Unsung Heros Women Who Served In free essay sample

The Armed Forces In Wwii Essay, Research Paper There are many obscure heroes who served in World War Two. For my research, I will research some of the many ways in which brave adult females served in the armed forces. I will look into the undermentioned inquiries: how they were recruited ; what types of obstructions, barriers and/or bias they encountered ; what types of occupations or responsibilities were available to them ; and what type of intervention they received in the armed forces every bit good as in the populace sector. Womans played a major portion in war attempts of World War Two, they were instrumental in maintaining the peace, transporting goods, every bit good as helping the military mans in the field. They served in every theatre of the war and in served many traditional every bit good as untraditional functions. Harmonizing to Grunhitz-Hoyt, adult females who served in traditional functions frequently received better intervention than those who were in untraditional 1s. We will write a custom essay sample on Unsung Heros Women Who Served In or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ( sixteen ) More than a twelvemonth before the U.S. entered WW II the military realized that it would necessitate big Numberss of adult females to manage clerical, communications and other support maps. The War and Navy Departments hired adult females between June 30, 1940 and 1941. After the bombardment of Pearl Harbor the armed services found they needed adult females under military control, adult females they could delegate where needed. Patriotism was high, adult females were proud to hold the chance to function. They knew that they were responsible for assisting the United States win the war. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt ) During the early old ages of World War Two adult females were recruited to function in many ways American adult females served in the undermentioned subdivisions of service during World War Two: Army # 167 ; Army Nurse Corps # 167 ; Woman Army Corps/Woman s Army Auxiliary Corps # 8211 ; WACS/WAACS Air force # 167 ; Women s Airforce Service Pilots WASPS Navy # 167 ; Navy Nurse Corps # 167 ; Women Appointed For Voluntary Emergency Service # 8211 ; WAVES Marine Corps # 167 ; US Marine Corps Women s Reserve # 8211 ; Marinettes Coast Guard # 167 ; United States Coast Guard Women s Reserve SPARS During World War Two, about 400,000 American military adult females served stateside and abroad. ( Littoff A ; Smith 35-36 ) Recruitment Requirements # 167 ; In order to be considered for hitch in any subdivision of service appliers had to be United States citizens and be between the ages of 21 and 45. For most subdivisions of the service she could hold no dependants, be at least five pess tall, and weigh 100 lbs or more. ( Bellafaire ) # 167 ; Merely registered nurses were eligible for military service. ( Bellafaire ) # 167 ; WASPS recruits had to be at least 21 old ages old and could non hold kids under 14. WASPs were accepted every bit immature as 18 if the adult female had a pilot # 8217 ; s licence and flight experience. She besides had to go through a personal interview and rating. The bulk of the WASPs were white with the exclusion of two Chinese-American adult females who were accepted into the plan. ( Merryman 14-15 ) Womans who served in the armed forces were faced with many obstacles/prejudices and barriers some of these include: # 167 ; Disapproval from parents who did non believe that their girls should enlist, and from people who believed that # 8220 ; nice misss # 8221 ; didn # 8217 ; t serve in the armed forces. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt 4: sixteen, ten ) # 167 ; Even though the military asked for their service, adult females did non happen it easy to subscribe up. Black adult females faced the biggest barriers. Because of racial favoritism, they weren # 8217 ; t even allowed into the station offices to pick up applications for service. ( Moore 2 ) # 167 ; Service chances for African American adult females were really limited due to the fact that many subdivisions of the service refused to acknowledge them. African American adult females had no other pick but to fall in the Army because that was the lone subdivision of the service that would acknowledge them. ( Moore 2 ) # 167 ; As stated by Martha Settle Putney, African American adult females were faced with segregation, bias and barriers in the armed forces that most white adult females who served didn T face. Regardless of her rank she would be segregated from the white military personnels, given inferior lodging and even officers would be barred from entry into white officer s nines. ( Brokaw 185-90 ) # 167 ; Womans were subjected to sexual torment and attempted colzas. ( Meyer 100-121 ) # 167 ; There was a dual criterion in respect to fraternisation between work forces and adult females in the service. For illustration, if a adult female dated or married a military man she would be punished. But the military man would non have any penalty at all. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt 128-134 ) # 167 ; They found that opportunities for transportation and publicity were highly limited, and many adult females served throughout the war at the stations to which they were ab initio assigned. ( Bellafaire ) # 167 ; The imperativeness and media frequently made onslaughts on adult females who served in the armed forces, sometimes picturing them as tribades or scatterbrained females. ( Meyer 113 ) Job Duties and Assignments Harmonizing to Gruhzit-Hoyt, Women had limited picks for functioning in World War II. Womans who served in traditional functions such as nursing and Red Cross places received the best intervention. Womans who worked in extremely specialized occupations such as the Office of Strategic Services where educational degrees were high besides received better intervention. ( 4: sixteen ) Gruhzit-Hoyt studies that they continued to be # 8220 ; file clerks, office workers, cooks, and bakers ; they besides worked as car mechanics, truck drivers, and pilots, wireless operators and cryptographers. # 8221 ; They shortly became competent in these occupations, enabling the work forces to function in combat, which was one of the primary intents of adult females # 8217 ; s enlisting. ( 4: xvi-xvii ) Despite the prohibition against adult females functioning in designated combat zones, the lines of combat and noncombat countries blurred for some of the adult females. WACs following the ground forcess into enemy districts throughout Western Europe and into Germany, found themselves endangered by snipers and enemy bombardments. Red Cross adult females encountered these same menaces. ( 4: nineteen ) Nurses Harmonizing to Gruhzit-Hoyt, merely registered nurses were eligible for military service. The Army Nurse Corps included 5,433 adult females with 823 adult females in the Navy Nurse Corps at the clip of the bombardment of Pearl Harbor. At war # 8217 ; s terminal, 54,291 adult females were in the Army Nurse Corps and 11,086 in the Navy Nurse Corps. A sum of 76,000 adult females served as military nurses during the War. ( 8:12 ) Nurses served in veteran s infirmaries, combat bearers, and overseas. These adult females were responsible for the attention of ill and injured military mans they frequently had really limited field equipment and were forced to do due with the supplies that they had at manus. They worked long hours sometimes up to 18 hours a twenty-four hours during times of crisis. These adult females were frequently at great hazard of danger themselves, during the war 201 Army nurses died in action. Army nurses in Manila worked through the Nipponese bombardments and some became captives of war for the balance of the war. The Germans shot down one Army flight emptying nurse in Europe who became a captive of war. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt 2:4:70 ) WACS/WAACS # 167 ; Initially most WACS/WAACS worked as file clerks, typists, amanuensiss, or motor pool drivers, but bit by bit each service discovered an increasing figure of places WACS/WAACS were capable of make fulling. By January 1945 merely 50 per centum of WAC S held traditional assignments such as file clerk, typist, and stenographer. ( Meyer 74-99 ) # 167 ; Womans were assigned as conditions perceivers and predictors, cryptanalysts, wireless operators and maintenance mans, sheet metal workers, parachute riggers, link trainer teachers, bombsight care specializers, aerial exposure analysts, and command tower operators. ( Gruhit-Hoyt 62-99 ) # 167 ; Harmonizing to Bellafaire: Womans assigned to the Ordnance Department calculated the velocity of slugs, measured bomb fragments, assorted gunpowder, and loaded shells. Others worked as draughtsmans, mechanics, and linemans, and some received preparation in munition technology. Many of the WAACs assigned to the Transportation Corps processed work forces for assignment overseas, managing forces files and publishing arms. WAACs served as boat starters and categorization specializers. WAACs assigned to the Chemical Warfare Service ( ASF ) worked both in research labs and in the field. Some adult females were trained as glass blowers and made trial tubings for the Army # 8217 ; s chemical research labs. Others field tested equipment such as walky-talkies and appraising and weather forecasting instruments. The 250 WAACs assigned to the Quartermaster Corps ( ASF ) kept path of reserves of supplies scattered in terminals across the state. Their responsibilities included review, procurance, stock control, storage, fin ancial inadvertence, and contract expiration. Over 1,200 WAACs assigned to the Signal Corps ( ASF ) worked as telephone patchboard operators, wireless operators, telegraph operators, cryptanalysts, and exposure and map analysts. WAACs assigned as lensmans received preparation in the rules of developing and publishing exposure, mending cameras, blending emulsions, and completing negatives. Womans who became map analysts learned to assemble, saddle horse, and construe mosaic maps. WAACs within the Army Medical Department ( ASF ) were used as research lab, surgical, X-ray, and dental technicians every bit good as medical secretaries and ward clerks, liberating Army nurses for other responsibilities. # 167 ; WAACs assigned to Army Ground Forces frequently felt unwelcome and complained of the intensive subject imposed upon them. ( Bellafaire ) # 167 ; WAACs found that opportunities for transportation and publicity were highly limited, and many adult females served throughout the war at the stations to which they were ab initio assigned. ( Bellafaire ) White anglo-saxon protestant Harmonizing to Gruhzit-Hoyt and Merryman, during the early months of World War II, there was a critical deficit of male pilots. America # 8217 ; s taking adult female pilot, Jacqueline Cochran, convinced the Chief of the Army Air Forces, General Henry Arnold, that she could convey together a corps of adult females pilots. If given the same Army Air Force winging preparation as that given to the AAF male plebes, the adult females would be every bit capable of winging military aircraft and could alleviate male pilots needed for combat responsibility. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt 4: sixteen, nineteen ) . As Merryman illustrates, WASPS were considered civilian voluntaries during their biennial term of responsibility. Merryman quotes former WASP Madge Rutherford Minton: We had no insurance. We got $ 250 a month to wing the most unsafe and heaviest aeroplanes that were deployed by the United State Air Forces. We had to pay our ain board measure ; we bought our ain uniforms. ( Merryman 6 ) , # 167 ; The WASPS were an elect group, merely 1,830 of 25,000 adult females voluntaries who applied were accepted for pilot preparation. WASPS received the same preparation as their male opposite numbers. ( Lisowski ) # 167 ; Missions included ferrying aircraft, towing marks for unrecorded air-to-air gunnery pattern and unrecorded anti-aircraft heavy weapon pattern, simulated strafing and dark tracking missions, flight testing aircraft, fume laying, wireless control winging, transporting lading and forces and functioning as instrument and flight teachers for Army Air Force plebes. ( Grunhzit-Hoyt 150 52 ) ( Merryman 1-13 ) , # 167 ; Conflicting grounds exists about the intervention of the Women Airforce Service Pilots ( WASP ) . Gruhzit-Hoyt studies that the WASP units were treated better than adult females in many other places since adult females pilots had frequently logged more hours than the work forces they worked with. ( 4: sixteen, nineteen ) . Merryman tells a different narrative, she reports that opposition was strong against the WASP and this may hold accounted for some of their deceases. Women pilots who towed marks reported artilleryman trainees shot intentionally at the planes ensuing in the surrenders of some WASPs who feared for their lives. ( 51-61 ) # 167 ; Thirty-eight WASP S lost their lives while functioning their state as military pilots. ( Lisowski ) American Red Cross During World War II, the adult females of the Red Cross played an of import function. The Red Cross helped the wounded with assistance and medical intervention. The Red Cross canteens welcomed American military personnels. The Red Cross would handle and bind up the hurt soldiers. Army nurses and Red Cross infirmary workers set up field and emptying infirmaries. The American Red Cross drove clubmobiles to stray outstations to give out java and doughnuts to the soldiers. Many Red Cross nurses were wounded and killed while salvaging the lives of hurt soldiers, and some were taken as captives. ( Gruhzit-Hoyt 220-248 ) The Disbanding of the Auxiliary Unit of measurements By the terminal war the subsidiary subdivisions of the service were disbanded, adult females who had served in all subdivisions of the service stateside and relieved or replaced work forces for combat responsibility overseas were relieved of their responsibilities. Most with the exclusion of the WAC s were denied full miltiary position and were non eligible for the benefits such as the G.I. Bill to pay for schooling, low involvement lodging loans or VA benefits. They were non considered veterans, merely subsidiary units. ( Meyer 182 ) Harmonizing to Meyers, it would take several old ages after World War II for adult females to procure a lasting topographic point in the state # 8217 ; s Armed Forces. The Armed Forces Integration Act in 1948 led the manner for the adult females of the sixtiess and 70s to spread out their functions in the Army and take up the battle in the other military services. These adult females paved the manner for future coevalss of adult females non merely in the armed forces but in the populace sector as good.

Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders

Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders Introduction Background Information Community service as a concept has gained popularity throughout the world for various reasons. Perold Rahmat (1997:14) are of the view that this concept is gaining popularity in discourses taking place throughout the world. This is especially the case in community development discussions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Impacts of Undergraduates’ Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bryant West (2011) views community service as service or activity that â€Å"..is donated or performed by an individual or a group of individuals to benefit the community† (p. 82). The aim of community service is to benefit members of the public or the various institutions that are found in a contemporary society. It is noted that not every individual who provides community service can be referred to as a volunteer. This is a common misconception among members of the public. It is not everyone who is contributing to the wellbeing of the community is doing so at their own free will. This is given the fact that the individual may be compelled to provide community service by various factors. Such an individual cannot be conceptualised as a volunteer. However, those who provide community service on their own volition with the sole aim of benefiting members of the society and the various social institutions can be regarded as volunteers (Hustinx, 2005: 530). So what are some of the reasons that compel someone to provide community service? According to Jones Hill (2003: 539), there are various reasons why one may feel compelled to provide community service against their will. For example, the government may require some people to provide community service as a policy. This is for example when military officers are required to provide humanitarian assistance to members of the public during war. Another r eason may be an order from the court especially for those criminals who are serving their sentence on probation. A school may also require the students to provide community service before they graduate. These are just some of the various reasons that may compel someone to provide community service against their will.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Jehan (2004: 297) opines that recent developments in the world today have greatly affected community service. For example, globalisation has made the community so complex such that several communities around the world are dependent on each other. This being the case, community service in one community may have impacts on another society in a different part of the world. The issue of interdependence among communities is especially significant given the fact that globalisation has created a situation whereby limited r esources have to be shared by the various communities around the world (Jehan, 2004: 297). As a result of globalisation, it is noted that community service requires the engagement of various stakeholders in the society. This is given the fact that a single sector or a single segment of the society cannot effectively meet the requirements of community service in a given society (Hustinx, 2005: 526). Collaboration between various stakeholders such as businesses, schools and such others is needed to improve the welfare of the community. So what are some of the benefits of community service? According to Vermeulen, Nawir Mayers (2003: 12), both the community and the person providing the service stand to benefit from community service. For example as far as the individual is concerned, community service leads to a sense of pride and satisfaction after helping the needy (Dwayne Palmer, 2006: 399). The individual feels needed and feels that they have contributed to the wellbeing of the s ociety. Community service also fosters a sense of responsibility on the part of the volunteer or the person providing the service (Bednarz et al., 2008: 92). The person feels indebted to the community and feels that they have a duty to perform. It is noted that community service strengthens the community benefiting from the service. For example, a business enterprise providing free medical services to the members of the community improves the overall health of the whole community (Altman, 1995: 529). As the volunteer gets to interact with other members of the community, a sense of tolerance develops between the members of the community and the volunteer. This is especially so in regions such as Africa where ethnic and tribal animosity is rife. A volunteer should ideally provide services to all members of the society without discriminating on the basis of ethnicity or other differences.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Impacts of Under graduates’ Engagement in Community Service on Stakeholders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to note that as much as the community and the individual stands to benefit from community service, there are various challenges facing the provision of this service in a given community (Bebbington Farrington, 1993: 202). The challenges vary through time and space. This means that they vary from one community to the other and from one time or period to the other. Such challenges may include the resistance on the part of the members of the community. The members of the community may resist help from outsiders even when it is obvious that such help is to their own benefit. For example, a country in Africa may decline humanitarian help from a Western nation claiming that such assistance may threaten the sovereignty of the country. Another challenge may be resistance and lack of cooperation on the part of the community service prov iders. A case in point is when students resist providing community service when it is made mandatory by the school management. It is also noted that community service may be threatened by lack of funds which will hamper the ability of the organisation or the individual to provide such services. A case in point is when there is lack of donor funding to support famine relief programs in Africa. Problem Statement As already noted in this paper, community service can be provided by different individuals and organisations from within and without the target community. This may include businesses providing community service as part of their corporate social responsibility program, faith based organisations as part of their outreach program or individuals interested in giving back to the community (Booth, 2006: 13). A university is such an organisation that may find it necessary to provide community service as part of its academic and professional program. The university may require the stu dents to participate in community service before they graduate. This is for example when the department of dentistry requires the trainee dentists to participate in dental camps organised in the community to provide members of the community with free dental services. Other activities in which the students may participate include planting trees, cleaning, caring for the needy among others.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Perold Rahmat (1997) are of the view that universities in Africa have embraced community service as a program and strategy aimed at addressing various problems facing such an institution. For example, the universities may require the students to engage in community service in order to gain practical experience as far as working within the community is concerned (Cooke Kothari, 2001: 13). The universities may also participate in community service as part of the institution’s efforts to give back to the community. According to Perold Rahmat (1997: 15), advocates of community service are of the view that such a program can be used by the university to address various issues facing higher learning. To this end, advocates of such a program are of the view that community service benefits not only the community but also the student and the institution as a whole. The community benefits by having its welfare and wellbeing of its members improved while the student benefits by gaini ng working experience among other benefits. The university on its side is able to establish and sustain working relationship with the members of such a community as a result of the community service (Wilson, 2011: 19). One is able to identify the various stakeholders involved in community service in Africa by analyzing the benefits that community service provided by a university has. The stakeholders in such a case may include the students, the university, the government and the community as alluded to above (Mobley, 2007: 129). Out of all these stakeholders, it is noted that the university students who are participating in community service are perhaps the main beneficiaries of such a program. As already indicated in this paper, the students acquire professional skills as a result of their participation and they may also be earning in the process (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 15). This is for example when the students are financed by various donor agencies to participate in community serv ice. It is noted that youths actively advocate for community service programs in African universities. This is perhaps given the fact that they have come to realise that they are the main beneficiaries of such programs. Authors cite the example of the annual South African Students’ Congress (also referred to as Sasco) held in 1996 which passed a resolution supporting compulsory community work for all students in institutions of higher learning (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 16). According to the resolution passed by the students, community work should be in line with what the student is studying in the university. For example, a Social Work student may be involved in the provision of free social services to street children in the cities. The South African National Youth Commission also advocates for a program targeting university students in the country. The commission is of the view that such a program can be used as a creative strategy to finance higher education in South Africa (H ellebrandt, 2008: 222). The commission proposes that students who cannot meet their higher education expenses can collect credits by providing their services to the community. The discourse above illustrates a university-community development partnership in Africa. This is where the university