Customer Services

Unit 1 Assessment Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢ The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a USB drive †¢ Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢ When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢ Then, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number.Please note that this Assessment document has 13 pages and is made up of 5 Sections. Name: Organisation: Which organisation(s) are you basing your answers to this assessment on? If you are currently working, you may wish to base it on the organisation which employs you. Can you provide a brief description of this organisation? (Please note you will not be marked on this; it is simply to provide your tutor with a brie f outline. ) Section 1 – Understand the factors that affect an organisation and the customer service role 1.Complete the table below with a description of the products and services for at least two commercial organisations, public organisations and third sector organisations. Please ensure you provide a description for each organisation, rather than a list. |Organisation type |Name of organisation |Description of products and services | |Commercial | |Their products are Italian fashion related, such as clothes, shoes | |organisation |Monaco Couture |and accessories.Friendly customer services and value for money | | |Retail |products. | | | | | |Commercial |Wilton Patisserie |Wilton is a Greek bakery that has a huge cake selection for every | |organisation | |occasion.They make fresh pastries, bread, cookies and other | | | |related savouries and sweets baked goods, you can also find | | | |sandwiches and hot or cold drinks.They are focused in providing | | | |value for money product and friendly customer services. | |Public |Police |Activity it applies at the level of national security. Their | |organisation | |activities are directly coordinated by the government.Their task | | | |is, however, not profit, but to provide the necessary services to | | | |the government and citizen | |Public |Fire brigades |Fire-fighters    are rescuers extensively trained in fire fighting, | |organisation | |primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten property and | | | |civilian or natural populations and to rescue people from dangerous| | | |situations, such as collapsed or burning buildings. | | | | | |Third sector organisation |Charities |A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization | | | |(NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centres on | | | |non-profit and philanthropic goals as well as social well-being | | | |(e. g. haritable, educational, religious, or other activities | | | |serving the public int erest or common good). | |Third sector organisation |Hospices |Hospice an institution working in palliative care within the health| | | |system. | 2. Complete the table below by describing the differences in customer service between commercial, public and third sector organisations. You should outline customer service roles in each organisation and highlight the differences in how customer service is carried out across these organisations. Organisation type |Description of customer service and | | |the differences between organisations | |Commercial | | |organisation | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Public | | |organisation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Third sector | | |organisation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3. In relation to your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with), outline the part that customer service plays in this organisation and its industry as a whole. 4.Who are the major competitors to your current organisation (or one that you are familia r with)? 5. Identify at least two factors that could affect the reputation of your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with). Section 2 – Understand employee rights, responsibilities and organisational procedures 1. Use the table below to give details of employer and employee rights and responsibilities under employment law and the importance of having these (consider the importance to the organisation, employees and customers, where relevant). You should include at least two employer rights / responsibilities and at least two employee rights / responsibilities in your answer. Rights and responsibilities |Why are they important? | |1. Employer | | | | | | | | | | | |2.Employer | | | | | | | | | | | |1. Employee | | | | | | | | | | | |2.Employee | | | | | | | | | | | 2. Give details of employer and employee rights and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act. You should include at least two employer rights / responsibilities and at least two empl oyee rights / responsibilities in your answer. |Who? Rights / responsibilities under Health and Safety at Work Act | | | | |Employer | | | | | |Employer | | | | | |Employee | | | | | |Employee | | 3. In relation to your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with), describe the organisation’s procedures for health and safety and any relevant documentation that is used. If possible, provide relevant health and safety policies / documents from the organisation to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections. 4. Outline how the Disability Discrimination Act relates to employment. 5.In addition to the information provided in the questions above, identify the other key legislation that specifically relates to your chosen organisation and its industry as a whole. 6. Describe the procedures followed by your chosen organisation in relation to equality and diversity. Your answer should include details of any monitoring that takes place and documentation used to support this monitoring. Section 3 – Understand career pathways within customer service 1. Describe at least two different types of career pathways that may be available within a customer service role. 2. Identify a range of sources where a person can find information and advice on the customer service industry, occupations and career progression. | | |Information relating to: |Source(s) | | | | |Customer service industry | | | | | |Occupation | | | | | |Career progression | | 3. In your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with), what methods of learning are available to help with career progression? 4.In your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with), what is the procedure for accessing formal learning programmes? What is the procedure if an application for access to learning is refused? If possible, provide relevant organisational procedures to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections. 5. Explain how new customer service situations can help with self-development and career progression. Section 4 – Understand how employees are supported within the customer service role 1. Identify a range of sources where a person can find information and advice on employment rights and responsibilities.You should identify at least three sources of information in your answer. 2. Complete the table below, identifying the representative bodies related to your chosen organisation / industry. You should also include details of the main roles and responsibilities of these bodies and their relevance to the organisation / industry. |Representative body |Roles and responsibilities |Relevance | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3. For a customer service role in your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with), use the table below to provide de tails of the support that is available in relation to the following issues: a) Equality b) Health and safety c) Career progression |Issue |Sources of support |Equality | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Health and safety | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Career progression | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Section 5 – Know the organisation’s policies and procedures Please answer all of the questions in this Section in relation to your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with). 1. Use the table below to describe the main principles, policies and procedures of your chosen organisation. You should also include details of documentation used to support these principles, policies and procedures. |Description |Supporting documentation | |Principles | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Policies | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Procedures | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2. How are the organisation’s principles communicated to employees? Explain this below. 3. Outline the policies and codes of practice that are adopted by the organisation. How are employees made aware of these policies and codes of practice? 4. Explain how employees are involved with and consulted on changes to the principles, procedures and policies within the organisation. 5. Use the table below to identify issues of public concern relating to the industry and organisation, and describe how these issues are addressed / dealt with. Issues of public concern |How they are addressed / dealt with | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Once you have completed all 5 Sections of this Assessment, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Barbara Hepworth – presentation

Good morning, I know some you are taking the â€Å"british art† course this year, so I think it could be interesting if I give a brief account of Barbara Hepworthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s work and experiences. For those of you who are not taking that subject it may be a way of familiarising yourselves with abstract art coming from Great Britain. Before going straight into the subject, Ià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d like you to get rid of any prejudices you may have against abstract art and just let yourselves to be carried along by what Ià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m going to say and show. First of all, I can see in your faces youà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½re thinking â€Å"Whoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s that Barbara Hepworth sheà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s talking about? Well, She is one of the most important abstract scuptors in Britain. What Ià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m trying to do here this morning is to show you in what way her experiences in life changed her work. As you see this is Barbara Hepworth when she was only two years old. It is relevant the way she perceived nature from her very infancy. In this statement you can see it clearly. She says â€Å"All my early memories are of forms, shapes and textures†, so she identifies nature with sculture. The last line is also remarkable as Barbara Hepworth is establishing a relationship between nature and the sculptor. One of the most important experiences who contributed to change her work is the visit she paid to Italy when she had become a sculptor herself. In this country she found two of her main preocupations: light and the grouping of people. The importance of light in relation to form will always interest her. Her second preocupation emerged in Venice. There, she realized that when people entered Saint Mark square, they walked in a different way and tended to group themselves because of the enormous proportion of the square and the cathedral. These two preocupations, those of light and the grouping of people will change her style. In this slide you can see her with one of her children. Barbara recognizes that with the birth of her first child her work developed notoriously. In her Autobiography, that I recommend you, the artist critizises those who thought a woman cannot be an artist and mother at the same time. What is more, she believes her work changed because of her children been, during several years, more formal, avoiding any trace of naturalism. You can see the resault in this sculpure. If we carry on the course of her life, we can find another turning point in her career when she first met Arp, one of the leaders of dadaism. By seeing his work, Barbara freed herself from many inhibitions and regarded the ralion between form and landscape with new eyes. In the decade of the 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s, abstract art became quite famous in Britain because of Barbara and her husband, Ben Nicholson. They were in contact with some important artists from the continent, such as gabo or Mondrian. Here you can see her with Gabo and his wife. This contact originated new preocupations for Barbara. One of them was the quality of the materials she used in her scuptures. She wanted to do something of a piece of marble, for example, but in order to achieve it she had to discover what the block of marble wanted. In this period she is also interested in the hollowed form as you can see in many of her works. She pierced the scuptures to create a more profound relationship between human beings and nature through sculpture. It is in these years that she analyses the role of the sculptor. She also reflects about her hands. Barbara Hepworth thinks her left hand is her thinking hand while her right hand is the working one. As a result of the threatening of the 2nd world war, many european artists came to England and joined the group of Barbara and Ben Nicholson in St. Ives, establishing the foundations of Constructivism, one of the most important vanguardist movements. During these last years of the decade Barbara Hepworth devoted herself to curved and stringed carvings which symbolised, once again, a sense of identification with nature. After this period her scultures will evoque the idea of enclosure or embrace. In order to achive it she uses several kinds of forms which are: the standing figure, the two figures, that represent the relationship between one human being and another, and the spherical or oval form. Her work will change again in the 40à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s, a decade she dedicates to monumental and enormous figures made of metal. This is Barbara Hepworth when she was nearly and old lady. In her last years she comes back to the formal style that characterized her work during the decade of the 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1975. She used to drink and smoke a lot, so one day she didnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t extinguish the butt of a cigarrete and it a caused a fire that killed her. In conclusion, I can say Barbara Hepworth was one of the most important artists of her time and her success depends a great deal on her experience in life. I hope you take a full advantage of my presentation. Anyway, if youà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve got any comments or questions you are welcomed. Thank you very much. * Introduction: Good morning, I know some of you†¦.. Get rid of any prejudices / let yourselves get involved. * Body: First of all: Who is Barbara Hepworth. What Ià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m trying : in what way her experiences change her work. Slide of her 2 years old : relevant because from her infancy aware of forms. Slide of statement. (last line remarkable). Italy: preoccupations: light and grouping of people. Slides of Venice. Slides of child (2) Her children: developed her work, autobiography she critizises, her work more formal avoiding any trace of naturalism Slide of formal scupture. If we follow the course of her life another turning point: Arp: (leader of dadaism) freed herself from many inhibitions and regarded the relationship bet figure and nature with new eyes. In the decade of the 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s abstract art famous in GB because of her and her husband. Slide of BH and her husband. They were in contact with artists from continent. (Gabo, Mondrian). Slide of her with Gabo. This contact originated new preoccupatiosns: qualitiy of materials, hollowed form. She pierced scultures to create a more profound relation bet human beings and nature. Slide of pierced figure. It is in these years: analyses the role of artist and reflects about her hands. Slides of hands (2). As a result of the threatening of the 2nd w.w. many artist came and joined her group in St Ives. Slides of her studio in St. Ives (2). There they established the foundations of Constructuvism, one of the most imp vanguardist movements. During these last years of the decade, BH devoted herself to the curved and stringed carving, a sense of identifiation with nature. Slide of stringed sculpture. After this period her sculptures will evoque the idea of enclosure or embrace by using several kinds of forms: standing form, two forms and oval or spherical form. Slide of standing figure. Slide of spherical figure. 40à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s her work changes again: enormous figures made of metal. Slides of enormous figures (3). Slides of her old (2) In her last years she came back to the formal style of the 30à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s. She passed away in 1975: she used to drink etc. * Conclusion: As a conclusion we can say she was 1 of the + imp artists of her time, and her success depends a great deal on her experience in life. I hope you have taken full advantage of my presentation. If you have any comments or questions you are welcome.

