Strategic Control

STRATEGIC CONTROL- ERIK TREFFTZ Strategic Control refers to the activity of analysis and surveillance of the Strategic Planning. Its main objective is to monitor and implement corrective measures when facing any kind of deviation in the original Strategy, after comparing it with the Strategic Standards, and thus granting the good-riddance of the company? s targets. It works through the establishment of reference points, rules, methods and devices that allow to measure the development efficiency and effectiveness of the Strategy in whatever concerns seizing its goals, and also allows a better comprehension of the periods of crisisIn other words, Strategic Control seeks to provide an answer to the following issues: 1. Whether the Strategy is being implemented as planned. Any possible failure in a company achieving its goals might be due to wrong performance from Operational and/or managerial personnel. The responsibility of regulating and correcting possible deviations in the course of the strategy. 2. If targets continue being valid. It is, Strategic Control is in charge of spotting any alteration in the behavior of external forces, and uncontrollable environment that require a change in the Corporative targets.Since environment is submitted to constant change, Opportunities and risks may arise that weren’t acknowledged when the original Corporative Strategy was conceived, and thus, the pertinent measures weren? t taken. For instance, a certain company provides a country with its products, but, all of a sudden, inner armed conflicts spark in that country, rendering it instable and dangerous. Under that conditions, the company might reconsider if it is still worth trading with this country, or perhaps it may regard abandoning transactions with it, thus, modifying its original targets. . Whether Outcomes of the Strategy are the expected or not. It means that Strategic Control also needs to verify whether the Strategy has been properly raised. Managerial and Operational personnel may have properly fulfilled their tasks to whatever concerns to the Strategy, but it may not have produced the desired outcomes. This might be due to the fact that the Strategy is not properly formulated. Strategic Control is in charge of re-formulating it so as to eventually achieve desired goals.Unlike conventional ways of Organizational Control, Strategic Control operates â€Å"a Posteriori†, which means that it is focused on the events that have already taken place, identifying past mistakes, and distributing responsibilities. Under no circumstances this kind of Control seeks to recover losses, but rather to acknowledge them, note them down, and develop the pertinent mechanisms to avoid them in future operations. This way of operating, nevertheless, may render negative repercussions on the very own internal engine of the enterprise.The tight surveillance exerted by those in charge of applying this Strategic Control, strictly girded to stiff itinerar ies generates a feeling of insecurity and fear within the staff. Another negative â€Å"side-effect† of Strategic Control is that the exhaustive scrutiny to which the company? s operations are subjected leads to a slower pace. The process of Strategic Control is subdivided into 3 steps: 1st: Measuring the performance of the Organization:Before Business managers can take any action concerning the future of the Enterprise, they need to dispose of any measure of its current performance. They perform so via the so-called Strategic Audit. This Audit consists in a series of exams that intend to evaluate the whole range of operations within any organizations which undergo a process of Strategic Planning. Its main target is to promote the development and integration of interrelated functions. It is, to ultimately enhance the enterprise? productivity. Its function is clearly represented in the following graphic, in which â€Å"t† stands for the variable â€Å"Time†. Stra tegic Audit provides managers with the tools necessary to perform their tasks as Strategic Controller, known as â€Å"Strategic Audit Measurement Methods†: Strategic audit is divided into three stages: 1st stage – Diagnosis: It implies reviewing key documents such as the strategic plan, organizational structure, operative plans, resource allocation plans, etc.Afterwards operational, financial and commercial results during a given period are analyzed and compared with the company? s standards so as to identify possible deviations and unnoticed newborn constants. The Diagnosis also provides the manager with vital knowledge about the division of labor, different positions of responsibility, and processes of decision-making, as well as psychic perceptions of the organizations from its members, and their attitudes towards it, (via Interviews, sets of fixed questions, etc. and also from relevant customers, so as to get an accurate picture of the brand image of the organizati on within the environment in which it operates. Posed in other terms, Diagnosis allows decision-makers to become fully aware of the intrinsic functioning processes of their companies, and the perception the rest of the world has of it, thus allowing them to perform an optimum control, and identify the functioning aspects of the strategy, eventually being able to formulate several hypothesis about problems and opportunities, and how to implement changes in their strategy. nd stage – Focus of the Analysis: This stage consists in applying the different hypothesis to the strategic problems and opportunities of improvement that shall arise and challenge the organization, via the analysis of specific issues, and identify interrelations and interdependence among components of the strategic system, and afterwards, reaching conclusions concerning weaknesses and deficiencies in the execution and / or the formulation of the Strategy. rd stage – Recommendations: 3. 