Years a Slave reflection free essay sample

The plot of the book Twelve Years A Slave is the reflection of the authors own life experience. The uniqueness of Northup book lies in the fact that unlike other slave narrated books; a man who was born free wrote this novel. All other slave narrators had been born into slavery. Dedicated to Harriet Beechen Stowed and introduced as Another Key to Uncle Toms Cabin, Northup book was published in 1 853, less than a year after his liberation.The significance of Northup experiences of being a slave described in the kook is hard to deny. People who read this book can virtually see the world through the eyes of a person that got locked away into a cage of slavery, a person that was cut off from society and normal life of a free man. Can we possibly imagine how this person must have felt like? We should not doubt what Solomon Northup went through when he found himself in a situation when he was not free anymore. We will write a custom essay sample on Years a Slave reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is obvious that the whole story and the portrayal of slavery acquires an entirely different perspective than if it had been written by a narrator who was born into slavery and passed through takes of his childhood and adolescence wearing a stamp of being someones property. The most harrows Eng moment from Northup brills ant and painful Twelve Years A Slave is when slave master, Edwin Peps, is questioning his slave girl and mistress, Patsy, about her whereabouts the previous afternoon.When Patsy returns, she reveals that she was at a neighbors plantation, trying to get a bar of soap, but he refuses to listen. Peps does not believe her and orders her undressed, tied to a tree and beaten. Peps forces Plant to whip her repeatedly, but becomes frustrated, snatches the whip and hales on her himself. In my opinion, this was the most touching; yet disturbing section of the book. I cannot imagine how devastated Plant felt having to whip his best friend and then watch helplessly as she suffered.Because it was so violent and graphic it was almost impossible for me to read this section of the novel. Northup trusted that Arms would mail a letter to Northup family for him, but instead Arms told Peps about Northup letter so that he could get him into trouble. Obviously Earners did not have the intention of helping Northup and he was trying to cajole Peps. He is described as a man who came to the plantation looking to fill the position of overseer but was reduced to labor with the slaves.In an effort to better his role on the plantation, he revealed Northup secret to Peps. Instead of giving the letter to Arms, Northup should have mailed the letter himself. By mailing it himself, he could assure that no one would find out about the letter and he would not have had to suffer through ten years of enslavement. He would have had to have someone cover for him, however, this would not be as bad as having Peps find out, knowing how harsh the uniqueness would be. Northup is first sold to the infamous Washington-based slave trader James H.Burch, who brutally whips him for protesting that he is a free man. He is purchased by a fair-minded but feeble master named Ford. Northup writes that there never was a kinder, candid, Christian man. Northup is then sold in the winter of 1842 to John Tibetan, a quick-tempered carpenter to whom Ford had become indebted. Unlike Ford, Tibetan was never satisfied and he worked his slaves from earliest dawn until late at night. Lastly, Tibetan sells Northup to Edwin Peps, a repulsive and coarse cotton planter whom Northup describes as lacking any redeeming qualities.Religion appears in 12 Years a Slave in its conservative theme as an eloquent technology that slave owners use to persuade their slaves to be obedient. We see Peps, for instance, preaching to his slaves and verbally underlining a Bible verse emphasizing weakness. This scene also portrays the limitations Of this analysis by showing the disconnect between discourse and power. The slaves are not moved to serve by Beeps readings, but by practice of physical and psychological lenience. Race and religion merge to become a highly effective mechanism for solidifying dignity by asserting the corruptness of outside bodies. A reader will obtain some sense of what it meant to be owned by another human being what it meant to be considered a piece of property that could be bought and sold, an object whose sole purpose and function was to make life more comfortable for the master and his family. Readers will also be able to gain insight into the fact that despite the general cruelty, black people consciously struggled to maintain their dignity, humanity, and their moral and ultra integrity.The book of Solomon Northup gave me a chance to go beyond what we learn in history books, taking me into the human story of slavery. Our country is founded on a system of institutional racism, and slavery is among the strongest examples of this reality. This is a hard truth to accept while at the same time enjoying the freedoms our country offers. 12 Years a Slave showed me human dignity a nd beauty in the face of extreme oppression. That story of slavery, not the stories of land ownership and wealth, should become the narrative of what our country stands for.

Palo Mayombe

Palo Mayombe Introduction Palo Mayombe is a Congo-inspired cult, which is one of the variant forms of Reglas de Congo religious cults, widely practiced in Havana, Cuba. It has its origins in the Bantu of Congo in Central Africa and encompasses many Congo religious cults including the Biyumba, Vrillumba, and Regla Conga.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Palo Mayombe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Bantu/Congo religious practices reflect the sorcery/magical aspects common in many African beliefs, as well as the magical healing practices. The word â€Å"Palo† means the branches or sticks obtained from the forest (el monte), which are used in making sacred objects (nganga) for magical spells. Often, the practitioners of Palo (paleros) use corpses and herbs to cast evil spells when practicing black magic (Verger, 1984, p. 176). Essentially, Palo is a specialized cult involving the dead with emphasis on evil pacts with the dead, normally made at a graveyard, alongside the nganga. A distinctive iron cauldron houses the nganga alongside other ritual objects such as sticks and bones, which give it magical powers. The practice of involving the dead by the Palo experts makes them mightily feared and regarded as dangerous. In Cuba, the Palo practices are widespread are known to steal corpses for use in the magic ngangas. In the colonial era, the Africans themselves used sorcery to their advantage, as the whites in power considerably feared sorcery. The Palo uses the same magic rites, which have earned them the name, â€Å"the dark side of Santeria† that encompasses all Congo-based cults including the Regla de Ocha (Brown, 2003, p. 117). The presence of Congo in Cuba began since the colonial times in the eighteenth century comprising of majority Reglas de Congo and the Reglas Lacumi. The Reglas de Congo settled mostly in the eastern Cuba in places such as Guantnamo and Santiago de Cuba. The Congo ritu al influence has since spread in most parts of the island characterized by chanting and sacred songs. Because of the harm the objects of Palo works (obras, trabajos) have, Palo witchcraft is widely feared in Cuba. The Palo witchcraft involves working with the dead and involvement of the dead in their witchcraft practices.Advertising Looking for thesis on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Origins of Palo Mayombe Palo Mayombe is specifically Congo-inspired different from the West African derived Santo also called Lacumi or Ocha in Havana. Its presence in Cuba can be traced from the Central African slaves in Cuba under the Cuban colonialism. The emergence of Palo dates back to the late seventeenth century and the early eighteenth century, as a cauldron of many Congo-derived cults (Clark, 2005, p. 233). During this period, the cults had healing rites treating people under the name â€Å"ngoma†. M ost notable were the Lemba healing society, who prior to spreading to Cuba occupied the banks of Congo River in the early seventeenth century. Due to contact with the Portuguese during the slave trade, the lemba gained entry into the Americas to inspire many religions. Another Congo-derived sacred society that made passage into Cuba resulting into the birth of the Palo was the Nkita. The Nkita people were among the Congo people who lived at the lower banks of the Congo River in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and they experienced much social disruption resulting from the slave trade. In the initiation into the Nkita healing society, the Nkita affiliated its members with the ancestors, who they believed possessed the ultimate authority over them (Brown, 2003, p. 120). In Palo, the names â€Å"lemba†, â€Å"nkita† and â€Å"ngoma† are common in their sacred speech. In1725-1875 as more people from Central Africa arrived in Cuba, they brought many cultures and cultic practices, which were primarily nurtured in Havana (Brown, 2003, p. 118). The lemba and Nkita were among the Central African inspirations that struggled against one another in seeking followers mainly from people burdened by enslavement. As the slavery and Spanish occupation in Cuba ended in the twentieth century, the two inspirations emerged as the Palo, which in Havana refers to â€Å"Regla de Congo† translated as â€Å"Kongo Rule† (Bockie, 1993, p. 72). The Regla de Congo or Kong law subsequently formed a â€Å"Palo society†, a powerful social society that spreads fear due to its involvement of the dead in its witchcraft practices. The Palo society comprises of four main branches or â€Å"ramas† in Havana. Each of these branches has distinct practices musically, linguistically and ritually compared to another. The branches include â€Å"Palo Kimbisa†, â€Å"Palo Monte†, â€Å"Palo Mayombe† and â€Å"Palo Briyumba† . However, in the countryside, and throughout Cuba, the Kongo inspirations take different names and engage in diverse forms of religious practices (Brown, 1998, p. 307).Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Palo Mayombe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The â€Å"Palo Mayombe† just like the â€Å"Palo Briyumba† and â€Å"Palo Monte† are Havana-based and proliferates into various communities and practitioners’ temple houses. Palo literally means stick derived from the mango tree or â€Å"un palo de mango† (a stick of the mango tree) (Bockie, 1993, p. 82). The use of â€Å"Palo† to mean Kongo-Cuban religious practices reflects the power associated with the Kongo-Cuban magic objects. The branches of powerful trees or the â€Å"Palo† make up the â€Å"prendas†, which are the objects used for witchcraft for healing or harming others. The sticks (Palo) are symbolic of the sticks used to kindle fires to destroy one’s enemies (Bockie, 1993, p. 87). The Palo Mayombe Practices and the Dead Palo Mayombe essentially involves the practice of working with the dead. Its adherents are believed to communicate directly with the dead (Brown, 1998, p. 293). During initiations into the cult, the individuals must possess a â€Å"sense of wandering† with the dead spirits in order to understand the prendas and the practice of harming or healing of the Palo Mayombe. The Palo Mayombe craft involves stories, specified songs, and recollections that are held in consciousness and serve as a mode of visceral apprehension of the dead in the body of the living. Their definition of the dead involves the visceral affirmation felt in the bodies of living and the surrounding world. Thus, the Palo invokes the dead or certain aspects of the dead in all their teaching and crafts. The dead could be a deceased sibling, a parent or unknown number of the dead (Kalunga el m uerto) that spread fear to many people (Moore, 1997, p. 30). The dead make up the word of ancestors that come back to fill the minds of the practitioners with scary imaginations. The practitioners use bones or blood exhumed from graves of the dead that saturates the imaginations of the living and thus attributing to the presence of the dead among the living. The Cuban-Kongo dead comprise one of the aspects of the Palo’s dead forming an unknown mass of the dead, (â€Å"Kulunga el muerto†), which proliferates to form a dominant entity. The aspects of the dead that echo in the minds of the living first arise from the Kalunga before