Managing your professional performance Essay

1.0 INTRODUCTION Personal development planning (PDP) is a process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own development in a purposeful way through learning and experience. (Jackson, 2001) Everyone has desires and aspirations in life. To go about achieving goals and success in one’s life, it is vital to jump start and implement a very own personal and professional development plan. Every individual will have their own interpretation of personal development. For me, it is a lifelong personal growth and learning progress not only in building on self awareness and enhancing on skills and professions but also to achieve spiritual growth. 2.0 ANALYSE PERCEIVED DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MODULE 2.1 Personal Vision and Mission Vision Statement: â€Å"To become an effective and respected General Manager in the hospitality industry; helping to enhance the performance and continuous improvement within the business and extending excellence service to the customers.† Mission Statement: â€Å"I will strive hard to work my way up the ladder with continuous learning and development of knowledge, skills and experiences and at the same time, maintaining good work ethics and relationships with people around me.† MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Philosophy: I always believe that if one does not have the passion towards something, one won’t achieve success in it. We may be inspired to do something, but to be successful in what we are doing requires great effort and determination. Just like the saying from Thomas Alva Edison (1929 cited in Sommers 2012, p184) – â€Å"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration†. If no effort is put in, there’s just no way that we can achieve success in life. 2.2 Status When I have chosen hospitality as my career, I knew it is a field that differs from the others which it requires not only basic hospitality knowledge and skills but also industry experience. Therefore, along with my studies I have held several part time positions as a waitress, promoter, sale executive and even a part time tuition teacher to gain career-related experience. As soon as I completed my diploma studies, I undergo my industrial training and continue on as a full time employee working as a guest experience executive with Le Meridien Hotel before I further my degree in order to gain broader knowledge and real-world experiences. Throughout these years so much has happened. Everyday I’m facing with new challenges and obstacles in work, with many ups and downs. I have learned to be patient; looking at things from different perspective and creatively dealing with different types of human being. All these working experiences have developed me a sense of competence and build up my self-esteem. Also, I’m more aware of the attitudes, skills and experiences that required for further career development and seizing the opportunity to gain insight and learn more about myself. MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 2.3 Self Assessment I have made an assessment of my own personality and capabilities in certain key skill areas in order to anlayse my strengths and weaknesses as well as to review on the gaps that I could further enhance for my long-term career prospects. (a) Personality Personality test is vital in helping me to understand my inner self and review on areas that could be improved for better self development to achieve future career success. I have taken the big five personality tests which could review on my level of sociability, friendliness, work ethic, calmness and creativity. (Please refer to appendix 1 – The Big Five Model of Personality) The result indicated that I am a person who is well organised, relatively social and tends to consider the feelings of others. However, weak in handling emotions and tend to be conventional. (b) Career Motivation According to Robbins (2001 cited in Tan and Amna 2011, pp73-94), motivation is a needs-satisfying process, which means individuals will strive to achieve goals when their needs are satisfied by certain factors. It is highly important for me to understand my career motivation in order to achieve a more fulfilling and productive career. And based on the career motivation test that I have taken, I realized for me to ensure a long term job satisfaction; my career motivational needs are recognition and long-term reward. (Please see appendix 2 – Career Motivation Test) This enables me to reflect and decide on the type of organisation My ex-manager exercises a range of leadership approaches as shown in the table above and deploys them appropriately according to different situations. Instead of practicing only one or few of the leadership approaches, her way of leading and levels of control towards the team is moving along the continuum which from being an autocratic leader to a democratic leader. MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.1.4 Different Styles and Different Stages When I first joined in the organisation, I was really not used to her way of managing as I was being ordered and instructed on things to do without having the freedom to do according to my way. Whenever I questioned on the task that I was performing, her reply is always the same – â€Å"Just follow and do whatever I told you, soon you will understand why.† Until a period where I saw other teams were doing the same tasks as mine but different way of performing; and they ended up screwing up the tasks made me realized her intention was to train me on the right way of doing things. After gaining some period of working experience, she presented a list of suggestions and solutions; and allowed me decide on my own based on my analysis and past experience. And as soon as she had faith on me and the team and having confidence in our abilities, she allowed us to develop ideas and decide on action to be taken. As in overall, when the team is immature or new, she will practice the styles more towards to the left-hand side of the spectrum. By contrast, when the team is skilled and motivated, she will practice the styles that are more towards to the right-hand side of the spectrum. Her shifting in leadership styles from being autocratic to democratic at different stages has inspired me and made me understand that a great leadership is not necessary to be consistent with the forms of leadership, but being able to apply the right style at the right situation. ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE and influence followers’ perceptions, and eventually smooth the path in achieving common goals. 3.1.6 Conclusion I truly believe that there is no one â€Å"best† style of leadership. Different leaders will have their own interpretation of what is called a good leader and with different approaches to leadership. To me, to be a good leader, first is to become a good follower, which I truly agree with the saying from Mark Wagner (2010) – â€Å"Great Followers make the Best Leaders†. In my opinion, a great leader needs to be developed through experience and learning; learned from observation, listening, hearing and doing. A leader may be is naturally born, but a great leader is definitely made. Page 21 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.2 COMMUNICATION (Activity 4) Communication is a simple yet complex activity in which can be defined as a twoway process of reaching mutual understanding through verbal or nonverbal means. (Business Dictionary, n.d.) It is an important facet of life which plays a vital role not only in personal interactions but also in business communication. 3.2.1 Importance of Effective Communication In the daily personal interactions, effective communication could help oneself to deliver the information along and get the desired respond or need. It could also help to build up good relationships with the people around through better understanding and avoiding from arguments and misunderstandings. Effective communication could also build up individual’s’ self-esteem as they are able to present themselves well and express their thoughts and feelings. Effective communication is also a key to success for every organisation, leader, manager, and employee. It is vital for an organisation to build or strengthen the relations with internal and external stakeholders and ultimately, achieving business goals and missions. Following table highlights the importance of effective communication in business: Consideration Understands human nature Emphasize positive pleasant facts, visualizing reader or listener’s problems, desires, emotions and responses. ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Courtesy Strengthen relations Not only thinks about receiver but also valuing his or her feelings. Use polite word and gestures, being appreciative, thoughtful, tactful, showing respect. Source: Managementstudyguide.com, 2012 3.2.3 Reflection Throughout this activity, I found out that it wasn’t easy to get everyone to be in the same level of understanding of the information that I have been delivered. Different people tend to have different interpretation and understanding towards my explanation of the visual ‘poster’. I was struggling in expressing my own thoughts and ideas effectively towards the entire class. Also, I realized the same scenario happened in my previous workplace when I was expressing or explaining something to different people. My words are often misinterpreted or misunderstood; and eventually lead to ineffective job performance. My weakness in delivering message is causing me great difficulty to communicate effectively especially in the workplace. Out of the 7C’s above, I realized I am somehow lack of the 2 C’s – completeness and concreteness. I often simplify my expressed thoughts and ideas without any further explanation and supporting facts. Perhaps this is the issue which leads to the misinterpretations due to having an unclear and ineffective communication. Therefore, it is essential for me to look into how I could craft effective communications and further develop on my communication skills. Page 24 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 3.2.4 Communication Skills The act of communicating involves verbal and nonverbal components. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) Both of these components are interrelated which are vital to deliver clear and concise messages; and receive correct and understand messages sent by the others. Therefore, these two aspects of communication skills should be enhanced as a whole to ensure effective communication. (a) Verbal Verbal communication includes both oral and written communications. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) There are numerous verbal communication skills such as speak with confidence, think before you speak, don’t talk too much and so on. And, I found it that there are certain verbal skills that I could enhance and worth mastering based on my communication weaknesses, which are: (i) Learn the art of listening Listening someone effectively enable us to gain valuable information and greater understanding of the others’ point of view. One of the key improvements that I would require is to stay focus or pay attention on the message delivered to gain a deeper understanding of another’s thoughts. Remain clearheaded is also another key area that I need to further enhance by truly listen to someone’s perception and controlling emotions when it comes to sensitive and emotional topic. (ii) Be clear and concise I should avoid wordy expressions and learn to choose my words; state out my point of views as clear as possible and as briefly and succinctly as possible. I Page 25 of ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE should train on this daily while communicating with family members, friends, colleagues and relatives; and gain feedbacks from them for better improvement. (b) Nonverbal Nonverbal communication can be described using body languages which involve facial expression, body movement, gestures, eye contact, voice, space and more. (Rod and Suzanne, n.d.) Following are the list of tips that could help me in enhancing my nonverbal communication skills: Always make eye contact while communicating with people. Exhibit appropriate facial expressions and affirmative head nods. Avoid distracting gestures and actions. Be mindful of personal space while communicating. Do not invade personal space by getting too close or confuse communication by being too far away. Source: IILM, 2012, p90 3.2.5 Conclusion Communication is not just a simple daily activity but it comes together with skills and techniques where individuals need to learn and acquire them in order to perform daily tasks and work effectively. To me, it is the most highly valued skill out of all professional skills as it plays a vital role in all aspects of personal and professional lives that would last for a lifetime. (Word Counts: 1436 Words) ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 4.0 DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT A personal action plan is a detailed schedule of key activities which set by an individual in order to accomplish personal goals. (Carnes, 2010) Based on my vision and mission statements as well as the identified development needs, I have set a list of goals to be achieved into short-medium terms in the next fifteen years; starting from year 2013 till 2027. 4.1 FIVE-YEAR ACTION PLAN Plan period: From 2013 to 2017 (Age 22 to 26) Goals to be achieved: 1. To be a Front Office Manager I have got two years working experience as a guest experience executive in the hotel industry and several part time working experiences in the related fields. My next stage will be looking forward to be a front office supervisor; and then strive hard to work my way up to the next level which is to be a front office manager within these five years. 2. To travel every year Ever since I finished primary school, I have not been to anywhere out of the country, as I am committed to my study and work. And to be frank, I can’t really remember when is the last time I traveled, most probably is when I was in the age of 12. I want to turn this around; and I want to go on vacation or travel abroad every year to gain a different perspective of the world. Lifetime ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE ï‚ · From industry expertise, managers, supervisors and colleagues through sharing of industry knowledge and experiences. Personal Observations and Experiences ï‚ · The daily working experiences also known as the firsthand experiences enable me to gain awareness and up-todate hospitality-related service and knowledge. Year 1 – 2013 (Age 22) Basically my plan in 2013 is to return to my previous workplace right after I finished my degree course in between April to May. I have been offered a position by my ex-manager, working as a guest experience supervisor or called it as a front office supervisor starting in June. Throughout the whole year, I have planned to take different training programmes or courses to overcome my weaknesses, enhance my professional skills, gain additional knowledge, build up self esteem and develop self competencies. The examples of training programmes include the â€Å"360-Degree Leadership Skills† training course, â€Å"Creativity, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making† training course, and â€Å"Personal and Professional Effectiveness† training workshop. Also, I am seeking for work-life balance, and I will plan for at least an oversea trip probably in the year-end; which it is also one of my personal goals.ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 2 to 5 – 2014 – 2017 (Age 23 to 26 ) These four years are going to be hectic years as I will be striving hard to work my way up to the next position level. I will apply for Starwood Leadership Development Programme which is a hands-on-three-year training programme to prepare myself to be a future leader; enhancing every aspect of my personal and professional skills, knowledge and experiences. From time to time, I will also keep myself up-to-date of the hospitality or related industry knowledge through a wide variety of resources as listed in the action plan. I will also constantly look up for courses or training programmes to help me to further improving my professional skills and knowledge. And hopefully by 2017, I could achieve my first career goal which is to be a front office manager; utilizing my skills, knowledge and experiences gained to help the organisation in enhancing the performance and continuous improvement within the business. Page 31 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 4.2 TEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN Plan Period: From 2018 to 2027 (Age 27-36) Goals to be achieved: 1. To be a Director of Rooms Division (By Year 2022, Age 31) My next goal to be achieved after being a Front Office Manager is to be a Director of Rooms Division after five years. I planned to apply for cross training or internal transfer programme to the housekeeping department for at least two years to learn and get more exposure about the overall rooms operation. 2. To be a Hotel Manager (By Year 2027, 36) My next goal to be achieved after being a Director of Rooms Division is to be a Hotel Manager after five years; before moving forward to the next position level which is the General Manager. I planned to gain experience and exposure to all hotel departments and different functions to gain more in-depth knowledge and integrated experience of how the entire hotel operates. 3. To get a Master’s Degree (By Year 2019, Age 28) Also, one of my ten-year goals is to earn a Master’s Degree on a part-time basis to acquire broader knowledge and skills to keep myself a competitive edge over the others. Keeping me on the edge of developments with constant professional skills improvement and keeping industry knowledge up to date is also one of my life time plans. Personal Observations and Experiences The daily working experiences also known as the firsthand experiences enable me to gain awareness and up-todate hospitality-related service and knowledge. Cross Training Programme – Housekeeping Department ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 1 to 5 – 2018 – 2022 (Age 27 to 31) Basically my plan after achieving my first career goal is to get a Master’s Degree major in hospitality management on a part-time basis over two years duration. This enables me to stay competitive in the industry as there is a growing in demand for higher education qualifications in the hospitality industry especially for the higher level positions. Also, I will participate in certain soft skills training programmes or courses to further improve and enrich myself such as stress management and emotional intelligence training workshops. Constantly updating the industry knowledge through a variety of sources is also one of my to-do-lists to keep myself stay alert about the industry changes, spot threats and opportunities early on, and make better business decisions. After planning to work for two years as a front office manager, I plan to get myself involved in cross training programme in housekeeping department to gain integrated experience and knowledge on how the entire room division operates. This can be an important stepping stone for me to move onto the next career level. Besides, I will also take up the Certified Professional Coach (CPC) Programme to enhance my mentoring and coaching skills to elevate myself to become a better leader. This programme not only able to help me to become better coaches in my own professional and personal lives but at the same time also improving better cross functional interaction and efficiency in the organisation. And expecting by 2022; all the plans, efforts and determination that I have put in could help me in achieving my second career goal in life which is to be a Director of Rooms Division. Page 36 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Year 6 to 10 – 2023 – 2027 (Age 32 to 36) Gaining integrated experience in all hotel departments through cross training programme is going to be my next plan after being a Director of Rooms Division. This cross training is going to take about three years duration to six different departments with six months each which include food and beverage, security, engineering, sales and marketing, finance and revenue, and human resource departments. This programme is extremely important for me in achieving my next career goal as it enables me to expose, learn and gain an in-depth knowledge and experience on how the entire hotel runs. And expecting by 2027, I could achieve my third career goal in life which is to be a Hotel Manager. Other than just focusing on maximizing my career achievement, I also aim to buy a home latest by 2024 in the age of 33 and build up a happy and healthy family. Not to forget also to ensure a balance of my work life; go on vacation or travel abroad probably in every year-end to relax and gain a different perspective of the world. 4.3 Contingency Plan Reviewing on the action plans regularly is essential to keep track of my progress in achieving my personal and professional goals. However, situations may change at times due to sudden or unexpected circumstances or perhaps desires may change as time goes by. Therefore, adjusting goals and plans are necessary when the situation calls for it. Following are the contingency plans of the five and ten years development plans by identifying the possible breakdowns: Page 37 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE 1. Extension of Timeframe An extension of time is essential when the goals are unable to be achieved within the timeframe perhaps due to unexpected circumstances. For example, my aim to purchase a house by the age of 33 might need to be extended in the case that I am facing financial difficulties at that moment. The cross training programme to all hotel departments might also need to be extended from three years to four years if I can’t gain my desired result and knowledge from all the departments within the targeted timeframe. 2. Seek consultation from industry expertise Seeking advice and consultation from industry expertise such as managers and directors is required if I don’t gain the desired or enough skills and knowledge from the training programmes and workshops. Often the view, opinion, experience and knowledge share by the expertise could help me to gain a better insight into the required skills development. 3. Online Professional Development Taking up online development courses are my backup plan instead of attending training programmes or workshops during the case of having limited time in completing a thousand of tasks in daily life; causing me couldn’t fulfill my development plans within the targeted timeframe. This backup plan would be more flexible and convenient for me especially in a hectic working environment. However, I would still prefer participating in training workshops as I will get the chance to get involved in a variety of activities such as role plays, group Page 38 of 41 ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE dynamics, games and more; which could help me in gaining a better understanding and insight of the professional skills development. 4.4 Future Plan My next career aim after being a Hotel Manager for about five years length of duration is looking forward to become an effective and respected General Manager in the hospitality industry which is also my vision in life. My career development will not just stop at this stage after achieving my vision; but will continue on to set another vision and goals to be accomplished in the rest of my life. I will continue to emphasize on maximizing my career potential and achievement through ongoing development of professional skills, knowledge and experience. Besides taking up different skills training courses and participating in training programmes to further enhance and enrich myself, I will also seek advice from the industry experts to achieve a better result in career achievement. Not to forget also to constantly reviewing and evaluating the action plan and self development; and look for ways to further enhance personal and professional performance. Besides, one of my future plans is also to contribute to the best of my ability towards the community not only on behalf of the organisation but also for my own sake. Example of contributions include participating or working with the local or international charities and adopting green approaches such as choosing more Page 39 of ILP 333 MANAGING YOUR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE environmentally viable alternative power supplies, integrating the consideration of environmental concerns into decision makings, promote environmental awareness, reducing waste through reuse and recycling activities and more. Conclusion To me, personal and professional development is a journey that never ends. It is a lifetime and ongoing process in developing professional skills, knowledge and experience as well as in achieving personal and spiritual growth. I truly believe that personal growth and development is completely within my hands which requires not only strong determination and self discipline but also having a positive, can-do attitude and thought that are vital in driving me to success. And based on my philosophy of success, I will definitely put in great effort and determination in everything I do; strive hard to achieve every single goal that I have set in life. (Word Counts: 1869 Words) (Total Word Counts: 4184 Words) Page 40 of 41

