Bidding on the Yell Group Essay

1. Introduction Yell Group consists of two businesses that are operating across countries. Yellow Page is a classified directory business in the UK, while Yellow Book is an independent directory business in the USA. These businesses are currently owned by British Telecom which is under pressure to reduce its heavy debt load and had been wavering for months about the future of these two Yellow Pages divisions. Apax Partner and Hick Muse are two private equity firms that are interested in the acquisition of the Yell Group by using debt for a majority of the purchase price and equity for the remainder. The deal is crucially important to both Apax and Hicks Muse because of its high visibility — simply by virtue of its size and complexity, it will leave its mark on the reputations of both PE firms. But the team faces a challenge when valuing a cross border business involved in the LBO. Not only are those business located in different markets, but they also are characterized by different growth rat es and cash flow characteristics. Furthermore, each business unit faces an immediate uncertainty. 2. Overview of LBO The Equity Sponsor borrows the debt portion of the purchase price, typically through public or private bonds and bank loans issued by the company and contribute the equity portion typically through a private fund. Debt is serviced and repaid with the company’s operating cash flows. The buyer later sells all or a portion of the company and realizes a return on its initial equity investment — Sale of Sponsor equity typically through an initial public offering or a sale to a strategic buyer or another LBO firm. The LBO transaction focuses on cash flows generated by operations and the use of the cash to pay down debt, thereby increasing equity value. Additionally, improvements in operating performance can increase value. Assuming the enterprise value remains unchanged, as debt is repaid, value reverts to the equity holders, thereby generating equity returns. Through this cross-border LBO, our team wants to achieve three fundamental goals: a) Determining the enterprise value of Yell Group by measuring its ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet required equity returns while complying with leverage parameters. b) Calculating financial ratios and other measurements to determine the balance sheet and credit impact of the LBO c) To justify whether they can get reasonable returns given financial projections and leverage assumption in the model. Our team is aim to use as much leverage as possible to minimize initial equity check and create an aggressive financing structure that can be eff ectively syndicated to the market. 3. Yell Operations When valuing Yell, we find that Yell currently has two well-established business lines in two different markets. While the environment is different in each market, Yell’s business lines achieve somewhat steady cash flows that are on pace with market growth, even the OFT is expected to recommend the imposition of a limit on the annual increase in rates for advertising in the U.K. market. The projected EBITDA for both BT Yellow Pages in the U.K. and Yellow Pages USA combined are more than enough to cover the considerable interest expense. Furthermore, with the ambitious growth plan, Yellow Book hopes to capture much of the predicted market share gains. A good LBO candidate should have some characteristics on its business specific and industry specifics. That means, the underlying Yell fundamentals and competitive advantage should be much more scrutinized by the team. Indeed, BT Yellow Pages as a market-leader in the classified directory business and Yellow Pages USA as a market leader in the independent publisher of business directories. Finally, shortly before Apax and Hicks Muse had initiated talks with BT executives about the future of Yell, the telecom giant had announced plans to pay down its debt, so this deal should be a fire-sale transaction, the sale of Yell is good for BT and its shareholders. However, BT Yellow Pages and Yellow Book USA represent two very different businesses. The U.K. business is subject to heavy regulation which will restrict the price. Thus the only way to expand profits is through the advertisement volume. Unfortunately, the growth in the classified directories advertising market has been declining over the last few decades and will probably continue in this tendency even though the total advertising market has seen increasing growth. The potential good opportunities for this business could be the additional divisions that BT Yellow Pages owned. Prospective investment indicated these businesses are in the early stages. The U.S. market is an important source of new business for SMEs throughout the country and the independents are projected to increase their market share from 11% to 30% over the 2000 — 2005 period. For Yellow Book, this growth is to be fueled by expansion efforts as launching new directories into contiguous markets and launching wide area books into cities without an independent presence. In terms of the industry life cycle, BT Yellow Pages is most likely in the late maturity / early decline stage while Yellow Pages USA was still in the growth phase. These factors combined with the buyers’ investment horizon will influence their exit strategy. Yell Group Ltd. provided Apax and Hicks Muse team with projections for both BT Yellow Pages and Yellow Book USA based on what a potential growth in the upcoming years. Since Yell is trying to sell their business, we have to be careful about the assumptions used to come up with these projections. As a financial buyer, we tend to leave the day-to-day operations with management and thus would hope that they can meet their projections. These numbers should be viewed conservatively, as Yell would want to make the company look as attractive as possible to potential buyers. For BT Yellow Pages, their growth is dependent on the number of advertisements sold in a given year and the advertisements’ prices. Thus, as a potential buyer, these areas need to be scrutinized to come up with a reasonable projection. The growth rate (nominal) of advertisement volume from 2001 to 2007 may be as high as the rate of past years at 6.6%, and for SMEs, BT Yellow Pages were considered a â€Å"must buy†, since the yellow pages are their principal means of reaching customers in UK. Yellow pages advertising expenditures tends to be more stable than other forms of media advertising and do not fluctuate widely with economic cycles. For advertisement prices, the trend is slightly increasing from 2001 to 2003 and flat thereafter. Yell’s management seems to be too optimistic here as the OFT is expected to announce its new recommendation for the following years soon. Since the cap is 6% below the inflation rate and the projections for inflation is 2.4% in 2002, 2.3% in 2003, and 2.0% thereafter, the advertising prices should be expected to show a decreasing trend. For example, the Weighted Average Advertisement Fee in 2002 should be 621.78 = 645 x (1 + 2.4% – 6%). The year-over-year revenue growth for Yellow Book USA ranges from 10.0% to 15.0% with an average of 12.5% and a compound average growth rate of 12.4%. Organic growth in the US market is 4-5% and so the additional growth for Yellow Book USA must be coming from new market launches as well as increasing market share as an independent publisher. The growth rates seem quite aggressive and so additional new market launches may be required in years 2005 and 2006, currently not projected, to ensure that there is a buffer to hit revenue projections. It may make sense to also decrease the revenue growth rate to be more realistic and use yell’s projection as an upper limit case. We think it important to segregate organic revenues from new launch revenues and only apply an EBITDA margin to organic sales while separately adding in the impact of new launches in order to roll the two very different types of markets together. This approach also affords an opportunity to give a more sophisticated treatment to operating income from new launches. We believe that a 17% EBITDA margin on organic sales is a more realistic target for 2002, improving at a 2% increase per year as business goes up until the 25% target rate is hit in 2005 and maintained thereafter. Capital Expenditure and depreciation also need to be reviewed as they are somewhat positively related, which means an increase in Capital Expenditure usually results an increase in depreciation and vice versa. Overall, the numbers for both markets should be viewed with skepticism as these are Yell’s projections and may not reflect the buyer’s expectations in terms of the growth in the market. 4. Transaction Assumption The following transaction assumptions must be considered at the beginning of LBO analysis: a) BT Yellow Pages has its price adjusted for inflation as stated by the OFT. b) The U.K. discount rate is calculated using the comps Telefonica Publicidad e Informacion and Enriro. c) The U.S. discount rate is calculated using McLeod USA and World Pages. d) The model assumes the debt is held in the U.K. and the U.S. business line will have its cash flows converted to U.K. denominated pounds at the spot rate- For the base case, the terminal value growth rate of BT Yellow Pages is 3.47% which is a forecast of the compound average growth rate of FCF from 2002 to 2007 based on our projection. Sensitivity analysis should be applied to see how the growth rate of terminal value would affect the overall valuation. e) For the base case, the terminal value growth rate of Yellow Book USA is 4.3% which is the historical growth of the RBOCs. Sensitivity analysis should be applied to see how the growth rate of terminal value would affect the overall valuation. f) New launches in the U.S. are fore casted to return 5% EBITDA to Sales in the first year. This is a conservative estimate and sensitivity analysis should be applied to see how the EBITDA margin of new launches would affect the overall valuation. g) Once launched, the new markets are assumed to reach organic EBITDA margins in the following year. h) The risk premium of both markets is set as 6.5% and sensitivity analysis should be applied to see how the risk premium would affect the overall valuation. 5. Valuation Method It is accepted that CCF valuation is widely used for LBO. WACC is not applicable here because the calculation of WACC assumes constant D/E ratio. Based on the debt repayment schedule, it is unlikely that the firm will be able to maintain a constant ratio. CCF is ideal for this transaction because the debt repayment schedule is known in advance. CCF separates the calculation into two parts: unlevered cash flow using unlevered cost of equity and tax shield using the unlevered cost of equity. For our calculation, CCF is more suitable due to the known debt repayment schedule and the more conservative valuation. Coming up with an accurate valuation becomes more complex when dealing with different currency of cash flows from cross border assets. Yell’s two business line, BT Yellow Pages and Yellow Book USA, operates and generates revenue from their respective countries; therefore, we must look each asset as a separate part. We could do a separate valuation on each asset based on the home country’s currency and financial projections. To determine a representative discount rate, we used betas and Debt/EV ratios of comparable listed companies in Exhibit 10 from each region. For example, for Yellow Book USA, we only used betas and Debt/EV of comparable American firms and not European firms and we assume the risk premium is 6.5%. We also had to take into account difference in risk-free rates by looking at country-specific yield on 30 years Treasury Bills when calculating the cost of equity for each asset. Depending on the capital structure, each asset may have tax benefit from tax-deductible interest payments. The interest tax shield must be calculated using the local country’s corporate tax rate; therefore, each business line may have different cost of debt. At Yell, we used the U.K. tax rate of 30% because the acquired company is incorporated in the U.K. thus everything is consolidated in pound. When building a valuation model, we also consider the growth potential of each asset separately as well. We take into account the firm’s local business strategy, competitors, and overall market potential to develop a representative perpetuity growth rate. Once we get the enterprise values for both assets, we can then use the spot rate to convert the enterprise values into pound for comparison. All these factors play a vital role when forecasting revenue growth / free cash flows, determining the discount rate and eventually calculating a fair enterprise value for the firm. Using our pro forma assumptions and CCF valuation, the total acquisition fee is  £2.09 billion (shown in excel). The U.S. business is valued and converted to the pound to reach a total valuation. These values include the 5% in transaction fees. 6. Sensitivity Analysis Sensitivity is done on five major variables. The first variable is the terminal growth rate of the U.K. business since BT Yellow Pages represents a huge part of the total valuation (see excel file for the sensitivity of growth rate on BT Yellow Pages valuation). If the terminal growth rate is 5%, the total acquisition price with fees is  £2.28 billion, compared to the  £2.09 billion with the base case of 3.47% growth rate. The second variable is the terminal growth rate of Yellow Book USA. This scenario analysis doesn’t affect the overall valuation much as the Yellow Book USA only accounts for a small fraction of the overall valuation. For the third variable, the analysis performed is the change in regulatory imposition when keeping the terminal growth rate of UK business at 3.47%. Currently the base case is that revenue decreases by the inflation subtracting 6% annually. The results are shown in Sheet ‘Sensitivity Tables’. When there is no regulatory imposition applied and the price grows with inflation, the acquisition price with fees is 3.01 billion. If they can negotiate with the UK government to reduce the rate to 5%, instead of 6%, the acquisition price with fees is 2.30 billion. It is highly sensitive to the change in regulatory imposition. This implies there is significant upside if the regulatory imposition is lower than 6%. For the fourth variable, we change the projections of Yellow Book USA’s EBITDA margin of new launches in order to create a range where revenue projections are uncertainty. But there is not much of a difference among those valuations. The last scenario analysis performed is the risk premium for both markets, at the very beginning we assumed a 6.5% risk premium, but we also want to get a range of the valuation as the numbers changes. The results are from 2.4 billion to 1.85 billion. Overall, we are confident that the bid would be somewhere between  £1.85 billion to  £2.3 billion. 7. Conclusion For this financial acquisition, we are more opportunistic and thereby looking for value creation based on the assets itself in order not to overvalue the target firm and thus overbidding for the company. In addition, we are looking to expand its presence on the European LBO market. We viewed Yell as a compelling investment opportunity, particularly in light of the company’s growth potential, low valuation and leverage capacity. This deal will leave its mark on the reputations of both PE firms.

