Motivation Techniques in Workforce Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Motivation Techniques in Workforce - Case Study Example Big Ray’s company is supposed to have good human resource policies (Bernanke 23). It gives fair treatment to all employees and has a no-layoff policy. It is recommended that the human resource managers be motivating their employees to be more productive by offering incentives. The incentives include a medical cover, gifts etc.   There is a need for Big Ray’s company to promote a team spirit where everyone in the organization is made to believe that they â€Å"are in this thing together† (Bernanke 25). This will apply to all managers and employees. Great things will be achieved when people work together.   Communication problems are supposed to be resolved in order to enhance loyalty. Lack of communication is interpreted by employees as not caring. Open and frequent communication with employees at Big Ray’s company will build trust and diminishes fear. Communication is important because employees will air their grievances and make suggestions. This is important at the Big Ray’s company because of the nature of the job. This should be maintained because it boosts the morale of workers.   Motivation is important in any work because it increases job performance (Bernanke 27). Employees who are motivated to work by being given bonuses increase their output than their counterparts who are not given bonuses, financial incentives etc.   Employees work well in an environment that is free of too much noise and health hazards. For example, the area where the materials at Big Ray’s company is handled, cut and processed is loud and dangerous. This is supposed to be reduced in order to compete with their competitors who offer good working conditions to their employees.

Nutrasweet in China Essay Example for Free

Nutrasweet in China Essay To come up with a decision to the whether enter the Greater China Market or not we decided to approach the case with a SWOT analysis. Strengths NutraSweet is an artificial sweetener that is one of the most recognized brand names in the United States and in the world. NutraSweet’s earnings per share is $ 6. 36 and with huge capitalization and investments in diverse products. Stacey has the approved budget of $ 500,000 to market NutraSweet in China. NutraSweet has the flexibility on how to position their product in terms of functionality, or either as sugar substitute or health product for diabetics. Weaknesses The research conducted towards the Chinese consumers may not truly reflect the real sentiments of the consumers towards NutraSweet. NutraSweet has not decided on building its own distribution system and may rely on foreign agents for distribution. NutraSweet is more expensive than ordinary white sugar. Opportunities China is a big market and can provide higher profitability to the company. China is the second or eighth largest economy in the world; depending on how it was gauged. There is a perceived consumers’ infatuation with Western brands. Chinese maintain healthful lifestyle so the potential for NutraSweet to launch their product in China is strong. Threats Sugar is a common household purchase as a sweetener and has been part of Chinese households for decades. Culture dictates that there might be difficulty in replacing traditional use of sugar with NutraSweet. The Chinese market is so diverse and it is difficult to come up with a general characteristic to define them. Artificial sweeteners are known by history of skepticism for saccharin and potential health hazards. There is difficulty in attracting and retaining local employees and as such, NutraSweet is having doubts in investing into training their marketing and sales personnel for fear that the employees would not stay long in the company. There are only very few foreign agents that operate in China. Sugar use and consumption levels differed among 3 key markets –Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Arthur Andersen survey in China showed that most joint ventures from food and drink were not profitable. Most MNCs in China are unprofitable despite substantial growth. Majority of the Chinese are considered â€Å"flat-bellied† and don’t see the need for a diet regimen. The Chinese culture also dictates that they are not that concerned with their teeth, hence they don’t have that fear of tooth decay. The company should enter the Greater China market as a niche product for consumers with a medical need. The company cannot delay its entry in the China market, especially with factors such as an average of 10% economic growth, a quickly emerging middle class, and a high possibility in consumers’ increase purchasing power. Postponement of entry may mean higher costs in the future and although the company will not immediately profit from the venture, research showed that companies who entered the market 5 to 10 years ago were doing best. The knowledge gained from market entry will allow NutraSweet to sharpen its future strategies. Pros The successful experience in establishing medical awareness in Hong Kong may be applied to the Greater China Market. Entering the Greater China market through the three key cities will provide a better knowledge of the overall Chinese market. A natural market consisting of diabetics and obese customers already exist. Hospital stores and drug dispensaries do not have the bargaining strength that retailers have. Product information campaigns will be facilitated by health professionals who will easily understand and appreciate the product’s benefits. Promotion to medical professionals through associations will not need as much cost as a nationwide mass-market campaign. A $ 2,010,526. 31 in breakeven sales seems very feasible in the Chinese market. Cons The Chinese tend to be slim and had historically not been preoccupied by tooth decay. ? SHORT-TERM The Chinese consumers’ attraction to brand names, especially the number 1 in any category gives NutraSweet an opportunity to establish itself as a first mover in the medical aid products under a new category of sweeteners. The company will launch a product information campaign for medical professionals and will also tap their associations. Associations of diabetics and obese consumers will also be tapped. The company will focus on relationship building with the medical industry. Since poor dental health is a problem in China, the company may also create an awareness drive on the ill effects of sugar on the teeth to lay the foundation of need awareness. The product will be packaged in sachet form with global brand and American image prominent on the sachet to appeal to the consumers’ preference for American brands. The company will capitalize on the convenience of bringing the sachets anywhere with you. The medical industry will be given free samples of the product. The doctors will be taught to promote daily use of the product, with sweetening of milk and coffee or hot drinks as one of the more common purposes. Consumers will be taught to use the product in cooking through the provision of free recipe booklets and cooking demonstration classes. The product will be distributed in the three key cities of Greater China, namely, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, where the medical industry is more developed compared with the other cities. The company will create its own distribution structure. The product will use the distribution channels of hospital stores and drug dispensaries. Since the focus is on niche marketing, the product will still be sourced from the U. S. plant. LONG-TERM The long-term goal will be to mass market the product in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and use the learning’s from those markets to penetrate the market Greater China. Establishing distribution networks in the two countries will be easier, given the favorable business environments. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, the product will be repositioned as a healthy family lifestyle food, targeting the affluent, health and weight conscious consumers. Aggressive promotion will be pursued, such as print and media ads, and the employment of product endorsers, and store promotions. Consumer awareness and education will be the focus of the campaigns.

