Thursday, December 26, 2019

Lydia Pinkham Was an Inventor and Marketer

Only a woman can understand a womans ills.- Lydia Pinkham Lydia Pinkham was an inventor and marketer of famous patent medicine Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound, one of the most successful products ever marketed specifically for women. Because her name and picture were on the label of the product, she became one of the best-known women in America. Occupation: inventor, marketer, entrepreneur, business managerDates: February 9, 1819 - May 17, 1883Also known as: Lydia Estes, Lydia Estes Pinkham Lydia Pinkham Early Life Lydia Pinkham was born Lydia Estes. Her father was William Estes, a wealthy farmer, and shoemaker in Lynn, Massachusetts, who managed to become wealthy from real estate investments. Her mother was Williams second wife, Rebecca Chase. Educated at home and later at Lynn Academy, Lydia worked as a teacher from 1835 to 1843. The Estes family opposed slavery, and Lydia knew many of the early abolitionist activists, including Lydia Maria Child, Frederick Douglass, Sarah Grimkà ©, Angelina Grimkà ©, and William Lloyd Garrison. Douglass was a lifelong friend of Lydia. Lydia herself became involved, joining, with her friend Abby Kelley Foster the Lynn Female Anti-Slavery Society, and she was secretary of the Freemans Society. She also became involved in womens rights. Religiously, the Estes family members were Quakers but left the local meeting over a conflict around slavery. Rebecca Estes and then the rest of the family became Universalists, also influenced by the Swedenborgians and spiritualists. Marriage Lydia married widower Isaac Pinkham in 1843. He brought a five-year-old daughter into the marriage. Together they had five more children; the second son died in infancy. Isaac Pinkham was involved in real estate but never did very well. The family struggled financially. Lydias role was primarily as the typical wife and mother of Victorian middle-class ideals. Then, in the Panic of 1873, Isaac lost his money, was sued for nonpayment of debts, and generally fell apart and was unable to work. A son, Daniel, lost his grocery store to the collapse. By 1875, the family was nearly destitute. Lydia E. Pinkham Vegetable Compound Lydia Pinkham had become a follower of nutrition reformers like Sylvester Graham (of the graham cracker) and Samuel Thomson. She brewed a home remedy made of roots and herbs, and including 18% to 19% alcohol as solvent and preservative. She had shared this freely with family members and neighbors for about ten years. According to one legend, the original formula came to the family through a man for whom Isaac Pinkham had paid a debt of $25. In desperation over their financial circumstances, Lydia Pinkham decided to market the compound. They registered a trademark for Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound and copyrighted a label which after 1879 included Lydias grandmotherly picture at the suggestion of the Pinkham son, Daniel. She patented the formula in 1876. Son William, who had no outstanding debts, was named the legal owner of the company. Lydia brewed the compound in their kitchen until 1878 when it was moved into a new building next door. She personally wrote many of the advertisements for it, focusing on female complaints which included a variety of ailments including menstrual cramps, vaginal discharge, and other menstrual irregularities. The label originally and assertively claimed A Sure Cure for PROLAPSIS UTERI or Falling of the Womb, and all FEMALE WEAKNESSES, including Leucorrhea, Painful Menstruation, Inflammation, and Ulceration of the Womb, Irregularities, Floodings, etc. Many women were unwilling to consult physicians for their female difficulties. Physicians of the time often prescribed surgery and other unsafe procedures for such problems. This might include applying leeches to the cervix or vagina. Those supporting that eras alternative medicine often turned to home or commercial remedies such as Lydia Pinkhams. The competition included Dr. Pierces Favorite Prescription and Wine of Cardui. Growing Business Selling the compound was at core a family enterprise, even as it grew. The Pinkham sons distributed ads and even sold the medicine door to door around New England and New York. Isaac folded pamphlets. They used handbills, postcards, pamphlets, and advertisements, beginning with the Boston newspapers. The Boston advertisement brought in orders from wholesalers. A major patent medicine broker, Charles N. Crittenden, began to distribute the product, increasing its distribution to nationwide. Advertising was aggressive. The ads targeted women directly, on the assumption that women understood their own problems best. An advantage that the Pinkhams emphasized was that Lydias medicine was created by a woman, and the advertisements stressed endorsements by women as well as by druggists. The label gave the impression of the medicine being homemade even though it was commercially produced. Ads often were designed to look like news stories, usually with some painful situation that could have been alleviated by the use of the compound. By 1881, the company began marketing the compound not only as a tonic  but also as pills and lozenges. Pinkhams goals went