Cell Biology ADHESION WRITE UP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cell Biology ADHESION WRITE UP - Essay Example Cadherins are found as trans-membrane proteins (Rastogi, 2007). There are four main types of classical cadherins, with the epithelial cadherin playing an important role in the growth of tumours (Asano et al, 2004). Cells possessing cadherins generally adhere to other cells possessing cadherins. By exploring these cell adhesion mechanisms with an assay, it is possible to understand more fully the role of the intracellular matrix and the reactions which occur within it. The assay described below relies on the interesting effects that trypsin has on these cadherin molecules. In the presence of calcium and trypsin, the cadherins are protected from cleavage, but in the presence of a trypsin and EDTA mixture, the cadherins are removed from the cell surface and thus the cells stop aggregation. Results Trypsin is commonly used to detach the adhering cells (Humphries, 2001). Prior to the addition of trypsin, the cells were adhering to each other forming a suspended clump of cells within the w ells. However, after the trypsin was added, there was less evidence of adhesion and the cells were in the matrix singularly. After fixing, only the adhering cells were found in the well. This again gave a ‘clumped’ look to the cells. After viewing this, the wells were stained with methylene blue, and this the wells had a typical blue appearance in the top two rows, suggesting normal adhering cells were present. ... Raw Data 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 A 0.935 0.685 0.798 0.857 2.35 2.323 2.253 2.523 2.427 2.809 2.58 2.416 B 0.445 0.488 0.632 0.401 2.165 2.13 2.308 1.708 0.774 0.851 1.072 0.814 C 0.028 0.023 0.037 0.028 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.026 0.025 0.026 0.027 D 0.029 0.031 0.027 0.029 0.028 0.023 0.029 0.026 0.027 0.026 0.035 0.03 E 0.027 0.033 0.028 0.03 0.022 0.013 0.029 0.028 0.032 0.022 0.032 0.03 F 0.028 0.024 0.026 0.028 0.027 0.028 0.022 0.028 0.017 0.014 0.021 0.027 G 0.028 0.032 0.024 0.026 0.037 0.021 0.029 0.017 0.018 0.016 0.024 0.034 H 0.032 0.019 0.025 0.023 0.025 0.014 0.028 0.014 0.018 0.013 0.022 0.025 Graph 1 A1-4 A5-8 A9-12 B1-4 B5-8 B9-12 Mean 0.819 2.362 2.558 0.492 2.078 0.878 Standard Dev. 0.105 0.115 0.183 0.100 0.258 0.133 Graph 2 A1-4 A5-8 A9-12 B1-4 B5-8 B9-12 Mean 0.201 0.370 0.346 0.158 0.325 0.407 Standard Dev. 0.009 0.023 0.067 0.020 0.031 0.021 Discussion ECM Component Preference As was previously discussed, cadhesins are of various different types and thus may have different preferences for the extra-cellular matrix in which they react. In the data above, the cells A1-4 represent matrix 1, A5-8 represent matrix 2, and A9-12 represent matrix 3. The cells B1-4 represent the BSA and B5-8 and B9-12 represent tube 1 and 2 respectively. In this case, the data obtained experimentally shows that there is a definite component preference for matrices 2 and 3, with the first one having a very low absorbance value and thus a very low amount of adhering cells. The sample data also show a similar trend, although the amount of adhering cells in matrix 1 are not so low as in the experimental data. There is another small difference in

Paragraph Task Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paragraph Task - Essay Example Junk food is very high in cholesterol, fats, and carbohydrates. â€Å"It probably comes with no surprise that larger portion sizes are associated with higher caloric intake† (Rossen and Rossen, 2012, p. 65). Body converts the excessive sugar into fat. The more the sugar intake, the more the fat stored. The second major cause of obesity is lack of physical activity. Many people today are living a sedentary lifestyle and use vehicles for traveling. Likewise, people keep servants at home rather than doing the domestic works themselves. The third main cause of obesity is lack of education. Advertisements convey information in such a complicated manner that common man cannot understand the nutritional value of the product. In addition to that, there is a lot of conflicting information about the food items, which leaves people puzzled. Obesity has many negative implications both on the individuals and the society at large. Overfeeding children grow up into overeating adults. They ca nnot do exercise. Obesity lowers self-esteem, thus causing people to seek refuge in comfort eating. Obesity causes many medical complications including heart problems, and diabetes. Most of the factors are both causes and effects of obesity. Furthermore, obesity makes people lazy. In the past, being fat was considered a sign of prosperity, but today people have to bear its cost. Avoid obesity requires a complete change in the lifestyle. People need to combine good common-sense eating with more activity. People should adopt healthy living earlier to avoid the consequences of obesity later in life. Reflection Topic Sentence I started my new paragraph with a topic sentence. While choosing and organizing the words to make my topic sentence, I had three factors in my mind; length, indication, and appeal. Firstly, I wanted to keep my topic sentence concise because wordy topic sentences are misleading and confusing whereas I wanted my topic sentence to be very to the point. Secondly, I wan ted to select such a topic sentence that would indicate what claim or argument is made in the paragraph following it. Thirdly, I wanted my topic sentence to reflect the appeal or tone of the whole paragraph so that the readers know it upfront. These three factors when considered while making the topic sentence help the readers know what to expect in the paragraph. Tenses Tenses indicate the gravity of an issue. For example, in my supporting sentences, I made used of both past and present continuous tenses to emphasize that obesity has been a health risk to the society in the past and has not subsided yet, but is rather growing in rate and effects. Most of the supporting sentences are written in present tense because the effects of obesity have always been as mentioned, are, and will continue to be as such. Grammar Appropriate selection of adjectives, comparatives, and transitive words help the writer incorporate expression in the text. In my paragraph, I used adjectives before nouns like â€Å"greasy† burgers and â€Å"fizzy† soft-drinks to reflect their images in the readers’ minds while they read, along with the feel they get while consuming them, so that they can relate to what they read. I emphasized on the gravity of consequences of obesity by using such comparatives as â€Å"more† and â€Å"very†. I reflected different phases of time in the sentences by making use of such comparatives as â€Å"earlier† and â€Å"later†. I linked the sentences to one another by using such transitive words as

