Case Study Disneyland Resort Paris

1) The Disney resorts and parks were aiming for a market that focused on creating images, experiences and products to customers that emphasized fun, imagination and service. It aimed to provide a place where customers could escape the cares of the real world through the â€Å"magic† of legendary fairytale and familiar Disney characters. The market targeted families and children and the company had already built a popular brand that was associated with wholesome family entertainment. 2) Was Disney's choice of the Paris site a mistake? Yes, the choice of the Paris site was a mistake because the lifestyle, culture and ideas of Paris were very different from the culture of the Americans which caused many of the people of Paris to be in opposition with one critic referring to it as â€Å"a horror made of cardboard, plastic, and appalling colors†¦ taken straight out of comic book written for obese Americans†. The site initially seemed ideal because of the location could provide access to millions of people. Paris was a highly attractive destination and Europeans generally take more vacation time than Americans. Disney however did not anticipate the backlash they faced due to significant cultural differences such as eating behaviors were different, French visitors were highly intolerant of long lines, Disney's grooming standards for employees were deemed too strict and excessive by the French and were met with protest and the area that Disneyland Paris was built did not have sufficient housing for employees which caused Disney to have to build its own apartments and rent rooms in local homes. 3) What aspects of their parks design did Disney change when it constructed Euro Disney? Disney changed certain aspects of their designs such as having both their rides and hotel designs to emphasize the â€Å"wild west† theme which research showed was a view most Europeans had of America. They also gave the park a flavor that stressed European heritage of many Disney character, Snow white and her dwarfs were located in a Bavarian village. Cinderella was located in a French inn. Euro Disney also introduced more variety into its restaurants and snack bars, features foods from around the world. 4) What did Disney not change when it constructed Euro Disney? Disney did not change its principles of safety, courtesy , show and efficiency. Employees were trained in their strict service standards. They also did not change their grooming requirements that insisted on a â€Å"neat dress code†, a ban on facial hair and an insistence on appropriate undergarments even though the dress code was in opposition of the French. They also did not change their policy of all Disney parks being alcohol free which was very unpopular with French visitors who liked to have a glass of wine or beer with their food. 5) What were Disney's main mistakes from the conception of the Paris resort through to 2006? Some of Disney's main mistakes were that they underestimated the significant impact of cultural differences would have on the success of their park, inadequate accommodation available for their staff. They had a hectic pace of work and long hours which the staff was not used too, and the conditions were chaotic when the park opened. They also did not anticipate the lackadaisical attitude of some of the cast members. Poor planning and inadequate research before constructing the park also lead to the park being on the verge of bankruptcy which also caused a decline in visitors due to the negative publicity.

Training Need Analysis

This paper investigates the literature on Training Need Analysis (TNA). The theoretical underpinnings of TNA and the various approaches used in firms are discussed in this paper. The different levels of analyses of training needs and the need for TNA in a firm are also discussed in this paper. The paper also throws light on the limitations of the conventional measures and approaches of TNA. Hence, the paper directs scholars towards the characteristic requirements of a TNA approach more suited for today’s world of work.1. What is Training Needs Analysis (TNA) Needs assessment, or needs analysis, is the process of determining the organization’s training needs and seeks to answer the question of whether the organization’s needs, objectives, and problems can be met or addressed by training. In addition to this TNA should include the determination of tasks to be performed, behaviors essential to the performance of those tasks, type of learning necessary to acquire tho se behaviors, and the type of instructional content best suited to accomplish that type of learning.An illustration of the various steps involved in training need analysis was given by Lawrie and Boringer :1) Use all possible internal and external sources of training need information, 2) Generate a large pool of items describing the trainee on the job behavior, 3) Administer the checklist to trainee behavior, 4) Cluster the training needs, and 5) Obtain information from training feedback. Influence of theory in understanding training needs.Motivation theory According to Campbell , Campbell, Weick, Dunnette, and Lawler have cited evidence for the motivational influence of an individual’s self efficacy on the perceived training needs. General systems theory  Odiorne , describes the eight systems found in training. These also include the systems view on training needs as the cybernetic system view and the organism system view. The cybernetic system view says that the needs wil l  be identified from within the organization itself and the organism system view says that the information centers at the extremities of this organism, provide the training need information to its brain stimulators.2. Different approaches to TNA2.1. Conventional TNA, The O-T-P model The conventional TNA approach adopted in organizations usually includes analysis at three levels, the organizational level, task level and person level. This was suggested by McGehee and Thayer . The organizational level training needs describe the needs of the organization as a whole, taking into consideration future business opportunities. The task level analysis considers the basic training needs of particular tasks at hand in each job. The person level analysis, considers the training requirements of each person to surpass their skill deficiencies to perform the task at hand satisfactorily.2.2. Task Analytic Approach to TNA Technical trainings deal with jobs or tasks being done by human beings. Su ch training should produce qualified task performers. So, a technical TNA encompasses three activities: need detection, task identification and collection of task performance. Training needs are detected when new equipment is brought into use or the performance quality falls below industry standards. The task identification is done with the help of a task identification matrix (TIM). Similarly a basic task information record (BTIR) is used to collect the task performance data.2.3. Performance appraisal approach to TNARumler and Brache , were of the opinion that if training was to make any significant contribution to an organization; it should be in the form of effective performance enhancement for each individual. Hence their idea of gauging training needs, sprouted from understanding the variable that went into defining the performance systems of each individual employee. Mager and Pipe, suggest analyzing training needs by first differentiating a lack of performance due to skill de ficiency, from that due to lack of motivation. 2.4. Integrated Approach to TNALeat and Lovell, propose an approach to understand training needs by combining the various levels of analysis and integrating it into one model.Figure : Integrated approach to TNA Source: Taylor and O’Driscoll, also attempt to provide an integrated approach to TNA. This includes an integration of the O-T-P and performance appraisal approaches to TNA.Figure : Integrating OTP and Performance appraisal models to TNA Source:2.5. Competency based Approach to TNA An interesting study by Agut, Grau and Peiro , suggested that managerial competency needs and technical needs are completely different from each other in the same sample. This study also indicated that the sample did not demand training to meet their need of generic managerial competencies. From this we can understand that a dichotomy does lie between competency needs and technical training needs. Therefore a competency based approach to TNA migh t not be suitable for all kinds of jobs. It might be more suitable for managerial or executive level jobs where the technical demands are lesser.2.6. Individual or Customized Approach Guthrie and Schwoerer , found that the self assessed training needs were positively influenced by perceptions of training utility, self efficacy, managerial support, and span of control positively and negatively influenced by educational level. A study on the individual training needs of music teachers and vocal trainers revealed significant differences in the training demands of the sample. This study also revealed significant differences in the target behaviors to be assessed, and assessment statuses needed by the various participants .2.7. Economic approach The economic approach to training advises managers to select and prioritize training needs based on three criteria: the profit improvement they can bring to the organization, the addition to human capital and the investment  in human capital to meet future contingencies.3. Need for TNATo develop a healthy and vital long range human resource plan, an organization must first understand the training needs of the firm, the people and the future of the firm in conjunction with cooperative strategic planning. Organizational meeting, personnel review and position review are some of the ways in which an effective training need assessment can be carried out in a firm. 4. Different levels of analysis suggested in the various approaches to TNA McGehee and Thayer, considered three levels of analysis; organization, task and man.Morano , suggested looking at the organization’s training needs at two levels i.e. organization and man. The three levels suggested by Taylor and O’Driscoll include, organization, inter organization and man. Rather than levels of analysis these are actually various categories of training need content. For example, the training needs that arise from a man, a task or the organizational content, can all be analyzed at individual, group or organizational levels. Ostroff, Ford, and Goldstein have described this level-content dichotomy in their study. Their level-content framework to assess training needs gives a better picture of the levels of TNA.Table : Level Content Framework of TNA Source: 5. Limitations of a conventional TNA Leat and Lovell, questioned the competency of a traditional TNA in determining training and development needs effectively. They say that a traditional TNA lack the ability to combine the training need analyses at different levels. A few authors have been quoted to say that the traditional TNA is a mechanistic process and its antecedents can be traced back to the industrial revolution over 200 years ago.The rigid behavioral objectives of conventional TNA are antipathetic to current notions of competence . Knight , says that the conventional TNA is not suited to meet the needs of different unique environments i.e. the different patterns of workforce, diffe rent cultures, organizational objectives, strategies and resource constraints. Oatey , criticized the conventional approaches to TNA in their lack of ability to distinguish the specific and general skills  requirements of a firm.6. Conventional measures of training needs Four major approaches were suggested by Kirkpatrick , to gauge the organization’s training needs. These included performance appraisals, supervisor tests, supervisor surveys and forming advisory committees with key personnel. Kirkpatrick , gives eleven approaches to determine the training needs in an organization. They include looking at an organization’s processes and supervisory behavior, analyzing the problems, supervisory actions, and performance appraisals and asking supervisors, superiors and subordinates. As can be seen on closer inspection, these are specific methods to measure training needs rather than approaches.Management appraisals, survey, critical incidents analysis, job analysis, asse ssment centers, psychological tests, skills inventory and data obtained while coaching had been some of the conventional methods used by organizations till that time, to understand the prevalent training needs. Otto and Glaser , suggested certain general guidelines to understand the organization’s training needs. These included, talking to the staff, gathering opinions from all levels in the firm, talking to other department and organizational heads, and reading a variety of the industry literature.ConclusionIn today’s world the concept of a job itself has become blurred. Today’s jobs include concepts as broad banding, multi skilling and path planning. The organizations of this age require a results oriented and deliberate organization strategy. Hence, the TNA in such organizations should also follow suit and be strategic and integrated in its approach. TNA should have direct and unambiguous results. Training should be designed to build on what employees already know. The present age TNA emphasizes on assisting the employees in their work and careers and helping them achieve greater future proficiency and satisfaction at work.This paper investigates the literature on Training Need Analysis (TNA). The theoretical underpinnings of TNA and the various approaches used in firms are discussed in this paper. The different levels of analyses of training needs and the need for TNA in a firm are also discussed in this paper. The paper also throws light on the limitations of the conventional measures and approaches of TNA. Hence, the  paper directs scholars towards the characteristic requirements of a TNA approach more suited for today’s world of work.

