Entrepreneurship of ENEC

Company Description Through a declaration, President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) in 2009. The core mandate of the corporation entails implementing a program for nuclear energy with the goal of producing safe and clean energy to aid in economic development of all UAE people (ENEC par.1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Entrepreneurship of ENEC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The inauguration of the corporation was appropriate, considering that the UAE energy requirement increases at the rate of almost 10%, which is roughly four times the international standard. The corporation is responsible for overseeing prime contractors’ work in all stages of operation. It also ensures the development of human resource capability in the management of nuclear energy programs across the UAE. The company educates people on the nuclear energy program while p roviding information on the progress of the project implementation process (ENEC par.3). It forms the arm through which the Abu Dhabi government invests in the nuclear energy sector. While executing its mandate, soon after the 2009 inauguration, the country’s nuclear energy regulator, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) successfully awarded a USD20 billion bid to a coalition of companies led by the Korea Electric Power. The contract entailed constructing the UAE’s first nuclear power plant in Barakah, more than 300 Kilometers from the capital Abu Dhabi. The flagship project and the construction of the first reactor of the four scheduled reactors began in 2011. The scheme is scheduled to be operational in 2017. The construction of the second reactor began in 2013. It is expected to be accomplished in 2018 (Dincer and Rosen 11). The construction of the remaining two reactors has already commenced and will be concluded in 2019 and 2020 respectively (Darwish and Mohtar 109). The capacity of the four reactors is expected to reach 5.6GW, which will play a critical role in supporting the country’s increasing demand for energy. Problem Statement and Problem Definition ENEC has already made a significant progress in providing clean and safe nuclear energy through the ongoing construction of nuclear plants. However, in the execution of its mandates as discussed in the background section, it is important for the company to identify and resolve some of internal and external problems that may hinder it from becoming technologically savvy. This paper proposes a solution to one of such problems. The problem is in the finance department, specifically the area of management accounting.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The department utilizes a manual budgeting process. This problem reduces the speed of processing and analyzing budgetary a ccounting information. The speed of processing and analyzing accounting-related information is critical in making rapid decision during a project execution process and running it upon its full implementation. To solve this problem, ENEC needs to implement an accounting information processing system that does not incorporate manual excel sheets. Proposed Solution Management accounting scholars contend that managerial accounting extends to three main crucial pillars. These pillars comprise strategic management, risk management, and performance administration. The pillar of strategic management permits the role of accounting management professional to include making the accounting management professionals strategic partners of the organization they serve (Porteous and Tapadar 26). Risk management entails discovering structures together with performances that allow the recognition, measurement, administration, and coverage of various risks with the aim of attaining a company’s go als. Performance management focuses on the development of business decision, which makes it possible to manage cutely the performance of a company. Management accountants utilize their skills and knowledge in the process of preparing and presenting financial and any other decision-related information. This process is accomplished in ways that aid â€Å"management in the formulation of policies and the planning and control of its operations† (Porteous and Tapadar 31). In the execution of the role of management accountants, ENEC encounters challenges due to the use of manual budget system. To resolve the problem, a recommended solution involves designing and implementation of an Oracle application that does not utilize any manual excels sheets. An emerging question is whether the solution is appropriate for ENEC. The responses to this question may be addressed from the context of value analysis of the solution in six stages. The stages are problem observation, problem definitio n, idea generation, idea synthesis, idea evaluation, and solution implementation. Problem Observation Manual budgeting of an organization, including ENEC, presents significant challenges because of the complexity of the budgeting process. Such a system is time-consuming. Management accountants will have to locate individual budgetary item entries, which may involve perusing multiple documents.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Entrepreneurship of ENEC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such information may need to be copied for presentation, which proves quite difficult in a manual budgetary system. Another critical concern of the manual budgetary system is its subjectivity to errors. However, this situation does not imply that the automated budgetary system does not experience the problem of errors such as transposing of figures or erroneous entries due to human faults. The challenge here is that the manual budgeta ry system does not possess any internal checks and balances, which can help in tracking and identifying errors. Another important concern for the budgetary system deployed by ENEC is its susceptibility to security threats. The manual budgetary system permits employees to review confidential and sensitive budgetary data. Although employees may still copy files stored in computer systems in case of the automated systems, measures such as the use of passwords and user identifiers may limit such accessibility. Hence, the manual budgetary systems are highly susceptible to embezzlement and fraud from unauthenticated access. Disgruntled employees can irreparably and maliciously destroy crucial financial budgetary data. Problem Definition The main concern for ENEC’s current budgetary system is that although efforts may be put in place to track errors, the organization will need to make rapid decisions. In this process, the use of data and information derived from it cannot be avoided since decisions must be evidence-based. Therefore, for ENEC, decision-making requires budgeting, which is a critical tool employed in managerial accounting to facilitate planning. Apart from planning, budgeting also facilitates control. For example, in an attempt to cope with operational challenges, organizations use budgeting in their planning for various reasons. For instance, planning provides a framework on which decision-making is pegged in the quest to achieve organizational goals, strategies, and even objectives. Indeed, Porteous and Tapadar assert that many organizations deploy budgets in the evaluation of divisional managers’ performance and/or tying bonuses to levels of achievement of preset goals (42). How can ENEC make urgent decisions without a fast means of retrieving, analyzing, evaluating, preparing, and reporting budgetary information? Idea Generation To address ENEC’s problems, it is recommended that it implements a computer-based application for rec ording, preparing, and reporting budgetary information. Such a solution should permit users to conduct workforce planning, ensure position-based budgeting, and/or introduce high-tech visibility to ENEC budget development process, its review, and approval processes.