Compare and Contrast the Presentation of Family Relationships Essay

‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’ (OANTOF) by Jeanette Winterson, and ‘Behind the Scenes at the Museum’ (BTSATM) by Kate Atkinson both highlight the fundamentality of families and the dissatisfaction experienced between these seemingly strained relationships. Both protagonists of the two books feel a sense of unacceptance due to a variety of reasons involving suppression of desire – caused by family members; however this secret yearning also reveals itself through the characters experiences as the two novels progress. Both novels share one main theme – the quest for identity – not only for the main characters, but also for their mothers. Ruby Lennox, the protagonist of BTSATM is a quirky, complex character who relates the events of her life and those of her dysfunctional family with equal parts of humour and passion – starting with her conception in York, England, in 1959: â€Å"I exist! â€Å"(p. 9) Atkinson centres the novel on the idea of the conventional ‘nuclear family’, which is almost ahead of her time as this concept wasn’t in place at the time it was written, however she illustrates this through mother-daughter relationships and also explores this family unity first with her depiction of marriage. She presents this concept in generally unfavourable terms, her writing shows us how marriage has evolved from women in the Victorian era marrying for primarily social and economic reasons to the more liberated views of the 1960’s. Atkinson uses the character of Alice to provide an example of a lower middle-class woman in the 1800’s marrying for security thus no longer having to work, rather than love. Alice’s choice was simple in its restrictions: â€Å"to go on teaching (which she loathed) or accept Frederick’s offer of marriage† (p. 32) Her purpose of marriage thus becomes ironic: She marries believing she would escape the one thing she loathed, but thus traps herself in years of unhappiness with a man she does not even like; â€Å"not a day passes when Alice doesn’t imagine what life would be like if she hadn’t married Frederick Barker† (p. 33). Unmarried women are spinsters, therefore frowned upon by society. Neither Rachel, whose marriage to Fredericks was merely out of justification of acceptance in society, nor Alice, find any kind of fulfilment from their marriages to Frederick Barker as â€Å"a sullen drunk with an insatiable appetite for gambling† (p. 33) Similar experiences happen to the women of the next two generations. Nell’s fear of being a spinster encourages her to marry Frank, the only eligible man left after the war, and resigns herself to a similar life to that of Alice’s, one of dissatisfaction and ‘second best’. This settling for substandard simplicity rather than following dreams seems to become a prominent theme for the women of the book; this is thus reiterated with Bunty: She marries George after being abandoned by her fianci ; â€Å"She wasn’t entirely sure about this, but, with the war now drawing to a close, the possibilities were beginning to fade† (p. 108). Bunty’s marriage was thus, to the reader, predictable to fail as it follows the same unfulfilling course of antipathy and adultery as the previous generations. Both Nell and Bunty are pressured into marriage by social expectations of the time. It is only in the liberation of the1960’s, when Ruby’s generation begins to see love rather than social acceptance as the primary motive for marriage; this new idea ultimately highlights the fairy tale like quality of the new reasons behind matrimony. Ruby illustrates this illusive expectation of romanticism in marriage and how damaging these unrealistic expectations can be. Ruby marries â€Å"a beautiful boy with green eyes and black hair† (p. 335) However, these romantic ideas end in â€Å"some truly wretched years† (p. 358). Atkinson presents to us a picture of marriage through the ages that shows how a woman originally gave up her passions for a marriage of acceptance and convenience in society, to one of Ruby’s idea of true love, however ultimately all marriage is predetermined, and is thus harmful to all women – This is due to previous generations being so unsuccessful. This can be compared with Jeanette’s mother’s motivations for marriage in OANTOF as a way of progressing further in the church rather than love itself, however she secretly desires Pastor Spratt. The want for and lack of maternal love between Nell and Bunty leads on to the central point of the novel, the relationship between Bunty and her youngest daughter, Ruby. The social restrictions of the 1950’s leave Bunty feeling a sense of imprisonment to survive within the domestic expertise as a wife and mother; â€Å"a slave to housework† and she’s â€Å"chained to the cooker† (p. 44). Bunty, trapped in a role she does not wish to have, dreams about â€Å"What it would be like if her entire family was wiped out and she could start again† (p. 14); this thought to any mother would seem totally unacceptable, she obviously loves her children, however due to her own relationship with her mother, she is incapable of expressing this love. Bunty begrudges her daughters because they have entrapped her in an unsatisfactory life, this view is similarly held by Ruby, however she dislikes Bunty as a mother due to the romanticised notion of fairy godmother like figures that society enforced upon little girls. Ruby represents her mother as a monster, almost leaving the reader unsympathetic and ignorant to Bunty’s pressures, however this highlights the reality of conventionality within mother-daughter relationships. Although Ruby may try to leave the reader disliking Bunty, it actually creates the opposite feeling as many mothers themselves reading the book will relate to Bunty’s situation as it is very normal and there is fascination and empathy behind the reader’s view of Bunty. This can be compared with Jeanette’s mother in OANTOF as they are both similar in respect of their individual struggles. Jeanette’s mother actively seeks out combat with others. She feels delighted when she is able to sing hymns to irritate the next-door neighbors. While Jeanette’s mother relishes religious fighting, other indication of her hypocrisy stands out in the novel – for example her picture of her â€Å"old flame† yet she condemns lesbianism. This fight against the world is similar to Bunty’s however a contrast could be distinguished as Bunty does not have the strength or confidence to broadcast her struggles or deploy any mechanism to help her, due to her social unacceptance if she did so. We feel sympathy for Bunty, even thought Ruby outwardly wants the reader to see her flaws, we know she is not living the life she wishes to lead and has only married for functionality, whereas this contrasts the view we have on Jeanette’s mother as she is made a mockery of. Both Ruby and Jeanette feel a sense of rejection from their mothers. For Ruby this is due to her and her family stopping Bunty living the life she wished for, but also due to the belief of causing Pearls death. For Jeanette this is because of her mother’s fight with her homosexuality rather than her daughter herself, which has cursed her mother’s plan for Jeanette to be a servant to God – For Jeanette’s mother, Jeanette is merely a tool for filling expectations of the church – thus when she leaves, she leaves acceptance also. Both mother’s and daughters share a similarity which makes their unacceptance ironic – Bunty in that she was never accepted by her mother â€Å"stuck right in the middle†(p. 94), and Jeanette’s mother by the fact she had a lesbian encounter herself. This can be compared with Jeanette’s and her mother’s relationship. Although there are obvious difficulties in Jeanette and her mother’s relationship, Jeanette learns much from her mother and her mother’s role in the church. Jeanette is similar to her mother in the sense that she learnt to be an outspoken and strong person, important in dealing with and defending her sexuality. Although she has broken away from her mother’s faith Jeanette has inherited her mother’s strength of conviction on pursuing happiness and what she believes is right.