Building Positive Relationships in Children Essay Example for Free

Building Positive Relationships in Children Essay To help your child understand feelings you could do a feeling chart or make a feeling tree in your home. To make a feelings chart just draw out faces with how there expression might be when they are feeling that way an do the expressions yourself when showing them. This will give your child a better understanding of their feelings and how they can express them through facial expressions. For a feeling tree its much the same idea as a feeling card but you just take in a branch from a tree and stick the faces with the expressions on it. this will help a child express themselves when they can’t do it through facial expressions. Buy them some books with plenty of colourful pictures with the theme of friendship and them to them.this will help show them how nice it is to have friends and how to make them and keep them. It is only after the age of three that children can incorperate other children into their playtime activities so at around this age ask other parents if they would like to make a playdate for their child and yours n a regular basis.this will get your child used to other childrens company.you can also talk about what they did together at dinner or quiet time alone and encourage them to do it again. To help your child with communication you need to be a good example to them.talk to them as much as you can about your day and ask how theirs was.even talking about their favourite tv programme would be good as they will be more likely to talk about something that they’re interested in. To teach them about respect you need to set a good example for this as well. Giving them boundaries will also help and treating them with respect will encourage them to do the same to you. Factors that impact/Motivate children Tou tourself have a major impact on your child.they learn from how you react to situations and other peaople and will use this as a guide for themselves. Also the tv programmes that they watch will make an impact on them and can also motivate them to try new things that they wouldn’t of thought of themselves. . Building Positive Relationships in Children. (2016, Dec 08). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

People, Power, and Politics in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

People, Power, and Politics in Canada - Essay Example McRobert profoundly disagrees with Trudeau, who offered to get rid of the villagers in Canada outside Quebec. In the process, they left the poor and the local people in the worst and most pathetic conditions. McRobert disagrees stating that before Trudeau came into the lime light, there was a veritable ambiguity about the Canadian deal. He says Trudeau never improved the asymmetrical arrangements for the Quebec in any way. He claims that Trudeau ruined Quebec social economic status. Democracy Reforms Democracy is a fundamental aspect in every state. The people defined it as the rule for the people and with the people. The perception that ordinary citizens have about the government and those who are in should substantially change (Robert & Doreen, 2009). With these reforms in place, various parties will conduct themselves in a good manner. It will also provide an opportunity for people to select their preferred leaders. In most cases, people often evade engaging in the government-initiated processes like elections since they believe that it is a waste of time. Therefore, the basic advantage of these reforms will be to enable different citizens to exercise their legal rights. Common citizens will also be free to compete for various political posts in the government. Whether these are federal, senate, or other elective posts, democracy is a very crucial aspect and warrants priority. The electoral reforms are also necessary as they determine the mode of carrying out elections. This implies that people competing for various positions need to have guidelines to aid them. The electoral body should be selected wisely and democratically to ensure free and fair elections. The political parties also need to have policies governing the manner by which campaigns are done. The reforms of elections also need to touch on areas like setting the exact date for the elections as well as appointing watchdogs to oversee the entire process (Robert & Doreen, 2009). The electoral body should also train and enlighten individuals as for the importance of carrying out elections. The electoral reforms should touch on various aspects like the number of women to be elected to the Senate seats. This will ensure fairness in the state elections and the members elected

Working with Children who have been Abused Essay

Working with Children who have been Abused - Essay Example One of the major areas of focus for the researchers has been the issue of child abuse in relation to policies and procedures and the result of many of the studies has been to emphasise the inadequacies of the present system in dealing with the issue. Therefore, one finds that researchers such as Mendes (2001) and Wise (2003) discuss the inadequacies of the system while such important writers as Lonne and Thomson (2005) offer their ideas on how to improve Queensland's child protection situation. As the 'Guidelines for Mandated Notifiers' by Child-Safe Environments, Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect suggests, there are, in general, four ways of child abuse. Physical abuse, a dominant form, is commonly characterised by physical injury resulting from practices such as hitting, punching or kicking, shaking, and alcohol or other drug administration etc. Another visible form of child abuse is sexual abuse which occurs when someone in a position of power to the child uses her/his power to invo lve the child in sexual activity and it includes sexual suggestion, exhibitionism, mutual masturbation, oral sex, showing pornographic material, using children in the production of pornographic material, penile or other penetration of the genital or anal region, and child prostitution. Emotional abuse tends to be a chronic behavioural pattern directed at a child whereby a child's self esteem and social competence are undermined or eroded over time and this includes devaluing, ignoring, rejecting, corrupting, isolating etc. Finally, neglect is characterised by the failure to provide for the child's basic needs and this includes inadequate supervision of young children for long periods of time, failure to provide adequate nutrition, clothing or personal hygiene, etc. (Guidelines for Mandated Notifiers). 'Guidelines for Mandated Notifiers' is a material available for helping a social worker in the mandated notifiers and in this paper an evaluation of the material on its adequacy of guidance, its research base etc is carried out. While evaluating whether the document offers adequate guidance for mandated notifiers, it also recommends for the improvement of the resource. Child abuse notifiers many often fall short of their aims and objectives and profound researches have focused on whether preventive family support should be encouraged rather than child protection. The result of these studies suggest that in many cases child abuse are not substantiated and a serious reason pointed out for the poor results of child abuse notifiers is the mandatory reporting regulations. And this has resulted in the remark that the time and energy could and should have been devoted to helping families instead of investigating the false claims regarding child abuse. Wise (2003) is of the opinion that the families with general needs do not expect child protection and investigation but instead they need support and it is significant that prevention can be better than cure. All these remarks can be understood in the background of inadequacy of the guidance, research bases etc. Research evidences prove the need for better guidelines and support to the social workers in thei r activities for the cause of children and society. It can be comprehended that the context of social work has undergone rapid changes and the social workers

Boiled Vulteres and God's Middle Finger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Boiled Vulteres and God's Middle Finger - Essay Example Sierra Madre is a drug-driven location where security forces have little or no say. On the other hand, Fox’s reading is based in Christiania, a locale in Denmark. The events in Christiania are characterized by internal social conflicts within Christiania and stiff relations between the people of this Free Town and the Danish government. The two social settings presented in the two readings are far apart, but the unfolding events and the way of life in Sierra Madre and Christiania Free Town are relatively convergent. The two readings depict critical similarities amid their diversity and differences. Drug production, use and trafficking is a dominant undertaking presented by the two readings. Production of drugs that outside societies regard as illegal is rampant in both societies accounted for by Grant and Fox in their relative texts. In Sierra Madre, drugs constitute the primary source of income (Grant 9). Drug lords have dominated this practice, gaining the full support of th e society due to the economic benefits and social impacts that drugs have brought about in this region. Regulation of this practice is a difficult task due to the complexities of governance and law setting in Sierra Madre. In Christiania Free Town, drug production, sale and use are a social norm. This locale enjoys social autonomy, a scenario that is evidenced by Fox by quoting, â€Å"They called the eighty-five-acre district Christiania Free Town, drew up a constitution, printed their own currency, banished property ownership, legalized marijuana, and essentially seceded from Denmark† (Best American Series 233). The Christiania micro-nation’s practice of self-rule promotes the use and sale of drugs. As it appears, the social and economic pillar of this Free Town is based on drug production. The engagement of legal aspects in drug production provides a critical backup to a practice that highly exacerbates crime and related practices. Personally, the Christiania drug un dertakings are preferred. Although both Sierra Madre and Christiania Free Town are deeply rooted in drugs and related practices, the Christiania aspect is relatively organized in comparison to Christiania. The legal aspect of marijuana in Christiania captures personal interest because it is least expected that drug production could be legal in any given social setting. However, as Fox’s text points out, the autonomy enjoyed by Christiania people has integrated a legal drug (marijuana) into the society’s normal system. The social setup in both Sierra Madre and Christiania is characterized by similar aspects in relation to the way things are run in these two different societies. Sierra Madre is characterized by lawlessness, and antisocial behaviors are highly evident. Grant (43) says, â€Å"The rules of law and society have never taken hold in the Sierra Madre, which is home to bandits, drug smugglers, Mormons, cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians, opium farmers, cowboys, a nd other assorted outcasts†. This locale lacks a straight form of governance, meaning that the society is self-ruled, based on aspects that can hardly constitute social behaviors, practices, morals or norms. Anarchism is evident due to the fact that any organized authority is highly opposed. The people seem to enjoy their own autonomy, with hardly any organized making efforts to reverse

Grief and loss and special populations Annotated Bibliography Term Paper

Grief and loss and special populations Annotated Bibliography - Term Paper Example As such, the annotated bibliography presented below contains books and journal articles that include diverse perspectives on healing and providing support for the bereaved. This is a valuable book written by two people belonging to different backgrounds and bringing their diverse perspectives into their book. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge, being a clinical psychologist at Pine Rest Mental Health Services in the US and also a registered social worker brings to light the practical aspects of dealing with the loss of a spouse and in overcoming the grief through active and deliberate healing actions. Her husband, Robert C. De Vries teaches church education at Calvin Theological Seminary and conducts seminars for overcoming bereavement and loss. Together, the two authors are able to provide an intimate perspective on how Christian faith and conscious effort from the griever can lead to total overcoming of the grief. This book is aimed at people who have suffered a loss of spouse as well as for people like councilors and pastors who are in the position to help them. This book delves into the realm of how people make sense of death and dying with the aim of determining what spiritual and personal support may be needed by them. The book is aimed at people suffering from the loss of their children or spouses. It is an anthology that covers numerous contexts about grief and loss – ranging from Christianity, Buddhism and Native American concepts of loss and grieving to cyberspace and virtual reality and how it shapes our meaning of life and death. The authors of this book are renowned professors like Gary Cox Bendiksen and Stevenson who has numerous articles and papers on death and bereavement. Their wide experience and research with people who are left behind in case of death of a loved one, makes this book an intimate revelation of the process and means of grieving that are adopted in