Nature and Importance of the Study Essay

Trisales Business Systems Corporation, built for almost 30 years already, is a company engaged in the business of retailing office equipment. Such equipment range from Photocopying machine, Fax machines, down to smaller ones such as calculators and electronic typewriters. Their main suppliers include big names in the appliance industry including Sharp Philippines, Copier Online, Epyon Corporation, Panasonic and Sanyo. TBSC is a small to medium in size. All in all, the company consist of no more than 50 employees, including the staff and the people in the managerial levels. They cater to a number of clients around the Cebu province. TBSC is located in Ramos St., Cebu City. The main aim of sales and stock inventory system is to hold the inventory records accurately and a healthier sales transactions with their costumers and suppliers. Manual recording is really giving them hard time in going thru further for their business. And because they include big names in the appliance industry with a number of clients around the Cebu province, they need to provide an accurate records of their transactions including their inventory as much as well. They also want to have a more secure business flow, and for a well-organized inventory and transaction records. To necessary avoid chaos when it comes to storing information. They believe that having a healthy system for their company is another way of showing their professionalism in the business industry. Statement of the Problem Below specified are the current problems faced by the Trisales Business System Corporation: i) Time consuming transactions and inventory process Without a system, recording transactions and conducting inventory is one of the most difficult and time-consuming job for their company. Their employees are spending most of his/her time jotting down all transactions for the day. By the end of the month, or whenever the company conducts the inventory of stocks, they have to dig through a whole pile of files to determine the number of sales from the previous workdays, to match it with the results of the inventory. ii) Inaccurate inventory of stocks and sales TBSC nowadays is still using the manual recording of informations and data for their business. This causes their records in transactions and stocks to be misguided, filed inappropriately and cluttered. As result, there is difficulty in retrieving data, making analysis and making adjustments to the records. iii) Unsecured records of data and informations The manual system of recording data in TBSC, to be direct to the point, unsecured. Anytime, it may get lost, edited or faded which is more prone to miscalculations and causing incorrect changes to the records. iv) Stocks outs and excesses of stocks in inventory Shortages in the stock inventory can result in product delays to customers which will reduce their expectations to the company. A poor forecasting in the inventory is also leading them in excesses of stocks that results in additional costs to the organization in storage costs and funds tied up in unused stocks. If the company do not use inventory quickly after purchasing, the business will begin to lose money on the materials just because of their slow and unorganized scheme. Objective of the System The main objective of this study is to obtain answers to the questions stated above. We want to know the problems encountered by TBSC employees with regards to their information storing and accessing. Furthermore, we want to demonstrate how the system focuses on those information can be a determinant to improve customer service in Trisales Business Systems Corporation. A proposed solution to the problem: i) To achieve a hassle-free, time bounded transactions and inventory process for the employees in-charge. That would lessen their time in spending on the process of doing transactions and inventory records. Equals more time for doing other productive tasks and to help create a healthier and more productive environment for TBSC. ii) To determine and to minimize the errors in recording transaction and informations. Since TBSC is a growing company, the system will not only stores data, but also does analysis on day to day company transactions. iii) To secured the company important files and records by having a log-in and password boxes as a gatekeeper. Also to prevent from editing forms and important data such as dates and amounts. iv) To control excesses of stock and to prevent stock outs. The system will function to update and arrange the stocks inventory in the appropriate order to give the precise count of their products to prevent excessing and stock outs in further. Significance of the study To the TBSC and Company The planned system significance is to minimize errors and confusion of the employees in recording. Importantly to organize and to give accurate records of the inventory and transactions, for the company to built-up in the industry. Mostly to give stand and to serve the customer’s wants on further. To the fellow researcher The significance of this system is to give a vivid inner view on how the nature of technology will help our career along the way. To embolden researchers who has the same field as mine. There’s no easy way of having this study but it would be the best ever pleasure when that almost everyone in a company is using your programmed system. To the proponents The significance of this study is to support everyone in the field of technology, and to stretch a bit of my knowledge in this field. This will serves as the proponents guide as they embrace the same field as mine. Importantly to give a healthier deal in the business industry. Scope and Limitations Scope of the project The proposed system generally on the sales and stock inventory of the Trisales Business System Corporation. The system purpose is for the regular transactions and operation of their sales and inventory. The proposed system could minimize the problems stumble upon the company records of important data. These are the scope for the proposed system: i) Can build account Employees could have their accounts, especially the person who’s in charge with the sales transactions and stocks inventory. ii) Accumulating Products Through the system, adding new products for the business is more appropriate. The person in charge would just simply input the asked information to the system example: product id, product description, date delivered, pieces ect. The inputted information for the new product will be stored in the database, and could also easily access by the system. iii) Can manage sales transactions The proposed system can manage sales. For example the client requested for a new office supply/product from TBSC. The system will simply ask the user to input some important data from the client and the system will automatically store it. The stored data and information can be used for further transactions with the client. Limitations Below are the possible limits of the proposed program for Trisales Business System and Corporation: Registration in the system is done only by the administrator or the person in charge. Does not support network and internet topology, or online transactions. Storing of informations is limited, only important and the specified information in the system are allowed Multi-tasking could possibly done, but only for the given system for example; Entering data for the new arrived supplies while having the purchasing transaction. Could go through compatibility issues while installing the system. Because of the programmed used in creating the system. Review of Related Literature Chapter II This chapter will be discussing the findings of related research to this study. It will provide a discussion on the significance of this study to the existing literature. Moreover, this chapter will discuss several issues regarding sales and stock inventory system development and based on the existing literatures. The following discussion chronicles the subject of inventory systems. Theoretical Background The theoretical background is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study. The knowledge organization by way of theoretical background has two disciplinary root Related Literature This chapter represents the review on related literature regarding topic about the Sales and Stock Inventory System. Review of Related Literature In exploration, we find new techniques, new knowledge, even develop new substances, gadgets, equipment, processes or procedures, imagination and skill is employed by the researcher. The commodities, new devices, services, in technology are needs of man for a better fuller life which is the concern of the research. These useful arts are the products of the technological environment and the end-user is society in general. The fast growing trend and innovation in technologies today prompts researchers to conduct studies about the efficiency of system program. This Chapter presents a brief review of literature and studies, both local and foreign that is related to these studies.

