Potential Bottlenecks in Implementing MCTS in Odisha.

Potential Bottlenecks in Implementing MCTS in Odisha. Introduction Mother and child tracking system (MCTS) is the online software used by the National Health Mission (NHM), formerly National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), for tele-monitoring Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) services delivered by the Government of India(1). It is an innovation of Health and Family Welfare (HFW) department supported by the National Health Mission(2). This software was conceived way back in 2008 to increase the coverage of RCH services. Left out and drop out beneficiaries for various services, including immunization, can be tracked name wise using this system. Using this software, beneficiary wise and even health unit wise relevant information can be retrieved from any location by any health or associated authority by logging on to the system using the username and password provided to him/her(3). It can greatly reduce the death rates of infant and mother and even reduce total fertility rates through an attempt to provide universal coverage of services. The origin of the concept is linked to the tracking of ‘due’ beneficiaries in immunization sessions using the tracking bag(4) at the sub-center. The tracking bag consists of 14 pockets, of which 12 are meant for 12 months in the year and two more meant for children with complete and incomplete immunization status respectively. Due beneficiaries for a particular month are tracked using counterfoils which would be kept in the pockets for the particular month. MCTS utilizes two formats for capturing data for new beneficiaries– Format I and Format II. The former one is meant for mothers and the latter is for children born of these mothers. Once a woman is detected to be pregnant, she is registered with the health system in the MCTS register so as to receive all the free health services and details are captured in the format I. The data are then sent every week, via the supervisors to the block level, for online data entry into the MCTS. The same is also done for all newborn babies using format II. Services received by the beneficiaries are supposed to be maintained in the Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card provided to the beneficiaries. Subsequently, every week sub-center wise work plan is generated from the MCTS and distributed through the supervisors to the sub-center Auxiliary Nurse Mid-Wife (ANM), for providing the services, updating the services received and tracking the beneficiaries who could not avail the services. Work plans are generated for various kinds of services like registration of pregnant woman, antenatal care services, delivery services, post-natal care services for mother and neonatal child, child health services including immunization, family planning services, etc(2). In short the system perfectly tries to track the left out and drop out case wise, and ensure universal delivery of services(2)(5). Presently MCTS is used throughout the state and lots of human resources have been deployed by NHM at block and district levels to enter, analyze and track the data for the mother and child services. As compared to the proportionate increase in the human resources and other investments, the service coverage has not increased substantially (for example immunization coverage). Even certain studies on mechanisms for tracking immunization in developing countries show similar results(6). There has been disparity during data validation exercises using health indicators from sources like Health Management and Information System (HMIS)(7) and MCTS. Even no assessment has been undertaken to review the bottlenecks of MCTS. Hence a study was planned to identify and provide suggestions for correcting the bottlenecks in the implementation of mother and child tracking services in the state of Odisha, if any existed. Objectives of the study To understand the process of implementation of Mother and Child Tracking Sytem in Odisha and identify the bottlenecks in the implementation process, if any. To identify feasible solutions and suggest recommendations for the identified bottlenecks. Method of study The study was qualitative in nature. It was conducted in three UNICEF supported districts (all tribal predominant) of Odisha state (having 30 districts) from August 2013 to November 2013. In-depth interview (IDI) was the key tool for data collection. Key program implementers involved in the process were listed down along with their assumed roles and responsibilities (Table 1). Judgmental sampling method(8) was then used and IDI was done with identified key informants involved in the implementation of MCTS (block and district level managers and supervisors). A total of 15-24 in-depth interviews (IDI) were planned for the study (regarded as the stage of thematic and theoretical saturation)(8). The end point planned was the point when no new qualitative information was received(9). Three blocks each of these districts were randomly selected and key informants were identified for IDIs. Consent was taken from the interviewers using WHO’s informed consent form for qualitative studies(10). Personal interviews were performed with a pre-determined and