Inquirer is the leading broadsheet in the Philippines Essay

Inquirer is the leading broadsheet in the Philippines. In 2001, it launched Libre, a free tabloid distributed in the MRT-LRT area. It was an unprecedented move of a major daily giving away their newspaper on weekdays and recovering cost solely from advertising revenue. Visit the MRT-LRT site and discuss and explain your answers to the following: Background: Inquirer Libre (Inquirer Free) is a free, bilingual (Filipino and English) tabloid published in the Philippines. It is published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and is considered a trimmed-down version of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that is distributed on public transport. It is available in all stations of LRT, MRT and PNR, WGA Eva Macapagal Port in Metro Manila, as well as selected branches of McDonald’s. Unlike other Philippine tabloids, Inquirer Libre seeks to provide commuters access to decent, useful and meaningful news and current events. The income generated from distributing Inquirer Libre comes from advertising. a.What was the underserved and unserved market Inquirer was trying to tap? Underserved – used to describe a place, market, etc. where fewer goods and services are available than there should be. Unserved – there is totally no goods and services available for the people. Answer: A. The Inquirer created first a market niches that identified the needs or wants of the target market that were poorly addressed or not at all by their competitors. These niches showed them the underserved and unserved market which was composed of the commuters of the MRT-LRT stations with 500, 000 average commuters per day, even greater than its intended capacity. It’s a very diversed public which includes students, office clerks, professionals, etc. who rode trains everyday in their way to school, work, and their destinations. This people were always in a hurry and therefore have no time to read the news. Their age ranges from 18-40 years old. B. There are many management concepts to choose from. For instance, core  competency espouses that the company’s assets or strengths be the unit of analysis while industry analysis advocates that competition be the unit of analysis. Then there is also market-driven strategy that promotes customers in the center of strategy while market-driving strategy focuses on underserved and unserved markets as unit of analysis for strategy. A popular concept, Blue Ocean Strategy, is considered a subset of market-driving strategy since it entails two additional requirements, other than new demand, that of creating differentiation and being low-cost. One critique about contemporary marketing practitioners is that they are actually market-driven strategists, who may not fully understand the principles, frameworks and concepts of market-driving strategy to grow the brand and the business long-term, hence, their tools are often short-term, brand switching tactics, designed to gain market shares. If the company’s reward system is aligned with desired strategic thinking, then market penetration, in addition to market shares, would have to be imposed by management as part of its key result areas. Without a market-driving strategy, a marketing plan focusing solely on the served market is incomplete as it risks losing the underserved or unserved markets, many times, even bigger than the current served customers. In Mansmith and Fielders Inc., market-driving strategy is defined as embracing innovative changes in the logic of industry and business system to grow its profit and industry’s demand from underserved and unserved markets. The goal is not incremental but strategic growth and has three different levels: level 1 is about a major change in value proposition more than a major change in business system; level 2 is about a major change in business system more than a major change in value proposition; while level 3 is about a major change in value proposition coupled with a major change in business system. Selecta ice cream by Walls is an example of level 1 market-driving strategy. Selecta is the dominant brand of ice cream in the Philippines, but it was not so a few years ago, as it was neck-to-neck with Nestle. Problematic with declining industry demand, the marketers went on to ask mothers what  they liked to serve during birthdays and what they actually served. The result of their insighting led them to launch Selecta’s 3-in-1 ice cream, combining three of the favorite ice cream flavors in a tub at an affordable price. With this huge success that turned around shrinking industry demand, they even extended to four flavors with 3-in-1 plus 1, wanting to own the term â€Å"3-in-1.† Meantime, Nestle was not able to immediately respond with the new value proposition of Selecta, as they did not have the technology to do 3-in-1. Mothers were happy they were able to serve what they really liked to serve, children were happy with each of their favorite flavors, while fathers were happy too with a cost-saving solution, improving not just company’s sales but also industry demand in the process, attracting many lapsed customers to return. Waters Philippines is an example of level 2 market-driving strategies where there is a major change in the business system more than the value proposition. (Disclaimer: Waters Philippines is owned by the author.) It markets Waters Bio Mineral Pot, a premium home water purifier—mineralizer—alkaline maker that is leader in its segment. Waters used to be sold in appliance and other retail stores on cash basis in the late ’80s and early ’90s; however, its growth was constrained with its inability to explain the product features and benefits of the high end products in stores. This led to stores requiring them to go on promotional sale, with the additional problem of the fixed cost of hiring its own promo girls and the automatic termination of these promo girls in five months just when their competency is peaking. Waters then decided to create its own independent direct sales force who were able to go direct to the customers (instead of waiting for them to go to the retail stores) to promote the product, backed with installment plans that nearly matches what consumers typically pay monthly for water delivered by their water refill stations. The installment plans allowed more affordability for the consumers while enhancing the business opportunity for its sales network. Today, Waters Philippines is expanding to Indonesia to tap into a bigger combined market. Inquirer Libre is an example of level 3 market-driving strategy, which saw a major change in value proposition coupled with a major change in business system. As the leading broadsheet in the Philippines, Inquirer wanted to broaden its readership base to include younger consumers, so in November  2001, it launched Inquirer Libre. The Inquirer’s mother brand gave the new tabloid-size newspaper immediate credibility among its train riders. Libre (meaning â€Å"free† in English) is a complimentary morning daily that is heavy in entertainment and with a lot of light, human interest articles designed to be read in 15 minutes. Instead of selling the newspaper, it gave away Libre for free. Instead of tapping newspaper dealers, it went straight to consumers by way of self-service pick-up stations, hence, avoiding traditional trade margins and sales returns (after all, it’s a free paper). Instead of showing half naked women targeting blue-collar workers, it decided to be a wholesome paper targeting the young white-collar workers. Hence, instead of the usual readers in their 30s to 40s, Libre readers are mostly in their 20s not known to be newspaper buyers. This is an example of category point-of-entry marketing that will eventually turn some of the current Libre readers to broadsheet readers in the future. As can be seen from above, the three levels of market-driving strategy help companies think strategically, looking beyond the value proposition to include their value chain—instead of plainly being better, it strives to innovate by being different. C. Many tabloids in the country have been operating for a long time on a formula of scandalous attention-grabbing headlines and photos of sexy girls on the front page. One tabloid, Inquirer Libre, decided to take a different route. Using market-driving strategies,Inquirer Libre presented its product differently while targeting a new market. As explained by marketing guru Josiah Go of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., market-driving strategies, the latest buzzword in market orientation, call for a breaking of the rules and changing the value proposition or business system or both to grow profit and demand from new and marginal customers. (See previous post here.) Inquirer Libre is a morning tabloid featuring short news and feature articles that can be read in 15 minutes. However, Go points out that unlike the other tabloids, it is given for free at MRT stations. There are no photos of naked women; the total package is wholesome. The target market consists of office people in their 20s and 30s on their way to work. â€Å"Instead of tapping the  traditional newspaper dealers, Libre’s new channel is in the various train stations. This means no dealer trade margin and no sales returns,† says Go. Inquirer Libre also has a classified ads page that runs every Thursday, a new reason for the target market to read it. As a result of the market-driving strategies (give it out for free, go wholesome, go direct to the market at train stations, offer classifieds), Inquirer Libre is the leading free tabloid in Metro Manila and hit its ROI fast. Are you looking for a way to survive the cut-throat competition? Market-driving strategies may be the answer. A TOTAL of three—that was the number of enrollees R. A. Gapuz Review Center (RAGRC) had back in 1994 when they opened, offering review classes for those taking government board exams. But this did not deter founder Ray Gapuz from persevering in his then newly established business. Nowadays, their number of enrollees are in the thousands, so much so, that review and coaching sessions have to be scheduled in hotel ballrooms, mall cinemas and even big events places such as the Philippine International Convention Center and Araneta Coliseum. And get this—review classes are also beamed via satellite to other venues in the country. Of course, online review courses are also offered. Today RAGRC is the market leader among nursing review centers, getting the lion’s share of 40 percent of the market among 55 documented review centers, according to its website. Just how did RAGRC succeed? Josiah Go, marketing guru and chairman of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., points to market-driving strategies applied by the company. â€Å"Market-driving strategies define how a firm will embrace innovative changes in the industry logic and business system to grow its profit and industry’s demand from marginal and non-customers,† says Go. To do this, innovations may be implemented in the value proposition (what the company may offer customers), the business system, or both. Here are steps RAGRC took to succeed: 1. Give a new value proposition by: – Offering an intensive 10-day review course at 8 hours a day aside from the traditional 6-month review course at 3 times a week. The shorter review course allows nursing graduates to find work while providing RAGRC faster turnaround. – Holding review classes in hotels and malls instead of cramped classrooms. – Presenting the curriculum according to diseases regardless of age to remove any duplication encountered when doing  it by specialization. This is well appreciated by the reviewees. 2. Innovate the business system by: – Going high tech and livening up review classes by holding it game show style and offering stimulating card games as reinforcement. This prevents boredom from setting in. Market-driving strategies are all about changing the rules of the game in order to attract new demand. They may just be what your company needs to be profitable and stay profitable. Josiah Go is conducting a seminar dubbed â€Å"Market-Driving Strategies: Executive Workout† on June 25-26 in Makati City and on July 14-15 in Cebu City. E-mail info@mansmith.net for details.

Impact of Interpersonal Skills and Capabilities of Leadership on Knowledge Based Organizations Essay