John Keats

Expressing how little time he has left and how he Is afraid he wont get the massive amounts of Ideas â€Å"letters of the alphabet† written down before he dies at his young age. In the second section he starts with the romantic element of the poem relating to his fiance and expresses sadness that he wont experience the full power of love and life.Towards the end of he sestets he concludes that everything he has done and will do will fall to nothingness and he will be alone no matter what. Therefore the sections are life, work and romance, love. Question 2 The type of affliction shown In the poem Include: The poet has a fear of dying and shows negatively towards writing about death â€Å"when I have fears that I might cease to be† he knows he Is sick with tuberculosis and that he will die at his young age and he fears he wont do and experience all he could f in a full life time.He wants to express and write as many poems as possible which en cradles slung ten metaphor AT â€Å"null plea Dodos, In contrary' He wants to experience love and romance as much as possible with his fiance â€Å"relish in the farer power of unreflective love† he is expressing sorrow and loneness, and how he will â€Å"stand alone† and â€Å"nothingness do I sink† Question 3 The imagery used in the first line is that of a metaphor. The storehouses full grain represents books full of letters.The image of a farm with kilometers of grain to be â€Å"harvested† is all of his ideas over flowing the â€Å"storehouses†, his mind and he wants to express and put down onto paper in the short time he has left. Question 4 Keats has personified the night sky and stars as having a face â€Å"nights starred face† His inevitable demise is contrasted with the infinite starry night sky. He also personifies chance as having a magic hand, which could indicate hope that his fate is not inevitable. Question 5

External Macro Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

External Macro Environment - Essay Example These factors influences a business through causing some major influences on it like competition, changing the interest rates payable by a business on loans and other debts that it, owes, changes in the cultural tastes and preferences of the society, as well as a change in the government regulations, regarding the conduct of such businesses (Porter, 1998 p33). Thus, the external macro environment of a business refers to all the political, social, economic and the technological events, occurrences and trends, which impacts on a business or its market. These factors affect the business indirectly, but the business can only respond to these factors through adopting changes and strategies that will be favorable for its operation, amidst these factors. Therefore, the decision making of a business has to rely on such factors, since they highly determine the success or failure of a business. However, the macro environment creates both favorable and unfavorable environment for the business t o operate on, thus a business has to take advantage of the favorable ones, while strategizing on how to handle the negative influences of this environment. There are various ways in which these external environment factors affect a business and consequently its HR function. Owing to the changes in the business environment that requires that the business costs must be reduced to the lowest possible level, so that the profits earned by the business can reach the expected targets, the HR function of any business has to strategies appropriately towards lowering such costs (Kendon, 190 p13). Notable of these factors that have a great impact on the HR function of a business are the technological and the social factors. Under the social factors, there are such elements as the educational levels, the diversity of the work place employees as well as religion influences. On the technological front, there are elements such as technological changes, improved knowledge and communication channels , and the moral factors (Adams, 1990 p28). There are major changes that have occurred in the HR function, within organizations in the recent past years. These changes are geared towards the decentralization of the HR function within organizations to create a less centralized HR department (Porter, 1998 p45). As a result, the HR functions have been shared within the organization to include other segments and departments of the organization, and thus change the concentration of all the HR activities from the HR department to the other functional department within an organization. This sharing of the HR functions have gone a long way in reducing the costs associated with the depart within organizations, in that the manpower required in this department as well as other tools and equipment has been reduced, by having such functions being undertaken in other segments of the organization (Kendon, 190 p22). The advancement in technology has made this transfer of HR functions to other depart ments and organizational segments possible. Recent social changes have also created several challenges to the HR functions, forcing it to be integrated into the business strategies, to overcome such challenges. The changes that have occurred in the HR function within the last 10 years include, shared services, where, those working under the shared services segment of the organizati

Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Archaeology Research Paper

Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Archaeology - Research Paper Example Jones is mainly recognized because of the many films he has acted, some of which include: Last crusade, Lost Ark Raiders and Temple of Doom among others (Winterhalder & Eric, 2000). In understanding the character of Indiana Jones, these films depict some of the traits that make him have a great influence over the people. Most of these films have similar plots, presenting the ways which Indy employs to prevent Hitler’s hands from holding the biblical artifacts. For instance, the movie that explains how the covenant ark was lost is a controversial story, by first trying to understand if the ark existed in the first place. Scholars have ever since tried to explain the whereabouts of the ark, but they have not yet come up with valuable conclusions to the issue (Bentley & Herbert, 2001). Some say it was carried to Canaan while others say that it was destroyed in Babylon.Another movie that approaches archeology in a better way is Last Crusade. It similarly explores another treasure in the bible- Holy Grail (Arnold & Nancy, 2001). This treasure like the ark has numerous stories surrounding its history. People have no clear idea of its existence, and where it finally went to. Some people claim that Arimathea Joseph carried the Grail to France with him, and this claims triggered Nazi to start his Grail search. In the movie, Jones acts brilliantly during their travel, by making marks on the way which in turn give him clues that guide him to the final resting place of the Grail.... His theoretical diversity in many of the movies he has acted, portray him as a real archeologist from the way he dresses to the way he presents himself. Processual archaeology presents three perspectives that we can employ in studying Indiana Jones: evolutionary ecology which predicts human behaviors in their ecological contexts, and evaluates their behaviors using ethnographic and archaeological data. Secondly, there is behavioral archaeology which focuses on when, where and how human behavior relates to material cultures. Arnold & Nancy (2001) explain that there is the Darwinian archaeology perspective that tries to reconcile Darwinian Theory and other scientific explanations of evolution. On the other hand, the postprocessual perspective comes up with criticisms of the early studies. Literature Review Postprocessual Archeology Postprocessualists are opposed to the ideas of science as the only source of knowledge. They generally classify scientific studies into non-positivist perce ptions with no basis (Johnson, 2010). For instance, these people claim that the empirical studies done by science are not satisfactory enough, since they do not have sufficient fundamental facts. According to the postprocessualists, we have active individuals hence, they do not agree with the views of archeologists who make individuals to be lost in their theories. They thus advocate for individuals to be active instead of following blindly the social norms and values that are presented to them. They then emphasize on agency as a tool of active individuals (Hegmon, 2003 & Hurt & Rakita, 2001). Focusing on their understanding, one can conclude that they urge archaeologists to consider rules that can be changed creatively by social

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Project - Essay Example The bathroom appliances mentioned above all have sustainable substitutes including eco-bath systems, recycling bath systems, shallow soakers, and sink-toilet hybrids (Trend Hunter). The eco-bath system is connected to the sink to facilitate the channeling of water from the sink to the toilet gallery (Nazarali). This helps to conserve water that would have otherwise been drained away after use. The recycling bath system is a quantum leap from the eco-bath system. It not only collects used water from the shower and sink, but also has a purifier that recycles the used water and stores it in an inbuilt 80-liter tank (Young). This means that apart from flushing the toilet, the recycled water can also be used for irrigation. Shallow soakers are good alternatives to bathtubs because they save more water compared to the latter. Furthermore, they have a mechanism that helps to keep the bath warm, therefore, enhance power saving. The soaker achieves this by continually releasing foam, which helps to keep the temperature of the water constantly warm (Roblin). The only shortcoming with the soaker is that it might not be as cozy as a bathtub. Finally, the sink-toilet hybrid has a urinal with an incorporated sink so that water running from the sink immediately after use serves to flush the urinal (Luu). The brand name of the eco-bath is â€Å"Jang Woo Seoks Eco Bath System† and it goes for roughly $100 (Alibaba.com). The toilet-sink hybrid is not very sophisticated so it should go for at most $50. The soaker – The FLOU Foaming Bathtub– should also not cost more than $100. Although the recycling bath system is exorbitant, it is a worthwhile

OUTLINE THE METHODS USED IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND COMMENT ON THE Essay