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The most appropriate solution is the one, which ensures consistency, uniform, and comprehensive budgeting process across the organization. Such a process is important in ensuring transparency and dependability of the information transmitted to various ENEC’s stakeholders, especially the contractors, the UAE citizens, and the UAE government. An Oracle budgeting system without any manual excel sheets constitutes a good idea. Idea Synthesis Oracle budgeting and planning cloud application will permit ENEC to incorporate a state-of-the-art budgeting and planning application, which does not demand investment in CAPEX infrastructures. This strategy can guarantee great functionality of ENEC’s budgeting process while utilizing flexible options that ensure almost absolutely no curve for user learning (Oracle par.3). The application will warrant reliability and security associated with cloud deployments from Oracle. It will provide built-in applications for ensuring reporting and provision of an important mechanism for management decision-making process. It supports rolling forecasts and best practices in budgeting and planning capabilities of any large organizations such as ENEC. Idea Evaluation The proposed Oracle solution has a set of disconnected planning tools. It uses automated spreadsheets in the collection and storage of budgeting information. While the tool meets the concerns identified in the problem identification and idea generation, an emerging question is whether the system has been implemented elsewhere so that ENEC can benchmark from it. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts needed an application for planning and budgeting system to integrate its decision-making abilities while increasing its visibility for budgeting process. It engaged in partnership with ANF (administrative agency for management and finance) in developing and implementing â€Å"Oracle’s Hyperion Financial Planning, resulting in the first successful statewide implementa tion of Oracle Hyperion Planning/Budgeting† (Accenture LLP US par.2). The state developed the capability for meeting its budgetary needs. The implication was an all-inclusive, unswerving, and uniform budgeting process that ENEC required. Therefore, the proposed solution is effective for mitigating the challenges posed by the current manual budgeting system deployed by ENEC. Solution Implementation The necessary Oracle software can be customized and developed in-house with the permission from the Oracle Company, following the modeling approach shown in figure 1. It can also be sourced from a vendor who can customize it to suit ENEC’s needs. This option is preferred to reduce challenges associated with new applications and platforms such as system learning and the high probability of the occurrence of bugs that may lead to failure of the system soon or after its implementation. ENEC should source the application from Oracle. The company (Oracle) will also ensure user trai ning so that ENEC can begin using the new system reliably soon after completing the customization process. Figure 1: Design process for the proposed ENEC’s Oracle system Source (Turban and Leidner 300). Discussion Protection Protecting critical information of an organization comprises an important aspect of any computer-based system. Hence, the Oracle planning and budgeting application developed and implemented at ENEC should have security features to ensure the information collected, processed, and stored in it remains the intellectual property of the corporation. The fact that an Oracle system has in-built algorithms for protecting data and information from an unauthorized accessibility, the proposed system can help in preserving and protecting the corporation’s intellectual intelligence. Hence, the system will guarantee ENEC of accountability and transparency due to the development of policy perspectives based on reliable and dependable planning and budgetary data and information. Team After the selection and successful implementation of the new system, work teams are crucial for running the system. This situation requires change management. The system entails the alteration of the processes that employees utilize to carry out budgeting and planning for ENEC. Since many operations that were previously executed by the employees manually or with partial intervention of computers will now be integrated and automated, employees will require retraining on how to use the new system. Fryling asserts that upon the introduction of any new computer-based system, employees require training on how to share common practices and information throughout an enterprise. They also need to know how to access and produce reports in real time (392). Hence, work teams must be prepared to face and accept change from the past manual budgeting system to the new Oracle system without the labor-intensive excel sheets. Sources of Finance The government of the UAE funds t he nuclear program that is currently under implementation. ENEC, the government organ in charge of overseeing the implementation process and reporting to both the government and the public on the progress of the nuclear program, has the mandate of implementing new solutions to guarantee smooth running of nuclear programs. Therefore, the government of the UAE is expected to fund the process of designing and implementing the new solution through ENEC. Alternatively, the cost for the solution can be met from contingency fund that is provided as a resort to mitigating risks such as the introduction of new approaches or work repetition in the execution of a project. Stakeholder Analysis ENEC stakeholders comprise people and entities that are influenced by the activities of the corporation. They include the public whom the nuclear power energy installation is being developed for, the government, the primary contractor, and other contractors and the neighborhoods within the location of the construction of the nuclear power installations. All projects are constrained by time and monetary resources (Zekic and Samarzija 101). Therefore, the stakeholders have a stake in the budget of ENEC since it sets out various monetary allocations to mitigate the likely costs that may be incurred by the stakeholders. For example, the government is interested about accurate and reliable budget for the corporation. This transparency helps in the allocation of scarce resources to other government projects. Unreliable budget is inappropriate for the government since it may lead to delays in the completion of the project when the government allocates money to other projects, which may not be as urgent as the nuclear power program due to the misguided budget. In the same capacity, constructors need assurance that the budget for the nuclear program will be adequate to complete the work. Conclusion Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) is a government corporation in charge of implementi ng a government-initiated nuclear program in the UAE. In its management accounting department, there exists a problem of using manual budgeting system. The paper has proposed, analyzed, and evaluated an Oracle computer-based system without manual excel sheets to guarantee automation of management accounting processes, including planning and budgeting. The system will be in the best interest of the stakeholders. By benchmarking from Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the system is most appropriate for ENEC. The solution ensures speedy, reliability, increased visibility, uniformity, consistency, and comprehensiveness of the corporation’s budgeting process. Works Cited Accenture LLP US. Client case study: Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Public service transformation, 2015. Web. Darwish, Mohammed, and Rabi Mohtar. â€Å"Prime energy challenges for operating power plants in the GCC.