Analysis of Microfinance Lending and Credit Assessment Methodology

Analysis of Microfinance Lending and Credit Assessment Methodology Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) core activities are driven by a social mission through provision of full range of banking needs to poor people for productive purposes, thereby contributing to the developmentl objective of poverty reduction. MFIs products and services includes micro-credit, micro-savings, micro-insurance and also remittances. Microcredit program is providing financial capital to the poor household in order to engage them in income generating activities for alleviating poverty mostly to finance small businesses agricultural loans. Typically this type of lending is not secured by any collateral but granted based on the clients ability to generate the necessary financial means for repayment based on his or her business activities. Most of the terms and conditions for microcredit loans are flexible and easy to understand. However, there is no standard lending and credit assessment methodology employed by MFIs. We are motivated to explore and document this research gap. 1.2 The Innovation and Development of Microfinance Industry in Malaysia The provision of microcredit is nothing new in Malaysia. Poverty eradication programs involve provision of credit at subsidised rate to the poor has been around since 1970s after formation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) that was instituted in 1970. The earlier micro credit program was mainly carried out by credit unions, co-operatives, specialised credit institutions and NGOs. The provision of small financing designated mostly to finance micro enterprises, agriculture sector for poverty reduction and to improve income of the Bumiputera. The legislation for microfinance regulation in Malaysia includes, Moneylender Act 2002, Banking and Financial Institution Act 1989, Development Financial Institution Act 2002, and Cooperatives Societies Act 1993, (Zakiah, 2004). The Microfinance business models are based on mass market, cooperatives, monoline and distributor network (BNM, 2010). Majlis Amamah Rakyat (MARA), a council of trust to the Bumiputera and Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) are some of the pioneers to introduce micro credit to micro enterprises. The rural credit institutions comprising of Agriculture Bank of Malaysia (Agrobank), Farmers Organization Authority (LLP), Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) and other agro-based Co-operative Societies provide micro credit for the agriculture sectors. There are also a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that engage in micro credit provision (Kasim and Jayasooria, 1993). These include Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), Yayasan Usaha Maju (YUM) and Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) in Sabah, Koperasi Kredit Rakyat (KKR) in Selangor. Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN) is a government agency micro credit provider. While, Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM), a cooperatives institution providing Islamic microcre dit program based on al-rahnu concept in Malaysia. Prior to 2003, Commercial banks involvement in microfinance program are just limited to extending lines of credit to AIM, and as a mediator for schemes such as the loan fund for hawkers and petty traders operated by the Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC). In May 2003, the government launched a Micro Credit Scheme, particularly stimulating agricultural production activities as well as expanding small and medium enterprise activities. Two banking institutions namely Agrobank and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), and AIM have been given the responsibility to carry out the scheme. The scheme is collateral free, and borrowers are eligible for a maximum loan of up to RM20,000 with interest rates charged at 4% per annum on reducing balance. The government acknowledged that development of the microfinance industry is crucial in promoting greater financial inclusion, given that almost 80 percent of the SMEs in Malaysia are micro enterprises (BNM, 2006). Thus, in August 2006, the National SME Development Council (NSDC) approved a comprehensive microfinance institutional framework proposed by BNM, comprising banking institutions, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and credit cooperatives to develop a sustainable microfinance industry. This commercially-driven microfinance industry will complement the existing Government-sponsored microfinance programmes. This is important to ensure that micro enterprises have adequate and continuous access to financing. Following this initiative, 10 local banks are now offering microfinance products providing a channel for micro enterprises to obtain financing from the formal financial systems. BSN was mandated to provide microfinance, while Bank Rakyat would provide microfinance to members of cooperatives and Agrobank would continue to provide microfinance to micro enterprises in the agriculture and agro-based sector. Banking institutions with their extensive nationwide network of branches would ensure wider outreach of microfinance. In addition, BNM proposed the establishment of the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission to strengthen the role of credit cooperatives in providing credit to micro enterprises. The new comprehensive microfinance indusry framework in Malaysia is as isllustrated in Table 1 below. Table 1: The Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Malaysia Non-Bank MFIs Bank MFIs Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) Yayasan Usaha Maju (YUM) Koperasi Kredit Rakyat (KKR) Kooperasi Kredit Pekerja (KKP) Partners in Enterprise Malaysia (PiEM) Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN) Council of Trust to Bumiputera (MARA) Malaysian Building Society Berhad (MBSB) Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) Agrobank Bhd (AgroBank) Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Bhd (Bank Rakyat) Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) Alliance Bank Bhd (Alliance Bank) AMBank Bhd (AM Bank) CIMB Bank Bhd (CIMB) EONCAP Islamic Bank Bhd (EON Bank) Public Bank Bhd (PBB) United Overseas Bank Bhd (UOB) Credit Guarantee Corporation Bhd (CGC) Source: adapted from Jasman et. al., (2010) These financial institutions have adopted different business models and strategies that leverage on the institutional strengths and niches to supports the credit needs of micro enterprises. A number of financial institutions have adopted a mass market model whereby the financial institution provides micro credit products through its existing branch network. Others, like Bank Rakyat, have adopted a cooperative model which provides microfi nance to its members. Some have employed the distributor network model, which leverages on the distributive capabilities of strategic business partners. Another is the monoline model with a dedicated microfinance operation, formed with its own distinct branding and processes designed to uniquely appeal to micro enterprises. Table 2 : Comparative Analysis of Non-Bank Microcredit Programs in Malaysia Category Non-Government Organization (NGOs) Government Agency Coopeatives Institution AIM YUM TEKUN MARA SCC YaPEIM Target Group Low income community Bumiputra micro entrepreneurs Bumiputra mincro entrepreneurs Agroculture based entrepreneurs Pretty traders Gold financing Programe Name Ikhtiar Microcredit General 1 2 and Group Fund Loan Tekun Microcredit Business Financing Community Loan Scheme Al-Rahnu Micro Credit Age Limit 18 years above Women 18 to 55 years 18 60 years 21 60 years Loan Amount Min : Nil Max : RM20,000 Min : RM100 Max : RM20,000 Min : Nil Max : RM50,000 Min : 1,000 Max : RM10,000 Min : 1,000 Max : RM10,000 Up to RM25,000 Loan Period 6 months to 3 years 6 months to 5 years 6 months to 5 years Up to 4 years Up to 3 years Processing Period 21 days N/a 35 days 11 days N/a Repayment Period Weekly Daily, Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Interest Rate / Charge 10%p.a 4% 11%p.a 5% 6%p.a 1.25%p.m 10%p.a 0.1% 0.75% Program Supports Insurance Business Training Business Training, Compulsory Deposits Business training Compulsory savings Advisory Business Matching loan scheme for group of 5 or 6 individuals. Source : UNDP(2008), and Respective Institutions websites. Note : No published data available for KKR, KKP and PiEM microfiance program details. Table 3 : Comparative Analysis of Banks Financial Institutions Microcredit Programs in Malaysia Category Banking Instititions (BIs) Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) Institution ABB AMBank CIMB EONCAPi PBB UOB CGC Agrobank BSN Bank Rakyat Program Name Personal Financing AmMikro Cash Express Personal Financing PB Micro Finance EasiCash DAGS Modal Usahawan 1 BSN Teman Niaga Mikro-i Target Group Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Micro enterprises SMEs Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Micro enterprises Age Limit 25 60 years 18 60 years 21 60 years Retired civil servants 25 60 years 21 55 years 21 60 years 21 60 years 18 65 years Loan Amount RM2,000 RM50,000 RM3,000 RM50,000 RM3,000 RM50,000 RM5,000 RM50,000 RM3,000 RM50,000 RM5,000 RM50,000 RM50,000 RM3.0M RM1,000 RM50,000 RM5,000 RM50,000 RM1,000 RM50,000 Loan Period 6 months 5 years 1 5 years 6 months 5 years 3 15 years 1 5 years 2 5 years 3 months 5 years 1 5 years 1 months 5 years Processing Period 2 days 5 days 2 days 5 days 6 days 7 days 4 days 6 days 10 days Repayment Period Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Interest Rate / Charge 5.05%p.a 2.5%p.m 2% 3%p.m 2% 3%p.m 0.9%p.m 0.5% 3.5%p.a 4%p.a 4%p.a 4%p.a Source : Comparative table on microfinanc product features (BNM, 2010) and Respective Insritutions website 1.3 Problem Statements: Research issues in Microcredit Lending combines the science of obtaining and analysing the facts of a loan request and the art of making judgements about that information, the feasibility of the business, and the credibility of the borrower. Experienced lenders focus on the key business issues quickly, determine what information is needed, and then make prompt decisions based on that information. Developing sound credit judgement takes time and experience; development lending to small businesses by the book is difficult and rarely results in a quality loan portfolio. There is no formula for determining creditworthiness. The loan officer must assemble and evaluate information and then determine what the entire picture looks like. Traditional bank lenders refer to the Four Cs of lending: Credit, Capacity, Collateral, and Character. Development lending uses the same rigorous credit assessment principles, but applies them to situations in which the lender must rely on borrower character and cash flow from the business. The loan application and the first meeting with the borrower are the first screen of whether a business is a potential candidate for microcredit. Beginning with the first meeting, the lender must evaluate the quality of the business deal, the fit with the borrowers experience and capacity, and whether the financing amount and structure is appropriate. 1.4 Research Questions/Objectives The questions/objectives of this study are: RQ1: To investigate the microcredit lending methodology of commercial-driven and government funded MFIs RQ2: To investigate the credit assessment methodology of commercial-driven and government funded MFIs RQ3: Is there any different between lending and credit assessment methodology of commercial-driven and government funded MFIs? 1.5 Significance of this study This paper aim to understand, comparatively analyze and document the MFIs lending and credit application assessment methodology of both the commercial-driven and government-funded MFIs microcredit program. This study will contribute to enrich the existing literature related to microcredit and microenterprises financing with specific reference to Malaysia environment. 1.6 Limitations Survey involving only selected active MFIs based in west Malaysia. This paper only focused on microcredit lending and credit assessment methodology for micro enterprises only. 1.7 Organization of Report This paper is organized into four parts, after the introduction, part two contains the literature review related to microfinance lending and credit assessment methodology for micro enterprises. Part three describing data collection and analysis methodology and the last part contains concluding remarks and recommendations. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Review of Microfinance Delivery Methodologies (REFINE) The Review of Rural Finance Innovations in Asia-Pacific Region have identified and documented the microfinance methodologies used in Asia. These methodologies include: Grameen Bank; Association for Social Advancement (ASA); SHG Linkage Banking ; Unit Desas (Village Banks) of the Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI); and Mixed model and mixed method (Source:xxx) Grameen Bank model The Grameen model is the most popular and widely replicated model in Asia. It consistently achieves outreach both in depth and magnitude and high repayment rates (98 per cent). The early replicators as early as 1989 were India, Malaysia and the Philippines; others include China and Indonesia. The model focuses on: poor peoples access to credit, with women as a priority; small loans repaid in weekly instalments; eligibility for higher loan amount for succeeding loans; loans for income-generating activities; financing activities chosen by borrowers themselves; and forming solidarity groups. Over time, the replicators modified the model to suit local contexts. ASA model ASA is another model from Bangladesh. In the 1990s, ASA gained recognition for achieving a repayment rate of 99 per cent. In Asia, the model has been replicated in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. While loan products are the same as with the Grameen model, the difference is that it does not impose the group co-liability. The model also requires that the borrowers form groups of 25 to 30 members. The model uses a unique standardized branch approach which enables cost savings and efficiency in service delivery the branch has no need for additional personnel for cashier and accountant, enabling it to fully cover costs even after 9 to12 months. SHG Linkage Banking model The SHG Linkage Banking model is an outcome of the Regional Linkage Banking Programme which is an initiative supported by APRACA and Deutsche Gesellschaft fà ¼r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) in the early 1990s. Using this model, NABARD of India achieved the largest scale and outreach in the countries supported by this programme. The approach is linking SHGs with banking institutions for loan and deposit services. Most SHGs are formed by NGOs or government agencies with financial support from NABARD. One difference between this model and the Grameen and ASA models is that before obtaining their first loan, the members of SHGs are required to mobilize savings first. They usually start at a 1:1 or 2:1 loan- to-savings ratio, increasing to 4:1 in succeeding loan cycles. Bank loans are wholesaled to SHGs, which in turn lend to individual members following terms and policies set by the SHGs themselves. The SHG is the dominant microfinance methodology in India (Sinha, 2003). Unit Desas model Unit Desas are village banks of the Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI). The bank provides loans for any income-generating activity: from 3 to 24 months for working capital and 36 months for investment capital. The reported repayment rate is 99 per cent. Charging market interest rates enabled the unit banks to be profitable and operationally self-sustainable units. Mixed model and mixed method As a result of cross-dissemination of various methodologies and experimentation by microfinance institutions, there is an emerging trend of adopting a mixed model and a mixed method. The former combines features of two or more models under one approach. The latter uses different methodologies for different client segments. For example, in the Philippines, microfinance institutions use an approach called GraSa which identifies clients and forms groups using the Grameen model while removing the co-liability requirement, which is a feature of the ASA model. Overall, the common thread among the best practices is the shift from mere credit to providing broader and sustainable financial services. While there are variations, there is an increasing emphasis on attaining a sustainable fund base, cost recovery of invested funds and efficient and responsive financial services to rural clients. 2.2 Traditional Approach of Creditworthiness Assessment for Small Borrowers An important role of credit markets is to screen borrowers and allocate credit efficiently based on their creditworthiness. Traditionally, banks have played a dominant role in doing so. One of the reasons posited for this has been that banks have the financial expertise to effectively intermediate capital (Diamond, 1994). The theoretical and empirical literature has argued that banks do very little screening for small borrowers and rely excessively on collateral. In addition, recent theoretical literature has also highlighted that the screening role may be better performed by markets with many participants, as opposed to banks (Boot and Thakor, 1997). Alternative peer-to-peer credit markets have recently started gaining popularity in lending to smaller borrowers such as individuals and small firms, both in developed and developing economies (Rajkamal I., et. al., 2009) While prior research has provided substantial evidence of elevated default risk among lower-income, minority, and less creditworthy borrowers (see, for example, Avery et al., 1996, Deng, Quigley, and Van Order, 1996, Berkovec et al., 1998, Pennington-Cross and Nichols, 2000), recent studies also suggest offsets to those risks via the slower prepayment speeds of targeted borrower groups (see, for example, Kelly, 1995, Van Order and Zorn, 2002, Archer, Ling, and McGill, 2002). Table 1: Summary of Criteria considered important by Bankers in Assessing Small Business Borrower Loan Applications Assessment Criteria Author(s)/Year Country Owners Personal Charatcteristics Business Ability (Fertuck, 1982) Honesty (Fertuck, 1982) Trading Experience (Deakins Hussain, 1994; Fletcher, 1995) Managerial Experience (Jones, 1982; Memon, 1984) Credit History (Jones, 1982; Memon, 1984) Quality of Management (Rosli, 1995) Malaysia Leverage and Security Position Gearing (Deakins Hussain, 1994; Fletcher, 1995; Berry, Grant and Jarvis, 2001; Binks and Ennew, 1996) Collateral (Ulrich Arlow, 1981) Guarantee (Deakins Hussain, 1994; Fletcher, 1995) Risk of Default (Rosli, 1995) Malaysia Owners and Business Financials Initial Capial (Jones, 1982; Memon, 1984) Financial Strengths (Fertuck, 1982) Bank Lending Policies Bank Policy (Berger and Udell, 2002) Relationship (Berger and Udell, 2002) Summary Table 2: Negative Factors Resulting in Rejection of Small Business Loans Application Assessment Criteria Author(s)/Year Country Owners Personal Charatcteristics Lack of Competecnce (Buttner Rosen, 1992; Desmond, 1991) Lack of Management Skills (Buttner Rosen, 1992) Lack of Entrepreneurial Skills Experience (Buttner Rosen, 1992; Desmond, 1991) Owners and Business Financials Poor Cash Flows (Struck Glassman, 1983) Poor Earnings Records (Fertuck, 1982) Insufficient Turnover (Read, 1998) Poor Credit Ratings Leverage Positions Poor Collateral (Fertuck, 1982) Insufficient Owners Equity (Struck Glassman, 1983) Past Due in Credit (Struck Glassman, 1983) Excessive Loan Requests (Desmond, 1991) Gearing too high (Desmond, 1991) Business Plans Insufficient Market Research (Buttner Rosen, 1992) Incomplete Business Plans (Buttner Rosen, 1992) Other Factors Bad Timing (Buttner Rosen, 1992) Summary 2.3 Innovation in Small Business Lending: The Art and Science of Microcredit The history of microcredit program can be traced back since 18th century where Credit Coperatives and charities provided small entrepreneurs in Europe (Hollis et. al., 1998). According to Hollis et. Al., a notable microcredit program in europe includes a fund created by Jonathan Swift, a novelist and the Irish Reproductive Loan Fund Institution. In developing economies, it is argued that among others absence of access to credit is presumed to be the cause for the failure of the poor to come out of poverty. Meeting the gap between demand and supply of credit in the formal financial institutions frontier has been challenging (Von Pischke, 1991). In fact, the gap is not aroused merely because of shortage of loan-able fund to the poor rather it arise because it is costly for the formal financial institutions to lend to the poor. Lending to the poor involves high transaction cost and risks associated with information asymmetries and moral hazards (Stiglitz and Weiss, 1981). Nevertheless, in several developing economies governments have intervened, through introduction of microfinance institutions to minimize the gap then allow the poor access credits through provision of so called microcredit. Microcredit is defined simply as small-scale credit, most typically for less-advantaged individuals. In practice, microcredit is most frequently used to refer to credit provided specifically for the purpose of starting a small business and there is other microcredit products catering for other consumption needs of poor individual. The various forms of micro-credit systems have proven successful in delivering credit to the poor and ensuring high rate of repayment when compared to the formal channels. Because micro-credit systems have been effective in reaching the poor, many developing countries have set up special financial institutions that either directly provide credit to SHGs and the facilitating NGOs or help refinance commercial and cooperative banks that provide the credit. These national micro-finance institutions are in turn funded by international agencies as well as the national government (source xxxx) Microfinance Lending Methodology Micro-lending methodology in practice is appearently different to mainstream banking. The distinguish characteristics are as follows; (i) non traditional creditworthiness assessment criteria; (ii) non traditional collateral accepted; (iii) loan officers are not necessarily bankers; (iv) credit is provided along with business support services. Other distinguishing features between them are as tabulated below; Table 3: Comparison of Micro-finance and Formal Banking Lending to Micro Enterprises Characteristics Microfinance Formal Banking Size of loan Small/tiny size of credit Medium/large credit Duration of loan Short duration Medium and long Thrift Emphasis on thrift as well as loans Focus on loan only Screening and Monitoring Group formation and informal methods Formal Procedures Enforcement of Repayments Stepped or sequential loans, Peer pressure and weekly repayments Collateral and legal pressured for repayments Nature of Organization Social organizational form Commercial organization form Motivation Self-help motivated Profit motivated Outreach Access to poor without collateral (all members) Access limited Lending Method Cash-flows based lending Asset-based lending Analysis Field visits Desk Analysis Credit Administration Flexible and personalized Standardized Source: Adapted with midification fromxxx 2.3.2 Microfinance Loan Assessment and Credit Analysis Methodology An important function of credit markets is to screen borrowers and allocate credit efficiently based on borrowers creditworthiness (Iyer, et. al., 2009). The credit analysis is defined as a process of establishing the current creditworthiness of loan applicants and forecasting the trends in its development. Top priority goals and stages in the bank credit analysis are determined. (Feschijan, 2008). The analysis of the creditworthiness involves preliminary study of the factors and prerequisites which can affect adversely the duly repayment of the credit. When analyzing creditworthiness, along with the required prerequisites for creditworthiness it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive study of the factors that determine it. It is believed that creditworthiness depends on several major factors: the borrowers efficiency, his reputation, his capacity for profit making, the value of his assets, the state of the economic situation, his profitability, etc. In order to conduct a thorough study of the above mentioned, it is necessary to use a number of indicators for the credit analysis (Feschijan, 2008). Table 3: Empirical Evidence of Microcredit Repayment Determinants Determinant factors Author(s)/Year Country Regular monitoring, audits, high repayment frequency, having group savings deposits Deininger and Liu (2009) India Close monitoring and close relationshp with borrowers Roslan et. Al. (2007) Malaysia Threats of sanctions, borrower incur less transactions costs Bhatt and Tang (2002) USA Gender of the borrower, type of business activity, amount of loan, repayment period and trainning Rosalan and M. Zaini (2009) Malaysia Joint liability, dinamic and progressive lending, Peer monitoring, social ties and social connections, self-selection, income shocks, social sanction and cooperation, loan size, infrastructure and local economic environment, group rules and regulations, group size, age of the group, assistance offered by bank, gender, local culture, group homogeneity, role of group leader Bakshi (2008) N/a (literature review) Group gender decomposition (group with more females) Anthony and Horne (2003) USA RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Data Specification and Collection Method Target Respondents Target respondents will comprises of the following selected microfinance institutions (MFIs) which constitutes both the non-bank MFIs and bank-MFIs; Category Non-Bank MFIs Bank-MFIs Organization MARA YUM AIM TEKUN SCC BSN Agro Bank Bank Rakyat Target Respondents Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer Credit Manager/Officer No. of Respondents 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Total respondents = 320 A personally administrated survey was employed in this study. Target respondents were comprises of credit managers and officers of the above selected MFIs in west Malaysia. Questionnaire Design Table 3.1: The Structured Questionnaire Design Section Category Remarks Section A Respondent Profile This section is designed to cater information on respondents demographic profile. Section B Lending Methodology This section concentrates on profiling the lending methodology of MFIs Section C Credit Assessment This section is designed to explore microcredit assessment criteria employed by MFIs Data Analysis Methods Descriptive Statistics Analysis Descriptive statistics analysis used to explore the characteristics of the respondents. Factor Analysis Factor analysis use to analyse and determine the significant important factors for microlenders in analysing microenterprises loan applications. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) ANOVA is used to established statistical significant of differences of lending and credit assessment methodologies between commercially-driven and government-funded MFIs. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS Descriptive Statistics Analysis Respondent demographic factors Factor Analysis RQ1: To investigate the microcredit lending methodology of commercial-driven and government funded MFIs RQ2: To investigate the credit assessment methodology of commercial-driven and government funded MFIs