beyond commercial; her correspondence including advice on health and physical exercise. She believed in her compound as an alternative to standard medical treatment, and she wanted to counter the idea that women were weak. Advertising to Women One feature of the advertisements of Pinkhams remedy was an open and frank discussion of womens health issues. For a time, Pinkham added a douche to the offerings of the company; women often used it as contraception, but because it was marketed for hygienic purposes, it was not targeted for prosecution under the Comstock Law. The advertising prominently featured Lydia Pinkhams image and promoted her as a brand. Ads called Lydia Pinkham the Saviour of her Sex. The ads also urged women to let doctors alone and called the compound A medicine for women. Invented by a woman. Prepared by a woman. The advertisements offered a way to write to Mrs. Pinkham and many did. Lydia Pinkhams responsibility in the business also included answering the many letters received. Temperance and the Vegetable Compound Lydia Pinkham was an active supporter of temperance. Despite that, her compound included 19% alcohol. How did she justify that? She claimed that the alcohol was necessary to suspend and preserve the herbal ingredients, and so she did not find its use incompatible with her temperance views. Using alcohol for medicinal purposes was often accepted by those who supported temperance. While there were many stories of women being affected by the alcohol in the compound, it was relatively safe. Other patent medicines of the time included morphine, arsenic, opium or mercury. Death and Continuing Business Daniel, at 32, and William, at 38, the two youngest Pinkham sons, both died in 1881 of tuberculosis (consumption). Lydia Pinkham turned to her spiritualism and held seances to try to contact her sons. At that point, the business was formally incorporated. Lydia had a stroke in 1882 and died the next year. Although Lydia Pinkham died in Lynn in 1883 at age 64, her son Charles continued the business. At the time of her death, sales were $300,000 per year; sales continued to grow. There were some conflicts with the companys advertising agent, and then a new agent updated the advertising campaigns. By the 1890s, the compound was the most advertised patent medicine in America. More images showing womens independence began to be used. Ads still used Lydia Pinkhams picture and continued to include invitations to write to Mrs. Pinkham. A daughter-in-law and later staff members at the company answered the correspondence. In 1905, the Ladies Home Journal, which was also campaigning for food and drug safety regulations, accused the company of misrepresenting this correspondence, publishing a photograph of the tombstone of Lydia Pinkham. The company responded that Mrs. Pinkham referred to Jennie Pinkham, the daughter-in-law. In 1922, Lydias daughter, Aroline Pinkham Gove, founded a clinic in Salem, Massachusetts, to serve mothers and children. Sales of the Vegetable Compound peaked in 1925 at $3 million. The business decreased after that point, because of family conflict after Charles death over how to run the business, the effects of the Great Depression and also changing federal regulations, especially the Food and Drug Act, that affected what could be claimed in the advertisements. In 1968, the Pinkham family sold the company, ending their relationship with it, and manufacturing was moved to Puerto Rico. In 1987, Numark Laboratories acquired a  license to the medicine, calling it Lydia Pinkhams Vegetable Compound. It can still be found, for instance as Lydia Pinkham Herbal Tablet Supplement and Lydia Pinkham Herbal Liquid Supplement. Ingredients Ingredients in the original compound: False unicorn root, true unicorn rootBlack cohosh rootLife rootPleurisy rootFenugreek seedAlcohol Newer additions in later versions include: Dandelion rootBlack cohosh root (as in the original)Jamaican dogwoodMotherwortPleurisy root (as in the original)Licorice rootGentian root The Lydia Pinkham Song Responding to the medication and its widespread advertising, a ditty about it became famous  and remained popular well into the 20th century. In 1969, the Irish Rovers included this on an album, and the single made the Top 40 in the United States. The words (like many folk songs) vary; this is a common version: We sing of Lydia PinkhamAnd her love of the human raceHow she sells her Vegetable CompoundAnd the newspapers publish her Face. Papers The Lydia Pinkham papers can be found at Radcliffe College (Cambridge, Massachusetts) at the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library. Books About Lydia Pinkham Elbert Hubbard. Lydia E. Pinkham. 1915.Robert Collyer Washburn. The Life and Times of Lydia E. Pinkham. 1931.Sarah Stage. Female Complaints: Lydia Pinkham and the Business of Womens Medicine. 1979.R. Sobel and D. B. Sicilia. The Entrepreneurs: An American Adventure. 1986. Background, Family Mother: Rebecca ChaseFather: William EstesSiblings: nine older and two younger Marriage, Children Husband: Isaac Pinkham (married September 8, 1843; shoe manufacturer and real estate speculator)Children:Charles Hacker Pinkham (1844)Daniel (died in infancy)Daniel Rogers Pinkham (1848)William Pinkham (1852)Aroline Chase Pinkham ( 1857)

