Opinion on the novel The Zahir

The Zahir Life, happiness, love, loss, and obsession characterize the latest novel that I have read – The Zahir written by the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. The title itself revealed an interesting feeling and curiosity to the readers. The term â€Å"Zahir† comes from the Islamic tradition which means visible and incapable of going unnoticed. This international bestseller novel is a piece of art full of surprises and mysteries.The tory is about the narrator, a bestselling novelist who lived by enjoying all the pleasures and privileges – money, fame, power, and celebrity brings. For unknown reasons, he was abandoned by his own wife named Esther, a war-correspondent. The simple language used by the writer is so powerful and persuasive that would allow readers to feel the intensity of the scenes. Moreover, the writer used the first- person point of view to provoke effectively emotional situations. Paulo Coelho also ade use of imagery.As an adventurous person, I app reciate most the narrator's pilgrimage. I felt like I was also traveling by reading the narrator's search for his own self and wife from Paris to Kazakhstan. Along the Journey with special significance, the novel showed virtues like generosity to the poor, spirituality, patience, love, respect and knowing oneself to have genuine happiness. Finally in the later part, the narrator was able to meet Esther and whether to stay with him or not lies in her ecisions.I can say that the ending is worth reading and waiting because of the enjoying tension. After reading the whole story, I can deduce that the author is someone who is full of experiences and wisdom; and maybe he's also in search for something very significant. The Zahir represents a human experience†¦ after reading it, readers would learn again how to love and forgive in an unselfish way, and most especially, how to live life to the fullest.

Learning Environments Essay

The education system we follow today began about 300 years ago. The aim was to facilitate standardisation amongst people who would function efficiently as apprentices. The system served its purpose towards practical outcomes very well, to that time. It became progressively more and more competitive. Schools focused on rote based learning aimed at numerical scores, with less focus on aspects like critical thinking, analytical approach, creative thinking etc. Students were pushed through this system under tremendous stress with little room for imagination, out of the box thinking, spontaneous decision making, leadership qualities etc. Only a smaller percentage of students were able to come through this system with such abilities fully developed. The system has not changed significantly in its methodology and purpose over a period of time. Thus, the present day system is less than adequate to bring out the full potential of young and creative students who do not cope with the rote regim e. Educational institutions should prepare and equip young minds to seek knowledge in a rational and scientific manner. It should also facilitate progressive growth of their intellect, creative and critical thinking and their ability to apply the knowledge gained. Recent study shows the increase in number of students dropping out of schools. Non affordability, lack of interest, inability to cope with the syllabus are some reasons why students drop out of school (1). On closer examination it will not be difficult to find many useful talents in these students branded as dropouts. There is a need to identify and nurture them for them to be grown in a positive manner. It is important that these students get due attention and care. It is important for these students to be able to choose a dignified career and excel in their field. Therefore, there is a need to take a look on how education and learning is perceived today and seek alternatives that could help in improvement. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The number of school dropouts in India is not small. In a study in 2010, Reddy and Sinha? stated that of the more than 27 million children in India, who joined in Class I in 1993, only 10 million of them reached Class X, which is only about 37% of those who entered the school system and in more than half the states, only 30% of children reached Class X. With the implementation of RTE, of course, there has been a gradual decline in the annual average dropout rate from 9.1 in 2009-2010 to 6.9 in 2010-114 but there have been more children dropout in 2010-11 as compared to 2009-2010 in 10 out of the 30 states where RTE has been notified, including progressive states like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat that had increased dropout ratio from 0.1% to 1.2% and 3.9% to 4.3% respectively in 2009-10 and 2010-115 (2). According to IANS report (New Delhi, November 14, 2013), the dropout rate of 2013 was 43%. They also state that the quality of education continues to remain a matter of concern, both in terms of infrastructure as well as teaching and learning outcomes. Recent st udy shows that the dropout rate in India is dependent on factors like: 1. Family economic circumstances are important to meet the hidden and upfront costs of schooling, failure of which leads to many temporary as well as permanent dropouts of children. Hidden costs of schooling include opportunity cost, travel cost, uniform, daily expenditures, while upfront costs include admission fee, examination fee, tuition fees etc. 2. Poor quality education is another important cause of school dropout. Sen’s capabilities approach highlights poor quality education as a primary driver of school drop-out. 3. Failure to find a conducive social environment in school is also causes dropout. In 2001 Robert Croninger and Valerie E. Lee found lower dropout rates in schools where students report receiving more support from teachers for their academic work and where teachers report that students receive more guidance about both school and personal matters. 4. Dropout decision also depends upon the academic performance of the student. Poor school performance, low attendance and late enrolment are likely to be signals for teachers that children with these characteristics are more likely to drop out. In another study, Amit Choudhury in 2006 found attitude towards education as an important determinant of school dropout. Prof. Amartya Kumar Sen, Nobel laureate in Economics of 1998, has also pointed out that for sustainable development even the poorest of the poor should be provided proper education and accordingly steps have to be taken to bring primary education to the  doorsteps of the rural people, since more than 75 per cent of Indians live in rural areas. Despite many measures for attainment of Education for All (EFA) goals of the new millennium, there, however, have been high rate of school dropouts in India. Thus we see that school dropout is caused by many factors. Among many factors, some have greater influence as compared to the others. Possible suitable initiatives are required for mitigating this problem. Policy options, among others, include – elimination of poverty, improvement of school infrastructures, increased numbers of trained teachers, and adaptation of a curriculum that cater to the present needs and so on. The govt. has now taken initiatives like Mahila Samakhya Scheme, provided quotas in various institutes etc. to make sure education is available to a large no of people. These programs and schemes mainly help in increasing the overall literacy rate of our country. Over the years it is found that students merely learn how to answer questions from an exam point of view. Understanding the information in a way that they use it in their daily life is not taught. Therefore, even though children go through the process of schooling, not many can be actually called educated. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (or the National Program for Universal Elementary Education) has initiated the Activity Based Learning (ABL) as a concept for primary level education in the corporation schools. This scheme has also been introduced in the Panchayat Union Schools. The ABL approach is unique and effective to attract out-of -school children to schools/AIE centers. The teachers who are involved in implementing this me thod have developed activities for each learning unit which facilitated readiness for learning, instruction, reinforcement and evaluation. ABL has transformed the classrooms into hubs of activities and meaningful learning. Hence there is a direct relation to the facilities design requirements for such emerging pedagogies. Education is now becoming a way to teach the child how to learn and express in a way that is fulfilling to his being. Therefore it is important for educators and designers to collaborate and create conducive learning environments. AIM: This thesis aims at making education a more meaningful experience for students (dropouts). OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY To develop a publically available space in to an informal learning space. This space will be accessible to children of different age groups and income groups. or The study seeks to explore factors that facilitate quality learning and suggest a design for such learning spaces or institutions Attempt to study the psychology of the user. Attempt to study the effect of architectural elements (such as, light, volume of spaces, colours, materials etc.) on learning environments. STUDY QUESTIONS How can architecture contribute to develop an unconventional (replace this word) learning environment? DEFINITIONS Learning Environment: The term environment denotes the totality of the surroundings and conditions in which something or someone lives or functions. A discussion about learning environments starts with a physical space, a virtual equivalent, or at least a set of organizational principles that had their origins in a conventionally space-influenced model. Whether a classroom, an island in a virtual domain, or a chat room in a learning management system (LMS), this core place features connections to other places and resources. These might be other learning spaces, but they are also likely to be places outside the educational world. A learning environment consists of a wide set of features that affect learning. The idea of a learning environment implies a setting where intentions and design cannot account for everything that happens; some elements escape control or are at least unintended. Environment, then, is a mix of the deliberate and the accidental, the conjunction of planned and unanticipated events. Sp ace becomes environment when it is stretched to include a broader sense of place, as well as the people who participate and the culture in which these elements are situated. Since students spend several hours of their day at school, it is important that they relate to this space emotionally and physically. The learning environment and methodology followed must nurture creativity and intellectual thinking of students to the fullest of their potential. Informal Learning: Informal learning is, by default, any learning that is not formal learning. For all learners this includes heuristic language building, socialization, enculturation, and play. Informal learning is a persistent and pervasive ongoing process of student-centered learning via participation or learning via knowledge creation, in contrast with the traditional view of teacher-centered learning via acquisition. Self-directed learning: â€Å"In its broadest meaning, ’self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implement appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.† (Knowles, 1975, p. 18) Of primary concern in this definition of SDL is the fact the learner takes 1) The initiative to pursue a learning experience, and 2) The responsibility for completing their learning. Once the initiative is taken, the learner assumes complete responsibility and accountability for defining the learning experience and following it through to its conclusion. This does not preclude input from others, but the final decision is the learner’s. Self-direction does not mean the learner learns alone or in isolation. While, that may be the case in any given learning situation, the critical factor here, again, is the fact the learner is driving the total learning experience, beginning with recognizing a need to learn. METHOD OF STUDY The inquiry on learning environments is organized in two phases. The first phase develops through a literature search on alternative pedagogy that gathers a comprehensive understanding on the various pedagogical and theoretical works relating to learning. This chapter is followed by a discourse among educators and architects on learning environment and the architectural response to educational facilities design. A logical argumentative research is done trying to associate these statements with learning environments. The second phase explores selected case studies that help contextualize the above data and draw inferences to support the argument. The last chapter in this study builds on the findings and the analyses of the previous chapters to discuss the environmental factors related to learning, thereby defining the premise for the final architectural design solution. Sandstone is locally available (Delhi). This makes transportation easy. It is mostly used to clad surfaces and has a very neutral tone. In Delhi, use of sandstone is very common. You would find it used in colonial buildings, Mughal buildings and even on pathways. The material has a slight matt-finish and generally creates a very warm ambience. Exposed Brick: this material has a matt-finish. Bricks can be used to create various patterns in the wall. Ar. Laurie Baker used exposed bricks for low cost building. It is warm in nature and creates excitement when used with a splash of colours in certain places. References: 1. International Research Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 1(4), 28-35, December (2012) School Dropout across Indian States and UTs: An Econometric Study 2. International Research Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 1(4), 28-35, December (2012) School Dropout across Indian States and UTs: An Econometric Study Material Used: Walls: exposed brick / rammed earth Floor: terracotta tiles / kota stone / sandstone

