Dr. Jose Rizal Essay

Every Filipino should know the national hero’s life, his youth, his brilliant works, as well as his love life, and the role he played in the Philippine Revolution. Every Filipino should know his dreams and aspiration for his country and for his fellowmen and the magnitude and intensity of his love for the land of his birth. Filipino should know how he suffered, endured, and died. Activity 1 : You are required to read the Rizal’s Life, Works and Writings in order to answer the following questions: Instruction : Give the important events and incidents happens on the following topics briefly and concise. 1. Jose Rizal’s Birth & Early Childhood a. The birth – June 19, 1861, Calamba, Laguna Philippines. b. Parents – Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro II and Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos. c. Children – SATURNINA RIZAL, PACIANO RIZAL, NARCISA RIZAL, OLYMPIA RIZAL, LUCIA RIZAL, MARIA RIZAL, JOSE RIZAL, CONCEPCION RIZAL, JOSEFA RIZAL, TRINIDAD RIZAL, SOLEDAD RIZAL. d. Family – FRANCISCO MERCADO and TEODORA ALONSO Childhood – Jose Rizal was born to the wealthy Mercado-Rizal family in Calamba, Laguna of the Philippines. The Mercado-Rizals were considered one of the most prestigious Filipino families during their time. Jose Rizal came from the 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother. His parents were leaseholders of a hacienda and an accompanying rice farm by theDominicans. From an early age, Jose Rizal Mercado showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at 3, and could read and write at age 5. 2. Early Education a. Education in Bià ±an – Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Bià ±an. It was a typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite the defects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal was able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines during the last decades of Spanish regime. b. Gomburza Execution – Night of January 20, 1872, about 200 filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal under the leadership of Lamadrid. Filipino sergeant , rose in violent mutinity because of the abolition of their usual privilege. Father Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora were executed at sunrise of February 17, 1872 by order of governor General Izquierdo. c. The martyrdom of Gom-Bue-za truky insoured Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people. Rizal dedicted his second novel, EL Filibusterismo d. Mother’s Imprisonment – Some days after my return to Kalamba, my parents decided that I should remain, and that later I should go to Manila. I wanted to study with a teacher of the town, even though I could learn no more than multiplication, so I entered the village school. At this time, an uncle of mine, Don Josà © Alberto, returned from Europe. He found that, during his absence, his wife had left his home and abandoned her children. The poor man anxiously sought his wife and, at my mother’s earnest request, he took her back. They went to live in Bià ±an. Only a few days later the ungrateful woman plotted with a Guardia Civil officer who was a friend of ours. She accused her husband of poisoning her and charged that my mother was an accomplice. On this charge, the alcalde sent my mother to prison. I do not like to tell of the deep grief which we all, nine sisters and brothers, felt. Our mother’s arrest, we knew, was  unjust. The men who arrested her pretended to be friends and had often been our guests. Ever since then, child though I was, I have distrusted friendship. We learned later that our mother, away from us all and along in years, was ill. From the first, the alcalde believed the accusation. He was unfair in every way and treated my mother rudely, even brutally. Finally, he persuaded her to confess to what they wised by promising to set her free and to let her see her children. What mother could resist that? What mother would not sacrifice life itself for her children? hey terrified and deceived my mother, as they would have any other mother. They threatened to condemn her if she did not say what they wished. She submitted to the will of her enemies and lost her spirit. The case became involved until the same alcalde asked pardon for her. But this was only when the matter was before the Supreme Court. He asked for the pardon because he was sorry for what he had done. Such was his meanness that I felt afraid of him. Attorneys Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Masigan, Manila’s leading lawyers, defended my mother and they finally succeeded in having her acquitted. They proved her innocence to the judges, her accusers and her hosts of enemies. But after how much delay ? — After two and a half years. e. Studies at Ateneo de Manila – To enter the Ateneo a candidate was subjected to an entrance examination on Christian doctrine, reading, writing, grammar, and elementary arithmetic. Jose did not take his entrance examinations Jose did not remain in Manila but returned first to his town to celebrate the fiesta of its patron saint; it was then that his father changed his mind and decided to send him to the Ateneo instead. f. Jesuit Education System – The Jesuits were considered the best educators of Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when they were permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to administer parishes was restricted except in the remote regions of Mindanao, the privilege of founding colleges, they had to apply to the City of Manila for subsidies. That is why the college which began to function in the year 1865, was called the Ateneo Municipal. g. Studies in Ateneo de Manila 1. 1st year – From the first days Jose learned to systematize his work; he  fixed a program of what he had to do in the twenty-four hours of the day and did not in the least deviate from it. Thus he disciplined his will and subjected it to the commands of his reason. As a newcomer, Jose was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon promoted and kept on being promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the end of the term he obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in the examinations. He had reason to feel proud of his advancement; and so when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see his mother in the prison and tell her the happy news. He must have uttered this exclamation on learning from his mother that they had played her a mean trick. The judge, who was a blind partisan of the friars having been a domestic of theirs, told her that if she confessed her culpability he would release her at once. With the desire to see her children again, she pleaded guilty; but the judge, instead of releasing her, convicted her. In a few months the judge asked her forgiveness for what he had done because according to him his conscience hurt him, but the case had no remedy because it was already on appeal. 2. 2nd year – The second year, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year; but instead of lodging outside the City, he resided at No. 6 Calle Magallanes. At the end of the term he obtained a medal, and upon returning to his town, he again visited his mother in jail alone. This was three months before her release. 3. 3rd year – The rejoicing that her release produced in his spirit had much influence on the result of his studies in the third year, for he began to win prizes in the quarterly examinations. About that time he devoted himself to reading novels, and one of those he enjoyed most was Dumas’ (father) The Count of Monte Cristo. The sufferings of the hero of the twelve years. He also asked his father to buy him a copy of The Universal History by Cesar Cantanu, and according to himself he profited much from its perusal. 4. 4th year and last year – The family, who saw in Jose great aptitude for study, decided to place him as intern or boarding student in the college the following year. In the corner of the  dormitory facing the sea and the pier Jose passed his two years of internship. In the fourth year of his course he had Fr. Francisco Sanchez as professor. Jose describes him as a model of rectitude, a solicitude, and love for the student, and his studied mathematics, rhetoric, and Greek, and he must have progressed much, for at the end of the year he-obtained five medals, which pleased him immensely because with them I could repay my father somewhat for his sacrifices. His aptitude for poetry revealed itself early, and from that time on he did not cease to cultivate it. 3. Secret Mission a. Travel for Spain – The departure of Jose Rizal for Spain was kept secret from Spanish authorities, friars and even to his parents especially to his mother because she would not allow him to go. Only handful of family members and trusted family friends were informed. In order to avoid detection, he used the name Jose Mercado, name of his cousin in Calamba. Before his departure, he scribbled farewell letters to his parents and his sweetheart Leonor Rivera. b. Life in Madrid – Avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the friars, His parents did not know because he knew, they would not allow him to go. The kind Jesuit priests letter of recommendation to the members of their Society in Barcelona. c. Travel in Europe 1. Paris – During his first summer vacation in Madrid, rizal went to Paris, gay capital of France. The prices of food, drinks, theatre, tickets, laundry, hotel and transportation were too high. Leannec Hospital where rizal observed the Dr. Nicaise treating his patients. Larboisiere Hospital where Rizal observed the eamination of different diseases of women. On march 1883 Rizal joined the Masonic Lodge called Acacia in Madrid. 2. Heidelberg – February 1, 1886 Rizal reluctantly left gay Paris for Germany. 3. February 3, 1886 Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany famous for its old university and romantic surroundings. Chess Player’s Club wherein the students made Rizal as a member because of being a good Chess player Dr.  Otto Becker distinguished German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked – University Eye Hospital. April 22, 1886 Rizal wrote a fine poem: â€Å" A Las Flores de Heidelberg â€Å"

Gainesboro Machine Tools Corporation Essay

Kendle International Inc. We looked at the competitive landscape and, based on what was happening, knew we were either going to sell Kendle, grow or disappear. It was May 1997, and Candace Kendle, the chairman and chief executive officer of Kendle International Inc. (Kendle), and her husband Christopher C. Bergen, the president and chief operating officer, were reviewing the strategic options for their Cincinnati, Ohio based company. Kendle, a business they had founded over 15 years previously, conducted clinical trials for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to test the safety and efficacy of their new drugs. The company had grown successfully to $13 million of sales and had attracted significant business from major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Kendle was competing, however, with several larger contract research organizations (CRO), many of which had an international presence that allowed them to do clinical studies outside the United States and gave them an advantage when competing for major projects. To compete more effectively, Candace and Chris had embarked on a plan to grow through acquisition, particularly internationally, and to finance this growth through a public offering of equity. Toward this end, by the spring of 1997 Kendle had lined up two potential European acquisitions—U-Gene, a CRO in the Netherlands with 1996 sales of $12.5 million, and gmi, a Germanbased CRO with $7 million in sales. To finance these acquisitions, Kendle had worked out possible debt financing with Nationsbank and was working with two investment banks on an Initial Public Offering (IPO) that would repay the bank debt if successful and provide the equity base for future acquisitions. It was now time to decide whether to go ahead with the full program of two acquisitions, a large debt financing and an equity issue. Kendle History Candace and Chris met in 1979 while working at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Candace had received her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati, then taught in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Her scientific specialty was virology. At the Children’s Hospital, Candace was serving as the director of pharmacy, working as an investigator on a study of an antiviral drug for the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome. Chris, a Wharton MBA, was a senior administrator at the hospital. Research Associate Indra A. Reinbergs prepared this case under the supervision of Professors Dwight B. Crane and Paul W. Marshall as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 2000 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 1 Looking for something new, Candace and Chris began to discuss the idea of going into business together. One day in early 1981 Candace received an unexpected visit from a new physician, replacing the usual medical monitor for her project with Burroughs Wellcome. This physician was a pioneer in the  contract clinical research business. As he described how his business worked, Candace became more and more intrigued. When he left that day, she immediately called Chris and said, â€Å"I’ve got a business idea!† The concept was to set up a small research consulting firm that would take on outsourced research and development (R&D) work on a contract basis from large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Based on the positive response she received from potential clients, Candace left her job at the hospital in June 1981 and Chris left his job in December 1981. Kendle International Inc. was incorporated in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1981, with Candace taking 55% of the shares, and Chris 45%. Candace had strong ties to the Cincinnati area. Her grandfather, a coal miner, had moved there from Appalachia, and the clan had grown to about 140 members, including Candace’s two sons from a previous marriage. By January 1982, Candace and Chris were working from Candace’s parents’ home. Kendle started as a small company with a few contracts, and business grew slowly through referrals from professional colleagues. Kendle suffered the usual bumps of a start-up business, particularly in the late 1980s when it suffered a loss for two years and ran up $1 million in bank debt on a $250,000 line of credit. Afraid that its bank would call the loan, the company went through a bankruptcy scare. Fortunately, Kendle succeeded in attracting business from a new client, the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Co. (Searle). By the early 1990s, the company was turned around and it generated annual sales of about $2.5 million. Candace and Chris were married in 1991. The Pharmaceutical Lifecycle The clinical research process was influenced by government regulations that required drugs to pass through a series of steps before they could be marketed for public use. