Caribbean Music Essay

What is meant by Caribbean music in a new mode? What emphasis, in this chapter, seems to justify a departure from traditional presentations of music and culture of the Caribbean? Caribbean music in a new mode it’s meant that it probes the African antecedents retained in the region’s religious rituals. The chapter further contends that in the African-derived context, no distinction is made between sacred and secular, and that popular festivals like carnival, rara, junkannu, or gumbay are rooted in an Afro-religious mode. In this respect, one finds commonality of themes, the major ones being: cultural affirmation; aspirations to freedom; and resistance to oppression as expressed in rituals such as Vodou, Santeria, Candomble, Kumina, or Shango; popular dance-hall styles like â€Å"rasin† in Haiti, reggae in Jamaica, samba-reggae in Brazil; and carnival musics like calypso and soca in Trinidad & Tobago. The mix of culture seems to justify a departure from traditional presentation of music and culture of the Caribbean. Caribbean music was influenced by the triple cultural: Amerindian, African and European. Caribbean music styles can be classified into folk, classical, or commercial popular categories.Caribbean Music contain the traditional music and the features of other countries and area. It creates its own unique style. Caribbean Music absorbed African music Percussion Music. The Caribbean can make good use of drums and other strong beat instruments. Samba,Rumba, Merengue, Reggae,Calypso, and Soca are also relate to the African dancing. Therefore, vigorous music is one of important Caribbean Music Characteristics. Because of the the effect on the west side, Caribbean Music always has a strong Latin style, which makes Caribbean Music more charming. In the past, the Carnival was resisted by the upper class. However, it becomes the world biggest showcase for all over the world. Nowadays, Caribbean music combine some international elements and keep their music original style which leads Caribbean music and its dancing to become more famous and popular. The music of the Caribbean illustrates the soundscape of Africa and Europe, and this may be observed in the rhythms of Candomble, Santerà ­a, Vodou, Kumina, and Shango, as well as the popular dance-hall styles of rumba, samba, merengue, reggae, calypso and soca.

Marketing to Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomers generation is generally classified by the children born after World War II; specifically anyone born between 1946 and 1964. The veterans, as we know them today came back from war, settled down, got married and had children. This was a great time in America as their economy was improving vastly as opposed to other nations of the world. It was a time of affluence, particularly in the Western side of the world. The â€Å"boom† describes the greatly increasing birth rate at these times. As seen in the following diagram, birth rates were higher than ever during 1946 and 1964, with a very close second in the late 1980’s and very early 1990’s. Currently, there are 78 million baby boomers in America, accounting for 40% of the adult population. This gives motivation to marketers to want to sell to this age segment. Persons 45 and older are responsible for 55% of the total consumer spending in the U. S. Marketers are striving to segment the market in such a way, that they will be able to target this age group and market directly to them. There is a vast difference in the ages of Baby Boomers. 1946 to 1964 accounts for a maximum age difference of 18 years. It is important to notice that those who are the older boomers, also called the ‘Golden Boomers’ would have different needs to be satisfied that those that are younger. This age segment can then be further segmented into the golden boomers who, today would be between the ages of 65 and 56, and the younger baby boomers being 55 and 47. Sub-Segmented Baby Boomers The maturing market segment as classified by Moschis, Lee, Mathur, & Strautman, in their book â€Å"The Maturing Marketplace; Buying Habits of Baby Boomers and Their Parents†, can be broken down into four main categories. Firstly, there are the Healthy Indulgers (18%) who are the more affluent and focus more on enjoying life than their careers. They tend to engage in purchasing activities that revolve around their own independence. Secondly are the Healthy Hermits (36%) who have experienced some attitude-changing occurrence in life such as the death of a spouse, and are in turn socially withdrawn. Marketing strategies that focus on conformity work well amongst this segment as they try not to stand out. The following two categories are less affluent than the previously mentioned segments. They are also the segments that look forward to their own house or appartment, as opposed to the previous that intend to move into a retirement home or a nursing home. The third group are the Ailing outgoers. These represent 29 % of the baby boomers. These are people who have accepted their â€Å"old age† but are still willing to get the most out of life and tend to be influenced by money-saying incentives. Lastly are Frail Recluses (17%) who are very similar to the ailing outgoers, however they have accepted spirituality into their lives and keep high spirits through their strengthened faiths. Information that is very interesting to the marketer is that not all individuals stay in one group in their life time. A healthy hermit might be influenced to join a church and increase their knwoledge of faith, thus leading to a switch to be more likfe frail recluses. Also, these segments don’t have set boundaries, and persons are more likely to be classifed by one of those four sub-sections by leading, defining characteristics, rather than completely defined through all the expected qualities. The experiences that each person goes through is what really puts them in any particular group. The Baby- Boomer Misconception A problem that many companies face is their set perception of older generations. There is a stigma that they don’t really have an opinion on what they buy and they will buy the products anyway. This is a sure way to failure when having goods produced for this age segment. Another mistake commonly made by firms is the misconception that â€Å"Baby Boomers have never grown up. † They believe that when targeting to younger generations, the marketing will reach the baby boomers as well. Though baby boomers have been recently showing tendencies of younger generations that do not fit the general description of their age group, such as openness to new experiences, and engaging in activities that are health and fitness revolved, this is not a reason to assume they will be influenced by the same marketing schemes targeted at younger generations. What Nyren suggests from his text is that infomercials is the upcoming media for marketing toward baby boomers. This age segment has a longer attention span, and they want to know more information on the products they buy. More times than not, the television ads that last 30 seconds are perceptively dismissed, and would not have had any impact on them. Perhaps then, the companies that market to this segment, should redirect their marketing efforts toward 30 minute commercials. There is a stigma attached to infomercials that they are long air-time wasting nonsense that no one watches, and for the most part, it’s true; these are not the infomercials that would grab the attention of the baby boomer. They want to gain more knowledge. They want to be informed before making purchasing decision, and infomercials tend to give the time needed for explanations. The trick is indeed to find a way to captivate the target market’s attention. According to the authors of â€Å"The Maturing Marketplace†, the baby boomers are heavily influenced by price specials and reductions. These are likely to be in the their top considerations when making several types of purchases such as hotels, airlines or cruises. On the topic of travel, they majority notion is that they enjoy travelling, but do not have the funds for it. Also, they are concerned that if they do have the funds for it now, after the recession, and they spend it on this leisurely experience, that they may not have funds for future necessities like their own health care, and funds to take of their families. In theory, an infomercial about a cruise that is targeted toward this age segment, that focuses on getting value for your money and having readily available medical attention is likely to be very effective. Purchasing Behaviour of Baby Boomers Marketers have to accept that marketing to any group with all the greatest efforts will still not always be as effective as one would like it to be. This is again because of one’s predisposition toward a product or message because of one’s experiences. A person who might have had a bad experience with a Russian individual may be inclined to stay away from products manufactured in Russia. However, marketers must still try to market these groups directly by attempting to find out their values and market their product in a way that would appeal to these values. Through much research, several values have been found that relate to baby boomers more than any other age segment. The first of many values is independence. This generation throughout time has redefined that age group at that time; they never stuck to their elder’s traditional values and beliefs. Whereas older generations tended to be more party-loyal with regards to politics, the baby boomer generation always had to know more about the parties, and the issues that affected them and that the parties stood for. Their independence also stemmed from the availability of options given to them that were not offered to their elders. They grew up in a time of affluence, and this ability for choice stuck with them throughout the years. This is an interesting value to be known by marketers as they would want to appeal to this. Positioning products in the minds of these consumers as giving them their independence, especially as they are now getting to a stage in their lives where they may require help, would be quite effective. A value that is held so dearly to the baby boomer is individualism. Again, stemming from their years being brought up, they were able to create their own paths, and basically be whoever they so chose. This is why life- insurance companies that offer customized plans do quite well. The individual wants to feel that their status is being considered, and that that they have choices with regards to costs and other aspects of a life- insurance plan. Another value is humanity. This is reflected in their desire for better customer service. A company with friendly, helpful staff is definitely much more appreciated than those without. Though this group highly upholds independence, they also want to know that when they go to purchase an item at a store, that they will be given the appropriate attention, and that the sales person would be competence in their field. The invention of the automated answering machine that are so popularly used by companies today are abhorred by this generation. They want to talk to a real person, who would assist them as necessary. These companies have implemented these answering machines to save on salaries. However, they are losing out on a lot more than that amount because people are straying away from that. They are taking their business elsewhere. Comfort is a value that is upheld by the baby boomers. They want products that will fit well into their lives. They want commodities that will be compatible with their routines. The marketer of a product such a diabetes testing machine, a product that would be necessary in their lives once diagnosed with diabetes, should position the product as easy to use, and quick. This is extended to other related values such as easily read literature on drugs. A marketer of a pharmacy should market his pharmacy as convenient for all their pharmaceutical needs. This then leads to the next value. Convenience is very important those in this age segment. Most of these values go hand in hand, though many marketers, as mentioned before, have the belief that this age segment is going to buy their products anyway. Baby boomers want the added convenience that they can be offered. When choosing a housing arrangement, they would to know that if needed, medical attention would be readily available and easy to attain. As mentioned previously, baby boomers take a lot of time when considering prices. Special deals and price reductions appeal to them a lot; money- saving incentives such as coupons, rebates and acceptance of various discount cards are considered by the baby boomers when deciding on what product to purchase. Youthfulness seems to be quite important today to the baby boomers. This however is sometimes misunderstood. The Baby boomers want to be healthy, and fit at their age. They are comfortable with the age that they are at, however, they want to be able to enjoy their lives to the fullest. This is why many belong to health and fitness clubs. The misconceptions lies in the thought that they want to dress like younger generations, and involve themselves in activities typical of generation xers and younger; this is certainly not true. They don’t want to engage in the activities, but they want the feeling of being younger. They want that their age not be a limitation to the sense of thrill and excitement that they would have felt when they were younger. The baby boomers want to feel secure. Security is a great need of baby boomers. However, they require different types of security; financial security, home security, security of mind with regards to their health. Financial services marketed to the baby boomers have to take into consideration the various segments of baby boomers. For example, brokerage firms specifically target healthy hermits. The home security marketers would target the more affluent of the baby boomers because they would have their homes and their valuable items to secure. Again, health security is one that is gained through comfort of mind. Firms targeting baby boomer health would be successful with tactics employing round- the- clock ambulance services. Life Alert is a company that does quite well because of its attention to the security that that age segment requires. Though older generations than baby boomers would be more appealed to such an item, the older baby boomers are retiring and want that peace of mind that comes that is satisfied by Life Alert. A value that is well- known through the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs if self-actualization. Baby boomers tend to be intrinsically motivated; they are interested in engaging in activities that will give them insight to themselves. They are still searching for what makes them them and they are impacted by advertising focused on this need. Future Expectations of The Baby Boomer Segment By 2029, the last of the baby boomers would turn 65 and are likely to represent 16% of the population. Currently, the oldest baby boomers are entering retirement, and as they represent 25% of the population, 18 years of pension payments are to be paid. The concern of many is that the payment of these pensions would be a burden on younger generations. Marketing toward their independence would bring great returns as they would feel like burdens to society. Health- insurance companies and financial service companies should target this segment now, in a way that would appeal to their secure futures. Beachbody and Baby Boomers The image above is one of the many that are found in the testimonials for Beach Body’s well-known fitness program, P90X. The woman seen above is Mary Crawford, who was a 61 year old out of shape, complacent woman. She used the beachbody products over the course of two years, starting with the Power 90 series, then on to the Power 90 Master series, and then started the P90X program. The infomercial for this program can be seen on a variety of cable stations that describe how high- impact it really is. Typically, one would not assume that a woman of 60+ would want to engage in such an activity. However, that is the view that is making marketers failures. Those were the opinions of baby boomer’s elders. Today’s 47- 65 year old cohorts are willing to do what it takes to be fit and healthy. Team Beach Body is appeals to the baby boomers in several ways. Firstly, it appeals to their desire for the feeling of youth. Being healthy and fit is a major need for these people and they are able to attain this through beachbody’s programs. Secondly, it appeals to their value of comfort. Beachbody offers an array of products for different levels of fitness. Like Ms. Crawford, someone would be able to go from very low fitness to an able- bodied, fit person. The infomercials are highly effective among this group because of its expansion on the product. It gives detailed descriptions of how the program works and how it is different from other programs. Also, Tony Horton, the creator of P90X has a sense of care to him. He seems to truly care about the people he is helping with his product, and this is important to the baby boomers. He too, being born in 1958 is a baby boomer as such is an inspiration to other baby boomers. He is a sought after trainer to many. His infomercial is one that was able to catch the attention of many because unlike other infomercial that promise quick results with little effort, Tony Horton explains how the P90X program is a high intensity one that requires time and effort. At first, to a marketer, this seems almost blasphemous. However, it has proven to be effective. The baby boomers, being information seekers, want to gain information on products before purchasing. Tony Horton was able to present his program with extensive information and be honest, and that is what caught the attention of many. References https://www.beachbody.com/text/success/2008/gamewinners/ss_maryc.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-18/beachbody-thinking-beyond-the-infomercial.html

