Monday, September 30, 2019

Dengue fever is a painful Essay

1.Description of the disease or condition The Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. Dengue is prevalent throughout the tropics and subtropics. Because dengue fever is caused by a virus, there is no specific medicine or antibiotic to treat it. For typical dengue fever, the treatment is purely concerned with relief of the symptoms. The acute phase of the illness with fever and myalgias (muscle pain) lasts about one to two weeks. Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a specific syndrome that tends to affect children under 10 years of age. It causes abdominal pain, hemorrhage (bleeding), and circulatory collapse (shock). The Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. These viruses are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever. 2. Symptoms Symptoms include headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands and rash. The presence of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic of dengue fever. Fever A red, raised, lattice-like rash, usually on the chest, back, and abdomen Swollen, tender, red, and extremely painful joints — particularly the knees or ankles Nodules, or small protuberances, over the swollen joints Sometimes, weakness and shortness of breath caused by heart involvement Sometimes, uncontrolled movements of arms, legs, or facial muscles called chorea. These symptoms often begin one to six weeks after a strep throat infection has appeared to clear up†¦.Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include: †¢Sudden, high fever †¢Severe headaches †¢Pain behind the eyes †¢Severe joint and muscle pain †¢Nausea †¢Vomiting †¢Skin rash, which appears three to four days after the onset of fever †¢Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising) Sometimes symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the flu or another viral infection. Younger children and people who have never had the infection before tend to have milder cases than older children and adults. However, serious problems can develop. These include dengue hemorrhagic fever, a rare complication characterized by high fever, damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS). 3. Cause/ risk factors Each year, an estimated 100 million cases of dengue fever occur worldwide. Most of these are in tropical areas of the world, with the greatest risk occurring in: †¢The Indian subcontinent †¢Southeast Asia †¢Southern China †¢Taiwan †¢The Pacific Islands †¢ The Caribbean (except Cuba and the Cayman Islands) †¢ Mexico †¢ Africa †¢Central and South America (except Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina) Most cases in the United States occur in people who contracted the infection while traveling abroad. But the risk is increasing for people living along the Texas-Mexico border and in other parts of the southern United States. In 2009, an outbreak of dengue fever was identified in Key West, Fla. Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person. 4. Treatment of the disease or condition The prevention of dengue fever requires control or eradication (elimination) of the mosquitoes carrying the virus that causes dengue. There is currently no vaccine available for dengue fever. There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications. To protect yourself you can: †¢Stay away from heavily populated residential areas, if possible. †¢Use mosquito repellents, even indoors. †¢When outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks. †¢When indoors, use air conditioning if available. †¢Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes. If sleeping areas are not screened or air conditioned, use mosquito nets. †¢If you have symptoms of dengue, speak to your doctor. To reduce the mosquito population, get rid of places where mosquitoes can breed. These include old tires, cans, or flower pots that collect rain. Regularly change the water in outdoor bird baths and pets’ water dishes. If someone in your home gets dengue fever, be especially vigilant about efforts to protect yourself and other family members from mosquitoes. Mosquitoes that bite the infected family member could spread the infection to others in your home. 5. Body systems involved The whole body is affected as the dengue virus effects immune system. Liver is damaged after the disease is over. Most of the patients feel the body pains even after the virus is over. The blood platelet count is decreased and the bleeding problems are very frequent among the dengue patients. Skin marks caused by dengue disappear with the passage of time. People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. 6. Countries where the disease or condition is found Outbreaks have occurred recently in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuba, and in Paraguay in South America, and Costa Rica in Central America. Although the dengue fever rarely occurs in the continental United States, it is endemic in Puerto Rico, and in many popular tourist destinations in Latin America and Southeast Asia; periodic outbreaks occur in Samoa and Guam.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Synopsis of a Phrase: You Don’t Know What You Have Until It’s Gone

â€Å"You don’t know what you have until it’s gone† Like an old saying â€Å"You don’t know what you have until it’s gone†. For some people these are just words, but for others it’s really more a life changing phrase. To me this phrase are more than just words. I question myself every time I see or hear about mother’s abandoning their children’s. I really can’t understand what come across their minds to make a life changing decision. Every woman who has the blessing of having children’s should be grateful, because not every woman has the glory of giving birth.I can’t comprehend leaving behind a part of you like if it didn’t exist, that is just outrages. But then again life in some way or somehow it comes back and haunts you, it’s all about karma. This is where the old saying of â€Å"You don’t know what you have until it’s gone†, kicks in then it’s too late to try to regain what you had back then. As I grew up as a teenager I always had in mind that I wanted to have a boy first and then a girl as my own children. Well, God heard my wishes and made them true, but not knowing that later on in my life I was going to wish that I hadn’t made that petition.I had my son at age 17 and my daughter at age 19, years passed by and simply no more pregnancies came along. I was divested as well as my husband we wanted to have more family. Apparently it just wasn’t going to happen I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). The possibilities of getting pregnant were between 2% to 5% which let’s be honest, â€Å"Not enough†. Pretty much I become infertile, but I had set my mind if these are Gods wish let them be. I was already so grateful in having my two kids. I’m not going lie I still had that wish of becoming mother again back in mind.I have a sister who had a beautiful daughter two years ago. I was hopi ng for my sister to change for good, since she was more into going out with friends, boyfriends, and anything relate to being irresponsible. The first year seemed to be okay even though she still went out. In the beginning of the second year she started to complain about having her daughter. She would say, â€Å"I wish I have never had you†. How can she possibly say this, she is only an â€Å"innocent little girl† who didn’t ask to be brought to this world. I spoke to my mother about this situation.I simply couldn’t let this go on. My mother said, â€Å"I will not let this happen again†. My mother did actually speak to my sister, she obviously didn’t like that so she called me up and said, â€Å"I’m leaving the house and I’m giving the baby away to someone†. I said â€Å"No you are not†! Give her to me, I said. My sister answers back by saying, â€Å"Well, come for her now or I will give her away†. So I eag erly left to my mother’s house. I had to tell my sister, that I hope you never ever regret what you are doing. This is when I brought up the old saying, â€Å"You don’t know what you have until it’s gone†.Some day you will be begging for the forgiveness of your daughter and this is when you will realize that what you did was wrong and it will be to late. At the end I tried to understand why she took this decision. What was going thru her mind? I just can come with an answer. I’ve tried every possible method of getting pregnant and here she comes and leaves her daughter like nothing as if she never carried her in her stomach for 9 months. By the way I was present in the baby’s birth. It was wonderful reliving the moment when I gave birth to my children.Now I’m going thru the moment of seeing my niece being abandoned by her insensitive mother. This really breaks my heart by seeing my little niece looking for her mother and not finding h er. To me this kind of people should not have the blessing of being a mother, if in some way you can call them mothers. While other women try and wish they could be mothers. We should have more conscious in what we do and the consequence that later in life will bring us. We should treasure what we currently have and not wait until it’s too late to realize what slip away from our hands. Life is to short to make wrong decisions.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Value Innovation at AMD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Value Innovation at AMD - Essay Example As of today, 99% of computers operate using 32-bits. As technology improves and software applications become more demanding there will be a transition to 64 bits. The K8 processor was a complete revamp of the x86 architecture for 64-bit processing, giving AMD a leadership position. Industry acceptance of the AMD64 standard has forced Intel to enter into an agreement with AMD to use the AMD64 standard on their own 64-bit based EMT64 processors. In their essay â€Å"Strategy, Value Innovation and the Knowledge Economy† Kim and Mauborgne characterize value innovators as ‘those who make their competition irrelevant by providing buyers with a quantum leap in value’. This description fits perfectly with AMD’s strategy for the K8. Until the release of the K7, AMD was a company that focused ‘on matching or beating’ Intel. They chose a ‘distinctive cost’ position and innovation was considered exogenous with cost and product performance trad eoffs. The new economics theory, which heralds the arrival of the knowledge economy, claims that ‘innovations are no longer exogenous and can be created with the ideas and knowledge within a system’. Again, a perfect match to AMD’s strategy of first giving the NexGen team their own building to develop the K6 and subsequently roping in a ‘world-class-enterprise-level processor design team’ for the K8. Admitted that Intel’s stumbles with their processor design and production yield have given AMD an opportunity window.

Concert Attendance Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Concert Attendance Report - Assignment Example There were also some brass, trumpets and horns. Additionally, there was a solo violist who had high level professional performing abilities. Such full symphonic orchestra included the four music families which were the strings, Brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments. The performance setting was in an auditorium and the conductor including other performers were dressed in formal outfit, considered mostly to be black and white suites and dresses. Style of the music music performed was led gracefully with dulcet andantes and fierce prestos. A violin with a very light and brilliant quality of sound was used, the sound created images of the ethereal realm within audience minds. The violinist had a very bright and lighthearted personality, the very characteristic of a violin which revealed their interest. Instrumentation of the Ochestra The musicians were divided into four main sections which included; string section, the woodwind section, the brass section, and the percussion sectio n. Each section had their own instruments, in the string section, woodwind, brass section were pitched in different ranges such as voices in a choir. Various instruments in each section were arranged in order from those with highest range to lowest. Some percussion instruments were also tuned to definite pitches, but most of them had indefinite pitch. Sitting Arrangement Usually first meeting with strangers does not always involve openness to each other, which is a different case to those we are familiar with. Occasions of openness to one another is often preceded by getting deeper information concerning the other party, which can be through social settings. Such encounter reveals both acceptable and unacceptable information about oneself which determines kind of relationship developed. Research done on musical instruments and ways of improving the existing policies in concerts discovered that the national policy recognizes the current settings infrastructure as poor and in need of improvement. The last five years have been characterized by rapid advancements in ICT and this call for research to assess the extent to which modern instruments are now used. The study also assessed the relationship between flexible work practices and organizational performances in a survey of sitting arrangement. The findings call for reinforcement on the relationship between various dimensions of flexible work practices and organizational performance. The recommendations which can be utilized here indicate a knowledge gap on the extent to which the modern technology is used. This lays a basis for such a study since none of the major studies carried out reveals much on the use of internet advertising through smart phones in third world countries. This study therefore seeks to fill the knowledge gap and look at the in-depth analysis of the role the phone industry plays through the internet in advertising and how effective it is especially in the rapidly growing telecommunications i ndustry that is experiencing tension in pricing mechanisms and the recent number portability wars among the players. There are several contributors involved in the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility within business environment. Business corporations play major roles within the society and these calls for new leadership roles and tactics which