† Energy and Power Engineering 5.1(2013): 109-128. Print. Dincer, Ibrahim, and Martin Rosen. Exerg y: energy, environment and sustainable development, New York, NY: Newnes, 2012. Print. ENEC. History, 2015. Web. Fryling, Meg. â€Å"Estimating the impact of enterprise resource planning project management decisions on post-implementation maintenance costs: a case study using simulation modeling.† Enterprise Information Systems 4.4(2010): 391–42. Print. Oracle. Oracle planning and budgeting cloud service, 2015. Web. Porteous, Bruce, and Pradip, Tapadar. Economic Capital and Financial Risk Management for Financial Services Firms and Conglomerates, New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print. Turban, Efraim, and Dorothy Leidner. Information Technology for Management, Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy, Massachusetts, MA: John Wiley Sons, Inc, 2008. Print. Zekic, Zdravko, and Luka Samarzija. â€Å"Project Management of Dynamic Optimization of Business Performance.† International Business Research 5.12(2012): 99-111. Print. This essay on Entrepreneurship of ENEC was written and submitted by user Sarah Watson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Answers to Reader Questions About Hyphens

Answers to Reader Questions About Hyphens Answers to Reader Questions About Hyphens Answers to Reader Questions About Hyphens By Mark Nichol Questions about hyphens come up often in correspondence from Daily Writing Tips readers. I’ve answered a few of the queries here. 1. Should â€Å"higher cost† and â€Å"higher earning† be hyphenated in â€Å"replace higher cost funding and â€Å"repurpose collateral into higher earning assets†? Yes, to clarify that you’re referring to funding that is higher cost, not cost funding that is higher, and assets that are higher earning, not earning assets that are higher, hyphenate in both cases. (Even though â€Å"cost funding† and â€Å"earning assets† are not standing phrases, the hyphens help readers avoid being distracted by reading them that way.) 2. I would have expected some nagging [in this post] about the hyphen; would it not be better to have torch-bearer or torchbearer [in place of â€Å"torch bearer†]? You’re right I used the correct form of torchbearer in my commentary but neglected to notice and note that the tattoo incorrectly styles the word as an open compound. I guess I was distracted. Treatment of various open compounds with a common element aren’t necessarily consistent: One who bears a torch is a torchbearer, but one who bears a standard is a standard-bearer, and one who bears an ensign (essentially the same as a standard) is an ensign bearer. It’s nearly unbearable. 3. Nice list [of reduplicative doublets]. I’m intrigued some of them are hyphenated and some not. I wonder what the deciding factor is for that. Good point about the hyphenation; I should have included a note about that. Because English has never had a body that regulates standards, inclusion or exclusion of hyphens in such constructions, as in many other language matters, is arbitrarily and inconsistently based on a variety of factors. 4. Given your recent article on possessives, I wanted to write in with a question. There is typically a notice period of thirty, sixty, or ninety days required before an investor is allowed to redeem. How does one state this? I’ve seen it as â€Å"ninety days’ notice† (as if the notice belonged to the ninety days) and â€Å"ninety days notice.† I typically restate it as â€Å"ninety day notice period† to avoid this ambiguity, but then I’m not sure if that should properly be â€Å"ninety-day† or if the dash is not needed. The correct form is â€Å"ninety days’ notice (meaning â€Å"notice of ninety days†). The phrase is written in the genitive case, in which a noun modifies another noun, usually in the form of one noun possessing the other (â€Å"ninety days notice† is common but incorrect). If you continue to use your alternative phrasing, a hyphen should connect ninety and days â€Å"ninety-day notice period† but I recommend â€Å"ninety days’ notice.† 5. Thanks for the funny signs [link to post]! â€Å"Shouldn’t â€Å"ill advised’ and ‘well educated’ have been hyphenated in your examples? Phrasal adjectives such as the ones you mentioned, often hyphenated before a noun, should be styled without a hyphen when they follow the noun. Here’s a post about that particular point; you’ll find more posts about phrasal adjectives by searching for that phrase on this site. Note: Many Daily Writing Tips readers ask questions about various language issues in the comment field for a post, while others send queries as an email message to the site. We welcome your notes, but please comment rather than email; that way, other site visitors will be able to read your questions and my responses as well as notes from other readers. (I try to answer all specific requests for information or clarification or refer readers to existing applicable content, though sometimes I rely on other readers to weigh in on comments.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply with35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionGrammatical Case in English

Decultralization and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decultralization and Education - Essay Example Such group of students advocates for inclusion into the education system or may go a head to start their own system. The families that have been affected by the government schooling system have often sought alternative means in private institutions. Springs notes that Catholic schooling provided opportunities for the minorities who found public school unfriendly. This paper explores the work of spring in describing the education system of American society. Spring (57), has noted in his book that dominant culture in the United States of America has played a significant role in dictating education policies in United States of America. Dominant cultures or races in the United States have affected the education policies. Some student from minority groups finds it difficult to study in an environment that seems to segregate against them. Spring describes post racial society as one, which does to harbor any segregation or discriminatory traits. This seems not to be the case in America. Man y communities that live in America come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The society should admit them the way they are and accept the presence of their children in schools without discrimination of any nature. The statement is contrary to what Spring points out in his book. He described the discrimination of the minority students in America public institutions. Post racial society contributes toward such for equality because of the inclination that many communities take towards advocating for common policies that would include members of diverse community. The blacks, whites and the Indians learn in the same institutions and would advocate for policies that give each of the communities an equal space in school. Native cultures of the American played a role in shaping the education system in 19th and 20th century. For examples, the Indians schools promoted the Indian cultures and were less friendly to the non-Indian students. Introduction of policies during the tenure of Presi dent Roosevelt provided an opportunity for creating a learning