1. Develop alte rnative ways of solving eventual problems and also of making profit out the opportunities that might arise, always taking into account potential costs, risks and compensations these measures may bring. 3. 2. Finally, the last step consists on developing concrete recommendations that will help to develop the right plan of action that will improve strategic results. 2nd: Comparing Organizational performance with pre-set standardsOnce pertinent measurement of the organizational performance has been done, top-managers shall compare them with current objectives and standards. Objectives are established in previous stages of the Strategic Planning, whereas standards may differ from one organization to another. Standards imply the desirable position concerning a certain aspect of the organizational strategy that the enterprise seeks to achieve. The most common standards, first adopted by the well-known General Electrics, and then implemented by almost each and every business during the 90? range from standards of profitability, of market-seizure, of productivity, standards of innovation and leadership, of staff development, of optimum staff attitudes, of public responsibility (of increasing importance nowadays), and finally standards of equilibrium between long-term and short-term objectives. 3rd: Implementing the proper corrective measures This implies a major change in the organizational operation that makes sure it will be able to seize its targets as efficiently and profitably as possible.Its complexity may vary from changing a product? s price, to renew the productive chain System, re-locating resources, improving the efficiency of the labor force, etc. The whole process of strategic control can be summed up as follows: Still, Strategic Control needs to take into account the following variables so as to perform its activity correctly: Organization? s structure: Strategic Control needs to take into a high account the composition of the enterprise, to be able to i mplement an accurate overview and regulation over the Organization? strategy. If this structure is unknown, it is not possible to manage to comprehend its inner functioning, and therefore no control will be implemented properly. System of Values /Culture: The main values of the organization and its members, its culture may be a defining factor of the activities it may carry out, and therefore, it is necessary to come to a closer understanding of these cultural nuances, so as to be able to apply control properly. Information system: To perform right control over the company? becoming, it is necessary to dispose of an effective information system that allows managers to gather the sufficient amount of information that enables them to exert their task. Compensation system: As mentioned before, Strategic Control implies a tighter control upon organizational operations, and this directly results in an increase of the pressure to which staff is undergone. Therefore, a system of compensati on shall be established that makes it up to the personnel for the increased pressure. For instance, economic compensation, translated into higher wages.

Prisoner Reentry in Michigan

The state of Michigan spends more money on jails and prisons than it does on education, but is this money well spent? The Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative would suggest that it is. The MPRI is a collaborative effort that draws from the commitment of community groups, the Michigan Department of Corrections, and other state agencies. Launched in 2003 and expanded statewide in 2008, the initiative’s mission is to equip every released offender with tools to succeed in the community.The MPRI is a nationally recognized commitment to public safety that gives prisoners the tools they need to succeed in a process that begins when they enter prison and continues through parole and reintegration into the community. The MPRI has effectively reduced Michigan’s prison population, recidivism rate, and crime rate. (Figure 1) It has broken the cycle of soaring Corrections costs by investing in safe alternatives to costly and unnecessarily long stays in prisons.By breaking the cycle of crime and incarceration, the MPRI has managed to cut spending on prisons down by 293 million dollars annually, and although that may be the biggest benefit it is one of many. (1) The number one goal of the MPRI is to reduce crime. It does that by better preparing parolees before they return to the community, making smarter decisions about who is released and when, and providing enhanced supervision and services in the community. It ensures what Lansing Prison Warden Kenneth McKee calls â€Å"a game plan for