Organizational Diagnosis

Organizational Diagnosis Are companies at the competitive edge problem free? Do any organizations work flawlessly? Not in the real world. How do the winners overcome their problems? What distinguishes them from other companies? How do they survive while others flounder or fall? Like other organizations, winning companies often reach for easy-answers and quick fixes. But if these short-cut responses miss their mark, winners keep searching for solid solutions. They delve more deeply into the situation, ultimately uncovering the root cause. Top performers distinguish themselves by the way they tackle organizational problems by using organizational diagnosis to make positive changes for the future of their business (Long Term Success through Deep Organizational Diagnosis, 2007). Data collection: The purpose of a diagnosis is to identify problems facing the organization and to determine their causes so that management can plan solutions. The first step in diagnosing an organization is to determine what/where the problem is by using data collection. It is very important to acknowledge that there is a problem and it needs solving more on a long term basis in order to keep the future of the organization prospering. The collection of data should begin in areas in which management believes the problems exist. After the data is collected, leaders can more easily identify where the issues lie and begin to resolve them (Beer and Spector, 1993). Data collection can be done by doing a systematic analysis where McKinsey’s 7-S framework can be applied. The change agent at this point strategically analyzes and formulates diagnosis questions. The elements of the strategy are as follows with examples of typical questions that decision makers will need to answer in their quest for change (Business Diagnostic Questions – â€Å"Seven S† Model Framework, 2007). Strategy: the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. †¢What are the main strategies in moving this organization to being more successful? †¢What are the key short-term goals to achieve these strategies? Structure: the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom. †¢Describe the roles of the main departments. What kinds of role/turf issues occur between departments? †¢What kinds of communications issues occur between departments? †¢What key things are done in the organization to help integrate various functions and departments that are interdependent? †¢How does the structure help/hinder this organization in accomplishing its strategy? What is being done about this now? Syst ems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. †¢What are the 5 most important system problems that if solved or improved would significantly improve profitability or organizational effectiveness? Why? What are you doing about these issues now? Style: the style of leadership adopted. †¢How are important decisions made in this organization? †¢How does top management communicate with key staff? How does it communicate with the labor force? †¢What are the key expectations for how your key people and labor force should behave? †¢How would you describe the organization's style of management? How would others differ in their assessment of that style? Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company. †¢What key knowledge and skills are needed to succeed in this business/organization? Why? How is that expected to change over time? †¢How would you assess the organization's curren t strengths and weaknesses against the needed knowledge and skills? †¢What challenges does the organization face in strengthening or maintaining this match between knowledge and skills needed now and in the future? †¢What is the organization doing about these issues now? Staff: the employees and their general capabilities †¢Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's key people. †¢Describe their most important roles in the organization. †¢Who of these are most important to the success of the business/organization? Why? †¢What are you most concerned about regarding the quality of the key staff? Why? †¢Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's labor force. †¢What are you most concerned about regarding the quality of the organization's labor force? †¢What is being done about this now? Shared Values: called â€Å"superordinate goals† when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. †¢If the business/organization were operating almost perfectly, describe the key things that would be happening? If I were invisible and walked through the organization, what would I see that contributed to this success? †¢If I were invisible and could sit in on a number of conversations between the top 10 people and their staff, what themes would I hear? †¢If this organization were wildly successful, where would it be in 10 years? †¢If you were thinking of selling this successful business/organization, how would you want to be able to describe it to prospective buyers? †¢How would you describe the mission of this company to your prospective buyers Organization’s readiness for change: Once management admits that there are problems that need to be resolved, and then comes the question of whether the organization is ready to change. Organizational readiness is a state of preparedness which includes the psychological and behavioral aspects for change. This requires having the necessary knowledge, skills, resources, and support. An organization’s readiness for change will determine its ability to attend to environmental signals for change as well as its willingness to listen to internal voices saying that change is needed (Cawsey, Deszca p. 101). It is important for senior management to address the likelihood of change and communicate it effectively with the rest of the organization. Employees are more apt to support change if they are ready to make changes. This means they believe in the changes, have the time and energy to invest in the changes, and the organization is ready to support the changes. More important, the greater the complexity of the implementation task, the great the importance or organizational readiness for change. Creating awareness for change: Change leaders can create awareness of the need for change in several ways. The first method involves making the organization aware that it is in or near a crisis or creating a crisis that needs to be solved (Cawsey, Deszca p. 104). Most people will welcome the change more easily if they know that their future is in jeopardy if they don’t accept the change. A second approach to enhancing the need for change is by identifying a transformational vision. Transformational visions tap into our needs to go beyond ourselves, to make a contribution, to do something worthwhile and meaningful, and to serve a greater good (Cawsey, Deszca p. 105). This type of awareness mechanism has the potential to gain positive feedback and negative feedback. People who support it are those individuals who are interested in making things better than they are. The people who oppose it simply don’t find it realistic and believe the change agent is proposing the change for their own benefit. A third approach to the enhancement of the need for change is through transformational leadership. This type of change makes the most sense to people because it is the leaders of the organization who makes all the decisions. If something is not going well, the leaders are the first to blame. It is important to note that when using any of the three approaches, the change agent needs to be well prepared when entering any type of discussion dialogue about the change. The people in the organization need to trust the change agent and believe in the proposed change therefore, the change agent should have all the right skills to get their point across to the people involved. Vision for change: When the organization is ready to make a change, it is very important for the change agent to provide a clear and detailed vision of the change. Vision is about action. Vision can empower both leaders and followers to implement change (Vision and the Management of Change, 2008). Change leaders use change visions to create and advance the mental picture they have of the future and to provide directional guidance for others that they need to enlist in the enterprise (Cawsey, Deszca p. 110). Vision can provide both a corporate sense of being and a sense of enduring purpose. Without a sensible vision, change efforts can dissolve into a list of confusing projects that take the organization in the wrong direction. It is important that the vision be easy to communicate. Once an effective change vision is in place, the change agent can begin to expand discussions to a broader audience or organizational members, paying careful attention to their reactions, suggestions, and alternatives (Vision and the Management of Change, 2008). It is also vital for the change agent to be aware that some people in the organization will understand the vision and want to help transform the organization, but they can’t. The change agent must remove blocks to change, call for new behaviors consistent with the vision, and most importantly, visibly reward the new behaviors (Vision and the Management of Change, 2008). Approval for change: Once the vision for change is in place, the change agent needs to find the best way of winning the approval for the change project. When outlining all the elements of the change project, the change agent needs to pay careful attention to managing scope. Allowing the project’s scope to change mid-course usually means added costs, greater risks and longer duration. Many projects fail due to poor scope management (Scope and Change Control, 2005). A successful change agent understands that rigorous scope control is essential to deliver projects on time and on budget. The scope of the project should be clearly defined both in terms of its deliverables and in terms of how it will operate. This scope definition will form the baseline against which potential changes are assessed and against which the project’s performance is measured. In the definition, the change agent should also include factors that could lead to scope change. If possible risks exist; they should be identified in the definition because this will make the decision-makers more likely to allow changes if it became necessary and it will save costs in the long run (Scope and Change Control, 2005). Feedback: The final step for the change agent is to be open to continuous feedback. Change does not come easily to everyone in the organization. The change agent needs to be aware of all the criticism and concerns of the people involved in the change in order to keep people motivated and keep the business running in a positive matter. Employee involvement is a necessary and integral part of managing change. Managing change is not a one way street. Feedback from employees is a key element of the change management process. Analysis and corrective action based on this feedback provides a robust cycle for implementing change (Change Management, 2006). Feedback also allows the change agent to stand back from the entire program, evaluate successes and failures, and identify process changes for the next project. Conclusion: An organizational diagnosis can be a valuable and revealing process, if properly approached, and if an organization is willing to take full advantage of it. Ultimately, what you’re trying to accomplish with an organizational diagnosis is a performance check on each of all the moving pieces (Grossman, 2009). During this check, for instance, you will want to examine those pieces that serve to help create the culture of the business and help drive things forward. Therefore, the key thing with organizational diagnosis is to help utilize a change effort that will benefit the health of the company as a whole and help it maintain its competitive advantage. The overall goal of an organizational diagnosis is to apply what should be happening within the organization, so that the effect is improved business performance overall. References: Beer, M. & Spector, B. (1993, July/August). Organizational diagnosis: its role in organizational learning. Journal of Counseling and Development. 71(6) 642-650. Retrieved from the City University Student Website. Cawsey, T. , & Deszca, G. (2007). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Grossman, David. (2009). The Genesis of an Organizational Diagnosis: It’s All about Improving Performance. Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from: http://www. hrtools. com/insights/david_grossman/the_genesis_of_an_organizational_diagnosis_its_all_about_imp roving_performance. aspx Business Diagnostic Questions. (2007). Seven S Model Framwork. Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from: http://www. change-management. net/7smodel. htm Change management – The systems and tools for managing change. 2006). Retrieved on February 20,2010 from: http://www. change-management. com/tutorial-change-process-detailed. htm Long Term Success through Deep Organizational Diagnosis (2007). Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from: http://www. hrconsultant. com/aw/aw_ter_long_term_success. html#top Scope & Change Control (2005). Retrieved on February 18, 2010 from: http://www. epmbook. com/scope. h tm Vision and the Management of Change. (2008). Retrieved on February 18, 2010 from: http://www. au. af. mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch19. html Organizational Diagnosis Organizational diagnosis is the process of analyzing a company, recognizing what problems the company may have, what strengths the company exhibits, the employees receptiveness to change and how to restructure and implement change to correct any problems. This is done to keep the company from losing money, possibly going under and also to keep the company competitive in a highly competitive marketplace. The process of an organizational diagnosis is generally performed in a few stages. First, the parent company employees a group of external consultants and researchers to visit the company.The researchers will usually begin their work with a reconnaissance stage. The consultants will spend some time at the organization getting to know the workers and gaining an initial impression of the company and how it operates. This is done by simply spending time talking with employees, observing day to day behavior and speaking with management. Following the initial research, the consultants will meet with the organizational clients to develop a written plan of expectations and goals that the organization is wishing to achieve.Generally, companies will hire the consulting firms because they have a problem or series of problems that they need to correct and are unsure of the best way to implement the change successfully. Consultants are a group of skilled workers that are highly educated in management, human psychology, sociology and organizational behavior. Sometimes it is best to hire a non- biased group of consultants that can observe the company from an external perspective in order to find the best course of action to resolve the problems at hand.Once the client and consultants have agreed upon a plan of action, the consultants will begin a more in-depth research stage. During this time, consultants will meet with important members of the organization to examine their feelings on change and their perspectives on the consulting project, as well as the proposed change. Co nsultants may also unobtrusively observe day-to-day tasks among workers and evaluate their communication skills, as well as their interactions.This will help the researchers develop an understanding of the companies interpersonal and power relations. The conducting of surveys and questionnaires is also a means of gathering information from workers on their stances and viewpoints of the corporation and their thoughts on purposing a change. Researchers will begin a thorough examination of important documents pertaining to the company. These documents can help researchers analyze the organizations strengths and weaknesses, as well as goals and company history.During the examination and researching process, consultants will quickly learn how important members of the organization are willing to accept and enforce a change. If members of the organization are unwilling to enforce and follow through with change, the consultants will need to restructure their goals and means of achieving the se. This prevents setting goals that are unattainable. If an organization is going to resist change, there is no need to spend the time to develop a plan to correct problems.This realization of the companies inability to accept and implement change will result in a separate set of issues that will need to be corrected. Generally, these types of resistance to change are going to be resolved by a change in personnel and the working staff. This process is designed to prevent setting a plan of attack that will fail, causing the organization to become frustrated when the change is not working, thus setting them further into a hole that they need to dig their way out of.Once the consultants have spent an adequate amount of time learning about the company and brainstorming ways to successfully implement change, they will develop specific methods of change implementation designed specifically for this particular organization’s culture. These can include specialized training programs, team building projects, job task re-designation, supervisory structure change, changing reward systems and goal achievement programs; just to name a few.Upon meeting with the company to present their final planned list of changes, as well as the implementation plans, the consultants will observe the company for a few weeks as they begin the process of correcting their issues. The consultants will be on hand to answer any questions that the company may have, as well as assist in solving any problems or roadblocks that the clients may run into. During this time, the researchers are basically a technical support hotline for the customer. They will be on site to help in any way possible.After a short trial period of change implementation, the customer and the consultants will form a meeting to analyze the effectiveness of the changes that are being carried out. This is a time that is used to fine-tune any processes or bring new ideas to the table to further improve on the companies ref ormation campaign. Following a predetermined length of time, as well as confidentiality in the companies ability to further carry out the scope of the change campaign, the consultants will vacate the premises. The consultants are available to call and discuss problems and/or ideas to continually improve upon the preconceived plan.In the months and years following the campaign, the company will further evaluate the effectiveness of the changes that were put in place. The company will either decide that the change process was a success, or they will decide that it needs further work. At this time, it may be in the companies best interest to hire a different consultation firm in order to correct the companies problems. It may be possible that the company will come to realize that there are other problems at play in the corporation that need to be analyzed and corrected.All of the sources that I have examined and researched, tend to follow the same ideals when it comes to organizational diagnosis and cultural evaluation. A few sources will change the names of the stages, but in effect, they are the exact same processes. Organizational diagnosis is a lot like troubleshooting a problem with any mechanical system. One must recognize the problem, find the source/s of the problem and develop a plan to correct or repair the problem. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with people, instead of mechanical objects, there are a lot more variables as well as unforeseeable pitfalls.In order to combat the instability of a dynamic corporation, executives, managers and even hourly employees must remain dynamic and receptive to a continually changing atmosphere. A company that tends to stay closed-minded and unreceptive to improvement is generally a short-lived company that will quickly be outdone by a continually changing marketplace. The global marketplace is a highly dynamic and competitive arena. In order for one to stay on top, you must be willing to continually one-up your c ompetitors. Organizational Diagnosis Organizational diagnosis is the process of analyzing a company, recognizing what problems the company may have, what strengths the company exhibits, the employees receptiveness to change and how to restructure and implement change to correct any problems. This is done to keep the company from losing money, possibly going under and also to keep the company competitive in a highly competitive marketplace. The process of an organizational diagnosis is generally performed in a few stages. First, the parent company employees a group of external consultants and researchers to visit the company.The researchers will usually begin their work with a reconnaissance stage. The consultants will spend some time at the organization getting to know the workers and gaining an initial impression of the company and how it operates. This is done by simply spending time talking with employees, observing day to day behavior and speaking with management. Following the initial research, the consultants will meet with the organizational clients to develop a written plan of expectations and goals that the organization is wishing to achieve.Generally, companies will hire the consulting firms because they have a problem or series of problems that they need to correct and are unsure of the best way to implement the change successfully. Consultants are a group of skilled workers that are highly educated in management, human psychology, sociology and organizational behavior. Sometimes it is best to hire a non- biased group of consultants that can observe the company from an external perspective in order to find the best course of action to resolve the problems at hand.Once the client and consultants have agreed upon a plan of action, the consultants will begin a more in-depth research stage. During this time, consultants will meet with important members of the organization to examine their feelings on change and their perspectives on the consulting project, as well as the proposed change. Co nsultants may also unobtrusively observe day-to-day tasks among workers and evaluate their communication skills, as well as their interactions.This will help the researchers develop an understanding of the companies interpersonal and power relations. The conducting of surveys and questionnaires is also a means of gathering information from workers on their stances and viewpoints of the corporation and their thoughts on purposing a change. Researchers will begin a thorough examination of important documents pertaining to the company. These documents can help researchers analyze the organizations strengths and weaknesses, as well as goals and company history.During the examination and researching process, consultants will quickly learn how important members of the organization are willing to accept and enforce a change. If members of the organization are unwilling to enforce and follow through with change, the consultants will need to restructure their goals and means of achieving the se. This prevents setting goals that are unattainable. If an organization is going to resist change, there is no need to spend the time to develop a plan to correct problems.This realization of the companies inability to accept and implement change will result in a separate set of issues that will need to be corrected. Generally, these types of resistance to change are going to be resolved by a change in personnel and the working staff. This process is designed to prevent setting a plan of attack that will fail, causing the organization to become frustrated when the change is not working, thus setting them further into a hole that they need to dig their way out of.Once the consultants have spent an adequate amount of time learning about the company and brainstorming ways to successfully implement change, they will develop specific methods of change implementation designed specifically for this particular organization’s culture. These can include specialized training programs, team building projects, job task re-designation, supervisory structure change, changing reward systems and goal achievement programs; just to name a few.Upon meeting with the company to present their final planned list of changes, as well as the implementation plans, the consultants will observe the company for a few weeks as they begin the process of correcting their issues. The consultants will be on hand to answer any questions that the company may have, as well as assist in solving any problems or roadblocks that the clients may run into. During this time, the researchers are basically a technical support hotline for the customer. They will be on site to help in any way possible.After a short trial period of change implementation, the customer and the consultants will form a meeting to analyze the effectiveness of the changes that are being carried out. This is a time that is used to fine-tune any processes or bring new ideas to the table to further improve on the companies ref ormation campaign. Following a predetermined length of time, as well as confidentiality in the companies ability to further carry out the scope of the change campaign, the consultants will vacate the premises. The consultants are available to call and discuss problems and/or ideas to continually improve upon the preconceived plan.In the months and years following the campaign, the company will further evaluate the effectiveness of the changes that were put in place. The company will either decide that the change process was a success, or they will decide that it needs further work. At this time, it may be in the companies best interest to hire a different consultation firm in order to correct the companies problems. It may be possible that the company will come to realize that there are other problems at play in the corporation that need to be analyzed and corrected.All of the sources that I have examined and researched, tend to follow the same ideals when it comes to organizational diagnosis and cultural evaluation. A few sources will change the names of the stages, but in effect, they are the exact same processes. Organizational diagnosis is a lot like troubleshooting a problem with any mechanical system. One must recognize the problem, find the source/s of the problem and develop a plan to correct or repair the problem. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with people, instead of mechanical objects, there are a lot more variables as well as unforeseeable pitfalls.In order to combat the instability of a dynamic corporation, executives, managers and even hourly employees must remain dynamic and receptive to a continually changing atmosphere. A company that tends to stay closed-minded and unreceptive to improvement is generally a short-lived company that will quickly be outdone by a continually changing marketplace. The global marketplace is a highly dynamic and competitive arena. In order for one to stay on top, you must be willing to continually one-up your c ompetitors.

