Iga Dc and Hard Rock Cafe Op Man

To compete in today's global markets, organizations strive to deliver their products and services in both an efficient and effective manner. A critical component in this effort is the design and coordination of the supply and distribution strategies in supply chain companies and the service quality in the service industry. Based on a site visit to the IGA Distribution Centre, below are be comparisons between the IGA National Distribution Centre and the well known popular Hard Rock Cafe. TRANSFORMATION PROCESS Both companies follow the same traditional Production System model with inputs relating to money and labour with the same outputs resulting in producing a good or service. However if we compare the transformation processes, both companies have different objectives especially in the output result as IGA’s output is based on tangible goods and Hard Rock Cafe is based on service being an intangible good. IGA Transformation Process focuses on a ‘locational’ transformation which refers to transportation and delivering items to its destination. INPUTS †¢Money– capital †¢Staff – staff to service customers and cook food Ingredients – Food items to be prepared †¢Machine – Kitchens and food machines †¢Method – cooking the food and serving the customer TRANSFORMATION PROCESS †¢This part of the process is where the inputs will be utilised to create the output. In IGA’s case, the products will be picked using e ither the automated picking system or the manual voice picking system. The products are then picked and put into their coded boxes ready to be scanned and dispatched. The boxes are then loaded onto the trucks ready for delivery to its destination. OUTPUT †¢Goods are delivered to IGA stores on time. Hard Rock Cafe Transformation Process focuses on an ‘exchange’ transformation with refers to a service and experience being provided. INPUTS †¢Money– capital †¢Staff – staff to service customers and cook food †¢Ingredients – Food items to be prepared †¢Machine – Kitchens and food machines †¢Method – cooking the food and serving the customer TRANSFORMATION PROCESS †¢This part of the process is where the inputs will be utilised to create the output. In Hard Rock Cafe’s case, waiter takes the customer’s order, Chef prepares and cooks food and waiter then delivers the meal to the customer. OUTPUT †¢Meals on the table on time. MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Hard Rock Cafe has existed for the past 37 years and has grown from a modest London pub to an international phenomenon in the service industry with a market share of 121 cafes across the world with 5 hotels and casinos. As time has changed and higher demands, chef’s at Hard Rock Cafe are modifying the classic menu from American Burgers and chicken wings to include higher end meals such as stuffed veal chops and lobster tails. They’ve also adjusted their menus along with layouts, memorabilia, services and strategies. With amount of meals they serve per day, to keep up the operational requirements and customer satisfaction Hard Rock Cafe conducts surveys on a regular basis to evaluate quality of food and service at the cafe. Scores are rated on a scale of 1 to 7, and according to management if the score is not a 7, the food or service is a failure. This can be done within the restaurant of online at their website www. hardrock. com which receives over 100,000 hits per week. In contrast to IGA there any major differences as one company specialises in the service industry and the other transportation and logistics. IGA national supermarket chain that currently has 1,349 stores Australia wide and the largest banner group of independent retailers, which include FoodWorks and Ritchies. IGA currently holds a market share of 35% including FoodWorks and Ritchies (2,140 stores). Customer satisfaction is an essential part of IGA’s operational strategy as it measures productivity and efficiency. Like Hard Rock Cafe, IGA conducts surveys on a regular basis with customer’s (stores) and also has meetings with the operational managers who seek feedback from the store managers. After the site visit, at the reception area was a Customer Service Level Board with sites and stores listed and statistics separated into three categories Grocery, Perishable and General Merchandise. This data highlighted their service level agreements with stores and it also illustrated their achievements in meeting those targets. According Roy Morgan Research Company, 85% of IGA customers were satisfied for the 6 months average leading up to January 2010. Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia): September 2004 – January 2010. FORECASTING With the growth of Hard Rock Cafe of more than 110 restaurants in more than 40 countries, it was imperative that better forecasting techniques be implemented. Hard Rock Cafe uses all three types of forecasting methods. †¢Long range – setting a capacity plan †¢Intermediate term – locking in contracts for leather goods e. g leather jackets and food items such as beef, chicken and pork. †¢Short term – sales forecasts conducted on a monthly basis by the cafe and then sent to headquarters for analysis. The techniques used is regression analysis and weighted moving averages which is conducted in a time span of 3 years and the weights applied are 20, 40, 40 from the earliest year to the latest year. Hard Rock Cafe forecasts are based on previous years such as finding out which foods were preferred in the previous years and add them to the menu. Hard Rock’s forecast for sales is mainly based on point-of-sale (POS) system which captures transaction data on nearly every person that walks through the door. The entree sale represents one customer and the entree sales are then sent to headquarters database. From there the general managers of individual cafes access the database to prepare a daily forecast for their site. The cafe manager can also obtain data from prior years sales for that particular day and prepare for additional upcoming events such as major conventions or sporting events which will boost sales. The daily forecast can then be further broken down into an hourly forecast which allows for employee scheduling, Hard Rock Cafe does not limit its use of forecasting tools to sales. Information obtained from the site visit at IGA’s National Distribution Centre was quite limited in terms of forecasting. IGA also adopts three types of forecasting methods. †¢Long range – setting a capacity plan †¢Intermediate term – locking in contracts with the truck drivers to deliver goods †¢Short term – delivery and sales forecasts conducted on a daily and monthly basis IGA’s NDC forecast is mainly based on the data obtained from the Miniload (automated storage and retrieval system). This system holds 11,000 conventional reserve locations with 60,000 totes to hold items with an hourly pick rate of 350+ picks. However data is also obtained from the conventional voice system which holds 5,500 SKU’s and 11,000 reserves with a pick rate of 100 cartons per hour. The automated system will hold up to 8 days of stock and when levels reach 4 days of stock, a notification will be sent to computer system. IGA forecasts demand by looking at data history from previous years based on people’s habits, trends and seasonal times of the year. Organisational Chart Inventory holdings Managing Inventory is a crucial aspect for both the IGA DC and the Hard Rock Cafe. When it comes to inventory holding there are two main types we think of; †¢Just In Time (JIT) †¢Material Requirement Planning(MRP) MRP has been described by Heizer and Render (2010) a dependent demand technique that uses a bill of material, inventory, expected receipts, and a master production schedule to determine material requirements. This is commonly used in the manufacturing industry as for their constant need of materials arriving when they are needed and reduce the holding of excess inventory. JIT on the other time is said to be a Heizer and Render (2010) philosophy of continuing improvement and enforced problem solving. JIT systems are designed to produce or deliver goods just as they are needed. JIT is related to quality in three ways †¢JIT cuts the cost of quality †¢JIT improves quality †¢Better quality means less inventory and a better; easier to employ a JIT system. The software management tool used for Inventory holdings at IGA DC is used on a dallas system Key features and functions include: †¢The purchase command centre which like the sales command centre provides the one screen view and summary of all the purchase order activities and their status. Automated purchase order generation utilising the re-order points set for each product †¢Full stock level and stock movement tracking †¢Simple and efficient stocktake procedures Where they run on a plan which is of an 8 day stock inventory and when stock reaches 50% they place the reorder, to maintain inventory levels. When looking at The Hard Rock Cafe we must remember that unlike IGA DC it deals with food and mercha ndise but also has 40 million dollars invested in rock n roll memorabilia, which is managed my Pete Beaudraul, CEO in Florida. Management of quality The company’s commitment to its employees at every level, clear communication channels, regular briefings and an emphasis on training programs has reinforced the core values of the company and contributed to the rising status of the Metcash Group. The company policy with regards to product safety and quality is to provide safe and quality foods that exceed the consumer expectations and meet the legislative and regulatory requirements. Ensures product safety and quality by: approving suppliers based on the vendor assurance program generally HACCP certified suppliers †¢conducting regular supplier audits †¢conducting regular internal audits †¢conducting product assessments (including microbiological, chemical testing, shelf life validation) †¢ensuring that all staff have the required training to perform their tasks †¢reviewing product performance- i. e. customer complaints, trends analysis †¢conducting regular management reviews Menu review Surveys Kitchen, bar, retail shop layout and equipment maintenance Supply chain interactions ( suppliers- manufacturer- dealers- retailers- customers) Supply Chain Management Hard Rock work with qualified suppliers to ensure fresh, quality meals Menu item selection depends on supplying right amount of ingredients from qualified suppliers on time References †¢Operations Management, 9th Edition Heizer and Render †¢Operations Management Chapter 1, Lecture Notes †¢IGA Distribution Centre notes and site visit †¢http://www. roymorganonlinestore. com/News/1030—Coles-improve-in-Customer-Satisfaction-whil. aspx †¢www. hardrock. com

