What It Takes to Be a Manager

nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A MANAGER: THE CASE OF MALAYSIAN FIVESTAR RESORT HOTELS Rozila Ahmad ([email  protected] edu. my) Noor Azimin Zainol ([email  protected] edu. my) Universiti Utara Malaysia Sintok, 06010 Kedah ABSTRACT This article investigates the requirement for managerial posts in five-star resort hotels in Malaysia. Despite the growth of hotel industry in Malaysia, academic literature especially qualitative empirical study focusing on the human capital needs of the industry in the country is scarce.Different from other industries, in the hotel industry a Bachelor’s Degree hardly guarantees the attainment of management position. Based on interviews with 42 hotel employees including 19 managers from six hotels, this article suggests that work experience and leadership skill is crucial for hotel managers to perform their job. Other requirements are knowledge, education and Engli sh proficiency. This suggestion is supported by the employees’ profile. The implications are discussed, emphasizing the need to consider increasing hotel students’ work experience in the industry and enhancing their leadership skill.Keywords: human resource management, hotel industry, career, leadership, education, communication INTRODUCTION There is a shortage of skilled workers in Malaysia due to its rapidly growing economy (Business Monitor International Ltd. , 2010). Tourism is among the main contributor for the economic growth and its alignment with hotel industry has created many job opportunities to the local population. Based on the statistics by Malaysian Association of Hotels (2011a) from 2007 to 2010 the number of tourist arrival has increased from 20. 9 million to 23. million and this was followed by the increment in the number of hotels and motels from 1567 to 2005. This has led to the continuous growth of public and private institutions offering hotel man agement courses to fill the workforce needs of these hotels. Despite the increasing number of hotel graduates, hotels are still facing worker shortages (Malaysian Association of Hotels, 2011b). As in developed countries, Malaysian hotels are having problems in attracting and retaining skilled and knowledgeable workers (Patah, Zain, Abdullah & Radzi, 2009; Cheng & Brown, 1998).On one hand, the shortage of skilled workers in Malaysian hotels is caused by the unattractive work atmosphere of the industry. On the other hand it is caused by Malaysian workforce inferiority to attain management position. Similar to the developed countries, Hotels in Malaysia are facing problems in attracting and retaining skilled and knowledgeable workers due to low salary, rigid job traits and conventional style of top-down operation (Ahmad, Solnet & Scott, 2010; Yamashita & Uenoyama, 2006; Davidson, Guilding & Timo, 2006).However, such problem is less prevalent in Multi National Corporation (MNC) due to t heir strategic human resource management practices that managed to attract and retain skilled workers from competing hotels (Ahmad et al. , 2010). MNC are required to involved more locals in middle and top management position. However, after three decades of growth foreign international hotel managers still dominate the Malaysian hotel industry and this could be due to the decreased level of human capital among the Malaysian workforce (Lazzeretti & Petrillo, 2006).Numerous academic literatures in Malaysia have discussed on how the industry can retain their skilled employees. However, literature on how academicians can increase their students’ employability for 2040 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING management position is scarce despite the indication of Malaysian workforce inferiority to attain management position. This deficiency in the literature gives rise to the research question of this article. The research ques tion of this article is, â€Å"What are the requirements for managerial post in Malaysian five-star hotels? Although articles on required skills for managerial post or similar articles from other countries can serve as a guide, such articles based on empirical study in Malaysia is beneficial to provide a more specific information. Furthermore, to maximize the foreign exchange revenue and the employment of the local population, local colleges and universities need to increase their graduates’ employability. Prior to that, the students must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities required for managerial post.The purpose of this article is to investigate and highlight what are the knowledge, skills and abilities required by the local graduates to attain management position in Malaysia. This article makes theoretical and practical contribution. It increases the number of academic literatures concerning human resource issues in the Malaysian hotels. It investigates t he practitioners’ perception of what is required for management post. By including non-management employees’ perception, it provides comprehensive information of the requirements.This article will benefit the hotel industry in the long term. With the aim to reduce skilled workers shortage and hotel graduates' unemployment, it coordinates industry demand with academic institutions supply. LITERATURE REVIEW Skilled Workers Shortages Since 1970 there has been a rapid growth of tourism industry in Malaysia (Goldsmith & Zahari, 1994). To cater tourists’ needs the supply of hotel and motel rooms has been increased to 158,480 in 2010 (Malaysian Association of Hotels, 2011). The rapid expansion of the hotel industry has exaggerated the demand for employment of competent people.This resulted in skilled workers shortages (Malaysian Association of Hotels, 2011; Business Monitor International Ltd. , 2010). Based on Malaysian Association of Hotels Workforce Survey reports, i n 2008 there was a shortage of 2113 workers in the hotel industry. To mitigate the problem hotels employed foreign workers to work in all the departments except finance and human resources. This has reduced workforce shortages to 1146 in year 2009. In both years Food and Beverage (restaurant) department faced the highest worker shortages while the housekeeping department employed the highest number of foreign workers.The high percentage of foreign employees in housekeeping (10%), stewarding (9%), and food and beverage (restaurant) (5%) is understandable because Malaysian could earn more doing other jobs such as rubber tapping. Furthermore, the Malaysian Muslims are forbidden from serving liquor and this makes occupation in food and beverage (restaurant) department less favourable to them. However, the employment of foreign workers for top management posts (6%), executives (3%), and other posts in sports and recreation (5%) and front office and reservation (2%) is disturbing.It sugge sts that Malaysian workforce (including hotel management graduates) is not skilled enough for these posts. Existing literature lends some support to this suggestion. Hospitality Education in Malaysia The employment of foreign workers to mitigate skilled workforce shortages is acceptable in the past but now it is a dilemma. Such practice may lessen the benefits (such as employment opportunities for the locals and foreign exchange revenue) gained from tourism activities.In 1994 colleges did not have the capacity to produce sufficient number of graduates to meet the increasing demand for skilled workers because there were only ten private schools and colleges and two public institutions (Goldsmith & Zahari, 1994). To date, there is at least 61 private colleges and universities, five public universities, five polytechnics and six community 2041 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING colleges (Ministry of Higher Education, 2011). Some of these colleges and universities have a number of branches.Despite the rapid growth in the hotel education sector, shortage of skilled workers in the industry still persists. In Malaysia, local graduates’ Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management hardly guarantees the attainment of management position. This is different from other countries. Besides recruiting management employees internally, hotels also recruit graduates straight from the university (Mullen, 2007; Yamashita & Uenoyama, 2006). Therefore, the attainment of a managerial position is either through hard work by starting from an entry level position or by a ‘fast track’ through having an academic qualification (Mullen, 2007).Hence, there are managers who have never graduated from the university. They started their career as non-managerial employees and by being among the best performers they have been promoted to a managerial position. While internal promotion is common in Malaysia, direct recru itment from the local university for management posts is rare. Hotels, especially MNC prefers to recruit by advertising through the internet, newspaper and â€Å"words of mouth† in addition to establishing links with government agencies and related associations (Ahmad, 2010).Fresh graduates are perceived to be incapable of handling management duties. Reduced human resource capital in Malaysia is among the reasons for skilled workers shortage in the hotel industry. Human resource capital is at a lower standard than the 1980s because the level of English proficiency and service orientation is lower among the young workforce (Lazzeretti & Petrillo, 2006). Different from their juniors, the senior workforce’ early education was in English (Lazzeretti & Petrillo, 2006; Hanapiah, 2002). Thus, their English proficiency is better. They are looked upon as those who can epresent the organization because of their ability to communicate and deal in English language (Hanapiah, 2002) . The importance of English proficiency is more obvious in MNC hotels whose customers and managers usually communicate in English. Besides English proficiency, other requirement for hotel management post is education, skills and knowledge (technical, human resources, finance and marketing), personality (dedication, creativity, sociability, adaptability and ambitious), leadership quality and work experience (Jayawardena, 2000; Hanapiah, 2002).However, recent academic literature on these skills within the context of Malaysian hotel industry is scarce. There are a number of hotel management literatures from developed countries which discussed about management skills with implications for educational institutions. Kay and Moncarz (2004) stressed on the importance of knowledge in financial management and human resource management competencies. They suggest educational institutions provide proper coverage of financial management course. Likewise, they encouraged the industry to recruit gr aduates from hospitality programs with strong financial management curriculum.Their opinion has deviated from earlier research on management skills that suggested leadership and interpersonal skill as the most significant skills for hotel managers. However, the significance of leadership skill has continuously been supported by recent academic literatures (Boone & Peborde, 2008; Brownell, 2006). According to Boone and Peborde (2008), there are five fundamental leadership skills and these are establishing credibility, managing time, being proactive, empowering others to act and networking.Based on their article, credibility concerns on constituents’ trust and confidence of their manager, being proactive is knowing and executing what needs to be done for the organization’s benefit, empowerment includes enabling self leadership, providing choice, developing competence and confidence and fostering accountability and networking is developing personal contacts to get valuabl e support, feedback, insight, information and resources. They argued that leadership is not a charisma that one may or may not possess; it consists of attitudes, behaviours and skill that can be adopted, learned and mproved through practice. Therefore, they 2042 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING suggest college students and early career workers to master the fundamental leadership skills to build a strong leadership base. Hotel management students should be properly tooled with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to attain management position and then, face and handle the industry’s challenges (Kay & Moncarz, 2004; Boone & Peborde, 2008; Brownell, 2006).Prior to that, it is beneficial to investigate what are the knowledge, skills and abilities required to attain management position within the context of the local hotel industry. With the aim to equip Malaysian students with the necessary knowledge, skills an d abilities, the skills required for management position in Malaysian five-star hotels are assessed in detail. METHODOLOGY The methodological approach used in this study is framed within qualitative research. Respondents were contacted through e-mails and phone calls to request for an interview.A personal interview method was used for data collection which was carried out in May and June 2008. Interviews were conducted according to the respondents’ schedule and availability and at their preferred location. It is important to provide a relaxed environment during the interview to encourage the respondents to openly and fully discuss the topics (Cooper & Schindler, 2003). The interviews were unstructured to give respondents the opportunity to provide more information. The interview started with informing respondents the purpose of the research and their right to withdraw from the research at any time to ensure they were comfortable.To ensure confidentiality, develop trust and en courage the respondents to provide full information, names were coded. M1 refers to the first managerial employee interviewed while NM2 refers to the second non-managerial employee interviewed. Interviews were recorded on tape with the respondents’ permission. Taping the interview allows the researcher to concentrate on the discussion and listen to the interview as often as needed. Repeatedly listening to a taped interview enables the researcher to capture the essence and meanings of words, which facilitates quality analysis of data. ANALYSISThe data collected was analysed using content analysis. To capture the emotion, content analysis of transcripts was conducted manually and respondents’ answers were quoted in the findings. A software program was not used to analyse the data because relying on computers can â€Å"run the risk of trivializing the meaning of texts† (Krippendorff, 2004). â€Å"Content analysis is a research technique for making replicable and v alid inferences from texts (or other meaningful matter) to the contexts of their use† (Krippendorff, 2004, p. 18). Qualitative content analysis allows a researcher to discover what the text reveals.All interviews were transcribed. The transcripts were read multiple times to understand the context of each statement and to enable the researchers to become immersed in the data The sample size for the study was 42 respondents, 19 managerial employees and 23 non-managerial employees. All respondents were from six Malaysian five-star resort hotels that employ more than 300 fulltime employees and have been in business for at least 12 years. All respondents had more than one year’s working experience with the hotel industry to ensure that they had the capability to provide the in-depth information required.Twenty-one respondents were employees of three MNC hotels. Four of the hotels employed expatriates for general manager post. Foreign workers were employed for management and nonmanagement post. The respondents’ profile is described in Table 1. An exploration of respondents’ views on requirement for managerial post was sought. 