Ethics and Legal Issue Essay

At the time I worked as a custodian in a department store, I was faced with an ethical dilemma of whether accepting a bribe from a colleague of higher position to manipulate cash transactions in her favor. This was of course an issue for me since I knew manipulating business transactions is unethical and wrong, more so that it involves the company’s resources. However, I realized I really did not have to ‘think it through’. I instantly said no, that I absolutely could not do it because I knew it was an absolutely dishonest act. My colleague just shrugged and I thought maybe he was used to such a reaction. People decide differently. When faced with such situation, it would be just normal that two different persons would come up with different decisions, probably either going with what the ‘boss’ wants or going against it. This may be because of different beliefs, of which is the right thing to do; or different needs, probably experiencing dire need of money; or maybe even a feeling of powerlessness compared to the boss. An ethical issue such as the situation presented above may entail, for some, deep thinking of what is righteous or not; or with regards to what decision to take when faced with such a ‘choice’. Basically, we know that the society decides what is immoral or not. It is the society’s norms, which refer to what is unethical or not. But is it the person himself who determines what is right. Some people believe some things are right, others believe otherwise. It all depends on the person. Even the ‘rightfulness’ of what is right has always been a question between different cultures with different beliefs and principles. Despite the gift of intellect and rationality, sometimes humans still fail to perform a reasoned judgment of ethical issues, instead fall prey to gut reactions or immediate and ignorant decisions. This may be probably due to the person’s attitudes, how gullible he is, or not, to such ethical situations; the environment or society he grew up in; how ‘imbibed’ choosing between right and wrong is on the person; and his personal decisions as well.

The Housing Market Bubble Burst Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Housing Market Bubble Burst - Research Paper Example The research paper "The Housing Market Bubble Burst" discusses why the housing market bubble burst in 2006 by analyzing the situation from the demand-supply perspective. The burgeoning demand got fuelled due to the availability of cheap credits from the lending institutions such as banks and others. Initial genuine demand from the needy people gets mixed up with the demand from the speculators who take the advantage of available cheap credits start inflating the demand. Demand surpassing supply, prices begin to jump. This is further fueled by the burgeoning economy and good GDP numbers quarter to quarter misguiding masses and almost everybody that this is a genuine demand. The unfortunate part is that in a free economy such as the US, the government cannot intervene directly. Gradually, market reaches to a saturation level where there is no further demand. Meanwhile, supply also keeps pace with the demand. The phenomenon continues for a long time. Underlying weaknesses are not notice d immediately. As in the case of U.S housing scenario, demand between 1993 and 2006 was inflated due to cheap credit that was available coupled with demand from investors aka speculators. It is difficult to estimate but experts say demand from speculators in any rising market is between 60-70 percent. Speculators will hold until they notice the first sign of weakness in the market. All the speculative demand will now take a reversal to book profit. Supply pressure will increase with less and less demand. A downward trend will take many into trappings. A reversal in economy means increased unemployment rate and that will make many people insolvent to pay for their mortgage liabilities. This will eventually lead to foreclosures further increasing the supply manifold. A phenomenon continues until a point where prices are lucrative enough to cause supply matches demand. Prices remain afloat at this level for quite a long time. The point to emphasize here is that artificial demand cannot sustain the housing price for a long and that is what exactly happened. (Thomas, 2006) What Next Given the phenomena of housing bubble burst from the peak of 2006, a question remains to be answered whether housing price has reached to its lowest or there is still a possibility of housing prices going further down to reach its old levels. There are many proponents of the theory that there would be another housing bubble bursting soon or for that matter to say that a downward phenomenon will continue. Ilargi (2011) argues that credit in the US is quickly vanishing. He further states that Treasury and the Federal Reserve are lending our own money. Moreover, the future economic conditions in US will create a severe debt scarcity. The foremost reason given by several analysts is that of the debt saturation that the US economy has almost reached-- a point where total income cannot support total debt. It is also said that new debt cannot increase any GDP. According to them, the U.S househ old debt-income ratio was 136 percent in the first quarter of 2008, which currently is stated to be at 126 percent. Before 2001, it was found to be just 70 percent. In order to reduce debt-income ratio to the reasonable level, current debt needs to be reduced by about $6-trillion. But so far only $600-billion of household debt has been reduced. This proves that American debt has reached to a saturation level and it cannot be increased further. On the other hand, that is being replaced with the in surmountable growth of US government debt. (Ilargi 2011) Housing

Why did the colonists want independence from England Essay

Why did the colonists want independence from England - Essay Example Another reason for independence is that the colonists did not view themselves as British. They considered themselves as Americans since they had lived in America all their life. England also kept a close eye on them on every move. They were kept under watch like children and they did not like it. England also ignored their attempts to address their grievances. They ruled them the way they wanted and not in collaboration. The religious issues between the British and colonialists also caused differences and brought thoughts of independence.Politically, the colonists wanted representation in the government, which the British did not allow. Due to lack of representation, they felt oppressed by the rules passed by the government. The colonists wanted a government formed and governed by themselves (Hyser and Arndt 36). They wanted to rule themselves and form their own rules and laws. They also wanted to prove to France that they could win the war and they were ready to help them. Forming a n alliance with French government also gave them hope for victory and they thought it better to fight for independence.Economically, England was imposing high taxes on the colonists, which they did not like. In addition to this, England did not allow them to trade with other countries (Hyser and Arndt 88). They were only confined to trade with England on all the goods they wanted to trade which they did not want. These reasons made them crave for independence, which they got through revolting and fighting.