Lebanese Delight

A Lebanese Delight Silent Thesis: Today I am going to inform you about a Middle Eastern side dish called Tabouli or Tabouleh. I. Introduction A. Have you ever stumbled on the Lebanese cuisine more specifically on their various types of food? 1. I’m sure all of you have had a taste of a Middle Eastern dish one point in your life, whether you knew it or not. 2. Just look for a whole table, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, filled with a feast and that is a Middle Eastern tradition except followed everyday. . When I was younger and even until this day I am faced with Middle Eastern hospitality of getting food constantly shoved in my face, but this is how I was introduced to my favorite salad, Tabouleh. b. No matter how hard you try to resist these full course meals, Middle Eastern women are stubborn and would not allow you to leave their house without the proper intake of their food, and I’m talking non-stop service. B. Being Lebanese I am constantly surrounded by the food and culture but whose to argue. C.Today I am going to talk to you about a specific side dish called Taboulie or Tabouleh. 1. First, I will tell you the history of where Tabouleh originated from to get a feel of the eating style in the region of the Lebanese cuisine. 2. Then, I will tell you what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese Culture. 3. Lastly, I will tell you what Tabouleh consists of. D. I will begin by telling you about the Lebanese Cuisine. II. The Lebanese cuisine is extremely rich in flavors and colors and yet often offers recipes easy to prepare and suitable for a healthy diet. A.According to the book The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook written in the year 2000 by Tess Mallos, an author and consultant to advertising companies, she states, foreign influences have been felt widely in the area, of Beirut. 1. Lebanon has been ruled by foreign powers and as a result they have influenced the types of food the Lebanese ate. 2. According to the book Mediterranean Cooking written by Andrea Chesman in 2005 she writes, â€Å"Middle Eastern cooking is based in the peasant traditions of the farmers and nomadic peoples who have inhabited the region for thousands of years. a. It’s ancient cuisine and many of the same dishes described in Egyptian texts and in the Bible are still eaten in the Middle East today. b. Its influence was spread all around the Mediterranean. B. The food of the entire Mediterranean region is considered to be a celebration of life. 1. It is fresh, flavorful, and diverse and the cuisine of Lebanon is, as a whole, the Mediterranean diet. a. It includes starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. b. Red meat is eaten less often than poultry, and usually the only red meat is lamb. . Along with the Lebanese cuisines’ flavors, comes a large amount of garlic and olive oil. a. Joe George a chef and culinary educator writes in his article titled Ethnic Cuisine: Lebanon in 2001, that these two ingredients, olive oil a nd garlic, are an essential part in Lebanon and usually a typical meal consists of them. b. Sanaa Abourezk, an author and chef writes in her book titled Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine in 2005 that other than in a few deserts, butter or cream is rarely used and is replaced by olive oil. C.The cuisine of Lebanon focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients, the combinations of the dishes are almost limitless. 1. In her book, Tess Mallos writes about the ingredients used for Arabic cooking. 2. It is almost essential that every Arabic or Middle Eastern household stock up on fine and coarse burghul, Tahini, dried beans, chick peas, dried mint and a spice mix called za’tar. 3. Anissa Helou in her book written in 1994 titled Lebanese Cuisine, she mentions that finding fresh vegetables and fruits would be common and is essential diet in the Lebanese Cuisine. D.Now that you have learned about the history of the Lebanese Cuisine, I am going to inform you of what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese Culture. III. To understand the various types of food you must also understand the Middle Eastern hospitality and when different dishes are served. A. Tess Mallos writes in her cookbook that Middle Eastern hospitality is frequently expressed with the offering of mezze. 1. Mezze is an array of small dishes which portray different colors, flavors, textures, and aromas, basically they are appetizers, and are only limited by the availability of ingredients and the ability of the cook to prepare them. . These various types of appetizers can be cooked on a minutes notice so it can be very quickly but efficiently. b. Mezze may be as simple as pickled vegetables, hummus, bread, Baba Ghannouj, lebneh, Tabouleh, or it can become an entire meal consisting of grilled marinated seafood, skewered meats and a variety of cooked and raw salads. 2. These appetizers can be refrigerated, frozen, and later when entertaining guests, defrosted. 3. Almost all t ypes of mezze are served with the Arabic flat bread also known as pita bread, which is basically a replacement for a fork.B. Tabouleh is one of the most common types of zesty salad appetizers in the Lebanese culture. D. Now that you have learned about the history of the Lebanese Cuisine as well as what it’s considered to be in the Lebanese culture, I am going to inform you of a specific dish called Tabouleh. IV. According to Claudia Roden, a food writer, she writes in her book titled The New Book of Middle Eastern Food in 2000 that Tabbouleh has been around for about 4,000 years. A.Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad thought to have originated in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon in the mountain region of Zahle. 1. Tabouleh was one of the local mountain-village foods offered in the cafes and spread far and wide. a. According to Claudia Roden, it started as a â€Å"relatively substantial salad that was rich with Bulgur but was transformed later into an all-green herby affair. † b. Bulgur is basically cracked wheat, that has been boiled and dried, then ground, and it is the basis of many salads in the Middle East, Tabouleh has become one of the famous ones. . Tabouleh’s primary ingredients are burghul, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, scallion and other herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings. 3. In the hometown Tabouleh is traditionally served with a lettuce leaf, but in the United States it’s eaten with pita bread as a dip. B. Tabouleh is considered to be one of the main salads one will find at every table of a Lebanese family. V. Conclusion. A. The Lebanese Cuisine can be more complicated than one can assume. 1. One simple dish can have a bigger background to it, a deeper origin. 2.I am sure all of you have tried a Middle Eastern dish one point in your life. B. If you have not, well today you have learned what to look for when you come across a Lebanese dish, and what the origin of Tabouleh is. C. We learned three t hings. 1. First, we learned about the history of where Tabouleh originated from and the Lebanese Cuisine. 2. Second, we learned what Tabouleh is considered to be in the Lebanese culture. 3. Lastly, we learned about what Tabouleh consists of. D. The next time you come across a Lebanese dish, more specifically a salad, you now know what to look for.

Buddha was a religious innovator Essay Example for Free

Buddha was a religious innovator Essay In my opinion, Buddha was a religious innovator- since he went against all other prominent religious beliefs of the time in declaring that there was no soul- no permanent self (anatta). I will be discussing whether Buddha was indeed a religious innovator, the ideas he has taken from other religions and entirely original, new concepts he created. He disagreed with many other popular religious practices, for example sacrifices- around which the Vedic religion (which was popular around Buddha’s time) revolved. He did so for many reasons, the main being Buddhists don’t believe in a God- no God would mean sacrificing an animal would be wasteful and pointless. Another reason he disagreed with this would be that hurting the animal would be against the eightfold path since harming the animal unnecessarily would not be a ‘right action’ it would also be an example of not showing the ‘right mindfulness’ since if we were aware of the animal’s pain and suffering then we wouldn’t be sacrificing the animal. Many Buddhists choose to be vegetarian as hurting animals creates bad karma due to the above. Buddha’s main difference in opinion to ideas of the time would be that the Buddhist Dharma (or teaching) says that we have no soul or ‘no permanent self,’ this is called Anatta. Buddhists believe that because we are made up of five Skandhas- (Form, sensations, perceptions, mental formation and consciousness) that are constantly changing, we have no permanent self. Buddhism was the first religion to say that we have no soul. The Jains and Shramanas (both prominent religions of Buddha’s time) both taught that the atman (or soul) is reincarnated time after time until Moksha, where the soul returns to God (or ‘Brahmin’ in some cases.) In Buddhism, Buddha taught that it is not our atman that is reborn, but our karma. For example- a candle lighting another candle, it is the heat from the first candle that lights the second- no part of the first candle is passed along to the second. Buddhists believe this, but with karma instead of heat- that is, they believe it is our karma that causes rebirth time after time. Buddha also made it clear that equality was an important part of Buddhism since we could be reborn as anything- poor man or a king- we are all the same. This was innovative since in Eastern Europe there was great emphasis on the social division called the caste system, which was present in the Vedic religion and very rigid. This meant that many of the lower classes and poorer people could not take part and so were cut off from the religion. However, Buddha did take ideas from the ideas of karma, but changed them slightly. For example, the Jains believed that karma was a sticky substance which floated above their heads preventing them from escaping rebirth, whereas Buddhists might perceive karma as a force which governs balance- for example if you’re a bad, mean, rich person in this life, you might come back as a poor beggar who lives a miserable life. Another Jain idea that Buddha imitated was that of ‘Ahisma’ or non-violence. Buddhists believe violence is wrong because of parts of the eightfold path, such as ‘right action’. This was the Jains main teaching- they were the first to become vegetarians- many Buddhists choose to become vegetarians too. Having considered both points of view, I still believe that Buddha was a great religious innovator simply due to the fact that most of his teachings and ideas had not been heard before. Buddha was a religious innovator. (2017, Sep 11).