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Descartes Claim Of The Universe - 1211 Words

Descartes’ claim of â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, is an attempt to establish a firm foundation for the understanding of the universe and explores the ideas of the self and what we can know to be real. However, there is one major flaw in this approach. That flaw is how we are to create this foundation when before it we had nothing and the paradoxes in the creating definitions of words. His goal is to better understand what he is in order to reestablish the foundations of his understanding of the world around him. This is a normal human behavior to explore the unknown or not well understood. Any explorer that sails the ocean in search of new land may know what land is but new land that was unknown to him/her is a satisfying development in the person s understanding of everything that is real. The modern practice of this behavior includes, but not limited to, an astronomer using space telescopes to look deep into space where light from an ancient universe is arriving at the Earth or an experimental physicist when smashing particles together in hopes to find new and smaller part that makes up the fundamental building blocks of the universe. Descartes hopes to apply his logical process to reveal the fundamental building blocks of the universe that humans can exist in. He also wants to create a fundamental understanding of the way to observe the universe that we can per ceive with the limited senses that we have. 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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Human Resource Management and Balanced Score Card free essay sample

Research Title: The Contribution of Balanced Scorecard in Human Recourse Development. Research objective: to find out the relationship between Balanced Score Card in relation with Human Resource development. Research Questions: What are the areas of HRD in which BSC can be implemented? What is the importance of performance measurement systems for Sustainable HRD? What are the problems associated with the successful implementation of BSC? Hypotisis: Implemetation of Balanced Scorecard(BSC) has a major contiribution towards Human Resourse Development(HRD. ) Theoretical framework. writing assignment service Human Resourse Development(HRD) Balanced Scorecard(BSC) Business Stretegies Introduction Balanced scorecard: By carrying out a preliminary research, I have found out that the organizations of 21st century is facing a fires competition and arising new challenges due to increase in the global competencies. Therefore it is very critical to formulate the most suitable strategies for their market sustainability. Hence, it is vital for the organizations to predetermine the performance of the organizations in order to incorporate the organizational goals and objectives. Therefore it is greatly important to establish the most suitable and effective performance measurement system in order to build a concrete base on continuous Human Recourse Development(HRD). That is when the balance score card comes to view. The Balanced Scorecard is believed to be one of the best performance management approach originated by Robert Kaplan and David Norton in 1980’s, which was fully packed and presented in Harvard Business Review in 1992. Silk (1998) cited in Andrew Gautreau (2004),estimated that approximately 60% f Fortune 1000 companies either currently have or are experimenting with a balanced scorecard. Non-financial measures like quality, customer satisfaction and innovation became increasingly important, and competitors were focusing on these non-financial areas. There for, both internal and external measures are used in BSC. It is vital for the companies to have a balanced approach on external measures like customer satisfaction and internal measures li ke employees satisfaction. Companies must have both types of measures in order to implement a strategy (Andrew Gautreau,2004). Elements of Balanced Scorecard Kaplan and Norton (1992), in their balanced scorecard (BSC) model, proposed the division of firm performance to four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process and innovation and learning. They put competences and resources in the fourth perspective, signalling that they enable achievement of performance levels in other dimensions. For each perspective, financial, customer, internal process and learning, they have performance indicators, which must be filled in as targets. The BSC also drives actions strategically to attain the vision and deliver excellence in all areas of an organization. According to Schmidt et al. , (2006), the BSC is a powerful tool with several features, and to get the most benefits, it must be well implemented in a dynamic environment. Amaratunga et al. , (2002), BSC systems can assist the organizations to gather critical information on both financial and non-financial grounds to provide a reliable guidance to pinpoint the problems. There for this could lead to effective improvement in the business process to achieve organizational goals. He also says that BSC is recognized as an effective tool which can be understood by all levels of the organization. Human Resource