Abstract: The role of leadership in the success of any organization is very much important. Although in Pakistan very little importance is given to this aspect of organizations inspite of this its importance cannot be denied. In other words, Leadership is the backbone of any knowledge centric organization. This research article shed light on the importance of effective leadership skills and practices which can lead any organization to its golden era. The main focus of the study is the changing nature of leadership with the evolution in the meaning of knowledge based organizations. The study is descriptive in nature and relies on secondary as well as questionnaire based survey. INTRODUCTION Knowledge based organizations are usually considered to be those whose products or services are knowledge -intensive. Knowledge based organizations (also referred as knowledge-enabled or knowledge- intensive organization) are usually described in terms of the knowledge intensity of their product or service. The greater the degree to which knowledge forms the core of the product or service, the more knowledge- based the organization. However, using products or services as a mean for categorizing the knowledge – based organization is inadequate. Products or services reflect only the tangible part of the organization. The primary resource that enables an organization to produce is hidden within the â€Å"invisible asset – intellectual capital†. (Itami, 1987). Knowledge- based organizations (KBOs) lives and breathes knowledge. From day–to-day operations to long-term strategy, creating and applying knowledge is always in the forefront. Prior researches have explored which factors are  essential for managing knowledge effectively. Most studies of them have examined the relationship of knowledge management capabilities, processes and performance. Some researchers have focused on the relationship between capabilities and processes (Hansen, 1999; Szulanski, 1996; Zander & Kogut, 1995). Other studies have focused on the relationship between capabilities and organizational performance (Becerra- Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2001; Gold, Malhotra & Segars, 2001; Simonin, 1997). A key to understanding the success and failure of knowledge management within the organization is the identification and assessment of various factors that are necessary for the knowledge management performance measurement with a balanced view (Arora, 2002; Gooijer, 2000). In this study, we examine the relationship among the interpersonal skills and capabilities towards the knowledge-based organizations. To serve this purpose we figure out the core constructs of interpersonal skills and capabilities. Knowledge based organization base their competitiveness on knowledge .Interpersonal skills and capabilities can be critical for the knowledge based organization. Skills are linked with personal knowledge management in knowledge focused organization. Skills can be either basic or cross functional. In basic skills we develop capabilities that assist in the learning of knowledge on the other hand cross functional skills are the ability to carry out the tasks the can help the organization to boost up. Interpersonal skills involve not only how we communicate with others. Aside our confidence and capability to listen and understand, problem solving decision making and personal stress management all these are related to the interpersonal skills and capabilities. Interpersonal skills and capabilities allow dealing effectively with persons of different temperaments, backgrounds and educational qualification in the organization. Knowledge leadership has a capability to built good relation with subordinates and dealing with them. An organization is successful when it posses good team capabilities and interpersonal skills. People create and share knowledge therefore, managing people who are willing  to create and share knowledge is important. Knowledge and competence can be acquired by hiring new people with desirable skills. In particular, T-shape skills embodied in employees are most often associated with core capability. T-shaped skills may enable individual specialists to have synergistic conversations with one another (Madhaven & Grover, 1980). Although a company’s value is generated by intangible assets like knowledge or brands. Performance measurement is one of the most important management activities. Performance measurement becomes the basis of strategy establishment and achievement in the future because it can definitely bring a company’s vision and strategic target to all organization members. 3 Objectives of Study âž ¢ The objective of our study is to examine the relationship among the interpersonal skills, capabilities and performance of knowledge-based organizations. âž ¢ To develop the results that the primary resources that enables the organization to perform extraordinary lies within â€Å"intangible assets (intellectual capital)†. 4 Significance of Study Now intangible assets such as knowledge rather than tangible financial assets are a measure of a company’s value. Knowledge is the one of the important resource that increases the value of organizations and gives them an edge over competitors. Therefore various attempts to measure organizational performance in knowledge management have been conducted accordingly. 5 Problem Statement Interpersonal skills and capabilities of leadership have a strong impact on the performance of knowledge based organizations. 6 Rational of Study With the shift of industrial economy to knowledge economy there is a need to recognize the value of preserving and sharing knowledge among the organizational communities. This includes the development of strategic knowledge focus, knowledge leadership factors which promote knowledge culture and its impacts on knowledge workers and outcomes of the organization. LITERATURE REVIEW Organizational theorists have defined knowledge based organizations (KBO) in various ways. Knowledge based organizations (Perez- Bustamante, 1999) are organizations applying a knowledge based approach to the organization. This approach perceives organizations as a means for the development, integration, preservation, sharing and application of knowledge. (Wu, Ong & Hsu, 2008) add that knowledge based organizations allocate resources to intangible assets in the rapidly changing and highly competitive business environment in order to gain competitive advantage. Gold, Malhotra, & Segars (2001) examined an empirically effective knowledge management model from the perspective of organizational capabilities. Sveiby (1997) developed an intangible asset monitor (IAM) to measure the performance of intangible assets such as human capital, structural capital, and market capital. Based on the analysis of secondary data (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Choo, 1998; Trunecek, 2003; Bartak, 2006; Calabrese , 2006; Bures, 2007; Medzihorsky & Medzihorska, 2007; Sladecek, 2007) by mean of the method of comparison, the following general characteristics of knowledge based organization were identified. |Knowledge Based Organizations | |Creates, integrates, preserves, shares and applies knowledge; | |Is efficient, innovative, flexible and proactive; | |Is customer focused; | |Uses ITs; | |Has a strong and open corporate culture; | |Implements knowledge processes; | |Exploits knowledge resources; | |Manage risks; | |Implements project management; | |Places emphasis on education and organizational learning; | |Disposes of knowledge employees; | |Is process- oriented | |Supports team work; | |Encourages participation in management | (Martina, Hana & Jiri, 2012) 1 Capability (Competency- Based Approach) â€Å"Competency† is a commonly used term for people asserting of their working potential in real activities. The first characterizes competencies as a power and a scope of authority associated with a certain person or body. The second meaning of competencies refers to the capacity, i.e. abilities to perform a certain activity, to have certain general and specific characteristics and skills, to be qualified in the given area. Generally it can be said that it is a set of specific knowledge, abilities, skills, traits, motives, attitudes and values essential for the personal development and successful participation of each person in the organization. This refers to the performance aspect of a competency determined by the level of inputs (knowledge, abilities, skills, traits, motives, attitudes and values) and  measured by the analysis of output (real behavior and results). According to its development, it is possible to divide competencies into three main development phrases. The first phrase consists of individual competencies (White, 1959; McClelland, 1973; Boyatziz, 1982; Schroder, 1989; Woodruffe, 1992; Spencer & Spencer, 1993; Carroll & McCrackin, 1997). The second phase is based on the possibility of managing competencies in an organization by mean of competency models (Mensfield, 1996; mcLagan, 1997; Lucia & Lepsinger, 1999; Rothwell & Lindholm, 1999). The third phase is the identification of core competencies, a sum of organization key organizational competencies that may be exploited to gain competitive advantage (Prahalad & Hamel, 1990; Ulrich & Lake, 1991; Gallon, Stillman, & Coates, 1995; Coyne, Hall, & Clifford, 19 97; Rothwell & Lindholm, 1999; Delamare & Wintertone, 2005). 2 Interpersonal Skills Studies say 90 percent of executive failures are attributable to interpersonal competencies, factors such as leading teams, developing a positive work environment, retaining staff, inspiring trust, and coping with change. If you lack the skills to motivate your frontline employees to accept and optimally use new information technologies, your organization could be missing revenue opportunities. This category grows out of what previous research has referred to as interpersonal skills involve social perceptiveness (Graham, 1983; Mintzberg, 1973; Yukl, 1989) to allow for an awareness of other’s reactions and understanding of why they react the way they do. The interpersonal skill requirement also includes the skills required for coordination of actions of oneself and others (Gillen & Carroll, 1985; Mumford, Marks, Connelly, Zaccaro, & Reiter-Palmon, 2000) and negotiations skills to reconcile differences among employee perspective and establish mutually satisfying relationships (C opeman, 1971; Mahoney, Jerdee, & Carroll, 1963; Mahoney et al., 1965; Mintzberg, 1973), and persuasion skills to influence others to more effectively accomplish organizational objectives (Katz, 1974; mintzberg, 1973; Yukl, 1989). METHODOLOGY 1 Data Collection and Sample Description Samples were restricted to the companies that adopted knowledge management or held similar process innovation campaigns. The sample was designed to include people from different position, departments and industries. Respondents include executive rank managers of various organizations. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire based survey. The questionnaire’s data is arranged in terms of various variables and five-point Likert scales are used. Respondents are asked to indicate the extent to which they disagree or agree with the given statement by selecting a point on the scales for each question. (Where 1= strongly agree and 5= strongly disagree). 2 Survey Instrument This research uses a survey questionnaire to test the hypothesis. The questionnaire consists of 26 items about leadership skills, practices and the performance of knowledge based organizations. Items about leadership skills consist of cognitive skills (four items), interpersonal skills (three items), and strategic skills (two items). Leadership practices consist of leading by example (two items), coaching (six items), team interaction (three items). Knowledge based organizations performance is assessed using three items including: organizations products (two items), employees performance (two items), and organization reputation in the market (two items). 3 Theoretical Framework The dependent variable is knowledge centric organizations performance, which is the variable of primary interest. We attempt to explain the variance in this dependent variable by the two independent variables of (1) Leadership skills and (2) Leadership practices. By General Colin Powell’s: â€Å"Leadership is the art of routinely accomplishing more than the science of management  says is possible†. Interpersonal skills are â€Å"Considers and responds appropriately to the needs, feelings and capabilities of different people in different situations, is tactful, compassionate and sensitive, and treats with respect†. D.V I.V 5 Hypothesis Ho= Leadership does not affects knowledge based organization’s performance. Ho: p = 0 HA= Leadership affects knowledge based organization’s performance. HA: p >1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION |Variables |Mean |S.D |N |Cronbach’s alpha | |Independent variables | |Cognitive skills |1.64 |0.7795 |100 |.564 | |Interpersonal skills |1.53 |0.6276 |100 |.371 | |Strategic skills |1.60 |0.7695 |100 |.289 | |Leading by example |1.72 |0.828 |100 |.682 | |Coaching |1.62 |0.7848 |100 |.781 | |Team interaction |1.80 |0.904 |100 |.784 | |Dependent variables | |Organization’s performance |1.85 |0.8027 |100 |.562 | |Organization’s offerings |1.96 |0.8795 |100 |.676 | The leadership skills requirement means range from 1.53 to 1.64 and the S.D ranges from .6276 to .7795, showing a good range and variation. The leadership practices means range from 1.62 to 1.80 and the S.D ranges from .7848 to .904, while organization’s performance mean valued at 1.85 and S.D .8027 and organization’s offerings mean calculated 1.96 and S.D .8795. The correlation between CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This research proposes and tests a model of leadership skills and practices to better understand the contribution of leadership towards the performance of knowledge centric organizations. The main objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between the leadership skills, practices and KBO’s performance. The findings show how leadership improves the performance of knowledge centric organizations. A knowledge organization focuses on developing interpersonal, structural and network relationships to achieve its goals and objectives effectively and to further generate new knowledge and capabilities for organizational competitiveness and success. Several aspects of the leadership skills were tested, most of which attained empirical support. The major findings are as follow. First, leadership skills grouped into three- parts complex: cognitive, interpersonal and strategic skills. Second, leadership skills were related to organizationallevels. That is, jobs at higher level in the organization have significantly greater overall leadership skill requirement. These findings have important implications for organizational research and practice. They provide empirical evidence of the usefulness of considering different categories of leadership skills. Practically, this indicates that careful attention should be given to management development systems because as managers proceed from lower, to mid, to top level jobs, the rate at which they acquire strategic skills will need to be faster than that for leadership skills in general. Our results imply that effective leadership skills and practices positively impacts key aspects of KBO’s performance. We hope that future research will take advantage of the conceptual and practical findings and further test the model in the other organizations and improve management development, placement and hiring system in knowledge centric organizations.

Globalization and the Decline of the State Essay

Globalization and the Decline of the State - Essay Example In practice, then again, the assurance of nearby businesses may demonstrate to be favorable just to a little minority of the populace, and it could be disadvantageous to the rest. Since the mid-twentieth century, countries have progressively lessened tax boundaries and coin confinements on global trade. Different boundaries, notwithstanding, that may be just as successful in ruining trade incorporate import standards, expenses, and differing method for financing local commercial ventures. (Editors; Brittanica, 2014) Most economists consider Free Trade to lead to a growth in the economy through a better allocation of local resources. Any restrictions on Imports generally create a bias that is not favorable to Exports either. This happens due to rise in the price of imported goods relative to the exported goods. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d p. 91). If this is corrected, it will result in resources being shifted from the manufacturing of the substitutes that could be imported to the manufacturing of goods that can be exported. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d). It shall lead o growth in the near future as the State will alter its allocation of domestic resources more efficiently and competitively. However, this process is not easy, nor is it cheap. This process will create adjustment costs which may outweigh the comparative advantages in the short to medium term. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d) i. Increase in production: Free trade lets countries concentrate in manufacturing goods in which they have an advantage. With these advantages of specialization, production is more efficient and hence larger with economies of scale. It also leads to lower Average and Marginal Costs due to the markets now available to a producer has increased internationally, with more supply and a cut in costs, he is expected to supply (Produce) more, and his business becomes more profitable as

Part of a Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Part of a Proposal - Essay Example This is the main reason why discerning customers for cargo, corporate and general aviation consider Willow Run. Over and above, this airport offers services that are comparable to the large airports while at the same time offering conveniences of a small airport. In addition to this, Willow Run Airport manages approximately above 70,000 operations annually and about 200 million pounds of cargo are handled at the airport in every year. This thereby, makes it the 3rd largest airport in the entire Michigan State. To investigate these underlying factors that has led to the damaging of operations in the airport. These factors will help in the improvement and advance aspects of the airport. There is a need analyse its operations before and presently in order to help come up with the appropriate solution to poor performance. This includes research on the service quality, performance and security concerns in the airport. This will help determine whether there is a need to develop the airport in order to bring back high quality operation in the airport and provide customers with advanced comfort. Willow Run presently is subjected to 3 distinctive kinds of maintenance responses. They include Reactive, Preventive and Predictive. The reactive response entails acting in response to a breakdown and sorting it out subsequent to its happening. Preventive response entails restoring fractions or keeping equipment in good condition frequently to decrease the possibility of breakdown. Predictive repairs entails taking a look are equipment features to come up with forthcoming breakdowns and restore the equipment merely when necessary. Equipment that are linked to this responses entail the following: Snow equipment, Pavement repair equipment, Landscaping and Public safety equipment (heavy equipment), Pavement, Bridges, Water and Sewer lines, Fire suppression lines and other equipment open to the