success,† which includes a team of supporters from the community who will help them carry out the plan. 1) MPRI begins at intake, when a prisoner’s risk, needs and strengths are measured to develop individualized programming. Prior to parole, offenders are transferred to a reentry facility, and a transition plan, which addresses employment, housing, transportation, mentoring, counseling and any necessary treatment for mental illness or addictions, is finalized in close collaboration with community service providers. After release, officers use firm but flexible graduated sanctions- including short stays in a reentry center if needed-to manage rule breaking before it escalates to more serious transgressions.All correctional jargon aside, the basic message remains; you can’t put offenders back into the situation and lifestyle they came from before prison and expect the outcome to be different. This is where â€Å"reentry† comes into play. (2) The MPRI was built in three phases to create seamless transitions back into society. Phase one is the â€Å"getting ready† phase. This phase begins the day the prisoner enters the prison. It starts at the reception center with a comprehensive assessment of each prisoner’s risk factors, needs and strengths.A Transition Accountability Plan is formed to determine the services the prisoner will need to prepare them for life after prison. This plan also establishes a set of expecta tions for the prisoner and how well they adhere to the plan weighs heavily in decisions made by the Parole and Commutation Board. Phase two is the â€Å"going home† phase. This phase begins about two months before the prisoners expected release date. During this phase, prisoners identified as needing more intensive preparation and support are transferred to an â€Å"in-reach† center, a prison closer to home.This helps set the stage for a smooth and successful transition. The focus during this phase is also to help the prisoner find work and become â€Å"employable† as well as setting up stable housing. Depending on their needs, prisoners are linked with community services such as substance abuse treatment, mental health services, or sex offender therapy. The conventional role of a parole officer is transformed to a case manager in an effort to help the transition team get a support system in place.When the parole date arrives the prisoner is armed with a structu re and support network in place to help them succeed. Lastly, phase three is called the â€Å"staying home† phase. As opposed to a decade ago where parolees were released on a Friday and had a weekend or more to get into trouble before their first meeting with their parole agent, they are now released earlier in the week and they promptly meet with their parole agent and service providers. This first meeting is used to establish job leads, assist with resumes, ensure medical assistance if needed and identify stable housing. 1) This transformation of Michigan’s corrections system has been remarkable, but it did not happen overnight. Over the course of eight years the MPRI has moved from an idea of fixing a broken system to a comprehensive strategy that is changing the nature of prisons. In doing this the MDOC has created many employment opportunities for positions such as parole agents, corrections officers, teachers and case managers. The transformation has also change d the way former prisoners view people in these positions.Grand Raids police officer Terry Dixon runs a weekly support group for MPRI participants and says that â€Å"Many are looking at police officers in a new way, as supporters. † (1) The MPRI is constantly meeting challenges; one of the largest being special needs prisoners. Those include youths, the medically fragile, those with mental health issues and sex offenders. Before the MPRI, says Michigan Parole and Commutation Board Chairwoman Barbara Sampson, parole board members were reluctant to grant parole to the mentally ill because they knew services were not in place to help them succeed.Now, she said, the transition accountability plans are designed to ensure a smooth transition to the community. Similarly, she said, effective new treatment programs are in place for sex offenders. (1) The $56 million spent on the MPRI in fiscal year 2011 is substantial, but it is only a small fraction of the $2 billion Michigan Depart ment of Corrections budget, and it is paying back dividends in public safety and reducing the prison population.The rate of parolees returning to prison for new crimes or technical violations is at its lowest level since record keeping began 23 years ago. Even though there are more parolees, the number returning to prison for new crimes fell from 2. 