Reflection Report And Learning From An Experience Education Essay

The contemplation study is a signifier of thought, how to analyse based on cognition and feeling. As a director ego analyze to believe about failing and strengths. In this study, it is need to concentrate on communicating accomplishments, clip direction, range direction, hazard direction, analysis, self motive and direction ( self judgement, self rating, self reaction, and self satisfaction ) , job resolution, squad effectivity and undertaking planning. The chief aims of this study are needed to discourse and concentrate on following component: Life long larning after this thesis class experience Experience and Importance of group work and relationship with squad members Importance to maintain day-to-day dairy for long tally undertakings such as thesiss, research work studies or any long proficient undertakings. Contemplation is a series of measure to observe down for future mention and aid Importance of analysis and research we did for our project- processing of running undertaking Quality of work related to topic Tutor and group members suggestion and advises so note down in contemplation dairy Basically brooding cognition is a method to analyze him/her ego internally and profoundly and happening out the issue of jitteriness, settle down by the experience which creates the significance of ego. And learns from the same repetition experience and changed him/her ego efficaciously by the consequence of experiences. Reflection pattern is the signifier of ego consciousness and ego assessment and describes the consequence and results of individual ‘s actions.Remembrance of Experiences ( Weekly Detailed Dairy )WeekDateActivity01 14 -06-2010 First hebdomad, we attended the debut session of AMP Module given by Vincent Ong, and larn how to compose a study and how to follow the format etc from supportive coach. After that Academic Liaison Librarian has give the elaborate information about manner to set the referencing in our study and module enchiridion of AMP was provided to all of us. Following twenty-four hours activity was about the plagiarism and turnitinUK. JBK explained us sing rephrasing and characteristic of turnitinUK. They besides helped us in hunt of related articles from digital library. First clip, I have learnt that how to set cardinal words in progress hunt and acquire the diaries and articles called rational research to individuality and back up our work. Rob explained us about the contemplation study and how it is relevant with our study and what makes a good contemplation study and what should be the construction of study. After that we have collected enchiridion of AMP subject. During this hebdomad we have formed a group of 10 members as we all antecedently worked together so we knew each other. One thing in our favour that working with known group members will cut down clip taken to get down acting and apprehension of each frame of work. Get downing of this hebdomad we all felt excited and optimistic. As we received information about work we became more discerning, baffled and unsure and our subject besides made us really unsure and dying. But after two yearss encephalon ramping with group members and elaborate treatment with coach reassured us, and gave us elucidation and showed right way. In general we learnt that broad scope of resources and diaries are available in our library ; it was analyzed that without the coach counsel may be we would be on the incorrect way. We besides understand the importance of citing. How to comparing and contrasting the stuff from different writers and importance of sharing thoughts every bit good as we understand the importance of secondary research. Learned about the importance of the clip direction in undertaking and proper referencing ; may be some job will be encountered during the undertaking like in personal planning and in pull offing a group. Learning solution in this hebdomad would be like how to happen relevant information more efficaciously and learned the demand to keep records about day-to-day activities of advancement. 02 21-06-2010.This hebdomad, I have read the enchiridions and all stuff given by coach. Two articles in enchiridion are really much helpful for understanding the subject. Today we start our undertaking ; we did research and found 5-6 articles about mark market choice and difference between B2B and B2C patterns. Confronting much trouble in research about the relevant subject because our subject is much slippery and confounding. After two twenty-four hours fighting and with different cardinal words as suggested by coach, we came at one point of start. Need to understand the synthesis Main Report like how to pull grounds and evaluate and present our ain ideas in Report. It was advised that the chief study should be synthesis instead than descriptive. A batch of hurdlings came while seeking the subjects. To twenty-four hours I got some utile articles and after reading got some utile points of my demands. This hebdomad we had a meeting on Friday to work out the issues sing the apprehension of subjects and their cardinal dictions for hunt. 03 28-06-2010 This hebdomad, experiencing much trouble while reading, reexamining and comparing the articles of different writers and different sides sing my subject and cardinal words. Before start composing the literature reappraisal, I must necessitate to understand and analyze the Harvard System for proper referencing. So Google it and happen and understand the many ways of seting citing for article, diaries and books such as articles with losing day of the month, losing writer ‘s name, with more than one or two writer ‘s work etc. Today, I started my work on thesis and I made a booklet of my all downloaded article and took the print and read two of them so do the synthesize point from them I have been started my work from literature reappraisal which is the chief organic structure of the study in which we needs to set our ability to bring forth a quality of work at that place. I had written my synthesis point from two articles. This hebdomad we had a 2nd meeting on Friday to work out the issues sing the apprehension of subjects and portion some thoughts every bit good as searched article with each other besides our undertaking director direct us some utile subject related to ask foring stamp of technological solutions. I have decided to split my work chapter wise as guided us by our AMP faculty Coordinator. So we come the point that work should be start from literature reappraisal subdivision. 04 05-07-2010 Today I got my consequence ; I had passed my in all faculties. Thankss to Almighty GOD. Today I besides review the one more article which is presented in an international conference sing issues related to ICT facing by SMEs companies. So extract some chief point from this article and note down. In our meeting we discussed about the difference between E-business and E-commence, it found about a elaborate reading that e-commence is linked to the B2B and e-business is linked with B2C. Furthermore from surveies one thing come out that is digital-related merchandises and digital-unrelated merchandise. Our undertaking squad leader explained and clearly differentiated that digitally related merchandise i.e. package applications, nomadic phones, digital cameras were more suited for e-commerce, and more easy sold over the cyberspace unlike digitally unrelated merchandises like furniture where consumers must desire examine physically before a purchase is made. We besides discussed and studied further on the cardinal issues and consideration sing the stamp invitation for website development solution. 05 12-07-2010 In literature reappraisal, comparing of all research workers and writers work relevant to topic is really much hard and different nature of work for me. It is noticed that all research worker concentrating the similar issue that impacting the operation while company is traveling to B2C market and suggests the same demand and cardinal consideration. As I am holding the first experience at this degree of literature reappraisal and work but it is much interested and knowing attempt for me. It is really easy to deviate from the original subject during the literature reexamining procedure. Felt much trouble like recreation from my original subject in this portion of work. May God assist me to make this in good and best ways related to demand topic demand. 06 19-07-2010 This hebdomad I was non able to work on my study due to my some personal battle and some household issues so I was out of station. 07 26-07-2010 This hebdomad, I started to understand and revise some articles and paperss on tendering. As I need to understand that how to ask for the stamp for technological and package solutions. Issues come up while composing on ask foring stamps for technological solution. Because invitation of stamps for proficient and non proficient solution are much confusing and related work. But feel similar interesting as I am holding the new expertness and expertness in this new country of tendering. I do n't hold any experience of reading such type of paperss. As I was stuck on the measure of ask foring stamp so today I consulted with the squad leader of our group so she assist me out in apprehension of this specific point that what are the cardinal demand for ask foring the stamps as I was believing on the format like that sing tendering but she solved my issue and sent some articles for literature reappraisal related to this. She is really much assisting individual and nice lady and she should be a good squad leader in future. 08 02-08-2010 Confusion- authorship on invite stamp for web development that whether it should b E-tendering or normal traditional manner. Another issue that I was confronting that in most of tendering article there is no proper writer or research worker name. Largely the company and organisational name are mentioned while ask foring stamp for the technological or package solutions. Got some article and diary on tendering and outsourcing the IT related work and technological solution. This hebdomad I have made my concluding agenda and split the yearss till concluding reappraisal of study and how to shut my work within the month of August. Understand and learnt about the usage of indexing in tabular array of contents in MSWord ; how to utilize the proper referencing. 09 09-08-2010 This hebdomad I met with my one of the group member in LRC and discussed about the e-book umpirage and how many mentions we can utilize and whether largely should be diary ‘s articles and could be from any where else? So she suggested that we should e-mail to Peter Godwin every bit good as we get some information from LR usher or mentioning within digital library. After that we discussed about recommendations on subject. Should we necessitate to propose or set some recommendation related to our sort of work? This hebdomad, I got some good article but this is my targeted hebdomad in my clip tabular array to complete all the literature reappraisal and authorship. And should be focus and emphasized on the synthesis, analysis and comparing of the study in last 3 hebdomad. This hebdomad, I need to scale down and windup my all reappraisal work. Today is the terminal of this hebdomad and I have closed my literature reappraisal authorship and my following phase is to syntheses the study and exacts the cardinal point for analysis and treatment. 10 16-08-2010 Today I have started my work on reappraisal of my work with elaborate and syntheses point of position. Feel some ambiguity sing mentions in analysis and discuss phase that whether we need to set the Harvard mention within the analysis and treatment part like we did in literature reappraisal or non? To decide this issue I put an electronic mail to our squad member and waiting of there answer. 11 23-08-2010 This hebdomad is really much tough and important as I wholly put my attempt on the alteration and focal point on my whole work and equilibrate the study in a proper flow and come out with corrected some errors After that I can break concentrate working on the decision and recommendation of the subject. Today terminal of this hebdomad, I wrote down my decision and recommendation. 12 30-08-2010 Working on contemplation analysis study and syntheses my all work into concluding version. Recompiled day-to-day dairy log of my all 3 month plantsPersonal feelings and larning from the experienceResearch work is truly really much interesting but clip consuming. I spend my neat hours and hours on this study and this work should be helpful and really much supportive for my future work and acquisition at this degree and above this. Meetings and regular Google talk and email exchange about AMP study work, experiences and treatment with group members. Some major troubles were come in forepart while reexamining the literature like comparing of all research workers and writers work sing my subject. As it is noticed that all research worker concentrating the similar issue that impacting the operation while traveling to B2C market and suggests the same demand and cardinal consideration for outsourcing procedures. As I was holding the first clip experience at this degree of literature reappraisal and work but it was much interested and knowing attempt for me. I enjoy a batch with m y work and experience much happy at this phase and got much knowledge from last three month attempts. That how to do the comparing of other writers work and note down in ain my dictions. It was really easy to deviate from the original path during literature reexamining stage every bit good as in composing the study procedure. My God assist me out to make this thing in good and best ways that I was linked to my subject. Issue sing literature reappraisal and other relevant work are resolved really swimmingly with the aid of all my group members ‘ corporate engagement and attempts. We had arranged the meetings until all the members are cleared and much satisfied with the apprehension of subject and informations aggregation as we had three hebdomadal groups run intoing with squad leader after the AMP hebdomad. My squad was really much generous with the committedness and clip promptness. My part was besides singular every bit good and I was linked with my group members all the clip 24/7 through electronic mail, facebook and Mobile. And I was much satisfied with my work and with group members ‘ response.Group Dynamics and Learning from the experienceHere I must advert one thing that my current AMP group members are non fresh new members. We were holding same group in all our old class work. So we were much comfy with each other and knew each other frame of head and algorithm of work. And we understand the group kineticss and duties. As a whole I did n't experience any job in my work with my members. Since I was linked with my group members all the clip 24/7 through electronic mail, nomadic and all the group members were much satisfied with my part and with my speedy response on any issue related to our work. I fulfill my all duties that were given by our squad leader. Out supervisor consultancy was really much helpful for us sing the understanding the existent subject and how to seek the relevant stuff from digital library. He did really flat best to work out our issues. I learnt that the group work is really much effectual and helpful for this type of large undertakings as the work is distributed and every member come up with good and di fferent thoughts and cognition. And the undertaking will run into the deadlines really swimmingly.Lessons for the hereafter UndertakingsThe lesson learned dairy was kept in order to convey all the lessons together that we learnt during the thesis work, which would be the guideline for other future undertakings. The hebdomadal journal was updated whenever I have learned some thing new during the undertaking whether it was positive or negative lesson. From experience with the proper direction of work start to stop and all the group members cooperation ; many positive and good lessons was learned for future undertakings. Such as hebdomadal meetings, clip direction and good communicating with members will force up our advancement. With a good clip direction, now we have a batch of clip for quality reappraisal and rectification before the deadline. I learnt really much from group work experience as it will assist me out in increasing good direction accomplishment and to accomplish the aims harmonizing to prefix quality criterions within the clip constrains through the planning and good control particularly at initial phase. Daily log helped me out to program and schedule the hebdomadal undertakings and overall advancement of my work. Following are the cardinal lessons I have learned for future undertaking as a group. Good apprehension and friendly work environment. meetings with group members and hebdomadal dairy and should be maintained Time direction and planning Good communicating and updates sharing.DecisionThe undertaking was managed really calmly and swimmingly with aid of supervisors ‘ guidelines from the first phase and good squad ‘s effectual communicating via ( electronic mail, phone and hebdomadal meetings ) motive, be aftering and clip direction, hazard direction and most of import is self direction and motive. Each squad members was really much delegated, punctual and showed their duty. The tool of hebdomadal dairy helped me out to aline and supervise my each phase and there aims. We received the feedback and do the updates with hebdomadal group meeting at the start. However, with good clip direction and apprehension of work, our group members met the deadlines but we faced few issues and hurdlings sing understand of subject and hunt of relevant stuff like e-article, e-journal and books. But with effectual communicating between all members via meetings, electronic mail, phone all the hazards and issues will be overcomes with the clip existences. Finally, my undertaking was successfully finished with the clemency of Almighty God and the equal part of all squad members at there degree best and my female parents ‘ supplication was with me all the clip. At the terminal, I believed that good direction accomplishment and supportive undertaking leader every bit good as adequate support from the supervisor in AMP Week were the grounds for no major issues, hurdlings, and divergences from the path. As good direction and clear communicating helped out greatly to avoid the likely issues and struggles as every squad members were cognizant of their ain deadlines and their ain duty. I must appreciate this new method of ego recording of our day-to-day work for such type of long undertaking which kept us on right way and lesson for clip direction and contemplation of our work for future chances. I am much satisfied with my work at this phase and learnt a batch for future things as this whole experience of UK alterations my life style a nd it was the womb-to-tomb acquisition for me.

Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Blogging Emerging Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Blogging Emerging Technologies - Essay Example The dynamics of Web 2.0 have been modified to reflect the true purpose of creating new avenues of communication that have never been utilized. The whole essence of Web 2.0 is to generate means of cloud computing in which collaboration and discussion is encouraged. In this particular scenario, blogs can be critical towards achieving Salford Sports Village goals. One of the critical things to implement in order to thrive in blogging is understand search optimization engine key words. In essence, search engines such as Google tend to send â€Å"spider bots† that crawl and search for key words whenever an individual types in the Google search bar. A successful blogger must understand this technique and use it to their advantage. Blogging for this specific purpose is to clearly transition from subject matter to another subject in a very transitive manner. For example, blogging should be conducted and discussing the advantages of sports and community. Using keywords such as sports, community, football, street, parks and recreation, stress reliever can tremendously help. Another huge element towards expanding this horizon is offering free services. For instance, giving a free view of upcoming programs in the community can really engage all the individuals, which can boost clicks on the webpage. The best thing Suzane can do is write something along the lines of â€Å" Today, I have realized that the parks and recreation center needs drastic improvements. I had a brilliant opportunity to visit the Glenside Public District which has transformed the dynamics of their recreation. They have implemented a senior center that has been a catalyst for healthy aging. The kids have an amazing new playground that accommodates to their needs. Moreover, creating a playground for the kids is a long-term investment because it will add value to the community. Since tax money already is allocated, hiring construction workers will also raise employment and the value of the communi ty. One of the key things to exploit is to get sponsorship from outside vendors. Suzanne must overcome the challenge of a budget and seek outside resources through blogs, videos, audio podcasts that will continue to grab attention. Blog post 2 – Write a blog post (100+ words) that embeds a relevant image and/or video combines with text that shows Suzanne Bolt how visual media can help her achieve Salford Sports Village goals, 21 November Deadline for posting for maximum marks (paste the blog post url into the Reflection section of your assignment – see page 3) The best way to advertise oneself is through youtube because of many reasons. First and foremost, Youtube allows individuals to sign up for a policy in which the user uploads videos that Youtube will compensate the user for. Moreover by clicking the subscription button, individuals are allowed to penetrate the online community because people will constantly receive updates on new videos posted. It is crucial that Suzanne continues to make videos that engage people to discuss ideas and

Wage systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wage systems - Essay Example Many factors can be identified as wage determinants. They can be selected in the following groups: economic, social, phycological and institutional. In this essay I will stick to the economic determinants: Measuring two-tier system and concession system using the first etalon, a company's ability to pay, I must say that these two systems have different assignation. The concession bargaining system was widely used in 1980s and trade unions often agreed with wage cuts because companies were not able to pay full wage and at the same time wanted to keep their employees, as it is written in the review of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (1997): "The concession bargaining which has occured in several years is an illustration of the recognition by both firms and unions of the link between costs, and thus prices, and output and employment" (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/60/2080431.pdf) . The concession system lost its popularity and influence in 90s when unions understood that company's were again able to pay then they did. The two-tier wage system appeared to reconcile management and employees in a struggle for higher salary, it sacrificed new employees in order to make happy experienced employees. That was done to keep anticipated productivity. "The two-tier structure permits hiring of new workers at significantly lower wages and benefits, compared to those of the regular work force. It will be worth countless millions of dollars to employers in coming years." (http://www.laboreducator.org/twotierpay.pdf) Thus companies' management benefited as wage increase was offset by rising level of productivity and at the same time newcomers didn't receive equal payments. So the concession system and the two-tier system are assigned for different situations. The concession system can help to rise general company's ability to pay", while the two-tier system is primarily designed to meet expectations of experienced employees.The willingness to pay is also an important factor for comparison of the two-tier and concession systems. "Except in the most extraordinary circumstances, there is no acceptable reason for a union to bargain concessions. In t he case of a business that is profitable, there is absolutely no reason for concession bargaining. The results of concession bargaining over the last two decades should stand as proof that concessions do not benefit workers." (http://www.ufcw.net/articles/Toolkit/concession_bargaining-01.html) The concession system doesn't enforce the willingness of a company management to pay as it put restrictions on level of wages.The two-tier system stimulates management to attract experienced employees on the company's side in the bargaining process with new employees, thus this system increases a company's the willingness to pay. Though the willingness is largely a measure of equal distribution and fair competing process in the marketplace. The concession system grants to a company a chance to determine a level of wage that will be considered fair, thus decreasing level of employees' participation in distribution of a company's income. The two-tier system controls fair distribution only for experienced workers while newcomers are treated unfairly.) Although employers have to track wage market in terms

Gender Analysis in a case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gender Analysis in a case study - Essay Example The case study in Mexico simply highlights how gender is embedded in the improvement of sanitation and water availability in peri-urban and rural areas. The Joint programme on establishing effective and democratic water and sanitation management in Mexico used a conventional approach in upgrading the involvement of women in water related public institutions. This case study used the Moser framework because it focused mainly on the planning principles of those planning to incorporate gender into their work programs or projects. Moser (1993, 5) stated that those planning to do so lacked the needed planning doctrines and procedural tools. It emphasized on women’s participation in the local water management and their duties in boosting water access in the community. Men, women and the local authorities were advised on how to positively contribute in the improvement of water access in the community. Each of them was assigned particular roles in achieving these objectives and to be able to work simultaneously. The programme found this beneficial especially to the women because they felt appreciated to be able to be a part of the desired change. The Moser framework which is also referred to as the triple-roles framework merely provides different approaches towards attaining the same goal. It places priority on giving men and women roles for the economic development of their projects. It implements gender division of labor and gender distribution of resources. The community is expected to know which roles they play according to the resources they have (Candida, et al 1999). This framework provides a simplistic way of collecting women’s and men’s data while at the same time provide access and management to resources (Warren 2007). Using the proper methods to collect data is very important in any type of framework so as not to create any