apprehension by the sensing living body (Brown, 1998, p. 327).Advertising Looking for thesis on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Kalunga el muerto comprise of many dead that could exist forming an indistinguishable mass that spread fear among the living. During the initiation of a new individual into the Palo Mayombe, a Palero priest baptizes the person into the secrets and mysteries of the Palo Mayombe. A palero priest serves to protect and serve the community. The Palero priest bears the light in the darkness that attracts the blessings of the evil spirits (Brandon, 1991, p. 57). However, in death, God, the Olodumare, extinguishes the Palero priest, who then becomes elevated to a spiritual guide for the darkness. The Palo Mayombe Initiation Ceremonies Any individual wishing to join Palo Mayombe must consult a Palero priest who, through the direct contact with the spirit world, will inform the person if he/she can practice Palo Mayombe. Often, rejection occurs because Palo Mayombe may not be part of the person’s destiny or spiritual path. Rejection can also arise of an individual lacks the capacit y to handle the responsibilities of the Palo Mayombe as a Palero priest. The initiation marks the first step in the Palo Mayombe practice and the involvement of the dead in their craft (Cervantes, 1994, p. 119). Upon initiation, an individual enters into the expansive spirit world of the Palo Mayombe. One of the spirits is the Zibranda that means a divine messenger and facilitate direct communication between humankind and the spirits. The spiritual cauldron for Zibranda spirit contains holy water, human bones from the dead, sticks among others. An individual initiated into Palo Mayombe collects these items at given times, over a seven-day initiation period under the supervision of the Palero priest, to construct a person’s spiritual zibranda. Another initiation ceremony is the Madre De La Luna, which simply means the â€Å"witch of the night† or the goddess of the moon. This initiation ceremony for Madre de la luna occurs in a field at night when there is a full moon. It is prevalent among the Mexican witches. The individual being initiated receives a knife that contains power for casting love spells. The knife is a source of power for any individual initiated into the mysteries of Madre de la Luna. The spiritual cauldron for Madre de la Luna consists of crystal beads of quartz and a crystal skull (Bueno, 2000, p. 154). For Madre de Agua, another powerful spirit in Palo Mayombe, the initiation ceremony occurs inside a Santeria Sopera. The Madre de Agua is particularly feared for its power and magic for strong love and money. It also serves as powerful magic in other magical works. The spiritual cauldron for the Madre de Agua comprises of two clear beads, a coral bead, and seven multicolored beads. In contrast, the La Santisima Piedra Iman spirit primarily serves to attract wealth and money among businesspersons in Latin America. Its spiritual cauldron consists of green and black beads. The Mama Chola spirit is a powerful female spirit for casting spells of fertility and love as one of the practices of Palo Mayombe. The last ceremony that an individual can be initiated to in Palo Mayombe is the Francisco de loss Siete Rayos translated as â€Å"Francisco of the seven rays† (Bueno, 2000, p. 156). It is among the ancient traditional ceremonies of the Palo Mayombe. The secrets and its rules involve a spirit contained in an iron cauldron or a bowl. This spirit rules the four winds among the Palo Mayombe religious practices. The Power and the Practice of the Ngangas The sacred objects or ngangas serves to cast magical spells and usually involves communal ritual participation. The participation in the communal nganga rituals may be large especially during initiation ceremonies. The Palo Mayombe healing more often involves attacking the enemy or threatening them while promising prosperity in the lives of the afflicted. The harming or healing is achieved using prendas that bear the force of spirits of a kalunga el muerta or ma ss of the dead. The forms of attack often involve an attack by ruinous storms, hunting cats, birds of prey or bulls (Brandon, 1991, p. 59). The involvement of the dead, (kalunga el muerta), assures the keeper of protection through his/her prenda while taking advantage of the immediacy they have with the dead to attack the â€Å"unprotected lives† they target. They travel with the waves of the dead and repeatedly attack the life they want to destroy until it is carried away with the dead. The Palo Mayombe can make the nganga in various forms with different appearances managed by the paleros. While the rituals of the Palo Mayombe are shrouded with mystery, the nganga reflects the spiritual meanings in the physical world. Although every Palero can keep his or her spirits in ngangas or an outside house, most spirits of Palo Mayombe reside in a special house for the dead (La Casa de Los Muertos). Any spiritual guide cannot keep the spirits because they are so powerful and fierce ( Brandon, 1991, p. 64). Traditionally, the dark spirits are kept in a given house or under lock and key. Within the closet or room, access to other people is limited, lit only with a burning candle always. The La Casa de Los Muertos is stocked with elixirs of a magical nature for the spirits. The Production of Munansos in Palo Mayombe In Palo Mayombe practices, the munanso signifies a crucial space or room that houses the nganga. It can also mean the group membership in communal initiation ceremonies. In particular, the communal participation involves the palero, the mayombero or the ngangulero spiritual leaders depending on the nature of the ceremony or activities. The craft for Palo Mayombe involves a gradual process of ritual implementation by the practitioners (Monroe 2004). The spiritual leaders or mayombero or paleros possess plenty of knowledge gained through years of interaction with the dead and other religious members. The paleros and ahijados (children) form their own muna nso resulting into a religious family of palo at a given locality. Thus, the â€Å"munanso† represents a religious sect that consists of the members at a given locality. However, it can sometimes extend to include the participation of the whole community nationally or internationally. Initiates to nganguleros or munanso comprise of the padrino (father), ahijados (children) and the madrina (mother) forming a socio-religious organization. It is in these circles that the Palo Mayombe practices revolve with the minanso providing the channels of interaction in the Palo Mayombe practice. Teaching of the Palo Mayombe beliefs, rituals and religious language occurs within the ranks of the munanso (religious group). The padrina and the madrina undertake the initiation ceremonies of new individuals or ahijados into the munanso as they lead by example (Verger, 1984, p. 179). The responsibilities and the benefits of the group identify and determine the position of the group and its member s in the community. Thus, a munanso comprises of families of practitioners that have distinctive ritual ceremonies, beliefs and songs. In a common munanso ceremony, different practitioners play different roles including singing, playing drums or supplying religious elixirs including rum and tobacco. Sometimes during munanso ceremonies, the attendees give a small contribution in the form of pesos or human labor in the animal sacrifices and food preparations in readiness for the initiation ceremony (Clark, 2005, p. 231). Although most palero services are non-commercial, non-initiates seeking the services or adverse from a powerful palero usually pay a small fee or give some given goods or services. An older initiate enjoys a higher status and is accorded much respect from the other group members who, as years pass, become tatangangas (nganga owners). There are those who participate in various tasks such as singing or drumming and develop exceptional relationships with the paleros. Thu s, the participation of an individual in the ritual ceremonies is noteworthy as it provides a platform for social expression and religious ranking of a munanso. There are different levels in the ranking of a munanso, and each has distinct roles and functions (Bueno, 2000, p. 157). The position held by an individual depends on the roles and status during initiation and other operations. The Palo Mayombe initiation accords an individual access to the protection and guidance by munanso members, as well as, participation in ceremonies. The learning of the ritual languages occurs through song and dance during the religious ceremonies (Conrad, 1983, p. 342). However, the initiate’s religious affiliations or family determines the learning of the ritual languages. The ritual languages are extremely significant as the lack of knowledge of these languages limit an individual’s access into munanso ceremonies. In addition, participation in the ritual activities requires use of rel igious songs or mambos, which reinforces the use of the ritual language. The Palo Mayombe is a participatory religion, where each munanso member participates in ritual activities, ritual songs and various tasks during initiation ceremonies. Although it is a participatory religion, few members are destined to undertake prominent roles (Conrad, 1983, p. 346) Learning is essential in knowledge transfer and requires healthy relationships between the palores, the ahijados and the padrino/madrina. These relationships provide the means through which the Palo Mayombe practices are learned organized and replicated in each mananso. The number of the ahijados in each munanso is different led by religious leaders who instruct them, and in the process, they build a social network. Normally, a munanso in Palo Mayombe consists of family members and a few intimate friends. The predecessors or the godfathers pass on distinctive Munanso’s practices from one generation to the next, which form t he precise foundation of religious identity. Though munansos are largely distinct, some munansos bear similarities and common histories of beliefs and practices. Often, multiple interactions involving people from different munansos represents the solidarity in Palo Mayombe (Cervantes, 1994, p. 127). However, sometimes the paleros possess multiple religious identities such as catholic and santero, which illustrates the multiple religiosities of the Afro-Cuban people and cultures. Conclusion The Palo Mayombe is one of the many variants of Congo-inspired religious cults otherwise known as Reglas de Congo. The Reglas de Kongo or the Kongo law refers to the Palo society that comprise of the Palo Mayombe. The Palo Mayombe practices, most distinctively, involve working or wondering with the dead or dead spirits (kalunga el muerto). Their initiation ceremonies conducted by a palero or a spiritual priest are also distinctive and various items are required for constructing cauldrons or  "ngangas† for healing or harming. The dead spirits are housed in a â€Å"munanso†, which also signifies a religious society comprising of palero and aihijados. In Palo Mayombe, the magic and casting of spells for healing or harming others involve communication with the dead or dead spirits. Reference List Bockie, S. (1993). Death and the Invisible Powers: The World of Kongo Belief.  Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Brandon, G. (1991). The Uses of Plants in Healing in an Afro Cuban Religion, Santeria.  The Journal of Black Studies, 22 (1), 55-76. Brown, J. (1998). Black Liverpool, Black America, and the Gendering of Diasporic Space. Cultural Anthropology, 13(3), 291-325. Brown, D. (2003). Santeria Enthroned: Art, Ritual and the Innovation in an Afro-Cuban  Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Bueno, G. (2000). An Initiation Ceremony in Regla de Palo. Gainesville: University of Florida. Cervantes, F. (1994).The Devil in the New World. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Clark, M. (2005).Where Men are Wives and Mothers Rule: Santeria Ritual Practices and  Their Gender Implications. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Conrad, J. (1983). Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer. New York: Signet Classics. Moore, R. (1997). Nationalizing Blackness: AfroCubanismo and Artistic Revolution in  Havana, 1920-1940. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Verger, P. (1984). Latin America in Africa. In Africa in Latin America: Essays on History,  Culture and Socialization: 273-285. New York: Holmes Meier Publishers, Inc.

Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Feminism - Essay Example The reason that female oppression goes unnoticed among many in the community is the fact that women are not actually a minority group which makes it hard for many people to view it as a major issue. A number of feminist factions have come up over the years fighting to safeguard women on the same opportunities and privileges as men in the society. Such include women being paid the same wage as men for the same job done, women having a say in the policies passed by the government and gives women an opportunity to expand their businesses and careers to levels they never could in the past. Feminism movements have received both the negative and positive reactions depending on the social context and the nature of the individuals themselves. These reactions range from anti-feminists to male chauvinists to pro-feminists. To most people’s surprise, there are men who have recently come out recently fighting for equal rights for men in their family, divorce settlements and in the anti-discrimination law. According to Emma Watson, most people view feminists to be â€Å"†¦too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.† (United Nations, Para 2). This is often how men who are against the idea of female and man equality often perceive the notion. Recently, campaigns such as Women Against Feminism have come about which portray women fighting for equality to be man-hating. However, this is not the case. The main aim of the feminism movements that are underway all aim at ensuring that women get the same opportunity as men in the community. A number of feminist writers are in pact that pinpointing oneself as a feminist is a strong stand that any man in the community can take against the fight over sexism. It is important that men be given an opportunity to join the movement for feminism, which is the strategy that the UN is currently trying to incorporate in their recent campaign HeForShe, which purposes at

Interior Design Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interior Design Program - Essay Example That is what people want; to adjust with environment. Adjustment takes place in two basic steps: one is judgment where one tries to inspect the level of satisfaction by comparison and another is selection which comes into mind if first one directs to do so. Fashionable clothes, jewelries, rich food etc are common example of this. But what about shelter All these luxurious wants go to slum if you don't have place to take deep breath. After daily hard work when we return home, we look for peace, relaxation and happiness. It's a place which refreshes our mind and gives us energy to face daily problems. So home also needs designing and proper arrangements with all facilities within that in order to bring ease and comfort in our life. This work can be beautifully done with help of interior designer. Nowadays Interior designer has more responsibilities, as everybody has different needs and level of satisfaction; and he needs to satisfy customers' thinking after maintaining his own constrai nts (budget, profit, house area etc...). Design is a term related to creativity. Interior design is a process to improve human interaction with the living environment. An interior designer is a qualified person who works on interior spaces to improve its quality and with a vision to enhance the lifestyle of human being, making it healthier and safer (Znoy, Jason A, 2004). It's not about profession and revenues; but the art reflects to his personal life too as society is not a group of families rather individuals! One dominating factor comes and that is financial effort. One designer will do the work for mankind but a large class of people is not in a position to adopt it. Here comes the challenge. What's that contribution where all are not getting the chance to feel pleasure So, design must be flexible and easily acceptable. Nowadays People misunderstand with the meaning of renovation. Many historical structures are being demolished and replaced by modern efficient high-rise buildings. Renovation is part of designing, but doesn't mean removing ancient things. Destruction is not the ultimate way to resolve problem. A doctor never hurts patient but fights against his diseases. Removing these structures, means rubbing out all the histories associated with them. So solution to this conflict between new needs and old culture is restoring and recycling, which bring to sustainability. Renovation needs new resources to replace old ones, but available resource cannot meet wants. In order to get a green country we have to give our hands together forgetting about me but not us. We should remember that child is a father of man. Future is unpredictable, but not impossible to visualize. Doing is believing and we have to believe in what we are doing. As Designing combines all different perspectives to bring out an innovation, teaching interior design and spreading knowledge is very important. Today's challenges are inspiration for designer to come up with solutions that can help the world. Conclusion It's the time now to think higher and dream bigger. We are those drops of rain which can flood the whole world. Interior design gives us the awareness of what is happening in the real life. The only thing that is

Phase 3 DB Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phase 3 DB - Assignment Example This report includes the notes to the financial statement of the company and the comparative analysis of the new business expanse intent of the Apex Inc. It also discusses the profitable outcomes for the shareholders and the bondholders. Introduction Apex Printing Inc. is the privatized United States printing company which cater the printing of research papers, newspaper inserts, journals and magazines, periodicals and the advertisements that incorporate Sunday and weekly circulations of metropolitan newspapers. Apex Inc., headed by the CEO John Mathews generates a revenue of 450 million US $ per annum based on three main product lines namely the periodicals, inserts and the advertisements. This company holds long contractual relationships with several U.S retailers for the vast production on a large scale. Recently in a meeting with the CEO and Vice President of the Sales Administration James Simeon, an initiative was put forward in the intent of the further expanse of the product l ine of Apex Inc. and to carry out productions in a different streamline: food packaging and following a different preplanned strategy. The meeting was soon followed by another meeting with the CEO and the VP of Production and Supply Chain, Luke Stewart. ... Mathews. However Mr. Mathews pointed out that Mr. Stewart view on long term profit was only possible if the project has been carried out successfully and with the striving attitude to include perfection in it. To discuss further on the this proposal I hereby, the VP finance am required to submit an initiative report to the CFO of the incorporation in this matter highlighting the finance statement and the discussion of the project’s details and the end result and henceforth making a satisfactory attempt to persuade the shareholders and the bondholders for the gain of their valuable investment in this project. Method: The current profit-loss status of the Apex Inc. is not vary much commendable however one also refrain from grading it as below average. But, owing to the present circumstances and the new inceptive of the expanse of the business approved by the CEO, I am here to give you a brief description of the present state of the company and the cost to implement the newer pro ject in pursuit of stabilizing the incorporation’s profits. Given here are the formulas for the calculation of the net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) of the expanse of Apex Inc. followed by the cost description of the food packaging project. When cash inflows are even (NPV): NPV = R ? 1 ? (1 + i)-n ? Initial Investment i In the above formula, R  is the net cash inflow expected to be received each period; i  is the required rate of return per period; n  are the number of periods during which the project is expected to operate and generate cash inflows. When cash inflows are uneven: NPV = R1 + R2 + R3 + ... ? Initial Investment (1 + i)1 (1 + i)2 (1 + i)3 Where, i  is the target rate of return per period; R1  is the net cash inflow during the first

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics One of the main roles of any manufacturing plant is to produce product that caters to the demands of the market, and the best way to understand the market needs is to distinguish what is important to the customer/consumer. This understanding of the customer gives the manufacturer a competitive edge, as he knows more or less what the needs of the customer is, when he sells his product in the market. This competitive edge can be distinguished into various factors, for e.g. Quality, Speed, Dependability, Cost, and so on. A particular way of distinguishing which factor gives us more competitive edge is to distinguish between what Prof Terry Hill calls as â€Å"order winners† and â€Å"order qualifiers†. (Pycraft et al 1997) [Online] But before we dive into categorising the various competitive factors into order winners and order qualifiers, it will be helpful if we knew where the products lie in the Puttick Grid. The Puttick Grid, devised by the Warwick Manufacturing Group, defines product market position with respect to the complexity of the product and the level of uncertainty in the market. A point to note about the Puttick Grid is that over a period of time, product tends to move around in the grid and hence may change after a period of time. The Specialist DBPs have a very erratic demand profile, they are basically manufactured either one by one, or if they is more demand they probably in batches of 10. There is a peak in demand during the spring and summer seasons as a lot of people get back to riding their bikes after the winter, and hence become desirable during these seasons amongst the people who own vintage bikes. Also since these are vintage bikes, they dont mind spending a bit for getting replacement parts. The Aftermarket DBPs have a rather subdued demand as compared to the Specialist DBPs. Since these are DBP that are no longer in standard productions, there are a lot of organisations that have come out with their own version of the DBP and hence the customer has more choice. So, in such a case, the customer will go by brand image, price and the quality of the product. The Original Equipment DBPs on the other hand, will have a very stable demand that will be known to Friction Materials well in advance. Quality and price become very important for such a product and hence they become more of a commodity. Hence according to the above discussion, the products have been placed in the Puttick Grid as shown below in Figure 1.1.1 Super Value Product Responsive/Jobbing/Fashion Specialist DBP Consumer Durables Commodities Original Equipment DBP Now that we have an understanding of where the product lies with respect to the Puttick Grid, we can distinguish which competitive factor is an order winner and which is an order qualifier. Characteristic Aftermarket DBP Specialist DBP Design Brand Name 60 60 Price 40 40 Speed (Lead Time) Q Dependability (Availability) QQ Q Quality (Fit to purpose) Q QQ Table 1.1.1: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] Characteristics Original Equipment DBP Design 40 Brand Name 10 Price 40 Speed (Lead Time) 10 Dependability (Availability) QQ Quality (Fit to purpose) QQ Table 1.1.2: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] 1.1.1 Design The links between design, operations and markets are the very essence of the business. The way that these integrate, therefore, is fundamental to sound strategy development and implementation. Both design and operations aim is to provide products according to the technical and business specifications. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs, the dimensions of the DBP are calculated from the equivalent OE component and then some changes are made so as to avoid patent infringement. So in this case, the design of the DBP is not very important as it is only reverse engineered from an existing product. In case of Specialist DBPs, the dimensions are taken from records if they exist or taken from existing component and then designed as a made-to-order item. So in this case too, not much work goes into the design of the DBP as they are already available to the manufacturer. Hence, design of the DBP does not give the product any competitive edge over other competitor products. In case of Original Equipment Manufacturer, initially specifications will be given by the motorcycle manufacturer. But if Friction is selected as the preferred OE for DBP, it will be expected to design the brakes to meet the requirements given by the manufacturer. Hence, if not initially, over a period of time the designing of brakes for the OE product range will become the one of biggest competitive edge that the company could get in winning the order. 1.1.2 Brand Name Through a variety of activities, companies try to establish a brand name for their products in the market. Where this has been achieved and maintained, companies will win orders partly due to the image that has been created in the market. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs and the Specialist DBPs, the brand name, â€Å"Stop-Rite†, play a major role in winning orders for the company. Since these parts are no longer in standard production by the OEM, there is a lot of competition in the market to win orders for these products. And hence the brand image, which Friction Materials Ltd has maintained for the last 20 years, becomes the biggest competitive edge in the market to win orders. In case of the OE DBPs, initially Friction Materials is trying to win orders and hence it does not have a brand name in the OE market as of now. But as they start to win orders and establish them in the market, their brand name will start to help them win orders and hence, as time will progress, brand name will become an order winner. 1.1.3 Price In many markets, particularly in the growth, maturity and saturation phases of the product life cycle, price becomes a very important order winner. When there is a range of products to choose from, price comparisons with alternatives becomes an integral part of the customers evaluation of the product and hence price plays a very important part in winning orders. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarket and the Specialist DBPs, since there are a lot of alternatives in the market, price eventually become one of the main reasons why the customer chooses to buy the product, as if there are two products meeting his criteria, they are bound to buy the cheaper product. Hence they become an order winner. In case of the OE DBPs, since the manufacturer is going to buy the product in bulk, he is going to want to buy them from a manufacturer who is able to produce them in the cheapest possible way and who also meets their requirements. Hence price in this case becomes one of the biggest factors for choice. 1.1.4 Speed (Lead Time) and Dependability (Availability) A company may be able to qualify for an order/win an order based on how quickly they are able to supply the product or if the product is already available for delivery/purchasing for the customer. Hence is it very important that the Operations Lead Time must be able to match the Customer Lead Time. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarkets DBPs, the ability to deliver the DBP faster than others may affect the spares stores to make an order to the manufacturer. This is possible if the lead time for the product is less and hence lead time becomes an order qualifier. With respect to the customers, the product being available on the store self become an order qualifier, i.e. they consider the product as a possible buy. But in case the product is not available on the shelf, means that even though their product is better than the competition, they will lose an order and hence this becomes an order looser. Similarly, in case of the Specialist DBPs, since these are mostly made-to-order items, the lead time does not give an influential competitive edge over the competition. But at the same time, availability/delivery of the product has to be on time and this becomes an important factor that the customer will take into consideration when he/she is looking to buy a DBP for his/her Vintage Motorbike. Hence availability of the product on time becomes an order qualifier in this case. In case of the OE products, the motorcycle manufacturer will be looking for a manufacturer who can produce the parts and deliver them in the shortest possible time. Hence speed or lead time becomes an order winner. Also, being a local supplier to the local motorcycle industry will give them a competitive edge over other outside competitors as they will be able to respond to the demand much quicker. But, in addition to this, being able to deliver the products on time is going to be a very important factor. So important that initially, some late deliveries may lead to the manufacturer going to an alternate supplier as you are not able to meet his demands on time. Hence dependability becomes an order looser. 1.1.5 Quality Quality or Quality Conformance can be defined as ability of a manufacturer to manufacture products according to the customers requirements. (Slack et al 2002) In case of the Aftermarkets and Specialist DBPs, no one is going to consider buying the product unless you are certain that the DBP is fit to use on their particular motorcycle model. Hence for both these product ranges, quality becomes an order qualifier. That is, only if the DBP is fit to use on a particular customers motorcycle, they will consider buying that DBP. In case of the OE products, since now they are trying to become suppliers of OE products for the first time, quality has to be bang on target. It has to meet all the customer requirements. Any lapse of quality may lead to a halt in the manufacturers assembly line and this is going to cost them a lot of money. Hence any lapse in quality of the OE suppliers part will give a bad impression and hence may lead to the supplier losing the order. Hence quality for the OE product range becomes an order looser. 1.2 Implications on Operations The Polar diagram (above) shows all the competitive factors for all the product range and their relevant importance for winning orders. Hence, in a way, the diagram also helps understand where Operations should concentrate more so that they will be able to produce more products that will be able to win the orders in the market. From the above diagram, we see that for all the three product ranges, Price, Quality and Dependability are the common performance objective that can help give them competitive edge in the market. Hence operations has to focus more on reducing the cost of the product and at the same time try to keep quality at a good level and always deliver the goods on time. Also, we see Brand Name is very important for the Aftermarket and Specialist market. But if operations is able to maintain price, quality and dependability; it will maintain and perhaps even built up the brand name of the product. Also, by concentrating on dependability, operations is going to keep the lead time (speed) of the product to as low as possible to meet the delivery times and hence speed is also taken care of. Hence by concentrating more on price, quality and dependability, operations will be able to cover all the order qualifier and winner factors of all the 3 product ranges. 2 Manufacturing Strategy for the OE product 2.1 Framework Hill, T. (2009) breaks down the process of developing an operation/manufacturing strategy into 5 simple objectives. 2.1.1 Defining the Corporate Objectives The recent future Corporate Objective of Friction Materials is to try and break into the OE product sector. This will help them isolate the financial burden that they have to carry due to the ever decreasing prices because of cheap Far Eastern Aftermarket DBP available in the market. Hence another Corporate Objective is to make them more stable financially by entering a highly profitable and long term contract product range. Other general corporate objective like Profit and Growth and ROI also apply to Friction Materials Ltd. 2.1.2 Defining the Market Strategies to meet these objectives As said in the Corporate Objectives, Friction Material Ltd. is now trying to enter the Original Equipment product market. Volumes initially (during sampling stage) will be low, to the order of 300. But once their samples get approved, they will start producing these products in very high volumes, to the order of about 3000 DBP/week. Keeping these facts in mind, the Marketing Strategy for the OE product range is to produce and deliver high quality low cost DBP on time, every time. 2.1.3 How do products win orders in the market place? As mentioned in Section 1, the major factors that win orders for the OE product is Price, Quality and Dependability (in terms of delivery). Once Friction Materials becomes the choice for OEM for DBPs, they will have to design the brakes themselves and hence Design also becomes an important order winner. 2.1.4 Establishing the most appropriate mode to manufacture these sets of products Process Choice We are in process of getting samples accepted for the new OE product range. Currently we are manufacturing only the Spares and Specialist product ranges and this is done in a batch process flow layout. This is ok for these ranges as they are in small quantities of about 300 DBP/week. But the new OE product range is going to require about 3000 DBP/week. Hence the Batch layout will not suffice to meet this quantity demand. The most appropriate process choice for such a huge demand is the Mass Layout or the Continuous Layout. But the continuous layout calls for a bigger investment in terms of the money involved. Since Friction Materials is only starting to try to establish itself in the OE market, it would not be wise to tie up a lot of the Companies money into something that might not work out to the magnitude expected. Hence the Mass Layout seems to be a more sensible choice. 2.1.5 Provide the manufacturing infrastructure required to support production Providing the infrastructure to support production of the new OE product is going to involve some amount of trade off in the sense of a balance between the various competitive factors that will affect the ability of the product to win orders. For instance, from the polar diagram (Sector 1.2) we see that dependability and cost of product play a very important role in helping the product win orders. In order to always deliver the product on time, we must always have enough stock with us to meet the demand. This can mean that we make-to-stock the product. But if we have a lot of inventory, it means that we have a lot of money held up as inventory and this may lead to increase in the price of the product to help insulate this cost. But this increase of cost may lead to loss of an order. Hence what amount of inventory would be sufficient to always meet customer demands and not hold a lot of money in inventory would be the trade off that we will be keen to look for. This process of trade o ff balance will help the manufacturing/operations to align itself with the corporate strategy. (Slack et al 2002) 2.2 Analysis of Current Operations System Before we can start formulating and making changes to the production system, we must first define what the current system is. We can do this with the help of various tools. We are going to use the SWOT analysis tool to do the same. Once we know where the current production capabilities are, we will be able to make decision taking into account the current scenario. 2.2.1 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness The brand name â€Å"Stop Rite† Established producer of aftermarket DBPs in the UK and Western Europe Competency in making the brake pad mixture * Good liquidity and turnover * Bad production planning system even though a MRP system is in place for the same Opportunities Threats OE market will lead to more opportunity in the EU market. OE market will help insulate the competition and market share because of the Far Eastern Competition * Growing to a medium scale company will help in being capable of handling more customers * Competition for cheaper Far Eastern Competition Table 2.2.1: SWOT Analysis Tool The brand name â€Å"Stop-Rite† is one of the main strengths of Friction Materials Ltd. This is what is helping them win orders in the Specialist market and the aftermarket market. This brand name that they have, they have been able to establish it because of being one of the main trusted DBP manufacturer in the UK and Western Europe market. This is also one of the strengths that they should exploit. They have a competency in creating their own mixture for the DBPs, which helps keep the cost of the product down. Also, as we can see from the financials, their Quick Ratio is about 1.03 and their Current Ratio is about 1.8, both of which are very near the acceptable values and hence the company is doing very well financially. And as they say â€Å"Cash is King†, this is their main strength. But even though they are strong in these areas, their production planning system is not very good, or up to industry standards. Even though they have a MRP II system in place, the Planning Controller has to fire fight situation that should not arise because of the system. This shows one of the two situations, either the Planning Controller is not familiar with the system or there is something wrong with their planning system. This can cause a lot of problems if they are to start production for about 3000DBP/week for the OE product. Opportunity wise, the OE product can help gain more market share in the Western European market and hence improve their brand name even further. Also, since this will be a more steady market, this will help insulate some of the market share loss due to the cheaper Far Eastern Competitor products in the Spares market. This will help the company grow financially which is always the main aim of any organisation. Once the organisation has more market share and money, they can easily transition to a medium scale company and hence cater to more customers. The only threat that the company faces is due to the Far Eastern products. They are almost as good as their DBPs, but they are far cheaper than Frictions DBPs and hence this sometimes leads to loss of market share. Entry to the OE product market will help them to insulate this loss. Now that we are clear on where the organisation current strengths and weakness lie, we can develop our manufacturing strategy to complement the strengths and negate the weakness of the organisation. 2.3 Elements of Manufacturing Strategy Miltenburg (2005) divides manufacturing strategy in six main sub-systems and terms them as Manufacturing Levers to reflect the concept that each sub-system can be adjusted to align according to market demands and corporate mission. 2.3.1 Sourcing Current list of all the suppliers to Friction Materials Ltd. are largely UK based. This is good as this help in decreasing the manufacturing lead time of the component. Since currently, their production demands are very low, to the order of 300DBPs/week; they were unable to convince their suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. But now since they are looking to produce to the order of about 3000DBPs/week; they should be able to convince the suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. Along with this, they should bring the list down in number and probably sign long term contracts with their most reliable supplier as the demand for the OE market is very stable and this long term contracts will help with the demand and also improve relations with their suppliers. But care should be taken when such contracts are framed, so that if the supplier does not make the delivery, then Friction Materials is free to buy that demand from another supplier. (Quinn and Hilmer 1995) In terms of the product range, since making DBPs is their main expertise, I feel that they should continue to produce all their existing product range so that they do not lose their current market share and customer base. The level of vertical integration should be kept to a minimum and Friction Materials should concentrate on its main competency of making the DBPs. Smaller parts of the product like the packing materials should be bought from an external vendor. 2.3.2 Process Technology Hill (2009) uses a profiling method to help decide what kind of production process is good for a particular type of product depend on the profile of the product. We will use this profiling approach to decide the type of process that we will implement for the OE range of product. Relevant Aspects Characteristics of Process Choice Product Job Batch Line Type Special Standard Range Wide Narrow Order Size Small Large Level of Change High Low Rate of NPD High Low Order-Winner Del. Speed Price Process Technology G.P. Dedicated Flexibility High Low Volumes Low High Key Tasks Meet Spec. Cost Investment Low High Table 2.3.2.1: Hills Profiling Approach (Source: Hill and Hill 2009) For the OE product range, we know the following: The order volume is going to be very high; hence the product is going to be standardised. Since the product is standardised, it is logical to have machinery dedicated to the product so that it can churn out more product and help meet the high demand. This in turn will decrease the flexibility of the process, but that is a trade-off that has to be taken to meet the high demand. We are going to produce only a certain types of DBPs, hence range is very narrow. The variations in the design of the DBPs are going to be minimal. New designs will only be developed when there is a requirement for it, hence the rate for new product development is also low. Order-winner for the OE product as discussed above is a balance between delivery speed and cost. Hence the key task for the process is bringing the cost of the product down. Hence we see from the above table, most of the profile of the OE product fits the Line Process choice. Hence in our case, for the OE product range, it is advisable that we go for a Line process. Currently, the Spares and Vintage DBPs are being produced in a Batch Equipment Paced Line Flow. They are currently running operations with 3 machining centres, each consisting of a pair of inter linked CNC machines with magazine feed. But even with a demand of only 300 DBPs/week compared to a demand of 3000 DBPs/week, the 3 machining centres are running at full capacity and often require overtime to meet the demand. Hence it is only logical for Friction Materials to in some new machining centres for the new OE production line that will be mainly be used for OE production, as they will find it very difficult to cope up with the demand with the existing infrastructure available. In fact, Friction Materials should look to start to invest into some of the other machines that they require for the production of DBPs to help cope up with this new OE demand. It is also advisable to make this new investments into the shop floor as the OE market is a profitable market which has a very stable demand and this demand will be there for quite a few years and hence this investment can be easi ly recovered during the life cycles of not OE product, but probably two or three OE products. The current manufacturing process layout should be adopted for the OE production also. The process has been setup taking into consideration the capacity of the mixer, setup time on the presses and stock levels and hence they are designed to give the whole process a flow. But setting up a completely new production line demands a lot of capital being invested and it will take quite some time before you will be able to break even for this investment. Hence the logical thing to do for Friction would be to invest in some new machining centres, so that they would be able to able to cope with the demand. But these new machining centres should be dedicated to only for the OE products. And over time, with increasing profits from the OE business, they can keep adding more machining centres to create a separate line for the OE product. 