Christianity and Native America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christianity and Native America - Essay Example However, what is often overlooked and unasked is that whether those who rabidly defend political correctness, and attack those who disagree with their perspective could have refrained from the same kind of evangelistic fervor if confronted with a people who were savagely killing each other. One can only wonder if the politically correct missionaries (or police) would have made it any farther than the shores of the new land. The Spanish missionaries sent forward by the catholic church of Europe, although they were met with resistance, did forge relationships with the Indian tribes, and assist them in transitioning into a lifestyle that was more advantageous for them. These missionaries also were some of the forerunners for the settlers who would follow. Their work opened the doors for European settlers to establish working relationships with Indian peoples, if only in limited areas and with limited success. But missionaries measure there success not in terms of states and land mass, b ut rather in terms of the number of individuals touched and benefiting from their work. On the other hand, the Catholics' missionary zeal directed toward the new world was misguided in more than one instance. These missionaries did not understand the concept of evangelizing and spreading their faith without including a secondary goal of changing the evangelized people's culture as well. Arriving to their new "mission field" the missionaries only had their own experience to draw from. The catholic missionary work across the European continent was performed within a people group that had, for the most part, arisen from the same culture roots. All of Europe had grown out of, and out from under the influence of the Greco - Roman Empire. The continent had been conquered and re-conquered a number of times, and each time, the victorious nations would sew into the culture more of its own world view and belief system. So, while the nations and regions had different traditions, languages, etc, the continent was, as it is today, a product of a Greco-roman belief system which had been strongly influenced by Christianity for 1400 years. Upon arrival in the new world, the catholic missionaries had only their own experiences to draw from. They did not understand the concept of teaching a faith in Jesus Christ without including the effort to transpose their culture upon the new converts as well. According to the Marquette University studies of Christianity in North America: "Catholic evangelization of the Americas' aboriginal Indian peoples is a story of epic proportions. It is a saga on spreading the Gospel for over 500 years and it is a struggle for peace and justice, cultural accommodation, and the development of indigenous Christian faith communities." (2003) Today, the Catholic Church understands the goal is to create indigenous communities within the local people groups who embrace the catholic faith. However, at the time of the settlement of North America, this theory was not in place. The Roman Catholic Church viewed itself as the repository of civilized culture, and their goal was to bring local native peoples into their faith and culture regardless of the means necessary. For example, one of the most famous settlements of catholic missionaries which still exists for examination today are the set of five missions built in the

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Essay

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Canteen and Staff shop - Essay Example It is at this forum where members approve the report and dividend, scrutinize the budget and make suggestion on how to improve services offered by the canteen. As part of social welfare arrangement, the canteen strives to provide a cheap alternative feeding programme to employees on duty. However, profitability is a key requirement as it a collective investment. People engage in business ventures to make profit although it is not important that you realize profit yearly (Stephen 2011). To boost sales and increase profits, the committee proposed to members to allow it starts selling hot food and open a staff shop during a working party forum held on 23rd December, 2011. As a tradition, such new venture is subjected to research after which the members deliberate and acts on findings and recommendations of the report. To this end, the committee sought my services in conducting a survey on the proposal with core intention of finding out the opinion of workforce regarding the proposals. B esides, the study had the following objectives: To gauge the support for or against hot food and staff shop To determine appropriate time for serving hot food To determine the cost likely to be incurred by staff buying hot food To find out the preferred type of hot food and other categories To establish the time to open the shop and commodities to sell COLLECTION OF DATA The random sampling technique was used to select a representative population. In random sampling individuals are picked from study population based on chance (Leonard and Leonard 2009). This technique ensured that each employee has an equal chance of taking part in the survey and therefore not biased. The sample was deemed to be a true representative of the population because in this method the process of coming up with a sample was based on probability and not predetermined. The employees were assigned numbers 1 to 510 according to the way the names appear in the payroll. The numbers were keyed in online sampling s oftware called randomizer (randomizer.org), which generated 142 unique numbers. The numbers were matched with payroll numbers to select employees who represented the other workers in the survey. The following numbers were generated by randomizer: 290, 133, 42, 201, 181, 175, 369, 431, 39, 239, 445, 2, 150, 296, 67, 8, 6, 387, 308, 167, 25, 90, 444, 408, 266, 203, 208, 292, 1, 122, 97, 284, 101, 477, 34, 92, 93, 85, 155, 457, 193, 301, 306, 396, 79, 191, 270, 246, 38, 162, 134, 354, 96, 437, 390, 264, 281, 27, 447, 209, 169, 412, 501, 194, 312, 21, 280, 195, 158, 176, 83, 46, 33, 388, 438, 410, 110, 368, 321, 50, 329, 365, 115, 434, 339, 318, 479, 17, 88, 508, 229, 61, 361, 440, 95, 156, 343, 311, 424, 382, 331, 421, 327, 124, 154, 373, 453, 187, 330, 493, 397, 200, 293, 372, 336, 119, 126, 407, 159, 47, 143, 87, 254, 89, 4, 459, 64, 15, 358, 392, 252, 225, 65, 400, 352, 462, 433, 500, 232, 30, 40, 230. The employees corresponding to a selected number were given questionnaire to fill and then return it to Forum Representative within 7 days. Out of 142 questionnaires issued, 123 were returned to the committee. As the researcher, I scrutinized the filled questionnaires and accepted 114 to be used for analytical purpose. This number translates to 22.4% response rate corresponding to 8.1% error margin at 95% confidence level. This figure was calculated using online application (surveysystem.com) by feeding the sample size and required confidence

Russia as a business destination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Russia as a business destination - Essay Example Furthermore, foreigners would heighten their chances of success by working with local partners who would guide them there. Labor costs largely depend upon the region under consideration and western style hotels cost much more than they do in the US. Possible areas of business include oil related services or products, consumer products and the IT sector. There are a number of misconceptions about Russia as a business destination. Some people believe that conducting business in Russia is an all too easy process and that all it takes are some good connections or simply meeting with the right people. On the other hand, others believe that in Russia, it is almost impossible to do business and that enterprises are not governed by the basic principles of economics. While these latter assertions might have some validity in certain respects, it is essential to understand that they do not represent the business climate, market opportunities or entry strategies required to make it in Russia. Russia as a business destination requires its own set of rules. One needs to be ready to do business in an unconventional way. Additionally, one should be ready for the disparities that occur across various sectors and also across a number of geographical areas. In Russia, some areas are oversupplied while others are undersupplied. The latter could either act as rewarding business opportunities in certain instances or they could signify areas that need to be ignored because if the Russians themselves do not see any potential in it, then what makes a foreigner think that he/she can turn it around. (Fetsenko, 2008) Business in Russia is not for the feint hearted. It requires a great deal of imagination and resilience. But after exercising all the latter traits, it can then become easy to enjoy the rewards of investing in this country. Consequently, one should be well equipped with all the business environment information, market intelligence, import and export opportunities and market strategies required to succeed in Russia before venturing there. These are all aspects that will be covered in the report below. Market Intelligence Report (MIR) The Russian People There are a number of misconceptions held by westerners about the Russian people. Some of them believe that Russian cities are too susceptible to crime and that one would lose their property at any one time. However, compared to crime levels in the United States, Russian cities are safer. Other people believe that in Russia, organized crime overrules the basic principles of economics and that one cannot expect to find considerable profits without collaborating with these high profile criminals. However, this is another misconception; one can still conduct business in Russia without having to involve members of organized crime. While the latter issue may exist in certain sectors of the economy, others are not affected by it. Consequently, businessmen interested in doing business there need to familiarize themselves with the sectors that are untouched by such kinds of issues. (Donga, 2008) It should also be noted that not all Russian people are interested in taking bribes. The case of corruption has been a rising concern among business men from the US because most of them may not understand the dynamics of the Russian business environment. However, this is an issue that has been exaggerated by many individuals. In fact, this could simply be a result of the culture shock which one