Perfect competition and monopoly power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perfect competition and monopoly power - Essay Example There is natural tendency of the high technology company to acquire this form to shun competition. 3. In perfect competition products available in the market are of homogeneous character manufactured by firms and that do not provide customers the buying preference. Buyers are free to buy from the market and firms are also free to enter or exit without restrictions In contrast to this in monopoly there is only one seller and plenty of buyers. The entry barriers exist that don't allow easy entry in the market for many reasons such as high technology products or legally protected products etc. Monopolists set market price of the product and services irrespective of the buyers' reaction. The buyers don't have power to influence price. Oligopoly is a situation that lies in between the two extreme models of perfect competition and monopoly. This is a market form in which the industry is dominated by a small numbers of sellers or firms and the decision of one firm influences that of others. This close proximity and influence of each firm on the other in the market or industry often causes collusion of interest. There is scope of competition in oligopoly too but firms often employ restrictive trade practices as formation of cartels to raise product prices. OPEC is the best example which form cartel to restrict production of crude oil to reduce supply and increase price in the world market. When the number of firms is larger there can be fierce competition with relatively high production but low prices that amounts to situation in perfect competition. But actually the firms operate under imperfect competition. In order to earn greater profit / revenue and market share firms in oligopoly utilize non-price competition a nd are supported by sticky -upward demand curve. Oligopsony is another form of market in which number of sellers is comparatively large than the number of buyers. This type of market is often seen in the input market where a small number of firms compete to obtain (buy) factors of production. This is just in contrast with the oligopoly market where firms compete to sell the final product. Market with a few sellers (oligopoly) and a few buyers (oligopsony) is called as a bilateral oligopoly. Perfect Competition is the most competitive market structure in which everybody is a price taker. This type of situation hardly exists. It is so competitive that any individual buyer or seller has a very little impact on the market price. When a company emerges with a high technology products that no one else manufactures they acquire a growing monopolistic position in the market as the Microsoft Corporation did with its application software products that have to be used in every product as desktop computer. Initially there was no substitute product in the market as in a monopoly market but gradually some firms dare enter in to the scene to snatch some market share of the near

Review a movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review a movie - Essay Example Film Unforgiven (1992); shows the era when old Wild West was changing into modern west. Opening of the movie clearly shows the main theme behind the movie. Era of Wild West falling and rising of a new era; that is rising of modern west. This film hides brutal realities of Wild West that were present through all the area of Wild West. Robbery, violence and bounty hunting were normal attributes of the Wild West. Also sheriff which goes cruel or brutal in the movie shows non judicial murders done by sheriff department to keep law and order of the village or society they are responsible for. There is a great amount of violence present in the movie. Also hero of movie is person which is acting as a villain throughout the movie. Concepts of dignity, self respect, life and death are narrated continuously in the movie again and again by narrators (Milan). L.A confidential was a movie released in 1997. This movie devises ways to analyze movies. L.A confidential is based on the concept that movies itself are the major cause of the spreading violence and other crimes including sexual assault most of the females face in city of Los Angles. Generally concepts like freedom of doing everything any time is one of the major causes addressed my L.A confidential as their main subject. Justice system is the next subjected targeted by the makers. Movie introduces three cops with three different personalities and characters. Youngest one is the newly breed of the department and is loyal to law and its applications. Other one is a criminal having a police badge doing crimes under the supervision of his captain. According to the makers behind L.A confidential the concept of liberty that is greatly propagated by movies is totally wrong and opposite to idea itself. There should be controlled liberty for proper balance and progress of a society regardi ng justice system. If this balance disturbed there will be no

Implementing a taser program into a law enforcement agency Essay

Implementing a taser program into a law enforcement agency - Essay Example Taser stun guns have recently come under close scrutiny and critiscm because of the risks they pose to the public and their intended use. This has also been fuelled by the increased use of these devices, especially in the United States, and their intended use in the United Kingdom (Feakin 2007). Taser stun guns have been touted as the non-lethal alternative to deadly force and guns (Driscoll 2003, ACLU 2005), which has been viewed as an advantage when it comes to apprehending crime suspects, as it avoids needless deaths and injuries. However, there are figures which show that between 1999 and September 2004, approximately 71 individuals died in North America as a result of the use of the Taser stun gun (ACLU 2005). Whilst some may claim that these deaths are still less than those that come about as a result of the use lethal weapons, this still does raise some issues about whether Taser stun guns should be used at all, and if so, should their use be restricted to certain individuals. There are also figures which show that at the end of 2004, the fatalities from Taser stun guns had increased and there is evidence to suggest these deaths are a result of the incorrect or overuse of the device (ACLU 2005). For instance, there was an incident in the US where a young man was stunned for up to 17 times by the Taser stun guns (ACLU 2005) and this is thought to have contributed to the individual's death. Such incidences have most likely to have been the cause of the public concerns about this device, as it seems that the use of the Taser stun gun device is contributing to deaths, instead of preventing them. In addition to this, the manufacturers of the Taser stun gun have denied any claims that their device has directly contributed to the deaths of any individuals (Driscoll 2003, ACLU 2005). Despite these safety concerns, the appeal of the Taser stun gun to law enforcement agencies worldwide is appealing. For instance, law enforcement agencies in the UK, do not carry guns and the purchase and use of Taser stun guns is highly attractive as an alternative to considering lethal devices. In the US, law enforcement agencies already carry lethal devices and Taser stun guns are an attractive option to counter-act concerns regarding the deaths of innocent civilians caught in the cross-fire or in instances of mistaken identity. However, the concerns over the current use of Taser stun guns seem to be related to their application and over-use of the device. This has been acknowledged by the International Association of Chiefs of Policy (IACP) which has recommended the re-evaluation of Taser training and the establishment of policies (ACLU 2005), to minimise the deaths from the use of this device. This acknowledgement from the IACP does recognise that the use of t

Re engineer a garage car services through contemporary technologies Essay

Re engineer a garage car services through contemporary technologies Ismail - Essay Example It has been designed to also act as a guideline to a wide range of business oriented people. The overriding aim of this business plan is to gather information on how to successfully start and manage an auto mobile garage. The description of the business, the marketing strategy, the operation, and the financial requirements are among the things dealt with in this plan. This project shows the most crucial aspects of having a successful business. It shows that ATG is a viable business that has the potential of expanding and performing well in terms of profits. very good- comment addressed AlArif Tech Garage ATG is an automobile garage that aims at giving its customers services through unique technologies that will help customers in many ways. Nowadays, we are using technology everywhere, and for that we need more services through it. ATG aims at delivering car services through its experienced staff and new technology. Also, the company aims at prioritizing the comfort of its customers. For that the organization is willing to deliver the highest standard of vehicle services without requiring the customers to be available at the workshop, they can stay at home or at work and their vehicles are being fixed. The service industry, including vehicle services, is considered to be one of the fastest growing businesses of the economy. ATG aims at capitalizing on the fact that people in the UAE do not have time to take care of their vehicles. This is evident by the statistics which shows that among the top ten causes of accidents in Dubai is negligence and inattention to car maintenance (Emirates 24/7 News, 2013). For that we will offer some fabulous services especially for these kinds of people who don’t have time for their cars. The Mission of ATG company is to become a premier provider of quality services to its customers to make

The theory of Max Weber Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The theory of Max Weber - Essay Example The theory of Max Weber Such an organization will always be considered effective and will have a stable and legitimate authority with proper relationship between the leaders and the followers (Weber, 25). According to Max Weber, there are basically three types of authority in existence: traditional, rational-legal and charismatic. Traditional authority is derived from an established set of beliefs, customs and traditions whereby those upon which the authority is vested have the command to exercise it. This type of authority exists majorly in patrimonial systems and feudalistic societies where it is mostly handed down from one generation to another. One important factor in this type of authority is the acceptance of the followers to obey the authority without which the authority cannot exist. On the other hand, rational-legal authority is basically derived from a belief in the legality and hierarchy in existence. It is mostly realized in bureaucratic systems and in formal structures where people are expected to follow a given set of rules and regulations set forth (Miles, 112). Charismatic authority on the other hand arises out of the exceptional nature of individuals, their heroism or exemplary aspects in their character which grants them many followers especially in time of crises. . In modern administrative structures, it is traditional authority and rational-legal authorities which can provide proper administrative structures. In formal organizations, people must follow the set of rules and obey their seniors at work. Formal structures formed on the basis of charismatic authority must evolve properly in order to be successful. This involves the adoption rational-legal authority for proper administrative structures. With his theory of scientific management, Fredrick Taylor actually pioneered the scientific approach to management. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Taylor was totally dissatisfied with the manner in which human organizations were managed and totally dedicated his time and energy on how this could be improved. He therefore pushed for a shift from the conventional style of personal management to a new style of scientific management. In personal management, the leader of the group was expected to be exceptionally bright in order to manage effectively (Taylor, 25). However, under scientific management, a group of ordinary people could perform better than the bright captain if they applied a scientific approach. He advocated for the training of employees in an organization to follow a given set of behavior rather letting them work at their discretion. In this regard, the spirit of cooperation was very important as it ensured proper working relationship between the management and the workers. Indeed such a situation was hitherto unknown in the organizations of that time. According to Taylor, the workload had to be effectively shared in the organization with the managers conducting the scientific work of instruction while the workers focusing o n the provision of labour. In this case, there is less wrangles in the organization as long as each party diligently performs their duty. In modern organizations it is realized that the scientific mode of management as described by Taylor greatly helps in creating authority and legitimacy. Organizations are headed by leaders who are expected to apply science in managing the employees. On the other hand, employees should follow the instructions of the managers in order to create order