2043 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING Table 1: Respondents Profile Respondents Post Work Experience Education MNC M1 HR Director 20 years Non Hotel Diploma v M2 Chief Security 16 years Non Hotel Diploma v M3 HR Officer 17 years SPM M4 HR Manager 18 years Hotel Diploma M5 Senior Security Officer 19 years STPM M6 Security Officer 11 years SPM M7 Assistant Front Office Manager 10 years Non-Hotel Diploma M8 Training Manager 10 years Hotel Diploma M9 Landscape Executive 9 years Primary School M10 HR Officer 15 years Hotel Diploma v M11 Assistant Pastry Chef 20 years A Level v M12 Assistant Chief Engineer 17 years Non Hotel Certificate v M13 Executive Housekeeper 19 years SPM v M14 Executive Housekeeper 16 years Hotel Certificate v M15 Executive Chef 15 years SPM v M16 HR Manager 20 years Non Hotel Degree v M17 Executive Housekeeper 18 yearsHotel Certificate M18 Food and Beverage Manager 21 years SPM M19 Personnel Manager 10 years Non Hotel Diploma NM1 Housekeeping Supervisor 17 years SRP v NM2 F Captain 12 years Non Hotel Certificate v NM3 F Captain 9 years SPM v NM4 F Cashier 8 years SPM v NM5 Recreation Coordinator 14 years SPM NM6 Senior life guard 18 years SPM NM7 Account Clerk 18 years SPM NM8 Driver 15 years SPM NM9 Accounts Supervisor 12 years STPM NM10 Hostess 6 years SPM NM11 Commis/ Cook 14 years SPM NM12 Laundry Supervisor 13 years SPM NM13 Receptionist 12 years Hotel Diploma v NM14 Public Area Supervisor 8 years Islamic School NM15 Laundry Supervisor 5 years SPM v NM16 Driver 11 years Primary School v NM17 Room Attendant 9 years STPM v NM18 Housekeeping Coordinator 15 years SPM v NM19 Technician 13 years SPM v NM20 Public Area Supervisor 14 years Primary School NM21 Landscape Supervisor 9 years Non Hotel Certificate NM22 Housekee ping Supervisor 15 years SRP 2044 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING NM23 Food and Beverage Supervisor 7 years Islamic School FINDINGS To answer the research question, respondents were asked to describe the requirements for a hotel managerial post.The requirements mentioned by respondents were positive attitude, leadership skill, communication skill, interpersonal skill, self-motivation, determination, emotional intelligence, knowledge, experience, education and English proficiency. Experience was most frequently mentioned followed by leadership skills, knowledge and education. Table 2 summarised respondents’ views of the requirements for a managerial post in the hotel industry. Work experience was the most frequently mentioned criterion. Majority of the respondents perceived it to be the most important criterion to attain managerial post.Unlike other industries, those people with education but without experience are l east likely to be in managerial positions. This assertion is supported by the examples below: In the hotel industry, an applicant for a managerial position requires more than a degree. Most of the university send students here for three to six months industrial training. But that isn’t enough. That is not good enough. You can be a manager in some hotel, but how are you going to make decision†¦ If you don’t have enough experience and you make the wrong decision, you’ll become the laughing stock to your staff. You have pioneer staff in the hotel.You have supervisors who will question you back. If you work in the government sector or any other sectors, that’s a different story. In hotel industry, you really need the experience. (M7) The importance of having work experience in the hotel industry was mentioned by most of the respondents. According to the respondents, even those with a diploma must start from the entry-level position, and from there it dep ends on their performance. While M17 clearly stated that work experience is more important than education, NM4 gave example of problems faced by new managers without working experience.Even the managers started at the entry-level like us. Then, they learned and learned. High education without work experience is not good enough (for managerial position). From what I’ve seen, fresh graduates who started at management level have difficulty to organise things. (NM4) The next criterion most frequently mentioned was leadership. Some managerial respondents highlighted the importance of leadership qualities. The managerial respondents stated that managers who seek excellence from employees should have leadership qualities. Those with leadership qualities are respected by their subordinates.They are able to make subordinates embrace the organization’s culture and they manage to get things done and obtain good results. 2045 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOM IC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING Table 2: Requirement for Managerial Position Respondents Leadership M1 v Knowledge Experience Education English Proficiency v v v v v v v M5 v v M6 v M7 v M8 v M9 v M2 M3 v v M4 M10 v M11 v M12 v v v v v v v v M13 M14 v v v v v v v M15 M16 v M17 v M18 v NM1 v v v v v v v v NM2 v v v M19 v v v NM3 v v NM4 v v NM5 v v NM6 v v NM7 v v v v NM8 NM9 v v v NM11 v NM13 v NM14 v v NM15 v v NM16 v v v NM12 v v NM10 v v v NM17 NM18 v NM19 v NM20 v NM21 v v v NM22 v v v NM23 v v v 2046 v v nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING A leader’s personal characteristics mentioned by respondents were determination, positive attitude, selfmotivation, emotional intelligence and efficiency. In addition, they felt that managers should be smart, creative and credible. M1 stated the followings: 1. A leader has positive attitude, emotional intelligence, self motivation and determination. . Managers must have lea dership quality to spread the organization’s culture to all their subordinates. 3. Leaders guide their subordinates and makes them realised the importance of satisfying guests which leads to customer loyalty in addition to employees’ loyalty. Therefore, the organization will attain long term profitability. 4. â€Å"We train them, we guide them, we coach them, and if there’s derailment, we put them back on the track†. The influence of a great leader is evident in some of the non-managerial employees and given below is an example.I enjoy my work because I got the chance to meet the guests†¦ My former general manager used to say â€Å"You must take good care of the guest because if you don’t, they will go to other hotels. When this hotel is out of business where can you work? † He advised us to make the guests happy and to do what we should do. It is not difficult at all. When the guests come, I open the door for them, greet them†¦ th ey are like kings and we must treat them well. (NM8) The importance of knowledge was also frequently mentioned by the respondents. Knowledge is gained from experience, education and training:We must be knowledgeable in all aspects; the department that we’re handling and the departments that are related to us. We must at least have the basic knowledge of the functions of front office, maintenance, food and beverage and kitchen. Another thing is how to manage human. This is important. If you want to be a good manager, you must know how to manage your subordinates. (M18) According to M11, those who have worked in many places, including overseas, are knowledgeable and they bring in new ideas. M15 stated that it is also important that managers know the current issues in the hotel industry.Other knowledge listed by the respondents as important included â€Å"how to do paper works† (NM21) and â€Å"how to communicate with colleagues† (NM15). Although education is not t he most important requirement for a hotel managerial post, it is compulsory in order to be promoted to a higher-level management position. In some five-star hotels, employees are required to have at least a university certificate in order to be promoted to a management position in addition to other requirements. In other five-star hotels having a university diploma is a necessity.Now we require at least a diploma. In the past there were not many hotel schools. Only those who are rich can afford to study overseas to learn about hotel management and hotel industry. But now, even Malaysia has Hotel Management School. However, for me, education is secondary because in hotel industry you need experienced people. Experience comes first. (M18) Of the 19 managerial employees interviewed, five managers had a certificate (including STPM and A Level) seven managers had a diploma and one manager had a degree. Seven of these managers were MNC hotel employees.Based on the respondents’ prof ile, even those without college or university certificate had the opportunity to be managers in MNC hotels. At present, only those with certificates are appointed as managers. 2047 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING Another requirement mentioned by respondents was English proficiency. Out of 42 respondents, only eight mention about the importance of English proficiency. According to the respondents, to be a manager they must be able to communicate in English.While the inability to communicate in English will disqualify them for managerial positions, fluency in English is an advantage for them to further develop their careers. M18 stated that English proficiency is important because majority of their guests are foreigners. Interest to work in the industry is another important criterion that is rarely mentioned in the literature. According to a managerial respondent, students’ interest to work in the industry is importan t because it might affect the quality of their work.Whenever students come and work in the hotel industry, I ask them â€Å"are you here because of your father, or you yourself want to come here†. If someone says, â€Å"I don’t like hotel work, my father asks me to come here†, I will say, â€Å"Pack up your bags and go home†. Seriously, if you want to work in hotel industry, you must have the interest. If not, you will waste money, time and effort to do something that you don’t like. So you better don’t do it. Make your decision now, do you want to be a hotelier or not? Honestly, the quality of workers now is very different compared to the last fifteen years. Now there are so many opportunities.So the quality is not there anymore. (M18) Communication skill and interpersonal skill was also listed by the respondents as one of the necessary skills. However, it was mentioned by very few respondents and not much was said about the two skills. Maj ority of the respondents mentioned about the importance of having work experience. Although it is clear that work experience is more important compared to education, this finding does not suggest that work experience is more important compared to other skills such as leadership and interpersonal skill. The objective of this study was to investigate what are the equirements for managerial post and not to rank the skills’ importance. DISCUSSION Based on the literature review and the findings of this study, the requirement for managerial post in Malaysian five-star hotels is work experience, leadership skill, knowledge, education, English language proficiency, communication skill, interpersonal skill and interest to be a hotelier. The significance of most of these skills for managerial success has been mentioned in existing literature. However, the significance of work experience and English language proficiency is more pronounced in the Malaysian context.This study found that h aving work experience is a necessity for graduates’ employment for managerial post. Knowledge and leadership skill are developed through education and work experience. While management theories and basic technical skills can be taught by academic institutions, leadership skills such as analytical and conceptual thinking, relationship building, and self control requires experience in the field (Brownell, 2006). Furthermore, work experience enhanced students’ technical skill. Technical skill efficiency is important for the first level managers due to their proximity with the non-managerial employees (Daft, 1998).Therefore, a partnership with the industry through industrial training is crucial to develop students’ leadership skill which is necessary to foster high-performing organisation (Brownell, 2006). Sending students for industrial training is a normal practice for hotel schools. However, it was perceived insufficient by the hotel managers. Therefore, it is be neficial to lengthen the industrial training period and to encourage students to do part-time at hotels. Part-time employees are employed during peak season when there is abundant of task to be completed.Therefore, besides earning some money, students can gain experience and enhanced the required skills. 2048 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING Different from developed countries, education is perceived as secondary to work experience in Malaysian five-star hotels. However, the importance of education keeps increasing due to the increasing number of hotel management schools and hotel management graduates. The findings of this study reveal that currently even those without higher education could attain management position in MNC five-star hotels.However, these managers have had many years of working experience and have gone through a number of supervisory and management trainings conducted by the hotels. Even the local independe nt and chain hotels provide continuous training to their employees (Ahmad et al. , 2010). Due to the social and demographic changes, at present more educated individual is required for management post. Thus, only those with sufficient work experience and academic qualification could attain management position while others have to start from entrylevel position.To encourage hotels to recruit management candidates straight from the university like in the developed countries, local universities need to produce graduates who have sufficient work experience and are capable to handle management duties. The importance of English proficiency for graduates’ employment and career development especially in the hotel industry is prevalent in Malaysia (Hanapiah, 2002). Although English proficiency was mentioned by few respondents, it does not suggest that it is not as important as other skills. Furthermore, none of the respondents stated that it is less important compared to other skills. In fact, they stated that it is significant for the labour market employability and workforce advancement. The importance of English language proficiency has been highlighted in existing academic literatures (Lazzeretti & Petrillo, 2006; Hanapiah, 2002; Brownell, 2006). Due to the importance, Malaysian five-star resort hotels have been providing English language training to their employees (Ahmad et al. , 2010). Academic institutions can produce graduates who are fluent in English by using the language as the medium of instruction.Other than that, it is beneficial to interview students during their admission process to assess their personal characteristics and English proficiency (Brownell, 2006). Selecting the right candidates for the industry can make producing quality graduates easier for the academic institutions. Interest in the field is another factor to qualify candidates for management post. Unlike other professions such as architecture and engineering, it is difficult to fi nd students whose ambition is to be a hotelier or hotel employees. Academic institutions play an important role to develop students’ interest.Such interest can be developed by inviting successful guest speakers from the industry to share their experience and provide information of their job and how much they earn. However, the interest built can be destroyed overnight if the students encounter negative experience such as workplace bullying during their industrial training or part-time employment in the industry (Patah, Abdullah, Naba, Zahari and Radzi, 2010). Therefore, practitioners have to ensure that their employees can be a role model to the students and not someone they want to avoid.On the other hand, students should be groomed to face the challenges at the workplace. LIMITATION AND CONTRIBUTION OF THE RESEARCH This study lists the requirements for managerial posts but it does not rank the requirements based on their importance. Although it states that work experience i s more important compared to education, such statement is made based on respondents’ words. The qualitative nature of this study does not allow for ranking. Skills listed in the findings came from respondents’ mind. Respondents were not given any list of skills for them to rate and rank.Therefore it is imprecise to suggest that work experience is more important compared to leadership skill just because more respondents mentioned work experience as the requirement for managerial position. This article contributes to the hotel management literature by explaining about the requirements for the attainment of management post in Malaysian five-star hotels and provides suggestions on how to develop and enhance the skills needed in the industry. The suggestion is based on practitioners’ view that is supported by 2049 nd nd 2 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2 ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING he previous literature. This article can serve as a guide to t he academicians, the university and colleges’ students and to those in early career positions in the hotel industry. CONCLUSION It is essential for the industry and the academic institutions to have a partnership and unity of effort to mitigate the issue of skilled employees’ shortages. The academicians need to realize the importance of producing skilled workforce compatible with the industry human capital needs and the industry need to provide a more favourable workplace that graduates may perceived as an avenue to build their career.Increased unemployment of hotel management graduates coupled with increased dependency on foreign workers does not benefit the country, the industry and the academic institutions. Parents will eventually stop sending their children for hotel management programme when they realized that it does not guarantee a good future for their children. To be in business, academic institutions need to produce quality graduates rather than merely high quantity of helpless graduates. REFERENCES Ahmad, R. , Solnet, D. , & Scott, N. (2010). Human resource practices system differentiation: A hotel industry study.Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. 17, 72-82. Business Monitor International Ltd. (2010). Chapter 5: Business environment. Malaysia business forecast Quarter, 47-59. Retrieved from report, 2nd http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true=buh=48002789=ehost-live Boone, L. W. & Peborde, M. S. (2008). Developing leadership skills in college and early career positions, 28(3), 3-13. Brownell, J. (2006). Meeting the competency needs of global leaders: A partnership approach. Human Resource Management, 45(3), 309-336.Cheng, A. , & Brown, A. (1998). 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Human resource management- Starbucks case study Essay