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay Example for Free

Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay The two books have one clear element in common. The two authors, Steinbeck and Hardy, give us a great outlook on loneliness in its many forms. They communicate their ideas and thoughts to us in a very similar manner, despite being from very different times and walks of life. Of Mice and Men, is set and was written during the Great Depression of the United States of America in the early 1930s, in the Salinas Valley of California, tells us the story of George Milton and Lennie Small. The two migrant workers, bound together by an unusual and sure friendship, are in pursuit together of the Great American Dream their dream. They will have their own land, be their own masters and no longer have to answer to anyone, and finally live in peace. On the other hand we have The Withered Arm, set in the early 19th Century as one of Hardys Wessex Tales, where he lived all his life. Hardy tells us the tale of a young woman, Gertrude Lodge, as she begins her new life. However, things are not what they should have been as Gertrude is afflicted with an unknown blight, her happiness both threatened and later destroyed. She is not completely alone her plight is intertwined with that of Rhoda Brook, who carries a great pain in her heart and a great power, or perhaps a curse, that not even she realises. The two texts are each set in the same rural environment as that of their authors, both bringing us the tale of so many people struggling through their lives as best they can. In Of Mice and Men we see that every man, and woman, has their own dreams, their own obsessions to pine away for, to imagine and envisage when they are so often so lonely each has their own thoughts, their method, of escapism from the reality they live in. The Withered Arm, again, in a different manner shows characters angry, obsessed, with lives they could have had and the possibilities that they have lost or had taken away from them. Each are victims of circumstance, each yearn for lives that are no longer theirs, each for a chance now gone. In each difficulty we can see a parallel, and in both books we can see characters sharing the same basic challenges to overcome, and obstacles in their path. Both show us some of the many facets and characteristics of loneliness and trouble in this world no matter how little they look for difficulty and dilemmas, people will always manage to find them, no matter how hard they strive against it. The best laid schemes o mice and men Gang aft agley [Often go wrong] And leave us nought but pain For promised joy Robert Burns As Of Mice and Men begins, we are shown the two migrant farm workers, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job, a new start, bucking barley at a Californian ranch; fleeing much undue upset in their last town, mostly thanks, despite his original intentions, to Lennie. It is late evening and they both spend the night by the Salinas River before continuing on to their new place of work the next morning. It is here that we first discover some of the main personality differences, and conflicts, between the two characters, and learn of their aspirations and their future. We immediately see much of their natures and that of their friendship as Lennie flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green poolsnorting into the water like a horse. Lennie dives headlong, dunking his head into the murky waters of the Salinas like an animal, all for a drink of water; George restrains him, attempting to keep him in line and to keep him safe. George and Lennie have struggled their way through life together, as an inseparable pair, not like all the other hopefuls out there, Because I got you an you got me together they might just get somewhere. The way this particular phrase is repeated so much tells us a lot about their friendship and how they both so desperately need it to survive. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong featuresevery part of him was defined. We see George as the sharp and able leader who gives Lennie his direction, blunt and bitter when it comes to his frustrations. All too often feeling taunted by the world, his life, and the problems they each throw at him no matter how hard he tries and how much he accounts for it. Despite his quick temper and scathing reprisals, he holds a great care and affection for his travel-partner and the companionship he brings him much more than is at first apparent. George feels responsible for Lennie, he has been Lennies guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he always, and always will, feel that Lennies troubles, Lennies mistakes and faults are his own and that which he must resolve and reconcile however much they may cause him yet more problems of his own. George feels a great loneliness inside, believing in his heart himself to be as worthless as every other like him, and as a result of this he gains his purpose to become somebody, and he knows that is something he and Lennie must do and can only do together. Without Lennie he would be nothing, no more than every other man like him alone and without hope. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shouldershe walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his pawshis arms did not swing but hung loosely at his sides. Lennie, we can already see if very different to George, a slow simpleton, likened to an animal on two counts now, expressing his simple personality and impulsive nature. It is thanks to the pairs great bond and need that we see Lennie as such a vital character in the book, for George is not the only man to whom Lennie brings a purpose, it is around him that so much of the story unfolds and revolves about. Despite the simplicity in his manner and unsure path throughout the story, Lennie brings certainty to all those around him. They are drawn to the raw and basic companionship that his presence brings he is both consort and confidant for all their thoughts and feelings. He neither understands nor takes in much of what they say but, rather than wasting their breath, it seems even more a boon unto them. Lennie is like a wandering sheep and it is George that gives him his direction and his purpose, and as he takes his lead from George, Lennie in turn gains his own shape and dream. Lennies simple, cumbersome shape walks always in Georges shadow, always behind him wherever he may go, no matter what. For Lennie life is as simple as he is it is that which seems to create so many problems for them both, in turn presenting the answers to so many others, and it is this which gives Lennie such a lasting effect on all those around him. The two are together in the pursuit of their own dreams, each finding both a purpose and the means in the other. George dreams of his own land, his own life, and it is much the same for Lennie, on his own basic level. Lennie wishes to care for his own creatures, his rabbits. He loves to hear every word of them that he can get, and George loves to tell them to him so obsessed and incensed are they with merely the thought of what lies ahead for them with the success of their great plan. This form of dreaming and hoping that many of the characters of this story holds shows how everyone of them wishes to escape from the present world that they live in, where society demands everything of them when they have nothing to hold as their own, and nothing to give. Together these two continue their journey, their unique bond always apparent as they cross upon the lives of many others, all showing the properties of loneliness and all for different reasons, giving us an outlook on how so many in this world are alone and isolated, and how what George and Lennie have is so valuable. Aint many guys travel togethermaybe everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other. The pressure of the American Dream and the demands of that societys doctrines and social structure to achieve are imposed upon everyone and anyone and this is why it becomes such a great feature and driving force behind so much of the loneliness of this book. Every common man goes to America to succeed and achieve something, but society inflicts quite the opposite upon them projecting, forcing upon them, an image of how people should think and most certainly be resulting in loneliness and isolation, a dissatisfaction of themselves and those around them and the ongoing fear of amounting to absolutely nothing. It is ironic that this very society which sets out to have everyone achieve and succeed does quite the opposite, causing so many problems along the way. The nature of the American Dream that so many in this story hold in their minds is that very thing which isolates every one of them from each other, and dooms them to failure. Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his now old and scrawny dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch, first showing them around and then, as the story progresses, introducing the personalities of the other ranch hands to them. We learn much about Candy himself and who he is, seeing in the second chapter Candy caught listening in on George and Lennies words together, as George attempts to keep Lennie in check and keep him safe. Candy was listening simply to feel as a part of their conversation, to feel involved in something, for Candy craves conversation in any form, so alone does he feel. It can be seen that now for so much of his life Candy has been separated from the other men, isolated from all others. Since Candy lost his hand in an accident upon the farm he has been unable to work with the others, condemned to the menial tasks and solitary life during the day, and now thanks to his advancing years he is even more isolated. His only companion throughout all this time has been his pet dog, a source of consternation for the other men as it nears the end of its days, its presence being an eyesore to them all and odour a cause of much dismay. The animal had been his companion since its birth, and now old and suffering from rheumatism, the men convince Candy to allow them to put it out of its misery for him. As Candy grudgingly agrees, against a great sadness, he loses his oldest and closest friend, and again he feels truly alone. Having no one, he attaches himself to Lennie and George and to the dream they both share and makes himself a part of it, willing to offer all he has, his lifes work and savings, for it to be so. However, as that dream is again jeopardised, perhaps fatally, he still wishes to carry on and fulfil the dream for it is all he has left. It this desperation of Candys to make his new dream, their dream, become so, that yet another man becomes tied up in the illusion and the hope that it brings. Crooks is a fellow worker upon the ranch, a stable buck, working to repair saddles, tools and to look after the horses, unable to do other work since he was crippled, kicked in the back by one of the horses he was working with. We have never heard much of Crooks, only chance phrases from the other men, snatches of comments in the middle of a conversation; he is not often talked about, and never talked to Crooks is a Negro. We do not see him for the majority of the book for he is never with the other men, always separated from everyone, simply because of the discrimination, the ignorance and the prejudices of that time. As the only Negro in the area, he is completely alone, without anyone but himself for so much of his life, but it was not always so. Crooks used to have someone he used to live with his family, they owned a farm, he was with his brothers, his parents his family, and he was counted as someone; now he isnt even counted. The American Dream tells us of equality, of everyone having a chance to attain their dreams, to have something to hold, be proud of and call their own in America everyone and anyone can have just this and be somebody unless, of course, if they are black. This is just a nigger talkinso it dont mean nothing, see? This contradiction and hypocrisy intermittent throughout the dream is that which causes Crooks to be just who he is alone and isolated, helpless and unable to anything about it. When Lennie wanders into Crooks living area simply looking for company as the other men are all away in the town, Crooks shows outrage and indignation that a white man would presume it his right to simply walk into his room without leave. However, Lennies innocence wins through, despite Crooks irritation, Crooks scowled, but Lennies disarming smile defeated him. As Crooks begins to talk to Lennie, and discover the nature of his relationship with George, we see his jealousy that another man could have someone so easy to talk to, such a simple and easy friendship. Such is his bitterness and jealousy over the pairs companionship that Crooks goes on to taunt and tease Lennie with the possibility that George is injured and is no longer going to be there. He tells Lennie that he too is alone and must look after himself and continue life knowing he had someone, had something, and lost it as Crooks did. Crooks wants Lennie to feel what his pain is every day, every hour, and make someone else feel how he does and, in doing so, make himself feel less alone. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobodya guy gets lonely and he gets sick. As Lennies anger flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isnt so malicious after all, for he placates Lennie he wants him to stay, despite him being a white man, one who took his life away from him, an enemy. So alone is he that any company will do, black or white it doesnt matter any more; and so It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger, as Candy joins Lennie. He only has himself and what little company that he can find; he has been separated from others, alone for so long, simply because of the colour of his skin, so isolated thanks to an ignorant and naive prejudice, so much for a dream when Crooks came to America he found an ongoing nightmare. There should be equality, and this is what America shouted aloud to the world everyone in America has a dream to live out, and everyone who comes to America has a chance. However, this is not the case for Crooks despite what people claimed, despite what the American Dream told them, he has nothing but material possessions, and to him they re nothing. Reading books is his only source of company, but Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him. When Crooks first learns of their dream, not quite as they intended for it was their dream and nobody elses, he scoffs for has heard this kind of a story all before he has seen hundreds of other hopefuls come through the ranch and continue on into nothing. He tells them this mockingly, and also to end their hopes for they too are going nowhere. However, as Candy justifies their hopes in defence, he subsides for he sees the possibilities himself, gets caught up in the trios aspirations and dreams, as Candy did, and pleads to be taken along, to join them simply to be somewhere with others who might accept him for who he is and not for what. Crooks begins to open up, he finally believes himself to be an equal and to be counted, and he has been given back both his hope and a real chance. However, things are not to be as they hoped as the wife of Curley, the boss son, enters. As always the men are wary and bid her leave and in response her bitter temper rises. Crooks stands up to her, thinking outside his place in his newfound happiness, and she drills into him, makes him again realise just who he is, how little all he says and thinks is valued and how much power she holds over him. For a moment Crooks had become a man again and believed in his own freedom, but Curleys wife put an end to that, to his open thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again. Crooks stared hopelessly at her, sat downand drew into himselfCrooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no egoEverything that might be hurt drawn ininto the indomitable pride of the Negro. Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curleys wife, to cap all the isolation and rejection from every other person on the ranch. So enraged is she that we see the malicious and bitter side of her nature born out of the oppression, the distress and torment of countless similar situations where no one ever listens, where she is always alone. She gives him no quarter as her scathing, bitter anger lashes into him. This conflict amongst and between the oppressed and repressed first between Candy and Crooks, Crooks believing their dream to be as hopeless as all the rest, so demoralised has he become thanks to the life that American society has put him through, and then between Crooks and Curleys wife, simply leads them in a circle, and right back to square one. Both are without freedom and hold little control over their own rights, and still they are brought into conflict by the ways in which society portrays the world and treats each of them, one putting the others hopes and liberty again into doubt, painting a wholly despondent and bleak future -all the more separated from each other, all the more isolated and alone. Curleys wife always appears as a woman up to no good, spoken of hurriedly in whispered conversations. She is always out looking for trouble with the other men, always holding apparent bad intentions as she flaunts herself in a vain attempt to attract them to her, willing to do anything for companionship, and as a result getting quite the opposite. George had always recognised her danger, but Lennie is blind to every bit of it. However, we begin to see that she isnt up to such wickedness as we are first led to believe, and her bitter tongue is simply born of a life of loneliness. The men always shy away from her fearing blackmail from a work mate or Curleys wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another mans wife. This fear of the bosses authority and their abuse of it is yet another barrier that stands between ever establishing some true ideals of equality. She has been alone and isolated by everyone for so long, not even her husband listens to her, simply telling her what he wants to say and never waiting for a response. Lennie, never vigilant nor wary for he has no reason to be, is the first person that hasnt looked at her with fear in his eyes, for he is different; she has tried everything and seems doomed to failure everyone is repulsed, everyone resists her, everyone bar Lennie, and she latches onto him because of this. One day she catches him on his own and without George always looking over his shoulder. He is like an open book to her, and instantly accepts her for exactly what she is. She delights in finally finding someone who is such a perfect companion, who no longer draws back away from her in fear, but talks to her as he would anyone else. Despite what is first apparent, she simply wants to be with someone who listens. We learn that she once had a life, once had a chance and could have been somebody, been somewhere and just perhaps have got somewhere in life, but had it taken away from her through no fault of her own, but the unjust and unreasonable actions of another her own mother. To escape that, to escape a dead end and lonely life where one that should be so close to her takes her chances and dreams away from her, she married Curley and inadvertently runs into something much worse. She had a dream, found a chance and lost it thanks to a situation entirely out of her control, and things only go down hill from there. She is alone unable to do anything to escape the life that she now leads, no one is willing to talk to her, she is confined to the ranch and no longer has any chance of happiness, or simply of finding a friend. Yet again, a pursuer of the American Dream finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennies companionship, temporarily feeling as if she were no longer alone in the world as Crooks did, and so tells him things that she has told no other, opening herself to him and finding that he accepts all that she says without doubt or uncertainty. However, as she learns of Lennies love for the touch and feel of soft things, she lets him closer without restraint or forethought, lets him touch and hold her hair. As she draws away in worry that her hair (and subsequently her looks) are being dishevelled, the one thing she believes herself to truly hold is mishandled, and so she pulls away, expressing her distress. Lennie panics and does the only thing that his simple mind can think of resist, and so he grips hold of her tighter, unwilling to let go, he is confused and frightened and understands nought of what is happening. He fears that if George were to find out that he had made someone unhappy and done wrong by them he would abandon and discard him, fearing disapproval if his actions were ever discovered; and so he clamps his hand over her mouth, hoping that none would hear the noise. He grips even tighter as she struggles all the more desperately in the pain that his awesome strength is causing her, and he jerks and shakes her body in response, in an attempt to silence her. In this he succeeds, but to an extent that he never intended he unwittingly breaks her neck. Yet again Lennie has caused great harm without ever realising it possible, and this time the