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated pharmaceuticals. To receive FDA approval, a drug had to meet safety and efficacy standards for a specific indication (medical diagnosis). A drug for hypertension, for example, would have to lower blood pressure by a certain statistically significant amount without  producing unacceptable side effects. The entire FDA approval process could take from 8 to 15 years and involve several thousand patients.1 After a pharmaceutical company discovered a new drug and completed pre-clinical testing on animals in the laboratory, an Investigational New Drug application was filed with the FDA. The drug then passed through three phases of clinical testing on humans. Before beginning each subsequent phase, the drug company had to submit additional regulatory information to the FDA. Phase I Phase I studies were primarily concerned with assessing the drug’s safety. This initial phase of testing in humans was done in a small number of healthy volunteers (20 to 100), such as students, who were usually paid for participation. Phase II Once Phase I testing had proven the drug’s safety, Phase II tested its efficacy in a small number of patients (100 to 300) with the medical diagnosis. It was specifically designed to determine the likely effective dose in patients. Phase III In a Phase III study, the drug was tested on a larger patient population (1,000 to 3,000) at multiple clinical sites. The purpose was to provide a more thorough understanding of the drug’s effectiveness, benefits, and the range of possible adverse reactions. Most Phase II and Phase III studies were blinded studies in which some patients received the experimental drug, while control groups received a placebo or an already approved drug. Once a Phase III study was successfully completed, a pharmaceutical company requested FDA approval for marketing the drug by filing a New Drug Application, which averaged about 100,000 pages. †¢ 200-033 Phase IV Post-marketing testing (of at least 300 patients per trial) was sometimes conducted for high-risk drugs to catch serious side effects (liver toxicity) and monitor them for long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. The pharmaceutical companies traditionally designed and conducted their own clinical trials. They selected the research sites and recruited investigators to conduct the trials of the new drug. Investigators were often medical school professors at teaching hospitals, but they could also be professional investigators who conducted clinical trials at dedicated centers or occasionally regular physicians who ran trials, particularly Phase IV trials, out of their private practices. These investigators then recruited patients, sometimes with the help of the pharmaceutical company, to participate in the study. After patients were recruited, there was a considerable amount of data collection by the investigators, monitoring of the process and data retrieval by the pharmaceutical company, and analysis of the data to determine whether the statistical criteria for safety and efficacy were met. Finally, there was the complicated process of compiling the data and preparing the long report for the FDA. The Contract Research Business In the 1970s, large pharmaceutical concerns in the United States began to look for ways to outsource their clinical testing work as their R&D budgets grew. At the beginning, contract research was a small cottage industry and the work was awarded on a piecemeal basis. As Chris recalled, â€Å"For years, there had been companies conducting animal testing and Phase I, but there was no one managing the entire research and development process. The acronym ‘CRO’ (contract research organization) did not exist, pharmaceutical companies gave out only small contracts, and did not have much confidence in for-profit research managers.† The growth of the CRO industry was stimulated by pricing pressures on drug companies that led them to try to transfer the fixed costs of clinical research into a variable cost through outsourcing. As Chris described, The general problem that drug companies face is balancing a variable workload with a fixed workforce. The problem is that you don’t know when the guy in the white lab coat will come running down the hall, beaker in hand, shouting, ‘Eureka, I’ve got it, it’s going to cure disease X’. When he does that, you know your workload is going to spike. Your workload is impacted by the rate of discovery, the number of projects killed in vitro and, subsequent to that, how many studies get cancelled due to safety or efficacy problems in human testing. Pure CROs like Kendle derived their income solely from the outsourced portion of the R&D budget of pharmaceutical clients. In theory, any part of the clinical testing process could be outsourced. While most pre-clinical discovery was conducted in-house by drug companies, the trend in the 1990s was for CROs to receive contracts to manage the entire clinical research piece, especially 3 Phases II and III. The whole process was an incredible race against time, as every day for which FDA approval was delayed could cost the pharmaceutical client over $1 million in lost revenues. Pharmaceutical contracts ranged in duration from a few months to several years. For multi-year contracts involving clinical trials, a portion of the contract fee was paid at the time the trial was initiated, with the balance of the contract fee payable in installments over the trial duration, as performance-based milestones (investigator recruitment, patient enrollment, delivery of databases) were completed. Contracts were bid by CROs on a fixed-price basis, and the research was a labor-intensive business. The contract bids depended on careful estimation of the hourly labor rates and the number of hours each activity would take. The estimation process involved statistical algorithms, which took into account the length of the study, frequency and length of site visits, the number of sites involved, the number of patients involved, and the number of pages per report form. A premium would be added for more complicated therapeutic testing. As the chief financial officer Tim Mooney described the business, The way that Kendle makes money is like any professional service firm—We focus on maximizing labor utilization, especially at the operational level. We assume a 65% to 70% utilization rate, so profit margins are higher if we have a higher utilization rate of personnel. We have the same assumed profit margin on all levels of people, but we can charge higher rates for contracts where we have specific therapeutic expertise that is in demand. Margins can also be higher on some large projects when we can share overhead costs across more sites. The business of contract research entailed several types of business risk. With contracts running at an average of $1 million for companies of Kendle’s size, client dependence was a major risk. Project cancellation by the client and â€Å"change orders† to reduce project costs were also increasingly frequent in the CRO industry, as healthcare cost pressures intensified. On the other hand, product liability for medical risks was borne by the pharmaceutical company. Competition in the 1990s By the mid-1990s, contract research had evolved into a full-service industry, recognized by both the pharmaceutical/biotech industries and the financial community. In 1995, worldwide spending on R&D by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies was estimated at $35 billion, with $22 billion spent on the type of drug development work that CROs could do. Of the $22 billion, only $4.6 billion was outsourced to CROs in 1995. While R&D spending by pharmaceutical companies was growing at 10% a year, CROs were growing at twice that rate.2 Specialized CROs could manage increasingly complex drug trials—in the previous decade, the number of procedures per trial and average number of patients per trial had doubled—far more efficiently than their pharmaceutical clients.3 Kendle participated in this growth in clinical research. Its net revenues grew 425% from $2.5 million in 1992 to $13 million in 1996. From a loss of $495,000 in 1992, its net income rose to $1.1 million by 1996. By 1996, Kendle had conducted clinical trials for 12 of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. Kendle’s three largest clients were G.D. Searle, Procter & Gamble, and Amgen, which generated 48%, 19%, and 13% of Kendle’s 1996 revenues, respectively. (See Exhibits 1 and 2 for Kendle’s income statements and balance sheets.) 2 J.C. Bradford & Co., analyst report, January 15, 1998, pp. 5-6. 3 The Economist, â€Å"Survey of the Pharmaceutical Industry,† February 21, 1998, p. 4.200-033 The contract research industry was very fragmented, with hundreds of CROs worldwide. In the 1990s, in response to the increased outsourcing of pharmaceutical R&D, and a demand for global trials, consolidation among the CROs began. A few key players emerged and went public, creating a new industry for Wall Street to watch. Many CRO start-ups were founded by former drug company executives who decided to form their own operations. After a period of internal growth, some of the start-ups began growing through a financial â€Å"roll-up† strategy. An industry publication listed 18 top players in North America, with total contract research revenues of $1.7 billion. The top five public companies, ranked by 1996 revenues, were Quintiles Transnational Corp. ($537.6 million), Covance Inc. ($494.8 million), Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc ($152.3 million), ClinTrials Research Inc. ($93.5 million), and Parexel International Corp. ($88 million).4 (See Exhibit 3 for recent sales and p rofit data on CROs.) With its talent pool of scientists at the Research Triangle and U.S. headquarters of the pharmaceutical giants Glaxo and Burroughs Wellcome (later merged as Glaxo Wellcome), the state of North Carolina quickly became the center of the burgeoning CRO industry. Two of the â€Å"big five† companies, Quintiles and Pharmaceutical Product Development, were started there by academic colleagues of Candace’s. Quintiles Transnational was considered to be the †gold standard of the industry.† Quintiles was founded in 1982 by Dennis Gillings, a British biostatistician who had worked at Hoechst and was a professor at the University of North Carolina, where Candace completed her postdoctoral work. After raising $39 million in a 1994 IPO, Quintiles went on an acquisition spree, adding other professional service businesses. For example, the firm provided sales and marketing services to support the launch of new drug products. By the end of 1996, Quintiles was the worldâ€⠄¢s largest CRO, with 7,000 employees in 56 offices in 20 countries. A typical clinical study managed by Quintiles was conducted at 160 sites in 12 countries, involving 10,000 patients. Quintiles was more diversified than many of its CRO competitors, with about 65% of revenues derived from the  core CRO business and 35% from other services.5 Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) was founded in 1989 by Fred Eshelman, a colleague of Candace’s from the postdoctoral program in pharmacy. Like the founder of Quintiles, Eshelman had worked in drug research for several pharmaceutical firms, including Glaxo and Beecham. PPD’s revenues jumped 500% between 1990 and 1994, based on such work as multi-year contracts for AIDS research for the National Institutes of Health. PPD conducted a successful IPO in March 1996, with its stock jumping from $18 per share to $25.50 per share on the first day of trading. PPD bought a U.K. Phase I facility in November 1995, and in September 19 96 merged with another leading CRO. Their combined net revenues exceeded $200 million. Kendle at the Crossroads To Candace and Chris, it was clear that certain competitive capabilities were necessary for companies of Kendle’s size to compete successfully with the major CROs: therapeutic expertise (in specific medical areas) broad range of services (pharmaceutical companies wanted to work with fewer CROs, with each offering a wide range of services across multiple phases of the R&D process); integrated clinical data management (the ability to efficiently collect, edit and analyze data from thousands of patients with various clinical conditions from many geographically dispersed sites); 4 â€Å"Annual Report: Leading CROs,† R&D Directions, September 1997, pp. 28+. 5 William Blair & Co. LLC analyst report, Quintiles Transnational Corp., June 20, 1997, p. 3. international, multi-jurisdictional presence (to speed up drug approval, tests were being launched in several countries at once); With the exception of international presence, Candace and Chris felt comfortable with their ability to meet these criteria. Kendle’s staff had scientific expertise in multiple therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, immunology, oncology, respiratory, skeletal disease and inflammation. The company also had broad capabilities, including management of studies in Phases II through Phase IV. It did not consider the absence of Phase I capabilities to be an issue, since this activity was quite separate. (See Exhibit 4 for a comparison of CRO geographical locations.) To build an integrated clinical data management capability, Chris had directed the development of TrialWare ®, a proprietary software system that allowed global data collection and processing and the integration of clinical data with clients’ in-house data management systems. TrialWare ® consisted of several modules including a database management system that greatly reduced study start-up costs and time by standardizing database design and utilizing scanned image technology to facilitate the design of data entry screens, the point-and-click application of edits from a pre-programmed library, and workflow management (parallel processing). Other modules included a system that coded medical history, medication and adverse event data and a touch-tone telephone system that was used for patient  randomization, just-in-time drug supply and collection of real-time enrollment data. Against the backdrop of a changing industry, Candace and Chris felt the need to develop additional business skills and focus Kendle’s strategy. To clarify their management roles, Candace and Chris switched their existing responsibilities. Chris pointed out, â€Å"Candace became CEO as we realized that her focus was long-range and I took over as Chief Operating Officer to focus on the short-range. In addition, the marketing strength of our competitors was propelling them further and further ahead of Kendle. Candace brought her science background and entrepreneurial skills, while I brought my management. The problem was that we were relatively weak in sales and marketing.† To broaden their skills, Candace went off in 1991 to the Owner/President Management Program (OPM), an executive education program run by Harvard Business School for three weeks a year over three years. Chris followed her to OPM in 1994. After completing the OPM program, Candace assessed the situation, We have to be big enough relative to our competitors to take on large, international projects. When Searle was looking for CROs for international work, all we could do was possibly subcontract it out to small shops. In contrast, Quintiles had six overseas offices of its own. Furthermore, when Searle calls and says, ‘I just got off the phone, Quintiles will cut their price by a million dollars,’ if you’re too small, you’re not going to be able to respond to that. Candace and Chris realized that Kendle could not grow fast enough internally to keep up with its peers and did not have the cash for acquisitions. They entertained the thought of selling Kendle, and were approached several times about a sale. But by nature, they were a competitive, athletic couple. Chris got up to play squash every morning at 7 AM, and Candace was an avid rower, recently winning a gold medal in a Cincinnati regatta. Perhaps not surprisingly, Candace and Chris decided to grow the firm and take it public rather than sell. As Candace described their motivation, â€Å"We were not driven to be a public company as such, but primarily to be bigger, and for this, we  needed public financing to succeed in the new competitive landscape. The whole target was not to let the big guys get too far out ahead of us.