†¢Creates environment where each employee is encouraged to make the best possible contribution to the effective working of the organization. Starbucks staff are trained and motivated to create the ‘Starbucks experience’ for their customers by providing exceptional customer service †¢Promotes efficiency and increased productivity among workers through training, guidance and counseling. Starbucks offers a variety of rich training and development of their staff †¢Development of mutual respect, dignity and trust between management and workers through employee relation. †¢Enhance employee morale. †¢concerned with utilizing human resources optimally ORGANIZATIONAL †¢identify and recognize the role of HRM for overall organizational effectiveness †¢HRM should not be treated just as an end whereas; it is only a means to assist the company with its primary objectives. In short, HRM dept exists to serve the rest of the organization. The role of HRM should be more strategic in nature COMMUNITY †¢Needs of the community should be addressed in an ethical and socially responsible manner and care should be taken to minimize the negative impacts of any such demands upon the organization. Starbucks also has proclaimed their commitment to communities & environment through their mission statement, â€Å"Contribute positively to our communities and environment†. They achieve this by organizing community programs and events at least twice a year; these events facilitate donations of funds, contributions for noble causes, and also provide job opportunities. †¢As for their commitment to environment, they play an active role in instilling environmental responsibility among their employees. They also strive to use, buy and sell environmentally friendly products. Significance: Why has the disciple of HRM gained importance in recent times? This is because Organizations has realized the importance of contribution that people can make to an organization. It has in recent years been identified and recognized that human resource is the most valuable and powerful assets any organization can possess as its people are the most fundamental element in determining the scale of success of any organization to a great extent and also firms can gain competitive advantage. HRM helps to channel the needs and competencies to harness a lot of talent and capabilities and to make the best out of them. HRM should be aligned and integrated with the Business strategy to be successful. Impact of Human Resources on Organizational Performance Source: (Steven H. Bates, 2003) Starbucks has realized in their initial stage itself that People can contribute tremendously to the organization if HRM is administered wisely and strategically and also if they are well motivated and paid. The reasons why people management should be considered a vital element: †¢Service is delivered by people, HRM strategies ensures customer service is excellent, which in turn would lead to customer satisfaction †¢Less competent HRM leads to unsatisfactory customer service which will lead to poor performance and organizational efficiency †¢knowledge comes from the firm’s people and they should therefore be skilled and trained †¢well motivated staff is always more productive, enhancing the sales at Starbucks †¢Provides competitive advantage to firms. Services at Starbucks are known to stand out compared to other firms in the same field due to staff commitment to the brand. HRM can make a significant contribution to the competitive advantage of a firm if the firm is capable of tapping thier people’s exceptional skills and core Competencies. It is hence understood that by developing and maintaining competitive advantage, a company can be successful and remain profitable. HRM stakeholders: These are the groups affected by business practices †¢customers- expect exceptional service or/and better product †¢Employees- expect attractive job and sound compensation †¢shareholders- expect a return on money invested †¢Community- expects activities and projects that minimizes harmful effects to environment STARBUCKS – Company Profile Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse company; Starbuck’s first store was opened in Seattle on March 30th 1971 by three partners. The firm believes in supplying and serving the best possible coffee. The name, ‘Starbucks’ was taken from the novel ‘Moby Dick’ (Starbucks, 2012). Major Achievements: †¢International Corporate Achievement Gold Medalist , 2005 †¢Great places to work’ Institute named Starbucks Top 10 Best Workplaces in the UK, 2007 †¢Awarded Most Ethical Company in Europe’ , 2009 †¢ Named twice as Mobile Marketer of the Year, 2010 & 2012 Leadership Style at Starbucks Adopted By Howard Schultz: â€Å"We are not in the coffee business, serving people; we are in the people business serving coffee.† –Howard Schultz, (former) CEO of Starbucks. * Transformational Leadership: This style is often considered to be one of the effective styles to adopt in business situations. This approach inspires, encourages and motivates people to perform their best and by leading as example. These leaders take initiatives to add value to the organization. * Schultz is also known to adopt ‘engaging employees’ approach. An engaged employee is completely involved, committed and enthusiastic about their work. Roles and Responsibilities 1. Strategic Partner: To align HRM strategies with business strategies. (Noe R. et al,2003) 2. Administrative Expert: To design and deliver efficient HRM practices and processes. 3. Employee Advocate: Involves commitment & contributions of the employees to be managed. Irrespective how skilled the workers may be, if they are detached or angry, they will not contribute their efforts to the firm’s success, nor will they stay long with the firm. 4. Change Agent: This requires HRM to help transform firms to meet the new competitive conditions. In today’s rapidly changing competitive world, constant change and capacity for change should be developed. (Noe R. et al, 2003) Shift of focus in HRM function: 1. Self-Service : Online access to information and transactions relating to HR for employees. 2. Outsourcing: The practice of outsourcing HR activities to specialist service providers. Reasons of the above two are: †¢to save money and efforts †¢to increase HR operations efficiency †¢spend more time on strategic functions and important business issues However, Outsourcing should be carefully considered as lack of understanding may arise regarding the capabilities of the outsourcing provider, Sometimes even failure in achieving goals and substandard delivery of services may occur. (T. Starner , 2005 .) Factors Affecting Starbucks HR practices HR practices are strongly affected by the Internal & External environment of Starbucks. Various Models of HRM: †¢Harvard Model †¢Michigan Model †¢Guest Model †¢Warwick Model There are various f HR models developed by scholars which fall either under the soft or hard perspective to HR. Below are two models that represent one hard and soft approach each 1. MICHIGAN/ MATCHING MODEL This model is the ‘hard’ approach to HRM where Human resources are matched with the jobs in the organization. This model suggests the HR should be treated just like any other resources by utilizing it to the maximum along with other resources to attain organizational goals. 2. HARVARD MODEL Harvard model emphasizes on the human element of HRM and employees are given importance just like any other resources and treated as assets rather than costs. This model is based on human relations and their outcomes are committed & motivated employee providing competitive advantage.

