Monday, September 30, 2019

Aim in Life Essay

Most people in the world have some ambitions in life. A petty merchant has an ambition to become a big business man, a clerk to be a high officer, a student to be a doctor or engineer. Some desire for wealth, some desire for fame and reputation. A proper aim in life keeps a person shining and glowing in his future life. My aim in life is neither to collect money this or by that way nor for fame. It is my desire to become a well qualified doctor or a scientist. I do not just wish to be an ordinary doctor who spends his times in his laboratory trying to find out new drugs and medicines to remove the suffering of millions of people. The world remembers with thankfulness the name of the man who gave to the world vaccination. The world will remember forever the man who gave us penicillin. As a doctor it is my real wish to server the badly suffering humanity too. Our country is still under development and it has become necessary for all of us, especially for doctors to acheive sound progress in the field of new drugs and medicines, And for the prosperity and solidarity of pakistan we should work hard with spiritual zeal and zeast. I have an ambition to do something in this world so great as the doctors and the courages founders did in the past. I would like to give the world some new drugs and injections that will cure some of the many disease that people are still suffering from. In my opinion, wealth, fame and any other kind of materialistic gain are hollow and baseless if earned through unfair means. In my ambition, it is great wish to help the suffering people. For lawful earnings it will be my foremost dut to server the humanity, by going to the rural areas of this under developed country in order to help the poor and humble people for their happiness and entire satisfaction.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Quality Measure

In order to initiate the Frequent Shopper Program three important steps must be taken. Quality assurance process and procedures to ensure the functionality and performance requirements are met second, testing procedures to ensure the application is operational at all levels this includes programming networking, systems and interfaces third, implementation steps and procedures necessary to achieve operational status.This paper is to maintain and produce a product that is high level quality which will be a critical factor in the production of a successful software system and will remain so during the entire project. Software Development Life Cycle comprises Software Requirement Analysis, System Analysis and Design, Code Generation, Testing, Maintenance and Quality Assurance. Our Quality Assurance process is a part of Software Development Life Cycle. (Rainbow, 2008) (Rainbow, 2008) Quality assurance is not a one man job it takes a team to make sure everything is done correctly.An organi zational structure of the quality team will be developed. Once a team has been created policies will be designed in order to provide structure where positions, roles, responsibility will be created in order for a positive operation and organization. This will establish a chain of command in order to make the objective affective. Effective method for monitoring quality assurance because it analyzes existing conditions and methods used to provide the product or service customers. The goal is to ensure that excellence is inherent in every component of the process.Quality assurance also helps determine whether the steps used to provide the product or services are appropriate for the time and conditions. (Wise Geek, 2011) Second will be defining a quality assurance process, the quality assurance manager (Todd Albright) for Kudler Frequent Shopper Program will be responsible for overseeing all three Kudler Locations and each QA member will be assigned to a specific location and the QA tas ks and will be referred to as external while the individual quality of work will be known as external.The external quality assurance tasks will include the following; maintaining the QA documents, ensures verification occurs and is logged, preparation for attendance of all inspections, inspect any audits, post unit testing, the development team is provided input from the activities of the QA, and the software engineering team are assigned any defects repair. The external team will be responsible for their individual work and maintaining their own databases and unit testing including metrics. Metrics are numerical measures that quantify the degree to which software or a process possesses a given attribute.Examples of metrics are ‘‘defects per thousand lines of code’’ and ‘‘average software module size. ’’ Metrics are collected and analyzed throughout the software life cycle, and help with the following: Determining software quality level Estimating project schedules Tracking schedule progress Determining software size and complexity (University of Phoenix 2010) Documentation will also be produced during the project this will consist of any software design documents, test documents, verification and validation plans and software configuration plans.Todd Albright who has been assigned as the QA manger will overlook the QA organization team members and will be able to approve any quality assurance function performed. Todd Albright will also ensure that coding standards will meet guidelines which will be no more than 2 defects per every 1000 lines and to ensure meetings, audits, reviews will be conducted twice a month to ensure the quality of the software. In addition to provide quality processes the QA teams will provide independent testing while educating the engineers for internal quality and will work closely with the project managers to ensure a successful development.The final goal for quality assurance will be to have no critical or any serious defects, the design will have no more than one defect a diagram, the code will consists of less than two defects per 1000 lines of non commented coding. To ensure the software is working four different types of testing will be done; unit testing, integration testing, system testing and use integration testing. Unit testing will be conducted by the programmers who developed the code of the program making sure there are no errors this will help determine to see if the software is doing what is meant for.Unit testing provides some undeniable advantages. It allows for automation of the testing process, reduces difficulties of discovering errors contained in more complex pieces of the application, and test coverage is often enhanced because attention is given to each unit. (MSDN, 2011) The next step in testing the Frequent Shopper program is the integration testing, this will test two different units that have already passed the unit testing to see if they will work together. The approach that will be used will be the top-down approach which requires the highest level modules be tested first.This will ensure a high data flow and be tested early in the process rigorously this way it meets the quality standards.. The third step that will be conducted is the system test which will be conducted by the testing team it will cover any cases and scenarios, the technical requirements, specifications and making sure it meets the business and functional requirements. System Testing is a crucial step in Quality Management Process. * In the Software Development Life cycle System Testing is the first level where The System is tested as a whole The System is tested to verify if it meets the functional and technical requirements *The application/System is tested in an environment that closely resembles the production environment where the application will be finally deployed *The System Testing enables us to test, verify and validate both the Business requirements as well as the Application Architecture (Exforsys Inc, 2011) Once final testing has started the final stage can be conducted which is implementing the project into plan.The maintenance team will correct any errors during the implementation phase and provide user end support if needed during the implantation phase, the program will be reviewed by the QA manager making sure all the objectives for the project plan have been implemented, and are running as they should be.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Personal Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Personal Philosophy - Essay Example Nursing requires that both nurses and nursing educators explore their own values so they can be better placed to appreciate and respect the cultural values and beliefs of the communities and individuals they serve. It is not possible to examine the aspect of scholarship in nursing education in isolation from the scholar within the â€Å"scholarship†, this comprises of individuals who embody several traits among which are; intense intellectual curiosity, disenchantment with prevailing systems as well as persistence for scholarly growth. In case these ideas were to be inculcated into the scholarship in a school of nursing, they would significantly contribute to the education of nurses who are not only professionally competent but also capable of dealing with situations beyond their call of duty should circumstances a rise. As aforementioned, my core principles are; do no harm and provide the best possible care; these can be implemented in nursing scholarship to mound the trainee s into moral and ethical professionals (Silva and Ludwick, 2005). When nurses are educated in and environment that allows them to express their curiosity, they will acquire more knowledge through in-depth research and studies which will ultimately make them better placed to deal with patients from their wealth of both theoretical and practical knowledge. Furthermore, when they are disenchanted with the prevailing systems, it means they will desire to improve them by examining alternatives and this will boost creativity. The second aspect of my personal philosophy has to do with elimination of discrimination, while this has been covered in nursing training; the elements of prejudice are still evident in nursing practice. This is however not exclusively emanating from nurses but possibly from patients as well, for instance a patient may express discriminatory, for instance racial bias to the attending nurse. In case, the nurse is not objective in his/her practice of care, they may dev elop a negative attitude towards the patient due to the offence and this may be reflected in the quality of care. In my opinion, the best way to bring about changes in the scholarship of nursing through scholarship is to teach it both as a science and art, such that it creates and avenue for excellence through which teachers supply technical knowledge, wisdom and humanity to students (Silva 2012). After the examination of prevailing conditions changes can be implemented through Lewis model of change that requires, the unfreezing of previously held perception, then the scholars can move on to other ideas which if found to be progressive can be refrozen until such a time they will require to be changed of improved (Mitchell 2013). In addition, this also results in inspiring students to think critically and reflectively so that they question convectional practices and strive to be better citizens of the nursing and global community. While ethics may be theoretically taught in class, un til a student is inspired to examine the process of nursing for him/her and make their own conclusions, they will only see them as abstract concepts. For effective change in the field of nursing scholarship; so that it may produce the best caliber of nurses, it is