Exam Questions (Exercise Science) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam Questions (Exercise Science) - Assignment Example Morris arrived at this decision only after analyzing the reasons for the heart attacks and he conducted a study and survey on the double-decker buses. This study helped him to come out with the decision that the drivers were more prone to attacks, where as the conductors who frequented both the levels in the buses, had little chances of getting a heart attack. (Morris, 1975). It was clearly evident that people who exercise on a regular basis were less likely to be affected by heart diseases. Morris proved that people who perform some sort of physical task on a regular basis were free from such problems. His contribution to the medical field was well appreciated and he received several awards for his contribution to this field. Physical activity and cardio vascular health was interrelated and people realized it only after Morris’s research and analysis on the problems related to heart attacks. Morris’s contribution was important as it paved the way to more serious thought about exercise. It was then, people started to take up the issue seriously and they started to act towards it. Similar to his findings, Ralph Paffenbarger also revealed the fact that physical fitness can certainly help people to reduce the risk of heart disease. Paffenbarger was an active professor who conducted researches on physical fitness and its benefits. He also showed that the rate of death can get decreased if people increased their level of physical fitness. (Paffenbergar & Blair, 2001). The possible positive aspects of physical fitness formed the main part of his studies and researches. He linked exercise with longevity and proved that physical exercise would give a longer life and people who were involved physical exercise were much active in their older days. They also had a longer life when compared to people who neglected any sort of a physical activity. His contribution to the

Summarise the paper"The business risk audit A longitudinal case Essay

Summarise the paper"The business risk audit A longitudinal case study of an audit engagement" - Essay Example In contrast, the longitudinal approach revealed the practices that were embedded in the auditing process. The paper has focused on the impact of BRA on audit engagement. In addition, administrators use methodologies that will increase the profitability of their firms. For example, audit methodologies can divert the attention of the staff from low-value added services by ensuring they focus on more value-added audit services during the process. Moreover, administrators have the power to determine the nature and scope of the audit process. Consequently, it is evident that they have a lot of influence over the outcome of the process. However, it is believed that they will not abuse this influence because they have to protect the legitimacy of their organizations and their profession. Furthermore, it is difficult for the administrators to control the activities of seasoned practitioners from the center of the organization. The introduction of the BRA was informed by the need to shift the focus of the auditor from the financial statement risk to business risk. In addition, it focuses on transforming the nature of auditing from a high volume one to focusing on high level monitoring based on the application of strong analytical tools (Curtis & Turley 2007, p.444). The administrators are concerned with the implications that the audit methodology employed will have on the firm. In contrast, the auditors are influenced by their personal beliefs and experiences. The latter often consider the guidelines that are provided by the former as frameworks rather than something that must be followed strictly. The firm can be sued if its methodologies result in an unexaggerated view of the business. Consequently, the administrators have to ensure that they create effective methodologies that are consistent with the expectations of regulators. The

Nature of the Opportunity Confronting Case Study

Nature of the Opportunity Confronting - Case Study Example Large companies were interested in using the technology of E Ink in their operations as an initiative for technological development. The large area display market is considered as a building- block opportunity to them. As the products are right in line with the path to create electronic paper, it will build market driven mentality and attract customer loyalty. Flat panel displays also provided them to acquire huge scope in the market. As they had planned for publishing thus it was a wonderful opportunity to grow in the market of the US where large number of people invested in newspapers and electronic books. Thus, the company had enough opportunities to survive and increase competitive advantage over other existing competitors in the market. 2.0 Three-Stage Approach to Achieve Long Term Goal   The three stage approach of E Ink was to achieve their long term goals namely large area display, battery powered flat panel displays and radio paper. The company had planned to enter into a large area display market by focusing on single product for a single market along with single niche. It was technologically much advanced than other existing large area display technologies. ... It possessed ample benefits over Liquid Crystal Display because it performs extremely well on low temperature due to its broad range of temperature. In addition, it is light in weight, readable in sunlight, holds image without using of power drain and possesses broad viewing angle. For more improvement of technology, scientists combine E Ink with transistor backplane as it would be possible to change the high resolution images through the application of charge to the ink. Publishing radio paper was the final goal of E Ink as larger number of newspaper was sold in the US. This industry was considered as a matured business for E Ink. Their plan was to offer a single newspaper to the customers in which content were fully updated and the customers could be aware of all the news in a short period of time. In case of publishing of book, E Ink developed a single paper book for the customers which would be possible to update by means of wireless network through customized content. These are the approaches through which the company can achieve their goals in future. 3.0 How Much Money Should The Company Raise? From Whom? On What Terms? E Ink required certain amount of funds for improving their business. The improvement in large area displays of E Ink required $10 to $20 million. For flat panel displays, the company required extra $30 to $50 million. E Ink needed nearly $50 million to $100 million to properly maintain the publishing business. It was observed that the company needed $20 million in order to maintain progress over the subsequent five fiscal quarters from Newstime Publishing. The investor was attracted by E Ink and thus decided to finance them. Out of $15.8 million in bank the

One of the significant characteristics of Australian Indigenous Essay

One of the significant characteristics of Australian Indigenous worldviews is a specific relationship to land or 'country' - Essay Example (Social Health†¦ 2004) These factors working as cushion during stressful circumstances provide a kind of protection when adversity falls on them. It helps restore social and emotional wellbeing of an individual at all levels. Languages and Country Aborigines identify themselves through their lands, languages and their relationships with others. At the time when European arrived, there were almost 600 groups around the continent with distinct beliefs and cultures. They had their country boundaries spread from lush green areas to stark desert surroundings. Depending upon the environment and their requirement they developed different skills with specific experience. Hundreds of dialects and languages existed during arrival of Europeans, though many of them are now extinct. The Indigenous cultures of Australia are considered one of the oldest dating back to around 50,000 years. The reason for the survival of aboriginal cultures lies in its adaptability to change over time. The attac hment to their surroundings is the prime reason for their survival for thousands of years. They keep their cultural heritage alive by passing it from one generation to another. Their cultural heritage speaks about their rituals, dance, hunting practices, their languages, their significant sites, and their spiritualism, which evolved in their land that they love very much. (Kohen 1995) Country is special for the well being of Australian aborigines. Land is simply not rocks or soil for them but the whole milieu is important to them in sustaining their existence and growth. Their land is also a cause for their spirituality. Aborigine Tom Dystra tells, "We cultivated our land, but in a way different from the white man. We endeavored to live the land; they seemed to live off it. I was taught to preserve, never to destroy.† (Australian Indigenous†¦) To have a clear grasp about social and emotional wellbeing, it is important to fathom the varied cultural dimensions of Australian aborigines. Aborigines love their land, their cultures and their whole set of traditions and that in totality constitute their life. It will be most appropriate to understand why and how the indigenous people get impacted by modern day science and technology, environmental disturbances. The story of Shelburne Bay in north-east Cape York Peninsula is worth exploring, in order to understand the love of Wuthathi people, the aborigines, for their land. Shelburne Bay is fortunate enough that it has not been much disturbed by active parabolic silica sand dune systems. Clean and warm waters constituted eight species of sea grass and an enviable space for dugongs and green turtles. Wuthathi people believed in managing their own land and fulfilling their community development aspirations. The formation of Wuthathi Land Trust and community ranger programs should be seen in that perspective. Shelburne Bay had been a cynosure of many eyes for a space base at Temple Bay besides having plans for a silica sand mine near Cape Granville. These and many other threats made Wuthathi natives to unite. In their support, as mentioned by Nursey-Bray (2004), were the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation and their joint efforts along with a strong campaign resulted

Positioning and Communications Strategy for a New Weight-Loss Drug Essay

Positioning and Communications Strategy for a New Weight-Loss Drug Overweight Adults in the U.S - Essay Example She was the company’s senior director of marketing. Her 20 years of experience in the industry as the marketing head of prescription drugs for the company helped it achieve these profitable heights (Friedhoff 45). In the recent past, she was responsible for leading six drug campaigns for the company’s most successful drug called Zimistat. Up-to-date the company has not had another successful drug in comparison to Zimistat. In this case, Barbara’s first order of business was developing a reliable positioning strategy and viable marketing communication strategy for the drug. In 2008, the company awaited patiently for FDA approval with plans of launching the product in the next year. Executive Summary Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals (CSP) publicized a first of its kind prescription drug FDA approved drug tailored for moderately overweight individuals named Metabical. The company conducted trial on overweight participants who reached their expected weight loss goa ls in 12 weeks. Despite the delays in pricing, the company estimated the price of the drug as $3-$5 per day. The least treatment period covered 12 weeks. This report sheds light on the development of a reliable positioning strategy and viable marketing communication strategy for the company’s drug. ... This also aids in the identification of potential market targets. The third section is the SWOT analysis for the product. This identifies the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the drug. Thus, the company identifies the communication strategy to adopt in the advertising of the drug. The final focus is the most appropriate communication strategy that suits best the drug. This is advantageous as the company enhances better communication with the consumers. The company spent much money and time on FDA trials and in R&D in trying to decide on the most appropriate marketing communications strategy and positioning plan. Barbara was aware that so as to recover this lump sum investment, the drug required two issues addressed. These included the need for a steady, long-term demand, and a successful launch to attract customers. She reasoned that if the drug did not reach out and appeal to the customers, Metabical’s credibility would raise questions as the FD A approval would be of little significance. Barbara’s challenges came in the optimal segmentation, the positioning and targeting of the Metabical drug. After establishing this, she could now concentrate her energies on creating a time schedule for all major activities and assessing the current communicating and marketing strategies. The case studies helped her in posing several questions. These include: a. Who are the most suited target consumers? b. How are the participants going to get instructions from the company? c. Where are the participants coming from and how to contact them? d. What was the most appropriate message for delivery drafted for the participants? Problem Statement A summary of overweight and obesity issue in the U.S. In reference to

