Technology Professional Growth part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology Professional Growth part 2 - Essay Example Social trends must be considered in this approach and the disadvantages associated with the web. I posit that incorporation of web technology in education is a step towards improving the means of concentrating on the acquisition of new information, towards different objectives. The use of technology in the society is highly linked to the actions of the young. The youth are more engaged in the use of technology, specifically IT based, and though the main use lies in entertainment, more can be done to increase its use in education and leadership. The utilization of mobile phones and computers to access information on the web is increasing with each new day and the engagement of institutions such as commerce towards communicating important details. The education sector has been influenced through means such as educational podcast, videos, blogs, and websites among others, but more must be done. Higher learning institutions have engaged in the development of platforms through which students may interact with their tutors in shared information, yet there are means by which the education and leadership education programs can be boosted by the use of web technology. The initial step involved in the program is the analysis of the project scope. An analysis of the possible beneficiaries of the program is essential towards justification of the project. The project must have a target audience, and a survey is the research methodology that can be used to establish the efficiency by which the project will operate. Assessment of the ICT and IT structures and use is needed to validate the incorporation of an interactive scholarly system that does not necessarily depend on the use of computers. In this survey, the use of mobile telephones is instrumental, as the aim of the approach is to get education to the student on a personal level (West 2012). The

Presentation in History of the English Language Essay Example for Free

Presentation in History of the English Language Essay When studying the development of English as a language, it can be argued that early modern English is perhaps the most vital point of reference. This period brings with it a richness in material that provided clues as to how the tongue developed phonetically and geographically from its roots as a secondary, regional language in an arena dominated somewhat by the French language, and largely by Latin. Although the amount of available information isn’t enough to paint a sufficient scenario of the linguistic lay of the land at the time, these materials are a great help in discerning the stages of development of the English language. During the latter age of transition from Middle English, the language was mostly spread about in regions. This period is â€Å". . . notoriously [known] as the time when linguistic variation is fully reflected in the written mode . . . † (Nevalainen 13). Due to the heavy presence of French and Latin as the dominant vernaculars, middle English didn’t have enough room to develop as a real language and was limited to regional variants that were shaped by the grammar rules of the more prominent languages at the time. This was, mostly, due to the lack of standardized spelling – it was difficult to come up with a fixed set of grammar rules if the people didn’t have any idea of how to spell the words to be used in each situation. This changed during the sixteenth century. With the shift to early modern English came the streamlined version of the language, thanks to major standardizations in the way words were spelled throughout various regions. But you can’t ever get rid of local variations in language, and the early form of modern English is no different. Most of the available materials from the period concern themselves mostly with grammar reforms and the instruction of the language. The most curious thing about these documents is that despite dealing with a language that was gaining more and more popularity as a serious vernacular, the method of instruction was still largely conducted in Latin. This proved to be difficult in unifying the language since the two tongues were different from each other both grammatically and in inflection. Alexander Gil wrote Logonomia Anglica in 1619 as an attempt to describe the chief variants of English according to region. These are the general, northern, southern, eastern, western and poetic variants. Interestingly, these are the same regional distinctions of middle English, save for the unifying general vernacular that could be similar to what we call standard English. The weakness in Gil’s study is his partiality to the northern style although this feature gives us an outstanding view of how the morphology of early modern English developed. His renditions of spelling and pronouncing some words are indicative of the Germanic roots of English, including the use of /v/ for /f/ (the example given by Nevalainen is vill for fill). Another method of dialectal segregation was recorded by George Puttenham in The Arte of English Poesie (1589). Here, Puttenham gives us a view of how early middle English was segregated according to social standing, and was focused mostly on improving the aesthetic appeal of the language by identifying the speech of the court and the aristocrats as well-sounding and favorable, as opposed to the speech of a craftsman, or that of the thieves (thieves’ cant). Still, the dominant tongue at the time remained to be Latin, and it was in Latin that the English grammar was taught and written. This was to accommodate foreigners who wished to learn English; these people learned English via the structure of Latin, whereas locals who already practiced English learned Latin through the structure of their mother tongue. The effect of Latin in the grammar manuals during the first part of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were apparent – the use of Latin categories, or at least a system derived from Latin, to describe English grammar left out a chunk of what formed the structural core of English, and while the regional dialects flourished, very little attention was given to them and the focus of learning instead went to the General dialect, which would eventually go on to become the basis for the structure of the language today. A lot of the development that transformed the English language occurred at this time. In Pamphlet for Grammar (1586), William Bullokar gives us insight to the transformation of the personal noun ye into modern-day you. He also noted the possible conversion of the suffix –eth ¬ (e. g. loveth) into the more economical –s pronounced with a /z/-like crescendo. The latter, incidentally, is an example of northern dialect curiosities that made it to the general dialect. The continuous development and popularity of English as a language both written and spoken led to the precursors of modern-day newspapers. Newsletters by eminent individuals were handwritten and sent out as manuscript circulations back in 1620 as a means of spreading important information around. A fair example is the Newdigate Newsletters that were addressed to Sir Richard Newdigate of Warwickshire from the Secretary of State’s office. A selection of the newsletters would go as follows: â€Å"The King of Poland desireing a nearer Correspondence with this Crowne then has been formerly and haveing sent Over to desire his Maty to be godfather to his Daughter, his Maty was preparing to send an Envoy ExtraOrdnary thither to stand for him, when the last post brought news ye young Princess was dead. † (21) This selection, in its original form, contains plenty of scripting nuances of the period – such as superscripts for the abbreviations – and resembled, in all intents and purposes, formal letters of the period. In closing, it is worth to note that while the instruction and growth of English as a language during the early modern period isn’t as clear as we’d like it to be, there really is no denying that this period yielded a huge wealth of material to study. Thanks to works like Gil’s Bullokar’s and the missives to sir Newdigate, we can continue to study and piece together the broken pieces of the puzzle of how today’s universal language evolved into what it is. WORKS CITED Nevalainen, Terttu. Introduction to Early Modern English, An. USA: Oxford University Press, 2006. 12-27

Learning Organization Essay Example for Free

Learning Organization Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY are proliferating as corporations seek to better themselves and gain an edge. Unfortunately, however, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain low. Thats because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Before people and companies can improve, they first must learn. And to do this, they need to look beyond rhetoric and high philosophy and focus on the fundamentals. Three critical issues must be addressed before a company can truly become a learning organization, writes Harvard Business School professor David Garvin. First is the question of meaning: a well-grounded, easy-to-apply definition of a learning organization. Second comes management: clearer operational guidelines for practice. Finally, better tools for measurement can assess an organizations rate and level of learning. Using these three Ms as a framework, Garvin defines learning organizations as skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from past experience, learning from the best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. And since you cant manage something if you cant measure it, a complete learning audit is a must. That includes measuring cognitive and behavioral changes as well as tangible improvements in results. No learning organization is built overnight. Success comes from carefully cultivated attitudes, commitments, and management processes that accrue slowly and steadily. The first step is to foster an environment conducive to learning. Analog Devices, Chaparral Steel, Xerox, GE, and other companies provide enlightened examples. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS  CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS are sprouting up all over as organizations strive to better themselves and gain an edge. The topic list is long and varied, and sometimes it seems as though a program a month is needed just to keep up. Unfortunately, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain distressingly low. Why? Because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning. How, after all, can an organization improve without first learning something new? Solving a problem, introducing a product, and reengineering a process all require seeing the world in a new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, companies-and individuals -simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived. A few farsighted executives – Ray Stata of Analog Devices, Gordon Forward of Chaparral Steel, Paul Allaire of Xerox-have recognized the link between learning and continuous improvement and have begun to refocus their companies around it. Scholars too have jumped on the bandwagon, beating the drum for learning organizations and knowledge-creating companies. In rapidly changing businesses like semiconductors and consumer electronics, these ideas are fast taking hold. Yet despite the encouraging signs, the topic in large part remains murky, confused, and difficult to penetrate. Meaning, Management, and Measurement Scholars are partly to blame. Their discussions of learning organizations have often been reverential and utopian, filled with near mystical terminology. Paradise, they would have you believe, is just around the corner. Peter Senge, who popularized learning organizations in his book The Fifth Discipline, described them as places where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. To achieve these ends, Senge suggested the use of five component technologies: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. In a similar spirit, Ikujiro Nonaka characterized knowledge-creating companies as places where inventing new knowledge is not a specialized activity it is a way of behaving, indeed, a way of being, in which everyone is a knowledge worker. Nonaka suggested that companies use metaphors and organizational redundancy to focus thinking, encourage dialogue, and make tacit, instinctively understood ideas explicit. Sound idyllic? Absolutely. Desirable? Without question. But does it provide a framework for action? Hardly. The recommendations are far too abstract, and too many questions remain unanswered. How, for example, will managers know when their companies have become learning organizations? What concrete changes in behavior are required? What policies and programs must be in place? How do you get from here to there? Most discussions of learning organizations finesse these issues. Their focus is high philosophy and grand themes, sweeping metaphors rather than the gritty details of practice. Three critical issues are left unresolved; yet each is essential for effective implementation. First is the question of meaning. We need a plausible, well-grounded definition of learning organizations; it must be actionable and easy to apply. Second is the question of management. We need clearer guidelines for practice, filled with operational advice rather than high aspirations. And third is the question of measurement. We need better tools for assessing an organizations rate and level of learning to ensure that gains have in fact been made. Once these three Ms are addressed, managers will have a firmer foundation for launching learning organizations. Without this groundwork, progress is unlikely, and for the simplest of reasons. For learning to become a meaningful corporate goal, it must first be understood. What Is a Learning Organization? Surprisingly, a clear definition of learning has proved to be elusive over the years. Organizational theorists have studied learning for a long time; the accompanying quotations suggest that there is still considerable disagreement (see Definitions of Organizational Learning on page 77). Most scholars view organizational learning as a process that unfolds over time and link it with knowledge acquisition and improved performance. But they differ on other important matters. Some, for example, believe that behavioral change is required. for learning; others insist that new ways of thinking are enough. Some cite information processing as the mechanism through which learning takes place; others propose-shared insights, organizational routines, even memo. And some think that organizational learning is common, while others believe that flawed, self-serving interpretations are the norm. How can we discern among this cacophony of voices yet build on earlier insights? As a first step, consider the following definition: A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. This definition begins with a simple truth: new ideas are essential if learning is to take place. Sometimes they are created de novo, through flashes of insight or creativity; at other times they arrive from outside the organization or are communicated by knowledgeable insiders. Whatever their source, these ideas are the trigger for organizational improvement. But they cannot by themselves create a learning organization. Without accompanying changes in the way that work gets done, only the potential for improvement exists. This is a surprisingly stringent test for it rules out a number of obvious candidates for learning organizations. Many universities fail to qualify, as do many consulting firms. Even General Motors, despite its recent efforts to improve performance, is found wanting. All of these organizations have been effective at creating or acquiring new knowledge but notably less successful in applying that knowledge to their own activities. Total quality management, for example, is now taught at many business schools, yet the number using it to guide their own decision making is very small. Organizational consultants advise clients on social dynamics and small-group behavior but are notorious for their own infighting and factionalism. And GM, with a few exceptions (like Saturn and NUMMI), has had little success in revamping its manufacturing practices, even though its managers are experts on lean manufacturing, JIT production, and the requirements for improved quality of work life. Organizations that do pass the definitional test – Honda, Corning, and General Electric come quickly to mind – have, by contrast, become adept at translating new knowledge into new ways of behaving. These companies actively manage the learning process to ensure that it occurs by design rather than by chance. Distinctive policies and practices are responsible for their success; they form the building blocks of learning organizations. Building Blocks Learning organizations are skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Each is accompanied by a distinctive mind-set, tool kit, and pattern of behavior. Many companies practice these activities to some degree. But few are consistently successful because they rely largely on happenstance and isolated examples. By creating systems and processes that support these activities and integrate them into the fabric of daily operations, companies can manage their learning more effectively. 1. Systematic problem solving. This first activity rests heavily on the philosophy and methods of the quality movement. Its underlying ideas, now widely accepted, include: †¢ Relying on the scientific method, rather than guesswork, for diagnosing problems (what Deming calls the â€Å"Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle, and others refer to as hypothesis-generating, hypothesistesting techniques). †¢ Insisting on data, rather than assumptions, as background for decision making (what quality practitioners call fact-based management). †¢ Using simple statistical tools (histograms, Pareto charts, correlations, cause-and-effect diagrams) to organize data and draw inferences. Most training programs focus primarily on problem solving techniques, using exercises and practical examples. These tools are relatively straightforward and easily communicated; the necessary mind-set, however, is more difficult to establish. Accuracy and precision are essential for learning. Employees must therefore become more disciplined in their thinking and more attentive to details. They must continually ask, How do we know thats true? , recognizing that close enough is not good enough if real learning is to take place. They must push beyond obvious symptoms to assess underlying causes, often collecting evidence when conventional wisdom says it is unnecessary. Otherwise, the organization will remain a prisoner of gut facts and sloppy reasoning, and learning will be stifled. Xerox has mastered this approach on a companywide scale. In 1983, senior managers launched the companys Leadership Through Quality initiative; since then, all employees have been trained in small-group activities and problem-solving techniques. Today a six-step process is used for virtually all decisions (see Xeroxs Problem-Solving Process). Employees are provided with tools in four areas: generating ideas and collecting information (brainstorming, interviewing, surveying); reaching consensus (list reduction, rating forms, weighted voting); analyzing and displaying data (cause-andeffect diagrams, force-field analysis); and planning actions (flow charts, Gantt charts). They then practice these-tools during training sessions that last several days. Training is presented in family groups, members of the same department or business-unit team, and the tools are applied to real problems facing the group. The result of this process has been a common vocabulary and a consistent, companywide approach to problem solving. Once employees have been trained, they are expected to use the techniques at all meetings, and no topic is off limits. When a high-level group was formed to review Xeroxs organizational structure and suggest alternatives, it employed the very same process and tools. 