environment for students from diverse cultures. A senate sub committee of education noted the problems that student of minority cultures face in schools and came up with policies that aim at protecting them. Largely, the championing of the deculturalization by the rights activists has contributed in changing discrimination in schools. Entrenching of the non-discriminatory act has contributed towards stumping the retrogressive policies that promoted discrimination in schools. The democratic space that the society has provides a means of channeling critical issues for discussion. Incorporation of the government policies in education system of United States of America stumped out the dominant cultural policies that inhibited the democratic space in schools. The changes in the education system of United States have occurred due to respect to human rights as documented in the constitution. Legislation of the land provides an equal opportunity for people of diverse culture to pursue their interest without interference. Respect for human rights dictated the actions of people in the society. This legislation has promoted equality in public schools and has worked towards changing the treatment of the minority in schools. Teachers and students have shaped their reactions towards the minority or the less dominant groups in school based on this piece of legislations. Court cases against discrimination

Legal Decision Making Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Decision Making - Case Study Example Prosecution for crimes is always conducted in the name of the state; the case being styled as State versus the name of the defendant. The prosecutor has a duty of establishing the guilt of the accused beyond any reasonable doubt. A crime usually includes offences like rape, robbery, murder, theft etc where the penalty for these cases ranges from hanging to fine. On the other hand, civil law concerns the violation of private rights belonging to an individual in his capacity as an individual for example refusing to pay a loan or defaming someone. Unlike criminal cases, the proceedings in civil cases are instituted in the court of law by the plaintiff himself and the burden of proving his claim rests on him. If the plaintiff succeeds in a civil action, the defendant will be ordered by the court to compensate him by paying damages. 2 Although there are already written consequences a person who has been proved guilty is subjected to, the decision of cases varies on the argument of both the defendant and the plaintiff in case of civil case; and in case of a criminal case, and outcome of the case depends on the argument of the prosecutor and the accused. For this case, the judgement of each particular case depends on the uniqueness a particular case. It happens that cases that are similar in nature, t... A contract is usually defined as an agreement between two or more persons which is intended to create legally binding obligations. The word binding is used for there are some contracts which are valid but are not enforceable in a court of law. There are already predetermined consequences that follow suit in case on breaches a contract but it does not mean that all those who breach a law of contract will be subject to the same consequence. The outcome of the case will depend on the uniqueness of a particular case. 3 One of essentials of a valid contract is that a contract is created with an intention of creating a legal relation. Agreements of a purely domestic or social nature are generally not enforceable contracts. Whether or not the parties intended to create legal relations is a question of fact to be inferred from all the circumstances of a case. For example in a case between Balfour vs. Balfour held in 1919. In this case, the defendant was civil servant in Ceylon. While he and his wife were on leave in England, it became apparent that because of ill-health, the wife would not be able to return to Ceylon. The husband promised to pay her thirty pounds a month whilst forced to live apart. He failed to pay, and his wife sued on the contract. It was held that the husband was not liable because there was no necessary implication from the circumstances of the parties that they intended to make a legally binding contract. It was more like a domestic arrangement between husband and wife rather tha n a contract. (Penrose, 2005) On the other hand, if on examining the facts of a family agreement, the court reaches the conclusion that legal relations can be inferred, the contract will be enforced. For example, a case held between Simpkins vs. Pays in 1955. In this

Kiran Desais Inheritance of Loss

Kiran Desais Inheritance of Loss An Analysis of Kiran Desais Inheritance of Loss This second novel by Kiran Desai drips with the theme of colonial mentality of ignoring ones cultural roots and looking over the fence to seemingly greener pastures of other cultures. This is a story of exiles at home and abroad, of families broken and fixed, of love both bitter and bittersweet. Desais characters effectively depict varying kinds and levels of discontent at their own personhoods. It is a mix of pathetic illusions of being part of a culture that does not acknowledge them, hypocritical snubbing of ones own culture and journeying into knowing ones real self and true roots. Jemubhai Patel is an embittered judge, wounded by his past, which holds both hurtful and glorious memories. It is ironic how much love he can shower on an animal, his pet dog, while he regards other people with distrust. He has shut himself off from all human contact. Sai is the youthful granddaughter who somehow tames Patels otherwise dark persona with her feistiness and curiosity. She reminds him of himself when he was a youth. Sai is one person who gives hope that her grandfather will ultimately come out of the tough shell he has built around himself. Biju is the pathetic illegal worker disillusioned in America. He came there with great hopes and dreams but came home with a lot of frustrations and a renewed passion for his homeland. Gyan, Sais idealistic suitor is torn between his loyalty to his ethnic origins and his infatuation for his beautiful and intelligent tutee, Sai. The cook, Bijus father is the traditional, superstitious and chatty helper awed by the allures of modernization and is bent on his son to realize the American dream. It is through this cooks voice that the reader learns a parallel story about love and loss. Patels neighbors, Lola and Noni are Anglophiles who might be savvy readers of V.S. Naipaul but who are, perhaps, less aware of how fragile their own social standing isat least until a surge of unrest disturbs the region. The title of the book is so intriguing. When one hears of an inheritance, it is usually something so precious, so cherished that the next generation anticipates it to be bequeathed with pride and honor. Desais Inheritance of Loss truly reflects her adeptness for irony. True, the pathetic state of loss can be inherited and may be passed on to future generations, but how can anyone anticipate such a dreadful fate?   