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Film treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film treatment - Essay Example When the scientists ask more about the aggressive aliens and outer space, there get no further response from the 847Z aliens. The excitement of finding and communicating with aliens makes scientists and government ignore the warning from 847Z aliens. The government provides more funding to the space institution to let the scientists send more messages to the outer space aliens. Without heeding the earlier warning from the 847Z aliens, humans keep sending their information and location to space. Since then, an active bomb has remained buried deep in space. One day in 2055, the 774C aliens arrive on earth silently. They received the message that scientists sent 20 years ago and decided to explore this unknown planet. Not like the 847Z aliens who prefer peace, the 774C aliens believe in survival, nature and mutual benefits. They come to earth searching for energy resources and food. 774C aliens have hands with four fingers and feet with 3 toes. Generally, they are human-like aliens. The only difference is that instead of having bones, soft tissues make up their whole body. So they can transform into anything they see. 774C aliens communicate with each other by telepathy. The 20 774C alien team that arrived has been sent to earth first to explore. One of the 20 aliens is named Chico. Chico’s order is to arrest some humans and bring them back to their spaceship for experiments. The alien scientists build a database about humans to learn about the most intelligent species on earth. They collect data about the human body and learn th at the protein in human bodies can provide large amounts of energy to their body. In fact, their planet has been over exploited and cannot produce enough food for them to survive. For the 774C aliens, earth is a potential habitat. Alien Chico transforms into one of the humans that he has arrested and lives in human society to learn the knowledge and history of human. After

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Professional Journal Article Evaluation Research Paper

Professional Journal Article Evaluation - Research Paper Example Gender differences as well as the relative contributions of the different domains to overall self-esteem scores were measured. As predicted, boys attained slightly higher global self-esteem scores than girls did, by a difference of .22 standard deviation units. Contrary to our expectation of more balanced domain effects, boys significantly outperformed girls in 6 of 8 domains, whereas the 2 remaining domains exhibited no significant gender differences. There were no main or interaction effects for grade level. In terms of relative contribution of these domains to global self-esteem for the 2 genders, global self-esteem in boys and girls is predicted in very similar strengths and in the same order of magnitude by identical domains of self-esteem: home/parents, personal security, academic competence, attractiveness, and personal mastery--yielding multiple R2s from .88 to .91. Key words: adolescence, gender differences, self-esteem SELF-ESTEEM is associated with a number of important ps ychological phenomena, both positive and negative.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Art History - Atlantis in Dubai, UAE Research Paper

Art History - Atlantis in Dubai, UAE - Research Paper Example Hotel Atlantis is basically ocean themed and a major consideration in its design was to give visitors and guests in the hotel a feel of being under the ocean. Second theme on its design is that of a ruined and lost city below the sea, after the Atlantis. It is named after this mystical lost city. As a result, it is a rich source of ancient history, dating back to the 9600 BC although it is argued to be around 900 BC by a school of thought who thought that Plate was mistaken in his representations as to the dates that the city existed (Kleiner 112). The location of the mythical islands is also a matter of contention, with one school of thought claiming it is in the Atlantic while a majority believes that it is in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in our case, the hotel is located in the palm Jumeirah, an island in the artificial palm island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel was designed to capture the Atlantis culture, the Arabic culture and give an underwater concept. It is a marvelous piece of architecture, rich in art, in the paintings, carvings and top notch murals. The hotel is owned by Kerzner holdings and Istithmar Company. Its design is hugely borrowed from the Atlantis Resort in Bahamas, another chain of Kerzner Holdings. The hotel opened in 2008, one year after it was started construction in 2007. Many consider this hotel as the trademark of the Jumeirah islands, an icon hotel in Dubai and also double as one of the most expensive hotels in the world (Kleiner 45). The Atlantis palm sits on more than one hundred and ten acres and includes one thousand five hundred and thirty rooms. As mentioned earlier, its design is strongly influenced by the Atlantis Paradise in the Bahamas. It was inspired by Sol Kerzner, who had envisioned constructing a hotel modeled on the Atlantis, a well-known mythical lost city. There is a long story behind the origins of this myth,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Demographics of Durango Local Coffee Houses Research Paper

Demographics of Durango Local Coffee Houses - Research Paper Example Durango is indeed a small city relative to the highly commercialized and highly populated cities in New York and California. Out of the 5492 households, 22.4% have children below 18 years old who are still living with them, 34.2% of the population are married couples that live together while those under the age of 18 compose 16.6% of the population, 26.1% of the population from 18-24, 27.2% from 25-44 years old, 19.4% aged from 45-64 and 10.7% aged 65 or older (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.). In terms of income, only 7.3% of the population live below the poverty line, the median income for Durango households $34, 892 and the median income for families $50,814, while male are recorded to have higher incomes than females by a discrepancy of almost $7000 (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.). Currently, there are five top local coffee shops in the city- Durango Joe's on College, Magpies Newsstand, Durango Coffee Company, Steaming Bean and Starbucks in Durango. I have done an individual study on these five local coffee companies to answer the queries regarding the demography of people who frequent these local coffee shops. To know their target customers is also one of the goals of the study. In addition to this, I have also observed the marketing strategies, specifically the advertising strategies that these coffee shops employ to attract their target customers, through direct observation and further research. Durango Joe's on College Starting the year with a bang was Durango Joe's, after its owner Joe Lloyd received the Entrepreneur of the year Award in January. Having a simple philosophy and goal of making each person's day alive with a cup of coffee, Durango Joe's branches are sprouting up all over the town to reach many of its customers (Durango Joe's Coffee). Durango Joe's has recently opened a branch in Farmington to add to its existing branches. Given my observations, Durango Joe's is frequented by diverse types of people specifically of females, who are at early age, particularly of 15-20, 20-25 and 25-30 age groups and with men who are at their late stage, 30-40,40-50 and 50-60 age groups. The younger women who visit the store are usually those who access the net for school or job requirements or who just want to enjoy the comfort and peace of the store. With available personal computers and internet access, these are possible for any consumer. These women are also the ones who usually bring in their books to the store and read while also enjoying a cup of coffee. This has been a habit among the young people especially the women and this explains the higher number of young women in Durango Joe's. Among the groups, older men at the age of 40-50 registered the highest frequency of Durango Joe's visit. The reason for this is that most of these middle aged men do come in groups, being friends or officemates. Durango Joe's has been the popular hub of this group of people who dine for precious chat and laughter. With the recently launched, online ordering, Durango Joe's is not just spreading market to diners but also to those who need instant coffee satisfaction away from retail locations. Magpies Newsstand What exactly makes the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Library essay Essay Example for Free

Library essay Essay In this day in age, libraries are very important. There are various reasons as to why they are important. Even with many libraries closing throughout the country, they remain a necessity for youth, anyone who has to access information that it has to find on the internet. Not everything is available on the internet. There is also digital libraries which are useful but you can’t find everything you would in a library. There are something’s on the internet that when you find them it may require you to have a subscription. The internet doesn’t have an experiment librarian’s physically by your side to help at any time you would need it. One of the big reasons why libraries are important is that not everything is available to you on the internet. It is an issue because the majority of books have copyrights laws which prevents information from being put out on the internet, or becoming digital. Most writers have their information in books, and with the copyrights laws it cannot be accessed via the internet. Even if the internet has some information that you may need, having a physical book with dated information can be a much better use for getting the most information that you need. Also they have a limited database that may require you to have a subscription to find a greater deal of the content online, rather than having it all for free at a physical library with more extensive information. Another reason why libraries are important is that it is a place where people can go to study. At the library you have plenty of space to get your work done. Also there isn’t as much as a distraction due to the library having strict rules against loud noise. Most people find it hard to get stuff done when there is a lot of things going on around them; or when the things that are going on around them are loud. Having a piece of mind is something that a library can provide that nowhere else can with all the resources inside to get done whatever task you may need to complete. Having a physical librarian available also is why libraries are important. A physical librarian will always be there to answer any questions one might have about a topic. It also makes it easier to continue to process the information that one might already have with extra assistance on the topic. Librarians are also critical to help children who may have never been to a library, or they might not know how to look for things within a library. They teach kids the skills of how to do research, search for topics, look at the wide range of databases that only libraries have. Librarians also encourage children to read, something that is a positive thing to have when kids today don’t like to read. Having them there to encourage them makes it easier. Having the ability to take books out to use for free is a positive for libraries. The fact that libraries don’t charge you anything to check out books makes libraries very important. For those who can’t buy books from a bookstore or other source, going to a library to borrow one saves them money. At libraries you can also make copies of certain pages that you need instead of taking the whole book with you. This makes it easy for people who don’t need the whole book but instead just pieces of info out of it. The convenient nature that a library has to offer makes it very important. Money is a topic that everyone is conscious about, and having to pay for subscriptions to some content online makes having libraries around a necessity. Another reason why libraries are important is because they offer free internet. Having a tool like the internet being free for use draws people to use libraries. Most people who have laptops or desktop computers have to pay for their high speed internet service, or be lucky to find Wi-Fi service without paying for it. Knowing that a library has free internet you can go there and take advantage of that and the resources that a library has to offer. You have people who go to the library just because of the free internet. While others utilize the free service and other tools libraries have to offer. Also libraries are important because they are courses on skills that can help you in the real world. Libraries have many courses available for use to people who may need them. Some of the things they offer are help with English, resume building skills for those who may be entering the job force. If English isn’t your native language they have courses that can help you develop the ability to speak English. You might need help with creative writing which is also something that libraries have to offer. All of these services are free of charge as long as you have a simple library card on hand with you. Libraries also offer readings groups. Some may call them study groups, but the reading groups the library has to offer also makes it important. You might be a person who prefers to study with a group of your friends to better understand the topic. Or you might like groups because of the interaction of people sharing their different perspectives on the subjects they talk about. It’s almost like a group meeting. Having the ability to set a time, while already knowing the exact place where you will meet up with your peers to discussion any you want. With the library being a relaxing environment because the of the strict noise rules it you piece of mind and the opportunity to have these meetings without be distracted by outside issues. Another extraction that makes libraries important is that some of them exactly offer cafes. These cafes are something that is growing worldwide. With the addition of places like Starbucks, having cafes in libraries gives people another alternative if they don’t like coffee. At the library cafes you can enjoy what the library has to offer. Some libraries have the ability to offer music books that you can use to follow along, or use them to study to your advantage. Also there are DVD’s that are available at literary for those who like to visually learn about whatever topic they choose. It creates a place that keeps those who go relax while they get done what they need. It could be finishing up a school assignment, or getting a project done for work that requires some research to be done. Libraries also offer an extensive collection of historical items whether it’s local or nationally. If you’re looking to know about your city at a certain point of time, a library has the best source best. You can check out a book that will tell you where a building was located, and what they did in that building. You can find out the change in population that your city has had as the times changes. You can also find that buildings in those times were more structures sound than the buildings of this age. Nationally libraries keep records of everything like climate changes, and the amount of colleges and universities that the country has. You could never go wrong when searching for a book in the library about local or national news. Libraries databases are so extensive that they can brings up information from years ago. This is something that you will not be able to find anywhere also but a library. Libraries offer a huge amount of study space. Having a huge amount of study space is something most people enjoy. You have the freedom of a big table where you can lay everything you have in front of you. Rather than being in at a tight desk where you might be able to have one piece of information on the table. Having more on the table keeps you from searching all over for that one page or book that might be missing. This is something that will allow for librarians to better help you as well because they can join you at the table to discuss your topic. Having two people at one table working on the same subject always helps get a task done. All of these reasons are largely why libraries are important. It’s something free that everybody can that advantage of. You can’t find what a library has to offer anywhere else. It’s doesn’t matter what age you are, at the library there something for all age groups to do. Closing down these libraries is a decision that should not happen. It is important to today’s youth for these libraries to stay open because they benefit the most from libraries being open. Closing them would simply say that today’s youth is not a top priority to worry about.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Latar belakang kawasan kajian