2. Experimentation. This activity involves the systematic searching for and testing of new knowledge. Using the scientific method is essential, and there are obvious parallels to systematic problem solving. But unlike problem solving, experimentation is usually motivated by opportunity and expanding horizons, not by current difficulties. It takes two main forms: ongoing programs and one-ofa-kind demonstration projects. Ongoing programs normally involve a continuing series of small experiments, designed to produce incremental gains in knowledge. They are the mainstay of most continuous improvement programs and are especially common on the shop floor. Corning, for example, experiments continually with diverse raw materials and new formulations to increase yields and provide better grades of glass. Allegheny Ludlum, a specialty steelmaker, regularly examines new rolling methods and improved technologies to raise productivity and reduce costs. Successful ongoing programs share several characteristics. First, they work hard to ensure a steady flow of new ideas, even if they must be imported from outside the organization. Chaparral Steel sends its first-line supervisors on sabbaticals around the globe, where they visit academic and industry leaders, develop an understanding of new Xerox’s Problem-Solving Process Step Questions to be Answered What do we want to change? Expansion/ Divergence Lots of problems for consideration Contraction/ Convergence One problem statement, one â€Å"desired state† agreed upon What’s Next to Go to the Next Step Identification of the gap â€Å"Desired state† described in observable terms Key causes documented and ranked 1. Identify and select problem 2. Analyse Problem What’s preventing us from reaching the â€Å"desired state†? How could we make the change? What’s the best way to do it? Lots of potential causes identified. Key causes identified and verified 3. Generate potential solutions 4. Select and plan the solution Lots of ideas on how to solve the problem Lots of criteria for evaluating potential solutions. Lots of ideas on how to implement and evaluate the selected solution Potential solutions clarified Criteria to use for evaluating solution agreed upon Implementation and evaluation plans agreed upon Implementation of agreed-on contingency plans (if necessary) Effectiveness of solution agreed upon Continuing problems (if any) identified Solution List. Plan for making and monitoring the change Measurement criteria to evaluate solution effectiveness 5. Implement the solution Are we following the plan? Solution in place 6. Evaluate the solution How well did it work? Verification that the problem is solved, or Agreement to address continuing problems work practices and technologies, then bring what theyve learned back to the company and apply it to daily operations. Inlarge part as a result of these initiatives, Chaparral is one of the five lowest cost steel plants in the world. GEs Impact Program originally sent manufacturing managers to Japan to study factory innovations, such as quality circles and kanban cards, and then apply them in their own organizations; today Europe is the destination, and productivity improvement practices the target. The program is one reason GE has recorded productivity gains averaging nearly 5% over the last four years. Successful ongoing programs also require an incentive system that favors risk taking. Employees must feel that the benefits of experimentation exceed the costs; otherwise, they will not participate. This creates a difficult challenge for managers, who are trapped between two perilous extremes. They must maintain accountability and control over experiments without stifling creativity by unduly penalizing employees for failures. Allegheny Ludlum has perfected this juggling act: it keeps expensive, high-impact experiments off the scorecard used to evaluate managers but requires prior approvals from four senior vice presidents. The result has been=a history of productivity improvements annually avenging 7% to 8%. Finally, ongoing programs need managers and employees who are trained in the skills required to perform and evaluate experiments. These skills are seldom intuitive and must usually be learned. They cover a broad sweep: statistical methods, like design of experiments, that efficiently compare a large number of alternatives; graphical techniques, like process analysis, that are essential for redesigning work flows; and creativity techniques, like storyboarding and role playing, that keep novel ideas flowing. The most effective training programs are tightly focused and feature a small set of techniques tailored to employees needs. Training in design of experiments, for example, is useful for manufacturing engineers, while creativity techniques are well suited to development groups. Demonstration projects are usually larger and more complex than ongoing experiments. They involve holistic, system wide changes, introduced at a single site, and are often undertaken with the goal of developing new organizational capabilities. Because these projects represent a sharp break from the past, they are usually designed from scratch, using a clean slate approach. General Foodss Topeka plant, one of the first high commitment work systems in this country, was a pioneering demonstration project initiated to introduce the idea of self-managing teams and high levels of worker autonomy; a more recent example, designed to rethink small-car development, manufacturing, and sales, is GMs Saturn Division. Demonstration projects share a number of distinctive characteristics: †¢ They are usually the first projects to embody principles and approaches that the organization hopes to adopt later on a larger scale. For this reason, they are more transitional efforts than endpoints and involve considerable learning by doing. Mid-course corrections are common. †¢ They implicitly establish policy guidelines and decision rules for later projects. Managers must therefore be sensitive to the precedents they are setting and must send strong signals if they expect to establish new norms. †¢ They often encounter severe tests of commitment from employees who wish to see whether the rules have, in fact, changed. †¢ They are normally developed by strong multifunctional teams reporting directly to senior management. (For projects targeting employee involvement or quality of work life, teams should be multilevel as well. ) †¢ They tend to have only limited impact on the rest of the organization if they are not accompanied by explicit strategies for transferring learning. All of these characteristics appeared in a demonstration project launched by Copeland Corporation, a highly successful compressor manufacturer, in the mid-1970s. Matt Diggs, then the new CEO, wanted to transform the companys approach to manufacturing. Previously, Copeland had machined and assembled all products in a single facility: Costs were high, and quality was marginal. The problem, Diggs felt, was too much complexity. At the outset, Diggs assigned a small, multifunctional team the task of designing a focused factory dedicated to a narrow, newly developed product line. The team reported directly to Diggs and took three years to complete its work. Initially, the project budget was $10 million to $12 million; that figure was repeatedly revised as the team found, through experience and with Diggss prodding, that it could achieve dramatic improvements. The final investment, a total of $30 million, yielded unanticipated breakthroughs in reliability testing, automatic tool adjustment, and programmable control. All were achieved through learning by doing. The team set additional precedents during the plants start-up and early operations. To dramatize the importance of quality, for example, the quality manager was appointed second-in-command, a significant move upward. The same reporting relationship was used at all subsequent plants. In addition, Diggs urged the plant manager to ramp up slowly to full production and resist all efforts to proliferate products. These instructions were unusual at Copeland, where the marketing department normally ruled. Both directives were quickly tested; management held firm, and the implications were felt throughout the organization. Manufacturings stature improved, and the company as a whole recognized its competitive contribution. One observer commented, Marketing had always run the company, so they couldnt believe it. The change was visible at the highest levels, and it went down hard. Once the first focused factory was running smoothly -it seized 25% of the market in two years and held its edge in reliability for over a decade-Copeland built four more factories in quick succession. Diggs assigned members of the initial project to each factorys design team to ensure that early learnings were not lost; these people later rotated into operating assignments. Today focused factories remain the cornerstone of Copelands manufacturing strategy and a continuing source of its cost and quality advantages. Whether they are demonstration projects like Copelands or ongoing programs like Allegheny Ludlums, all forms of experimentation seek the same end: moving from superficial knowledge to deep understanding. At its simplest, the distinction is between knowing how things are done and knowing why they occur. Knowing how is partial knowledge; it is rooted in norms of behavior, standards of practice, and settings of equipment. Knowing why is more fundamental: it captures underlying causeand-effect relationships and accommodates exceptions, adaptations, and unforeseen events. The ability to control temperatures and pressures to align grains of silicon and form silicon steel is an example of knowing how; understanding the chemical and physical process that produces the alignment is knowing why. Further distinctions are possible, as the insert Stages of Knowledge suggests. Operating knowledge can be arrayed in a hierarchy, moving from limited understanding and the ability to make few distinctions to more complete understanding in which all contingencies are anticipated and controlled. In this context, experimentation and problem solving foster learning by pushing organizations up the hierarchy, from lower to higher stages of knowledge. 