2.3.3 Production Planning and Control The production of DBPs has been broken down majorly into two process; namely Pressing and Finishing. The Pressing team takes care of making the brake pads; the Finishing team takes care of machining the DBPs to ensure consistency of the physical dimensions of the pad. Since both these processes are independent of each other, they are connected to each other with some decoupling or WIP inventory (Miltenburg). In our case, the baking process is the decoupling process. The two bin system can be used for inventory control for raw materials. In this system, the buffer stock in kept in the second bin and the current stock in kept in the first bin. Once the first bin is emptied and the buffer stock is brought into use, the purchase team should place orders to the respective material supplier for replenishing the material. For quality control, the organisation is already running on Statistical Process Control charts for the Spares and Specialist market. But this is acceptable for these products as their production volumes are not very large. The OE volumes are going to be very huge and hence SPC may not be the right choice for quality control. SPC looks at maintaining the quality of the products that the processes inside the organisation. Since OE is such a big market and where it is always important to â€Å"get things right the first time, every time†; it is better that Friction Materials looks into implementing Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM not only looks into the quality of parts being produced inside the organisation, but it takes the whole supply chain into account and sees to it that not only are the part being produced are up to quality standards, but also parts entering into the system are of optimum quality as it is unlikely to product good quality parts out of sub-standard part s. (GE Systems). Also in TQM, each worker becomes responsible for keeping the quality of their output up to standard. Hence this virtually removes the requirement of a quality control team in the organisation. 2.3.4 Human Resources The major machines, that require training in the whole manufacturing process at Friction Materials, are the press machines and the machining centres. The current workforce employed at Friction Materials is very well trained and are flexible enough to work on any process within their block. But we see that there is considerable time that goes into the setup of the presses when there is a need to change the design of the pad. So the employees can be further trained in how they can reduce the set up time for the presses. Regular maintenance is being carried out at Friction Materials by the current

The Great Pyramid Essay -- essays research papers

Outline  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its purpose, uses, history, and condition have challenged explorers for centuries it will always be considered one of the greatest wonders of the world. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why was the Great Pyramid built? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who built the Great Pyramid? B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why was it built? C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comparative theories. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What was the Great Pyramid used for? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religious uses. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Astronomical uses. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environmental uses. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How was the Great Pyramid built? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Workers. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dimensions. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surrounding community. Why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a question that has been challenging archeologists, philosophers, and historians for hundreds of years. What we do know is that the Egyptians built it during the fourth dynasty under the rule of King Khufu in the area known as Giza. (i) The amount of people that it took to build such a massive structure has been the subject of dispute for hundreds of years. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that it took one hundred thousand workers over a twenty-year period to build the great pyramid, but recent archaeologists using modern calculations believe that the pyramid was built by four thousand primary laborers and sixteen to twenty thousand secondary workers but also over a twenty year time period. (ii)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many competing theories on why the great pyramid was built, none of them are definite but all of them are interesting. Many other pyramids have been built in the Middle East but none of the same stature. Other pyramids have been found to be burial chambers for various kings and pharaohs, but the Great Pyramid contained no burial remnants even though its essential design is the same as other pyramids, even containing special chambers for a king and a queen. (iii) Modern day scientists have discovered many interesting correlations between the location and dimensions of the Great Pyramid, that relate to the earth, the stars, and the seasons. (iv)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several controversies have risen over the last hundred years about the reasons for the building of the Great Pyramid. Some theories believe that the Great Pyramid was built by or aided by alien beings because of the precise nature of its location and dimensions. While others believe that, the pyramid represented a symbol of ultimate power for t... ...tration along with metalworkers, joiners, painters, and draughtsmen because of various workshops found in the ruins. (xvi) It has been thought that feeding these armies of workers were extensive bakeries because bread mold from the same period has also been uncovered. (xvii) All these discoveries are the main reason why it is believed that this great giant of a structure was built out of national pride, by volunteers and not by slave labor as previously theorized. When one looks at the overall task and complexity of building this Great Pyramid, it certainly will always remain one of the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Bibliography 1. "Pyramid." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 27 Sep, 2003 . 2. â€Å"Egyptians.† British Broadcasting Service. 2003. British Broadcasting Service Interactive. 26 Sep, 2003 3. â€Å"Excavations at Giza 1988 – 1991.† University of Chicago. 1992. Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. 26 Sep, 2003 4. â€Å"Q&A with Dr. Kent Weeks.† The Learning Channel. 2003. The Learning Channel Online. 26 Sep, 2003 5. â€Å"Great Pyramid Facts and Statistics.† Egyptian Pyramids Index. 2001. Crystalinks. 27 Sep, 2003 The Great Pyramid Essay -- essays research papers Outline  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thesis Statement: The Great Pyramid is a mystery to the modern age, even though its purpose, uses, history, and condition have challenged explorers for centuries it will always be considered one of the greatest wonders of the world. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why was the Great Pyramid built? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who built the Great Pyramid? B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why was it built? C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comparative theories. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What was the Great Pyramid used for? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religious uses. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Astronomical uses. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environmental uses. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How was the Great Pyramid built? A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Workers. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dimensions. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surrounding community. Why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a question that has been challenging archeologists, philosophers, and historians for hundreds of years. What we do know is that the Egyptians built it during the fourth dynasty under the rule of King Khufu in the area known as Giza. (i) The amount of people that it took to build such a massive structure has been the subject of dispute for hundreds of years. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that it took one hundred thousand workers over a twenty-year period to build the great pyramid, but recent archaeologists using modern calculations believe that the pyramid was built by four thousand primary laborers and sixteen to twenty thousand secondary workers but also over a twenty year time period. (ii)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many competing theories on why the great pyramid was built, none of them are definite but all of them are interesting. Many other pyramids have been built in the Middle East but none of the same stature. Other pyramids have been found to be burial chambers for various kings and pharaohs, but the Great Pyramid contained no burial remnants even though its essential design is the same as other pyramids, even containing special chambers for a king and a queen. (iii) Modern day scientists have discovered many interesting correlations between the location and dimensions of the Great Pyramid, that relate to the earth, the stars, and the seasons. (iv)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several controversies have risen over the last hundred years about the reasons for the building of the Great Pyramid. Some theories believe that the Great Pyramid was built by or aided by alien beings because of the precise nature of its location and dimensions. While others believe that, the pyramid represented a symbol of ultimate power for t... ...tration along with metalworkers, joiners, painters, and draughtsmen because of various workshops found in the ruins. (xvi) It has been thought that feeding these armies of workers were extensive bakeries because bread mold from the same period has also been uncovered. (xvii) All these discoveries are the main reason why it is believed that this great giant of a structure was built out of national pride, by volunteers and not by slave labor as previously theorized. When one looks at the overall task and complexity of building this Great Pyramid, it certainly will always remain one of the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Bibliography 1. "Pyramid." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 27 Sep, 2003 . 2. â€Å"Egyptians.† British Broadcasting Service. 2003. British Broadcasting Service Interactive. 26 Sep, 2003 3. â€Å"Excavations at Giza 1988 – 1991.† University of Chicago. 1992. Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. 26 Sep, 2003 4. â€Å"Q&A with Dr. Kent Weeks.† The Learning Channel. 2003. The Learning Channel Online. 26 Sep, 2003 5. â€Å"Great Pyramid Facts and Statistics.† Egyptian Pyramids Index. 2001. Crystalinks. 27 Sep, 2003

Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values Essay

Ethics and values coincide with one another. Values are determined by what is right and what is wrong and ethics is actually doing what is right and wrong. Everyday people are faced with making right and wrong decisions. Ethically we make decisions according to our beliefs, values, and awareness. Every decision should be made to do the right thing according to the situation. In this paper I will discuss the difference between ethics and values, and my values in my personal life. I will reflect on the Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory and discuss my self assessment. I will also reflect on Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) values and how they align with my values. Then we will look at how being a part of the management team at KFF would affect my performance. Ethics vs. Values Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong(cite1). In order to apply this definition to practical decision making it is necessary to specify the nature of the moral  obligations considered intrinsic to ethical behavior.(cite1) There are two aspects to ethics: the first involves the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and propriety from impropriety; the second involves the commitment to do what is right, good and proper(cite1). Ethics is an action concept; it is not simply an idea to think and argue about (cite1). The terms â€Å"values† and â€Å"ethics† are not interchangeable(cite 1). Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values simply concern the various beliefs and attitudes that determine how a person act Running head: ETHICS AWARENESS INVENTORY AND PERSONAL VALUES Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values Selisecia Royster University of Phoenix Management 521 Christie Matthews July 30, 2009 Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values Ethics and values coincide with one another. Values are determined by what is right and what is wrong and ethics is actually doing what is right and wrong. Everyday people are faced with making right and wrong decisions. Ethically we make decisions according to our beliefs, values, and awareness. Every decision should be made to do the right thing according to the situation. In this paper I will discuss the difference between ethics and values, and my values in my personal life. I will reflect on the Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory and discuss my self assessment. I will also reflect on Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) values and how they align with my values. Then we will look at how being a part of the management team at KFF would affect my performance. Ethics vs. Values Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong(cite1). In order to apply this definition to practical decision making it is necessary to specify the nature of the moral obligations considered intrinsic to ethical behavior.(cite1) There are two aspects to ethics: the first involves the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and propriety from impropriety; the second involves the commitment to do what is right, good and proper(cite1). Ethics is an action concept; it is not simply an idea to think and argue about (cite1). The terms â€Å"values† and â€Å"ethics† are not interchangeable(cite 1). Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values simply concern the various beliefs and attitudes that determine how a person act Running head: ETHICS AWARENESS INVENTORY AND PERSONAL VALUES Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values Selisecia Royster University of Phoenix Management 521 Christie Matthews July 30, 2009 Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values Ethics and values coincide with one another. Values are determined by what is right and what is wrong and ethics is actually doing what is right and wrong. Everyday people are faced with making right and wrong decisions. Ethically we make decisions according to our beliefs, values, and awareness. Every decision should be made to do the right thing according to the situation. In this paper I will discuss the difference between ethics and values, and my values in my personal life. I will reflect on the Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory and discuss my self assessment. I will also reflect on Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) values and how they align with my values. Then we will look at how being a part of the management team at KFF would affect my performance. Ethics vs. Values Ethics refers to standards of conduct, standards that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues, which themselves are derived from principles of right and wrong(cite1). In order to apply this definition to practical decision making it is necessary to specify the nature of the moral obligations considered intrinsic to ethical behavior.(cite1) There are two aspects to ethics: the first involves the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and propriety from impropriety; the second involves the commitment to do what is right, good and proper(cite1). Ethics is an action concept; it is not simply an idea to think and argue about (cite1). The terms â€Å"values† and â€Å"ethics† are not interchangeable(cite 1). Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values simply concern the various beliefs and attitudes that determine how a person act