Counselling Skills

The purpose of this essay is describing the counselling practices that I did in my class room. I n this reflective essay, I will describe the style of counselling that I used so far , the actions I had taken, the area of skills where I need further improvement, my perception about the feedbacks from other students and faculty supervisor . By discussing this particular experience in detail, I can start to aware of the specific skills and technique which counsellor may use in different situation of the client in order to boost the client to take positive action by her or himself . As part of community welfare curriculum, I need to role paly 20 minutes of counselling session with my colleague. Before the final role play I had done few days of practice sessions with my colleague. I was getting feedback from rest of the classmates and teacher as they would be the observers of the counselling sessions. I found the practice sessions challenging because my friend was acting as client. Even though I was playing the role of counsellor, my mind was struggling to consider my friend as client. Before embarking upon my reflection regarding counselling, I would like to contribute a brief description of about the client. My client was 52years of old lady who was looking after her 72 years of old mother. She (mother of the client) was suffering dementia. The client hast two kids who are studying. As she was working seven days, she wasn’t getting time to ventilate her feeling to anyone. Actually she came to me with complaints of stress. She was afraid to tell her mother she was contemplating nursing home care. Basically I was really focused on my micro skills rather than therapeutic skills† as they plays pivotal role in counselling skills more â€Å"I belief. The micro skills such as empathy, questioning, minimal encourages, paraphrasing , summary, eye contact, body language, voice, structure, observation, listening and reflection of feeling could germinate the pathways to motivate the clients to ventilate his or her deeper feelings and more over could help the counsellor to build up purposeful relationship with client. However I tried to involve bit of cognitive behaviour therapy specifically downward arrow and questioning technique. As a counsellor my intention was to challenge her (client) about her irrational belief’ the mother would be upset when I tell about the need of nursing care ’. I tried to confront the client with the reality of situation by supporting the client to think of probable consequences such as â€Å"what‘s the worst that could happen if tell your mum about nursing home rehabilitation? † And a part from that used technique of universalization by describing similar kind of experiences but it was not enough for my client get enough courage to face her issue. I tried the empty chair concept which I was extracted from gestalt therapy (Patterson, 1986). The empty chair was failure, even though it nurtured the idea of asking the client â€Å"how would to response to a friend of having the same scenario†? That was the turning point as it brought insight to the client that I was anticipating her mother’s response and that was I worried more about rather than agony related to send mother to nursing home. All the counselling sessions were challenging because it was very hard to consider the colleague as a client and more over I was unsure in the beginning where to start, what I would ask, how in depth the session would be and so on. On the basis of the feedback that I got, in the first few days of the counselling role play I was expressing insufficient empathy as I was not acknowledging properly the scenario of the client. The posture wasn’t good enough because I was swinging on my chair. According to my point of view I need to avoid giving advice or tendency of giving solutions as it violates the self-determination right of the client. The comments from my colleagues were very helpful as it helped me to stick in the main stream of counselling structure. In my counselling interventions, the tendency of asking more questions and collecting information (exactly same as case history taking) was not uncommon. The tendency might be because I had taken many case histories before as part of social work studies. It was confusing rather than focusing on the client’s issue. For instance once the client told about the need of rehabilitation for her mother, I was diverted from her (client) stress and started to thinking of certain strategies to deal her mother’s issue (dementia) . Therefore I just need to train myself to focus on the client issue. Feedback has a very good role in improving the skills of the counsellor. It helps to determine the area where improvement or modification is needed. For example I employed empathy but not enough to acknowledge the feelings of the client. The suggestions from my mates demonstrated the way we express empathy towards client’s feelings and also illustrated lots of relevant questions which I could ask to the client. From the brief explanation of self-reflection of counselling skills, counselling mproves personal effectiveness (Narayana Rao, 2002). The counsellor aims to bring about positive action on part of counselee and change the perception or understanding (irrational belief) by him or her shelf. The counsellor should be skilful in employing micro skills and the practical application of some sort of therapies from the counsellors could be helpful to provide self-direction to client or client. The feedbacks or comments from clients, colleagues, supervisors and other organizational staffs bring improvement or development of skills among counsellors. The counsellors themselves learn from experiences. Counsellor education and training or role plays stress the need of consistent approach in terms of counsellor’s experience, personality all reflects in his or her counselling. The practical sessions brings eligibility to counsellors to choose the style, ideas, principles, techniques and methods that appeal to him as meaningful and useful. The new insights from feedback enable the client to re-evaluate the ideas, principles, methods and modify or change according to client’s situation. This role paly session was very helpful for me because it improved my skills of developing counselling relationship with client. Now I hope I know thoroughly how would start? Howe would motivate the client to ventilate his or her feelings? How would I approach therapeutically the client? And also I could learn how could use the technique ‘silence’ effectively? So over all this counselling role paly was a great opportunity to get insight into my advantage and dis advantage of counselling skills. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to my faculty supervisor and my colleagues. Counselling Skills The purpose of this essay is describing the counselling practices that I did in my class room. I n this reflective essay, I will describe the style of counselling that I used so far , the actions I had taken, the area of skills where I need further improvement, my perception about the feedbacks from other students and faculty supervisor . By discussing this particular experience in detail, I can start to aware of the specific skills and technique which counsellor may use in different situation of the client in order to boost the client to take positive action by her or himself . As part of community welfare curriculum, I need to role paly 20 minutes of counselling session with my colleague. Before the final role play I had done few days of practice sessions with my colleague. I was getting feedback from rest of the classmates and teacher as they would be the observers of the counselling sessions. I found the practice sessions challenging because my friend was acting as client. Even though I was playing the role of counsellor, my mind was struggling to consider my friend as client. Before embarking upon my reflection regarding counselling, I would like to contribute a brief description of about the client. My client was 52years of old lady who was looking after her 72 years of old mother. She (mother of the client) was suffering dementia. The client hast two kids who are studying. As she was working seven days, she wasn’t getting time to ventilate her feeling to anyone. Actually she came to me with complaints of stress. She was afraid to tell her mother she was contemplating nursing home care. Basically I was really focused on my micro skills rather than therapeutic skills† as they plays pivotal role in counselling skills more â€Å"I belief. The micro skills such as empathy, questioning, minimal encourages, paraphrasing , summary, eye contact, body language, voice, structure, observation, listening and reflection of feeling could germinate the pathways to motivate the clients to ventilate his or her deeper feelings and more over could help the counsellor to build up purposeful relationship with client. However I tried to involve bit of cognitive behaviour therapy specifically downward arrow and questioning technique. As a counsellor my intention was to challenge her (client) about her irrational belief’ the mother would be upset when I tell about the need of nursing care ’. I tried to confront the client with the reality of situation by supporting the client to think of probable consequences such as â€Å"what‘s the worst that could happen if tell your mum about nursing home rehabilitation? † And a part from that used technique of universalization by describing similar kind of experiences but it was not enough for my client get enough courage to face her issue. I tried the empty chair concept which I was extracted