Theories of Marketing Strategies Research Paper - 10

Theories of Marketing Strategies - Research Paper Example Companies, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and other businesses strive to cut for themselves a niche in the market. To achieve this goal they employ marketing strategies to enable them to attain customer satisfaction. Today’s business environment is totally different from the traditional one. Technological advancement has completely changed the phase of customer demands. Nowadays customers demand the supply of sophisticated goods and services which comply with the latest technology in the market. Therefore, to gain market control it is crucial and essential to fully satisfy the needs and desires of customers (Neal & Quester, 2006).  Marketing strategies enable organizations to achieve dominance over a targeted market niche thereby increasing their sales. This is because marketing strategies help organizations to focus their resources and energies on activities that will definitely lure the attention of potential customers. Marketing strategies emulate marketing goals sti pulated by an organization and portray a mechanism of achieving them within a given time span. Moreover, marketing strategies combine marketing control elements such as product development, distribution, promotion and pricing among others thereby enabling organizations to attain their vision (Neal & Quester, 2006).  Furthermore, organizations are able to allocate their resources accordingly. This enables them to identify appropriated target market segments, marketing mix, and position. In the process organizations effectively engage with their customers by the implementation of effective corporate strategies, goals, and mission thereby competently dealing with the market competition (Neal & Quester, 2006). Therefore, this research paper will elaborate on theories of marketing strategies that enable organizations to achieve market control.

Outline theiia.org Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Outline theiia.org - Assignment Example Employers  and Agencies can fill open positions in their respective departments. One can also post job openings searching for resumes, which match the desired criteria posted in the audit career center (Institute of Internal Auditors 13). 1. SERVICES A. Quality Assurance Here, there is a Quality Assurance and Improvement Program (QAIP) which enables evaluation of the internal audit activity's conformance. This program is also responsible for gauging the efficiency and effectiveness of the internal audit activity, identifying improvement opportunities. Internal assessments are constant, where there are in-house assessments of the in-house audit  activities together with periodic self-assessments and/or reviews (Institute of Internal Auditors 14). 1. MEMBERSHIP A. Benefits of Membership This section focuses on members where it stipulates that members are entitled to guidance, training, and services free or specially priced. Most of the important prospects accessible to IIA members are: 1. Advocacy Resourceful guidance is accessible to members for the advocacy of their role with the main stakeholders. The IIA maintains international recognition due to their presence in Washington DC in the advocacy of the profession. ... The IIA is the pioneer in imaginative interior review preparing, with the provision of quality involving opportunities for learning which is well facilitated for its members and customers. With IIA, there is an assurance that as a member you have the learning and abilities essential for the procurement of the most abnormal amount of surety, knowledge, and possible objectivity which adds value to your organization. There is a commitment to the deliverance of the very best in internal audit training, satisfying our notoriety as the worldwide guide in inward review instruction, by the procurement of the best quality esteem in the business (Institute of Internal Auditors 16). 1. Top-quality Training Programs and Facilitators Here, the IIA raises the bar on quality by best practices in adult instructional design when building and updating courses. IIA also incorporates  the strategy and theory behind how adults learn working closely with subject matter experts in the development and mai ntenance of courses ensuring that they are aligned with the IIA's International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF). Another reason for our superiority and the top quality training programs is IIA’s talent facilitators which facilitate the member to undertake meticulous training and peer review, thus becoming experts at encouraging transfer of knowledge by way of discussions, exercises, and activities (Institute of Internal Auditors 17). 1. CERTIFICATION A. CIA certification The IIA has a very comprehensive certification portfolio serving as the key to unlocking opportunities within the internal audit profession; increasing the level of a member’s credibility while adding clout to the resume. This increases your value to your clients and employer

Curriculum proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Curriculum proposal - Essay Example Focus would be on providing the students with listening and speaking skills that would make the students confident when engaging in business activities like ordering, telephoning, networking and problem solving. In accordance with the definition of curriculum by Richards (2001), this proposed research will involve analysis of the needs, evaluation of the aims and objectives and provision of resources that would be the basis of learning and teaching. Appreciating that the environment influences the curriculum to be adopted and the mode of teaching to be used as cited by Richards (2001), this course being specific on the environment of execution would require an adoption of specific approach in teaching English as a foreign language, EFL. It would be different as the approach that would have been adopted for an environment of employers, parents or politicians among other learning environments. According to Wang (2011), this context would yield best outcomes with the adoption of case-based teaching. In this approach, students would be given a virtual business situation that incorporates the relevant issues from which the students will analyze, communicate and come up with appropriate solutions. According to the researcher, this approach should be adopted in classroom activity and course design as it has been noted to increase the communication competence of students and avoid errors in language communication. Various theories explain how students learn. In this case, the behavioral learning theory which according to Lavadenz (2011) postulates that learning would be as a result of a response to environmental stimuli approaches teaching through repetition, practice and reward. The Saudi students would be rewarded with better business English communication skills. Learning business English would call for internal motivation to achieve the desired outcome since all languages have same underlying principles, referred

Team Roles and Team Formation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Roles and Team Formation - Essay Example Some of them are indeed positive while others are negative. The medley of thoughts includes the joy of working together and the fulfillment of a goal achieved and the conflicts, the time consuming discussions and the communication barriers. From the first appearance of man on earth, mankind was working in teams. Through out their lives humankind is in one or other teams. There are football teams, firefighting teams, singing teams, card clubs and political parties. Moreover, we are all born in a family, which is also an example of a team. A team may be called a group people who are dependent on one another to reach a common goal. Now a team should function efficiently to achieve the goal for it has a purpose for its existence. However, research in this field of human behavior is lamentable inadequate: Discouragingly, but not unexpectedly, the research effort seems weakest in those situations where the risks are highest and the tasks are most complex (Schein and Bennis 1965) There are lot of advantages and disadvantages in working in a team. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and by careful use of educational tools, the disadvantages can be mitigated. The most important advantage of teamwork is better outcome from efforts. Teams have shown better adaptability to the changing needs of the market place. They are also more sensitive to the needs of the clients and are better in using changing technology. The teams can give better imputes and there is always a relation between the input and the outcome. In team work there is more involvement of every one and hence more desire to get the job done. Moreover, teamwork enhances the circle of communication and the usual communication hurdles in inter- personal communication is got over in teamwork. The shared information also enhances the opportunity to learn more and the chance to bring together different perspective due to difference between people. Teamwork also derives more satisfaction as pe rsons, as a major portion of our time is spent at our work and our work place might offer the chance to enter into enduring friendship. Working in a team should be like going for ones favorite game. The main disadvantage of teamwork is that it is time consuming. This is all the more so when the team is in being set up, which can lead to too many meetings. It is difficult to time meetings to suit the convenience of all and decision-making can be painfully slow. If the group is made up of individuals who are capable of performing alone, it will require lot of reorientation in their thinking to make themselves suitable for performing in a group. In a group, individuals may skulk work thinking their lack of contribution will not be noticed. In teamwork personality, disorders may surface resulting in conflicts, which can aggravate in resulting in lack of effective performance. Just as groups have their inherent strength, they have also their weaknesses. One of the common dangers in teamwork is formation of exclusive subgroups, which do not fall in line with the mainstream thinking and policy of the group. The greatest danger however is the phenomenon called groupthink, which can nega te innovation. Groupthink is the result of complacency about the past performance and the feeling that the groups can never go wrong. In spite of these, draw back group work has been

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example He worked with NeXT Computer and later on bought the Pixar in 1986. He returned to Apple in 1996 and purchased NeXT the same year. The company introduced products like iMac, iPod, iPad, iTunes, iPhone, Mac OS and many others. Jobs was time and again criticized for his complete mastery towards persuasion and salesmanship. He made keynote speeches and defied the odds (Siegler, 2011). Eventually he resigned in 2011 from Apple Inc. as the CEO but remained as a pivotal Chairman on the company’s board. This was the reason why Apple’s shares dropped around five percent in the after hour trading within the stock exchange. There was so much more that the naked eye could see when one thought of Steve Jobs. He was a born leader who showcased complete control over what he did, thought and showed to the world through the different tools, gadgets and devices. This is the reason why his death is mourned across the board for a number of reasons (Appleyard, 2009). Nearly the entire planet hailed him as an exceptional human being, who changed beliefs, stood up against the tough times no matter these concerned his own personal health domains and the ones he encountered at work. He was considered to be a very wealthy person who did not earn more than $1 million per year as CEO of Apple. He also held 5.426 million shares of Apple and another 138 million Disney shares. His net wealth is estimated at around $8.3 billion when the same was conducted in the year 2010, which made him America’s 42nd wealthiest individual. Steve Jobs was not known for his philanthropic acts in a public manner which is entirely opp osite to how Bill Gates showcases his philanthropic role (Kopun, 2011). However, Steve Jobs was known to have helped the poor and needy through private acts of charity. It was in the year 2003 when Jobs was diagnosed with cancer and in the following year (2004), he announced to the Apple employees that he was suffering from cancer in his pancreas. He died