The story is delivered in such a compelling way that the reader understands the process of loss of cultural identity being passed on from the elders to the young. The book tells of different stories but anchors its base on Kalimpong in the at the foothills of Mount Kanchenjunga in the northern Himalayas, specifically in the decaying cottage named Cho Oyu, the household of Jemubhai Patel, who lives with his granddaughter, Sai and his beloved dog, Mutt. The once-magnificent home has vestiges of its splendor with its lacelike gates that hang from two stone pillars, high, gorgeous ceilings, windows that show a picturesque view of the mountains, Owing to neglect and apathy, its once beautiful wooden floors are rotted, mice run about freely, and extreme cold permeates everything. Termites are steadily chewing at the cottages wooden frame, furniture, and floors. Patel is not blind to its pathetic disintegration, and somehow embraces it. It may be reflective of how he feels inside. Patel is a retired judge from the prestigious Indian Civil Service, the British Empires old steel frame: a few hundred white civil servants who had administered the subcontinent with the help of a handful of Indians, recruited starting in 1879. Patel relishes his glory days and is embittered by a painful past and of being an Indian himself. The narrative shifts from this native setting to the grubby kitchens of New York restaurants where illegal foreigners hide from the authorities out to deport them to their countries of origin. Desai expertly presents ironies in vivid detail that at times, it seems hilarious. The strange and creative interplay of the image projected and the message delivered makes the readers ponder on the depth of the authors points. One example is the supposedly elitist upbringing of Sai, but in reality, she lives in poverty. She has never mastered her native tongue, as it is assumed by her grandfather, Patel to devalue her person. She projects the image of being a part of a rather genteel class, but at the end of the day, she literally sleeps under a table cloth!   Such a pity for a young lady to be surrounded by such manly mess! Another is the status of having a hired cook, but in truth, makes this employee live on meager wages and in a battered hut in the periphery of his masters house. Patel has lived a wretched family life filled with broken relationships inflicting cruelty to his wife, indirectly causing her death, and abandoning his daughter in a convent boarding school and then cutting her off when she marries a Parsi. He has likewise estranged himself from his parents, extended family and all the Patels when they gladly sent him off to Cambridge University, pinning their hopes on him for a better future. In England, he realized how inferior he and his compatriots were to the whites, and wanted desperately to be identified as one. He would put powder on his too brown skin to somehow attain a fairer complexion. As his Indian classmates celebrated their cultural roots, and fought for independence, Patel remained in awe of the English and abandoned his inferior race. Patel has chosen to live in Kalimpong not only because of its temperate climate but also to distance himself from the more tropical, mainstream India. He emulates the British who built cottages at the hill stations and give vent to their gardening skills. They also needed to be near bakeries that produced the cakes, breads and biscuits they need at tea time. Two elderly Indian ladies, very much like Patel in terms of their obsession with the English culture, take Sai under their wings to groom her to be a proper English lady. Lola, a widow, and her sister, Noni, live in a cottage they call Mon Ami, set apart by its own unique broccoli patch. They live like Englishwomen, listening to BBC on the radio at night, drinking cherry brandy. They read British novels from the nineteenth century, and not those of a younger breed, because they would like to keep their perception of England static. They avoid books written by Indian writers. Lola hoards English products every time she visits England every two years. She stocks up on Knorr packet soups, Oxo stock cubes and underwear from Marks and Spencer. She was ecstatic when her daughter, Pixie, officially became the wife of an Englishman. The sisters are conscious of their class perceive themselves as superior to their Anglophile neighbor Mrs. Sen, and affiliated with Father Booty of the Swiss dairy, which makes real cheese and not the processed ones eaten by most Indians. Young Sai, who is orphaned when her parents were killed in an accident in the Soviet Union, came to live with her grandfather when she was nine. His grandfather never knew she existed, as he banished his mother from his home when she married a man he did not approve of. Sai is very westernized and her grandfather tolerates it. She speaks broken Hindi, as she has been exposed to a fabricated English culture, brainwashed by the people around her that it is a far better one than the Indian roots she has sprung forth from. Sai is an avid reader. She immerses herself in literature that brings her to many worlds she has only journeyed in her rich imagination. She reads To Kill a Mockingbird, Cider with Rosie, Life with Father, and National Geographic. Desai says of her, She was inside the narrative and the narrative inside her, the pages going by so fast, her heart in her chest, she couldnt stop. Sai falls in love with her Nepalese Math and Science tutor, Gyan, a college student who was mutually attracted to her. Globalization, fundamentalism and sectarian and terrorist violence unravel Sais passion for Gyan. Her adolescent passion is intertwined with a sense of danger and tinged with both wonder and darkness. Unknown to both, their romance will greatly be affected by their differences in worldviews concerning their heritage. Another important character in the book is Biju, Sais friend and their cooks son. Biju, on the persistent machinations of his father, illegally entered the United States and does menial jobs in New York restaurants. Biju lives like a fugitive, fearing the INS to discover and deport him back to India. The book illustrates the sorry state of foreign immigrants who had flocked to the land of milk and honey seeking better lives than what they had in their own homelands. They accept the sufferings and abuse of their white superiors than facing the shame of going back home. All they need is to secure the elusive green card to ensure their prolonged stay in America. One can just imagine the stressed lives of these foreigners, exiled from their own countries and treated as low-lives. They desperately hold on to their idealistic perception of America, however stripped of their dignity and pride. Back home, they would have been treated more humanely, despite their poverty and sense of hopelessness. Instead of conquering another world outside the sphere of the familiar, they are enslaved by the whims and discriminatory treatment of the natives. This book eventually gives an unflattering view of the First World in the eyes of the inhabitants of the Third World. Biju encounters other Indians and gets surprised at how they totally adapt to the American culture. He is shocked to see Hindu Indians eating beef. He took on a sneering look. But they could afford not to notice.    It is this numbing hypocrisy that disillusions the underdogs like Biju those who completely turn away from their roots and fully embrace the culture of another, to the point of forsaking the long-held sanctity of their value systems. Bijus unfortunate life in America brings him to work for co-Indians who take advantage the illegal aliens desperation. These Indian restaurant owners cut the pay to a quarter of the minimum wage, reclaim the tips, keep an eye on the workers and drive them to work fifteen-,sixteen-, seventeen-hour donkey days.    