† Preparations for Growth By 1994, Kendle had grown to $4.4 million in revenues. Candace, the driving force throughout the IPO process, sought advice from an old college friend, a well-known Cincinnati businessman. He advised her, â€Å"before you go public, practice being a public company.† Candace therefore formulated a plan for Kendle to go public in 1999. Kendle began hiring key managers to build up functional units. Between 1994 and February 1997, new directors of clinical data management, information technology, biostatistics, finance, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory affairs, and human resources were hired. As Chris described, â€Å"the plan was to put this infrastructure in place to look and act like a public company— communications, IT, finance. The idea was hire at the top and they’ll fill in their organization.† Many of these new managers had previously worked together at other companies. To prepare for Wall Street scrutiny, Kendle began issuing internal quarterly fi nancial statements and sharing them with employees in an open-book management style. Candace and Chris tried to make the growing number of employees feel like â€Å"part of the family† in other ways, too. The Kendle â€Å"photo gallery† displayed professional portraits of employees with their favorite hobbies. In 1995 Chris led the development of a corporate mission statement and a document on strategic plans that was shared with all employees. Kendle was organized in a matrix fashion (see Exhibit 5 for organizational chart). Each department was treated as a strategic business unit (SBU) with a director who established standards and carried profit responsibility. At the same time, each research contract was managed by a project manager who assembled a team from across the various SBUs. Clinical trials involved five functional SBUs at Kendle: 1. Regulatory Affairs recruited investigators, helped them with FDA registration forms, and obtained approval from ethics boards. Regulatory Affairs maintained a database of 5,000 investigators. 2. Clinical Monitoring sent clinical research associates (CRA) out to the testing sites (every 4 to 6 weeks) to enforce Good Clinical Practice regulations. The CRAs were typically young, single health care professionals who spent a significant amount of their time on the road. The CRA would collect data from investigators, resolve queries generated by Clinical Data Management, and promote patient enrollment. 3. Clinical Data Management produced a â€Å"locked† database that could be submitted to the FDA. Data from case report forms were input into a computer system and â€Å"cleaned† through a manual review of the forms and an automated check of the databases. The challenge was to lock a database quickly while maintaining data quality. 4. Biostatistics would â€Å"unblind† the locked database and analyze it to determine if the data confirmed that the test results met the criteria for safety and efficacy. Biostatistics also defined the scope of new studies. 5. Medical Writing generated â€Å"the truckload of paper submitted to the FDA† for a New Drug Application, including a statistical analysis, a clinical assessment, preclinical and clinical data, a description of the manufacturing process, and the supporting patient documentation. 1996: The Celebrexâ„ ¢ Study, Filing Preparations, and European acquisitions 1996 was a busy year for Candace, Chris, and Kendle’s new management team. They simultaneously began conducting a major drug study, working with underwriters on IPO preparations, and looking for overseas acquisition targets. In 1996 Kendle managed 62 clinical studies at 4,100 sites involving approximately 20,000 patients. Celebrexâ„ ¢ Study In January 1996, Kendle began working on a major drug called Celebrexâ„ ¢ (celecoxib). Its client Searle was engaged in a neck-and-neck race with Merck, the largest U.S. drug company, to be the first to market a COX-2 inhibitor. A COX-2 inhibitor was a new type of anti-inflammatory drug that promised low incidence of bleeding ulcers in long-term, high-dosage users such as arthritis patients. The Searle-Merck race was closely followed in the business press. Searle awarded the international portion of the Celebrexâ„ ¢ contract to another CRO, since Kendle only had facilities for testing in the United States. However, Kendle did win the contract to conduct all the U.S. Phase II and III trials. The Celebrexâ„ ¢ contract was a â€Å"huge feather in our cap,† recalled the chief financial officer. â€Å"In order to beat Merck, we worked very hard and kept compressing the timelines.† To head the Celebrexâ„ ¢ project, Kendle hired Bill Sietsema, PhD, as assistant director of clinical research. A therapeutic expert in skeletal diseases and inflammation, Sietsema had worked at Proctor & Gamble for 12 years. While Sietsema served as overall program director, Chris acted as the operational project manager, meeting with his Searle counterpart in Chicago on a monthly basis. In early 1997, Kendle also set up a new regional office in Chicago, close to Searle headquarters. For Kendle, the Celebrexâ„ ¢ project was a chance to â€Å"show what we could do and to develop a reputation as a leader in the field of skeletal disease and inflammation.† Kendle actively helped investigators recruit arthritis patients, running television advertisements, directing interested volunteers to a call center. Three hundred  investigators enrolled over 10,000 patients, producing over one million pages of case report forms. Most importantly, through close integration of information systems with Searle, Kendle was able to beat an industry standard. Instead of taking the typical six months to one year, the time span between the last patient in Phase II and the first in Phase III, which began in June 1996, was only 22 days. Preparation for SEC Filing By the time the Celebrexâ„ ¢ program rolled around, Candace and Chris felt that they might have to go public earlier than intended because of the competitive landscape. The new chief financial officer, Tim Mooney, took a leading role in the preparations. Prior to joining Kendle in May 1996, Mooney had worked as CFO at The Future Now, Inc., a computer reseller and Hook-SupeRx, a retail drugstore chain. At Kendle, Mooney replaced the controller with an audit manager from Coopers & Lybrand to beef up his staff. Mooney also led the building of many of the other financially related departments at Kendle. To act as the lead underwriters on the IPO, in August 1996 Mooney chose two regional investment banks, Chicago-based William Blair & Company, L.L.C., which had handled the 1995 IPO of Kendle’s competitor Parexel, and Wessels, Arnold & Henderson from Minneapolis. William Blair began putting Kendle through the paces of preparing to file a preliminary prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The process of going public generally took from 60 to 180 days. One of the key steps in the process was the conversion of Kendle from a subchapter corporation to a C corporation at the time of the IPO. (Subchapter S corporations were entities with 35 or fewer shareholders that were treated like partnerships for tax purposes. Corporate income tax was passed through tax-free to the owners who then paid personal income taxes due.) U-Gene In October 1996 Mooney hired Tony Forcellini, a former colleague, as director of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Tony had worked at Arthur Andersen in the tax department, and then as a treasurer at Hook-SupeRx with Mooney. The search for European acquisition targets was mainly conducted by Candace and Tony Forcellini, with back-up support by Tim Mooney and Chris. All the while, Chris and Bill Sietsema were working away on the Celebrexâ„ ¢ program. Forcellini’s first decision was easy—whether to pursue an offering memorandum that landed on his desk shortly after he arrived. The company for sale was U-Gene Research B.V. (U-Gene), a CRO based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. U-Gene was represented by Technomark Consulting Services Ltd. (Technomark), a London-based consulting firm uniquely specializing in the healthcare industry. Technomark had an extensive database on European CROs and was primarily in the business of matching its pharmaceutical company clients’ tria ls with appropriate European CROs, but it also had a small investment banking division. U-Gene, a full-service CRO, was an attractive target for Kendle. The venture capitalist owners were actively looking for buyers. With a 38-bed Phase I facility in Utrecht and regional offices in the United Kingdom and Italy, U-Gene could increase both Kendle’s service offering and geographic presence. Since its founding in 1986, U-Gene had served more than 100 clients, including 19 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. In 1996, U-Gene participated in 115 studies at approximately 500 sites involving approximately 4,700 patients and recorded net revenues of $12.5 million, a 37% increase over the prior year, and operating profit of $1.3 million, a 47% increase over the prior year. Because of its U.K. and Italian offices, U-Gene viewed itself as on the way to becoming a pan-European CRO.  (See Exhibit 6 for U-Gene financial statements.) With momentum building, in November 1996, Forcellini seized upon U-Gene as Kendle’s possible entry into Europe and subm itted a bid, offering cash and private stock. Unfortunately, Kendle lost out on this bid to a competitor, Collaborative Clinical Research, Inc, as U-Gene’s owners either wanted a full cash deal or stock from a public company. Collaborative was a competitor slightly larger than Kendle ($25.7 million in revenues) that had gone public in June 1996 and had established a software partnership with IBM. Although it had access to investigators outside the United States, Collaborative also viewed U-Gene as the establishment of a European presence. On February 12, 1997 Collaborative announced that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire U-Gene in exchange for 1.75 million newly issued shares. While this put Kendle out of the picture, the prospects of a deal were not completely killed. On the same day, February 12, 1997, Collaborative also announced that its first-quarter 1997 earnings would be significantly below expectations. On the next day, on analyst speculation that a major client contract had been lost, their stock fell by 27.3%, closing at $9.00.6 This put Collaborative’s UGene deal in jeopardy. Underwriter Concerns About two weeks after Collaborative’s announcement, on February 25, 1997, another CRO, ClinTrials, also suffered a drop in stock price. ClinTrials’ stock lost more than half its market value,  dropping 59%, to $9.50 per share. The fall began when an analyst from Wessels Arnold downgraded the ClinTrials stock to â€Å"hold† from â€Å"buy,† citing a number of key management departures, and continued after ClinTrials announced that its first-quarter earnings would be half its year-earlier profit. The reason for the unexpected earnings decline was the cancellation of five projects totaling $37 million, with the possibility of even lower earnings due to an unresolved project dispute with a client.7 ClinTrials’ negative performance began to affect other CRO stocks, including that of Quintiles.8 With client concentration an issue in ClinTrials’ stock performance, William Blair developed doubts about the timing of Kendle’s IPO. Although Kendle was close to filing its preliminary prospectus, on the day after ClinTrial’s stock dropped, William Blair analysts had a meeting with Kendle’s management and told them that they had decided to withdraw as lead underwriters in the IPO. Candace was resolved to keep going. She said, â€Å"There’s no way out of the concentration issue. We can’t buy our way out of it, because we can’t do M&A deals until we have a public currency, and every day Searle is bringing us more work, we won’t tell them no.† She then asked Mooney to find new investment bankers, and he thought, â€Å"what am I going to do now?† Hoping for a lead, Mooney called up a former security analyst from Wessels Arnold who had gone to work at Lehman Bros. Although Kendle was smaller than Lehman’s usual clients, Lehman agreed to underwrite Kendle’s IPO, with the reassurance that â€Å"we think we can sell through the client concentration issue.† After an agreement with New York-based Lehman was reached, Mooney searched for a regional firm because, as he decided, â€Å"I didn’t want two New York-size egos. J.C. Bradford, based in Nashville, Tennessee, had a good reputation in the industry , and struck us as a nice regional bank. They were more retail-oriented than institutional-oriented, so they wouldn’t directly be competing with Lehman in types of clientele.† Bradford had managed the IPO of the first large CRO to go public (ClinTrials, in 1993) and Lehman had led the IPO of PPD in January 1996. Gmi and U-Gene revisited At the same time, Forcellini was moving ahead on the acquisition search. In January 1997 he tasked Technomark with using its CRO database to generate a list of possible European acquisition targets that met the following criteria: â€Å"ideally a CRO with United Kingdom headquarters; $5 million to $7 million in revenues; no Searle business; certain types of therapeutic expertise; strong in phases II through IV; and certain country locations.† The initial list had 50 European CROs, which Kendle narrowed down to 14 prospects. Technomark then contacted these 14 prospects to sound out their willingness to sell, bringing the number down to five candidates: three CROs in Germany, two in the United Kingdom, and one in the Netherlands (not U-Gene). To assess the prospects, Kendle used information from Technomark on comparable M&A deals. Candace and Tony Forcellini then traveled around Europe for a week visiting the five companies. They decided to further pursue two companies: a small, 15-person monitoring organization in the United Kingdom and one in Germany. The U.K. prospect was quickly discarded because of an aggressive asking price and accounting problems. Kendle then moved on to the German target, a company named gmi. Its full name was GMI Gesellschaft fur Angewandte Mathematik und Informatik mbH. Founded in 1983, gmi provided a full range of Phase II to IV services. gmi had conducted trials in Austria, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and France, among other countries, and had experience in health economic studies and 7 â€Å"ClinTrials Predicts Sharply Lower Profit: Shares Plunge 59%†, The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 1997, p. B3. 