from gestalt therapy (Patterson, 1986). The empty chair was failure, even though it nurtured the idea of asking the client â€Å"how would to response to a friend of having the same scenario†? That was the turning point as it brought insight to the client that I was anticipating her mother’s response and that was I worried more about rather than agony related to send mother to nursing home. All the counselling sessions were challenging because it was very hard to consider the colleague as a client and more over I was unsure in the beginning where to start, what I would ask, how in depth the session would be and so on. On the basis of the feedback that I got, in the first few days of the counselling role play I was expressing insufficient empathy as I was not acknowledging properly the scenario of the client. The posture wasn’t good enough because I was swinging on my chair. According to my point of view I need to avoid giving advice or tendency of giving solutions as it violates the self-determination right of the client. The comments from my colleagues were very helpful as it helped me to stick in the main stream of counselling structure. In my counselling interventions, the tendency of asking more questions and collecting information (exactly same as case history taking) was not uncommon. The tendency might be because I had taken many case histories before as part of social work studies. It was confusing rather than focusing on the client’s issue. For instance once the client told about the need of rehabilitation for her mother, I was diverted from her (client) stress and started to thinking of certain strategies to deal her mother’s issue (dementia) . Therefore I just need to train myself to focus on the client issue. Feedback has a very good role in improving the skills of the counsellor. It helps to determine the area where improvement or modification is needed. For example I employed empathy but not enough to acknowledge the feelings of the client. The suggestions from my mates demonstrated the way we express empathy towards client’s feelings and also illustrated lots of relevant questions which I could ask to the client. From the brief explanation of self-reflection of counselling skills, counselling mproves personal effectiveness (Narayana Rao, 2002). The counsellor aims to bring about positive action on part of counselee and change the perception or understanding (irrational belief) by him or her shelf. The counsellor should be skilful in employing micro skills and the practical application of some sort of therapies from the counsellors could be helpful to provide self-direction to client or client. The feedbacks or comments from clients, colleagues, supervisors and other organizational staffs bring improvement or development of skills among counsellors. The counsellors themselves learn from experiences. Counsellor education and training or role plays stress the need of consistent approach in terms of counsellor’s experience, personality all reflects in his or her counselling. The practical sessions brings eligibility to counsellors to choose the style, ideas, principles, techniques and methods that appeal to him as meaningful and useful. The new insights from feedback enable the client to re-evaluate the ideas, principles, methods and modify or change according to client’s situation. This role paly session was very helpful for me because it improved my skills of developing counselling relationship with client. Now I hope I know thoroughly how would start? Howe would motivate the client to ventilate his or her feelings? How would I approach therapeutically the client? And also I could learn how could use the technique ‘silence’ effectively? So over all this counselling role paly was a great opportunity to get insight into my advantage and dis advantage of counselling skills. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to my faculty supervisor and my colleagues. ï » ¿Counselling Skills P1: Describe processes for initiating, maintaining, developing and concluding a helping relationshipA helping relationship is a relationship between the professional and the patient/client which aims to help the client get through difficult situations and encourage the client to overcome their issues.Gerard Egan’s 3 Stage Skilled Helper Mode 1994, provides a basic guideline on how helping relationships should be carried out. It is important that helpers take into consideration the steps provided in the Egan’s mode as it provides structure and positive support to clients.The 3 stages are:1. The Present Scenario 2. The Preferred Scenario 3. Getting ThereWithin each stage there are additional steps which provide detailed guidelines that will help the client achieve the next step in the model.The Present Scenario – Stage 1Expansive 1a. the StoryThis step is to encourage the client to tell the story, the helper should demonstrate good listening skills and support the client tell a detailed and topic related story. It also encourages the client to get side tracked and maintain focus on the problem.Challenging 2a. blind spotsAt times it may be hard for the client to tell the story which got them conflicted. The helper should guide the client to see the situation from different perspectives through empathetic reflections and challenging questions to encourage the client to push oneself to fill in gaps that may be missing from their story.Focusing 1c. leverageThis is the last section of the first stage; at this point the client may feel overwhelmed after telling the helper what the problem is. The helper should aid the client on concentrating on a part of their story that they feel they have the energy to change and resolve.The Preferred Scenario – Stage 2Expletory 2a. possibilitiesAt this stage the helper should encourage the client to think what way they would want their situation to be. The helper should avoid over analysing or judging the client regardless of what the client describe as their perfect scenario. The client should be pushing the client to open their mind and see the bigger picture outside the problem and how they prefer things to be.Reality Testing 2a. change agendaAfter the client expresses how they wish their situation to be, the helper should encourage the client to think of realistic goal (SMART goals) that can be achievable. The client should be thinking of a time frame which they can reach within a certain time limit. The helper should support these and be a mediator for the client when they are setting their goals.Committing 2c. commitmentThe aim of the final step of stage two is for the helper to evaluate the commitment level displayed by the client to achieving their goal. The helper should encourage the client to evaluate the benefits and costs of dedicating oneself to the goal and show their determinacy to achieving it.Getting There – Stage 3Creative 3a. Possible ActionsThe first step of stage 3 aims to encourage the client to brainstorm possible places, people, organisations; actions and attitudes that would them achieve their set goals. The helper should encourage and motivate the client to think widely on possible strategies to achieve their goal (101 ways to achieve the goal).Selecting 3b. best fit strategiesAfter the brainstorm the client will be left with many strategies, the helper should set in to guide the client to select the best and most fitting strategy to achieve their desired goal. The helper should also guide the client to analyse the internal and external factors that may affect the way their strategy is carried out.Moving Forward 3c. pointEgan’s Model final step, this aims to help the client plan their next steps. The plan of action should be broken down into small sections and the client should be confident and positive when explained their action plan to the helper. The helper should be encouraging the client to turn wishes into goals, but avoiding on pushing the client on creating goals that they have no desire of achieving.To conclude Egan’s Model proves to be a concise and important part of a helping relationship as it provides helpers with a structure and guide on how to conduct sessions and how to track improvement from client when reaching a new stage.

The effects of the titanic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The effects of the titanic - Essay Example The Titanic had enough lifeboats for first and second class passengers, but not for steerage. So the poor passengers almost all drowned, while the rich passengers mostly survived. Titanic carried 20 lifeboats, enough for 1178 people. The existing Board of Trade required a passenger ship to provide lifeboat capacity for 1060 people. Titanic's lifeboats were situated on the top deck. The boat was designed to carry 32 lifeboats but this number was reduced to 20 because it was felt that the deck would be too cluttered and thus pose an inconvenience to the first class passengers whom enjoyed strolling the deck. On a luxury ship, lifeboats for everyone would mean less room for games and sports on the upper decks. Passengers would have had to give up play areas for lifeboats (Lord, Lives On 85). White Star line tragically sacrificed safety for luxury. The question remains whether or not first and second class passengers received preference on the lifeboats. The White Star line claims there was no distinction between the three classes of passengers, however, only 25 percent of third class passengers were saved compared to 53 percent of first and second class passengers. The White Star line explained that third class passengers were more reluctant to leave the ship and they did not want to part from their belongings.