Friday, September 27, 2019

Homeland Security - Response & Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeland Security - Response & Recovery - Essay Example It is then vital that upon actual operation, when all responding personnel come face-to-face with the families of the deceased, to understand that emotions are at their extremes. To assist everyone with this matter, keep in mind that there are five (5) processes or stages involved in dealing with their grief and loss. Remember the acronym DABDA; where D stands for denial, A stands for anger, B stands for bargaining, D stands for depression and A stands for acceptance (Kubler et al, n.d.). The first stage which is denial often makes everybody wonder if the situation really happened and why it did not happen to someone else. Denial makes an individual less perceptive about his or her surroundings and usually cannot relate with continuity because they are still in a state of shock. Most people who undergo this stage wonder if it is still possible to go on because the loss is quite unbearable to think of and survival is out of the question at the moment (Kubler et al, n.d.) The second st age of the psychological process of having to deal with death is anger. When in grief and in despair, a person usually forgets to be rational and throws caution to the wind. Feeling angry about the loss is often displaced to somebody else, making that person a target of emotional outbursts. Anger is a way of trying to reconnect and acknowledging the pain a person is feeling. While it may seem that this strong emotion can go on and on, it will dissipate in time and healing starts to set in. So when someone is angry due to a loss, it is advisable to just let the person rant on because suppressing it will only delay the natural healing process that the grieving person is unconsciously seeking for (Kubler et al, n.d.). The third stage is bargaining. This phase is characterized by asking the question â€Å"What if?† The â€Å"ifs† is the grieving person’s way of saying that he or she really just wants to remain in the past. It is a feeling that craves for the normal pattern of life the person was used to. It is also means to cover the guilty feeling of being alive, while his or her loved one has passed away (Kubler et al, n.d.). After bargaining, the grief stricken individual enters the fourth stage which is depression. This emotion must not be interchanged with the mental disorder depression since losing somebody to death is naturally depressing. Having a mental disorder of depression on the other hand is being saddened or dismayed for no particular reason at all. Depression is a normal feeling a person will have after the death of a loved one that will normally be forgotten after sometime when the healing process is completed (Kubler et al, n.d.). The fifth stage is acceptance. When reality really settles down, a person does not have any choice except to go on for there is nothing anyone can do to change what has happened in the past. While it may seem that the dead loved one is being betrayed by having to live on and continue to enjoy life; the fact is that life must go on. It is about time to start picking up the pieces and being at peace with the knowledge that life must be lived without the presence of the dead loved one (Kubler et al, n.d.).. Having explained the emotional and psychological aspects responders will be encountering at the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Scientific Method - Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Method - Social Psychology - Essay Example Scientific method is highly instrumental to the success of social psychologists in carrying out their analysis. It is the application of scientific method of systematic observation that the conditions of humans are effectively studied. Through the scientific method of research, social psychologists are better informed on the way people feel, how they behave and the kind of thoughts that go through their minds (Feldman, 2009). Social psychologists cannot make observation without the use of scientific method and research as they make use of the advancement in technology to make precise and intricate observations about their subjects. This further emphasizes the role of scientific method in the field of social psychology as the more the improvement in research technology, the easier and faster the work of social psychologists would definitely be. It is therefore pertinent to note that social psychologists make use of different scientific methods of research, which includes; public opini on surveys, real world observations, case studies, and laboratory experiments to make their analysis and study. This further corroborates the role of scientific method in social psychology.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The definition of a word that means something to you Essay

The definition of a word that means something to you - Essay Example Globalization is a common term used in describing things taking place as a result of current technological advancement especially things that have enhanced integration of different countries. Many intellectual imaginations have been gripped by the concept of globalization and most people commonly pursue a perception that globalization is an analytical prerequisite used in appreciating continuousness and adjustment of contemporary society. Globalization has gained popularity in different fields including political and academic spectrum because of its relevance to the growing trend, which has heightened the current propagation of the global discussion. This further signifies the impact of the contemporary social relation and the fact that there is a common and new character shared within the society because of the relevancy and the context of the term to the society. Many fields have incorporated the word globalization in their studies and event tried to relate numerous phenomenon with it. There are many different concepts and meanings of globalization as per different scholars, laymen and in political spectrum that sound almost similar. Some people define globalization as westernization implying a concept of transformation of the social structure of modernity to all humanity while extinguishing preexistent culture as well as self-rule. It is presumed that globalization is colonization and Americanization thus positioning it as a hegemonic discourse by some critics that it is just a philosophy of hypothetical advancement concealing far reaching. Proponents of globalizations westernization argue that globalization has led to transformations such as rationalist knowledge, capitalist production, as well as technological advancements as modernity while early global consciousness prompted the onset of modernity. Indeed, contemporary globalization has played an integral role in the modern and western social relations in

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Global business context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global business context - Essay Example The purchasing power is significant consideration for Glass Phone. As Glass Phone is costly thus, per capita income of prospective customer is expected to be in between 5,000 USD to 15,000 USD or above. The cell phone industry has strong potential for growth. It is recognized as one of the fastest growing industries globally. In the year 2004, almost 58.5% of telephone subscribers used cell phone which is almost 1,752 billion globally. Only Asia comprised of 709 million of global cell phone users. In the year 2004, China which was recognized as â€Å"low and middle income nation† had 335 million mobile phone subscribers and the rate is growing rapidly. In present day, society is living with innovative technology and everybody desires to keep pace with latest technology. This is the reason for the new Glass Phone to have great future potentials in the Asian market. Using cell phone need not require high level of education. Customers irrespective of literacy have already recognized the necessity of having a cell phone. But literacy level can influence the perception and utilization of cell phone. Mobile phone industry has low necessity of infrastructure compared to landline telephone industry, but it has high necessity for skilled labour. Only skilled labours can deliver quality products and services which led to higher customer satisfaction. Mobile phone manufacturing company requires high level of reliability and unskilled employees are less dependable which can impact on the performance of the organizations. As Glass Phone is high tech instrument, the cheap labour is ineffective as it can lead to defective products. Highly qualified employees are appropriate which might call for greater expenses, can provide positive results by minimizing number of faulty products. The Glass Phone is an expensive product and thus it would require increased marketing

Monday, September 23, 2019

Discuss the portrait of al-Hajjaj Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discuss the portrait of al-Hajjaj - Essay Example Although al-Hajjaj is commonly considered a villain notorious for his relentless brutality, the portrait we obtain from the primary texts is not that simple and transparent, instead, the texts create a complicated image of the province governor illustrated in various situations. Thereby, ambiguities in portrayal can be explained by certain bias in attitude of the texts’ authors towards the governor. Many scholars assert that the commander was an extremely brutal and cruel governor, who caused numerous deaths and imprisonments in the course of his life. This assumption finds its confirmation in the texts, where we see that the commander is believed to be liable for a â€Å"hundred and twenty thousand† executions (Schroeder, p. 229). Many other situations described in the text provide evidence of al-Hajjaj’s bad temper and brutality: after defeating Ibn Zubayr in Mecca, al-Hajjaj is told to have killed and gibbeted him in the street. In a similar way, while coming to Kufa, he immediately executed the old man, who sprang on the corpse of Othman. Furthermore, we see numerous mentions of Hajjaj’s nasty character in the narratives, for instance, that of Ubayd son of Abu Mukhariq, who calls the commander â€Å"a fearsome master† (Schroeder, p.220). However, despite nasty character and brutality, which became his most famous feature, the commander seems to p ossess reason and a pinch of mercy in his nature, as it can be traced in the sources. For instance, as Hajjaj is in need of wise advise concerning the inheritance, he eventually rules according to the fairest of options: he is told to have given â€Å"each heir an equal third† of the inheritance. This fragment was told by al-Sha’bi, whose figure is rather controversial in terms of his relation to the Umayyads. Sha’bi probably supported the rebellion in Kufa, then fled to Khurasan and later returned to the Umayyad court willing to serve in the administration. Here,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Violence against women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Violence against women - Essay Example ll under include rape, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forceful marriages, wife inheritance, trafficking as sex slaves among a list of other forms of violence as this tends to differ in terms of nations (Ghanim, 2009). Essentially, some states tend to support violent treatment of women, especially those by strict Islamic laws making it hard for women to survive in these regions, meaning the state to be in support of those that commit violent acts among women. Based on this overview, this essay will delve into the causes and effects of violence committed against women across the states. In some African and Middle East states, violence against women is a dominant factor in which neither the state nor the society can intervene because this is their way of life since they tend to view women as voiceless beings and objects (Ghanim, 2009). In some African states, women tend to experience violence based on the fact that these nations are on a constant path of civil war in which armed rebels rape and commit all manner of atrocities against women without being answerable for it. Therefore, civil war can be one of the causes that can influence violence against women because the women become vulnerable because those that should protect them become their foes. On the other, religious extremism can also be another cause of violence against women because some of them permit the ill treatment of the so-called weaker gender by having stiffer penalties for them. Essentially, the nations that practice sharia law, subject women to punishment if they get pregnant outside marriage or for even dressing indecently, which is as per what they prescribe. In this case, women do not have the freedom to dress as they please and live under a male dominated society (Ghanim, 2009). It becomes difficult for the women to liberate themselves against such forms of violence because their societies do not view this as going against their rights and freedoms. The effects or consequences

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Child Abuse and Major Long Term Essay Example for Free