pre-tested tool with more often than not open ended and few close ended questions/ probes (Box 1). Along with that satisfaction level of the implementers was recorded using a continuous scale(11). Practically feasible solutions and suggestions as recommended by the informants were also noted along with bottlenecks. Data collection, cleaning and analysis was done simultaneously. Recorded data were transcribed independently by two researchers onto paper, translated to English and then manually analyzed. The qualitative content analysis method was employed(12)(13)(14) for analysis. Nine major heads were identified for the purpose- human resource issue, data generation issue, issues with skill, data entry issues, cov ering events, software issues, supervision, review and financial topics. All other findings were put under a tenth head. After data analysis, brainstorming sessions were carried with the RCH team of UNICEF Field office to put forth other recommendations for the issues noted. Results A total of 20 interviews were conducted in the study with six to seven interviews on an average from each district. Time for the interviews ranged from minimum of 25 minutes to a maximum of 40 minutes. Block level data managers and block program managers in charge of MCTS in the block were identified as the key informants at the block level. Lady health visitors (LHVs) and Health Supervisor (HS (M)) were likewise included in the process. Interviews were also conducted with District Data Managers (DDM) who was the supervisor of BDMs at the district level. Interviews with the stakeholders revealed that there has been a lot of improvement in certain service delivery components. Some of these include availability of a definite work plan (also called due list) for the ANM and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) every week, validation of HMIS data, entering data and assessing reports from any place using provided username and password, validation of incentives provided to beneficiaries and to ASHA for various activities, improvement in service delivery for various national health programs, etc. â€Å"We are able to review the sectors based upon the MCTS data.† [LHV] â€Å"Now, the health workers have realized the benefits and use of MCTS and are frequently asking for clarifications, when required†. [BPM] It was observed that the work plan and reports passed through all the stakeholders of MCTS, including the supervisors. But the involvement in terms of understanding of the process and providing mentoring support was poor, as cited by a few. The reports were collected at the end of the HWF, who would submit reports to their sector level supervisors. Details of the flow mechanism of reports are shown in Fig. 1. On an average satisfaction level regarding implementation of MCTS among block and district level stakeholders was found to be 7 out of 10 (range 4 to 9). Lack in the perfection of the implementation were many, some of which were analyzed and placed in Table 2. It was also noted that a BDM had to devote a great proportion of his time for data entry thus disturbing the equilibrium between personal and professional life. This was set up especially for those located in big blocks and universally for everyone roughly on an average 15 days (last week of a month and first week of the following month), at the time of report collection and entry. Verbatim of some of the important issues found during the interview are listed down under. â€Å"Health workers collect their work plans on their own or in some indefinite process. But the collection of updated work plans from the workers is being done in sector meetings.†[LHV] â€Å"We are facing problem in covering the beneficiaries in outreach areas due to seasonal and migration issues.† [LHV] â€Å"The software needs to be improved.†[BPM] â€Å"HMIS software is better than MCTS with respect to report generation and review monitoring. The MCTS software is much slower than HMIS and needs high speed internet connectivity.†[BPM] â€Å"Due to network connectivity issues, we often ask the BDMs to come to the district NRHM Office and do the data entry here.† [DDM] Discussion and Recommendations Tracking down beneficiaries to increase the coverage of services can definitely reduce the number of miss outs and drop outs for any services catered, and with stringent implementation as planned can definitely improve service delivery. Moreover the planning component of some of the health programs can be addressed in the process. But it was found that issues invariably did exist at all levels and all components of this naà ¯ve model. A single register needs to be maintained integrating components of mother register and child register, which will reduce the workload of the health workers. The simple availability of logistics like paper and cartridge for printing can be some of the minor issues, which if addressed can bring out successful results. Similarly, engaging the data entry operators in the tasks they are meant for can provide quality inputs to the tracking system, not only in terms of improving the data quality, but also an effective plan generation, follow up and tracking of miss out and drop out cases and health review. It will provide a working environment and boost