Majoritarian vs. Consensus Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Majoritarian vs. Consensus Democracy - Essay Example two, I consider the Majoritarian model to be most applicable and closer in theoretical intent to democracy than the Consensus model but I would be neglecting my prime duties if I do not say that the Consensus model is more applicable in the real world and it the system to which I would give my vote if there was ever an election between the two theories. The first thing to be noted about democracy, as it is presented by Dahl (1956) is that it is â€Å"a state of affairs† (Pg, 50). It is not considered primarily a system of government or even a way of life since democracy has several prerequisites in terms of the level of civilization which a particular group of people must have before they can implement democracy. Perhaps that is why history records an age of kings before the time of the elected philosopher kings was recommended by social scientists. A certain level of sophistication in terms of culture and the way of life is an essential requirement for the establishment of democracy. In fact, this level of social sophistication is so important that it has been suggested that â€Å"The first and crucial variables to which political scientists must direct their attention are social and not constitutional† (Dahl 1956, Pg. 31). The problem comes into play when we notice that the demands of a truly democratic system can only be met by only a few countries. Very few cultures can lay a rightful claim to a Majoritarian model since the prerequisites are so high. On the same page, Dahl makes the observation that: â€Å"To say that perfect attainment of political equality and popular sovereignty is, by definition of terms, consistent only with the majority principle is not to enunciate a wholly useless proposition, but neither is it very helpful.† (Dahl 1956, Pg. 31) The Majoritarian model depends on several things which must be present in a system before such a democracy can be established. The first requirement is a mass participation in politics by people who know how

Module 4 - SLP THREAT ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 4 - SLP THREAT ANALYSIS - Essay Example This follows the fact that terrorism activities are often targeted at specific places and sites, and not general areas. This development has led to curiosity and the need for research on what exactly champions the terrorists’ thinking and planning of their activities. With reference to choice of targets, it is evident that terrorists do not make random choices like those witnessed with freedom fighters or liberation movements. Rislien & Rislien (2010) have observed that, â€Å"†¦one may add the indispensability of ideology, not only because it provides the initial dynamic for the terrorists’ actions, but because it sets out the moral framework within which they operate.† (P. 134). There seems to have been some drastic changes in the terrorists’ targeting policies; traditionally, those terrorists that had political ambitions would target major installation to attract media attention and general loss of life. For this reason, commercial centres were least spared. Currently, various considerations are put into perspective by terrorists; (Dugdale (2005), points out that, â€Å"First, they do a risk analysis† (p. 1). Terroriats make careful considerations of the potential benefits they stand to get from the target; this is often in contrast to the amount of resources and potential for success. In the same way, Rislien & Rislien (2010), explain that, â€Å"Academia thus claims that terrorism is rational and has a clear singleness of purpose† (p. 134), something that underpins the need for an understanding about their target choices and decision. It is this analysis that leads to ear marking of places as â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† targets by the particular terrorist groups. In this analysis, a â€Å"hard† target is that which has considerable security and may make the terrorists be easily intercepted in the course of their actions. On the other hand, a â€Å"soft† target is that which has few security considerations

The Third World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Third World - Essay Example The political conditions of many of these countries are extremely unstable, like in Somalia and Afghanistan, leading to the conditions described as ‘failed states’. Such unstable political picture also in turn leads to failing economic conditions which in turn give rise to increase in chaos and antisocial activities in the country, thus showing deteriorating social conditions. Developed countries on the other hand, show strong and stable economic and political conditions. The social conditions of these developed countries are extremely good with all sorts of facilities readily available to all its citizens. Health infrastructure is very well developed and population rate low. Basic education is made available to all people whose lifestyles show a certain standard of living. Kuznets analyses the differences between a developing and a developed country and tells us â€Å"the former have no ‘middle’ classes: there is a sharp contrast between the preponderant p roportion of the population whose average income is below the generally low countrywide average, and a small top group with a very large relative income excess. The developed countries on the other hand are characterized by a much more gradual rise from a low to high income shares†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (cited in Fields, 60). Asian, African and Latin American countries generally are clubbed together to form the developing countries. Canadian, American, European countries along with Japan are generally treated as the developed countries. However many developing countries are now progressing fast and are catching up with the developed countries. These include China, India, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the oil rich Middle East countries. The origins and importance of the liberal/orthodox approach to the study of the third world, exemplified by modernization theory and its strengths and

Factors and criteria of choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factors and criteria of choice - Essay Example It has happened in 14 years that the mobile phone giant Nokia is not toping the annual cell phone sales chart, whereas it is Samsung which has replaced Nokia and has become the world’s number one mobile phone selling brand in the world (LAM). The technology advances on everyday basis. New features are added everyday in mobile phones to make them more attractive. The total revenue generate annually by the mobile company is $100 billion. However the profitably of the mobile phones companies depend on their ability to develop more innovative product, with offering higher quality and affordability to the consumers. This research paper highlights the features that the mobile phones need, in order to maintain their present and future position in the mobile phone market. Explanation The advancements in technology have helped in the development of several significant and useful features in the mobile phones. These features provided by the mobile phone companies’ help in deciding that which phones will occupy the market share. The mobile phone tour guide present in some of the phones help people in finding a place. This can be a useful feature for tourist who visits other places. This phone technology is more appropriate than the paper guide. Near field communication technology allows the mobile phone to connect to other wireless device present at some distance and transfer data, which ranges from pictures and songs to payment and other important information. Phones embedded with NFC chips can be used as electronic identity cards or debit cards. The phones with NFC chips can be quite effective in futures. The NFC devices manufactures must work in collaboration with VISA to come up with technology that would make life easier for customers. Mobiles programmed to allow users to download different application are the one that users prefer the most. These application may consist of Skype which allow users to make call to other people having Skype application in their phones, present anywhere in the world. The phones supporting downloadable application also support large amount of data as the size of the application can be as large as 550 KB (Sen). Camera is the key factor that costumers consider while purchasing a mobile phone. Phone with the ability of capturing pictures; occupy almost 40 percent of the market share. However the camera feature of mobile phone is not enough for customers. They want camera with high definition and several other features that are present in advance digital cameras. The mobile market is now saturated with camera phones, people nowadays prefer to have a picture capturing device in their pockets. The other significant feature that people prefer in camera phones include 3G network. This advance form of network s upport the highly advance feature of mobile phones providing more storage to the customers. The 3G networks not only allow the users to captures memorable moments but it also allow users to share it with their family and friends. Other important characteristics of the 3G networks includes the transmission of data at 38 K bps, improving image quality up to 330,000 pixels and it allows the internal storage of mobile phone to grow so that the users can save a dozen photos at a single time (Garside and Arthur). The major complaints that are faced by the telephone companies are mostly related

ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY REPORT PowerPoint Presentation

ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY REPORT - PowerPoint Presentation Example In this design, the behavior of a subject is observed without affecting it in any way. This design was appropriate because it is often used as a tool of both qualitative and quantitative designs of research since it gives a common outline as to what variables should be tested quantitatively. This makes the design less expensive and less time-consuming as compared to other designs. Internal validity is the truth in the inferences of a cause-effect relationship. In this research, one threat to the internal validity is history. This occurs when repeated experiments of the research done by researchers earlier affect the participants’ response to the procedures in the experiment (MCQuarrie, 2005). Another threat is maturation, where subjects change during the cause of the study. For instance, with time, a patient may develop complications that are not as a result of the cardiac catherization during the time of the study, hence non-valid results are obtained. Threats to external validity explain how wrong a person might be in making specific conclusions. One of the threats to the external validity is aptitude treatment interaction, where the independent variable may relate with certain features of the sample. Another threat is the situation, which includes all situations that limit the generalization of a study. The sample size here can be chosen based on the quality of the findings and the cost of the collection of data. The sample size is also based on the hypothesis’ strength. The sample representative of the population is the small group of individuals who have undergone cardiac catherization and are interviewed in order to represent the larger population of the patients recovering from it (Griffiths, 1998). The representative sample is obtained by identification of the population being sampled by researchers. The setting in which data was collected is appropriate because it enabled the researchers to calculate the descriptive statistics, to