It is pitiful to realize that illegals are treated like dirt, devoid of rights, and made to suffer for their sin of being in a place they should not be for want of a better life. This irony resounds through and through in Desais book. Desais vivid narratives bring to readers crisp images the effective contrast between rustic, lush Kalimpong in its natural glory and the ultra-sophistication of fast-paced New York -along with it, the description of the lives of the inhabitants of both settings. When Biju calls home from New York City, the reader can smell the humid air over the telephone line, and can picture the green-black lushness, the plumage of banana, the stark spear of the cactus, the delicate gestures of ferns; he could hear the croak trrrr whonk, wee wee butt ock butt ock of frogs in the spinach, the rising note welding imperceptibly with the evening. One can feel the emotions running through the characters, and it is palpable how one pines for anothers life. It also shows stark contrasts between two worlds that the readers have the luxury of shuttling to. Back in Kalimpong, the budding romance of Sai and Gyan is disrupted by Nepalese insurgency of which Gyan was a part of. The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) agitates for rights and justice for the majority Nepalese. Pushed by his loyalty to his culture, Gyan tips off GNLF guerillas about Sais grandfather, and they raid Patels estate, robbing him of his guns, properties and food supply. The rebels shake up the otherwise peaceful existence of the main characters. They feel as if they were living out action movies, being unleashed Bruce Lee fans. The intimidating strike lasted for days, with electricity and water cut off and roads blocked by the government to prevent food from coming into the area. Lola and Noni were left with no choice but to shelter the followers of the GNLF who in turn, take advantage of their kindness, as they ravage their carefully accumulated stock of cold meat and sausages, and squatting on their large, beautiful, bountiful garden. Pradhan, their leader, pirate-looking in his outfit, insults Lola when she complains to him about his people. His degratory remarks of implying Lola to be one of his many wives, as he distastefully run his malicious eyes on her adds insult to injury, as Lola is further spiraled downwards in her humiliation. Such an attack on their person and status brings them down to reality that indeed, they are Indians, no matter how estranged and foreign they wish to be. The envy of the Nepalese rebels drastically shatter their illusions of grandeur and the pathetic circumstance evens them all out as mere people instead of demi-gods. The story gets grimmer as Patels beloved dog, Mutt gets stolen, pushing his owner into depths of despair. A bloody encounter in the insurgency situation kills some people. Sai and Gyans love affair becomes reduced to recriminations, highlighted by Gyans spiel, Whats fair? Do you have any idea of the world? Do you bother to look? Do you have any understanding of how justice operates or, rather, does NOT operate?   Such verbalization from the youth wakes one up to realize that the world is not to be seen with rose-colored lenses. Sai learns that class envy and jealousy always overpower love. It is a totally human reaction. Upon hearing the unrest in his homeland, Biju comes home in the knowledge that his father needs him. Biju undergoes an illuminating transformation. His emotional connection to his father and the significant people in his life inspire him to appreciate his roots and enliven his loyalty to India. Enough is enough!   He has suffered enough in a foreign land, enslaved by whites, and worse, compatriots, who treat him so very badly. His spirit and pride beaten up, he ironically comes home as a whole person. He had shed the unbearable arrogance and shame of the immigrant. . . For the first time in God knows how long, his vision unblurred and he found he could see clearly.    He realizes that he can choose the kind of inheritance he can get in terms of keeping close to his roots, literally and figuratively. The same realizations were stumbled upon by the other characters in the story, knowingly or not. The wealth and gentility prided by sisters Lola and Noni and retired judge, Patel were the very things that exposed them, making them targets of rebels. Having been humble, low-key, and basically, being just themselves instead of desperately putting on the identity of a foreigner could have spared them form the unfortunate circumstance they got themselves into. All of a sudden, all that they had claimed innocent, fun, funny, not really to matter was proven wrong. It did matter, buying tinned ham roll in a rice and dal country; it did matter to live in a big house and sit beside a heater in the evening, even one that sparked and shocked; it did matter to fly to London and to return with chocolates filled with kirsch; it did matter that others could not. . . The wealth that seemed to protect them like a blanket was the very thing that left them exposed. They, amid extreme poverty, were bald ly richer, and the statistics of difference were being broadcast . . .they would pay the debt that should be shared with others over many generations. The book is effective in evoking painfully shelved emotions to come to surface. Everyone, at one time or another feels the pain of loss. As mentioned earlier, title itself makes one ponder if it can be inherited and passed down from one generation to the next as what was attempted by Patel to his granddaughter, Sai. The feeling of losing out on something merely by being born inferior was expertly shown in the book to be all-consuming to the characters. The inheritance of loss may have well been an inheritance of the mentality that colonizers of ages past were mightily superior. They, from the first world, are the first exposed to the boon of modernization, leaving the colonized to covet such sophistication. Attention is too focused on their adventures with the evolution of their culture, while native culture, with all its richness and beauty is ignored and concealed with shame. If only they can revisit it with fresh perspective, they would know that they possess wealth and class, not necessarily translated to monetary and material possessions, but more profoundly, a great contribution of culture, ideology and tradition. The Indian concept of Karma could have caught up with the hypocrites as a more passionate ethnic class shakes them up from their illusions. They are pulled down to the reality that ones wealth and pride is anothers poverty. It is a reality that living decently is difficult amidst all the injustices that exist around us. However, the fulfillment of being empowered to be ones own true self gives a liberating feeling and confidence to exist authentically. The reader is tempted to coach the characters into doing so, just so they can foresee a happy ending to their pathetic existence. It is no secret that one needs to hide behind some untruths to survive some delicate situations. However, being enmeshed with lies may have a debilitating effect on ones psyche. The illegal foreigners living like scurrying mice at the threat of being caught proves to be an example of such. How dreadful it is to continue living that way!   It is as if it is difficult to exhale, as one might fall into the trap of revealing his truths. Again, Desai plays with the readers mind when this happens the paradox of the truth not setting you free! and in fact, imprisoning you in the safety of lies!   However, this is a painful reality that needs to be accepted. Acknowledging ones origins helps an individual gain full understanding of oneself. It gives him a choice of either opening his arms to receive his inheritance of loss/ fulfillment or of politely declining and moving on with his chosen path. Kiran Desai may well be instrumental in poking at the consciences of inauthentic, hypocritical show-offs to shed their cloak of fabricated class and reveal their true selves. Painful though it may be, there is no substitute to honest living and upholding ones cultural values, which, in the first place, were customized in accordance with ones true roots.