the motivation of these DEOs. Review of MCTS entry, analysis and tracking of follow up of instances should be done block wise with team effort rather than having any single individual accountable. Supervisors should take on an important part in offering mentoring support for tracking, record keeping and updating. An effective model of intern al monitoring and/or mentoring system for underperforming sub-centers in MCTS implementation (eg. Using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Method) is needed. Own server can be set up at the state to solve server speed issues. More data entry staff at the block level is needed so as to reduce data entry load in large blocks with huge data load. More number of ANMs or support in the form of additional ANMs is needed in sub-centers with more population. This solution has also been cited in other studies of the same author(15). Data Entry Operators (DEOs) for Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)(16) can be engaged in data entry activities wherever the data entry load is high. A proper operational research can throw light on the mechanism to identify blocks needing more human resources along with other financial support. All services provided and recorded in MCP card should be fed into MCTS to make effective tracking possible. Customization of the software for integrating and validating data of other related programs like Home Based Newborn Care(17), Special Newborn Care Unit(18)(19), etc. can also be done. Adequate contingency provision in the NHM PIP should be made. Collaborating with mobile partners to develop SMS based portal for reporting details of a beneficiary can be done and this can also provide real time reporting. Similarly loading the data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) based maps can be used increase tracking mechanism one step further(20). Extra incentives for each additional work put to the BDMs, may be provided. Training pharmacists in ODMIS(21) can decrease the workload on BDM at the block level. Conclusion Mother and child tracking system is an innovative method of tracking down the beneficiaries name wise, with an objective to bring down the IMR, MMR and TFR. It can help the government to achieve universal coverage of services. Presently MCTS has helped the service providers to effectively manage miss outs and drop outs for various services like immunization, family planning, maternal and new-born care. Validation of HMIS and incentives (to beneficiaries and ASHA) is also being done using MCTS. In spite of all positive aspects, practical issues were found to exist and need to be sorted out. Review, in detail, can sort out many operational and financial issues. Needs of large blocks should be addressed specifically. Server issues need to be addressed along with a provision of SMS based reminders. Real time data entry can make things more convenient. Correct and complete entries in the MCP will help in appropriate utilisation of the software. Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank program managers from National Health Mission and health staff of the state government for participating in the study and providing field realities. Dr. Ashish Kumar Sen, being supervisor of the team, had supported the study and provided relevant inputs is also acknowledged. Competing interest: This article was accepted and presented as a conference paper at the International Telemedicine Conference held at Jaipur in 2013. References 1. Achievements of MDG Commitments Made Under NRHM [Internet]. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 2012 [cited 2014 Nov 25]. Available from: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=82520 2. Operational Manual: Mother and Child Tracking System [Internet]. National Rural Health Mission; 2010 [cited 2014 Nov 17]. Available from: https://nrhm-mis.nic.in/Home MCH Tracking System/User manual for MCH Tracking by NIC PDF format.pdf 3. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Mother and Child Tracking System [Internet]. [cited 2014 Nov 17]. Available from: http://nrhm-mcts.nic.in/mch/ 4. Immunization Handbook for Medical Officers. Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; 2008. 197 p. 5. Operational plan for Mother and Child Tracking System [Internet]. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; [cited 2014 Nov 17]. Available from: http://mohfw.nic.in/showfile.php?lid=421 6. Leach-Kemon K, Graves CM, Johnson EK, Lavado RF, Hanlon M, Haakenstad A. Vaccine resource tracking systems. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14:421. 7. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. NHM Health Management Information System Portal [Internet]. [cited 2014 Nov 29]. Available from: https://nrhm-mis.nic.in/SitePages/Home.aspx 8. Marshall MN. Sampling for qualitative research. Fam Pract. 1996 Jan 1;13(6):522–6. 9. Baker SE, Edwards R. How many qualitative interviews is enough? [Internet]. National Center for Research Methods; [cited 2014 Nov 25]. Available from: http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/2273/4/how_many_interviews.pdf 10. WHO | Informed Consent Form Templates [Internet]. WHO. [cited 2014 Nov 25]. Available from: http://www.who.int/rpc/research_ethics/informed_consent/en/ 11. What’s the best satisfaction survey scale? [Internet]. being CustomerSure Proven advice from Business Rockstars. [cited 2014 Nov 25]. Available from: http://www.customersure.com/blog/best-satisfaction-survey-scale/ 12. Kohlbacher F. The Use of Qualitative Content Analysis in Case Study Research. Forum Qual Sozialforschung Forum Qual Soc Res [Internet]. 