Bay of Pigs

The interest of the United States in Cuba goes as far back as the pre-Civil War era when it wanted to annex Cuba as a slave state for its cotton. However, it was only in 1898 that Cuba was won from Spain following the Spanish-American war. While this lasted only until 1902, the U. S. was able to negotiate a long-term lease on the island at the Guantanamo Bay and turned it into a naval base. From that time until Castro took the helm, the second most powerful official in Cuba after the President was the U. S. Ambassador (Lafeber, 19 April 1986, p. 537).In 1947, open hostilities with communism have begun. President Truman recommended to the U. S. Congress to stop the Russian aggression in Europe. This was contained in the Truman Doctrine (Ismael, 1965, P. 3212). This was followed by a U. S. -led food airlift to the western sector which the Russians were starving out with its Berlin blockade. Then, there was the assistance provided to the communists, by the way, eventually won and the ac tive participation in the Korean War of 1950. While such actions were unpopular,, there was an apparent consensus that the U.S. should indeed show that it is not beyond having to use force to stop the expansionist plans of the communists. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President. The anti-communist sentiment was particularly rife at that time with Senator McCarthy charging practically everyone of being a communist, and succeeded in spreading fear and conflict throughout the country. In Asia, China was showing signs of aggression against Taiwan which then led to the US pledge of aid to any Southeast Asian Treaty Organization member who has to fight off communist advances.In Latin America, communist influence was equally spreading. In 1959, on January 1st, Fidel Castro and his guerillas managed to overthrow Fulgencio Batista and the former Prime Minister and newly-elected President Dr. Andres Rivero Aguero (Telzrow, 2006). The United States was one of the first countries to acknowledge Castro’s ascendancy through an official note declaring â€Å"the sincere goodwill of the government of the United States towards the new government† (Welch, 1982, p. 29). Shortly thereafter, Philip Bonsal was appointed as the new US Ambassador to Havana.Bonsal was the former ambassador to Bolivia where the Spanish-speaking career diplomat was able to establish a good relationship with the leftist administration. Four months later, in April 1959, Fidel Castro visited the United States where then Vice President Richard Nixon got to meet him. Nixon unilaterally proclaimed him to be a communist. Castro’s subsequent reforms were radical enough to align Cuba with communist party and collide with the Eisenhower Administration. There was the suspension of free elections, socialization of private business and the confiscation of U. S. property.This was followed by the nationalization of businesses which produced staple products such as milk and milk and by-p roducts, sugar, beer, toiletries, textiles and even banks (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 161). Given these internal developments in Cuba, the U. S. Department of State had started to draw up an agreement with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that would effect the downfall of Castro by using the Cuban faction opposed to him to make it look like an internal act. The situation was more alarming and an insult inasmuch as communism was practically taking root next door.In December 1959, an outline of operations both in covert and propaganda form for the overthrow of Castro was drawn up by the CIA head of Western Hemisphere, J. C. King. A more comprehensive plan was drawn up by Jacob Esterline, former chief of the Guatemala station. On March 17, President Eisenhower approved a paper penned by the CIA entitled â€Å"A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime† and the plan to bring down Castro was underway. People were put in place. David Atlee Phillips was made propagan da chief.He was to run Radio Swan, the station that would be broadcasting propaganda against the Castro government. E. Howard Hunt was made chief of political action with the main task of organizing and preparing the members of the government that will replace Castro’s once it is overthrown. (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 159). By July 1960, Russia and the U. S. were exchanging barbs. The Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khruschev had declared its support for Castro to which Eisenhower adamantly replied that communism will not be allowed by the U. S.to grow in the Western Hemisphere (Sierra, 2007, par. 7). On October 28, the United States recalled Ambassador Bonsal permanently back to Washington and followed later by officially breaking off all diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuba soon began to receive arms from the Soviet Union (Telzrow, 21 August 2006, 37+). The incumbent administration’s interest was not only directed on Cuba in 1960. Internally, there was a more immediat e concern on hand. It was campaign period for the Presidential elections. Vice President Richard Nixon was running against the popular Senator John F.Kennedy. He realized the sensitivity of the issue about Castro and communist Cuba and rode to the hilt the American voters’ anti-Castro sentiment and their restlessness towards its resolution. Earlier in the campaign, he was already briefed by CIA Director Allan Dulles on intelligence matters as required by law and this briefing included the confidential information about the training of exiles from Cuba who will be mobilized for an assault on the island. Then, on the eve of a candidate's debate, Kennedy attacked Eisenhower's Cuba policy. He openly called for U. S.support for the exiled anti-Castro forces and further exclaimed that thus far, these exiles had not received any support from the government. Kennedy knew that Nixon will not be able to counter this attack without compromising the secrecy of the plan. Nixon could only criticize Kennedy for the irresponsibility of his statements (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, pp. 160-162). Meanwhile, the plan was steadily materializing. In May 1960, Radio Swan went on the air. Using a powerful transmitter, it broadcasted programs that were actually taped in Miami. The Cuban exiled forces were placed in Guatemala.The incumbent President and dictator of Guatemala, Gen. Miguel Ydigoras owed his position to the CIA for enforcing a covert operation in 1954 against then Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. He thus allowed an airport to be built in his country. Nicaragua’s Anastacio Somoza also provided a training base in his country (LaFeber, 16 April 1966, 537+). The Cuban exiled forces were collectively called Brigade 2506. They were originally being trained off the coast of Florida. Eventually, the size of the brigade grew to about 1,500 soldiers. The Castro government was not turning a blind eye against all these things that were going on.Eventually, Castro had his chance and on September 26, 1960, he addressed the UN General Assembly where he charged the U. S. for setting up a broadcasting station in Swan Island which the U. S. lamely refuted by stating that it was a privately-owned station by a commercial broadcasting company. A month later, Cuba again went on the offensive again in the UN General Assembly this time with the Cuban Foreign Minister Raul Roa providing well-informed details on how the recruitment and training of these exiled forces were allegedly being conducted.In his address, however, he did not call them exiles but as mercenaries and counter-revolutionaries. He stated that they were recruited, paid and sustained by the CIA by providing for them and their families (Sierra, 2007, par. 19). Later, in 2000, during a historic meeting of the personalities involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, these exiles were once again referred to as mercenaries at which point Fidel Castro corrected him, â€Å"They’re brigadistas† (Dinges, 23 April 2001, 6). It was Castro’s strategy to turn the tide of foreign opinion against the Americans and later we will see how this tactic by Castro proved to be effective.At the interim, a budget of USD13 million was approved by President Eisenhower. He also authorized the use of the Defense Department’s personnel and equipment but pointedly instructed that no American citizen must be used in combat. However, the CIA’s initial attempt at dropping weapons and supplies in Cuba failed miserably. The drop zone was missed and the ground agent was caught and shot (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, 161). On January 1961, President John F. Kennedy took office. After campaigning heavily against lack of action on Cuba, he essentially trapped himself. In LaFeber’s (1986), Kennedyâ€Å"despised Castro and saw himself going head-to-head with Nikita Kruschev over which superpower would control the Third World. He was also passionately committed to a romantic view o f counter-revolutionary operations and feared being labeled as less of an anti-Communist than Eisenhower, whose policies he had blasted only months earlier. So the attack went ahead on the night of April 17† (537+). Before the actual invasion happened, the plan changed several times due to several factors. Kennedy’s Department of State was afraid of the consequential impact on the US relations with Latin America (Lafeber, 1986, 537+).White House adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. remarked that while Kennedy was adamant about not using US soldiers directly, but the CIA acted on the conviction that he will change his mind (Dinges, 2001, 6). Everyone was of the assumption that the Cuban people would all rise spontaneously to get rid of Castro (Lafeber, 1986, 537+). Meanwhile, despite all the efforts to avoid having the US stamp on the exiled forces by having the training camps and airfield in Nicaragua and Guatemala, it was soon evident that the operation did not remain a sec ret for very long.It was even already being discussed within cliques in the UN. On Jan. 11th 1961, the Joint Chief of Staff were consulted for the first time on. From the combined minds of the Department of Defense, the CIA and the JCS, Operation Bumpy Road was born. On Jan. 28th, newly-elected President John F. Kennedy was briefed. The concept of the plan as outlined in the memorandum prepared by two senior CIA officials in charge of the brigade, Jacob Esterline and Jack Hawkins. A small area was to be seized and defended at the initial stage.There will be no more offensive tactics to be done until the expected uprising of the majority of the Cuban people begins or an overt operation by the US forces is (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 164). The landing was already plotted to be in Trinidad, which was in the southern coast of Cuba. This is located near Escambray Mountains. His would be an ideal site for Operation Bumpy Road because of the alternatives that it can offer. The expeditiona ry forces already have the goodwill of the population of Trinidad as the majority is anti-Castro.In case the defense of the landing is compromised, they could turn to Plan B and flee into the mountains. There, a guerilla warfare can be fought. Thus, with this plan in mind, Brigade 2506 trained throughout 1960 under this plan. Richard Bissell, CIA Director of Plans, assessed the plans. He believed that there is a possibility of success such that they might survive and gain support for as long as they hold their ground. If the support from the Cuban people comes, then the US can make overt action plans on the pretense of backing the revolutionaries (Bight & Kornbluh, 1999, p.164). Originally scheduled for Mach 5, 1961, the operation was put on hold until April after examination of all possible alternatives. This was due to the intervention of the State Department for diplomatic and political reasons. The U. S. still believes that it can get away with â€Å"plausible deniability† and Operation Bumpy Road can no way disguise U. S. complicity. Hence, despite argument from Bissel that postponement and possible plan revision will create undue tension and resentment among the brigade members, the March date did not materialize.In fact a revolt by the exiles who were training in Guatemala did occur in late January 1961 with 500 resigning (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 164). Bissell concluded that this plan may be the only one where a covert operation is still possible in bringing down Fidel Castro. National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy was not in accord and instead recommended a trade embargo instead and allow internal rif to reach a boling point before launching the brigade. So, it was a Bumpy Road indeed as the rinidad Plan was rejected.President Kennedy set down his conditions in preparing a new plan. First, it must be a silent landing and it is to be done at night. The CIA then presented three alternatives. There was a revision of the Trinidad Plan, there w as to be a new target for landing which would be the northeast coast and the third alternative would be at the Bay of Pigs codenamed â€Å"Operation Zapata†. The President chose the Zapata Plan liked but with certain changes particularly that it must have the appearance of being more of a guerilla-type of operation.Thus, it was modified to a night landing (instead of a dawn landing) with air drops at first light. Kennedy questions the necessity of the air strikes. A compromise was agreed to limit the air strikes to two days before d-day simultaneous with a diversionary landing of 160 men in Eastern Cuba. These strikes will give the impression that the air strikes are those by Cuban pilots defecting from the Cuban air force and thus further giving lie that its an internal uprising. Bissell also reassures Kennedy that the Cubans on the island will join in an uprising.The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, Senator William Fullbright did not believe that such tactics will fool anyone. However, a vote from the advisers favored moving ahead (Blight & Kornbluh 1999, 165). Seven days before d-day, Esterline and Hawkins sent notice that they want to quit, that â€Å"the project was out of control† but Bissell prevailed upon them to stay. Three days before the invasion, Kennedy made a statement in a press conference that the US Armed Forces One day before the invasion, the number of plane were reduced from 16 to six planes as ordered by Kennedy to keep it minimal.On April 16, the landing plan was approved by Kennedy. However, fearing international condemnation, Kennedy cancels the dawn air strikes until the beachhead airfield is in the hands of the landing force and completely operational and capable of supporting the raids. Bissell argued unsuccessfully that the landings will be seriously endangered without it. The air strikes were cancelled. Aboard the Blagar, CIA agent Grayston Lynch receives intelligence report that the Cuba air force will strik e, it moves close to shore and delivers gunfire support to the landing troops.The Brigade troops landed at 1’o clock in the morning. Later that morning, the Houston comes under air attack and is hit. Blight and Kornbluh (1999) gives a detailed account: â€Å"It goes aground with about 180 men on the west side of the Bay of Pigs – about five miles from the landing beach. At 9:30 AM, the freighter Rio Escondido is sunk by a direct rocket hit from a Sea Furya â€Å"with ten day's reserves of ammunition on board, as well as food, hospital equipment, and gasoline.All crew members are rescued and transferred to the Blagar. Fighting rages throughout the day, with the brigade freighters withdrawing 50 miles out to sea. That evening, President Kennedy discusses the deteriorating situation with his advisers† (p. 168). On April 18, the Brigade Commander refused a call for evacuation. While at the UN on the same day, Ambassador Adlai Stevenson continued to deny that the Un ited States had intervened militarily in Cuba.Bissell, in direct violation of Kennedy's instructions, authorized American pilots to fly combat missions when a number of the Cuban pilots at Pueto Cabezos refused to fly. On April 19, two planes flown by U. S. pilots were shot down and the pilots killed. The invasion force were captured. About 130 were killed and 1,189 were taken prisoners. Cuba's casualties were about 157. Mass trials were held and the prisoners were each given a sentence of 30 years. Negotiations got underway and after 20 months, most were released in exchange for money, food and medical supplies (Sierra, 2007).In the aftermath, Lymann Kirkpatrick, the CIA Inspector General, issued a report that pointed to Bissell and his aide Tracy Barnes as not having firm plans for the invasion and failed to advise Kennedy that a covert action is not at all possible. Bissell rebutted by issuing a memorandum of his own and putting the blame on Kennedy's withdrawal of the air strike s. On June 13, 1961, General Taylor, head of the Taylor Committee composed on Gen. Maxwell taylor, Atty. General Robert Kennedy, Adm. Arleigh Burke and Dir. Gen.Of CIA Allen Dulles to investigate why the operation failed submits their report to President Kennedy that the operation was ill-considered and it was never ever possible that Zapatacan be run as a covert operation. If a reorientation of the operation had not been possible, the project should have been abandoned. (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 169). Apart from the reports of Kirkpatrick of the CIA and the Taylor Committee, and after more documents relating to the Bay of Pigs invasion surfaced and were declassified, the following can be concluded:– the CIA made decisions on mere assumptions that the people would spontaneously assist in overthrowing Castro (Lafeber, 1986). – they failed to see that the exiles and the supporters were the loud minority while the majority were straddling the fence in a wait-and-see at titude inasmuch as Castro's government was still at its inception and already seemed to have been serious about its reforms in distributing the wealth concentrated on the few during the previous regime which was openly supported by the U.S. – the United States could have lost sympathy from the locals since from 1898, they have exerted great influence over Cuba's internal affairs seemingly to the point of meddling in order to favor American businesses and the invasion was undeniably a US-backed operation the US did not trust its own invading force, not even telling the Cuban exiles the actual day of the invasion. One agent admitted that, â€Å"I don't trust any goddamn Cuban.† (Lafeber, 1986) – aside from being trapped by his own campaign statements, the ongoing cold war forced Kennedy to take immediate if indecisive action in battling Cuba's Castro and ultimately the USSR's Nikita Khrushchev for the Western hemisphere – there were tactical errors such as mistaking for seaweed the Bay of Pigs coral reef which caused the craft to run aground and made the easy marks. – the US underestimated the Castro's security and defenses.In a historic meeting in 2001 between the antagonists and the protagonists in the invasion which was held in Cuba, it was divulged that â€Å"a vast security network had been established and about 20,000 suspected dissidents were rounded up† which effectively squelched US expectations of a mass rebellion. Moreover, the Cuban air forces' better planes were camouflaged and the ones that were destroyed by the pre-d-day strike were decoys. (Dinges, 2001, p. 6).– the CIA strategy is rooted on another assumption that no president, Kennedy included despite his statements against overt operations, will allow the United States to â€Å"go down in ignominous defeat† and will send in the Marines (as related by White House adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. In Dinges, 2001). – there were no CIA broadcasts to announce the invasion (Telzrow, 2006). – from Jack Hawkins himself, Kennedy made the fatal error of placing â€Å"plausible deniability ahead of military viability (Hawkins 1996, p. 36+).It would seem highly improbable that the world's greatest superpower would be defeated by a revolutionary government barely over a year in power. However, that is exactly what Cuba did under Fidel Castro's leadership. On April 19, 1961 Cuba was able to repulse an invasion led by 1,400 commandos of Brigade 2506 who arrived at Playa Giron (Giron Beach) from Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs). Brigade 2506 was US-backed all the way. The planning and training was done by the CIA. They were armed and supplied by the US.It was not a failure of the men of the invasion force who fought valiantly and refused to be evacuated. Given the circumstances surrounding the invasion, it was a â€Å"perfect failure† as it has now been dubbed for the spectacular defeat of the US. Overall, this is mainly due to the arrogance displayed by America and has now been immortalized in the Bay of Pigs. Bibliography Blight, J. G. & Kornbluh, P. (Eds. ) (1999). Politics of illusion: The Bay of Pigs invasion re-examined. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Dinges, J. (2001, April 23). Back to the Bay of Pigs. The Nation, 272, 6. Hawkins, J. (1996, December 31). The Bay of Pigs operation was doomed by presidential indecisiveness and lack of commitment. National Review, 48, 36+. Ismael, F. L. (1965). The United States as a world leader. The Book of Knowledge, vol. 9, pp. 3206-3224. New York: Grolier Incorporated. LaFeber, W. (1986, April 19). Lest we forget the Bay of Pigs; the unlearned lessons. The Nation, 242, 537-539. Sierra, J. A. (2007).History of Cuba. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www. historyofcuba. com/cuba/htm. Telzrow, M. E. (2006, August 21). Bay of Pigs betrayal: The betrayal of the Cuba people by the CIA, State Department and staff members of the New York Times ranks as one of the America's darkest foreign-policy moments. The New American, 22, 37-39. Welch. R. E. (1985). Response to revolution: The United States and the Cuban revolution, 1959-1961. Chappel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Global Warming - Essay Example The earth seems to be warming courtesy of the greenhouse effect. According to research by scientists, it has been stipulated that the temperature could rise by about 2 degrees Celsius in the coming twenty years. This change in the temperatures could result in disastrous effects for the environment inevitably making it inevitable. Some of these adverse effects include drought, extinction of species could increase and coastal flooding. In addition, scientists have made a discovery of a hole in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is the only protection of life on Earth from the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Once the ozone layer becomes destroyed, it is expected that life on earth will come to an end as a result of the radiation from the sun. Consequently, earth will be nothing but vast lands of barren rock and devoid of life. The most ordinary theory for global warming is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is induced by the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases are naturally occurring but may, however, come about in excess as a result of industrialization, especially from industries that use fossil fuels such as coal and oil in their operations. Greenhouse gases exist in the atmosphere and have an overall effect on the global weather (Kowalski, 49). They trap radiated heat from existing in the atmosphere. This supposedly increases the global temperature will cause melting of the polar ice caps. This will in turn raise the sea level and cause global coastal flooding.