3. Learning from past experience. Companies must review their successes and failures, assess them systematically, and record the lessons in a form that employers find open and accessible. One expert has called t9is process the Santayana Review, citing the famous philosopher George Santayana, who coined the phrase Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Unfortunately, too many managers today are indifferent, even hostile, to the past, and by failing to reflect on it, they let valuable knowledge escape. A study of more than 150 new products concluded that the knowledge gained from failures [is] often instrumental in achieving subsequent successes. In the simplest terms, failure is the ultimate teacher. IBMs 360 computer series, for example, one of the most popular and profitable ever built, was based on the technology of the failed Stretch computer that preceded it. In this case, as in many others, learning occurred by chance rather than by careful planning. A few companies, however, have established processes that require their managers to periodically think about the past and learn from their mistakes. Boeing did so immediately after its difficulties with the 737 and 747 plane programs. Both planes were introduced with much fanfare and also with serious problems. To ensure that the problems were not repeated, senior managers commissioned a high-level employee group, called Project Homework, to compare the development processes of the 737 and 747 with those of the 707 and 727, two of the companys most profitable planes. The group was asked to develop a set of lessons learned that could be used on future projects. After working for three years, they produced hundreds of recommendations and an inch-thick booklet. Several members of the team were then transferred to the 757 and 767 start-ups, and guided by experience, they produced the most successful, error-free launches in Boeings history. Other companies have used a similar retrospective approach. Like Boeing, Xerox studied its product development process, examining three troubled products in an effort to understand why the companys new business initiatives failed so often. Arthur D. Little, the consulting company, focused on its past successes. Senior management invited ADL consultants from around the world to a two-day jamboree, featuring booths and presentations documenting a wide range of the companys most successful practices, publications, and techniques. British Petroleum went even further and established the post-project appraisal unit to review major investment projects, write up case studies, and derive lessons for planners that were then incorporated into revisions of the companys planning guidelines. A five-person unit reported to the board of directors and reviewed six projects annually. The bulk of the time was spent in the field interviewing managers. This type of review is now conducted regularly at the project level. At the heart of this approach, one expert has observed, is a mind-set that enables companies to recognize the value of productive failure as contrasted with unproductive success. A productive failure is one that leads to insight, understanding, and thus an addition to the commonly held wisdom of the organization. An unproductive success occurs when something goes well, but nobody knows how or why. IBMs legendary founder, Thomas Watson, Sr. , apparently understood the distinction well. Company lore has it that a young manager; after losing $10 million in a risky venture was called into Watsons office. The young man, thoroughly intimidated, began by saying, I guess you want my resignation. Watson replied, You cant be serious. We just spent $10 million educating you. Fortunately, the learning process need not be so expensive. Case studies and post-project reviews like those of Xerox and British Petroleum can be performed with little cost other than managers time. Companies can also enlist the help of faculty and students at local colleges or universities; they bring fresh perspectives and view internships and case studies as opportunities to gain experience and increase their own learning. A few companies have established computerized data banks to speed up the learning process. At Paul Revere Life Insurance, management requires all problem-solving teams to complete short registration forms describing their proposed projects if they hope to qualify for the companys award program. The company then enters the forms into its computer system and can immediately retrieve a listing of other groups of people who have worked or are working on the topic, along with a contact person. Relevant experience is then just a telephone call away. 4. Learning from others. Of course, not all learning comes from reflection and self-analysis. Sometimes the most powerful insights come from looking outside ones immediate environment to gain a new perspective. Enlightened managers know that even companies in completely different businesses can be fertile sources of ideas and catalysts for creative thinking. At these organizations, enthusiastic borrowing is replacing the not invented here syndrome. Milliken calls the process SIS, for Steal Ideas Shamelessly; the broader term for it is benchmarking. According to one expert, benchmarking is an ongoing investigation and learning experience that ensures that best industry practices are uncovered, analyzed, adopted, and implemented. The greatest benefits come from studying practices, the way that work gets done, rather than results, and from involving line managers in the process. Almost anything can be benchmarked. Xerox, the concepts creator, has applied it to billing, warehousing, and automated manufacturing. Milliken has been even more creative: in an inspired moment, it benchmarked Xeroxs approach to benchmarking. Unfortunately, there is still considerable confusion about the requirements for successful benchmarking. Benchmarking is not industrial tourism, a series of ad hoc visits to companies that have received favorable publicity or won quality awards. Rather, it is a disciplined process that begins with a thorough search to identify best-practice organizations, continues with careful study of ones own practices and performance, progresses through systematic site visits and interview and concludes with an analysis of results, development of recommendations, and implementation. While timeconsuming, the process need not be terribly expensive ATTs Benchmarking Group estimates that a moderate-sized project takes four to six months and incurs out-of-pocket costs of $20,000 (when personnel costs ax included, the figure is three to four times higher). Bench marking is one way of gaining an outside perspective; another, equally fertile source of ideas is customers. Conversations with customers invariably stimulate learning; they are, after all, experts in what they do. Customers can provide up-to-date product information, competitive comparisons, insights into changing preferences, and immediate feedback about service and patt ern of use. And companies need these insights at all levels, from the executive suite to the shop floor. At Motorola, members of the Operating and Policy Committee, including the CEO, meet personally and on a regular basis with customers. At Worthington Steel, all machine operators make periodic, unescorted trips to customers factories to discuss their needs. Sometimes customers cant articulate their needs or remember even the most recent problems they have had with a product or service. If thats the case, managers must observe them in action. Xerox employs a number of anthropologists at its Palo Alto Research Center to observe users of new document products in their offices. Digital Equipment has developed an interactive process called contextual inquiry that is used by software engineers to observe users of new technologies as they go about their work. Milliken has created first-delivery teams that accompany the first shipment of all products; team members follow the product through the customers production process to see how it is used and then develop ideas for further improvement. Whatever the source of outside ideas, learning will only occur in a receptive environment. Managers cant be defensive and must be open to criticism or bad news. This is a difficult challenge, but it is essential for success. Companies that approach customers assuming that we must be right, they have to be wrong or visit other organizations certain that they cant  teach us anything seldom learn very much. Learning organizations, by contrast, cultivate the art of open, attentive listening. 5. Transferring knowledge. For learning to be more than a local affair, knowledge must spread quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Ideas carry maximum impact when they are shared broadly rather than held in a few hands. A variety of mechanisms spur this process, including written, oral, and visual reports, site visits and tours, personnel rotation programs, education and training programs, and standardization programs. Each has distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Reports and tours are by far the most popular mediums. Reports serve many purposes: they summarize findings, provide checklists of dos and donts, and describe important processes and events. They cover a multitude of topics, from benchmarking studies to accounting conventions to newly discovered marketing techniques. Today written reports are often supplemented by videotapes, which offer greater immediacy and fidelity. Tours are an equally popular means of transferring knowledge, especially for large, multidivisional organizations with multiple sites.