English Speech Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Speech Act - Research Paper Example People interact differently and forms of communication vary greatly on what is under discussion. One form of speech act is apologizing. The situation of apologizing is necessary when the speaker’s actions infringes social norms. When an utterance or practice has led to an offense, the accused should apologize. As a result, we handle two groups: an apologizer and on the other hand the recipient of apology. However, the act is based on if the individual who created the transgression admits and apologizes. The practice of apologizing needs an utterance or action that is supposed to put things in the right place. Whether a given discourse conditions calls for an apology and if a given utterance succeeds as such an apology will be based on either social-cultural or linguistic norms. Teaching speech acts allows EFL learners to be mindful of the sociolinguistic pacts of language application and cultural variances that make up the suitable fix in English in contrary to their initial s ocio-linguistic structures. Olshtain and Cohen (1991) in respect to language competency stated the way we narrate an incident that also emphasizes the significance of mastering language and presenting the right thing at the right moment is critical in speech act. In some instance, people may use or say something that can cause embarrassment to others. For example, while serving tea one may say â€Å"more tea please† to Americans, the utterance of the word â€Å"tea please!† is interpreted as a request while not an offer. One may have mastered grammar principles, but just mastering the rules, though crucial, is not adequate for effective communication. The fundamental question for consideration on this is is speech acts haphazardly extracted in the stage of second language acquisition or must they been logically taught? Ellis (1992), Olshtain and Cohen (1991), and King and Silver (1993) have debated that training speech acts to foreign students has

Concert Report Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concert Report - Movie Review Example When the conductor emerged as well, glorious clapping for a minute gave way to absolute silence in preparation for the first movement. It seems as though people who frequent classical music performances always know when to clap to respect the performers. This probably comes through knowledge and experience of the work, knowing the interludes and spaces in between the movements. The concert hall was comparable to a large church in size and was composed of wood paneling, high ceilings, and a large gold decorative piece behind the performers. On both sides of the stage was seating for patrons, and in front of the stage sat a row of flowers that gave way into a sea of interested listeners. The echo of the music was wonderful coming from the ceiling and the walls, as well as the audience applause. In part, knowing that people have gathered in venues like this concert hall and enjoyed this kind of music for hundreds of years contributed to the pleasure of attending the concert. The work I enjoyed most was Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major. Because Beethoven was important in the transition from the Classical and Romantic eras of classical music, the symphony shares characteristics of both periods in the same musical composition. The composition is airy, light, and fanciful; it has many contrasts and variations. In this way, it exemplifies the characteristics of the Classical era. However, in spite of these Classical characteristics, the work is also emotionally expressive, with many highs and lows, and it displays a certain style that makes it immediately identifiable as a Beethoven symphony. In this respect, it follows the Romantic tradition. These two identities cannot be easily resolved or separated, which complicates the classification of the work as either distinctly Classical or distinctly Romantic. This composition is my favorite precisely because it is so varied and so difficult to define exactly in terms of where it belongs in Beethovenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s repertoire, let alone the history of classical music. The movements are different from one another, which makes the performance not repetitive, but continuously exciting in that the piece is always developing upon itself, always expanding in its complexity and never contracting. The first movement in the piece, for instance, has its climax in an unusual place. It is not during the development section, as is customary in Beethoven’s works, but at the start of the recapitulation phase. There is a substantial crescendo as the start of recapitulation. This variability and uniqueness in the piece makes it one of my favorite sonatas, particularly in the Beethoven corpus. The instrumentation for the Ninth Symphony is quite large. From one count, there were two flutes, two clarinets, two oboes, two bassoons, two trumpets, four horns, timpani, and some strings, which is a relatively large group of instruments. Both as a conductor and as a composer, it must be difficult to man age that many performers. However, utilizing a large number of instruments is an important part of achieving complexity in one’s artistry. A polyphonic performance like the one put on by the performers invites complexity more than any other kind of texture. In terms of the mood conveyed by the piece, it seems like most people were emotionally affect at some parts. Being such an artistic composition, and having very high and

The Global Context of HRM and HRD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

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Effectiveness of Communication in an Organizational Environment Essay

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USPS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

USPS - Essay Example Thus, the functional system if affected in the long run. II. Information system: which are supposed to ensure that information flows throughout the organization? However, the large number of union members makes it difficult for the organization to pass information to its members. This makes it difficult for the organizational members to make any meaningful decisions. This generally affects the team-building aspect of the organization and the financial situation of the organization only worsens the situation (Hicks, 2014). III. Divisional system ensures that an organization is able to enable its employees or members to have the required specialization and division of labor for the well-being of the organization. The employees reports to a general manager who then reports to a senior executive officer. However, the current absence of leadership makes the situation difficult. If the leaders were present in the organization, they could come up with creative strategies to motivate the workers thus enabling the required teamwork in the organization (Kille, 2013). Hicks, J. (2014, May 9). Postal Service lost $1.9 billion in second quarter, despite uptick for first-class mail. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal- eye/wp/2014/05/09/postal-service-lost-1-9-billion-in-second-quarter/ Kille, L. W. (2013, July 8). The U.S. Postal Service and financial sustainability: Research roundup. Retrieved from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/budget/us- postal-service-financial-sustainability-research-roundup# Wieczner, J. (2012, August 27). Postal Service Financial Problems: 10 Things They Dont Want You to Know. Retrieved from

The relationship between internal and external customer service Essay - 2

The relationship between internal and external customer service - Essay Example For instance, if the firm is a shoe production line, external customers are individuals that may include retailers and suppliers who enters the firm’s store and buys merchandise. On the converse, internal customers entail individuals or any member of the firm who depends on the assistance from others to accomplish her routine duties. They include individuals such as marketing and sales agents who needs help from a customer service envoy to place an order. Thus the internal customers ensure that the shoes produced are up to external customer’s satisfaction. Whilst, the external (buyers, suppliers, etc.) and internal customers (employees) may execute dissimilar roles; both customers are critical to the feasibility of an organisation. Traditionally, companies may have a natural propensity on only focus on the relationship with their external customers, since they are the ones that buy the firms products and services. However, it has become necessary of late and with increasing recognition of the need to give internal customers the same degree of reliance, for good internal customers’ relationship fosters a healthy working environment. Among the simple initiatives that an organisation can invoke in improving internal customer relations would include changing the culture in an organisation for all employees to think of fellow workers in the same manner as with external customers. The top management should always set an example by appreciating workers’ endeavours and encourage their criticism (PAWAR, n.d.). Such proactive initiatives are crucial to boosting employee’s morale and leading to the flourish of the business. Various relations experts have made commendable opinions of the significance of this relationship. The objective of this essay is decisively to appraise the role played by internal customer service in the delivery of external customer service excellence For few decades now up