The Demerara Slave Revolt Essay Example for Free

The Demerara Slave Revolt Essay The 1823 slave revolt in Demarara, Guyana, started on a sugar plantation called â€Å"Plantation Success†- on the east coast of the colony on August 23. It spread throughout the nearby area to involve slaves from at least fifty-five plantations. In total, around ten thousand of the approximately seventy-five thousand slaves who lived in the colony rose in violent rebellion against their oppressors. The revolt would have been even larger, however, had the slaves succeeded in their goal of spreading the insurrection to the western part of the colony. As it was, the revolt still alarmed the local planters sufficiently to respond quickly, and with extreme violence. Using both army units and local militia, the planters and colonial officials killed several hundred of the rebelling slaves, and imprisoned hundreds more to stand trial and face execution. Within days, the revolt had been put down. Two elements made the Demerara Revolt rather unusual. First, it largely consisted of, and was primarily led by Creole slaves. This upset the traditional British notion that although the wilder African-born slaves might revolt, the Creole slaves were more docile and accepting of their fate. This was a harsh challenge to any illusion of slavery as a civilizing system. In a world in which the planters had already seen the abolition of the slave trade, and in which they could see the abolition of slavery itself looming in the foreseeable future, it was particularly unsettling. Also unsettling was the role played by antislavery groups from England. The nonconformist evangelical movement was particularly involved in trying to end slavery altogether. From at least as early 1808, The London Missionary Society had sent missionaries to Demerara to preach and teach among the slaves of the colony. Planter opinion was ambivalent. Some thought that religion may help keep the slaves in check. Other saw the missionaries as dangerous spirit rousers. One missionary – John Wray – was expelled from the colony once it became known that he had been teaching the slaves to read. Another missionary – John Smith – replaced him. Also supporting the slaves and fighting for their cause, Smith kept holding church for the slaves. He also fought against planters’ attempts at keeping their slaves from having Sundays off and from attending church. In the end, the struggle for the slaves’ rights to have Sundays off became a central issue in the slaves’ grievances that led to the rebellion. Making use of religious meetings to also discuss political thoughts and plan the insurrection, the slaves created a link between the missionaries and the revolt that the missionaries may not have been aware of. Historians tend to suggest that Smith was unknowing. The planters had a different view. In the aftermath of the rebellion, they arrested Smith and had him sentenced to death by hanging for his role in the insurrection. Before his sentence could be carried out, however, Smith died in prison. The death of thousands of slaves, and of the white minister John Smith led to vociferous reactions in England. People felt that the revolt and its aftermath revealed the brutal and inhumane behavior of the planters. This helped strengthen the anti-slavery movement in England, as arguments of planter savagery were later used to support the 1833 Parliamentary ruling to end slavery in the British Caribbean. The Demarara Revolt therefore highlights the important roles played by both the slaves and the abolitionist groups in England in bringing about the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies. In England, some organisations were established to campaign for the abolition of slavery in the British colonies. In April 1823 a motion was presented in the House of Commons calling for a gradual abolition of slavery in all British colonies, but it was defeated because the majority felt that abolition of slavery would leave the planters without a labour force. Instead, measures to ameliorate the condition of slaves were adopted. These ordered that female slaves should not be whipped as punishment and drivers should not carry whips in the field. These new amelioration rules were sent in a letter to all Governors of British colonies. Governor John Murray deliberately delayed its publicity. He received the letter on 23 June 1823 and waited until 2 July to present it to the Court of Policy, urging the members, who were all slave owners, not to act on it immediately. It was not until 7 August the Court of Policy passed the required resolutions to adopt the amelioration rules. While the amelioration rules were awaiting adoption in the Court of Policy, house slaves overheard their masters discussing them. Not fully understanding the implications of the new rules, they felt that the planters had received instructions to set the slaves free but were refusing to do so. This rumour was passed on to other slaves. One of these slaves, Jack Gladstone, heard the rumour from a slave owned by the Governor, and he wrote a letter to the members of Bethel Chapel informing them of the matter and signed his fathers name on it. His father was Quamina, a senior deacon of Bethel Chapel. On 25 July, Quamina, on learning of the matter, approached Rev. John Smith and informed him that the King of England had granted freedom to the slaves but it was being withheld. Smith said that he had not heard of any such order and added that he had heard that the British Government wanted to make regulations to improve the situation affecting the slaves, but not to set them free. Quamina was not satisfied with what he heard and apparently reported to the other slaves, some of whom began to make preparations to seize their freedom which they felt was being deliberately kept away from them. The slaves in East Demerara were convinced that the Governor and their masters were withholding their freedom from them and many of them felt they had no other option than to rise up against those who were not carrying out the Kings orders. On the morning of Sunday 17 August 1823 slaves at Mahaica met together at Plantation Success and three of them, Jack Gladstone, a cooper on that plantation, Joseph Packwood and Manuel, assumed some kind of leadership of the group. All of them began to plan an uprising, but Gladstones father, Quamina, who arrived at the meeting later, objected to any bloody revolt and suggested that the slaves should go on strike. When someone asked if they should get guns to protect themselves, Quamina, a senior deacon at Rev. John Smiths church, said he would have to seek the advice of the missionary on this matter. Quamina departed for Bethel Chapel at Le Ressouvenir, and after the Sunday service, he and two other slaves, Manuel and Seaton, went to Smiths home. There they told the priest that the managers of the plantation should go to Georgetown to fetch up the New Law. Smith rebuked them and advised them against speaking to any of the managers about this, saying if they did so they would provoke the Governor. He begged them to wait until the Governor and their masters tell them about the new regulations. When Quamina told Smith of the uprising being planned, the priest asked them to tell the other slaves, particularly the Christians, not to rebel. Quamina promised to obey Smith and he sent his two companions to urge other slaves not to rebel. He also told Smith he would send a message in the evening to the Mahaica slaves not to rise up against their masters. But despite Quaminas efforts, the slaves were determined to rebel from the following evening. Their plan was to seize all guns on the plantations, lock up the Whites during the night and then send them to the Governor on the following morning to bring the New Law. Quamina urged them not to be violent in the process. But on the morning of Monday 18 August, the plan was betrayed by Joseph Packwood, a house slave, who told his master about it. The plantation owner, Simpson, immediately gave this information to Governor Murray who with a group of soldiers rode up to the area of Le Ressouvenir and La Bonne Intention where he met a large group of armed Africans on the road. He asked them what they wanted and they replied, Our right. He then ordered them to surrender their weapons, and after they refused, he warned that their disobedience would cause them to lose whatever new benefits the new regulations intended to give to them. Murray told them to go home and to meet with him at Plantation Felicity the next morning. But the slaves refused this invitation and the Governor later that day proclaimed martial law. It was very late that afternoon when Rev. John Smith first heard of the uprising. In a note to his informant, Jackey Reed, a slave who attended his church, he stated that hasty, violent measures were contrary to Christianity and begged Reed not to participate in the revolt. Shortly after, while Smith and his wife were walking on the plantation, they saw a large group of noisy African slaves outside the home of Hamilton, the manager of Le Ressouvenir. Smith begged them not to harm Hamilton, but they told him to go home. That night the slaves seized and locked up White managers and overseers on many plantations in East Demerara. There was very little violence since the slaves apparently heeded the request made by Quamina. The Whites naturally were very terrified and they feared they would be killed. But the slaves who were mainly Christians did not want to lose their religious character and they proclaimed that their action was a strike and not a rebellion. The next day an Anglican priest, Wilthsire Austin, suggested to Governor Murray that he and Smith should be allowed to meet with the slaves to urge them to return to work. But the Governor refused this to accept this suggestion. On Wednesday 20 August, the situation took a strange turn when Smith was arrested and charged for encouraging the slaves to rebel. The charges also claimed that he conspired with Quamina and that he failed to inform the Governor of the planned uprising. Out of an estimated 74,000 slaves in the united Colony of Essequibo-Demerara about 13,000 took part in the uprising. And out of the 350 estates in the Colony, only about 37 were involved. No doubt, many who did not take part sympathised with the rebels and shared their suspicion that the planters would spare no efforts to prevent them from obtaining their freedom. The uprising collapsed very quickly since the slaves, despite being armed, were poorly organised. A group of soldiers commanded by Colonel Leahy clashed with about 2,000 African slaves at Bachelors Adventure and savagely crushed them and more than 250 were killed. Some who escaped were hunted down by Amerindian slave-catchers and shot. Quamina himself was shot dead by Amerindian slave-catchers in the backlands of Chateau Margot and his body was later publicly hanged. Jack Gladstone was later arrested and also hanged. Because Rev. Smith was close to the leaders of the uprising, he was arrested and charged for having knowledge that the slaves would rebel and for not informing the authorities. His arrest which was encouraged by many of the planters was seen as an act of revenge against the priest for preaching to the slaves. Smith denied the charge but he was imprisoned for seven weeks in Colony House before being tried by a court martial. He was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. He appealed to the British Government which subsequently ordered a commutation of the death sentence and that he should be set free. However, while awaiting the results of his appeal to arrive from England, he died from pneumonia in his prison. The information that he was acquitted arrived in Georgetown after his funeral.