and the community come together to improve the welfare of the members of the society. This paper is going to address the university-community partnership in Africa. The author is going to specifically address the impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on stakeholders as far as Africa is concerned. The researcher will adopt a literature review methodology which will involve a critical review of literature that found in this field. The aim of such a critical literature review is to organise the knowledge base that is found in this field by identifying the various agreements and disagreements among authors and scholars. The literature review will also identify knowledge gaps in the field and propose areas for future studies. Research Objectives This study will have one main research objective and several specific objectives. The main objective is the overall aim and goal of the study. The main objective will be attained by addressing the various specific objectives. The main and specific objectives are as listed below: Main Objective To address the impacts of undergraduate engagement in community service on stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned. Specific Objectives Analyse the various stakeholders in university-community partnership in Africa Analyse the various impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on the various stakeholders in Africa Analyse the various strategies adopted by universities in providing community service in Africa Analyse the various benefits of community service provided by universities in Africa Analyse the various challenges affecting the impacts of undergrad uates’ engagement in community service in Africa Analyse the various strategies that can be used to improve the quality of community service provided by universities in Africa Provide recommendations for universities in Africa regarding university-community development partnerships in the continent Research Questions Like research objectives, this study will have a major research question and various specific research questions. It is important to note that the research questions are related to the research objectives. This is given the fact that by answering the research questions, the researcher will have addressed the objectives of the research. Major Research Question What are the various impacts of undergraduates’ engagement in community service on the stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned? Specific Research Questions Who are the various stakeholders in university-community partnership in Africa? What are the impacts of u ndergraduates’ engagement in community service in Africa? What strategies are used by African universities to provide community service? What are the benefits of community service provided by universities in Africa? What are some of the challenges facing community service provided by universities in Africa? How can universities in Africa improve the quality of community service provided? Which areas of university-community partnerships in Africa can benefit from future research? Thesis Statement Undergraduates’ engagement in community service has various impacts on stakeholders as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned Methodology As already indicated in this paper, the author is going to use critical literature review as a research methodology. To this end, the researcher is going to identify the findings of various studies in this field and try to identify the various agreements and disagreements between the various authors. One major advanta ge of critical literature review as a methodology is the fact that the study benefits from the various perspectives of different authors in the field. A major weakness of the methodology is the fact that it generates no new knowledge in the field. All the researcher does in critical literature review is reorganise the knowledge that already exists in a given field. The researcher will identify articles from journals, books and such other academic sources that address the issue of university-community development partnership. Several criteria will be used to select articles that will be included as sources in this study. For example, all the articles must come from academic or professional journals that are peer reviewed or from books. This criterion is aimed at providing credible sources for the study. Another criterion has to do with the fact that all the articles must address the issue of community service in the society. This criterion is aimed at providing this author with artic les that are relevant to the topic of the research. All the articles should also be written in English. However, this criterion does not exclude those articles that were originally written in another language but translated later to English. Scope and Limitations of the Study Overview It is noted that it is not possible to carry out a single study that is capable of addressing all the aspects of a given research topic. This being the case, it is important for the researcher to identify the boundaries within which the study will be conducted. Delineation of such a boundary helps the researcher in focusing the study. The issues that will be covered by the study are separated from those that will not be addressed. This reduces ambiguity and lack of clarity in a given study. This study is not different. It is noted that the study has various limitations that may affect the quality of the findings if not addressed. The limitations can emanate from within and from outside the study. Follo wing is a list of the scope and limitations of the study. The researcher will provide strategies to address the limitations where necessary. Scope and Limitations of the Study The study will be limited to community service provided by universities in Africa. Community service from other agencies such as businesses will not be considered The study will be limited to university-community partnerships in Africa. Such partnerships in other countries outside Africa will not be considered for the study It is also noted that the study will be limited to the participation of undergraduate students in community service. Participation from other stakeholders in the university such as lecturers and the university administration will not be the main focus of this paper The study will use information from other studies conducted in the field before. This means that the study will not generate primary data. To uphold the integrity and quality of the study, the researcher will use stringent measu res in selecting the literature that will be used for the study Significance of the Study At any given time, there are a number of studies which are being conducted in a given field. This being the case, any new research or study that is being conducted in the field has to be justified. The study can be justified on the basis of the value that it is going to add to the field. Following is an outline of the significance of this study in this field: The findings of this study will help African universities in identifying the benefits of community service and the challenges facing such programs. This will help them improve such programs in the future The findings of this study will also help universities in other parts of the world to improve their partnership with the communities by learning from the African experience The findings of the study will help policy makers such as government agencies, community based organisations and such other agencies interested in community developme nt identify the importance of university-community partnerships in Africa. This will help the policy makers come up with policies that will support such partnerships in the future Summary In this section, the author introduced the reader to the various aspects of the study that will be conducted later in the paper. Major aspects of the study were highlighted. The researcher started by providing background information on the topic. This was followed by problem statement, research questions and research objectives, methodology of the study, scope and limitations of the study and finally the significance of the study. The following section will provide information on the theoretical framework that will be used. Theoretical Framework Introduction In this section, the writer will provide information on the theoretical framework that will be used for this study. The researcher will use the participatory theory to critically analyse undergraduates’ engagement in community service i n Africa. It is noted that there are various models or theories of participation that are to be found in this field. Most of these theories are borrowed from political participation literature and adapted for participation in the context of community development. The researcher will highlight some of these theories and provide the main assumptions and arguments of the theories. Theoretical framework is an important aspect in any given research. This is given the fact that the assumptions of the theory guide the researcher in conducting the study. By analyzing the various provisions and assumptions of a theoretical framework in the field, the researcher is able to explain and analyse what they observe when conducting the study. Theories are also important since they are used in organising knowledge in a given field in a coherent manner. This makes it easier to retrieve and access the knowledge stored in such a field. Participation in Community Development: Theoretical Models Overview According to Andrea (2000: 28), participation is a very important aspect of community development. Given the fact that university-community participations are aimed at developing the community, it is noted that community development theories are applicable in such a case. Such a community development theory is the one addressing participation in development activities in such a community. According to Chambers (2007: 23), there are various factors that affect participation of various stakeholders in community development activities. These may include the form of motivation that such individuals are receiving, the socio-psychological orientation of the participants among others (Hartslief, 2005: 12). Community Development Participatory Models As already indicated earlier in this paper, there are several participatory models explaining the level and intensity of participation among stakeholders. These models can be borrowed and adapted from political participatory models found in pol itical science literature. Following are the major participatory models that can be applied in the field of community development specifically university-community partnerships in Africa: The Mobilisation Model of Community Development Participation According to this participation model, it is assumed that stakeholders in community development participate in the activities as a result of the availability of opportunities in their surroundings (D’Exelle Riedl, 2008: 12). As far as political participation is concerned, individuals can only participate in political activities such as elections if they are presented with opportunities to do so. In the context of community development, mobilisation participation model holds that an individual will participate in community development if such an opportunity is made available to that individual (Edmunds Wollenberg, 2002: 244). For example, a student will only participate in community service activities if they are provided with th e opportunity to do so. To this end, universities should ensure that they provide the student with the chance and opportunity to participate in community development through community service. This is perhaps the motivation behind the Congress for South African Students cited earlier when members proposed that community service programs should be mandatory in all institutions of higher learning. By making community service mandatory, the university will effectively provide the student with an opportunity to participate in community development (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 100). Mobilisation model theory also stipulates that individuals participate as a result of stimuli from other persons around them (Colby et al., 2011: 55). As far as political participation is concerned, it is noted that people will participate in politics as a result of persuasion and influence from other people around them. The same can apply to community development participation. Individuals may participate in commu nity service as a result of influence from other people. In other words, students in African universities can participate in community service if they are motivated by other people