2006 Jan 31 [cited 2014 Nov 25];7(1). Available from: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/75 13. Thorne S. Data analysis in qualitative research. Evid Based Nurs. 2000 Jul 1;3(3):68–70. 14. Glà ¤ser J, Laudel G. Life With and Without Coding: Two Methods for Early-Stage Data Analysis in Qualitative Research Aiming at Causal Explanations. Forum Qual Sozialforschung Forum Qual Soc Res [Internet]. 2013 Mar 18 [cited 2014 Nov 25];14(2). Available from: http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1886 15. Padhy G, Padhy R, Panigrahi S, Sarangi P, Das S. Bottlenecks identified in the Implementation of components of national health programmes at PHCs of Cuttack district of Odisha. Int J Med Public Health. 2013;3(4):271. 16. Ministry of Labor and Employment. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana [Internet]. [cited 2014 Dec 1]. Available from: http://www.rsby.gov.in/about_rsby.aspx 17. NHM Child Health Guidelines-Revised Home Based Newborn Care Operational Guidelines [Internet]. [cited 2014 Sep 30]. Available from: http://nrhm.gov.in/images/pdf/programmes/child-health/guidelines/Revised_Home_Based_New_Born_Care_Operational_Guidelines_2014.pdf 18. Neogi SB, Malhotra S, Zodpey S, Mohan P. Assessment of Special Care Newborn Units in India. J Health Popul Nutr. 2011 Oct;29(5):500–9. 19. Neogi SB, Malhotra S, Zodpey S, Mohan P. Challenges in scaling up of special care newborn units-lessons from India. Indian Pediatr. 2011;48(12):931–5. 20. Barau I, Zubairu M, Mwanza MN, Seaman VY. Improving polio vaccination coverage in Nigeria through the use of geographic information system technology. J Infect Dis. 2014 Nov 1;210 Suppl 1:S102–10. 21. Odisha Drug Inventory Management System [Internet]. [cited 2014 Nov 29]. Available from: http://dims.nrhmodisha.in/

Globalization of multinational activities: meaning and debate Essay

There are many definition of the globalization. For example, the International Monetary fund consider globalization of multinational activities as â€Å"the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology†. (Dowling 2005) There is one more definition given by the International forum on Globalization. According to it globalization is â€Å"the present worldwide drive toward a globalized economic system dominated by supranational corporate trade and banking institutions that are not accountable to democratic processes or national governments†. (Wright 2001) But first of all globalization promotes cultural diversity and division of labor. Immanuel Wallerstein stresses that globalization of business can’t be understood separately from historical events. Lots of definition ensue the debates concerning roles of governments, companies and individuals in increasing national welfare in the context of globalization. Globalization of multinational activities has not only economic aspect but also political, cultural and technological, because they are closely connected with each other. It means that changes in one aspect are followed by changes in others. These aspects of globalization are considered key points to people’s quality of life and social benefits. (Debrah 2004) The economic aspect of impact involves trade, migration and investment opportunities. Globalization of international trade suggests more available access to goods and services which were never seen before. Due to this process people are able nowadays to buy a wide range of services and goods. International investments take place through foreign direct investments. It means that multinational organizations invest directly the assets in foreign companies or investments take place by purchasing and selling the financial assets of other foreign companies. Due to globalization independent migration suggests that individuals can find employment in spheres where the companies have labor shortages. But free migration is criticized, because it can lead to destruction of native industry and loss of jobs. International investments are also criticized, because if to accept such financial scheme the country can loose economic sovereignty and â€Å"may be forced to set policies that are contrary to its citizen’s interests or desires†. What is more important is that international companies investing in country or company can receive too much economic and political power. It is admitted by critics that migration is like exploitation of workers from other countries. (Baolian 2004) The political impact of globalization is creation of international rules and institution to deal with trade, human rights and international environment. New global institutions for regulating multinational activities are World Trade Organization, Euro currency and North American Free Trade Agreement, etc. central question is if government can control the economic activity of world companies. Globalization is also characterized by cultural global ties