Child Abuse and Major Long Term Essay Description of the possible signs, symptoms, indicators and behaviours that may concern in the context of safeguarding Children are usually abused by someone in their immediate family cycle. This can include parents, brothers, sisters, babysitters and other familiar adult. Children can be abused by age of up to 18 years and they likely to be at risk of physical injuries, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional abuse or verbal abuse. Child abuse can have major long term effects on all aspects of a child’s health, development and well being. The main forms of maltreatment are: Neglect sign; A child come to school usually with dirty skin, hair and clothes or without jacket in winter. Children in the school may feel hungry and tiredness or being left alone unsupervised. Even then they are sick not taken to GP for medical treatment. A child frequently absent from school and beg steal food or money. Possible symptom: A child appear to be indifferent and a child seems apathetic depressed. Also the a child behave irrationally or in a bizarre manner. - Impact of neglect: Impact of neglecting a child can cause brain damage and also have psychological implications such as cognitive delays or emotional difficulties. Psychological problem often manifest as high risk behaviour problem, depression and anxiety in children Emotion abuse: When a child feel furious, sad and crying and behaving inappropriately in the class that mean he is being emotional abused. Sign: When a child is being emotional abused he may chose dark colour to paint on the paper. Feeling low self esteem, seeking attention from others, behaviour difficulties, continual rocking, hair twisting, delayed development Possible symptom: CYP will delayed in languages development and play skills and have impaired ability to enjoyment in play. Not trusting other and feeling nervous all the time. CYP will feel guilty, ashamed and withdrawal of social interaction. Their mode will change and they frequently blaming others people. - Effects: emotional abuse is the most difficult form of a child maltreatment identify and to prevent. Babies who are emotionally abused may slow or fail to develop. Physical abuse Signs: Physical abuse is when children are being physical abused by someone. This can be involved hitting, biting, punching,  kicking, burning, scalding, shaking, throwing or beating with object such as stick and belt. It also includes poisoning, giving a child alcohol, drug Symptoms: Practitioner need to have acknowledgement of physical abuse and there signs to protect children from harm. Any injuries which parent doesn’t inform practitioner or children may not received medical treatment, can raise concern of abuse. Sometime children may refused to change clothe on PE day because they want to hide their injuries signs - Effects: Physical abuse can lead child physical injuries, disability and in extreme cases can cause death. Physical abuse has been link to emotional aggressive behaviour in children as well as can cause learning difficulties. Sexual abuse sign: Recurrent urinary infection, genital and rectal itching, blood in under paint and soreness, inappropriate behaviour and regarding age and ability, children may feel lack of trust, regression and become isolated and withdrawn Symptom: CYP will behave aggressive and disruptive behaviour and feeling afraid when they left alone. Difficulties in walking and setting and wearing so many layer of clothe. Change in behaviour around specific person and try to avoid familiar adult. Sexual acting and inappropriate sexual play. Also lack of interest playing with friend, sport and any other activities in the school. - Effect; The severe effect of sexual abuse can be on children they may suffer mental health problem, depression, identity confusion, behaviour difficulties and also emotional problem. References Describe That Possible Signs, Symptoms, Indicators and Behaviours That May Cause Concern in the Context of Safeguarding. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Describe-That-Possible-Signs-Symptoms-Indicators-878910.html(5/11/2012) Describe That Possible Signs, Symptoms, Indicators and Behaviours That May Cause Concern in the Context of Safeguarding http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13536 (5/11/2012) Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Symptomhttp://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/signs.cfm(6/11/2012) Meggitt C (2011) Cache Level 3 Diploma Children and Young People