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner: Major Themes Essay

â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a short story written by William Faulkner and initially published in 1930. This is a story of an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson, and her life. The strange circumstances alongside with odd family relationships with Emily’s father and lover are being uncovered throughout the story. Emily was manipulated and strongly controlled by her father and now, in the upstairs, she hides the corpse of Barron, her lover, which explains the gossips of the townspeople of Jefferson. The story is distinctive for the first person plural point of view; whereas non chronological description of the events further complicated the matter. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has a lot of themes – the extreme psychosis of the heroine, the role of women in the South and their relationships with society, and, most importantly, the society of South overall. Due to complexity of the work and a lot of secondary themes present in the work, we will focus on the image and role of society in the story. Even though Faulkner does suggest a psychological cause of Emily’s sickness, a number of factors remain unexplained if one chooses to concentrate of psychological factors rather that of society. Firstly, this is plural narrator; secondly, the complicity of the town in the murder of Barron; thirdly, the awareness of the townspeople of the room that is locked in the house; finally, the title of the short story itself (Hamblin and Abadie, 2000). At the same time, the final macabre scene taking place in the bedroom tomb, which reveals Emily’s necrophilia, also suggests necrophilia of the entire society. Society lives in the dead, but still unburied past. Emily essentially becomes the sickness of the town inherited from the past, which is fostered upon the town by Sartois, who ordered the freed female slaves to appear in the streets and in such way symbolize submission to the whites: â€Å"Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town,† (Thomas and Corbett, 1970, p. 9). The new generation does puts effort in shrugging off the burden, but it cannot, as Emily is part of the society and Emily’s pride is the pride of townspeople: â€Å"a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument,† (Thomas and Corbett, 1970, p. 9). Obviously, plural narrator sympathizes with Emily. The Grierson house is, in turn, the symbol of the past: as Emily is trying to retain what belongs to her at any cost and regardless whether it is dead or alive, the society – South follows the same pattern. Chronological order of the story is also destroyed by Faulkner – in order to extend the significance of the events that are taking place and at the same time reveal the human tendency to tie oneself to the past. In the story, the major heroes are being manifested in such a manner in order to become the symbols of the society without losing own individuality. The whole story is being composed of the controversies– love and hate, respect following contempt. The final paradox adds up to the complex image created throughout the story – on one hand, a rose is being offered to a woman with indomitable spirit who clung to the vision of dissolution; on the other hand – there is the omnipresent society with aging culture and corrupt materialism, society that gradually becomes impotent (Hamblin and Abadie, 2000). The analogy between Emily and the Old South is omnipresent in the story. Emily’s acceptance of the patriotic image and even family connections point out that Emily is the symbol of the old tradition. Author’s attitude towards Emily and culture is dualistic – society cannot live with the main heroine, as townspeople instantly spread gossips; and yet townspeople cannot live without Emily – the main heroine embodies the values of the South. Society in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is highly patriarchic and contributes to isolation (Curry, 1994). Once all beloved men left Emily, either by death of simply by leaving, Emily did not allow anyone to get close to her. Being unable to accept the reality – that people whom she loved were gone – Emily was isolated in the house. Emily is a perfect example of a women living up to, sometimes indirectly fighting with the patriarchal society. Interestingly, in the first paragraph of the story, Faulkner aligns the community; the second paragraph discusses the house from outside; the third paragraph then allows readers into the discussion of Emily’s past. Even though Emily did try to challenge the principles by going against of what is considered to be normal, she still went back to the past – preferring past but beautiful reality to what is going on now in her life. Emily, being the embodiment of the South, is a very strong woman. Despite her sticking up to the past events in attempt to find happiness, Emily had the whole town absolutely convinced that she could not hurt a fly. At the same time, Emily was capable of a murder. The image of society in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is created through the main heroine of the story – Emily, who is trying to live in contemporary society still sticking up the past. Values of the South are highly patriarchal; materialism is dead and death still does not allow letting in the future. Society of South is portrayed is being highly patriarchal, isolated, and degrading. Works Cited Curry, Renee R. â€Å"Gender and Authorial Limitation in Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily.† The Mississippi Quarterly 47.3 (1994): 391. Hamblin, Robert W., and Ann J. Abadie, eds. Faulkner in the Twenty-First Century: Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha, 2000. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2003. Inge, M. Thomas, and Edward P. J. Corbett, eds. A Rose for Emily. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company, 1970.

Law of Business Transactions assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Business Transactions assignment - Essay Example nited Floors Ltd had included an exclusion clause in its contract, which required intimation of any alleged defects within three weeks of fitting the carpets. As such, it had included a clause, whereby its liability per contract was to be restricted to five hundred pounds. Peter is seeking refund of the two, thousand, three hundred pounds paid by him and compensation for the business lost, during the time the carpet was being replaced. United Floors Ltd refuses to accept and relies on its exclusion clause. An exclusion clause can be enforced by resorting to adhesion contracts or standard form contracts. The party which draws up such contracts offers negligible choice to the other party to the contract. In the words of Downes, an authority on contract law, wherever, there is great disparity in the bargaining power of the parties to the contract, exclusion clauses can prove to be extremely prejudicial.1 Legislation like the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 or UCTA and the Unfair Terms of the Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 or UTCCR have been enacted, in order to exercise stringent control on the use of exclusion clauses. The UCTA makes a business liable for not fulfilling obligations or duties that are consequent to what has been done or is to be done in the normal course of business2. Peter’s contract with the United Floors Ltd is subject to the UCTA, because consumer contracts fall under its purview3. In contractual terms reasonableness is of paramount importance and the UCTA verifies as to whether an exclusion clause, after taking into consideration the circumstances that should have normally been known to the contracting parties, is rational4. In this manner the UCTA grants wide discretion to the courts, in determining whether an exclusion clause is reasonable or not. If a contracting party wishes to take recourse to an exclusion clause in the contract, then the onus of establishing its reasonableness rests on it5. The UTCCR deals with all the contractual