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Example for Free

Should Children of Divorce Be Forced to Live with a Particular Parent Essay Many children are victims of divorce in the United States each year. The judicial system believes that, in each case, the child or children that are subjected to divorce should reside where the child(ren) would â€Å"be better off†, citing that living with one parent who provides a more stable atmosphere for the child(ren) would be more beneficial. Others believe that children who are subjected to divorce should be able to choose which parent they wish to live with. Many also wonder with divorces involving multiple children: Should we keep them together? Many judges believe that a child’s voice or preference should not be heard because a child is too young to know what is best for him or her. In most states, the average age is 12 to 14 years for a child to verbally state their opinion on which parent they choose to live with; even then, the judge will not rely on that child’s opinion alone. A judge believes that a child’s preference is only one of many factors in determining which parent receives custody of the child. A judge considers which parent can provide a more stable home or atmosphere, and he or she may also consider which parent is able to earn more income. I agree with many parents that believe their child(ren) have a voice that should be heard. Forty percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. My parents divorced in 1986, when I was 6 years old. I didn’t fully understand what was happening at the time, but I also wasn’t able to choose which parent I wanted to live with. My brother and I were made to live with our mom, while our dad had visitation rights every other weekend until he moved to Ohio from West Virginia in 1989. My mom had started experimenting with drugs and illegal narcotics, even sometimes doing them right in front of me. I was extremely unhappy living with her, even though I still loved her. I went to visit with my dad in the summer of 1990, where he had asked me to live with him permanently. I didn’t want to have to choose between my parents because I loved them both very uch equally, but I knew that I would be better off if I lived with my dad. The judge in the case was ready to throw my dad in jail, feeling that he had coerced me into wanting to live with him. Once I demonstrated I had knowledge of the impact of my long-term future, the judge then willingly agreed to let me live with my dad. I spent half of my early life living with my mom, and the other half living with my dad. Most children of divorce are not able to voice their opinion as to who they can live with until they reach a certain age. Instead of legislating law in terms of age, our judicial system should allow children of divorce to speak to a counselor or psychiatrist to voice their opinion, and if they can demonstrate why they would be better off living with the parent of choice, they should be allowed to voice their opinion to a judge. Divorce is sometimes unavoidable, but we should all work together to determine what our children want and who they want to live with. We shouldn’t neglect their opinions just because they are not of a certain age as long as they can show that they know what is right and what is wrong.

An Essay about its Interpretation through Connotations Essay Example for Free

An Essay about its Interpretation through Connotations Essay In this essay we are tasked to interpret the Eskimo song/poem written above through connotations. We are also tasked to examine the given poem through the following questions: What feelings come to you as you read it? What overall sense do the various words and images create? As I was reading the poem, I felt a deep sense of sadness and regret in the writer’s choice of words. It was as if he was writing while reminiscing about the better life he had before where problems were small and Life itself was simple.    He was regretting what has become of his life and has expressed a desire to go back to that simple life.   The choice of words create images of making hard choices, doing things not on one’s own will and of deep sadness of what has become of one’s life. Now I would interpret the poem per line based on the connotation that I got from them. The lines â€Å"Into my head rose the nothings, my life day after day† connoted that he was reminiscing and memories of his life before were coming back into his mind.   The next lines â€Å"But I am leaving the shore in my skin boat† is that he had to leave the life he had been used to. The next lines â€Å"it came to me that I was in danger† may be pertaining to the grave reason that he had to decide to leave even if he does not want to or a big decision he had to make.   The next lines ‘and now the small troubles look big and the ache that comes from the things I have to do every day, big† may mean that now that he had decided or left, things will not be as simple as they were before because every decision have consequences and thus involves certain responsibilities and risks that we have to take. The next lines â€Å"But only one thing is great only one.   This, in the hut by the path to see the day coming out of its mother and the light filling the world† means that the writer still yearns to go back to his simple life before, where everything he wanted was to see the sunrise in the morning in his humble home.