Childcare Education as a Entrance to the Society Assignment

Childcare Education as a Entrance to the Society - Assignment Example In this specific case, I would consider a child who has received impartial warmth and affection from his parents and family. The child is the victim of ignorance, and therefore his overall influence and participation in the social and family affairs is minimum. Under Circle of Courage Philosophy, it is important to incorporate belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity in the child. The child shall have a sense of association and belonging, this will make a child more responsible and adaptable towards the society. The sense of leadership is an important trait of personality, and the child shall be trained to lead and play a significant role in the activity. It is important that child shall act independently; the emotions and actions of the child should be independent and should be based upon his personal understanding (Larry, 2005). It is important that under no circumstances, the child shall get under the influence of another person except for parents. The mentoring of parents is instrumental in inflicting the sense of leadership. ... It is important that the child is protected from the social injustice, alienation, vanity, and conviction (Larry, 2005). At the very early stage of his early, the mind of the child is the fluid form which takes the shape of the bowl it is poured into; therefore it is important to be careful in the treatment of such child. It is important that such child shall be protected from the troubled and difficult situation. Often parents put their children in a troubled situation to assess their reaction and approach. This is an incorrect approach, it is recommended never to put the child to any test. With reference to this specific case of a neglected child, it is important that the child shall be given love and affection, rather such child shall be the hub of love and affection from all the family members, in particular, the parents (Frederick, 2008).

Austism, Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Austism, - Research Paper Example But it is known that it affects the information processing in brain by the alteration of nerve cells. Autism has a strong and complex genetic basis, but is unclearly explained as either rare mutation or rare combination of common genetic variants. In Autism spectrum disorder (ASDs) there are three recognized disorder namely Autism disorder, Asperger syndrome, and Pervasive development disorder. Autism disorder (also called â€Å"classic† autism): It is referred by impaired social interaction & communication and by restricted & repetitive behavior. (CDC, 2011) Asperger syndrome: It is referred with delays in cognitive development and language. This is a miler version of autism and generally the problems of language and intellectual ability improves over time. (CDC, 2011) Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also called â€Å"atypical autism†) It is referred when both the above mentioned disorders (Asperger syndrome, Autism disorder) does not meet the full set criteria. For eg. Rett's Syndrome (RTT). This has limited effects as compared to a full fledged autism (CDC, 2011). Some of the people suffering from Autism are able to live a regular life, while some require a special back up.

Crash Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crash - Movie Review Example From this paper it is clear that the Character of Persian delivery man is also subjected to racism due to his profession of a domestic worker. Even Cameron and Christine a well off black couple faces racism. According to â€Å"Cameron and Christine are a black well off couple. They experience stereotyping and racism when they are driving home from a party†. On the way, they were harassed by a white police officer who ran fingers on Christine’s body and Cameron felt helpless. Also Farad a Muslim shop owner in the movie faces discrimination as he is Muslim and it was a time prior to 9/11 terrorist attack.Also Graham, a black police officer with Hispanic woman called Rita tells his mom that he is with white woman which makes her angry.This study outlines that the discrimination due to class is also evident in the movie. Jean being a woman from upper class looks down upon all minorities. She looks at blacks strangely and shows offensive attitude as she walks down the street . We can see that she also acts badly to her maid servant who is black. Even with Mexican locksmith who was Hispanic she reacted in an offending manner. She blamed the locksmith for being a gang member and a potential threat. Also the shop owner Farhad who is from a working class has to live in a neighborhood with no security where his daughter was almost shot.  The movie depicts that whites are superior class and this can be evident in the scene where the white producer tells the black actor to act dumb to make him look more like a black man.... As per ( Blunt) â€Å"Because this is a movie about connections, some of the most painful moments in Crash show classism and racism supporting each other in people's personal lives†. The movie depicts that whites are superior class and this can be evident in the scene where the white producer tells the black actor to act dumb to make him look more like a black man. The movie also shows the distinction between the rich and poor class. Here in the movie, Jean and her husband are rich and afford luxurious car but poor farhad a shop owner is struggling to live in a scary neighborhood. He keeps a gun to save himself from Hispanics and blacks. Also the movie shows, the Chinese slaves who are imported to US. So in the movie there is upper class, middle class and even slaves. Gender roles are also portrayed in many scenes along the movie. In the beginning , when Jean and husband are walking on the street and when she finds two black men coming towards them, Jean hold on to her husband which shows the traditional role of male as a protector. Although he is not armed, society’s traditional view is depicted in the movie where a man is a protector and women in need of protection. Another example is where, Jean and husband in career with traditional gender role notion. Rick, the husband is an Attorney while she remains a housewife. Here, the roles reinforces male as a â€Å"breadwinner† and woman as a â€Å"domestic†. Another scene which showcases gender roles is when Cameron and Christine are stopped by the police while driving home. Here there is depiction of male versus female struggle which is much obvious in the society. The female is sexually assaulted by Ryan, a police officer while her husband watches helplessly. Although, this instance has racism, the gender

Alcoholics Anonymous - Essay Essay Example for Free

Alcoholics Anonymous Essay Essay Alcoholics Anonymous came to be in Akron Ohio in 1935 It was formed by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob out of a desperation to stay sober and not quite knowing how to do so. Bill W. had the idea that maybe one drunk trying to help another stay sober might be the key. Originally Bill W. tried to get sober by attending a religious group, the Oxford Group, and his evolved into AA as we know it today. Bill W. had managed to put together six months of sobriety when he was out of town and was in a situation where he felt like he needed to drink. Instead of taking that first drink he reached out, trying to stay sober. He thought maybe if he helped another drunk, he would feel better and he did. This premise is still keeping drunks sober today. In the early days Dr Bob abd Bill W. would make their rounds to the hospitals trying to help others get sober. The original Big Book or book of AA was based on the fact that one-hundred people had managed to get sober at the time that book was written. Today there are thousands upon thousands of people who are recovering, not only from alcohol but many different kinds of addictions. One of the things that remains true are the original twelve steps of recovery. It is the telling of how the original pioneers got sober and stayed sober. After all these years the program remains strong and is the spring-board for self-help groups. The twelve steps are the program of recovery and it is essential that people who want to recover and keep their disease in remission they should work the steps to the best of their ability. Many people don’t get past step 1; people falter on the steps based on what they believe at that particular moment. Many people can’t or won’t believe in something other than themselves, so step three is out-turning their lives over. Step four is a huge stumbling block, and then having to talk to someone else about what they did wrong is huge. My point is, is that is not easy. Recovery is not easy, the drinking and using part was the easier softer way. For people that would like a better life and would like to learn to live life sober, they must practice the principles of AA, it really is life and death. Many people die every day from this disease. It is my opinion that society has a responsibility to educate our children in that this is a horrific disease and anyone can become afflicted. The stigma associated with this must be eradicated in favor of a medical view that treats it as what it is; a  bio-psycho-social disease.