Latar belakang kawasan kajian 3.1 PENGENALAN Dalam bab ini, perkara yang dibincangkan adalah tentang latar belakang kawasan kajian dan aspek yang berkaitan dengan pembangunan lokasi kajian, penduduk, sosio-ekonomi, guna tanah, perindustrian dan lain-lain. Dalam bab ini, isu kesan perindustrian seperti pencemaran dibincangkan. Bab ini, pembaca akan memahami secara lebih mendalam tentang kawasan kajian. dengan mengetahui secara lebih mendalam latar belakang kawasan kajian, penkaji akan dapat memahami dan menerangkan secara menyeluruh tentang kawasan kajian. 3.2 PEMBANGUNAN DI MALAYSIA Pembangunan adalah sesuatu aspek yang penting dan sentiasa diutamakan oleh kebanyakan negara yang sedang membangun dan negara maju. Di Malaysia, pembangunan adalah satu agenda penting yang diberi keutamaan kerana Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang sedang membangun. Pembangunan di sini bermaksud pembangunan ekonomi, politik, sosial, dan lain-lain. Jika dilihat kembali sejarah Zaman Batu Awal, manusia sudah mula berusaha mencipta peralatan-peralatan dan pengangkutan untuk memudahkan kehidupan mereka. Secara lahiriah, setiap manusia sudah pasti ingin mengecapi pembangunan dan pemodenan serta gaya hidup yang mudah dan berkualiti. Oleh itu, kita tidak dapat menghalang pembangunan sesebuah negara. Di kebanyakan negara maju dan negara sedang membangun, pembangunan ekonomi adalah sesuatu yang paling penting dan sentiasa diutamakan. Revolusi perindustrian adalah salah satu agen dan pemangkin kepada pembangunan ekonomi sesebuah negara. Revolusi perindustrian di Malaysia telah bemula sejak tahun 1970-an lagi. Revolusi perindustrian ini adalah salah satu langkah mencapai Wawasan 2020. Usaha mencapai Wawasan 2020 terbukti dengan pembangunan sektor perindustrian, pertanian, perumahan dan sebagainya. Setiap negeri di Malaysia mempunyai kawasan Perindustriannya sendiri. Contohnya, Shah Alam (Selangor), Mergong (Kedah) dan lain-lain. 3.2 PEMBANGUNAN DI KEDAH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negeri Kedah merupakan salah sebuah negeri daripada 14 negeri yang terdapat di Malaysia. Negeri Kedah terletak di utara Semenanjung Malaysia. Lokasi negeri Kedah adalah bersempadanan dengan 3 negeri dah 1 negara iaitu Perlis (Barat Laut), Pulau pinang (Barat Daya), Perak (Selatan) dan Thailand (Utara). Kedah Darul Aman merupakan sebuah negeri di Semenanjung Malaysia yang kaya dengan hasil pertanian. Kedah mempunyai keluasan lebih kurang 9,426km ². Kedah terletak di Utara semenanjung Malaysia yang berhadapan dengan Selat Melaka. Kedah merupakan salah sebuah negeri Agraria (pertanian) yang mempunyai banyak kawasan pertanian padi serta perkampungan nelayan. Negeri Kedah juga dikenali sebagai negeri Jelapang Padi kerana hasil pertanian padi yang banyak. Perindustrian membawa kepada pertumbuhan penduduk dan wujudnya banyak bandar-bandar baru. Kawasan perindustrian biasanya mempunyai tahap kepadatan penduduk yang sangat tinggi. Berdasarkan bancian pada tahun 2003, Kedah mempunyai populasi penduduk sebanyak 1,778,188 orang. Daripada itu, populasi penduduk yang berbangsa Melayu adalah kaum terbesar dengan 75%, diikuti kaum Cina iaitu sebanyak 15%, kaum India sebanyak 7%, Bukan warganegara sebanyak 1.6%, lain-lain kaum sebanyak 1.4%. Negeri Kedah terbahagi kepada 9 buah daerah yang kecil. Daerah-daerah tersebut adalah Daerah Kubang Pasu, Daerah Padang Terap, Daerah Yan, Daerah Pendang, Daerah Kuala Muda, Daerah Sik, Daerah Baling, Daerah Kulim dan Daerah Alor Setar. Di setiap daerah ini, terdapat aktiviti-aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan oleh penduduk tempatan. Sebagai contoh, aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan di Daerah Pendang adalah pertanian padi basah, Revolusi Perindustrian di Kedah tertumpu di Kulim dan Mergong. Pembangunan perindustrian ini semakin rancak dan membesar. Semakin banyak kilang dibina berhampiran dengan kawasan perumahan, pusat rekreasi dan sungai. Pembangunan yang tidak terancang boleh mendatangkan masalah manusia dan alam sekitar. 3.3 LATAR BELAKANG KAWASAN MERGONG   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negeri Kedah Darul Aman mempunyai 11 buah daerah. Daerah Kota Setar adalah ibu negeri Kedah. Terdapat 34 buah mukim dalam daerah Kota Setar. Salah sebuah mukim yang terdapat dalam Daerah Kota Setar adalah Mergong. Mergong adalah salah sebuah mukim yang sangat terkenal dan menjadi tumpuan penduduk. Kawasan Mergong ini adalah sebuah kawasan perindustrian. Sebelum pembinaan kawasan perindustrian ini, kawasan ini kurang menjadi tumpuan penduduk. Apabila kawasan ini dibangunkan menjadi kawasan perindustrian yang utama di Kedah, kawasan ini mula didiami penduduk. Ini kerana terdapatnya peluang pekerjaan yang banyak dalam sektor perindustrian serta jaringan pengangkutan yang dimajukan. Ini telah menyebabkan pertambahan penduduk di kawasan Mergong semakin meningkat. Daerah Kota Setar sudah lama wujud. Mengikut sejarah, daerah kota setar telah wujud sejak awal abad ke-16. Daerah Kota Setar ini telah berkembang pesat dan akhirnya diishtiharkan sebagai Bandaraya Alor Setar pada 21 Disember 2003. Daerah Kota Setar ini mempunyai keluasan 666 km ². Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini meliputi 60.45 hektar daripada jumlah keluasan daerah Kota Setar. 3.4 CIRI-CIRI FIZIKAL Bagi melihat ciri-ciri fizikal kawasan perindustrian Mergong, pengkaji telah mengenalpasti ciri-ciri bentuk muka bumi, iklim dan cuaca, tumbuh-tumbuhan semulajadi serta saliran dan perparitan di Daerah Kota Setar. 3.4.1 Bentuk Muka Bumi : Kawasan daerah Kota Setar terdiri daripada kawasan tanah pamah yang landai. Dianggarkan sebanyak 85% daripada kawasan di Daerah Kota Setar adalah kawasan tanah pamah. Di kawasan tanah pamah ini, pelbagai jenis aktiviti dijalankan seperti, perindustrian, perniagaan, kawasan pentadbiran, kawasan perumahan, kawasan bandar, kawasan pertanian dan lain-lain. Kawasan tanah pamah sangat sesuai dibangunkan sebagai pusat bandar dan pembinaan sistem pengangkutan yang baik. Daerah Kota Setar disaliri oleh 3 buah anak sungai iaitu Sungai Mempelam, Sungai Gunung Sali, dan Sungai Alor Terus. Kawasan tanah pamah yang luas ini juga telah mempengaruhi kegiatan ekonomi penduduk. Contohnya, kawasan tanah pamah yang luas dan subur serta sistem saliran yang baik telah membolehkan kebanyak penduduk menjalankan kegiatan pertanian. Terdapat sedikit kawasan tanah tinggi di daerah Kota Setar. Kawasan tanah tinggi ini adalah kawasan di sekeliling Gunung Kerian. Kawasan di Gunung Kerian ini mempunyai kepadatan penduduk yang rendah serta sistem jalan raya yang kurang baik. 3.4.2 Cuaca dan Iklim : Malaysia terletak berhampiran dengan garisan Khatulistiwa. Kedudukan ini menentukan jenis iklim yang dialami oleh sesebuah negara. Oleh itu, Kedah mengalami iklim Khatulistiwa atau iklim Hutan Hujan Tropika. Iklim jenis ini tidak mengalami musim panas atau musim sejuk yang nyata. Ini bermaksud, Malaysia mengalami panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun. Jumlah hujan atau nilai kerpasan minimum yang dicatat sekurang-kurangnya 60mm. Selain itu, perubahan suhu harian adalah antara 2 °C (36 °F) dan 5 °C (41 °F).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jumlah hujan yang turun di Alor Setar adalah mengikut musim dan masa. Jangkaan jumlah hujan sebulan di Alor Setar pada Januari dan Februari adalah kurang daripada 80mm. Keadaan ini adalah kerana keadaan cuaca yang sangat kering. Bermula dari bulan Mac hingga Oktober, jumlah hujan yang turun mula meningkat. Jumlah hujan yang turun pada masa ini adalah sebanyak 110-160mm. Pada bulan November, jumlah hujan yang turun meningkat iaitu antara 150-250mm. Pada masa ini, rebut petir diiringi dengan hujan lebat berlaku dengan kerap pada sebelah petang. Pada bulan disember pula, jumlah hujan mula berkurangan iaitu kurang daripada 150mm. Selain itu, hujan di kawasan iklim Khatulistiwa mempunyai adalah lebat iaitu hujan perolakan. Kedah terletak di pantai barat Semenanjung Malaysia dan di bahagian utara yang berhampiran dengan Negara Thailand. Thailand dan kawasan sekitarnya mengalami iklim Monsun Tropika. Ini menyebabkan negeri Perlis dan Kedah mengalami sedikit ciri iklim Monsun Tropika. Ini menyebabkan sesetengah kawasan di Negeri Kedah mempunyai perbezaan suhu yang ketara. Oleh itu, tumbuh-tumbuhan yang sesuai ditanam di bumi Kedah dengan iklim khatulistiwa adalah padi basah, kelapa sawit, getah, dan lain-lain. 3.4.3 Tumbuh-Tumbuhan Semulajadi : Iklim dan cuaca merupakan faktor yang sangat penting mempengaruhi jenis tanaman atau tumbuh-tumbuhan yang terdapat di sesuatu kawasan. Di daerah Kota Setar, tumbuhan yang sesuai ditanam adalah padi basah. Ini kerana tanah di daerah Alor Setar ini adalah tanih jenis alluvium. Tanih ini sangat sesuai untuk pertanian. Selain itu, tanaman yang sesuai adalah pelbagai jenis sayur-sayuran. Sebelum Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaan, kawasan di daerah ini telah digunakan untuk pertanian padi basah. Petani-petani di kawasan ini kebanyakannya telah menjual tanah pertanian mereka untuk tujuan pembangunan seperti pembinaan kawasan perindustrian. Segelintir petani sahaja yang masih meneruskan aktiviti pertanian mereka kerana mereka masih mencintai tanah pusaka mereka. Ini menyebabkan petani-petani itu menerima pelbagai kesan daripada perindustrian yang juga terdapat di kawasan tersebut. Antara tanaman lain yang terdapat di kawasan ini adalah pokok pisang, getah dan lain-lain. 3.4.4 Sistem Perparitan dan Saliran: Kawasan Mergong ini disaliri oleh 3 cawangan daripada Sungai Kedah iaitu Sungai Mempelam, Sungai Gunung Sali, dan Sungai Alor Terus yang saling berhubung antara satu sama lain. Ketiga-tiga sungai ini bermula dan bersambung dengan Sungai Kedah. Sungai Mempelam melalui kawasan perindustrian Mergong dan kawasan kediaman Kampung Mempelam. Sungai Gunung Sali merentasi kawasan perindustrian Mergong 1 dan Mergong 2. Sungai Alor Terus juga mengairi kawasan di pinggir kawasan perindustrian Mergong 1 dan Mergong 2 tetapi lebih banyak dilalui kawasan perniagaan di sekitar Mergong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Daerah Kota Setar juga disaliri oleh terusan yang terkanal iaitu Terusan Wan Mat Saman. Terusan ini merupakan terusan yang terpanjang di Malaysia. Terusan sepanjang 36 km ini telah dibina pada tahun 1885. Terusan ini menghubungkan Sungai Kedah di Alor Setar hingga ke Kaki Gunung Jerai di Gurun iaitu di selatan Kedah. Terusan Wan Mat Saman ini berfungsi ini mengairi kawasan pertanian padi di Kedah. 