Implementing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Implementing Strategies - Essay Example Implementation mainly involves the activation oaf the strategy and how it will be operating and monitoring of the strategy Organization or the corporate culture is values in terms of the beliefs, experiences and attitudes within an organisation. This involves the steps which are usually taken to achieve the goals in a firm, it more so includes the general guidelines and the steps taken by the members within an organization in reference to all the activities in the organization. It's the senior management which usually determine the corporate culture which further reflects the corporate goals and objectives which are transmitted to the workforce. The identity of o corporate is the image of the firm which is reflected by the relationship of the firm within its self and the external environment which may include the customers, the government and the competitors. Depending with the type of the organization culture existing in a firm, it may affect the implementation and formulation of strategies at different levels this is because in broad-spectrum corporate culture consists of control systems, paradigm, organizational structures, routines and rituals. This is the first stage of strategy formulation, generally the idea is of the strategy is examined from the point of view of whether to go in for the detailed investment of the strategy or not. The organizational structure and identity can affect this process if it holds strategy is likely to affect its identity in the society or not if it's highly recognised. If the strategy is going to have a positive well being to the whole society, it's likely to be adopted. If the power structure in the firm is an democratic one, the strategy will be scrutinized by all the workers involved in the decision making and though is likely to take long period, a good decision is like to be arrived unlike when there is an autocrat form of leadership where by the decisions are made by specific people who can make erroneous decision about the feasibility analysis hence end up making a misguiding decision. Techno-economic analysis In this stage of strategy formulation, the estimation of the strategy demand potential and choice of optimal technology is made. The strategy may be a project to increase the production of goods and services, it's imperative to know the market for such goods and services produced. This gives the strategy a unique individuality and sets stage for detailed designed development. This stage of strategy formulation is evaluated at an economic point of view whether is going to have some long term positive residue to a firm. Depending with the goals of the firm and the myths of the corporate, a strategy may be opposed since its conflicting to the

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of Essay

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of War - Essay Example Now, it has been unanimously concluded that wars do much damages than it do the goods. The huge costs involved in wars put heavy strain on the state’s finances and jeopardize the future prosperity. The only solution to reduce the number of wars, if not stop wars at all, is to create an environment of global peace and tranquility. In this regard, all the parties involved, such as the governments and the global populations have to unitedly play a proactive role to spread the message of peace and universal brotherhood. The history of human civilization is replete with innumerable wars, many of which were indeed colossus in nature and were incredibly costly. Though many wars waged earlier are credited with many remarkable developments for the humankind such as the rise of capitalism, breaking out from the oppressive rulers, creation of administrative state, repossession of own territory, class struggle etc., but at the same time these brutal wars have had imprinted their indelible adverse impact on the mankind also. The huge monetary costs apart, these wars resulted into loss of invaluable human lives, which cannot be measured or consoled through money. Wars also result into inestimable demand on the scarce resources of the country. In modern times, it is believed in some quarters that wars benefit the economies of the first world countries which are rich to begin with, or countries which initiated the war. Again, it is believed in some other quarters that wars do not necessarily benefit the develo ped countries, rather wars can sometimes make these countries worse off. Whatsoever, it is undeniable that wars involve some costs such as the cost of servicing army / military, costs of rebuilding destroyed areas, human costs, environmental costs, etc. It is not easy to quantify these costs involved in wars, but the states can definitely adopt some

Symbolism (answer the questions) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Symbolism (answer the questions) - Assignment Example Certain sports teams have different logos and team colors and generally, when seeing that code, people know what team is being discussed in the media, regardless of the sport and even on different levels such as professional or college. The infamous # (hash tag) is becoming more popular as a symbol in media. It represents a trending topic on social media and where stories on Twitter or Facebook might be found which relate to a topic that might be discussed on television or even in a magazine. A pink ribbon is a code symbol for breast cancer awareness. A yellow ribbon is a code to bring soldiers back home. There really are symbols everywhere which point to American culture and when we see them, we recognize them pretty quickly. 2. In my environment, I recognize the symbols on college campuses of different athletic teams or sororities and fraternities. I know that logos are a major part of symbols which are used in the environment around us. Since I am a member of social media, I commonly will go to webpages online and see symbols for other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Youtube and know that I can share information there or even find more information on a certain topic there. Television stations have their own symbols. NBC is obviously a peacock and when a show is on, the symbol pops up so that people know they are watching that television network. I notice crosses which are representative of a religious group. I know that I have been around people who display the Confederate flag which sometimes correlates with racism. Naturally, I have noticed that many people wear clothing with certain labels on them which stereotype them or give them a certain status. It is common to see pe ople in UnderArmour clothing and the brand is labeled with a unique symbol and Victoria’s Secret line for girls often has PINK written on it so many people know that it’s a Victoria’s Secret item. The clothing appeals to a certain status. 3.

Criminology 1 question future crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminology 1 question future crime - Essay Example However, contrary to the thought that development would also make man wiser, it becomes clear that man is losing his insight of moral values. This fact is evident from the ever increasing crime rates all over the world. Man has proved to be capable of committing heinous crimes that are beyond the understanding of certain individuals. What one cannot even imagine, the other is capable of executing, this emphasizes the fact that every man is different from the other. With the advent of the computer age, criminal activity has escalated to another level. In the past, various crimes known to exist were those such as theft, homicide, human trafficking, child and women abuse, juvenile delinquency and so on. However, now with the invention of internet, computer and such other electronic devices, people have left the realm of real world. Whatever they do now, it is always encompassed within the digital world. Therefore, there emerges a whole new possibility of crimes in the modern day as well as in the future. Since the emergence of internet, various crimes have started taking toll on unaware victims and these crimes are known as cyber crime. Therefore, it can be said that future crimes will definitely be directed towards the digital world. The different types of crimes in this field are insider crime, hacking, spam, fraud, cyber terrorism, drug trafficking â€Å"telecommunications fraud, online pedophilia, high-tech espionage† etc (Hagan, 2011). Though the present data provides an insight into the trends of crime to a certain extent, â€Å"they are limited in forecasting crime† (Schafer, 2007). However, various researches and studies based on criminology as well as the modern lifestyles have led to different predictions of future crimes. It is predicted that â€Å"illegal marketing of human parts† will increase substantially, â€Å"employee computer crime† will be on the rise with

Transmittal of Project Report on Flextime Strategy Research Paper

Transmittal of Project Report on Flextime Strategy - Research Paper Example Solutions and its impacts on both the employers and employees of the company. Various factors included in this research study were about the different types of flextime policies implemented by some of the well reputed business firms in the world and its impact on the organization. Primary research was also performed through questionnaires designed to survey the employees of Health Tech. Solutions. Based on the findings and analysis of the research study, it is recommended that Health Tech. Solutions should consider implementing a flextime policy for its employees that includes 4-day work week with 4 out of 10 working hours every day available as flexible time according to the choice of the employees. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions associated with the project report or if you need any kind of additional information. I will try to assist you in every way possible. Enc. Project Report TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 OVERVIEW 7 TYPE S OF FLEXTIME 9 IMPACT ON EMPLOYER 11 Advantages 11 Disadvantages 12 IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE 12 Advantages 13 Disadvantages 13 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 14 Secondary Research and Analysis 15 Primary Research and Analysis 17 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 20 CONCLUSION 21 RECOMMENDATIONS 22 REFERENCES 22 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Table – 1: Preference for 4-day or 5-day work week 19 Table – 2: Preference of 8-hour days as working hours 20 Table – 3: Preference of 10-hour days as working hours 20 Figure – 1: Employees favoring work from home 19 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Flextime strategies have received a renewed attention in many of the companies all around the world. Health tech. Solutions is also thinking of implementing a flextime strategy in their company as suggested by many of the employees in the company. This research study deals with the problem statement about the various merits and demerits of a flextime strategy being implemented by an organization and its various impact s on both the employees and employers of an organization. Both secondary and primary research methods have been employed in order to conduct this study successfully. The different types of flextime strategies followed by five of the well reputed companies have been included in this study. Those companies include Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG, Sun Microsystems, etc. Primary research has also been performed which included a questionnaire survey of the employees of Health Tech. Based on the research it has been found that the flextime strategies adopted by most of the companies have proved to be very much advantageous for them. It has resulted in increased performance of the employees and reduction of the employee turnover rates. The information collected from the questionnaire survey suggested that employees had greater interest in having flexible working hours in their work schedule. Hence it is recommended that a flextime strategy should be implemented in Health Tech. Solutions. The flextime policy should include four days 10-hours day per week work schedule and would include 4 hours as flexible working hours for the employees. It is suggested that implementation of flextime strategy in Health Tech. Solutions would prove advantageous for the company since the performance level of the employees would increase and the company would be able to save significant amount of turnover costs. OVERVIEW The concept of flexible timing in work