Investment of Mutual Funds in Pakistan

Investment of Mutual Funds in Pakistan Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Purpose of the Study 1.3 Research Objective 1.4 Research Methodology 1.5 Data Sources 1.INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction Mutual funds can play a significant role in the growth of an economy of any country. Mutual funds are a preferred investment destination for any individual/ organization as the fund houses offer not only the expertise in managing funds but also a host of other services. Not too many years ago, mutual funds were simply broad-based investment instruments created to simplify the details involved in investing in separate securities. Mutual funds also provided a greater measure of safety through broad diversification and the kind of top notch professional management that is generally out of reach for the small shareholder. Today, however, mutual funds are well specialized and present almost limitless diversity. The types of mutual fund portfolios available run the range from conservative to aggressive, from stocks to bonds, from domestic to international portfolios, from taxable to tax-free, and from virtually no-risk money market funds to high-risk options funds (Jacobs, 2001). If we come across at mutual fund market of a developed country, we can see that their investment in the mutual fund industry is higher as compared to their bank deposit base, which shows the potential of growth of mutual funds industry in Pakistan. This comparison with other countrys Asset Management Companies (mutual funds) indicates that Pakistans Asset Management companies are not playing the role that it should play. This gives rise to many questions in ones mind. For instance Why are the Pakistans Asset Management Companies not doing well and Why Pakistans Asset Management Companies are not that much competent? The reason is that mutual funds industry in Pakistan is still in its immature stage and investment options are limited to only equity, government security funds, fixed income and money market Funds. With the maturity in the industry and by the passage of time, the investors may have the options to diversify investments into commodities, real estate and other avenues. Today, the greatest challenge faced by the Asset Management Companies is the lack of awareness about the Mutual Fund products by general public. Lack of awareness by the individuals for mutual funds is a dilemma. The reason is that people dont think out of the box. They dont go for any other avenue to keep or save money except banks and on the other hand banks invest in different avenues such as mutual funds, TFCs, stocks, Government bonds, treasury bills etc. So the question arise that why do the individuals always invest their money in banks; why do they dont want to invest other than a bank like in mutual funds. Investing in mutual funds can give them better returns as compared to the banks. The reason is that the individuals are unaware of the better returns, benefits and security they can get by investing in mutual funds. So far, mutual funds have failed in bringing awareness to the individuals. Due to unawareness individuals hesitate in investing in mutual funds. Individuals should be given awareness about the functions that mutual funds perform. Mutual funds process can be better understood in a form of a cycle which i s presented below: In 2008 before recession the Asset Management Companies were doing well, they were building individuals confidence for investing in mutual funds by making individuals aware of Mutual Funds and its benefits along with the higher profitability margins it offers. But recession and the regulators for Asset Management Companies took them to the initial stage again where people were not much confident about investing in mutual funds because giving ones hard earned money into someone elses hands requires utmost faith and a sense of trust. 1.2 Purpose of the Study To highlight those points which are creating negative impact on investor this creates ambiguity when the investor wants to invest in mutual funds. To identify the causes due to which the current market of mutual funds is not growing. To illustrate the basic distinctiveness in operating styles, management and research resources between ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANIES other Investment Companies. To highlight peoples preference of the Asset Management Company while investing in mutual funds. 1.3 Research Objectives The paper in detail contains the theoretical framework supporting the research objectives. The secondary data is useful in explaining the research objectives and the primary data is also importance as it gives the picture to explain the dilemma in the mutual funds industry. 1.4 Research Methodology The secondary and primary source of data was used in this research, visits of different websites specially the website of MUFAP helped in a great manner to streamline of research work, however few individuals whom we met and ask difference sort of questions for the research gave us valuable information about the past and present situation. The different sources of by which we gathered the data are listed below, 1.5 Data Sources The desired data is collected from the following sources: Karachi Stock Exchange Asset management companies Annual Reports Asset Management Banks Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan State Bank of Pakistan Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Mutual Funds Industry 2.3 Why mutual Funds? 2.LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Chapter 2 focuses on the theoretical approach of mutual funds industries. In the literature review a comprehensive discussion will be performed on the working of mutual fund industries, the types and categories of mutual fund industries and the dilemma that mutual fund industries are facing. The chapter also studies that how investing in mutual funds is better or more beneficial than investing in any other avenue, the factors that differentiate mutual fund industries with other financial Intermediaries and the mutual funds cycle. 2.2 Mutual Funds Industry The mutual funds industry is a secure and better way of investing money. The conventional style of saving money is by keeping them in banks. However, the diminishing bank rates are even lower than that of the rate of inflation and so it may not be a very good choice. The next option could be putting the money in the market but this requires a great deal of knowledge. Investing money through mutual funds is trouble-free and good for small ventures. A mutual fund is a financial institution that allows a group of investors to pool their money together with a predetermined investment objective. The mutual funds have specialized fund managers who are responsible for investing the pooled money into specific kind of securities (usually equity or fixed income securities). The manager uses the money to buy bonds, stocks or other securities according to specific investment objectives that have been established for the fund. In return for putting money into the fund, one can receive either units or shares that represents proportionate share of the pool of fund assets. In return for administering the fund and managing its investment portfolio, the fund manager charges fees based on the value of the funds assets. In simple words, a mutual fund is a pool of money that is managed on behalf of investors by a professional money manager. It includes a group of well qualified people who can guide and invest the money of the unit holders appropriately. When one invests in a mutual fund, he / she is buying shares (or portions) of the mutual fund and becomes a shareholder of the fund. Since mutual fund is a pool of money, different investors invest in it at a time and the total amount collected by all the investors by the mutual fund manager is then invested in different avenues. Be it a money market, stock market, financial institutions, government securities, banks or / and other avenues. The fund manager may invest in more one than avenue at a time which depends on the category defined. Before investing the gathered amount by the investors, the mutual fund manager has to consider and calculate all the important facts and figures that could create more and more profit for the investors who have invested in the mutual fund. After the fund manager has invested, he/ she gets returns which are then distributed to the investors according to their shares in the mutual fund. It is therefore essential to look out for the best mutual fund to obtain maximum returns. The flow chart below describes broadly the working of a mutual fund: Mutual fund provides numerous advantages to its users. One of a great benefit of mutual funds compared to stocks is their major characteristic of diversification. This means that mutual funds invest in many different stocks and in this way balance the risk you may encounter. Additionally, the fund managers may decide to invest in companies from different sizes and industries. This is done in order to balance the downturns in a particular investment with the upturn in another. The basic duty of the management of any firm and the company is to maximize the business and the wealth of the shareholders as well as the sustainability of the owners of the company. The management of the mutual funds is charging the management fee for this purpose. The growth of the mutual funds which we have examined here is based on the determinants which are affecting the growth of the mutual funds and is dependent on the negative and the positive impacts of these determinants. We worked through two models for investigation of this relationship of growth. The two models are comprised of fixed effect model and the cross section model. Most of the results are drawn by these models provided same results except for some factors. Mutual funds are one of the best investments ever created because they are very cost efficient and very easy to invest in (one doesnt have to figure out which stocks or bonds to buy). 2.3 Why mutual Funds? Mutual funds are used as a gauge to operate economy effectively and efficiently, they help central banks in implementing their monetary policies, organizations to go through financing attained through mutual funds and banks to mobilize the investment or the cash. Mutual funds have become essential for the growth of an economy as it is a source of money mobilization in the country. Mutual funds mobilizes money in a country in such a manner that it deals with almost every available investment options. Mutual funds help in regulating money through investments in stock market i-e via purchasing shares they are rolling the money to the companies. By investing in debts (long term financing), Term Finance Certificates / Sukuk they are mobilizing cash and enhancing the company. Moreover a growing company can raise its countrys economy with the help of mutual funds. Along with the investments in money markets, mutual funds invest in banks and government bonds also. Another rationale to invest in mutual funds is that its conservative nature offers a hedge against loss and allows the investor to climb into other vehicles that may be more risky. That way a retired investor can try to make some money in mutual funds without putting at risk their future. Also by being part of a mutual fund portfolio, the senior citizens have a chance to view how the various stocks that make up the mutual funds are performing and can select to invest in mutual funds that starts out performing the others to produce profits. For the senior citizens and retired investors, mutual funds can offer a hedge against inflation and it can direct the retired investors to the best stock picks and most importantly, it can protect the retired investors from losing their savings. Chapter 3 mutual funds 3.1 What is Mutual Funds? 3.2 Types of Mutual Funds 3.3 Categories of Mutual Funds 3.4 How Mutual Fund Works 3.5 Partners in a Mutual Fund 3. MUTUAL FUNDS 3.1 What is Mutual Fund? A mutual fund is basically a collective investment that pools money from many investors to buy bonds, stocks, short-term money market instruments or other securities and is managed professionally. Mutual funds serve as a connecting bridge of a financial intermediary that allows a group of investors to pool their money together with a predetermined investment objective. The mutual funds have a fund manager who is responsible for investing the gathered money into specific securities (stocks or bonds). When an individual invests in a mutual fund, he or she is likely to buying units or portions of the mutual fund and thus on investing becomes a shareholder or unit holder of the fund. Mutual funds are considered as one of the best available investments as compared to other investments. They are very cost efficient and convenient; individuals can easily invest in. Thus by pooling money together in a mutual fund, investors can purchase stocks or bonds with much lower trading costs than if they tried to do it on their own. But the biggest advantage to mutual funds is diversification, by minimizing risk maximizing returns. A Mutual Fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors who share a common financial goal. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion to the number of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost. By pooling money together in a mutual fund, investors can purchase stocks or bonds with much lower trading costs than if they tried to do it on their own. But the biggest advantage to mutual funds is diversification. Mutual funds have a large amount of funds so it is easy for the investors to invest in different stocks or bonds. 