The Impact Of Behavior On Individual Success Essay Example for Free

The Impact Of Behavior On Individual Success Essay INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Success means different things to different people. For some it means having a healthy family, living in a nice home, and working at a good job. For others it means fancy cars, glamorous surroundings, fame and of course, fortune. In addition, each person’s definition of success changes as his or her life moves and changes. At one point in life, success might mean falling in love and entering into a long-term relationship with another person; at another point it might mean devoting a significant amount to travel or put the kids through school; and at still another point in time, it might mean devoting a significant amount of time and energy to spiritual matters, Even though every individual has a different and ever-changing definition of success, what motivates each and ever one of us to pursue success is our desire for a happier and more fulfilling life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Success, therefore, is more about emotional satisfaction than it is about maternal reality. It is more of a state of mind than a state of being. When we set our sights on a new job, more money, a new car, a better relationship, what we are really asking for is happiness that is a very worthy goal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have become a society that desires immediate gratifications above all else. More often than not, when we watch television or go to the movies, we see this desire projected onto characters who usually have no real means of earning a living, but who possess everything we want: money, lovely homes, and many other material things. There is no great mystery surrounding what constitutes the material dimension. Our ability to think inwardly, to reason, is what separates us from other living creatures. This ability to think inwardly and pursue tranquility is what makes living worthwhile. This paper looks at the impact of behavior on individual success and the ways people can improve their success by improving their behaviors and actions. The performance of a business depends on how its organization behaves in the midst of dynamic environment, competition and diversified consumers. The success and failure of a business firm rely much on the type of its organizational behavior. A business firm encounters uncertainty and risk in its operation which mostly related to changes in the economic condition, consumer preferences and competitors. There is also the challenge brought by the highly competitive market that a business firm has to face. In addition, organizational behavior includes changes in its internal organization such as the employees, shareholders and the management. George Jones (2000) define organizational behavior as â€Å"the study of the many factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups respond to and act in organizations and how organizations manage their environments.† It deals with the interaction between the organization and the individuals or its employees. The study of organizational behavior provides a set of tools that explains why people in an organization stay for many years or leave in a short period of time. It also explains why there are people who are considered assets in a company but others are not. The study of organizational behavior also serves as an instrument that allows the management to identify strength and weaknesses of each individual or group. In this way, promoting changes in an organization will improve the capacity of each member to achieve the organization’s common goal and objective. Gibson et al (2002)   maintains that effective management of behaviors needs an understanding of theory research and practice. It is essential that these three characteristics be incorporated both in individual and organizational success. Author Derrick sums up his idea of an ethical way of life as being a passionate way of life as well when he begins his book with the saying that â€Å"An ethical endeavor at which you can work with passion and integrity is a key component in a satisfying life.† Derrick is not the common self-help psychology author. The reader is made to feel that what he says is sacred and worth reading. He has all his insights about life in that book. It seems that passion is a main issue to him as he repeats it again on page 18 as he says. An ethical life is, of necessity, a passionate one (p. 18). As one reads the book, the reader is reminded how the values he expounds in his book can be linked to actual work settings. For instance, the value of courage as he explains is not so much in being brave but in owning up to one’s duties and responsibilities. Blaming has never been an asset in any company, especially a prison where a mistake can be fatal when things go awry. When people start blaming other departments for the problems that arise, then, there must something wrong with the way that institution has been established  in the first place. What is sure though is the faulty attitude that makes up that particular organization. This is also a big communication barrier that needs immediate remedy. When one has a grudge against someone, he tends to make that someone responsible for everything he finds wrong. But when one is honest about his dealings with people, then that honesty returns back to him many folded.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a person in one department blames someone, his desire to judge and punish is often what is at work. Someone blames another when he is angry because the action made things turn out differently than he wished—if not through his words, then through his manner and tone of voice. One can put all the responsibility for what happened to him, in a way that implies what he did was â€Å"wrong† or â€Å"bad.† Moreover, blame breeds resentment. â€Å"it’s your fault!† is a red-flag phrase. It is to a person what a matador’s cape is to a bull. The hooker in blame is that smidgen of truth in what one said or implied. One can seldom say, â€Å"That’s just what you feel-it has nothing to do with me.† When a person’s blamer goes to work, it is very canny.  It knows exactly where to go zap, where to pick out that nasty kernel of truth. A put-down artist is an expert at zeroing in on where you feel bad about oneself and making him feel even smaller there.   Two messages get mixed up in blame: one party’s statement of how he feels (I’m angry and disappointed†) and one’s evaluation of the other party (â€Å"Scum like you shouldn’t be aloud to work in this company.†). The feelings about the situation are often hidden in the â€Å"you-are-bad† message, instead of being said straight out. One-way blaming in the organization is overcome is help open up communication between two blaming departments. Members of these departments must also be reminded that they need to take responsibility for their part in what happened. In the end,   there is respect to the proper authorities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each organization has its own characteristics depicted by the behaviors of its members or employees. They share a common behavior which is already established among them even though employees come and go over time. This common behavior is considered as an organizational culture that bonds the relationship among employees and management. Employees will only adapt to this culture and it is difficult for anyone to deviate. Hence, an organizational culture also influences the behavior of an individual. Since it is very hard to deviate from an organizational culture, adjustment in most cases takes time. Organizational culture also changes overtime. An example of this is the changes in workplace environment. Traditionally, a workplace environment is characterized by workstation, office space or building. With the advent of new technology in communication, the use of virtual office has been introduced. A virtual office allows an employee to work at home or at any place of his or her convenience. An organization culture may develop in this kind of work environment that will involve even workers located all over the globe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The introduction of new technologies in communication, the internet in particular, provides many opportunities for many business firms. Business firms can expand its market from local to international customers. However, business firms will also face the threat of increasing competition and the uncertainty of customer preferences. The diversity of the competitors and costumers in the world market is a big challenge for creating new business strategies. Competitors are diversified in terms of product features, prices and selling schemes. On the other hand, customers differ in preferences, taste and purchasing power. In addition, the international market itself is diversified in terms of government regulations, technological facilities, culture, tradition and religion. (Leading Quietly).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The new challenges brought by the diversified international market require organizational effectiveness and efficiency to succeed in business. Organizational effectiveness and efficiency rely much on the business strategies that decision-makers formulate. Each organization is unique and has its own characteristics. This means that decision-makers such as managers and corporate heads must have business strategies fit to the needs of the organizations. Decisions should consider internal and external factors as well as short- and long-term goals that affect business goals. However, any decision made also comes with risk in which the outcome may not be satisfactory. But this may serve as a learning experience for an organization to improve its performance in the future especially in terms of the way they conduct their business (Business Ethics).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational learning is part of an organization’s development process. Business strategies evolve overtime as market shifts from simple to complex customer needs. Effective learning process among decision-makers includes their relationship with the market, colleagues and the organization. They should learn as an individual to make themselves more capable and effective. They should also learn as an organization to impart with them the organization’s goals and objectives. Organizational learning varies in different form. Some organizations learn from external factors while others learn from within. External factors such as business cycles, economic condition and competitors’ behavior influence management’s decision. Likewise, internal factors such as employees’ empowerment, management change and organizational restructure affect business performance. Asking is a process of learning within an organization. It is not wrong for a manager to ask or seek suggestions from his or her subordinates. This management style can introduce teamwork within the organization. The role of a manager may shift from one who direct, commands or dictates tasks to one who coaches, coordinates or oversees business goals. However, this type of management practice requires that employees should share with the organization’s goal, mission and strategies. This only happens if communication between the organization and the employees has been well-established. Communication starts in the beginning of employment. Each employee should be aware of the organization’s mission, vision and goal. He or she knows the importance of the job that he or she will perform and how this will contribute to achieve the organization’s goal. An employee’s perception may be different from the way he or she behaves in an organization. However, better communication between the organization itself and the employees will facilitate as corrective tools to the perception of an employee that might be influenced by his or her work environment. Bell has insightful nuggets of wisdom interspersed in his book as he views corrupt leaders as being too much money-oriented. People need to be informed about standing up for one’s true beliefs. An example here is  when departments do not communicate or update the status of information, because they are afraid the boss will be angry. To avoid this, employees must be able to follow up to determine whether important messages have been understood. Feedback doesn’t have to be verbal; in fact, actions often speak louder than words. The sales manager who describes desired changes in the monthly sales planning report receives feedback from the report itself when it is turned in. If it contains the proper changes, the manager knows the message was received and understood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Managers who tell everyone to see the big picture often create a serious communication overload. Rather than trying to keep everyone involved, top-level management need   to follow the â€Å"need-to-know† principle transmitting communication and updating people in other areas of the organization that need the necessary information. Sometimes it is useful to regulate the flow of information and procedures that need to be brought to the attention of the people in the other departments. As long as performance falls within the acceptable range, the regular procedures are followed. References Bell, D.(2002).   Ethical Ambition: Living a Life of Meaning and Worth. Sept.- Oct. 2002 Bloomsbury of New York and London October 2002. Business Ethics. Retrieved Jan 11, 2007 at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0130797723/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-1829689-6709521#reader-page George, J., Jones, G. (2000). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Retrieved Jan 11, 2007 at: from, http://www.prenhall.com/managementzone/georgemob3/ Gibson, James, Ivancevich, John, Donnelly, James and Konopaske, Robert. (2002). Organizations Behavior, Structure Process. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. 11th edition. Leading Quietly. Retrieved Jan 11, 2007 at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1578514878/ref=sib_rdr_ex/104-1829689-6709521?%5Fencoding=UTF8p=S00Qj=0#reader-page