Government Economic Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Government Economic Policy - Essay Example Governments main objectives of using this type of policies is to stimulate the aggregate demand, reduce inflation, improve a recession, collection of revenue to provide public goods, improve on market failure caused by externalities or even steer the economy to achieve higher growth. as earlier discussed the main objectives of government policies is to improve on a recession, depression, inflation, solve on market failure caused by positive and negative externalities, collection of government revenue to provide public goods and to stimulate aggregate demand. These policies will also be used in case of a boom in the economy. The policies can be used together to improve a situation or one of them used. Inflation can be defined as the consistent rise in the general prices of goods for a fairly long period of time, the most used indicator of inflation is the consumer price index. Inflation is caused by demand push according to Keynes; he argued that inflation will exist when the aggregate demand exceeds aggregate supply. The excess demand can be from the real sector or the monetary sector. TheThe real sector consist of the model that is used to calculate the national output, Y = consumption + government spending + investment + exports - imports. if marginal propensity to consume increases then aggregate demand will increase leading to inflation, if government spending increases then this will increase aggregate demand also if the level of investment increases this will cause an increase in the aggregate demand and finally if the exports increase then aggregate demand increases and this can be seen when there is a boom caused by increased exports. The monetary sector means that in the case where the money supply in an economy increases this triggers inflation. The other type of inflation is the cost push inflation caused by an increase in the cost of production due to an increase in the price levels of Raw materials. an increase in the cost of production will lead to high unit cost of production, these high prices are passed on to the consumers, therefore their real wages decreases and trade unions come in and fight for high wages and if they are granted higher wages the cost of production further increases. In case of inflation the government will come in and interfere with the economy, in this case the government will simply use monetary policies to improve the situation, they will increase the rate of interests so that the amount of money in circulation in the economy reduces, the government will also improve this by reducing the supply of money in the economy, this can be achieved through increasing the bank reserve ratio held by a central bank. This can be diagrammatically shown as follows; When inflation increases from 0 to 1 then the real GDP falls from y0 to y1, if y0 was the potential output then the economy is operating below potential output, to improve this government will reduce the interest rates the interest rates

Rubicam’s Business College Essay Example for Free

Rubicam’s Business College Essay LAURA: At home†¦ my prized possession was my glass menagerie. [she smiles faintly at the memory] My favourite was the unicorn. However†¦ it broke. I brought the horn here with me. The other part†¦ is with a man. BLANCHE: [she raises her hands in exasperation] Hah! Men! Terrible, hulking brutes most of them are. Especially those Polacks. What was it Wilde said? â€Å"Women are a decorative sex! † If I am to have any chance of happiness I must be innocent, attractive and, most of all, youthful! [Slight polka music can be heard in the distance. ] LAURA: Funny, that sounds like what my mother used to say†¦ Girls are a pretty trap! Screen Image – Amanda Wingfield BLANCHE: [she has a distant look in her eyes as she contemplates the various men that have become part of her past] Yes dear, they are. And don’t you forget it when you’ve still got time. This man who has the unicorn – is he your husband? Boyfriend? LAURA: [getting progressively quieter] In high school Jim was the only one that ever spoke to me. Then he turned up at the house and he†¦ he†¦ kissed me. Of course, he never really liked a cripple like me. He was engaged†¦ [fighting back tears. ] Screen legend – the day at the amusement park BLANCHE: Typical! I too have had my fair share of shocking dates. In New Orleans I met a gentleman named Mitch. [she begins to talk quickly, as if she were addressing herself] I accompanied him to the amusement park on Lake Pontchartrain, a rather dismal place more suited to easily-amused children. However, this was my first date with a gentleman since†¦ since†¦ forever! I could absolutely not afford to mess this one up. [giggly pause] I was as giddy as a schoolgirl courting behind the bicycle shack – not that I would have engaged in such activity, absolutely not – although I fear dear Mitch saw through my facade. I did try. I tried so very hard. I even pretended I was pleased with that ghastly plaster statuette of Mae West. The erogenous nature of her films draws up memories of a past I wish to forget! [the polka music increases in volume and tempo. ] LAURA: [not following] Oh, I see†¦ BLANCHE: Every time I look at a man all I can think of is my dear Allen! I ended up telling Mitch about my past, my marriage, when I was just a girl. It was as if Mitch crashed through the invisible barrier I strived for so long to erect. It just tumbled out! They were words I had desired to tell someone for so long. They had been entombed inside of me for so long it was as if they had gone stale, distasteful even! Even as he embraced me†¦ all I could envisage†¦ was Allan’s desperate touch! [she dramatically outstretches her arms towards an invisible point] Oh Allan, forgive me! [In her fervour BLANCHE knocks over the ketchup bottle, its crimson innards spilling onto her lap. She frantically dabs at it with a serviette, but to no avail. Her white dress has been permanently tarnished, the bloody hue of the condiment combining with the once wholesome dress. ] BLANCHE: [returning to reality with a jolt] Would you look at that mess! What will ever become of us? LAURA: [visibly shaken, but speaking with determination] We can’t let little things like this ruin our lives†¦ When I get discharged I’ll go back to Rubicam’s Business College. Yes, I will! BLANCHE: [she clutches LAURA by the shoulders] You can say that, you’re still young! What hope is there for an old maid like me? [The polka music and The Glass Menagerie combine austerely in the minds of the patients. An unholy union, two entities that never should have met. ] LAURA: [jumping up from her chair, repulsed at being touched] I-I think I’m done here! [in her haste to vacate the table she knocks her plate to the floor, where it duly shatters into countless pieces that dance across the floor. The light reflects off the porcelain pieces, framing LAURA in an impromptu spotlight. The breaking noise is audible over the tumultuous din of the room. Many diners turn to look at the spectacle. ] LAURA: [in a tone of utter despair, covering her face with her hands] No†¦ Stop staring†¦! I’m going to be sick! [Exit LAURA, who runs away from the scene. The cafeteria soon returns to its natural state, having forgotten that Laura Wingfield ever existed. ] BLANCHE: Shakespeare got it right! ‘Alas, I am a woman friendless, hopeless! ’ There is truly no hope for some people in this world! [the sound of the door slamming behind Laura as she flees is audible as the light gradually fades out. ]