Strategic Procurement Issues Inherent In A Hospital Project Construction Essay

Strategic Procurement Issues Inherent In A Hospital Project Construction Essay Health care of the society is the top concern of the government. The government is committed to improving the quality of care of all the people therefore the poor quality of the hospital building became a major concerned. The aim is to restore and improve quality delivery of health services to local community required betterment of the facilities. There are two options available in front of trust and as per the government report; the trust has forty eight months to improve the hospital infrastructure. The chief executive and the head of the estate at trust with the consultation of central government have been provided two options: To renovate the existing building or To build a new hospital on a derelict site, this was formerly used by heavy industry owned by city council. This project is an assessment of the procurement options design and build novation procurement method under the private finance initiative and the issues that awake using the strategy during the project. After examine the carefully and assessing the entire clients (the Trust) requirement, for the proposed hospital, the report recommends building of a new hospital on the derelict site and the use of design and build procurement system. This is because the design and build procurement option offers cost effective, time bound, good quality and sustainable project delivery. The proposed design and build procurement system has the characteristics of achieving the issue of clients requirement appropriately and under the P.F.I. (private finance initiative) will give the best value for money with a focus on the public sector procurement as mentioned in the project brief. It also leads to time savings and achieve value for money and the required quality as per ground situation. The report also assessed the risks using the supply chain management under the scheme of private finance initiative involve in the project and their solution as the success of the project is concerned. Finally an effective supply chain management with T.P.I (Third party inspection) procedure has also been recommended for efficiency in the project delivery in order to meet the quality standard required by the hospital trust. INTRODUCTION This report seeks to address all the strategic construction procurement issues inherent in a hospital project and an appropriate advice given to the chief executive of the trust. The process is to map the effective stakeholders and their influence on the project. There is a brief of the project from initiation through design with drawing of the new build building as required a lot of detailed changes to convert the derelict industry into hospital building to make a proper use of the building as well as to make an appropriate use of the surrounding of the building. The operation and maintenance after construction in long run is major concern for providing a better and superior quality of services therefore design and build novation under P.F.I. is best option available. STATEMENT OF WORK 2.1 Scope of project Client Objectives: The time seems to be major constant as the Trust has given only 48 months of time to improve the structure and facilities and for the Construction of the new hospital building. As the estimate are final to 90 m Pounds the cost is also the major constant for the client obtained the certainty in cost to obtain best value for money with in a focus on the public sector procurement. The quality is also the major concern as the new build site is not developed properly and the trust has to Develop the road works, parking, hard and soft landscaping, drainage and other external works for the use of hospital running, Provision of office accommodation, a restaurant / cafà © area and obviously some form of warehouse and delivery areas. To preserve and develop and make appropriate use of the existing flora and fauna at the site of new build to make it more eco-friendly environment for the hospital patient and working of staff. It has been assumed that the present derelict bridge is just opposite the site of the building and near the flora and fauna to make appropriate use of the derelict pedestrian bridge, it can be develop for the site scene / landscape. s The study prevails that there is an existing mineshaft, which has to be close effectively so that it should not effect the environment of hospital surrounding in the future. There is need to adopt the construction management program to maintain supply chain management for effectively completion of project on time and maintain quality of material used and be in cost effective. Scope of the project Supply chain management procedures to be adopted so that all the material should be procure well in advance for the timely completion of the project and as all the material has to be procure by contractor by T.P.I. (third party inspection) by Independent body has been suggested to maintain the quality if the material used. The client has maintained PEP plan for control and performance measurement Comparison between the New builds site and Old Refurbishment. The following point has been taken to make comparison between New Building by using derelict industry and the Refurbishment of old building as per the client (TRUST Hospital) requirement. The survey team after analysing following points comes to conclusion that the use of new building for the construction of the hospital as an appropriate decision: The Survey team has assumed that the derelict Industry was closed due to competition in market and is not old more than 10 years as the Old hospital is approximately 70 to 80 years old. So structure needs more maintenance after construction It has been analysed that the old building has to be Control demolished which is still not possible with the current running of the hospital in the existing building. As its suggested that ramp should be used in hospital instead of stairs for the movement of patient from one floor to another and even in case of emergency like fire etc, when lifts cant be operate. So the construction of ramp in new building is easy else its very difficult to provide ramp in the old building. The derelict industry site has a wide range of flora and available in its surrounding which is best for the environmental policy of the NHS. From the studies of project brief it has stated that the hospital used for the acute care and accident and emergency so there will be a helipad will be preferred to Trust at the tar macadam area for landing of helicopter in case of emergency services through the helicopter, as well the new build site is well connected to road for quicker services through road as well. The new build site is also have provision for the future extension as the development are taking place in the surrounding area over decades of time. The specialist installation such as heating, ventilation and air condition is easy in new building while during the refurbishment it is quite difficult to replace the new with old one and difficult in after maintenance. Project Stakeholders The stake holders are important part in the overall process of project success so all the beneficial stakeholders are identified related to subject and their influence are clarify properly. As Walker and Marr states that a stakeholder is a term used for individuals or groups who have a connection to or an association with an organisation. They have a stake, claim, or vested interest in the day to day operation of the Project. The only way of business to know their value will be to determine exactly who their stakeholders areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..and to ask them. The urgency to adapt to stakeholder power and leverage it as a business strategy is not just a business fad; it is a winning approach and the more satisfying way to do business - WIN WIN Solution. A commitment to sustainability is broader, deeper and of substantially greater strategic value to a company than merely reporting on environmental outcomes. One goal of sustainability initiative is to realize long term business benefits by building non-financial performance measures- issues key stakeholders care about into business processes. When we have gained commitment from our stakeholders, it enhances our business performance, growth and higher stock value over time. All stakeholders may be important, but nobody said they were all equal. (Walker and Marr, 2001) Extended Stakeholderism The customers, employees, and owner, or investor would consider the immediate, or core, stakeholders because these are the one we live with every day. But as in our families we have close relation with and obligation to the rest of the family as well the extended stakeholder of the business. Business depend upon on forging powerful relationship with what we would call extended stakeholders, those individuals outsides an organization beyond customers who are important to the business, such as suppliers, alliance partners, community leaders, the media , and the government. Immediate Stakeholders Extended Stakeholders Individual investors Institutional investors Customers Employees Unions Suppliers Alliances Partners Industry associations Local communities Consumer/ user association Special interest group Media Government regulators Competitors Outside board directors The general public (Beyond local communities) Financial Analysis Lenders Education leaders The Status of Stakeholder Loyalty There is value in evaluating and classifying stakeholders according to different levels of commitment to the project. Survey research can/has determine peoples position regarding the firm and their loyalty to it. Their answers can/has used to position the stakeholders on a spectrum of: . How positive or negative they feel towards the firm and . How likely or unlikely they are to remain loyal or continue supporting the firm in the future. We would normally people in a simple matrix. There are four possible combination of high and low attitude and behavior in this matrix, so we can segment the stakeholders as being truly loyal, accessible, trapped, or high risk Behaviour Positive Negative Truly Loyal Accessible Trapped High Risk High ATTITUDE Low The successful stakeholder relationship passes through four stages, called the Four Gates of Engagement: Awareness, Knowledge, Admiration, Action. (Walker and Marr, 2001) Recognition of project through from initiation through design, construction, operation, and maintenance and their consequent impact on the project procurement issue As the new build site has proposed the following points are suggested for the construction As there was a mine shaft present in the surrounding of the site so a case study has been done to investigate the Bearing capacity of soil for the construction of the hospital building. The design is be eco-friendly basis on the following points: Their should be proper ventilation and natural Light and air arrangement for the patient health and to keep staff working spirit up for efficient working. The CLC (cellular light weight concrete) blocks are hollow and hence will help in maintaining the internal temp of the room and also help in reducing sound level as hollow blocks are good insulator of heat and sound. As CLC blocks are also help to eliminate the crack between the brick and concrete and hence it will lead to less maintenance in future better value for money. The large tar macadam area, surrounding the site should be developed as the helipad so that the emergency cases can be carry through the helicopter easily and further land will be used for the recreational activities of the staff. The derelict bridge can be developing for pedestrian to cross the road as the adjacent arterial road will become more congested during peak periods. Risks Miler and lessard (2001) states that the successful projects are not selected but shaped with risk resolution in mind. Risk is the possibility that event, their resulting impact and dynamic interactions may turn out differently that anticipated and construction is nothing special compared with other industries because we simply carry out projects to a specified timescale using teams of specialist for design and construction by marshalling appropriate resources to overcome the physical and technical power involved. So to manage risk is most important for the successful completion of project in Time to keep certainty in cost and achieve the appropriate quality. RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS RISK ASSESSMENT IDENTIFYING HAZARDS Assess probability and consequences Priorities Risk control measure Remove Contractually Insurance Retain Self finance Reduce Eliminate/substitute Reduce chance Reduce effect Residual risk RISK MANAGEMENT Risk management Process (Gunn 2008) To monitor the risk, the risk register should be maintained at site RISK REGISTER Item Description Risk Without control Controls Residual risk Action H M L Cost Impact Time impact` Others (CIOB (2002) (Chartered Institute of building code of practice for project management, 3rd edition. Blackwell edition) PROCUREMENT RISK Procurement Method Balance of Risk Client Contractor Traditional Lump sum Client Led design and built Contractor -led design and built Management contractor Construction management Contractor Finance (PFI) Finance Design Construction Finance Design Construction Finance Design Construction Finance Design Construction Finance Design Construction Finance Design Construction Hughes and Murdoch (2000) states that the apportionment of risk in design and build contracts is unique among procurement methods. This uniqueness is brought about by the single point responsibility and by the nature of the relationship between employers requirement and contractors proposal. The following points are considered for risk management in Design and built: Money Completion of the project Default by employer or contractor Time Quality Measurement of performance and benchmarked Akintoye, Beck and Hardcastle (2003) indicated the PEP plan is a live, dynamic management document that records the project strategy, organisation, control procedure and responsibilities. It is updated regularly during the projects life cycle and used by all parties both as a means of communication and as a control and performance measurement tool. Value management and other activities lead to the completion of various reports that are contained in the PEP. Examples of items that PEP should contain are: The options appraisal incorporating the clients value system. The user needs the strategic brief. The performance statement of all aspects of the project, the project brief The project execution strategy The form of contract, partnering agreement, etc The contract specifications / drawings etc Project reporting procedure and particularly the procedure for information distribution, and communication, between the clients project team consultant and the contractor The executive summaries and action plan from value management workshop reports The risk management strategy and latest risk analysis The required completion date including for any phase Holroyd (2003) considered that this is not about lowest price, but ultimately about best overall value for money. Partnering implies selection on the basis of attitude to team working, ability to innovate and to other efficient solutions. We think that it offers a much more satisfying role for most people engaged in construction and the introduction of performance measurement and competition against clear targets for improvement, in terms of quality, timeliness and cost, as the principal means of sustaining and bringing discipline to the relationship between clients, project team and their suppliers. The evidence we have seen is that these relationship, when conducted properly, are much more demanding and rewarding than those based on competitive tendering. There are important issue here, particularly for the public sector. He also consider Latham Report that effective partnering between client and contractor with teamwork and a win-win approach helped to bring the Sizewell nuclear p ower station to completion on time and within budget. But there is still scope of improvement in productivity and cost reduction, especially if design and construction team could be kept together. Akintoye, Beck and Hardcastle (2003) consider that PFI is the principle model of PPPs in the UK NHS. Procurement Route: To choose an appropriate procurement strategy is most important to achieve value for money, cost certainty and in time and of best quality. Holroyd (2003) states that clients who know what they want, who do not change their minds, and who states clearly what they want, tend to procure projects that do represent value for money. As Masterman states that the formulation of the most appropriate strategy is one of the most important tasks that the client has to undertake the projects life. The project strategy consist of a number of sub strategic areas, which needs to be examines in detail so that appropriate decisions can be taken as to which sub strategy should be adopted. The following points should include: Milestone schedule time; Quality; Financial objectives, funding and cost planning The role of the client and the third parties; The client project objectives; Environmental issues; Safety; Legal and insurance issues; Technical and design philosophy Project/ work breakdown structure; Risk management; Project constraints; Public relation/ communication The appropriate method of procurement mostly depends upon the following: Whether the organisation is publicly or private owned or funded The level of knowledge and experience within the organisation in dealing with the construction industry and implementing building project. Whether the project is needed by the client to accommodated his/her own industrial or commercial activities or whether the project is needed to lease, or sell, to other. The activities carried out by the organisation and the resulting project typology. Categorisation of building procurement System: Separated Integrated Management Discretionary Oriented The Conventional System Design Variation British partnering of Property Build Design Federation Build System Package Develop Construction Deals Management Turnkey Construct Management Design Contracting Manage Design and Build In DB there is a single point responsibility for both the design and construction of the project. The clients benefits from the contractors expertise early in the project. Research (Gidado and arshi 2004) suggest that there may be as a many as six versions of design and build. For instance, Rawlinson (2008) reports on the recent successful use of develop and construction with a two stage tender and tendering arrangement, a novated design, open book accounting and with the risk and value benefits of a Collaborative approach all on the same project. Types of Design Build Arrangement Extreme Variety A Employer led Design Develop and construct Design and Build (Single stage tender) Z Contractor led design Design and build (two -stage tender) Negotiated design and build Design and manage Turnkey The client may wish to provide the contractor with minimal information in the form of an outline brief. This will leave the design and built contractor fully responsible for the conceptual and detail design in order to meet the employer requirements. An alternative twist on develop and construct, is to novate the architect or design team to the contractor once the contract has been awarded. This variant is known as novation design and build because the clients architect, and may be other member of the design team, are legally passed over to the contractor in order to produce the detailed aspects of the design. The novation arrangement should be agreed with the architect when he is first appointed. In this way, the client will maintain an interest in the design but the contractor will pay the continuing design fees through to contract completion and become responsible for the entire design. The Tender documents will contain details of the clients consultation and the proposed novation procedure, together with a requirement that the contractor who is eventually awarded the contract will have to accept responsibility for the total design of the project, including the initial work carried out under the clients aegis. In other words it is as if the consultants by the contractor, including the level of fees, have been predetermined by the client, although normally this is a matter for negotiation between the contractor and the design team. DESIGN AND BUILD CLIENT LED DESIGN RELATIONSHIP The Team being novated to DB Contractor . (WILEY-BLACKWELL, 3rd edition, construction planning, programming and control 2009: 32) Procurement strategy The choice of building procurement systems available to clients is now so wide that the need to carry out the selection of the most appropriate method depends upon the critically study of the clients (TRUST) requirement in a disciplined and objective manner. (Masterman 2006) The procurement of a construction is chosen upon the clients project requirement and a balance between time, quality and cost. After considering entire client requirements critically and the forecast budget. JCT Design and Build novated system contract is most appropriate for the construction of hospital for the trust as According to International Commission on building (CIB W92) the procurement process is a strategy to satisfy clients development and/ or operational needs with respect to the provision of constructed facilities fro a discrete life cycle. (Masterman 2006:26) Under the JCT 05 design and build conditions, it is perhaps worth noting the practice that the employer identified a design team and the same team will become the contractors team once the contractors is appointed under a design and build form of contract and the payment terms may be either stage payments or periodic payment. Periodic payments are normally monthly, whereas stage payments are based on agreed cumulative values linked to stages or milestone as stated in the contract particulars. The payments period from the payment request date is specified in the contract as 14 days. (Davison 2006) We can write it as the option chosen for the design and build is on the cost effective and time management as steffen and Jeffery in Stakeholder Power states that as proven by the corporate raiders, one of the fastest means of raising stock value is to boost profit by cutting costs. This ushered in the era of crash dieting by large companies also known as reengineering or downsizing. (Walker and Marr 2001) The Procurement strategy is chosen on the basis of following criteria noted in the NEDO report. NEDO has suggested eight procurement factors to be considered at the procurement stage. Of these, the three main considerations are: Cost certainty of the market price at the bid submission and final account stages. Time the overall timing of the project from inception to completion. Quality the clients required standard of design and workmanship as expressed in the specification. Five other considerations were also highlighted as being influential on the choice of the procurement route. These are: Complexity Complexity of the building design, layout and services provision. Controllable variation How sure is the client of his requirements? The cost of variation of the contract may prove difficult to agree and assess. Degree of completion Does the client wish to create competition at the design and construction stage of the project? Client Responsibility Does the client wish to be directly involved in the decision making during the project. Risk in the project Commercial risk, occupation risk, design and construction risk. Taking the following factors into account, decisions has made in relation to: Choice of appropriate Procurement strategy for managing the contract (JCT- Design and Build) The Clients requirement stated in the Task Considering the clients brief and assessing the projects feasibility Considering the Project Finance Decided how to procure and manage the design and construction Considering the realistic time period for the overall project. (Williams and Cooke 2009) As the time period is of high priority and the early starting of the project is the must as the Clients required the project to be: Completed as quickly as possible (because time is money a month delay in project not even counted the construction charges but also a lot of overhead and industrial charges also) Completed by specific date (that must be achieved to ensure the govt about the proper running of the hospital) Completed on time once it commence (with no time slippage by starting the project at once under design and build procurement method) 50 40 35% 30% 30 25 % 20 6% 10 2% 2% 0 JCT98 JCT JCT JCT JCT Other Standard Intermediate Minor with Management Form Form Works Contractors + Agreement Design Major Projects SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT HOLROYDS (2003) suggest that the supply chain role is critical to achieving sustained improvement and forward thinking. In the context of extensive sub-contracting this is perhaps more so. Partnering, correctly implemented, will provide benefits comparable to those obtained by the integrated project process. (Trevor M. Holroyd, Buildability, Thomas Telford Publishing, Thomas Telford Ltd, 1 Heron Quay, London 2003) Some major clients have assembled their own standing lists of preferred suppliers according to requirement of their projects so that their project can be managed on a more long term and integrated basis while retaining an appropriate degree of competition and control. These suppliers or supply chain partners, include architects, engineers, main contractors, specialist contractors and suppliers of a variety of goods and services. The supply chain can be defined as the entire chain of processes that exist between the point at which a need for goods or services arises to the point at which the end user receives them and payment is made to the supplier. Problem is that one part of the chain impact directly on all subsequent stages, and proactive management of the supply chain is therefore fundamental to providing an efficient and effective procurement services to the organisation. (Cooke and Williams 2009) The contractor should be given the whole responsibility for the procurement of all material under the contract and a T.P.I (Third party Inspection by Individual body Trust) must be considered to achieve the best quality of material procurement. The essential point here is that the supply chain links, all the activities between suppliers and customers in a timely manner. The material will be procured at least 8 weeks before the schedule of use to maintain progress in time. Adversarial Relationship Collaborative Relationship Fragmented Lack of Process Customer Processes Customer Focus integration Satisfaction The role of SCM (supply chain Management) addressing the key problems in construction. (Fewings 2005) Cooke and Williams 2009 describes that the fast track system as a management approach aimed at the early completion of the construction phase using a combination of innovative procurement methods, industrialisation of the construction process and the use of work package contractors in order to benefits from their expertise, especially as regards their design input. The benefits of system include: Overlapping of work package both during design and construction Less duplication of effort and waste Less uncertainty and inefficiency at work package interface The use of innovative construction methods Incorporation of cutting edge technologies More emphasis on the standardisation, pre-assembly and modularisation of the construction process As a consequence, the fast-track system has the propensity to deliver completed projects in remarkable timescales. Identification and justification of relevant forms The purpose if this work is to examine the standard forms of contract most commonly used in the construction industry today. Standard forms look in at least three directions at once. One of these is towards the wider law, be it the law of contract, and be it statute law or common law, with its constant accretion arising out of decided cases. In addition all of this forms considered are entire co