Friday, September 20, 2019

Automotive Industry: General Motors

Automotive Industry: General Motors General motors Introduction Since, from the industrial revolution the automotive industry has been playing an important role in the growth of economies throughout the world. In the 21st century, greater challenges were face by the industry. During this time, the industry undergoes fundamental changes. GM is one of the largest automotive corporations operating in over 70 countries with a presence in more than 200 countries, they have more than 260 major subsidiaries, and they have 395,000 employees working with them in worldwide that translate in to global opportunities that span the planet. On 1908, General motors was founded since then 1931 it has been the global automotive sales leader. Its founder was William c. Durant, James whiting promoted his automobile in 1904. In the present time, GM is having its manufacturing operations in 32 countries and their vehicles are selling in more than 190 countries. General Motors, is also involved in telecommunication, Aerospace, financial and insurance service, Defence, locomotives, automotive systems and Heavy Duty Automotive Transmissions. Here are some of the popular brands of GM such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HUMMER, Opel and some more. The vision of Generals Motors is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. In addition, to earn customers enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by integrity, teamwork and the innovation of GM people. The General Motors company officially became general motors corporation on October 13, 1916. During the Second World War, for helping the allies to victory GM manufacture trucks, tanks, aircrafts and a variety of other military supplies. GM became a dominant force, in the post-war period, a position it would maintain for decades. The post -second war was the golden period for the GM, with a variety of innovations that continually boosted sales. During the 1950s, Chevrolet and Pontiac introduces V8 engine. The CHEV small block V8, it has become one of the longest-lived engine designs in automotive history. By the year 2015, GM is deciding to launch near about nine Hybrid models for sale in the U.S. The Automobile industry has to cope with many unpredictable changes over the next coming years and they can only survived by appropriate strategic planning and implementing them in most suitable way. Analysing the micro economic factors in GM General Motor is an American multinational corporation and is one of the worlds largest automobile companies. According to the NADA, GM total revenue in 2006 was 207.349 billion and in 2008, 182.347 billion and currently employs 284,000 people and their average sales per dealership is 31.9 billion. Key macroeconomic factors that affect GM and the automobile industry are as following Gross domestic products (GDP), Automobile manufacturers policies and prices, Weather peaks Recessions, and Telecommunications and technology Gross domestic product Thegross domestic product(GDP) orgross domestic income(GDI) is a basic measure of a countrys overall economic output. It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year. The automobile manufacturing industry is one of the largest industries within the U.S., and is a vital engine for the U.S. economy contributing greatly to employment and productivity. Reports indicate that motor vehicle production represents over 5 % of the U.S. private sector GDP.The U.S. is the worlds largest producer and consumer of motor vehicles with production reaching 12.2 million units in 2002.The U.S. automotive industry continues to experience on-going organizational and technological change, and have taken steps to increase its global presence by expanding global alliances and seeking greater collaboration with other U.S. automakers. The Big Three U.S. automakers makeup approximately 76 % of U.S. passenger vehicle production, while Japanese automakers, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Isuzu represents 18 %, and European automakers, BMW and Mercedes (division of Daimler-Chrysler) make up nearly 2 %. If they stay off the job to the end of the month, then automotive output, instead of adding 0.1% to third quarter GDP, will subtract 0.2%. If automakers stick to their previously planned reduction in assemblies for the fourth quarter, that quarters GDP will be reduced by 0.5% (at an annual rate). If the UAW stays out through the first week of October, that drag becomes 0.8%. If theyre out for all of October, that drag becomes 1.7%. If UAW members at Ford and Chrysler also walk out and stay out through all of October, fourth quarter GDP would probably shrink. (Economists currently project GDP to grow 2.2% in the current quarter and 1.9% in the fourth, according to a survey by WSJ.com.) According to a Reuters report over 3-thousand U.S. car dealerships could fail this fall and into 2009. All this because of weak sales and customers unable to get the credit they need. However, on a local level one car dealer says things are different. Gross domestic product includes all goods and services produced by either citizen-supplied or foreign-supplied resources employed within the country. The automobile manufacturing industry is one of the largest industries within the U.S. and is a vital engine for the U.S. economy contributing greatly to employment and productivity. Reports indicate that motor vehicle production represents over 5% of the U.S. private sector GDP. Automotive dealerships like GM are required to make profits in order to support their operations. Automobile manufacturers policies and prices The policies and pricing strategy help automobile dealers to create the operating environment for their business. From the 2008 to 2010 we have seen a lot of fluctuation in policies and price due to global financial downturn. The crises have mostly affected the American automobile manufacturing industry. Energy crises from 2003 have lead to the higher price for the automotive fuels discouraging customers to buy sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup trucks, which have low fuel economy. As SUV and pickup trucks was the main focus of big American automobile companies like General Motors which have few fuel efficient models to offer to customs due to which sales began to slide and with the beginning of 2008 situation had turned critical as thecredit crunchplaced pressure on the prices ofraw materials. Most of the American turned to Japanese car more fuel-efficient creating competition and prices war making huge loss for the GM. GMs most of the production line had SUVs and large pickup truck which were more profitable than smaller cars, they would have 15% to 20% profit margin on SUVs and pickup trucks , compared to 3% or less on small fuel efficient cars. Gasoline price rose above $4 per gallon in 2008 most of the Americans stop buying big vehicles that collapse the sales and profitability of the GM.Robert Samuelsonhas advocated a more consistent energy policy, arguing, Wild swings between low and high fuel prices have crippled the U.S. industry by erratically shifting buyer preferences to and from SUVs. In 2008, financial crisis was playing its role stock prices were fallowing down and people were less interested in buying new cars, GM shares fell below 1946 levels creating a panic situation for all the major car manufactures. There was a ray of hope when oil prices fall to $33.87 per barrel on December 19, 2008, but that could help them recover as financial crisis continues even after that. The graph below is showing gasoline prices from January/ 03/ 2003 to November/03/ 2008. We can see how it was steadily going upwards from Jan 2008 when it was $ 28 per barrel until it reached $135 per barrel on July 2008 then going steeply down to$33.87 per barrel on December 2008. Oil prices has a invertible effect on the car sales if oil price is cheaper then sales of big cars will go up and if oil gets expensive sales of cars goes down, though there are also other factors responsible for that but oil prices is definitely one of the major factor. Polices Pension and Health Care Issues A report issued on behalf of the GM stated that an average cost of per car would increase by $1200 per vehicle because of their aging work forces, increase number of retirees and old age benefits and healthcare. This will indirectly affect the sales and prices of the vehicles. Currency Exchange Rates Exchange rate highly affects the automobile industry as many automobile suppliers are from china or any other country. GM have complained to Automotive Trade Policy Council that exchange market intervention by Japanese monetary authorities has frequently prevented market forces from appreciating the yen and thus make difficult for GM to compete against Imports from Japan. Fuel Economy and Emission Standards U.S government has develop higher fuel economy standards and emission standard for carbon dioxide and other green house gases that has highly effected the GM as it mostly produces SUV and other light trucks as it needs to change the design and to introduces new technology which is more clean and reliable. Broader Issues of Automotive Trade Policy As most of the foreign government has trade restrictions and polices that prevent the GM to enter in those country effecting its growth and expansition.GM with the help of the U.S government they are being trying to be active in WTO aimed in removing trade restrictions and policies. Such countries are Brazil, India, Indonesia and the Philippines as they have discriminatory policies so that they are able to promote domestic vehicle and develop national automotive development strategies. Weather peaks The highest selling seasons for automobile dealers are spring and summer. During the spring and summer, the optimism index rises 141% from the downfall incurred during the fall and winter months Recessions From the begin of the 2008 automobile industry was hit hard by the credit crunch specifically U.S market. There was a panic situation people were losing jobs, stocks were going down and customers would not prefer to buy cars on credit or loans even if would buy car that would be more of fuel efficient rather than the GM pickup trucks. According to the John Fleming, president and chief executive of Ford Europe Sales are going down and markets are softening. Means that they are not able to control the market and they cannot predict where it will lead them. SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE GENERAL MOTOR SWOT analysis will help to analysis market positioning and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable for the GM to achieving its objective. Strengths Large market share The market share of GM in the US is plummeting, rather than shrink; it has expected that global car industry will grow radically in the end. Sales growth is expected to come from Middle East, Russia, China and India. While in US and Europe, manufacturing is currently strong. After what happen with the GM, China gave them a good market. The year of 2009 was very successful in China for GM. Plant and equipment The GM has its plants almost all over the world; some of them are US, China, India, Russia, Europe and so many. The US plant was the one of the largest vehicle seller in the world until 2008. They adapt change according to the market and situation, they uses some latest technologies to give the people what they want. One of the technologies that they are using now days for their plants is 3D laser scanning, it can commonly seen in construction sites, GM use it to reduce the development plant layout and design. 3D laser helps them to scan the whole facility, from the roof trusses down to the plant floor. It gives us a complete 3D image, which can be viewed by the automakers throughout the world. According to Bill Campbell, they have scanned an average of 2million ft.2 per facility. The most recent projects was in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. They also believes that using of layout data derived from 3D scanning reduced travel cost and less time wasted. Innovative According to the BCG- business week 2008 survey, GM was ranked in top 20 Innovations Company in the world. Onstar satellite technology, was developed in 1996 it have 3 million subscribers and is standard on all GM vehicles. This is the technology, which helps us while in emergency and theft. Weakness Behind on Alternative Energy Movement This is GMs one of the biggest weakness. Because, in the market GM was one-step behind from the competition of alternative energy/hybrid vehicles. This create many problems for GM, includes loss of market share and the companies profit was affected by this also. Organisational structure In GM, there was a lack of information between employees from top to bottom, and this was one of the causes of falling behind of the alternative energy movement. There was a communication problem between the employees and employer. Stagnant profitability As we know GM is struggling now a days to get back in to the position where the GM was. The ROE has significantly decreased over the recent years it is now 10% and the margin of the company is 1.5%. This is also one of the falling point of GM , because the shareholders was thinking about their shares so they were not pleased with this situation. US market dependent GM became too dependent on US market. This was one of the causes of the failure. GM has been ignoring the competition in 1960s GM controlled half of the North American vehicle market and the latest figure shows its only now 19%. Poor credit The US auto industry is in a big slump. GM bank account is shrinking by $1 billion a month. The issue is can general motor will be their where it was. Since from 1992, the market share has fallen from 34% that year to 19%. The company wasted around $2 billion on an investment of Fiat and many billions on the Delphi. The management also wrecked GMAC its car loan subsidiary, by lending money to people who could not pay it back. Opportunity Globally expanding GM is the strong company with high quality production and has a range of new exciting products, which they can represent internationally. They need to inflate into the new markets and expand internationally. Many new countries have started free trade policies GM needs to explore these countries such as India and china, as its been assumed that within coming years Asia will be the biggest market for the car industries. Along the way, they need to continue to focus on there on home market. Available Governmental support GM has an immense support from the government. U.S government has supportive and encouraging polices for the American companies .GM can use government policies support to promote its growth outside the American continent. Development of the new models GM had worlds one of the first RD centre .They have scientific skills and expertise to develop new technological vehicle which are more fuel efficient and uses green technology. It is necessary for them to develop hybrid cars to protect them from enormous competition from japans car industry .the new government regulations tough and against high consumption cars which is the expertise of GM so they need to change the table round and change weakness into opportunity. They have the resources as well as technical skills all they need is the motivation and ability to do it. Threats Competition from foreign markets The slow death of GM, in the 1970 it had nearly 60% of automobile market and foreign share was only 10% that time in the US. Now the foreign brands dominate the GM market in the US and the GM shares little more than 20%. Reasons for GMs decline: GM major cost disadvantages was their production sites, which were in the U.S making their labour costly, then there competitor. Then strike threat came from sites around the country. They were threatened walkouts at plants in Parma, OH; Mansfield, OH; Grand Rapids, MI; Kansas City, KS; Flint MI and Arlington. Due to which they agreed to the demands of United Auto Workers (UAW) union that lead to increase in costs leaving GM to suffer higher loses.0 Financial slowdown From the year 2003 it has been a difficult times for GM firstly increased prices of the oil made it difficult for them to increase their sale and it decrease their profit margin, and years after they were hit by recession in 2008 that tumbled there whole industrial structure. The reason they were not able to cope up with the recession was there high cost of operation and over expansion that lead to disintegration leaving higher losses than ever. Secondly, high competition from japans companies made it difficult for the GM survival. GM and organisational development Organisational development is a soft methodology intended for use in complex situations to provide intervention strategy for the change management. GM has developed organisational strategy so that they have the ability to deal with organisational problems, cultural diversity, stability and political bargaining. Methodology for the OD was to develop unified system for the employees. However, one of the reasons it was introduce as employees of GM are quite inflexible and they could not cope with such pressure from the change. Change is never easy, especially in a vast, global organization like GM, which has been struggling with a change agenda for years and they have to change as shares are going down as last year it weathered an 18% dip in its U.S. market. GM finally understands that keeping its leadership position in the worldwide auto business demands deep-seated change. GM wants to develop the change management so that they are able to- Create a care work place in professional practice environment that promotes a high quality service, equality of opportunity, and political and public accountability. Making best use of money, people and other resources for and with the users of services to achieve the agreed objectives; Supporting best qualities direct and public services; Given clear messages to everybody about everything we do GM needs to diagnose the issue by theOrganisational Design Wheel that they are able to build momentum for change. Organisational tool gives us insight that for any organisational success its focus should be Mission and vision, which need to be align with organisation, process, people and direction setting and it should be backed up by the its organisational structure ,strategy,leadership,processes,culture and performances. This is the kind of the structure, which GM needs to develops but to reach here they need to go through a lot change management. For the development of the OD and change management, GM needs to Connect OD initiatives to strategic business models and Use the action research process to diagnose opportunities for improving the organisation. Define critical success factors and target specific interventions for hard-hitting, bottom-line OD. Articulate their role as an internal OD consultant. Leave with practical tools and advice that are immediately applicable to the companys OD initiatives. Organisational Analysis and Design The design of an organisation can affect everything as for the GM has gone through over expansion creating disintegration in controlling the organisation effectively. They will need to change the structure from the top to bottom so that they are able to develop proper workflow that will lead to ultimate success at the bottom line. GM needs to develop a change management program that targets GM employees that will help them to learn the dynamics, processes, and challenges inherent in analysing and designing an organisation to achieve business results. These applications of a systematic approach for guiding an organisational design effort, from problem identification, and planning the transformation, will ensure these efforts are align with the organisations mission and values. Organisational Culture and Change In todays worlds, Organisations today experience change in faster cycles than ever before. This is due to the mergers and acquisitions, turnaround situations, and organisational restructuring place pressure on strategy and performance. General motor has over expanded through merger and acquisition making them difficult to restructure their organisation. If they want to be able to deliver positive business results they need to competent internal change agents and access them, test their reliability. During the change management employees are most affected by it so GM needs to change in most appropriate way so that they are able to adopt it. According to the Bennis in his early work Organizational Development: nature, origins prospects defines OD as: a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets and challenges. According to the change, curve employees go through five stages shock and denial, anger, depression and detachment, dialogue and bargaining and acceptances. Shock and denial- when organisation implements change management in the company employees at first avoid and as well, as get confused with it. Anger with the new regulation and rules make employees frustrated and irritated against the change, which for any organisation is difficult, and they need to overcome from it very quickly. Depression and dialogue are interrelated stage, which lead to the acceptances. Acceptances is when employees are able to understand and explore new system how is it more efficient and beneficial for employees and organisation. Best Practices in Succession Management Succession management is a critical determinant of marketplace longevity for organisations. To develop best practices that will help to sustain competitive edge. For the GM employees and HR managers have to develop skills of succession management such as- Select options for assessing the core talent pool, and identifying and supporting high potentials Set up and execute effective succession planning review meetings Integrate succession management within the broader human resource system Utilise techniques for knowledge transfer of critical intellectual property Implement new models for both technical and management succession planning Drill down into succession management beyond the top management layer Design and Implement Leadership Development Systems When it comes to developing the leaders within an organisation, the stakes are high and the potential payoff is enormous. How to create a rationale for developing leaders in the organisation Identifying the leadership capabilities required in the near future, and assess talent gaps Determine the most efficient and effective means of developing the talent to meet the organisations needs Incorporate action learning into leadership development initiatives Understand how to create a system that aligns the organisational leadership programs with elements of strategy, culture, and business initiatives Model for Change Management There are numerous well-organized models that can help in change management in the organisation and for the GM will be The McKinsey 7S Framework. Some of the approaches have been around for many years. For example, many organizations undertake strategic planning. The implementation of strategic planning, when done in a systematic, cyclical and explicit approach, is strategic management. Strategic management is also one model for ensuring the success of change efforts. The McKinsey 7S Framework There are many models for the analysis of the organisations position and its objects some of them will analysis internal factors, others will analysis external ones, some of them combines these perspectives, and others look for congruence between various aspects of the organization. At the end it comes down to which factors that will affect the organisation. Tom Peters and Robert Waterman developed the McKinsey 7S framework in the early 1980s while working at the McKinsey Company consulting firm, the basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. The 7S model has a ability to be used in variety of situations where an alignment perspective is useful. It will help the company to develop better strategic planning process. It is used to analysis four basic things- Improve the performance of a company. Examine the likely effects of future changes within a company. Align departments and processes during a merger or acquisition. Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy. The McKinsey 7S model involves seven either interdependent factors, which are categorized as hard, or soft elements: Hard elements are easier to identify and it directly influences management. These processes are strategy statements; organization charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems. On the other hand, soft elements are much more difficult to describe, as they are less tangible and more influenced by culture of the organisation. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful. Figure 1 below the model is representing in a way that change in one element will create a change in other .in this way it shows how these are linked other. If these new model is added in the GM organisational structure it will give them the stability they need to regain their number one marketing position. Each element represent an organisational structure and it is very important to understand how it will affect the organisation as a whole. Strategy:the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. Structure:the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom. Systems:the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. Shared Values:called super ordinate goals when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. Style:the style of leadership adopted. Staff:the employees and their general capabilities. Skills:the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company. This model will help and analysis GM performances. The model is based on the theory that, for an organization to perform well, these seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing. So, the model can be used to help identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance, or to maintain alignment (and performance) during other types of change. Whatever the type of change restructuring, new processes, organizational merger, new systems, change of leadership, and so on the model can be used to understand how the organizational elements are interrelated, and so ensure that the wider impact of changes made in one area is taken into consideration. You can use the 7S model to help analyze the current situation (Point A), a proposed future situation (Point B) and to identify gaps and inconsistencies between them. Its then a question of adjusting and tuning the elements of the 7S model to ensure that your organization works effectively and well once you reach the desired endpoint. Sounds simple? Well, of course not: Changing your organization probably will not be simple at all! Whole books and methodologies are dedicated to analyzing organizational strategy, improving performance and managing change. The 7S model is a good framework to help you ask the right questions but it wont give you all the answers. For that youll need to bring together the right knowledge, skills and experience. When it comes to asking the right questions, weve developed a Mind Tools checklist and a matrix to keep track of how the seven elements align with each other. Supplement these with your own questions, based on your organizations specific circumstances and accumulated wisdom.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Dammed Dams :: essays research papers