Commentary on Tash Aws Harmony Silk Factory Essay Example for Free

Commentary on Tash Aws Harmony Silk Factory Essay The extract from the novel The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw, seems to serve as an introduction within the larger context of the complete novel. The central theme of the extract is the concept of appearance VS reality; some things are, in reality, not what they appear to be. Through the use of characterisation and setting, the author manages to bring out this theme. In addition, the use of setting and characterisation creates a degree of tension within the extract, and draws the reader into the story. Characterisation plays a major part in the extract. The main character of the extract is also the narrator. The narrator is characterised through the use of many literary devices; through his narration, aspects of his personality are revealed to the reader. We find that the narrator has two sides: the face he shows the world around him and the side that the reader is introduced to through his narration. The side that the narrator shows to the world around him and the side of him revealed to the reader are two different personalities. His external appearance is one of a quiet, non-existent, seemingly inconsequential person as can be seen from the fact that none of the visitors ever noticed [him]. However, this quiet exterior belies the fact that he observes all the comings and goings within the silk harmony factory. From my upstairs window, I saw everything unfold. Without father ever saying anything to me. The narrator is fully aware of all his fathers smuggling activities opium and heroin and Hennessy XO and bribing of the Thai soldierswith American cigarettes and low-grade gemstones but never lets his father catch on to that fact. The narrator also states that he is only of modest intellect and this is supported by his fathers belief that he would always be a dreamer and a wastrel. We find however, that his quiet demeanour conceals an observant, keen intellect. Contrary to his self-deprecating statement, we notice that he displays an extraordinary sense of awareness in a child of his age, suggesting that he is extremely intelligent. Even as a child he was aware of what [his] father did. His action of lifting the linoleum and pressing his ear to the floorboards to listen into his fathers Safe Room reveals to us his ingenuity and is a reflection of his intellect. While he does not mange to discern any information, he is sharp enough to realise that the low, muffled rumble was the tipping of diamonds onto the green baize table. While the narrator may appear to be of merely modest intellect, it seems that in reality he is incredibly intelligent for a young child. His self-deprecating statement also serves to highl ight his actual cleverness and quick mind. The theme of appearance VS reality can also be seen in the characterisation of two minor characters: the general and the young lady in the car. The narrator tells us that the general didnt look much like a soldier, but he had a Mercedes-Benz with a woman in the back seat, which would indicate a fairly high level of affluence and power which comes with the rank of a general in the army. With his cheap grey shirt and gold teeth, the man may not have looked like a general, but other indications would have exposed the reality of what he really was. This is similarly echoed in the characterisation of the young woman in the back seat of the car. The narrator describes her as having fair skin, almost pure white, the colour of salt fields on the coast. The narrator then goes on to state that she was young and beautiful, and when she smiled I saw her teeth were small and brown. This contrast between the state of her teeth and the colour of her skin further highlights the theme of appearance VS reality; while she appears to be pure and white on the outside, her teeth are dirty and decayed. This contrast is highlighted also by the use of visual imagery salt fields when describing the colour of her skin. Furthermore, the contrast between the general and the young woman also emphasizes the theme of appearance VS reality. The general wears a grey shirt, while the young woman is described as having white skin. Where the generals teeth are gold in colour, hers are small and brown. From this we can see that outward appearance does not seem to be a very good indicator of what the reality really is. Finally, the setting also contributes back to the theme of appearance VS reality. The name of the factory The harmony silk factory, which becomes synonymous with the house, gives no indication as to the activities of vice conducted there. Both physically and figuratively, the narrators house seems to be hiding behind the factory. The theme of appearance VS reality is manifested in the physical setting of the Harmony Silk Factory. The characterisation and setting, besides bringing out the theme of the appearance VS reality, also serves to create tension in the story and cause the reader to want to read on. The setting of the house, with its small mossy courtyard which never got enough sunlight gives the location of the extract an air of mystery; the lack of light and dampness of the place (as can be seen by the growth of moss) further builds upon the mysteriousness of the setting. This description appears in the first line of the extract, and the readers curiosity is pricked as to what actually goes on within the Harmony Silk factory. Also, the characterisation of the narrator serves to lead the reader on to read the rest of the novel. How is this achieved? Firstly, the narrator is a nameless, 1st person narrator. The use of the 1st person narration serves to give the tone of the extract a feeling of intimacy, or closeness to the subject matter. At the same time, his lack of a name distances him from the reader, again creating an air of mystery which surrounds him. Secondly, the tone of the narrator is very matter-of-fact. He describes somewhat shocking, illegal proceeds with the same tone one would use to describe everyday activities. He matter-of-factly states Mainly he smuggles opium and heroin and Hennessy XO and I knew what he was up to and whom he was with. The narrator describes theses happenings with a certain detachment which seems nonchalant or could be due to the fact that he is already used to this sort of behaviour. In fact, the narrator comes across as unfazed by all his fathers wrongdoings and does not seem affected in any way. This matter-of-fact tone is further highlighted by the narrators use of literary devices such as verbal irony. The use of verbal irony is evident throughout the extract. One of the first instances is in the 2nd paragraph in which the narrator describes the type of people who visit his house. He describes his Fathers clients as if they were guests or VIPs. Entry was strictly by invitation with privileged few being granted access; he states that only the liars, cheats, traitors and skirt chasers of the highest order are allowed in. These individuals have been seemingly elevated to a position of importance but by describing them in this way, the narrator has revealed them to be merely the scum of society. Another instance of verbal irony is in the line Now I would give everything to be the son of a mere liar and cheat. The irony is in the fact that the narrator views his father is so vile that he would rather be the son of someone who only cheats and lies. Also further irony can be found in the line my crime-funded education to good use. We find that he is now using his education, paid for by his fathers crimes, to uncover his fathers crimes. The use of verbal irony builds upon the narrators characterisation, as parts of his personality are slowly revealed to the reader. The narrator also uses an extremely convoluted and verbose way of narrating known as periphrasis. His manner of speaking is roundabout and elaborate. He uses ellipsis to interrupt his own narrative, partly for convenience the only people who came partly because my fathers varied The narrator constantly interjects his own narrative with interruptions and unnecessary lines such as gold, real solid gold. The use of unnecessarily long paragraphs to say a simple thing also add on to his convoluted manner of narration. The second last paragraph could have been shortened by saying I am now at peace and am not ashamed to reveal the story of my fathers life. However, he instead says there is another reason I now feel particularly well placedI am at peace. The use of periphrasis also heightens the melodramatic way the narrator leads the reader on. Phrases such as that wasnt all he was and I have searched for this all my life. Now, at last, I know the truth and I am no longer angry. In fact, I am at peace serve to heighten the tension within the paragraph. He describes his fathers past as terrible and the title he gives to his tale, The true story of the infamous Chinaman called Johnny, seems to elevate his fathers story to one legendary importance. The use of the phrase true story also lends a sense of credibility to his account. The revelation of the title to the reader is the climax of the tension that has been building in the last few paragraphs, albeit a somewhat anti-climatic one. This climax (or anti-climax) serves to leave the reader wanting more and leads the reader on to continue reading the rest of the story. The narrators self-deprecating and quirky way of narrating serves to endear the narrator to the reader. We also discover certain facts about his childhood through his narration. At no point in the extract does a narrator mention his mother. This may only be a conjecture, but the lack of a motherly figure in his life, a lack of love, may have contributed to his strange and unusual way of narrating and also his self-deprecating attitude. Also, we find that he may have endured physical abuse as a child from the line I had become used to this kind of punishment in response to his father twisting his ear. This makes the reader increasingly sympathetic to the narrator as the narrative progresses. Thus, when the narrator begins using melodrama to capture the attention of the reader and lead the reader on to the rest of the novel, the reader follows with little resistance. This characterisation and narration, coupled with the mysterious atmosphere created by the setting, creates a sort of tension which compels the reader to read on. It engages the reader and draws the reader into the world the author has created. As we have seen characterisation and setting both have a dual purpose. If this extract is the beginning of the novel, then the author has succeeded in drawing the reader into the novel. By using both characterisation and setting to bring out the theme and simultaneously create tension, the author has succeeded in creating a world with characters that engage readers and has successfully written an effective and exciting beginning to the novel.