8 David Ranii, â€Å"Investors avoiding Quintiles,† The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, February 27, 1997, p. C8. professional training programs. In 1996, gmi participated in 119 studies at multiple sites and recorded net revenues of $7 million, a 32% increase over the prior year, and operating profit of $1.4 million, a 16% increase over the prior year. At March 31, 1997, gmi’s backlog was approximately $9.6 million. gmi considered itself to be especially good at Phase III trials. (See Exhibit 7 for gmi financial statements.) While Candace and Forcellini were narrowing down European targets, Mooney was hunting for cash. In February 1997 Kendle met at a special lunch with its existing bankers, Star Bank (later renamed Firstar), in Cincinnati. Mooney recalled the conversation vividly: â€Å"After Candace and Chris described their plans, Star Bank’s CEO made a proposal, ‘If you keep Kendle a private company and avoid the hassles of being public, we’ll lend you the money you need for acquisitions.’† With the financing in hand, Candace and Forcellini visited gmi in Munich. While gmi’s owners were willing to talk, they did not have much interest in selling. As Mooney described it, â€Å"gmi was a classic case of having grown to a certain size, had a comfortable level of income, but weren’t interested in putting in the professional systems to grow beyond that level.† After several conversations in March, it was not clear that Kendle and gmi’s owners w ould be able to reach a mutually agreeable price. At this point in early April 1997, the possibility of U-Gene as an acquisition candidate heated up. After the U-Gene deal with Collaborative Research began to collapse, Kendle had initiated a carefully structured inquiry about U-Gene’s interest in renewed discussions. This inquiry led to further discussions and a request in April for Kendle to meet in Frankfurt to try to reach an agreement. With the gmi deal in doubt, Kendle agreed to try to reach closure with U-Gene. After some discussion, both sides agreed on a price of 30 million Dutch guilders, or about US$15.6 million, $14 million of which would be paid in cash, and the remaining $1.6 million would be in the form of a promissory note payable to the selling shareholders.  U-Gene wanted to complete the transaction within the next several weeks, so it would have to be financed at least initially by borrowings. Even if Kendle went ahead with an IPO, the equity financing would not be completed until the end of the summer. Discussions with gmi continued through this period since Kendle was confident about its ability to obtain financing from Star Bank. Ultimately, Kendle’s team was able to agree upon a price with gmi. The owners were willing to accept a price of 19.5 million Deutsche marks, or about US$12.3 million, with at least $9.5 million in cash. They would accept shares for the remaining $2.8 million, if Kendle successfully completed an IPO. The owners were willing to hold off the deal until the IPO issue was resolved. Closing the Deals and IPO Decision To complete both the U-Gene and gmi deals, Kendle would need to borrow about $25 million to $28 million, so financing became critical. Mooney went back to Star Bank to take the bankers up on their promise. He described their reaction: â€Å"Star Bank said they couldn’t lend $28 million to a company that only has $1 million in equity. Nobody did that. They might be willing to finance one acquisition, with the help of other banks, but there was no way that they would provide $28 million.† Mooney was quite angry, but had no choice but to look for other sources of financing. He first tried to get bridge financing from Lehman and Bradford, but they refused, saying that they had â€Å"gotten killed on such deals in the 1980s.† There was also a possibility of financing from First Chicago Bank, but this did not materialize. Finally, in late April 1997, Mooney contacted NationsBank, N.A., which was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and provided banking services to the CRO industry. Nationsbank expressed interest, but only in a large deal. Even $28 million was a small amount to Nationsbank. In 11  a few short weeks, Nationsbank ended up structuring a $30 million credit for Kendle, consisting of a $20 million, three-year revolving credit line and $10 million in five-year, subordinated notes. The interest rate on the credit line was tied to a money market base rate plus 0.50% (currently totaling 6.2%), and the subordinated debt carried a 12% rate. †So NationsBank stepped up in a pretty big way. They could have ended up with Kendle as a private company, with $30 million in debt.† Because of the risk, Nationsbank would also take warrants giving the bank the right to purchase 4% of Kendle’s equity, or up to 10% if the IPO was delayed and Kendle had to borrow the full amount to do both acquisitions. Lehman Brothers was confident about an IPO. The underwriters felt Kendle could raise $39 million to $40 million at a price between $12 and $14 per share, and that Candace and Chris could sell some of their shares as well. Premier Research Worldwide Ltd., a CRO with $15.2 million in 1996 revenues, had raised $46.75 million from its recent IPO in February 1997. Kendle felt they had a much better track record than Premier. Kendle now faced some difficult decisions. It could do the full program, including both acquisitions, taking the $30 million Nationsbank deal, and planning for an IPO in late summer. The successful acquisitions of gmi and U-Gene would establish Kendle as the sixth largest CRO in Europe, based on total revenues, and one of only four large CROs able to offer clients the full range of Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials in Europe. The pricing on the two acquisitions of 8 to 10 times EBITDA seemed in line with recent CRO deals (see Exhibit 8). And, once the IPO was completed, Kendle would have both a cash cushion and stock as a currency to help finance future growth and acquisitions. Assuming an IPO of 3 million new shares at a price of $13.00, Kendle would have a cash position of about $14 million and no debt in the capital structure. (See Exhibits 9 and 10 for pro forma  income statements and balance sheets showing the impact of the acquisitions and the IPO.) A related issue was how many of their shares Candace and Chris should sell if an IPO were done. Their current thinking was to sell 600,000 shares. Thus, a total of 3.6 million shares would be for sale at the time of the IPO, including a primary offering of 3 million shares and a secondary offering of 600,000 shares. This sale would reduce holdings controlled by Candace and Chris from 3.65 million shares (83.1% of the shares currently outstanding) to 3.05 million shares (43.4% of the new total outstanding). Doing the full IPO and acquisition program, however, was unprecedented among Kendle’s peers. â€Å"Nobody does this combination all at once—an IPO, senior- and sub-debt financing, and M&A deals,† as Mooney described the situation. Furthermore, the stock prices of public CROs had been falling since last February (see Exhibits 11 and 12 for stock market valuation and price information). If Kendle bought into the full program and the market crashed or the IPO was unsuccessful, the company would have almost $30 million of debt on its books with a very modest equity base. Perhaps it would be better to do just the U-Gene acquisition and use Star Bank to finance it. After completing this acquisition, it could then pursue the IPO. This approach was safer, but of course Kendle might miss the IPO window and miss the opportunity to acquire the second company. Indeed, instead of discouraging Kendle from doing an IPO, the fall in CRO stock prices might be taken as a signal th at Kendle should forge ahead before the window closed completely.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning - Free Samples

Workforce planning is the strategic alignment of the organization’s workforce with that of organizational needs and goals. It is a continual process where the main purpose is to ensure that all organizational, legislative and regulation objectives are achieved through the implementation of the workforce development strategy. The important ponents of workforce planning includes analyzing the strength of current workforce, identifying immediate and future needs of workforce and implementing strategic steps to fulfill unmet needs of employees. The importance and benefits of workforce planning is that the process ensures getting the right number of people with rights skills in the organization. This eventually has an impact on organizational mission, budget planning and strengthening workforce petencies[1].The main purpose of this report is to understand the important ponents of workforce planning and analyze the impact of different internal and external factors on workforce plan. The importance of contingency plan is also discussed to ove e challenges during the workforce development process. Workforce planning consists of staffing and scheduling decisions to determine the number and types of employees to be hired or dismissed in an organization. The process initiates with the development of mission, vision and business objectives of the organization and assessment of the number of workforce and skills needed to fulfill different objectives. This process of forecasting helps organization to achieve balance between supply and demands and find our better strategies for agility and value of business. The human resource professionals plays a crucial role in forecasting the type of talent needed in organization and developing recruitment strategies accordingly[2]. For example, when a new pany is going to start business, they engage in workforce planning by setting different roles required from top to bottom in an organization to a plish business objectives. In addition, already established panies engage in maintaining employment stability. This is necessary because of changes in skills mix due to technological advancement and other issues in business. For example, in the health care industry, the main deployment of health care staffs with requisite skill is critical for efficient service delivery in the area of cost, quality as well as quantity. Failure to deploy enough staffs often leads to shortage of clinical staff or oversupply. Shortage of staffs is associated with many negative ou es such as burnout and medical error, whereas oversupply leads to economic efficiencies in the health care organization[3]. Hence, human resource planning is address pitfalls and promotes efficiency in business. Leaders also play an important role in human resource planning. They are involved in making progression plan for important positions, developing skills of existing employees, mentoring them and assigning employees into different projects. Mentoring role is mainly given to senior employees to maintain and develop the talents and skills of employees. Although young graduates e to business organization with academic knowledge and zeal, they lack the skills understand specific business or corporate dynamic[4]. Hence, mentors support new employees to ove e challenges in job on a daily basis and learn new tactics to ove e certain challenges in the job. Both leadership and workforce development are an important ponent that decides the success of business organization. Training for leaders and workforce development is effective when leaders and employee develop the required petencies to achieve desired business objectives. A strong focus on training and development is also beneficial in plementing talent acquisition strategy. Well trained leaders and employees eventually support the organization to gain a petitive edge[5]. However, there are many challenges in the process of training and development process which may hamper the purpose of training. There is a need to evaluate the impact and success of training to ensure time and investment is done in the right area to get the right results. A research done on impact of training and development of employees on employee performance in the tel sector has revealed that performance of employee’s improved and proper training method also increased the satisfaction level of employees . Barriers in participation in training program is seen when employees are not aware about the benefits of training and development. In such cases, there is a need to raise awareness among workforce regarding the importance and benefits of training[6]. Recruitment and retention activities are the cornerstone of workforce planning and employment. Some of the mon recruitment strategies include conducting job analysis, identifying key petencies for different job position, developing recruitment criteria and systematic process for recruitment. With the advent of technology and the digital revolution, business environment has b e very unpredictable. In such situation, it has b e most important for top business panies to recruit the right talent who can evolve in their role due to changes in business environment. Different organizations prepare their own human resource strategy and recruitment strategy is aligned with them to source diverse human resource into the organization[7]. The main aim of recruitment strategy is to select right recruitment sources and selection of the right websites promotes dissemination of the job vacancies to desired candidates. After the recruitment process, the most tricky and challenging process is the retention of talent in organization. panies introduce bonus scheme and continual professional development initiative to ensure that human resource could be retained and most promising employees follow the path towards more responsible roles[8]. The specific process of recruitment and employee retention in specific industry can also be understood from example of specific industry. Walmart is the leading retail giant of U.S. and the HR management of Walmart manages recruitment needs using different methods suitable to different position in their organization. As it is mainly a retail business chain, certain retail specific criteria is also incorporated in the selection process. In addition, their optimal strategy for employee reten tion includes an evolving pensation program, career development and employee relations management . This ensures that not just the skills, but also the morale and motivation of employees in workplace is improved[9]. Through this strategy, Walmart is capable of maintaining adequate human resource to manage current retail operations and future global expansion. Apart from regular employees, business panies focus on developing contingent workforce to get assistance during short-term or seasonal project. The recruitment strategy for contingent workforce is to get specialized skill set and talent who can serve in the organization for a part-time basis. Although this is a new concept in workforce planning, however there is a rise in the contingent workers in both profit and non-profit sectors to provide more flexibility in the job. There are numerous benefits of a contingent workforce for business organization. Firstly, it leads to cost savings as employer’s pay only for the work and the time given by employees, they do not have to cover holiday pay, health insurance and other allowance into the employee’s salary package. It also promotes productivity in business as only those contingent workers are hired who have the necessary skills to handle specific task and no training arrangement is needed for them[10]. These workers are als o very goal driven and productive within their roles. In the context of high performance work systems, contingent workforce contributes to both numerical flexibility and access to new knowledge[11]. The strategic workforce planning of business organizations are dependent on organization’s strategic plan, external factors affecting workforce changes and demand for workforce maintenance internally. The external factors that influence workforce demographics include: Workforce demographics:   In the business organization, workforce demographics changes after older generation retires and the newer baby boomer generations enter the workforce. As the new generation is highly influence and dependent on internet and digital technology, the human resource management need to make dramatic changes in their workforce strategies. For example, earlier, panies would post job vacancies in newspaper or email to attract new talents, however digital devices and social media site is highly used by HR professionals to recruit new employees into the job. Hence, with changing workforce demographics, the process of hiring as well as types of pensation package has changed[12].   