CRJS355(5) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CRJS355(5) - Research Paper Example Seizure of property in plain view should involve no invasion of privacy and be presumptively reasonable (Hemmens & Gerherd, 2010 ). Plain sight discovery are always common during contacts made by somebody to the officers, detentions, and traffic stops. Even though most of the evidence acquired in this manner may be accepted in court, sometimes part of them may be suppressed. The logic rule of evidence states that ‘what a person knowingly exposes to the public, even at his home or office, is not a subject of Fourth Amendment protection’ as supported by Hemmens and Gerherd 2010. Evidence obtained is always not just useful because an officer of law has seen it. The fact that matters is whether he attained it lawfully so that the prosecutor can use it in court. For the investigator to legally invoke plain sight seizure he must consider if he had made a lawful discovery of the evidence. He must have had the legal right of being in the location from which they initially saw, s melled, or felled the evidence. Investigators upon discovering evidence, they must have a probable cause to believe that the evidence is indeed criminal evidence. Plain view discovery is not always us simple us such, especially when the evidence are to be used in the court of law. Investigators are not allowed to obtain evidence in a place where the suspect reasonably expected privacy. They must have the legal right to enter the place. The exclusionary rule was developed by the courts to deter the federal and the government from violating the right of unreasonable searches and seizures. Evidences observation in plain view is not a search, and it is also settled that evidences obtained in the course of unlawful search or seizure is not plain view evidence. Therefore the Supreme Court regarded the fourth amendment exclusionary rule as a remedy required by the constitution principle, courts have decided to use deliberate and culpable test to determine whether to admit evidence obtained as a result of seizure which is unconditional as a result of an officer’s error. Evidences that are obtained without questionable search violating the exclusionary rule could ultimately be admissible as evidence in the court. Exclusionary rule does not apply when police officer’s act with objectively reasonable reliance on a search warrant later found to be invalid (Henning, 1995). Investigators, who mistakenly rather than intentionally violate constitutional rights, are deterred from future violation by the exclusion law. The doctrine of exclusion by good faith harms the innocent defendants in three ways: juror resistance, juror error, and perverse screening effect. It has therefore, been difficult for the court to find any distinction between investigators error and third-party error. The court held that investigators violation in obtaining evidence did not trigger the exclusionary rule. In justifying the holding of some cases, courts have noted that the logical inc onsistency between exclusion in cases involving non-police errors, cannot logically contribute to the deterrence of Fourth Amendment violations. But the errors that are made by the investigators in finding evidences and filling them have resulted to high faulty paperwork. By court allowing these errors in good faith doctrine the scope of its impact remains to be seen. The errors such us record keeping which may lead to false arrest, unlawful acquisition of evidence could only justify

The Link between Crime and Mental Disorder Essay Example for Free

The Link between Crime and Mental Disorder Essay In an effort to understand, and therefore reduce or eliminate crime, studies are conducted that examine the many factors that influence or affect it. One of the influences [or possible influences] that affect crime [particularly violent crime]is mental disorder. Several studies have been carried out that investigate this link, which have uncovered much important information. These studies [as with most studies] however, are not without bias. Things such as definition of mental disorder or abnormality are often questionable, as are sample distributions. There are also individual factors, such as type of mental disorder and previous criminal records of subjects, which can influence the results. After taking these factors into account, the research results when examined, suggest, contrary to popular belief, that individuals with mental disorders are generally no more likely to commit crime than individuals without mental disorder. It is a common assumption, that whenever a brutal, violent or senseless crime is committed, it is by someone who is mentally ill or sick. Blaming violent and senseless crime on mental disorders may be comforting but it is not necessarily accurate. A stereotype has developed of the insane mass murderer largely due to the media, however, research evidence suggests that this stereotype is far from accurate. Much research on the link between crime [specifically to this discussion, violent crime] and mental disorder has been conducted, however there are different factors that need to be taken into account when examining this link. Definition of mental disorder is a major one, along with possible uneven sample distributions. Also, there have been changes in mental health and criminal justice policies that have increasingly made hospitalisation restricted to those who are more socially disruptive or dangerous. With these considerations in mind, research evidence can be then be examined. As previously stated, there are many problems with the mental disorder definition. The major symptom of mental disorder is abnormal behaviour, however, there is no strict criteria that sufficiently defines abnormality. Behaviour could be labelled abnormal if it deviates from the statistical  norm, however, as the American Psychiatric association [1987] notes there are no sharp boundaries between normality and abnormality. It can be concluded from this then, that there are no sharp boundaries between mental order and mental disorder. Behaviour could also be labelled abnormal if it deviates from the cultural norm. This is problematic because what society deems as normal is subjective and constantly changing. For example, homosexuality was regarded as being a mental disorder until 1973. These are only two of the ways in which mental disorder is possibly identified but others, such as behaviour that is subjectively distressing, deviates from optimal social or psychological functioning or fails to meet some ideal of health [Blackburn, 1993, p.247] are all subjective and are by no means exact. As such, these classifications have numerous exceptions. Another element of research on the mental disorder and crime link that is often questioned, is the sample distribution. Some believe that many of the studies conducted in this area have an uneven sample distribution that introduces bias in the results. As with many studies conducted in the criminology field, there is the question: should only those convicted of crime [and in this case, those officially diagnosed with a mental disorder] be studied or, should only those who indulge in criminal activity but have not yet been detected by the criminal justice system [or those with undiagnosed mental disorders] be studied, or both? Furthermore, if it is decided that both should be studied, how can people who commit crime, but have not been convicted, or people with mental disorders who have not been diagnosed, be included? These are difficult questions that are up to the individual[s] who are conducting the study to answer, and, different answers, can and usually will, dramatically affect the results. This, however, is not the only way in which a sample distribution could become uneven. A study conducted by Teplin [1984, 1985] cited by Bartol [1999, p.143] examined the tendency of police officers to arrest individuals with a mental disorder. Graduate students of psychology looked at 1382 encounters, and evaluated the mental health of the citizens according to a symptom checklist. The police qualified 506 citizens as suspects and arrested 148.  The students classified 30 of the 506 suspects and 14 of the 148 suspects that were arrested as having a mental disorder. Therefore it was found that 20% more individuals were arrested with mental disorder symptoms than those without. This is believed to be due to the fact that many people with a mental disorder have symptoms such as verbal abuse, belligerence, and general disrespect. This makes it fairly understandable that their arrest record is significantly higher than the general population, but it must be understood that it does not indicate a greater proneness to criminal activity. While considering uneven sample distributions, one must also consider the relatively recent changes in mental health and criminal justice policies. Long term inpatient care or hospitalisation of the mentally disordered is a practice that has largely disappeared [Bartol, 1999, p.141]. Therefore, the mentally disordered have become a more visible presence in the community, and so, if a problem occurs, it is usually up to the law enforcement officials to handle it. According to Teplin, as a result jails and prisons may have become the long-term repository for mentally ill individuals who, in a previous era, would have been institutionalised within a psychiatric facility [cited in Bartol, 1999, p.141]. Also, it has been suggested that studies which examine the criminal activity of recently released patients may be biased, as there has been an increased number of patients with previous arrest histories being admitted to mental hospitals from 15% to 40% over a thirty year period. This is due to an increasing tendency of courts to refer habitual offenders for psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore any post treatment criminal activity may not be related to the mental disorder at all, but more related to their having a previous criminal record. Once these, as well definition issues have been considered, the actual relationship between mental disorder and crime [specifically violent crime], and the research evidence can be examined. There have been several studies conducted on criminal behaviour in psychiatric patients, with the earlier findings indicating that mentally disordered individuals are no more likely to commit violent crimes than  those in the general population. However, more recent research has shown that male psychiatric patients who have a history of at least one violent incident, have a high probability of being violent within a year after being released from hospital. Rabkin [1979], cited by Bartol [p.142], conducted a review of the criminal behaviour of discharged mental patients, and found that the arrest rate for discharged mental patients was higher than the rate for the general population, particularly for assaultive or violent behaviour. There are two explanations suggested for this. Firstly, a small percentage of the patients studied that had criminal records before being admitted to hospital continued their criminal activities after being released. These patients substantially inflated the arrest rates for the other mental patients. Also there is the factor of arrest bias, as was previously mentioned. Secondly, Rabkin found that most offences committed after discharge were by those diagnosed with alcoholism, substance addiction or personality disorder. Alcoholism and substance abuse appear quite often in this type of research but do not represent serious or typical mental disorders, and the classification of personality disorders are vague and often questioned. It was found that with these three categories excluded, or considered separately, the remainder of the group appeared to be considerably less dangerous than those in general population. Another study conducted a 19 month follow up of discharged mental patients in 1968 and 1975 by Steadman, Cocozza and Melick, cited by Blackburn [1993, p. 266] Of the two samples, 6.9% and 9.4% were arrested about three times higher than the general population rate. It was found that the arrests after release were related to prior arrests, age or alcohol abuse. For patients with no prior arrests, the level was lower than that of the general population. Similarly, a study conducted by Linqvist and Allebeck {1990] cited by Blackburn {1993} which did a fifteen year follow up of released mental patients found that offence rates for the males were only slightly higher than the general population, but on the other hand, females offended at twice the expected rate. In contrast to these studies, one conducted by  Sosowsky, which studied patients with no previous arrest records, found that the arrest rates were five times higher than those of the local county in which it was conducted. It was believed, however, that when other factors such as age, race or socioeconomic status are taken into account in this study, the arrest rate becomes comparable to that of the general population. The results of these studies imply that criminal activity after discharge moreso depends upon previous arrest and other demographic factors than the mental disorder itself. Another way to examine the mental disorder and crime link is to look at mental disorder in prisoners, as opposed to criminal activity in individuals with a mental disorder. Mental disorders in prisoners is sometimes believed to be evidence of a link between crime and abnormal behaviour. Research reveals that the rate of mental disorders in prison significantly varies ranging from five to 16 percent psychotic [Teplin, 1990, cited by Bartol, 1999] In New York prisons, it is estimated that about eight percent of inmates have severe mental disabilities while sixteen percent have significant mental disabilities. A study conducted by Taylor of life sentenced prisoners in London [mostly murderers] found that 9% had symptoms of schizophrenia, 13% were found to be depressed and 33% personality disordered. These statistics are mostly similar to others found in Britain, but are significantly higher than those found elsewhere. This form of research, however is unclear on whether the mental disorder was present before being imprisoned, or if it happened as a result of being imprisoned. It is believed that prison may have detrimental effects on mental states meaning that the mental disorder may have come after the crime was committed. This would not be reflected in the results and so, would therefore introduce a bias. Research evidence indicates that there is no significant link between mental disorder and violence, however, it has been suggested that some disorders increase the risk. A study conducted in 1982 by Hafner and Boker, cited by Blackburn [p.269] surveyed all 533 case of murder, attempted murder and manslaughter in the Federal Republic of Germany between 1955 and 1964, who were found to be not responsible for their actions because of a serious mental disorder  [schizophrenic or affective psychosis, organic brain disorder, mental retardation]. The authors of the survey estimated that the mentally disordered accounted for 2.9% of convictions for serious violence and for 5.6% of murders. Hafner and Boker found that schizophrenia was overrepresented and affective psychosis underrepresented in their sample. Though the risk of serious violence in schizophrenia is very low [about 0.05%], it is much higher than other disorders, such as affective disorders and mental retardation [0.006%]. Depression has also been linked to violence, particularly homicide, mainly among females, Some recent research has indicated that there has been a link between violence and post traumatic stress disorder. Despite the fact that aggression is not among the criteria for diagnosing this disorder, irritability is, and it is also sometimes associated with unpredictable explosions of aggressive behaviour [American Psychiatric Association, 1987, cited in Blackburn, p. 273]. A study of 100 Vietnam veterans with PTSD found that 97% were explosive and irritable, 87% were socially avoidant and 72%were substance abusers. [Solursh, 1989, cited in Blackburn, p.273. This study, however, is unclear on the actual arrest or assault level. With the exception of some forms of personality disorder, no mental disorder seems strongly associated with violent behaviour, unless, as was previously stated, there is already a history of violence in the patient. Though schizophrenia has higher rates of violent occurrence, it is important to note that very few patients with this disorder actually commit acts of violence approximately 5 out of every 10 000 schizophrenics are likely to become violent. Only in very rare case does mental disorder completely absolve anyone of responsibility for their actions. [Bourne and Russo, 1998, p.569] The link between crime and mental disorder is a hard one to measure, because of the many and various other factors that come into play. Sample distributions are always questionable, as are specific definitions. Also, it is reasonable to assume that because neither crime nor mental disorder is extremely rare, it is inevitable that the two will overlap, however correlation is not causation [Bourne and Russo, 1998, p.571] the two may  exist even in the absence of a causal relationship. Research evidence suggests that no form of mental disorder [with the possible exception of some forms of personality disorder] seems strongly associated with violent crime, unless, the individual already has a history of violence some research in this area suggests that these individuals may be dangerous, and are prone to indulging in violent behaviour. However, the stereotype of the psychotic mass murderer that kills indiscriminately is inaccurate. Though, mental disorder may be one of the factors, it is seldom the only factor in play. Having a mental disorder rarely excuses or accounts for any act of crime, violent or otherwise. The numerous studies on the subject have generally found that the link between mental disorder and crime is not as significant as is often assumed.