i. e. new ideas and concepts about trade and media throughout the world. However global cultural ties are not always favorable as they may cause constrains for companies. One more point about globalization of business is the significant change of technologies, transport and communication. Nowadays transportation costs have been reduced significantly because of technological advances which make foreign markets freer for trade. It was counted that billions of dollars in different kinds of assets and/or currencies are exchanged every day with the help of electronic means. It is seen that globalization spreads the developing and appearing of new multinational activities es. (Baolian 2004) Globalization: impact on multinational activities Globalization is sometimes described as the main cause of disturbances and changes in the world. Actually the term â€Å"globalization† is the shelter for collective effect and the changes. Globalization is the total changes taken place in the factories or storefronts which are seen in the spheres of economy, multinational activities and lifestyles. It is a matter of fact that this process was caused by four significant forms of capital flows throughout the global economy and multinational activities’ spheres. It is necessary to mention these four important capital flows: 1. Human capital involving the processes of immigration, emigration, migration and/deportation. 2. Financial capital including debts, equity, aids, credits, lending. 3. Resource capital means resources of energy, lumber, different minerals resources and metals. 4. Power capital suggests security forces, armed forces and different alliances and unions among countries (Wright 2001) It was mentioned that most difficulties and stresses confronted in the general affairs of multinational activities and interactions between them can be revealed in the four mentioned capital flows. It means that globalization has great influence on these flows and is able to direct them. Globalization also affects telecommunication and travel modes and they have become cheaper. As the result they have become accessible to more people, domestic and international companies. As for cultural and political friction they â€Å"can thus be explained as arising from the difference in opinion between two or more parties about the origination, treatment, timing, ownership or value of one or more of the capital flows†. (Wright 2001) The impact of globalization is constant and inevitable. And the process of globalization was inevitable. And there appears a question: why? The main reasons of such globalization influence in the word are: advantages of low labor costs need of vertical and horizontal division of labor, great number of untapped markets, and legislation in foreign countries. It is seen that the mentioned points provide international companies with lots of profitable opportunities. It is a common knowledge that globalization of multinational activities is first of all significant expansion of regional and international markets, international laws, cultures and values. It is possible to say that globalization describes the expansion of politics from narrower area (local, regional, national) to broader horizon of international area and thus the whole planet. It is obvious that the impact of globalization is really great and considerable. Due to the globalization processes occurring in the world international and domestic markets become now standardized, mostly because they are interacting, influencing and in such a way combining with ex-rivals from different parts of the world. (Sparrow 2004) Globalization is positive, because there is an increasing competitiveness of multinational activities. Nowadays the national markets are too saturated and companies need new flied of action on a larger scale. The next fact is that globalization of business aims at gaining economies of large scale. It means that investments, administration, production of goods and services, marketing and advertising will be equally distributed among many countries. As the result the expansion costs will be significantly reduced. The last point witness for globalization is that nowadays consumers have globalized preferences and product markets have to correspond. It means that international markets have to be also global. (Sparrow 2004) Globalization of multinational activities and economy was enabled by the series of factors. Highly developed technology gives the possibility for computing power to reduce the costs of transactions and information gathering. This push is intensified by the Internet, because it is global and rather cheap. Modern communications provide the access to available information in the whole world. The importance of communication and Internet has significantly increased, because they are useful for people’s communication. It is a matter of fact that the barriers to international trade and business are falling and becoming more standardized. The important forces were GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) and WTO (World Trade Organization). Due to globalization many countries deliberately reduced their trade barriers, removed barriers to direct foreign investments, and liberalized trade control. Governments of many countries believe that such measures will promote and assist national welfare, economic growth and developing of multinational activities. It is necessary to notice international finances and rapid capital flows. Nowadays technology developments assist banks and other financial establishments in funding foreign expansion, setting new affiliated offices and providing investment opportunities in the whole world. (Dowling 2004) The possibilities of the globalization are: 1. To set economies of large scale, because Internet and communications are global by nature and they are cheaper than other media. 