Surrealism in Art and Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Surrealism in Art and Society - Research Paper Example The paper "Surrealism in Art and Society" states the art society and the surrealism movement. It also includes art that pictured images of paradox and dream devised to change human perception of the world and the world, moreover, the goals of surrealism include revision of the human definition of reality by allowing the free flow of thought with the violation of literal convention in art. Surrealism has its roots from the movement founded by Andre Breton as an artistic and literal movement. However, it borrows plenty of its beliefs and practices from other fields that are not directly related t art. These include politics and psychological fields of society. Politically, surrealism professes communist beliefs following the First World War, its causes and its effects. On the other hand, practices and ideologies are borrowed from the works of Freud due to his assertions on the crucial role of sexuality in human issues. In the case of Freudian influence on surrealism, sexuality is embed ded in the subconscious, which surrealists attempt to utilize to create their works of art; moreover, surrealism is defined as a form of automatism through which it intends to express verbally, in writing and by any other means. As a result, the use of the subconscious in artistic expression must not be limited by sociological and psychological reality, which allows surrealism to violate most conventions. Andre Breton is considered the father of surrealism in the entire world following is experimentation in the artistic field.

How Will You Measure Your Life Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How Will You Measure Your Life - Case Study Example The unsurpassed tactic is balances linking comprising a purposeful, emergent or flexible strategy. Despite the fact that people will always possess deliberate strategies, possessing resources and ability to change the tactics is crucial. If the ideas used are about to be overtaken in the market, a person can always change to fit in the competitive environment. Best business entails giving to the customers what they need. In the case of allocating what is not needed by the customers leads to loss. This happens because the customers will not purchase what they do not require. Resources must be allocated where they are in demand. Smaller, feebler, but more pioneering competitors begin markets and finally dislocate and fully go beyond their entrants. In life, we cannot stay to obtain all the information before undertaking a decision. People can replicate their lives off by meditating on the causes and consequences. A number of organizations value short term over long term payouts. Â  Giving more value to the things which have immediate rewards compared to those whose fruits will be achieved later can be extremely damaging. How people utilize energy, time, talent and wealth will be determined by the decision made on how to put the resources into action. Abandoning personal correlations in the events may result into irreversible, detrimental effects. Good capital is devoting in stuffs most probable to proffer an optimistic return, or as a minimum let a person to have residual assets in order to revolve. In life situation, getting fixated on short term income is very easy. Failure to invest in crucial things such as family and friendship early enough, realizing their importance can take time. In industry, corporations can make colossal errors by impeding taking action against a troublesome competitor, or scaling up. Despite the fact that

Porters five forces analysis - Beats by Dre Essay

Porters five forces analysis - Beats by Dre - Essay Example To analyze the market share taken by the headphones in the market, we will focus on the forces outlined in the model to discuss this. Firstly, we will focus on the supplier’s power in the global market. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of headphones in the global market. It manufactures high-end headphones, which most consumers consider them quality and classy. Further, company’s ability to manufacture them in different colours makes it even better. Most of the headphones are ‘U’ shaped. From a recent report published in business review, the company had acquired sixty-four percent of the entire market shares. Most users of the headphones view it as a fashion accessory mostly used by celebrities in the hip-hop music industry. The company has the capacity to manufacture and satisfy the global market. Secondly, the model helps its users to analyze the buying power of consumers who are its target consumers. The company appreciates that it has customers from different lifestyles hence it manufactures products as per their needs and requests. Therefore, the management has ensured that the prices of their products and software’s are all affordable to their customers in the global market. Further, the company follows the current rates of inflation in the world’s economy. To emphasize, most of the customers lies in the age bracket of 19-35 years who love to be trendy and follow the latest themes in the world of fashion. This gives the company an upper hand because their products are always on demands.

Medical Emergency Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Medical Emergency Team - Essay Example Research across nations has shown that a risk management approach, leadership skills, and other criteria utilised in a teambuilding activity may prove to be very efficient in implementing such a team in teaching hospitals (Lee et al., 1995); however, although possibility and feasibility of advanced practice nurses as leaders of such teams have been explored in some studies (Jenkins and Lindsey, 2010), in reality there has been no such attempts in creating such a team in a District General Hospital. The introduction above is actually the background of a project proposal to introduce a Medical Emergency Team in the District Hospital where this author works. Since this concept is new and unknown, and the hospital infrastructure is not yet ready for that purpose, it would need extensive organizational changes and changes in attitudes of the healthcare professionals engaged in different aspects of care delivery in this hospital. Thus implementation of such a programme would need provisions for planning and execution of the different stages of the plan. By organisation, it means the policy, process, people, principles, and promoters, since launching a new service would need manipulations in all these areas at the organisational levels. Obviously, while planning this project, all key concepts at the background of such a service must be incorporated, although some local changes must be made to suit the local needs of the hospital at the district level, which would definitely vary from the needs of a tertiary care hospital in the same area. The project would be feasible only when it would be grounded on the key concepts and not principles derived from the prevalent national health and social care policies. However, only this could not achieve the objectives of such a team unless it works on the principles of team building and integrated effort towards building partnerships among the stakeholders through appropriate leadership skills that bring the best of team work and change management. This author is an advanced nurse practitioner for the last three and a half years in this hospital. As already known, this position allows independent, autonomous, and accountable practice in different clinical areas including 20 years of work in the Accident and Emergency. This position allowed sufficient exposure to different emergent clinical scenarios that may be encountered in practice, and rapid response was absolutely essential in such care deliveries. It is very important to note that such care is possible through teamwork only, and it is called Medical Emergency Team. The basic tenet of such a project would be very collaborative teamwork based on as recommended by Kerridge and Saul (2003) continuing education on recognition of acute illness and processes involving audit and education. They must recognise the areas where in-hospital response to acute and critical illness outside the ICU is suboptimal. This author's experience in working in team, which is used to work in the hospital in day/night teams may this become useful for such projects. In this proposed project, there will be a team of 20-plus advanced nurse

Department of Health and Human Services IT Security Program Research Paper

Department of Health and Human Services IT Security Program - Research Paper Example This policy outlines the framework by which the department ensures that its IT resources are protected when accessed remotely. The resources mentioned include all levels of sensitivity all existing automated information and systems. The policy includes mandatory rules for all organizational units, employees and other stakeholders. The roles and responsibilities are also outlined for the managers, security and IT officers. Building on the fact that pro-active security measures are implemented and maintained effectively, this policy outlines the rules by which malware or malicious computer applications and data are prevented from entering the system, detected and rooted out immediately. This policy is particularly directed at the employees who are tasked to gather, process and transmit HHS information and infrastructure resources such as the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Resources management and Senior Information Systems Security Officer. Through this policy, the Department of Health and Human Services, effectively, created the PII Breach Response Team. Consequently, the policy outlined the responsibilities, tasks, and mandate of the team such as the identification, management, and response to suspected or confirmed security breaches. This policy also created the HHS Information Security and Privacy Program, which was developed to support the Breach Re sponse Team. This is one of the several major policies that came from the office of the Chief Information Officer. It outlines the implementation for machine-readable policy for the agency’s websites. A core component of this policy is the satisfaction of best practices standards in terms of satisfying web privacy security, legal and regulatory requirements as well as the collection and protection of data.  

Differences Between Colonies Essay Example for Free

Differences Between Colonies Essay Differences between colonies: Religious: The Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth were Puritans vs. Anglicans at Jamestown. Plus, Plymouth was founded for religious reasons while Jamestown was founded for economic reasons. Dont get me wrongreligion was critical for both groups but the Puritans left England because they were religious outcasts while the settlers at Jamestown were there for economic benefit and had investors. Labor: Jamestown was initially settled under martial law and the military played a significant role (especially in terms of governance) within the colony while the military presence for Plymouth was more of militia and didnt grow until the colony spread beyond Plymouth. Social: More swamps, longer warm-weather seasons meant more mosquitoes in Virginia. The English settlers there came primarily from swampy areas of the UK and had been exposed to malaria previously. New research on the settlement suggests that one reason the settlers werent attacked and anhiliated by Indians (and why their numbers retreated back into the forests) was the sudden onset of malaria (a disease that did not exist in this part of the New World prior to the appearance of the English). But the settlers in Plymouth came to an area that had been devastated by disease earlier (thus wiping out most of the indigenous peoples). Life was hard for both colonies. But the puritans in Plymouth were more of a culture of cooperation and sharing which helped ease relations with the Indians and allowed them to weather the longer winters in NE better than the more mercenary nature of the Jamestown settlers. French Indian War: The conflict was first a world war. England did not focus all it;s might on the war and left much of the fighting to the colonists. This taught the Americans that the mother country wasnt always going to be there to save them. Communication between America and England was at the pace of a sailing ship. One could send a message but months could pass before an answer was received. It was very clear that the Americans were fighting the war pretty much on their own. Directions and help were a long time coming. Once the wars was over, the Colonists saw lands to the West to be open for settlement. Most of the colonies had charters granting them land all the way to the Pacific. The new lands were also seen as a reward for winning the war. The Proclamation of 1763 closed the new lands to  settlement. The Americans saw this as a absent ruler that didnt have a grasp on the needs of the Americans and the proclamation as a hardship. The English saw it as a way to keep peace with the Native Americans and not have to continue to fight a war in America. Finally the British government was deeply in debt. They saw the colonies as a revenue source. After all England had just fought a world war and saved the colonies from the French and Indians. They that were protected during the war should help pay for it. Long unused laws were enforced and new taxes added. The Americans saw this as more British heavy handedness. The Colonists had founght the war, mostly on their own, They had suffered loses, and now were both being blocked from westward expansion but were being taxed without having any say in the matter. TeaParty: Political That was the year the British enacted the Proclamation of 1763, which made it illegal for colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. Economic The British also enacted the Currency Act in 1763, that law made it illegal for the colonists to make their own money. Both of these were done as a means for the British to gain more control of the colonists and this greatly upset the colonists. 1763 was the year the colonists started to realize they would be better off being independent of Britain and it sowed the seeds of revolution. The British responded to the Boston Tea Party by making th Intolerable Acts which closed the Boston Ports and destroyed the Massachusetts government. Articles: There was no foreign policy, and states printed their own currency. The federal government could not tax; there was no Federal Army, no judicial system, and a lack of national compulsive power over states. It was a weak alliance, it needed approval from 9 of all 13 states to be amended, no executive or judicial branch, only a one house congress where every state had 1 vote. It couldnt regulate interstate trade, impose taxes, or coin money. They also had no leader to run the country.

Reflective Account of Child GSA

Reflective Account of Child GSA Recently in our house in the month of May this year a young boy has joined as a day student. I will refer to him as Jake in this reflective account (this is not his real name and all relevant information/personal data regarding exact time of the movement has been changed in order to comply with the CSA Confidentiality Policy). When Jake first came to the house he of course came as a trial period and he has been accompanied by two other care workers from his former placement/school who knew him very well. This was a transition for him and also for us. His placement with our house was a two day a week. These two days were spread apart into Mondays and Fridays. In order to assess his needs I believe it is required intensive observation. The information provided from his previous school, parents and care workers/social worker it is very important but I believe that working hands on with him will allow a better understanding and I could make a proper evaluation of his needs according to the new environment and settings that he is currently surrounded by. When a new student enters our house, everyones vigilance/attention and my own it is much higher in order to understand his needs, to assess him and fully understand him as an individual. I believe that everyone it is unique in their own way and to fully assess someone it takes a lot of care, understanding and information in order to take the right decisions for that person and provide the best care /therapeutic program so that they can grow and develop furthermore. Jake is a very outspoken young man, knows what he wants and has grown a lot in the last months in independence and is more able to deal with changes than when he has first arrived to our house. As an initial assessment it has been taking into consideration all the information gathered from his previous care plans, statements from care workers, discussion with his parents and most importantly by talking to Jake and finding out what he thinks and wants to do. CSA uses a series of therapies and therapeutic activities and they are as follows: therapeutic art, music, speech, movement, riding, play, massage, foot bath and counselling. Every child and young adult that is attending school or it is part of a placement with CSA has the available support to benefit from all these activities. These therapeutic activities happen as a one to one situation unless stated otherwise in the child or young persons care plan. CSA has also a range of workshops available to every student that is in the community. They are as follows: metal, pottery, candle, weaver, felting, green woodwork and garden workshop. These workshops help with the increase of creativity, independence and self esteem which gives the students an incredible sense of achieving once they hold their creations into their own hands and not only also during the creative process. Discussing with Jake, I quickly found out that he likes video games and that he is very technological. Jake is also a very good communicator which helped me understand quicker what and how I should approach a development care plan and properly assess his needs. Also by reading and asking about him from multiple sources provided but not only, especially through daily observation and working with Jake has been equally important. At the beginning like I said his trial period consisted in showing him around the house, estate, programmes and workshops. He got to know everyone else from the house residents, day students and co-workers. He has been accompanied for the first month by other two staff members from his previous school and by me. The input from his parents, the information from his school, reading his previous care plan and the information from previous staff who has worked with Jake has helped me assess and better understand Jakes needs. Jake though has been the one who helped the most in order for us to provide the best care plan and fulfil his needs. After each day that Jake spends with us it has been recorded in a diary which has helped me make his care plan and his individual risk assessment. They are all kept in the office in his personal file. After his arrival to the house there are 28 days in which I have to provide his care plan and the intended approach. Working with my colleagues, the craft masters, parents, former care workers from his previous school and with Jakes input I was able to make his care plan. Speaking with everyone involved gives me a better understanding of the whole situation and gives me the opportunity to take the best decisions. After doing so I made sure that everyone from the house who was involved in his care was aware, read, understood and that we all stand together on a common ground and take the same approach. These have been done through multiple meetings regarding Jake with all the personal that was involved in his care. All observations, assessments and reviews are recorded in his personal file and it is kept in the office of the house and the main office of CSA. Each time he was with us has been documented and recorded his progress in his personal diary which is up to date. His personal file also includes a few incident reports. The first few times that Jake was with us, actually the first two he was outgoing and very communicative. In order to asses a childs needs according to the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 under section 24 it is primordial that it is looked upon at the child needs and it is equally important that it is looked at also at the ability of the carer in order to provide the care. Both parties are actually being assessed by the Council in order to provide the best care and the most relevant support that it is needed. Meeting this need for Jake, gives us great responsibility in order to bring his development further. When his transition started with the CSA and the house for Jake it has been done through the proper channels. For example: Permission from his family in order to gather information that will allow us to understand and create a plan in order to meet up his needs, the discussions in the meetings regarding the assessment and most importantly a one to one get to know the child in a safe environment and space are the basic approach that gave us an insight. After all this a copy of the assessment it is handed over to the family once all this is finalized. As a general background Jake is a 7*(not his real age) year old young man and he has been struggling with accessing his education since nursery. He has been diagnosis with ASD and ADHD. When he feels that he is under pressure he has a tendency to present aggressive and violent behaviour. He is also a very chatty young man. After a period of trial which consisted of Jake being in our house on Mondays and Fridays there has been a review concerning Jakes updates which was all about his adaptability to the new settings and if we were going on the right track regarding his development and needs. Clearly something needed to be changed if I wanted that this process to work out. Asking my colleagues and the craft masters about what and how I should best support his needs. An idea came that if these would have to work the space between Mondays to Friday should change. The decision was consulted with his parents and with all staff of our house that Jake will attend every day of the week for a shorter period of time in order to make a difference. I find this method to be very efficient and it has been proven with another student of our house and clearly worked. Less time during the day but on a scale that will include the whole week. Also during this review because of all the disturbing behaviour he was engaging when he was picked up by the taxi and his previous care workers, I decided that this will stop and he should be picked up by his mum or different taxi driver and staff. His mum agreed. After all this changes Jake has shown a lot of more calm and ease to be with us. He started to engage more in the house and with his co-workers and he started to attend more and more workshops that he has dismissed previously. He had at the beginning a two to one co-worker and now after six months he has progressed to a one to one co-worker. There are times still when he acts out but he has also learned to have a time out or a break when he needs it. The staff is focusing on the positive behaviour rather than the bad one and once Jake was calm and ready to listen everything has been explained to him. Everyone from the co-workers does the same thing and we all stand together on a common ground in order to help Jake. Once the plan is set out, everyone is to care it out accordingly. When a set of practice are respected and applicable by everyone in the team as an united front this has proven to give tremendous results in the care of the child/young persons needs. As positive child behaviour methods and techniques CSA, uses a series of behavioural techniques which have been specified on page A of this paper. Through art, baking and always teaching them to ask nicely and to say thank you when they expect something to happen. Counselling and trying to make them understand is also a method that CSA uses which has been very effective with Jake. And lastly the consequences for example when they have less than a great day has been proven to be as equally effective when used as a united front. At home it has been agreed that they should use similar techniques when Jake becomes a little bit less aware/unsettled. For example to keep his bedroom tidy, no video games after 10 and so on. In order to keep and maintain a positive outcome but most importantly a positive behaviour Jake has agreed that he when overwhelmed will take a break/time out in order to collect his thoughts where he will not feel pressure from staff in order to attend the next activity for example. In our weekly meeting we discuss and evaluate all sides. Everyone gets the chance to speak and to offer an opinion, support for the work. Once things are discussed especially on improvements and how to best support that positive behaviour within the program I take the decision to sustain or to cancel something that it is less than that. For example Jake didnt want to have snack with everyone else so instead was offered to have a picnic outside together with 2 other co-workers and another student which seemed to make Jake very happy. This has been later integrated in his program because of the positive impact it had on Jake.