Development (HRD) Human Resource Development (HRD) is the frameworks for helping employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. HRD includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development. Along with this, BSC is believed to have a balancing effect on maximizing the potentials of all the resources employed in the organization (Amaratunga et al. , 2002; H. Rocha et al. , 2005). Therefore in my opinion, it would have a strong linkage to the HRD of the organization, because this combination of recourses can be achieved through continuous improvements in the human capital. A well-prepared and motivated workforce is possibly the most important of the three intangible assets to support an organization’s value creating processes (Garavan et al. , 2001). According to him the most valuable asset of a 20th century company was its production equipment, while the most valuable asset of a 21st century institution will be its knowledge workers and their productivity. This clearly indicates the importance of HRD for the sustainable organizational success. According to Rocha (2005), if we increase employee training about products, then they will become more knowledgeable about the full range of products they can sell; if employees are more knowledgeable about products, then their sales effectiveness will improve, followed by improvement in sales effectiveness. Then the average margin of the products they sell will increase. Progression up the hierarchy is replaced by the accumulation of competencies. Thomas N. Garavan(2001),argues that the dominant theme is one where individuals are required to exhibit competencies such as team working the development of network relationships and the acquisition of knowledge and learning capability. He argues that the level of expenditure on TD is increasing and there is evidence of a strategic imperative guiding the nature of much of the training that is being provided. Linkage between the elements of HRD Ideally, education involves learning which leads to development and could contain training in specific techniques. Education is the process which aims at developing the intellectual capital, moral values and  conceptual understanding of a person so as to enable him/her to make a contribution to society by understanding its traditions. Training is a narrower process than education and is more planned systematic  in a way to modify  specific kills   competencies by means of events, programs and instructions  so as to attain effective workplace performance. It is an organization’s way to promote learning. Implicitly of both training and education are ways of developing human potential. Learning is a process that enables creation of knowledge and a change of behavior through practice and transformation of experience. It is seen as a major source of attaining competitive advantage by an organization by enhancing individual and collectiv e learning. Development is the growth of a person’s potential by means of learning, education training. Role of performance measurement system In order to advance performance there is a need to manage performance rather than simply measure any given aspect of it across the board. Management of performance can mean in some cases measurement of effectiveness and efficiency, in others it may mean management of important stakeholders or the organizational relations with them (Halachmi, 2005). For performance measurement to be meaningful you have to benchmark and make comparisons to it over time. However, the attention of performance measurement should be shifting from one dimension to another as circumstances are changing within or outside the organization. According to Garavan (2001), such shifts cannot be allowed when it comes to measurements. Performance management is thus a simple return to the basic notion of management with some significant elaborations on and amplifications of the need to address the human side of the enterprise while being aware of what is going on , which requires a balance in major business aspects. In other words, performance management is about assuring a greater likelihood for reaching desired outcomes by addressing issues that have to do with the business process that is expected to generate the sought after results, the organizational and environmental contexts in which these process and outcomes take place and, the involved behaviors of various stakeholders (Booth, 2006). Yet, on its face performance management has much to offer in particular when it comes to the human side of the enterprise. As this writer sees it performance management, which resembles more a Theory-Y like approach (McGregor, 1960) and where outside control is replaced by greater managerial flexibility may hold the key to success. Such an approach, that the objectives of performance management often include motivating performance, helping individuals develop their skills, building a performance culture, determining who should be promoted, eliminating individuals who are poor performers, and helping implement business strategies. Performance measurement was one of the main tools for inducing not only better productivity but also openness and accountability. The effect of Balanced Scorecard on HRD functions To test the contribution