Marketing Plan For Binary University College Business Essay

Marketing Plan For Binary University College Business Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Binary University College according to binary.edu.my is a university which was established in 1984 as an oxford learning center, became the first specialist college for business and IT in 1989, the first private college to be approved to offer Masters Degree in 1994 and finally upgraded to University College in 2004. Today, according to binary.edu.my, the University College is best recognized in Malaysia for management, IT and Entrepreneurship world class education at an affordable cost as compared to its competitors. This is a report intended at preparing a marketing plan for the School of Business of Binary University College. This marketing plan will include defining and identifying the situational analysis of the organization, the target market of the university, its SWOT analysis, major competitors, its marketing strategy in terms of its marketing mix, the universities forecasting issues, implementation strategies and finally controlling and contingency planning of the School. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF BINARY BUSINESS SCHOOL The business school of Binary University College is according to binary.edu.my, the only school in Malaysia offering business that is affiliated with the worlds largest business network organization, the Conference Board of New York. Being the countrys oldest business school has enabled the school provide high quality programs which attracts all kinds of people from different backgrounds, all over the world including students from the Middle East, Africa, Indian Sub-continent and within the ASEAN countries. One of the business schools aim according to binary.edu.my is to take advantage of the different cultures and values of the international community to help its students become global business professionals. MARKET SUMMARY-TARGET MARKETS Binarys university Business School comprises according to binary.edu.my of both local and international students who have the intention of pursuing or furthering the education in areas of foundation in business studies, gaining a diploma in business administration or in marketing, earning an undergraduate in business management or marketing and finally a masters in business administration. Market Demographics Geographics The business school attracts both students who are willing to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate programs and also lecturers from overseas. The business school provides courses which is intended at attracting part of the student which according to binary.edu.my comprise of students from over 41 countries which includes the Philippines, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, India, Libya, Angola, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, Tanzania, Russia, among many others. Demographics According to binary.edu.my, students are offered courses in the business school irrespective of the age, sex or income. However, there is a certain entry requirement for any student who intends to pursue either a foundation, diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate course from the business school. These entry requirements include SPM, STPM, A-Level, O-level and any other educational certificate recognized by appropriate bodies. Market Needs The business school seeks to provide its student with a range of programs ranging from foundation, diploma, degree and postgraduate, all of which is to enable it fulfill the following benefits that are important to its students and todays market: Foundation- all of its student seek to achieve a very sound academic foundation Experience- gain practical experience in a specific industry and finally, Competitive Advantage- gain competitive advantage in the employment market. Market Trends and Growth Binary.edu.my explains how jobs in the past use to be less competitive even though lesser people went to universities. Jobs were in abundance in the past despite most of graduates were generalist who had to compete with functional specialists. However, in todays market, most jobs are being pursued by hundreds of graduates applying for it. Employers are no longer looking to employ graduates with just degrees, but ones who have knowledge relevant to the industry in which they find themselves in. Employers notice a graduate who has a clear and much knowledge on a particular industry that is among a hundred of applicants and they feel the need to have that particular applicant in their organization. This leaves little room for applicants who only poses paper qualification and less knowledge about an industry in which they are applying for a job in. SWOT ANALYSIS OF BINARY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Strengths Industry Specialist Professionals (ISP) The schools strength lies in its differentiation and ability to according to binary.edu.my produce graduates from its degree courses who do not just graduate with an award and certificate from the university but also a certificate in a specialized industry. The industry specialist professionals program which is undertaken by degree and masters students is equipped at preparing the schools students with the advantage in the marketplace and also to employers with an extensive practical knowledge of a specific industry. The business school teaches and prepares its students to analyze issues, defines problems, compare alternatives, formulate solutions and implement action plans in any industry they might find themselves in after graduation. Weaknesses Concentration on ISP So much focus is placed on the ISP program as a means of ensuring students from the school of business graduate with what is to be seen as an advantage in the workplace. However, this program provides graduates with knowledge on a specific industry. In the case a particular graduate does not end up in the industry in which his/her ISP was targeted on, they become as common as the other applicants they might end up applying for a job with. Opportunities Location The university is located in a area which provides the students of the business school to have a feel of how a business environment is like. The universities location is in the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), in IOI Business Park. The environment is filled with easy access to transportation, accommodation, a variety of food, and also an easy reach to the countries international airport. The location is also an advantage for the school of business to maintain its position in the country as it is the only business school located in the IOI business park, Puchong. University Partners The business school attracts a lot of students from both local and international market with its according to binary.edu.my 2+1 option which makes it possible for students to pursue their first and second year of a degree program at Binary and when they reach their third and final year, have the option of completing their study in one of the partner universities in the united kingdom and Australia. This business option attracts a lot of students because of the following: The cost of education are much lower than to complete the entire degree overseas Students get the chance to study in Britain or Australia thus acquiring valuable overseas experience Students who choose this option are awarded the same degree by the British/Australian university as if they studied all 3 years overseas Threats Uncertainty and unpredictability of University Partners The universities partnered with the business school for the 2+1 option such as the University of Teesside, University of East London, Murdoch University and Deakin University can always end their partnership with the university and not renew it if they see no need necessary to especially in the case students to choose to complete their degrees elsewhere. In some cases where there is issues such as with immigration which is out of the control of the both parties, students may be discouraged in pursuing the option and might look to pursue their degree programs in other universities or the schools competitors. COMPETITION Although Binary is the only School offering business in Puchong, it is not the only one providing a course in business in the Selangor state. There are a couple of universities in the state also offering the same courses in business. However, the schools major competitors are: Taylors University The school of business in Taylorss University according to taylors.edu.my seeks to produce graduates who have the unique approach to prepare themselves to face todays business world. Strengths The business school in Taylors offers a wider range of courses as compared to Binarys business school. The business school has a foundation, diploma and degree for business management just as Binary business school but alike Binary; it also offers degree courses in human resource management, international business, international marketing, applied finance, commerce in accounting, and a masters course in finance and masters in business administration and management. Weaknesses Even though Taylors university according to taylors.edu.my has on its curriculum an industry-relevant program; it is not as intensive as that of Binarys business school. Binarys ISP is a program focused on producing graduates with knowledge on a particular industry, Taylors offers it as part of its curriculum and not a program which leads to a separate certificate when graduating. Opportunities Taylors business school has a program, Taylors American degree transfer program which according to taylors.edu.my sees to it that students get a chance to transfer from Taylors business school into over 50 universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand of which is of a wider range of options compared to Binary. Threats The number threat Taylor has is from Binary and this is in the form of the ISP program. Binary might not have the range of university partners Taylors has but it has an advantage for its graduates in terms of knowledge about chosen industries. Sunway University College According to sunway.edu.my, the Sunway School of business has a commitment to international academic standards and also encouraging its students to reach out to reach their potential. The school has the necessary skills to help it mould its students into leaders. Strengths The school of business focuses a lot on providing academic excellence. To enable the school achieve this, its faculty are trained to make use of case analysis, group projects, field trips, classroom discussions and guest speakers as a way of helping them teach. The school also, as a means of helping its graduates find situatble jobs, works closely with the business community to according to sunway.edu.my help their students with finding quality internship and employment after graduation. Weaknesses Less effort or no effort is placed at all on preparing its graduates with knowledge in specific industries to help them gain a competitive advantage when it comes to todays industry-competitive market. Opportunities The school of business of Sunway has its degree programs validated by the university of Lancaster in the united Kingdom. Graduates are both recognized from both universities and the school makes it a priority to have a consultant from the university of Lancaster to help council and guide students in Sunway school of business to make choices in regards with their chosen career field. Threats Without the ISP program and with limited university partners, Sunway school of business is faced with the threat of its competitors enrolling most of the students who seek to pursue a course in business in the Selangor state. UCTI Strengths Just like Binary, UCTI has a foundation program which leads to a degree of diploma course. However, the school of business of UCTI according to ucti.edu.my has a wider range of diploma and degree course compared to Binary. The diploma in business studies in UCTI has wider options such as diploma in business administration and diploma in business with information technology, this helps graduates gain an advantage over other applicants with the knowledge they poses in information technology. The degree course of UCTI ranges from business management, business management with specialism in e-business, international business management, marketing management, human resource management, tourism management, service management, finance and accounting and finally, media marketing. Weaknesses Even though the school has a wider range of diploma and degree courses as compared to Binarys business school, its weakness is its inability to direct any of those courses at providing its students with knowledge in relevant or specific industries. Opportunities According to ucti.edu.my, the school of business of UCTI has a wider range and option in terms of university partners located in the United Kingdom and Australia. The school of business has available for its students, 17 university partners from the United Kingdom and 14 partners in Australia. Students are more attracted to the school of business of UCTI due to its vast partnership. Threats UCTI is also threatened just like Sunway by its competitors Taylors and Binary who provide curriculums and programs on industry related courses. BINARY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PRODUCT OFFERING Foundation in Business Studies The business school of Binary according to binary.edu.my places focus on high school leavers who most often than not are faced with making a choice on which type of degree they would want to undertake in universities. The foundation program of the business school has the objective of: Laying down a foundation of students in their chosen pursue of a career in business Provide them with the chance of either pursuing their degree program locally or abroad To help students analyze a wide range of career options. Diploma Binary business school undertakes the diploma in business administration (DBA) program, a program which instill in students the foundation in business management with which they need to poses in becoming competitive targets for employers. Students who pursue the DBA program according to binary.edu.my have the benefits of: Gaining the understanding of the key areas necessary to drive a business Learn to produce good reports, create and present excellent presentations, gain the ability to market products globally, develop quality initiatives and be able to work effectively in a team UNDERGRADUATE- Business Management and marketing According to binary.edu.my, as most schools rely on the traditional ways of producing business degree holders in areas of marketing, human resource, and finance who end up taking jobs such as marketers, financial analyst, or human resource experts. These traditional ways just concentrate on producing graduates who are just equipped with academic knowledge about the industry they find themselves in, but with Binary business school, it places more focus on ensuring that its graduates who pursue a degree in BA (Hons) in either business management or marketing also have an advantage on the knowledge and skills of their chosen industries. KEY TO SUCCESS The key to success for Binarys business school will be to concentrate on one of the universities educational goal of delighting employers by producing graduates who are industry specialist professionals. If the business school somehow manages to make use of the universities forged links between academia and industry to differentiate its graduates by ensuring they become industry specialist professionals, the school of business will become a very profitable and sustainable part of the universities success. CRITICAL ISSUES The school of business has the issue of playing its part to ensure that the universities educational goals are achieved. These issues, according to binary.edu.my include: To enhance student learning To be committed to continuous knowledge development through research To promote internationalization and attain international reputation To be a socially responsible, ethical and accountable university To strengthen community interaction and service To enhance professional training and lifelong learning MARKETING STRATEGY MISSION The mission of the school of business is to help achieve the highest international standards in management and also to mould world-class hybrid managers using their unique ISP formula. MARKETING OBJECTIVES The objectives of the school of business of binary according to binary.edu.my, includes the following: Development of careers from industry specialist professionals to industry specialist experts Produce industry professionally trained graduates with in depth knowledge about specific industries POSITIONING Binary school of business has positioned itself in the educational industry as the school which provides affordable world class education equipped with the competitive advantage of producing graduates who become Industry Specialist Professionals MARKETING MIX Pricing Binary business school has to continue to be the cost leadership in the industry if it intends to continue enjoying its position as the only affordable business school with the provision of world class education equipped with ISP. The school needs to continue to operate at the lowest cost in the education industry. In the case it is faced with competition from its competitors, the school needs to temporarily price its services at a lower price but ensure that the new temporarily price is enough to cover up cost of operations. Distribution To ensure that the business school increases its number in terms of students, the strategy of seeking out new students by the school into the course needs to be changed and more of the work of attracting students for the business courses be done through intermediaries. The use of agents and taking part in educational fairs can be a way for the school to gain more students. Also, more can be done by the school for its graduates in helping them develop from ISPs to ISEs if the school involves itself more in working more closely with the business environment to ensure its graduates end up with appropriate jobs which are related to their chosen industry. Promotion The current strategy, push strategy being used by the school by making use of its marketing team to attract and promote its products has t be changed to a pull strategy where more emphasis is placed on spending more funds on advertising and promoting courses to students willing to pursue courses n business. The pull strategy will see more money being focused on advertising in newspapers, television, radio, banners and posters, through e-mails and adverts via the internet instead of concentrating on promoting benefits of the business courses through word of mouth. Product For the school of business to achieve the above objectives, it needs to increase its product line. The current courses it offers in degree can be expanded to include courses such as tourism management, human resource management, international business, marketing management and other business related courses to help attract more students, widen the industry based programs and also produce specialist from a wider range of chosen industries. FINANCIALS BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS According to the breakeven graph above, $7920 is the point at which the business school will be required to operate in order to reach its breakeven point and not overspend or loss out on operational cost in its strategies. EXPENSE FORECAST FOR BINARY BUSINESS SCHOOL Marketing Expense Budget 2011 2012 2013 Website $25,000 $7,910 $9,912 Advertisements $7,400 $14,900 $19,290 Printed Material $1,450 $1,789 $2,956 Total Operations and Marketing Expenses $33,850 $24,599 $32,158 Percentage of Operations 5.57% 2.98% 3.94% Contribution Margin $372,000 $523,231 $59,984 Contribution Margin/Operations 72.56% 74.12% 78.10% The above table is a budget for the next 3 years for the school of business to help execute its strategies of achieving its objectives. CONTROLS IMPLEMENTATION It is very necessary that the above strategies and objectives are carried out without fail, are performed on time or as planned and that the budget is adhered to ensure that the school achieves its objectives with its recommended strategies and that it meets its breakeven point to avoid overspending and loss. MARKETING ORGANIZATION The marketing team of the school shall be in charge in ensuring that all strategies are carried out on time, as planned and within the set budget. CONTINGENCY PLANNING Difficulties and Risks In the case there is any difficulty in implementing the strategies, the recommended strategy will be reviewed and necessary changes made. If the budget set for implementing the strategies is running out faster than expected, a budgeted emergency fund should be made available to ensure that the implementation moves on smoothly without any risks or difficulties. Worst case Scenario When students start leaving due to unsatisfactory results, lack of school interest in ensuring they gain good and appropriate jobs and for reasons of increase in pricing, the whole strategy will be aborted and a new one created. Also, when the budget set is running out when less than 50% of the implementation has been accomplished, the implementation stage will be forced into a halt to ensure the school does not end up spending more than it earns.