Mexico :: essays research papers

Why should I invest in Mexico? Mexico has established itself as one of the biggest emerging markets in the world today. It has exhibited many of the signs of a high growth economy, offering several advantages to prospective investors. Some highlights of the Mexican economy include single-digit inflation, a balanced public budget, real economic growth (presently at a rate of 12 percent), a deregulated economy and a favorable investment climate etc. Mexico also possesses a strategic geographic location as a gateway to Latin American markets. Mexico is among the fastest- growing export markets for the United States. In 1985, Mexico became the third largest market for total U.S. exports, behind Canada and Japan. In 1992, Mexico surpassed Japan as the second largest export market for U.S. manufactured goods. Mexico now has become the second most important U.S. trading partner after Canada. U.S. exports to Mexico have grown at double-digit annual rates in every year since 1995, culminating in an astonishing 28 percent growth in 2000. U.S. exports to Mexico grew from $46 billion in 1995 to more than $112 billion in 2000 -- more than our 3rd and 4th largest trading partners, Japan and the U.K., combined, and more than double the value of U.S. exports to the entire European Community. U.S. export growth to Mexico has been buoyed by strong growth in Mexican GDP. The Mexican economy grew a remarkable 7 percent in 2000. Growth declined sharply in 2001, however, in concert with the economic slowdown in the United States. Projections for 2001 have been scaled downward from an initial 5.5 percent to a second quarter estimate of 2.5 percent, and are likely to go lower still. This could be the first year since the inception of NAFTA that U.S. exports to Mexico fail to grow at double-digit rates. Political developments in Mexico have contributed to the country's long-term market potential. On July 2, 2000, voters elected a more plural Congress and chose Vicente Fox of the opposition PAN party as President, ending 71 years of one-party rule by the PRI at the federal level. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Fox's victory, which marks the first opposition presidency in Mexico's modern era, and symbolizes Mexico's march toward increased pluralism and more open democracy. Fox's priorities include expanding legal avenues for Mexicans seeking employment in the United States, reaching a lasting peace in Chiapas, enhancing foreign trade and investment, and reforming Mexico's fiscal policies.