The Value Proposition in Barclays PLC

The Value Proposition in Barclays PLC The organization that is used for this assignment is Barclays PLC; this project is divided into three parts. The first parts aim is to identify and to explain what is the perceived value for the customers, to do this, suitable models of consumer values are going to be used and then the model will be applied to the organization. The second part will critically evaluate the value proposition of the business and then a comparison will be made with that of the leading competitors value proposition. The third part would produce a new value proposition, which will match the value criteria of the existing customers; this will be done by identifying the weaknesses in the existing value proposition. It will also provide us with a plan to implement the value proposition internally and externally. Using suitable models identify the customer perceived value for the customers for a product/division/company of your choice. Customer perceived value, what does this really mean? Customer perceived value, can be regarded as the opinion that a customer has or has formed of a particular product and how it is of value to him. Simply put, the customer perceived value of any product is the consumers overall assessment of the utility or use of a product based on perceptions of what the customer receives and what he is giving to get the desired service or product. This concept can also be explained with the help of the following diagram: Customer perceived value= Perceived Benefits _______________ Perceived Sacrifice Where, Perceived benefits are the attributes of the service being received and the customer perceived quality and price of the product. Perceived sacrifice are the customer costs involved in purchasing, such as time, travel etc. Introduction to the organisation: For the purpose of this assignment, the company that has been selected is BARCLAYS PLC; the following text would give a brief company profile followed by the identification of the customer perceived value for the organisation by the use of the Customer Value Hierarchy Model. Company profile: Barclays is one of the worlds leading financial institutions headquartered at 1 Churchill Place, London. It is a 300 year old corporation that became a major financial services provider that engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, wealth management, investment banking and management services provider for big global equity firms. It has an extensive international presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and off lately has started to expand in the United States market as well. It moves, lends, protects and invests money for than 38 million customers and clients worldwide. Barclays has two business clusters: Global Retail Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth Management- both compromising world-class business and brands. Before we take a look at the customer perceived value of the Barclays brand, the project would like to discuss the Customer Value Hierarchy Model, and then try to apply them to the customers of Barclays. Customer Value Hierarchy Model: OBJECTIVE LAYER Customers goal and purpose CONSEQUENCE LAYER Desired consequences in use situation ATTRIBUTE LAYER Desired products/services attribute and performances The Customer Value Model consists of three layers, namely the Attribute layer, the Consequence Layer and the Objectives layer. The objective layer includes the ultimate motivations of customers, the consequence layer represents the customer experience desired by the person and finally the attribute layer specifies what actually the needs of the customer are. From the bottom of the customer value hierarchy, customers would always firstly consider the attributes and availability of products. At the second layer, customers begin to make expectations according to the attributes. At the top layer, customers form expectations about the realization of their aim. How do Barclays customers perceive their bank? Thats the question that this assignment would like to answer by giving the objectives, consequences and attributes desired by the customers, followed by a customer review. OBJECTIVES Easy personal banking Safety of the account at all times Saving account options Availability of loans at a good interest rate Online banking to keep a record of their account details at all time Ability to invest Good mortgage options Insurance options Credit card facilities Assistance while travelling CONSEQUENCES Easy accessibility to the account Peace of mind as the customer is aware that the account details are secure and safe More control over their own finances The customer does not require to keep much cash with them at all times because of the debit cards Saving for the rainy day A secure and safe environment Future is taken care off Can start a business with the help of financial banking More purchasing power ATTRIBUTES Pin- sentry device Debit card Online banking facilities which enable the customers to check account balances, make transfers, setup standing orders and direct debits. Chequebooks Barclaycard ISAs Bonds Home insurance Different types of savings accounts Different types of current accounts Overdraft facility E-savings Car insurance Travel services Looking at the above attributes, consequences and objectives list one can identify the value of the brand as perceived by the customer. The brand Barclays is a very widely recognized name and almost every person in the UK is a big fan, of course with some exceptions which are bound to be there, the customers on a general note feel very happy with the huge array of services and products made available by the bank for its customers and are satisfied with the huge network of customer service centres spread all across the world providing 24/7 customer service, also the safe and secure online banking facility provided by Barclays is very user friendly and easy to use, letting the customers always keep a track of their money. So its safe to say that Barclays as a bank not only just for people but also for small businesses and big equity firms is a financial institution of repute and is trusted and respected by the people. PART 2 Critically evaluate the existing value proposition of the product/division/ company you have chosen. Compare and contrast the value proposition with that of the leading competitor in your sector. This part of the project would evaluate the value proposition or the customer value proposition of Barclays and contrast it with the customer value proposition of HSBC. But before we proceed to comparing and contrasting the value propositions of both the brands we first need to understand, what a customer value proposition really is? This is the question this project would answer first and then proceed on to discuss the variations in the value propositions of both the brands. Customer Value Proposition: In the subject of marketing, the customer value proposition is a measure of the sum total of the benefits which a provider offers or promises a potential consumer which he/she will receive in return for the customers payment (or any other value transfer). A customer value proposition is a business or marketing statement that would describe why a customer should make use of the services and products being offered by the organisation. It is targeted towards potential consumers, rather than at other groups such as employees, suppliers or partners. It is a defined statement, which is designed to convince the customers that this particular product will add more value or better solve a problem than the other competitors in the same industry. Why are customer value propositions so important? This question is of utmost importance to any business, because it is only these statements that give the customer an expectation of a desired service, it provides the consumers with a convincing reason to buy the desired good and also helps differentiate the product from the other services provided by the other competitors in the same industry. They help in gaining customers attention and if the customer value proposition is strong, and is able to gain the approval of the customer that helps in building of faster and more profitable sales and in increasing the market share of the organisation. Understanding of the customer needs is very vital as this would ensure the promotion and creation of a successful brand. Types of Customer Value Propositions: All benefits: This is a list compilation of all the benefits of the products and services offered to the customers by the organisation. This approach requires the least market knowledge about customers and competitors and thus does not provide a good base when seen from a marketing perspective. Favourable Points of Difference: This type of value proposition explicitly recognizes the fact that the customer has different alternatives and it then it lays it focus on how to differentiate one product or service from another. A product or service can have several differences, confusing the customer and thus complicating the customers understanding of the product which would offer him more value. Resonating Focus: This approach is used by managers who directly deal with a supplier who fully grasps the critical issue in the product- consumer cycle and who delivers a customer value proposition thats simple yet powerfully captivating. The value proposition offered is superior in the few attributes that are of the most importance to the customers which convey a message to the targeted audience, that here is an organisation which is communicating a sophisticated understanding of the customers business priorities. When talking about the value proposition of a financial institution we have to take into account the current market conditions and then arrive at the capital and funding strategy of the bank which in itself is a sort of value proposition available for the customers to have a look at and, then these consumers can decide for themselves whether they do need to associate themselves with the financial institution. Analysis of value proposition of Barclays: Capital Strategy: Barclays capital management activities will attempt to maximise shareholders value by optimising the level and mix of its capital resources. Barclays ability to operate as a bank is directly dependent upon the maintenance of adequate capital resources. Barclays works according to a centralised capital management model considering regulatory and economic capital. The Groups capital management objectives are to: Maintaining the sufficient capital required to meet minimum regulatory capital requirements set by the UK FSA. Maintaining sufficient capital resources which can support the Barclays risk appetite and fulfil the economic capital requirements. Support the banks credit rating Ensure that the locally regulated subsidiaries can meet the minimum capital requirements without having to borrow from other financial firms. Allocation of capital to support the strategic objectives set by Barclays, including optimum returns on economic and regulatory capital. Funding strategy: Barclays will manage the funding position so as to comply with the regulatory requirements decided by the UK FSA .Barclays operates on the model of centralised governance and control processes that covers all of its liquidity risk and management activities. Funding Structure Global Retail, Commercial Banking, Barclays Wealth and the Head Office Functions are to be self-funded through customer deposits and Barclays equity and other long-term capital. The Barclays Capital and Absa businesses will be funded through the wholesale secured and unsecured funding markets. The major currency payment inflows and the payment system collateral are going to be monitored and managed, so it can be ensured that at all the times there is going to be availability of sufficient collateral to make payments. Day to day funding will be managed through putting limits on wholesale and the secured borrowings. This is going to ensure that on any day and over any specified period of time there is only going to be a limited amount of refinancing requirement. In addition to cash flow management, Barclays would monitor the term mismatches between the assets and the liabilities and also the levels and the types of undrawn lending commitments.Additional value propositions specific to a personal customer and not the global market: Personal banking made easy by the debit card that is an internationally valid card which has many advantages like international assistance anytime anywhere, guaranteed transactions etc. Wide range of current accounts available to suit different customer needs.(mobile phone insurance, car breakdown cover etc.) Availability of loans at competitive rates Online facilities giving easy accessibility to customer funds. 24/7 customer service Wide array of savings and investment options Credit card facilities Insurance facilities(home, motor and life insurance) Mortgage facilities(buying, building and renovating of property) To understand the customer value proposition of Barclays and then to contrast it with the value proposition of HSBC, this project is going to use the SWOT analysis which is preceded by the mission statements and the vision statements of both Barclays and HSBC, thus giving us a better idea of what the customer expects from the brand and what are the promises being made by these institutions to potential and existing consumers. Mission Statement: This is a short, formal, written statement of the purpose of the company. It guides the actions of the company, benchmarks its goals, provides a sense of direction and guides in decision making. It provides a framework within which the strategies of the company are formulated. Vision Statement: This can be defined as statement that captures the long term picture of what the organisation wants to become. It gives a broad and an aspirational image of the future that an organisation wants to achieve. It is often inspirational and memorable. Mission Statement of Barclays: To develop deliver the most innovative products, manage customer experience, deliver quality services that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeholders of the bank. Vision Statement of Barclays: We have a clear view of where growth will come from over the coming years. While there will be significant growth opportunities in the UK, we see many more internationally. Barclays will become a leading global universal bank. Mission Statement of HSBC: We aspire to be one of the worlds great specialist banking groups, driven by commitment to our core philosophies and values. Vision Statement of HSBC: We envision enabling HSBC to achieve its strategic objectives, driving excellence in our delivery through partnership with our customers and associates. SWOT Analysis of Barclays: Strengths: Extensive network in Europe providing business sustenance. Focus on cost efficiencies which ensure relatively higher profitability. Ability to lend amidst reduced size of the balance sheet. Associated with innovation, Barclays in 1966, brought out the first credit card, most recently the OnePulse card combining Oyster, credit cashless functions for its customers. Opening of several new branches, along with a massive refurbishment programme. Weaknesses: Strained trading income impacting the revenue diversity. Barclays Capital credit market exposures are impacting the financial position and performance. Large bonuses for the Directors have attracted unwanted attention. Expansion plans in the Asian market thwarted, when Barclays lost the deal for ABN Amro in 2006. Opportunities: Barclays wanted to acquire Lehmans assets prior to the collapse but however, after the collapse, they negotiated a better deal with the liquidators which allowed them to be selective in what parts of the business they actually wanted to acquire. The banks strategy was to offer a full plethora of services worldwide, which provided a wide range of cross-selling opportunities. Asia is still an opportunity for business expansion, and thus operations are going to be set up at various locations. Welfare provision has been decreased in many countries because of the subsequent cost to governments, and  Barclays  considers self-provision as an increasing fad that it can use. Positive outlook for buy to let market may bring business volumes. Buoyant secured personal loans market in the UK could help the business. Threats: Bleak outlook for the UK economy. Regulatory fines can compress margins and financial position. Increase in online fraud. Barclays  is accused of loss-making investments which are associated with the sub-prime market from the accounts to those of other investors, and there could be legal risk. Though it offers a wide range of services, there is a threat that customers may go to suppliers who can present a more specialised approach. Barclays has been closing branches left right and centre, and the competitors have positioned themselves as more consumer-friendly by adopting a strategy of keeping the branches open. The Asia expansion is risky given that  Barclays group  are not in a strong position than the banking industry leaders when it comes to capitalisation, and this can detract investors. SWOT Analysis of HSBC: Strengths: The bank is well capitalised which enables it to perform well in comparison with other banks in the recent economic conditions. Going forward, the bank is unlikely to borrow from the UK government because of the huge market capitalization; this enables it to retain more autonomy. HSBC has a strong presence in emerging markets, which places it in a good position allowing it to take advantage of future growth in those economies. HSBCs global presence in Asia, South America and Europe spreads the risk and offers significant economies of scale. Rebranding relatively recently (1999), the HSBC bank has become well-established and is considered of great value within the industry circles. Weaknesses: HSBC strongly believes in investing in the small business sector, but the current economic downturn has led to increase in risk, which could potentially compromise the activity levels in the area of its operation. HSBCs involvement with sub-prime markets in the US has forced it to write off large sum of figures lent to high-risk borrowers. Despite cuts in the UK interest rate, HSBC has been increasing its mortgage rates. This can be perceived negatively by the borrowers and potential borrowers, which may add pressure to a depressed housing market and can ultimately lead to more defaulting as borrowers would struggle with higher repayments. A redundancy programme which was announced recently can affect morale among staff, leading to decreased productivity and loyalty. HSBCs branding emphasises the global presence of the bank, and this may be seen as negative thing by some consumers due to the implication of homogenisation and the lack of personalisation. Opportunities: HSBCs high levels of market capitalisation place the bank, in a strong position which helps it to acquire assets. Banks which find the trading conditions particularly difficult at present could be available at low costs. HSBC has adequate capital which it uses to purchase strong local banks such as Bank Ekonomi in Indonesia, in which it has purchased a stake to continue the Asian expansion despite challenging economic times. HSBCs strong position presents the opportunity to outperform other banking competitors during the economic downturn which allows it to build a reputation of being one of the safe banks for depositors which further helps to increase resources for lending. Negative press coverage of competitors such as HBOS may encourage customers to choose HSBC instead. Threats: Decreased trust in the financial system overall, including HSBC due to financial losses suffered by investors may be a reason for them to invest elsewhere. Financial losses which have affected the banking industry and the sole investors on the global scale has resulted in less amount of credit being available for customers. In the UK this coupled with increases in living cost has resulted in less money being saved. The slump property market is leading to a rise in the numbers of homeowners with negative equity. If a propertys worth is less than what it was borrowed to finance its purchase, then there is going to be less likelihood that the bank will recoup all the losses if owners default. Claims have been made against HSBC, about the bank understating its losses resulting from the US sub-prime markets, and this has led to undermining confidence in the bank by the customers. CONCLUSION: Barclays is currently taking a  conservative approach due to the recession. However, the downturn has provided the bank with many opportunities for consolidation. Also, with the BRIC and East Asian markets rebounding fast this region looks to be a source of potential revenues and provides opportunities for increasing operations. With the United Kingdom and the Americas looking at a slow and prolonged phase of recovery, Barclays will need to adopt a policy of looking east when it comes to operations. The threats and problems being faced by Barclays will be because of the sustained economic situation being experienced in the United Kingdom, America and Europe which leads to uncertainty within the retail consumer market and could result in shortage of availability of credit. This in turn makes it even more important for Barclays to drive the overall corporate profitability margin by seeking to offset the shortfalls in the UK domestic market by making advances in the emerging markets. All the companies, like Barclays, are forced to re-examine the retail aspects of their operations which are seeking to remain competitive on the high street and also to make cuts wherever necessary. In the current financial climate, banks are not ready to finance each other and with the UK market on the verge of a projected severe recession, all of the retailing factors will influence Barclays competitiveness and it would depend largely on how the Bank of England and the Treasury would regenerate and r einforce the weak confidence in the stock markets. HSBC will concentrate on the strategic and prioritized areas of its worldwide operation with the further emphasis on HR management strategies and technologically-advanced applications within the group to keep a firm lead in the financial markets. HSBCs conservative approach to banking, staying focused on keeping its capital base strong and liquid balance sheet have prevented its failure. Executing the HSBCs strategy emphasizes on improving the intra-group linkages by joining up the businesses and functions so as to effectively create additional value. The HSBC brand is going to be leveraged to reach new customers and add more services to the existing ones. Efficiency will also be enhanced by taking the full advantage of the local, the regional and global economies. Appropriate objectives and new incentives will be adopted so as to encourage employees to be fully engaged in delivering the strategy. PART 3 In light of your analysis of your existing value proposition and what you have learnt in this module produce, a new value proposition that will match the value criteria of your customers, and a plan to implement the value proposition externally and internally http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/pix/spacer.gif To create a new value proposition that would be acceptable to the customers of Barclays, all the weaknesses that the current business structure has would have to be removed and a new and better business plan would have to be drafted by identifying the opportunities and removing the weaknesses. A New Value Proposition: The trading income should be relaxed so that it does not impact the revenue diversity. Capital bonuses should be distributed in accordance with the FSA and the bad practice of the directors receiving huge bonuses should be curtailed. Barclays should provide the consumers with a full portfolio of services worldwide, rather than just concentrating in the UK, this move could enable cross-selling opportunities. Barclays should look towards expanding in the worlds booming economies like India, China, Indonesia etc. so that these economies could provide Barclays with the market opportunities it is looking for, thus increasing the market capitalization. This project would propose that Barclays should have an aggressive expansion policy in the Asian market. Barclays needs to invest in buy to let market, which would in turn bring business volumes. Due to the economic crisis in the markets, Barclays needs to cut down its interest rates and mortgage rates, so as to become a peoples bank and thus raising the brand image. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION: To implement the new value proposition described above the project, will identify the key relationship-marketing issue, followed by refocusing of marketing effort: moving activities away from a marketing mix that creates a series of one-off transactions, to manage a complex network of relationships involved with the production of the whole consumer offering. T Marketing audit will be carried out so as to map out a plan that will be of most advantage to the customers and will be conducted in stages, namely at the beginning, the middle and at the end. Marketing analysis in terms of the strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. A review must be undertaken to understand the new value propositions outlined above in the light of internal marketing. A new strategy development process concentrating on differentiation, cost leadership and adequate response systems would have to be created. Action programmes would have to be designed by managers so as to determine the most appropriate course to take in tackling the weakness of the organisation, with a determination of the likely costs which would be incurred. The implementation plan would have to be monitored and controlled by keeping a track of staff performance, evaluation and appraisal schemes. To ensure effective, appropriate and accurate results, basis for market segmentation would have to be identified, based on extensive market research. Marketing orientation is going to be very important, the new value propositions must be made clear to all the employees and clearly defined individual goals should be set down to enable the employees to see their own contribution in achieving the organisations objectives. Externally implementing the plan is going to be very important, and can be done by the use of media, electronic, print and sponsorships. The new value propositions can be made available in the form of television advertisements, available for all the people to see. The Barclays website can act as a powerful medium on which the new value propositions can be put up and made available. It should be designed in an effective and detailed manner so that the customers are aware about all the new services available to them. Print media is another powerful form by which the new policies can be made available for the masses. Barclays is a big sponsor for many big international events and meets and can use that as an active platform to educate the consumers about the new change in the policy structure.