Impacts of Changes to Child Care Services in the UK

Impacts of Changes to Child Care Services in the UK Discuss how the changes to children’s services currently being promoted by the government are likely to impact on the lives of children in need, their families and social workers undertaking their statutory duties. An Essay This essay is effectively in two parts. In the first part we shall discuss and delineate the measures that the government are currently promoting and then, having done that we shall critically assess how they impact on the various subsections outlined in the title. The Measures: There are many measures that have been introduced in the recent past and therefore are currently being promoted by the government. Perhaps one of the most important is the National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services (NSF 2004). This was published in Sept 2004 after a long period of consultation. It was arguably triggered by a number of events which highlighted the need for some form of central policy document to help to guide the various professional agencies in their efforts to provide a seamless service for the child in need. (Zeigler et al 2005) (Meadow 1995) Perhaps the defining trigger to the evolution of this document was the tragic death of Victoria Climbie, whose case in 2000 highlighted the deficiencies in the ability of the various agencies involved to effectively communicate and share vital information which might have averted the tragedy that subsequently overtook the 8 yr. old girl. (Saraswat 2005) This coincided with the publication of the NHS plan in July 2000 The subsequent Laming enquiry identified 108 separate areas where improvements could be made. This was followed up by the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, announcing the inception of the National Service Framework. This was expedited further by the problems that arose as a result of the Bristol Royal Infirmary’s Heart Surgery policies. The Kennedy report (2002) again made a number of recommendations which became encapsulated in the National Service Framework – hospital care for children. In 2002, the government announced that it was commissioning a major review of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which it anticipated being completed by the end of 2006, which clearly may well have items of major importance to the welfare of the child in need. (Benger et al 2002) The Green Paper â€Å"Children at Risk† was announced by the Minister of State for Children, Margaret Hodge, in 2003. It was intended to be a discussion document which encompassed the areas of childcare provision, children’s services generally and the identification and procedures pertaining to â€Å"children at risk†. The major policy shift that accompanied this move was the transfer of responsibility for children’s Social Services from the Department of Health to the Department for Education and Skills. This also coincided with another Green Paper entitled â€Å"Every Child Matters†. Its main theme was the provision of reform measures for children’s care and protection. At about the same time the Specific Performance Service Targets were issued (2004). These covered primarily health issues and many were targeted specifically at children. Very shortly after this, the National Standards, Local Action : Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/6-2007/8 was published in July of the same year (2004) which was an umbrella publication covering both the NHS and all the Social Service Agencies. It covered guidance on policy, finance and targets to be met. The Children’s Bill went before Parliament in March 2004 which brought together the major features of the preceding Green Papers. At about the same time the Child Poverty Review (Aug 2004) was also published which contained some major recommendations for action to minimise the effects of Child poverty in the UK. Its professed goal was, after reviewing the changes in policy and welfare that were required, to halve the level of child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. In the specific context of this essay, one of its major targets was to put in place welfare support to encourage those parents who could work, to get back to work and to provide a degree of financial stability where that was not possible. The effects One of the major goals in the government’s policy (Treasury Child Poverty Review 2004) is to bring about social reform by improving a child’s life chances. It aims to do this by two major strategies. Firstly to improve the general standard of health of children and secondly to improve their financial stability ( by tackling material deprivation). Clearly the NHS reforms are primarily aimed at the various health issues and the National Standards are aimed more at the social problems. It is a key feature of these measures that co-operation and multidisciplinary teamworking are the preferred mechanisms that will achieve the stated goals. (Little et al 2005) This is the nub of the major changes that will impact on the workers in the various caring disciplines. If the government is successful in implementing all of the strategies that are covered by all the above programmes it could produce a major shift in the emphasis that is currently placed on child care and child safety and protection issues. (Pheby 2000) As far as the Children’s Bill is concerned, it gives all children potential access to the Social Services and those children who have specific identified needs should find it easier to get targeted help for those needs. As far as the actual Social Workers and, for that matter healthcare professionals in general, are concerned, the theory is that the children’s services are now envisaged as an almost completely integrated service, where planning, facilitation and implementation is done on a multidisciplinary basis. It is hoped that this will cut down on duplication and thereby improve efficiency. Accountability is also an essential feature of many of these measures. As far as the most socially vulnerable children as concerned, the key responsibility for their welfare still rests with the Social Services, as their responsibility, as defined by the Children Act (1989) is essentially unchanged. The major difference with the current legislation is that the Social Services will head a multidisciplinary team approach to try to close the gap between the outcomes in this group and the outcome for the average child. Another major change will be the setting up of a database that will be shared across all relevant agencies that have a legitimate interest in a child’s welfare. This should allow all interested parties to share â€Å"intelligence† and information that may be helpful in framing a response to a particular child with a particular problem. Most of what we have refered to thus far is theory and expectation. Perhaps this should be contrasted with the reality of the situation. Brandon (et al 2005) produced a review document covering an assessment of the last 20 serious case reviews in Wales, they highlighted a number of process failures in the methods of service delivery. It was a useful document in so far as it was able to pin-point the areas where the service is â€Å"less than seamless†. Specifically it found deficiencies in aspects of training and also the actions and role activity of the lead professional in many cases. The authors produced a very pertinent statement as part of their conclusion which is worth quoting verbatim: Consultation could often be used prior to, or in place of referral. The barrier to the collation and analysis of relevant information often appeared to be a failure to recognise and understand expertise rather than a lack of communication as often postulated in review reports. Skilled use of expertise and consultation in a co-ordinated manner could result in more rigorous assessments and promote greater professional trust, confidence and challenge. In that short paragraph is encapsulated the practical difference between the government’s rhetoric and good intention and the actual reality as the grass root workers try to adjust to the processes of reform. Mercifully, we should observe that the majority of the legislation that we have presented here is actually empowering and enabling rather than prescriptive or mandatory. Perhaps we should therefore expect something of a learning curve from all parties as it slowly works its way into common practice. References Benger and Pearce 2002 Quality improvement report: Simple intervention to improve detection of child abuse in emergency departments BMJ, Mar 2002; 324: 780 782. Brandon, Dodsworth, Rumball 2005 Serious case reviews: learning to use expertise Child Abuse Review May 2005, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 160-176(17) Child Poverty Review 2004 HM. Treasury HMSO: August 2004 Children Act 1989. A Government Bill 1989 Children at Risk 2003 Green Paper HMSO 2003 Children’s Bill 2004 Hansard: March 2004 Every Child Matters 2003 Green Paper HMSO: Oct 2003 Kennedy report into Heart Surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary 2002 â€Å"Learning from Bristol† HMSO: January 2002. Laming enquiry 2003 Death of Victoria Climbie: HMSO: 28 January 2003 Little M, Kohm A, Thompson R. 2005 The impact of residential placement on child development: research and policy implications Int J Soc Welfare 2005: 14: 200–209 Meadow 1995 Parental Perspectives in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse BMJ, Sep 1995; 311: 697. National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services 2004 HMSO: 15th September 2004, National Standards, 2004 Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06–2007/08 HMSO: July 2004 NHS Plan HMSO: July 2000 NHS Specific Performance Service Targets 2004 NHS National Publication HMSO: June 2004 Pheby, Carl Henshall, Deborah Henshall, Brian Morgan, and Simon Wessely 2000 Diagnose and be damned BMJ, Apr 2000; 320: 1004. Saraswat 2005 Child abuse and trichotillomania BMJ, Jan 2005; 330: 83 84. Ziegler. Sammut. Piper 2005 Assessment and follow-up of suspected child abuse in pre-school children Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, May 2005, vol. 41, no. 5-6, pp. 251-255(5) *********************************************************************************************** PDG Word count 1,829

How does the concentration of sucrose affect the weight Essay -- GCSE

How does the concentration of sucrose affect the weight of pieces of potato after osmosis has taken place? Aim The aim of this is experiment is to investigate how much sucrose is in a potato. We are going to investigate the effect of different concentrations of sucrose on the weights of pieces of potato after osmosis has taken place. Prediction I predict that the less concentrated the solution of sucrose is, the greater the weight of the potato will be. I predict this because osmosis is the movement of water from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane i.e. the cell wall of the potato. If the concentration of water inside the potato is high then the water will pass out through the cell wall, decreasing the weight of the potato. If the concentration of water outside of the potato is high then the water from outside of the potato will pass through the cell wall into the potato, thus increasing the weight of the potato. A low concentration of sucrose will have a greater ratio of water to sucrose, so more water will pass thorough into the potato in an attempt to even up the amounts of water and sucrose on both sides. If the concentration of sucrose outside of the potato is high then there will be less water to pass through into the potato and the potato will therefore lose water from inside in an attempt to even up the concentrations of sucrose and water on both sides. If the cell has lost water then it will not weigh as much as a cell full of water as the cell will be flaccid. If the cell has gained water then it will be turgid and will weigh more. The higher the concentration of the sugar solution, the faster osmosis will take place. I think this because the more sugar in the water, the longer it will take for it to balance out. Some background information Osmosis is the movement of water from an area of high concentration (lots of water particles) to an area of low concentration (few water particles). It is only the movement of water, as only water particles are small enough to pass through the semi-permeable cell membrane of the plant. Osmosis makes plants cells swell up if they are surrounded by a weak solution i.e. a lot of water, and they therefore become turgid. This is useful in giving support for cells and opening stomatal guard cel... ...in that will affect the next measurement. Our results were also left by a window, so the temperature could have been affected if the window was open or the weather outside was hot. To improve this experiment next time we can also make sure that we leave the test tubes in the test tube racks nowhere near anything that will affect the temperature i.e. a heater or a window. The conclusion may only be valid only within a certain range, if we were to use even more precise concentrations of sucrose solution then we can eventually find out the precise concentration that provides the correct answer. The concentrations used were slightly too vague as I had to say that the answer must lie between two amounts. However, if we were to improve the experiment by narrowing down the concentrations we will use even more then this will be time-consuming and very tedious. Therefore, it will not be a good idea to try and improve the experiment in this way. To extend this investigation we can also experiment changing the following variables: Þ Temperature of the experiment Þ Surface area of the pieces of potato Þ Weight of the potato Þ How long the experiment is left for.

New Urbanism Essay -- Suburban Developement Planning Essays

New Urbanism New Urbanism, a burgeoning genre of architecture and city planning, is a movement that has come about only in the past decade. This movement is a response to the proliferation of conventional suburban development (CSD), the most popular form of suburban expansion that has taken place since World War II. Wrote Robert Steuteville, "Lacking a town center or pedestrian scale, CSD spreads out to consume large areas of countryside even as population grows relatively slowly. Automobile use per capita has soared, because a motor vehicle is required for nearly all human transportation"1. New Urbanism, therefore, represents the converse of this planning ideology. It stresses traditional planning, including multi-purpose zoning, accessible public space, narrow street grids for easy pedestrian usage and better placement of community buildings. Only a few hundred American communities are utilizing this method of planning, but the impact is quickly growing in an infant field dominated by a few inf luential architects and engineers. Perhaps the most well known pioneers of New Urbanism are Andrà ©s Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), a wildly successful architectural firm boasting three offices across the eastern seaboard.2 Although the company was founded in 1980, it gained national recognition for its design of Seaside, Florida in 19892. Seaside, a beautiful coordination of simple Floridian cottage design along the white beaches of northwest Florida became a model for building pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and integrating communities by enforcing a strict uniform building code, utilizing sensible and aesthetic planning methods (for instance, every street extends to the... ...sterplan." http://www.dpz.com/projects 8 Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. "St. Louis." http://www.dpz.com/projects 9 Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. "Hillsborough." http://www.dpz.com/projects  · Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. "San Juan Bautista. (Architecture)" http://www.dpz.com/projects 10 Rohn, David. "Chesterton, Ind., Development Project Incorporates Environmental Concerns." Indianapolis Star. July 30, 2001. 11 Coffee Creek Center. "Ecology." http://www.coffeecreekcenter.com/pages/design/ecology.htm  · Coffee Creek Center. "Design Code Book." http://www.coffeecreekcenter.com/media/mediaattn/CCC-Codebook_web.pdf 12 Miller, Jason. "New Towns - Issaquah Highlands, Washington." The Town Paper. http://www.tndtownpaper.com/Volume 5/issaquah_highlands.htm 13 Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. "Oakhurst. (Suburban Retrofits)" http://www.dpz.com/projects