A Study Of The Indian Food Processing Industry

A Study Of The Indian Food Processing Industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been considered one of the driving forces of modern economies due to their multifaceted contributions in terms of technological innovations, employment generation, export promotion, etc. Of these, the ability of SMEs to innovate assumes significance because innovation lends competitive edge to firms, industries and ultimately, economies. Therefore, technological innovation has the potential to spur growth of individual enterprises at the micro level and aggregate industries and economies at the macro level. Given the above, this paper attempts to understand issues such as what factors drive SMEs to innovate, what is the nature of SME innovations, what the achievements of SME innovations are and what the outcomes of these achievements are. Overall, this paper attempts to address the question: does SME innovation facilitate the growth of firm size? This question has been probed in the context of SMEs in Sunrise Sector of our economy. This paper probes the drivers, dimensions, achievements, and outcomes of technological innovations carried out by SMEs in the food processing industries in India. The Food Industry is divided into organized and unorganized wherein the maximum contribution is made by small and unorganized. Hence the focus of the study will be organized food processing sector. The research methodology is empirical study for this the evidences will be collected, in the form of case studies as evidences, through secondary data. Further, it ascertains the growth rates of innovative SMEs in comparison to non- innovative SMEs in terms of sales turnover, employment, and investment. The study will confirm that the Innovative SMEs have shown better and sustained growth. Keywords: Technological Innovations, Sales Growth, Organized Food Processing, Agriculture. Introduction Innovation is a new way of doing something or new stuff that is made useful. It may refer to incremental an emergent or radical and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Following Schumpeter (1934), contributors to the scholarly literature on innovation typically distinguish between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully in practice. In many fields, such as the arts, economics and government policy, something new must be substantially different to be innovative. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy. Those who are directly responsible for application of the innovation are often called pioneers in their field, whether they are individuals or organizations. In organizations A convenient definition of innovation from an organizational perspective is given by Luecke and Katz (2003), who wrote: Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services. Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. For example, Amabile et al. (1996) propose: All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second. For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea or insight is required: the insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in new or altered business processes within the organization, or changes in the products and services provided. Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline. From this point of view emphasis is moved from the introduction of specific novel and useful ideas to the general organizational processes and procedures for generating, considering, and acting on such insights leading to significant organizational improvements in terms of improved or new business products, services, or internal processes. In the organizational context, innovation may be linked to performance and growth through improvements in efficiency, productivity, quality, competitive positioning, market share, etc. All organizations can innovate, including for example hospitals, universities, and local governments. While innovation typically adds value, innovation may also have a negative or destructive effect as new developments clear away or change old organizational forms and practices. Organizations that do not innovate effectively may be destroyed by those that do. Hence innovation typically involves risk. A key challenge in innovation is maintaining a balance between process and product innovations where process innovations tend to involve a business model which may develop shareholder satisfaction through improved efficiencies while product innovations develop customer support however at the risk of costly RD that can erode shareholder return. Innovation can be described as the result of some amount of time and effort into researching an idea, plus some larger amount of time and effort into developing this idea, plus some very large amount of time and effort into commercializing this idea into a market place with customers. Joseph Schumpeter defined economic innovation in The Theory of Economic Development, 1934, Harvard University Press, Boston. The introduction of a new good that is one with which consumers are not yet familiar or of a new quality of a good. The introduction of a new method of production, which need by no means be founded upon a discovery scientifically new, and can also exist in a new way of handling a commodity commercially. The opening of a new market, that is a market into which the particular branch of manufacture of the country in question has not previously entered, whether or not this market has existed before. The conquest of a new source of supply of raw materials or half-manufactured goods, again irrespective of whether this source already exists or whether it has first to be created. The carrying out of the new organization of any industry, like the creation of a monopoly position (for example through trustification) or the breaking up of a monopoly position Whether innovation is mainly supply-pushed (based on new technological possibilities) or demand-led (based on social needs and market requirements) has been a hotly debated topic. Similarly, what exactly drives innovation in organizations and economies remains an open question. Programs of organizational innovation are typically tightly linked to organizational goals and objectives, to the business plan, and to market competitive positioning. One driver for innovation programs in corporations is to achieve growth objectives. As Davila et al. (2006) note, Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results (p.6) In general, business organizations spend a significant amount of their turnover on innovation, such as making changes to their established products, processes and services. The amount of investment can vary from as low as a half a percent of turnover for organizations with a low rate of change to anything over twenty percent of turnover for organizations with a high rate of change. The average investment across all types of organizations is four percent. For an organization with a turnover of one billion units, this would represent an investment of forty million units. This budget will typically be spread across various functions including marketing, product design, information systems, manufacturing systems and quality assurance. The investment may vary by industry and by market positioning. The latest index was published in March 2009. To rank the countries, the study measured both innovation inputs and outputs. Innovation inputs included government and fiscal policy, education policy and the innovation environment. Outputs included patents, technology transfer, and other RD results; business performance, such as labor productivity and total shareholder returns; and the impact of innovation on business migration and economic growth. SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN INDIA With the advent of planned economy from 1951 and the subsequent industrial policy followed by Government of India, both planners and Government earmarked special role for small-scale industries and medium scale industries in the Indian economy. Due protection was accorded to both sectors, and particularly for small scale industries from 1951 to 1991, till the nation adopted a policy of liberalization and globalization. Certain products were reserved for small-scale units for a long time, though this list of products is decreasing due to change in industrial policies and climate. SMEs always represented the model of socio-economic policies of Government of India which emphasized judicious use of foreign exchange for import of capital goods and inputs; labour intensive mode of production; employment generation; non concentration of diffusion of economic power in the hands of few (as in the case of big houses); discouraging monopolistic practices of production and marketing; and finally effective contribution to foreign exchange earning of the nation with low import-intensive operations. It was also coupled with the policy of de-concentration of industrial activities in few geographical centers. It can be observed that by and large, SMEs in India met the expectations of the Government in this respect. SMEs developed in a manner, which made it possible for them to achieve the following objectives: High contribution to domestic