Job Requirements of an Addiction Counselor Essay -- Career

The job of an addiction counselor specializing in, but not limiting my choice to substance abuse is the job profession I have chosen. The opportunities for this field are very open in my area of the country and throughout the Unites States. The counselors that work within range of me are very busy, and have little time to offer to a person in training. I was able to arrange an email interview with a particular counselor working at a rehabilitation facility for alcoholics and drug addicts. His job entailed monitoring the day-to-day progress of several people assigned to his case load. These clients were monitored for coping skills, stress levels, emotional stability, and general state of health. These areas were not limited to whether it was personal, romantic, or job related, but covered all aspects of the client’s day. The interview consisted of a brief explanation of each of the five questions and was performed via email. The counselor replied stating that his job duties included; group and individual therapy sessions. Other areas of responsibility were taking notes, treatment planning and management of each case including referrals and all documents. The counselor mentioned the most difficult obstacle was resistance from the client and being able to carry out a treatment plan. He also mentioned there is always the difficulty of emotional detachment. This is also one of the reasons the job is rewarding. The fact that this is a very engaging and challenging job, but there are times it can be sad. With alcoholics and addicts you never know what they will do next, since they can be unpredictable. This can be a fun and interesting profession, and is one that keeps you on your toes. The counselor explained that these are the t... ...lenging and rewarding, and yet sometimes they would bring sadness. One has to be a strong and caring person to work with people who have addictions. In the end, the result would be for the patient to feel better about their self and gain the desire to succeed. Works Cited Kartha, D. (2010). Substance abuse counselor job description. Retrieved December 16, 2010 From http://www.buzzle.com/articles/substance-abuse-counselor-job-description.html Smith, J. (2010). Addiction counselor careers. Retrieved December 16, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/list_7191834_addiction-counselor-careers.html Thompson, E. L. (2010). The role of substance abuse counselors. Retrieved December 17, 2010 From http://www.ehow.com/about_6630288_role-substance-abuse-counselors.html

The Clouds by Aristophanes Essay examples -- Classical Greek Literatur

"The Clouds" by Aristophanes - Relevant in Today's World "The Clouds" by Aristophanes, is a play centrally concerned with education. Aristophanes employs satire to illustrate his conservative beliefs. It is intended to show readers that in the tendency to philosophical subtleties lies the neglection of the real needs of the Athenians. According to Aristophanes, philosophical speculation only acts to shake the established foundations of accepted religion, gods, and ideals of morality. Specifically, as it was even discused in "The Apology," Aristophanes believed that philosophical attitudes held by the Sophists enabled those who held them to convince others of wrong or weaker beliefs simply by sounding as if they knew what they were talking about -- when in reality they didn't. It seems as if Aristophanes would approve of an education based souly around the reading of clasiscal literature and some physical excersize. I believe the fact that Athenian youth were starting to ask questions of the elders in the city really bothered Aristophanes. I think he really thought it to be dangerous and detrimental to society; as can be seen through the line Strepsiades yells towards the end, "revenge for the injured gods (II.i.1506)." I believe Aristophanes to be part of the group that accused Socrates of not accepting the recognized gods of state, which many believed to be a part of the corruption of Athenian youth. While I don't agree with that accusation -- primarily because of Socrates recognition of Apollo through the Oracle at Delphi -- I can see some Aristophanes' points of contention with what he thought the Sophists and other philsophers stood for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Clouds, who form the chorus in Aristophanes' play, are a physical representation of the "philosophical speculation" that Aristophanes speaks of. According to Aristophanes, these speculations do not come from a grounded sense of experience, but rather float about without definite framework and actualization, simply in the realm of possibility. I found it interesting that Aristophanes chose to illustrate this metaphor between the clouds and the Sophists' beliefs into a literal representation. He furthered this illustration by choosing to bring Socrates on his first appearance floating in on a basket down to the stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another aspect I find interesting in Aristoph... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essentially, I think that "The Clouds," can be a piece of classical Greek literature applicable to our own modern world. If we do not take the time to examine practices and beliefs, they have the potential to lose the weight and value that they were once based or formed on. While Aristophanes aimed at entertaining his audience through comedic satire, he also had a very serious warning -- that ended up holding true -- for the people of Athens. A nation too proud and too sure in it's own beliefs and politics, has proven through history, never to work. Sadly, while I believe the United States is a great nation with moral goals and hopes, I believe we exemplify some of the problems that the Athenian state suffered from, and eventually died from. We often times refuse to examine our beliefs. We automatically view them as "the best," or "the most moral." This can be seen in our current struggle. If we constantly leave our borders to try and convince others around the world that American knows best, we're doomed for failure. As exemplified in "The Clouds," we then become the ones throwing stones at people we don't agree with -- a fate almost worse than death.