The Statement Of The Research Problem English Language Essay

The Statement Of The Research Problem English Language Essay English is now considered as an important language, not only in the learning institutions but also within the society. Most employers seek employees who can communicate competently in English. Unfortunately the standard of English among todays graduates is disappointing. One may argue that emphasize should be put on the skill needed to do a particular job instead of focusing on being able to speak English well. However, in certain fields the ability to converse well in English is mandatory. It is especially important to graduates or students of the TESL course as they are suppose to teach English to others. If they could not do it well, how could they be expected to teach others? In my practicum teaching experience, I managed to observe that some of the students kept silent all the time during the teaching and learning session. And the main reason for this situation taking place is the fact that they do not want to speak English. Most of the time during classroom teaching, I am the only one explaining and trying to get the students to speak. Even when they know the answer to a simple question, they still hesitate to open their mouths, and to volunteer in answering the question orally. They are indifferent to conversing in English. Although some of them know clearly that they should be competent in the language so as to qualify themselves for the current competitive career seeking opportunities that they will face in the future. Besides, the ability to speak in English is required in the society and the Malaysian community since we are in a multicultural country. With this demographic background, one common language that we share besides Malay is English. Ther efore, having confidence to speak the language is considered necessary. 1.2 The Statement of the Research Problem Being able to make ourselves confident, and directing the self-confidence that we have to speak in English is a hard effort. To be able to have this confidence, individuals need to make sure that they are proficient in the language. Lack of proficiency in English is seen as a major contributor towards the student teachers oral contribution in the classroom and during English teaching and learning session. In light of this situation, many factors have been identified as the cause of such issue to occur among the student teachers. Thus, these contributing factors will be further investigated in this research in order to come up with means for effective change. The first problem that results in silence of the sample group during classroom interaction and instruction is due to the fact that the student teachers level of English proficiency, compared to their senior teachers and lecturers, are relatively different. The sample group has differences among them in terms of English proficiency. This means that their level of competency, especially in oral English, differs from one another. Therefore, with this problem, they become more afraid of making mistakes if they speak, thus resort to being silent and avoid any oral communication in the classroom with the senior teacher or lecturer. Does this problem apply to the focused group of the research? Based on the practicum teaching experience, I also found out that the same problem applies to my B.Ed TESL colleagues during lecture sessions. Even though we are already in our final semester of learning and the ability to converse in English should have been sharpened throughout the 7 semesters, many still hesitate to voice out opinions or provide individual answers voluntarily during lectures. Therefore, I decided to look into this problem and come up with necessary solutions for this issue. Based on the problems explained above, this topic best interests me since I will benefit from the findings of this research whereby I can use it to overcome any difficulties pertaining to this issue for the betterment of my teaching and instruction as a teacher in the classroom. 1.3 The Research Objectives The purpose of this research is to investigate trainee teachers perceptions, problems and experiences of speaking English in the classroom. By identifying these three components; students perception, difficulties, and ways to overcome this matter, this study generally focuses on how to help the B.Ed TESL Cohort Three students to overcome the barrier that exists. Therefore, I hope that this study will help them to be able to speak in English during their teaching periods and in the classroom. Specifically, the research is conducted to fulfill the following objectives: To find out about trainee teachers perception in speaking English while doing their practicum and during lecture hours in the classroom. To find out about trainee teachers difficulties in speaking English while doing their practicum and during lecture hours in the classroom. To propose suggestions on how barriers and difficulties of speaking English in the classroom can be minimized, or eliminated. 1.4 The Research Questions The following questions were designed to fulfill the needs of this research: How does B.Ed TESL trainee teachers teach English in class, and how do they act and react during lecture hours in the teachers training institute? What are the difficulties in speaking English while doing their practicum and during lecture hours in the classroom? What are the ways that can encourage B.Ed TESL trainee teachers to frequently speak in English in the classroom? 1.5 Limitation of the Study This study had been conducted to the Cohort Three, B.Ed TESL students of UiTM. The reason for selecting them as the respondents is due to the limitation of sources, age factors, and the time constraint. As we are studying in MARA University of Technology (UiTM), and the fact that it is hard for us to get respondents from other universities, we decided to study our own B.Ed TESL Cohort Three students. Besides that, this study is only limited to B.Ed TESL Cohort Three students due to the small age gap between each and every one of my respondents. In average, the respondents for my study are aged between 23 to 25 years old. This project is limited to only the respondents chosen because it is easier to distribute the questionnaire to them and recollect it back afterwards. Moreover, since we do not have ample time to distribute and analyze the questionnaire papers, choosing only B.Ed TESL Cohort Three students seemed to be the best solution not only because of the factors stated above, but also because the topic of my case study is closely related to the respondents chosen. 1.5 Significance of the study This study had been carried out with the purpose of knowing why students in higher educational institutions are less interested in speaking English. As an English language learner, I found out that most students studying in higher education institutions, especially Mara University of Technology (UiTM) lack the interest to speak English, especially outside the classroom. As English is an important language nowadays, it is also vital for teacher trainees like us to master the language. One best way of mastering this language is by using it in our daily conversations. By using English language in our daily communications, the B.Ed TESL students are able to improve their speaking skills during their practicum and also during lecture hours. Consequently this study can be used to help the students in their speaking of English and also to help them to be more confident to use the second language. Apart from that, this study also able to aid the lecturers to tackle this matter. Therefore, some measures will be taken by them in terms of the contents of the lesson and the pedagogy used in class. For example, the lesson carried out is more interesting which requires the students to talk and contribute more in the classroom. In addition, the UiTM administrator should organize workshops that focus on building students self-confidence to converse in English. This will encourage the students to use English as their medium of communication. Unfortunately, B.ED TESL Cohort Three students of UiTM seemed to be reluctant to speak English among their friends, colleagues, peers, and everyone around them. So, this study helps me to reflect on the reasons leading to this situation. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 English Subject English is an international language. It is widely used in many situations like business trade, communication, learning process and so on. Therefore, English has become a compulsory subject in Malaysian Educational System. It was first implemented in year 1979. All students starting from kindergarten until tertiary level have to learn English as one of their subjects. The major aim of this subject is to allow students to develop their level of proficiency in English. This will enable students to use English for their daily life, knowledge acquisition and to prepare them for future jobs. In KBSM, the learning outcome in learning English is based on the four skills which are reading, speaking, writing and listening. Those four skills are really needed to be mastered by the students before they go off the school. Speaking skill is useful for students to deliver their thoughts and ideas clearly in speech when they pronounce words correctly and observe correct stress and intonation (KEMENTERIAN PENDIDIKAN MALAYSIA SUKATAN PELAJARAN KURIKULUM BERSEPADU SEKOLAH MENENGAH) From Zhao B. (1998) in her article. 2.2 Motivation to Speak English How to motivate students to speak English (Golding, 2007), has provided several issues that need to be taken into consideration. The first factor is environment. There are several factors that hinder students from speaking English in class like afraid of making mistakes, and lack of confidence. Thus, it is the teachers role to provide good environment so that students will feel comfortable to converse in English. Secondly, encouragement is necessary. From time to time teachers should give moral support to the students so that they will increase their level of confidence in using the target language. Third is methods chosen by the teachers. The teachers should make sure that the approach for speaking skill is suitable for students to develop their speaking skill. Lastly is guidance from the teacher. Teachers should guide their students so that they will learn something from the lesson and will not repeat the same mistake again and again. Teachers should try to make their class lively and active through their guidance and ways of handling it. 2.3 Speaking English outside the Classroom In order to be fluent in speaking English, students must be encouraged to put into practice speaking English outside the classroom environment. From Pete Marchetto (2007), only the most motivated students will manage to speak it all the time. However, why students nowadays feel reluctant to use the language as one of their means of communication? Fluency is one of the factors that may hinder students to speak English outside the classroom. An article entitled English outside the Classroom stated that to develop fluency, we must generate a need to speak, to meet the learners want to speak. The learners themselves must be convinced of the need to relate to the subject and communicate about it to others. They need to feel that they are speaking not simply because the teacher expects them to, but because there is some strong reason to do so; not only inside the classroom but also outside the classroom. (Hawes, 1994) Thus, students need to force themselves to speak in English if they want to become fluent speakers. Fluency may not come without practice. Fluency may be a factor that hinders students from speaking English, but their personal interest can also be a contributor to this issue. In research done by Shimizu entitled Why Japanese Students Reluctant to express their Opinions in the Classroom suggests that, some students are not interested in English and it is natural that they cannot express their opinions during the class. So, it means that, students need to have high interest in learning the language. If they have little interest in the language, definitely they will not practice the language. Apart from that, students do not speak English because they feel afraid of making mistakes. The fear of losing face prevents the students from speaking English (Zhu, 2003). These students do not want to feel ashamed in front of their friends if they tend to speak English incorrectly. 2.4 Barriers in speaking English Feeling not confident to speak in English, or reluctance to speak, whether in the classroom, or outside can occur due to many factors. These factors hinder, or become the barrier in individuals to speak in English. From my experience, my colleagues rarely speak in English in informal situations especially outside the classroom. For me, this is the largest barrier that deters the speaking of English during lectures in class. Speaking in English outside the classroom is important. Interacting in the community is a vital part of their language learning because language acquisition takes place when learners have problems communicating and have to negotiate for meaning. (Ellis, 2005) Speaking in English outside the classroom is important, and has proved to facilitate individuals in becoming confident and able to improve speaking skills. A research done by Cathy Wright (2006) entitled SPEAKING ENGLISH BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: IDENTIFYING BARRIERS AND EFFECTING CHANGE, showed that speaking English outside class was very important (all instead of half) and more certain it could improve speaking, listening, vocabulary and understanding of life. Furthermore, participants had become more positive about their experiences of speaking English in the community. First language (L1) is also a barrier to individuals to speak in English in class. This is because in my opinion and observation, my colleagues prefer to speak among themselves in L1, whether inside the classroom, or outside. L1 effect on second language (L2) is also termed as interference. Quoted in Bhela (1999), When writing or speaking the target language (L2), second language learners tend to rely on their native language (L1) structures to produce a response. If the structures of the two languages are distinctly different, then one could expect a relatively high frequency of errors to occur in L2, thus indicating an interference of L1 on L2 (Dechert, 1983 and Ellis, 1997). Based on the quotation above, the structure of individuals L1 interfere in the production of sentences in L2, thus creating repeated errors in individuals speech and writing in L2. Therefore, the errors may instil lack of motivation and confidence to speak in L2, creating a situation that hinders my colleagues to practice speaking English in class and outside the classroom. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Background One crucial phrase that can be applied in mastering the English language is practice makes perfect. In order to be competent in English, TESL students should speak the language every opportunity they get. Surprisingly, many TESL students do not use English outside the classroom. This is why I decided to conduct a survey to investigate this matter. I want to find out whether the reason they are not using English outside the classroom is innate or related to their surroundings. This is important because we need to recognize and eliminate the inhibitors that prevent TESL students from using English outside the classroom so that I may find ways to overcome this problem. This chapter looks into how the survey has been carried out. In this chapter, it is discussed in detail about the subjects of this study, the instruments used to carry out this study, how the data had been collected, and finally the way the data had been analyzed. From this chapter, the whole process, from distributing the instrument, conducting and collecting the data, to the way of analyzing all the data of the study is being described precisely. 