Economic Problems of Northeast India

Economic Problems of Northeast India ABSTRACT This paper attempts to examine the reasons for the failure of the North East to catch up with the rest of India in terms of economic growth even though it has done fairly well with respect to human development indicators. The paper shows that the government has proposed policies for development of this region but various factors such as insurgency, geographical factors and infrastructural constraints have hindered the expected outcome of the policies. After analyzing these reasons we conclude our paper by suggesting various measures that can be adopted to overcome these problems and accelerate the development process. INTRODUCTION North-East India consisting of seven states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura; occupies a distinctive place primarily due to its social, cultural, political, geographical and historical features resulting in lack of uniformity, integration and assimilation. As unified it is in conflict ridden issues like ethnic unrest, insurgency, and illegal immigration; there exist wide intra-regional disparities in socio-economic issues. Since the colonial period it has been a witness to highly inequitable rates of economic growth. For the British, the North-East was a storehouse of raw materials such as coal, natural oil, forests and tea. There was a mass extraction of these resources which were then exported to other parts of the country for processing. This region however did not benefit from this process as the British did not set up processing and manufacturing units, neither did they pay any attention on the development of transport and communication facilities in the region. With the partition of India, for a long period of time trade with Bangladesh (East Pakistan) came to a stop which seriously damaged the economic and growth potential of the region. Government of India brought about several developmental packages for the region but these policies and programmes were not evaluated at appropriate times. This widened the gap between the region and rest of India. Thus all the socio-economic and political proble ms of these states were put under one unit, i.e., north-east region and a North Eastern council was created to address these as a whole  [1]  , thereby ignoring the inter-state disparities. In recent times the picture has got somewhat better. The north-eastern region has performed reasonably well in comparison to all India average situations in respect of human development indicators for both the sexes but it has failed in bringing commensurate economic growth. In spite of being a tribal belt and, in some cases having matrilineal society women still need to come at par with men. If these problems are not properly addressed the region may fall into the trap of vicious cycle instead of moving to a virtuous one. (Nayak, 2007)  [2]   The objective of the paper is to review the general claim that the North-Eastern states have done relatively well as compared to the all India average situations in terms of human development indicators; but the region has still not been able to achieve corresponding levels of economic growth. To this end, we have undertaken a comprehensive literature review comprising of various government reports and research articles. The data sources are RBI, NEDFi Databank. The paper is structured as follows: We begin by analysing the human development indicators and economic growth scenario in the region and also discuss the presence of intra-regional disparities at the disaggregated level. Next we look into the past and present policies introduced by the government for the economic and social upliftment of the region. We then state the recurrent problems prevailing in the North-Eastern states and we conclude with a discussion of potential policies and measures that can be undertaken so that th e region is able to tap its true potential. Human Development and Economic Growth in the region Disparities in Human Development Indicators and Economic Growth Human development indicators have been consistently high for the North-Eastern states on an average. A look at the Human Development Report (2002) reaffirms this fact. However as apparent there are huge inter-state disparities. The HDI value during 1981 in the region varied from the lowest figure of 0.242 in Arunachal Pradesh to the highest of 0.461 in Manipur as against the national average of 0.302. Similarly in 1991 the lowest and highest figures were 0.328 (Arunachal Pradesh) and 0.548 (Mizoram) as against 0.389 at the national level (Nayak, 2009). Thus on an aggregate the region seems to have done well but there exist wide rural-urban and gender disparities. We now separately present an overview of the various human development indicators. Literacy UNDPs national human development report (2003) studied the region and concluded that the region has done well in the social sector and more so in the spread of literacy. The overall literacy rate of the region in 2001 (65.83%) was marginally higher than the national average (64.8%). States such as Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur had literacy rates higher than the national average, whereas other states like Assam kept pace with the national average. Starting from relative backwardness in 1971, by 2001 Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh closed gaps with the country average. Considering that Arunachal Pradesh had a literacy rate of only 11.30 per cent in 1971, the attainment to 54.34 per cent by 2001 constitutes a huge progress in just three decades. There were considerable improvements in the field of female literacy too. Female literacy for all the states is higher as compared to the all India average except for Arunachal Pradesh. In spite of these positive trends there are questi ons about the quality of undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational education available here.  [3]   Infant Mortality Rate and Nutritional Status Some states have continuously lagged behind in terms of several important economic indicators. For instance, states such as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have higher infant mortality rates (66 and 61respectively) whereas other states in the region have done well for example Mizoram (34). The poor state of infant mortality rates in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam can be attributed to poor utilisation of antenatal healthcare units, lack of proper healthcare infrastructure, limited access to healthcare facilities due to geographical constraints. The region is marked by the prevalence of diseases such as diarrhoea, parasitic infestation, hepatitis and entric fever. Mizorams high levels of literacy and urbanisation are reflected in the better than average utilisation of reproductive and child healthcare services (RCH); 20% of its mothers make use of antenatal check-up (ANC) services. Moreover more than 35% of its children are immunised.  [4]   The National Family Health Survey 3 (NFHS) 2005-06, which defines nutritional status of children as percentage of children under age 3 born to ever married women classified as under-weight, shows Mizoram with the lowest percentage of under-weight children at 14.3 which is way below the national average of 40.4. Most of the states lie way below this national average the only exception being Meghalaya with a percentage of 42.9. The reason for the dismal performance of Meghalaya can be attributed to inadequate food intake, chronic illness and low levels of immunisation. Only 33% of the children aged 12-23 months are fully vaccinated as against the national average of 44%. Gross-State Domestic Product (GSDP) The standard of living of the people in the region, as measured by the per capita gross state domestic product (GSDP), has lagged significantly behind the rest of the country. In 2004-05, the GSDP of the region at Rs. 18027 was less than the overall state average of Rs. 25968. In the post-independence era the growth rate of per capita GSDP started lagging behind the rest of the country and by the late 1960s, the per capita income in the region had declined substantially. With the introduction of market based economic reforms this difference in the growth rates increased further. During the period 1990-91 to 2004-05, while the aggregate GSDP of all states increased at the rate of 6% per year, the corresponding figure for the region was 4.4%. Also, the regions growth rate of per capita income at 2.5% was significantly low as compared to the national growth rate of 4% during the same period. The reasons for low GSDP such as geographical inaccessibility, insurgency, and infrastructural b ottlenecks and will be discussed later in the paper. An Overview of Government Policies Industrial Policies: NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION POLICY (NEIIPP), 2007: It was an extension of the NEIIPP introduced in 1997. The earlier NEIIPP did not cover Sikkim, but under the new NEIPP Sikkim was also included. Under this scheme all new units as well as existing units which go in for a substantial expansion (an increase by not less than 25% in the value of fixed capital investment in plant and machinery for the purpose of expansion of capacity/modernization and diversification) will be eligible for incentives for a period of 10 years from the date of commencement of commercial production. In addition to this firms will also be given other incentives such as interest subsidy, capital investment subsidy, income tax exemption, excise duty exemption and comprehensive insurance.  [5]   NEDFi (North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd.): North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi) was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, on August 9, 1995 with its registered office at Guwahati, Assam, for the development of industries, infrastructure, animal husbandry, agri-horticulture plantation, medicinal plantation, sericulture plantation, aquaculture, poultry and dairy in the North Eastern states of India. NEDFi has been promoted by All India Financial Institutions Industrial Development Bank of India, ICICI Ltd., Industrial Finance Corporation of India, Small Industries Development Bank of India, Insurance Companies Life Insurance Corporation of India, General Insurance Corporation and its subsidiaries, Investment company Unit Trust of India and Bank State Bank of India. Agricultural Policies: Watershed Development Project in Shifting Agriculture Area(WDPSCA): The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, GoI launched a programme WDPSCA which is a Special Central Assistance to State Plan Programme for the benefit of jhumia communities. The programme was launched in 1994-95 in the Seven North Eastern States during the 8th Five Year Plan and continues to be implemented during the 9th Plan Period. The Soil and Water Conservation Department of the Government of Meghalaya initiated the Jhum Control Programme in 1974- 75 to control topsoil degradation due to jhum cultivation. The prominent feature of the programme was to support rehabilitation of the communities dependent on Jhum cultivation by improving their socio-economic conditions, enabling alternative livelihood options and food production. The major impact of this policy as evaluated by different agencies has been a decrease of about 30% in the shifting cultivation area due to adoption of settled cultivation. Sustainable i ncrease in productivity of agricultural crops and increased practise of horticulture was also noticed. Moreover, about 25% increase in income of an average Jhumia family was also reported.  [6]   National Horticulture Mission (NHM): For the North-Eastern states and hilly areas, the government had launched a centrally sponsored scheme on integrated development of horticulture in the North-Eastern states in 2001-02 which was extended to Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand in 2003-04. The scheme has been renamed Horticulture Mission for North-East and Himalayan States with effect from 2010-11, which provides higher subsidy than what is available under National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in plane areas.  [7]   Infrastructural Policies: Development of infrastructure has been neglected in north-east India. According to Nayak, the North-East region which constitutes 7.8 percent of the total geographical area of the country has a meagre of 1, 16,551 kms. of road length. Similarly development of railways has been poor. However, the Government through DoNER (Department Of North Eastern Region) has undertaken infrastructural projects in the last few years. The Government has invested substantially in road, air, rail, energy, and telecommunications. 8The Eleventh Plan devotes nearly Rs. 50000 crores on road development in this region. Some road development programs include SARDP-NEP (Special Accelerated Road Development Project ), East-West Corridor, NHDP-II and programs initiated by DoNER and NEC ( North East Council) . Railway network in this region is only 4% of the countrys rail system. Fourteen major railway projects for which Rs.10000 crores has been allocated include 8 new lines, 5 gauge conversions and 1 doubling of line, is expected to connect the state capitals of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland to already connected states of Assam and Tripura. As this region is blessed with rivers, inland water transportation is important for its development. Notable projects include NW-II on the river Brahmaputra from Dhubri to Sadiya and National Waterway -IV on the river Barak from Lakhipur to Bhanga. In case of energy there has been an imbalance between the generation and availability of thermal and hydroelectric power. To attain a sustainable growth of this sector emphasis needs to be laid on hydroelectric power where ever possible. The gas based power projects include Palatana project and Monarchak, while Dibang Multi-purpose Hydroelectric Project focuses on hydro electric energy source. One of the programs introduced by the government is Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) which was introduced in 1995 to provide electricity to all villages and rural households. Ministry of Power has been giving assistance to the states in this region to improve power distribution of power under the Accelerated Power Development Program (APDRP). The Annual Report 2008-09 suggests continuation of these measures till the desired results are achieved.  [9]   In terms of social infrastructure though the levels of literacy are generally well off, there is a need for improving the infrastructure and facilities of educational institutions as well as improving the quality of education. The North East states have been provided with grants under Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) to improve infrastructural facilities. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has also been implemented in these states with positive improvements. The important Central Sector Institutions in the North East Region are IIT, Guwahati; NERIST, Itanagar; NIT, Silchar; Regional Centers of IGNOU; Central Universities of Assam, Tezpur, Mizoram, Nagaland and NEHU.  [10]   Policies to Combat Insurgency: Until the 1970s the Indian government used collective punishment, forcible relocation and military occupation in an attempt to end insurgency in the North-East. In addition to creating a severe sense of grievance among some groups, this strategy rendered civil and political institutions virtually meaningless by concentrating power over local affairs with the security forces. Even today, the military remains the only Indian institution with any significant presence in parts of this region, which has given rise to anti central government sentiments. Major Socio-Economic Problems of the Region We now examine the problems which have not only existed in spite of the above policies, but also hamper the effective implementation of the same. Geographical Factors: The entire region of the North-East can be broadly divided into two characteristic zones mountain and plains. While Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are almost entirely hilly, about four fifths of Assam is plain. Manipur and Tripura have both plain areas and hilly tracts. The hills account for about 70 per cent area and accommodate about 30 per cent of population of the region and the plains constituting the remaining 30 percent of area hold about 70 per cent of its population.  [11]  The regions accessibility has always remained weak due to geographical reasons and underdeveloped transport links with the rest of India. Also, as the region witnesses floods and landslides in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys of Assam, considerable strain is exerted on the economy of not only Assam but other North-Eastern states too. Infrastructural Factors: One of the reasons for the economic backwardness of the North-Eastern states is the poor state of basic infrastructural facilities. Infrastructure i.e. physical (like roadways, waterways, energy and so on) as well as social infrastructure (for instance educational institutions, health facilities) plays an important role in human development and economic growth of any region. The region has about 6% of the national roads and about 13% of the national highways (Sachdeva). However, the quality of these roads is not good due to poor maintenance. The Indian planners neglected the development of infrastructure in this region for a long period of time. Only in recent years, serious efforts have been made for the provision of these facilities. However, as infrastructural development entails long gestation periods the recent efforts made by North-Eastern Council (NEC) and Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) did not have much of an economic impact. The prominent indicators of shortfalls in infrastructure in this region are: increasingly congested roads, power failures, shortage of drinking water etc. Constraints on Industrial Growth: North-East India has remained historically underdeveloped in terms of industrial growth. At the time of Independence, there was a small but significant industrial sector in Assam which was mostly dominated by the colonial capitalists. This sector consisted of plantation and manufacturing of tea, mining of coal and oil, oil refinery, manufacturing of plywood and other forest resource based products. Post Independence, due to the partition of India, the industrial sector in Assam received a serious setback as its trade routes were cut-off with the rest of the country. This in turn hindered economic integration with other parts of India and also reduced the attractiveness of the region as a destination of investment. The main strength of the region for industrial development comes from its huge natural resource base. For instance, the setting up of National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation to harness the huge hydro-electric potential of the region and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for exploration and extraction of oil and gas reserves. The forest based industrial units have been on decline following the ban on felling of trees, by the Supreme Court of India in 1995. Besides dearth of local capital, marketing and transport bottlenecks hinder the industrial development of this region. Tea industry is one of the oldest industries in India. Tea industry started well in the beginning of 20th century. Tea established itself as a major manufacturing industry in Assam that heralded a huge potential. One of the major problems facing the tea industry, especially in Assam has been increased conflict between the mainstream Assamese and the labourers regarding the health issues and welfare benefits of the labourers. Agriculture: Agriculture is the major subsistence occupation of the tribal population of the region. The pattern of agricultural growth has however been uneven across states and between crops. Rice is the major crop of the region (kharif). Other crops (rabi) grown in the region are wheat, potato, sugarcane, pulses and oilseeds. The North-Eastern region produces only 1.5% of the countrys total food grain production and provides livelihood support to 70% of the population (Mishra and Misra).The pace of agricultural growth in the eastern and North-Eastern regions has been slower than the rest of the country. The Green Revolution was largely limited to the North-Western parts of the country and has not benefited the North-Eastern region. By and large, the production conditions in agriculture in the North-East are traditional. The agricultural productivity is the lowest, irrigation facilities are almost non-existent in some areas and consumption of fertilisers is extremely low in the regi on. One of the most common agricultural practise in the North-East is shifting or Jhum cultivation. Approximately 1.7 million hectares of land is under shifting agriculture. This leads to large scale deforestation resulting in soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. Insurgency and Political Issues: Insurgency or terrorism is a political weapon and is often the result of accumulated anger due to political, economic and social causes. The North-Eastern states have witnessed a rise of insurgent activities and regional movements. These movements derive their roots from differences in language and ethnicity, human rights, tribal rivalry and ethnic resentment, migration, underdevelopment, control over local resources, access to markets and a widespread feeling of exploitation and alienation from the Indian state. Nagaland has been the epicentre of insurgency in the North-East; however, the problem has now spilled over to the rest of the region. Some of the insurgent groups are United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Peoples Liberation Army, National Socialist Council of Nagaland, All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), and National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Often these insurgent groups indulge in subversive activities like damaging rail tracks, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, strikes and curfews and illegal cross-country migration. One of the important targets of the insurgents is the resource-based industries like petroleum and tea which form the core industries in the region. Assam also faces illegal infiltration from Bangladesh while Arunachal Pradesh faces constant threat from Chinese incursions. Natural Resource Base: North-East is endowed with rich natural resource base- soil, water, vegetation and hydrocarbons. In spite of having huge natural resources, the North-Eastern part of the country is underdeveloped. The resources are being exploited and mismanaged, thereby leading to depletion of the very assets that are usually highlighted as triggering the greatest potential for growth and development of the North-Eastern region. Resources have been extracted primarily for survival and for further capital formation and also the biodiversity of the region is under severe threat. The bulk of natural resource degradation is being caused by coal mining, fertiliser industry, paper industry, cement industry and militant activities. Conclusion In recent years, the government has been trying to put in place policies regarding the economic development and social integration of North-East, however, as we can conclude from our literature review there have been various social, economic, political and geographical problems which have hindered development of these states. It is generally believed that agriculture in the North-Eastern states has a lot of potential. Given the resource endowment of the region, this hypothesis seems quiet plausible. This can be attributed to socio-economic features as well as institutional, organizational and technological constraints. The agricultural policies for the region should thus focus not only on increasing agricultural productivity but also pay attention on eliminating the constraints on agricultural productivity and providing incentives for promoting sustainable agricultural practises and setting up of related activities such as fisheries, animal husbandry etc. The need for stepping up of investment in the agricultural sector has been felt very strongly given the fact that this region has been historically capital-starved. From the point of view of medium and large industry the most promising resources are the forest wealth of the region and the substantial deposits of oil, coal and limestone. The development of horticulture and plantations can assist in the growth of small and medium agro-based industries. The growth of sericulture and the demand for yarn in the handloom sector provide a base for the development of textile industries. These along with a variety of small units for serving local consumption demands can provide the basis for a more rapid industrialisation of the area. To protect the environment and resources it is necessary to implement pollution standards and put in place environmental laws regarding emissions, waste and effluent discharges from industries. There is a need to preserve the biodiversity of the region as livelihoods can be improved by developing forest produce, cultivation and export of exotic fruits and plants and harnessing of medicinal plants. National programmes and sc hemes are needed to support indigenous community forestry institutions and practises. Also it can be used to develop the tourism sector which will generate employment opportunities. The area has tremendous potential for Hydro-Power generation which needs to be appropriately harnessed as it is not only environment friendly but will also provide immense financial benefits, reduced flood damage if storage facilities are a part of Hydro-Power projects, employment generation which in turn would have an impact on sectors such as services, transport and tourism. The government should strive to resolve inter-state water conflicts and maintenance of dams. Private investment can play a critical role in fuelling economic growth and is essential to generate productive employment, raise productivity and improve technology and the work culture in areas like infrastructure, industry and agriculture. Incentives can also be given for attracting foreign investment in this region. This can however be done once the basic infrastructure facilities are put in place. These policies to encourage employment would reduce discontentment among the youth of these states thereby curbing the spread of insurgency. Thus we conclude that the North East has done reasonably well in terms of human development indicators .Also the government has put into place policies for development and integration of the region but in the end it is upto the local people to work hand in hand with the Central and State Governments to ensure prosperity of the region.