Halal Food Industry

Chief Executive Office Halal products and services are fast gaining worldwide recognition as a new benchmark for safety and quality assurance. Many of the proponents of the Halal value proposition are humble Malaysian players who have dared to venture into the global market. These players with the undying support of HDC will assist the Malaysian government in continuing to raise the standards for Halal in line with changing global trends and building on the growth and development of halal industry.I am most grateful to Allah S. W. T. for the successful publication of the first HDC Halal Success Stories. This is one of many initiatives under the Capacity Building initiative, which looks at developing the local players into global champions. The purpose of this publication is to showcase Malaysian players who have notable achievements in the Halal industry. This publication will showcase success stories of selected Halal industry manufacturers with proven track record and performance r esilience in both the domestic and international arena.I take this opportunity to congratulate these players for their remarkable accomplishment and I appreciate the commitment extended to the HDC’s inaugural publication of Halal Success Stories. HDC recognizes the value and contribution extended by these elite groups of Halal manufacturers and it is our responsibilities as the leading Government halal agency to groom and develop these high achievers for the sustainable global dominance via our Halal Champion Programme. HDC’s ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity and the capabilities of the halal producers, especially the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs).I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and all the supporting agencies that have supported us in this publication of HDC Halal Success Stories. Lastly, I hope that this publication will spearhead more Halal players in pursuing similar aspirati on of contributing to the national Halal economy. Dato’ Seri Jamil Bin Bidin HALAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION VISION Position Malaysia as the global support centre for all Halal standards products and services MISSION Create value for businesses in the Global Halal Industry to benefit Malaysia’s economyHalal is not merely a way of life – it is a global industry. With a stake in commercial sectors worldwide, Halal development has become a significant contributor to all facets of economic growth. Established on 18 September 2006, Halal Industry Development Corporation coordinates the overall development of the Halal industry in Malaysia. Focusing on development of Halal standards, audit and certification, plus capacity building for Halal products and services, HDC promotes participation and facilitates growth of Malaysian companies in the global Halal market. Intent on building a global Halal community,HDC brings the Malaysian Halal industry in unison toward a common goal. By nurturing growth and participation of local businesses into the global Halal market, HDC sets the bar for Halal best practices in Malaysia to enrich the development of Halal standards globally. Through unsurpassed knowledge and experience, HDC is the gateway toward a better understanding of Halal for all. The roles and responsibilities of HDC are thus: > To direct and coordinate the development of Malaysia’s Halal industry amongst all stake holders – both public and private > To manage capacity building for Halal producers and related service providers gt; To support investment into Malaysia’s Halal industry > To facilitate the growth and participation of Malaysian companies in the global Halal market > To develop, promote and market a Malaysian Halal brand > To promote the concept of Halal and related goods and services To this end, showcased in here are success stories of a select few businesses identified to have the desired experience and expertise in their respective fields that can be used as a benchmark for others to emulate. The criteria of selecting these businesses are wide and include; > > > > > Sound financial standing,Compliance to Halal and other standards, Product diversity & export oriented, Continuous improvements through R&D, Future expansion plans and growth globally Among them, a selected few will then be shortlisted to vie for the status of â€Å"Champions of the Industry† for the year, to spur and motivate them and others to promote the concept of Halal in their businesses. HALAL INDUSTRY SUCCESS STORIES MM VITAOILS SDN BHD The company was founded in 1999 and is the Master Brand with brand portfolios that are associated with high quality, palm oil-based products such as cooking oil, ghee, shortening, margarine and pastry margarine.The company head-office currently operates out of its main plant in Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Key person of the Company: En. Ma zlan Muhammad MM Vitaoils Sdn Bhd is chaired by Y. Bhg Datok Harun Bin Siraj. Its Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Encik Mazlan Bin Muhammad, is also the founder of the company, having started his foray into the world of business as a trader of apparels in Petaling Street soon after his schooling days. He eventually ventured into the manufacturing industry and made a name for himself and his company as a leading manufacturer and exporter of premium quality edible oil based roducts from Malaysia The plant in Shah Alam is in fact one of the most modern facilities in Malaysia with a total monthly combined capacity of 10,000 metric tonnes and the capability to pack products in different packing materials for its core business activities such as manufactured oil products and salad oils. The plant works in collaboration with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in this respect. The Company Philosophy – By Our Heart, To Your Heart was coined to capture the Brand’s ho nest desire to provide only the best for its customers, with emphasis on their commitment to Quality, Health and Credibility.This is further evidenced through the accreditations that MM Vitaoils received on Quality System such as ISO 9001:2000, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Recently MM Vitaoils achieved ISO 22000 : 2005 on 6th February 2009. Company Achievements Since its establishment in 1999, MM Vitaoils has been awarded with many recognitions that exemplify its commitment not only for the quality of its products but also its high standards in managing its business and its other prime asset, the company’s Human Resources. These Milestones include, †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 2010-MostCaringEmployerAwardbyMalaysiaMinistry of Human Resource 2009-NationalAwardForManagementAccounting (NAFMA) 2008-ASEANBusinessAward(ASEAN-BAC) 2007-IndustryExcellenceAward–Malaysian International Trade and Industry Min istry 2006-GoldenAwardForFoodandBeverages (Barcelona, Spain) by Trade Leaders Club International Markets: The Products: The company produces and markets its products under different brand names which enhances a fitter and healthier lifestyle. They are categorised as follows: Cooking Oils ~ Palmas, Serimas, Super Fino Margarine ~ Rise and Shine, Blossommm, Marvelosso Vegetable Ghee ~ Golden Treat, Al Amin Shortening ~ Qualitaste, Halal Fats, Halal Oils, GoldenHarvest Other Value added Products ~ Ice cream coating shortening, Ice cream shortening, Pastry margarine, Omega-3 margarine, Palm olein blend, Pourable shortening, Low fat spread and Low-fat icing. MM Vitaoils Sdn Bhd Lot 3, Persiaran Perusahaan, Section 23 40300 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia. Tel: +603 5548 8122 Fax: +603 5548 9122 Website: www. mmvitaoils. com. my E-mail: [email  protected] com. my MM Vitaoils exports its 24 brands of quality edible oil products, with trademark registration in Malaysia, to South K orea, China, India, Europe, USA, Uzbekistan, Africa and Japan, securing niche markets in these arts of the world. The export market constitutes over 98% of its total revenue. It is heartening to note that MM Vitaoils is the biggest supplier of palm oil produce in Uzbekistan. Moving Forward: MM Vitaoils plans to expand their downstream oils and fats venture further into the European and US markets. A strategy they would adopt to materialise this plan is to jointventure with European and US based companies as this would ensure a smooth transition into these market segments which are highly competitive where alternative oil based products are concerned. KART FOOD INDUSTRY SDN BHD Key person of the Company: Mr. Choong Kin Peng Mr.Choong Kin Peng, the 48 year old General Manager (Operations) of Kart Food Industries Sdn Bhd is one of the pioneer employees of the company when it started its operations in 1988. A qualified ICSA by profession, he also holds a Business Administration Diploma from one of Malaysia’s reputable institute of higher learning, the Tunku Abdul Rahman College. Choong Kin Peng experienced firsthand valuable experiences and knowledge under the different management structures and ownerships of the company since its inception. Being the most experienced and knowledgeable employee has made him an invaluable employee and the most suited to head the perations. As someone in charge of the general operations of the business, he is also personally involved in overseeing the various certifications and achievements of the company. Under his direction, the company is poised to achieve its’ aspirations. Kart Food was established in 1988 as a manufacturer and distributor of frozen authentic Malaysian snack food. â€Å"Kart† owed its name to the founder’s wife who is called Kartini, the lady behind the creation of Kart’s roti canai (a truly authentic Malaysian hand tossed layered flatbread) to what it is today. Kart’s s tarted its humble beginning as a home based industry.Today it is proudly a brand that is synonymous with high quality Halal â€Å"DELICIOUSLY CONVENIENT† food, a market leader in its category in Malaysia and several other countries in Europe and Asia. Kart Food has a variety of product range, from frozen Roti Canai, Paratha, Steam Buns, Pizza and various finger-food snacks. Kart’s wide product range are processed and packed in hygienic environment in its 2 manufacturing plants in Shah Alam, Selangor and Kota Bharu, Kelantan, both plants complying to various standards and certification such as HACCP, ISO9001:2000 and EMS. Kart’s product range has also been recognized for their uperior product packaging and this has led them to be awarded with the Malaysia Good Design Mark 2003 by the Malaysian Design Council under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of Malaysia. Company Achievements The Company can be proud of its achievements since its inception, and among those are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ HalalcertificationfromJAKIM BestBrandsfromtheBrandLaureate IndustryExcellenceAward2003(Specialawardfor development of a Malaysian brand) MalaysianGoodDesignMark2003 ISO9001:2000 HACCP&EMScertification International Markets: Kart’s range of product is also available in Americas, SouthAfrica, United Kingdom, European Unions, Middle East, East Asia and Australia. Moving Forward: The Products: Kart’s Food manufactures and distributes Frozen Flatbread Roti, Hand-tossed Pizzas, Crispy Finger Foods with fillings, Buns with fillings through retail and wholesale outlets in the country and overseas. Kart Food Industries Sdn Bhd Shah Alam Factory – Lot 9 & 11, Jalan Bawang Putih 24/34 Seksyen 24 40300 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +603 5541 4199 Fax: +60355417948 Website: www. kartfood. com. my Kart’s vision is to penetrate into more overseas’ market in the immediate future a s well as ement its position as the market leader in the local authentic Malaysian ethnic food and finger food snacks. FA HERBS SDN BHD FA Herbs started out as an herb based cottage industry in a small makeshift factory behind their mother’s house in 1995. It soon outgrew this surrounding to emerge as one of the leading contract manufacturer and re-packer specialist of nature based product in Malaysia. The year 1999 marked an important milestone for the company with the completion of their RM 1. 5 million GMP and ISO certified natural products factory built on 6 acres of prime industry land in Kuala Selangor, Selangor.What initially seemed as a challenge for such a small business turned out into a venture that made even bigger companies look up to them and business flourished since. Key person of the Company: Mohamad Faisal bin Ahmad Fadzil, Faridah bt Ahmad Fadzil Fauziah bt Ahmad Fadzil FA Herbs Sdn Bhd came into being as a result of the relentless pursuit to start a busine ss based on natural products by three siblings, way in 1995 – Faridah Binti Ahmad Fadzil, Fauziah Binti Ahmad Fadzil and Ahmad Faisal Bin Ahmad Fadzil. At the time of the company’s inception back then, â€Å"natural† roducts were not very popular nor well received by the local market and consumers yet. Yet the siblings persevered and grew the company to be what it is today. The company operations are now overseen by Ahmad Faisal in his role as the Managing Director. FA Herbs remained focused on their core business, which was formulating, designing and manufacturing health supplements for multi level and wholesale companies in Malaysia and abroad. After 2 years, the siblings managed to establish FA Herbs Sdn Bhd firmly as a preferred contract manufacturer, producing products for giants such as Amway and Cosway.Starting out with two staffs in the 1990s, FA Herbs currently employs about 70 staffs and specializes in premium natural products conceptualization and man ufacturing in health supplements, personal care, and skin care and spa products. Their range of clients now includes multi level companies, whole sellers, airlines, five stars hotels and resorts. After establishing FA Herbs as a premier contract manufacturer, the three innovative siblings went on to realize their dream of creating, formulating and designing a truly natural products range that is targeted towards the international market.And it was in 2000 that Tanamera was introduced to the world as a natural product range. In 2003, their foray into the natural products market changed directions when the founders teamed up with an industrious German lady and together they tailor made the Tanamera line into a spa range by adding products like body scrubs, massage oils, body masks, incense sticks etc. Currently Tanamera retail range has approximately 80 core products not inclusive of spa accessories. Tanamera also offers about 80 professional products to be used in Spa treatments alon g with a list of treatments database Spas can access into.Tanamera products focus on ingredients that can be found in the tropical belt with leaning towards Malay beauty treatments. The Company’s products and services are recognised and certified by the Drug Control Authority of Malaysia. The plant is also in its final stage of obtaining the ISO 9002 certification. Company Achievements Their effort to maintain the integrity of a real natural product range was recognized in 2005 when they were awarded the Good Design Award (â€Å"G-Mark†) by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO). G-Mark is Japan’s only synthetic design evaluation/recommendation system which is based on Good Design Selection System† established by the Ministry of InternationalTradeandIndustryofJapanin1957. Tanamera was also the winner of the best Home Spa products in the Malaysian Wellness Award 2009. And the company has been awarded its Halal certification from JAKIM In ternational Markets: Tanamera can now be found in spas in Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Sweden, New York, Australia and Singapore. In 2010, Tanamera will be introduced in Russia, Italy and Japan. Moving Forward: The Products: Among the products re-packaged under contract by the Company are: > Aromatherapy products gt; Personal Hygiene & Toiletries products > Food Supplements including packaging tea sachets > Capsulation of Herbal products > Spa products (Retail and Bulk) under the Tanamera brand The Company also provides comprehensive training on the products that they manufacture and re-pack. FA Herbs Sdn Bhd Lot517JalanBukitBelimbing 45000 Kuala Selangor Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +603 3289 3323 Fax: +603 3289 3439 Website: www. tanamera. com. my FA Herbs plans to expand their range of Tanamera spa products into more countries globally, namely to Russia, Italy and Japan. The team has even tarted to embark on the natural skin care market and initia ted a partnership with a local celebrity to create â€Å"Jerneh by Sheila Majid†, a premium skin care range made for the Halal market. The skin care range was introduced on a low key in 2009 and plans are for the range to be distributed in premium outlets throughout Malaysia within the year; the company also planned to bring this product line to the international markets in the future. In addition to that, the siblings have also started on adding another product range to their line of natural products – that of quality health supplements under the brand name of Teraputik pecifically targeting the Malaysian consumers. The idea behind Teraputik is to give back to the community by supplying them premium products without a high price tag. FA Herbs have for years consistently supplied premium products for local and international markets and they feel that the public can easily identify the quality behind the FA Herbs name. HALAGEL (M) SDN BHD HalagelwasincorporatedinAugust1 997. Itisasoleimporter and distributor for Halal Food and Pharmaceuticals Grade Gelatine and Halal Empty Hard Gelatine Capsules for Malaysia and South Asia markets. Today the company is a leading rand of Halal gelatine ingredients for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers in Malaysia. Key person of the Company: Dato’ Seri Talaat Bin Hussein The key personnel of Halagel (M) Sdn Bhd are its Chairman, Dato’ Seri Talaat Bin Hussein and the man with the responsibility to drive the company forward and be what it is today, Encik Mohamad Yakob Bin Munshi Deen, the Managing Director. The incorporation of the company was to meet the growing needs of the Muslim market for halal healthcare products. The huge population of Muslims globally has led to the pressing need to ensure food production worldwide meets he stringent halal requirements. More than 50% of the total world production of gelatine is widely used in the manufacture of foods. The company has made as its mission â€⠀œ To Provide Halal Alternative Products Worldwide in line with its vision of becoming a household name for halal products. Halagel has now broadened its business activities from trading to distributing and manufacturing Halal alternative products under the Halagel brand through its subsidiary companies, namely: 1. 