around them. The university can provide such motivators to the students. Community Development and the Social Psychological Model of Participation According to Hellison (2009: 28), stakeholders such as the youth can resist community service for various reasons. It is also noted that there are various strategies that can be used to resist community service or participation in community development activities. This is for example individual rebellion, collective action such as demonstrations among others. Social psychological model of participation can be used to explain such extreme behaviours. In politics, the model can be used to explain political uprising and mass actions such as the ones experienced in Egypt, Libya and other African countries. This theory provides that individuals are utilitarian actor s who are able to analyse the costs and benefits of various actions (Ugochi, 2007: 27). They can analyse the benefits and costs that are associated with their participation in community service activities and they will act based on this analysis. If the student feels that they will not benefit from community service, they are bound to resist and rebel against efforts made to compel them to participate in such activities (Horm Warford, 2003: 144). It is also noted that the individual is an actor who subscribes to a network of social norms and beliefs (Ferraiolo, 2011: 100). It is this network which provides the individual with internal and external motivations to act in a given manner. It is the reason why a student will support calls to make community service mandatory to all students in higher learning institutions in South Africa given the fact that they are tied to such students’ bodies. Participation in Community Service and The General Incentives Model of Participation According to Gillette (1985: 373), there are people who participate in community development with a lot of intensity than others. This is for example those students who will organise community service activities and lobby their teachers and students to join them. The general incentive model can be used to explain such observations. In the context of politics, the theory can be used to shed light on high- intensity forms of participation in political activities. This is for example running for office, campaigning, canvassing and such other activities. In the context of participation in community development and specifically through community service, it is noted that stakeholders need incentives to participate in such activities (Vermeulen, 2005: 34). However, it is noted that we should consider a wider array of such incentives as opposed to limiting ourselves to individual incentives that motivate the stakeholder (Vermeulen et al., 2003: 12). This model is somehow similar to the mot ivation model given the fact that the stakeholder needs a push to participate in community service. There are various forms of incentives that will motivate a stakeholder to participate in community service (Goulding, 2009: 38). A university should be aware of such incentives to ensure that they are put in place where necessary to encourage students’ participation in community development. Such incentives may include the satisfaction that the stakeholder derives from such participation, the recognition that they get among others (Osvaldo Gustavo, 2011: 29). Addressing Impacts of Undergraduates’ Engagement in Community Service in Africa Overview In this section, the researcher will critically analyse issues surrounding the impacts of undergraduates’ participation or engagement in community service in Africa. Among the issues that will be covered include the impacts of such an engagement on stakeholders, the challenges facing such an engagement and strategies use d by universities in community development among others. Stakeholders in University-Community Partnerships in Africa Before looking at the various benefits of community service by university students, it is important to first identify the various stakeholders that are involved in university-community partnerships in Africa. It is after identifying such stakeholders that we can then look at what each of them stands to gain from undergraduates’ engagement in community service. The following are some of the stakeholders: The Student This is perhaps the most important stakeholder in university-community development partnerships (Timms et al., 2005: 9). It is the students enrolled in various departments in the university who are involved in community service most of the time. For example, Perold Rahmat (1997: 102) cites the case of the South African Students’ Congress which was advocating for mandatory community service for all students in institutions of higher learning i n South Africa. From this analysis, we can conclude that the student has a very important role to play in university-community partnership. The student is the link between the university and the community in this partnership. The University As much as one would like to argue that the undergraduate is the most important stakeholder in university-community partnerships in Africa, it is important to note that the student cannot exist or carry out their duties without the support of the university. It is the university which gives such a student the mandate and the authority to provide community service in the society (Hewson et al., 2010: 12). When the members of the community interact with the student during community service sessions, they see the student as a representative of the particular university that they are coming from. This being the case, it can be argued that the university is an equally important stakeholder in the university-community partnership in Africa. It is the u niversity administration which provides the students with transport, finance and other facilities that are needed in carrying out community service. It is also the university which is tasked with the duty of equipping the student with the skills that are necessary in carrying out community service (Long, 1999: 23). The Community It is noted that the community is the major beneficiary of community service provided by the university through the students (Platteau Gaspart, 2008: 34). The participation of the community is very important in community service. It is important to ensure that the members of the community are involved in the process of identifying their needs and coming up with possible solutions to their problems (Shortall, 2004: 120). According to Chambers (2007: 41), it is important to ensure that community service activities are not imposed on the community by the university and the students or any other agency involved in community service. This is given the fact that when that happens, the community is likely to resist such efforts in effect neutralising the intended benefits. This is despite the fact that the community service endeavours may have been tailored to benefit the community and not the student or the university. Impacts of Students’ Participation in Community Service in Africa on Various Stakeholders As already indicated earlier in this paper, there are several impacts of students’ participation in community service in Africa and elsewhere in the world. It is noted that the impacts may vary from one stakeholder to the other depending on the form of community service that is being offered. One thing that has not being noted is the fact that the participation of students in community service can have both negative and positive impacts on the various stakeholders (Madzivhandila, 2005: 3). The impacts on the various stakeholders will be analysed in detail here: Impacts on Students One of the positive impacts of community s ervice on students is the fact that they gain professional experience from their participation (Ribot, 1999: 34). Take the case of a medical student who is about to graduate. Going to the village and providing medical services gives them an idea of what it is like to work in a real life situation It is also noted that participation in such endeavours leads to a sense of satisfaction on the part of the student. The student feels that they have done something useful for the community and this increases their sense of responsibility (Ribot, 2005: 89) It is noted that participation in community service may have financial benefits for the student. This is for example when the student gets paid to perform extra community service or when they perform community service in exchange for credits to finance their higher education However, it is also important to note that participation in community service may have various negative impacts on the student in Africa. For example, participation ma y take a lot of the student’s time. This is time that could have been used in other activities such as reading for an exam (Arnstein, 1969: 222) At times community service may be irrelevant to the student. This is especially so if the student is involved in community service in an area that is not related to what they are studying in school. This may also happen when the student is compelled to perform community service in order to graduate (Sithole, 2005: 177) Impacts on the University Participation in community service has several impacts on the university as an institution of higher learning in Africa. One of the major positive impacts is the establishment of links between the university and the community within which it is located (Andrea, 2000: 18) However, the participation of undergraduates in community service may be expensive on the part of the university. This is especially so if the type of community service the university is involved in is capital intensive (Tim ms et al., 2005: 2). This is significant given that most of the universities in Africa are underfunded Student participation in community service may also enhance the quality of education that is offered by the university. This is given the fact that the education is not only theoretical but also practical. This being the case, the status of the university as far as potential employers are concerned is enhanced Impacts on the Community The welfare of the community is enhanced when the university engages such a community in a university-community partnership initiative. For example, the health of the members of the community improves when the university provides free or affordable medical services to them (Durham, 2004: 600) Participation of undergraduates in community service may lead to what Platteau Gaspart (2008: 1) refer to as ‘elite capture’. This happens when a few members of the community hijack the services provided by the university and excludes other member s of the society. This will in effect lead to community development that is skewed in favour of a few members of the society or the elite Improving University-Community Partnerships in Africa Having looked at some of the benefits and costs of community service as far as university-community partnership in Africa is concerned, it is now important to look at various strategies that may be used by the various stakeholders to improve the partnership in Africa. We can analyse this by looking at some of the key features of a successful university-community partnership in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The following are some of the features: Using Faculty Work to Improve the Welfare of the Community According to Wilson (2011: 21), higher learning institutions using university-community partnerships to engage the community must start by analyzing the importance of such a partnership in achieving the mission and objective of the university. To this end, it does not benefit the universit y or the community for that matter to engage in community service activities that are seen as ‘dumbing down’ the agenda of the institution (Wilson, 2011: 21). As one step towards improving the quality of community service offered by their faculty members and students in general, the university should review the intended community service activities and how they are related to the objectives and mission of the university. Understanding and Respecting the Community A unique feature of students’ participation in community service is the fact that the activities bring together students and members of the community drawn from different racial and ethnic backgrounds (Vermeulen, 2005: 65). This being the case, there is need for the university and the students to respect and appreciate the unique culture of the community within which they are providing community services. A successful community service program is marked by this respect and understanding. It is noted that more often than not, universities make their way into the community and