Unit 11P1 Task 1 (P1, P2, P3)

Unit 11 – Task 1P1: PhysicalPhysical abuse is a type of abuse when someone is being physically harmed by another/group of person/people. It is an aggressive behaviour that results in another person having physical injuries. It could be that they don’t even use their own fists to hit someone; they may use another object to throw or hit someone with. It could be kicking or punching, restrained to a chair, being locked in a room, grabbing, and pushing, slapping, pulling hair, biting, punching and kicking.Sexual:Sexual abuse is the type of abuse when someone is forced into doing sexual acts without their consent to cause pain or humiliation. It can include horrible name calling, refusal to use contraception, causing unwanted physical pain during sex on purpose, deliberately passing on sexual diseases or infections and using objects against their will.Psychological (emotional):This is the type of abuse in which people verbally abuse someone.When someone is psychologically ab using another person, they could use insults, threats, rejection, neglect, blame, and manipulation, control, being ignorant, punishment or isolation. Well, it can be more than verbal insults, it can also be; harassment, witnessing or experiencing sexual and/or physical abuse and witnessing or experiencing any other type of abuse. This abuse can happen at home, work, school or in relationships. Financial: Financially abusing someone could be taking advantage of them for their money.It could be that someone trusts someone else to get their money out of the cash machine for them and they take out more money than they were supposed to and keep some for themselves, they take money out of someone else’s home whilst they are meant to be looking after them, someone borrowing someone else’s money and never paying them back, stealing someone else’s belongings from their home or private bag, someone taking someone else’s benefit or pension if they are an older perso n and someone asking for money when they are visiting you socially or for visiting you socially.Neglect:This is the type of abuse where carers are fulfilling someone’s basic needs; this may not be intentional but can be dangerous to any person who is experiencing it. There are three types of neglect; Mild; This is when it’s usually not reported to social services as it may not be intentional and the carer doesn’t know that they are neglecting and could turn things around. Moderate; This is where moderate harm is happening to the person, it could be that they have not been appropriately dressed for the weather by their carer e. g.Shorts and sandals in winter conditions. This can be reported to social services and they usually sort out community groups to help them be appropriate for caring. Severe; This is where long-term harm has been done to an individual by the carer e. g. a child with a medical condition and the carer has not been giving them medication to he lp them get better so it has gradually gotten worse. This is the situation when authorities or the manager of the company should keep the carer employed or would have to make a choice of whether the individual should stay in that care or not.Discriminatory:This is the type of abuse when people treats other people different because of, for example, their weight, their race, skin colour, their sexuality, their age, religion, culture, choice in clothes or because of their gender. Domestic violence:This is the type of abuse when an incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.This sort of abuse if rarely a one off, it usually has a pattern if it is happening in the home environment.Institutional:This abuse is the type of abuse that happens in a care, nursing or residential home. It can include; neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, discriminatory abuse, psychological and emotional abuse or financial abuse.Self-harm:This is the type of abuse where someone causes deliberate pain to themselves with intentions that they definitely will harmed whatever they decide to do. It can be self-harming (cutting themselves), jumping from a height or playing with fire.It could be having an intake of substances that will cause harm to internal organs or having an intake of a recreational drug to cause harm to themselves. It could also be that they are neglecting themselves too. For example, not taking showers, not eating, not drinking, not dressing for the appropriate weather.P2If you approached a person and they would flinch if you lifted you hand near them, this would usually lead you to believe that they are being physically abused, as it shows that they are really nervous around physical contact between people and their expectation is that you’re going to hurt them like other people have.Also, if you found bruising to the upper arm, bruising around the mouth and burns on their body, this would also lead you to believe that they are being physically abused by someone as they are mystery bruises that usually wouldn’t appear there unless they have been grabbed, hit or burnt with something by someone. If they did it themselves by accident, they would usually be able to explain that but sometimes people can’t which would make you believe even more th at they are being physically abused by someone Malnourishment, dehydration, unclean/poor hygiene and weight loss would lead you to believe that someone is being neglected.This is because if they are not being treated properly, not being fed or given enough water, it can lead them to be like this. Other people will soon realise that the individual is being neglected before the person doing it and the victim does. Reluctance to be touched, embarrassment and low self-esteem would lead you to believe that someone is being sexually abused. This is because they may have been humiliated or been made to do humiliating things by someone who would cause them to be less happy with themselves and be embarrassed easier in the future.Being sexually abused by someone else can make that individual be weary of other people touching them in a sexual way or if it has really affected them, they may not like being touched by someone at all.P3If an adult has additional needs and are dependent on other, i t can frustrate their carer as they are not able to learn or get on things as fast as others. If the carer gets too frustrated with the individual without taking any breaks then that could lead them to get frustrated too.The carer could then turn around and hit the individual or verbally abuse them as they see it as the only way they are able to get their frustration out at this point. When people are in the doctors, GP surgeries, dental surgeries and hospitals, they can get a bit agitated because they might have to wait a bit longer because there are loads of people there that have made appointments and might take it out on the staff or other patients. This could lead to physical or verbal abuse towards other people.