2. Halagel Distributor Sdn. Bhd – distributor for Halagel Consumer products Halagel Plant (M) Sdn Bhd – manufacturing of Halal Empty Hard Gelatine Capsule andHalalSoftgelNutraceutical. 3. Halagel Products Sdn Bhd – manufacturing of Herbal Toothpaste and packaging of Edible Rock Salt, Premix Coffee, Gelatin, Vitamin C and etc. Company Achievements A notable achievement of the company was being appointed by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, a subsidiary of the Islamic Development Bank, as their advisor for a gelatine and capsule plant in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Halagel was also recently awarded with the Halal Ch ampion Award initiated by the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) besides scoring a 4 Star rating under the SMECompetitive Rating for Enhancement (SCORE) organised by Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI) and SMECorp. The awards were given based on the company’s performance in 2009. International Markets: Today, Halagel supplies and distributes Halal gelatine for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers not only in Malaysia but also abroad. The Products: The company’s products are categorised into: Consumer products ~ Toothpaste, Goji Coffee, Gummy Candy, Edible Rock Salt. Nutraceuticalproducts~VirginCoconutOil,Habbatus Sauda Oil, Omega 3 Fish Oil. Body & Healthcare products. Industrial products ~ Edible gelatine, Empty Hard GelatineCapsules, Vegecaps. HALAGEL(M)SDN. BHD. HALAGELPLANT(M)SDNBHD LotA137,Jalan2B,KawasanPerusahaanMIEL Sungai Lalang 08000 Sungai Petani Kedah Darul Aman Malaysia Tel. : +6044481287 Fax. : +604 4481 286 Website: www. halagel. com E-mail: [email  protected] com Besides the conventional method of trading and distribution, the company is moving with times and has now embarked into E-Commerce where its products can be purchased on-line. In this respect, it can be said that the world is its market! However, to maintain control and prevent abuse, the company sets certain conditions for such purchases and s starting with accepting orders from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, UK and Turkey but below 3 kg. Moving Forward: The company is continually looking to expand its range of product line, especially to the consumer market. To this effect, one of its aspiration is to produce its own brand of bottled drinking waterbottle and distribute drinking water (expand product line) CLARA INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY GROUP SDN BHD Key person of the Company: Datin Prof. Dr. Clara Chee Clara International was founded by its Chairperson, Datin Prof. Dr. Clara Chee, a distinguished Skin CareF ormulation Scientist and Aesthetician known in the international arena. Her vast experience in this field is recognised through her representing Malaysia in numerous cosmetic and toiletries industry events, presenting papers on skin related problems at a few. She is the Chairperson of the Malaysian Beauty Therapy Association as well as the Malaysian CIDESCO section, and is a CIDESCO International Examiner herself. Clara International Beauty Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Woo Ser Chai holds a Bachelor in Economics degree with over 30 years of experience in numerous industries prior to joining Clara InternationalBeauty Group. These include banking, property, and food and even as a financial analyst with a public listed firm. Dato’ Woo plays a very important role of managing and spearheading the direction of the group to new heights. What is now known as Clara International Beauty Group startedoutasabeautysalonbackin1977. Asapioneerin skin care, the Group i s now acknowledged as a true leader going beyond Malaysia, breaking new ground in almost every facet of the beauty and wellness industry. With our own R&D facilities, manufacturing plants, beauty centres, beauty colleges, beauty equipment distributorship, nd time-tested business format franchise, Clara International has successfully evolved to become one of the largest beauty chains in Malaysia, with over 50 beauty centres throughout Malaysia and with associates in the Asian region. A recent development is the accreditation given to this Group’s Beauty College as an Institute of Higher Education. To this end,theGroupworkscloselyinpartnershipwiththeNational VocationalTrainingCouncil(MLVK)andNilaiUniversityCollege, among others. Company Achievements The company has chalked up many milestones in its more than 30 years in the industry, among the notable ones are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ T heAccreditat ionofClaraInternationalAestheticCollegeasPrivate Higher Educational Institutions (IPTS) by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia B eingawardedtheISO9001:2000certificate HalalCertificationonClaraInternationalHerbalSkincareProductby JAKIM C ertificationofClaraInternationalBeautyGroupasrecipientofAsiaPacific International Honesty Enterprise – Keris Award 2002 C ertificationthatClaraInternationalBeautyGroupSdnBhdachievedthe Industry Excellence 2000 C ertificationthatClaraNetworkSdnBhdachievedtheFinalListof Malaysia Franchise Award 2000/2001 E ndorsementasSuperbrandsbySuperbrandsMalaysiaI nnovativeLearning&DevelopmentAward2004 T hefounder&chairmanofClaraInternationalBeautyGroup,DatinProf. D r. ClaraCheeawardedtheinauguralNAWEMAwards2004Businessof the Year Award 2004 2 009MRCA8TVEntrepreneurAwards–TopNominee–byMRCAand8TV 2 009NationalWomen’sEntrepreneurPlatinumAward–NWEA,bythe M inistryofNationalTradeIndustryandSMECorp. 2 009TheBrandLaureateSMEsChapterAw ards–BestBrandsin Wellness – Personal & Beauty Care – by BrandLaureate 2 0102ndMalaysiaBusinessLeadershipAwards2010(MBLA)underthe category of Health and Wellness sector 2 010OutstandingEntrepreneurshipAward–byAsiaPacificEntrepreneurship Awards (APEA) 2010 International Markets: In Malaysia, Clara International centres can be found in all states including Sabah and Sarawak with the exception of Perlis and Terengganu. The Products: The company’s products are synergistically formulated with only the finest herbal ingredients using the latest & innovative technology to enhance skin penetration & efficacy. The areas of their services are categorised into: On the international market, Clara International has formed associations with business partners in Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Mauritius, India,Myanmar and Dubai. Clara Herbal Based Skincare Product ~ Specialist in providing a wide range of herbal skin care products that are na tural, safe & effective for both temperate & tropical climates. Professional Services ~ Professional Facial, Corrective Facial Treatment, Professional Intensive Treatments, Specialized Skin Blemish Treatment (SSBT), Specialized Eye Care, Phyto Fairness Therapy, Professional Body Slimming Services, Professional Finishing Touches, Professional Make-Up Services, Manicure & Pedicure Clara International Aesthetics College ~ Beauty college which has produced more than 10,000 beauty specialistsBeauty Franchise ~ Association with more than 30 of their over 50 centres on BusinessFormatFranchisesystem,applyingtheirmotto,SharingInTheName of Beauty, to the fullest Clara International Beauty Group Sdn Bhd 33, Jalan Kenari 22, Bandar Puchong Jaya 47100Puchong Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +60380758333 Fax: +60380758222 Website: www. claraibg. com E-mail: [email  protected] com Moving Forward: Continuous association with potential business partners across the region to make Clara Internatio nal Beauty Group more accessible to a wider market as well as intensify its R&D into the skincare product range t its own plant/laboratory in order to remain relevant and compliant with all its market needs. AYS SDN BHD AYS Sdn Bhd, whose core business is in the frozen food industry, began its operations in 1996 in Selangor. Since its inception, the company has made inroads into many regional markets. Key person of the Company: Mr. Liow Ren Jan AYS Sdn Bhd has as its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Liow Ren Jan, a visionary gentleman with strategic plans of bringing the company to greater heights as the leading frozen meals specialist in ASEAN. As the CEO, he played a major role in formulating the company’s vision – To be the arket entry & development specialist in Asia, and leading provider of halal compliant productsandservicesinASEAN. The company markets its own brand of Halal frozen foods manufactured under the brand name of â€Å"Sri Kulai†, the first of its k ind in the market. AYS also identifies itself as a food solutions provider for the food and F&B related industries, in line with its vision. To that effect, AYS offers its services to help new entries expand their business in this industry, and provides consultation on export development as well. The company had initiated its own licensing system in 2009 nd hoped to promote that under the network brand of Sri Kulai Lifestyle Concept Outlets. Its 14 years of experience has certainly made it a subject matter expert in this field, in addition to its acute understanding of the diverse business and social culture of the region. Company Achievements The company can be proud of its achievements, being a newbie in the world of Halal food production. Since it began operations, the company has been given the following recognition: †¢ SriKulaiReady-to-EatmealsisacknowledgedastheBest Halal Product 2009 and awarded the Halal Journal Award atthe4thWorldHalalForumGalaDinnerNightinKualaLumpur on May 4 2009. AYS was the first Asian company to win this award since its award inception in 2006. International Markets: AYS markets it frozen meals products and its expertise to countries within the ASEAN region as well as to China and India. Moving Forward: The Products: The company’s products and services can be categorised as follows: Consultancy ~ Market entry & development specialist (Mergers & Acquisition) Agency ~ Marketing & sourcing of Halal compliant products and services Manufacturer ~ Microwaveable Halal frozen ready-to-eat wholesome complete meals under the brand name, Sri Kulai. AYS Sdn Bhd No. 6&18,JalanTembagaSD5/2H Bandar Sri Damansara 52200 Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +60362721707(General) Fax: +60362721708 Website: www. ays. com. my E-mail: [email  protected] com. my AYS will continue with its plan to establish its network of Sri Kulai Lifestyle Concept Outlets that was launched on June 18th 2009, and has set its sight on 100 outlets within 5 ye ars. Interested parties can enquire on the licensing system directly with the Licensing Development of the company. HEALWELL PHARMACEUTICALS SDN BHD PHARMACEUTICALS Healwell Pharmaceuticals was established in 1996 to manufacture and market gamat and its by-products on a ommercial basis. Gamat is a type of sea cucumber found in abundance in the waters off the shores of Langkawi, Kedah. After more than 10 years of R&D, Healwell Pharmaceuticals was able to market its products under the brand name of HEALINinMalaysia. Key person of the Company: Prof. Dato’ Dr. Hassan Yaacob Healwell Pharmaceuticals was founded by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Hassan Yaacob, when he was still a Researcher at University Malaya. After many years of intensive R&D into the benefits of gamat, he turned entrepreneur and commercialised gamat and gamatbased products. He is a PhD holder in Clinical Pharmacology rom Royal College of Surgeons of England, London. He is also an Executive Chairman/CEO of the Company. Over the years, the company has placed itself as a leading Bumiputra Company that markets high quality, trusted, ethical and halal natural-based products. Through extensive R&D, the products were proven to enhance the body’s resistance towards various diseases besides having a cell growth factor. Healwell Pharmaceuticals has gained a reputation as a respected company, known for the introduction of new concepts of health and skin care focusing specially on sophistication, simple yet effective.The company operates out of Temasya Industry Park, Shah Alam Selangor and adopts a lean human resource policy of 50 workers comprising of a strong and resourceful team of management, marketing, production and logistic units. Prof. Hassan, the founder and CEO, believes in continuous improvements and never tire of doing R&D on gamat. It was no surprise that he was won a Gold Medal in the MINDEX (Malaysian Invention and Discovery) Award 1994 and the Hitachi Science Fellowship Research Award 1995, Japan. Company Achievements 1. Halal Certification from JAKIM 2. Halal Certificate of Authenticity from HDC International Markets:The Company promotes and distributes its range of 40 products via its 340 retail outlets aptly called House of Healin in Malaysia. Its products are sold directly to consumers. The Products: Moving Forward: Healwell Pharmaceuticals markets its products under the following categories: Their ultimate aim is to be the leader in high-tech health and skin care products. To this end, Healwell Pharmaceuticals will be introducing additional varieties of new products in the health care sector, including health supplements and branding them as a premier health care brand internationally. – Allergicover ~ 6 brands Daily Use ~ 8 brands – External Use ~ 5 brands – Food Supplements ~ 11 brands – Health Drinks ~ 1 brand – Skin Care ~ 3 brands Their ranges of Food Supplements are the most popular such as Gamogen, Gamalin Plus, Gama tol and Imutol. Healwell Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd No. 1,JalanKartunisU1/47 Sek. U1, Temasya Industrial Park 40150 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +603 5569 5580 Fax: +603 5569 5581 Website: www. healin. com. my E-mail: [email  protected] com. my HPA INDUSTRIES SDN BHD HPA began its humble beginning in Perlis in February 1996 as a cottage industry called Al Wahida Traditional Medicines. years later, HPA Industries Sdn Bhd was formed. The Group’s principal activities are in the manufacturing and marketing of traditional herbs as alternative treatments as well as health products. Key person of the Company: Tuan Haji Ismail Bin Haji Ahmad HPA Group of Companies was founded by Tuan Haji Ismail Bin Haji Ahmad, the son of a farmer who has extensive knowledge of local herbs and their benefits. He now sits as the Executive Chairman of the Group. He is aided in the marketing operations of the Group by Encik Mohd Faisol Bin Abdul Rahman, General Manager of Marketing In ord er to market its products and services better, and to each a wider spectrum of market, HPA Group subsequently set-up its own marketing company called Al Wahida Marketing Sdn Bhd in February 1996. This company has been licensed under Direct Sales Act by Ministry of Home Affairs and Consumers to market HPA products through Multi Level Marketing Concept. HPA operates several plants throughout the country and in Cambodia, Brunei and Thailand. Its manpower always ensure strict adherence to the Good Management Practises (GMP) standards. The plants have a combined production capacity of producing and packaging 900,000 products a month.Through its marketing arm, HPA Group of Companies was able to promote its products not only in the country but also throughout the region. The company has since expanded its business to include retail operations of food outlets and consumer products marketed under its own brand, Radix. Company Achievements The company can be proud of its ability in developing small businesses through its smart association with members of its MLM business. To date, it has more than 600,000 registered members in Malaysia alone, and a total manpower strength of over 2,000 in all its plants – that is an achievement in itself.Another accolade to its name is its entrance into the Malacca Halal Hub in Jasin, where it began operations of the plant there in this year and is an anchor plant to many small industries in the hub. International Markets: HPA Group’s retails outlets are only available in the country, with its food outlet chain mostly found in theNorthernRegion. WithitsMLM business concept, the Group has been able to market its other range of products to countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Brunei. TheProducts: The Group produces and markets its products under various business activities including, food and beverages uch as Radix Coffee, Radix Chicken House, Radix Oriental Restaurant, Al- Wahida Marketing, HPA Far m Sdn Bhd, HPA Food & Beverages Sdn Bhd, HPA Mall Sdn Bhd, and many more. HPA Industries Sdn Bhd Lot 1985, Jalan Jejawi Dalam 02600 Arau Perlis Indera Kayangan Malaysia Tel: +6049776805 Fax: +6049774121 Website: www. hpa. com. my E-mail: [email  protected] com. my Moving Forward: To continuously provide a platform for entrepreneurial development among those in the rural and urban areas, with the aim of creating a selfsustaining society. The company will also open up more food outlets and one-stop centres to better serve its embers and consumers. LEE KUM KEE (M) FOOD SDN BHD Key person of the Company: Mr. Jeffrey Lee Lee Kum Kee Malaysia is headed by Mr. Jeffrey Lee, the General Manager for South East Asia, Middle East & Africa. He also oversees the operations of the Malaysian manufacturing plant, including that of Human Resource and Finance. Jeffrey obtained his Master of Science in International Business from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has vast experiences in managin g and leading the operations of international companies prior to Lee Kum Kee. Lee Kum Kee Group is a globally renowned enterprise ymbolizing true unmatched authenticity and quality. Since Mr. Lee Kum Sheung invented oyster sauce in Nanshui of Guangdong Province and set up the brand Lee Kum Kee in 1888, the Group has grown into a thriving brand with over 200 choices of sauces and condiments which are marketed to more than 100 countries and regions across five continents. With â€Å"Pragmatism, Integrity and Constant Entrepreneurship† as its corporate values, Lee Kum Kee is committed to achieving its mission of â€Å"Promoting Chinese cuisine worldwide† and â€Å"Advocating Chinese health regimen and nurturing healthier lives with balance, affluence and harmony†.Equipped with a unique management culture, stringent quality control, superb and innovative products, and coupled with the century-long brand reputation, Lee Kum Kee has achieved unanimous recognition and won numerous prestigious awards. Company Achievements Lee Kum Kee has achieved unanimous recognition and won numerous prestigious awards including: 1. June 2005 : Lee Kum Kee‘s Malaysia Plant achieved HACCP certification for Oyster Sauce and Vegetarian Oyster Flavored Sauce in bottling line from Ministry of Health of Malaysia 2. October 2005 : Lee Kum Kee ‘s Malaysia Plant achieved ISO 001:2000 certification for manufacturing of sauces from SGS 3. 