outcome is greatly worse. She was always alone, always without somebody, even those closest to her appear to have wished against her happiness; John Steinbeck signifies this to us by never naming Curleys wife she was never important to the person, and the people, that she should have been. As soon as she finds someone that was conceivably different, perhaps wasnt like all the others, she takes it all too far too soon, without thinking of the consequences. As a result she loses everything. The story ends in the pursuit of Lennie, George goes after him with the other men for he cannot let them get to him first and it is here that we are reminded of Candys words upon his own companion, his pet dog, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt have let no stranger shoot my dog. George finally catches up with Lennie at their meeting point where they stayed that first night before making their way onto the ranch. Lennie has been plagued by images and hallucinations from his past and his imagination, so distraught has he become over doing something so wrong and upsetting George in such a huge way, without ever intending to he managed to take away every hope the two had of achieving their dream all thanks to the pressure put upon him to do right by everyone, make no mistakes and allow none to hear of the rest, which leads to him causing more problems than ever before. George has Lennie imagine their dream once more, for that was always how Lennie was happiest imagining his future, escaping from the present. It is in this moment that George puts the gun to the back of Lennies head, and, fighting off his shaking hand, pulls down upon the trigger. He never wanted to, but he had to this was the only possible choice George could have made for the ultimately innocent Lennie, nothing he could do would have been easier, or better, for Lennie. George in doing so loses his one and only companion, every hope he ever had of being somebody and every hope of those around him that became a part of their dream all in that instant every hope was lost. Such is the despair that Candy finds it difficult to let go, he wants to continue the dream and to finish it, despite all which has happened, but he knows that is never possible now. Lennie was the one that held everything, everyone, together and gave them all hope and a chance, and now he was gone. The Withered Arm tells us a story of the ordeal of Rhoda Brook, her son, Farmer Lodge and his newly married wife, Gertrude, as Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly switch your attention, not concentrating on single characters loneliness and hardships, but that of four. We first meet Rhoda Brook working in the cow sheds, a milkmaid, and we instantly recognise how emotionally isolated and detached from others she is. As the other characters about her chat among themselves she chooses to remain apart, and uninvolved, from them all. We see how alone and different from the other simple farm hands she is, He hasnt spoken to her for years, whilst they talk about her and the notorious love affair she had with the Farmer Lodge and his recent marriage to a young lady not from nearby, but the city. She is one apart from the rest, not like them, and no longer does she care or worry over their words and thoughts of her. She remains impassive throughout the conversation and the others comments about her, She knew she had slyly been called a witch. Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as She milked slightly apart from the rest, as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, their course lay apart from the rest. The truth about Rhoda and Farmer Lodges affair, now many years in the past, is widely known in the area. Long ago they were together and for unexplained reasons she was abandoned perhaps upon the realisation of Rhodas pregnancy. The very thing meant to bring a couple closer together and bring with it happiness and companionship may have brought completely the opposite for Rhoda. However, Farmer Lodge has developed very materialistic views, adhering and conforming to those of the society he lives in. Rhoda was below his class, below him, and he could never have been seen in a permanent relationship with her because of that society would never have accepted him. Another possible reason is that of Rhodas advancing years and waning beauty her age is closer to that of Lodges and so his materialism again pushes him away from her as he chooses to marry a young and still beautiful girl not long out of her teen.This is what he feels he must have the best. With the arrival of Gertrude Lodge the final brick is laid in the wall standing between Rhoda and her happiness, between her and Lodge and both of them and their son. We recognise instantly that Gertrude is neither country-born nor country-bred, and knows little of her new life and what lies ahead. From the beginning she is almost completely alone she is a young lady, highborn, and not long out of her teens, lady-like and beautiful, and there are none like her that she can communicate with. Gertrude worries much over others opinions of her, as she desires so much to be readily accepted into her new community. However, things are not to be all she could hope for, as she soon realises how alone she is to be as society separates her from the majority of those around her, thanks to the strict taboos on cross-class relationships and of a lady socialising with those of the lower class. When Rhoda learns of Gertrudes arrival she has her son discover ever detail and feature of the girl, sizing her up and comparing herself to Gertrude in her jealousy, for she believes that it should be she, not Gertrude, that Farmer Lodge should have married and is bitterly angry that he refuses to acknowledge their son and even what they both had between each other as anything but insignificant and irrelevant. The son that Rhoda and Lodge both had together is yet another great example of the loneliness that this story portrays as his mothers loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curleys wife, emphasising how unimportant and worthless he is in the eyes of those that he should mean so much to. His father rejects him outright barely ever acknowledging his presence, He took no outward notice of the boy whatsoever, and when he does it is only as an inferior and one of no consequence as the boy is described as Just one of the neighbourhood. Even his own mother, with whom he has lived for all his years, is unconcerned with him, so obsessed and incensed with her own dilemma that she simply uses him as ammunition, and justification, of her right over others to Lodge. He is used as a spy upon Gertrude and Lodge by his mother, if not that then he is always at work upon one household duty or another, and despite all that he does none of it seems to satisfy his mother. He is barely ever given any affection at all, seemingly only useful for errands and chores that Rhoda cannot bring herself to do. Despite her anger over Farmer Lodges total lack of acceptance of their son, she too does much the same, and never realises the frustrations that he hides underneath as a result of this all, His mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket knife into the beech-backed chair. The son has no father figure to follow, but certainly not a good example, and his mother tries to set him one no better she doesnt even make the effort. Rhoda develops an obsession with Gertrude whom she has neither met nor even seen. Such is her fixation that one night she is visited in a troubled dream by an image, the distorted and repulsive impression of Gertrude that Rhoda has built up in her mind through her bitter jealousy. The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas eyes. This thing that Rhoda believes Gertrude to be taunts her, thrusting the proof of her marriage to Farmer Lodge before her very eyes the thing that Rhoda herself so covets and desires for herself. As the creature draws closer, Rhoda grips its arm in fright and hurls it to the floor. One day Gertrude visits Rhoda in her small house upon the hill, and Rhoda sees her for what she really is. Gertrude, in her loneliness in Lodges great manor house, comes to Rhoda for companionship, and in her she finds a friend. At first Rhoda is unresponsive, but slowly she begins to come round, to see through all the lies she has told herself all too often in her resentment at being alone. However, all is not to be so perfectly resolved, as we learn of Gertrudes arm the strange marks, like as that of fingers, upon the flesh and over time they gradually worsen and deteriorate. It looks almost like finger marksas if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh. Gertrudes other sorrow becomes apparent as she too has realised the faith that the farmer puts into face value and beauty for she believes that he will begin to love her less if the arm does not heal as it should. As a result, over time, Gertrude begins to preoccupy herself and obsess about her arm as Rhoda did over Farmer Lodge and it continues to worsen. No one understands its nature, no one knows of a cure and Gertrude, stricken with worry and concern, turns again to Rhoda, following perhaps a maids, or a workers, advice, and the irony in this is how many would believe Rhoda to be the guilty party, the witch, cursing upon Gertrude and that she of all people would know her adversary best. Rhoda meanwhile says nothing upon the matter of the arm, merely inquiring upon it, hoping that it might recover. For Rhoda neither understands what effect she has had upon Gertrude, nor knows how she caused it much of the time she vainly tells herself that it is nothing but a coincidence. All the same, Rhoda apprehensively leads Gertrude across the hills and fields one day to Conjuror Trendle, a man renowned for powers that other people believe in more than he. He affected not to believe largely in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappearhe would say lightly, Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon emperhaps its all chance, and immediately turn the subject. Trendle lives many miles apart from other men, separated by their views and taboos of that society upon witchcraft and anything related. He has been cast away by their prejudices all because he has a talent that they neither possess nor understand, and they fear him for this. He merely uses what he has to help people as best he can, getting nothing but fear and aversion in return, and this he does for Gertrude too. Despite the rumours and whispers that people speak behind his back, he does what he knows to be best all the same rejecting the constraints of society for his own freedom, and in turn having much of it taken away. He shows to Gertrude the image of an enemy, the only one capable of causing such a blight, and Rhodas fears are to be realised as, despite Gertrude never telling her who the image she saw was, she never spoke to Rhoda again, never mentioned the arm and never called around her house, simply looking for a companion, again for now her unseen assailant had a face, that of Rhoda. Over a very short period their friendship began to break down very quickly, almost instantly as realisation had dawned upon Gertrude, and so she never saw anything of Rhoda, or her son, again for many years and eventually the two both slipped out of the community and were never seen again they were forced out by the fears of others, by Rhodas desires of things that were no longer hers to covet and by the entire community, for none really cared. Gertrude was now truly alone and without a single companion- her husband no longer even looked at her, such was his revulsion of the withering of her arm and displeasure at the fact that she had not even managed to produce him an heir in all their time together. Gertrudes beauty was waning as the full anguish of the arm and being so alone in the world assailed her. She became obsessed with the arm and the search for cures, attempting every crackpot remedy that she could find in her maddened struggle but none ever worked or had any effect. Driven into desperation by her husbands and societys demands for young ladies to be beautiful and perfect always, for Gertrude fears the rejection of her husband as Rhoda was rejected many years ago. In many ways this despair and incensed search for a cure drove even larger a void between Gertrude and her husband, for in the end it was both she and the arm driving him away, so obsessed did she become much thanks to the pressures and expectations of the world around her. Again she goes to visit Trendle in the vain hope that perhaps he will be able to cure her at last, however, this time she makes the journey alone showing just how much more lonely and separated from others she has become. Upon arriving she sees Trendle, now an old man and barely able to even leave his house he has lost even that little bit of freedom that life had allowed him and has absolutely no one but himself to rely on, and no one to be there when he dies. In his last days, Trendle tells her simply what had to be done he was too old to help now, she would have to cope alone with this task as always, but he could point her in the right direction. She agrees to all that he tells her, whatever it may be, such is her desire to again be beautiful for her husband again and to allow her to again conform to the views of those around her much the opposite choice to that of Conjuror Trendle. Gertrude must touch the body of an executed man just cut down from a hanging not dead for more than an instant so as to turn the blood of Gertrude and cure the withering of the arm. Finally, after many weeks wait the chance arrives and Gertrudes prayers, driven to wishing upon the death of a fellow man, are answered and she strikes up a deal with the old, isolated hangman, separated from others by the nature of his trade, who was not wholly unused to requests of her sort. The condemned that is to become Gertrudes saviour is a young man, charged of arson the burning down of an old warehouse. The young man was apparently simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an example had to be made to satisfy the people. On the allotted night, Gertrude goes to the hangman as planned, and he then leads her to the open casket and she pulls back the covering and touches the figure beneath. To her horror she sees it to be Rhodas own son the son of Farmer Lodge. Gertrude backs off in dismay and turns to discover both Rhoda and Lodge standing behind her. Rhoda shouts in anger and pushes Gertrude away from them both, for even now she still stands between the Farmer Lodge and their son once again as always Gertrude comes between Rhoda and Lodge, always in the way of Rhodas hopes, desires and always keeping her completely alone. Gertrude screams in fear and falls to the floor, for the shock and extreme stress, together with the draining nature of the arm finally get the best of her, for she has died. Her blood had been turned, but all too far. Here the story concludes, as Rhoda moves farther away and separates herself from the local community entirely yet again, totally alone thanks to her own bitterness. Even after her son is lost still nobody goes to pay their respects or offer their company she becomes even more alone than ever, all thanks to her own negligence. Farmer Lodge is also alone now, perhaps as he deserved, for his uncaring and selfish ways led to the grief of many and his dishonesty to the death of his wife for he broke his marriage vows that he made before God In sickness and in health. His wife is dead and his son is lost forever and with him any chance of ever having an heir to all his estate. In his despair Lodge sells all his farm and land and moves away only now do we realise how truly alone he has become, and all thanks to him, his materialism and conforming to what society dictates as to how he should live his life. He offers Rhoda an annual income, as an attempt at a final reconciliation but she never accepts it and none see her again. He loses everything and is doomed to die alone, leaving us later to discover that he has left all that is his to a reformatory for boys, showing how he did have thoughts and feelings regarding his son, but never had the strength to show them which is perhaps his greatest sin. Both Lodge and Rhoda isolated themselves from others and both are now even lonelier as a result of this. Gertrudes vanity may have played a part in her own undoing, represented by the extremes to which she was willing to go as she even wished for the death of a fellow man, guilty or innocent alike, but it was Lodge, and those around her, that drove her to such desperation and in the end she dies alone, above all emotionally, as her husband stands apart from her with Rhoda. The young son meanwhile, brought to his end by Gertrudes desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardys novel as the innocent throughout, trapped between his two parents never being truly loved or cared for always alone and always innocent. Towards the end we assume that perhaps he has got involved in a youth gang. This leads to his later arrest at the crime scene showing that no father figure and role model at all would have perhaps been better than that of a bad and unloving one who rejects him outright, he may have been innocent but he never had anyone who would stand up for him. This rejection by his father and ignorant negligence on his mothers part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candys wife who also remains unnamed as they are never important to those that they should be, leaving both of them completely alone and hopeless. The unfortunate tragedy that we see at the end of each novel is but one of the many similarities between these two novels. As we begin, each story features two central characters, George and Lennie, Rhoda and Gertrude, around which the story unfolds. As they live their lives we are introduced to many others, each with their own individual problems and dilemmas besetting them. These unlikely friendships between our central characters ultimately end in a tragedy, first with one unknowingly causing great problems for the other and finally one must put the other out of their misery, and at the same time condemn themselves to loneliness and hopelessness yet again. In Of Mice and Men we see at the root of everyones problems the desperation to achieve and become somebody to find the American Dream. The society in which they have lived tells them that they are nothing without achievement, and they all agree for much of their sadness originates from this feeling of worthlessness. In George and Lennies case it drives them onwards, in search of their dream, but the others do not have the friendship that they each possess and have no hope of getting anywhere. Candy is old, crippled, with no hope of being able to work for something anymore and no hope of ever actually finding a companion as everyone deserts him each day. Crooks has nobody, he lost everything thanks to American society and the fact that the dream doesnt work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time. Curleys wife, a seemingly dangerous character of this story is isolated for just that. She has nobody bar her husband, who neither loves her nor listens, separated from others by both him and other peoples fear of the stigma that would ensure should they become her friend. She had her one chance at achieving something taken away from her many years ago. For Lennie the necessity to conform and do right by people is too much for him he can never understand and in the end this leads to his death. His fear of disapproval forces him to take a life without ever intending to. It is upon Georges shoulders to end the story, for there is only one possibility he must end all his hopes, condemn himself to being alone with his guilt, every chance that they had together and those around them found upon their arrival for he must take Lennies life to save him from misery. This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldnt be causes so much dissatisfaction and unrest, leaving everyone feeling hopeless and alone, that they have been brought up to believe. They thought they had a chance, and they found nothing. The Withered Arm, on the other hand, is set in a world of tradition, of British society and its harsh social structure. In everyones mind there is desperation to conform to the rules and agree that unless you are upper class, or in the case of the women married, you are no one. Rhoda isolates herself from all others in her desperation to become someone, Farmer Lodges wife, and be counted and in doing so sentences herself to a life of loneliness, and starts much more for many others. For Gertrude there is a desperation to be what the materialistic views of those around her tell her to be, and in her search for this she ends up isolating her self even more than before. The young son, who nobody ever really looks to care for, there is isolation of a different kind and through no fault of his own. His parents never truly acknowledge him as their son and this ultimately ends in his tragic death. For Farmer Lodge, it is his materialistic conformism that causes many problems, and he isolates himself from all others in this story until the end, where it is he and Rhoda left and doomed to each be utterly alone for their sins.