Theories Of Grameen Bank Founder Professor Muhammad Yunus

Theories Of Grameen Bank Founder Professor Muhammad Yunus Microfinance is the provision of financial services by certain institutions known as MFIs such as Cooperative Banks, Community Based-Saving Bank, Credit Unions, development bank to the poor, low income earners, self-employed and small businesses design to address to address issues of poverty. According to MIX in June 2010 there was more than 1800 MFIs in over 100 countries, with 92.4 millions borrowers and 78.5 millions savers in the developing world. The concept of microfinance was created by Professor Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen bank in Bangladesh. Microfinance includes a range of services such as microcredit, saving, insurance and funds transfer. Traditional banks do not provide facilities to low income earners; they provide services to people after assessing the profile of clients according to certain criteria such as pay, credit history and assets of the clients. According to Hernando De Soto (1989) a Peruvian economist poor people have no assets to provide as collateral t o bank when taking a loan, therefore they are not liable to receive loans from banks. Since poor people do not have access to traditional banks they have to lend money with high interest rates from others sources such as pawnbroker and local money lender sometimes with 100% interest rate as borrowing from them is fast and flexible. Over the last 30 years MFIs have developed new methods with less collateral to offer small loans to low income earners and has grown rapidly in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America where there were few bank infrastructures and where in some cases more than 80 % of the population did not have a bank account. According to CGAP (2008), MFIs are funded by 33 donors of 21 investors such as DFI. Microfinance offers permanent financial facilities for education, health, personal emergencies, disasters, investment opportunities to the poor and it is used as a development tool. MFIs begin as non-profit organization increasingly they are now evolving as profit entities because MFIs are required to have a banking license for saving services. Some MFIs offers non-financial facilities such as health services and business development. In this review we will analyze and see how microfinance contributes to the economic development of a country and the review will be focused on creation of e mployment and the empowerment of women by microfinance. 2.1.1 Professor Muhammad Yunus Theoretical review The concept of microfinance was created by Professor Muhammad Yunus founder of Grameen bank in Bangladesh and noble price winner in 2006.He receives 76 other awards in different countries for his work. Professor Yunus obtainded a doctorate in Economics from Vanderbilt University found in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. During the famine of 1974 in Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus minor loans of USD27 to 42 poor families for them to buy and sell small articles to allow them to earn a living. The objective behind the loan was to reduce poverty in Bangladesh. Grameen bank was an idea generated by Professor Yunus the bank started as a project at the University of Chittagong as a pilot test to find different ways of providing credit to the poor in the rural area. The Grameen bank offered its services to a village named Jobra near the university; the project was successful and had the support of Bangladesh central bank in 1979. The bank extends its services to Tangail district and to other areas of Bangladesh. In 1983 the Bangladesh Government turns the project into an independent bank and Professor Yunus had a grant from the Ford foundation to incorporate Grameen bank with the support of two bankers namely Mary Houghton and Ron Grzywinkski from Shore bank of Chicago. The Ford foundation was established in 1936 it is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental organization which help in social change, the organization help to reduce poverty and help in human advancement worldwide by offering subsidies and loans to certain organizations. 2.2.4 Credit Union Mutual societies Grameen bank is a Nobel Prize winner corporation founded in 1983, its headquarter is situated in Dhaka in Bangladesh and the bank is known for its solidarity lending system or banking and is also known as banking to the poor. Solidarity lending is the foundation of microcredit. The word Grameen is derived means village in Bangladesh, the bank incorporates the 16 decisions which is recited by bank borrowers and which they shall abide to them. The 16 decisions comprises the four principles of Grameen bank which are Discipline, Courage, Unity, and Hard work, and the other 15 decisions are resumed as to improve their standard of living and there is the element of togetherness to do social activities to improve their way of living. These sixteen decisions have a positive impact on the inhabitants of Bangladesh where more children have joined school. The bank has different sources of funding; initially huge capital was obtained from donor agency at low rates. During the 1990s the bank has its bulk of capital from the Central bank of Bangladesh and recently from the sales of bonds subsidized by its government. In 1998 The bank make loan to poor people in the form of microcredit as a result of flood in Bangladesh, the repayment rate decreases but recovered afterwards, USD4.7 billions has been loaned in 2005and USD6 billion in 2008. Nowadays the bank has expand more and offers more loans to the poor and in 2006 it has up to 2100 branches in Bangladesh. Due to Grameens success more than 40 countries including the United States in 2008 where 12.6% of the population live below the poverty line have been inspired by the bank to make projects with the same perspective, only Africa which has lag behind. The World Bank has financed the projects. The bank is owned by the poor borrowers of the bank of which the majority are women as the borrowers own 94% of the equity and the remaining 6% is owned by the Government of Bangladesh. The bank has grown to a large extent between 2003-2007 in 2003 the numbers of borrowers have doubled and in October 2007 the number of clients was 7.34 Million of which 97% were women and had a staff of 24703, in 2468 branches over 80257 villages that is the branches have spread in more villages since they were situated in only 43681 villages in 2003 and the repayment rate. Since the banks start ed to operate it has USD6.55 billions as loans USD87 billion has been repaid and the bank claim repayment rate of 98.35% up from the 95% of 1998 but again the Wall Street journal in 2001claim that it doubted the 95% and the accounting standard used by Grameen bank. Grameen started to diversify in the 1980 where it develops into a multi facet group with profit and nonprofit group among which are Grameen fisheries foundation for fisheries project, Grameen Agriculture Foundation for irrigation project, Grameen fund and Grameen Trust.Grameen believe that the concept of giving charity will encourage charity whereas the concept of microcredit will help poor people to exit poverty and the bank invest in children education by providing scholarships and loans for higher education. Grameen Foundation PPI Microfinance in developed countries 2.3.3 Theoretical study of Microcredit Theoretical study According to Boudreaux and Cowen (2008) microcredit is a micro magic and makes the life of the poor becomes easier, it is an alternative to traditional lending of banks. Instead of giving charity to the poor, microcredit is a human way of providing finance to poor people as according to the Chinese proverb Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, it is an investment in human capital. Microcredit is an innovation in the world of finance it forms part of microfinance, the concept did not exist before the seventies, and it is a small loan rarely exceeding USD200 and usually below USD50 made to the poor or people with low income with little or no collateral. Microcredit clients are those that are considered as near the poverty line, the loans allow micro entrepreneurs to generate an income for a better standard of living. Grameen bank based itself on three Cs namely Character that is the reliability of the people the Capacity to h andle funds and the Capital which is the assets of the borrower such as savings. Microcredit is gaining more credibility in the finance industry and many large organizations are developing microfinance programs for future growth although at the start many were pessimistic about the future of microcredit in the financial system. 50% of the population in many developing countries is self employed and these loans of three months to three years with small interest rates and no collateral help poor people to become financially independent and help to reduce poverty. The microcredit programs helps people to achieve high repayment rate even sometimes more than that of traditional banking because of the system of peer support. In the case of the Grameen bank where there are solidarity groups and it is also known as social capital and is composed of 5 members and each member is responsible for each other success and repayment, but are not guarantees or liable if members default. Nevertheless the members make sure that each one is taking its responsibility to make repayment this act as a motivating factor for the members. Sometimes in real life when a member of the group defaults the other four collaborates together and contribute to pay on behalf of the defaulting member. The microcredit system of Grameen bank is based on Trust and there is no conventional contract between the bank and the borrowers, but the borrowers must have a small account with the bank known as group fund which acts as an insurance in case of an emergency. Women account for 97% of the microcredit client of Grameen bank and this help to empower women as they get access to resources and have a say in decision making since they become micro entrepreneurs. Grameen bank has records of 98% repayment rate from women which is in contradiction with Wall street Journal which says that there is one fifth of the total loan of the bank is overdue but Grameen bank claims in turn that the standard of living of the poor has increased that is they are respecting the 16 decisions of the bank and are able to make a repayment of around 4USD per week. Empirical review of microcredit Grameen bank develop several program for the poor of which one of them is the struggling members program in 2003 which is different from the 5 group member borrowing it consists of distributing interest free loans to beggars in Bangladesh where the banking rules do not apply and where the repayment period is arbitrary for USD1.5 about 3.4 US cents and if they borrower default they are already covered under an insurance paid by the bank itself. This type of loan encouraged the beggars to generate an income by the sales of cheap items, there is a record shown in the microfinance summit 2006 that loans taken by beggars are about USD 833,150 and the repayment is USD 496,900 that is 59.64% repayment rate which according to me is quite encouraging since it is more half of the money loaned. Certain developed countries such as in Canada have try to used the Grameen model but the project has failed due to certain factors such as the risk profile of clients, no taste for joint liability that is the no solidarity between the borrowers, high overhead costs therefore the project does not stand without subsidies in Canada which is contrary to the USA where microcredit has been successful. Sometimes microcredit is subjected to problem such as opportunism and asymmetric information. The first Grameen branch has made a loan of $1.5 million in the USA among which was 600 women and the repayment was very high up to 99%. People took the loan to sell items such as flowers, jewelry clothes and Grameen bank remains unshaken while others collapsed during crisis. Despite the global recession, The President Barack Obama announced the creation of $100 million funds to lend as microcredit to the western hemisphere. Micro Saving Apart from microcredit the need of financial users is increasing, there is demand from 19 million potential savers to have access to micro saving services. They need services that are flexible and adapted to them. Traditionally savings is done by people at home or by normal banks at a high cost which was not encouraging to the poor. Microfinance has brought services such as savings to poor people. Savings help people to feel safer and more stable, and help poor people to manage their money conveniently. Micro saving consists of small deposits, terms and interest rate that is flexible to clients at the same time banks used the money to make loans to poor people. Credit Insurance In 2002 opportunity organization started to give micro insurance services. Its subsidiary MicroEnsure was the first institution offering micro insurance services and provide protection against many risks for the poor. Stakeholders and local insurance worked in collaboration with MicroEnsure to develop and match the needs of the poor. The insurance provided were affordable, they offered agricultural, medical, property and life policy providing a safety net in case of disasters with average premium of USD 1.5 for family with 5members. Medical policies covered even people already suffering from diseases and even those suffering from HIV viruses. Actually MicroEnsure is offering insurance in 5 countries to over 1million poor people and was one of the runner-ups of financial times in June 5 for sustainability award and receives a grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand itself in other countries. Microcredit transfer Microcredit Summit The first microcredit summit was held at Washington D.C. on the 24 February 1997, 137 countries were present at the summit with 2900 participants. In the summit they launch a campaign to reach 100 million poorest families that is those people living below the poverty line, with those living with less than USD1.25 a day adjusted to the purchasing power parity (based on 2005 prices) all around the world within nine years especially to empower women as micro entrepreneurs. The objective was nearly achieved in 2005 and in November 2006 the campaign re-launched to 2015 with two new objectives was ensured that 175 millions poorest families especially women are obtaining credit for self employment and for business and financial services. The second objective is to ensure that 100 millions poorest familys worldwide increase to USD1 a day adjusted to the purchasing power parity from 1990 to 2015. The microcredit campaign is the project of the Educational fund from the USA an organization committed to end hunger and poverty around the world. The campaign group together people such as microcredit practitioners, donor agencies, international financial institutions, non -governmental organizations, advocates, and other people involved with microcredit for effective and efficient practices. In August 2008 the World Bank claim that approximately 280 million families live below the poverty line with less than USD1.25 daily. The four core themes of the summit are reaching the poorest, empowering women, building self sufficient and sustainable MFIs, ensuring that microfinance has a positive impact on the lives of the poor The forthcoming Microfinance Summit 2011 will be held in Valladolid, Spain, the summit is believed to improve the microfinance sector and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. A hundred countries and over 2000 participants are expected in the summit. In the agenda there will be the presentation of new products, job creation