3.5 KEPENDUDUKAN Negeri Kedah mempunyai bilangan penduduk yang sederhana padat. Mengikut data daripada Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, jumlah penduduk Kedah pada tahun 2009 adalah seramai 2 juta orang. Daripada angka ini, jumlah penduduk di Daerah Kota Setar mencatat bilangan penduduk yang paling ramai. Jumlah penduduk di Daerah Kota Setar adalah seramai 429,900 orang penduduk. Daripada jumlah ini, seramai 214,100 orang adalah lelaki dan 215,800 orang adalah perempuan. Mergong adalah salah sebuah mukim yang terdapat dalam Daerah Kota Setar. Jumlah penduduk di mukim Mergong ini adalah seramai 20,300 orang iaitu 10,100 adalah lelaki dan 10,200 adalah perempuan. Bilangan penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini didapati meningkat berbanding pada tahun 2000. Pertambahan penduduk ini adlah disebabkan pembinaan kawasan perindustrian Mergong. Apabila kawasan perindustrian Mergong dibina, kawasan ini menjadi tumpuan penduduk kerana pertambahan kemudahan jaringan jalan raya dan wujudnya banyak peluang pekerjaan. Oleh itu, terdapat pertambahan penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini. 3.6 KEGIATAN EKONOMI Di Daerah Alor Setar, terdapat pelbagai aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan oleh penduduk setempat. Antara aktiviti-aktiviti ekonomi yang dijalankan adalah seperti pertanian, perindustrian, perniagaan dan lain-lain. 3.6.1 Pertanian Sebelum kawasan Mergong ini dibangunkan sebagai kawasan perindustrian, kawasan ini adalah kawasan pertanian padi basah. Kawasan ini diusahakan oleh petani-petani tempatan di tanah pusaka. Pada mulanya, kawasan pertanian di Mergong ini adalah sangat luas. Apabila kawasan ini hendak dibangunkan dan dimajukan sebagai kawasan perindustrian, kebanyakkan tanah-tanah pertanian itu dibeli oleh pemilik-pemilik kilang. Ini kerana kebanyakkan golongan yang tiggal di kawasan Mergong pada ketika ini adalah golongan muda. Apabila kawasan ini dibina kilang dan dimajukan, guna tanah kawasan ini telah berubah daripada pertanian kepada perindustrian. Pada masa sekarang, masih terdapat sebilangan kecil tanah yang masih digunakan sebagai pertanian. Kawasan ini diusahakan oleh sebilangan kecil petani yang kebanyakkannya adalah golongan tua yang sangat mencintai alam sekitar. Apabila kawasan ini digunakan untuk pertanian, kawasan ini akan mengalami masalah kerana tanah pertanian ini adalah berhampiran dengan kawasan perindustrian. Tahap kesuburan tanih pertanian ini agak terjejas berikutan kesan daripada pembinaan kawasan perindustrian di kawasan ini. Sungai Kedah yang menyaliri kawasan pertanian ini tercemar dengan sisa daripada kilang. Ini memberi kesan negatif kepada kegiatan pertanian di kawasan ini. 3.6.2. Industri Kilang Mukim Mergong merupakan sebuah kawasan pertanian yang luas dan subur. Kawasan Mergong ini sangat subur kerana kedudukannya adalah berhampiran dengan Sungai Kedah yang melalui kawasan ini. Mergong kemudiannya dibangunkan sebagai kawasan perindustrian yang utama di Kedah. Di kawasan perindustrian ini, terdapat banyak kilang yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis perindustrian. Terdapat 3 jenis industri di kawasan Mergong ini iaitu industri ringan, industri sederhana dan industri berat. Industri ringan di kawasan ini adalah kilang-kilang pembuatan bahan-bahan makanan seperti industri keropok, gula-gula dan sebagainya. Kilang-kilang yang berasaskan industri ringan ini adalah paling banyak di kawasan Mergong ini. Industri sederhana pula mempunyai bilangan yang kedua terbanyak di kawasan Perindustrian Mergong. Antara contoh-contoh kilang yang berasaskan industri sederhana adalah kilang pakaian, kilang perabot, kilang pembuatan kicap, kilang papan kilang pembuatan roti dan sebagainya. Kategori industri ketiga adalah industri berat. Bilangan industri berat kawasan Mergong adalah paling sedikit. Walaupun bilangan industri berat ini adalah sedikit, tetapi kilang-kilang industri berat inilah yang telah menjadi titik permulaan kepada pembukaan kawasan Perindustrian Mergong ini. Antara kilang yang paling awal di buka di kawasan Perindustrian Mergong ini adalah Kilang Sime Tyres iaitu kilang pembuatan tayar yang terkenal. Antara kilang kilang lain yang mengusahakan industri berat adalah kilang beras, kilang pembuatan cecair nitrogen, kilang simen, kilang pembuatan tayar kenderaan berat, kilang pembuatan kapal dan bot-bot kecil, bengkel membaiki kereta. Berdasarkan kepada laporan MBAS (2000), terdapat lebih 600 buah kilang di kawasan ini. Kilang-kilang yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis dan ketegori. Antara jenis industri yang utama di kawasan Mergong ini adalah industri ringan, industri pembuatan dan perkhidmatan serta industri berat. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini menyediakan lebih kurang 40,000 peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk. 3.6.3 Perniagaan :   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kawasan Mergong ini adalah sebuah kawasan yang sangat berhampiran dengan pusat bandar iaitu Bandaraya Alor Setar. Di kawasan Mergong ini, terdapat pelbagai aktiviti ekonomi. Antara aktiviti ekonomi yang utama di kawasan ini adalah aktiviti perniagaan. Aktiviti perniagaan adalah satu aktiviti ekonomi yang penting kerana ia akan menjana pendapat penduduk setempat yang berniaga. Selain itu, ia juga akan menyumbang kepada pendapatan dan menjana ekonomi negeri Kedah. Perniagaan adalah antara aktiviti yang penting kerana ia akan membawa kepada pertumbuhan penduduk di kawasan tersebut. Secara lahiriah, manusia memang suka akan kemajuan serta kawasan ekonomi seperti pusat bandar berbanding kawasan pedalaman yang kurang aktiviti perniagaan. Terdapat pelbagai jenis aktiviti perniagaan di mukim Mergong ini. Antaranya adalah perniagaan makanan, pakaian, tekstil, barang kemas, kedai menjual kereta dan motosikal, hotel, motel, kedai perabot, kedai papan. Selain itu, di kawasan Mergong juga terdapat ‘Hipermarket yang terkenal iaitu TESCO. Oleh itu, kawasan ini menjadi sebuah kawasan yang terkenal dengan pelbagai aktiviti perniagaan. 3.7 GUNA TANAH Secara keselurahannya, guna tanah di Mergong adalah lebih kepada kegiatan ekonomi seperti perindustrian, perniagaan, pertanian dan lain-lain. Kebanyakan kawasan telah dibangunkan untuk tujuan ekonomi. Kegiatan ekonomi ini adalah sangat penting kerana ia menyediakan peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk setempat. Selain itu, penduduk dapat meningkatkan taraf sosio-ekonomi penduduk. Antaranya adalah kawasan perindustrian Mergong. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong adalah sebuah kawasan yang luas. Ia meliputi lebih 600 buah kilang di kawasan ini. Kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini terbahagi kepada 2 fasa iaitu fasa 1 dan Fasa 2. Oleh itu, kawasan perindustrian Mergong ini merupakan sebuah tapak yang sangat luas dengan melibatkan pelbagai kegiatan perindustrian di kawasan tersebut. Terdapat pelbagai jenis industri di Mergong iaitu industri ringan, industri sederhana dan industri berat. Antara contoh industri ringan adalah kilang-kilang membuat bahan makanan seperti gula-gula, keropok dan lain-lain. Contoh industri sederhana pula adalah kilang papan, kilang perabot, kilang kayu, kilang kapas, kilang kicap, kilang pakaian, dan pelbagai jenis kilang lain. Contoh industri berat yang terdpat di kawasan perindustrian Mergong adalah kilang Sime Tyres, kilang simen, kilang besi dan keluli dan lain lain. Aktiviti kilang di kawasan perindustrian ini membawa pelbagai kesan terhada p penduduk dan alam sekitar. Kesan-kesan daripada perindustrian ini akan dibincang dalam bab 4 dan bab 5. Guna tanah untuk kawasan perumahan adalah terhad. Kawasan Mergong ini yang pada asalnya adalah kawasan pertanian merupakan kawasan tumpuan penduduk. Pada masa sekarang, kawasan ini telah dibangunkan menjadi bandar dan pusat perindustrian. Oleh itu, tanah yang digunakan untuk tujuan perumahan menjadi semakin kurang. Walaupun kawasan ini merupakan kawasan tumpuan penduduk, kawasan perumahan ini adalah terhad di sebahagian kawasan sahaja. Ini kerana kebanyakan kawasan telah dibangunkan menjadi pusat ekonomi seperti bandar dan sebagainya. Kawasan Mergong ini mempunyai jumlah penduduk yang ramai kerana terdapatnya peluang pekerjaan yang banyak serta taraf hidup penduduknya juga tinggi. Oleh itu, penduduk di kawasan Mergong ini kebanyakannya adalah penduduk yang baru berpindah ke kawasan itu. Ini kerana, kawasan perumahan di Mergong ini boleh dianggap sangat baru. Oleh kerana kawasan Mergong tidak mempunyai tanah yang mencukupi untuk perumahan, rumah-rumah yang dibina adalah rumah jenis fl at. Ini adalah kerana masalah kekurangan tanah dan bilangan penduduknya yang ramai. Di kawasan Mergong, terdapat beberapa sekolah yang dibina. Antaranya adalah Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Mergong, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mergong, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tunku Abdul Rahman (STAR) dan Sekolah Menengah Agama Kedah. Sekolah-sekolah ini terletak berhampiran dengan kawasan perumahan. Semua sekolah ini adalah antara sekolah-sekolah yang utama dan terkenal di Kedah. Selain itu, di kawasan Mergong juga terdapat kawasan pertanian. Pada mulanya kawasan pertanian ini merupakan kawasan pertanian sangat luas. Kawasan pertanian ini ditanam dengan padi basah. Apabila kawasan mergong mula dibangunkan, tanah-tanah pertanian tersebut diubah kepada pembangunan kawasan perindustrian. tanah-tanah pertanian itu dibeli dan di ambil alih oleh kerajaan dan syarikat-syarikat swasta yang inging menggunakan tanah tersebut. Oleh itu, kawasan pertanian di Mergong mula berkurangan. Guna tanah lain di kawasan Mergong ini adalah pembinaan kemudahan Perhentian Bas Ekspres di Alor Setar iaitu Perhentian Shahab Perdana. Semua bas yang datang ke Alor Setar dari pelbagai tempat seperti dari Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh dan sebagainya akan berhenti di perhentian ini. BANK, TESCO, SEK RENDAH, SEK, MENENGAH, UNIVERSITY INSANIAH,PASAR BORONG, PUSAT FUTSAL, PUSAT KESIHATAN MERGONG, PEJABAT PENDIDIKAN DAERAH KOTA SETAR, KOMPLEKS PENERANGAN DI SHAHAB PERDANA,HOTEL/MOTEL, PUSAT PENJUALAN KERETA, PEJABAT JPJ 3.8 PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH MERGONG 3.9 KEMUDAHAN-KEMUDAHAN INFRASTRUKTUR 3.9.1 Bekalan Elektrik 3.9.2 Bekalan Air 3.9.3 Hubungan telefon 3.9.4Hospital dan Kemudahan Kesihatan 3.9.5 Lain-lain Kemudahan 3.10 SISTEM PENGANGKUTAN 3.11 KESIMPULAN http://images.google.com.my/imglanding?q=map%20kedahimgurl= http://www.about-malaysia.com/kedah/images/map-kedah.gifimgrefurl=http://www.about-malaysia.com/kedah/usg=__UgDwddpNj3b9l5tme89hXaCYaQg=h=212w=206sz=6hl=enum=1itbs=1tbnid=G49LrsUsXtHK3M:tbnh=106tbnw=103prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmap%2Bkedah%26start%3D36%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1start=44um=1sa=Nndsp=18tbs=isch:1#tbnid=G49LrsUsXtHK3Mstart=48