Filipino Overseas Contract Workers in the US Essay Example for Free

Filipino Overseas Contract Workers in the US Essay For the first study, it is expected that the researcher would determine the factors that motivate Filipinos to leave their own country and work abroad. This would include their financial situations in the Philippines together with family size, occupation of spouse, occupation or educational level of the children, and other demographics. Since it is quantitative, it is expected that the study will be able to generate statistics in order to determine the best reason for their migration. Participants would probably prefer to migrate because of more compensation and support for multicultural groups (Zalaquett, et. al, 2008). This also includes an opportunity to work with the protection of the law implemented in the United States. Qualitative data would suggest poor chances of development for them in their own country. It is also expected in the trend study results that US foreign policy will be implemented for the migration of Filipinos in the country. More Filipinos are expected to leave their country and eventually take their families after they have established their lives in the States. However, the study does not make use of any scale in concluding for its objectives. The study is also limited to Filipinos whereas other races such as Israelites and Palestinians are not included. Also, the focus is only on the reason why Filipinos prefer to leave the Philippines and work in other countries (American Psychological Association, 2002). Based on the expected outcomes of the study, it is recommended by the researcher that further studies be initiated on this specific topic. It is also recommended that a study be conducted on job satisfaction of Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) in the United States and compare them with those who prefer to stay in the Philippines. A comparative study on worker’s rights and social security policies between the Philippines and other OFW filled countries is also recommended to further supplement the results of the present study. References American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code Of Conduct (PDF). Zalaquett, C. , Foley, P. , Tillotson, K. , Dinsmore, J. , Hof, D. (2008). Multicultural and Social Justice Training for Counselor Education Programs and Colleges of Education: Rewards and Challenges. Journal of Counseling Development, Volume 86, Number 3, 323 – 329.