Prisons would not exist in a truly Christian society Essay

â€Å"Prisons would not exist in a truly Christian society.† Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have considered more that one point of view. All societies have different forms of punishment for people who break the law, some of these punishments are; the death penalty, imprisonment and fines. In this question I will explore both sides of the argument. Firstly I will be talking about the ideas of prisons not existing in a truly Christian society then compare them to those of prisons existing. Christians believe that God is merciful and compassionate; this therefore gives the sinner the chance to repent and to turn away from their sins. An example of this is when Jesus does not condemn the Adulterous Women but tells her not to sin again. This gives her the chance for her to acknowledge her sins and therefore not commit this crime again. Moreover this will encourage people to take the chance to change and they won’t commit any crime again, then being no point for prisons to exist. However this may not be the case as people might not just change, maybe they don’t want to be a better person. Another reason for prisons not to exist is if you send all the criminals to the same place prisons could turn into a college of crime and there people would only educate each other in more law – breaking ideas, and organise and take part in criminal activities. Thirdly, sending people away to prison is making them outcasts to the out side society, this is not what Jesus wanted as he deliberately sought out those people on the edge of society such as; lepers. Prisons would not exist as sending someone to prison is not a sign of forgiveness, it is taking someone’s life away, and only God can do this. However Prisons could exist in a truly Christian society as prisons offer people the chance to reform through the support of other people such as counsellors or Chaplin’s. Again, Prisons could exist in a truly Christian society as it is the Christians responsibly to create the Kingdom of God and therefore prisons could lock away those who would cause harm to the society and stop the Kingdom of God coming about. An example of a teaching for Prisons existing in the bible is of the Cain and Abel story. In this story Cain murders his brother Abel, and God gets angry with him and gives him the punishment of him being banished from his home and curses him so that he will never be able to earn a living on the land again. Some Christians would say that Cain’s exile resembles prison. Sending a criminal to prison gives the person time to reflect on what they have done wrong and gives time to change. In conclusion, it would seem that prisons would not exist in a truly Christian society because it is not showing or practicing the signs of forgiveness, yet it is possible that prisons are compatible with Christian teaching because of the Cain and Abel story, what with Cain being made an outcast. In my opinion, I believe that prisons should not exist as people should always be given a second chance, the chance to change.

Environmental Issues of Coal Mining Essays

Environmental Issues of Coal Mining Essays Environmental Issues of Coal Mining Paper Environmental Issues of Coal Mining Paper High levels of suspended particulate matter increase respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma cases while gaseous emissions contribute towards global warming besides causing health hazards to the exposed population. The uncontrolled dust not only creates serious health hazard but also affects the productivity through poor visibility, breakdown of equipment, increased maintenance cost and ultimately deteriorates the ambient air quality in and around the mining site. The dust can also pollute nearby surface waters and Stunt crop growth by shading and logging the pores of the plants. Besides polluting the environment, the generation of dust means the loss of fines, which act as road surface binders. Problem with greenhouse gases, acid rain and ground level ozone The key environmental challenges facing the coal industry are related to both coal mining and the use of coal greenhouse gases, acid rain and ground level ozone, issues which can be local, regional and global in their impacts. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon which refers to the increase in the earths surface temperature due to the presence of certain gases in the atmosphere. There is concern that this natural phenomenon is being altered by a greater build up of gases caused by human activity. This is known as the enhanced greenhouse effect. The combustion of coal, like that of other fossil fuels, produces CO, a gas that is linked to global warming through the greenhouse effect. The combustion of coal produces gaseous emissions of sulfur dioxide (SIS) and nitrous oxides (Knox) that are responsible for the production of acid rain and ground level ozone. Acid rain occurs when SIS and Knox gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen and other Heimlich to form acidic compounds. Ground level ozone (03) is mainly responsible for smog that forms a brown haze over cities. Ground level ozone is formed when Knox gases react with other chemicals in the atmosphere and is enhanced by strong sunlight. Emissions of SIS and Knox are termed trans- boundary air pollution because the environmental impacts from the production of these gases are not restricted by geographical boundaries. II) Impact of Coal Mine Fires A number of coal mines in the country are affected by fires leading to steady destruction of precious energy resource. The reason for mine fires resalable involves the phenomenon of spontaneous heating through two interrelated processes biz. , the oxygen coal interaction or oxidative process and the thermal process. If remains uncontrolled, the fire could spread further through interconnected pathways and fissures in the strata. It is estimated that about 10% of total national coal resources are in the fire- affected areas. Mine fires give rise to several environmental problems besides safety hazards and economic losses. Apart from direct losses due to burning of coal, the other associated hazards encountered are: I) gas poisoning, ii) difficult ego- inning conditions, iii) sterilization of coal, iv) hindrance to production v) explosions, vi) damage to structure and adjacent properties, etc. (Ill) Impact of Mining on Water regime Disturbance to hydrological regime Mining and its associated activities not only uses a lot Of water but also affects the hydrological regime of the district and often affects the water quality. Large and deep opencast mines usually have great impact on the hydrological regime of the region. The major hydrological impact of a large and deep opencast mine, however, is on the ground water regime of the region. The eater seeping into the mine and collected in the mine sump is partly used up in the mine and the excess amount is discharged into the surface drainage system. The water used up in the mine for spraying on haul roads, conveyors, at loading and unloading points, bunkers etc. Are lost by evaporation. A deep mine is likely to have longer haul roads requiring more spraying water. The water used for green belts and plantation areas are also lost by Eva- transpiration.. Many areas of the country are faced with the problem Of over exploitation of ground water resources resulting in alarming lowering of eater table. Therefore a lot of care has to be taken in estimating the water need and the mines of future are likely to be subjected to a lot of constraints on water use and discharge. Acid Mine Drainage Acidic water results in severe water pollution problems. Acid Mine Drainage (MAD) refers to distinctive types of waste bodies that originate from the weathering and leaching of sulfide minerals present in coal and associated strata. Environmental effects of MAD include contamination of drinking water and disrupted growth and reproduction Of aquatic plants and animals. Effects f MAD related to water pollution include the killing of fish and loss of aquatic life and corrosion of mining equipments and structures such as barges, bridges and concrete materials. MAD is the most persistent pollution problems in mines of North Eastern Coalfield. Generally, water quality characteristics of acidic mine water reflect high acidity and high hardness along with high iron and sulfate contents. Various toxic trace/ heavy metals become soluble in acidic water and may be presenting significant to concentration levels depending upon their availability in the source material. Fortunately the considerable majority of coal mining areas are safe and only in a few localized areas problem of MAD exists. MAD cripples the economy of mines due to compliance of stringent environmental standards and involves huge cost burden in its management. IV) Impact of Mining on Land Irrespective of the type of mining used for extracting coal, mining invariably results in enormous land disturbance- e. G. Large scale excavation, removal of top soil, dumping of solid wastes, cutting of roads, creation of derelict land etc. The mining industry, in general, is reluctant to remanded overburden trial for economic reasons but in a few cases it has been planned to remanded the material to fill the voids created at the end of mining, and it is expected that the practice will become more widespread in future.

The Purpose of the Magna Carta essays

The Purpose of the Magna Carta essays The penning of the Magna Carta, (Great Charter), was birthed from an angry peoples desire to limit the power of a despotic king. The charter established a standard to which even the king was held, and would be a foundation for future nations and their governments. In 1199, the King of England, Richard, died. He left behind no established heir to the throne but the candidates were either Arthur of Brittany or John, and since Arthur was only nine at the time, the people opted for John. King Richard left behind a mass of property, particularly in Aquitaine, England, Ireland, and Normandy. When John took the crown he faced many problems, for example the communications system was slow and dangerous. Thanks to that system, however, the king was alerted of the new French king, Phillip Augustus, plan to attack Johns property in France, and he was able to react. King Phillip was resentful of John, because he felt that Arthur should have gotten the crown. Problems escalated when King John broke the feudal law by marrying an heiress who was already engaged to one of his vassals. The heiress appealed to the French King and set a trial but when King John refused, he was ordered to forfeit all of his property in France. The inevitable war started in 1202. The King of England wouldnt stay with a decisive military plan and ended up losing all of his property in Normandy and the support of all his barons and nobles when, in a drunken fit, he murdered Arthur of Brittany. Over the next ten years, he created a lot of contention with the countries around him, and even within his own people. Beginning when John first took the crown, an accumulation of things led up to an inevitable disaster. He was involved in many various quarrels with the barons and plots to overthrow the king were circulating. His battle against Phillip Augusus also caused problems, and in the end, the odds were stacked against him. The final straw was whe...