Risk Management in Business: A Case Study

Risk Management in Business: A Case Study INTRODUCTION SITUATION Every day, there is the chance that some sort of business interruption, crisis, disaster, or emergency will occur. Anything that prevents access to key processes and activities can be defined as a disaster. Companies can experience many different threats to their mission critical systems such as fires, floods, lightning storms and humidity to disgruntled employees, hackers, human error, power failures and viruses. A disaster can happen at any time and it is vital to be prepared in the event that one occurs. NEED To be prepared for a business interruption, the organization must have a carefully crafted and comprehensive plan that describes risks, impacts, and step-by-step recovery strategies for critical business processes in various disaster and emergency scenarios. Without a plan, the team will be flying blind when an interruption occurs. The plan provides the necessary tools to mitigate interruptions and resume operations as quickly as possible, greatly facilitating decision-making and taking action when there is scant time and stress levels are elevated. CHALLENGE Using the information in the risk assessment to create effective recovery strategies for critical processes in all departments, incorporating these strategies into a comprehensive business continuity plan, and encouraging ownership of the plan across the organization, and ultimately, achieving the highest resiliency possible with limited resources. SOLUTION Create the recovery strategies department-by-department, process-by-process. This allows each department to focus on strategies specifically relevant to their critical processes without extraneous information from other departments. Do the same for your business continuity plan, writing smaller plans by department. Also, use a template to document your recovery strategies to ensure process consistency across the organization. Finally, have plans reviewed and approved by department heads and distributed to all employees to encourage ownership and pride in the plan. RESULT Each department in the organization will have a comprehensive action plan for business continuity outlining the steps to take to recover vital processes in various emergency scenarios. All employees will have their own copy of the plan, ready to use immediately when a disruption occurs. Employees will take ownership of the organizations business continuity effort and this effort will be further ingrained in the organizations corporate culture. CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURING COMPANY AN OVERVIEW The Chocolate Company since inception in 1990 has been largely responsible for satisfying the countrys demand for Chocolates and Sugar Confectionery. Situated at Rusayl Industrial Estates in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, the plant has various lines producing a wide range of confectionery like Éclairs, Toffees, Fudges, Caramels, Hard Boiled Candy and Enrobed Chocolates. These products are available in attractive packaging and premium Gift Boxes making them ideal for gifting as well as for own consumption. Most of the packaging in the Gift Pack segment has been carefully selected to ensure its enduring utility, thereby giving our valued customers an added benefit. The confectionery is produced by experienced personnel under stringent quality control and hygiene standards. State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities ensure products of international quality. The company in its relentless pursuit of quality obtained HACCP Certification in April, 2004. The Company, through its uncompromising stand on quality and competitive pricing, has successfully penetrated countries all over the Gulf, the African continent, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, USA and the UK. The principal business processes involved are Procurement of raw materials and consumables. Production and Quality control. Distribution and marketing. Inventory Management. Pricing and cost control. Feedback from consumers and redressal systems. Publicity and promotional activities. Recruitment and HR. Finance Administration. Corporate communications and public relations. Legal and secretarial matters. Investor relations. Maintenance of equipment and other assets. Capital expenditure for equipment and other purposes. IT systems and telecommunications. Transportation and Logistics. Today, manufacturing sector companies like chocolate manufacturing operates in increasingly complex, competitive and global markets. The ability to manage risks across geographies, products, assets, customer segments and functional departments is of paramount importance. The inability to manage these risks can cause irreparable damages. Chocolate company will always face the likelihood of being impacted by uncertain or adverse future events. These uncertainties will have an impact on a companys ability to generate capital and shareholders returns. The company Board expects that management will not only look at where the company may be exposed to risk, but also how these risks can be managed to influence favorable business outcomes. RISK AND RISK MANAGEMENT Risk Management Methodology followed by the chocolate company The risk management methodology at the chocolate company encompass the scope of risks to be managed, the process/systems and procedures to manage risk and the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in risk management. The framework is comprehensive enough to capture all risks that the company is exposed to and have flexibility to accommodate any change in business activities. The chocolate companys effective risk management methodology includes Risk Policy framework. Identification of risks. Measurement and Impact Assessment. Management of the risks. Monitoring Reporting and Control. A. Risk Policy Framework The following fundamental principles should be considered by the company to develop and implement a proactive risk management program and help them to identify any potential areas of concern: Acceptance of a risk management framework: A formal risk management framework is needed at this company, to guide the integration of risk management into the companys day to day operations. Corporate governance and risk: At this company,corporate governance is the prime responsibility of the Board of Directors and the General Manager. It combines legal duties with responsibilities to improve and monitor the performance of the company. Establish the risk response strategy: Following the agreement on the risk assessment rankings in all functional departments, management action will need to be taken to reduce the risk levels where they have been deemed unacceptably high or alternatively remove constraints where they are preventing the business from pursuing opportunities. Assigning responsibility for risk management change process: It is important for the company to ensure that the daily operation of the business supports this strategy and that the staff understands the proposed changes. Re-sourcing: Risk management is the responsibility of all levels of management. Communication and training: Implementing a communication and training program is important to introduce the concept of risk management. Monitoring of risk management process: To ensure that risk responses gaps are filled and that the risk responses continue to operate effectively and remain appropriate in light of changing conditions. B. Identification of Various Risks of The Company While drafting this Risk management Policy, the primary risk exposures at the company X that are identified is provided below, which are inclusive but not exhaustive and it will be the responsibility of the Risk Management Committee to review these on a periodic basis. I. Market Risks It is the risk that the value of the company will be adversely affected by movements in market rates or prices, foreign exchange rates, national global fluctuations, credit spreads and/or commodity prices resulting in a loss to earnings and capital. The market risks identified at this chocolate company are as follows Government Policy risks Product Risks Environmental risks Volatility of export orders Price Competition in the local export market Currency fluctuation for export orders II. Operational Risks The operational risks identified at chocolate company are as follows Fire Allied Risks Machinery breakdown/ obsolescence Volatility of Raw material Packing material prices Quality/ Ageing risks of Raw material/ Packing material Delivery risk of Suppliers Loss of data information- IT security Manpower Availability risks Accidents Inventory carrying risk III. Reputation Risks These are risks arising from negative public opinion resulting from failures of process, strategy or corporate governance. The Reputation risks identified at this company are as follows Contamination-hygiene Product expiry/Shelf life Corporate Governance IV. Credit Risks Non receipt of receivables or delay in receipts is the credit risks attributable to the company. These may be identified as Payment risk from customers-local Payment risk from Customers- export Security from customers Advance to Suppliers V. Liquidity Risks The possibility is that the company will be unable to fund present and future financial obligations. These may be identified as Cash flow working capital management CAPEX decisions Cost overruns VI. Strategic Risks Risk those are arising from adverse business decisions or the improper implementation of such decisions. These may be identified as follows Business Plan forecasts. Attrition of key people. C. Risk Prioritizing and Impact Assessment Risk Prioritizing To adequately capture institutions risk exposure, risk measurement should represent aggregate exposure of the company to both risk type and business line and encompass short run as well as long run impact on it. To the maximum possible extent the company should establish systems / models that quantify their risk profile. However, in some risk categories, quantification is quite difficult and complex. Wherever it is not possible to quantify risks, qualitative measures should be adopted to capture those risks. The company should utilize a Risk Matrix to evaluate the level of risks which are identified in the Company. The Risk Matrix is formed by assessing the probability of the risk, the severity of the risk, and the quality of control that exists specific to those risks. Scoring is attributed for each the three parameters namely probability, severity and Internal control. The aggregate score is computed and ranking of the risks is ascertained. The probability of the impact occurring is arranged ranging from low to high. Scores assigned as 4 for High, 2 for medium and 1 for low. Severity of the Risk is assessed as High, Medium and low based on the experience and normal prudence. Scores assigned as 4 for High, 2 for medium and 1 for low. Quality of Internal control is also similarly categorized as high, medium and low. The scores assigned in the reverse order since the better the existing control the lower is the impact and vice-versa. So scores here can be assigned as 4 for Low, 2 for Medium and 1 for High. Aggregate Score was thereafter computed after adding the individual scores for each parameter. Companys Risk Matrix using the above method is shown in Annexure I ii. Impact Assessment The company being a medium scale manufacturing unit should focus on the manageable risks like Operational risks, Liquidity risks and Strategic risks. Market risks, Credit risks and Reputation risks though an integral part of risk management may not need detailed impact assessment at this stage unless the probability of such factors seem to be out of proportions in time to come. Impact assessment of the Operational risks, liquidity risks and strategic risks at the company termed herein as Manageable risks, can be assessed as follows Risk associated with any event has two components, loss severity and loss probability. Loss, in itself consists of expected and unexpected components. The unexpected loss component could be severe or catastrophic. Usually, expected losses are adjusted for in pricing or in reserve allocation. Unexpected losses require capital allocation. Given that operational risk, liquidity and strategic risk events are most often subject to internal control, any manageable risk system that passively measures these risks would clearly be inadequate. Once risk factors are identified as likely causes of the Risk losses, mitigating steps need to be initiated. While quantification would indicate risk magnitude and capital charges, it may not by itself suggest mitigating steps. This makes it advisable for the company to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to manageable Risk. The broad steps involved here would be: determine the types of operational losses that could occur identify the causal risk factors estimate the size and likelihood of losses Mitigate associated risks Qualitative Approaches Qualitative approaches involve Audits, Self-assessments Expert / collective judgment. Critical Self-Assessment: (CSA): This is one of the common qualitative bottom-up approaches where line managers of the company can critically analyze their business processes given specific scenarios to identify potential risks and gaps in their risk management processes. Tools like questionnaires, checklists and workshops are used to help the managers analyze the risk profile of their business units. The key idea behind this method is that businesses managers of this company are in the best position identify and manage the Operational Risks pertaining to their business units. Risk Audit Employing the services of external (or internal) auditors to review the business processes of a business unit is another approach. This process not only helps identify risks but also helps put in place the oversight organization for the manageable risks. Key Risk Indicators (KRI) Using the KRI approach the company can blend the qualitative and quantitative aspects of Operational Risk management. Factors that have predictive value and that can be easily measured with minimum time lag can serve as risk indicators. Some risk indicators inherently carry risk related information, for