Overpopulation is Not Really a Problem Essay -- Critical Thinking Essay

  Ã‚   Throughout history there have been claims that the world was growing too fast. In the 18th century, it was the Rev. Thomas Malthus with his book Essay on the Principle of Population. Rev. Malthus said that the growing European population would quickly outstrip its available resources. History tells us that Rev. Malthus' speculation was wrong. Following a path similar to that of Malthus, Paul Ehrlich presented us a book entitled The Population Bomb, in 1969. Ehrlich's book predicted that tens of millions of people would starve to death in the 1970s following an inescapable crash in the world's food supply. It also forecasted the elimination of all natural resources and said that the world was in danger of returning to a pre-industrial Dark Age. Again, the prophecy went unfulfilled. Continuing Concern Today, as we near the 21st century, overpopulation, as some may call it, still seems to be a concern. There have been reports that, if the current rate of population growth were maintained, the world will be home to some 694 trillion people by the year 2150, almost 125 times that of today's population (Bender, p. 65). On October 12th, 1999, the world was presented with the associated press headline that the world population counter at the UN topped 6 billion. It is evident that our society is still concerned about the increasing population. The intent of this paper is to prove that there is not, and will never be, according to long-term trends, a situation in which it is impossible to provide everyone on earth a living standard at the subsistence level.    Why didn't the old predictions come true? In 1969 Paul Ehrlich predicted that the world would outgrow its food supply. Ehrlich based his argument on Rev.... ...nology. If the historical long-term trends continue as they have, we will never be stripped of our ability to provide for everyone.    Appendix A Arithmetic vs. Geometric Rate of Increase:   An arithmetic progression increases by consistent numerical values. Example: 1+2+3+4+5+6   A geometric progression increases by a constant percent: Example: 1+2+4+8+16+32 In this case, the number doubles each time (100% increase). Appendix B    The Law of Conservation of Matter states that material is neither created nor destroyed in any chemical or physical reaction.    Works Cited Bender, David, Bruno Leone, Charles F. Hohm, Lori Justine Jones, Population: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1995 Lederer, Edith M., Associated Press Article, October 12, 1999 Carnell, Brian, http://www.overpopulation.com   