STAR Early Literacy

STAR Early Literacy STAR Early Literacy is an online adaptive assessment program developed by Renaissance Learning for students typically in grades PK-3. The program uses a series of questions to assess a student’s early literacy and early numeracy skills through a simple process. The program is designed to support teachers with individual student data quickly and accurately. It typically takes a student 10-15 minutes to complete an assessment and reports are available immediately upon completion. There are four parts to the assessment. The first part is a short demonstrative tutorial that teaches the student how to use the system. The second part is a short practice component designed to ensure that the students understand how to manipulate the mouse or use the keyboard correctly to answer each question. The third part consists of a short set of practice questions to prepare the student for the actual assessment. The final part is the actual assessment. It consists of twenty-nine early literacy and early numeracy questions. Students have one and a half minutes to answer each question before the program automatically moves them to the next question. Easy to Set up and Use STAR Early Literacy is a Renaissance Learning program. This is important because if you have Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, or any of the other STAR assessments, you only have to do the set up one time. Adding students and building classes is quick and easy. You can add a class of about twenty students and have them ready to be assessed in about 15 minutes. Designed Well for Students to Use The interface is straightforward. Each question is read by a narrator. While the narrator is reading the question, the mouse pointer turns into an ear directing the student to listen. After the question is read, a â€Å"ding† tone indicates that the student may then select their response. The student has two choices in the way that they select their response. They can use their mouse and click on the correct choice or they can you the 1, 2, or 3 keys that correlate to the correct answer. Students are locked into their answer if they use their mouse, but they are not locked into their answer if they use the 1, 2, 3 select methods until they hit enter. This can be a problem for younger students that have not been exposed to manipulating a computer mouse or using a keyboard. In the top right-hand corner of the screen, there is a box that the student can click to have the narrator repeat the question at any time. In addition, the question is repeated every fifteen seconds of inactivity until time runs out. Each question is given  on a one and a half minute timer. When a student has fifteen seconds remaining a small clock will begin to flash at the top of the screen letting them know that time is about to expire for that question. A Good Tool for Teachers STAR Early Literacy assesses forty-one skill sets in ten essential literacy and numeracy domains. The ten domains include alphabetic principle, the concept of word, visual discrimination, phonemic awareness, phonics, structural analysis, vocabulary, sentence level comprehension, paragraph level comprehension, and early numeracy. The program also allows teachers to set goals and monitor a student’s progress as they move throughout the year. It allows them to create an individualized instructional path to building on skills they are proficient in and improve upon their individual skills in which they need intervention. Teachers are also able to use STAR Early Literacy throughout the year quickly and accurately to decide whether they need to change their approach with a particular student or continue doing what they are doing. STAR Early Literacy has an extensive assessment bank that allows students to be assessed multiple times without seeing the same question. Reports STAR Early Literacy is designed to provide teachers with useful information that will drive their instructional practices. STAR Early Literacy provides teachers with several useful reports designed to assist in targeting which students need intervention and what areas they need assistance in. Here are six key reports available through STAR Early Literacy and a brief explanation of each: Diagnostic - Student: The student diagnostic report provides the most information about an individual student. It offers information such as the student’s scaled score, literacy classification, sub-domain scores, and individual skill set scores on a scale of 0-100.Diagnostic – Class: The class diagnostic report provides information related to the class as a whole. It shows how the class as a whole performed in each of the forty-one assessed skills. Teachers can use this report to drive whole class instruction to cover concepts in which the majority of the class shows they need intervention.Growth: This report shows the growth of a group of students over a specific period of time. This period of time is customizable from a few weeks to months, to even growth over the course of several years.Instructional Planning - Class: This report provides teachers with a list of recommended skills to drive the whole class or small group instruction. This report also allows you to gro up students into four ability groups and provides suggestions for meeting each group’s specific learning needs. Instructional Planning - Student: This report provides teachers with a list of recommended skills and suggestions to drive individualized instruction.Parent Report: This report provides teachers with an informational report to give to parents. This letter provides details about each student’s progress. It also provides instructional suggestions that parents can do at home with their child to improve their scores. Relevant Terminology Scaled Score (SS): The scaled score is figured based on the difficulty of the questions as well of the number of questions that were correct. STAR Early Literacy uses a scale range of 0-900. This score can be used to compare students to each other, as well as themselves, over time.Early Emergent Reader: Scaled score of 300-487. Student has a beginning understanding that printed text has meaning. They have a rudimentary understanding that reading involves letters, words, and sentences. They also are beginning to identify numbers, letters, shapes, and colors.Late Emergent Reader: Scaled score of 488-674. Student knows most letters and letter sounds. They are expanding their vocabulary, listening skills, and knowledge of print. They are starting to read picture books and familiar words.Transitional Reader: Scaled score of 675-774. Student has mastered alphabet and letter sound skills. Can identify beginning and ending sounds as well vowel sounds. They likely have the ability to blend so unds and read basic words. They can use context clues such as pictures to figure out words. Probable Reader: Scaled score of 775-900. Student is becoming skilled at recognizing words at a faster rate. They also are beginning to understand what they are reading. They blend sounds and word parts to read words and sentences. The Bottom Line STAR Early Literacy is a respectable early literacy and early numeracy assessment program. Its best features are that it is quick and easy to use, and reports can be generated in seconds. A key issue with this program is that for younger students who lack mouse skills or computer skills, the scores may be negatively skewed. However, this is an issue with virtually any computer-based program at this age. Overall, we give this program 4 out of 5 stars because the program provides teachers with a solid tool to identify early literacy and early numeracy skills that require intervention.

Discuss this quote in relation to Nelson Mandelas inaugural address Essay

Discuss this quote in relation to Nelson Mandelas inaugural address - Essay Example Mandela tactfully addressed a number of issues that faced the country in the past while attempting to strike a balance between the minority white and the majority blacks. The speeches raises pays a particular appeal to the pathos of the audience, an aspect that helps reduce the tension and emotions that could have arose. Mandela points out a number of issues that South Africa requires including unity, tolerance, and developing the image of the country. In his address, Nelson Mandela uses a number of linguistic devices to communicate to the people of South Africa when delivering his first inaugural ceremony in the University of Pretoria. The fact that he is not a native English speaker demonstrates an accent in his pronunciation of the English words. The punctuation of his speech is quite impressive. In addition, he demonstrates good command of language and uses a figurative language that has a good choice of semantics and lexical devices. The choice of words in every sentence has been carefully done in order to convey a specific message to the South Africans as well as the rest of the world. His speech demonstrates a dedication to unite South Africans in order that the world may have a view of what it means be have order, equality, justice, and freedom. The linguistic mastery of Mandela in this speech confirms Boussoffara-Omar’s (2011) saying that, â€Å"linguistic choices and discursive practices are never ‘value-fr ee’ or neutral, they are always situated in histories, whether they are personal, local or global†. In the inaugural speech, Mandela is very systematic in the way he presents issues. The first thing is that he presents a greeting that acknowledges all the participants in a special way. He refers to them using highly dignified words, â€Å"majesties, highnesses, distinguished guests, comrades, and friends.† This opening statement gives a special appreciation to the South Africans as well as the other individuals from the

Leadership Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Leadership Philosophy - Essay Example The effective leader is a person who has already developed a leadership philosophy which includes the core values that he holds to be important. The modern effective leader imbues these values into every action he or she takes so that the people around see him or her as an example that should be emulated. The incorporation of the leader’s own values into his or her own life means that the leader has effectively chosen the right direction in life. Not every person has the strength required to determine his or her direction and to stick to it in life as challenges arrive. The leader is effectively a person who has chosen a path and chooses to persevere on this path no matter what obstacles appear. In choosing the path, the leader has to sacrifice a number of things in life to set his or her priorities in the right order. Only this method of setting personal values allows a true leader to gain a direction that other people can emulate.

Research on a Rental Car Company Called Easycar Case Study

Research on a Rental Car Company Called Easycar - Case Study Example Easycars strives to offer its customers service quality that is redefined. Easycars offers the best in car rental services: latest cars in excellent condition with maximum efficiency and mileage. From efficient no - nonsense hatchbacks to shining limos, they have it all. Each car comes with a personalized service: an attendant/ chauffeur who knows the ins and outs of the car and would only be too happy to help a new customer, GPS equipment to help navigate the customer, a laptop charger, mobile phone charger, easy to read maps of the city with location of major landmarks and hotels. Only experienced drivers with a clean record are hired and made to undergo a rigorous training session before they start work with the company. Each car also comes with a complementary snack hamper and mineral water bottles that are replaced on a daily basis. Booking an Easycar is as easy as booking a flight ticket. Just login, register and book a car through the company's website or through a travel agen t. So, there you go! As easy as a click and go. Reliable and dependable are two words to easily describe the company's services. Easycars has a record of delivering excellent services in terms of reliability and dependability. In the rare event of a car breaking down, the company promises to send a replacement or a trained mechanic within half an hour. This is possible because of its partnership with other local, smaller auto companies and garages in smaller towns across the country. Thus, without investing in an office or personnel, Easycars is able to provide the customer reliable service and replacement in case of breakdowns. The employees are friendly, courteous, competent and trained to handle emergencies. Drivers have to undergo a strict background check through a reputed security agency before they can join the company. Each driver also has to provide two referrals before joining Easycars. So, the customer knows that he is in safe hands when hiring a car and a driver from Easycars. Easycars not only has booking staff, but an exclusive customer care section too. The staff is young, enthusiastic and ready to help. The Branch Manager, who would represent the face of the company can be reached on his cell number 24/7.The support staff has different plans suitable to each customer's budget and preferences. They are also willing to accommodate a few changes if requested by the customer. They do not go into forced selling or other gimmicks, instead discreetly allow the customers to make the choice. They just guide the customer in picking the best plan and tariff. The company has a tie-up with major luxury hotels and a few budget hotels across major cities in Hong Kong, Singapore and India. There are plans on the anvil for corporate discounts and offers, tie-up with airlines and hospitals too. The tie-up with hospitals is the unique selling point of Easycars as there has been a tremendous increase in people from the U.S and Europe coming to India for cost-effective medical treatment. In Singapore, the company offers discounts and attractive packages to groups of 20 or more tourists at Changi airport itself. 2.) Discuss cultural barriers and required adaptation when Easycar enters the Asian market. As Erica Walsh puts it "Many people can feel overwhelmed when planning a vacation to the Far East. The distance, language and cultural barriers