start imposing programs on that society. This is especially the case when universities from the western nations are involved in a university-community partnership with communities from the African continent. Such a university may enter such an African community with what Wilson (2011: 23) refers to as a â€Å"know-it-all† attitude. Such a university will practically force the community to adopt the policies that are proposed by the so called ‘know- it- all’ partner. Wilson (2011: 22) provides the university wishing to improve the quality of community service with a strategy calculated to gain acceptance from the target community. The author is of the view that the university should first immerse itself fully into the target community before initiating engagement. This will make the community accept the university and thus support the activities of such an institution. Africa may be regarded as a backward and primitive continent by many students who are not aware of the diversity of communities in this continent. Such students may be stereotypical when engaged in community service in African communities. This will compromise the community service activities initiated by universities in this continent. Establish Long-Term and Sustainable Partnerships with the Community Wilson (2011: 24) notes that a successful university-community partnership is not an â€Å"episodic phenomenon†. It is not something that develops overnight. On the contrary, such an engagement is â€Å".programmatic, research-based and more often than not long term† (Wilson, 2011: 24). Most communities in Africa are plagued by challenges and problems that have accumulated over the years as a result of negligence from the rest of the world. This is for example problems brought about by colonisation and exploitation of resources by the western nations (Colby et al., 2011: 56). These are some o f the challenges that are addressed by university-community partnership initiatives in Africa. For example, such an initiative may be addressing rampant poverty in Africa which has been brought about by interplay of factors such as bad governance, exploitation, illiteracy among others. To better address such challenges in Africa, the universities should adopt a long term strategy as opposed to a short term form of intervention (Bednarz et al., 2008: 88). As already noted, the problems did not develop overnight. This being the case, a strategy aimed at addressing these challenges should also be long term just like the challenges themselves (Dwayne Palmer, 2006: 400). As a step towards building long term engagements with the community, it is noted that the university should seek the collaboration of other agencies in community development. These are agencies such as the government, faith based organisations and other non-governmental organisations (Osvaldo Gustavo, 2011: 25). It was mentioned earlier in this paper that recent developments in the word such as globalisation and the rise of technology has changed the community completely. This is especially so for African communities which were under the rule of colonialists for a very long time. This being the case, the challenges that are facing these communities cannot be effectively tackled by one agency alone. This is the reason why the university requires other strategic stakeholders to ensure that the university-community development partnership is sustainable (Booth, 2006: 13). Types of Community Service Programs Initiated by University-Community Partnerships in Africa Community service programs take various forms in Africa. The following are just some of these forms of community service programs: Volunteer Service Programs According to Perold Rahmat (1997), a volunteer is a person who takes community service as a form of extra-curricular activity. The volunteer is involved in community service during ho lidays or when they are not having classes in the case of a university student. In volunteer programs, the student is expected to perform general tasks and not necessarily tasks that are related to their academic field. This means that volunteer programs are not taken as part of class work by the university. The student engaged in volunteer community service is not paid. However, it is noted that the university may fund the activities of the volunteer but this should not be taken as payment on the part of the volunteer student (Bryant West, 2011: 85). Work-Study Programs According to Hustinx (2005: 530), this is a form of program that combines studies and working at the same time. For example, the student may be involved in assisting their lecturers in conducting research, teaching other students among other things. A major aim of work-study program in African universities and other universities around the world is to support the student financially. This is especially so if the ad ministration feels that the student is bright but is needy and cannot afford the tuition fees. This is one way of giving back to the community on the part of the university. Placements A well known form of placement program is internship. Internship has become part of the curriculum in many universities in Africa and in the world in general. However, it is important to note that placement is not strictly structured to give back to the community on the part of the university (Perold Rahmat, 1997: 100). On the contrary, the major aim of placement is to provide the student with a link between theory and practice in learning. However, a critical analysis of the program will reveal that it has some aspects of community service in it. This is especially so when the student is attached to community based organisations such as NGOs which are providing free social services to the public. Conclusion This study critically looked at the impacts of undergraduate students’ engagement in c ommunity service in Africa. The researcher started by defining what community service is and what it entails. Some of the benefits and costs of community service to various stakeholders were analysed. The various forms of community service were also analysed as well as the various strategies that can be used by the universities in Africa to improve their community service programs. Recommendations for Future Research Future studies should make an effort to analyse how universities can improve their development partnerships with the communities. This is given the fact that there is very little data in this field touching on this topic Future studies should also try to analyse the impacts of other students apart from undergraduates as far as their engagement in community service in Africa is concerned. This is as a result of the realisation that other groups of students such as post-graduates are also involved in community service References Altman, D. G. (1995). Sustaining interventi ons in community systems: On the relationship between researchers and communities. Health Psychology, 14(6): 526-536. Andrea, C. (2000). Making a difference: Gender and participatory development. IDS, 2000: 5-30. Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of American Institute of Planners, 23: 216-224. Bebbington, A., Farrington, J. (1993). Governments, NGOs and agricultural development: Perspectives on changing inter-organisational relationships. The Journal of Development Studies, 29(2): 199-219. Bednarz, S. W., et al. (2008). Community engagement for students learning in geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(1): 87-100. Booth, M. (2006). Public engagement and practical wisdom. Perth: University of Western Australia Press. Bryant, J., West, M. (2011). Mutual benefits that can accrue to universities and communities from their interactions with each other. University Avenue, 2011: 80-86. Chambers, R. (2007). Who counts? The quiet revolutio n of participation and numbers. IDS Working Paper, 296: 1-42. Colby, A., et al. (2011). The role of higher education in preparing undergraduates for lives of civic responsibility. University Avenue, 2011: 51-57. Cooke, B., Kothari, U. (2001). Participation: The new tyranny? London: Zed Books. D’Exelle, B., Riedl, A. (2008). Elite capture, political voice and exclusion from aid: An experimental study. CESifo, 2008: 1-32. Durham, D. (2004). Disappearing youth: Youth as a social shifter in Botswana. American Ethnologist, 31(4): 589-605. Dwayne, B. A., Palmer, R. J. (2006). Examining the effects of perceptions of community and recreation participation on quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 75(3): 395-418. Edmunds, D., Wollenberg, E. (2002). A strategic approach to multi-stakeholder negotiations. Development and Change, 32(2): 231-253. Ferraiolo, K. (2011). Assessment strategies in civic engagement and higher education. University Avenue, 2011: 89-102. Gillette, A. (1 985). Youth, literacy and participation. International Review of Education, 31(4): 373-395. Goulding, A. (2009). Engaging with community engagement: Public libraries and citizen involvement. New Library World, 110(1): 37-51. Hartslief, O. (2005). The South African presidential participation program. Presidential Imbizo, 1-19. Hellebrandt, J. (2008). The role of service learning in the new Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement in Spanish language teaching and learning: Policy, practice and performance. Hispania, 91(1): 222-224. Hellison, D. (2009). Engaging urban youths: A youth development perspective. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, 80(8): 27-34. Hewson, J., et al. (2010). Enhancing social work research education through research field placements. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(9): 7-15. Horm, D. M., Warford, S. D. (2003). Bridging the gap through community collaboration: An evolving role for child development laboratory programs. Advance s in Early Education Day Care, 12: 142-147. Hustinx, L. (2005). Bifurcated commitment, priorities and social contagion: The dynamics and correlates of volunteering within a university student population. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 26(4): 523-538. Jehan, L. (2004). Business-community partnerships: The case for community organisation capacity building. Journal of Business Ethics, 53(3): 297-311. Jones, S., Hill, K. (2003). Understanding patterns of commitment: Student motivation for community service involvement. The Journal of Higher Education, 74(5): 516-539. Long, N. (1999). The multiple optic of interface analysis: UNESCO background paper on interface analysis. Wageningen University, October 1999: 1-24. Madzivhandila, P. et al. (2005). Effective regional improvement and innovation networks: Critical success factors and critical failure factors. Web. Mobley, C. (2007). Breaking ground: Engaging undergraduates in social change through service learning. Teaching Soc iology, 35(2): 125-137. Osvaldo, C., Gustavo, S. (2011). A public citizen: The civic role of an educational institution for the betterment of society. University Avenue, 2011: 24-31. Perold, H., Rahmat, O. (1997). Community service in higher education: A concept paper. The Joint Education Trust, 1997: 3-107. Platteau, J.P., Gaspart, F. (2008). The ‘elite capture’ problem in participatory development. Centre for Research on the Economics of Development , 2008: 1-40. Ribot, J. C. (1999). Decentralization, participation, and accountability in Sahelian Forestry: Legal instruments of political-administrative control. University of California, 1999: 1-48. Ribot, J.C. (2005). Choosing representation: Institutions and powers for decentralized natural resource management. London: Earthscan. Shortall, S. (2004). Social or economic goals, civic inclusion or exclusion? An analysis of rural development theory and practice. Sociologia Ruralis, 44(1): 109-123. Sithole, B. (2005). B ecoming men in our dresses! Womens involvement in a joint forestry management project in Zimbabwe. Harare: Harare Press. Timms, J., et al. (2005). Effective regional improvement and innovation networks: Critical success factors and critical failure factors. Web. Ugochi, D. (2007). Improving health, improving lives: Impact of African Youth Alliance and new opportunities for programs. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 11(3): 18-27. Vermeulen, S. (2005). Handbook to tools and resources for policy influence in resource management. London: McGraw-Hill. Vermeulen, S., Nawir, A. A., Mayers, J. (2003). Better livelihoods through partnerships? A review of the impacts of deals between communities and forestry companies on local development. Rural Livelihoods, Forests and Biodiversity, 2003: 1-18. Wilson, D. (2011). Key features of successful university-community partnerships. University Avenue, 2011: 17-23.