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND :: essays papers

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND Tears rolled down my face as I tried to smile. Prolonging the dreaded good-bye, I kept busy organizing the small stuff in her new home. Her home with out me. It was one of those moments I anticipated but would not accept the reality until the time finally came. I had never been good with good-byes. An hour later, my dad looked at me and I knew this time we were leaving. I had given her a hug without looking at her and we whispered I love you’s to each other. She was having a hard enough time leaving everything behind so I wanted to stay strong for her. I wanted to stay. Walking from that dorm room felt like I was saying good-bye to my very best friend. As I reached the car and we drove off I began to cry, trying hard not to let my dad see. I did not want to talk about it. Through life, many people turn away but family is always there. When you are away from the ones that mean the most to you, it is then when you realize how much they mean to you. Just like the old saying goes, â€Å"absence makes the heart grow fonder†. I found this saying to be true when my oldest and only sister moved away for the first time to go to college. Losing one mom was hard enough but when I had to say goodbye to my second I thought I was going to die. On March 12, 1992 my mother passed away of acute leukemia and my older sister moved up in the family tree. She became my mother, my sister, and my best friend. When she left, it was hard to imagine life without her around. We seem to be the perfect age apart to completely understand each other. She is the person who keeps me going. She is my conscience and role model. She teaches me everyday to live and learn and always try my best. My friends and father all mean so much to me but whenever anything goes wrong my very first reaction is â€Å"What will Allison think? What would she say?† In 1936, many say that 14 year-old Mary Stevenson wrote the poem

Comparing the Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell

Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell It On the Mountain Literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. The portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) provides tremendous insight into the role of African-American women. Their Eyes Were Watching God examines the relationship between Janie and her grandmother, who plays the role of mother in Janie's life. It also looks at the different relationships that Janie had with her three husbands. Janie's grandmother was one of the most important influences in her life, raising her since from an infant and passing on her dreams to Janie. Janie's mother ran away from home soon after Janie was born. With her father also gone, the task of raising Janie fell to her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny tells Janie "Fact uh de matter, Ah loves yuh a whole heap more'n Ah do yo' mama, de one Ah did birth" (Hurston 31). Nanny's dream is for Janie to attain a position of security in society, "high ground" as she puts it (32). As the person who raised her, Nanny feels that it is both her right and obligation to impose her dreams and her ideas of what is important in life on Janie. The strong relationship between mother and child is important in the African-American community, and t he conflict between Janie's idyllic view of marriage and Nanny's wish for her to marry for stability and position is a good illustration of just how deep the respect and trust runs. Janie has a very romantic notion of what marriage should be. "She saw a dust-bearing... ... the children.    Works Cited and Consulted Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952). New York: Bantam-Dell, 1952. Bourn, Byron D. â€Å"Women's Roles in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and James Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain† Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). : Urbana, Ill.: U of Illinois P, 1937. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " ‘Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Pondrom, Cyrena N. "The Role of Myth in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." American Literature 58.2 (May 1986): 181-202. Williams, Shirley Anne. Forward. Their Eyes Were Watching God. By Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Bantam-Dell, 1937. xv.

Endocrine disrupting compounds and human fertility Essay

In the past 100 years, humans have introduced several hundreds of new compounds into the environment, which actually have affected the physiology of both plants and animals including humans (Propper, 2005). In most cases these deleterious effects are unintended and it was not predicted before that these compounds could have such effects on organisms. Therefore the actual mechanisms by which these compounds affect physiological functions of other organisms are not yet properly researched. When such compounds affect the endocrine systems they are called endocrine disrupting compounds. These compounds would affect different hormonal pathways and physiological functions such as reproduction, development, metabolism and even the behavior of humans and other animals. The present essay is intended to identify some of the endocrine disrupting compounds that affect human fertility, the mechanism of affecting, to analyze the weight of different evidences available and to analyze the current investigation techniques. Endocrine disrupting compounds have been defined as â€Å"an exogenous agent that interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body which are responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction, development and/or behavior† (Kavloc et al. , 1996). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has accepted this definition as the most appropriate one in the year 2004. These compounds are capable of interfering with normal signaling mechanisms of the endocrine system. Either they could block or make changes in the synthesis of hormones, or they could mimic some of the endocrine compounds, thereby affecting the target organs. They could also affect the release of these hormones from the concerned glands and its transportation. They could also bind with the specific molecules to which hormone binds. These compounds are usually seen in pesticides, industrial effluents, pharmaceutical compounds, etc. Heavy metals also could induce endocrine disruption. Wastewater effluents from cities as well as from agricultural fields are sources of such compounds. The neuro- endocrine system might also get affected by these compounds causing changes in the reproductive organs and associated behaviors in humans. Most of the researches in this filed are concentrated towards the effect of these compounds on estrogen and other steroids responsible for reproduction (Propper, 2005). According to Caserto et al. (2008) these compounds could affect human heath seriously even when present in very small amounts. This is especially because many such chemicals would be these affecting a single target. There are many studies which reveal that waste water discharge in to natural waters have resulted in the changes in reproductive organs of aquatic fauna. This is because of the presence of 17 beta estradiol, estrogens, androgens, etc, in wastewater. These compounds are highly stable and therefore could not be removed completely from wastewater by various treatment procedures to reclaim the water. Traces of these compounds would be present in the drinking water, which is prepared from these natural waters into which the wastewater has been disposed. Bioaccumulation of these compounds in humans is expected to affect fertility (Falconer, 2006). Wagner and Oehlmann (2009) have conducted a study to determine the level of endocrine disrupting compounds in usual food stuffs of humans and they selected bottled mineral water as one of the sources of this compounds. The effort was taken based on the fact that endocrine disrupting hormones reaches the body of human mainly through foodstuffs. They used estrogen receptor alpha for the identification. They found that the mineral waters in plastic bottles are seriously contaminated with phthalates that are getting leached into the water from plastic bottle. Thus it was proved beyond doubt that endocrine disrupting compounds are present in plastic wares and extensive use of plastic wares to store food would result in increased level of these compounds in the foodstuffs with a deleterious effect on fertility. According to Rhind (2005) there is an urgent need to study the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on animals. Very little is known regarding the concentration of these compounds in the different tissues of animals, the concentration required to produce a deleterious effect on the animals, effect of prolonged exposure to an single compound, the effects of different classes of compounds, effect of the exposure to more than one compounds at a time etc. With the available information it is possible to establish that the endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment is affecting human health adversely with a high impact on fertility. The effect of these endocrine disrupting compounds on human reproduction is different for different compounds. Compounds such as diethylstilbestrol affect female reproductive system and cause abnormal follicular growth, ovulation, abnormal formation of corpus luteum and the overall maintenance of ovary would be affected. It would also affect the normal sexual differentiation in females. Pregnancy would be affected because of the negative effects on fertilization and implantation of the embryo in the uterus. Another pollutant called dioxin has been reported to cause endometriosis in women, which is a very painful disease that leads to infertility (Crisp et al. , 1998). There are some compounds, which are naturally occuring such as phytoestrogens produced by plant that could mimic the properties of estrogens produced by humans (Caserta et al. , 2008). Natural sex hormones are used extensively for different purposes in farms as well as in urban areas and there is every chance that these would become harmful to non-targeted organisms including humans because of the concentrating effect. There are many evidences, which prove that environmental contaminants are causing problems in female fecundity as well as fertility (Louis et al. , 2006). There are evidences to prove that puberty, menstruation, endometriosis, pregnancy, senescence period for reproduction etc are affected by exposure to these compounds. Diethyl stilbestrol was given to pregnant women during 1950’s to prevent miscarriage. But later on due to the adverse effects of these compounds most of the kids developed abnormalities. Finally the compound was withdrawn from the market. The female child produced in such cases developed menstrual abnormalities, vaginal hypoplasia, sudden abortion, premature delivery, uterine malformation and overall low fertility. If the child is a male, it was found to develop testicular dysgenesis syndrome (Milhan 1992). Maternal exposure during pregnancy and exposure to these compounds present in the mother’s milk during the prenatal period are believed to be the reasons for such defects. This occurs due to the lipophilic nature of these compounds, which in turn gets stored in the adipose tissues of the mother. This is one of the strongest evidences of the deleterious effect of these compounds on human reproductive system. There are reports that state that human sperm production has decreased in the past 50 years. Although accurate evidence is not there, the reasons for this decrease is attributed to the presence of endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment (Crisp, 1998). Leydig cells tumors are increasingly believed to be caused by this factor. Same is the case of prostrate cancer. Studies conducted in Coke-oven workers have revealed that there has been an increase of mortality among them due to prostrate cancer due to occupational exposure to these compounds. However more research is required to find out the actual cause of this cancer, whether it is due to endocrine disruption by any chemicals in the environment.