020 in 2006 to a projected 1,836 in 2010. Michigan’s prison population grew by nearly 500% between 1973 and 2003, consuming a much greater share of tax payer dollars. The number of prisoners has safely declined by almost 7,500 since March of 2007 and is at its lowest level since 1999.As a result the state has been able to close 14 correctional facilities. (1) It is important to recognize what the MPRI is and what it is not. It is not a magic potion that will eliminate crime. It is also not an early release program. Every parolee has served at least the minimum court imposed sentence. MPRI is a strategy that pulls together the stat e, the community, police, mentors, therapists, and others to give each returning prisoner a game plan for success.Former Saint Clair County Community College professor Michael Berro explains the MPRI bottom line as being â€Å"the understanding that the majority of felony offenders will return to our community. We should prepare them for it so they don’t end up back here, spending our tax dollars again. † (3) Michigan may be spending more money on jails and prisons than it does on education, but consider the effect the MPRI has had on repeat criminal offenses, inmates in prison and the general crime rate. It has successfully managed to lower all three.When the state’s budget is squeezed by declining tax revenue, and areas of spending are under question, it seems the success of a government funded program couldn’t come at a better time. WORKS SITED 1. Michigan Department of Corrections. (2010). Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative 2010 Progress Report. Lan sing: Public Policy Associates, Inc. 2. Wesoloski, E. (2011, April 15). Pew Center Report Lauds Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative. Prisons and Prisoners, p. 1. 3. Berro, M. (2006, March 13). Former Maccomb County Parole Supervisor, College Professor. (R. Spangler, Interviewer)

Lady Gaga: Gender in “Love Game”

Justine Burke Professor Adigweme Rhetoric 10:03:145 9/24/10 Lady Gaga: Gender in â€Å"Love Game† Many artists today are always trying to be somebody they are not. Their costumes are getting bigger and crazier than ever. One artist that exceptionally stands out in the crowd of performing artists is Lady Gaga. Every costume she wears, every move she makes becomes more epic every time she is seen. Most of the costumes she wears hide her identity and it is unknown who she is really trying to be.In â€Å"Love Game,† Lady Gaga’s gender is being questioned by the lyrics and image of the frame, by the subjectiveness in the video, by tweaking others’ work into hers, how the clothing and lighting give symbols to her gender, and who she is ultimately trying to be. Gender is a huge question in the text of this song. According to the lyrics and image of this frame, Lady Gaga is playing her love game with her candidates. They are in a dirty subway station with the ligh ts of two trains behind them illuminating the frame.Gaga is clearly the center of attention where everyone wants to win her over. She wants to know if the â€Å"subject† who could be male or female, will actually like her for her, or if the subject just wants the fame. When it is said â€Å"Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick,† the energized dancing and the careless crotch grabbing in the choreography shows that Lady Gaga and her subjects are simply having fun dancing to the beat.With the words â€Å"I wanna take a ride on your disco stick,† would normatively be seen as a woman’s line, but if Lady Gaga is playing the gender game in her video, like she is in the middle of the video by kissing both a male and a female, then she could ultimately be a male speaking that line to another male. Gaga indicates her subject to be a male with the line â€Å"guess he wants to play. † She doesn’t want to get too emotionally close with this man because she’s still not sure if he’s going for her love or with her game of touching and kissing and sex for the fame. No matter what Gaga’s subjects are searching for, whether it is love or fame, they are dancing very subjective towards her. They all want to win her over as she is letting them dance on and around her anyway they want. The men are suggestive towards her by grinding on her, giving her suggestive looks, and by chasing her. Lady Gaga shows this by wearing very little clothing, twirling her hair around, and letting the men dance and grind on her. A lot of the main choreography symbolizes Michael Jackson’s work. * Lady Gaga seems to symbolize others’ work a lot.Such as Grace Jones’ work. Grace Jones is a model, actress, and a singer/performing artist. When comparing the outfits she used to wear to the outfits Lady Gaga wears today, she clearly seems to be copying Grace Jones. Jones said, â€Å"I’ve seen some things sheâ⠂¬â„¢s worn that I’ve worn, and that does kind of piss me off. † (Hattenstone). Lady Gaga also follows in the footsteps and appears to be copying actresses such as: Brigette Helm, Beyonce, and Madonna by wearing an outfit that symbolizes the Maschinenmensch in her video â€Å"Telephone. * Even though Gaga is always being accused of copying others’ work we have to respect her for what she does as music lovers. Lady Gaga is not copying older artists, she is being unique, tweaking great ideas that have not been touched in years, putting her swag on them, and making old idea’s into new and improved ideas. Lady Gaga says, â€Å"I eat, sleep, breathe, and bleed every inch of my work† (Vicks). This is clearly what Gaga does and proves that she loves every aspect of what she does and that is the kind of dedication one must have in order to be a performing artist.She clearly could not be working any harder at this point in her life as she is continuously ma king number one hits such as: â€Å"Alejandro,† â€Å"Love Game,† â€Å"Bad Romance,† â€Å"Paparazzi,† â€Å"Poker