Choose a business function (e.g. marketing HR finance) and outline and Essay - 1

Choose a business function (e.g. marketing HR finance) and outline and discuss the changing nature of work and employment in thi - Essay Example The project tries to explore the key influential factors resulting in such changes with emphasis on the challenges faced by the human resource management departments on organizations. External Factors influencing the changing nature of human resource management practices Few of the major factors that have been undergoing dramatic changes in the global scenario have been increasingly posing threat towards organizations. Consequently their business needs have also undergone changes. Technological factors, the economic challenges, and changes in the local and governmental issues are some of the key factors worth mentioning in this context. Workforce diversities, unions and political factors have also been responsible towards changing the human resource management practices in organizations. Predominantly the organization structure and culture has demonstrated changes. Globalization has generated different forms of human resource management functions in the global competitive environment . Firms which have been competing in the global competitive environment have been facing with numerous new demands on their people and their organizations. They also seem to be pushed into different and contradictory directions. In response to this, new global organizing paradigms are concentrated on the complementarities, and not on the trade-offs, on management processes, not on the organizational structures and procedures. It demonstrates a shift away from the static and traditional solutions to the global business challenges towards the acceptance of global organizations as being an evolving and dynamic network (Pucik, â€Å"Human Resources: An Obstacle to Globalization?†). The changing economic environment has also driven changes in the human resource management practices in firms. With the increasing significance and presence of the MNCs as being crucial players of the global economy, there has also been an increasing interest on the concept of international human resou rce management of these MNCs. In spite of the growing importance of this IHRM as being one of the most innovative sources of competitive advantage, there has been very little research on ways to manage the globally dispersed mass of employees belonging to the MNCs effectively. A number of studies have been conducted by the application of greater theory driven conceptual frameworks, for better understanding of the multinational corporations and the international human resources management practices undertaken in them. Following are some of the findings from the results. Firstly the general result that followed is that the human resource management practices remain localized to reflect the differences in the cultural and regulatory environments between the host and the home countries. This primarily throws light on the fact that these multinational organizations require modifying their parent human resource management practices in the overseas subsidiaries in order to achieve a degree of isomorphism with the environmental institutions of the host countries (Kim & Gray, â€Å"Summary, limitations and suggestions for further research†). Recently organizations are also faced with the growing challenge of confronting and managing workforce diversities. The shifting business realities and the social and demographic changes have increased the workforce diversi

Foundation Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foundation Business Management - Essay Example This paper briefly analyses the management model, structure and culture in three different companies; Microsoft, Apple and Coca Cola and the impact of these management styles on the employees. Microsoft does not need an introduction in the world because of its established monopoly in software industries and computer world. Founded in 1981, controlled by Bill Gates and his team, Microsoft has become one of the all time best companies in the world at present. Microsoft is not following any conventional models of management. In fact they don’t have even a president or CEO. Jung (2003) has mentioned that all the Microsoft operations are controlled by eight chief financial officers. The companys seven business units are: Client, which includes its Windows operating system; Information Worker, including Office business software applications; Server Platforms, for server software; Home and Entertainment, including Xbox video-game consoles and the Xbox Live online gaming service; MSN, its Internet service; Business Solutions, including software for small and medium sized businesses; and CE/Mobility, including software for wireless phones and mobile devices (Jung). Microsoft has divided its entire business portfolios into seven different categories and named a head for each category. The above strategy helped them to manage each areas of their business more effectively because of the different heads at the top of different units instead of a single head at the top of the organization. The unit heads need to concentrate only on their units and hence their workloads are comparatively less when we compare other organizations with a single CEO at the top. Employee-employer relations in Microsoft not seem to be in a good shape at present because of the recession problems. Salary reduction, termination of jobs, temporary layoffs etc are common nowadays in Microsoft because of the

Coursework..'Why has Britain traditionally resisted the idea of the Essay

Coursework..'Why has Britain traditionally resisted the idea of the European Union' Consider the issues full - Essay Example Its most prominent feature has been the importance of the financial sector, the City of London, both economically and politically. The City of London forms with the Treasury and the Bank of England an extremely powerful economic policy community that has normally been successful in shaping the policy of British governments on major economic issues. Priority has generally been given to the interests and perspectives of the City rather than those of manufacturing or the trade unions in determining the national interest (Aspinwall 2004). There was no similar test for manufacturing. The nature of the City as an international financial centre has always led it to favor a policy of openness to the markets of the whole world, not just Europe. "For Britain, therefore, deregulation, whether nationally or the European Union-inspired, has been experienced as deregulation, with the creation of legal procedures, where informal agreements generally held, and the establishment of independent regula tory bodies" (Schmidt 1997, p. 167). Also, the business cycle in the Great Britain has normally been aligned with the US economy rather than the European economy. This provides a practical obstacle to early entry; but, more than that, it symbolizes a different view as to where British economic interests lie. Politically, on Politically, one reason for the hesitation was that the political class in Britain has been much more divided over the euro than the political class in other member states. Popular opposition to joining the single currency has also been strong in Denmark and Sweden, and the Danes voted narrowly in a referendum in September 2000 to stay outside. But the Danish currency is already pegged to the euro, and the Danish economy is more integrated within the Euro-Zone than the British economy is. The political class in Britain has become deeply split, with one of the two major parties, the Conservatives (Giddings & Drewry 2004). The Conservative party was initially the party of Europe, conceiving Europe as an enterprise which was very much in the security and economic interests of the British state, as well as a new external challenge to replace the Empire. It was a Conservative government under Edward Heath that narrowly secured parliamentary approval of the terms of entry in 1971 (Aspinwal l 2004). It was the Labor Party whose leaders were prone to talk of 'a thousand years of history' (Aspinwall 2004, p. 56) and who were immensely distrustful of the Common Market because of the restrictions it imposed on national planning. "The erosion of the greater powers of Parliament have been cause for concern not only for members of Parliament but also for the executive, which given the lesser party discipline and the more vocal" (Schmidt 1997, p. 167). Although a majority of the Labor leadership did eventually support British membership of the European Community, a majority of trade unions and Labor Party members remained opposed because of their commitment to national economic planning. Culturally and nationally, the Great Britain tries to preserve its uniqueness keeping old traditions and social institutions unchanged. For the anti-Europeans, the European Union is a dangerous semi-sovereignty process which forces new states meets its rules and obligations. British attachment to outmoded forms of

Choose a business function (e.g. marketing HR finance) and outline and Essay - 1

Choose a business function (e.g. marketing HR finance) and outline and discuss the changing nature of work and employment in thi - Essay Example The project tries to explore the key influential factors resulting in such changes with emphasis on the challenges faced by the human resource management departments on organizations. External Factors influencing the changing nature of human resource management practices Few of the major factors that have been undergoing dramatic changes in the global scenario have been increasingly posing threat towards organizations. Consequently their business needs have also undergone changes. Technological factors, the economic challenges, and changes in the local and governmental issues are some of the key factors worth mentioning in this context. Workforce diversities, unions and political factors have also been responsible towards changing the human resource management practices in organizations. Predominantly the organization structure and culture has demonstrated changes. Globalization has generated different forms of human resource management functions in the global competitive environment . Firms which have been competing in the global competitive environment have been facing with numerous new demands on their people and their organizations. They also seem to be pushed into different and contradictory directions. In response to this, new global organizing paradigms are concentrated on the complementarities, and not on the trade-offs, on management processes, not on the organizational structures and procedures. It demonstrates a shift away from the static and traditional solutions to the global business challenges towards the acceptance of global organizations as being an evolving and dynamic network (Pucik, â€Å"Human Resources: An Obstacle to Globalization?†). The changing economic environment has also driven changes in the human resource management practices in firms. With the increasing significance and presence of the MNCs as being crucial players of the global economy, there has also been an increasing interest on the concept of international human resou rce management of these MNCs. In spite of the growing importance of this IHRM as being one of the most innovative sources of competitive advantage, there has been very little research on ways to manage the globally dispersed mass of employees belonging to the MNCs effectively. A number of studies have been conducted by the application of greater theory driven conceptual frameworks, for better understanding of the multinational corporations and the international human resources management practices undertaken in them. Following are some of the findings from the results. Firstly the general result that followed is that the human resource management practices remain localized to reflect the differences in the cultural and regulatory environments between the host and the home countries. This primarily throws light on the fact that these multinational organizations require modifying their parent human resource management practices in the overseas subsidiaries in order to achieve a degree of isomorphism with the environmental institutions of the host countries (Kim & Gray, â€Å"Summary, limitations and suggestions for further research†). Recently organizations are also faced with the growing challenge of confronting and managing workforce diversities. The shifting business realities and the social and demographic changes have increased the workforce diversi

Coursework..'Why has Britain traditionally resisted the idea of the Essay

Coursework..'Why has Britain traditionally resisted the idea of the European Union' Consider the issues full - Essay Example Its most prominent feature has been the importance of the financial sector, the City of London, both economically and politically. The City of London forms with the Treasury and the Bank of England an extremely powerful economic policy community that has normally been successful in shaping the policy of British governments on major economic issues. Priority has generally been given to the interests and perspectives of the City rather than those of manufacturing or the trade unions in determining the national interest (Aspinwall 2004). There was no similar test for manufacturing. The nature of the City as an international financial centre has always led it to favor a policy of openness to the markets of the whole world, not just Europe. "For Britain, therefore, deregulation, whether nationally or the European Union-inspired, has been experienced as deregulation, with the creation of legal procedures, where informal agreements generally held, and the establishment of independent regula tory bodies" (Schmidt 1997, p. 167). Also, the business cycle in the Great Britain has normally been aligned with the US economy rather than the European economy. This provides a practical obstacle to early entry; but, more than that, it symbolizes a different view as to where British economic interests lie. Politically, on Politically, one reason for the hesitation was that the political class in Britain has been much more divided over the euro than the political class in other member states. Popular opposition to joining the single currency has also been strong in Denmark and Sweden, and the Danes voted narrowly in a referendum in September 2000 to stay outside. But the Danish currency is already pegged to the euro, and the Danish economy is more integrated within the Euro-Zone than the British economy is. The political class in Britain has become deeply split, with one of the two major parties, the Conservatives (Giddings & Drewry 2004). The Conservative party was initially the party of Europe, conceiving Europe as an enterprise which was very much in the security and economic interests of the British state, as well as a new external challenge to replace the Empire. It was a Conservative government under Edward Heath that narrowly secured parliamentary approval of the terms of entry in 1971 (Aspinwal l 2004). It was the Labor Party whose leaders were prone to talk of 'a thousand years of history' (Aspinwall 2004, p. 56) and who were immensely distrustful of the Common Market because of the restrictions it imposed on national planning. "The erosion of the greater powers of Parliament have been cause for concern not only for members of Parliament but also for the executive, which given the lesser party discipline and the more vocal" (Schmidt 1997, p. 167). Although a majority of the Labor leadership did eventually support British membership of the European Community, a majority of trade unions and Labor Party members remained opposed because of their commitment to national economic planning. Culturally and nationally, the Great Britain tries to preserve its uniqueness keeping old traditions and social institutions unchanged. For the anti-Europeans, the European Union is a dangerous semi-sovereignty process which forces new states meets its rules and obligations. British attachment to outmoded forms of