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay The banking sector reforms in India are aimed at introduction of best international practices and technological changes for making the Indian banking sector competitive globally. The Indian banking system is more efficient and stable today. Consequently there has been a rapid increase in the number of banks in this country. The banking horizon is changing because of the increasing number of private banks and the foreign banks. Apparently there is a cut throat competition between the banks. New and variety of services are offered by banks which are non-conventional and customized as per the customer requirements. Banks began to diversify their services as part of their corporate strategy to cater to various customer segments. Structure of banking in India The Indian banking system is classified into scheduled and non-scheduled banks. The scheduled banks are then classified as state cooperatives banks and commercial banks. The non-scheduled banks are classified as central cooperative banks and primary credit societies and the commercial banks. Commercial banks are classified in both the scheduled banks as well as the non-scheduled banks. Schedule banks are those which are included in the SECOND SCHEDULE of BANKING REGULATION ACT 1956. To be included in the second schedule a bank Must have paid up capital and reserves of not less than Rs 5 lakhs. It must also satisfy the RBI that its affairs are not conducted in a manner detrimental to the interest of its depositors. File:Scheduled banking structure in India.png RBI(Reserve Bank of India) is the central bank of the country. As the central bank of the country RBI has the power to supervise and control all the banks with the intensions of developing a sound and efficient banking system. It also performs many different developmental and promotional functions. The functions of RBI are as followed: Note issue Bankers bank The central bank Banker to the government Custodian to Foreign Exchange Reserves Management regulation of exchange Credit control Other functions. The Indian banking system has witnessed a substantial improvement in both stability and efficiency parameters such as capital position, asset quality, and overall profitability. There has been a remarkable improvement in the financial health of commercial banking sector. The banking sector reforms have improved the stability of the Indian financial system. PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN INDIA Indicators The performance and the efficiency is analysed in terms of profitability, productivity, financial stability, and quality of assets. The following indicators are used: Profitability indicators: It is measured in terms of net profit of the bank. The interest, non-interest income, and the expenses influence the net profit. Some of the important indicators of profitability are as follows: Interest income as percentage of total assets: Interest income Total assets Higher ratio indicates higher profitability. Interest expended ratio: Interest expenses Total assets Fall in ratio improves the profitability Net Interest Margin(NIM): interest income à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ interest expenses Total assets A fall in NIM indicates the need to reorient the banks policies. Intermediation Cost of Assets Ratio (ICAR): Non-interest expenses Total assets Lower the ratio higher the efficiency. Overhead Efficiency(Burden)Ratio: Non-interest income Non-interest expenses Higher ratio indicates lower profitability. Returns on Assets(RoA): Net profit Total Assets High RoA indicates better deployment of funds. Return on Equity(RoE): Net profit Total Equity RoE will help the banks to access new capital. Capital markets indicators: The capital market indicator is based on the EPS and P/E ratio. Productivity Indicators: productivity indicators are generally analysed in terms of: Profits per employee Business per employee Financial Soundness: Financial soundness is reflected by the Capital Adequacy Ratio. CAR: Total capital RWAs RWAs: Risk Weighted Assets Higher the ratio better is the sustenance of the banks. Asset Quality: The quality of assets in the bank is shown by the level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Lower the ratio better is the asset quality. The 2 ratios used are: Ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances. Ratio of net NPAs to net advances. 11 The above graph has the data of the gross NPAs of the banks. The X axis depicts the years and the Y axis depicts the percentage. The red dotted line is for the Gross NPAs and the blue dotted line is for the Gross advances. Looking at the graph we can confidently state that the Gross NPAs are increasing whereas the Gross advances are decreasing since 2010-11. PERORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS, NEW PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS, AND FOREIGN BANKS IN INDIA The comparative performance of public sector banks, new private sector banks, and foreign banks is explained below for the recent years http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png Productivity and profitability of banks: Productivity is directly related to profitability. It is analysed in terms of business per employee and business per branch. Business per employee: The business per employee in the public sector banks has increased from Rs 471.18 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1013.63 lakhs in 2011-12. But is still low as compared to foreign banks. The business per employee for foreign banks has showed a tremendous increase from Rs974.77 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1559.74 lakhs in 2011-12. The business per employee for the private banks has also increased from Rs695.23 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs823.26 lakhs in 2011-12. Profit per employee: The profits per employee are the highest in foreign banks followed by new private sector banks in 2011-12. Per employee profit was Rs 16.3 lakhs in foreign bank, Rs 8.1 lakhs in new private sector banks and Rs 5.93 lakhs in public sector banks in 2011-12. Interest income: The interest income of public sector banks, new private sector banks and foreign banks showed an increase to Rs366318, Rs 96827 and Rs 28520 respectively in 2011-12. Interest expended ratio: The interest expended ratio same as interest income has showed an increase for all the banks in 2011-12. The figures are Rs231153 lakhs, Rs57115 lakhs, Rs10622 lakhs. Financial Soundness: The CAR(Capital Adequacy Ratio) is the most important indicator of financial soundness of banks. The capital to risk weighted assets ratio is shown is the figure below. The CRAR of public sector banks has been between 12 and 15 percent. The old private sector had CRAR lying between 12 and 15 percent. The new private sector had CRAR of more 15 percent. It goes the same with the foreign banks for the year ending in March 2012. 9 Asset Quality: the asset quality of a bank is shown by level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Better quality of assets is the indicator of efficiency. There is a vast improvement in the efficiency of Indian banks. B1 The NPAs as percentage of Average Total Assets are increasing marginally in 2011-12. The NPA of foreign banks rose from 0.8 in 2009-10 to 1.4 in 2010-11 to 1.6 in 2011-12. The new private sector banks showed an increase from 1.1 in 2009-10 to 1.2 in 2010-11 to 1.3 in 2011-12 approximately. The old private sector banks has shown an increase but less as compared to the other banks. The national banks have shown a gradual decrease in the NPAs since 2009-10 to 2011-12. Customer services: In order to ease customer access to banking facilities, Indian banks have begun offering bouquet of financial services to their clients. The number of branches proving CORE BANKING SOLUTION (CBS) is increasing tremendously. Under CBS a number of services are provided such as ANYWHERE BANKING. The number branches of PSBs that have implemented CBS increase from 35464 in March 31, 2008 to 46304 in March 31, 2011. ATMs The banks are providing more and more ATM facilities to the customers. The foreign banks and new private sector banks are the larger contributors in this. http://www.isrj.net/PublishArticles/img/306_2.gif The above graph is for the year 2008-09. The highest number of ATMs is provided by the state banks but on-site. The highest number of ATMs provided off-site is by the foreign banks. NEW TECHNOLOGY IN BANKING The banks in India are using Information Technology (IT) not only to improve their own internal process but also to increase the facilities and services to their customers. Computerization has taken place all over India. The only motive is to bring banking at the fingertips of the customers and employees. THE DIFFERENT FACILITIES PROVIDED ARE: Virtual banking ATMS Debit Cards Credit cards Point of Sales(PoS) Door step banking Internet banking Mobile banking Telebanking Phone banking Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) REFRENCING http://ebookbrowse.com/t-y-b-com-paper-iii-business-economics-eng-pdf-d419151576 http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu/54/ http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/e/Economy_of_India.htm https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:QUJlL6E5-TAJ:ijimt.org/papers/140-M582.pdf+hl=engl=ukpid=blsrcid=ADGEESjYSzZ1KSelInYi2gBvlRjTk0WyxRsdcYOCBvBaopI7N3pzl8naPA62sFiG0tfzK2x-ZKiVFyysLZhluPTr3O5WorzEXuj_Sn-X6CV1dQ8dqEo1UDv64oMzU7s_i2pw0XNURAnasig=AHIEtbRvIWrXt8CCpGACZrevqopfbX1i4Q http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/studies_survey/banking_systemsurvey.pdf http://www.theinternationaljournal.org/ojs/index.php?journal=rjcbspage=articleop=viewpath[]=488 http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/Indian%20Banks-Note%28Revised%29.pdf http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/IBS%20-%20FY11%20Perf.pdf http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=14629 Business Economics 3 by Johnson, Mascarenhas, and Chatterjee. The institute of chartered accountancy (India) http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=ensa=Xtbo=dbiw=1366bih=630tbm=ischtbnid=-qRyMTq-g80w5M:imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_in_Indiadocid=RGeL8hvEN_HioMimgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/NUMBER_OF_ATM.png/220px-NUMBER_OF_ATM.pngw=220h=169ei=xBvwUKiVCpS20QWhmoHYAgzoom=1iact=hcvpx=859vpy=12dur=180hovh=135hovw=176tx=61ty=46sig=115207852604614094774page=4tbnh=135tbnw=176start=72ndsp=25ved=1t:429,r:76,s:0,i:316