2. Multinational activities are more credible and people believe if it is successful in many countries, its quality is good as well. 3. It is easier and quicker to introduce new production line with global international brand. The main strategies of international globalization are to consolidate comparative advantage, to develop honest competency, to develop global way of thinking, to globalize competency of international companies and to integrate countries. But it is known that the demand of globalization is to think globally, but to act locally. It is a matter of fact that international organizations used to deal with restricted markets and it is hard for them to deal with new global perspectives. New global economy tries to get rid of static organization and to change them by new organization more suited for new globalized economy and new globalized world. (Sparrow 2004) â€Å"Over the course of the past decade, in many countries (especially in the developed world), savers have increasingly diversified their portfolios to include foreign financial assets (foreign bonds, equities, loans), while borrowers increasingly turn to foreign sources of funds, along with domestic ones. While flows of this kind to developing countries also rose sharply in the 1990s, they have been much more volatile than either trade or FDI flows, and have also been restricted to a narrower range of ’emerging market’ countries. † (Sparrow 2004) It is a matter of fact that the number of international transactions dramatically increased during last decades. Economies of many countries became internationalized as their GNP increased due to international exchange of goods and services. It was mentioned that â€Å"increasing economic integration among nations, some scholars argue, has dramatically reduced the barriers between national economies, undermining the autonomy of national governments†. (Dowling 2004) The positive and negative sides of globalization Globalisation has caused many problems for business executives and the government. However, many people support this process. The supporters of globalisation state that globalisation is inevitable and can’t be stopped anyhow. They even argue that globalization can make the world rich. Speaking about four factors of production (labour, land, entrepreneur and capital) we can’t but mention that in the process of globalisation two or three factors must cross the borders. If a company invests in another country, it will receive dividends from that country. There is a flow of these factors of production through multinational corporations. Modern companies try to respond to the emerging open market opportunities, and for the aim of winning better market share and higher profits, have to pay their attention to the globalization and the need for creating large multinational corporations. A bright example of such changes may be represented by the German Hoechst chemical company, which at the beginning of the year 2000, admitting the rapidly changing positions on the chemical market and understanding the new accents on the global cooperation and production, decided to take this step and create a new structure. Through the 2001 and 2002 it has sold twelve of its businesses in Germany for being no more profitable, and has bought four new pharmaceutical firms outside Europe. Hoechst in Europe was the pioneer of such drastic changes in the multinational management trends. Though the Hoechst’s labor force in Germany was decreased almost twice, it became possible to increase the sales over the US continent from 6 to 33 percent of the market share by the end of 2002. These actions could be viewed as an example of new innovative approach to the company’s management. On the other hand, and as Mockler (2002) puts it, ‘such actions were contributing to unrest and uncertainty in Europe’. (p. 12) The topic of multinational management should be discussed though the real life examples and it would be appropriate to note a company which was able to master the issues of multinational management. The talk will be about GE, a company which is now one of the most advanced and highly innovative corporations in relation to management approaches and structures. Its ex-CEO Jack Welch is known all over the world for having put the quality of the company management, and thus the quality of its operations to another, much higher level. Understanding the huge perspective of the global company through the period of Welch’s being GE’s CEO he has implemented one of the most prominent and successful management systems in the world. His main idea was to work though the principle of ‘creative destruction’, which