with microfinance and best practices among other issues will addressed. Poverty It has been proved that microfinance is the tool to help poor family moved out of poverty and to contribute to the economy of a country. Studies have shown with the microcredit provided by Grameen bank in Bangladesh 48% of the families below the poverty line have exit from poverty. According to some studies with microcredit 5% of the poor could exit the poverty line each year as it is an investment in human capital and improve peoples life. Microcredit is an opportunity for the poor to realize their dreams. Employment Generation Microcredit helps in the generation of employment; therefore it helps in economic development and in a sustainable means of income. With the microcredit poor people are able to earn a living by selling low priced items or to even expand their businesses at the same time they become sustainable and create employment for other people .Microfinance is a mean of creating employment and improving the life of poor people. Women Microfinance more specifically microcredit is an instrument used for the empowerment of women it increase social welfare and enhances gender equity. Microcredit helps women to become economic actors in power. We have heard a lot about the role of women in microfinance, 94% of the borrowers of Grameen bank are women and 97% of the borrowers are owners in the equity of the bank, according to Rankin (2002) the reason behind this is because women invest more in the family than men because of their nurturing instincts and are more devoted towards their families. Women play a crucial role in the economic growth of a country by first improving their family life, their communities and countries. In the microfinance summit provisions are made for the poorest families around but especially for women as they form an important part of microfinance. Women are targeted because they are the one in the family to up bring the children and poverty of the women results in illiteracy of their chil dren and other social problems. Mohhamud Yunus (1999) explains that women are more willing to work harder to raise their children and to move their families out of poverty, whereas when a destitute father earns an income his priorities will more around himself than for his family. In 2005 Kofi Anan promote the year as the UN microfinance year for empowerment of women. Studies have shown that women are good income earner and that women have a high repayment rate. In Nepal with the Women empowerment program 68 % of the women are able to cater for the needs of the family by sending their children to school, buying and selling properties which normally was the duty of the husband. Access to microcredit has increase from 7.6 million in 1997 to 26.8 million in 2001 among which are 21 million women the access to loans enabled them to make economic decisions , to buy assets and resources and to become more independent. . We will look at two among many microcredit stories of women the first one is that of Janet Deval from Haiti who was an illiterate women with a hearing problem she had five children, her husband refused to pay the school fees but she knew that education was important for the children. Janet sold goods in Hinche and pay for her children schools on her own. She started to take literacy classes at Fonkoze a microcredit institution in Haiti. Afterwards Janet knew how to write her name and could things that she couldnt do before since she was never sent to school. Later she took a loan from Fonkoze to be able to expand her business at the market to be able to continue to send her children to school, without the microfinance institution Janet would have been unable to read and write and to even expand her business therefore she would have been able to educate her children. The second case is that of Anastacia Abella from the Philippines, she lived as a squatter in Manila, she lived with her four children in a shelter made from scrap, the village have frequent blackout therefore she decided to search for jar in the garbage to make lamps, after decorating the lamps, she sell 150 of them each day and make a small profit. She took a loan at Opportunity international and she was to make 300 lamps a day, the loan allows her to make greater profit and be able to improve her standard of living. Empirical review Social capital is an important component of microcredit it is used as a tool in development programmes. Social A study was carried out by Forbes Marshall Co .Ltd a well known company in Maharashtra, India as an initiative of CSR about the impact of social capital on social empowerment carried using primary data from 217 women all members of SHG by using random sampling.15 variables were used using Likert scale to know the perceptions of women about the microfinance programs. The conclusion of the study was that the social capital created help in women empowerment but that the organization must give appropriate support and policies to the social capital such as capacity building programmes to help decision making. Islamic microfinance Critics of microfinance Microfinance in Mauritius To coordinate the activities of Grameen Foundation, we have staff based at our headquarters in Washington, D.C., at the Grameen Technology Center in Seattle, Washington and in offices in Los Angeles, Ghana and the Philippines. Overseeing the staff is a Board of Directors. Our Grameen Foundation Advisory Council and our Board Committees and Councils nurture new ideas, innovations, strategic thinking and program development. Much of Grameen Foundations work is done by our network of volunteers who are committed to our mission, some of whom have been working in partnership with us for more than ten years. Alex Counts, President CEO Alex Counts is President and CEO of Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on enabling the poor to escape poverty, using microfinance and technology. Counts founded Grameen Foundation and became its CEO in 1997, after having worked in microfinance and poverty reduction for 10 years. Since its modest beginnings, sparked by a $6,000 seed grant provided by Grameen Bank founder (and founding Grameen Foundation board member) Professor Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Foundation has grown to a leading international humanitarian organization with an annual budget of approximately $25 million. A Cornell University graduate, Counts commitment to poverty eradication deepened as a Fulbright scholar in Bangladesh, where he witnessed innovative poverty solutions being developed by Grameen Bank. He trained under Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, and co-recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Counts has propelled Grameen Foundations philosophy through his writings, including Small Loans, Big Dreams: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance Are Changing the World. Counts has also been published in The Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Miami Herald, The Christian Science Monitor and elsewhere. In 2007 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Horace Mann School. Counts chairs the Fonkoze USA board of directors and is the immediate past chair of Project Enterprises board. He sits on the Advisory Council of the Center for Financial Inclusion, the Advisory Board of the ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation, and he co-chairs the Microenterprise Coalition. He serves on the Board of Directors of two social businesses: Grameen-Jameel Pan-Arab Microfinance Ltd. and YouChange PuRong Information Advisory Co. Ltd., which promote microfinance and related efforts in the Arab World and China respectively. Before leading Grameen Foundation, Counts served as the legislative director of RESULTS and as a regional project manager for CARE-Bangladesh. He speaks fluent Bengali and lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Emily, and their cat, Seymour. Top Peter Bladin, Executive Vice President, Programs and Regions Peter Bladin is Executive Vice President of Programs and Regions at Grameen Foundation, and the Founding Director of the Grameen Foundation Technology Center. Under his leadership, the Technology Center has led the microfinance industry in driving relevant and appropriate technology innovation, creating information and communications initiatives that benefit the worlds poorest. Peter was a founding member of the MTN-Village Phone board, the first public-private partnership to extend telecommunications access to the rural poor. He is a frequent speaker at international telecommunication and microfinance conferences, and is an Executive Board Member of the International Telecommunications Union Connect the World initiative. Peter is also actively involved with various Seattle-based non-profits, including Global Partnerships and Social Venture Partners. Before joining Grameen Foundation, Peter worked for Microsoft for more than 10 years, managing various projects and departments during his tenure. He has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Top Jennifer Meehan, CEO, Asia Region Jennifer Meehan joined Grameen Foundation in February 2005 as the founding Director of the Capital Markets Group, during which time she led the development and launch of the Growth Guarantees product. She subsequently led Grameen Foundations strategic planning process before taking on her current role in January 2009. She is based in Hong Kong. Jennifer has lived in Asia Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and China since 1996. She started her career in the formal financial sector with Chase Manhattan Bank (now JP Morgan Chase), but made the transition to microfinance following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Prior to joining Grameen Foundation, she worked extensively with poverty-focused MFIs throughout Asia including CASHPOR, the Asian network of Grameen Bank Replicators, on financial management, business planning and financing. She has also consulted for Calvert Social Investment Foundation, among others, and published a number of articles. She was a founding investor and, until October 2007, served on the Investment Committee of the Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund. Jennifer graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. Top Alberto Solano, CEO, Americas Alberto Solano joined Grameen Foundation in October 2009 and provides leadership and management oversight for our portfolio and activities across the Americas. He also serves as our senior representative in the region. He has more than 10 years experience in microfinance, principally in Latin America, and most recently was the Latin America Program Director for Global Partnerships. He previously worked with the Central American Bank for Economic Integrations microfinance and technical assistance programs in Honduras, and ran his own consulting company specializing in sustainable development and microfinance. Top Julia Soyars, General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary Julia Soyars joined Grameen Foundation in March 2005 and started the Grameen Foundation legal department. After working five years in energy and government contracting law and litigation at Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro in Washington, Julia joined the legal department at The American National Red Cross, where she spent eleven years handling domestic and international transactions. Julia is a founding member of the Microfinance Council of Counsels and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. Julia holds a JD Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University. Top Joshua Tripp, Chief Financial Officer Joshua Tripp is Grameen Foundations Chief Financial Officer. Joshua joined Grameen in 2007 after spending seven years at Community Wealth Ventures (CWV), most recently as a Vice President. In his time at CWV, Joshua worked with dozens of innovative nonprofit organizations, helping them to assess, plan and launch for-profit business ventures to increase their sustainability. He became an expert in financial planning and capitalization of social enterprises, and was a presenter at several industry conferences and seminars. Before joining CWV, Joshua was a Project Manager for GS Telecom, a start-up satellite telecommunications company in Ghana. Prior to GS Telecom, Joshua worked in the investment banking division of Deutsche Bank, where he worked on a variety of public equity financings, private placements and merger and acquisition transactions in the technology industry. Joshua has a BA in Economics from Williams College and an MBA from the George Washington University School of Busin ess. Top Sandra Adams, Vice President, External Affairs Sandra Adams brings three decades of nonprofit development, communications and event marketing experience to Grameen Foundation. Throughout her career her focus has been on improving the status of women in positions with the AAUW Educational Foundation, American Nurses Association, and National Breast Cancer Coalition and on environmental advocacy through her work with the National Parks Conservation Association and The Wilderness Society. An avid student and proponent of philanthropy, she was elected Chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals national board of directors, served as President of their Washington, DC chapter and is one of only 150 people to have achieved the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive credential. She was named Washingtons Outstanding Fund Raising Executive of the Year in 1994. Sandra has served on the boards of EarthShare and CFRE International. She holds a Bachelors degree from Mercyhurst College, a Masters from the University of Massachusetts -Amherst and a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language from Georgetown University. Top Camilla Nestor, Vice President of Microfinance Programs Camilla Nestor joined Grameen Foundation in August 2005 and previously served as Growth Guarantees Manager and Director of the Capital Management and Advisory Center. She was appointed Vice President for Microfinance in April 2009. She has 14 years of experience in microfinance and commercial banking. Before joining Grameen Foundation, she worked in Citigroups Structured Corporate Finance Department where she executed credit-enhanced debt financings for emerging markets firms in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining Citi, she spent five years on the ground in Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and Africa working with microfinance institutions on start-up, new product development, and capital raising. Camilla holds an MBA and a masters degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a bachelors degree in Political Science and International Relations from Colorado College. She speaks Bahasa Indonesia and is conversant in French. Top David Edelstein, Vice President of Technology Programs, and Director of the Grameen Foundation Technology Center David Edelstein is Director of the Grameen Foundation Technology Center and Vice President of Technology Programs at Grameen Foundation. As the leader of Grameen Foundations work in technology, he guides programs that create innovative and sustainable approaches to employing technology for the benefit of the worlds poor. This includes efforts to develop services that can be accessed on widely available mobile phones, in domains such as health and agriculture, to improve lives and livelihoods. It also encompasses efforts in technology for microfinance, including an open-source software initiative designed to accelerate the growth of microfinance institutions (Mifos) and efforts to enable the poor to transfer funds using mobile phones. Before joining Grameen Foundation, David spent three years at Microsoft, designing busine