Yeast Fermentation Essay Example for Free

Yeast Fermentation Essay The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of different amounts of a substrate on the respiration rate of yeast and to compare this to the effect of different amounts of glucose on the rate of yeast respiration. The substrate which I chose to further investigate was fructose. Fructose is a fruit sugar which is one of the three, along with glucose and galactose, dietary monosaccharides that are directly absorbed into the bloodstream during digestion. Materials: 2% yeast solution Large beaker Small beaker Conical flask Thermometer (Ë™C) Glass rod pH meter data logger Hot water Sensitive digital scale (g) Fructose (1.0g, 1.5g, 2.0g, 2.5g) Glucose (1.0g, 1.5g, 2.0g, 2.5g) Measuring cylinder (cm3) Variables Independent: Concentration of glucose (1.0g, 1.5g, 2.0g, 2.5g) , concentration of fructose (1.0g, 1.5g, 2.0g, 2.5g) Dependent: Amount of carbon dioxide produced, i.e. rate of yeast respiration Controlled: 2% yeast solution (20cm3), initial temperature of yeast solution (35-40Ë™C), amount of time that the reaction is measured (180 seconds) Method †¢20cm3 of yeast solution was measured using a measuring cylinder and then  poured into a conical flask. †¢1.0g of glucose was weighed on a digital balance. †¢Hot wà ¡ter was poured into a large beaker, and the conical flask containing the yeast was placed inside with a thermometre inside. †¢The conical flask was kept inside The conical flask was held like this until the 2% yeast solution reached an initial temperature between 35-40Ë™C (specific temperature was noted down) When this temperature was reached, the thermometer was taken out of the conical flask and the conical flask out of the hot wate