Dammed Dams The basic principle of a dammed dam is to prevent water from being passed. People have been continuing and to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. If one takes a weighing scale and put the benefits of the damns on one side and the side effects on the other side, the side effects will out weight the benefits 10 times over. One of these dammed dams has been placed on the river Colorado, actually not one but 40 of these dreaded dams. We should actually change the term River to a huge plumbing system. The Colorado River is known as the most controlled and legislated river in the world. In order to satisfy the needs of humans we have created the one of the largest plumbing system in the world so that we can go to our fridge and have a glass of water. The water has been taken from the river and the fridge has bee powered by the hydroelectric generators, which have been installed on the dammed damns. The consequence of these damn has been devastating to the environment. I therefore urge the student government association to organize an environment exposition so we can educate the students of Embry Riddle. These dammed dams have had devastating effects on the ecosystem, which depends on the constant flow of the river to survive. Fish such has salmon and other species have considerably declined due to the fact they cant reach their breeding grounds. There are four fishes which are listed on the endangered species list and for them to be listed on the list it took a law suite!! I mean why does it have to take law suite to acknowledge the critical habitat of these species If one decides to fish on this river one has to keep in mind that most of the water is destined for the fountains in Las Vegas and the swimming pools in California. So I urge the student association to organize a exposition so we may realize that the water the fishes are swimming in is already bought. Where does all this water go? Water the most unique compound on earth, which is required to sustain life by all life forms, is been used to the extent that at our currant progress of water consumption we will have a water war in the next 2 centuries! So where does all this water go?

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Effect of Language in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita Essay -- Nabokov L

The Effect of Language in Lolita      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What really is reality? How can we define reality? The very nature of such a subjective subject means that there are as many answers as there are questioning minds on the planet. Therefore, reality can only be defined as what it means to each of us. We learn particular ways of looking at life from our experiences, which we gain from our interactions with others. This is the basis of an elaborate theory called "the social construction of reality." In modern America, one of the largest social groups to which we can belong, certain values are instilled into our impressionable minds; for example, not many of us would accept pedophilia. Or would we? What if our interactions with others molded our susceptible minds so well, and so discreetly, that we came to casually accept pedophilia without knowing we were being deftly manipulated? This is the magic of Lolita, which does just that. The richness and playfulness of Humbert's prose; prominent allusions; foresha dowing; and eloquence; makes it difficult to relate to Humbert as anything less than a masterful lyricist, much less a pedophilic murderer, and pushes the reader to twist ethics until the situation is no longer seen from society's eyes, but from Humbert's. In fact, the complex riddles that Vladimir Nabokov employs beyond Humbert's own words, which further include such devices as foreshadowing and obscure jokes, cause us to become so absorbed in the cleverness of the book and its author that we nearly dismiss pedophilia as second nature to the intricate use of language. Once our morals are firmly in place, it's difficult for us to imagine them being warped or even forgotten, but Lolita manages to make us question th... ...ook down and feel pity for Humbert when Lolita runs away, then realize that we felt pity when we should have felt vengeance. Works Cited Couturier, Maurice. "The Poerotic Novel: Nabokov's Lolita and Ada." 27 Jan. 2002. <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/iasweb/nabokov/coutur1.htm> Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Vintage, 1955. Rivers, J.E., Charles Nicol. Nabokov's Fifth Arc: Nabokov and Others on his Life's Work. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1982. Wood, Michael. The Magician's Doubts: Nabokov and the Risks of Fiction. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. Poe, Edgar Allen. "Edgar Allen Poe - The Academy of American Poets." 16 Mar. 2002. <http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?prmID=2212> Eliot, T.S. "Ash Wednesday by T.S. Eliot." 16 Mar. 2002. <http://web.mit.edu/ashah/www/ashwed.html>   

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Machieavelli’s Values of a Successful Ruler

â€Å"Cruel to be kind† is a cliche often used in modern society. It suggests using rather harsh means in order to accomplish benevolent ends. For example a parent grounds his or her child for a month after the child is caught smoking. The child thinks the punishment austere, but the parent inflicted the penalty to show the child that smoking is unhealthy and that he or she is breaking the law. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote â€Å"The Qualities of the Prince† to demonstrate how a ruler should rule and be successful doing so. He asserts that the prince (or ruler) must use questionable means to be an effective ruler and that a successful ruler exhibits questionable or nearly corrupt qualities. Three of these qualities are making one's only profession war, miserliness, and deceitfulness. Machieavelli's values of a successful prince (or ruler) sound remarkably similar to those equated with modern day politicians. The values he praises, however, are seen as faults and would not lead a politician to success presently. A prince, therefore, must not have any other object nor any other thought, nor must he take anything as his profession but war, its institutions, and its disciplines†¦ (Jacobus 35). † Machiavelli first states that war is very important in finding success. Having an overwhelming army is how most princes come into power and how most regain power when it is lost. In present day America, all public officials are elected. Although, the process prior to being elected may very well be likened to war, no physicality is employed. One may decide to campaign on a platform of war, but is not likely to prove prosperous as the vast majority of American citizens are opposed to war unless absolutely necessary. There are instances, however, where war is necessary. Were America being invaded, the public would cry for war in order to defend the country. But, using war to gain power in America would be considered a substantial offense, and the perpetrator could be sentenced to life (likely at the very least) or even be deported. Thus, we see an unnecessary concentration will not lead a politician to prosper. War expends a country's resource. One of those resources is money. â€Å"In our times we have not seen great deeds accomplished except by those who were considered miserly†¦ (Jacobus 39). † Thrift is considered a virtue while miserliness a fault. Being thrifty means being more efficient with one's money while miserliness refusing to spend it. Thrift is an excellent quality for a politician to have. That means he or she is good at managing money and that is an exceedingly important quality for one to have, especially in this age of foreign debt, inflation, and stock mark instability. Miserliness, on the other hand, denotes bad money management. If a politician is unwilling to spend money, no government- funded programs would get off of the ground; those programs already established would die. Machiavelli comments that in the practice of miserliness the ruler need not impose taxes. As much as any American citizen hates even the thought of taxes, they are absolutely necessary in order to keep our economical system functioning. Perhaps what the average American hates more than miserliness is deceit. One sees from the experience of our times that the princes who have accomplished great deeds are those who have cared little for keeping their promises and who have known how to manipulate the minds of men by shrewdness; and in the end they have surpassed those who laid their foundations upon honesty (Jacobus 43). † The most common stereotype with which we label politicians is that of having two faces or being deceitful. Politicians are well known for being liars and there is nothing they can do to escape this designation. They are always seen as saying one thing and doing another. He or she makes their platform tax breaks, but when he or she gets into office, they sign a bill to raise taxes. Deceit can only take one so far. After the population learns of the deceitful ways of their elected official, that official will not be re-elected. Machiavelli presents compelling arguments as to the success of his qualities. However, presently each of those values are despised by the majority of the American public. It scorns war, it detests miserliness, and it abhors deceit (perhaps this one above all). Therefore, we see that Machiavelli's qualities would not lead a present day politician to success. The ideal leader is an honest and thrifty man who can fight his battles without the use of force. These characteristics apparently lead few men to successful leadership in the time of Machiavelli. However, One cannot expect things to be the same in this era as they were when Machiavelli lived, but there are some interesting parallels that present themselves when his words are analyzed.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Types of Motivation