OUTLINE THE METHODS USED IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND COMMENT ON THE SUCCESS OF EACH - Essay Example This article speaks of various language learning methods and their success on implementation. This is one of the oldest methods known to have got developed by British applied linguistics in the late 1930s and 1960s. It does not have prominence in present day language learning methodology. The theory behind the language says that structural view of the language is the basis. It stresses more on the process and behaviorism. The basic principles are: In this way the language is learnt at a very slow pace. Learning the language on the basis of structure alone will almost take an academic year to master. But, once the language is learnt through patience learners are expected to get expertise in the written knowledge as well. This is one of the most popular methods of learning a language in 1950s and 1960s. It is still preferred by various Educational Institutes and language teaching centers. The theory for its foundation is again the structural view of the language. Getting expertise in the building blocks of the language and then laying emphasis on rules to join them to make a meaningful statement. The key points that elaborate on the theory are similar to those of situational language learning. In this method of learning, the language is learnt in its true accent. The procedures when properly implemented make the learners speak the language in its true jargon and apply the words at apt situations. This method of learning came into existence in 1960s as a replacement to the above two methods which have their theory based on the structural view of the language. The theory on which it is formatted is the functional view of the language. Principles that govern this method are: Learning is enjoyable and delivers good results once it is done through real communication. Learning is based on activities that clearly put in front the real essence of the language i.e. if a particular

Enterprise resource planning systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enterprise resource planning systems - Essay Example As well, the literature search involves other organizations with comparable characteristics and using industry-oriented (IERP) system (Kayas, McLean, Hines & Wright, 2008). With this understanding, a comparative analysis to assess the weaknesses and strengths of the architectures of every system and how each system has been or might have been effective in the planning processes is presented from a broad perspective. To start with is the analysis of the first two organizations, which have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. From literature, CISCO and IBM are two organizations with comparable culture; hence they have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) system towards realizing organizational objectives and gains in the shortest time possible (Wolfrum & Christopher, 2007). CISCO Systems is one of the organizations known to have efficient and well designed organizational system. CISCO Systems firm has always been focused in keeping a positive business culture in all its business activities through the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (Lea, Gupta & Yu, 2005). As well, IBM Inc. is another firm that has implemented this type of system towards managing its business operations and enhancing effective and competent production in the global perspective. Through comparing these organizations, it is quite clear that the architectures of the systems used have some points of weaknesses and strengths, which may be effective in planning. On the points of strengths, the architecture of this systems helps to manage business operations whereas enhancing simplicity in labor force (Huang, Wang, Yu & Chiu, 2004). However, the architecture of the systems brings inconvenience at some points, given that systems are prone to malfunction. Secondly, the other two comparable organizations in terms of characteristics and use of industry-oriented (IERP) system

Implementation of Performance Management System in an organization Essay

Implementation of Performance Management System in an organization - Essay Example To achieve competitiveness, two things are very important i.e. managing the efficiency plus building employees skills, abilities, capabilities and behavior. To improve performance at the organizational level it is essential to create a culture and situation of continuous learning of employees and of the organization (van der Sluis, 2007). The Human Resource Development (HRD) is an evolving concept and it addresses the challenge of managing performance of employees for the organizations. HRD is an important developmental program to ensure that the organization has an institutionalized way of developing, utilizing and committing human resources in order to meet current and future organizational challenges (van der Sluis, 2007). ... Since the work requirements are changing, the traditional methods of training are inadequate to deal with the rapid change and increased complexity of work (Casey, 2005) thus, placing demands on organizations to facilitate new approaches to training (Garavan et al., 2002). Human resources are currently the foremost source of competitive advantage because all other potential competitive advantages (e.g. technology, capital, and products) can be either bought or copied (Burke and Cooper, 2008 and Pineda, 2010). At present, organizations are facing shortage of talented and adequately equipped employees with required skills and capabilities in order to reach at the eminent level of performance (Burke and Cooper, 2008). Rao (2002) for example is in favor of an â€Å"OCTAPACE† culture (openness, collaboration, trust and trustworthiness, authenticity, pro-action, autonomy, confrontation and experimentation) to create a HRD climate in the organization for improved performance. Organiz ations with better learning, training and development systems, reward and recognition, and information systems and quality orientation in terms of career planning, performance guidance and development, role efficacy, and reward and recognition systems promoted HRD climate (Hassan et al., 2006). From the figure, it can be said that Human Resource Development encompasses two key ingredients i.e. Training and Development (T&D) and Organization Development (OD). Training and Development focuses on individuals and then links with the organization whereas Organization Development basically focuses at the organization level first and then links with individuals. Additionally, there are

Training and Development Essay Example for Free

Training and Development Essay Introduction Training and development is an integral part of a company’s success. It ensures a motivated and educated workforce by delivering them new insights and developments on their work. Throughout my career in sales and in the fashion and modeling industry, I have been dealing with various trainings and development programs. I have developed sales training methods for several sales companies. I have trained aspiring models on projection, poise and public speaking. Most recently, I have mentored my team of professionals in my image consulting business to deliver the best possible image solutions to our clients. As a team leader, mentor and teacher, I am constantly evaluating past training strategies and looking for new opportunities to create and develop training methods for my team. I follow simple steps or model in designing and developing a training coursework. First, I do training needs assessment of my team. When assessing I do one-on-one interview or pass around a piece of paper where they write topics that they think can help them improve the way they do their job. I assess their current skills and industry knowledge, and benchmark it against the standards of the company or what that company expects them to do. I then design the training and set verifiable objectives and evaluation methods. When designing trainings, I like to inject fun and contact. I learned early on that good sales leaders take their sales team seriously by making sure there is a balance between control and fun within the team to promote creativity and high-sense of motivation (Forsyth, 1999, 64). I always see to it that I include various topic-related games where they can pick some learning from. I also always encouraged everyone to speak and share their own experiences from the field. Work Experience – Pyramide USA Pyramide USA is an American company and a global leader in the climbing wall industry. One of their products is Poolside Climbing Wall from AquaClimb. As the Lead Sales Team Trainer, I trained the entire sales team in sales and presentation. I was responsible for marketing AquaClimb through branding, advertising, database marketing, direct marketing, events or trade shows, international marketing, internet marketing, market research, and all public relations-related efforts. I decided what trainings to do based on my deliverables for the company. In line with my responsibilities, I trained my sales team in the following areas: lead generation, customer presentation and product demonstration, sales closing, events management, and professional image as part of selling customer confidence in the company brand. The first big training I did for the company was about the product that we were going to sell. We went through the detail of the sales pitch, the product benefits and the company support for dealers. We tackled the specifics of the product feature, as far as installation of the product and safety precautions for the customers. We also did costing and sales mark-up estimates, as well as lead generation. These were all-important because AquaClimb was new to the market. After the product and sales presentation, I asked each of them to prepare their own sales pitch based from the training and present to me for critiquing.   This was part of my evaluation of the training’s efficacy. But, I like to create balance so I asked the participants to rate the training as well, about content, delivery, and my competence on the subject. We composed action steps where my team, in a group of two, discussed how they plan to use the learning in selling the product.   After that big training, I made it a point to conduct weekly 30-minute Marketing Task Force Training to cover selling, customer service, motivational training, events management and personality development. Apart from that, I made it a point to schedule sales calls twice a week with 2-3 individuals from the team. I also coordinated sales department teambuilding with the company’s human resources manager. Together, we designed a weekend team building retreat that increases employee motivation and focus. We covered important parts of management such as employee loyalty, trust, internal conflict resolution, and team goal achievement by fun games and group activities. At the start of the training, we leveled off expectations of the participants and explained objectives. At the end, we gave out evaluation questionnaire forms to measure employee satisfaction and learning. AquaClimb’s distribution is through a worldwide authorized dealer network, which I helped develop from the get go through the AquaClimb Dealer and Agent Programs. The program aimed to set up the dealer support network to foster and continue strong customer relations with all past and current customers. I coordinated with the Director of Customer Service with the design and implementation of Customer Service training about the use and delivery of service using the 24-hour live support program. We evaluated the training based on number of customer requests of complaints handled each staff and compared it with the previous data before the network installation. I provided customer feedback to Director of Operations on AquaClimb products, including but not limited to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the relevant marketplace. Feedbacks were from customer service reports, market surveys, and dealers’ evaluation of AquaClimb product and services.   Lastly, the sales training I helped developed with the company can was measurable through the increase in sales. For this, I consolidated monthly sales report and sales trends and presented those to Director of Sales. Work Experience – Charles Mason Inc. Charles Mason Inc. afforded me a worthwhile experience of organizing and staging special events for the company from 1997 to 2000. As the Special Events Coordinator, I was in charge of coordinating all aspects involved in planning and carrying out large-scale corporate events and meetings and direct supervision of a team comprised of 10 Assistant Coordinators. As part of producing grandiose and stylish events, I developed basic interior design coursework and events management for my team to equip them with necessary skills in running events. Specifically, I trained all the assistant coordinators in flower and lighting design. I held a 3-day design workshop for my team where they learned basic flower decoration and lighting effects. I developed the workshop through extensive research on the subject and interviews with flower shop owners, and events lights operators. As part of the training evaluation, I asked them to apply what they learned with whatever current projects we are handling, by sharing creative ideas and brainstorming. I measure transfer to evaluate my staff. For instance, I know the training worked because on several occasions I let my team handle the event design with me as supervising director only, and they were able to produce elegant designs for the show. Work Experience – Model Quest Inc. Model Quest Inc., a national model and talent scouting company, landed me a job in New York as a Sales Specialist / Training Coordinator between 2000 and 2004. My primary job responsibilities were to coordinate all aspects of public relations events and model search shows, in national and international locations. I provided industry training and techniques to prospective clients and consistently sold more than 1,000 training sessions each event which enabled the company to triple profits within the first three months of business. Because of my significant contribution to the company’s financial interests, I served as a Keynote Speaker and Teacher for the company, where I conducted all the training and development for all the prospective models. My own experiences as a model helped me to develop three separate training modules for aspiring models. The first module is an orientation on the fashion industry, the industry standards for models, and how Model Quest is going to prepare them for success. The second module consists of: make-up and grooming, public speaking (including diction, pronunciation and voice modulation) and social etiquette. The third module is about poise, projection, stage presence, runway modeling, photo posing, body language and photo session. I take in 10-20 participants in each workshop that usually lasts for about 1-2 months. The workshop varies from lectures to hands-on exercises depending on the set objectives. Training the candidates to be international models is fun and enjoyable. Yet, it is also challenging and the rewards come when those models get modeling contracts, knowing that my training helped launched their exciting careers. Work Experience – Tear Sheet Magazine My work with Tear Sheet Magazine, the insiders guide to the modeling and fashion industry, led me back to sales and advertising. As the Sales Associate/ Advertising Writer, I sold magazine advertising space to corporate and fashion advertisers, wrote and published instructional type articles on style trends and image tips in my monthly column. I also trained new sales representatives on sales, and presentation strategies.  My training designs consisted of one-on-one mentoring on handling individual accounts, and classroom training on sales presentations and goals. For the individual accounts, I covered the basics on the magazine’s rate cards, magazine’s circulation and readership, and customized sales pitch. For the classroom training, I focused on motivation and goal setting, presenting, discussed different types of competitors and their advantages and disadvantages, and how to handle common objections. I evaluated the training based on sales growth and account reten tion. Work Experience – Leslie Wayne Image Consulting Because of my extensive exposure in fashion, modeling, personality development and sales, and as an industry professional myself, I decided to start my own image consulting business, the Leslie Wayne Image Consulting (LWIC). I set up a â€Å"team of professionals including experienced wardrobe stylists, photographers, makeup artists, hairdressers, licensed cosmetologists who are acknowledged of techniques and product secrets that were educated by the world’s top beautifiers in action. Together, we provide the marketplace a one-stop shop of image improvement, nutrition and wellness, fashion and style, as well as wedding consultancy services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My travels and experiences onset have improved my natural flare for fashion and artistic eye. It also helped me gain intimate knowledge of the fashion and beauty industries. I mainly train my team to provide clients with products and methods that deliver. I created different phases for my Comprehensive Training for Image Consultants. I wanted to set a standard way of consulting for the company that everyone can carry out. The first phase of my training is about physical or aesthetics consultation. I coached my team to do Image Analysis or Makeover Consulting, Fashion Styling or Wardrobe Consulting, and Makeup Analysis. I did the coaching in classroom type discussing the how-to’s first, then we move to reviewing of random individuals based on image projection, wardrobe review, make-up consult. I also helped them with the scripts that they should say when giving feedback. The second phase is about public speaking and social graces consultation. Here I coached them about the public speaking including vocal communications, nonverbal communications and etiquette. Here we covered topics ranging from voice, grammar, and diction, body language, business etiquette, social graces and dining. Most of these trainings are workshops and exercises. The third phase of my program is service excellence where I coach them to go the extra mile when servicing clients and to listen, respond to the clients, offer friendly, professional, individual advice. As part of this, I mentor my team in coordinating with our strategic partners such as photographers, wedding coordinators, florists and caterers who refer their clients to us for an image consult. I also started the Train the Trainers Workshop in my company. I recognize that an image consultant needs to have good training skills. The workshop is open to anyone in my team interested to be trainers. I usually conduct lecture-type training every 2 months for individual and group consult. I also bring two people with me to watch and aid me in training our corporate clientele who hire us to present seminars on topics such as corporate power dressing, communication and presentation skills for new supervisors, and more. All my trainings are evaluated based on feedback from my team and client satisfaction survey done after the consult. The survey consists of questions about service satisfaction and relevance of the consult. Under my leadership and training expertise, my image consulting team is now known as a trendsetter who is skilled in bringing out the best in our clients. I know my training works because we get more clients and we know from our clients testimonials that we help them feel more confident. The increase in our client base every year is proof that I am doing well with my training program.          References    Forsyth, P. (1999). Everything you need to know about marketing. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Supply Chain Risk Management