of human related resources to performance, several studies have been conducted recently. Mills and Fernandes (2004), in a review effort, classified them according to the BSC perspective that they covered and the research variable investigated. Under this study, though resources are classified under the innovation and learning perspective, this perspective is also presented as a dependent variable, as some of its indicators can result from former drivers, for instance, the impact of HR practices on labor turnover and need for an effective performance measurement system like BSC. In my study I have noticed that the great majority of the studies concentrate on HRD procedures as resources, with fewer researchers looking at other human-related resources like skills or human capital. One reason for this can be the fact that each business has different resources as drivers. For instance, high staff turnover rates can be a healthy indicator in a fast food chain, but would be a disaster in an RD department. As a consequence, the final outcome of implementing BSC approach could be different according to the type of the business. On the other hand, every company has HRD practices, which make them more comparable under this term. But studies considering the impact of this dimension alone on performance have found weak or no association at all between HR practices and performance Mueller (1996) cited in Bruno H. Rocha et al. (2005). This may indicate the need to consider other resources together with HR practices when studying that relationship and aligning them to BSC. Importance of formulating a suitable business strategy to accommodate implementation of BSC to assist HRD The benefits accruing from HRD may also be both micro and macro in scale. According to Smith (2005), these benefits include improved knowledge skill and capability on the part of employees, this in turn leading to improved organizational capability, effectiveness and productivity. The indirect benefits of HRD include improved staff morale and enhanced self esteem of individuals whose knowledge and capability has been enhanced through HRD programs which can be incorporated with actions associated in achieving the targets assigned in BSC as Schmidt et al. , (2006) has mentioned. Even though the BSC is implemented in the organization, Moullin (2004) argues that if employees are not involved in determining the measures and feel they are misguided, then they are likely to respond to measures in a very different way than was intended by management, leading to a poorer service all round. For example, they may focus on the measure given at the expense of other more important factors, they may try to get round the system, or they may concentrate on short-term issues. A BSC can help to formulate and achieve strategically attainable requirements because it encourages a framework and a language to communicate the vision and the strategy, and thereby uses measurement to inform employees about the success drivers of the company (Schmidt et al. , 2006). For this to be done, Amaratunga et al. , (2002) stressed that it is vital to breakdown the vision according to each perspective of BSC to formulate overall business strategy. By this way, employees will be very clear of what they are expected to contribute towards achieving company objectives. At the end, a BSC supports the supreme aim, the establishment and the management of a sound organization, which strives for excellence by driving all actions strategically. Impact of business culture The process of creating the BSC is a fairly involved process which requires a lot of understanding and commitment, and for some business unit leaders, a lot of facilitation. The business unit also has to focus on those aspects of corporate objectives to which it can realistically contribute (Chavan, 2009). Therefore, it is vital to have a suitable business culture within the organizations to incorporate BSC in relation to HRD. This is supported by Chaminade (2003), stressing that corporate culture has also been suggested to have a significant impact on overall organizational performance in order to achieve strategic objectives. Hassan et al. , (2006), has indicated that employees’ satisfaction with HRD climate was culturally predicted by learning and training system, employee development system, action research, reward and recognition system, and information system. However, Payne and Keep, (2003) as cited in Hyde et al. ,(2005) says that workforce configuration and skill-mix arrangements are often a product of history, precedent and cultural preconception, attempts to tackle workforce reorganization and job redesign have experienced limited success. Long run Implications on HRD when implementing BSC The different elements’ linkages enable control of a number of key performance areas in relation to time horizon.. According to Kaplan and Norton (2001) cited in Steen Nielsen and Erland H. Nielsen (2008) ,the different perspectives used by an organization should be connected to the financial and monetary success of the company. Therefore, the recognition of single elements or measures and their influence on other measures including the financial area is important for a success oriented company’s control view. To bring strategies