Edgar McCarthy Types of Motivation Professor: Dr. Clemons 4-8-13 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for a Bachelor of Science Degree Week# 3 Westwood College Types of Motivation 1. Emphasis on personnel motives and values. An effective motivation plan must take into consideration the motives and values of employees. Criminal workers have motives and values that stress public service as well as personal interests; they want to ne in profession that is both appreciated and remunerated fairly and appropriately.Often criminal justice administrators are indifferent to or unaware of just how important the motives and values of employees are. Those in leadership positions must offer a set of motives and values as guidance for subordinates. By having an articulated mission statement, for example the important motives and values of the organization become known, and employees are able to see how they fit into larger picture of the organization. 2. Use of incentitives and rewards. Employees need incentitives to meet expectations and appropriate rewards for jobs well done.A major challenge for criminal justice administrators is the creation of formal and informal approaches to recognize and reward employees. The types of rewards can be varied. Monetary rewards are often difficult to provide, but other types of rewards, such as informal praise when a job is handled well and employee recognition programs can be given. 3. Reinforcement. Administrators must develop feedback mechanism so that workers understand that their performance is appropriate on assigned tasks. More often than not, the immediate supervisor provides little or no feedback to subordinates.This creates much anxiety and uncertainty among employees, causing their motivation to wane. 4. Specific and clear goals. All theories of motivation highlight the importance of goals or expected outcomes to the motivation process. This is probably the most difficult and problematical area in motivating criminal justice emplo yees. As public agencies, criminal justice organizations are expected to address multiple, and sometimes conflicting, goals; consequently, specifying goals and prioritizing them can be very difficult. This difficulty, more than any other, poses problems for administrators.Goal clarity and goal consensus may not be possible in criminal justice organizations and, as a consequence, developing effective motivation plans will be difficult. 5. Sufficient personal and material resources. The organization must have a sufficient number of resources, both human and financial, to create a proper motivating environment for employees. Examples of such resources include support and training programs for employees, outlets for employees that allow socialization and the development of informal groups, and material support, such as adequate supplies and equipment, for tasks to be accomplished and goal attained.Managers that take these ideas can make criminal justice organizations more aware of the m otivation needs of employees. Positive motivation is the single most important element for job satisfaction and department success which then equates into community approval and support. By establishing and implementing changes to import motivation then attitudes will shift and the productive transformation will be apparent. References Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management By Stan Stojkovic, David B. Kalinich, John Klofas http://lawenforcementtoday. com/2011/10/31/motivational-policing/

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Assessment is the most powerful tool for learning