3.2 Types of Mutual Funds Open Ended Closed Ended Open-end Mutual Fund Open ended mutual funds possess following characteristics: Open ended fund is a fund which issues or redeems its shares at net asset value (NAV). It does not have a fixed fund size. Investors can get back their investment at any time by selling the units back to the fund. These are no fixed number of units. Open end funds are type of mutual fund that does not have restrictions on the amount of shares the fund will issue. If demand is high enough, the fund will continue to issue shares no matter how many investors there are. Open-end funds also buy back shares when investors wish to sell. It should be noted that when a funds manager(s) determine that a funds total assets have become too large to effectively execute its stated objective, the fund will be closed to new investors and in extreme cases, be closed to new investment by existing fund investors. In simple terms, open end funds mean that the fund does not have a set number of shares. Instead, the fund will issue new shares to an investor based upon the current net asset value and redeem the shares when the investor decides to sell. Open-end funds always reflect the net asset value of the funds underlying investments because shares are created and destroyed as necessary. Close-end Mutual Fund Following are the characteristics of close ended mutual funds: Close end fund is a fund whose shares are traded at prices other than the NAV It has a fixed fund size. Investors can sell their shares to any buyer through an exchange where the share is listed other then the issuing company. These are fixed number of units / shares. A closed-end fund is a publicly traded investment company that raises a fixed amount of capital through an initial public offering (IPO). The fund is then structured, listed and traded like a stock on a stock exchange. Unlike regular stocks, closed-end fund stock represents an interest in a specialized portfolio of securities that is actively managed by an investment advisor and which typically concentrates on a specific industry, geographic market, or sector. The stock prices of a closed-end fund fluctuate according to market forces (supply and demand) as well as the changing values of the securities in the funds holdings. 3.3 Categories of Mutual Funds Following are the broad categories of funds that are further sub categorized and tailored according to the requirements of the investors Stock Fund / Equity Fund / Capital Market Fund Hybrid Funds / Multi Asset Fund / Balanced Fund Fixed Income Fund / Money Market Fund Islamic Fund A. Stock Funds Investment Objective The primary objective of this fund is to invest in stocks through different stock exchanges while controlling risk. The aim of the fund is to provide individuals and institutional investors with a well diversified portfolio of equity stocks covering all major sectors. The objective is to maximize income and capital gains by prudently employing its investment management expertise. Investment Policy The fund follows a growth strategy by investing in ‘large cap companies. This entails looking for companies with a track record of growing sales and earnings and the potential for more of the same. In drawing the investment plan Research plays a vital role, as it identifies the stocks which have potential for capital gains, development of particular industry and its impact on the particular stock, timings of investments and divestments depending upon industry trend and expected results. Asset Allocation The portfolio generally has the following asset allocation but it can change from time to time or as the investment strategy molds it. B. Hybrid Fund Investment Objective The main objective of this fund is to participate in a diversified portfolio of securities representing investments in capital and money markets. The main investment objective is to maximize capital appreciation and income. Investment Policy Consistent with the investment objective the fund primarily invests in large capital equity securities, along with debt securities and other money market instruments such as Government Bonds, TFCs, Islamic Bonds, Reverse-Repo etc. Asset Allocation The portfolio generally has the following asset allocation but it can change from time to time or as the investment strategy molds it. C. Fixed Income Funds Investment Objective These funds seek to provide its unit holders with attractive income from a well diversified portfolio of low risk assets while maintaining liquidity. Investment Policy In line with the investment objective the fund invests in a diversified portfolio of Government Securities, Investment Grade Term Finance Certificates, Rated Corporate Debt, Certificates of Investment and other long and short term money market instruments. Asset Allocation The weightages of the investment mix of the portfolio are managed in a manner that reduces the risk of loss in market value of the investments as the result of any major upward movement in lending rates. During periods where the Management Company is of the view that there is economic uncertainty, the weightages of the portfolio are increased in the short-term debt securities, debt securities with short remaining life, money market instruments and short maturity repurchase arrangements including spread transactions. The funds typically comprise of 60 % fixed income instruments. D. Islamic Fund Investment Objective These fund aims at achieving high level rate of capital gains and current income in line with Shariah principals along with providing liquidity to the investors. Investment Policy These funds primarily invest in Shariah compliant investment instruments whereby 60% investments are made in listed securities. Specifically; Shares, TFCs, Participation term certificates, Musharika, Murabaha, and other asset backed securities. The funds also keep cash in riba free deposit schemes with Islamic banks and other financial institution with the objective to maintain sufficient liquidity. Equity investment broadly meets the following criteria and any additional requirements as advised by the Shariah advisors: (These criteria change subject to change in investment policies and shariah advisors) The basic business of the investee company should be halal. The total debt of the investee company should not exceed 45% of its total assets. Long term assets of the investee company as a percentage of current assets may not exceed 10% Mutual funds with different investment objectives provide a variety of investment risk and return opportunities to the investors. Therefore, it is important for fund investors to thoroughly understand and identify the investing style employed by the funds that they choose to use to build their portfolios. Mutual funds can also be categorized as the following: The three included categories in the mutual funds are lower risk and return, moderate risk and return and high risk and return. Further sub categories include money market funds, income funds, balanced funds,equity funds and aggressive allocation stock funds. 3.4 How Mutual Fund Works The below mentioned diagram is clearly shown the process that how a mutual fund works. A. Net Asset Value The Net Asset Value is a term used to describe the value of an entitys assets less the value of its liabilities. The term is commonly used in relation to collective investment schemes. It may also be used as a synonym for the book value of a firm. For mutual funds, net asset value is the total value of the funds portfolio less liabilities. The NAV is usually calculated on a daily basis. B. Sale Redemption Sale With reference to mutual fund industry sale is said to be executed when a unit or number of units are sold to an investor by a mutual fund on a specific price. Sale Price It is the price at which an open-end mutual fund sells its shares or units to the investor. In most cases, the sale price is the net asset value per share but they might have a sales load incorporated which is explained in the next two paragraphs. Redemption With reference to mutual fund industry redemption is said to be executed when a unit or number of units bought back from an investor on their instructions and the investor is paid back his money at the rates of the prevailing unit price by a mutual fund. Redemption Price It is the price at which an open-end mutual fund buys backs its shares or units from the owners. In most cases, the redemption price is the net asset value per share but they might have a back end load incorporated which is explained in the next two paragraphs. Management Fees The management fee for the fund is usually the advisory fee charged for the management of a funds investments. However, as many fund companies include administrative fees in the advisory fee component, when attempting to compare the total management expenses of different funds, it is helpful to define management fee as equal to the contractual advisory fee + the contractual administrator fee. This helps when comparing management fee components across multiple funds. Contractual advisory fees may be structured as flat-rate fees, i.e., a single fee charged to the fund, regardless of the asset size of the fund. However, many funds have contractual fees which include breakpoints, so that as the value of a funds assets increases, the advisory fee paid decreases. 3.5 Partners in a Mutual Fund Investment Management / Asset Management Investment management is the professional management of various securities (shares, bonds etc) assets (e.g. real estate), to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of the investors. Investors may be institutions (insurance companies, pension funds, corporations etc.) or private investors (both directly via investment contracts and more commonly via collective investment schemes e.g. mutual funds). The term asset management is often used to refer to the investment management of collective investments. Investment managers who specialize in advisory or discretionary management on behalf of (normally wealthy) private investors may often refer to their services as wealth management or portfolio management. Investment management services include financial analysis, asset selection, stock selection, plan implementation and ongoing monitoring of investments. Coming under the remit of financial services many of the worlds largest companies are at least in part investment managers and employ millions of staff and create billions in revenue. Investors An investor is any party that makes an investment. The term has taken on a specific meaning in finance to describe the particular types of people and companies that regularly purchase equity or debt securities for financial gain in exchange for funding an expanding company. The term is also applied to parties who purchase real estate, currency, commodity derivatives, personal property, or other assets. The term implies that a party purchases and holds assets in hope of achieving capital gain, not as a profession or for short-term income. Trustee Trustee is a legal firm or group of people who hold the property or investments on behalf of the mutual fund. A trust can be set up either to benefit particular persons, or for any charitable purposes. In all cases, the trustee may be a person or company, whether or not they are a prospective beneficiary Registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records. In case of a mutual fund they are the ones who keep the record of the â€Å"Sale† and â€Å"Redemption† of units, total units issued or outstanding with the information regarding the Unit Holder, dividend distribution etc. Distributor It is a firm or an individual who is licensed by the Asset Management Company to sell units on behalf of the fund. Custodian / Depository It refers to an institution which safeguards and manages flow of the financial assets of a Mutual Fund. In finance, a custodian bank, or simply custodian, refers to a financial institution responsible for safeguarding a firms or individuals financial assets. The role of a custodian is as follows: to hold in safekeeping assets such as equities and bonds, arrange settlement of any purchases and sales of such securities, collect information on and income from such assets (dividends in the case of equities and interest in the case of bonds), provide information on the underlying companies and their annual general meetings, manage cash transactions, perform foreign exchange transactions where required and provide regular reporting on all their activities to their clients. Custodian banks are often referred to as global custodians if they hold assets for their clients in multiple jurisdictions around the world, using their own local branches or other local custodian banks in each market to hold accounts for their underlying clients. Assets held in such a manner are typically owned by pension funds. Chapter 4 Research Findings 4.1 Choice of Investment in Mutual Fund 4.2 Comparison of Pakistan with Asia. 4.3 Delimma of Investing in Mutual Funds 4.1 Choices for Investing in Mutual Funds For the following four categories; Stock Fund / Equity Fund / Capital Market Fund Hybrid Funds / Multi Asset Fund / Balanced Fund Fixed Income Fund / Money Market Fund Islamic Fund Listed are the available choices for Investing in Mutual Funds as of March 31st 2011. AKD Investment Management Ltd AKD Income Fund AKD Index Tracker Fund AKD Opportunity Fund AKD Alfalah GHP Inv. Management. Ltd. Alfalah GHP Income Multiplier Fund Alfalah GHP Value Fund Alfalah GHP Islamic Fund Alfalah GHP Stock Fund Alfalah GHP Capital Protected Fund Alfalah GHP Cash Fund Alfalah GHP Capital Protected Fund II Al Falah GHP AMZ Asset Management AMZ Plus Income Fund AMZ Plus Stock Fund AMZ Askari Investment Management Ltd. Askari Income Fund Askari Asset Allocation Fund Askari Islamic Income Fund Askari Islamic Asset Allocation Fund Askari Soverign Cash Fund Askari Atlas Asset Management Ltd. Atlas Income Fund Atlas Islamic Income Fund Atlas Islamic Fund Atlas Stock Market Fund Atlas Money Market Fund Atlas Crosby Asset Management Crosby Dragon Fund Crosby Pheonix Fund Crosby Dawood Capital Management Dawood Money Market Fund Dawood Islamic Fund Dawood Faysal Asset Management Faysal Balanced Growth Fund Faysal Income Growth Fund Faysal Asset Allocation Fund Faysal Savings Growth Fund Faysal Money Market Fund Faysal Islamic Savings Growth Fund Faysal Habib Asset Management First Habib Income Fund First Habib Cash Fund First Habib Stock Fund Habib HBL Asset Management HBL Income Fund HBL Multi Asset Fund