instance, indicators like sales volumes, order size, etc. Others are indirect indicators, for instance, production budgets, production lifecycle, performance appraisal etc. Key indicators are identified from several potential factors and are tracked over time. The predictive capabilities of the indicators are tested through regression analysis on historical loss data and indicator measurements. Based on such analysis, the set of indicators of the company being tracked can be modified suitably. Over time, as the model gets refined, the set of indicators can provide early warning signals for operational losses. D. Management of the risks Managing Market Risks: The chocolate company may be exposed to Market Risk in variety of ways as described earlier such as environmental issues, export orders, future contracts, Price competition, customer profile and marine transportation risks. Besides, market risk may also arise from activities categorized as off-balance sheet item. Government Policy Risks: Change in government policies, tax rates, introduction of new tax regimes, reduction or abolition of incentives etc carry risk to any entity in terms of its costing and pricing. In the short and medium term the company does not perceive any major risk in this segment, however the management has to be aware of any forthcoming changes that the government might envisage. Should there be any drastic change in Government policies that would affect its profitability especially in case of exports; the Company has contingency plans for producing at an alternative location outside Oman. Product Risks: Since the product is that of food item the company has to be 100% careful to maintain the product quality, product specification, pack sizes, contents in each pack etc. Producing lesser or poor quality products and not as per specification is a risk which company X needs to constantly be aware off. To mitigate such risks the company X should develop a well defined production policy develop a well defined Quality control and checks policy develop a well defined storage and Distribution policy Environmental risks: The company does not use and generate hazardous substances in its manufacturing operations. Hence the chances that the company may in future are subject to liabilities relating to the investigation and clean-up of contaminated areas is negligible. However the company should have a laid down policy of disposal of waste at pre-designed disposal points mainly for the rejected, expired and damaged items of raw materials, finished products and packing materials. Volatility of export orders: Some customers and sectors served by the company are directly dependent on general economic development, competition and frequent fluctuations in demand for their products. The prices for these products are, in part, dependent on the prevailing relationship between supply and demand. Possible price fluctuations are therefore apt to have a direct influence on each customers working capital management decisions, with subsequent influence on the customers Order Intake. This may lead to volatility in the development of Order Intake of the company. The company has a policy of geographically diversifying its customer base, as also expanding the customer base in each export market, so that transfer to less volatile locations can be made in short notice. Price Competition in the local export market: The Company does business in very competitive local and export markets. In spite of the competition the company has a 70% market share in the local market and its export business is expanding.Both these local and export markets in which it competes are highly fragmented, with a few large, international manufacturers competing against each other and against a high number of smaller, local companies. Sometimes new entrants or existing players suddenly lower their prices to get rid of the companys products. This has, in some cases, adversely impacted sales margins realized by certain of companys products. To mitigate this risk the company has taken the following steps: Maintaining complete information of its Competitors with respect to their latest technological developments, market strategies, new investments, management changes etc. Has developed emergency alternative plans to introduce different product ranges with minimal structural changes with similar or lower prices. Currency fluctuation for export orders:The Company exports its products to a large number of countries like Canada, USA, Australia, African countries, and the Middle East. Almost all export orders of the company are fixed in US dollars. Since Omani Rail is pegged with US Dollars, the fluctuation of the currencies in would have negligible impact on the export realizations at company X. Company X has a policy of booking export orders in terms of US dollars to avoid the risk of currency fluctuations. Managing Operational Risks: Being a chocolate manufacturing company, it deals with the retail market. The most important risks are those of Operational risks. Operational risk is associated with human error, system failures and inadequate procedures and controls. It is the risk of loss arising from the potential that inadequate information system; technology failures, breaches in internal controls, fraud, unforeseen catastrophes, or other operational problems may result in unexpected losses or reputation problems. Fire Allied risks: These are general risks applicable to almost all establishments. This includes Material damage to the companys property due to Fire lightning, Earthquake, Third party impact, Accidental damage, explosion, riot strike, storm tempest, burst pipes, Own Vehicle impact, malicious damage, and theft. The company should take necessary steps in mitigating such risks by taking â€Å"Property All Risks Insurance Policy† â€Å"Loss of profit insurance cover† Machinery breakdown/ obsolescence: This risk identified is a major risk element as the company has been established two decades earlier by using imported refurbished Plant and machinery. Though most of the machinery is in running condition as of now the chances of spare part obsolescence is quite high in a majority of such machines. The physical status and the possible mitigation for major machinery can be shown in ANNEXTURE II Volatility of Raw Material/ Packing Material prices: The Company faces a medium level risk in its Raw material Packing material prices. The main raw materials at are Sugar, Glucose, Milk Powder, vegetable fat, coconut, coco whey powders. The packing material required is Wrappers, Bags, Gift boxes, Gift Tins and cartoons. Other than a few packing materials almost all of the raw materials and packing materials are imported as shown below Quality risk Raw material Packing material: This is a medium sized risk and the company should take reasonable care to mitigate such risks. Since the majority of the raw materials and packing materials are imported by the company, the purchase committee should implementing a stringent policy of Should have a multiple suppliers from the same country or region. Should have proper Quality checks for each Consignment while receiving delivery. Should have a stringent penalty clause on variation of specifications in the agreements with suppliers. Delivery risk of Suppliers: This is major risk element at the company because of the fact that in most cases purchases are imported and made through Letter of Credits. Non Delivery or delayed delivery in such purchases may affect the performance of the company. The company is implementing proper penalty clauses in the purchase agreement for delayed and/ or non-delivery of the ordered items. Transporting risks: In case of local sales, the company transports the products mostly through its own personnel. The company therefore, takes a general Transit Insurance policy covering accidents and theft. Inventory carrying risk: Inventory Carrying risks are of three types: Storage risk Overstocking under stocking risk Expiry risk Storage risk The storage policies currently are The company can keeps the entire inventory in closed warehouses. Over-stocking Under-stocking: The company can maintain a good optimized production planning system in correlation with its sales plan so that it can have a optimum stocking policy. The current production plan is quite satisfactory and hence the risk is low to medium. But the company is mostly dependent on Export market, the volatility of export orders may lead to overstocking or under-stocking of inventory. Expiry risks: This risk is low to medium. Expiry risks of inventory can be mitigated by proper planning of Sales, Purchase, Production and Distribution. The Storekeeper needs to maintain up-to-date records. A system is being implemented to provide on-line information about the stock position i.e. the quantity in stock, Re-order period, Ordering level and the Expiry dates of each of the Raw material, packing material and finished stocks to the Sales, Production and Purchase department so that immediate action can be taken by the respective departments. Manpower Availability risks: There is a shortage of skilled manpower in Oman. This is however met with the expatriate staff employed mainly from the sub-continent. The company therefore faces a medium risk in terms of availability of skilled manpower. The company can met unskilled manpower availability with the local Omani population and also from expatriate staff. The gap of skilled labor availability is likely to increase and therefore the costs also increase. To mitigate such risks, the company can develop long term strategy to invest in higher capacity production machines so that the requirement of manpower is kept low. Accidents: The Company can face a chance of accidents at the factory, however the accident risks at the company is low, as it does not deal with hazardous material and the production processes are not complex. However the company may face risks from mechanical or electrical installations which cant be entirely ruled out. So the company needs to take the following steps: By providing ELCB (Electric Leakage Circuit Breakers) in all electrical circuits and ACBs for the main transformers By providing Hot masks to the manpower Having a good machinery breakdown policy Constant monitoring of the gas line leakages The company needs have a Manpower Accidents and Injury Policy to cover the possibility of injury or death of manpower within the factory premises. Managing Reputation Risks Reputation of the company may also get hamper in various situations some of which are Contamination-hygiene: Being in the Food sector the company should take utmost precaution to avoid any sort of contamination in its products which will reach to the general mass. The company should take precaution for the quality of the raw material and packing material that is required for the entire production process and the stocking procedure. The company can follow the following policy: Stringent Quality control checks of Raw materials and packing materials Stringent Quality checks of the entire production process Maintaining Hygiene standards of the Government of Oman both in production and stocking. Sample testing at each stage Have a third Party damage policy insurance coverage owing to contamination Product expiry/Shelf life risks: This is again a very vital risk to the company as it is in the Food sector. The Government of Oman is very stringent in its laws to avoid expired products to be sold to the general public. So the company should take utmost care to avoid this risk by providing a stringent Distribution policy of its finished products Checks and controls before distribution of products. Monitoring distributed products on a daily basis Attributing Responsibility to a Senior Personnel for the management Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Policies and Procedures manual are already in place at the company. Hence the risk associated with it is low. The management has to ensure proper compliance of the policies already undertaken to avoid any risk of reputation arising out of non-compliance of corporate governance. Managing Credit Risks: Credibility Risk of Customers: The Company should develop a credit policy based on regions, volume and credibility ranking of the parties. Export: The Company exports to a wide range of countries. The contacts of customers are mainly through visits and through mail. It is initially very difficult to assess the credibility of the customers abroad. The risk element is therefore medium and high. The company should mitigate this risk in the following manner: The company should back up the export orders by Letter of Credit from the parties. In case L/C mode is not practicable, the company can ask for advance payments or Security deposit, or post dated cheques which will cover the entire order taken prior to effecting delivery of the goods. The company currently did not enter into any distribution agreement with any export party and deals with parties on a case to case basis The Company can set up a network of distributors for handling exports sales as far as practicable. The company can also set up more than one distributor; in each region/country, so that price advantage can be achieved through minimal risk. The company should select distributors with proven track record, and the distributorship agreement should be through a internationally binding legal contract. Local: Local sales are affected by the company mainly to retail customers like supermarkets and hypermarkets, small shops and to two distributors in the interior. The company should take the following steps: Sale to all hypermarkets and supermarkets where the volumes are above a certain limit are, as far as possible, affected by means of an annual contract with all modalities and terms and conditions clearly laid out. For single shop outlets, the company may face the risk of shop closing down and non-payment or delayed payment. To counter this company should maintain small stocks with such shops and should have a regular but frequent collection system. In case of distributors the company should have legally binding distribution agreements. Limit setting: An important element of credit risk management is to establish exposure limits for each single customer and distributors. The compan