Accounting for the Substance of Transactions Essay

Accounting for the Substance of Transactions - Essay Example Though giving an account of the economic summary of the activities of the organization is a straightforward job, generally, an effort is made to give better perception of the organization to be presentable to the Shareholders and other stakeholders by inflating the earnings or assets or deflating the liabilities or losses or manipulation of depreciation methods, stock valuation and accounting development expenditure. Here, two factors influence the presentation. The legal provisions and accounting provisions. The presentation which is correct in legal angle may not be founded on sound accounting principles and may vary from the underlying economic reality. The managements, may, therefore, sometimes choose the best and most advantageous of these two options to present the economic substance of the transactions according to their wishes. Certain artificial transactions/combination of transactions undertaken by the organization are such that it is very difficult to assess the net effect the entire exercise. The assessment of net effect of such various activities of the enterprise may be captioned as â€Å"substance† of a transaction. "substance" of a transaction. Assessment of the substance of the transactions is found necessary to provide reliable, fair and accurate information about corporate performance and to ascertain the actual state of affairs of the business organization. The need is felt very seriously as the various distortions in Financial statements are on the increase, among other things, defining the nature of assets and liabilities and inclusion or non-inclusion of such assets and liabilities in Books of Accounts. Such events not only distort the substance of the economic activity of the organization but also fail to project the actual problems faced by the organization, depriving the organization to initiate remedial steps to address the real problems. Accounting reforms comprising provisions for reporting of substance of transactions are therefore, found necessary. Statement of principles of Accounting prescribe the activities that should be reported on in financial statements, the various dimensions of those activities that should be prominently furnished, the features that information should have if it is to be mentioned in the financial statements. The main role of the Statement of principles is to provide conceptual input into the ASB's work on the development and review of accounting standards. The Statement is not, therefore, neither an accounting standard nor does it contain any requirements on how financial statements are to be prepared. The prominent among the principles for reporting the Substance of the Transactions is definition of assets and liabilities, accounting for subsidiary undertakings, and the activities to be excluded from the business organization's financial statements and those to be included, thus setting standards for presentation of Financial statements. Factors like legal requirements, cost-benefit considerations, i ndustry-specific issues, and the desirability of evolutionary change and implementation issues are also covered. Reporting the Substance of Transactions' implies the addition of Application Note G 'Revenue Recognition'. This clears the ambiguity regarding the treatment of revenue and, in particular, the treatment of turnover (as a subset of revenue). This Application Note deals with revenue recognition from the supply of goods or services by a seller to its customers. It sets out basic principles of revenue recognition which should be applied in all cases. It also provides specific guidance for

International trade has many potential benefits for participating Essay - 1

International trade has many potential benefits for participating countries, yet government regularly impose barriers to trade. By using real-life examples, dis - Essay Example Besides offering cost reduction advantages, there are also other benefits of the international trade including the opening up of the economy to evolve technologically. However, despite these perceived benefits, many governments do not allow the free access to the international trade and impose various trade related barriers to curb the international trade. There are various reasons and ways through which governments put bars on the international trade. This essay will look into the reasons behind why the governments do this and how they do this however before discussing this, I will be discussing about what international trade is and what benefits it provides to the countries that engage into the international trade with each other. International trade is a field of economics that applies microeconomic models to help understand the international economy. (Suranovic, 2004). The tools included for analysis in this field of economics include demand and supply analysis, consumer behavior, market structures as well as the impacts of market distortions. The basic assumption behind the international trade is comparative advantage. Comparative advantage exists when a country has superiority over another country in terms of producing goods or services. Comparative advantage is achieved when the opportunity cost of producing that good or service is low. Historical account of international trade would suggest that the theory of comparative advantage in the international trade was developed by David Ricardo more than two hundred years ago. This basic theory of David Ricardo however further modified and refined by Heckscher, Ohlin and Samuelsson. All these economists argued that all the countries different factor endowments of labor, land and capital inputs. Countries will specialize in and export those products which use intensively the factors of production which they are most endowed. Based on the comparative advantage of the international

Point of view of the speaker in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night Essay

Point of view of the speaker in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas - Essay Example The first line’s diction has been purposefully chosen to make it a command. The second, third, fourth, and fifth stanzas are persuasive and encourage the father to show his â€Å"rage against the dying of the light† (Thomas). In the sixth stanza, the poet requests his father to be his usual self and scream and yell at him to signify his strength. The overall tone of the poem is an outcome of the form and diction used by Thomas. Thomas acknowledges the fact that life and death are interrelated by pairing â€Å"gentle† with â€Å"rage†, â€Å"light† with â€Å"night†, and â€Å"dying† with â€Å"good†. Nevertheless, Thomas has made use of such diction that allows him to place his emphasis on life instead of death. This can be estimated from his frequent use of the words like â€Å"blaze†, â€Å"fierce†, and â€Å"green†. Dylan Thomas is upset to see his otherwise robust and radical father become weak and blind in his eighties and thus, persuades him to revert to life. Works Cited: Grimes, Linda S. â€Å"Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle.† 20 Nov. 2006. Web. 10 July 2011. . Thomas, Dylan. â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.† n.d. Web. 10 July 2011. .

Evaluation of the existing operations

Evaluation of the existing operations Introduction In the initial part of this report, I critically evaluate the existing operations and identify areas of improvement in the system. While undertaking this process, I have also identified some problems in the existing operations, and have suggested some approaches to overcoming them, in line with modern approaches. I have chosen to undertake an analysis of the operations of TBS Publishers Distributors for my work. Methodology The information in this assignment is largely sourced from the primary source of information. I personally visited, observed and conducted various surveys and interviews with employees, management and customers for undertaking this assignment. Various websites, journals and online materials have been researched for undertaking this work, though primary source of information is stresses more and given more significance. I have approached this whole assignment, applying the principles and concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM), i.e., through continuous assessment and improvement of the whole operations system and looking at it holistically from customers perspective, as well as demanding the consistent participation of all the stake holders involved in the continuous improvement of Quality. The Quality Circles approach and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has also been applied/recommended to suggest resolution of quality issues that might arise while implementing TQM. Scope and introduction to the problem TBS is one of the top selling book shops in Calicut, India. During peak seasons and the launch of bestselling titles, there is tremendous waiting time for customers, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and decreased/lost customer loyalty. After detailed analysis of the operations system (explained in the later part of this report), it was found that the high waiting time for customers was due to the inefficient forecasting of demand, which also contributed to insufficient number of employees. This could be solved by non-adoption of latest modern forecasting methods, as well as integrating all the various resources of the company by implementing an advanced Enterprise Resource Planning software solution such as SAP or Peoplesoft. About the company According to its website, TBS is a leading provider of books, music, and other educational services and products in the state of Kerala in India[1]. Kerala is located in South India, and is renowned for its high literacy rate and its advancements in modern educational institutions. TBS have become one of the top book-stores and publishers in Kerala with revenues estimated to be over INR 20 million by their unique combination of customer service, innovation, efficient operations and cost competitiveness. [2] TBS is headquartered at Calicut in northern Kerala and has branches spread across Kerala in places like Kannur, Kottayam, Trivandrum and Trichur. It also has a vast network of agents across Kerala through which it distributes its products. TBS also sells office stationery, all types of lab equipments, raw materials for labs including chemicals, surgical items and apparatuses, equipment for   small industries, computer and IT components, sports   and athletic goods.[3] 80% of TBS revenues, and 85% of its profits are estimated to be from its books business alone, and hence this piece of my operations management work focuses on the books business alone, and whenever a specific shop location has to be mentioned, the main bookstore of TBS at Calicut is taken as reference.[4] Total Quality Management (TQM) TQM helps in the delivery of highest quality standards and the subsequent increase in operational efficiency and effectiveness. Thus, TQM constitutes the following: strategy implementation, plans and operational strategies for bringing together all the relevant practical quality control methodologies (Quality Assurance, Reliability Analysis, Statistical Quality Control, Random Sampling Inspection, etc) with the entire organisational mechanisms encouraging the consistent and continuous quality improvement. TQM concentrates in the entirety of the whole system and not just in its individual parts. Failure could be caused by various factors such as culture clashes/shortfalls, teamwork related issues, leadership and management issues, HR related issues, individual motivation issues and employee commitment issues, and other psychological and social issues as well as skills shortage or inadequacies of technical manpower and equipments.[5] Under TQM, customer is the primary focus, and every aspect of improvement is to be seen from a customers perspective. A holistic approach is used from an overall organizations perspective, and the customers are the most crucial and focus point of the whole approaches, and they are treated as the vital component of the whole operations. All stake holders must work together to achieve its objectives, i.e., a holistic approach with customers as the focal point, and involving all stake holders of an organization. Thus empowerment of employees as well as their team work is very critical for this approach to succeed.