Supply Chain Risk Management A global supply chain is subject to various types of supply and demand uncertainties existing at different nodes of the supply chain giving rise to a variety of risks that can lead to disruption. Companies that stay on top of supply chain risk make their businesses more resilient. They can enhance the companys competitive position, support growth and produce measurable returns. Many companies have recognized this and are now undertaking supply chain risk management programs This research paper reviews published approaches to supply chain risk management and tries to understand how the risks differ in two major industries-electronics and pharmaceuticals. For managers, it provides knowledge of the types of risks that may be present in their supply chain and presents a variety of strategies for identifying and managing the same. Introduction Globalisation, multiple channels to market, the pressure to run lean supply chains extending beyond traditional organisational boundaries, and the need to embrace external parties such as contract manufacturers and logistics service providers, have left the modern supply chain increasingly vulnerable to risk and to possible disruption. Economic disruptions including currency fluctuations, commodity price volatility, and sudden downturns in demand and ownership or investment restrictions imposed by governments have become more frequent and more visible since the financial crisis of 2008. Despite significant growth in international trade, cross-border movements are vulnerable to customs regimes, tariff and non-tariff barriers, quota systems, security concerns and infrastructure bottlenecks. All these risks can be clubbed into- macroeconomic, extended value chain, operational and functional risks. Almost two-thirds of the respondents to a global survey conducted by Mckinsey consisting of executives, say that the risks to their supply chain have increased over the past years. A significant of them also agreed to the fact their companies dont take any steps to mitigate these risks. (Source: September 2006 Mckinsey Quarterly global survey of business executives) Thus there is a clear need to review risk management practices as they pertain to both long-term strategic and short-term tactical decision-making. Organizations should review their risk exposure against objective, transparent criteria, with costs balanced against the benefits of potential methods for mitigating risk. . There are two sides to supply chain risk management: Risk assessment and mitigation Response to supply chain disruption Both are necessary components to an effective supply chain risk management strategy. With strong risk mitigation strategies in place a company is ready to face a given supply chain event. However, not all events may be anticipated. When these events occur, accompany must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively or risk suffering financial and customer service losses. Both the quantitative and qualitative risks will be covered through this paper. A step by step approach to tackle SCRM is proposed:- Assessing risk To assess risk, an inventory of key risks is build, along with the effects and probabilistic likelihood of each risk. A supply chain probability and impact matrix needs to be built. Designing a framework to manage the supply chain Once assessed, supply chain risks need to be managed via a framework that integrates all the key risk capabilities required. Implementing supply chain risk mitigation Companies need a robust action plan funded with the appropriate resources to address the core of the risk issues and implement treatment. The objective of this paper is to propose a comprehensive risk management and mitigation model for global supply chains. The model is intended to equip managers with a step-by-step procedure to identify, assess, and manage risks in their global supply chains, and guide future research. The paper reviews various risk mitigation techniques proposed in different papers in this subject and tries to understand its significance in the electronics and pharmaceutical industry. Literature Review Manuj and Mentzer (2008) say that due to demanding customers and competitive pressures, businesses today are restructuring themselves to operate on a global basis to take advantage of the international product, factor, and capital markets. There are several concerns in operating globally, including economic, political, logistical, competitive, cultural, and infrastructure. Typically, a firm operating internationally is part of a complex supply chain. Global supply chains require highly coordinated flows of goods, services, information, and cash within and across national boundaries. Maximizing profits in a multi-national environment include sourcing from locations that offer the lowest total procurement cost, manufacturing and assembling products in least cost countries, and marketing in high potential demand centres. But Wright and Datskovska (2012) are of the opinion that through lean processes and the geographical concentration of production, most executives would probably say tha t their supply chains and transport networks have become more efficient. These advances in efficiency, however, have also changed the risk profile for their supply chains. Janat Shah (2009) proclaims that lean techniques have created chains with longer paths and shorter clock speeds resulting in more opportunities for disruption and a smaller margin for error for a disruption to take place. Lengthy supply chains are increasingly proving to be a source of concern in the face of disruptions in sourcing, production and distribution of goods and services. As a result, many organizations need to take a hard look at supply chain risk and to review their plans and procedures for dealing with a broad range of new contingencies. Supply chain risk classification Wagner and Bode (2008) describes a supply chain risk as the combination of (1) an unintended, anomalous triggering event that materializes somewhere in the supply chain or its environment, and (2) a consequential situation which significantly threatens normal business operations of the firms in the supply chain. We can describe a five step approach to supply chain risk management- Risk Identification, Risk Assessment and Evaluation, Selection of Appropriate Risk Management, Implementation of Supply Chain Risk Management Strategy and Mitigation of Supply Chain Risk. Different authors have described various classifications of risk sources. Various supply chain risks can be divided as Supply, Operational, Demand, Security, Macro, Policy, Competitive and Resource risks. Chopra and Sodhi (2004) classify them as Disruption, Delay, Forecast, Systems, IP, Procurement, Receivables, Inventory and Capacity risks. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) simplifies the classification to environmenta l risk sources, network-related risk sources and organisational risk sources. Risk assessment Pramod Kumar Mishra (2011) says that decisions on supply risks can be taken only when the impact of risks on the companys business can be evaluated. This can be quantitative or qualitative depending on the resources available. Risk assessment involves exploring what if scenarios like those below can help groups identify, understand and prioritize risks, a key prerequisite to tailoring effective risk-mitigation strategies. Manuj talks of two methods-probabilistic choice and risk analysis methods depending on the repeatability of events. Janat Shah has described constructing a probability and impact matrix to assess risk. Historical data may be used to understand the behaviour of risk probability distributions. However, there are many instances when there is none, inadequate, or unreliable historical data. In such cases, techniques such as the Delphi method may be used to assign probabilities. But Iyer(2008) says that this exercise is challenging because the relationships between risk factors are not static. One decision or risk factor may impact other risk factors. Risk mitigation Risk management is focused on identifying and assessing the probabilities and consequences of risks, and selecting appropriate risk strategies to reduce the probability of, or losses associated with, adverse events. Basically risk mitigation strategies can be classified primarily into seven categories: avoidance, postponement, speculation, hedging, control, sharing/transferring, and security. Hult, Craighead and Ketchen (2010) have suggested real options based method. Janat Shah has created a matrix with investment required for mitigation and risk score as the axis to decide the mitigation plan. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) in there paper have defined an approach based on avoidance, control, cooperation and flexibility. Avoidance is through dropping product lines, markets, supplier or partners. They define a control approach through increasing stockpiling and buffer inventory, maintaining excess capacity and imposing contractual obligations. Cooperation is mentioned to be thr ough joint efforts in information sharing and preparing continuity plans. Flexibility can be through multiple sourcing and localised sourcing. Blos, Wee and Yang (2009) have devised a framework based on business continuity planning. Depending on the demand and supply uncertainty, the authors have also defined a matrix aligning the strategic objectives of the firm with the supply chain objective and the mitigation plan to be followed. An efficient, responsive, risk hedging and agile supply chain each have different plans. There are also devised methods for continous risk monitoring-stress testing and Tailoring Risk Management approaches. Trade-off The biggest challenge companies face is mitigating supply-chain risks without eroding profits. Juttner, Peck and Christopher (2004) summarised the trade-off decision as (1) Repeatability versus unpredictability, ie trading the benefits of repeatable processes against the cost of a lack of flexibility; (2) the lowest bidder versus the known supplier; (3) centralisation versus dispersion decisions in production and distribution; (4) collaboration versus secrecy, ie while sharing more information on e.g. the results of risk audits would better place organisations to manage supply chain risks, it could also deter potential customers or weaken the bargaining position; (5) redundancy versus efficiency, ie managing the conflict between excess capacity in a supply chain and the efficiency-focused lean paradigm aiming at the elimination or reduction of waste. A final, maybe paramount supply chain trade-off decision is between managing risk and delivering value. This is the trade-off between t he extra costs related to most of the mitigating strategies and the total costs of supply as a main principle of contemporary supply chain management. Risks in Pharmaceutical industry Enyinda, Mbah, Ogbuehi (2010) reports on the empirical findings of the quantification of risks that decision makers consider most important when deciding on a risk portfolio to mitigate and the manner in which risks are prioritized according to their importance in the pharmaceutical sector. The empirical findings suggest that decision makers attached great importance to counterfeit, Food and Drugs Board, and exchange-rate fluctuations. With respect to risk-mitigation strategies, risk reduction is considered most important, followed by risk avoidance. Dynamic sensitivity analysis with respect to a change (increase) in the Food and Drugs Board did not result in any change in the ranking of risk policy options, while a change (increase) in counterfeit resulted in a change in the ranking between risk reduction and risk avoidance. Risk avoidance ranked number one, followed by risk reduction. The paper leverages the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to quantify risk mitigation. Greg Brandyberry (2010) reports five important trends in risk management practices in the pharmaceutical industry. Sensible cash-flow management: With the changing environment of increased regulation, price controls, generic-drug competition, and longer and more expensive research and development cycles, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have become much more focused on supply-chain cash-flow management strategies (following the lead of other industries that began implementing these strategies as many as 25 years ago). These strategies consist of a combination of programs that strive to better balance cash inflows versus cash outflows. Better balance of low cost versus low risk. Global supply chains have been under development across pharmaceutical industry since decades. Outsourcing, combined with low-cost country sourcing, is even riskier. The US Food and Drug Administrations recall of heparin in 2008 due to contamination of lots produced in China is another example. In this heparin recall, the drug was oversulfated as Chinese heparin manufacturers were unethically cutting the medication with chondroitin sulfate to cut down on manufacturing costs. This incident had devastating impacts on those who had chosen to use this Chinese supplier. FDA reported that there were hundreds of serious adverse reactions and scores of deaths among patients that had taken the heparin (2). The hard lessons learned from this incident have made it important for companies to revaluate their low-cost country sourcing strategies. They are evaluating risk versus cost and rebalancing their supply strategies to less riskier profiles. Comprehensive strategic-procurement initiatives Strategic sourcing is a pragmatic and structured procurement process. This process is conducted over several steps and includes: rigorous internal and external analysis; development of multiple strategic options weighted for risk and cost; strategy selection made collaboratively with business stakeholders; well-orchestrated negotiation; and detailed implementation planning, supplier selection, and ongoing supplier management, including continuous-improvement activities. Sustainability When it comes to embracing sustainability and green behaviour in manufacturing and product specifications, several large corporations such as GlaxoSmithKline (London), Proctor Gamble (Cincinnati), Diageo (London), and Unilever (London) achieved material cost savings, enhanced brand image, and generated increased demand for their products through innovative changes in primary and secondary packaging components. Risk in electronics industry Frank Zwibler and Marco Hermann (2012) have suggested that most supply chains in the electronics industry are global networks consisting of a single OEM, an A-supplier, and several small and medium supply companies (SME). These networks are characterized, firstly, by the dominance of the OEM or the A-supplier and, secondly, by the volatile electronics market and its strong fluctuations in demand, short product life cycles, and tremendous potential for technical innovation. Supply chain mapping, brain-writing method and stress, resilience and expense portfolio have been described as successive steps of risk identification. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) technique has been used for risk assessment. After assessing the different parameters, the so-called risk priority number (RPN) can be determined. Risk measures to control are similar to earlier described mitigation plans. Sodhi(2005) has outlined a process to manage this risk by suggesting two risk measures for demand- a nd inventory-related risk respectively and two linear-programming (LP) models: one for allocating the plants replenishment schedule among the customers and the other to guide the request to plants for replenishment over the horizon. Research lacunae There is an immense need for action in industry to implement supply chain risk management systems. Each industry differs in their management of supply chain risks. Not only that supply chain risk management is not evenly applied throughout the different sectors, there are also great differences in the use and the implementation of supply chain risk management. A study comparing sector wise supply chain risk management is of immense scope. Research Methodology Mainly secondary research from peer reviewed journals, articles, websites and proceeds. Analysis The supply chain risk management process can be summarised as Figure : Supply Chain Risk Management Framework Electronics Industry More than ever before, electronics manufacturers are facing harsh realities. With further dismantling of trade barriers, globalization is now enabling companies to enter new markets each with its own standards and regulations creating fragmented product lines and distributed networks of suppliers and vendors. Product innovation is receiving greater emphasis as global competitors turn up the heat and product lifecycles continue to shrink. The entire nature of demand has changed, placing traditional forecasting weak. The fact is, long-range planning and demand forecasting are increasingly and inherently losing their ability to guide manufacturers as the recent inventory crisis in electronics showed all too clearly. With the introduction of partners such as electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers, component suppliers and distributors, original design manufacturers (ODMs), contract design manufacturers (CDMs), and other participants, it becomes more challenging to control that network of suppliers. Although original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) still have direct design relationships with the semiconductor. Suppliers, the purchasing relationship comes about through the OEMs partners, making inventory ownership ambiguous, blurring inventory visibility across the supply chain, and creating unstructured processes among partners for managing supply chain execution. Figure Electronics Supply Chain (Source: QAD White Paper: Successful Risk Management in the Electronics Supply Chain) Critical risks Inventory Risk This is the greatest risk for supply chains getting caught holding inventory when a product becomes obsolete or demand shifts unexpectedly. With the highly volatile demand of electronics manufacturing, companies that rely heavily on demand-forecast accuracy face unnecessary inventory risks. Supply-Interruption Risk Conversely, no company wants to experience materials shortages that impact their ability to supply finished product to their customers. Supply interruptions are the ultimate opportunity cost for manufacturers. Capacity Risk In the cyclical electronics industry, most profits arise from new orders during a peak cycle coinciding with price premiums. Too little capacity presents significant opportunity costs. Conversely, excess capacity can negate the profits gained in the peak period. (Frank Zwibler and Marco Hermann (2010)) Risk Mitigation Inventory Visibility Faster Information Lead Times Sales and Operations Planning Managing Key Performance Indicators Managing Inter-Enterprise Business Processes Lean Manufacturing Service and Support Management An IT backbone enabling Supporting a pull-based manufacturing and replenishment environment Achieving inventory visibility across fragmented supply chains including multiple tiers and component suppliers and contract manufacturers Minimizing supply interruptions by reducing information lead time Comprehensive sales and operations planning (SOP) to optimize inventory at various points in the supply chain Monitoring supply chain KPIs including supplier and contract performance Managing outsourcing operations Supporting lean manufacturing and lean supply chain strategies Creating aggregated supply plans to drive strategic sourcing This ability to assess the impact and exposure from sources of risk made a big difference to the fortunes of Nokia and Ericsson, which were leading cell phone vendors in 2000. In March 2000, a fire broke out at their common supplier Phillips NVs semiconductor plant in New Mexico, forcing the plant to remain shut down for several months. The difference in outcomes between the two companies was dramatic-Nokia came out of the disruption stronger and gained market share, while a substantially weakened Ericsson lost more than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 million that year and ultimately exited the cell phone market in 2001. This difference was primarily due to Nokias comprehensive supply chain risk management program, which helped the company immediately-and accurately-estimate the impact of the shutdown on its business, and then react accordingly. Nokia switched orders to other Phillips plants and to Japanese and American suppliers, and redesigned chips to reduce its reliance on Phillips products. By comparison, Ericsson was unable to assess the potential impact of the fire on its business and could not respond quickly to the incident. Pharmaceutical Industry Figure : Pharmaceuticals Supply Chain (Source: Chartered Quality Institute Guide) Critical Risks Counterfeit Drugs As pharmaceutical supply chains worldwide continue to experience increased risk levels, led by counterfeit risk, the WHO reports (1998) that 10% of all drugs distributed worldwide are counterfeits, with a disproportionate 60% rate in the developing countries. Pharmaceutical counterfeits can impose tremendous costs on both the pharmaceutical industry and patient safety. The costs through the actions of counterfeiters and diverters include more sick patients, loss of life, erosion of public health confidence, loss of brand image, reduced profit and reduced shareholder value. These costs are compounded by the costs of product recalls and the growing threat of counterfeiting and diversion. Compromised or untrustworthy drug value chains can create uncertainty , decrease investment, and decrease in research and development. Food and Drugs Board Compliance norms for pharmaceuticals can make or break a drug. Regulators are becoming much stricter about quality issues, increasing the size and frequency of mandatory product recalls. The number of drug recalls by the FDA increased by more than 28 percent in 2009 to 2010, for example Exchange-rate fluctuations Foreign exchange rates can fluctuate dramatically over the course of a supply agreement and it is important to consider their impact upfront. Clinical trial risk This is a risk specific to the pharma supply chain arising as a result of the drug development process. The empirical findings from Enyindas research using Saatis AHP indicate that counterfeit risk (0.453) is considered more important, followed by FDB (0.264), exchange rate (0.112) and other risks. This helps in inferring the ranking of the risks in the sequence presented above. Risk mitigation for Counterfeits Usage of technology is the only means to curb the menace of counterfeit drugs. Sophisticated pack design and labelling using special inks Holograms Tags and tamper-evident seals Field agents actively investigating instances of counterfeit product Consumer Awareness Programs Enyinda Szmerekovsky(2010) have proposed that U.S. pharmaceutical firms must turn to SR supply chain to better track and trace prescription drugs. And the key enabler to SR supply chain is RFID technology that has been touted as the holy grail. Because of the significant promise that RFID has, FDA recommended its adoption by the pharmaceutical industry in order to achieve and meet the electronic pedigree requirement and compliance. Effective risk management requires the ability of the decision maker to rank and prioritize a portfolio of risk factors involved in the supply chain. Managing the risk throughout the supply chain now means taking a systemic view. The goal is to build a system that can detect and work around any major supply-chain weaknesses. Discussion Hypothesis H0: All industries face similar supply chin risks. H1 :All findustries do not face same supply chain risks. Analysis of the risks shows that each of the industrys pharmaceuticals and electronics has critical risks which are quite unique to it in the case of the former. Firstly, Counterfeit risks are an inherent risk in the pharmaceutical sector with irreparable damage and life threatening implication as a result. This can tarnish the company with a huge blow to its brand and spoil its top line in the short term. They have a higher potential of damage to the company in terms of plausible revenue losses because of the inseparability in their appearance as compared to the original. This is not the same case with electronics where, there are ample amount of duplicates in the market but their appearance and performance can be easily scrutinized to arrive at a decision to buy. And they rarely have life threatening consequences. Secondly, pharmaceutical industry is controlled by the FDA who is a strict watchdog of the practices in the industry. New drugs receive extensive scrutiny before FDA approval in a process called a New Drug Application or NDA. The FDA reviews and regulates prescription drug advertising and promotion. After approval of an NDA, the sponsor must review and report to the FDA every patient adverse drug experience of which it learns. In electronics there is CEA, but they are not that a controllable authority as that FDA puts on pharmaceuticals. Thirdly, clinical trials done during drug development are very unique to the pharmaceutical research developing new drugs. Thus these particular risks are not a part of electronics industry and the generalised risk framework wont do for the same.They require specialised risk mitigation plans as discussed. Conclusion and Managerial Implications Supply Chain risk management will be a key success factor for companies in a globalized world if they have implemented a risk management process in their organizational structure. We have briefly reviewed several published literatures on supply chain risks. An effort has been made to define critical risks followed by its classification for electronics and the pharmaceutical industry. Several models of risk assessment from published sources have been reviewed .After this, several strategies of risk management is being presented. Supply chain risk management is thus a growing and challenging area with lot of research potential to be explored further. A future research scope would be to quantify the impact of various risks on each industry through primary research. Both pharmaceutical and electronic supply-chain risks are often related to a lack of information visibility or deviations in the information and physical flows from upstream to downstream, increased knowledge of essential risk management procedures and structures can significantly improve the ability of decision makers in implementing appropriate mitigation treatments for identifiable risk portfolios.