production Significant export earnings Low investment requirements Operational flexibility Location wise mobility Low intensive imports Capacities to develop appropriate indigenous technology Import substitution Contribution towards defense production Technology oriented industries Competitiveness in domestic and export markets At the same time one has to understand the limitations of SMEs. In spite of these limitations, the SMEs have made significant contribution towards technological development and exports. SMEs have been established in almost all-major sectors in the Indian industry such as: Food Processing Agricultural Inputs Chemicals Pharmaceuticals Engineering; Electricals; Electronics Electro-medical equipment Textiles and Garments Leather and leather goods Bio-engineering Sports goods Plastics products Computer Software, etc As a result of globalization and liberalization, coupled with WTO regime, Indian SMEs have been passing through a transitional period. With slowing down of Economy in India and abroad, particularly USA and European Union and enhanced competition from China and a few low cost centers of production from abroad many units have been facing a tough time. Those SMEs who have strong technological base, international business outlook, competitive spirit and willingness to restructure themselves shall withstand the present challenges and come out with shining colors to make their own contribution to the Indian economy. FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY Present Status and Future Prospects of Indian Food Processing Industries As per the Ministry of Food Processing Industry as data source, the food processing sector is highly fragmented industry, it widely comprises of the following sub-segments: fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, beer and alcoholic beverages, meat and poultry, marine products, grain processing, packaged or convenience food and packaged drinks. A huge number of entrepreneurs in this industry are small in terms of their production and operations, and are largely concentrated in the unorganized segment. This segment accounts for more than 70% of the output in terms of volume and 50% in terms of value. Though the organized sector seems comparatively small, it is growing at a much faster pace. Indias Position in Worlds Production Largest producer of milk in the world (105 million tonnes per annum) Largest livestock population(485 million tonnes per annum) Second largest producer of fruits vegetables (150 million tonnes per annum) Third largest producer of food grain (230 million tonnes per annum) Third largest producer of fish (7 million tonnes per annum) 52% cultivable land compared to 11% world average All 15 major climates in the world exist in India 46 out of 60 soil types exist in India 20 agri-climatic regions Key Growth Drivers of Food Processing Sector in India Increasing spending on health and nutritional foods. Increasing number of nuclear families and working women Changing lifestyle Functional foods, fresh or processed foods Organized retail and private label penetration Changing demographics and rising disposable incomes Key Opportunities in Food processing Sector Processable varieties of crop Contract farming Investments in infrastructure through Public Private partnership (PPP) Mega Food parks Integrated cold chain Food safety Management Systems Key segments in the food processing industry Fruits vegetable processing Fruits and vegetables is one of the most important and fast growing sub-sectors of the food processing sector. Over the last few years, there has been a positive growth in ready-to-serve beverages, fruit juices and pulps, dehydrated and frozen fruits and vegetable products, tomato products, pickles, convenience vegspice pastes, processed mushrooms and curried vegetables reasons being increase in consumption by nuclear families, working women, students and single employees staying alone. There are abundant investments opportunities are there in expanding the export market. An increasing acceptance of new products with market development efforts has been witnessed lately given the fact that there is a good international demand for certain fruits and vegetable products. The Indian food processing industry is primarily export oriented. Indias geographical situation gives it the unique advantage of connectivity to Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea. In 2008-09, Indias export of fresh fruit and vegetable was estimated at US$ 0.79 billion and in case of processed fruits and vegetables it stood at US$ 0.68 billion. Meat Processing In meat and meat processing sector, poultry meat is the fastest growing animal protein in India. The estimated production of meat was 6.5 million tonnes during 2007-08. India exports more than 500,000 million tonnes of meat of which major share is buffalo meat. Buffalo meat production during 2008-09 is estimated at 2.8 million tonnes and out of this about 21% is exported. Indian buffalo meat is witnessing strong demand in international markets due to its lean character and its near organic nature. India is the 6th largest exporter of bovine meat in the world. In 2008-09, Indias export of meat products (including buffalo meat, sheep/goat meat, poultry products, animal casings and processed meat) stood at U$ 1.25 billion. Dairy processing India is number one milk producing country in the world with an estimated production of 105 million tonnes in comparison to world milk production of 693 million tonnes during 2007-08.Buffalo milk is estimated to account for 57% of the total milk production in India. India has a unique pattern of production, processing and marketing/consumption of milk, which is not comparable with any large milk producing country. Approximately 70 million rural households in the country are engaged in milk production. Over 11 million farmers are organized into about 0.1 million village Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS). About 35% of milk produced in India is processed. The organized sector (large scale dairy plants) processes about 13 million tonnes annually, while the unorganized sector processes about 22 million tonnes per annum. In 2008-09, export of dairy products was estimated at US$ 0.21 billion. Fisheries Sector In India nearly 10 million people, living in 4,000 coastal villages and more number of interior villages, depend on fisheries sector. The export of marine products has steadily grown over the years from a mere US$ 0.84 million in 1961-62 to US$ 1,849.08 million in 2008-09. Marine products account for approximately 1.1 % of the total exports from India. Frozen shrimp continued to be the single largest item of export in terms of value accounting for about 44% in the total export earnings. In terms of quantity, fish accounted for the major share at 40% (shrimp 21%).European Union (EU) was the largest market during the year 2008-09 with a percentage share of 32.6% followed by China 14.8%, Japan 14.6% , USA 11.9%, South East Asia 10%, Middle East 5.5% and Other Countries 10.6%. Grain processing sector India during the year 2007-08, accounted for 8.73% of the worlds oilseed production of 7.63%; 7.31% of the worlds oil meal production of 6.74%; 7.53% of the worlds meal export of 6.78%; 6.03% of the worlds oil production of 5.86%; 9.22% of world oil imports of 9.58% and 9.33% of the worlds oil consumption of 9.28%. On the export front, export of oil meals, oilseeds, minor oils (fats) and castor oil during the financial year 2007-08 is reported at 62.6 lakh tonnes valued at US$ 2.32 billion against the exports of 58.9 lakh tonnes valued at US$ 1.39 billion in the previous year. The solvent extraction processing of oilseed, oilcakes and rice bran during 2007-08 is reported at 121.2 lakh. However, the overall production of solvent extracted oils during 2007-08 form rice bran, oilcakes minor oilseeds and soybean is reported at 19.4 lakh tonnes. Consumer food industries Consumer food industry includes pasta, breads, cakes, pastries, rusks, buns, rolls, noodles, corn flakes, rice flakes, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products, biscuits etc. Bread and biscuits constitute the largest segment of consumer foods. Indias biscuits industry is the largest among all the food industries and has a turnover of around US$ 0.64 billion. India is known to be the second largest manufacturer of biscuits, the first being USA. Indian consumer food industry is classified under two sectors: organized and unorganized. Bread and biscuits are the major part of the bakery industry and cover around 80 percent of the total bakery products in India. Biscuits stand at a higher value and production level than bread. This belongs to the unorganized sector of the bakery industry and covers over 70% of the total production. Major Players in Indian Food processing: ITC Limited Parle Products Pvt. Ltd. Agro Tech Foods Amul Perfetti India Ltd. Cadbury India Ltd. PepsiCo India Holdings Nestle India Pvt. Ltd. Britannia Industries Ltd. Hindustan Lever Limited Milkfood MTR Foods Limited Godrej Industries Limited Gits Food Products Pvt. Ltd. Dabur India Ltd. Unilever Conagra Foods Nissin Foods Walmart Venkys Foreign Direct Policy in Food processing