Wadsworth-Emmons Cyclopropanation Reaction | Analysis

Wadsworth-Emmons Cyclopropanation Reaction | Analysis Abstract This project aims to look at the development of the Wadsworth-Emmons cyclopropanation reaction and compare it to alternative methods of cyclopropanation in order to understand why it may be used preferentially. Current applications of the WE cyclopropanation reaction are explored to see the efficacy and yield that result. Key of Abbreviations Seen below is a collection of all abbreviations used within this project and their subsequent meaning. à Ã¢â‚¬  3: Tertiary Bn: Benzyl group CCR: Corey-Chaykovsky Reagent d.e: DME: Dimethoxyethane e.e: Et: Ethyl group EWG: Electron Withdrawing Group HWE: Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons iPr: isopropyl Me: Methyl NOE: Ph: Phenyl group THF: Tetrahydrofuran WE: Wadsworth-Emmons 1: Introduction Cyclopropane  [1]  was used as an anaesthetic until it was discovered to be highly reactive and dangerous when combined with oxygen. The reactivity of cyclopropane is mainly due to the high amount of ring strain and the bond strength between the carbons being weaker than normal carbon bonds, allowing the ring to open easily. Cyclopropane structures are often found within compounds in nature (figure 1.)  [2]  that are observed to have medicinal and commercial applications, e.g. degradable insecticides such as the pyrethroid family that are less toxic to other animals in the environment  [3]  ,  [4]  . Cyclopropanation can also produce a number of hallucinogens and opoid drugs that are most widely used recreationally for there effects on human mental and visual perception, exploiting their psychedelic properties. This type of use has historically been seen within Native American tribes and ancient civilisations. Recently more research shows that they may potentially be useful in therapeutic doses in the treatment of pain, depression, alcoholism and other behavioural problems. An example of this is Codorphone, an analgesic that can be both an agonist and antagonist at ÃŽÂ ¼-opioid receptors in the body and shows a higher potency than codeine. As a result, efficient synthetic routes that produce high yields have been developed in order to produce synthetic analogues of these natural compounds, with special attention being paid to the cyclopropanation step. Over the years there have been many methods of cyclopropanation, from using zinc carbenoids (Simmons-Smith reaction  [5]  ) to stabilised ylides (Corey-Chaykovsky Reaction  [6]  ), all producing varying ratios of isomers of the product. Often, one enantiomer is the more biologically active molecule, therefore stereoselective reactions are required to obtain high yields of the desired product. The Wadsworth-Emmons cyclopropanation reaction is an example of a reaction that is selective for the generation of the trans-isomer and has advantages over other stereoselective reactions. 1.1: Chemistry of the Cyclopropane Ring Cyclopropane is the smallest of the cycloalkanes that can be formed and consists of three sp3 hybridised carbon atoms bonded to each other to form a triangular ring. Although it is the smallest cycloalkane it is also the most reactive due to the bond angle within the ring. The ideal bond angle for sp3 hybridised carbons is 109.5 ° as it at this angle that orbitals can overlap correctly and form the highest strength carbon-carbon bonds possible. As the propane ring is planar and made up of only three carbon atoms, a bond angle of 109.5 ° is not possible and is reduced to a bond angle of ~60 °. In order to achieve bond angles of 60 ° the sp3 orbitals need to form bent bonds  [8]  where their p-characteristics are increased, causing the carbon-hydrogen bond length to shorten (figure.2). It is this significant difference between the ideal bond angle and the actual bond angle exhibited that causes a high amount of ring strain. Also, the bond angle and the modified overlap of orbitals results in carbon-carbon bonds which are weaker than normal. In figure.3, as the ring size increases from cyclopropane to cyclohexane, the ring strain decreases because the ideal bond angle is reached (when in a planar conformation) and larger rings can assume a non-planar conformation. In comparison to cyclopropane, the most strained and planar ring, cyclohexane has ideal bond angles and can form both chair and boat folded conformations in order to be the least strained ring possible. Further strain in the cyclopropane ring is due to the planar conformation of the molecule, where the two hydrogens present on each carbon atom are in an eclipsed position (figure.4)2. The carbon-hydrogen bonds are locked into this high energy conformation, as the carbon-carbon bonds of the ring are unable to rotate to form a more staggered conformation and reduce torsion strain. The total strain felt by the molecule leads to the ring structure being highly unstable and is ultimately responsible for the high reactivity of cyclopropane. Due to instability, the cyclopropane ring is able to break open very easily and releases a lot of energy in the process. This ring strain causes cyclopropane to release more energy on combustion than a standard strain-free propane chain. 2: Precursors of the Wadsworth Emmons Cyclopropanation Reaction As with most reactions the Wadsworth-Emmons cyclopropanation reaction is simply a different application of an older reaction, the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction, which has the purpose of forming E- alkenes selectively. This in turn is a derivation of the original Wittig reaction first discovered in 1954 by Georg Wittig in which phosphonium ylides are used in order to form alkenes products from aldehyde or ketone reactants. 2.1: Wittig Reaction The Wittig reaction is very useful in that it will form a carbon-carbon double bond in one site specifically on the desired molecule but the stereoselectivity of the reaction is controlled by the type of phosphonium ylide used. An ylide is a species that carries a positive and a negative charge on adjacent atoms of the molecule, and in this instance it is a phosphorus atom that carries the positive charge. As seen in scheme 12, the negatively charged carbon atom of the ylide acts as a nucleophile towards the carbonyl of the ketone (electrophile) and forms a betaine species. The betaine cyclises into an oxaphosphetane ring which quickly collapses to form a very strong phosphorus-oxygen double bond and results in the production of an alkene and a triphenyl phosphine oxide. When an unstablised ylide is present in the reaction, the kinetic isomer (Z-alkene) is produced preferentially (figure. 5)2 as the intermediate oxaphosphetane ring forms irreversibly. As the stereochemistry of the substituents are locked into a syn-conformation (figure. 7), when elimination of the triphenyl phosphine oxide occurs the alkene formed has its substituents on the same side of the plane. When the negatively charged carbon is adjacent to an electron withdrawing group (EWG), in figure 6 this is represented by the ester substituent, the ylide group becomes more stable as the charge can be dispersed. This leads to the formation of the enolate resonance form and is referred to as a stabilised ylide. Unlike the unstabilised ylide, the oxaphosphetane ring that is formed is now a reversible reaction allowing interconversion between Z-orientation to E-orientation of groups in the ring before an elimination step occurs. Under the right conditions, the interconversion step can become faster than the elimination of phosphine oxide step (collapse of the ring) allowing the reaction to proceed via the thermodynamic product route. The E- isomer is the thermodynamic product as the anti- conformation (Figure.7) of the oxaphosphetane ring has the substituents on opposite sides of the molecule, reducing steric effects and producing a conformation lower in energy. The elimination of the Z-isomer is slower than that of the E-isomer, allowing the oxaphosphetane ring to open and rotation about the carbon-carbon bond to occur to form more of the E-isomer. Although the Wittig reaction works efficiently with simple carbonyl reactants, the more sterically hindered a ketone reactant is, the slower the reaction can become. This does not necessarily have a negative effect on the yield of product but will affect the suitability of the reaction in time sensitive application, e.g. the commercial industry wants a high yield of product with a moderately fast synthetic route in order to keep costs low. 2.2: Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction The Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction  [9]  (scheme 2.) is the preferred method to select for the E-alkenes product and instead of using phosphonium ylides (figure 6.) uses much more nucleophilic phosphonate-stabilized carbanions with an EWG attached, usually in the form of phosphonate esters. Firstly, the phosphonate ester is deprotonated using sodium hydride leading to the generation of an enolate species. This enolate/stabilised carbanion is then reacted with the chosen aldehyde or ketone to give product. As a result of its more nucleophilic nature, similar or better yields are produced and faster rates of reactions for aldehydes and ketones that are more sterically hindered are observed. The stereoselectivity of the reaction for E-alkene can be further increased by modifying the reaction conditions and the substituent groups of the phosphonate ester (figure 8.)  [10]  . The larger the alkyl groups attached to the phosphate and ester functional groups the greater the propor tion of E-isomer obtained. Using the same idea, the larger the substituent group attached to the aldehyde/ketone reagent a more improved E-selectivity is seen, for example a phenyl ring. Increasing the temperature of the reaction to room temperature (23 °C) and changing the solvent from THF to DME will also encourage E-selectivity. Figure 9 shows that the pka of the HWE reagent is lower than that of the Wittig reagent and this is due to the ester EWG on the adjacent carbon to the acidic hydrogen. The EWG helps to stabilise the carbanion that will be formed by the loss of hydrogen making the phosphonate ester a stronger acid than the phosphonium salt, whose conjugate base will be less stabilised. As seen in Scheme 2, along side the E-alkene, there is a water soluble phosphate molecule present in solution. Due to its solubility, the recovery of the pure product from the solution can be done via a simple work up and this is one of the advantages of the HWE reaction over the use of stabilised ylides where a à Ã¢â‚¬  3 phosphine oxide is formed. Through Wadsworth and Emmons investigations into the formation of alkenes such as stilbene in 19619, it was reported that the use of phosphonate carbanions was a more cost effective process that led to faster rates of reactions. It also produced very good yields in more mild conditions in comparison to stabilised phosphonium ylides. Phosphonate carbanions have a greater scope in number of different ketone and aldehyde reagents that they can successfully react with. Comparing both methods, when using stabilised ylides the resulting solution will contain a mixture of the isomers and therefore a suitable method is needed in order to separate them. Scheme 2. 2.3: Wadsworth-Emmons Cyclopropanation Similarly to the HWE reaction and keeping in mind the steric effects of large substituents, the reaction uses phosphonate-stabilised carbanions like the phosphonoacetate anion with epoxide and lactone reagents in order to form trans-cyclopropane rings within molecules. As seen in scheme 3  [12]  , the phosphonate carbanion acts as a nucleophile towards the electrophilic carbon of the epoxide resulting in the opening of the strained ring. Due to the negative charge present on the oxygen atom the phosphoryl group undergoes 1, 4 migration on to the oxygen, forming another carbanion. The carbanion can then cyclise leading to the ÃŽÂ ³-elimination of the phosphono- ÃŽÂ ³-oxyalkanoate and the closure of the cyclopropane ring. These stabilised phosphonates give a similar yield of trans-cyclopropane to reactions using phosphonium ylides but with faster reaction times and improved diastereoselectivity  [13]  . 3: Other Methods of Cyclopropanation In order to understand how effective the WE cyclopropanation reaction is and its advantages, other methods with slightly different approaches to the same problem can be looked at. 3.1: Simmons-Smith Reaction First developed in 1958, the Simmons-Smith reaction uses the chemistry of carbenes groups, producing cyclopropyl rings from the interaction between alkenes and a carbene derivative, zinc carbenoid. A standard carbene is a neutral species containing a carbon atom with only six valence electrons2 and can be inserted into à Ã†â€™-bonds and/or à Ã¢â€š ¬-bonds of other reagents. Examples of these carbenes are :CH2 and :CCl2, where the whole carbene reagent is incorporated into the final product structure. In cases using reagents like :CCl2, further steps are required to remove the halide atoms if a standard cycloproyl ring is desired. In comparison, the zinc carbenoid is a species capable of forming carbenes but does not react in exactly the same way as them. The zinc carbenoid is formed by the insertion of a zinc atom into a molecule diiodomethane using a copper catalyst, as seen below, and its mechanism of action is compared to that of a singlet carbene where the reaction is concert ed. The carbon structure (-CH2) within the zinc carbenoid is incorporated into the cyclopropyl ring whilst the resulting metal halide is released into solution. This is done via an intermediate complex formed between the alkene, carbene and metal halide so that the carbene is not released on its own. One of the advantages of this method of cyclopropanation is the ease with which the stereochemistry of the product can be controlled. As the reaction is stereospecific, in order to obtain a product with a trans-cyclopropane ring, an alkene with E- stereochemistry can be used as the original stereochemistry will be retained. The rate of reaction of this can be dramatically increased by the presence of allylic alcohols with the same stereochemistry as the alkene, as the zinc atom can coordinate with the oxygen in a transition state to add the carbene to the same face of the molecule. The example below (figure. 10)  [14]  shows that this reaction is extremely effective at producing hig h yields of trans-cyclopropane product. Scheme 4. This reaction exhibits easy control over stereoselectivity and undergoes a relatively simple mechanism, making it easy to understand why this is one of the most popular methods of cyclopropanation. A disadvantage that the WE cyclopropanation reaction does not share is that there will have to be further steps taken in order to remove the product from the solution containing the zinc halide (insoluble) whilst preventing impurities being obtained. Although in some instances the Simmons-Smith reaction has greater stereoselectivity than the WE cyclopropanation reaction with comparable yields. 3.2: Corey-Chaykovsky Reaction  [15]   This reaction uses sulphonium ylides, as opposed to the phosphonium ylides of the Wittig reaction, reacting with enones in order to form cyclopropyl structures in the molecule. Firstly there is the generation in situ of the dimethyloxosulfonium methylide, often called the Corey-Chaykovsky Reagent (CCR), from dimethyl sulfoxide and methyl iodide reacting to give a trimethyl sulfoxonium iodide salt. This salt is then deprotonated using a strong base like sodium hydride resulting in the CCR. In the mechanism of cyclopropanation, the CCR acts as a methylene transfer agent, with the carbanion acting as a nucleophile towards the alkene carbon-carbon double bond of the enone. This 1, 4 addition is followed by cyclisation within the molecule using the new carbon double bond reacting as a nucleophile toward the now electrophilic ylide carbon to form the cyclopropyl structure and a sulfonium cation (Scheme 5). In an attempt to make the reaction stereoselective more substituted sulfonium ylides with specific chirality can be used to encourage the formation of a specific enantiomer as they transfer other substituents to the enone as well as methylene (figure.)  [16]  . Scheme 5. 4: Uses of the Wadsworth-Emmons Cyclopropanation Reaction Though there are only a few specific examples of WE cyclcopropanation in action, a good idea of its efficacy can be obtained. 4.1: Synthesis of Belactosin A  [17]   (+)-Belactosin A is a naturally occurring antitumor antibacterial compound that acts as an alkylating agent in chemotherapy treatment. As an alkylating agent  [18]  it adds alkyl groups to electronegative groups such as phosphates or the amines found on guanine nucleotide bases, which are present in all cells of the body, although it is used to target mutating cancer cells. Belactosin A specifically stops the cell cycle of cancer cells at the G2/M phase, where normal DNA will have been replicated and the cell undergoes mitosis. In mutated DNA, the areas on the nucleotide bases affected by alkylation form cross bridges with other atoms on the complementary base of the opposite strand of DNA. These bridges prevent the DNA strands from separating at these specific points, stopping steps such as transcription. As a result this prevents the mutated DNA from being copied, cells from dividing into more cancer cells and halts proliferation of these cells through out the body. It affects mutated DNA cells more readily as they undergo cell cycle at a faster and uncontrolled rate and their repair mechanisms are less effective. Armstrong and Scutt reported a good yield of 63% of the cyclopropane intermediate with greater than 95%e.e. By using H1 NMR and NOE they determined that the product obtained was the trans-isomer. 4.2: Synthesis of (R,R)- 2-Methylcyclopropanecarboxylic Acid  [19]   In agriculture and veterinary practices, insecticides like Cyromazine and Pyrethrum Extract4 are formed using the WE cyclopropanation reaction in the synthesis of (+) and (-)-chrysanthemum dicarboxylic acids from anhydro sugars  [20]  . The pyrethroids are active molecules that prevent normal transmission and excitation along the nerve cells in insects by acting on sodium/potassium channels. This results in immediate death to agricultural pests such as locusts and parasitic insects such as ticks and fleas on household pets. Due to the number of nerve cells and the speed of transmission these insecticides are up to 100 times more effective on insects than humans. Consequently, Pyrethrum extract can be used pharmaceutically without detrimental effects in the treatment of worms and scabies. Using the WE cyclopropanation method to obtain the biologically active enantiomer, Brione and company obtained excellent product yields of ~85-90% with exceptional trans-selectivity (>98%). These results were obtained under the conditions of 150 °C with HexLi/MeTHF solvent. 5: Conclusion Whilst the WE cyclopropanation reaction proves itself to be a useful step in the mechanism of formation of a few interesting biologically active compounds, the fact remains that it is an underused method. This is shown in the small volume of literature that can be obtained specifically for this reaction. As with most reactions the right balance of factors and reaction conditions are needed to get the most efficiency, and excellent yields have proved that the WE cyclopropanation reaction is capable of this in the cases of (R, R)- 2-Methylcyclopropanecarboxylic Acid and Belactosin A. Perhaps one of the reasons it is overlooked as a synthetic route is the presence of better known reactions like the Simmons-Smith reaction, as there are still some small areas that are not fully known e.g the degree of specificity of the reaction. The field of chemistry is one based on the evolution of ideas and continued search for improved yields and rates of reaction, especially in a growing area such a s the synthesis of synthetic analogues of natural compounds. In the same way that the WE cyclopropanation reaction was derived from the Wittig reaction, it could provide as a good basis for future improved methods of cyclopropanation that arise from the modification of its reagents.