Bosnian War Exploring Motives And Behaviour Of Perpetrators Criminology Essay

Bosnian War Exploring Motives And Behaviour Of Perpetrators Criminology Essay The main aim of this essay is to explore the motive, behaviour and policy of the perpetrators towards civilians and their enemy in the Bosnian Civil War from 1992 until 1995. The essay emphasizes common traits, behaviours of the perpetrators and identifies factors and elements that relate to their motives and aggression to commit mass killing and crimes against humanity. This essay will also explain the factors that drive people, who formerly co-habited harmoniously, to committing brutal acts of violence against their friends, neighbours and compatriots. The primary focus will be on three different ethnic groups in Bosnia during the conflict; the Serbs, the Bosnian Muslims and the Croats and the essay will focus more on the conflict between Serbs and Muslims. It will also focus upon violent acts committed by Serbs against Muslims; although as the war developed, Serbs also became victims of specific kinds of Croat and Muslim violence. Sometimes, it is difficult for scholars to determine the real reasons or motives that make ordinary people with no previous criminal record commit sudden brutal acts of violence. Focusing on the particular case of the ethnic conflict in Bosnia, this essay aims to demonstrate why behaviour and demeanour of the perpetrators of genocide and war crimes is important. This will help to highlight the personality of perpetrators and to illustrate the complexity of perpetrators behaviour and way of thinking. The perpetrator-focused research in Bosnia can be justified on a combination of moral, cognitive and practical grounds; it emphasizes the importance of circumstances as an explanation for perpetrator conduct; and suggests that Erwin Staubs concept of a continuum of destruction  [1]  reflecting the fact that a perpetrators behaviour can rapidly fluctuate between acts of cruelty and kindness.  [2]   The Bosnian Civil War was very complex and full of tragic events including the forced migration and killings of inhabitants based on their ethnicity, also known as ethnic cleansing. To achieve the objective on controlling territories, the perpetrators, usually with the full support from the largest ethnic group, violently displaced or killed members of other ethnic groups who stood in their way  [3]  . In all cases, assault on civilian populations was both an aim and instrument of war. The perpetrators included regular military, paramilitaries, militias, reservists, police, internal security forces or armed civilian group. The war in Bosnia was waged by ultranationalists who targeted civilians because they stood in the way of the idea of their national interest. This was achieved by ethnic cleansing, using violence and deportations of other ethnic communities who had previously lived together peacefully in Bosnia. For example, the Srebrenica massacre, the most infamous violent ac t by the perpetrators during the war, was described as the worst atrocity witnessed in the history of modern European world after the World War II  [4]  and the largest single war crime in Europe.  [5]   By demography, Bosnia is a multiethnic nation, in which there was no majority ethnic group. Out of the population of 4.4 million, Bosnian Muslims constituted 43.7 percent, Serbs constituted 31.4 percent, while Croats constituted 17.3 percent. Before the conflict erupted in 1992, Bosnia was an example of a harmonious society where Muslims, Serbs and Croats lived side by side, free of social subordination.  [6]  There had not been serious ethnic conflict after the World War II, and even though after the election in 1990 have made the ethnic relationship became more salient, the groups tried to resolve any conflict without any element of violence.  [7]  As a result, the vast majority of people in Yugoslavia co-existed in peace regardless of their ethnic or religious group. From one perspective, the war in Bosnia could be viewed as a clear-cut case of civil war which is an internal war among ethnic groups unable to agree on arrangements for sharing power. Similar to other civil wars, different parties who fought in this war had enjoyed substantial political and military backing from neighbouring states. The Serb and Croat paramilitaries involved volunteers from Serbia and Croatia, and were supported by nationalist political parties in those countries.  [8]  Although Bosnian independence was fully recognized by the United Nation, neither Serbia nor Croatia accepted the resolution. A further case could be made that the Bosnian Serb army was under the de facto control of the Yugoslav Army and Belgrade and was therefore an instrument of external aggression. A key factor to the conflict in Bosnia is the role of leaders as voices of extremism or nationalism. The attitude of Serbian leaders in Serbia and Bosnia played a crucial role in channelling the behaviour of ordinary Serbs against the Muslims and Croats. Shortly after the break-up of Yugoslavia, they led a nationalist movement, shape the progressions of events and made the decisions to lead the aggression against other ethnic groups. As an authority in the highest position, leaders could command the trust and obedience of their fellow ethnic, while the ordinary man could claim that there were just following orders from the authority.  [9]   Leaders in both Serbia and Croatia, sometimes aided by journalist, academics, and military organization, deliberately revived and exploited painful memories of the history of the former Yugoslavia in spreading the propaganda to create fear and hatred between ethnic groups. They exploited the brutality and atrocities among each other in the past especially in the Second World War and inflamed national sentiments between ethnic groups.  [10]  The Serb nationalist revival also led to intense public discussion of World War II about the atrocities of the Ustasha against Serbs. During 1980s, when tension among ethnic groups started to escalate, Serbs were often reminded about the massacres, betrayal, and continued hostility between Serbs, Croats and Muslims. In order to plant the seed of nationalism among fellow Serbs, Ustasha killings has been portrayed frequently in mass media, memoirs, plays, and history, and it became obvious when Milosevic ignited the fire of the Serbian nationali sm in everyday life especially on television.  [11]  Each side fears that they will be the victim of genocide if others gain political and military power in Bosnia and this reason has been justified by Serbian and Croatian nationalists to push their people into wars of self-defence.  [12]  Leaders of ethnic groups such as Franco Tudjman of Croatia, Alija Izetbegovic of Muslims, and Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic of Serbia inflamed the sentiments on their people by taking several actions and implementing some policies which favoured on their side.  [13]  For example, Radovan Karadzic had warned the Bosnian government that if they choose independent, They will disappear. That people will disappear from the face of the earth.  [14]   In general, perpetrators are those who initiate, facilitate, or carry out acts of genocide or crimes against humanity. During the Bosnian conflict, the motive of the perpetrators could be classified into various categories. In order to eliminate what the respective perpetrators believed as a real or potential threat, as well as to spread terror among real or potential foes, mass killing and other atrocities were used.  [15]  It is quite difficult to fully understand the motives of the perpetrators because the individual and group changes that lead to increasingly vicious acts may become not only more comprehensible, but even seemingly natural. Perpetrators make many small and great decisions as they progress along the continuum of destruction. They choose leaders, adopt ideologies, create policies and plans, and engage in harmful and violent acts and their circumstances and characteristics move them in certain directions.  [16]   In order to facilitate the intention of expulsion or killing of other ethnic groups, military and paramilitary organizations were used as a common institutional structures. Such organizations enforce obedience, encourage conformity, provide training, desensitize their members responses to killing, and planted the ideology of the struggle to all member of the organization. All parties to the conflict in Bosnia are actually guilty of perpetrating abuse and violence, although to varying degrees. The main perpetrators of the abuses may vary from certain circumstances depending on which forces are in control in the particular territories. On the whole, however, the main aggressors have been the Serbian military and paramilitary forces. As the main offenders, they are in a position to inflict great damage and their policy of ethnic cleansing with the intention to dominate the whole Bosnia. For example, the infamous Arkans Tiger, one of the most ferocious Serbian paramilitary organizations which responsible for crimes committed to Muslims and Croats all across Bosnia, is a Belgrade-backed paramilitary organization where soldiers under his command brutally imprisoned, beat, raped, and executed non-Serb persons.  [17]  During the war, majority of the territory in Bosnia forcibly came under Serb domination and large segments of the Muslim population were either killed or expelled by paramilitary which actively participated in these operations in order to secure Serb control over territories.  [18]   While most of the Serbian perpetrators were conducted by a larger groups which is paramilitary or militia, the abuses attributable to Croats and Muslims were usually perpetrated by individual and do not associated with certain groups. Bosnian Croat and Muslims also found guilty of serious abuse of human right and crime against humanity. The destruction of Serbian property, removal by force, the detention and killing of the inhabitant in many cases appear to be known but little had been done to prove it. For example, by committing the crime against Serbs in Kravica and for other atrocities committed around the region, Naser Oric, a Bosnian Muslims, was convicted by the International Court Tribunal for failing to take measures to prevent the murder and cruel treatment of Serb prisoners.  [19]  As for the Croat atrocities, the terrifying violence perpetrated against the Serbian populations in Krajina after its recapture by the Croatian HVO organization led by Mladen Markac in August 1995 will not be easily forgotten.  [20]   Many of the abuses attributed to Serbian perpetrators have long followed a recognizable pattern that has come to be known as ethnic cleansing.  [21]  The primary aim of Serbian forces is to capture or gaining complete control of the whole territory and forcibly removing or killing non-Serbs the area. In most Serbian-held territories of Bosnia, pattern of abuses against non-Serbs were very clear and the method of abuses including rounding up the inhabitant, detaining in the concentration camp or just simply killing the civilian taken. Even though much of the abuses committed by the Serbs were done in group, there were such abuses were been done by individual soldiers or single military, policemen and home guard  [22]  . The nature of the abuses, and the pattern and frequency which take place indicates that there was no command from the superior to stop the abuses. The patterns of behaviour of the perpetrators during the conflict were obvious when the tension escalated during the war. During the conflict, behavioural patterns among ordinary soldiers indicated patterns of racial hatred and prejudiced, manifested both in their actions against their victims and their feelings towards each other. The decision to utilize a large number of perpetrators may also be influenced by certain political objectives. Those who initiate genocide may seek to gain support for their actions by allowing elements of society to satisfy their passions and greed at the expense of the victims.  [23]  By plunging large numbers of the population into murder, the forces encouraging the mass killing may more tightly bind the perpetrators to the regime. The perpetrators have emphasised on collectivistic value that make group membership central to personal identity. Such regimes have been particularly adept at using such collectivistic values to highlight boundaries between in-groups and out-groups by making extreme categorical judgements based on the polar opposites of good us versus bad them.  [24]  They have set in their mind that their cause is sacred; while the enemies are evil, they themselves as righteous, innocent or victimized; and others are wicked, guilty, and the victimisers. It is clear in this conflict that the Serbs always portrayed themselves as the victim of the evil regime of Ustasha that murdered hundreds of thousands of Serbs during World War II.  [25]   There were varieties of practices used by the perpetrators to make their reprehensible conducts acceptable and to distance them from the moral implications of their actions. For instance, there is a moral justification in which mass murder is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it as serving socially worthy or moral purposes. Perpetrators may believe this rationalisation to such an extent that their evil is not only morally justifiable, but became a moral one.  [26]  Perpetrators can then justify their evil as essential to their own self-defence, in order to protect the cherished values of their community, fight ruthless oppressors, preserve peace and stability, save humanity from subjugation, or honour their national commitments. Moral disengagement is also facilitated by the dehumanisation of the victims.  [27]  By doing this, perpetrators categorized a group as inhuman when the target group can be readily identified as a separate category of people belonging to a different race, ethnic, religious or political group that the perpetrators regard as inferior or threatening. These isolated groups are stigmatised as subhuman and memories of their past misdeeds, real or imaginary, are activated by the dominant group. The dehumanisation of victims helps perpetrators to justify their aggressive, sadist and brutal behaviour. A common form of dehumanisation is the use of language to redefine the victims so they will be seen as warranting the aggression. The moral disengagement of the perpetrators is complemented by a vulgarity of language that dehumanises the victims. Consistently, perpetrators dehumanised their victims that the words themselves become substitutes for perceiving human beings. For example, in most cases, Serbs described the Muslims in derogatory term as Balijas'(dirty), Turkish yoke, uncultivated and wild dog.  [28]   One of the shocking elements in this conflict was that many of the violence and abuses were perpetrated by their own neighbours. Violence against neighbour emerges as a major theme in numerous accounts of war and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, amidst cordial and amicable relations between Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats. Before the conflict, ethnic relations in Yugoslavia is at satisfactory level, and many recall friendly and warm relations between neighbours, colleagues, or acquaintances of different ethnic or religious identities. Even once war began, many recognized that people of different ethnic or religious identity were not necessarily their enemies, and they believe that they can still get along together throughout the war.  [29]   At a glance, Serbs, Croats and Muslims saw each other as acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, friends, and sometimes even relatives. However, deep in reality, they identified others as members of groups marked by history as enemies. These groups did not intend to make war, but there was an underlying latent and long lasting anger. This deep hatred were told by a Serb employee in the American Consulate to the American diplomat about his real feeling on Croat sometimes when he looked into their eyes, he could not help recalling the blood that stained the hands of those responsible for the slaughter of Serbs during the Second World War  [30]  . The War in Bosnia developed into a nightmare for the different ethnic groups, which had lived there in relative peace since the end of the Second World War. The peace was not meant for last forever, as ethnic leaders had created an atmosphere of mutual fear and hatred that led to three and a half years of conflict and terror  [31]  . Many survivors of ethnic cleansing during the conflict have told a series of attacks by their former neighbours. Rezak Huzanovic, a former detainee in Omarska camp, writes in his memoir about his Serbian neighbour who joined in the killing and torture. They were our neighbours and then they burnt our houses. At Prijedor, local Serbs joined in murders and ethnic cleansing.  [32]  Refugees repeatedly told about series of attacks by friends or neighbours they knew well. In Foca in Southern Bosnia, one woman told about her Serbian neighbour showed up in her family home late night with machine gun and detained his husband. In fact, we had coffee with him a day before.  [33]   Multiple similar accounts both at the time of ethnic cleansing and afterwards make clear the strong grassroots element to ethnic cleansing and violence which were carried out in various parts of Bosnia. It is true that neighbours did not carry out ethnic cleansing alone. Witnesses, reporters, and investigators working for human rights group also made clear how paramilitary forces and militia swept through many Bosnian communities, carrying out violent act and killing, and the fighters in these forces included teenagers, peasants, locals who had also grown up in this multiethnic Yugoslavia pledged to the concept of brotherhood and unity.  [34]   A point to note that the same neighbour of everyday life can mutate into an enemy when seen as a figure in a long-term historical narrative of nationalist struggle. Accounts of close relations between neighbours typically recall scenes of everyday life, of individuals as friends, classmates, and colleagues. Stories of ethnic rivalry, on the other hand, present narratives in which the same individuals function as members of enemy nations. This same paradox of a friendly neighbour who kills can be described with the concept of cognitive frames or a mental structure which situates and connects events, people and groups into a meaningful narrative.  [35]   Apart from that, a particular structure of nationalism plays a key role in generating ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. As an ideology of ethnic cleansing, nationalism is more a story than simply a form of identity. Within national narratives, the nation as an entity is viewed as the real protagonist. National narratives tend to be similar in their structure; they present their hero, the nation, as unique in suffering; and they depict the national narratives of rival nations as valid.  [36]   Concerning the perpetrators motives, they emphasized of betrayal and victimization that links to national narratives. Stories of national struggle recount attacks and even treason by other nations. These stories display hatred of the enemies of the ethnic groups, and for this reason they can be described as national hate narratives.  [37]  The nations enemies are inherently and irredeemably bad, and for this reason the problems created by the hated group can be resolved by its removal, disappearance, or destruction. For Serbs, they were being indoctrinated as the victims of the Ustasha and Muslim atrocities during the Second World War. They saw other ethnic groups as a real threat, and in order to ensure that the history would not happened again, and to ensure their own survival, they collectively eliminate the threat by killing others  [38]  . The Bosnian conflict brought the practice of killing based on ethnicity suggests that these violations were not random acts carried out by a few dissident soldiers. This policy has been masterminded by Serbian political and military leaders which is being systematically planned and strategically executed with the support of the Serbian and Bosnian Serb armies and paramilitary groups to create a Greater Serbia which will resulted in a religiously, culturally, and linguistically homogenous Serbian nation.  [39]   Some scholars, politician and commentators were quick to point out that the war was caused by the ancient hatreds that the various ethnic groups bore toward one another.  [40]  This is inaccurate, because the multi ethnic groups of former Yugoslavia did not coexist in ancient times at all; they were only joined together after the creation of the Yugoslav in 1918. Contrary to some world leaders, commentators and scholars claims that this ancient hatreds stemming from a long history of conflict and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans were responsible for the conflict  [41]  , the reality, however was different. Rather than ancient hatreds, the conflict in Bosnia reflected a combination of various factors. The term ancient ethnic hatreds were manipulated by opportunist during the break-up of Yugoslavia, exploited and revitalized by ethnic group leaders such as Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, Radovan Karadzic in Bosnia and Franjo Tudjman in Croatia as their hold on power slipped. Each of them felt that the idea of establishing an ethnically pure state would contribute of the expansion of their political power and to strengthen their position as a leader of each nation.  [42]   A generation of historians and social scientists has come out with the idea that the factors of ancient hatreds had broken apart Yugoslavia. In some cases, the discussions of ancient hatred made actual violence inevitable, but the key episodes in narratives of national victimization were already well known before the Titos death, and these episodes came from many periods and places rather from any one region such as Bosnia. For Serbs, the key events of ancient hatred depicted in a narrative of national struggle and victimization included the Battle of Kosovo of 1389, the First World War, and Serbs mass killing by Usthasa and the Partisan in the Second World War in Bosnia. The war in Bosnia cannot be explained by theories of inevitable ethnic hatreds, even when such explanations conveniently excuse outsiders from the responsibilities of intervening. Previously, there were several racial and historical disputes in the former Yugoslavia but it was put down wisely by Tito. The rhetoric of national interest became increasingly nationalist in the sense of defining one group and its goals in opposition to another.  [43]   The sentiment of being oppressed where clearly documented in Memorandum of the Serbian Academy Arts and Sciences which was a draft published by Serbian intellectual and scholars in 1986. This memorandum became controversial because it underlined the discrimination of the Serbs in Yugoslavia and had claim that Serbs were inferior to other ethnic groups in the Republic of Yugoslavia. This seventy four page memorandum, which became a bible for Serb nationalist, incited nationalism among Serbs in Yugoslavia. Serbs claimed that Titos policies had discriminated Serbia and also weakened Serbia politically and economically in the Republic. Serbs, especially nationalists, inspired by the memorandum, argued that the time had come for all Serbs to restore their national pride by becoming the dominant ethnic groups in Yugoslavia.  [44]   Apart from eliminating the real threat of the enemy, the perpetrators also wanted to spread terror among the enemies in order to show their dominance and authorization. To show their supremacy, mass rape and other forms of sexual violence were conducted as an act of dehumanizing the ethnic rivals.   When committed on a mass scale and in certain patterns, such as in front of family members or in public, sexual violence can communicate an intent to destroy the group, or the very foundation of a particular group, and this is particularly true perhaps in social, cultural and religious communities where acts of sexual violence not only shame and humiliate the victim, but also tear the core foundation of that community.  [45]  It appears that when committed on a mass scale and in certain patterns, sexual and gender-based violence may have communicative value and as such may have something to say about the intention of the perpetrator. The systematic rape of women from other ethnic gr oups was purposely designed to reach the very foundations of the group.   The main motive of systematic rape is to show the more powerful ethnic groups to demoralize the others through terror and humiliation. Rape and sexual assault on women were common during all stages of the conflict and occurred on all sides, but a lengthy report compiled by United Nation Commission of Experts had found extensive evidence of Bosnian Serbs sexual assault on Muslim women. Mass and systematic rape took place often in a detention camp and in all, UN Commission compiled reports of mass rape cases from fifty seven different location in Bosnia.  [46]   Sexual violence perpetrated against Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat women during the Bosnian conflict was intimately tied to the process of destruction of their ethnic group. The mass scale, the extremely public and humiliating nature of the rapes and the systematic nature in which they were committed, clearly shows the violation of the core foundation of the group. This systematic rape were not only destroying womens capacity to reproduce, but some rapes also resulted in what both victim and perpetrator considered to be children of a new ethnicity.   In patriarchal societies such as in the Balkans, the perpetrators of rape knew that the victim and her community would experience forced pregnancy as a way to transmit a new ethnic identity to the child.   Perpetrated on a systematic scale, this pattern provides persuasive evidence of intent to violate the very foundation of the group.  [47]   However, most above all, the motive of the perpetrators to commit such violent act was based on a belief or an ideology. Inflamed by the rhetoric of nationalism sentiment of their leaders, the perpetrators of such violence are usually clear about their objectives to established a pure single ethnic nation and anxious to exclude non-nationals and potentially disloyal minorities. The intention of the force removal of different ethnic population is very clear, which is to benefit the more powerful groups or ethnic in order to establish a single ethnic nation. Despite removing others from their existing place, the roots of practice are more closely tied to ideology.  [