Green Flash from the Sun :: weather sunset

Many think it's just a myth. Others think it is true but its cause isn't known. Adventurers pride themselves on having seen it. It's a green flash from the Sun. The truth is the green flash does exist and its cause is well understood. Just as the setting Sun disappears completely from view, a last glimmer appears startlingly green. The effect is typically visible only from locations with a low, distant horizon, and lasts just a few seconds. A green flash is also visible for a rising Sun, but takes better timing to spot. A slight variant of this was caught in the above photograph, where much of the Sun was still visible, but the very top appeared momentarily green. The Sun itself does not turn partly green, the effect is caused by layers of the Earth's atmosphere acting like a prism. The Green Flash Definition and Description: The green flash is an atmospheric refractive phenomenon where the top edge of the sun will momentarily turn green. It is seen rarely by the naked eye, primarily because it requires specific conditions to occur, but also because it requires the observer to know what to look for. Despite the name, there is no "flash;" the event only lasts from a fraction of a second to at the longest, a few seconds. The Basic Cause: Refraction bends the light of the sun. The atmosphere acts like a weak prism, separating the light into diferent colors. Blue light is bent more strongly than red. But this refraction is very weak even at the horizon, which is why the sun isn't seen as being multi-colored in the daytime. The effect is magnified by the atmosphere, and at the horizon there is a lot of atmosphere between the sun and the viewer. Layering in the atmosphere causes an effect similar to a horizontal cylindrical lens: the separation of the color bands is exaggerated in the vertical direction. Conditions: The green flash is best observed when you have a clear view of the horizon, with no objects or pollution in the line of sight. Usually you need to be able to see a distance of several miles out, almost to the point where the curvature of the Earth defines the limit. Because of this, the green flash is most often reported by the ocean.

Skeeball and The Secret of The Universe :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book Skeeball and The Secret of The Universe, the main characters are; Matty-narrorator, Cal-Matty's best friend, Dana, Cal's sister, Finch-the old mant hat works at the arcade, Jennifer-the cute girl Matty likes, with the red sports car, and Jennifer's two roomates, Denise and Claudia.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conflict of this book is person vs. self because, throughout the whole book, Matty is mad at Cal for getting a job and at the end, he finally realizes he was mad at himself and taking it out on Cal. This book was first person because Matty was talking about what happened to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book was about Matty and Cal making an pact on not to get a job because it was their last summer together and they wanted to make it count. Cal ended up getting a job nbeacuse he hated bumming money off of his friends and family. Eventually, Matty ended up getting so mad at Cal he stopped talking to him. Matty had nothing to do anymore since hie best friend was off at work all the time and he was mad at hime, so her started going to the arcade and he didn't like the video games, he liked the carnival games.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One night whgen he was playing skeeball, this old man that worked there, Finch, started giving him a lot of tokens and tips on skeeball. After a couple of weeks of going to the arcade, on his way home, he was going to the Stop and Shop where Cal had been working for a while. Matty was walking through the prking lot when three cute gilrs pulled up in a red sports car, Jennifer, Claudia, and Denise. They asked him the address to the beach house Jennifer's dad had just bought for them. He started giving them the diretions and they told him to get in the car and just show them. When Matty laid his eyes on Jennifer he thought she was the one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later on, Matty found out Cal's sister, Dana, liked him. Matty realized that Cal was mad at him, but he didn't know what for. When he found out Dana liked him, he realized Cal was mad at him because of that. Matty kept Finch up-to-date on everything, Dana found out that Matty started playing skeeball so she started playing also. Finch kept telling Matty that he should talk to Dana more often because Finch knew Dana liked Matty.

Plastic Bags :: Environment, Pollution

Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by supermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to â€Å"these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria.† These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in s oil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senio r, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).