Impact of Agriculture Credit on Agriculture Productivity

Impact of Agriculture Credit on Agriculture Productivity ABSTRACT Impact of agriculture credit on agriculture productivity. Agriculture plays vital role in Pakistans economy. It is the single largest sector and it is principal driving force for growth and development of the national economy of Pakistan. Agriculture credit plays vital role for increasing the efficiency of this sector. Timely and adequate availability of credit enables the farmers to purchase the required inputs and machinery for carrying out farm operations. There are two dimensions of this research first are measuring the impact of credit on development efficiency and second is measuring impact of credit on production efficiency. Regression model was used to determine the impact in both dimensions data collected from State Bank of Pakistan for analysis the results concluded that there is a positive relationship between agriculture credit and both development and production efficiency but not up to much extent that is required there is a minor impact on farm yield and productions le vels by agriculture credit the reasons can be credit policies timings of providing credit and can be not providing credit effectively where it is needed most. INTRODUCTION Agriculture plays an important role in Pakistans economy. It is the single largest sector and it is principal driving force for growth and development of the national economy of Pakistan. Agriculture and Livestock accounted for 23.1 per cent of the GDP in 2004-05. It employs 43.1 per cent of the labor force, provides livelihood to 68 per cent of the countrys population living in rural areas, and contributes 60 per cent share in export earnings from processed and un-processed agricultural products. Major industries like textile and sugar are agriculture based sectors. The rate of growth for agriculture sector is 4% in the past two decades, contributing significantly to overall economic growth, food supplies and exports. Although the share of agriculture in the GDP has declined over the years, in line with Development of other sectors such as industry, infrastructure, services, etc., it still remains the leading sector of the economy. The future policies in agriculture have been focused on attaining high growth rates by providing the right policies and institutional support, so that the sector can move forward and enhance its contribution to the economy. Review of Agriculture Sector The agriculture sector grew at an average annual growth rate of 4.5 per cent in the last decade, i.e. 1990s. However in 2000-01 and 2001-02, its performance was badly affected due to persistent drought conditions. It registered a growth rate of (-) 2.2 and (-) 0.1 per cent in 2000-01 and 2001-02, respectively. With subsequent improvement in the availability of Water, it grew by 4.1 per cent and 2.6 per cent in 2002-03 and 2003-04, respectively. In 2003-04, the major crops which account for 34.2 per cent of the agriculture value added grew by 2.8 per cent and minor crops which contribute 12.4 per cent to the agriculture value added, Grew by 1.7 per cent. In 2004-05, the agriculture sector registered an all time high growth of 7.5 per cent due to farmers friendly government policies, favorable weather conditions and Improvement in the availability of water. There was a recorded production around 14.6 million bales of cotton and 21.1 million tones of wheat. The contribution of major and minor crops was 17.3 and 3.1 per cent, respectively. Although the shortage of water affected the performance of crops in 2000-01 and 2001-02, its impact was reduced due to various measures by the farmers on the Recommendation of the Agriculture Departments such as efficient use of canal water, Exploitation of underground water through tube wells, sowing on ridges and better Agronomic and good management practices. The country had achieved self-reliance in wheat. Around 1.036, 1.704 and 0.553 million tones were exported due to build up of wheat stocks, in the years of 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04, correspondingly. However, due to subsequent decline in wheat production, around 1.37 million tones of wheat was imported in 2004-05 to build up reserve stocks and meet domestic requirement. Although availability of water has been a serious constraint, there are other factors also, which are hampering the growth and development of the sector. Some of the factors are: low productivity of crops, inefficient use of water, degradation of land resources (water logging and salinity), imbalance application of fertilizer, inefficient use of agricultural inputs, ineffective transfer of technology to the farmers, lack of coordination between research and extension, post-harvest losses, marketing infrastructure, etc. Inspite of the reasonably performance in the agriculture sector the over all productivity is comparatively low as compare to other agriculture based countries like India for example in study based on comparison of agriculture performance in Indian and Pakistani Punjab it was found that Indian Punjab performed very well as compare to Pakistani Punjab because of the problems in infrastructure lack of mechanization most of these problems arise due to financial constraints these problems can be addressed by emphasizing on credit programs to farms get proper inputs such as production inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides on time so that production efficiency improved and on the other hand development efficiency can be increased by mainly development efficiency is farm efficiency like land leveling, water courses, tractors tube wells these all required proper credit supply so therefore credit is the vital component in the improvement of agriculture efficiency. Agriculture credit role in increasing productivity Credit plays an important role in increasing agricultural productivity. Timely and adequate availability of credit enables the farmers to purchase the required inputs and machinery for carrying out farm operations. The farmers will be facilitated through the one window operation and revolving credit scheme. The one window operation was initiated in 1997 by the ZTBL which has been found quite useful in meeting the farmers credit requirements. Credit is the back bone for any business and more so for agriculture which has traditionally been a nonmonetary activity for the rural population in Pakistan. Agricultural credit is an integral part of the process of modernization of agriculture and commercialization of the rural economy. The introduction of easy and cheap credit is the quickest way for boosting agricultural production. Therefore, it was the prime policy of all the successive governments to meet the credit requirements of the farming community of Pakistan. Agriculture as a sector depends more on credit than any other sector of the economy because of the seasonal variations in the farmers returns and a changing trend from subsistence to commercial farming. How credit improve productivity both production and development or farm efficiency the answer is through the supply of proper credit to farmers they are able to purchase proper amount of fertilizers at the right time purchase pesticides at the right time so the production process will continue without any problems that will increase production efficiency. For development efficiency credit is needed for mechanization, i.e for land leveling water courses, tube wells, tractors and other inputs so credit is needed by farms for the proper availability of theses resource of course without the availability of these resource both production and development efficiency cannot be increased. In some of the studies importance of credit in agriculture stated as According to Shephered (1979) credit determines access to all of the resources on which farmers depend. Consequently, provision of macroeconomic policies and enabling institutional finance for agricultural development has been directed to the provision of infrastructure capable of facilitating agricultural development with a view to enhancing the contribution of the sector in the generation of employment, income and foreign exchange. One of the reasons for the decline in the contribution of agriculture to the economy is lack of a formal national credit policy and paucity of credit institutions, which can assist farmers. Credit or loan able funds is viewed as more than just another resource such as labor, land, equipment and raw materials. Therefore, by injecting capital into agriculture, it is possible to increase the rate of agricultural development since credit has frequently been considered as one of the main factors in overcoming agricultural stagnation that helps to expand farmland size and production. Table 6 shows the figures of amount of credit in billion rupees disbursed by different sources in agriculture sector by analyzing the figures it has been noted that credit for production has more amounts in every year as compare to credit for development loans so therefore the area where government has to focus is how to increase development efficiency (land leveling, water courses, and tractors) etc. supply of adequate credit should be implemented for development loans like production loans. Difference between production efficiency and development efficiency Production efficiency is related to the productivity related to inputs related purely to crops production such as seeds fertilizers pesticides chemicals etc. where as development efficiency is related to mechanization of farms lands development there fore inputs are tractors, land levelers water courses etc the details are below. Production efficiency factors The input factors related to production efficiency are Fertilizer The use of fertilizer is expected to grow by 4.0 per cent per annum in order to meet the crop production targets. The growth rate for the nitrogen is estimated at 3 per cent, phosphate 7 per cent and potash 12 per cent. In quantitative terms, nitrogen will increase to 3,049 thousand tones, phosphate 1,058 thousand tones and potash 45 thousand tones by 2009-10. The overall fertilizer consumption is estimated at 4,152 thousand tones. The mean application rate at national level will be about 180 Kg nutrients per hectare. There are other fertilizer products as source of micronutrients such as Zinc, Boron and Iron would also be targeted for specific crops (rice, cotton, maize, sugarcane, vegetables and horticultural crops) for efficiency and quality. According to research by (Coady, 1995) it is stated that the introduction of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice in Pakistan in the mid-1960s was heralded as a major breakthrough in the problem of food supply. A crucial characteristic of these new HYVs was their high yields when used in conjunction with chemical fertilizer (henceforth just fertilizer) and controlled irrigation. Great emphasis was placed on increasing the supply and use of fertilizer, which was still regarded as of crucial importance by the mid-1980s-of the total increase in agricultural output envisaged by the Sixth Five Year Plan (Government of Pakistan 1983), 48% of it was expected to come from increased use of fertilizer. Although the technology associated with HYVs is essentially regarded as being neutral to scale, constraints such as those arising from inadequate irrigation, an inability to secure credit and access to extension services can bias the technology towards larger farms. The researcher focuses on the use of fertilizer. Earlier analysis of the data showed that just over 80% of the sample applied fertilizer, this the farms more than 25 hectares have higher percentage. However, that simple analysis of fertiliz er use did not indicate any systematic relationship between land size and per-acre levels applied (henceforth, fertilizer intensity). There, as in most studies of fertilizer use, zero observations are dropped. Much of the literature on agriculture in developing countries argues that, because of lack of access to crucial complementary inputs (such as irrigation, knowledge or credit), the productivity of fertilizer is lower on smaller farms. This would suggest that fertilizer intensity ought to be positively correlated with farm size. However, although my data suggest that a larger proportion of smaller farms do not apply any fertilizer, focusing only on users, I do not find any systematic relationship between fertilizer intensity and farm size. However, when I allow in my analysis for lack of access, I find a negative relationship between fertilizer intensity and farm size, in spite of the fact that productivity-enhancing characteristics appear to be biased in favor of large farms. I suggest that this could reflect the effect of uncertain yields on risk adverse farmers. If one accepts this interpretation, then it appears that the effect of uncertainty is strong enough to outweigh the produc tivity bias towards larger farms Pesticides and Plant Protection The productivity of crops is mainly depends upon control of pest. Around approximately 20% to 25% cent of crop production output lost due to hit of insects and pests. The use of pesticides has increased from 665 tones in 1980 to 69,897 tones in 2002. It has been estimated that its consumption may touch 78,000 metric tones till 2010. Approximately around 54% of the pesticides are useful on cotton crop, 23 per cent on rice, 9 per cent on fruits and vegetables, and 5 per cent on sugarcane. The rising and unsystematic use of pesticides must be avoided as it also kills useful predators and insects and causes environmental deprivation. Importance will be given on support of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in order to reduce the application of pesticides in the best way. According to research (Alagh, 1988) states that INSECT pests, diseases and weeds inflict considerable damage to crops and plantations resulting in an estimated. Crop loss of over one-third of realizable output globally. Losses are higher in Africa and Asia, more than 40 per cent annually. The earliest use of chemicals to prevent crop losses is reported in the nineteenth century with the use of inorganic salts. The thirties of this century represent the beginning of the modern era of synthetic organic pesticides which saw the discovery of DDT (in 1939) and BHC (in 1942). A host of chloro organic compounds were introduced subsequently. Then came the organophosphorous com- pounds representing another extremely important class of organic insecticides, malathion being the first example of a wide spectrum insecticide with low mammalian toxicity. The new crop varieties and cropping sequences for intensive agriculture brought to the forefront problems of pests which caused tremendous losses to various crops and their produce. Pest problems have shown marked increase in changing agriculture. Pest problems have increased with the intensification of agriculture. Also improved agriculture brought about a transformation and an all round consciousness not to allow/tolerate yield losses especially because of the availability of modern pest control technology which makes it possible to avoid or to minimize such losses. Losses to crops and their produce are caused by various agencies which include insects, diseases, nematodes, weeds and several other non-insect pests. The estimated losses vary from crop to crop and region to region. However, it has been estimate that in India annual monetary loss in agriculture due to weeds, diseases, insects, nematodes, storage pests, rodents and birds runs into Rs 6,000 crore. This estimate is somewh at speculative yet it gives a first order approximation of the nature of the problem. Estimates with respect to many crop pests or diseases are available both in terms of percentage avoidable loss or loss in value. Such information is valuable and essential planning and implementation point of view