Appraisal in assorted signifiers has been in usage for a long clip, Wainer & A ; Braun 1988 study that insistent appraisal was in usage within China from about 2200 B.C. These trials were organised harmonizing to the rule that a little set of personal accomplishments measurings could bespeak how a individual was traveling to execute. However, within instruction, there is limited grounds for execution of dependable and valid appraisals of pupil public presentation before the morning of the twentieth century. Dochy, F. , & A ; McDowell, L. ( 1997 ) , Newton, P. ( 2010 ) , Black, P, Harrison, C, Lee, C, Marshall, B & A ; Wiliam, D ( 2003 ) all agree that instruction is recognised across the universe as possibly the most critical public service of all, and that within instruction, appraisal is indispensable to let all pupils to be given the educational support they require, and to let the pedagogue to find the effectivity of different educational methods within the pupils larning procedu re. Summational and formative appraisals can be identified as the cardinal methods by which instructors and other educational professionals gather grounds of pupil acquisition. This does non connote that there should be a pick between appraisal for larning ( formative appraisal ) and appraisal of acquisition ( summational appraisal ) , as both have instruction maps that support pupil accomplishment. Assessment for larning explores the possibility for accomplishment for acquisition by the pupil, and indicates the following measure to be taken in order to advance larning through the kineticss of instruction and acquisition, whereas, appraisal of acquisition shows what has been already achieved, memorised, absorbed and displays merely a limited snapshot of the current scholastic state of affairs. With the usage of appraisal for acquisition, learning professionals are able to supply penetrations into advancement that a pupil has achieved, and how the school and its staff have contributed to this development. Wiliam, D. and Leahy, S. ( 2007 ) indicates that the compelling issue is guaranting that the chosen type of appraisal best suits the educational acquisition end and intent of the pupil. If the educational intent is to better acquisition, so of course, appraisal for larning would be best suited. However, if the educational intent is to describe on a current state of affairs and to compare students against pre-determined criterions or other pupils, so appraisal of acquisition should be used. Although some tools used for both signifiers of appraisal may be the same, for illustration verbal inquiring, the cardinal issues emerging from the feedback provided by educational professionals Black, P, Harrison, C, Lee, C, Marshall, B & A ; Wiliam, D 2003 indicates that it is imperative to maintain focused on the fact that appraisal for larning purposes at bettering acquisition, whereas appraisal of larning purposes at mensurating public presentation of the pupils. Summational appraisal besides ensures answerability of educational constitutions and the professionals working within those constitutions. Professionals and cons Black, P. , et Al, ( 2003 ) tells us that although appraisal today can be placed within these two countries of formative and summational appraisal, their definitions may hold become confused in the past few old ages, peculiarly the definition of formative appraisal. Harlen, W. ( 2004 ) Indicates that a instructors ‘ deficiency of apprehension of the cardinal differences between appraisal for acquisition and appraisal of larning can take to confusion within the category room, and hinder educational advancement of the pupil if appraisal is non used in the right manner. ( Harlen, W. ( 2004 ) . Appraisal of acquisition may be conducted by professionals who are external to the school, for illustration educational inspectors, who may be required to supply a snapshot of an educational constitution at a peculiar point in clip. However, they may non ever know or understand the school context and life in the necessary item in order to supply a balanced appraisal. As seen late with the debut of conference tabular arraies ( dcsf.gov.uk 2009 ) , there is a high hazard of the incorrect type of appraisal being used to rate instructors, pupils and educational installations as successes or failures. Short-run summational public presentation appraisals may neglect to take history of the scene in which pedagogues and scholars map, taking to a spiral of â€Å" Teach to prove † methods where the lives of pupils and everyone involved in their instruction, progressively revolve around trials. Teachers hence narrow their course of study to learn to the trial, and school decision makers and the general populace are going score-obsessed. Appraisal for Learning ( formative appraisal ) is concerned with roll uping grounds about larning that is used to accommodate instruction and program following educational stairss. Evidence about acquisition is important as it indicates if there has been a displacement, or non, in the procedure of larning for a given pupil. On the footing of such grounds, instructors can explicate targets/goals and are able to supply pupils with feedback about their acquisition ( Hattie and Timperly, 2007 ) , clearly bespeaking to pupils non merely what they need to larn, but besides giving them information on how best they can larn it, hence lending to pupils ‘ contemplation on their ain acquisition. Recent research on the topic of appraisal and acquisition ( Black and Wiliam, 1998 ; Black et al. , 2002 ) provides strong grounds that appraisal can be used to better academic degrees and criterions, in peculiar, formative appraisal where pupils have a common apprehension of the marks they are dr aw a bead oning to make and how to make them can be an effectual tool to better acquisition. Black and Wiliam ( 1998 ) , Boud, D ( 1995 ) to boot reported that significant betterments in overall public presentation, in peculiar with low-attainers, could be successfully achieved where self appraisal was used to promote larning within those pupils. ( It is normally agreed that appraisal is one of the most powerful educational tools for advancing effectual acquisition ) . Both are needed In a balanced appraisal system, both summational and formative appraisals are an built-in portion of any information assemblage procedure about any pupil. Therefore, if an pedagogue depends excessively much on one or the other, so it could be said that the world of pupil accomplishment in the schoolroom is inaccurate. Teachers find themselves transforming their instruction as on-going appraisal reveals how pupils approach undertakings, what helps them larn most efficaciously, and what schemes support their acquisition. The more instructors understand about what pupils know and how they think, the more capacity they have to reform their instruction, and the more chances they create for pupil success. In a reappraisal of research on appraisal and schoolroom acquisition, commissioned by the The Nuffield Foundation, Professors Paul Black and Dylan William carried out over 250 surveies associating appraisal and acquisition ( Black, P.J. and William, D1998 ) . the surveies showed that thoughts designed to heighten the manner appraisal is used by instructors in the schoolroom to promote acquisition, can well increase the pupil ‘s accomplishment. The survey besides found grounds that the addition was even more likely to be significant for low-achieving pupils. The research besides showed that bettering larning through assessment depends on cardinal factors such as: effectual feedback by the instructor to the pupils, active engagement of pupils in their ain acquisition, accommodation of learning manners to take history of the consequences of appraisal, and a acknowledgment by the instructor that assessment influences the self-esteem and motive of pupils. However, the research besid es identified several inhibiting factors: a inclination for instructors to measure measure and presentation of work instead than the quality of acquisition, excessively much focal point on marker and scaling, which tended to take down the self-pride of pupils, and instead than giving advice and counsel on betterment there was a strong focal point on comparing pupils which demotivated and demoralised the less successful pupils. In this instance it could be said that instructors ‘ feedback to pupils served societal and control intents instead than assisting the pupils to larn more efficaciously, possibly due to instructors non cognizing plenty about their pupils ‘ acquisition demands and motive. More by and large, on pupil motive, Harlen W. , & A ; Deakin Crick R. ( 2002 ) carried out the most extended reappraisal of research in recent old ages on the consequence of summational proving. They found that those trials that were seen as â€Å" high bets † de-motivated many pupils. However, it has been argued that some pupils thrive in the face of nerve-racking challenges and in fact, external trials and scrutinies do motivate pupils to take what they are larning earnestly. Additionally, DFES 2007 tells us that the UK authorities has late suggested this, when suggesting debut of new trials. ( Roach, P. 1999 ) besides promotes the usage of summational equal appraisal, but to boot stresses the troubles faced by instructors in larning to release control of the appraisal procedure. The thought of turning over summational appraisal to pupils could be seen as debatable, but it has the potency for back uping deep acquisition within those pupils. The value of both ego and peer app raisal is discussed in Brown and Glasner 1999, who province that pupils are required to larn by prosecuting in assessed undertakings. Assessment is non peripheral to the larning undertaking or a necessary immorality to be endured, It is cardinal to the whole acquisition procedure. Assessment, including contemplation on their ain work and that of their equals, is the larning itself. Assessment should supply an drift for pupil acquisition and to boot a accelerator for brooding instruction patterns. Teacher accomplishments Therefore, it is cardinal to the development of appropriate appraisal that there must be a direct nexus between what is being â€Å" taught † and what is being â€Å" learned. † Both instructor and pupil must be able to place this nexus. As described by Lorin, W. et.al 2001, the instructor needs to guarantee that the undertaking both in footings of the instructional procedure and the topic aims, is relevant and valid to guarantee that the larning experience of the pupil will ensue in the building of new cognition through a procedure that assembles personally identified content and accomplishments. Therefore, all farther appraisal may be reinforced by clear and concise categorization of larning results by the instructor to the pupil. Similar to pupils, instructors are besides scholars as they examine multiple measurings of pupil attitude and public presentation, every bit good as degrees of satisfaction. As modern instruction moves towards formative appraisal, and pupils are no longer being educated to execute rote undertakings focused on cognition and apprehension, there is a greater demand for instructors be supported as they get extra acquisition and learning accomplishments as Godheads and users of formative appraisal. Bullard, P. and Taylor B.O. ( 1994 ) suggest that all instructors who integrate appraisal into their instruction do so in order to place where their pupils are in their acquisition, and the stairss they need to take for betterment and advancement. However, historically instructors were frequently expected to be inactive Jesuss of course of study pre-packaged by a Government section and, or a distant text edition publication company. The turning motion towards instructors being shapers and users of assessment informations reflects the displacement from instructor as educational assembly line workers, to the facilitators of life-time scholar. Formative appraisal, for illustration, is assessment that is designed to back up larning. In recent old ages the importance of implementing appraisal in this signifier has come to the head, mostly because of Black and William ‘s ( 1998 ) often cited reappraisal of their research and evidentiary notes. Black and William ‘s grounds strongly supported the effectivity of formative appraisal and its publicity of larning. In acknowledgment of this fact, over a proportionally short period of clip their research has been recognized as the manner frontward by a assortment of educationists and non least by instructors themselves. This grass roots growing in acceptance by the instruction and educational sphere was bolstered by research-based rules designed to supply a principle for schoolroom pattern ( ARG, 2002 ; Gardner, 2006 ) . In â€Å" The Socrates Syndrome – Questions that should ne'er be Asked † Campbell ( 1995 ) suggests that true instruction is a â€Å" life-time of seamless experience, linking single episodes into an of all time spread outing web of significance, penetration and apprehension. † But Campbell besides acknowledges that inquiring the sorts of inquiries that make this true instruction possible is endangering. However, in the eyes of many of today ‘s educational professionals, an extraordinary assortment of classroom-targeted enterprises has been unleashed on schools over the past decennary and more, all with the same general purpose, that of the betterment of pupil acquisition. Appraisal by instructors, whether formative or summational, is one of these developments that is considered to offer important potency for bettering pupils ‘ acquisition ( Black and Wiliam, 1998 ; Harlen, 2007 ) . Darling Hammond, ( 1996 ) suggest that the focal point needs to be about assisting instructors use appraisal as portion of instruction and acquisition in ways that will raise pupils ‘ accomplishment. the usage of formative appraisal, Sadler, D.R. ( 1998 ) tells us that the most successful acquisition takes topographic point when pupils have ownership of their acquisition, understand the marks they are taking to accomplish, are motivated, and have the applicable accomplishments and tools in topographic point to assist them accomplish success. Therefore, non merely are these the most indispensable characteristics of effectual daily acquisition in any schoolroom, they are the basis of successful womb-to-tomb acquisition for all pupils. With this in head, it appears that the most of import message now facing the educational community is that appraisal, which is explicitly designed to advance acquisition, is the individual most powerful tool we have for both raising criterions and a uthorising womb-to-tomb scholars. The value that appraisal can hold in the procedure of acquisition every bit good as for rating work and entering accomplishment has been widely recognised ( TGAT 1998 ) . ( It is normally agreed that appraisal is one of the most powerful educational tools for advancing effectual acquisition ) . In decision Promoting kids ‘s acquisition is a chief purpose of schools and that appraisal lies at the bosom of that procedure. Additionally assessment should be seen as powerful tool for larning and non entirely a political solution to comprehend jobs over educational criterions and answerability. it can be said that appraisal is one of the most powerful educational tools for advancing effectual acquisition. It is an built-in portion in the instruction and larning procedure across all degrees of instruction. Therefore, due to assessment being one of the most important and of import parts in the hereafter of pupils, there can be perfectly no uncertainty that any assessment system now or in the hereafter will hold a major make up one's minding factor in what pupils learn and the manner in which they carry out that larning. Hence appraisal will besides find the manner in which instruction professionals teach and what they teach. But as antecedently stated, appraisal is non merely about rating and transporting out scrutinies. It is besides about constructing a instruction relationship with pupils and the quality of the pupils larning and with that, to utilize that cognition and apprehension to heighten the pupils larning experience. Therefore it can be said that appraisal is unamb iguously one of the chief constituents of the instruction and acquisition procedure. It is hence of the most importance that all instructors are familiar non merely with the proficient facets of the different signifiers of appraisal presently in usage but besides with their advantages and restrictions in the current instruction sphere.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Fundamental Attribution Error Essay

The human nature is an interesting subject to study, each individual has their own way of seeing things in their own perspective or ways of persuading others, in order to make sense of their own life’s. Fundamental attribution error being one important concept, this explains a persons behavior, how a person can underestimate circumstances yet overestimate ones characteristics. For example if a man didn’t hold the door for woman when walking into a store, the woman behind him might conclude that man doesn’t have manners or is uncivil. That woman interrupted the situation in her perspective without considering situational factors, such as, he might have been running late or he didn’t notice another person behind him. People will judge primarily on their experience with that individual without considering other factors or placing their selves in their situation. An important researcher known as Milgram, he challenged the demands of authority on obedience, and how far are people willing to conform to orders. Milgram analyses social compliance and obedience toward superior in his experiment. In the study there is a learner, teacher and administrator, each of whom play an important role in the experiment. The teacher is the one giving the questions to the learner and if the learner gets the answer wrong the teacher is obligated to shock the learner. The administrator has the authority to tell the teacher to increase the level on the shock generator. When the learner continues get an answer incorrect the shocks get stronger from 15 to 450 volts and so the learner refuses to continue because he cannot endure anymore pain. The teacher complies with the commands given by administrator to keep going even if the learner is hurt. Milgram experiment was successful and demonstrates how people obey to represent cooperativeness or by fear even if it goes against better judgment. The concept of fundamental attribution error and Milgram’s research on obedience takes an important role in David’s response to his history teacher’s question to why so many German people complied with Hitler’s order to systematically slaughter millions of innocent Jews. David’s response being, â€Å"because German’s were unusually cruel, sadistic people with abnormal and twisted personalities. † The fundamental attribution error in David’s response is when he penalized every single person in the German population for being all cruel, sadistic, abnormal and twisted personalities. He used Germans behavior as a significant factor as their external disposition to judge all Germans for their actions. Also in David’s response, the German population was responsible for the harm to the Jewish community, although Hitler was the prime leader and influenced the outbreak of the Nazi Party. Hitler’s leadership illustrates a great example of Milgram’s research, of abuse of power and obedience in German society. Milgram reveals how people, in this situation German citizens obeyed to higher authority either because of fear or collaboration. David was not able to see the underlining causation of Germany’s injustice, although this is common act, people are usually compelled to unrightfully circumstances and overestimating people.