Face,† and â€Å"Telephone. † * One aspect in her hit â€Å"Love Game,† in this frame Lady Gaga is wearing a different color top than everyone around her and is in the center of the formation. This indicates from the text that it is her game and everyone else wants to win her over hoping to play the game with her. All of her performers are wearing dark clothes though.This indicates dirtiness and impurity. Another costume effect is that one of Gaga’s dancers and herself are wearing a small symbol of an SS Soldier uniform within their outfits. Often in video’s, performers act to be someone they are not. They personally do not have any connections with the Nazi’s, but they are indicating and symbolizing that they are trying to be someone they are not. For instance, Lady Gaga makes us question her gender in this video. Not knowing this information shows that her gender s unknown. * If something is unknown it is put in the dark, like a mystery. The low lighting in the frame symbolizes the mystery of Lady Gaga’s gender and who she is trying to be in this video. The darkness also symbolizes the dirty and impure subway. Now that it is the end of the video and she has been through the subway she is impure and the darkness symbolizes this. These men are druggie type of men whom are stereotypically looking for specific things, like women and drugs, all for their pleasure.There are many different types of subjects in the world and this is where Gaga chooses to look for her subject. The light that is shining through is simply used to illuminate the dancers. Or, it also symbolizes more trains coming for the game to start all over again. * Subways are dark places at night and there can be isolated groups of people in them. Lady Gaga and her subjects are the only ones at the subway stat ion and there is no one else around, like their own little group. This is a perfect opportunity for Gaga to choose her sexuality and the person she wants all to herself.Since there are so many different types of subjects and groups of people found at a subway station, Gaga could ultimately choose to be just like one of those people she may see. She can be whoever she wants. She chooses to be a male with the dance move she is performing. * There are so many different kinds of people in the world, especially in one of the biggest cities in America, New York City. This is where many subway stations are located that people hear about and have never used that aren’t from NYC.There are any type of persons and groups there such as: male, female, straight, queer, bisexual, performer, dancer, gang member, business man, student, etc. There are many different things in life that can veer someone to become any person they want to be and to choose their identity by. The norm at a place li ke this is to be different, unlike in a smaller city. It is a perfect place for the film to be shot. Even if this video was not shot in New York City, it still represents a place like it and all the identities that are found there.This is where the ultimate question falls. Who is Lady Gaga trying to be and who is she supposed to be? * Lady Gaga’s gender in this frame at the end of the video has turned into an impure male symbol. This identity is becoming more of a norm in society today, that is, homosexuality. This is what she is representing. Gaga is trying to make what isn’t normal in society, what isn’t safe, what isn’t in people’s comfort zone, what is completely outside of the box, and wants to make it the norm. She wants to make it all okay things to be and she is the one doing it.With this said Lady Gaga is one of the main artists that definitely stands out in the crowd. This makes her be able to do whatever she wants and not care how much s he gets judged. There was uncertainty about her identity in â€Å"Love Game,† but now it is analyzed who she is. * * * * * * * * *Works Cited * Hattenstone, Simon â€Å"Grace Jones: ‘God I’m scary. I’m scaring myself’† The Guardian (2010) * Vicks, Meghan â€Å"The Icon and the Monster: Lady Gaga is a Trickster of American Pop Culture† Gaga Stigma: Critical Writings and Art About Lady Gaga (2010)

Banana Chips

This provides an ample opportunity to a new entrant as the market is not dominated by some brands and with good quality and competitive pricing, it is possible to capture adequate market share. Production Banana Chips or Crisps are deep fried snack a small or casual meal. Cooking type bananas produce good Chips/Crisps. It is easy to make and the product is very tasty. The small-scale production requires but a few equipment, viz. A stove (Gas, Diesel fired or even a Firewood Stove), Kitchen knives, Peelers, Cutting boards, Plastic buckets, Cooking pots, Containers, Frying pan or Wok, Long Spoons or ladles, Cheese cloth, Colander, Trays and Baskets, Plastic Pouches, Candles amp; old Hacksaw blade or a small Electric Impulse Heat Sealer and Weighing scale. Production steps of Banana ChipsGood large size green cooking bananas slices are cut cross wise to give circular shape. Bigger size fruits are preferred to produce large size slices and an attractive product. Different varieties give products of different colour, flavour and taste. Crosswise slicing gives uniform, circular, attractive, product and is universally adopted for commercial