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Essay -- OCD Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors. Pierre Janet described obsessive-compulsive disorder by using the term psychasthenia. Sigmund Freud described obsessions and compulsions as psychological defenses used to deal with sexual and aggressive conflicts in the unconscious mind (Bruce Bower: 1987). OCD is also known as â€Å"The Doubting Disease,† because it’s as though the mind doesn’t register when the person does a certain action, which triggers the source of the obsession (USA Today:1995). Unlike most people with anxiety disorders, those diagnosed with OCD are more obsessed with what will happen to others instead of themselves (Edna Foa: 1995). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder occurs in a spectrum from mild to severe. At some point the person will see the actions or thoughts as unreasonable and senseless. All people have habits and routines, but what makes obsessive-compulsive people different is the fact that their obsessions and compulsions interfere with their daily lives (American Family Physician: 2000). They spend large amounts of time doing odd rituals. The rituals can take hours a day and make the sufferers miserable and doesn’t allow them for much of a business or social life (Harvard Mental Health Letter). At one OCD clinic, many had lost years of work to their symptoms. Seventy-five percent said the disorder interfered with their family lives and thirteen percent had attempted suicide (Harvard Mental Health Letter: 1998). Phebe Tucker, a psychiatrist at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, explained, the most common obsession is washing hands for fear of contamination. Other acts are counting over and over, checking locks, hoarding items such as newspapers or cartons, repeatedly dressing and undressing, and walking in and out of doorways. The thought and behavior patterns are senseless and distressing. They can make it very difficult for a person to function properly at work, school, or even at home. Obsessions take the form of doubts, fears, images, or impulses. (Harvard Mental Health Center: 1998) Obsessions are unwanted ideas, images, and impulses that run through a person’s mind over and over again. They are intrusive, unpleasant and produce high anxiety. (www.lycos.com: April 2000) Sometimes the obsessions come once and a while and other... ...ehavioral therapy. Eventually they will overcome their compulsions and be able to control their obsessions.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Kendall, Phillip C. and Constance Hamman. (1998). Abnormal Psychology: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Understanding Human Problems. Boston New York OCD: What it is and how to treat it. (March 1, 2000). American Family Physician, V61 pg. 1532 General Review: Obsessive Compulsive Part I. (Oct. 1998) Harvard Mental Health Letter, v15 I 4 General Review: Obsessive Compulsive Part II. (Nov. 1998) Harvard Mental Health Letter, v15 i5 OCD Meds not likely to replace therapy: the challenge is to tailor the right combination of treatments for patient. (Jan. 1997). Behavioral Health Treatment, v2 n1 pg1 Begely, Sharon and Nina A. Biddle. For the obsessed, the mind can fix the brain. (Feb. 26, 1996) Newsweek, v127 n9 pg. 60 Help for obsessive-compulsive disorder. (aug. 1995). USA Today, v124 pg. 12 Foa, Edna B. How do treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder compare?. (July 1995). Harvard Mental Health Letter v12 n1 pg.8 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: review of drug treatment. (Sept. 15, 1994). American Family Physician, v50 pg. 831

Medieval and Renaissance Art Essay

The most significant difference between medieval and renaissance art is that renaissance art paid more attention to the human body, and to detail. Both, however, focused mainly on religious themes, although not necessarily Christian. Renaissance artists are remembered because they brought about the changes that led to the art of today. When looking at medieval art, such as â€Å"The Notary of Perugia Writing a Document† it is quite obvious that very little attention to detail is included. There is no depth to the painting, the writing on the parchment bares no resemblance to actual text, and everyone in the picture has the same face. In contrast, when looking at a renaissance painting, like Christ the Redeemer by Titian quite a bit more attention is given to detail, even though the scene does not encompass nearly as much. It is possible to see shadowing in the painting, as well as to the behavior of fabrics. There is also a good feel of depth with much attention paid not only to making a nice background, but separating it from the foreground as well. There are many similarities in the two styles; they are, after all, separated by a short period in history. One similarity might be a choice of colors, as the most visually appealing color combinations had yet to be discovered. Another similarity would be the lack of understanding of how to accurately represent the human body, as this was considered sinful by the church; Leonardo di Vinci did began to change this with some of his works though. The short period in time left similarities between the styles of art, but they were few, far between, and diminished fast. Renaissance artists put forth much greater effort into these works and it really shows in the quality, rather then the quantity produced.

Deception in ResearchÂÂ

Deception in Research The article I chose from Capella Library was about Deception in Research. While exploring my area of interest may require misleading or not completely informing your subjects about the true nature of your research, as a general rule, serious deception should be avoided whenever possible, since it put at risks the integrity of informed authority. For research involving deception the use of deception must be justified in the procedure to show that the research cannot be performed in the absence of deception and the benefits of the research will sufficiently be more important than any risks that deception may create.Research participants cannot be deceived about significant aspects of the research that would affect their willingness to participate or that would cause them physical or emotional harm. Deception must be explained to participants (debriefed) as early as reasonable. A debriefing script must be included in the procedure and should include a detailed desc ription of the ways in which deception was used and why; when and by whom the debriefing will be administered should also be included.True â€Å"informed consent† cannot be given if the true nature of the research is deceptively presented. This situation is dealt with administratively via a waiver of portions of the information consent regulations. Deception is a word used to end arguments, not to begin them. To accuse researchers of deception is to remove them from the ranks of those with whom legitimate human relationships can be pursued. For an example, let’s look at in the article of Deception in Research on the Placebo Effect.Experiments exploring the placebo effect, however, suggest justifiable ethical concerns, owing to the use of deception. The ethical intend to conduct of deceptive placebo research include (1) review and approval by an independent research ethics to establish the use of deception and that the study protocol offers sufficient value to justify t he risks it poses to participants, including the use of deception; (2) disclosure in the informed-consent document that the study involves the use of deception; and (3) participants at the conclusion of research participation.This also concludes that in order to supply to public accountability, articles reporting the results of research using deception should describe temporarily loyalty with these participant-protection rules. Ethics is one of the most crucial areas of research, with deception and research increasingly becoming a crucial area of discussion between psychologists, philosophers and ethical groups.Examples of Deception and Research to show how ethical concerns have changed during the 20th century, it is useful to look at some examples such as Deception in Psychological Research. Deception has been attacked repeatedly as ethically unacceptable and morally reprehensible. However, research has revealed that subjects who have participated in deception experiments versus no deception experiments enjoyed the experience more, received more educational benefit from it, and did not mind being deceived or having their privacy invaded.Such evidence suggests that deception, although unethical from a moral point of view, is not considered to be aversive, undesirable, or an unacceptable methodology from the research participant's point of view. The repeated assumption of the unacceptability of deception seems to be due to the fact that deception has been evaluated only from the viewpoint of moral philosophizing. This has led to the repeated conclusion that deception is reprehensible and seems to have created a perceptual set to view deception immediately as aversive.However, the perception of the unethical nature of deception seems to be minimal in studies that investigate innocuous public behaviors and enhanced in studies that run the risk of harming research participants or in studies that investigate private behaviors. When this knowledge is combined with t he fact that research participants do not mind being deceived, and that it can also be viewed as immoral not to conduct research on important problems, the scale seems to be tilted in favor of continuing the use of deception in psychological research.Is it ethically permissible to use deception in psychological experiments? We argue that, provided some requirements are satisfied, it is possible to use deceptive methods without producing significant harm to research participants and without any significant violation of their autonomy. We also argue that methodological deception is at least at the moment the only effective means by which one can acquire morally significant information about certain behavioral tendencies. Individuals in general and research participants in particular, gain self-knowledge which can help them improve their autonomous decision-making.The community gains collective self-knowledge that, once shared, can play a role in shaping education, informing policies a nd in general creating a more efficient and just society. Reference: 1. Deception in Research on the Placebo Effect Franklin G Miller,*  David Wendler, and  Leora C Swartzman Author information  Copyright and License information  See â€Å"Placebo: Physician, Heal Thyself† , e388. This article has been  cited by  other articles in PMC. 2. Harrington A, editor. (1997) The placebo effect: An interdisciplinary exploration.Cambridge (Massachusetts): Harvard University Press. 272 p. 3. Deception in psychology: moral costs and benefits of unsought self-knowledge. Bortolotti L, Mameli M. SourcePhilosophy Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, 2006 Jul-Sep;13(3):259-75. 4. 2002;12(2):117-42. Deception in research: distinctions and solutions from the perspective of utilitarianism. Pittenger DJ. Source Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave. , Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA

Thoughts/Interpretations/Impressions about Marriage, Family in relation to culture