Pakistan’s Banking Sector Current Situation And Critical Issues

Pakistan’s banking sector reforms which were initiated in the early 1990s have transformed the sector into an efficient, sound and strong banking system. The most recent comprehensive assessment carried out jointly by the World Bank and the IMF in 2004 came to the following conclusion: â€Å" for reaching reforms have resulted in a more efficient and competitive financial system In particular, the predominantly state-owned banking system has been transformed into one that is predominantly under the control of the private sector. The legislative framework and the State Bank of Pakistan’s supervisory capacity have been improved substantially. As a result, the financial sector is sounder and exhibits an increased resilience to shocks. † The major changes that have occurred in the banking sector during the last decade or so can be summarized as follows: a) 80 percent of the banking assets are held by the private sector banks and the privatization of nationalized commercial banks has brought about a culture of professionalism and service orientation in place of bureaucracy and apathy. ) The banks that were losing money due to inefficiencies, waste and limited product range have become highly profitable business. These profits are, however, being used to strengthen the capital base of the banks rather than paying out to the shareholders. The minimum capital requirements have been raised from Rs. 500 million to Rs. 6 billion over an extended period in a phased manner. The consolidation of the banking sector into fewer but stronger banks will lead to better management of risk. c) The banks that were burdened with the non-performing and defaulted loans have cleared up their balance sheets in an open transparent, cross-the-board manner. Contrary to the popular myth the main beneficiaries of the wirite-offs of the old outstanding and unrecoverable loans have been from almost 25 percent to 6. 7 percent by Dec. 2005. Small individual borrowers the ratio of non-performing loans of the Commercial Banks to total advances has declined. d) The quality of new assets has improved as stringent measures are taken to appraise new loans, and assure the underlying securities. Online Credit Information Bureau reports provide updated information to the banks about the credit history and track record of the borrowers. Loan approvals on political considerations have become passe. Non-performing loans account for less than 3 percent of all new loans disbursed since 1997. e) The human resources base of the banks has been substantially upgraded by the adoption of the principles of merit and performance throughout the industry. Recruitment is done through a highly competitive process and promotions and compensation are linked to training, skills and high performance. The banks now routinely employ MBAs, M. Coms, Chartered Accountants, IT graduates, economists and other highly educated persons rather than Clerical and Non Clerical Workers. The banking industry has become the preferred choice of profession among the young graduates. f) Banking Technology that was almost non-existent in Pakistan until a few years ago is revolutionizing the customer services and access on-line banking, Internet banking, ATMs, mobile phone banking and other modes of delivery have made it possible to provide convenience to the customers while reducing the transaction costs to the banks. Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Smart Cards etc. are a thriving and expanding business in Pakistan. Once the RTGS is put in place the payment system in Pakistan. Would enter a new phase of modernization. ) Competition among the banks has forced them to move away from the traditional limited product range of credit to the government and the public sector enterprises, trade financing, big name corporate loans, and credit to multinationals to an ever-expanding menu of products and services. The borrower base of the banks has expanded four fold in the last six years as the banks have diversified into agriculture, SMEs, Consumers financing, mortgages, etc. The middle class that could not afford to buy cars or apartments as they did not have the financial strength for cash purchases are the biggest beneficiaries of these new products and services. ) Along with strong regulation, supervision and enforcement capacity of the State Bank of Pakistan a number of measures have been taken to put best corporate governance practices in the banking system. ‘Fit and proper’ criteria have been prescribed for the Chief Executives, members of the Boards of Directors, and top management positions. Accounting and audit standards have been brought to the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the International Audit Codes. External audit firms are rated according to their performance and track record and those falling short of the acceptable standards are debarred from auditing the banks. These practices were put in place in Pakistan long before the scandals of Enercon, World Call and Pramalat had shaken the corporate world. i) The foreign exchange market that was highly regulated through a system of direct exchange controls over suppliers and users of foreign exchange has been liberalized and all purchases and sales take place through an active and vibrant inter-bank exchange market. All restrictions have been removed with full current account convertibility and partial capital account convertibility. Foreign investors can now bring in and take back their capital, remit profits, dividends and fees without any prior removal and directly through their banks. Similarly, foreign portfolio investors can also enter and exit the market at their own discretion. The main lesson learnt from the last decade suggest that financial sector functions effectively and efficiently only if the macroeconomics situation is favorable and stable. The need to maintain macroeconomic stability will thus remain paramount in the years to come. The agenda for further reforms in the financial sector is still quite formidable and the challenges to spread the benefits of financial liberalization among the middle and low income households and small and medium farms and enterprises are still enormous. There are several areas of dissatisfaction with the banking sector that need to be addressed. The most serious complaint against the banking system in Pakistan today is that the depositors are not getting adequate return on their bank deposits. The difference between the monthly weighted average rates of lending and deposits is taken as an indicator of the spreads earned by the banks. It is true that these spreads have widened in the recent months land this phenomenon has caused resentment among those whose only source of income is their returns from bank deposits. But it is important to examine the facts and their form judgments The monthly comparisons are meaningless because PLS deposit rates are changed every six months, while the lending rates are continuously adjusting because they are automatically linked to T-bills or KIBOR rates. During the last eight months the weighted average deposit rate has risen from 1. 6 percent in July – Feb, 2005 to 3. 9 percent in July – Feb, 2006. This trend reflects that the return on the new deposits mobilized is much higher than what the average rate indicates. The old deposits are earning much lower rate because they were lodged at the time when the overall structure of interest rates had come down significantly. This lag is adjustment between the deposit and lending rates is due to the costs incurred by the depositor in shifting deposits from one bank to the other. The additional deposits mobilized in the last twelve months amounted to Rs. 382 billion i. e. a growth rate of 16. 8 percent. This growth rate took place despite deceleration in the volume of Resident Foreign deposit accounts. So if the deposit rates were unattractive then this high growth rate in deposits mobilized by the banks appears to be puzzling. The reason for this high growth is that the fresh deposits were fetching an average return of 6. 2 percent in March, 2006 compared to 3. 5 percent in July, 2005 – rise of 270 basis points in nine months. In the coming months the average rate is likely to move further upwards bringing them to positive real interest rates. Why have the profits of the banks risen so sharply in the last few years? There are several reasons that need to be understood: First, the drag of non-performing loans has been eased considerably reducing the need for setting aside the provisions for loan losses. As these provisions were made at the expense of the profits the banks are now reaping the benefits of building up substantial provisions and taking the hit on their profits in the past. Second, the corporate income tax rate on banks’ profits has gradually come down from 58 percent to 38 percent saving on their tax deductions. These savings not only get translated in to higher profits but also act as incentives for better performance because the tax rate no longer acts as a penalty. Third, the diversification of the banks assets into new and so far underserved segments such as agriculture, mortgage, auto, SMEs, Consumer and Credit Cards have raised their net interest margins. As competition has become quite tough in the corporate segment the margins on corporate loans have been squeezed considerably. But the spreads earned in these new segments are quite attractive. Thus a large part of the profits originate from lending to these underserved segments of the population. This is a Win- Win situation as small farmers, small businesses and middle class consumers, who had so far been denied access to bank credit, are able to get financing the banks are able to earn higher spreads. Fourth, there has been a shift in the maturing profile of both the banks’ deposits and banks’ loans. Half of the total deposits are now placed for short term duration earning negligible rates of return compared to the past where the distribution of deposits were concentrated in medium to long duration earning much higher returns. On the assets side, more of the bank loans are being disbursed for fixed investment purposes. These have long maturity structure and pay higher interest rates in double digits. This shift in the composition of deposits and advances has helped earn the banks a higher spread boosting their profitability. As the majority of the banks are operating in the private sector they will remain guided by the bottom line considerations i. e. the profits. Consolidation and market competition will act as a deterrent on abnormal profits but it is the responsibility of the regulator to ensure that these profits are not made by taking excessive risk with the depositors’ money or by banks indulging in collusive practices. The regulator has to ensure that the access to credit is further broadened and small farming households, small and medium businesses and middle classes are able to meet their legitimate credit needs. At the same time the regulator has to take stringent action against those banks found guilty of anti-competitive or collusive practices. Another popular indictment against the banking sector is that they are financing speculative activities such as stock market trading, real estate, commodities, auto etc. The facts do not support this indictment. Direct and indirect exposure by banks in stock market equities has been limited to 20 percent of their capital i. e. the maximum amount all the banks can collectively provide for this activity is only 40 billion. The outstanding stock of bank advances in March, 2006 stood at Rs. 2063 billion. Thus the bank credit allocated for stock market equity trading is less than 2 percent of the total advances of the banking system. If we further assume that some amounts are diverted from consumer loans or corporate loans also the exposure of the banks may double to as much as 4 percent but the securities and collaterals against the diverted loans may not necessarily be the scrips themselves. Real estate financing by banks is restricted to mortgage loans only and the purchase of plots cannot be financed by the banks. Mortgage loans can be disbursed in installments after physical verification of the various phases of construction. The total disbursements of loans for mortgage amounted to Rs. 11. 4 billion in FY 05. Commodity financing and its prevailing rates are not attractive for the borrowers as there has been net retirement of commodity loans in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. The regulatory environment for the banks to indulge in lending for speculative purposes is not very propitious. The State Bank of Pakistan supervisors are not only vigilant in their on-site inspection but they monitor the banks on a continuous basis and can detect irregularities and violations fairly quickly. The more deterrent effect of strong oversight by the supervisors is enough to discourage such activities. The penalties imposed by the supervisors on recalcitrant banks are quite severe.