3.2 The Subjects of the Study The subjects for my study are 45 persons. From all the subjects, I chose to distribute our instruments to 11 male students, and 34 female students. Furthermore, the subjects of my study are all from B.Ed TESL Cohort Three UiTM students. All the respondents are aged between twenty to twenty four years old. While choosing for the subjects for this study, I did not encounter any difficulties as my survey is not a comparison between males and females. So, the difference in the numbers of males and females respondents was not a barrier to me to continue the study. 3.3 The Instruments In doing this survey, the method chosen is survey questionnaire. The reason for choosing this method is that it is easier to analyze the data provided. The survey questionnaire will be distributed among 45 respondents in March 2010. In order to accumulate the data the instrument is divided into three sections which are; (a) Students Perception, (b) Difficulties, and (c) Ways to Help. The questionnaire consists of ten (10) survey questions pertaining to the survey topic. From those 10 questions, three questions had been asked in a form of YES/NO, one question as scale, and six multiple choice questions. The YES/NO question asks the respondents to tick either Yes or No. The optional choice question in the questionnaire needs all the respondents to choose the answers within the answers that had been provided for them. The scale question requires the respondent to grade according to their opinion about what the question asks. Meanwhile, the open-ended question asks the respondents to state their reason/s in answering the related question. 3.4 Data Collection As this survey had been conducted using survey questionnaire, the data provided is written in the questionnaire paper itself. Therefore, when this questionnaire had been distributed to all the respondents chosen, I had given them about 15 minutes to finish answering all the questions. The questionnaire set is collected as soon as all the respondents completed answering it. The questionnaire was handed to all the respondents while they were in class and waiting for the lecturer to come. So the data collection for this survey has been made at their respective classes 3.5 Data Analysis After all the data had been collected, an analysis of it has been carried out to conclude all the findings and assemblage the data into their percentage. This is done to come out with a list of figures and charts discussing each question. The data collected is first recounted to make sure all the respondents had handed in their questionnaire paper. After that, an analysis of each question is made by grouping the answers, and totaling them up in a form of percentage. Then, the percentage of each data is transmitted into the different charts provided by the computer. For the open-ended question, the data is tabulated into a table and followed by appropriate justifications on how the respondents reacted to the questions asked. CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION 4.0 Introduction The purpose of this research is to investigate trainee teachers perceptions, problems and experiences of speaking English in the classroom. This chapter looks into how the results of the findings of the study will be portrayed and discussed. 4.1 Data Presentation and Analysis This chapter contains information and the conclusion made pertaining to each question asked in the questionnaire paper. After the data had been analyze and transmitted into figures and tables, a conclusion for each question is made to relate the findings and the survey topic together. In this chapter also, the results of the survey is shown and discussed. 4.1.1 Students Perception 4.1.1.1 QUESTION 1: From your point of view, is English an interesting language? FIGURE 4.1 The first question is a general question which asks the respondents whether English is an interesting language or not. It is a Yes/No question, which require the respondents to tick in either one of the boxes provided. For this question, 45 respondents, or a total of 96 percent of the respondents say that English is an interesting language. While an outstanding total of respondents say that English is interesting. On the contrary, 2 respondents, who carry another 4 percent of the total percentage, say that English is not an interesting language. 4.1.1.2 QUESTION 2: Is English language difficult to be spoken? FIGURE 4.2 The second question is a Yes/No question, asking the respondents perceptions whether English language is difficult to be spoken or not. From the pie-chart chart above, it is shown that a high 80 percent of the respondents say that English is not difficult to be spoken. Another 20 percent stated that speaking English is hard. It clearly shows that majority of the respondents agree to the fact that English is not a hard language to be spoken. 4.1.2 Students difficulties 4.1.2.1 QUESTION 3: On the scale of 1 to 10, what is your level of proficiency in the English language? FIGURE 4.3 The third question required the respondents to rate their level of proficiency in the English language. The rational of asking this question is to know how well the respondents feel about themselves pertaining to the study of English. The scale of 1 to 10 has been provided to them in three different boxes. The first box is rated 1 to 3, the second rated 4 to 7, and the third box is rated 8 to 10. After analyzing the findings provided, 62 percent, with majority respondents rated their proficiency in English at 4 to 7 of the scale. The second highest percentage is 32 percent, where the respondents rate their English proficiency at 8 to 10 from the scale given. Meanwhile, the lowest percentage is 6 rate their proficiency at the point of 1 to 3 on the scale. 4.1.2.2 QUESTION 4: How often do you speak English with your friends / peers outside of the classroom? FIGURE 4.3 The fourth question for this survey is pertaining to the frequency of speaking English for each respondent. The answers provided for this question is seldom, once a week, everyday, or never spoken in English before. The respondents are asked to choose only ONE answer for this question. From the analyzed data, 50 percent of the respondents answered they seldom speak in English, 14 percent said that they speak English once a week, another 32 percent of respondents state that they speak English everyday, while another 6 percent of the remaining respondents stated that they never spoke in English. From this question, it can be concluded that the respondents spent less time using English to communicate in their daily lives. 4.1.2.3 QUESTION 5: Do your colleagues practice speaking English outside of the classroom? FIGURE 4.6 Question 6 is a Yes/No, asking the respondents whether their colleagues in the university practices speaking English outside the classroom or not. All the respondents are asked to chose either Yes or No for the answer. The highest percentage for this question is the answer Yes, with a total of 60 percent of the respondents stating that their colleagues do practice speaking English outside their classroom. Another 40 percent of the respondents say that their colleagues did not practice speaking the language outside classroom. 4.1.2.4 QUESTION 6: Do you speak English with your parents / family members at home? FIGURE 4.7 The above figure is a transmitted data of the seventh question in the survey questionnaire conducted to the B.Ed TESL teacher trainee of IPGM-KKB UiTM. This question is asked with the purpose of knowing whether the respondents do speak English language with their parents or family members at home. Related to the fifth question before, this is another way for me to gather more information about the topic of my study. To conclude the figure above, 60 percent or a total of 30 respondents do practice speaking the language with their parents or family members at home. 4.1.2.5 QUESTION 7: What do you think is the inhibitor for TESL students to use English in the classroom? TABLE 4.2 The question asked respondents to give their opinion on the inhibitor for TESL students to use English in the classroom. From the data collected, it shows that most of the respondents admit that lack of self-confidence is the biggest inhibitor for them to use English outside the classroom, with 57.7 percent. Besides, 19.7 percent respondents believe that they are lack of practice to use the language. While, 17 percent of our respondents say that their mother tongue (Malay Language) inhibits them to speak English in the classroom. Meanwhile, only 7 percent of the total percentage states that peers are the inhibitors for them to speak the language in class. 4.1.3 Ways to Overcome 4.1.3.1 QUESTION 8: Who influence you most in speaking English? FIGURE 4.5 This question is asking the respondents to reveal who influenced them most to speak in English in the classroom. The answers provided for this question is peers/friends, parents, their lecturers and their own self-willing. From the bar chart above, respondents agree that their peers/ friends, and their lecturers are the most influential factor for them to speak in English, with the percentage of 28.9. Meanwhile, a 26.8 percent out of the total percentage state that their own-willing to speak is the most pushing factor in influencing them to speak the language outside the classroom. Another 15.4 percent of the remaining respondents chose their parents as someone who influence them to speak in English out of class. From this question, it shows that peers or friends, and lecturers play an important part to make us speak in English, even outside of the classroom. 4.1.3.2 QUESTION 9: From your point of view, do a teacher / lecturer play a big role in encouraging students to speak English? FIGURE 4.8 Question 8 is a multiple choice form of question, which needs the respondents to choose only ONE answer from the list of answers provided to them. The respondents are required to give their views on whether a teacher or lecturer plays a big role in encouraging students to speak English. There is a huge difference in the amount of percentage between one answer to others. A majority of 44 respondents, with the percentage of 88 says that the teacher or lecturer plays a big role in encouraging them to speak English. From this question, I can make a conclusion that students depend on their lecturers in order to make them speak in English outside the classroom environment. 4.1.3.3 QUESTION 10: In your opinion, what are the factors that contribute to someone speaking English fluently? FIGURE 4.9 This question is asking for the respondents opinion on the factors that contribute to someone speaking English fluently. Just like the previous question, the respondents need to state their point of view by choosing from the list of answers already provided to them in the questionnaire paper. The opinions asked are the factors that contribute to someone speaking fluent English. The results in the figure above shows that 41 percent of the respondents think that lots of practice is the main key in speaking fluent English. Meanwhile, one quarter of the pie chart, with 25 percent of the respondents think that interest in the language contributes to someone speaking English fluently. 4.2 Summary of the findings Based on the findings of the study, there are few conclusions that can be made. Throughout the findings, I found out that more than half of the respondents have the rate of 4-7 on the English proficiency scale of 10. I also found out that half of the overall respondents seldom speak English with their friends or peers outside of the classroom. 60% from the total of respondents state that their colleague practices speaking English outside the classroom. However, that does not bring enough motivation to encourage them to speak in English. 88% of the respondents have a view that lecturers play a big role in encouraging students to converse in English in and outside the classroom. From the data collected, I found out that, most of the respondents with a total of 57.7%, state that lack of self-confidence is the greatest inhibitor to converse in English in the classroom. CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION 5.0 Introduction One crucial phrase that can be applied in mastering the English language is practice makes perfect. In order to be competent in English, TESL students should speak the language every opportunity they get. Surprisingly, many TESL students do not use English outside of the classroom. This is why we decided to conduct a survey to investigate this matter. We want to find out whether the reason they are not using English outside of the classroom is innate or related to their surroundings. This is important because we need to recognize and eliminate the inhibitors that prevent TESL students from using English outside of the classroom so that we may find ways to overcome this problem. 5.1 Implications to Language Learning The researcher really values the insights received from the B.Ed TESL Cohort 3 students on their opinion and perception about English language, which is our L2. By knowing what they have to say about the English language, it creates awareness of the researcher on the situation of speaking in English among colleagues inside and outside the classroom. The current situation of speaking English among colleagues shows that though English is the language that we are learning in order to become an English teacher in the near future, many inhibitors still hinder us from frequently speaking the language, either inside the classroom or outside in informal situation with friends. The importance of English is undeniable. Because the language is very important, B.Ed TESL Cohort 3 students should work very hard to try to overcome, or curd the inhibitors that stop them from being able to speak in English in any given situation. As future English teachers, urgency and inner instinct to proficiently improve self in the language should be buried inside us. In addition, due to the increasing demand on individuals proficiency in English for education and job prospect nowadays, to be able to speak English in many situations is considered very good. Therefore, B.Ed TESL students should have their own self-encouragement to become better speakers of English, and be a very good role model to the students when they start teaching in schools in the near future. By putting effort and finding our own means to speak English frequently and confidently, not only can we be proud of ourselves, but also a sense of proud and satisfaction sparks in the lecturers who had taught us the language for almost 6 years. This study also shed light to the fact that practicing English is a very good effort in order to become fluent and proficient speakers. The only problem that surrounds it is that, the feeling of shame to practice speaking and getting caught making errors. It creates embarrassment which led to unwillingness to continue the practice of speaking the language. Being afraid of making errors while speaking will only put individuals at the current state of their English proficiency. In order for them to move forward and become better, the feeling of shame should be put aside. This is because making errors are part