into action, measures have to be implemented that guarantee the achievement of the strategic goals and an increase in profitability in the long run. In the latest version of BSC, strategy is at the centre of the key management processes and systems. Knowledge is the main source of competitive advantage; the management of a company is becoming more about managing people than it is about managing physical and monetary assets. Key value drivers for human capital are employee knowledge, skills, abilities, innovativeness and experience which require plenty of time and effort to develop. In today’s marketplace, companies are looking for knowledge workers, for people with specific capabilities that they can apply within the organization. The key then becomes to capture that knowledge in the company’s structures, so it is transferred from individuals, to groups, to the entire organization and becomes part of the organization’s structural capital (Jacobsen et al. , 2005). Therefore, it would be vital for organizations to have a proper measurement of these intangible resources with the most effective system like BSC. The importance of feedback The BSC approach provides a linkage between employee rewards to performance in all four perspective of BSC, with suitable weightings applied reflecting the relative importance of each area. In some instances companies see the non-financial measures of such importance that a specific level of performance is set for each of the non-financials (Chavan, 2009). Only if an individual exceeds these levels, can they qualify for performance related rewards linked to the financial performance results. Therefore it is vital to provide the related feedback on time to make such decisions to cope with the most effective reward systems. Use of the BSC should improve managerial decision making by aligning performance measures with the goals and strategies of the firm and the firm’s business units based on the feedback on performance measure. Lipe and Salterio, 2000) as cited in (Chavan, 2009). Associated time lag issues The BSC approach clearly indicates to employees the level of importance the organization places on future capability building and strategic issues, while at the same time recognizing shorter term financial performance (Gadenne, 2000) cited in (Chavan,2009). Howev er, doing this sustainably could be a challenge for the organizations. According to Wong (2005), HRD is seen as a way to improve and enhance the personal value of individuals. The skills and competences of knowledge workers need to be continuously developed in order for them to produce valuable contributions to a company which could take long time and within this time frame, the organization is subject to major changes in the business environment. If not, as with other tangible assets, their value will depreciate. Hence, companies have to provide appropriate professional development activities to their employees. In order to retain employees to work for a company, it is important to provide opportunities for them to grow and to advance their career. The correlation between HRD programs and the resulting improvements by means of BSC, the broad benefits of HRD investment, can and should be actively identified and measured. Just as HRD, itself is not an optional extra but a strategic imperative, so it is the effective measurement and evaluation of HRD outcomes (Smith, 2004). Smith (2006) argues that learning from the experience and practice of other organizations through benchmarking can also contribute to improving HRD at practical operational levels. Benchmarking of HRD can provide the means for this to be achieved, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of HRD effort and the opportunity for ongoing review, assessment and improvement using identified industries best practice as the standard to continuous development of BSC. The involvement of subjectivity According to Michiel Schoemaker and Jan Jonker (2004), the transition from an industrial society towards an informational society has profound impact. Managing in industrial organizations was based upon a strict hierarchical attitude towards employees. For managers this indicates that labor could be moved around and managed like all other production assets. The emerging talent intensity of organizations implies recalibration of the nature of this relationship with respect to â€Å"exchange† and â€Å"power†. Michiel Schoemaker and Jan Jonker (2004) argue that the durability of employee relation is based upon trust, mutual understanding and shared norms and values that lead to acts and activities that connect people. The nature and content of those second-order networks are extremely valuable for each and every individual to carry out his or her job and thus for the organization as a whole. By investing talents in networks and work social capital is created and maintained. It is not easy to manage a BSC system but the benefits come through as new and greater understanding of organizational information and its connections within the own organizations. Certainly, the establishment of core indicators will not in themselves lead to success but linked and meaningful indicators identified through our extended BSC model will help in making the right decision (Schmidt et al. , 2006). Fernandes et al. (2005) stressed that though resources are classified under the innovation and learning perspective, this perspective is also presented as a dependent variable, as some of its indicators can result from former drivers, for instance, the impact of HR practices on labor turnover. He also pointed that Environmental factors related to the demand seemed to be the strongest performance determinant. Chaminade et al. , (2003) has mentioned that firms are facing a major transformation in the value creation process, (intangibles or more specifically knowledge is increasingly becoming the ajor driver of firm’s long term business success. These changes pose a great challenge to firms because the intangible resources are not easily identified, not measured, and not reported internally or externally. BSC contribution towards employee commitment and motivation In his study carried in Brazilian water company, Rocha et al. , (2005) has indicated that the employee satisfaction variable showed significant links with the three performance perspectives of BSC. In addition it is also been indicated that in, achieving company targets is also associated to better customer satisfaction and achieving financial goals. The results point to the fact that employee satisfaction seems to guide significantly the BU to achieve its goals. Once the goals are achieved, a slight increase in the customer satisfaction is observed and this affects the BU sales and expenses targets. In general, resources seemed to be correlated to performance. Based on the learning and growth perspective, Steen Nielsen and Erland H. Nielsen (2008) has stressed that BSC approach forms the priorities to create a climate that supports organizational change, innovation, and growth of the organizations employees. However, according to Michiel Schoemaker and Jan Jonker (2004), the commitment focuses on motivational acts in order to stimulate people to invest their talents in the work that needs to be done. This is the result of carefully â€Å"managing† the exchanges in the relationship and has everything to do with the changing balance of power. Commitment could focus on motivational acts in order to stimulate people to invest their talents in the work that needs to be done. Looking upon this changing relationship from an organizational perspective the essence is to optimise the usage of potential challanges in order to achieve the best possible added value for clients which is one of the element of BSC. Looking at the same relationship from the perspective of the individual it becomes important that talents can be discovered, developed and used in an organizational context that fits those talents by means of BSC approach. An appropriate fit will create motivation, implicitly and explicitly. The objectives of BSC should also motivate all managers and employees to implement the strategy successfully (Schmidt, 2006). According to Fernandes et al. , (2005),if we increase employee training about products, then they will become more knowledgeable about the full range of products they can sell; if employees are more knowledgeable about products, then their Sales effectiveness will improve. If their sales effectiveness improves, then the average margin of the products they sell will increase hence reaching the customer satisfaction. Employee training is the catalyst to reach these goals. Role of BSC in recruitement and training According to (Chavan, 2009), when recruiting new employees, it is vital for the organizations to formulate an identification of internally validated competencies ensured that prospective new employees could be selected with more certainty that their skills and knowledge would better match the organization’s values. This could be supported by the goals assigned to achieve in the BSC. However, Wong (2005) stressed that, effective recruitment of employees is crucial because it is through this process that knowledge and competences are brought into the organization. Employees with the required knowledge and desired skills to fill knowledge gaps should be recruited. Impact of BSC on communication of the organization The approach was an effort to achieve goal congruence amongst the various strategic measures within an organization. It is a tool for focusing the organization, improving communication, setting organizational objectives, and providing feedback on strategy (Gautreau, 2001). BSC provides a framework and a language to communicate the vision and the strategy, and thereby uses measurement to inform employees about the drivers for long run success of the company (Schmidt et al. , 2006). Understanding the strategy requires a possibility of communicating, querying or questioning it. According to Aaltonen, et al. , (2002), this can be achieved by continuous two-way communication with proper feedback and responding to these feed backs. Conclusion The available evidences suggest that BSC could be one of the best way for the measurement of performance in all aspects of business, mainly for the ontinuous development in HRD. Moreover, it is been revealed that certain factors like corporate culture are essential for the successful implementation of BSC (Chaminade, 2003). It is of great importance for employees to understand