There can be thousands of interpretations, thoughts and impressions about family, marriage, kinship and marital residence depending on who is doing it and the background from which one has been brought up. But all the views are very interesting and sometimes debatable. In my interpretation, marriage, kinship and family have altered trends of life in many cultures, especially where there have been intercultural or intertribal marriages. These forms of marriage have enlightened many societies about changing roles of men and women.It is a good trial that has passed the test when women from other cultures do duties that have been associated with men and surprisingly the cultural beliefs that have prohibited women from these duties have been abandoned. Women around the world are great and respected leaders, for instant many African cultures are too tough but imagine for the first time in the continent (in Liberia) a woman has been elected president. This is a very positive sign about rigi d cultures that are changing. In some nations racial segregation is rampant.This phenomenon is in existence because of diverse practices or cultures and the languages which play vital roles in many cultures. This denotes the danger of extremism or total observance of culture. This is when people feel outsiders have invaded their culture and it will be a threat to their identity as s group. Strong adherence to culture may divide a society or has already divided many a societies. Indeed many nations in the world have been divided along tribal, racial lines because of extreme adherence of culture and the associated identity. Not only divided communities or societies but armed conflicts and turmoil as well.Many wars and other armed or unarmed conflicts have been fueled by people’s culture and identity versus culture of identity. Part Two Anthropological glasses on the local community Everywhere there are classes but the way they form somehow doesn't follow any blueprint. For inst ance in campus, students have identified themselves into various groups but some factors favor this kind of groupings. For example, smokers identify themselves as soon as they join campus. But it is healthy that identification through color is no longer in existence but a meager percentage of students use it to identify themselves into groups or classes.Nonetheless, there are two or three groups of students that are clearly identified. Class or stratification factor has played part in their formations. These groups include the rich and the poor, those serious in class with their studies and those who are not serious then a few in class of white and black albeit very few identify to these grouping. But the most encouraging trend is that these groupings are not extreme, they are very neutral and they have been neutralized for the reason that there is a lot of sharing right from the library to hostels and from class to the cafeteria.These make a very wide difference when comparing them with the groups which are discussed in the text, the text groupings tend to take an extremism dimension in their cultural setting which when compared to the local community or university are flexible and there is no remarkable degree of separation between the groups. In my observation this form of culture is very different because even ladies intermingle with gentlemen freely and there exists an aura of freedom for all and sundry.Finally institutions like universities and colleges have played an important role in connection to various cultures by bringing these diversities to one main culture without force. For instance color segregation has been dealt with intellectually because there is a lot of sharing within and without class. Part Three Vital lessons in this course There are many lessons that I have learned throughout this cause. Some of these lessons include the factors that have contributed to inequality and segregation and what has been done to counter this phenomenon.How s tratification or class was born and how soon or later it will disappear from society. Any form of identification may severely damage the conscious of some people regarding other cultures. Education can change one’s culture for the better and for the worse if not both. The interest of learning a new culture also encourages the other people of different cultures to have the urge of learning something new but may depend on the expression of one party to the other. Another lesson is how family, kinship and marriage are closely knit in society.As people are crossing borders and oceans for new adventures they are getting absorbed to other cultures and languages and their identity is no longer the same. Language has not been given the intensity it deserves in matters of any culture anywhere. Some people may not totally forget their culture and language but they do not practice, and gradually it disappears. Of course my argument must be clear that this tribal, clan and racial interma rriages are very positive towards promoting harmony anywhere in the world but the factor itself is harmful to the survival of some cultures and languages.And by assurance, this is causing a very hot debate as already many cultures, languages, groups of people and tribes are disappearing or they are totally extinct. One other important lesson is the relationship between environment and man. Environment shapes culture and change in the environment alters the behavior and the living patterns of people thus culture in general. Environment is part in shaping man’s culture and man’s activities have been detrimental to the environment hence cultural change. (Embers 2007)

Social Marketing Company (Smc)