The Importance Of Effective Communication Information Technology Essay

The Importance Of Effective Communication Information Technology Essay Effective communication is crucial to successful performance of teams and for project completion in the construction industry. Various organisations are involved in contributing the delivery of technically complex and schedule driven projects. Why should be there research in this area This dissertation will derive from knowledge obtained from understanding the theories and practices of communication in construction projects, along with knowledge of developments in communication methods implemented during construction phases. The effectiveness of communication methods used between the principal contractor and the design team will be analysed and key issues in communication identified. This in turn will help to understand the reason behind ineffective communication that causes numerous problems in project processes. How are you going to do it? Key findings Introduction Construction is a project oriented industry, and many of the projects are of great magnitude, involving various organisations and teams working to meet projects objectives. No one in the construction industry today would deny that effective communication is crucial for the successful performance of teams and projects. Emmitt and Gorse (2003). This dissertation will be investigating the relationship between a medium sized contractor and a design team working on traditional contract project. The idea for this dissertation derived from comments received on rising issues in communication that continue to cause inconsistencies during projects activities as a result of ineffective communication. Construction projects are complex and risky endeavours, containing a variety of elements that cause projects to run overtime, over budget and produce poor quality results. During the design and construction stages of the project there are numerous communication channels created between the design team and the main contractor, in order to allow information related to projects activities to be disseminated among the participants. For this information to be sent and received accurately and clearly amid designer and a contractor, it is imperative that the relationship between these key parties include competent communicators and effective communication tools in order to interact successfully. During design and construction stages of the project it is of high importance that the accuracy of information that is being transferred between these parties is effectively communicated, as this, in turn will greatly affect the teamwork and positively influence the progress of the project throughou t its duration. (reference) Effective communications is essential to a successful construction project. If participants are unable to communicate information, ideas and issues simply and clearly to others then the project is unlikely to succeed. (Reference). Dainty et al. (2006, p. 5) argue that communication in construction is multifaceted and inherently complex, encompassing several dimensions on individual, group and organizational levels: not only does it involve the transfer of information, but also it bridges distances, is the basis of interaction between people, and conveys feelings, values and beliefs. The problem occurs when communication is handled inadequately during numerous activities. The information that is disseminated between involved, or project related parties can be inaccurate, unclear or misunderstood. This information is distributed using variety of methods and tools, and its the skill of the sender and the circumstances as well as competence of the receiver that may affect this information to be communicated effectively. Whether the specification designed by the architect is clear, whether the participants of the projects understand the information, and if not how effectively can they inform the issue, or if its been noticed at all. Effective Communication methods during all these phases of the project are key aspects to successful construction. This dissertation will be presenting a relationship between a medium sized contractor and the design teams. Aims and Objectives Structure of Dissertation Literature Review Emmitt and Gorse (2003) state that communication is implicit in everything we do. In other words that anything we do with other people must involve some sort of communication, Harley (1999) backs up this argument. Thomas, Tucker and Kelly (1998), explain in simple terms that communication is the sending and the receiving between the team members. This is similar to Cherry (1978) who states that communication is the process of interaction between individuals in which meaning is created and shared. One must understand that when relating this process to construction, communication is one of the most utilised activities. This is because as Betts (1991) states; construction is a complex and managerial activity, involving many different individuals and organisations interacting within a project environment. It is important to understand why effective communication is crucial in project oriented organisations; this is because there is a direct relationship between communications effectivene ss and projects success. Thomas, Tucker and Kelly (1998), Emmitt and Gorse (2003) emphasise that good communication within an organisation and between organisations contributing to the construction project can improve motivation levels and improve production process. Ballad and Howell (2003) included the importance of successful communication in the lean project management, claiming that if communication is effectively utilised in the project then this greatly improves the chances of projects success in terms of on time delivery and reduction in costs. Consequently, inadequate communication can result in a de-motivated workforce and lead to problems in production. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) follow this up by saying that poor co-ordination and communication of design information leads to design problems that cause design errors. These acknowledgements of significance to effective communication have lead me to believe that if in construction project communication is ineffective then this issue can play a vital element in why a construction project fails to deliver or achieve objectives. This is backed up by Thomas, Tucker and Kelly (1998), who explain that project performance can be enhanced through the implementation of effective project communications and conversely, projects can fail if hindered with poor communications. To achieve effective communication in construction projects, it seems that there are numerous factors that require investigating and understanding, before effective communication can be introduced and implemented. (REFERENCE) The question is then; how does a project oriented organisation achieve effective communication? And what could be the causes of ineffective communication that result in inconsistencies during the construction phases? Emmitt and Gorse (2003) state that; effective communication lies at the heart of a business, inherent in leadership and management. Thomas, Tucker Kelly (1998) also say that projects characteristics such as structure, size and location influence the effectiveness of communication. During my studies I have gathered common views that are related to issues during construction phase and post construction that were caused by ineffective communication between the main contractor and the design team. Through further research I wish to understand how effective communication can be achieved in these cases, and possibly unravel these issues in construction projects. Communication Process Communication is the activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information. (Oxford Dictionary 2009) Betts (1991) states that information in construction projects is diverse in terms of its form, its subject and its source. The information that is available also differs with regard to its currency, accuracy, adequacy and relevance. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) add to this, stating that communication and information management is a prime activity in construction. The entire construction process relies on vast quantities of information being generated, transmitted and interpreted to enable a project to be built, maintained and reused. This is backed up by Winch (2009) who states that information flows are the heart of business process in all organisations. Based on this, communication can be a complex process especially in project oriented organisations. This is why it is essential that before effective communication can be explored, one must understand the process of communication. Thomas, Tucker Kelly (1998), say that there is a common set of elements essential to an understanding of communication. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) state that the process method sees communication as the transmission of messages, through which one person or parties seek to influence the behaviour or state of mind of the other. They also add that for communication to be effective the message must first be received and then understood by the receiver. Thomas, Tucker Kelly (1998) also explain that the communication process consists of a Sender and the Receiver. The sender acts as the originator of the communication and knows best the intended idea; therefore the sender must encode the idea into the message that is to be sent. Comprehension of the message by the receiver depends on a number of factors including how much the individual knows about the topic, the relationship and trust that exists between the sender and the receiver. And the receivers understanding and perception of the information being conveyed. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) have also recognised that there often more than one receiver of the message. Thomas, Tucker Kelly (1998) complete this by adding that the message is the encoded idea being transmitted and can be verbal or non verbal. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) explain effective communication is complete when this process is carried out successfully where the sender and receiver achieve a common understanding. Clampitt (2005) discussed the arrow approach where communication is rather like shooting an arrow at a target and is seen as a one-way activity based primarily on the skills of the sender. Harley (1999) also discusses this understanding of communication process and adds his theory supporting Calmpitt in his 1st addition, with a fundamental belief is that Effective Expression = Effective Communication. Winch (2009) states that all organisations are in essence information processing systems. Communication methods implemented in a project oriented organisations all transfer information from one face to another. Winch (2009) explains that the problems in construction projects arise when ineffective communication causes a poor information flow which results in inconsistencies in the project. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) also state that the people build and these people must communicate with one another effectively in order to achieve their common objective. Communication inconsistencies Emmitt and Gorse (2003) believe that communication barriers are evident whenever people meet. They state that trust and the relationship between two communicating parties is very important in ensuring effective communication. Bowen and Edwards (1996) recognise that one of the major barriers to effective communication is in the way of a gatekeeper. A gatekeeper is used to describe the behaviour of an individual who withholds or alters information as it passes him or her. Emmitt and Gorse (2003). Bowen and Edwards (1996) expand on this idea by stating that message distortion is likely to occur where there is an absence of direct communication. Emmitt and Gorse (2003) explain that new IT technologies are welcome, as they provide a convenient tool through which organisations use to transmit, store and access vast quantities of information very rapidly. However, they explain that industry now focus too much on the power and speed of the systems and not enough on the message being transmitted, or the requirements of the users. Winch (2002) has compared and explained that when the interfaces between systems were paper backed systems, it does not matter that different formats were used to create the message. However, when computers started to communicate directly with one another this has become a problem. As it is often seen that the receiver is unable to read the information because the sender has sent it in a different format. This has now become a new problem. Alternatives in Communications Different methods of communications Verbal and non verbal communication- effectiveness of both, different circumstances.