2005 : Became Hong Kong Disneyland’s condiment supplier, the first international Hong Kong corporate partner of the theme park 4. 2005 : China Condiment Industry Association granted â€Å"Top Ten Soy Sauce Manufacturers† Award and â€Å"Top Ten Condiment Manufacturers† award. In addition, Group Chairman Mr. Lee Man Tat was presented the â€Å"Top Ten Figures† Award 5. 2008 : Lee Kum Kee was chosen as the Catering Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 6. 2010 : Lee Kum Kee was appointed as  "Official Qualified Supplier of Raw and Auxiliary Materials in Catering† inShanghai World Expo 7. 2010 : Lee Kum Kee Awarded â€Å"2010 Trusted Brand – Gold Medal† in Hong Kong for 12 consecutive years and â€Å"2010 Asia’s Trusted Brand – Gold Medal† by Readers’ Digest International Markets: Lee Kum Kee produces sauces to cater to the local demand. Apart from Malaysia, Lee Kum Kee also exports the sauces to Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam and India. The Products: Lee Kum Kee Group manufactures more than 200 sauces such as the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce and more. In Malaysia, oyster sauce is the key product that is produced. Lee Kum Kee (M) Sdn Bhd Factory: No. 8JalanHalba16/16 0200 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +603 5623 2288 Fax: +603 5623 2299 NATURAL WELLNESS HOLDINGS SDN BHD Key person of the Company: Puan Shahnas Binti Oli Mohamad Natural Wellness is the precious child of two partners: Dr Amr Yacout and Ms Shahnas Oli Mohamed. As the Chairman of NaturalWellnessandagastroenterologist by professional training, Dr. Amr Yacout brings with him a wealth of more than 20 years international experience in the pharmaceutical industry. A seasoned businessman with extensive knowledge in the global healthcare market, Dr Amr Yacout takes on the role of advisor and mastermindbehindNaturalWellness.The Natural Wellness operations is spearheaded by Shahnas bt Oli Mohamed, a Bumiputera woman entrepreneur and a licensed pharmacist by profession, who was recently named the Asia Pacific Most Promising Entrepreneur 2010. She oversees the daily operations of the company in her capacity as Managing Director. Shahnas is a trained pharmacist with more than 10 years experience including international stints and has been instrumental in the setting up of the company. Natural Wellness Holdings Sdn Bhd, also known as Nutrivention Sdn Bhd, is the mother company to the Natural Wellness group of companies that are involvedinthehealthcarebusiness.NaturalWellnessIndustrieshasawiderange of Halal certified products including cosmetics, supplements, health food and beverages and also over the counter products. Natural Wellness Biotech, the research arm of the group, is actively involved in identifying and developing new medicines to improve health through scientific innovations on the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. This is in parallel with the Natural Wellness mission to provide high quality, innovative, uptodate healthcare products at an affordable price to the communities they operate in.Formed and managed on the way of life based on the principles of compliance to the syariah, Natural Wellness strives to develop innovative products while infusing into the entire process and across the value chain syariah compliance thusembarkingonacontinuouslifelongjourneyofdevotion. NaturalWellness’ unshakeable belief is that continuous efforts to seek t he pleasure of Allah SWT will spur the achievement of unity of purpose both of dunya with a’khira as well as personal and organisational values.The practice of Islamic principles are clearly seen in the company’s values which include product leadership, operational excellence and customer intimacy. It is this aspect of using existing knowledge derived from the Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah that has led to the implementation of unconventional and innovative management principles at all levels of the organisation in comparison to the norms of today’s business practices. OneoftheproudestmomentsforNaturalWellnesswaswhenthecompanywas recently awarded the SME Innovation Award for Halal Products and Services in June2010thusplacingNaturalWellnessasaformidableplayerandaleaderi theHalalindustry. ThisawardrecognizestheeffortsmadebyNaturalWellnessto remain syariah compliant throughout the business process without merely being limited to their products being Halal certified. Natura lWellnessbelievestheirpeoplearetheforceandstrengthbehindthepower they exuberate. Efforts are concentrated on developing young talent into highly skilled knowledge workers in parallel to the requirements of Islamic Leadership PrinciplesastheNaturalWellnesscorporatesocialcontributiontowardsbuilding a strong ummah while serving the needs of 1. 6 billion Moslems across the world.Natural Wellness is but a small company with a big dream: â€Å"perhaps we may serve as an example to Moslems across the globe that it is possible to go back to basics in business and succeed in today’s world. Insya Allah. † Company Achievements MS 1900:2005 Quality Management Systems: Requirements from Islamic Perspectives (the first company in Malaysia to attain such certification in 2008) Halal certification by JAKIM in accordance to the requirements of the MS 1500:2004 Halal Food – Production, Preparation, Handling and Storage – General Guidelines ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management SystemsGood Manufacturing Practices (GMP Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility) PIC/s) certification (OTC Bionexus status 1-Innocert (Grade A) certification Products are approved by the Ministry of Health Malaysia in accordance to the requirements of the Sale of Drugs Acts 1952 and the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulation 1984 Registered Bumiputera company in various codes with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia International Markets: NaturalWellnesscurrentlyexportstheir products to the UAE, China, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moving Forward:The Products: NaturalWellnessformulates,producesandmanufacturesacomprehensiverange of syariah compliant natural products including health supplements, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, herbaceuticals, health food and beverages made from the finest organic, ethically crafted and best quality standardized natural extracts in their quest to make people healthy naturally. Natural Wellness also of fers customers private formulation services from laboratory conception to commercial production, and boasts a customer list which includes large global multi level marketing corporations and international brands.TheNaturalWellnessvisionistobeaninnovative,diversifiedsyariahcompliantplayer in niche market segments of the healthcare industry offering the community high quality, affordable products while fulfilling the communal fardhu kifayah obligation. ThisendeavourhasfurtherspurredNaturalWellnesstoactivelydevelopandpursue the niche market of Islamic Medicine by focusing their own research efforts as well as collaborations with local and foreign institutions of higher learning in the area of Medicine of the Prophet (pbuh) NaturalWellnessHoldingsSdnBhd 78,JalanKilangMidah,TamanMidah 56000 Cheras Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: +60391715329Fax: +60391714073 Website: www. mynaturalwellness. com E-mail: [email  protected] com Natural Wellness is currently a formulator, a manufacturer that th rives on a B2B business model. More and more the company strives to diversify and expand its customer portfolio. Natural Wellness has also embarked into product marketing and the global export business by having their own product line both for local and export, with an aggressive branding exercise to strengthen the Natural Wellness name to their consumers. In the long term Natural Wellness aims to have its own high technology manufacturing facility of biotechnology nd life sciences and hopes one day to be the Malaysian pioneer in the development of new chemical entities. SYDNEY CAKE HOUSE SDN BHD Sydney Cake House Sdn Bhd was incorporated in 1982 and started out as a small bakery in the heart of Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Its principal activity then was in the baking of cakes and breads. The in 1993, the bakery which has since grown, moved to its own factory in Shah Alam, Selangor. Key person of the Company: Madam Jenny Chuang The person behind Sydney Cake House Sdn Bhd is a very far-sighted and determined enterprising lady who founded a cake shop and turned that into a hriving success. Madam Jenny Chuang is the founder and owner of this chain of bakery that has now evolved to become one of the nation’s leading Halal bakery producers. The move also signify another milestone for the company when in 1994, they started manufacturing frozen food products, foreseeing the emergence of the frozen food industry. Since then, the company has expanded its business activities to include producing frozen foods as well as Halal bakery products. These products are marketed under the brand name of â€Å"mak’cik†, which in English means â€Å"aunty† which creates a rather homely feeling to the products.Over the years too, the plant has been upgraded with stateof-the-art technology and equipment as the company moved along with the changing business environment. The foresight of Madam Jenny Cheung led to the company investing heavily in R&D wh ich emphasize on products, process, machinery, systems and quality, thus enabling the company to innovative in its processes, products and distributions. From a humble small time cake and pastry manufacturer, the company has grown tremendously to be one of the nations’ leading food & beverage player both on the home front as well as globally. Sydney Cake House can proudly dedicate he growth of the company to the commitment and support of their staff force of 100 people, their other stakeholders as well as the visionary leadership of its founder. Company Achievements Sydney Cake House Sdn Bhd has been award and certified with the following certifications: ISO 22000: 2005 – Food Safety Management System by SIRIM HACCP MS 1480:1999 by SIRIM HALAL certified by JAKIM Through continuous development and innovation, the company has been awarded the Golden Bull Award by the Selangor State Government for the Product Creativity Award, and also clinched the Selangor Innovative Pro duct Excellence Award in 2005.International Markets: Sydney Cake House markets its products locally as well as globally. In the local market, the products are distributed through 500 retail outlets namely, via hypermarkets & supermarkets, 7-11 convenience stores, airlines companies, hotels, chained stores and many others. The Products: The company offers the following range of products and services: Frozen Products Danish & Puff pastries, Traditional shell curry puffs, Pizza, Buns & Breads and Doughnuts. Ready-to-eat Products – Cakes, Muffins, Tartlets, Traditional finger food, Local delicacies and all frozen products. Sydney Cake House also provides training to rospective bakers and franchise owners with a better understanding and handling of their products. Sydney Cake House Sdn Bhd 13-17,JalanWardenU1/76 Taman Perindustrian Batu Tiga 40150 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Tel: +603 5512 6852 Fax: +603 5519 2063 E-mail: [email  protected] net. my [email  protecte d] com Website: www. makcik. com Its export markets of more than 10 countries include Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, the United Kingdom, America and the Middle East countries. Moving Forward: Sydney Cake House Sdn Bhd plan to be the market leader in the Halal frozen bakery food management ndustry. The company aims to provide a comprehensive range of services which among other things include designing, manufacturing, and distribution of Halal certified healthy food products locally and globally. BIOFACT LIFE SDN BHD BioFact Life Sdn Bhd was incorporated in Malaysia under the Company Act 1965 on 1st February 2005. BioFact Life Sdn Bhd pioneered and specialises in the laboratory cultivation of cordyceps (Dong Chong Xia Cao). The company is one of the pioneer biotechnology companies in the world to employ the latest biotechnology techniques in cordyceps cultivation at reduced cost and improved quality.Key person of the Company: Mr. Vince Chua Biofact Life Sdn Bhd was fo unded by a very young and enterprising gentleman who is also the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Vince Chua. Although Vince is not professionally trained in the fields of science, biotechnology, manufacturing, marketing and branding, his entrepreneurial foresight drove him to run an operation in all these fields. He is the creative mover in successfully changing consumers’ behaviors toward traditional herbs, by having extensive biotechnology research & development in analyzing these herbs, coupled with strong branding; which give birth to the ew brand name in the herbal health supplement industry – ‘timo’. The cordyceps are cultivated under low temperature and oxygen conditions and in specially-designed environment that is free from chemical pollution as well as yeast, mould and bacterial contamination. BioFact Life’s business encompasses a seed-to-shelf approach and as such the company is fully committed to extensive research and development in the production, manufacturing and marketing of BioFact Life cordyceps. To this end, BioFact Life has set up two major divisions, namely a Research and Development division which is primarily responsible for ordyceps cultivation research and a manufacturing division which is responsible for a broad range of herbal products. BioFact Life’s manufacturing plant is GMP and ISO 22000:2005-certified, and thus the quality, safety and efficacy of their manufactured products in the form of capsule, liquid, powder, tablets, pills and ointment are maintained. BioFact Life is also one of the largest herbal healthcare product distributors in Malaysia and has an outstanding track record in offering OEM services. Company Achievements Among the notable achievements of the company are: – GMP certification in 2010; GoldenBullawardin2009atthe7thMalaysia’s100th Outstanding SME event; – ISO 22000:2005 certification awarded to the company that will expire only in 2012; †“ BioNexusstatusin2007 – MalaysiaBookofWorldRecordsin2007asthe1st company to cultivate cordyceps in the laboratory International Markets: Biofact Life promotes and distributes its range of products under the brand name of ‘Timo’ (reg. ) among local consumers of herbal wellness products. In November 2009, the company signed an agreement to launch its products in Vietnam.. Aside from that, Biofact Life’s range of products can also be found in the ASEANcountries.The Products: Moving Forward: The company’s range of wellness products can be categorised into the following series: 1. General Health series – Cordyceps King, Cordyceps Essentials 2. Functional Health series – Cordyceps Energy Plus, Cordyceps Brefwell, Cordyceps Steles Plus 3. Men’s Health series – Men Plus, Men Plus Essentials 4. Women’s Health series – Happy Lady, Femm Plus Cordyceps, Prolongevity 5. Kids Health series – IQ Gummy 6. Teaserie s–CordycepsNTAgingTea,Cordyceps Lunger Tea, Cordyceps Immuno Tea BioFact Life Sdn Bhd Sales Office: Lot 5094, Kawasan Perindustrian Parit Jamil 84150 Muar Johor Darul Takzim MalaysiaTel: +6069872588 Fax: +6069875788 E-mail: [email  protected] com. my Toll-free: 1 300 88 8466 The company will continue to uphold and pursue its business philosophy of producing excellent quality products. The company believe that scientific and total quality management systems are the keys to achieve this goal. In that respect, they have established a quality control laboratory to ensure that the products which leave the factory premises are of consistently high quality. All raw materials are sent to the laboratory for inspection and only after they are passed by the laboratory can they be processed in the production line.Biofact Life is committed to the superior quality of its products as it believes that the key to the success of any product in the market is in its quality. ECOLITE MANUFACTUR ING S DN BHD Ecolite Biotech Manufacturing Sdn Bhd was incorporated on November 2001. Its principal activities being in the product research and development as well as the production and distribution of bird’s nest, fish and chicken essences as well as herbal health supplement products. Key person of the Company: Mr. Yon Yen Peng Ecolite Biotech Manufacturing Sdn Bhd is a 100% Malaysian company with its daily business operations spearhead by Mr. Yon Yen Peng n his capacity as the Managing Director of the company. Of late, the company is also involved in the investment of bird’s houses, management of third parties bird’s houses and the trading of bird’s nests. With the new business activities, the company has embarked into profit-sharing ventures with third parties in the rearing of birds where income is also derived from harvesting of bird’s nests and trading of the bird’s nests. The company has three wholly owned subsidiaries namely, 1. Eco lite Pharma Sdn Bhd which is involved in the trading of instant bird’s nest, fish and chicken essence and traditional herbal health supplement roducts of sub-brands other than the Ecolite brand; 2. Ecolite Marketing Sdn Bhd which is primarily in the trading of cleaned bird’s nest, fish and chicken essence and herbal drinks under the Ecolite brand; and 3. Ecolite Birdnest Sdn Bhd which is newly formed for the rearing of birds, harvesting and trading of birds’ nests. Company Achievements Ecolite Biotech Manufacturing Sdn Bhd’s production systems are HACCP, GMP and HALAL certified and approved by relevant ministries and agencies. International Markets: 70%ofthecompany’sproductsaremarketed locally with the remaining being exported to the international markets which include toSingapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and China. In the pipeline are plans to introduce its products to Dubai. Moving Forward: Our mission is to produce the most hygienic, chemical -free and purest bird’s nest and best quality herbal supplements for the holistic wellness of their customers while safeguarding the environment. The Products : Bird’s Nest : EcoliteInstantPureBird’sNest, EcoliteConcentratedBird’sNestwithRockSugar EcolitePipagaowithBird’sNestPlus EcoliteBird’sNestwithAmericanGinseng,WhiteFungus and Rock Sugar EcoliteBird’sNestExtractwithCollagen EcolitePureBird’sNest Herbal Health products :