Social Marketing: A Success Story in Bangladesh Mahbubur Rahman, MA, MBA 1 and Toslim Uddin Khan, MA, MSS, MBA 2 Social Marketing Company (SMC) is the largest privately managed social marketing organization in the world for a single country. It is a significant contributor to the reproductive and child health services in Bangladesh. The on-going social marketing programs of SMC include family planning, child health, disease prevention and maternal and neonatal health.SMC's mission is to improve the quality of lives of vulnerable and less privileged population primarily in public health issues through sustainable social marketing efforts in collaboration with national and international governments and donors. Social marketing is the application of commercial management techniques for popularizing and selling products and services that offer clear benefits to the people at prices they can buy. Thus, easy accessibility through wide availability and high affordability forms the key eleme nt of social marketing.The model of social marketing SMC adopted and continues to practice has two components – multi-strategy communications for initiating desired behavior change, and suitable, affordable, readily accessible product and service for sustaining the changed behavior using the techniques of commercial marketing. Because of its remarkable success and its sheer size, social marketing in Bangladesh has become a model of best practices and attracted international attention.Two premier USA based graduate schools of business included the case study on social marketing program in Bangladesh in their curricula, which is an entire chapter of the renowned book titled â€Å"Let Every Child Be Wanted: How Social Marketing Is Revolutionizing Contraceptive Use Around the World† written by Philip D. Harvey. The case on SMC is also included in the â€Å"Asian Marketing Casebook† written by Noel Capon and Wilferied R. Vanhonacker. SMC is ISO 9001-2000 certified co mpany.The company is awarded International Star Award for Leadership in Quality (ISLQ) in 2008 by the Business Initiative Directions (BID) a Madrid-based business organization committed to build better business reputation worldwide. Contribution of SMC to the National Program Social marketing of contraceptives and ORS has proven to be a major contributor to achievement of the health and population objectives of the Government of Bangladesh. Population science experts used three critical measures of contraceptive effectiveness – Total Fertility Rate (TFR)3, Couple Year of Protection (CYP)4 and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR)5.Between 1975 and 2007, the total fertility rate of the country dropped from 6. 3 to 2. 7, and the overall contraceptive prevalence rate among currently married women rose from 8 percent to 56 percent, with modern contraceptive use at 48 percent (BDHS, 2007). SMC is significantly contributing in the modern contraceptive methods to achieve national cont raceptive goals. BDHS shows that 35 percent of the modern contraceptive users use SMC brand contraceptives (four out of ten pill users, six out of 1 Head of Marketing, Social Marketing Company Head or Research and MIS, Social Marketing Company The average number of children that would be born alive to a woman (group of women) during her lifetime 4 It is estimated that one CYP is provided by 150 condoms or 15 oral pill cycles or 4 vials of injectables. 5 Contraceptive prevalence rate is defined as the percent of Married Women of Reproductive Age using family planning method. 2 1 ten condom users and two out of ten injectables users use SMC brand). According to the Consumers Retail Audit, SMC brand condoms have 81 percent share of the retail market while SMC brand OCP have 90 percent of retail market share (ACNielsen, 2008).SMC distributes approximately 100 million pieces of condoms, 40 million cycles of oral pills and one million vials of injectables annually through out the country. ORSaline was launched in late 1985 to enhance the availability of ORS to address mortality and morbidity due to diarrhea among under 5 children in Bangladesh. The usage of packaged ORS in diarroheal cases among the under five children has increased from 61 percent in 2000 to 77 percent in 2007 (BDHS, 2007). According to the Consumers Retail Audit, ORSaline-N brand of SMC is the market leader of ORS retail market with more than 59 percent share (ACNielsen, 2008).SMC distributes approximately 180 million sachets of ORS yearly throughout the country. Evolution of Social Marketing Company The concept of social marketing came to Bangladesh in 1974 when the social marketing project was initiated to challenge rapid population growth by making contraceptive products widely accessible at a price affordable to the general people. The project was initiated by a US-based non-profit organization Population Services International (PSI) in agreement with the Government of Bangladesh (GOB), and wi th funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID).In 1990, the project transformed into Social Marketing Company – a not-for-profit private limited company, and since being operated under a voluntary Board of Directors consisting of eminent personalities with private and public sector expertise in different fields. From 1997, SMC had been the social marketing partner in the USAID funded National Integrated Population and Health Program (NIPHP) under a Cooperative Agreement. After end of NIPHP, SMC signed a new Cooperative Agreement with USAID as a partner of USAID Bangladesh Health and Population Program (UBHPP) effective from January 2008.Sales and Distribution Network SMC has one of the most established, extensive and efficient distribution networks in Bangladesh. Nationwide coverage is carried out through twelve offices located in major division and district towns of the country. This enables SMC’s a little over 100 men-strong sales force to distribute products to the far-flung outlet promptly and regularly. On an average, about 223,000 outlets are served by SMC sales force each year of which approximately 35 percent are pharmacies and the rest are nonpharmacies including grocery stores and kiosks.Stocks at the sales offices are replenished through large delivery trucks at scheduled intervals. The sales force cover the territory by SMC’s fleet of delivery vans, motorbikes and boats whenever necessary. In order to ensure efficient and secured storage of all SMC products, SMC has constructed a central warehouse (CWH) and a packaging unit located at Bhaluka, Mymensingh in 2008. The CWH is constructed with necessary warehousing needs like adequate passageway for transporting goods, ventilation, natural light or scope for increasing artificial lighting, optimum space areas for stacking goods as per standard storing guidelines.The widespread sales and distribution efforts of SMC contributed to make its products widely available in the retail outlets across the country. The product availability study showed that 84 percent of the retail pharmacy outlets have at least one SMC brand of Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP) while 82 percent pharmacy outlets have at least one SMC brand of condom and 91 percent pharmacy outlets have at least one SMC brand of ORS. In addition to pharmacy outlets, SMC sales condom and ORS in 2 he non-pharmacy outlets as a strategy to increase accessibility and availability of the products. One in every five non-pharmacy retail outlets of the country has SMC brand condom and more than two in every five non-pharmacy retail outlets have SMC brand ORS countrywide (Pathway, 2007). The Table 1 shows the availability of SMC products in the retail outlets. Table 1: Availability of SMC Brand OCP, Condom and ORS by Pharmacy and Non-pharmacy Retail Outlets (in percentage) Brand Pharmacy Non-pharmacy At least one SMC brand OCP 84 na At least one SMC brand Condom 2 21 At least one SMC brand ORS 91 44 Number of Outlets 2400 4800 Use of Innovative Communication Channel for Strategic Behavior Change When social marketing began in Bangladesh, many were skeptical about the feasibility of large-scale information dissemination and advertising of contraceptive products. They were skeptical mostly for three reasons. First, Bangladesh is predominantly Muslim society in which reproductive health was not openly discussed. Second, much of the population was illiterate at that time with limited access to media.Third, the majority of the population was very poor and there were doubts that people could be persuaded to purchase contraceptives when these supplies were available free from other sources. To address the prevailing formidable situation in the mid seventies, SMC launched a strong and innovative communication program to facilitate and sustain behavior changes towards family planning and contraceptive use. The program is now recognized worldwide for its creative use of innova tive channels to communicate generic family planning and health messages and to promote sales of branded products.All modern mass media communication channels including regional and national radio, television, and print media were being utilized from the very beginning. The products have been advertised on billboards, signs, buildings, water tanks, shop boards and banners, rickshaws, shopping bags, at sporting events, and through free promotional distribution. Riverboats carried Raja Condom logos on their sails. The Mobile Film Program (MFP) is a hallmark of social marketing in Bangladesh, and a major factor in making SMC the largest social marketing program in the world.The mobile van fleet presents audio-visual shows that reach hundreds of thousands in rural areas with education on health issues and advertisements of SMC’s products. A recently conducted study on MFP showed that 63 percent of the MFP viewers have learned new information on family planning, 53 percent learned new information on STD/AIDS and 32 percent learned new information on women trafficking watching mobile film program (MRC-MODE, 2007). The pharmacists and non-graduate medical practitioners are one of the major sources of health information and prescriber of medicine, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.As a part of the comprehensive communication strategy, SMC provides training to approximately 17,000 health providers annually to strengthen their knowledge and skill in order to offer better over-the-counter services including counseling. Brands as Demand Drivers Market segmentation, effective positioning and brand development efforts continue to be a major part of SMC’s strategies, and the company now provides a diverse range of pills and condoms targeted at 3 specific market segments and supported with brand-specific advertising and promotion.The efforts have significantly contributed to increase brand awareness and brand loyalty among the target population. For exa mple, Raja condom was introduced in 1976 and ultimately became synonymous with the word â€Å"condom† in Bangladesh with huge advertising and promotional efforts over the last 32 years. A study on Use of Contraceptive Among the Poor Couples in Bangladesh conducted by ACNielsen explored the reasons for using SMC OCP among the current SMC brand OCP users.About 61 percent SMC brand OCP contraceptive users mentioned the reason as it suits with body while 13 percent mentioned it is widely available, 8 percent mentioned that it is a good quality brand, 9 percent mentioned husband purchases it and 2 percent mentioned that they purchase it due to its lower price (ACNielsen, 2008). SMC sells its contraceptive product brands by positioning them at appropriate market segments. Target market for Raja and Hero condoms and Femicon and Femipil OCP are the lower income population. SOMA-JECT injectable and Panther condom are for the lower-mid level of the market, while Sensation nd U condoms, Minicon (progesterone only pill) and Nordette-28 oral pills are positioned at the slightly upper mid segment of the market. ORSaline-N, Monimix and safe delivery kit are positioned for all segments of the market. Table 2 shows different SMC brands with year of launching: Table 2: SMC brands, year of launching, and its positioning in the market. Products Brand Oral Contraceptive Nordette-28 Pill Femicon Femipill Minicon SOMA-JECT Injectable Condom ORS Micro nutrition Safe Delivery Kit Raja Panther Sensation U HERO ORSaline/ORSali ne-N ORSaline Fruity Monimix Safety Kit Year of Launch 1995 1976 1983 1992 2005 006 1983 Positioning Upper and middle segment Lower segment Lower segment All segments Lower and middle segment Lower segment Middle segment Upper segment Upper segment Lower segment All segments 2003 2008 2008 Upper segments All segments All segments 1996 2008 2000 1999 Knowledge Attitude Practice and Perception (KAPP) Study on OCP shows that the Married Women of Reproductive A ge (MWRA) have a wider level of awareness of SMC brand OCP. Eight out of ten MWRA know Femicon brand while about half of the MWRAs know Nordette-28 brand. Those couples who know the brand have a very high level of quality perception regarding brand.Eighty-five percent of the MWRA who know Femicon brand mentioned that the brand is either very good or good while 92 percent of the MWRA who know Nordette-28 brand told that it is either very good or good quality OCP (RCS, 2007). Table 3 shows the quality perception on SMC brand OCP among the MWRA who know the brand: 4 Table 3: Quality Perception on SMC Brand OCP among MWRA who know the brand OCP brand of SMC Response Femicon Nordette-28 Minicon Very good 14. 8 10. 6 30. 3 Good 71. 3 81. 3 36. 9 Not so good not so 5. 4 3. 3 12. 9 bad Not good 1. 9 0. 8 1. 0 Don’t Know 6. 4 4. 1 18. 8 Number of MWRA 2045 597 287 Blue Star Social Franchising Program: Involvement of the Private Practitioners in the Public Health Priority Areas The Blu e Star Program is an all out effort to bring the private sector health service providers (both graduate and non-graduate medical practitioners) into the public health program. The program works through a network of 3600 private medical practitioners. The purpose of this program is to address the unmet need of the target population by improving quality, awareness, accessibility, and affordability of priority public health services through the private health providers.SMC provide comprehensive training, commodity supply, promotional support and supervision & monitoring to these Blue Star Providers. A Program Evaluation Study interviewed 1379 private sector health service providers – half of them were Blue Star Providers and the rest half was not affiliated with the Blue Star Franchising. The study reveals that knowledge level on contraception of Blue Star Providers is significantly higher than the non Blue Star Providers.For example, around 41% of non Blue Star providers have n o knowledge on the side effect of injectable while the rate is less than one percent for Blue Star Providers (RCS, 2006). Currently injectable contraceptive is given along with other health services through this network. Next to the OCP, injectable is the most popular temporary contraceptive method in Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007, 7% of the eligible couples are using Injectable contraceptive compared to 2. 6% in 1991.As BDHS 2007 shows, one out of five injectable users collect their supplies from private medical sector – graduate and non-graduate medical practitioners and pharmacies, which are considered as the outlets of Blue Star Franchising Program. Social Marketing of Micronutrient Product: A New Avenue in Child Health Program SMC has launched its Micronutrition program in Bangladesh through introduction of †MoniMix† – a branded micronutrient powder for simple and convenient in-home food fortification of complementary food to address childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in May 2008.Objective of the micronutrient program is to help improve nutritional status of under-five children, particularly of those with childhood IDA, to increase knowledge and awareness among parents and health service providers about the importance of micronutrient containing food and adequate dietary intake, and to promote exclusive breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding of nutrition rich foods.A KAPP study on Home Fortification of Complementary Food among the parents and caregivers of the children under 5 years found that nearly half of the respondents (47 percent) mentioned that they are aware about IDA while the rest (53 percent) admitted their complete ignorance on the issue 5 (ACNielsen, 2008). The findings of the study strongly justify the comprehensive awareness creation campaign on Micronutrition in general and IDA in particular which SMC has started. SMC Factory: Manufacturing ORS to Ensure Product SecurityIn order to ensure the security of ever increasing demand of pre-packaged ORS, SMC has established its own very modern ORS manufacturing facility in 2004. This facility has certainly released SMC from complete dependency on contract manufacturers. The annual ORS production capacity of the factory is around 200 million sachets, and the factory produced 176 million sachets of ORSaline-N in FY 2007. The SMC factory complex is situated on 5. 9 acres of land at Bhaluka on the DhakaMymensingh highway.The factory complex includes raw materials and finished goods store, production unit, quality control labs, services and administration units. Machinery and equipments of the SMC factory are of latest technology and in particular, the sachet machine is state-of-art. The Future: Journey Towards Sustainability SMC is seeking to increase its contribution to the achievement of national health objectives through significant expansion in the services it provides and the products it sells, while enhancing its organizational sustainability through increased revenues and improved management.Over the past years, SMC has steadily improved its cost recovery, which was 74 percent in 2007. Eventually, SMC endeavors to become a self-reliant social marketing company with minimum level of donor assistance. However, the products that are positioned for the lower segment – one condom, one pill and one injectable – would continue as a part of SMC’s social commitment to serve the less privileged and vulnerable groups. Reference 1.ACNielsen Bangladesh, â€Å"Knowledge, Attitude Perception and Practice (KAPP) Study on Home Fortification of Complementary Food†, 2008, Conducted for Social Marketing Company 2. ACNielsen Bangladesh, â€Å"Retail Audit Report on OCP, Condom and ORS†, April 2008 Conducted for Social Marketing Company 3. ACNielsen Bangladesh, â€Å"Use of Contraceptive Among the Poor Couple of Bangladesh†, 2008 Conducted for Social Marketing Company 4. Eve, E. Epstein, â€Å"SMC Story: The History of Social marketing Company†, 2006 written for Social Marketing Company . Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN), Government of Bangladesh, â€Å"National Strategy for Anemia Prevention and Control in Bangladesh†, 2007 6. MRC-MODE Limited â€Å"Study on Mobile Film Program†, 2007, Conducted for Social Marketing Company 7. National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Mitra and Associates, and ORC Macro, â€Å"Preliminary Report on Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007†, 2007. 8. Noel Capon and Wilfried R. Vanhonacker, â€Å"The Asian Marketing Casebook†, 1999 9.Philip D. Harvey, â€Å"Let Every Child Be Wanted: How Social Marketing Is Revolutionizing Contraceptive Use Around the World†, 1999 10. Pathway â€Å"Availability and Market Penetration Study of SMC Products†, 2007, Conducted for Social Marketing Company 11. Research a nd Computing Services (RCS) Limited, â€Å"Knowledge, Attitude Perception and Practice (KAPP) Study on Oral Contraceptive Pill among the Married Women of Reproductive Age† 2007, conducted for Social Marketing Company 6