production. This way as the slicing is faster the production increases. The steps involved in Banana Chips processing are: Selection: Good quality, green cooking bananas is preferred. Cutting and Peeling: Using a knife, banana bunches are separated from the main stem and individual bananas hands are separated from the bunches. Using a hand peeler, bananas are peeled and immediately sliced cross wise into thin, round slices. As some varieties with latex cause itching or irritation while handling, it is better to rub the hands with salt before peeling and slicing. Immersion in salt water: Immediately after slicing the slices are placed in salt water @ 3 to 5% of salt to the water. Added salt gets in to the slices and improves taste arid acceptability of the product. If slices are not placed in water, they turn Brown and later give an unacceptable dark product. Frying: Keep a large shallow Frying Pan or wok over a suitable stove (with adjustments for flame/heat control). The frying pan should be thick bottomed and with side rings for easy handling. Good edible vegetable cooking oil is used for frying. Bring the oil to fuming hot temperature. The long spoon or ladle used for taking out the fried chips from the wok can be either a big perforated one, of 8 to 12 inches in diameter and with long handle or of a large diameter wire mesh spoon with bamboo handle. The salt soaked slices are then dropped one by one manually into the hot oil in the frying pan. Never put the slices together in clusters into the oil as the slices being starchy stick to each other and are difficult to separate later. The normal practice followed is: Holding slices in left hand and dropping in rapid succession the separated slices one by one into the hot oil, or Slices taken out from the salt solution, separated and arranged either on a cheese cloth or on the dry big spoon itself and then carefully dropped into the hot oil. The frying temperature is maintained around 150 to 160C (just fuming) and frying time around 3 5 minutes depending on the slice thickness. Slices are deep-fried to golden yellow colour (till the bubbles seize) and taken out immediately using big perforated spoon. Over frying turns the chips dark and this will be considered an unattractive product. Draining of oil: Deep fried chips are put into perforated Colander for the excess oil to drain out and later transferred to a wide plastic or aluminum tray lined with craft paper or kitchen towel which absorbs/removes excess oil in chips and product is allowed to cool. Packing: Chips should never be packed while hot since hot air inside the pack condenses into water, which moistens the crisps resulting in soft, soggy chips. After cooling, chips are packed manually in plastic pouches and scaled airtight using either Hacksaw blade over candle flame or an electric impulse plastic sealer. Market PotentialDemand and SupplyThere is a very large market for banana chips and they can be sold at all such places where people assemble like theatres, picnic spots, bus stands or railway stations, traffic junctions etc. Retailing has to be done through small grocery shops as well as big departmental stores and super markets. There exists a strong demand for banana chips as most people enjoy eating snacks. While fresh cooking bananas are widely available, banana chips are not easily available in many parts of the country. Making chips increases the shelf life of the product in times of abundant harvest. Sales Location The owner has several options for selling the product as follows: At the local market; Through shops; and Through hotels amp; clubs. If the owner wishes to sell direct to the end customer, then the location with the highest traffic should be chosen. This will generally mean higher expenses in the form of rent. If the owner wishes to sell through shops, hotels or clubs, then the business can be started from your house. However, the owner will have to accept a lower mark-up to allow for a margin to be made for the shop owner. Costing the BusinessEquipment cost The following list represents a range of possible equipment needed for establishing a small scale banana chip producing business: Item | Quantity | Estimated Cost (Birr) | Purpose | Equipment | | | | Wok of frying pan | 1 | 500 | Fry chips | Gas Burners | 2 | 3000 | Stove top cooking | Plastic pots with lids | 5 | 200 | Storage | Knives | 3 | 60 | Cutting food | Spoons, wooden ladles | 5 each | 100 | Stirring for uniform frying | Cooling trays | 2 | 100 | Cooling hot fried chips prior to packing | Bag sealer | | 1600 | Packing fried chips | Total Equipment | | 5560 | | The prices used are estimated average cost based on Adama prices at the time this document was prepared. The above capital requirements are based on the principle of starting a small scale banana chip producing operation with minimum outlay of capital. This business can be of larger scale through the introduction of a deep fryer, and slicing machine. Staff CostA basic banana chip operation could be started by an owner helped by a family member. Position | Main responsibility | Monthly salary (Birr) | Owner | Manage business: decide prices, prepare chips, procure suppliers, supervise all staffs | 1500 | Helper | Assist in all areas | 700 | Total Staff Cost | | 2200 | Raw Material costYour major raw material is cooking bananas. Availability and price you pay for bananas will be determined to some extent by the weather conditions. In times of drought, availability will be less and price will be high. We will buy regularly from a few farmers. Once the suppliers know that we will be buying regularly, they will adjust their production to meet our demand and they should be willing to offer us a special price. Based on the costing and pricing part of this document, our raw material cost will be 1. 