Milton Friedman Essay examples -- Biography Biographies Essays

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman has been credited with many different achievements, including being one of the most effective advocates of economic freedoms and free enterprise, being the greatest economist to ever walk the face of the earth, and proving every single word that Lord Maynard Keynes ever said to be wrong. Why these may or may not all be true, it is obvious that Friedman was a brilliant man of many accomplishments. Milton Friedman was born on July 15th, 1912 in New York City. His parents were poor immigrants and his father died when he was a senior in high school. Despite all of these obstacles he had to overcome, Friedman received a scholarship to Rutgers University and got his B.A., an M.A. in 1933 from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in 1946 from Columbia University. He worked as a research assistant to Henry Schultz at University of Chicago until 1937 when he started working with the National Bureau of Economics. There he jointly published the book Incomes from Independent Professional Practice with Simon Kuznets, which also served as his doctoral dissertation at Columbia. This book introduced the concepts of permanent and transitory income. In 1933 Milton Friedman met Rose Director, a fellow Economics student, and six years later they were married. Rose and Milton have collaborated on quite a few books and essays, and have established the Milton & Rose D. Friedman foundation, which promotes School Choice, which will be explained in more detail later. In 1976 Milton Friedman won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences "for his achievements in the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy." Milton Friedman coined the terms "only money matters" as his emphasis on the role of monetary policy in the United States economy. Friedman is perhaps the most effective advocate for free enterprise and monetarist policies from 1945-1985. His only rival among economists of the 20th century would have to be Keynes. As well as being a Nobel Prize winner and just an overall brilliant man, Friedman served as Senator Barry Goldwater's informal economic advisor in 1964 and for Richard Nixon in 1968, then as President Nixon's advisor. He served as President Reagan's Economic Advisor on his Advisory Board in 1981. Friedman was awarded the Presidentia... ...n acceptable level. Another one of Friedman's strongest and most well known opinions was on the Federal Reserve and how it is practically useless. Friedman being the big free-market capitalist that he is, thinks that the Federal Reserve acts stupidly, rashly and doesn't take the time-lag into respect when making their dramatic decisions. Friedman also blames most of the economic instabilities on the federal reserve's action. Milton Friedman has definitely been one of the most influential economists of the 20th century. His discoveries and theories in monetary policy, school choice liberalism and inflation relations impact economic history in a way only a few people can do. He and his wife Rose are now running the Foundation for school-choice and have just published Two Lucky People: Memoirs. Bibliography: Friedman, Milton. Bright Promises, Dismal Performance: An Economist's Protest. New York: HBJ, 1983. Friedman, Milton and Rose. Free to Choose: A Personal Statement. New York: HBJ, 1980. Hodges, Michael. Milton Friedman- A Tribute by MWHodges. May 2001. September 2001. Walters, Alan. A Dictionary of Economics, The New Palgrave. Vol.2, 1987. Pp.422-427.

A Comparison of Satire in Catch-22 and Good as Gold :: comparison compare contrast essays

Satire in Catch-22 and Good as Gold    Joseph Heller who is perhaps one of the most famous writers of the 20th century writes on some emotional issues such as war. He does not deal with these issues in the normal fashion instead he criticizes them and the institutions that help carry these things out. Heller in fact goes beyond criticizing he satirizes. Throughout his two major novels Catch-22 and Good as Gold he satirizes almost all of America's respectful institutions.    Catch-22 is a satire on World War II. This novel takes place on the small island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean sea late in the war when Germany is no longer a threat. It is the struggle of one man, Yossarian, to survive the war. Throughout this novel Yossarian is trying to escape the war, and in order to do so he does many improper things. Good as Gold is about a Jewish man named Gold. It is about Gold's experiences with the government while being employed in the White House. It also deals in detail with Gold's family problems and Gold's struggle to write a book on the contemporary Jewish society. Throughout these two novels, Catch-22 and Good as Gold, Heller criticizes many institutions. In Good as Gold it is the White House and government as a whole, and in Catch-22 it is the military and medical institutions.    In Catch-22 the military is heavily satirized. Heller does this by criticizing it. Karl agrees with this statement by offering an example of the satire of both the military and civilian institutions in Catch-22:    The influence of mail clerk Wintergreen, the computer foul-up that promotes Major Major, and the petty rivalries among officers satirizes the communication failures and the cut-throat competition Heller saw within both the civilian and military bureaucracies of the 1950's. Even the Civil Rights movement, not yet widespread in the 1950's, is satirized in Colonel Cathcart attitudes toward enlisted men. (23)    Karl summarizes the satirazation of the military with this:    The enemy in Heller's book is not simply the chaos of war, but also the deadly inhuman bureaucracy of the military-economic establishment which clams to be a stay against chaos while it threatens human life more insidiously then battle itself.    Heller also questions the need for the death and carnage throughout the novel asking if it is really necessary.