[6] Customer Satisfaction Survey According to David Garvin, eight characteristics that customers are interested are the following[7]: Since Customers are the central focus of TQM, a customer satisfaction survey was conducted with a sample size of 250 customers based on a survey questionnaire, to find out what matters most to the customers. In this survey conducted to evaluate the above parameters, it was observed that Features and Performance were the main lagging indicators, and there was much scope for improvement in these areas. The following chart demonstrates the customer satisfaction index (out of a total score of 10), the blue being the present score and red showing the areas which has scope for improvement. Analysis of Operations Processes under consideration The operations of TBS was analysed using the concepts of TQM (Total Quality Management). TBS could be categorized into a mass service business, with high capital investment and high volumes, medium variety of service offerings and low level of customization for its customers. The basic business proposition of TBS is that of a service provider of quality books and other services from the publishers to the potential end customers (Figure 1). TBS business can also be classified as a service business involving both Transformation of Place and Transformation of Ownership operation. Transformation of place because this business involves a great amount of storage and transportation, and Transformation of Ownership because it involves the change of ownership from TBS to the end customer. The Value Generation Process / The role of customers in the system Applying the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), the customers play a major role in TBS business since the business of educational services in Kerala is highly competitive, with a lot of small bookstores and a greater competition from pirated books market. There is usually no intellectual property rights or exclusivity agreements, and hence almost all leading book stores in this market offer the same product services. However, TBS has managed to have a competitive positioning in this market, by ensuring a loyal customer base. By helping end-customers buy magazines, lab equipments, CDs, books and other educational items, in a very straight-forward and effortless method, TBS generates value for its end customers. Again applying the principles of TQM, for any efficient organization to succeed in the long term, they must offer a bargain for both itself and the customer. This bargain in this case, could be explained in figure 2: The value generating model could be characterized by the five key tenets (Figure 3) as per the model of service management system[8] by Normann. Applying the principles of TQM, it can be seen that People, Systems and Processes should work in perfect harmony with each other, under a conducive culture, effective communication and excellent commitment from all stakeholders, as described in Figure below: Market Segmentation The demographics of end customers of this educational market segment transcends across occupations, genders, ages and financial conditions. The key distinguishing feature is the need of these end customers for TBS educational products. By applying the principles of TQM, in my observations, it was found that the categories of customers that shop at TBS are (figure 3): Service blue printing technique[9] By using the service blue printing technique[10] of Zeithaml Bitner (2003), the following process maps in the next few pages demonstrates the various buying flow map of TBS various customer segments. The various type of customer segments found were: Focussed Customers Topical Customers Unfocussed Customers These are explained in detail in the next few pages. Focussed Customers these were customers who knew precisely what product they would like to buy, seek advice from the customer service personals on its price and stock availability and then make the buying decision. These customers usually only bought the precise product they came looking for, and would spend very little time in the store. The frequency of purchases made by this segment of customers were found to be very high, compared to the other two segments. Topical Customers these were customers who were interested in particular topics. However, they usually are not aware of a specific title/product. They would directly go to the appropriate section of the store, look at various titles under that topic and the various offers etc, and finally make a decision on which title /product to buy. The frequency of purchases made by this segment of customers were found to be lower than Focussed Buyers, though much higher than Unfocussed customers. Unfocussed Customers These were completely random customers, who came to the store without having any plan on which title or topic to buy. They would randomly go through various sections of the store, and make impulsive purchasing decision. The frequency of purchases made by this segment of customers were found to be very low, compared to the other two segments. Service Concept Applying the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), the service concept of TBS can be classified based on the identified customer segments into Core services and Peripheral services Core: a. Location vital for any book store. TBS in Calicut is situated very close to a busy bus terminal and a leading supermarket, thus making it a very convenient and accessible spot for customers. b. Information counter/desk it is very essential and important because it helps TBS customers make decisions on which CDs, books or other educational products they need to buy, its location in the store and its inventory status. c. Variety a vast number of different services and books are offered at each TBS store, helping customers select their based on their individual preferences. d. Customer care facility    TBS offers excellent customer care facility to serve their customers. For this, they employ: e. Ease of reading/browsing The store layout has been carefully designed in such a manner that the customers can search efficiently and effectively e.g. adventure books by author, Playstation CDs by release date etc. Peripheral: Posters, Newsletters and other communications helps to enhance TBS visibility and information services by providing helpful information to customers. Sofas TBS always encourage customers to spend more time in their stores. They have realized that, more time customers spend in the book store, the more they purchase. Sofas are provided inside the store for reading the books in comfortable areas. Internet Connectivity There is Wireless Internet (WiFi) inside the TBS stores, giving additional revenues to TBS. It also attracts a lot of new and potential customers to the stores, especially travelers and tourists who want to access the internet. Coffee shop inside the stores Customers use this additional facility as it enables them to spend more time inside the store by having some refreshment during or after shopping. This facility also attracts potential new or future customers to the store. Delivery System In line with the principles of TQM, for delivering maximum value to its customers, TBS has designed and implemented a delivery system which is sketched out in Figure 4. The main components of this system include: For catering to ever changing customer needs and demands, TBS has ensured that it maintain many distinct layers of inventory. In each store, a back-office inventory is always maintained, to ensure availability of much demanded books, whose availability is important to prevent lost sales); also local warehouses are also maintained, enabling TBS to ensure that realistically fast-selling books are available in a timeframe of a maximum of 2 days; a central warehouse is also maintained to ensure that specialized books are stored, for those books that end-customers usually have to wait up to a maximum time frame of 5 days. TBS views inventory as both an asset and an insurance/guarantee against fluctuating demand, which is common in this turbulent market. However, the large amount of inventory at any point of time in their supply chain costs a lot for TBS, including: Physical/Geographic location: This is a very important factor of its business, because TBS relies primarily on end customers who visit its stores. With more customers visiting its stores, the more probability of sales. Also, it was observed that many new customers who primarily visit the stores coffee shop become buyers of TBS other product offering. TBS has a characteristic store plan/layout system, in which titles are grouped into topic (history, economics, politics etc), category (Posters, Blue-rays, books etc) and genre (comics, film etc). TBS also has different parts for specials such as new arrivals, offers/sale etc. to help customers. In addition, facilities such as sofas, coffee shop within the store, clean premises including passenger lifts and toilets. Also, other intangible factors such as a bright   and open atmosphere, large passages, passenger lifts and meticulously designed and implemented book-organization helps make it a comfortable experience for end customers. TBS has always ensured that good relationships with their vendors, suppliers, and publishers are maintained. This ensures more author visits, timely availability, higher priority treatment for new releases, and excellent price bargains from these vendors/publishers. Critical Evaluation of TBS operating and service delivery system For measuring the true most important strengths of TBS operating and service delivery system, it has to be assess at different levels: Based on my personal observations of the TBS bookstore and the feedback obtained with the interviews and interactions about the different kinds of customers who frequent TBS, the effectiveness of the operations management system could be evaluated by the following main criteria: a. Variety:   TBS end customers demand a vast variety of products including Books, CDs and magazines, and variety inside each of these categories as well. Hence, TBS has to ensure a right mix of volume as well as variety of CDs, magazines and books. TBS does not have a demand forecasting system right now, and hence it is very difficult to make any reasonable and accurate forecasting of demand in the near future. b. Availability: The buying decision of any customer is highly dependent on the ready availability of the product. In case the product they are looking for is not available, it is possible that the customer might buy it from its competitors. This is especially critical because TBS stresses a lot on customer retention and loyalty. c. Customer service experience: The customers overall experience in the store has to be pleasant, and is a very important factor. TBS ensures the availability of different ranks of customer-care service staff, who are well versed with specialist knowledge. Each of them serve about 6-7 customers/hour, and each customer on an average spends 6-10 min at the customer-care counter. TBS provides extra facilities such as a coffee shop, sofas, very clean wash rooms, baby feeding rooms and toilets. It was observed that almost 30% of the customers visit the coffee shop on course of their shopping experience in TBS. d. In-store promotions: These include promotions such as buy 1 get 1 free, festival celebrations, discounts, celebrity visits and authors book signing events. During my observation for two hours (2-4pm on a Saturday), 25 in 92 customers opted for a book which was under the promotions section. e. Purchase quantity per customer About 35% of customers purchased a minimum of 1 Magazine/CD/book. As described in Figure 6, we could plot a matrix to identify the various type of customers based on the amount of time they spent in the store, and the number of purchases they made. TBS uses this matrix to identify the most profitable high value customers as well as the least profitable unprofitable customers. The operational efficiency of the system determines the long term success of a business such as that of TBS. This could be evaluated and measured in various ways: a. Inventory flow is crucial for a fast-moving business such as educational