80 birr per 100 gram package. Raw materials include the raw banana, oil, salt, packaging and label. Raw material cost for one month consumption: Item | Quantity | Estimated Cost (Birr) | Raw Banana | 50kg | 600 | Edible Oil | 30ltr | 850 | Salt | 5kg | 15 | Packaging polythene/plastic | 1package | 200 | Total Raw Material Cost | | 1665 | License or Registration CostThe size and nature of this business does not require company registration and will be set-up as small and micro enterprise. For the purpose of this guide, the annual licence fee is estimated at 200 Birr. Operating CostA banana chip producing business has certain operational costs. Some of these costs are: Paid once when we establish services such as water, electricity ; Some are paid on a monthly basis. When we start our business we will usually need some working capital (money) to establish services, pay certain yearly expenses and to meet some of our monthly operational costs until the business can generate enough income to meet these costs. In the case of a banana chip producing business this should only be for the first month. The size and nature of this business probably will not warrant renting a new place. Electricity is not needed, but water is essential to the operation. Hence the operating costs listed below are on the basis of incremental costs incurred to run the business. For the purposes of this guide, it has been assumed that the product will be sold through a market stall. Below is a table showing the start-up and monthly operating cost associated with a banana chip producing business. Operational Cost | Initial Working Capital (Birr) | Monthly (Birr) | Rent (market stall) | 1000 | 500 | Water charges | 10 | 10 | Electricity | 50 | 50 | Gas | 200 | 200 | Cleaning supplies | 50 | 25 | miscellaneous | 100 | 50 | Total Operating Cost | 1410 | 335 | Startup Costs Item | Total (Birr) | Equipment | 5560 | Staff | 2200 | License and Registration | 200 | Raw Materials (First month) | 1665 | Operating expenses | 1410 | Total Start-up cost | 11,035 | The cost to start a banana chip producing business is around Birr 10,000. Costing and PricingIngredients: Bunch of cooking banana Water Salt Cooking oil Plastic bag Label Costing Ingredients | Quantity | Cost (Birr) | Cooking Banana | 100gms | 1. 35 | Salt amp; Cooking oil | | 0. 15 | Plastic Bag | | 0. 15 | Label | | 0. 15 | Total Cost per 100gm bag | | 1. 80 | Selling PriceObviously our selling price cannot be below Birr 1. 80. To determine our selling price we will try and investigate prices for similar items available. If there is a similar item, then our price will be close to that price. As we will be selling our product through shops, hotels or clubs, so we would have to allow a reasonable margin for the reseller. Probably a reasonable price for the above product will be Birr 2. 50. We will review prices if our product is not selling. ProfitabilityMonthly profit and loss | Breakeven Sales | Sale per day | 175 bags | Sales per month (25 days) | 4335 bags | Cost of raw materials | 1. 80birr/bag*4335 bag=7803 birr | Gross Profit | 2. 50birr/bag*4335bag-7803birr=3035 | Operational expenses/month | | Rent(market stall) | 500 | Wages | 2200 | Electricity | 50 | Gas | 200 | Water | 10 | Cleaning Supplies | 25 | Miscellaneous | 50 | Total | 3035 | Operating profit per month before tax | 0 | If we assume 2. 0 birr per bag unit price then the breakeven sales for this business is 175 bags per day. This means that if you sell less than 175 bags per day, you will make a loss. If you sell more than 175 bags per day at unit price of 2. 50 birr, you will make a profit. Financing the BusinessThe size and nature of this business is such that savings must necessarily be used for financing the business. In addition to our saving we will take a loan from Oromia Micro Finance Enterprise. Source of Finance | Amount (Birr) | Saving | 300 0 | Loan | 9000 | Total | 12,000 |

Social Work Field Supervision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Work Field Supervision - Essay Example From the beginning, she would not look me in the eye and seemed considerably nervous. I had noticed that whenever someone walked past Jones, she always tightened up as though ready to become reactive. As I gained the child’s trust, I began to approach her with concepts regarding the learning contract, as a mutual agreement that works toward a common goal. Jones indicated enthusiastically that she enjoyed school, letting me understand that we could talk comfortably about the subject in detail. I worked to let Jones understand that she is in charge of her own learning and completing that objective involved good behavior. Her stance became immediately defiant and she resumed her previous gesturing of dissatisfaction. As