was later used by other multinational companies. (Rugman & Verbeke 2003, p. 29) ‘The objective of the GE’s management strategy was to stretch the potential of the firm, even though this firm was very large. To fulfill these tasks it was necessary to apply the abilities of defining strategic guidelines which channel and stimulate innovative and entrepreneurial actions without inhibiting often unstructured individual initiative’. (Mockler 2002, p. 15) GE has become the multinational company with the ability to adapt to the changes and to implement the latest innovations into its operations. Welch understood the necessity of these innovations, and meeting these challenges, the company turned them into its assets. GE is one of the brightest examples of the multinational companies, which were able to adapt to the rapidly changing technologies and management theories. As the core problem of the multinational corporations is to work through different cultures and traditions, which is almost impossible at times, the role of management must not be underestimated in relation to such global structures. Management provides such company with clear structure, understanding of problems and challenges and gives the clear picture of its market position. GE made it possible for each worker to understand his role in contributing into the general process of management. Namely management has made this company one of the most successful in the recent years. The opponents of globalization argue that globalisation does not bring back more returns as the returns that go out. They argue that for example, a company likes British Telkom, which went abroad because of internal problems with its multinational business. However, these examples can’t spoil positive judgment about globalization. We have many examples of companies that were on the virtue of collapsing but now they are performing very well after going international. Why do others think that globalisation is not useful? In this article â€Å"Will globalisation make you happy† Wright R. (2000) argued that globalisation makes human beings happy but unfortunately they are pursuing things such as power and money which does not bring everlasting happiness. He asks the question, â€Å"does money bring happiness? †. Wright writes that survey carried out in many countries, both rich and poor and confirms that poor relationships are the source of unhappiness and there is no happiness in richness. In the same survey, it was found that a nation is fairly comfortable with a standard of living that is lower than what the average human being thinks. Changing of Employee relations Also a lot of needs appear concerning the changing of employee behaviour in order to provide effective employee relations. There a lot of important work to be implemented by managers and employees itself. (Harris et al) Most people work and live in familiar environment, in the surroundings we were brought up or places similar to this. Accordingly, people that we meet, work with and entertain, are similar to us, due to the fact that they have the same ethnic context, similar viewpoints and religion, the same framework of values, and the same language, that we speak. (Harris et al) Effective changes of behavior starts with detailed interpreting the terms under which the individual is involved into behavior that needs to be changed. It is necessary to understand his motivation in these or that circumstances. Understanding these aspects will make the process of motivating the person easier and predictable. For instance, many supervising managers suppose that speaking foreign languages during working process is the evidence of employee’s laziness, disrespect and desire to detract from the work. But in fact many employees use another language while attempting to perform some information related to their work more accurately. Sometimes it may be the evidence of stress or tiredness, or just an attempt to make the process of communication faster. (Harris et al) One important aspect of making successful cross-cultural interrelations is to be considered. Building up mutual understanding and successful communication demands self-assessment. Each employee should clearly understand and evaluate the styles he or she uses in various situations, and to what degree. (Harris et al) Ability to appreciate other people is significant for successful cross-cultural communication and cooperation. Each person should be aware that it is important to find time to pay attention to other people, to understand and evaluate their style and behavior. For instance, within a definite firm, manager staff members may represent a wide range or personal styles: â€Å"with regard to completing reports, one team leader may require pages of details, and the other leader wants only bullet points of information†. (Harris et al, p. 89) As regards to such peculiarities, cultural and language differences do not matter. Professional manager should realize that the problems of cross-cultural relations affect many spheres of business and economy, for instance, marketing, both domestic and international. It is necessary to take into consideration that, for instance, USA culture consists not only of native culture. Foreign culture of the state is made up not only by foreign citizens. American citizens now may have foreign origin, for instance, Indian, Chinese, Canadian, Australian or Russian. That is why understanding foreign cultures is important for the workers in any sphere, even if they deal with domestic consumers and companies. For those who have business relations with foreign customers of companies such skill is compulsory. The process of globalization and changing conditions of the world market made all spheres of business and finance a cross-cultural phenomenon, which demands that managers on all levels must be aware of cultural differences and means of establishing successful relations to succeed in the market. (Harris et al)