Induction Report Essays

Induction Report Essays Induction Report Essay Induction Report Essay INDUCTION REPORT CORPORATE HR INTRODUCING GODREJ Established in 1897, the Godrej group has grown in India from the days of the charkha to nights at the call centers. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-locksmith, was a persistent inventor and a strong visionary who could see the spark in the future. His inventions, manufactured by his brother Pirojsha Godrej, were the foundation of today’s Godrej empire. One of India’s most trusted brand, Godrej enjoys the patronage and trust of over 470 million Indians every single day. Our customers mean the world to us. We are happy only when we see a delighted customer smile. With 7 major companies with interests in real estate, FMCG, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture, security and agri care – to name a few – our turnover crosses 2. 6 billion dollars. You think of Godrej as such an integral part of India – like the bhangara or the kurta – that you may be surprised to know that 20% of our business is done overseas. Our presence in more than 60 countries ensures that our customers are at home with Godrej no matter where they go. With brands you can believe in, service excellence you can count on and the promise of brighter living for every customer, Godrej knows what makes India tick today. Today, we are at a point in Godrej’s history when our amazing past is meeting up with its spectacular future head on. Godrej is learning and relishing being young again. INDUCTION REPORT The Induction Training is a Familarisation Program designed and scheduled for Graduate and Management Trainees. The schedule included 27 sessions deployed in accordance to various fuctions pertaining in the PA Department of Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. The program commenced from 23rd August 2010 and successfully completed its last session on 16th August 2010. The Highlights of the program were : DPH Interaction. ISP Recruitment (ESP)- ERP and Campus. Recruitment Operations. Training and Competancy developement. Performance Management System. Human Resource Information System. Analytics and Concept of PMO. Compensation and benefits. Employee Engagement. Industrial Relations. Administration. Contract labour Credit Society. Prajapati Kendra. T and Recruitment Initiatives, Affirmative action Dispensary and Safety. Archives Address by Head HR. DPH INTERACTION Mr. Praveen Garkal – Division Personnel Head of P Department. Ms. Neesha Balan Division Personnel Head of P Department. The session was headed by the Division Personnel Head Mr. Praveen and Ms. Neesha , where in the Introduction of the various fuctions of P was highligthed. Personal Admin Department : Personal Admin Department helps in managing our organizations human resources. It has the functional areas of recruitment, selection, retention, developement, assesment and adjustment of personnel. The structure of our Personal Admin Department is as follows: Mr. Anil Verma Heads the PA Department. Following are the departments that fall under the PA Jurisdiction. 1) Human Resource: * Recruitment * Training Developement * Internal Selection Process * Operations * Compensation * Human Resource Information System Performance Management System * Employee Engagement * Policies 2) Industrial Relations: * Courtcases * Contract Labour * Recruitment of Workmen * Workmen Trainee * Credit Society * Security * Safety * Canteen 3) Administration * Statutary Compliances * School * Library * Housing * Consumer Society * CMRD * Pertrol Pump 4. DPH Office 5. Corporate Communication 6. E S pace 7. Archives. Internal Selection Process (ISP) ISP is a systematic procedure that involves selection of talents from within the organisation to perform the required job or task. There are 3 processes involved in ISP : Permanent Employees Temporary Employees Workers. Permanent Employees : The Division Personnel Head sends the requirement of manpower to the corporate team. The ISP team then does the posting of the vacancy on Intranet. ISP is open for 4 days for the employees to apply. After the 4th day the position is kept in backend. The 5th day is called the cool of day The candidates are then shortlisted on the basis of Essential Qualifications and Essential Experience. Incase of high number of applicants then shortlisting is done on basis of preferred qualifications and experience. On having queries and doubts, the team goes back and approches the division for clarifications. ISP team then checks and arranges for the panel. There are 2 types of panel : Divisional Panel- 3 member panel Interviewer from division. HR panel from other division. Functional expert from other division 2. 4 Member Panel- Interviewer HR personnel from from Division. From other division. 2 fuctional expertise from other division A 4 Member Panel is considered based on the following clauses: If there is only one applicant If the applicant has applied in the same division If the opportunity is for promotion /lateral movement. * NOTE : Aviod taking panel members from the division the employee has applied. The panel are T bandlers having not less than 2 years experience in T band. Scenarios in ISP : Position closes with selection. ISP closes with no selection. ISP closes with none shortlisted. ISP with no applicants. ISP closes with no selection process. (lateral transfer) Eligibility Criteria to apply in ISP: In transfer from A to O Band – The applicant has to have 2 yrs of experience in A band. If any external experience of 2 yrs outside Godrej Boyce then the applicant is required to have atleast 1yr of experience in A band. In transfer from O to P Band The applicant is required to have atleast 2yrs of experience in O Band. If any external experience of 2 yrs outside Godrej Boyce then the applicant is required to have atleast 1yr of experience in A band. In transfer from P to T Band- The applicant is required to have atleast 5 yrs of experience in P Band. In transfer from T to E E to S Band- The applicant is required to have atleast 7 yrs of experience in current band. The employee should be confirmed. The external experience is taken into consideration only fr 1st promotion. Temporary Employees : If in the permanent employee process the candidate is not selected then the opening goes for temporary employees. The position in ISP is open for 7days for Temps. The eligibility for temps is the same as in ESP i. e 60 % and above, no gap inbetween education and clearance of WE and GI Test. K Band Employees : The application for K Bandlers to Management band are manual. They undergo test such as 123 test,psychometric test . etc. The position is open for 10 days. The interview is taken in the division and no such panel is required. The candidate is debarred under the following conditions : If the employee after selection takes in charge and then quits. If he gets selected in ISP and then denies is debarred from ISP for 2 yrs. During the interview the candidate denies the application. For T above applicants after giving Competancy Assessment Test and then denies is debarred for 2 yrs. After ISP : The candidate who is selected is given 1 month to handover his work and join the new position. Every candidate selected goes to 6 months probation. Interim progress review is done werein the L, L+1 , functional head, DPH and Division head fills in. Final review is the confirmation review where the division confirms that the candidate is doing well and then becomes permanent. If the employee does not do well he can be sent back to his earlier position or asked to leave as not confirmed. To conclude, Internal Selection Process is designed to provide greater growing opportunities for the existing employees to accelerate motivation, change, skills , knowledge and their attitude. The career growth of Godrej employees are catered and looked upon with utmost importance. E. S. P (External Selection Process) External Recruitment brings new people into the organization, which can be a huge benefit. It allows the organization to define the right requirements and thus allows the company to select a potential candidate availabale in the market, which suits the organization the best. E. S. P as the name suggests begins once the ISP (Internal Selection Process) is done. E. S. P comprises of two cattergories: 1. Lateral Recuritment. 2. Campus Recruitment. 1) Lateral Recruitment: Lateral recruitment takes place when we are unable to find the right talent from within our company. They are screened based on the Job Specification, years of experience and educational background. In GNB major emphasis is laid on education as it is a parameter that helps to draw an edge from the other. The process for lateral recruitment is as under: * Source Candidates * Selection Process – G. S. T (Godrej Selection Test Interview) * Medicals * Pre – Joining Formalities. Sourcing Candidates: Candidates are sourced through various channels like: * Job Portals * Consultants – (Consultant is paid 8. 33% of the Base Salary of the candidate for Jr. Level 12. 5% to Mid Level 16. 6% is paid for Sr. Level) * E. R. P Selection Process: Selection Process at GNB comprises of mainly 2 steps: a) G. S. T (Godrej Selection Test) It has 3 rounds i. e. I) G. I. General Intelligence Test It is basic aptitude test comprising of 40 objective questions which lasts for a duration of 15 minutes II. MC – Mechanical Comprihension Test It is based on the basic fundamentals of Mechanical engineering comprising of 60 objective questions which lasts for a duration of 40 minutes. II. Writtern English Test. The applicant requires to coose any 1 topic of 14 options provided to write an essay of 250 words. ) Once the candidate clears all the written test he is taken through the interview process with the respective panel. Medicals: Once the candidate is selected he requires to undergo the Medical process. Pre – Joining Formalities. The candidate needs to provide all the necessary documents like Pan Card, Appointment Letter, relieving letter, educational certificates, etc. for verificationas mentioned in the annexure. Campus: It is in the month of that the S. B. Us provide the recruitment team with the Manpower requirement for that particular year. Mainly the planning is done based on the attrition in O and P Band. The panel for campus recuritment consists of employee’s over and above the E (Executive Band) if they arent availabale then employee’s from T (Tactical Band) may be considered. Trainees are cattegorised as: * DETs (Diploma Engineering Trainees) join the A and O Band. * GETs (Graduate Engineering Trainees) join the O2 Band. * MTs (Management Trainees) join the P Band. * Gts * MTs Every trainee has to sign a bond of atleast1year after a years traineeship. Recruitment Operations: Every communication that takes place between the company and employee’s is escalated through the Recruitment Operations Team. The recruitment operations team takes care of all the following activities: * Joining Formalities * Preparing Offer Letter * Preparing Appointment Letter * Employee Reference Check * Preparing Confirmation Letters * Sending Disciplinary Letters * Preparing Reappointment Letters * Proving Ex Employee Feedback * Praparing Trainee Termination Letter * Preparing Severance Letter * Preparing Severance Letter * Preparing Resignation Relieving Letter. * Preparing Bond * Providing certificates for Summer / Project / Industrial Trainees To summarise the Recruitment Operations team is best compared to the Gate Keeper. It takes charge of all the entry and exist formalities of the employee. Performance Management System Performance and leadership culture is the bedrock of building organisations competitiveness and thereby enabling talent to contribute effectively with performance and potential. Performance Management process is instrumental for high performance work culture where the performance is recognized and rewarded. PM Process aligns organizational goals and objectives with individual ones. Performance Management System is a system which helps to access and measure the performance of the employee. It is beneficial to both the employee and the company as it provides valuable feedbck for improvement. Benefit for Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd : PMS is done to cascade the goals of the organisation at every level: Strategic Business Plan Annual Business Plan Goals of Business Head Goals of Division Head ( Executive Band) Department Heads Individual employees. PMS helps to provide feedback to the company wrt the performance of the employees. According to thr feedback valuable inputs are givento the employee for improvement. Benefit for the employee : The employee is rated fairly as PMS sets standards for evaluation. The employee understands and evaluates as to where he stands. PMS gives accountability , ownership and empowerment to the employees. The areas where performance are evaluated are : Professional performance Personal development The PM Process involves 5 steps: Mission Professional Performance Personal Development Learning and competancy development Annual Plan Submission. PM Process : Annual Planning is done every financial year i. e from April to March. The goals of the organisation are determined and cascaded to line with the individual goals of the employees. At the end of the year, the rating is given and planning of next year is also dont. Note: * Nov- Dec ( SBP discussion takes place) * Jan- Feb (ABP discussion is done) The review of the performance is done quaterly. Therefore after 3 months the feedback is given. Q1Q2Q3Q4 3mthly- 6mthly- 9mthlyAnnual In the system through joint login of L and L+1 , the review is agreed and freezed. The ratings ofthe performance are given in the following scale : SE (surpass expectation) 110 % of goal ME (met expectation) 90-110 % of goal CB (could be better) 60-90% of goal BE (below expectation) 60 % of goal The reason for 4 point raring scale is because of central tendancy to evaluate objectively. The goal has to be SMART Effects of CB and BE : Performace pay is not entitled to employees rated BE. If the employee is rated as BE, then he/she cannot apply in ISP for a year. 2 ME are required for the employee to grow within the the band (GWTB). To conclude, Performance Mangement is thus extremely quintessential and instrumental in building the organisation growth. Performance management in Godrej Boyce has been potent and a very important tool for the company to reach at todays stature. Learning and Competancy