Facilities Available To Small Medium Enterprises In Mauritius Economics Essay

Facilities Available To Small Medium Enterprises In Mauritius Economics Essay Small and Medium Enterprises have been given differing definitions around the globe. Some countries refer to the number of employees as their distinctive criteria, some to the amount of invested capital in the business, and others a combine the amount of annual turnover, capital employed and type of industry. The definition of SMEs in Mauritius has evolved throughout the past years. According to the Small Scale Industry Act of 1988, a Small Enterprise is one which is engaged in manufacturing1 and which uses production equipment, the aggregate CIF value of which does not exceed Rs 500,000. The Industrial Expansion Act 1993 defines SMEs as enterprises which : are engaged in manufacturing use production equipment, the CIF value of which does not exceed Rs 10 m With time, came the Small and Medium Industry and Development Authority Act (SMIDO Act 1993) according to which SMEs are defined in terms of the size of capital employed and was an extension to the SSI Act 1988 definition. SMEs are defined as enterprises engaged in manufacturing and using production equipment in their manufacturing process which includes transformation/conversion of raw materials, repair, packing, assembly of semi-finished parts into finished goods. The production equipment refers to equipment directly related to production. Such value of production should not exceed Rs 5 million (SMIDO Act 1993). A revision of this definition by the SMIDO Act 1998 altered the value of production of Rs 5m to Rs 10m. Worth pointing out in those definitions quoted above that they consider only the manufacturing sector. Thus for this study, the most appropriate definition found was that of the SMEDA Act, which includes enterprises in all economic sectors, and so as to avoid sector specific criteria, turnover criteria is being used across sectors. Therefore, the SMEDA Act defines : Small enterprises as those who have an annual turnover of not more than 10 million MUR, and Medium Enterprises as those with an annual turnover of more than 10 million MUR but not more than 50 million MUR. 1. Manufacturing : transformation for commercial purposes of raw materials or semi-processed materials into finished or semi-finished goods including the repair, packaging and assembly of inputs into finished or semi-finished goods. For the study, both small and medium enterprises will be considered. Contribution of SMEs SMEs are the largest group of industrial units in most developing countries and make a significant contribution to manufacturing output and employment (Wignaraja 2003, p.2). According to the Organisation for Economic Coorperation and Development (OECD), factors such as a countrys economic patterns, social and cultural dimensions are reflected though their SMEs. Storey (1994) points out that small firms, no matter how they are defined, make up the bulk of enterprises in all economies around the world. The latter half of the last century has witnessed widespread roles SMEs and this cannot, in any way, be understated (Bygrave, 1994;Timmons,1994). On the issue of job creation, Andrew Stone (World Bank, 1997, Facts About Small business 1997) said that SMEs create more employment than large enterprises and with a lower investment per job created. To the layman, it is clear that creation of a Small and Medium enterprise is synonymous to job creation and economic growth. This fact is indeed not false. The positive link between SMEs and employment creation, poverty alleviation, and economic growth is universally acknowledged (Beyenne, 2000). In several countries, particularly in East Asia, they are the driving force of the economy. For instance, in Hong Kong, SMEs account for over 98% of the total establishments and provide job opportunities to about 1.3 million persons, about 60% of total employment.4 According to the Strategic Industrial and SMEs Plan 2010-2013, the emergence of SMEs in the Mauritius has contributed significantly to employment, output and entrepreneurship development within the industrial sector. The last census of the Central Statistical Office carried in 2007 reveals that there are around 91 980 small enterprises operating in Mauritius, an increase of about 22% from the 2002 figure of 74, 928. The survey also showed an increase of 18.8 % in the number of persons engaged by these institutions, from 175, 791 in 2002, to 208,797 in 2007, representing approximately 40% of employment. Furthermore, contribution to the Gross Domestic Product was 20%. 2. Currently the body regulating SMEs in Mauritius replacing the SEHDA 3. Mauritian SME Portal 4. Mauritian SME portal 5. CSO survey 2007 SMEs which are registered with the SMEDA2 and which will be under scrutiny in this study are categorised into 12 sectors as at 2010, namely, Food and Beverages, Leather and Garments, Wood and Furniture, Paper products and Printing, Chemical, Rubber and plastic, Handicrafts, Pottery and Ceramic, Jewellery and Related Items, Fabricated Metal Products, Profession/Vocation/Occupation, Trade and Commerce, Business Support Service Sector, Others.3 These total to around 6421 enterprises. Objectives of the study Having explained the various definitions of Small and Medium Enterprises and pointed out their importance and contribution to the Mauritian economy, it is now clear that these institutions play a key role in our country. Enterprises in developing countries, including Mauritius are facing far more competitive environments in this fast moving technological world (World Bank,1999). They are offered various facilities to start their business as well as to continue and also expand. Among those facilities we find financing, training, business counseling, marketing, information technology and export incentives. These are available with a view of better performance from these enterprises and also to make them more cost effective, produce better products in terms of design, quality and reliability to thus be able to compete with not only larger companies on the local market but also on the foreign market. Now, with the creation of many support institutions such as the Small and Medium Enterpr ises Development Authority (SMEDA), National Women Entrepreneur Council (NWEC), Human Resources Development Council (HRDC), Enterprise Mauritius (EM), Mauritius Employers Federation (MEF), Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM), Mauritius Business Growth Scheme (MBGS) which see to it that SMEs lack in nothing to operate, the latter have to take full advantage of these conveniences and also make the best use of them and thus reduce waste of resources. The main aim of this study is to analyse whether these facilities are being given in the right amount, too much, or too little in assistance of SMEs. Other objectives are as follows: Assess whether SMEs are taking full advantage of these facilities. Consider whether proper use is being made of aid and there is minimum waste of resources Investigate which of these facilities are more important for the creation and sustenance of SMEs 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 A look at the need for facilities It is now recognised that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to the socio-economic and political infrastructure of developed and developing countries as well as the nations in transition from command to market economies (Matlay and Westhead 2005). Harper (1998) notes that the relative and absolute importance of small enterprises has grown enormously over the last twenty years; this real growth has been matched by appreciation of their role. SMEs were once considered as mere stepping stones to real business, but now they are being viewed as being a vital contributor to the income and development of people. It therefore follows that countries should be ready to help those businesses which come forward with viable projects in terms of providing aid such as finance, marketing, training, adoption of new technologies, export incentives and business counseling. Furthermore, it is also expected from these business units to make full use of such incentiv es being provided to them, usually at lower cost. A look at those incentives will show that while necessary, some are difficult to obtain and some are not used optimally even though they are available much easily. Below, is a detailed look at all the facilities that will be covered in the study. 2.2.1 Financing Importance of finance Financing is one of the most important success factors of any business, and Small and Medium Enterprises are no exception. Financing helps them set up and expand their operations, develop new products, and invest in new staff or production facilities. Many small businesses are created by one or two people, who might start by investing their own money and/or taking loans from friends and family, or loans from financial institutions. After some time in operation, if they are successful, there comes a time when they will feel the need to expand (OECD, 2006). Therefore, finance being the backbone of all firms, it should be accorded much attention. SMEs are today considered by many countries to be of a key importance to the growth of their economy in terms of GDP contribution and also job creation. It therefore follows that these institutions should be having no difficulties in finding funds to not only start their enterprise, but also for sustenance and growth. However, according to the United Nations, the lack of financial assistance is a persistent problem and it is the most serious barrier to SME growth and expansion. Available funds are often diverted to the larger enterprises and only an insignificant number of SMEs seem able to attract bank financing (UN, 1993). Westhead and Wright (2000) state that the absence of adequate funding represents a major obstacle to the entrepreneurial process in a firm regardless of size, location or type of economic activity. Some life style entrepreneurs can satisfy their small firms financial needs by requesting loans from their families, friends or acquaintances (Hussain and Matlay, 2007). Typically, however, it remains a fact that the vast majority of growth oriented SMEs rely on long-term funding made available by banks, financial institutions or venture capitalists. Research has shown that banks hesitate in giving finance aid to small businesses. Pasadilla (2010, p.7) pointed out that banks, in both normal and crisis period, usually give priority to low-risk borrowers like large enterprises with profitable investments and sound collateral (ADBI Working Paper 2010, p.7). Banks may avoid providing financing to certain types of SMEs, in particular, start ups and very young firms that typically lack sufficient collateral, or firms whose activities offer the possibilities of high returns but at a substantial risk of loss (OECD 2006, p.3). The lack of collateral being a prime reason for SMEs not obtaining finance, another rationale is that banks might still prefer to grant loans to large and less risky companies rather than SMEs. Additionally information asymmetries and inappropriate business plans might also be considerable factors resulting in little or no access to finance.*(Asia Pacific Environmental innovation strategies APEIS 2004). However, as Cosh and Hughes (2003) point out, banks remain the main supplier of external SME finance, though there may be various financing constraints. The main source of finance to SMEs are bank loans. For example, in the UK, the most predominant way of financing small businesses remains bank loans (D.Irwin and J.Scott 2009, p.2) As a response to the lack of collateral issue, countries might come up with Loan Guarantee schemes by either public or private sector. The main aim of such a scheme is to encourage financial institutions to offer finance to SMEs. Under this scheme, the government provides a guarantee to the lending banks on specific types of loans to potentially viable SMEs (National Economic Research Associates, 1990). In return, SMEs pay a premium to the government. Moreover, there are also collateral free schemes to alleviate the problem of lack of collaterals. In this scheme, the SMEs are not required to provide any guarantee at all. In India, SIDBI, UNIDO and Indian Institute for Rural Development (IIRD) have successfully implemented this kind of scheme (APEIS, 2004) Leasing also shows up as an attempt to avoid collaterals. The lessor will remains owner of the asset and the lessee will be required to pay amounts at regular intervals for the use of the leased equipment, vehicle, or any other asset on lease. At the end, the asset can be sold at a minimum price to the lessee. Indeed, leasing is a very common way of financing assets in many countries. Other means of obtaining finance can be through Equity financing, that is issuing shares to meet long term capital need, Overdraft where SMEs will be allowed to withdraw money in excess of their actual bank balance, however they will be faced with rather high interest rates Mutual Guarantee Scheme which as stated the Commission of the European Communities, give a collective guarantee for appropriations provided to their members, who in return contribute to raise the equity and participate in the management of the mutual society 2.2.2 Training Training has been defined as a planned and systematic effort to modify or develop knowledge, skills and attitudes through learning experiences, to achieve effective performance in an activity or a range of activities (Garavan et al, 1997). It has been advocated as essential for every job (Tyler, 2005) and SMEs make use of training facilities to varying extents and varying success. Training