Fish Are Dying Downstream - 1483 Words

Fish are dying downstream. In fall of 2015, the fourth year of California’s drought, eulogies are being written for the nearly extinct Delta smelt, and its lesser-known cousin the longfin smelt may be next in line for that honor. Water in the rivers is so low and so warm that it can barely bring salmon upstream or sustain their nests and young long enough for the young to ever make it to the ocean. Water agencies are building a giant raft – an un-Noah’s Ark – to pump water up to intakes that provide water to surrounding homes. Those intakes are normally deep under water. Columbia University scientists have just estimated that eight to 27 percent of the intensity of the drought is due to climate change. Folsom Lake is a shadow of its former†¦show more content†¦Would not you? I roll from the paved parking lot at Granite Bay off a high-and-dry boat ramp and out into the lake landscape – or make that sandscape. The tan shifting surface is vegetation-free and trailless, and I happily pick a route based on what interests me rather than on the quickest way to get to my destination, whatever that may be. I have half a day to burn and I figure I can get from Granite Bay to or past Beeks Bight, a tight cove with a few points and peninsulas between here and there. Having recently ridden at both Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, I am pleased to note that the slopes are imminently rideable. This reservoir, lower in elevation and closer to the valley floor, has gentle slopes along this southwestern side, so the surface is gentle to flat, with occasional rocky points and muddy ravines that were once coves, and before that, streams. I know that further upstream the arms of the reservoir will narrow and the slopes will steepen to canyon walls, but there is plenty of riding between here and there. The lake bottom is crisscrossed with the prints of wide truck tires. I note that if sand will support a truck, it will generally support the fat bike. But heading straight upslope in sand is a new challenge. Even with low pressure – I am running just under ten pounds per square inch in my tires – the front of the bike bogs down and slides with even the slightest twisting of the handlebars, and the

Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 2635 Words

Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, AL. Recently, she died on February 19, 2016 in her hometown. One of her most famous books published, To Kill a Mockingbird, occurred on July 11, 1960. It instantly became a success and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The novel received positive reviews and achieved bestseller status. The plot and characters loosely resemble the author’s observations of her family and neighbors along with an event that occurred near her hometown around age 10. Many people look at To Kill a Mockingbird as autobiographical of Harper Lee’s life. Lee’s father is similar to the character Atticus Finch, being an attorney who defended two African Americans accused of murder. Also, Lee had a brother who like†¦show more content†¦Although after a series of letters, Walter appeared falsely accuses and was committed to life in prison where he died. The major theme of the book consists of racial inequality and destruction of inno cence. The book also depicts the themes of class, gender roles, courage, and compassion in the Deep South. Early reviewers found Scout’s narration unconvincing because of its style and language too sophisticated for a young girl. However since then critics hailed Lee’s narration of Scout’s childhood perspective as one of the most proficient in modern fiction. Form, Structure, and Plot: To Kill a Mockingbird is divided into 31 chapter in three hundred and seventy-six pages. Harper Lee uses foreshadowing throughout the novel especially with Boo. Some examples of foreshadowing are the following: when Boo Radley places a blanket on Scout’s shoulders the night of Miss Maudie’s house fire, and when Boo leaves gifts in the tree for the kids. These two examples of foreshadowing exhibit Boo Radley’s gentle caring heart for children. This leads into the later event that it foreshadows when Boo kills Bob Ewell in order to save Jem and Scout. Throughout this novel, two main plots occur over a time period of two to three years. One of the plots remains the kids’ adventures and the other consists of Atticus’s work. The title of the book displays Harper Lee’s use of parallelism with Atticus’s case. The title’s To Kill a Mockingbird is to not kill