Helon Habila’s Waiting For An Angel

Helon Habila developed his talent for writing when he took up Literature in the University of Jos. Being a gifted prose fiction writer and poet; he was given the MUSON poetry prize award in the year 2000. Before going to Lagos to work for Hint Magazine, Helon lectured first at the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi in a span of three years and was also the Vanguard Newspaper’s arts editor. He is now currently spending his time in the University of East Anglia as a writing fellow. The beginnings of his first famous work started as a compilation of short stories entitled Prison Stories that was published in Nigeria in 2000.Two years after, the full version of the book was released in the UK having the title of Waiting for an Angel. This work of his was then acknowledged as the best first book in the African region and made him won the 2001 Caine Prize for African Writing and the Commonwealth Writers Prize Award in 2003. His latest work was published in 2007 under the title of Measuri ng Time which is a story about twin brothers living in a village in Nigeria. II. Type of Work Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel is a fiction that mainly centers on the real events that happened in Nigeria during General Sachi Abacha’s reign.Though the story and the characters were plain fictional, the fact that the people suffered under the military government back then was true. Habila used history as the backbone of his work, weaving stories that tells the real accounts and incidents that the people of Nigeria experienced back in the 1990’s. III. Type of Plot The type of plot used in the novel is mainly geographical. The story took place in the country of Nigeria in the city of Lagos. Most of the events, however concentrated on the slums of Poverty Street where the main character Lombo was working as a journalist.By reading about the lives of the people living in Poverty Street, the readers will be able to have an understanding of the condition in the whole of Nigeria. IV. Setting/ Time of Plot The setting of the story was in Lagos, Nigeria in the time of the 1990’s. Nigeria was in a terrifying state back then and Lagos was known to be the most dangerous city in the world during that time. Nigeria was excluded from the Commonwealth of Nations and almost every country had authorized against it. The country’s human rights abuses were horrifyingly brutal and cases of atrocious violence reigns on the hearts and minds of the people of Nigeria.Military rulers were aimed in plundering the national treasury and the country’s most intelligent thinkers and writers who question the democratic thinking of the military were exterminated by the government under the rule of Sani Abacha. Lagos was in a depressing state and the citizens were trying to preserve a bit of hope in their seemingly hopeless world. The novel shows a time when living an everyday life is a struggle and opportunities are almost illusory. Yet despite the drag ging effects of the dictatorial government to the citizens, the young people still kept their hopes and dreams in the corners of their shadowed existence.(â€Å"Mostly Fiction: Waiting for an Angel†) V. Setting/ Locale The locale of the novel was set in Lagos, a city in Nigeria. Back in the 50s and 60s, the idea of a city was a new thing in Africa since most of the rural citizens were living in villages. This was the cause why Lagos was seen as an alien, a new creation. The city was considered by many as a place where people go and become someone else, forgetting their identity, and the old ways and customs they had when they were still staying in their villages.People have the impression of Lagos as a violent place wherein you have to be able to lose your innocence just to survive in the midst of chaos. The citizens of the place should be wise, strong, independent, and cunning in able to live in such a place that was labeled as the Devil’s City. Yet beneath the cityâ €™s image of chaos and sufferings, there is a representation that Lagos was the kind of vicinity that makes you able to stand in your own feet, giving you a kind of maturity that you will never achieve in a world that was far from pain and hardships. (â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos†)The story features accounts on the lives of Lomba, the primary character, and ordinary citizens living in Poverty Street. The story’s events mostly took place in the slums of Poverty Street which is described as only one of the many feeble, disease-infested residences in the city of Lagos. This is where the climax of the story took place in the event of the demonstration of the people which primarily caused Lomba’s imprisonment for two years. This was also the setting where most of the characters in the story found their respective crossroads. (â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos†) VI.Social and/ or Political Context The context of the story revolves on the political concept of dictatorship of S ani Abacha and the sufferings of the people under his rule. The military governance was more concerned in looting money from the nation’s treasury above anything else and this was the time wherein any hint of disloyalty was mercilessly punished. Nigeria was under the scrutinizing eyes of the military and you can found restlessness in the actions of the people as intimidating Peugots of secret police and patrolling army jeeps inhabit the streets of the city of Lagos.The very air that the citizens breathe in the country was noticeably charged with threat and danger as seen in the perspectives of Lomba, his first love Alice, and in the stories and experiences of the ordinary citizens in the story. Poverty Street was constantly enveloped in fumes and smoke, a nagging sign that solidifies the fact that Nigeria was under the power of a cruel and ruthless ruler. General Abacha’s reign of terror from 1993 to 1998 made his people live with constant fear and shaking hopes. (â₠¬Å"Village Crunch†)Life was made difficult during that time as the people of Nigeria struggled to survive amidst the danger that always seemed to overcome them. People were thrown to prison without trial, as like what happened to the main character Lomba, and some were executed just because of the plain reason that they had the strength to question the military government. The civilians were chained to unjustness and everyone was drowned in their delusion of hope and fairness. The context of the novel centers on the struggle of the people under the heavy weight of unjustness hurled at them by the government.Waiting for an Angel shows a world where comfort was just an illusion and justice non-existent. (â€Å"Village Crunch†) VII. Characterization/ Character Analysis The main character of the story is Lomba, a journalist in the city of Lagos who was imprisoned for two years as a political prisoner because of his unintended participation in a demonstration in Poverty Stre et. He waited vainly for a fictitious trial while in jail but the time came when he finally realized and accepted the fact that his hopes wouldn’t be answered as long as the government was run by the military and General Sachi Abacha.In the novel, Lomba has gone beyond different phases of emotions and perspectives. From beyond anger to the state of tranquility that made him swallow acceptance to his fate. In the middle of his second year in prison, he was able to obtain pencil and paper which were forbidden materials for prisoners and started writing a diary. He wrote in secret about his thoughts and feelings during his detention and hid his pile of papers under his mattress after. The diary became his refuge. It served as his only sanctuary and listener to his private thoughts that were never allowed to be spoken of behind bars.His first entry was dated on the Friday of July 1997 yet he headed most his entries with only the days of the week. Some of his writings which he ent ered using exact dates were mostly incorrect. Two months after he started writing, he unfortunately got caught and his diary, which was actually only piles of papers were confiscated from him. (â€Å"Bookmunch†) Lomba may have accepted his terrible fate as a prisoner but he never lost his hope in regaining back his freedom. An incident came when his jailer, seeing his gift for words, asked him to do love poems for the well-educated woman he is courting.Lomba used this chance to send cryptic messages to the woman named Janice to communicate his need for help and succeeded in the end. (â€Å"Bookmunch†) Lomba was only one of the many people whose lives were severely affected by the coup of the general Sachi Abacha. He lived dark days in prison, losing his identity, belief, and faith. Yet somehow he regained his conviction and fought till the end using his ingenuity. Lomba may have suffered the tortures brought upon by the government but he never lost his ground, molding him into someone with unyielding determination, conviction, and strength.The other characters of the story were Alice, Lomba’s first love who was forced to marry an old and wealthy soldier and his teacher Joshua who served as the main force in engaging Lomba in the demonstration in Poverty Street which caused his imprisonment. Muftau and Janice were also significant characters in the novel. Muftau was the jailer who asked Lomba to write love poems for Janice who in return brought Lomba’s freedom in the end. Also, General Sachi Abacha’s identity has a huge impact in the novel since it is during his time of rule that the complications and climax of the story happened.(â€Å"Bookmunch†) VIII. The Story in the Main The novel is mainly about the sufferings of the people under the rule of General Sachi Abacha for five years. Nigeria was infused with terror and the people lived in fear as the military government took hold on the whole country. The setting of the story took place in the city of Lagos but most of the events were centered on the slums of Poverty Street. Lomba, the main character was a journalist in the city who was put into jail as a political prisoner because of his participation in a demonstration that was supposed to oppose the doings of the government.He was detained for two years in prison without trial until he came to the point where he finally accepted his grim fate. On the middle of his second year in jail, Lomba was able to gain access on some pencil and paper and started writing a diary. His first entry was on the Friday of July 1997 though he simply used the days of the week as heading to his succeeding entries. After two months of writing in secret, someone informed the head of the prison about the diary which caused its confiscation. Lomba’s only refuge in his dark days in prison was snatched away from him and he yet again entered a time of depression and loneliness.(â€Å"Village Crunch†) Another event, however, gave Lomba another chance to hope when Muftau asked a favor from hi. Muftau was his jailer and seeing Lomba’s work on his confiscated diary, he asked him to write some love poems to woo the woman she likes. Lomba, on the other hand never missed the chance he was given and started using his poems as tools to ask for help. He intentionally plagiarized some lines form famous poets which have secret meanings behind them to communicate what he wants to say. Lomba was able to pass his message without making the poorly educated Muftau to suspect by using his ingenuity in writing.Janice on the other hand was fortunately well-educated and so was able to decode the meaning behind the poems that was given to her. In the end, she was the one who served as the tool in giving Lomba his freedom. There are also other events in the novel that made it look non-fictional by using characters in real life. Some of these events were the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa, the killing of the editor of the NEwswatch magazine Dele Giwa, and the shooting of the wife of Abiola who was actually the nemesis of General Abacha.There was also a part in the novel where Lomba met Helon Habila himself which made the story even more realistic. (â€Å"Village Crunch†) Waiting for an Angel communicates the hardships of the people under the unjust government of Abacha during that time in such a way that the reader will even wonder what kind of life they will have if they lived on the same timeframe. The debut novel of Helon Habila centers on fear, exposing the atrocities of the years under Abacha’s reign. One of the main highlights of the story however was the people’s conviction in having hope despite of the sufferings they are experiencing.The characters of the novel possesses a kind of touching, inspirational kind of humanity that tells the fact that hope can still exist in times when comfort can only be achieved in dreams. IX. the Analysis of the Work Habila di d an exquisite work on this debut novel of his. He was able to turn the story into something that was still interesting despite of the heavy themes it possesses. Because of the artistic sequence of the story and the interesting non-fiction quality of it, Waiting for an Angel can be considered as one of the best fictional works about real events. X. Thematic Structure/ Development of Various ThemesThe main theme of the story is about sufferings of the people under the regime of Sachi Abachan. Fear, the longing for justice, and fighting for hope are also just some of the themes that the story have. The citizens of Nigeria’s silent struggle for a new life despite of their unending struggles are just one of the most important highlights of the story. Waiting for an Angel revolves around the concepts of wretchedness, fate, and death but in such a way that it not so overly depressing compared to other books because of the unsentimental approach that focuses on the details of the li fe of the characters.XI. Language, Structure, and Style Helon Habila presented his work in a language that was easily understood even by the not so deep reader. He structured his novel in such a way that the first chapter was actually the first in chronological order. It begins with the event in which Lomba was already imprisoned and was writing the beginnings of his forbidden diary. The succeeding chapters then narrate the life of Lomba before he was put in jail as well as the lives of the people he knew that intersected his.Through this presentation of structure, the readers were able to know what will become of Lomba’s fate in the end. The readers were put in the place of a dreamer who hopes with every passing page that Lomba will somehow find a resolution the can change his fate. The novel’s structure strengthened the book’s effect and made it clarifying instead of turning it into a confusing one. In presenting the book in this order, the readers were able t o recognize the characters, places, or situations and something of its past or future.Through this, simple actions or phrases that tend to have little significance were given more importance. XII. Literary Techniques and Devices Like what was mentioned above, the most noticeable technique that Habila used was not presenting the events in chronological order. He also made his work look realistic by inserting himself in one of the parts of the story as well as other events and people that were fictional. Waiting for an Angel was as factual as life can be because of its genuine expression of the hardships and sufferings of the people in Nigeria.XIII. Critical Evaluation/ General Assessment Waiting for an Angel possesses the kind of prolonged existence that exceeds most of the current contemporary fictions released today. The novel was able to converse clearly the message that Habila wants to communicate about. The story was also not so overly depressing despite the fact that most of it s themes were about death, unjustness, and sufferings. Habila was able to write about these emotional themes in such a way that the novel was not so boring and dragging.Yet at the same time, the readers were able to feel the emotions in the story in such a way that they could almost see themselves in place of the citizens in Nigeria. Helon Habila did a great job in this novel of his, giving life to a world that was still waiting for the arrival of their angel. There could be another Habila and another Lomba in this part of the world and their struggle would not be heard. And yet there will be another injustice. It is a never-ending cycle of struggle and fight for freedom. There is only one thing sure. That at the end of the story the victim always loses.Lucky for Lomba he was only fictionalized in a way that he could give hope to those who are in his struggle today. Let the world know that fighting for your right to live in a free world is not a sin but a privilege. And the world kn ow that you are doing it not for yourself but for the next generation who are bound to be helpless and alone. And for the final words, let those who come upon this novel that there is hope after all the storm. REFERENCES: â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos. † (2007). â€Å"Bookmunch. † (2007). â€Å"Mostly Fiction: Waiting for an Angel. † (2007). â€Å"Village Crunch. † (2007).