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Role of Panfilo in the Decameron Essay -- Boccaccio Decameron Essa

The Role of Panfilo in the Decameron      Ã‚  Ã‚   Panfilo devotes himself to love. He believes that love conquers all. In this respect, he is the antithesis of Filostrato, who is a man defeated by love. They even have opposite names (panFILO, FILOstrato). Throughout his tales, he pits love versus several formidable adversaries. In his first tale, the love of God overcomes the gullibility of the people of Burgundy. They pray to a man who was quite evil in life, and certainly belonged in Hell, but God answered their prayers anyway because of the purity of their faith. On the fourth day, he is forced by Filostrato to tell a tale in which love does not conquer all, as their outcomes are unhappy. Panfilo cooperates with Filostrato, but in the end love still carries on. The story he tells shows two lovers (Andreuolo and Gabriotto) ripped apart by death. However, after Gabriotto is killed, Andreuolo stays true and faithful to him. Her lover may be dead, but her love for him never subsides and she refuses to marry anyone else. While this story does have an unhappy ending as Filostrato prescribed, Panfilo makes a point to show how love still lives on and is not defeated by death.    Panfilo continues to demonstrate the power of love as he pits it against Fortune in the fifth story. After love has turned Cimon from a bumbling idiot into a fine gentleman, its force is so strong within him that he fights like a lion and captures Iphigenia. Fortune takes over at this point, and with a storm sends him to the island of Rhodes where he is thrown in jail and Iphigenia is sent off to marry another man. At this point, his situation looks hopeless. But, once the Magistrate's love for Cassandra causes him to release Cimon i... ...d that a priest tells them, as the priest in this story denies payment to Belcolore and even takes back the cloak that he had given to her for surety.    Panfilo plays a significant role in The Decameron. He has the responsibility of presiding as king over the final day of their story telling. And, in order to make up for all of the trickery, deception, and infidelity that preceded his day, he creates a theme that will end their trip on a very good note. His theme of magnificence and generosity is a refreshing turnaround from many of the previous themes. Leading up to his crowning, Emilia asked him to make up for the failings of the previous kings and queens. He tried to accomplish this as best he could, by creating a joyous theme.    Work Cited Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Transl. G. H. McWilliam. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 1972.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Buddism Essay -- Religion Philosophy

Buddism Buddhism is probably the most tolerant religion of the world, as the teaching can coexist with any other religion. Other religions however, aim to be restricted and cannot accommodate Buddhism at the same time. The Buddhist teaching on God - in the sense of an ultimate Reality - is neither skeptic (as is sometimes claimed), nor vague, but clear and logical. That we can neither define, describe, nor usefully discuss the nature of that which is beyond the perception of our infinite consciousness. It may be indicated by negatives and described indirectly by analogy and symbols, but otherwise it must ever remain in its truest sense unknown and unexpressed, as being to us in our present state unknowable. In the same way, Buddhism denies the existence in man of an immortal soul. The Enlightenment which dwells in life does not belong to one form of life. All that is man's changing and mortal; the Immortal is not any man's. The Buddha pointed out how no thing is the same at this moment as it was a moment ago. Even the everlasting hills are slowly being worn away, and every particle of the human body, even the hardest, is replaced every seven years. There is no finality or rest within this universe, only a ceaseless becoming and a never-ending change. Buddhism is a natural religion; it does not violate either mind or body. Its ethics closely approximate the Natural Law. The Buddha became aware of how men are born and die according to their good and evil actions, according to their self-created Karma (or the consequence of worthy and deserving deeds). Buddhism is a teaching of the Buddha who was born a prince of Kapilavathu, at the part of the Himalaya mountains near the border of Nepal in 623 B.C. He married and ... ...nverted to schools, and other public use. Monks and nuns have been required to undertake employment in addition to their religious functions. In Tibet, the Chinese, after their takeover and the escape of the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist officials into India in 1959, attempted to undercut Buddhist influence. Only in Japan since World War II have truly new Buddhist movements grown. Growing interest in Asian culture and spiritual values in the West has led to the development of a number of societies devoted to the study and practice of Buddhism. As its influence in the West slowly grows, Buddhism is once again beginning to undergo a process of adaptation to its new environment. Although its influence in the U.S. is still small, apart from immigrant Japanese and Chinese communities, it seems that new, distinctively American forms of Buddhism may eventually develop.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Chemical reaction Essay

1.Determine the enthalpy change for NaOH (s) + HCl (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) using Hess’s Law. a. Write the balanced chemical reaction and enthalpy change for Part I (1pt) b. Write the balanced chemical reaction and enthalpy change for Part II (1pt) c. Calculate the enthalpy change using Hess’s Law. Refer to the lesson for an example of Hess’s Law. (2pt) 2.If the accepted enthalpy change value for the dissolving of sodium hydroxide in water is −44.2 kilojoules per mole, determine the percent error of the experimental value that you calculated in Part I. Show your work. (experimental – actual value) / actual value Ãâ€" 100 % 3.If the accepted heat of reaction for the neutralization of hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide is −56.0 kilojoules per mole, determine the percent error of the experimental value that you calculated in Part II. Show your work. (experimental – actual value) / actual value Ãâ€" 100 % 4.Using the accepted values of the processes you’ve examined, would your estimation of the enthalpy change for the reaction of solid sodium hydroxide in aqueous hydrochloric acid change from the prediction you made in question one? Explain your answer in complete sentences. 5.Give a detailed explanation, using what you know about bonds and forces of attraction, for the enthalpy changes you observed in parts I and II of this lab. Explain your answer in complete sentences.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Leadership Essay