of economic programs. So therefore pesticides plays important role in increasing production efficiency by reducing diseases and damage to the crops by the insects or pests because if crops production is effected by any of the reasons stated above crops production efficiency will be decreased. Development Efficiency How mechanization helps in improving farm efficiency Animal draft has conventionally remained a source of traction powers at farm over centuries. All operations at farm from tilling of the land to sowing, cultural management practices, lifting of water from shallow wells, harvesting, threshing, winnowing and transport were carried through animal provided draft. The use of fuel run machinery is a matter of about half a century. The major focus in the area came since the times of green revolution in late 1960s when the high yielding varieties (HYVs) inspired farming community for paradigm shift in adoption of other new technologies including farm mechanization. The major emphasis has been on farm traction, exploitation of sub surface water resources from sweet water aquifer, harvesting/threshing of crops, spraying of crops against insects, pests/diseases and pressurized irrigation operations. The main purpose of farm mechanization is to improve efficiency by replacing techniques with more efficient use of machines which performs sowing, harvesting, shallow wells and transport with less time and more efficient that animals based techniques. Mechanization of farm operation has become necessary due to shortage of labor and animal power at planting and harvesting stages of crops. It helps in timely sowing, cultural practices and harvesting of crops and reduction in post harvest losses. The most popular forms of mechanization are tractors with cultivators, drills, wheat threshers, sprayers, power rigs, tube-wells and bulldozers. The total number of operational tractors in the country is estimated to be 342,000 by June 2005. Thus available horsepower (hp) at farm level will be 0.82 hp per hectare as compared with 1.4 hp per hectare recommended by FAO for developing countries. It is projected that 45,000 tractors per annum will be added to the existing fleet. Thus, the total number of operational tractors will be increased to 466 thousand in 2009-10, increasing the horsepower at farm level to 1.1 hp per hectare. The fleet of bulldozers in the provinces will be strengthened for the development of wastelands and construction of slow action dams. The availability of institutional credit for the purchase of tractors and other agricultural machinery will be ensured through earmarking the actual credit requirement to Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) and other commercial banks. The farmers will be facilitated to procure small seed processing units and establish primary grading facilities at farm level to fetch good price of their produce. The sugarcane harvesters, maize and cotton pickers, paddy transplanters and laser land leveling equipments will be introduced. Custom hire farm service centers will be established at suitable places for costly agricultural machinery/implements for small and medium farmers under public-private partnership. The public sector will provide seed money and technical assistance for the establishment of these centers. The farmers organizations will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of these centers on sustainable basis. The factors included in farm efficiency are Left bank outfall drainage scheme Land leveling Water courses Drainage schemes Left bank outfall drainage scheme Emerging drainage problems The greatly increased continuous use of Indus water for irrigation (from storage or direct river diversions) has significantly altered the hydrological balance of the Indus Basin. Seepage losses from irrigation canals, distributaries, minors, and watercourses and deep percolation from the irrigated lands have resulted in a gradual rising of the groundwater table, bringing with it critical problems of water logging and salinity over a vast area. Water logging is widespread throughout Punjab and Sind provinces, where most of the countrys food and fiber crops are produced. In the early 1900s, the water table was generally more than 15 meters (m) below the surface throughout the Indus Plain. However, by 1978 (when the Indus Basin Salinity Survey was completed), the water table in 22% of the Indus Basin was within 1.8 m of the surface, and an additional 30% was within 3 m. The condition has get worse since then. There was a comprehensive survey conducted in 1961 calculated that about 40,0 00 ha of land were being lost per year to agricultural production due to water logging and salinity. While these estimations have not been updated available information suggests that land neglected in severely waterlogged areas is continuing. What is left bank outfall drainage schemes The Left bank outfall drainage concept embraces major drainage and agricultural development and represents the collective efforts of Government of Punjab, Government of Sind, WAPDA, 1UNDP, international consultants, and potential co financiers, led by the World Bank. The Stage I Project has evolved from numerous investigations and studies initiated in the mid-1960s and refined thereafter. The project was subjected to extensive professional scrutiny and is a milestone in the Banks long-standing involvement with Indus Basin development. The LEFT BANK OUTFALL DRAINAGE SCHEME concept has been subject to intensive project preparation during the past 20 years. The Lower Indus Project report, prepared in 1966 by Sir N. MacDonald and Partners Ltd. and Hunting Technical Services Ltd., both of the United Kingdom, contains a comprehensive plan for optimum development of agriculture in the LEFT BANK OUTFALL DRAINAGE SCHEME area. Why this scheme is so important for Pakistani agriculture due to the irrigation conditions of agriculture Major factors in recent improvement of agriculture have been favorable weather and the affirmative response of farmers to GOVERMENT OF PUNJABs policies and programs for agriculture sector development. Land leveling in Pakistan Studies have indicated that a significant (20 to 25 %) amount of irrigation water is lost during its application due to poor farm designing and uneven fields. It has been estimated that the farmers keep on applying water until the maximum point in a field is covered. This leads to over-irrigation of low-lying areas and under-irrigation of superior spots in those results in irregular supply of all nutrients to the plants besides accumulation of salts in such areas. The fields not correctly leveled, because wastage of land, low irrigation efficiencies, and eventual result is considerably lesser yields than the possible. Accurate Land leveling (PLL) consists of grading and planning land to a smooth level or no slope to facilitate efficient irrigation. Modernized method of carrying out PLL is by using LASER equipment that helps in attaining mandatory degree of precision at lesser cost and effort. LASER land leveling equipment is provided to the farmers on nominal average rental charges i .e. Rs 150/hour to 200/hour. An area of about approximately 400,000 acres has been accurately leveled in the Punjab since inauguration of OFWM program that includes over 113,000 acres leveled with LASER technology. Precision Land Leveling (PLL) is a mechanical process of grading and smoothing the land to a accurate and consistent plane surface at grade or no grade (zero slope) with variation of less than  ± 2cm. It is carried out to control irrigation application losses at the farmers fields besides other advantages. LASER technology has been proved to be advantageous as it minimizes the cost of irrigation operation, ensures better degree of precision in much lesser time, saves irrigation water, ascertains consistent seed germination, increases fertilizer use efficiency and resultantly enhances crop yields. Impact studies on LASER land leveling identify that it: Curtails the irrigation application losses up to the extent of 25% Reduces labor requirements for irrigation by about 35% Enhances the irrigated area by about 2% by brining the number as well as length of field ditches and dikes to a minimum * Increases the crop yields by about 20% Pakistan is considered to be the pioneer in South Asia for promoting use of LASER technology in irrigated agriculture. OFWM Punjab has tested the first laser leveling equipment in 1985. Before devolution, there were 140 LASER land leveling units available with District Governments which have been procured through donor assisted projects, respectively. One hundred units were equipped with tractors while 40 units were without tractors. These machines have accurately leveled about 125,000 acres of land. The yearly potential of available LASER equipment was about 25,000 acres per year. The major operational limitation encountered to make sufficient use of this equipment was insufficient availability of OM funds with the public sector. Drainage schemes The constant expansion of the irrigation system over the past century drastically altered the hydrological balance of the Indus River basin. Seepage from the system and percolation from irrigated fields caused the water table to get higher, attaining crisis conditions for a significant area. Around 1900 the water table was typically more than sixteen meters below the surface of the Indus Plain. A 1981 study found the water table to be within about three meters of the surface in more than one-half the cropped area in Sindh and more than one-third the area in Punjab. In some areas, the water table is much nearer to the surface. Cropping is fatally affected over a wide area by poor drainagewater loggingand by accumulated salts in the soil. Officials were conscious of the need for additional expenditure to prevent further worsening of the existing situation. Emphasis in the 1980s and early 1990s was on rehabilitation and preservation of existing canals and watercourses, on farm improvements on the farms themselves (including some land leveling to conserve water), and on drainage and salinity in priority areas. Emphasis was also placed on the short-term projects, mainly to improve the operation of the irrigation system in order to lift up yields. Element of the funding would come from stable increases in water use fees; the objective is gradually to raise water charges to cover operation and maintenance costs. Substantial time and money are needed to understand the full potential of the irrigation system and bring it up to modern standards.(detected) Irrigation and watercourses In the beginning of 1990s, irrigation from the Indus River and its tributaries comprised the worlds largest contiguous irrigation system, capable of watering over 16 million hectares. The system includes three major storage reservoirs and numerous barrages, head works and canals, distribution channels. The total length of the canal system exceeds 58,000 kilometers; there are a further 1.6 million kilometers of farm and field ditches. Over the use of Indus waters there were prolonged disputes between India and Pakistan because partition placed portions of the Indus River and its tributaries under Indias control. After nine years of dialogue and technological studies, the issue was resolved by the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. India use of the waters of the main eastern tributaries in its territorythe Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers after a ten year transitional period, the treaty awarded Pakistan received use of the waters of the Indus River and its western tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. When the treaty was signed, Pakistan began an extended and rapid irrigation construction program, partly financed by the Indus Basin expansion Fund of US$800 million contributed by various nations, including the US, and administered by the World Bank. Several huge link canals were built to transfer water from western rivers to eastern Punjab to substitute flows in eastern tributaries that India began to redirect in accordance with the terms of the treaty. In 1967 the Mangla Dam, on the Jhelum River, was completed. The dam provided the first major water storage for the Indus irrigation arrangement. The flood control was also contributed by the dam, for regulation of flows for some of the link canals, and to the countrys energy supply. At the same time, further construction was undertaken on barrages and canals. The vital need in the 1960s and 1970s to raise crop production for domestic and export markets led to water flows well beyond designed capacities. Completion of the Mangla and Tarbela reservoirs, as well as enhancement in other parts of the system, made superior water flows possible. In addition, the government began installing public tube wells that frequently discharge into upper levels of the system to add to the available water. The higher water flows in parts of the system significantly go beyond design capacities, creating stresses and risks of breaches. However, many farmers, mainly those with smallholdings and those on the way to the end of watercourses, suffer because the supply of water is unreliable. The irrigation system represents a considerable engineering achievement and provides water to the fields that account for ninety percent of agricultural production. Nevertheless, serious problems in the design of the irrigation system avert achieving the highest potential agricultural output. LITERATURE REVIEW Production Efficiency and Agriculture Productivity According to research (Taylor, Drummond, Gomes, 1986) which relates to effectiveness of subsidized credit programs in improving the productivity of traditional farmers in developing countries the credit program known as PRODEMATA it is concluded by empirical results suggest that PRODEMATA has had no desire impact on technical efficiency and a slightly negative effect on allocative productivity (it is defined as a theoretical measure of the advantage or utility resulting from a planned or actual choice in the distribution or distribution of resources). The poor but efficient hypothesis states that the provision of agricultural credit will be ineffective in improving productivity and incomes since investment opportunities are limited. Traditional farmers are hypothesized to be efficient but faced with technological barriers that can- not be overcome by the mere influx of capital provided by credit programs alone. It is further analyzed that the economics of credit in Brazil and concluded there was an underutilization of capital on small farms and that credit would relieve capital shortages and improve output. However, in analyzing farm-level production in it is found that technological barriers were present which would prevent credit programs from having a significant impact on capital formation and incomes. Studying traditional agriculture in southern Brazil concluded that in- creased investment capital formation, such as use of mechanized equipment and fertilizer, alone is not the answer to increasing crop production. Better management, Information sources and consumption of resources are as significant and should be equally emphasized if any advantage is to be anticipated from increasing disbursement on these inputs. The implication here is that, while credit availability may afford traditional farmers the opportunity to invest in modernized inputs, there is no guarantee that these inputs will be used in such manner as to recognize the full level of output gains possible. It thus seems appropriate that the effectiveness of subsidized credit in traditional farming depends on concerns of technical as well as allocative efficiency. The research above illustrated credit program named as PRODEMATA was instituted The result was that participated in the program compared to those of nonparticipating farms indicate that the program wa