AFRICAA domestic industry in problem has meant a booming import tradeaˆÂ ¦South Africa ‘s vesture sector has been in a province of convulsion and diminution for the last five old ages. The continued growing in imports ( peculiarly from lower-cost manufacturers such as China ) and the strengthening of the South African rand ( R ) against the United States dollar are the two factors blamed for the diminution in local production. However, if makers were honorable with themselves, they would see that the jobs run deeper than external issues. The industry is enduring from old ages of disregard in the countries of engineering and accomplishments. This has made the sector mostly uncompetitive. Whilst the Government is turn toing these issues through a Customised Sector Programme ( CSP ) and more late through the Textile and Clothing Industry Development Programme ( TCIDP ) , harmonizing to critics this steps are viewed as being excessively small excessively late and the sector is non expected to do any dramatic recovery in the short term. The inability of the local industry to fulfill demand for vesture from retail merchants offers an chance for developing state exporters to provide a broad scope of merchandises to the South African market. In 2009, vesture imports, excepting imports from Member States of the Southern African Customs Union ( SACU ) , amounted to US $ 966.6 million. If the figures from SACU are added to this, entire vesture imports in 2009 amounted to US $ 1.1 billion. Harmonizing to Comtrade informations, this would do South Africa the universe ‘s 25th largest importer of vesture. Over the period 2005 to 2009, vesture imports rose well by every bit much as 42 % . Whilst this addition reflects the diminution in the domestic fabrication sector, it besides indicates the perkiness of the market for consumer goods in South Africa. This perkiness is partially due to the go oning growing of a strong in-between category with entree to larger disposable incomes.The vesture points most in demandaˆÂ ¦In 2009, Women ‘s and miss ‘s jackets, frocks, skirts, pants, trunkss non knitted ( HS 6204 ) , work forces ‘s and male childs ‘ jackets, pants, trunkss non knitted ( HS 6203 ) , knitted jerseies ( HS 6109 ) , knitted New Jerseies and cardigans ( HS 6110 ) , and woven work forces ‘s or male childs ‘ shirts ( HS 6205 ) accounted for 50 % of vesture imports. These are the classs with the highest demand. The merchandise classs that showed the highest growing ( albeit sometimes off a low base ) from 2005 to 2009 are work forces ‘s and male child ‘s greatcoats, parkas, air current deceivers and similar articles, knitted ) ; adult females ‘s and misss ‘ greatcoats, parkas, air current deceivers and similar articles ; knitted work forces ‘s and male childs ‘ vests and other waistcoats, underpants, Jockey shortss, pajama, and similar articles ; adult females ‘s hose ( which rose by every bit much as 165 % ) ; and ties, bow ties and cravats. These offer possible niche markets for competitory manufacturers.China and the remainder of Asia are the largest providers of imports by faraˆÂ ¦At present, over 70 % of vesture imports in South Africa come from Asia, with China entirely lending 59 % of entire vesture imports in 2009. This reflects the nature of the South African market for dressing which is chiefly geared towards the price reduction termi nal ; for this market buying determinations are based on monetary value. Botswana performed highly good in South Africa over the five old ages to 2009, spread outing its supplies by a monolithic 261 % to their current degree. The state now provides 14 % of South Africa ‘s vesture imports. India remains in 3rd place despite a diminution of 2 % in imports over the five-year period. Mauritius is the 4th largest provider and imports from this state have performed highly good, registering a 476 % addition over the period. However, there have been positive signals to exporters in Africa by cardinal alterations in the form of sourcing. In 2005, China accounted for 70 % of all vesture imports ; Asia itself accounted for over 80 % of entire imports. Local retail merchants and importers were forced to diversity their provider base due to infliction of quotas on selected vesture imports from China for a period of two old ages from January 2007.There are niche markets for African exporters to exploreaˆÂ ¦South Africa has a market for large-size vesture that companies in Asia by and large do non hold the capacity to provide. A vesture company with the ability to serve this market section could happen good chances. It besides has a market for companies that are able to work with little minimal orders. Companies of Asia frequently work with minimal order sizes that are far larger than the volumes little and average sized operators in South Africa are able to put. The market for â€Å" green † cloths is turning strongly. Good chances are at that place for companies bring forthing garments from organic cotton or bamboo fiber in South Africa. In add-on, there are the markets for particular goods which the South African vesture industry does non hold the capacity to bring forth. These include points like cushioned jackets, insouciant woven tops and undersides with embellishment-generally anything that requires sophisticated lavation and coating. All these merchandises are imported. The market for babe wear and kids ‘s wear, for which there is limited local fabrication capacity, is besides mature for the picking.Targeting retail merchants straight is the best attack to the marketaˆÂ ¦Approaching the market of South African can sometimes be hard. Retailers, importers and agents tend to purchase from tested and sure beginnings, doing entry into the market a challenge for new providers. A direct attack to retail merchants is frequently the most effectual manner of capturing their attending. It would be wise for companies with strong design abilities to aim retail merchants in their selling runs as a manner of doing their companies known. South Africa offers a platform for making retail merchants through International Apparel, Textile, Footwear and Machinery Fair, held yearly in Cape Town. All the big purchasers and agents gather the carnival. A figure of states choose to put up state marquees at this just. Such marquees work good as they non merely market specific companies but the capablenesss of the single state as a whole.Fashionability is keyaˆÂ ¦The retail sector of South African follows the European market really closely and purchasers will look foremost and first at the fashionability of the merchandise lines proposed by new providers before inquiring inquiries on volumes, bringing and monetary value. Hence Samples or snap presented to retail merchants ever need to be in the latest manners.But attachment to labeling ordinances is besides importantaˆÂ ¦South Africa has stringent labeling demands. All imported vesture must transport labels with the undermentioned information: state of beginning, attent ion instructions, fiber content. Press has late criticized companies that do non use labeling demands strictly. As a consequence, the governments are now clamping down on vesture bearing labels that fail to run into demands.