Currently, petitive organizations are creating value with digital HR as the current generation is hooked to tablet or smartphones. Partners and suppliers:   The availability of appropriate partners and suppliers also affects the demand and supply of the pany and eventually the recruiting efforts needed in business panies. The importance of demand and supply data in recruitment strategy is that it provides insights about job seekers and exact number of employees needed considering the availability of suppliers and production level[13]. Political and regulatory environment: The recruitment and retention of talent in panies is challenged by different government regulation. For example, introduction of new workplace standards by the governments creates the pressure to align the work process and workplace design according to the new law. New regulatory changes in workplace standards results in changes in all areas of HR department starting from hiring, training, pensation and employee development initiative[14]. The recruitment drive in any organization requires a lot of time as well as investment. The cost involved in recruitment may vary according to the mode of recruitment, method of advertising job vacancies and the benefits provided to workers. Hence, recruiting budget is fixed on the basis of overall revenue and plete budget in other areas of the business. Organizational structure determines the type of employee and talents needed in organization. Some panies have a divisional structure where different departments in critical for business, whereas some have a functional structure where employees with specialized skills are required. Hence, based on organizational structure and workflow process, the HR department has to change the desired candidate profile and recruitment process. Company culture is defined as the shared assumptions and norms present in work environment that reflect the beliefs of the pany. A positive culture is one where all employees was fortable and have no disagreement regarding any work related behavior. In such culture, employees and leaders share their behavior and work towards mon goal. There is sense of unity in such organizations. However, there are other organizations too in which conflict and resentment in mon due to disagreement between leaders and the employee. Hence, based on the type of culture, methods of workforce planning and employee development strategies change. Culture is mainly linked with recruitment because culture has an impact on employee attraction, selection as well as retention strategies[15]. Example, panies like Qantas have a good brand image and employers are easily attracted in such panies requiring little advertising and recruitment efforts. However, in a pany which is struggling with the work culture, it is a tedious task to attract as well as retain new talents. Considering the high flexibility and unpredictability of business organization, it has b e vital for the HR department to focus on employee retention strategy. This is necessary to retain exception employees who deliver the right performance in plex situations. Recruiting the desired candidate is a time consuming process, hence retention strategy is important to save money as well as time. After an employee leaves, the HR has to start the process of recruiting and training the new joinee again which is a loss to the organization[16]. Hence, petitive organization always put lot of efforts to retain those employees who contribute significantly to the success of the organization. Some of the effective strategies that top organizations have implemented to retain employees and minimize turnover are as follows: Training employees: The process of training reinforces sense of value in employees and their motivation and satisfaction towards work is increased. The focus on training employees to develop their capabilities, skills and knowledge optimizes employee’s potential and improve their work performance. This in turn acts as major source of petitive advantage for business organization. Most business firms incorporate training employees in their long-term workforce planning so that the workforce builds new skills and develop the confidence to cope with uncertain situations in business. Both the organization as well as the employee benefits from the training process. The employee develops the perception that the organization is willing to provide career development opportunities to them and they in turn gives their best effort to achieve key business objectives[17]. Hence, training is an important necessity for the retention of skilful workforce. Rewards and recognition: One study points out that rewards also has a positive impact on job satisfaction and employee retention levels. Different sectors struggle to balance high turnover rate and skill shortage often affects their business. This is mon in the public health sector and employee retention is a challenge because of the petition factors. Most health care organization fails to match the salary with their petitors and end up losing the skilful health care personnel. In such situation, efficient reward strategies act as a good solution for retaining the core employees of the organization. Reward system mainly in the form of salary has a good impact on leaving intention of employees and employees in such organization tend to remain longer in the organization. Rewards have a direct impact on job satisfaction level and this eventually has an impact on employee retention[18]. Hence, during workforce planning, the HR department develop strategic retention plans to retain skille d labors in workplace. Coaching and feedback: The senior employee’s role in providing coaching and feedback to new employees also ensures that they remain aligned to the goals of the pany and do not focus on taking alternative career routes. Leaders support the new employees to adapt to their careers. The coaching and feedback session also provides training and development opportunities to employees which in turn strengthens the retention goal of business firm. The supervisor’s support and formal developmental process minimize voluntary turnover rates, reduces the intention to leave, increase productivity and retain a more mitted and satisfied staffs. Career discussion along with mentoring and coaching also develop career adaptability skills in workforce[19]. Currently, business organization has to deal with many unusual events such as rise in petition, changing demand of consumers and sudden drop in sales. In such situation, it b es extremely important for petitive organizations to recover from unusual events. The need for contingency plan is seen in such situations so that business managers plan in advance to protect their resources and maintain profitability in business[20]. For example, a big retail giant like Walmart also experienced a period of downturn when their sales dropped in 2016. The main reason for this unusual event was that Walmart was facing challenges in pletely transforming their stores to the internet age. In such situation, their contingency plan was to prepare for the plete transformation of their brick and mortar store to online stores[21]. Such strategy was essential to retain back the past dominance in retail sector. In an effort to execute contingency plans too, contingent workforce acts a major source of advanta ge. These workers are hired specially to engage in specialized work. In the context of Walmart, they have engaged several IT staffs to provide online options for sale to their customers. The features of the contingency plan may differ according to different industrial context. The success of contingency planning is dependent on the risk assessment process. In case of the real need for implementing such plans, all employees are made aware about the need for implementing such plans. The time schedule for each activities and the delegation of key roles for each employees is decided to maintain smooth running of the contingency plan. This process is important in the context of workforce planning to build resilience skills. The unusual event at the Medin Corporation, a supplier of the sterilization case and accessory products for medical device markets also gives effective example of the need for contingency planning. Medin business’s was affected after the Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey and in response to this, the pany developed a crisis contingency plan by making arrangement for grants. This helped to prevent the downtime that resulted in the disasters[22]. Sim ilar type of contingency plan is also made by petitive business organization to main their sales and profitability. In the process of strategic alignment of human resource with business objectives, the industrial relation practices also determine employee performance and engagement in work. Industry relation practices are related to the workplace climate and system of practices enabling effective work performance. Some of the effective industrial relations practices in favor of employees include developing petitive succession plan, training program and performance appraisals system for employees. Employee specific industrial relation is seen when training or safety mittee focus on addressing all grievances of employees. Trade unions and employers pay much attention to skill upgradation of workers to cope with challenges in business due to technological advancement and globalization[23]. The report summarized the importance of human resource planning for achieving business objective and maintains petitive edge in business. This is a systematic process consisting of several ponents all which together helps to get the right employees with right skills sets for the success of business. The discussion on the important aspects of workforce planning has mainly revealed that it starts with the process of assessment of skills and position needed in organization and this identification plements the process of recruitment, selection and retention of employees. Despite the development of clear visions and objectives in business organization, currently panies are struggling to retain their position in specific industrial sector due to changes in external and internal environment of business. The relevant external and internal factors affecting business and employee performance has been discussed and it mainly implies that the challenges for business leader has mainly increased d ue to the introduction of new technology and digital revolution in the world. To ove e unusual events in business, development of accurate contingency plans can provide good advantage to business and HR department should pay special emphasis on retention strategies to motivate employees to stay in the job and contribute to team success. Armstrong M, Taylor S. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers; 2014 Apr 3. De Bruecker P, Van den Bergh J, Belià «n J, Demeulemeester E. Workforce planning incorporating skills: State of the art. European Journal of Operational Research. 2015 May 16;243(1):1-6. Lopes MA, Almeida à S, Almada-Lobo B. Handling healthcare workforce planning with care: where do we stand?. Human resources for health. 2015 May 24;13(1):38. Ladegard G, Gjerde S. Leadership coaching, leader role-efficacy, and trust in subordinates. A mixed methods study assessing leadership coaching as a leadership development tool. The Leadership Quarterly. 2014 Aug 31;25(4):631-46. Wilson JP. International human resource development: Learning, education and training for individuals and organisations. Development and Learning in Organizations. 2014 Jan 28;28(2). Khan AA, Abbasi SO, Waseem RM, Ayaz M, Ijaz M. Impact of training and development of employees on employee performance through job satisfaction: A study of tel sector of Pakistan. Business Management and Strategy. 2016 Apr 21;7(1):29-46. Cloutier O, Felusiak L, Hill C, Pemberton-Jones EJ. The importance of developing strategies for employee retention. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics. 2015 Jun 1;12(2):119. Oladapo V. The impact of talent management on retention. Journal of business studies quarterly. 2014 Mar 1;5(3):19. THOMPSON A. Walmart’s HRM: Recruitment, Selection, Employee Retention [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2 November 2017]. Available from: https://panmore /walmart-human-resource-management-recruitment-selection-employee-retention Horne MS, Williamson Jr TS, Herman A. The Contingent Workforce: Business and Legal Strategies. Law Journal Press; 2017 Feb 28. Stirpe L, Bonache J, Revilla A. Differentiating the workforce: The performance effects of using contingent labor in a context of high-performance work systems. Journal of Business Research. 2014 Jul 31;67(7):1334-41. King DB, O’rourke N, DeLongis A. Social media recruitment and online data collection: A beginner’s guide and best practices for accessing low-prevalence and hard-to-reach populations. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne. 2014 Nov;55(4):240. Armstrong M, Taylor S. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers; 2014 Apr 3. Frynas JG, Mellahi K. Global strategic management. Oxford University Press, USA; 2015. Harper C. Organizations: Structures, processes and ou es. Routledge; 2015 Aug 13. Deery M, Jago L. Revisiting talent management, work-life balance and retention strategies. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 2015 Apr 13;27(3):453-72. Elnaga A, Imran A. The effect of training on employee performance. European Journal of Business and Management. 2013 Feb 28;5(4):137-47. Terera SR, Ngirande H. The impact of rewards on job satisfaction and employee retention. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 2014 Jan 5;5(1):481. Coetzee M, Stoltz E. Employees' satisfaction with retention factors: Exploring the role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 2015 Aug 31;89:83-91. Sahebjamnia N, Torabi SA, Mansouri SA. Integrated business continuity and disaster recovery planning: Towards organizational resilience. European Journal of Operational Research. 2015 Apr 1;242(1):261-73. Banjo S. The end of an era at Walmart [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2 November 2017]. Available from: https://www.bloomberg /gadfly/articles/2016-03-31/walmart-s-first-ever-sales-drop-marks-new-era Contingency Planning and Workforce Training Builds Resilience [Internet]. NJMEP. 2017 [cited 2 November 2017]. Available from: https://www.njmep.org/blog/success_stories/contingency-planning-and-workforce-training-builds-resilience/ Konings J, Vanormelingen S. The impact of training on productivity and wages: firm-level evidence. Review of Economics and Statistics. 2015 May 1;97(2):485-97.