Market Segmentation Notes

Definition of ‘Market Segmentation' A marketing term  referring to  the aggregating of prospective buyers into groups (segments) that have common needs and will respond similarly to a marketing action. Market segmentation enables companies to target different categories of consumers who perceive the full value of certain products and services differently from one another. Generally three criteria  can be used to identify  different market segments: 1) Homogeneity (common needs within segment) 2) Distinction (unique from other groups) 3) Reaction (similar response to market) Investopedia explains ‘Market Segmentation'For example, an athletic footwear company might have market segments for basketball players and long-distance runners. As distinct groups, basketball players and long-distance runners will respond to very different advertisements. Market segmentation is a marketing strategy that involves dividing a broad target market into subsets of consumers who have common needs and applications for the relevant goods and services. Depending on the specific characteristics of the product, these subsets may be divided by criteria such as age and gender, or other distinctions, like location or income.Marketing campaigns can then be designed and implemented to target these specific customer segments. Why Segment? One of the main reasons for using market segmentation is to help companies to better understand the needs of a specific customer base. Mass marketing assumes that all customers are the same and will respond to the same advertising. By looking at ways in which potential customer groups are different from each other, the marketing message can be better targeted to the needs and wants of those people.Often, dividing consumers by clearly defined criteria will help the company identify other applications for their products that may not have been obvious before. These revelations often help the company target a larger audience in that same dem ographic classification, improving market share among a specific base. Segmenting the market can also serve to identify smaller groups of people who make up their own, previously unknown subsets, further improving the overall efficiency of the company's marketing efforts.Segmentation Strategies According to experts, in order to be a good market segment, a group should meet five criteria: 1. It should be possible to identify and measure it, 2. it should be big enough to be worth the effort, 3. it should be easy to reach it, 4. it should not change quickly, 5. and it should be responsive. Market segmentation strategies that meet these criteria can cover wide range of consumer characteristics. Subsets may be defined by basic demographics like age, race, or gender, for example.Other qualities, like educational background or income can also be used, as can location. Some of the potentially most powerful variables by which to segment a market are behavioral ones, including social class, l ifestyle, and interests. In most scenarios, there will be at least a few established customers who fall into more than one category, but marketing strategists normally allow for this phenomenon. In fact, the overlap in criteria among consumers often leads to additional segmentation and requires adjusted marketing strategies.A marketing plan that targets people who fall into several groups — like women over 30 who earn a high income, for example — may be more successful than one that focuses on just one limited characteristic. Other Benefits Along with playing a role in the development of new marketing approaches, market segmentation can also help a company identify ways to enhance customer loyalty with existing clients. As part of the process of identifying specific groups within the larger client base, the company will often run surveys which encourage customers to suggest ways of improving the company's products or services.This may lead to changes in packaging or ot her similar cosmetic changes that do not necessarily impact the core product, but sometimes making a few simple changes in the appearance sends a clear message to consumers that recognizing their needs is as important to the company as making sales. This demonstration of good might go a long way to strengthen the ties between the consumer and the producer. Market segmentation is not only beneficial to the manufacturer or retailer, but can also have benefits to a consumer as well.People in a particular market segment may get special deals on products as the company focuses on that group, or find that those products are available more widely. When a company responds to consumer feedback, it can mean that those people get changes in composition or packaging that better meet the user's needs. Disadvantages of Market Segmentation One of the biggest disadvantages of this marketing technique is the expense. A great deal of research often needs to be done to correctly identify those subsets that are most important for a company, and this takes time and money.Once the key subsets are identified, different marketing messages usually need to be developed for each. In addition, changing the appearance of a product based on which segment it is being sold to adds to the production costs. If the market isn't segmented effectively, then all this money will be wasted. When the market segments that are identified are too narrow, it may be difficult for a company to be profitable. Niche marketing can work for some industries, but if the tastes of that subset change or a stronger competitor enters the field, a company that has focused too much on the one segment can lose its customer base quickly.Targeting smaller segments also means that potential consumers outside of those groups may be ignored and their business lost. The Concept of Market Segmentation Market segmentation is the division of a market into different groups of customers with distinctly similar needs and product/s ervice requirements. Or to put it another way, market segmentation is the division of a mass market into identifiable and distinct groups or segments, each of which have common characteristics and needs and display similar responses to marketing actions.Market segmentation was first defined as ‘a condition of growth when core markets have already been developed on a generalised basis to the point where additional promotional expenditures are yielding diminishing returns’ (Smith, 1956). There is now widespread agreement that they form an important foundation for successful marketing strategies and activities (Wind, 1978; Hooley and Saunders, 1993). The purpose of market segmentation is to leverage scarce resources; in other words, to ensure that the elements of the marketing mix, price, distribution, products and promotion, are designed to meet particular needs of different customer groups.Since companies have finite resources it is not possible to produce all possible p roducts for all the people, all of the time. The best that can be aimed for is to provide selected offerings for selected groups of people, most of the time. This process allows organizations to focus on specific customers’ needs, in the most efficient and effective way. As Beane and Ennis (1987) eloquently commented, ‘a company with limited resources needs to pick only the best opportunities to pursue’. The market segmentation concept is related to product differentiation.If you aim at different market segments, you might adapt different variations of your offering to satisfy those segments, and equally if you adapt different versions of your offering, this may appeal to different market segments. Since there is less competition, your approach is less likely to be copied and so either approach will do. An example in the area of fashion retailing might be if you adapt your clothing range so that your skirts are more colourful, use lighter fabrics, and a very shor t hemline, for instance, this styling is more likely to appeal more to younger women.If alternatively, you decide to target older women, then you might need to change the styling of your skirts to suit them by using darker, heavier fabrics, with a longer hemline. This is exactly what Marks and Spencer (M&S) did to attract a younger female shopper into their M&S stores and compete more directly with Next and Debenhams for share of this market. The company launched a range of female clothing called Per Una, and three years on the fashion range has been a huge success reportedly generating annual sales of nearly ? 230 m—more than 10 per cent of the total womenswear sales at M&S.If you start by adapting new product variants, you are using a product differentiation approach. If you start with the customer’s needs, you are using a market segmentation approach. This is illustrated more clearly in Figure 6. 2 using offering rather than product to indicate that the same concept may apply to a service. A relational marketing perspective would replace the marketing mix—the 4Ps —either with the 7Ps (see Chapter 15) or with a discussion of the need to design, develop, and deliver the customer experience (see Chapter 17).The concept of market segmentation was first proposed as an alternative market development technique in imperfectly competitive markets, that is, in markets where there are relatively few competitors selling an identical product. Where there are lots of competitors selling identical products, market segmentation and product differentiation produce similar results as competitors imitate your strategic approach more quickly and product differentiation approaches meet market segment needs more closely. With an increasing proliferation of tastes in modern society, consumers have increased disposable incomes.As a result, marketers have sought to design product and service offerings around consumer demand (market segmentation) more tha n around their own production needs (product differentiation) and they use market research to inform this process (see Market Insight 6. 1 and Chapter 4). Segmentation criteria for consumer markets Segmenting criteria for goods and services markets Kotler and Armstrong define market segmentation as â€Å"dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers who have distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviour and who might require separate products or marketing mixes† (Armstrong and Kotler, 2005: 54).