The importance in developing greatness and achieving success lies within the ability to carry out Level 5 leadership. It is evident that companies who are Level 5 leaders have prospered greatly and attained â€Å"stock returns at least 3 times the market’s† (Collins, 2005). Taking this into consideration those companies who did not possess level 5 leaders were able to achieve success only for a period of time but failed to sustain it any longer than that. Humility and will are behaviours that make up the qualities of a level 5 leader and their importance lies in the fact that having this quality either can make or break a company. Over many years, out of a large number of companies that were researched, only a small number of them truly sustained their growth and this came down to whether or not the leaders of these Fortune 500 companies sat atop the hierarchy or whether they lacked the level 5 trait. There are also implications for today’s management and the issue of whether executives need to plan for the future and weigh the costs against the benefits of certain projects. Workplace branding is also an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration by Level 5 leaders as they have huge potential to influence their organization’s brand. Furthermore, level 5 leadership is an attribute that can be developed but is not for everyone. Analysis Leadership is a significant element in any business as without it, a business is doomed to fail right from the start. Having a strong leader can eliminate disputes and internal problems. A company must have internal strength before it can be strong enough to outperform the general market. Humility in a Level 5 Leader We can characterize a level 5 leader by many unique traits however, the two most important according to Jim Collins is humility and will. Collins depicts these leaders as â€Å"modest and willful, shy and fearless† (Collins, 2005). Jim Collins defines a level 5 leader as â€Å"an executive in whom genuine personal humility blends with intense professional will† (Collins, 2005). He describes a hierarchy where level 5 leaders sit on the top and exhibit these tendencies while working in professional frameworks supported by effective teamwork. Since a level 5 leader is said to have both humility and will, level 5 leaders exhibit a twofold quality, therefore, humility is positively acknowledged as a quality of successful leaders. Humility is a key aspect to level 5 leadership and those that emboss this quality often â€Å"credit others, external factors, and good luck for their companies’ success† (Collins, 2005). These types of leaders, when commenting on their company success will praise the employees for contributing their skills and efforts to its triumph and shy away from giving themselves attention. According to a report, â€Å"a leader who has humility is unlikely to impose their own personal vision on others and is more likely to admit any flaw in their own vision† (Lawrence, 2006). Instead of crediting themselves and their own efforts they exhibit a type of nature that allows them to recognize others. Leaders with humility â€Å"don’t seek success for their own glory–and they’re first to accept blame for mistakes† (Mind Tools Ltd. , 2013). Level 5 leaders possess â€Å"the seed† (Collins, 2005) which is a quality that allows them to â€Å"subjugate to something larger than themselves† (Collins, 2005). This is a powerful virtue and one that sets those company’s who succeed apart from those that fail. Those leaders that possess humility managed to transition their companies from good to great. We have seen in comparison companies that failed to do this, their downfall was their lack in humility. As a result, we can make the connection that humility is necessary to a company’s success. A company is a network of people who work as a team and leaders that display humbleness towards their employees, by taking responsibility when things go wrong and recognizing the team for their hard work, will reach eminent success. Companies that exhibited this kind of behaviour included Kroger Co, Kimberly-Clark, and Gillette to name a few, while others such as A&P, Scott Paper, and Bank of America were comprised of leaders that were self centered. It is evident that these types of leaders led their company to destruction especially during the 2007 to 2008 crisis. In this case and every other, â€Å"humility matters [because] chaos could have been averted if appointment committees had recruited Level 5 leaders† (Mind Tools Ltd. , 2013). Collins was able to change the worlds view about what makes a great leader which many thought was charisma and personality. The mistake most of these comparison companies made was believing that level 5 leaders’ gentle and shy nature would bring them down when in reality, those characteristics are what brought them to the top. Comparison company leaders felt that charisma and forwardness was the way to the top of the hierarchy however, they soon found out this was not the key to success. Other important characteristics that mold a level 5 leader is discipline, determination, and integrity. While most people believe that having an extreme personality is necessary, they fail to recognize that these traits are what makes up some peoples personalities, which is what makes them great leaders. Jim Collins emphasized Darwin Smith in this respect; a man with â€Å"iron will† (Collins, 2005) and one that never stopped having faith in the success of his company. There arises a compelling need for leadership in a business and this need stems from the â€Å"desire to grow and achieve higher goals [which] never develops,† (Martin, 1999) if there is no potent leader in place. Corporate Changes in Leadership As only 11 Fortune 500 companies flourished to greatness, the attributes each company possessed in similarities was Level 5 leadership. These 11 companies that made Collins list â€Å"averaged returns 6. 9 times greater than the market’s,† (Collins, 2001) doubling the returns of their rivals. There have been many attempts to change a corporate vision by changing leadership however, setting a new direction has not shown anticipated results nor has â€Å"articulating a fresh corporate vision† (Collins, 2001). The mistake most companies have made is focusing more on the direction of the business rather than the people implementing the strategy. World leaders have sought to take advantage of this unique approach by having the right people on the management team and then divulging into the â€Å"what† question many have asked. Having a company comprised of the right people is the most important step because these types of people can adapt to changing circumstances rather than having to adapt the company’s direction to match the teams vision. What leaders such as Darwin Smith did, was develop a hedgehog concept where they can â€Å"simplify a complex world into a single, organizing idea† (Collins, 2001) and take their company to new lengths. Kimberly-Clark Kimberly Clark, a paper company, was one of these that had remained successful after experiencing a change in leadership. With Darwin E. Smith in position to act as CEO, the company was transformed into the giant success that it is today. Initially, Kimberly-Clark was just like any other old paper company that was considered good but not great. All that changed when Darwin Smith became CEO in 1971. This man was credited with turning Kimberly-Clark into â€Å"an innovative consumer products powerhouse† (Anshuman, 2005). The first step to its transformation was the elimination of the Kimberly-Clark mills. Many people were skeptical about the move but Darwin’s determination allowed the company to overcome its rivals and beat the market. It was his strength and leadership that paved the way for its transformation. Anshuman mentions in his blog that Smith made sure his leadership team consisted of those people that met his standards and separated them from those who did not (2005, October 22). By building strength within the company first, Darwin was able to create strength externally as well, which gave the company an advantage and allowed it to expand geographically. Furthermore, Darwin pushed his efforts towards strengthening â€Å"the company’s position in the tissue segment of the paper industry† (Anshuman, 2005). It was evident that these newly implemented strategies were thriving since â€Å"stockholders experienced returns of 19. 6% annually† (Anshuman, 2005) and it was his qualities of crediting others for the company’s success that truly brought it to greatness. Before Darwin, Kimberly-Clark’s CEO was headed in the wrong direction as its â€Å"stock had fallen 36% behind the general market,† (Collins, 2005) and this was no small number. The reason for this fall was because the company’s leadership team was not focused on its main operations and the areas that would bring the company to greatness which in turn caused Kimberly-Clark to fall short. This downfall was brought by Kimberly-Clark’s failure â€Å"to keep up with early disposable diaper improvements and market innovations† (Funding Universe, n. d. ). Clearly Smith had the right idea when he took the initiative to merge with Scott Paper. After its transformation, Kimberly Clark was â€Å"generating stock returns 4. 1 times greater than the general markets† (Collins, 2005). Kimberly-Clark became â€Å"the leading consumer paper products company in the world,† (Collins, 2005) outperforming not only the market but even other giant, well known, companies such as Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and Coca-Cola. Kimberly-Clark was on Collins’ list because the company was able to sustain greatness after they had attained it for the first time. Smith succeeded in making Kimberly-Clark a great company and this was possible because he had the qualities of a level 5 leader. It is duly noted that transforming a company from good to great is not an easy task but those leaders holding â€Å"this paradoxical combination of traits,† (Collins, 2005) those of humility and professional will, have the ability to achieve this prominence. What Kimberly-Clark’s team and other great companies did was not starting something new but essentially taking the action to stop doing something they have done for many years. To discontinue a main part of their business is what led them to become great. For Kimberly-Clark, â€Å"that meant it would have to stop doing paper mills,† (Collins, 2001) for other companies it may mean eliminating unnecessary or time consuming strategies. This company did not achieve success over night or by some miracle but through â€Å"simplicity and diligence† (Collins, 2001). Kroger Co Kroger Co, a grocery store chain, was normally seen as an ‘average’ company or nothing out of the ordinary until it dramatically transformed and started racking up large returns. When it â€Å"broke free of its mediocrity to beat the stock market by 4. 16 times,† (Collins, 2001) it continued its rally and in a 15 year period â€Å"Kroger outperformed the market by 10 times† (Collins, 2001). Before this occurred however, Kroger was run by leaders that were less likely to succeed and turn the company around to sustainability. From the early years, Kroger was a successful company because its strategy emphasized customer wants and needs rather than the organizations’ itself, although for the first 80 years it was nothing more than average. However, a main reason for Kroger’s experienced growth lay in its acquisitions such as the one with Dillon Companies Inc. in 1983 which smoothed Kroger’s transition into â€Å"[becoming] a coast-to-coast operator of food, drug and convenience stores† (The Kroger Company, 2013). During the time of this acquisition, Lyle Everingham was CEO of Kroger and his leadership skills led the company â€Å"to utilize extensive consumer research to focus on meeting customer needs first, rather than on what suited Kroger best,† (Zwiebach, 2008) which is the vision Kroger initially set out in the beginning and proved to be successful. The acquisition with Dillon was not the most significant either but it was Kroger’s merger with Fred Meyer that developed the company’s geographic culture as well as created the â€Å"widest variety of formats in the foot retailing industry† (The Kroger Company, 2013). This merger under the direction of the next CEO, Joseph A. Pichler, created a major buzz and resulted from his outward looking perspective. All of these leaders possessed the skills that allowed them to sustain the growth in the business which was seen in the many years Kroger beat the stock market. Following the years of average performance, the leaders from there on in all had something in common; they were all level 5 leaders who contributed their own efforts to continuing Kroger’s growth and â€Å"from 1973 to 1998, Kroger outperform the market by 10 times† (Collins, 2001). 1973 was Kroger’s turning point and leaders realized that the current model was going to continue demonstrating average performance so they took the initiative and â€Å"began eliminating, changing or replacing every single one of its stores† (Thill, 2003) to fit new certainties. The common link between these companies was their approach: â€Å"a down-to-earth, pragmatic, committed-to-excellence process† (Collins, 2001). In other words, this framework kept successful companies on the right path and molded them into their strong counterparts that were able to uphold their greatness. The changes in leadership that these companies experienced resulted in momentum change where this increase in energy encouraged them to keep going and carrying it on with greater velocity until exceptional results were produced.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Autocratic Leader

1. Introduction to Autocratic Leadership There are several effective leadership styles used to run organizations. The autocratic style basically tells employees what to do. This style is defined as excessively demanding, with one way of communication-from management to employee. Managers possess the power to coerce â€Å"subordinates† to accomplish the mission. Decision making comes from the leader(s) and the opinion or input of the employee is not considered. Nevertheless, autocratic leadership can be useful in certain situations or types of businesses. At times, management must utilize this type of leadership to achieve important goals. 2. Martha Stewart – An Autocratic Leader Autocratic leadership is a management style that places pressure on employees to produce a product, service or image. This style is reminiscent of a dictatorship but in some businesses or military organizations, this type of leadership is necessary. Many employees have worked with an authoritarian manager and are used to it, require it, and even expect it. A good example of an autocratic leader is Martha Stewart who has built an empire based on her teaching techniques for simplicity and creativity in the home: cooking, crafts, finding the perfect housewares, etc.; all accomplished with great attention to detail. Whether people have admired Martha Stewart or not, one cannot argue that she has remained careful, consistent and demanding of her employees. She's very successful in nearly all of her endeavors, and often, if not always, has used an autocratic management style. It's common knowledge that it's her autocratic leadership style that has made her a success in nearly every form of media. Martha Stewart's critics (who are many) argue that she would have found even more success had she not relied so heavily on the autocratic style of leadership. 3. Autocratic Leadership in the Group Project Setting Another circumstance where autocratic leadership can be helpful is while working on group projects. When a group has no designated leader, a project can fail. When each group member expresses their own opinions and tenaciously holds to them, conflict is sure to arise. In this circumstance, project quality may suffer or literally come to a standstill. Groups need an autocratic leader who can hold to the decisions made by or for the group. The leader should seek for solutions to problems that arise in the project and then delegate the task to the members of the group. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, Inc., was a very successful autocratic leader. He was typically authoritative and made every major final decision for Apple. Some argue that autocratic leadership can never lead to success – it's controlling and solely based on the personality and style of the manager. But an effective autocratic leader can achieve great success in bringing a project to completion. During the first stages of developing an entrepreneurial organization, implementing an autocratic leadership style will enable the company to have and keep direction and momentum. A leader who is autocratic should apply his/her style wisely and with trepidation.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Social commentary on The Kite runner