books. Success is not defined by the quantity of books stocked in each store. But, how fast the product is transferred from the supplier/vendor to the end-customer determines the ultimate success of the business rather than finding the total number of books stocked. b. We must remove any bottlenecks that are there in any operations system. In the case of TBS, the main bottlenecks identified are: Bottlenecks in Supplier stage It is difficult to obtain enough quantities of some best seller books (especially those around which a hype is created even before the launch) from the supplier, as they are sought after by all book sellers, thus resulting in lost sales. This is the case especially during the initial launch of books (Eg: Harry Potter books). Bottlenecks in in-store Queuing system Customers are very demanding it terms of the time they spend in a queue in a shop, due to the fast lifestyles and increasing availability of online book shops. During my observations, it was found that the average dispensation time for each end-customer was 1.5 minutes, and the average queuing time was 6-8 minutes. Bottle neck in Customer care desk Customer satisfaction is very important in a highly competitive business such as book stalls. Any lack of customer care personnel, or the quality of service offered, could result in lost sales. The number of customer care personnel in TBS was limited during peak hours, and each customer during peak hours had to wait for an average of at least 3 minutes before he/she got some kind of help/support. c. Inventory Forecasting In the books business, it is crucial to effectively forecast demand and manage an optimum level of inventory in the whole system, i.e., both in-store and in warehouses. It must be able to predict much in advance, the expected peaking of sales (for eg: Cake cooking books during Christmas season or sports magazines during the time of a major sports event). TBS does presently this by using a multi-stage inventory, and promotional free home delivery offers during such peak periods. Suppliers as well as buyers possess enormous amount of power in the educational book industry. To have a profitable business, the books selling companies sign prior long term agreements with different stakeholders: a. Contractual agreements with publishers The negotiations with publishers are centered around the following areas: b. Business factors Book stalls has to consider other factors such as employee salaries, cost of maintaining the stores, the annual rents etc. The success of TBS depends heavily on the commitment and performance of its employees, both in-store employees and warehouse employees. The following considerations are needed : A major book shop like TBS requires many types of personnel for manning the various department inside the store such as administrative, billing, marketing sales, commercial, Human Resource Management and Inventory Management etc. TBS employees work in triple shifts and at any point of time, employs 13-17 employees inside the store, and during peak hours the number of employees can go as high as 20. b.  Ã‚   Employee Training Employee training is expensive, and it costs time, effort and money for TBS. To ensure that employees are working to their maximum efficiency, they have to be trained need to be ready to handle the high standards expected of them. c.  Ã‚   Efficiency The efficiency of staff has to be monitored continuously, and this could be done by measuring various parameters such as average time per customer, average time to fetch a book, number of positive customer feedbacks, etc. The largest customer who contribute maximum to the bottom line of TBS was found to be the unfocused buyers. Hence, it is imperative that TBS tries to get more of this customer segment to visit their store, and make them spend more time in-store (time spend in the store has shown strong correlation to the purchasing decision). I would like to recommend the following changes, in line with principles and practices of TQM and Quality Function Deployment (QFD), with the primary focus on customers and continuous quality improvement respectively as their goals. 1. Establishing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution To effectively have a holistic and total approach as envisaged by TQM, I recommend establishing a companywide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution such as SAP or PeopleSoft. This system will integrate all the sub systems of TBS such as Inventory Management, Inventory Forecasting, Billing, Logistics, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Customer Service, Information Management etc. For instance, under the inventory management module, if the stock(inventory) gets below a particular amount (counters set in advance), the system will automatically place the orders for additional stock from the publishers/suppliers. 2. Suppliers could also be given access to the stock levels of each store, or when the customer places a new order, for their particular products. Thus the principle of Just In Time (JIT) inventory management is also implemented. By implementing this system, the waiting time in-store could be reduced drastically resulting in better customer satisfaction. Also, information and orders can be placed/obtained at any place, or customers in remote locations could order and gift products to their friends in Calicut, by ordering online as envisaged by TQM. Delivery system demand forecasting before implementing ERP system 3. Improvement in online/web presence There are a lot of customers who visit the physical TBS store, however this has created bottlenecks in the system, especially in terms of billing counter and customer care desk. This has translated into customer dissatisfaction, and hence applying the principle of TQM, I recommend establishing a full-fledged, easy to use website, where customers can view the books, preview its pages, and make an order using debit or credit card, and have the book delivered at home. The delivery and payment mechanism could also be made flexible, such as reserve and pick-in-store, cash-on-delivery etc. Thus the principle of Total Quality Management is applied effectively and efficiently. 4. Loyalty Programs On top of the in-store customer experience and promotions, TBS should also offer loyalty programs (eg: Reward/Discount cards) to reward and promote repeat/high value customers. 5. Starting a DVD/CD/Blueray rentals section instore. The number of customers switching from Books to CDs and DVDs are increasing. Since, we are renting them, customers would come back to return them possibly resulting in future sales. It must be linked both to the online presence of TBS as well as to the ERP solution to be implemented. Thus, customer satisfaction could be improved because they can get all necessary related products from the same roof. Thus, the prime objective of TQM can be successfully satisfied by meeting the demands of customers and making them satisfied. 6. Increase the number of customer-care service personnel Non availability of personnel or high waiting time for customers in the customer care results in immense customer dissatisfaction, and lost customer loyalty. These have a long term effect on TBS brand and customer perception. Thus, this will ensure that Quality Function Deployment (QFD) objectives are also met, and could save TBS considerable amount of money that would have been lost due to bad quality. Simple changes such as installing a ringing buzzer in the counter could potentially resolve these issues. 7. Modern Billing Self-Desks These days, customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and comfortable with modern technology. They can without difficulty self use a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) billing self-desk by their own. Thus, savings on Human Resources as well as decrease in waiting time for customers can be obtained. 8. Well qualified and personable support personnel Staff must be well aware of the locations of various titles, and should be passionate about the products they are dealing with. They must be extremely patient, and hospitable. Staff must be always be well dressed and hygienic, and if they are not, it could result in a bad customer experience. By applying the concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD), we can provide immense value to customers, and drastically improve their satisfaction levels, at the same time providing value to us as well. I recommend, primarily the implementation of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution that will holistically and totally look at and improvise all the different components of the service delivery system. Customers are the key focus, and priority is given for Do-it-right-the first-time approach, rather than rectifying after a problem arises. Thus by implementing the suggested recommendations, the operational profitability of the firm should increase. [1] http://tbsbook.com/About.php (accessed: 22/01/2010) [2] http://tbsbook.com/About.php (accessed: 22/01/2010) [3] http://tbsbook.com/About.php (accessed: 22/01/2010) [4] Estimates, based on Personal Interviews with Management of TBS [5] RDI Online Course Materials for Operations Management [6] RDI Online Course Materials for Operations Management [7] Garvin, David Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality, Harvard Business Review, December 1987 [8] Richard Normann (1991), Service management: strategy and leadership in service business, Wiley (1991) [9] Zeithaml, Valarie A. and Mary Jo Bitner (2003), Services Marketing, International edition New York: McGraw Hill, third edition [10] Zeithaml, Valarie A. and Mary Jo Bitner (2003), Services Marketing, International edition New York: McGraw Hill, third edition

Gabriel Garcia Marquez :: Spanish Essays

Nacio el 6 de marzo de 1928 en Aracataca, Columbia , en el hogar de Gabriel Eligio Garcia, telegrafista y de Luisa Santiaga Marquez Iguaran. Siendo muy nià ±o fue dejado al cuidado de sus abuelos maternos, el Coronel Nicolas Marquez Iguaran -su idolo de toda la vida- y Tranquilina Iguaran Cortes. El reconoce que su madre es quien descubre los personajes de sus novelas a traves de sus recuerdos. Por haber vivido retirado al comienzo de su padre, le fue difà ­cil tratarlo con confianza en la adolescencia; "nunca me sentia seguro frente a el, no sabia como complacerlo. El era de una seriedad que yo confundia con la incomprension", dice Garcia Marquez. En 1936, cuando murio su abuelo, fue enviado a estudiar a Barranquilla. En 1940, viajo a Zipaquira, donde fue becado para estudiar bachillerato. "Alli, como no tenà ­a suficiente dinero para perder ni suficiente billar para ganar, preferia quedarme en el cuarto encerrado, leyendo", comenta el Nobel. En 1946 termino b achillerato. Al aà ±o siguiente se matriculo en la Facultad de Ciencias Politicas de la Universidad Nacional y edito en diario "El Espectador" su cuento, "La primera designacion". En 1950, escribio una columna en el periodico "El Heraldo" de Barranquilla, bajo el seudà ³nimo de Septimus y en 1952, publico el capà ­tulo inicial de "La Hojarasca", su primera novela en ese diario, en el que colaboro desde 1956. En 1958, se caso con Mercedes Barcha. Tienen dos hijos, Rodrigo y Gonzalo. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, quien esta radicado en Ciudad de Mexico desde 1975, en una vieja casona restaurada por el mismo, es amigo cercano de inportantes personalidades mundiales, lo fue de Omar Torrijos y conserva fuertes lazos con Fidel Castro, Carlos Andres Perez, Francois Miterrand, los presidentes de Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia y otros muchos. El 11 de diciembre de 1982, despues de que por votacion unanime de los 18 miembros de la Academia Sueca, fue galardon ado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura por su obra. La vida y obra del Nobel Garcia Marquez ha sido reconocida publicamente: en 1961 recibio el Premio Esso, en 1977, fue homenajeado en el XIII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana; en 1971, declarado "Doctor Honoris Causa" por la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York; en 1972, obtuvo el Premio Romulo Gallegos por su obra "La Candida Erendira y su abuela desalmada". En 1981, el gobierno frances le concedio la condecoracion "Legion de Honor" en el grado de Gran Comendador.