the child has a tendency to become hyper-stimulated, I quickly shifted the discussion back to a more positive school environment. In this case, the preferred learning style is that of reflective observation, under Kolb’s theory. This individual is â€Å"impartial†, â€Å"tentative†, and â€Å"reflective† and generally makes very careful observations; an introvert (casa.colorado.edu, n.d.). It is oftentimes easier to see the world through an observational lens without the barriers to self-exploration that might be caused by noise in the communication process inflicted by the social environment. Having a student like Jones, who clearly maintained a preferred learning style of concrete experience, made the interview a feelings-based discussion. Jones relied heavily on her peer guidance and tended to lean less toward authority in the process. When discussing school, she was enthusiastic, another evidence of peer reliance. When attempting to discuss the learning contract with Jones, she was open and direct with discussion when the emphasis of the discussion involved school activities. Being an observational learner ensures I am lecture-oriented with a somewhat rational approach,

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Project management - Essay Example According to results of Belbin profiles, each member is allocated within different teams by an adviser. In terms of our team, it had a rudimentary knowledge of function through the team balance sheet. There were nine kinds of roles in the Belbin profiles. Our team covered eight of these roles. Most of our members tended to be teamworkers. Coordinators, monitors evaluators, implementers, completer finishers and specialists totaled two individuals. The plant and resource investigator both were represented by a single team member. There was no shaper in our team. In fact, there was a good group atmosphere in our team in the initial stage. Specifically, there were no conflicts. Each member was more likely to agree with other member’s idea and keep his/her own idea from becoming contentious. Each member was more likely to be a yes man in initial stage. There were two reasons which made our team better in the situation. One was the allocation role within the group. This affected mem bers cooperation. Belbin (1989) gave some pointers on this issue when he stated that the shaper and teamworker were an unlikely combination; but he implied that the chairman and teamworker were a combination which would, probably, be found together. Another interesting aspect is the relationships that were exhibited between team members. Because each member had met each other, members were more likely to make a good impression on one another in subsequent meetings. However, too warm of a group atmosphere can bring some negative influences on the team. We found that although we had a good group atmosphere, performance of our team was inefficient in the initial stage. This was because our team lacked a shaper and most of members were teamworkers; this led to our team sometimes being indecisive and the pressure and dynamic of our team was not enough. Therefore, some members had to make some change in order to enhance

Why did Communism collapse so suddenly in 1991 Explain your answer Essay

Why did Communism collapse so suddenly in 1991 Explain your answer - Essay Example Communism seeks to establish a classless society for all. It endeavors to erase all differences of class and creed and bring all the citizens at the same forefront with the government leading them all. However, the communist theory has failed miserably in the past. It is believed that the communist theory includes some connotations that are bound to fail. Capitalists mock the communist theory by saying that if there will always be the poor then there will always be the rich. There would be classification and divisions with the dos and donts, and any effort to create a society that does not have classes, this side of heaven, mainly by means of the aggressive and godless means of Communism, is bound to lead towards frustration and failure1. Before moving on to discussing why this theory failed so miserably and what was inherently wrong with the idea of having a classless state with absolute government power, one needs to know what lead to this concept. The concept of communism belongs to the Marxist school of thought. Since the late 19th century the ideas of socialism were quite popular among the working class citizens around the world and they began to show their true color when in the early 20th century several countries formed their own Communist parties. While the ruling classes reprimanded the concept of communism or socialism since it brought their power at stake, it was very much appreciated by the working class. In the interwar period, however, since different classes began to fight for or against communism, its image tarnished. It wasn’t all good and now everyone knew that. The socialist activists stepped up their campaigns against their oppressor regimes and resorted to violence to achieve their goals2 . These ruthless activities, instead of promoting communism amongst the masses, lead to previously pro-communist populace to lose their interest in the movement. Therefore the number of those who favored communism