Good and Bad Teachers Essay

I would like to say that I did have some bad teachers and some good ones. I would like to start with the good teachers I had in the past and the ones I have now. I had about 5 good teachers in the past that were very good to me and my class. Those teachers were good because they would give us parties every time the whole class gets an A. They would give us free time when we needed it, they would let us play bingo beside on the lesson we were having). I gave about 6 good teachers this year, well so far they are good to me and the class. Of course you are one of them although I only get to talk to you on Thursdays and Mondays, but because you let me do something’s over I would say that you are a good teacher, well online teacher, but let’s get back to school teachers the other 5 are good because they know when to give us tests and quizzes, but there is one in particular that is already planning a part for when we finish the part of a book were taking. The others are also good because the give us what we need and want. Now I will talk about the bad teachers. In the past I had 4 bad teachers, I am not that type of person that likes to point figures but here it goes, I think that they are bad because they give us too much work for our little hands to take care of and all day is work and work. They did not like it when we said something wrong they would put us outside of the class and if that did not work then they would literally tape on our mouth, but lucky me I never talked during that teacher’s period so that never happened put to me. This year I have 3 bad teachers, I think that they are bad because every time the WHOLE class fails that teacher blames it on the students and some of us tell that teacher that it is not our fault, if the whole class failed that means that, that teacher did not teach us very good or the test was not based on what teacher had thought us. I know that is not a nice thing to do to us as students. The other teachers they either just over do it with classwork and homework. I know what you are thing Ms. Harvard we need that work, and I could not agree more with you but these teachers just give us the unneeded things.

Explain the reasons for the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s Essay

In this essay I will be showing the reasons for why the Soviet-Split happened in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1959 a treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance was established and was signed by soviet Russia and Peoples Republic of China. Whilst Russia had the Technology the Chinese could offer the man power to support this which seemed like a perfect partnership. This treaty was about Russia and China sharing ideas and technologies together but Russia often refused to share there knowledge of such things such as the A-bomb and the fact that the soviets didn’t offer assistance when China had their confrontation with Taiwan in 1958 and India in 1959, the Chinese were again disappointed with the Soviet response. From the Chinese perspective, the U.S.S.R. seemed to be promoting its own national agenda and losing sight of the shared ideals and goals of Communism. The Sino-Soviet relationship was strained as tension between the two countries began to grow. Because of these reasons the split was obvious by the end of 1950s. The leaders of the union were alarmed at Mao’s hatred of America and they refused to help China develop there own atom bomb. China did manage to blow her first A-Bomb in 1964 followed by an H-bomb in 1969. This was all accomplished without soviet Aid. Mao seemed to advocate a nuclear war on the enemies of the communists. During the 1950s the Chinese leader Mao thought that China was being used as a Soviet satellite and rather than an equal partners which was stated in the treaty. It was clear that Mao and Khrushchev had different ideas on Communism and Capitalism because in one of Mao statements he noted that â€Å"I talked about the danger of nuclear war with a foreign leader. He believed that if a nuclear war was fought the whole of mankind would be killed. I said that if the worst came to the worst and half of mankind died the other half would remain while capitalism would have been smashed and the whole world would become communists.† This statement shows that Mao was confident in the fact that Communism would flourish if the world was drawn into a nuclear war. Khrushchev said that: â€Å"Anyone who thinks that communism can be advanced by war belongs in the lunatic asylum.† Khrushchev statement tells us that Communism could never be achieved no matter what happened in the world. These Statements by both leaders tells us that when they signed the treaty they were going to complete there own goals no matter want so overall the treaty was nothing more than a sham. The suspicions that China had against the soviets was supported greatly in the year of 1959 when Khrushchev went to the United States to have meeting with President Eisenhower. China viewed this as a betrayal of the Communist plan and that it was an attempt for worldwide revolution. This had a very important part in the crumble of the Sino-Soviet split because China wanted to be communist and not be part of the worldwide revolution which the United States of America wanted. Overall this was part of a long term effect on the Sino soviet split. Short effects that made a small contribution to the Sino-Soviet split were that the soviets made fun of the fact that China was not able to handle the technologies that Russia had. For example: â€Å"How can the Chinese be qualified to manufacture nuclear weapons when they eat watery soup out of a common bowl and do not even have trousers to wear.† These statement made by the soviets is clearly mocking the Chinese because it states that they are not advanced enough to handle the technologies. Because of this the Chinese did not receive the bomb and of course broke the treaty yet again adding more conflict between Russia and China. On 16 July 1960, the U.S.S.R. withdrew all its specialists and technical advisors from China. Though the quality of the relationship between the two countries had been slowly declining for years, this recall of personnel is often considered the definitive moment for dissolution of Sino-Soviet cooperation. This was seen as a big turning point in the cold because the threat to the United States was diminished. During the year of 1969 the governments accused each other of provoking incidents along the border that separated China and Russia from each other. This disputed territory was surrendered to Russia in 1858 and 1860; When China was to weak to fight back and had to surrender it. The tension has been building up since and each side has armed forces on it. This clash had been threatened to brake out in 1969. Between March and August, in a series of incidents, Shots had been fired between the border guards and some guards got shot as a result of this. Each of the countries accused each other of being the aggressor and for a time there seemed to be a danger of a full scale war. Because of this incident war seemed imminent but war was averted and became a close call between the tensions that the countries shared against each other. In conclusion I thought that the Sino-Soviet split was predictable. There was too many differences in there believes and ways of life’s for the treaty to stay together through the years. This could have been different if there were different leaders in charge of the countries and the communist and capitalist parties.

Costing Concerns in Society

In today's competitive economy, the cost structure is much more complex than that of the past, and there is a lot less room for error than that allowed in the more laid back economy of the past. Today's costing concerns arise from the growing disparity between direct and indirect product costs. American manufacturers have been pursuing a steady stream of manufacturing methods and technologies. The goal was simple and uniform: to reduce or eliminate direct costs. But as manufacturing has evolved, so has the structure of a product's cost. Direct costs, such as labor, are no longer the dominant cost of a product. The cost of indirect activities such as automation, marketing, sales, engineering, and order processing have dramatically increased. Overhead has grown to become the most expensive element of product cost structure. This might not be so bad if conventional product costing systems could handle the shift in cost structure. Unfortunately, they don†t. Most conventional systems allocate overhead based on some burdened rate (direct labor hours is a good example). This was acceptable when overhead was small and direct costs were high. But in today†s automated factory, this can lead to disaster. Conventional systems report inaccurate product costs–often grossly inaccurate. Management, in turn, makes strategic decisions based on these inaccurate product costs. Traditional cost systems assume all overhead activities are consumed equally by all products relative to volume produced. Further, all costs are allocated to products because the system assumes that current output drives current overhead costs. Overhead costs are allocated to products on the basis of the product's demand for some volume variable direct cost, usually labor hours, machine hours, or materials cost. But none of these bases individually represents the actual overhead incurred to make the product. Conventional thinking holds that the inaccuracy is not relevant because in total all costs are accounted for, and on average the relative distortion in margin reporting can not be significant. Activity based costing, by contrast, identifies what activities are performed by the overhead organization and calculates the cost incurred to perform each activity. Costs are traced to products on the basis of the individual product's demand for these activities throughout the process of converting raw materials, energy and human enterprise into the finished article. The allocation bases used in ABC, then, are the quantifications of activities performed. These might include hours of labor or number of times handled. As already mentioned, conventional costing often leads to gross inaccuracies. This is because direct costs–especially direct labor–have been minimized by automation. At the same time, indirect costs have increased dramatically. And it†s the indirect costs that get averaged across product lines by conventional methods. To see how bad the errors can be, look at the following chart. Conventional costing says that product B has a much lower overhead cost per unit ($4.80 vs. $7.20 for Product A). But this can†t be so. Product B consumes five times as much engineering change activity as Product A. Product B should cost more to produce. What has happened here is that the conventional system has averaged overhead costs across both products. The total cost of engineering changes is divided by the total direct labor hours. The result, $2.40 per direct labor hour, is then applied to each product. This overhead averaging causes Product A to carry an unfair–and inaccurate–portion of the overhead costs. Now guess what happens when these cost figures are used in pricing. Product A will probably be overpriced for the market, and Product B will be sold for less than its true production cost. Conventional costing says that product B has a much lower overhead cost per unit ($4.80 vs. $7.20 for Product A). But this can†t be so. Product B consumes five times as much engineering change activity as Product A. Product B should cost more to produce. What has happened here is that the conventional system has averaged overhead costs across both products. The total cost of engineering changes is divided by the total direct labor hours. The result, $2.40 per direct labor hour, is then applied to each product. This overhead averaging causes Product A to carry an unfair–and inaccurate–portion of the overhead costs. Now, using the ABC concept, the costs are apportioned according to a driver, the number of engineering change orders. (ECO's) The next graph shows the reallocation of overhead costs by the ABC method. Product B is now carrying its fair share of ECO processing costs. As would be expected, Product B actually costs five times more than Product A in terms of indirect activity consumption. As you have seen, activity based costing can offer much clearer insight into the operations of a business than the conventional method .of the past. When ABC is used as a management system, it is a powerful tool for rethinking and improving products, services, processes and a company's market strategies.