We are impacted by things that we read, see or hear on a daily basis, and whether we know it or not they change the way we perceive certain topics. Social commentary Is often used by authors and/or artists to draw attention to ineffective elements of a society. This is present in the novels â€Å"Animal Farm† by George Orwell and The Kite Runner† by Khlaed Hosselnl.The â€Å"Animal Farm† Is an allegory about a farm in which the animals revolt against the irresponsible farmer Jones after the Old Major dies and name it â€Å"Animal animals establish seven rules to live by, f which the most Important Is â€Å"All animals are Farm 47). As the years pass by. though, the dynamics of the farm change and the pigs establish themselves ds the ruling class. Orwell ridicules the way Russia tried to rebuild itself after the Bolshevick Revolution with this book. The Kite Runner† is a novel written by Khaled Hosselnl, In which he talks about the drastic difference betwee n lite In Afghanistan before and after the Taliban take over through the point of view of an Afghan boy named Amir. The main themes in the book are love, forgiveness, betrayal, edemption, and ethnic pressure In Afghanistan, but he also focuses In abundance on the Taliban by using the characters' life to show how much damage the Taliban cause to the country and population. The Taliban come Into power after Russian troops invade Afghanistan, and they make the citizens believe that they are the salvation of the country.Both novels deal with a group of people/animals that start a revolution against the ones in control, then gain power and impose even more severe rules which they corrupt, and end up forming a government more oppressive than the one they revolted against. nce the groups take over they give themselves higher authority than the rest of the population/animals, for example when Napoleon takes over he Is called â€Å"the emperor† and the rest of the animals are called à ¢â‚¬Å"comrade†(Anlmal Farm 47-8).The Taliban does something very similar; they demand the population to treat them with respect. Amir finds that out when he comes back to Kabul to take sohrab (given the fact that he lived In U. S. while the Taliban took over Afghanistan, he doesnt know much about them, besides what he heard in San Francisco) and he stares at the Taliban when they drive by. His triend Farid informs him that when the Taliban move past he Is supposed to look at the ground and not directly in their eyes, for the reason that they wanted people to almost bow down to them.Both dictators Impose unreasonable rules when they are in position of power. In â€Å"Animal Farm† Napoleon demonstrates that when he says that anyone who followed snowball, the leader thrown out by Napoleon, would be executed. In â€Å"The Kite Runner† there are many scenes where the Talibs execute the opposition, for example Hassan refuses to leave Baba's house and as a result he ets shot In the back of the head. Another Intense case of unreasonable punishment takes place at the stadium where one of the Taliban Generals makes a speech about the Taliban's duty.He claims that the Taliban bring Justice and carry out the shrl'a law, and they believe that if adultery is committed, the adulterers â€Å"throw stones at the windows of God's house†: although the Shri'a law does not literally say that the Taliban Imply that adulterers should be punished by being stoned to death, tnereTore Its only rlgnt tnat tney stone to aeatn a woman ana a man accused 0T dultery(Cleric 270). However, in both books the dictators corrupt the rules they impose, for example in the â€Å"Animal Farm† the animals have seven commandments they must live by but three of them get changed to suit what Napoleon does or decides. No animal shall drink alcohol†is changed to â€Å"No animal shall drink to excess† when Napoleon gets drunk and almost dies; â€Å"No animal sha ll sleep in a bed† was changed to â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets† and lastly â€Å"No animal shall kill other animal† was changed to â€Å"No animal shall kill other nimal without cause†(Animal Farm 21-24). In â€Å"The Kite Runner† Assef is a sociopath who grows up to become a Taliban official, so the readers would expect him to carry out the Shri'a law and live by it , which he doesn't because he stones a woman to death for being accused of adultery and sins even more by raping the kids of the orphanage.There is another contradiction in the Taliban's beliefs, because music was part of the entertainment banned by the Taliban, but when Amir goes to General Assef to take Sohrab, Assef plays music for Sohrab to dance to. The eginning of dictatorship in both books is caused by a presumed revolution. In â€Å"Animal Farm† the animals revolt against man, take over the farm, and expect to live at peace among themselves. In â€Å" The Kite Runner† the Taliban are supposed to get the Russians out of Afghanistan and bring back harmony in the country.In both cases the leaders fail because the ambitions get the best of them and instead of living happy, they use the opportunity to dictate the others below. In the â€Å"Animal Farm† eventually the Seven Commandments are changed to one that read† All animals are qual but some are more equal than others†,which shows that the revolution is a failure in the farm because it makes the animals exactly what they were protesting against(Animal Farm 112).The Taliban first become known for their ambition to free Afghanistan from the Russians, but once they come into power they impose insane rules against the population and outlaw every type of entertainment, even kite running. In the end the pigs and the Taliban turn into their enemies. Napoleon changes the name of the farm back to Manor Farm and in the final scene Napoleon and Pilkington (a neighbori ng farmer) are playing cards, although they act friendly, each is trying to cheat by playing ace of spades .The other animals watch the scene and cannot tell the pigs from the humans. In â€Å"The Kite Runner† when the Taliban take over Afghanistan they change everything, Amir points it out when he comes back from America and he sees Kabul, he says â€Å"l feel like a tourist in my own country' which means after the Taliban had taken over, the country couldVe been easily ruled by strangers because there was nothing left of the Afghanistan he grew p in (Amir 231). Social commentary has a powerful impact in todays society.Khlaed Hosseini and George Orwell convey a strong message with â€Å"The Kite Runner† and â€Å"Animal Farm†; they show that when people strive for a goal but get no satisfaction when they reach it, they can turn revolutions in a government more oppressive and totalitarian. Social Commentary on The Kite Runner We are impacted by things that we read, see or hear on a daily basis, and whether we know it or not they change the way we perceive certain topics. Social commentary is often used by authors and/or artists to draw attention to ineffective elements of a society. This is present in the novels â€Å"Animal Farm† by George Orwell and â€Å"The Kite Runner† by Khlaed Hosseini. The â€Å"Animal Farm† is an allegory about a farm in which the animals revolt against the irresponsible farmer Jones after the Old Major dies and name it â€Å"Animal farm†.The animals establish seven rules to live by, of which the most important is â€Å"All animals are equal†(Animal Farm 47). As the years pass by, though, the dynamics of the farm change and the pigs establish themselves as the ruling class. Orwell ridicules the way Russia tried to rebuild itself after the Bolshevick Revolution with this book. â€Å"The Kite Runner† is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, i n which he talks about the drastic difference between life in Afghanistan before and after the Taliban take over through the point of view of an Afghan boy named Amir.The main themes in the book are love, forgiveness, betrayal, redemption, and ethnic pressure in Afghanistan, but he also focuses in abundance on the Taliban by using the characters’ life to show how much damage the Taliban cause to the country and population. The Taliban come into power after Russian troops invade Afghanistan, and they make the citizens believe that they are the salvation of the country.Both novels deal with a group of people/animals that start a revolution against the ones in control, then gain power and impose even more severe rules which they corrupt, and end up forming a government more oppressive than the one they revolted against. Once the groups take over they give themselves higher authority than the rest of the population/animals, for example when Napoleon takes over he is called  "the emperor† and the rest of the animals are called â€Å"comrade†(Animal Farm 47-8).The Taliban does something very similar; they demand the population to treat them with respect. Amir finds that out when he comes back to Kabul to take Sohrab (given the fact that he lived in U. S. while the Taliban took over Afghanistan, he doesn’t know much about them, besides what he heard in San Francisco) and he stares at the Taliban when they drive by. His friend Farid informs him that when the Taliban move past he is supposed to look at the ground and not directly in their eyes, for the reason that they wanted people to almost bow down to them.Both dictators impose unreasonable rules when they are in position of power. In â€Å"Animal Farm† Napoleon demonstrates that when he says that anyone who followed Snowball, the leader thrown out by Napoleon, would be executed. In â€Å"The Kite Runner† there are many scenes where the Talibs execute the opposition, for example Hassan refuses to leave Baba’s house and as a result he gets shot in the back of the head. Another intense case of unreasonable punishment takes place at the stadium where one of the Taliban Generals makes a speech about the Taliban’s duty.He claims that the Taliban bring justice and carry out the Shri’a law, and they believe that if adultery is committed, the adulterers â€Å"throw stones at the windows of God’s house†; although the Shri’a law does not literally say that the Taliban imply that adulterers should be punished by being stoned to death, therefore it’s only right that they stone to death a woman and a man accused of adultery(Cleric 270). However, in both books the dictators corrupt the rules they impose, for example in the â€Å"Animal Farm† the animals have seven commandments they must live by but three of them get changed to suit what Napoleon does or decides.â€Å"No animal shall drink alcohol†is changed to â€Å"No animal shall drink to excess† when Napoleon gets drunk and almost dies; â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed† was changed to â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets† and lastly â€Å"No animal shall kill other animal† was changed to â€Å"No animal shall kill other animal without cause†(Animal Farm 21-24). In â€Å"The Kite Runner† Assef is a sociopath who grows up to become a Taliban official, so the readers would expect him to carry out the Shri’a law and live by it , which he doesn’t because he stones a woman to death for being accused of adultery and sins even more by raping the kids of the orphanage.There is another contradiction in the Taliban’s beliefs, because music was part of the entertainment banned by the Taliban, but when Amir goes to General Assef to take Sohrab, Assef plays music for Sohrab to dance to. The beginning of dictatorship in both books is caused by a presumed revolut ion. In â€Å"Animal Farm† the animals revolt against man, take over the farm, and expect to live at peace among themselves. In â€Å"The Kite Runner† the Taliban are supposed to get the Russians out of Afghanistan and bring back harmony in the country.In both cases the leaders fail because the ambitions get the best of them and instead of living happy, they use the opportunity to dictate the others below. In the â€Å"Animal Farm† eventually the Seven Commandments are changed to one that read† All animals are equal but some are more equal than others†,which shows that the revolution is a failure in the farm because it makes the animals exactly what they were protesting against(Animal Farm 112).The Taliban first become known for their ambition to free Afghanistan from the Russians, but once they come into power they impose insane rules against the population and outlaw every type of entertainment, even kite running. In the end the pigs and the Taliba n turn into their enemies. Napoleon changes the name of the farm back to Manor Farm and in the final scene Napoleon and Pilkington (a neighboring farmer) are playing cards, although they act friendly, each is trying to cheat by playing ace of spades .The other animals watch the scene and cannot tell the pigs from the humans. In â€Å"The Kite Runner† when the Taliban take over Afghanistan they change everything, Amir points it out when he comes back from America and he sees Kabul, he says â€Å"I feel like a tourist in my own country† which means after the Taliban had taken over, the country could’ve been easily ruled by strangers because there was nothing left of the Afghanistan he grew up in (Amir 231).Social commentary has a powerful impact in today’s society. Khlaed Hosseini and George Orwell convey a strong message with â€Å"The Kite Runner† and â€Å"Animal Farm†; they show that when people strive for a goal but get no satisfaction wh en they reach it, they can turn revolutions in a government more oppressive and totalitarian.