Industry: 100% FDI is allowed under automatic route in food processing industry and food infrastructure including food parks, distillation brewing of alcohol, cold storage chain and warehousing. The total inflow of Foreign Direct Investment in food processing sector during the last five years since April 2004-March 2009 is US$ 409.41 million. Future Outlook: Indian food industry expected to grow to US$ 280 billion by 2015 and generate an additional employment for approximately 8.2 million people. Also, food consumption in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.32 % by 2013.Futher, it is expected that processed food output will grow at a strong 7 % CAGR in terms of value from 55.6 billion US$ in 2005 to 95.6 billion US$ in 2013. Foreign Direct Investment in Food Processing Industry: The total inflow of FDI in FPI sector during the last five years since April 2004-March 2009 is Rs 1892.02 crore. Key Dimensions of Growth Strengths in Food Processing India has plenty of natural resources that provide it a competitive advantage in the food processing industry. Due to its unlike climatic conditions, it has a wide ranging and large raw material base appropriate for food processing industries. The semi processed and ready to eat packaged food segment is comparatively new and constantly changing. Indias cost advantage in manpower can be used to set up large low cost production bases for domestic and export markets. If one is to add on significant investments that have come into the country, food processing industry is in a favorable position. Research The well established RD and technical expertise of Indian research institutions like Central Food Technological Research Institute, Central Institute of Fisheries, National Dairy Research Institute, National Research and Development Centre etc have been a great support for food processing sector in India. Government Regulations The government has introduced several steps to enhance the growth of food processing industry. In order to further enhance investment in the food processing industry, several policy initiatives have been initiated in the recent past. The initiatives include Full repatriation of profits and capital. Immediate approvals for foreign investments up to 100 per cent. Import duty would be zero for 100 per cent export oriented units. Reduction in customs duty on packaging machines. Income tax rebate granted (100 per cent of profits for 5 year and 25 per cent of profits for next 5 years) for upcoming industries like fruits and vegetables. Government gives financial aid for establishing common facilities in Agro Food Park. Full duty exemption on all imports for units in export processing zones. Processing Technology At present most of the processing in India is manual. Usage of Technology like pre cooling facilities for vegetables, controlled atmospheric storage and irradiation facilities is very negligible. Modernizing and bringing in state of the art technology should be given paramount importance by both existing and upcoming manufacturers. Supply Chain Management According to estimates nearly 20 to 25 per cent of the production is lost during various stages of cultivation. Adding to this factor are issues like poor quality of seeds, planting material and sub standard technology in increasing productivity. Hence there is an urgent need for backward linkages with the farmers with the help of techniques like contract farming to improve the quality of the produce. Contract Farming It is nothing but an agreement between the food processor (contractor) who would mostly be a very big organized investor and the farmer, where the farmer is under contractual agreement to plant the contractors crop in his land, The farmer also agrees to cultivate and deliver to the contractor a portion of the produce, calculated on the basis of expected yield and contracted land usage at a pre determined price. The contractor also provides technology and training to the farmer. This is a tremendous advantage to both the farmer and contractor. It guarantees to the farmer a regular source of income and guarantees qualitative output for the contractor. Product Innovation In the case of certain processed food like snack foods, the customer would look for innovation, new varieties and brand loyalty. Neat and attractive packaging would also help by making the product more visible. Another factor to be given due importance is the pricing. Consumers are extremely price sensitive and due attention should be given to this factor. Future Trends It is believed that the food processing industry can do to the rural economy what the information technology industry has done for urban India. The Indian food processing industry is forecasted to grow at 9% to 12% in the coming years. The industry has set a goal of increasing its share in the global processed food trade from 1.6% to 3% within the next 8 years. India having an advantage of a strong agricultural base should tap this potential favorably and become a preferred sourcing destination for food products globally. Key outcomes The fruit and vegetable processing industry in India is highly decentralized. A large number of units are in the cottage/home scale and small scale sector, having small capacities upto 250 tonnes/annum though big Indian and multinational companies have capacities in the range of 30 tonnes per hour or so. The prominent processed items are fruit pulps and juices, fruit based ready-to-serve beverages, canned fruits and vegetables, jams, squashes, pickles, chutneys and dehydrated vegetables. More recently, products like frozen pulps and vegetables, frozen dried fruits and vegetables, fruit juice concentrates and vegetable curries in restorable pouches, canned mushroom and mushroom products have been taken up for manufacture by the industry. The processing level in India is estimated to be around 2%, as compared to about 80% in Malaysia, 30% in Thailand, and 60-70% in the UK and USA. Indias share in the world trade of horticultural processed products too, is miniscule less than 1 per cent. This compares very unfavorably with countries like Malaysia (83%), Philippines (78%), Brazil (70%) and US (70%). Indias major exports are in fruit pulp, pickles, chutneys, canned fruits and vegetables, concentrated pulps and juices, dehydrated vegetables and frozen fruits and vegetables. Supply chain efficiencies together with a focused approach to enhance exports are the key to ensure that India is able to successfully tap new product/market opportunities. India has the potential to achieve a 3% share in the world trade of agricultural and food products by 2015. Key Achievements India is the worlds second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years and there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing technologies, skills and equipment, especially in areas of Canning, Dairy and Food Processing, Specialty Processing, Packaging, Frozen Food/Refrigeration and Thermo Processing. Fruits Vegetables, Fisheries, Milk Milk Products, Meat Poultry, Packaged/Convenience Foods, Alcoholic Beverages Soft Drinks and Grains are important sub-sectors of the food processing industry. Health food and health food supplements is another rapidly rising segment of this industry which is gaining vast popularity amongst the health conscious. India is one of the worlds major food producers but accounts for less than 1.5 per cent of international food trade. This indicates vast scope for both investors and exporters. Food exports in 1998 stood at US $5.8 billion whereas the world total was US $438 billion. The Indian food industries sales turnover is Rs 140,000 crore (1 crore = 10 million) annually as at the start of year 2000. The industry has the highest number of plants approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outside the USA. The food processing sector in the country with its vast potential has emerged as one of the major driver of economic growth. It is encouraging to note that while the countrys GDP growth rate had increase from 3.5 per cent in 2002-03 to 9 percent in 2006-07; the food processing sector has grown from 7 per cent to 13.1 per cent during the same period. India is a country of over 1.10 billion consumers, there is a large untapped domestic market of 1,000 million consumers in the food processing sector and 200 million more consumers are expected to shift to processed food by 2010. Case Study: Mrs. Bector Cremica Group Three decades ago in 1978 when Mrs. Bector had established a small enterprise, today known as Cremica Group a $90 Million company, is flagship bearer in food retailing and food services industry. Company is exporting to 50 countries including Africa, the USA, UK and the Middle East. Cremica Group included Cremica Frozen Foods, EBI Foods, Mrs. Bectors Desserts and Cremica Agro India. Its products include biscuits, sauces, bread spreads, ready to eat curries and syrups catering to the needs of the food processing industry that seems to be one of the reasons of its being the largest player in food services business in India. Since 1996 Cremica has been supplying buns, ketchups and toppings to McDonalds its key business partner. It has also partnered with Cadburys ITC