Week4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week4 - Essay Example The above firms’ intellectual properties are patents, trademarks and other trade secrets like product design more so in relation to Covidien. These go a long way in protecting the companies’ production and innovations. BioMarin is heavily guarded by these intellectual properties as it deals with a tighter environment which is about chemical compositions, discoveries and developments. Factors considered in determining intellectual properties range from the type of products or services that the firms deal in and the nature of the industry according to Lindberg (2008). As earlier mentioned BioMarin is in the drug manufacturing arena which has stiff intellectual property rules and regulations. Each brand’s trademark needs to be well guarded as well as its chemical composition. For Covidien, the design of the surgical products is more important to patent. This is because a design is there for all to see and another firm may adopt it altogether if not lawfully guarded. Intellectual properties are quite expensive to acquire and maintain. This is more so in respect to health related products. Lindberg (2008) states that huge amount of time and resources are poured into research so as to come up with a unique product and to have such a product patented and inserted as a trademark. In the current global market place and intensified competition, stiffer environment is in the offing for entrepreneurs wishing to start operations. Firms are facing challenges which there before were not as huge as today making the contemporary market place a huge challenge to overcome. One of these is stiffer laws on copyrights, patenting and other intellectual property factors says Reynolds (2007). Due to increased competition firms are finding it prudent to have their products protected and this has become a huge requirement. As mentioned earlier, the entrepreneur will need to cough more and spend more time in these

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion - Essay Example he Sealing of the Servants of God who are the 144,000 and the multitude; chapters 8 and 9 is about the Altar and Prayers, the Trumpets, and the Woes; chapter 10 is about the Mighty Angel and the open sweet bitter Book; chapter 11 discusses The Temple and the Two Witnesses; chapter 12 is about the Woman and the Dragon, the Church, and the 7 battles lost by Satan; chapter 13 is about the Two Beasts from sea and earth and the Antichrist; chapter 14 speaks of the Triumph of Christ with the 144,000, the Condemned and the Harvest; chapter 15 is about the Victorious, the Victory over the Beast; chapter 16 is about the 7 Last Plagues (or 7 Bowls, 7 Cups, 7 Vials); chapter 17 talks of the Woman on the Beast and Babylon, the Great Harlot; chapter 18 talks of the Doomed City, Babylons complete fall; chapter 19 deals with Armageddon, the King of kings on the white horse, the quadruple Alleluia and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; chapter 20 discusses the Millennium and the Great White Throne Jud gment; chapter 21 deals with the New Jerusalem and the New heaven and New Earth; and chapter 22 talks of the New Jerusalem and the River of Life (Dominguez 2006). Bible scholars have different interpretations of the Book of Revelations. Some say it is a description of the difficult times that the Israelites were going through during the Old Testament and ends with the birth of Christ. On the other hand, some scholars say it is about the journey that the New Testament Christians are going through beginning with Christ’s birth until His final return to take the believers with Him. What ever is the standpoint of these Bible scholars, the fact remains that as seen through the themes of each chapter of the Book of Revelation there is a pattern of a flow of events from dark to light. The dark times represent the difficult times and the light is the hope that finally someday all these trials will come to an end and that happiness will at last be attained for â€Å"He will wipe every tear

UK business school Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UK business school - Research Proposal Example The availability of resources that are pre-requisite for the setting up of a business institution; the most important factor being the availability and the quality of the instructors that are present to teach at these institutions. The most critical factor amongst many for the business institutions is the great emphasis on quality. Most organizations are dwindled in their quest for excellence in the face of increasing consumer base which leads to greater revenues; therefore, to be focused on the emphasis on quality is certainly a great factor contributing to the success of these institutions as they have been able to successfully prevent applying trade-offs that are detrimental to the level of quality of the institution, which has in turn helped them maintain a level of quality; favorable effects of which have been experienced throughout the institution. Other success factors are favorable external conditions such helpful government policies, peaceful communal conditions etc; all of which conspire together to provide a supportive base for these institutions. ... the face of increasing consumer base which leads to greater revenues; therefore, to be focused on the emphasis on quality is certainly a great factor contributing to the success of these institutions as they have been able to successfully prevent applying trade-offs that are detrimental to the level of quality of the institution, which has in turn helped them maintain a level of quality; favorable effects of which have been experienced throughout the institution. Other success factors are favorable external conditions such helpful government policies, peaceful communal conditions etc; all of which conspire together to provide a supportive base for these institutions. (RAPIDBI, 2008) These success factors are likely to remain in the future as the emphasis on quality is an ingredient of success which is not contingent upon time; it remains a critical success factor at any point in time. In addition, the conditions in the UK can be expected to remain stable in the future so we can expec t no new occurrence of negative externalities to arise in the future. The Norwich Business School certainly holds a significant position in the industry of UK business institutions and that is largely due to rich educational experience that is promulgated by the institutions and the wide range of degrees that offered that in this business institution. With 600 undergraduate students and 180 post graduate students and operating in the Social Sciences market place, one can see that The Norwich Business School is certainly a big player in its specific market and, hence, it must be given due credit as being a major player with regards to the current market place. In addition, the future outlook of the organization looks fine as the university is multi-disciplinary and also has a School of

Reflective Practice - Practitioner Incident Essay

Reflective Practice - Practitioner Incident - Essay Example The first reason, according to Somerville and Keeling (2004), is that in their busy work, nurses come across various deep-seated human needs and anxieties; and as a result, such events put a lot of emotional pressure on the lives of the nurses. Secondly, according to Taylor (2006), nurses are change agents. In other words, they should have the ability to influence other people to make positive changes. In such a situation, reflective practice enables nurses to look into how their own personality and approach influenced the outcome and to make necessary changes accordingly (ibid.). One can find the theoretical basis of this reflective practice in the adult learning theory of Kolb (1984). Admittedly, Kolb’s learning model consists of four elements: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. This model gave birth to Honey and Mumford’s model. This model proposes four stages. The first stage is having an experience. It is followed by reviewing the experience, concluding from the experience, and planning the next step (Peter Honey and Alan Mumford’s learning styles, n.d.). ... As a nurse, it is usual for me to consider my past experiences for critical reflection. The following incident and the related reflection made me realise that I should have more belief in my own abilities and decisions in order to become an effective professional. That was a normal duty day and it was nearly 1 AM when a middle-aged person came with chest pain. As it was common, I started helping the person to undress and at the same time, I started recording various observations. As I talked to him, I understood that he came because he had severe central chest pain that night, which extended from the chest to the neck and left arm. Also, I noticed that he used to feel the same chest pain on his walk to his workplace and that this pain used to subside at rest. Though he had ECGs and investigations in the past, they revealed nothing. Based on the observation, I performed one more ECG, but there was nothing and the pain had subsided. Though I could find nothing wrong, I gave particular attention to his various features and background. The person was a regular smoker, overweight, and most importantly, he had a very stressful work life. It was learnt from the chat that he was a judge. It was at that time that the intern on duty came. I communicated all my observations including the patient’s history and background to the intern. However, to my dismay, I noticed that the intern was in no mood to listen to what I said and that she was not planning to give any particular attention to the patient. So, I moved to the duty medical registrar and reported the matter. However, to my utter surprise, the registrar, too, decided that there was nothing significant in my observation as the ECG had revealed that

Earth Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Earth Science - Essay Example Catastrophism ultimately takes a ratchet approach and explains off much of the current formation of our geologic world through a series of sudden events which shaped our modern world. According to James (2001) the origins of this theory are largely based on the writings of Immanuel Velikovsky who postulated that many ancient myths could ultimately be attributed to a near collision between Venus and Earth. Whilst this represents a pseudo-science approach it could be further argued that Catastrophism does not have any universal guiding principles and catastrophist theories can run a wide range from impact events shaping our current biological makeup right through to the theories of Velikovsky. In terms of estimating the age of the earth, effectively people who subscribe to Catastrophism theories believe that much of the Earths development came in cycles and if one can trace back all of these cycles back to their origin they they can estimate the age of the earth (Though estimates vary widely). In contrast to Catastrophism is Uniformitarianism which postulates that most of the natural laws of science that play on our earth now, also applied since its origins. Meaning that the development of the earth has been a slow and gradual process, which is often compared to the erosion. In terms of the age of the earth, estimations can vary widely insofar as again there is no commonly universally held principles earth development. According to Tarbuck and Lutgens (2011) it is the case that both principles are not to be taken literally however it is the case that Uniformitarianism is more widely accepted amongst the geologic community today. James, B (2001) Catastrophist Theories of Life Gaining Ground It Came From Outer Space.. The New York Times [online] Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/23/style/23iht-sncat_ed3_.html Accessed on August 25th

Christianity vs Islam in the Middle Ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christianity vs Islam in the Middle Ages - Essay Example However, it was, modern historians agree, a dynamic string of centuries when from the ruins of the Roman Empire new powers emerged, namely Islam-ruled states of al-Andalus in Spain in the West, the Ottoman Empire in the East and between them the new power houses of Christendom, where crusades originated. It was not simply a battle of religions, but a clash of civilizations to dominate the known world (excluding China and India). In this battle modern Europe was born, both in terms of aggressive â€Å"crusader† attitude and missionary approach of assimilating other cultures. Moreover, even such a modern term like â€Å"cold war† first appeared in Spain in the XIII century to mark the difficulties two cultures trying to coexist are facing2. The Islam and the Christianity, in an odd manner, managed to simultaneously co-exist and to battle almost uninterruptedly on the European scene for more than eight centuries. These two civilizations were â€Å"caught up in a situation where old cultural and social patterns had been broken and new ones were forming†3. Between 636, when the Battle of Yarmouk took place, and 1453, when Constantinople fell, the head city of an already beheaded Byzantine Empire, Europe’s history was dominated by constant rivalry between Islam and Christendom, whose â€Å"attitudes to Islam had been compounded of ignorance, misperception, hostility and fear†4. On the other hand, in the process of fighting for domination Islam and Christianity inevitably borrowed from each other, while constantly desecrating the world of â€Å"the other†. The largest cathedral of the Byzantine Empire, â€Å"St. Sophia†, was transformed to a mosque by the Turks, while many mosques in Spain were changed to churches during and after the Reconquista. Historians agree that this struggle began in 636 when the armies of Byzantium faced those of the Rashidun Caliphate in the Battle of Yarmouk and were defeated. This massive

Public Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Relations - Research Paper Example The company was faced with the major crisis when one of its most popular products, extra-strength Tylenol capsules were used as murder weapon to kill three people in Chicago on 30 September, 1982. Another three people also dies by consuming the capsules which had traces of cyanide. The PR efforts were successful in reaffirming company’s commitment towards the welfare of the people. The case study of Johnson & Johnson involved two types of public: internal public comprising of the company’s management and workforce; and external stakeholders like shareholders, public who uses the products, distributors, media and all those who directly or indirectly are impacted by the use and misuse of the products. The timely communication to the public by the Chairman of the company assured them of their fair intention to investigate the issue and to withdraw the lot that was used in the crime. It strengthened company’s credibility amongst its stakeholders. No, at that time, the company followed the best recourse to rebuild its image. The public messages and appearance of the CEO in the media greatly helped the company to project its stand on the issue. Indeed, Burke’s appearance on the ‘investigative news program 60 Minutes’ was the best strategic exercise in PR that not only convinced the public but also changed the opinion of the media about the company’s future. The projection of its image to the public influenced the factors that have direct implications on issues and define its stand to the issues and the way it is handled by them. The company used various tools of public relation. PR briefing was used to disseminate important information regarding company’s position vis-Ã  -vis the product, extra-strength Tylenol capsules. Accepting that cyanide was used in its premises was a huge step forward in establishing its credibility and transparency of the company’s functioning in the eyes of its various

Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice Essay We believe that there should be mutual respect between individuals, which is a vital pre-requisite for social harmony. Our society needs to be more accommodating and less prejudiced. It is incumbent upon us to properly address the issue of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in earnest so that we may move forward to a healthier and more caring society. 2. 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Stereotype is an image or idea of a particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held. Discrimination is to make an unjust distinction in the treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, sex or age. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary) Stereotype is to decide, usually unfairly, that certain people have particular qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex or social class. Discrimination is the practice of treating one particular group in the society in an unfair way. Prejudice is to influence someone so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about someone or something. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Globally, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice are understood as related but different concepts. Stereotypes are regarded as the most cognitive component, discrimination as the behavioral component of prejudicial reactions and prejudice as the affective. In this tripartite view of intergroup attitudes, stereotypes reflect expectations and beliefs about the characteristics of members of groups perceived as different from ones own, discrimination refers to actions, prejudice represents the emotional response. Stereotypes are not only harmful in their own right; they do damage by fostering prejudice and discrimination. Although related, the three concepts can exist independently of each other. According to Daniel Katz and Kenneth Braly, stereotyping leads to racial prejudice when people emotionally react to the name of a group, ascribe characteristics to members of that group, and then evaluate those characteristics. Moral philosophers have defined discrimination as disadvantageous treatment or consideration. This is a comparative definition. An individual need not be actually harmed in order to be discriminated against. He or she just needs to be treated worse than others for some arbitrary reason. The United Nations stance on discrimination includes the statement: Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection. (Source: Wikipedia) Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination reflect the human tendencies to conceptualize and value certain configurations of phenotypic features differently, and act on these thoughts and feelings in our interactions with members of racial categories. Racial categorization reflects the process of placing people into distinct groups based on variation in phenotypic physical features of the face and body such as skin color, hair color and texture, eye shape, nose width, and lip fullness. Racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination reflect the human tendencies to conceptualize and value certain configurations of phenotypic features differently, and act on these thoughts and feelings in our interactions with members of racial categories. In both overt and subtle forms, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination exhibited among individuals belonging to different racial categories has long been a significant source of social strife in American society and abroad. In general, individuals with physical features associated with Whites (lighter skin color, lighter and straighter hair, rounder eyes, narrower nose, thinner lips) are advantaged compared to individuals with features associated with other racial categories. (Maddox, 2012) In Ghana, stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice is alive and kicking in Ghana like it is in any other society. Specifically, the statement brings to the fore some of the unhelpful ethnic slurs or ethno-phaulisms that cut across Ghana’s multiethnic society. There are ethnic stereotypes like Ashanti men are braggers throw their money around and have a superiority complex but they are very ambitious and hard working. Ga men are big talkers but are not big spenders, they are too stingy. Ewe men use juju too much, but are good scholars. Fanti men are romantic and sophisticated but are too honest, so they lack tactfulness and diplomacy. Dagomba men are tall, dark and handsome, but expect one or two rivals wives if you marry one. Akuapem men are very polite and gentlemanly. Kwahu men are very business-minded but stash their money in their house rather than in the bank. 2. 2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM We are concerned with how stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice affect our judgment with others and therefore the relationship we have with people. 2. 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS * Why do people stereotype, discriminate and prejudice against others? * What are the sources of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice? * What are the roles of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in tribal conflicts? * What are the strategies for dealing with stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice? 2. 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the people of KNUST, most especially the students as to effects of stereotype, discrimination and prejudice on KNUST campus. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: * Identify why people stereotype, discriminate and prejudice. * Examine the sources of stereotype, discriminate and prejudice. * Recognize the role of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in tribal conflicts. * Discover strategies for dealing with stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice related situations. 2. 5 ASSUMPTIONS/ HYPOTHESIS * People stereotype, discriminate and prejudice against others in the society because of the desire to dominate and control members of other groups. * People stereotype, discriminate and prejudice because they are unable to obtain all the information to make a fair judgment. * Negative stereotyping, discrimination and prejudices cause conflicts among individuals. * Understanding and appreciating other people’s values and culture will help decrease stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in the society. 2. 6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY To seek new insights; to ask questions and assess phenomena in a different perspective in relation to what others have done on the topic. It will educate us about value diversity and equal opportunity. We will understand how to challenge assertively expressions of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. Develop a responsible attitude towards person relationships. 2. 7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY * The study will help us to develop knowledge on our field of research. * The study on stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice will enable us explain to others what it entails and it consequences on human life. * The study will enable us develop our skill in research. * Educate others on the topic. 2. 8 CONCEPTUALIZATION Gender: Women over the years have fought shoulder to shoulder with men to gain recognition and freedom from all source of discrimination and recognition from their hard work and worth. Ethnicity and tribalism: Tribalism infers the possession of a strong cultural or ethnic identity that separate one member of a group from the members of another group. Religion: It involves treating someone differently because that person is associated with an individual of a particular religion or because of his or her connection with a religious organization. Age: It involves treating someone unfairly or less favorably because of his age. Age discrimination can take a form of harassment for example offensive remarks about a person’s age such as teasing offhand comments etc. Program of study: with the program of study, some people look down on other people’s program of study because they feel theirs is better than the others. 2. 9 METHODOLOGY 2. 10. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN AND TYPE OF STUDY Social survey design is a popular and commonly used strategy in social science research and is frequently used to answer who, what, where, how much and how many questions. They allow the collection of large amount of data from a sizable population in a highly economical way. Social Survey Design allows researchers to carry out studies in natural real life settings using probability samples thus increasing external validity of the studies. Using a social survey design will give you more control over the research process and when sampling is used, it is possible to generate findings that are a representative of the whole population at lower cost than collecting the data for the whole population. 1. 9. 2 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE Purposive sampling technique will be used for our sampling technique. With this technique, the researcher selects sampling units subjectively in an attempt to obtain a sample that appears to be a representative of the population. This method is been used also because of its relative advantage of time and cost 1. 9. 3 SAMPLE SIZE Selected students from various halls and hostels. 1. 9. 4 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Questionnaire includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. 1. 9. 5 SOURCES OF DATA Sources of data include the primary source, secondary source and the tertiary source. We will use all the three sources of data. Primary sources include journals, memoirs, dairies, newspapers, reports, interviews, raw data and many more. Secondary sources include books, television and radio documentaries, conference proceedings etc. Tertiary sources Google, Wikipedia, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, Ghana web, Modern Ghana etc. 1. 9. 6 UNITS OF ANALYSIS The unit of analysis is Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology which has a student population of about 45,000. Established in 1952, KNUST has a rich history in its evolution into a first class University over the years. Kwame Nkrumah, the African Personality of the Century and pioneer of African independence is the founder of KNUST. KNUST believes in achievement through diligence and commitment. 1. 9. 7 LIMITATION OF DATA COLLECTION Possible low response rate Members in a group may influence one’s decision Limited input from participants Certain data may be unavailable It may be time consuming The research may intimidate and suppress individual differences 1. 9 ORRGANISATION OF THE STUDY EVENTS| TIME FRAME| Introduction| 1 week| Collecting information for literature review| 8 weeks|. Administering questionnaires and collection| 2 weeks| Analysis of data collected| 2 weeks| Conclusion and summary| 2 weeks| Total time to be used| 17 weeks| CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The terms stereotype, discrimination and prejudice are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. But when discussing these terms from a sociological perspective, it is important to define them: stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people; discrimination refers to actions toward them and prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings about those groups. (Colledge, 2013) Stereotype is an image or idea of a particular type of person or thing that has become fixed through being widely held (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary). Stereotype is to decide, usually unfairly, that certain people have particular qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex or social class(Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Discrimination is to make an unjust distinction in the treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, sex or age. Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary. Discrimination is the practice of treating one particular group in the society in an unfair way. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. (Source: Concise Oxford Dictionary). Prejudice is to influence someone so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about someone or something. (Source: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) THEORIES RELATING STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE What are the reasons for stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice people? Let’s look at the theories that social scientists have suggested: To be able to measure the existence and extent of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice of a particular kind in a particular social or economic domain, it is necessary to have a theory of how such issue might occur and what its effects might be. Scapegoat Theory: This prejudice springs from frustration among people who are themselves disadvantaged (Dollard, 1939). A scapegoat is a person or category of people typically with little power, whom people unfairly blame for their own troubles. Authoritarian Personality Theory: According to T. W. Adorno et al. (1950), extreme prejudice is a personality trait in certain individuals. This conclusion is supported by research showing that people who display strong prejudice toward one minority usually are intolerant of all minorities. These people look upon society as naturally competitive and hierarchical, with â€Å"better† people (like them) inevitably dominating those who are weaker. Culture Theory: This theory says that stereotyping, discriminating and prejudice may be characteristic of certain people, but some of this is found in everyone because it is embedded in culture. Think of a child growing up and their parents telling them they should marry from the same ethnic group. Conflict Theory: Part of this theory is when powerful people use prejudice to justify oppression others. An example is when minorities claim that they are victims and therefore are entitled to special consideration based on their race. (DJL, 2008) WHY PEOPLE STEREOTYPE, DISCRIMINATE AND PREJUDICE AGAINST OTHERS IN THE SOCIETY The ability to form general categories is an essential feature of human thought. Without it, we could not make sense of the world. Being able to classify our experiences, the people around us, and the material objects of our culture under general headings enables us to behave in new circumstances. We can then respond in appropriate ways to things and people we have never seen before. It allows us to carry over what we have learned in one situation to another similar situation. However, unlike other forms of categorization, stereotyping provides categories that are little, if at all modified by experience and knowledge. People will often ignore or re-interpret experiences in which an individual does not conform to the stereotype of the group, rather than change the stereotype. (Lorne Tepperman, 1991, p. 187) People discriminate out of ignorance and Selfishness and that they dont think about how it would make other people feel also to make them feels better. (Why do people discriminate, 2012) When people encounter instances that disconfirm their stereotypes of a particular group, they tend to assume that those instances are atypical subtypes of the group. Example: Ben stereotypes gay men as being not athletic. When he meets Al, an athletic gay man, he assumes that Al is not a typical representative of gay people. People’s perceptions are influenced by their expectations. Example: Liz has a stereotype of elderly people as mentally unstable. When she sees an elderly woman sitting on a park bench alone, talking out loud, she thinks that the woman is talking to herself because she is unstable. Liz fails to notice that the woman is actually talking on a cell phone. People selectively recall instances that confirm their stereotypes and forget about disconfirming instances. Researchers find it difficult to measure prejudice. One reason for this is that people differ in the type and extent of prejudice they harbor. For example, a person who makes demeaning comments about a particular ethnic group may be bigoted or just ignorant. Also, people often do not admit to being prejudiced. (Source: (Lewin, 2012), 14th November, 2012, 10am) Why do we form opinions about other people based on their appearance, posture, language, and so on? We do this because different factors contribute to why people stereotype each other. We stereotype, discriminate and prejudice other people when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we need to make a fair judgment about people or situations. In the absence of the so called total picture, to stereotype people in many cases allow us to fill in the missing pieces of information. Our society often innocently creates and perpetuates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the person been stereotype is unfavorable. For example, if we are walking through a park late at night and encounter three senior citizens wearing fur coats and walking with canes, we may not feel as threatened as if we were met by three high school-aged boys wearing hoodies. These generalizations root from our experiences we have had ourselves, read in books, and magazines, seen in movies or television, or have had related to us by friends and family. In many cases, these stereotypical generalizations are reasonably accurate. Yet in virtually, every case we are resorting to is prejudice by ascribing characteristics about a person based on appearance, without knowledge of the total facts. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or a group of certain characteristics. Quite often, we have stereotyped a person who might be a member of a group with which we have not had firsthand contact with before. (Why do we stereotype? , 2012). According to psychologist Gordon Allport, prejudice and stereotypes emerge in part as a result of normal human thinking. In order to make sense of the world around us, it is important to sort information into mental categories. The human mind must think with the aid of categories, Allport explained. Once formed, categories are the basis for normal prejudgment. We cannot possibly avoid this process. Orderly living depends upon it. † This process of categorization applies to the social world as well, as we sort people into mental groups based on factors such as age, sex and race. (Cherry, 2013) SOURCES OF STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE IN THE SOCIETY AUTHORITHAIANISM The authoritarian personality is rigid and inflexible and has a very low tolerance for uncertainty. People with this type of personality have great respect for authority figures and quickly submit to their will. They place a high value on conventional behavior. By labeling unconventional people ‘inferior’, ‘immature’ or ‘degenerate’, the authoritarians avoid s any need to question their beliefs and attitudes. SCAPE-GOATING Unpopular minority groups are often used as scapegoats for other people’s problems. They are blamed for wide varied things that they could not possibly have caused. The term originates from a Hebrew tradition. On Yom Kippur, a goat was set loose in the wilderness after the high priest had symbolically laid all the sins of the person on its head (Leviticus 16:20-22). One explanation of scape-goating is the frustration-aggression theory. Its three basic principles are that; (1) Frustration produces aggression. (2) This aggression cannot safely be directed against powerful people and (3) The aggression is therefore transferred to weaker individual who cannot fight such as members of an unpopular minority group. LEARNING Although prejudice and discrimination are sometimes associated with certain personality traits or with frustration, both are learned. South Africans do not need authoritarian personalities to have strong racial prejudice, because they learn such attitudes from their culture. Most prejudice is acquired early in the socialization process. Children adopt their parents’ prejudice as naturally as they adopt their parents’ language, and discrimination follow prejudice as regularly as night follows day. Some of the most common prejudices are taken from ethnic stereotype- ideas that portray all the members of a group as having similar fixed, usually unfavorable characteristics. ECONOMICS Conflicts between ethnic groups foster prejudice and discrimination. Some social scientists particularly Marxists, are convinced that all conflict stems from economic causes. Whether one accepts this idea or not, there is ample evidence that, the realities of economic completion lies beneath much prejudice and discrimination. In times of high unemployment, members of the dominant group can protect their jobs by making sure that members of subordinate groups are dismissed first. It has long been noted that anti black prejudice is high among white-working class men who compete with blacks for low paying, unskilled jobs. POLITICS The quest for power promotes prejudice and discrimination just as the quest for money does. Dominant groups use discrimination as a technique for maintaining their power, appealing to popular prejudice to justify their discrimination. In some societies, political discrimination is obvious and accepted fact of life. For example, South African does not allow native Africans to vote and until quite recently, many American communities denied the same right to their black citizens. (Coleman, 2002, pp.193-196) ROLE OF STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATING AND PREJUDICE IN TRIBAL CONFLICTS Stereotypes distort history through oversimplification but they are also extremely dangerous breeding grounds for bigotry, fear, resentment, irrationality, animosity, hatred and ethnic conflict and cleansing. Stereotypes generate self-serving attitudes such as we deserve more because we sacrificed more than others, they are suffering because it is their own fault, and it is their problem since they are killing their own people and it is their government and we have nothing to do with it. In extremes cases, stereotypes have culminated in mass violence, the mass displacement of millions of fellow citizens, ethnic cleansing, pogroms and genocide. (A. B. K. Kasozi, 1999; G. Prunier, 1995; P. Gourevitch, 1998 and M. Mamdam, 2002). The concept of tribe was derogatorily developed in the 19th century by racist western scholars and journalists to designate alien ‘non-white’ people as inferior or less civilized and as having not yet evolved from a primary state. From Kukubor, the following stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice can lead to tribal conflicts. From (Kukubor, 2006), ADVOCATING SEGREGATION. This advocacy represents a belief that different ethnic groups should live apart, have absolute control over certain natural resources, can be exposed to special benefits. This advocacy began in the Ashanti Confederacy at pre-independence unsuccessfully agitated for a Federal state so as to appropriate the perceived wealth of the Ashanti. Extreme pride in one’s ethnic group and Obsequious patriotism is good but extreme pride in one’s ethnic group has proven to be the fascist of all regimes. CONSTANT REFERENCE TO A PERSON’S ETHNICITY A mere mention of someone’s ethnic group on a first encounter could be benign. But constant reference to the person’s ethnic group after a long period f knowing that person, no matter how innocent the references may appear, establishes unmistakably tribal patterns. BELITTLING OTHER GROUPS AND INDIFFERENCE TO THE FEELINGS OF OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. Constant criticism and ridicule of the opinions of other ethnic groups, which is often done sarcastically without explicitly making mention of the ethnicity of persons. It is also typical to make fun of members of the ‘inferior’ ethnic group. EXCESSIVE HATE FOR A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP. This is where one adopts an exaggerated reaction to any perceived misconduct from a person of the other ethnic group. In this situation, the punishment is out of proportion to the original wrong, whether real or perceived, and completely ignores the provocation that have led to the misconduct resulting in conflicts. NON- RECOGNITION OF THE ABILITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS. This attitude is so endemic in our political history. Some ethnic groups in this country have consistently denied the intelligence, cultural level, social status or other qualities of other ethnic groups in the face of overwhelming evidence. CONDESCENDING ATTITUDE OR BEHAVIOR. People show condescending attitude towards other members of different ethnic groups. They exhibit this by attacking other members which cause them most offense. They even employ members of other groups they perceive as enemies and use them to attack members of that ethnic group. These ‘employees’ may openly condemn the culture of their ethnic group as backward and shower praises on the members of ‘superior’ ethnic group. Furthermore, these people have no insight into their own prejudice. They believe that their prejudice is based on objective grounds that cannot be compromised. By this strong fixation, an individual is capable of violence and other forms of crime towards members of what he views as the ‘inferior’ ethnic group. For Hima/tutsi elite being called superior and alien had a feel good effect. They were proud to be told that they had racial affinities, however distant, with the new colonial masters Overtime they developed a superiority complex, which they used to claim privileges and entitlements, including being appointed colonial chiefs. They then reinvented the pre-colonial past to live the impression that their superiority had existed since time immemorial. Like the new colonial masters, they grounded their rights and privileges on the right of conquering and subjugating the natives some four to five centuries before the advent of European conquest and occupation. On their part, the natives felt dejected and resentful. They carried the burden of taxation and forced labor. Under colonialism, they served two sets of masters – the white and Hima/Tutsi elite masters. In due course, they sought to turn their supposed native status to their political advantage. In Rwanda and to some extent Ankole, the so-called natives began to make political demands on the ground that they were the natural majority. The extremists even went to the extent of demanding the return of the Tutsi/Hima aliens to their original homelands, where they came from, and wherever that might be (Doornbos, 1978:31). This led to the tensions of the 1940s and 1950s and the expulsion of the so-called Bayarwanda in the early 1980s. ( www. grandslacs. net/doc/3782, 1:15pm, 15th November 15, 2012) STATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH STEREOTYPING, DISCRIMINATION, PREJUDICE RELATED SITUATIONS The key to reversing stereotypes is to contradict them, in direct interactions between people, in the media, and through education. Between the individuals: once people get to know a person from the other side, they are often will determine that the other is not nearly as bad as they originally had assumed. Even when people learn that they share fear or sadness, they can begin to understand each other more. When they come to understand that the other is afraid of being hurt, or losing a loved one in war, just as they are, that brings people together. Depending on the context and other interactions, the image of the group as a whole may become more positive as well. In the media: the media also plays an important role in both perpetuating and in breaking down stereotypes. If they characterize particular groups of people in certain ways, their viewers (or readers) are likely to do the same. So if a movie or the motion picture industry in general, characterizes a group of people negatively, they are likely to be perpetuating negative stereotypes and making conflicts worse. If they emphasize the positive aspects of groups that contradict prevalent stereotypes, they can have a significant role in building mutual understanding. In Education: Educational institutions and teaching materials also have the opportunity to affect stereotypes, and hence influence inter-group relations. Efforts to teach about different cultures and the history of different racial and ethnic groups can help build inter-group understanding if it is done in an effective and sympathetic way. Changing stereotypes is largely the job of individuals. Each of us should examine the assumptions that we make about others and ask ourselves where those assumptions come from. (Source: (Why do we stereotype? , 2012) Training people to become more empathetic to members of other groups is one method that can reduce stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice. By imaging themselves in the same situation, people are able to think about how they would react and gain a greater understanding of other peoples actions. Other techniques that are used to reduce prejudice include: * Passing laws and regulations that require fair and equal treatment for all groups of people. * Gaining public support and awareness for stereotype, discrimination and prejudice social norms. * Making people aware of the inconsistencies in their own beliefs. * Increased contact with members of other social groups. (Cherry, 2013) Pettigrew (1981) and others proposed that stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice can be reduced by increasing contact between groups (the contact hypothesis), social learning, social re-categorization and weakening stereotypes. INCREASING CONTACTS BETWEEN GROUPS Contact is effective under these limiting conditions: * Groups are roughly equal in status (social, economic, or task relevant) * Contact involves cooperation and interdependence * Contact is informal so groups get to know one another as individual * Persons must regard one another as typical of their respective groups SOCIAL LEARNING * To the extent that prejudices and stereotypes are learned, we can work to avoid teaching them to children * Parents and teachers, made aware of their own prejudices, may work to modify their behavior to encourage lower levels of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in children. SOCIAL RE-CATEGORIZATION The common in-group identity model (Gaertner, Dovidio et al. , 1993) * When members of different social groups come to see themselves as members of a single social entity, their attitudes toward the former out-group members become more positive * Crucial factor is existence of situation in which groups work together cooperatively toward shared goals * Strong support for common in-group identity model from lab and field studies, but hard to implement in real life settings WEAKENING STEREOTYPES. Stereotypes can be reduced if persons can be made to engage in attribute-driven processing thinking about the unique characteristics of individuals. Factors that encourage attribute-driven processing: * Give person incentive to think accurately about others (Neuberg, 1989) * Inform persons that their own outcomes depend on anothers performance, or that it is important that they form an accurate impression of other. * Successful outcomes for members of other groups (e.g. , career success) can counter stereotypes because we often attribute positive characteristics to those who have good outcomes. (Reducing Stereotyping, Discrimination and Prejudice, 2012) CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The conceptual framework consists of age, program of study, gender, religion, ethnicity and tribalism which we use as a guide through the study. CHAPTER 3 DATA ANALYSIS The chapter three entails the data collection and analyses based on the objectives. Questionnaires were given out to a sample of 100 students to find the extent of their knowledge on stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in KNUST and this was their response. The data analyses system used is the SPSS. The bar chart is used to break the frequencies to make it more understandable and easy to interpret. 1. From the 100 respondents, 84% know about stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice in KNUST, 8% do not know about it and 8% also do not really know about it. stereotyping discrimination prejudice in KNUST|. | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| Yes| 84| 84. 0| 84. 0| 84. 0| | No| 8| 8. 0| 8. 0| 92. 0| | not really| 8| 8. 0| 8. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 100| 100. 0| 100. 0| | 2. Talking about people who speak up when someone is humiliating, insulting and ridiculing another person, 47% said they usually speak up, 15% said they always, 9% said they never and 29% said they ignore humiliating insulting ridiculing another person| | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| Usua.