Development Training = Imparting specific skills Development= Providing learning oppurtunities for employees growth. Training process involves, Need assessment which involves understanding present employees and future challenges. Training and instructional objectives. Planning the training. Training and Development process involves the following steps : Identification of Training Needs in PDM Transfer of training needs from PMS to TNS (Training Need System) Learning and Development Oppurtunities Conducting Training Programme Effectiveness of Training Programme Step 1 : Training Needs Indentification : Training needs are identified by the L and approved by L+1. The batch is created by Corporate HR. The following are the steps involved; Select the training programme by using any of these option: a)Using search option by typing keywords OR b)Select the functional area Training Course using drop down box OR c)Select other option enter the nameof training programme required. Enter the proposed date of completion of training programme (dd/mm/yy) format. Approval of the training needs identified by L is done by L+1 through joint login. Needs can be approved or disapproved ; the reason has to be mentioned. Step 2 : The approved training needs are then transfered from Performance Management System to the Training Needs System by Corporate HR and the Division Personnel Head. Step 3 : Learning and Development Oppurtunities : Executive Education Programs Knowledge Enhancement Policy Open House/ External Programs E-Learning. Step 4 : Conducting Training Program: Training Calender is prepared in accordance to the 4 zones – Mumbai (West zone), Kolkata(East Zone), Chennai(South zone) and Delhi(West zone) Marking attendance and filling of feedback form. Step 5: Effectiveness of Training program. : The effectiveness of the training program is to be done after 3-4 months. Monthly reminders are given to L,L+1 about training programmes for filling need forms, feedback forms. etc. Competancy Development Godrej has identified 11 leaderhip skills (competancies). Analytical Ability Innovation Team Building Assertiveness Result Orientation Process Orientation Thinking Big Business Environement Perspective Oral Communication Written Communication In Thomas International , these competancie are assessed for above T Bandlers. Then the Learning and Development team meets Thomas International to obtain the feedback as it serves as a facilitating tool for effectiive decision making. The candidate then undergoes an interview with the the Godrej Boyce panel. The feedback is given to the candidate for him to work on certain areas and therefore competancy development becomes a part of learning development. The report is valid for a year. If the candidate has not cleared the CA test and he feels that his leadership competancies have increased then he has to fill Individual Development Plan approved by Division and P head. Thomas International : CA CenterDevelopment CenterTo access competancy for potential employees applying for senior positions. An employee is sent to development center only if he/she is critical and important to the company. There are no test and interview conducted here. Therefore to conclude, Training and Development has helped Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co in bringing out leadership skills, improves motivation, better atttitude and other aspects of successful managers and workers thereby improving the productivity and fulfilling the goals of the organisation. Analytics Analytics involves generating HR Reports for top management in accordance to the subject matter. The reports prepared in Analytics are : Head count MIS Attrition Productivity ERF The employees of Godrej Boyce are identified into categories and status which aredeployed as follows : CategoryStatusMTPR, PTUSCT,GT,TM,SchoolWKPR,PT,CT,GT,TM Categories: MT- Management WK-Workers US- Unionised staff ( School employees,Trainees,Summer Interns,Temps) Status : PR- Probationers PT- Permanent CT GT- Company trainee Government Trainee TM- Temporary Grades are allotted to indentify the stipends provided to various categories. The MIS code identified by BC RC CC BC ( Business Code) Business RC ( Responsibilty Code) Location CC ( Cost Center Code ) Function The location of the employees are identified in the following types: Physical Location eg : Pune,Vikhroli Location eg: Plant 11, 12 System Indication for Head Office or Branch. The important dates associated with the employee are : Date of Birth Date of Entry Date of Joining Date of Severence Severence can be following reasons: Resignation (RES) Retired (RET) Expired (EXP) Absonding(ABS) Termination(STE) ILL Prematured retirement(PMRT) VRS (Only for workers) Attrition Report : The attrition calculation only 3 cases are taken into consideration: Abscond. Resigned. Inter company transfer. Method to calculate attrition : No. of people left / Strength of last month in a period * 100 MIS report contains : Recruitment ( Within Band and Function) Promotions (Within Band and Function) Severances (Band wise) Severences chart ( Function wise, division wise,age group wise) The categories are : Band, Lenght of service, Experience wise, Age group, Location wise, Function wise To conclude, Analytics helps to generate required HR reports to accelerate decision making process and provide a concise information which are specific and numerical to enable future lucrative decisions for the business. Compensation Compensation is the total reward received by an employee in exchange for services performed for an organization. It can include both direct pay (salary and wages) and indirect pay (benefits programs). Factors affecting design of Compensation : Market Cost Structures Payment in terms of Fixed,Variable and Benefits The nature of job that demands the % of Fixed and Variable pay. Eg. Sales would demand high variable pay as its target oriented. Salary comprises of 2 components: Fixed Variable Salary = Fixed + Variable Individual Business Performance Performance SIS (Sales/Service EVA Incentive Scheme) PP (Performance Pay) SIS – Sales/Service Incentive Scheme is Business Specific especially assigned to the Sales and Service profiles. PP- Performance Pay are assigned to other profiles other than sales or Service. It amounts to 0 to 30% of Base Pay. Allottment of PP : SE – 20-30% of Base Pay ME 10-15% of Base Pay CB 3-5% of Base Pay ( The division decides the % of Base pay that has to be paid as PP to the entire division) Base Pay = Annual CTC – HRA3 – Compensatory allowance Annual CTC = Basic + HRA+ Education +Medical+Conveyance + Telephone + Hospitalization + LTA + PF + Gratuity + Super Annuation HRA = House Rent Allowance HRA 1- Band Specific HRA 2- Individual Specific HRA 3- Location Band Specific Tax Deduction under HRA : 10% of Basic Salary if in Metro 7. 5% of Basic Salary if in Non Metro. Tax is deducted from the minimum of the 3 amounts : Basic HRA Rent employee pays Exemptions from Tax : Tax is exempted from Conveyance upto Rs 800 per month. Telephone reimbursement is exempted from tax on submission of Bill. Under Leave Travel Allowance (LTA), the employee can travel twice in 1 year within India. The current slab is between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 14,000. The amount is tax exempted. Super Annuation amount uptill Rs 1 lakh is tax exempted. It is paid to T band and above and amounts to 5-15% of Basic Pay. Provident Fund is 12% of Basic Pay and the returs are non taxable. EVA : Economic Value Added. EVA happens after PP (Performance Pay) is over. EVA is the improvement in the performance of the business. Even if loss there is improvement in loss then too EVA is paid. Calculation of EVA ; EVA = 4% of current year performance – improvement in performance in years. Distribution of EVA. Team Awarded with 50 % 25 % of EVA are given to corporate department. Discretionary EVA ( Paid to 25% of employees who are doing exceptionally good) Discretionary EVA is paid or exercised by manufacturing division i. e all divisions except E and Construction as they are allied business and would come under Corporate. MRP ( Management Remuneration Package ) : In MRP , decision with respect to salary from entry level, stipends, compensation philosophies, benchmarking . etc. Are taken. Then certain level are decided , budget is considered and the % is given to the employees. Criteria for deciding MRP of employees : Current CTC Consistent Performance Criticality of Position Talent Specialized Knowledge and skills Attitude Values After the Employee undergoes his PDM, he is entitled to PP and then EVA. Incase the division decides to increase the employees remuneration then that package is decided at MRP levels. To conclude, Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd has an ideal compensation system which accelerates the employees efficiency , productivity,motivation and monetary statisfaction thereby leading to the growth of the company positively. POLICIES Policy is a statement of Intent. The Type of policies exercised with Godrej Boyce are as follows : Growth opportunities : GWTB (Growth within the Band) , lateral movements (Job Rotations), Band Movements. GWTB is based on the performance . The employee is required to have been rated ME and SE in a tenure. 2. ISP( if vacancy arises) Hospitalization Policy Leave Policy: Leave Policy is formulated to entitle a certain number Casual , Sick and Priviledges leaves to the employees. Mobile Policy: Mobile Policy has been formulated to enable our employees communicate efficiently and effectively within and outside the organisation. 2- wheeler Policy : 2 wheeler allowance consists of conveyance priviledges provided to employees under circumstances when required. HRA3 policy : HRA 3 is a component in the compensation structure . The HRA 3 component is band and location specific allowance. Tour Travel Policy : Tour and Travel Policy consists of clauses related to travel and transit in and outside the country. Domestic and Foreign Business) Flexi time Concessions policy : To provide employees wherever possible the opportunity to have flexibility in work timings so that they can maximize their work place potential by balancing their potential by balancing their potential by balancing their personal and professional lives more effectively without comprimsing o n the business needs and aspirations. Safety Incentive Policy : This policy is to build and reinforce safety amongst all employees so that they can fullfill their safety role and responsibilities as enunciated in our safety policy. To conclude, Policies formulated by Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd are well discussed and created to cater the needs of the company and the employees. These policies have been able to help the company operate with greater consistency, both in its internal and external workings. HRIS HRIS ( Human Resource Information System ) is a part of MIS which is a systematic procedure for obtaining ,recording and retrieving data about HR. After realising the increasing quantam of work and to increase the efficiency, Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd adopted HRIS in 2003. HRIS is essential as it is instrumental in increasing the efficiency in the following areas of HR functions : HRP (Human Resource Planning) which includes turnover rate,absentism, workflow. etc. Recruitment and Staffing. HR Developement ( Training and Succession Planning) Compensation and benefits information. Health and Safety * Employee and Union relations. HOUSING Godrej started providing housing facilities to employees in 1950s while they were shifting from Lal Bagh to Vikhroli establishment. Housing is a special benefit provided to the employees so that they can stay in nearby vicinity to the work place. Housing is not a service condition. This facility is given on agreement basis. It is a charter with clauses. 3 major areas where housing is provided Transit Quaters Family accomodation Shared accomodation Transit Quarters : Transit quarters are for employees visiting Mumbai for work. The request is sent through speedflow to the housing department by Commercial,Regional or Branch Manager. The charges are notional. Shared Accomodation : Shared Accomodation are for employees who have recently joined the company. They are GETs, Mts . etc. Also further to employees after training. It is band specific. P Band – 2 BHK for 6 persons. It then narrows to 3 persons after 1 yr. O Band- 1 BHK on twin sharing basis at station side. Family Accomodation : Family Accomodation is family and Band specific. Workmen / hrly based employees : Creek Station Side Colony O Band : Station Side P Band above : Hill Side Circumstances causing the employees to vacate the houses : Resignation : 7 days breathing or notice period is given to the employees. Retirement : 30 days breathing or notice period is given to the employees. Death of employee : 90 days breathing or notice period is given to the employees. If the employee still stays after the notice period in the house then he/she is required to pay certain default charges. Even after 90 days the employee doesnt vacate , then according to Companies Act the employee hasto pay 10 times the charges and legal formalities. Waiting list : The waiting list are maintained according to the Band. Waiting list is kept according to the number of years of service and relevant external experience then the listis generated. The allottment is made on descending order. The power is given to the Executive Director of PA in case of special cases. Housing facility is purely a welfare activity extended by the Company for the convenience of its employees , solely during the period the employees concerned are in the service of the company and on such terma and conditions as may be decided by the Company from time to time. GODREJ BOYCE EMPLOYEES COOPERATIVE CREDIT SOCIETY The Godrej Employees’ Cooperative Credit Society was incorporated in the year 1960. It was the idea of Late Shri N. P Godrej to enable its employee members to get loans at competitive rates of interest as well as help members to save money. All employees at Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd , Godrej Employees’ Cooperative Credit and Consumer Societies, Godrej Infotech Ltd located at Mumbai only are eligible to become members of the Society. The minimum subscription is Rs. 300/- per month which is deducted from the wages/salary. The first Rs5000/- are credited to the share account and the next amounts credited to the cumulative deposit account. A member is supposed to contribute upto Rs. 53,000/- after which he has the option to either continue or stop the subscription. The share value of each Share is Rs. 00/- Dividend is paid on the share capital and interest is paid on the deposits. The last dividend declared was @ 10% on the share capital and [emailprotected] 8. 00% on the deposits as on 31. 03. 2009. The dividend and the Interest so declared after the AGM are paid through the Wages/Salary to the members. The society gives 3 types of loans viz Short Loans Long loans Bank loans. The working of Society : Objectives : To enable members to save through Credit Society. To enable members to get through to get financial help at competitive rate of interest. Our Bankers: Central Bank of India Mumbai Dist Central Co-op Bank Ltd Saraswat Co-op Bank The society grants medical assistance to its members in case of hospitalizations only for members (and not his family) which is @ 100% of the expenses incurred over and above the limit of mediclaim insurance coverage, once in a life time, on submission of medical Bills from the hospital. If a member is unable to attend his services with the Company due to an accident or ill health or expires during the course of service, then the members deposits are adjusted against the members outstanding Loan and any amount receivable after such adjustments are waived off from the Welfare Fund of the Society. In case a member expires during the course of service, the Society pays the family of the deceased member Rs. 5000/- for the funeral as immediate help. The Society also felicitates its members on retirement from the Company provided he/she has been a member of the Society for a continuous period of 15 years at the time of retirement. The society has a gesture of goodwill also felicitates children of the members who have passes the SSC, HSC and graduation Examination depending upon the percentage of marks fixed by the Managing committee of the Society. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Industrial Relations is a work relationship between management and employees based on mutual trust and respect for each other wherein both strive for common goal as well as that of society and environment. IR includes process such as collective bargaining , grievanc handling,wage settlement and conflict between employers, employee and trade union. The 1st Trade Union was established in 1975. Our History : Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd is a 113 year old company rich in culture. Redeployment and no retrenchement is our strategy. Our Union : G Shramik Sangh popularly knownas GBSS (Recognized Union under MRTU PULP Act 1971) It was formed in 1978. Itis an internal union for last 25 years, having majority of 98 % of workmen as its members. It has no affiliation to any political body. Service Conditions; Service Conditions are governed by Statues / Case laws, Letter of appointment,Certified Standing orders of the Company, lonf term wage settlement, Companys Internal cir culars/Notices / Policies. Service Conditions are: Observe general rules of conduct anywhere in India. Undertake tours when required. Work n shifts No dual employment. Give normal production prevailing in Department. Not to reveal companies information to outsiders. To work overtime or on holidays whenever required. Register attendance by swiping 4 times a day. No proxy swiping. Avail leave prior sanction. Liable to be searched by Security Personnel. Give productive 480/350 mins. Wear and carry identity card. To be able to do multi machine operation simultaneously. To write daily work done in job card/worksheet/logbook. To undergo training. Observe safety regulations. Maintain neat and clean housekeeping at work place. ( Breach of any of these service conditions amounts to act of misconduct) The objectives of Factories Act, 1948 : To secure the workers employed in factories Health Safety Welfare Proper working hours Leave and other benefits. Employment Injury : It is a personal injury to an employee caused by accident or an occupational disease arising out of andin course ofhis employment. IR Disciplinary Action : In IR disciplinary action there are no perfect answer or straight jacket solutions to problems and conflicts. Record building and keeping of every individual disciplinary action taken is very vital to know past record of action. Industrial Employment ( Standing Orders ) Acr,1946: An act to provide for rules defining service conditions. The text of certified standing order should be prominently displaced by employers to workmen in English and in common language. Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd has certified standing order forall hourlyand daily rated workmen. This standing order was ceritfied on August 1, 1955. All disciplinary action letters like warnings, charge sheets ,suspensions, dismissal . etc. Signed by Manage under certified standing order. Punitive and Non- Puntive actions against workmen : PunitiveNon- Punitive1. Warning1. No work no pay2. Suspensions2. Counselling3. Dismissal3. Suspension pending inquiry. The broad branding grades of workers are as follows : Existing New B Semi Skilled Category C D Skilled Category 1 E F Skilled Category 2 Security Inspectors Skilled Category 1 Senior Guards Senior Security Inspectors - Skilled Category 2 Incentives : Incentive of Rs. 200 /- mnth to skilled and Rs. 00/- mnth to unskilled are given to workers under following categories : Performance Incentives Punctual Attendance Incentive. Regular Attendance Incentive. Safe working conditions. ( Statutory Bonus from Minimum 8. 33% to 20 % of Gross wages are provided to the employees. ) Industrial Relations are extremely important because we are in constant touch with the workmen on shop floor. Its a vicarious liability . To avoid litigation and wastage of time, money and energy in court. Industrail Relations is important to create healthy work environment and thereby generating a good Corporate Image. PRAGATI KENDRA Pragati Kendra, the welfare centre of Godrej Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. ; was established on 15th August 1955. It is the singular salute to an institution that believes in being humane first. Pragati Kendra grew out of a corporate emotion that believes in the welfare of its employees and the families. It is a team of 3 main members. The sole objective of Pragati Kendra is upgradation of life of the employees. Godrej Company is the first company who had adopted family planning policy. Pragati Kendra conducts 2 activties every month related to awareness eg. Health issues, family budgeting, cancer . etc. The following are the stratas in which Godrej is trying to build a whole new culture : Personal Welfare : Pragati Kendra conducts Literacy classes for employees and their families to educate themselves. Pragati Kendra helps people to tackle problems whether besetting children , adults or the entire family. Active Counselling takes place whereby all kinds of problems are ironed out by a specialised team through various therapies. The Kendra also has a Child Guidance Clinic for children and adolescents to guide them through their issues with the help of counselling and play therapy. Family Planning : The spot light on Family Planning is given full priority and methods needed for family planning , guidance and encouragement are the order of the day at the Godrej Welfare Centre. Womens development: Pragati Kendra conducts activities in womens development. Women are encouraged to become financially independent through vocational courses , play an active part in various programmes on soci al issues, on the environment etc. and in short are led towards being self sufficient. The International Womens Day on 8th March is an important event in the work done by Godrej in womens development. Childrens development : Childrens activities like trekking, puppet making, drama , gardening and scouting are explained with total encouragement given to work up their extra-curricular enthusiasm . Martial Art classes, Dance classes etc. are conducted with a view to give children training in health related and social skills. Darpan : The Pragati Kendra newsletter Darpan forms the part of the development by reaching out to them through various articles and is published each month both in English and Hindi. With a variety of columns covering articles on parenting , marital problems, the important days observed on various social issues such as No Tobacco Day , World Population Day Greener Godrej : Pragati Kendra aims to enlighten people on the wonders of the Environment path whereby knowledge of greening this oxygen starved plants are given through various programmes such as The World Environment Day , The Vanmohatsav etc. Health Care : The Upchargriha and Pragati Kendra work hand in hand towards curative as well as preventive aspects of health. To conclude , The basis of all Godrej activities lies embodied in its undying spirit which speaks Godrej Cares in more ways than one. CORPORATE SAFETY At Godrej, we believe that sustained competitive advantage can be attained only by providing greater customer value in the form of differentiated products and services delivered through flawess ,continually refined business processes. To enable people to perform accordingly it is essential for us to create and provide safe , supportive and productive work environement to all our employees and business associates. Safety means; Providing and Maintaining safe working environment. Prevention of accident and property damage. Prevention of occupational diseases. Safety accelerates productivity. Need fo safety are for the following reasons : Humanitarian Economic ( Cost to company) Legal (Statutory requirement) Occupier role Responsibilities of responsibilities line function. Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd has formulated a safety policy called as Occupational Health and Safety Policy which includes the Organisation Structure of compliance of OHS Policy, duties and responsibilities of Division , Corporate Department and Employees. OHS Policy was released on 8th November 2007. Accident : An Accident is an unexpected and undesirable event, especially one resulting in damage or harm. The 4 types of accidents are : Reportable ( Injured person disabled to work for more than 48 hrs) Non-Reportable(Injured person resumes work within 48 hrs) Property damage( No human is hurt but property is damaged) Near Miss( When no one is injured though the accident had the potential ) Unsafe personal factors : Lack of Knowledge Improper attitude Improper application of knowledge Mentalor Physical defeciances. Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd looks forward in everyones wholehearted ommitment and involvement in the successful implementation of the Occupational Health and Safety system. ARCHIVES Developing Godrej Archieves was a brain-child of late Sohrab Godrej. The main purpose to develop it was to understand and unfolding the contribution made by Godrej to the industrial history of India, as well as its role in the countrys future. It is engaged in collecting, arranging, catalogui ng and preserving archival material reflecting on the history of Godrej. Additionally, resources are being created in the form of oral history interviews for better understanding of the business and its evolution. The idea of setting up Godrej Archives was first mooted in 1995 when preparations for celebrating the centenary of Godrej began. Godrej Archives is aimed to be a heritage centre offering invaluable archival material for reference and research. The objectives of Archives is: * To collect, arrange, document, preserve, interpret and communicate the history of Godrej. * To highlight employee contribution to organisational growth. * Make these information available to firstly our employees, researchers, students, business world and others interested in history of Godrej To promote awareness about business history and archives The Godrej Archives collection currently includes documents, agreements, letters, technical drawings, press clippings, old catalogues, advertisements, testimonials from clients and customers, audio-visual recordings awards, medals and memorabilia reflecting the rich heritage of Godrej. CORPORATE TRAINING Corporate Training has mainly 2 objectives: 1. Recruitment and Management of Trade Apprentances 2. Special Assignment (Workmen Training) Recruitment and Management of Trade Apprentances: Recruitment and Management of Trade Apprentances comprises of students recruited from ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes). They are recruited in the workmen cader. ITI colleges in total offers around 80 varied skilled courses to its students. In GNB we take about apprentices pocessing 20 plus trades or skills of ITI of which the top 5 are: Fitters Welders Machinist Electrician Turners These Apprentances who are freshly picked from ITI campuses fall under the Apprentance Act that was formed in 1961. However, this act was ammended in 1973. In Godrej the recruitment for Apprentances begins from February till June first week. It is Godrej that recruits the highest number of apprentances in Maharashtra with the requirement being as high as 625 this year, with PED having the highest number of requirement (175). These candidates who are picked in from campuses work as trainees with us for a year and then after they successfully clear the NCVT (National Council Vocational Test. The Process of recruting these candidates is as: * A company has to apply for registration with DVET (Director Vocational Education and Training) department stating its requirements. * DVET then gives a quota stating how many ITIs the company can recruit. However, if the requirement exceeds the number we can avail, then we neen to jargon and show extra machines or process to them in order to acquire permission for the same. The ITI exam takes place in the 1st week of July and the selected candidates join their respective companies by October. ITI is managed by State Government. In Maharashtra there are a total of 300 ITI Colleges from which 50% students are selected from Mumbai and the rest from other cities within Maharashtra. In Godrej for an ITI to seek admission needs to have acquired a minimum of 50% and above in S. S. C and they need to clear the written test that is conducted by Godrej. The written test comprises of 30 Questions carring 30 marks where the candidate gets eligible to enter the company on securing a minimum of 15 marks. A stipened of Rs. 3,500 is paid to them. Post apprenticeship the student has to give the NCVT exam on which he avails the Trade Certificate making him capable to be absorbed by companies as skilled labour. One who is unable to clear this exam is termed as semi skilled worker. Skilled worker is paid Rs. 400 extra as compared to semiskilled worker. After acquiring the Trade certificate the candidate is taken as a company trainee in GNB for 1 year. Post company traineeship he is considered as temporary staff for a term of 3years post which depending on his performance he becomes permanant. Special Assignment : Workmen skill development and enhancement programs. ( Configuration of Indian Industries) CII. G is a member of CII. CII coducts workmen skill competition every year from regional o national and worl skill competition. ITI upgradation program: COE (Centre of Excellence) COE is a 11/2yr program called as Broad Based Training for1 year and 6 months Advanced Training. Another CII initiative is Affirmative Action Plan for bettermentof ST/SC by Industries. CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION Corporate Adminstration department includes the following functions : Due Settlement Employee pension Scheme Employee State Insurance Corporation. Central Mail Receiving Despatch DUE SETTLEMENT : Any dues that are left to be settled with the employee at the time after retirement, service termination ,absconding, voluntary retirement scheme and resignations are paid off. The file maintained for due settlement contain the following forms : PF Nomination Declaration Form. Loan Recovery Bank Updation form. Salary disbursement. CDRS ( any death case) EMPLOYEE PENSION SCHEME : The types of pension: Member pension (Super Annuation ) after retirement at age of 58. Disablement pension: Any member who is not able to work due to disablement. Family Pension : If parents expire then children get the pension. EMPLOYEE STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION,1948 Those employees who salary is less than Rs. 15,000/- per month are members of ESIC. Based on the contribution of the employee and the company certain benefits are provided to the employees. : Sickness benefits – 60% of wages are given to employee. Accidental benefits -75% of wages Vocational benefits Employees with more than Rs. 15,000/- per month are not covered under ESIC but according to the Workmen Compensation Act, the employer has to pay the benefits to the employee. CENTRAL MAIL RECEIVING DESPATCH : CMRD Department takes care of Incoming and Outgoing Postal mail/ courier mail and Internal Mail. The postal mails can be ordinary, registered or even speed post. To conclude the Corporate Admin department takes care of the entire administration functions of Godrej Boyce. Mfg. Co. Ltd.