and EBI Foods, a UK based firm. Its clientele today includes some of the premier names of the food processing industry like Cafe Coffee Day, Taj Group of Hotels, Spencer, Pizza Corner, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Jet Airways, Air India, Big Bazar, Spencer, Barista and HUL. As a companys policy to assists its customers succeed in the marketplace by helping them develop new products, substitute ingredients with local alternatives and reformulate existing products, company had came a long way. The companys value proposition lies in the fact that it can deliver better quality products at the same price. Its core competence in this business arises from its extensive product development and RD capabilities, its team of experienced food technologists and its plants, which are specifically designed for food service applications. Company had been innovative and rejuvenating its existing products with launch of products and services in India and Internationally. For example their sauces are being exported to Australia. In 2009 they launched a new range of chip-dips and bread spread in the ethnic Indian range and these are going abroad to a number of countries. Earlier, company was producing liquid condiments like sauces, Mayonnaise, Toppings and Syrups with its partner company, the erstwhile Quaker Oats Inc of the United States, but in 1999, Quaker Oats withdrew from the joint venture. Cremicas liquid condiments and biscuits are very popular. Cremicas automated biscuit plant has a monthly capacity of producing 10,000 tonnes of biscuits. Its dominant role in the biscuits segment arises from its excellent quality, widespread distribution and extended range. Almost all the divisions of the company are growing fast. With the positive response from the market the

John Okada’s No-No Boy Essay -- Japanese American Internment

The United States of America a nation known for allowing freedom, equality, justice, and most of all a chance for immigrants to attain the American dream. However, that â€Å"America† was hardly recognizable during the 1940’s when President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, ordering 120,000 Japanese Americans to be relocated to internment camps. As for the aftermath, little is known beyond the historical documents and stories from those affected. Through John Okada’s novel, No-No Boy, a closer picture of the aftermath of the internment is shown through the events of the protagonist, Ichiro. It provides a more human perspective that is filled with emotions and connections that are unattainable from an ordinary historical document. In the novel, Ichiro had a life full of possibilities until he was stripped of his entire identity and had to watch those opportunities diminish before him. The war between Japan and the United States manifested itself into an internal way between his Japanese and American identities. Ichiro’s self-deprecating nature that he developed from this identity clash clearly questions American values, such as freedom and equality which creates a bigger picture of this indistinguishable â€Å"America† that has been known for its freedom, equality, and helping the oppressed. Ichiro frequently faced hostility from Japanese-American veterans for being a No-No boy, which heightened self-hatred of his identity. From the moment he arrived back to Seattle, he was met with negativity from Eto Minato, a Japanese-American veteran who went from friendly to hateful after realizing Ichiro was a No-no boy. Ichiro came face-to-face with Eto’s harsh criticism as he told him, â€Å"Rotten bastard. Shit on you†¦ I’ll piss on you nex... ...her he is Japanese or an American. The obstacles Ichiro faced in searching for his lost identity reveal a discrepancy of American values, such as freedom and equality, which are deeply rooted in a segregated society. Through the negativity of many of the Japanese-American veterans and the differences among Ichiro’s entire family, he has literally gone from having a duel-heritage to no identity at all. Since he has no desire to be Japanese and feels unworthy to be American, he sees himself as nothing. His hatred of himself not only hinders the possibilities before him, but it also paints a whole new picture of America. Instead of a nation that is united and fights for freedom and equality, America is divided by racism and strips away the freedom of those they find inferior. Works Cited Okada, John. No-no Boy. Seattle: University of Washington, 1981. Print.

Environmentally Safe Ethanol :: Environment, natural resources, fossil fuels

Environmentally Safe Ethanol In order to fund conservation of the natural environment, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar per gallon. How does this statement make you feel? Does it make you want to argue about how unfair this is, especially when gas prices are climbing to higher and higher rates? Would you say that this is an unfair claim because it is unclear where your tax money would go? I agree. This plan seems to have a good general idea, but there are details left out. I think the first priority should be to sort out where these extra resources would be used. It seems too vague to fund conservation of the natural environment. There are so many ways that this tax could benefit natural resources. When I was trying to decide on how to narrow this claim to more specific terms, I started to think about what kind of environmental problems affect me the most. The first word that came to mind was pollution. There are many parameters for a suitable environment for life. These include temperature, pressure, salinity, acidity, water and good oxygen content. Any type of air pollution could dissolve these parameters. It seemed that air pollution is such a large environmental problem that I knew my search should be narrowed. I chose to discuss pollution caused by cars because raising the gas tax and prices are part of my claim. I went to the Internet and ran a search for "car pollution," and found a large amount of information. It became even clearer to me that car pollution is a major problem for our environment. According to The Environmed Research Inc, driving a car is the most polluting act an average citizen commits (2001). Vehicle engines emit many types of pollutants into the air, including nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulates, sulfur dioxide and lead. All of these can pose environmental risks and health risks. Most of these pollutants rise from the engine. These emissions are related to the fuel type and the temperature of the fuel combustion. At low speeds, and when engines are at idle, the products of incomplete combustion dominate. When the speeds are heightened, however, impurities like nitrogen are oxidized to nitrogen dioxide, which creates pollution. All of the pollutants mentioned above are known as trace gases. Some of these trace gases can even release completely new gases into the atmosphere (Environmental Effects, 2001).

Ethical Issues Concerning Human Research Subjects :: Ethics Medicine Research

Ethical Issues Concerning Human Research Subjects in Phase I Cancer related Clinical trials Personal History What are clinical trials and how are they brought about? Personal History On Mothers Day, May 9, 1999, my mother, Deborah Ann Hall was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I spent the majority of my day in a church, hoping and praying for some new and improved drug to come about for my mother. I thought, â€Å"anything is possible, anything could happen and that she could survive. New drugs and treatments are developed all the time. There is surely something for her.† My father and I began our research on-line that night and all my hope began to fade. There was little known about pancreatic cancer at the time. Researchers and oncologists could not put their fingers on any successful treatment for this type of cancer. My mother was given a year to live. After a couple months of the regular, commonly used dosage treatments for pancreatic cancer, there were no results indicating her tumors were shrinking or even that they had stopped growing. They still grew, but basically at a slower rate. It was at this point that my mother’s doctor suggested applying for a clinical trial. The â€Å"clinical trial family meeting† was at my dinner table at my family home in Simi Valley, California. We sat my withered, lifeless, 44 year old mother down. My older brother sat at one end, my father at the other, I, across from her. We asked her and explained to her all of the possibilities involved with clinical trials. She was of course already aware of the many symptoms involved with chemotherapy, however we had to make it clear to her that there was a high possibility she would receive treatments that provide little or no treatment. Additionally she might receive treatments that her body cannot handle and there may be side effects previously unknown. It was at this point my mind cleared. I looked up at my mother, a woman who knew her time on earth was coming to an end and thought, â€Å"Who really holds the decision making here? Would she choose to receive this treatment if we were not here, begging her to stay alive? Is it worth the pain and torture?