certainly brings about learning experience which has for aim to improve a persons ability to perform a job. Traditionally, it focuses on technical knowledge, skills and abilities to complete current tasks (Treven, 2003). When trained, SMEs will attain a higher knowledge of not only the product they are developing but also about issues like how to be abreast to better technology, how to approach people for example suppliers, clients, employees with better tact through human resources training. Furthermore, training provided to employees will increase the quality of labour employed in the product mak ing. The British Chamber of Commerce (2007) points out that with proper training scheme, SMEs will be able to preserve their staff. Training to SMEs can be : For the potential entrepreneur For employees of the enterprise Geared towards product development Adoption of new technology, for example moving from manual system to computerized For owners on human resource management On financial issues, e.g. costing, investment appraisal, budgeting and forecasting How to market the product However, according to Stanworth and Gray (1992), there has been an identification of industry effects and size effects in responsiveness to training; with very small firms being least interested in providing employee training. Size and industry in which the SMEs operate can indeed play an important role in whether the SMEs train or not. Small sized companies will be least interested in providing training for factors such as financial issues, and also due to practical considerations. For example, as Kailer (1988) states, SMEs might be reluctant to release employees to attend training interventions. Furthermore, training provided may be too general and not of specific relevance to the SME, resulting in the sector providing fewer training interventions (Westhead and Storey, 1996). Other disincentives that SMEs might face into not providing training is the little potential that these enterprises have in offering higher pay, and they are less equipped to provide internal promotions for employees. As Westhead and Storey (1996) argue, such characteristics, when combined with the resultant increased risk that employees may be poached lead to lower instances of SME training. Moreover, SMEs are often not aware of the training needs of their enterprise. They do not have the proper staff to analyse such need and advise them into providing some training. As a result, SMEs provide more informal*refers to mostly on the job training, tutoring and mentoring than formal* training in a systematic approach, more like seminars, grouping targeted trainees under one roof. training. Many SMEs admit that their training provisions are informal but are of the opinion that only formal training is real training (Curran,2000). However, very often due to financial constraints, SMEs prefer other forms of training. A study* Training needs and human resource development analysis of SMEs in Mauritius by the European Commission for the Human Resources Development Council of Mauritius in 2008 showed that of the 300 SMEs which interviewed, only 35 % trained on a regular basis and were aware of the training grants operated by the HRDC, and of these, only 31 % have used it. These SMEs tended to adopt in-house training. Reasons stated for training were mainly for business development and because of the company policy and reasons not to train included the reluctance of specialised skills, and the fact that the employees were already qualified. It was also found that there were significant differences between those enterprises that provided training on a regular basis and those which did not. A positive link was found between the propensity to grow and propensity to train. To encourage SMEs to train more, government can provide incentives, such as free training or financial aid, help to cope with labour shortages and hiring difficulties and provision more information to create better awareness. In central and eastern Canada, an important tool to promote training in small businesses is the provision of information about the courses and setting up of additional government programs (Andreea Dulipovici, 2003) 2.2.3 Marketing Literature of marketing Marketing is a vital and indispensable business activity for all types of organizations that create and offer products of value Marketing in Mauritius 2.2.4 ICT and SMEs For countries in the vanguard of the world economy, the balance between knowledge and resources has shifted so far towards the former that knowledge has become perhaps the most important factor determining the standard of living more than land, than tools, than labour. Todays most technologically advanced economies are truly knowledge-based. World Development Report, 1999 As the global economy becomes increasingly reliant on information and communications technology (ICT) to receive, process, and send out information, small businesses do not have to be left out. Adoption of the latest technology or at least basic tools of ICT helps small enterprises to better merge with the developing economy, and operate more cost effectively. It can help SMEs create business opportunities, combat pressures from competition and improve their products through faster communication with their clients and marketing of products online. In 2000, an organization that used paper took on average 7.4 days to move a purchase from request to approval, but if done electronically, only took 1.5 days (Cassidy, 2002) UNESCAP and UNDP-APDIP have collaborated extensively to help formulate strategic policies and building the necessary environment to encourage SMEs take advantage of the Internet to create business opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. Many countries such as India, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan have created suitable environments to ensure that SMEs are well positioned to capture emerging business opportunities in terms of better technology. India, for example, offered relief from import duties for IT hardware, tax deductions for income earned form software exports, and tax holidays, and developed infrastructure in Software Technology Parks*A strategic review of the software industry in India 1998-1999. At the outset it is not necessary that all SMEs need to adopt ICT tools to the same degree of sophistication (UNDP,2007). The relationship between ICT and SMEs starts on a ground as simple as the use of a telephone to contact suppliers, clients. A fixed line or a mobile phone will do, whichever is more cost effective. Another most common tool used is of course the Personal Computers (PCs). The latter are very helpful for simple information processing needs such as producing texts, writing letters, keeping track of accounting items using basic software. PCs can also be used to access the Internet for more advanced communications capabilities such as email, file sharing, creating websites, searching for information, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP)* 30% of Skypes*VoIP programme used to communicate via the internet. Worldwide subscribers are primarily SMEs, and e-commerce. Electronic commerce has been defined as the process of buying and selling goods and services electronically through computerized business transactions using the Internet, networks and other digital technologies (Lauden and Lauden, 2000). It also encompasses activities supporting market transactions such as advertising, marketing, customer support, delivery and payment. ICT oriented SMEs might use advanced Information Technology software such as Enterprise Resource Planning*offers a single repository for information on all business functions. which can capture cost savings, or SCM software which helps increase productivity, efficiency of inventory controls, and increase sales through closer relationships and faster delivery times. These allow SMEs to better coordinate their business, especially if the latter is growing and diversifying. The extent to which ICT will be adopted in SMEs will depend on the size of the business, on the benefits its adoption is planned to bring, on the ICT capacity of the SME and its employees and also on the financing capabilities. Despite the advantages that adoption of ICT demonstrates, many SMEs do not make use of it. For example, 90% of Thai SMEs still use basic communication technology such as fixed phone line and fax, and only 1% use CRM software. In Malaysia, only 30% of the local SMEs have their own website, and not all of them are updated regularly. Fuller(1993) points out that despite the number of benefits to be gained from technology, based on the users perspective ,SMEs adopt technology according to their self assessments of how the new technologies will change bottom line profitability. 2.2.5 Business counselling and access to information 2.2.6 Export Incentives 2.3 Support institutions As Wignaraja and Oneil (1999) argue, for the size of the country and its stage of development, Mauritius has a particularly wide range of support services for the SME sector. The availability of such support is mainly ensured by the Government, parastatal bodies and financial institutions. Below is a deeper look at those institutions in Mauritius. 2.3.1 The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority Looking back at the historical background of institutions supporting SMEs in Mauritius, we find the creation of the Small Industry Unit (SSIU), established under the aegis of the then Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The SSIU became the Small Industry Development Organisation (SIDO) in 1983. 10 years later, the Small and Medium Industry Development Organisation was set up for further development of the SME sector in Mauritius. The SMIDO later merged with the National Handicraft Promotion Agency (NHPA) to form the Small Enterprises and Handicraft Development Authority (SEHDA), whose main aim was to provide support to potential and existing SMEs. More recently (date needed) the SEHDA was replaced by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority. It is an agency of the Government that has aims like supporting and facilitating the development of entrepreneurship and SMEs in Mauritius. Apart from providing a range of services to the SME sector, SMEDA tries to sensitise the population, through workshops and seminars organized throughout the country, about The benefits of entrepreneurship Key issues/steps to consider and, procedures to follow when starting a business, and Facilities and resources provided by the SMEDA and other support institutions Services offered by the SMEDA Ease of Financing The SMEDA works in collaboration with the DBM to offer some financing aid to SMEs. In fact, DBM is the bank through which the Government provides finance at lower costs to SMEs. The SMEDA along with the bank provides a Booster (Micro Credit) Loan with a maximum amount of Rs 150, 000 at an interest charge of 9% per annum. No collateral is needed, but the entrepreneurs signing up for that loan need to provide a general floating charge as security. For this kind of loan, there is no need to submit a business plan. This amount is provided for the purchase of equipment and raw materials. The loan is repayable within 5 years and applies to enterprises in manufacturing, handicraft, trade, ICT and agriculture. Another loan is provided for an amount not exceeding Rs 40, 000, interest charge of 8.5 % per annum The SMEDA also provides grants under the Aegis of the Government Moreover DBM offers other financing schemes such as : The Business Development Loan scheme this applies to Manufacturing, Trade and Service, Transport, ICT, Tourism, Art and participation in overseas trade fairs and surveys. Business Counselling and Facilitation SMEDA helps potential entrepreneurs to prepare a business plan in order for them to secure financing from institutions, mainly the DBM. A Business Plan is one where the potential investor will lay down the description of his thought business and its plans for the next one to three years. It shows what the selected market of the product will be, and also indicates the finance available and what will be needed more to implement the project. As far as business counselling is concerned, potential entrepreneurs SMEDA provides advice about different issues such as discussing and finalizing their business idea. Also, not well-informed entrepreneurs obtain help on issues such as registering of the business, and other steps to follow in establishing their enterprise. Existing entrepreneurs are counselled about the difficulties they come up with, and how to take their business to the next level. SMEDA has also come up with an incubator system which helps entrepreneurs who lack physical space to carry on a project, given that the project is a viable one. The incubator is situated at the head office, in Coromandel. Information and Documentation A website has been recently created to help existing and potential businesspersons in their quest of running a business. This facility helps the cited persons to gather any information they need to set up a business, advice on market research, business plans, importance of financing and financing schemes, training schedules and locations, marketing and fairs organised, articles published by local as well as international bodies, online forms, support institutions are provided online. The site is as follows http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/smeportal/index.htm. Furthermore, there is the Documentation Centre which gives access to entrepreneurs and the general public to a collection of books, journals, magazines, project files and reports on various sectors. Training 2.3.2 Chapter 3 : Research methodology