the potential positive implications that BSC has towards attaining organization’s goals and objectives and also in achieving their persona l goals in carrier development. Having done this research on BSC, I manage to generate a better understanding on the aspects of HRD which contribute to the long-run success and profitability of an organization. It is vital for the employees at all levels of the organization to recognize the complexity of the subject and acquire the knowledge needed to deal with potential issues which could arise from the implementation of BSC for the sustainable development in HRD. Based on the study that I have carried out, there is sufficient evidence to accept my hypotheses. However, since this study is carried out in a relatively small scale, there is a possibility that my hypotheses could be rejected. Therefore, further research and studies are required to derive a stronger mile stone on the subject issue. Research methodology This research is based on the population size of 2000 companies in South East Asian countries in different sectors using simplified random sampling. Sample size of 560 is selected to represent the population. Rather than census, sampling is used to minimize the use of time and money spent on the research and it is believed that the reliability of the study could be affected if the time horizon is longitudinal since the business environment is rapidly changing. Moreover, the study is based on the epistemological realism approach which means by building a radical humanis structure. Which here means the combination of both direct and critical realism. This approach consists of what is seen is believed and the critical view point of it is been presented in the study based on the analysis of the available evidence and data. In my opinion, this approach is the most suitable to use since the BSC is different from each and every company due to the differences in their strategies. in order to make the study more valid and reliable the research is done on cross-sectional study since in-depth research is not required to answer the research questions. Cross-sectional studies can be defined as studying a particular situation within a particular time horizon (Saunders et al. , 2007). Both mono and mixed method with qualitative and quantitative data is been used to derive data on different perspectives of the study. This is done in order to triangulate the study to derive more reliable result. However mainly qualitative data is used arrive most of the conclusions in the study since both BSC and HRD is a very subjective issue. REFERENCE Amaratunga, D. , Haigh, R. , Sarshar, M. , Baldry, D. 2002), ‘Application of Balanced Scorecard concept to develop a conceptual framework to measure facilities management performance within NHS facilities’, International Journal of Health care Quality Assuarence, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 141-151. Aaltonen, P. , Ikavalko, H. (2002), ‘Implementing stretegies successfully’, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp. 415-418. Booth, A. (2006), ‘Counting what counts: pe rformance measurement and evidence-based practice’, Performance Measurement and Matrix, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 63-74. Chavan, M. , (2009), ‘The balanced scorecard: a new challenge’, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 28, No. , pp. 393-404. Chaminade, C. , Johanson, U. (2003), ‘Can guidelines for intellectual capital management and reporting be considered without addressing cultural differences? ’, Journal of Intallectual Capital, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 528-542. Fernandes, H. R. , Mills, J. F. , Fleury, M. T. (2005), ‘Resources that drive performance: an empirical investigation’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 225-250. Gautreau. , A. , Brian. ,H. (2001), ‘Recent trends in Performance Measurement Systems: The Balanced Score Card Approach’, Management Research News, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 97-104. Gadenne, D. 2000), â€Å"Brave new world: how can business meet new challenges in t he 21st century? †, inaugural professorial lecture, 6 September, Central Queensland University, Rockingham. Cited in Chavan, M. , (2009), ‘The balanced scorecard: a new challenge’, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 393-404. Hyde, P. , McBride, A. , Young, R. , Walshe, K. (2005), ‘Role Redesign: new ways of working NHS’, Personal Review, Vol. 34, No. 6, pp. 697-712. Hassan, A. , Junaidhah, H. , Zaki, A. H. (2006), ‘Human resource development practices as determinant of HRD climate and quality orientation’, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 0, No. 1, pp. 4-18. Jacobsen, K. , Bang, P. H. (2005), ‘The IC Ratinge model by Intellectual Capital Sweden’, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 570-587. Kaplan, R. S. and, Norton, D. P. (2001) The Strategy-Focused Organization – How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment, Harvard Business School Press, Bos ton, MA. Cited in Nielsen, S. , Nelson,S. H. (2008), ‘System dynamics modelling for a balanced scorecard. Computing the influence of skills, customers, and work in process on the return on capitalemployed’, Management Research News, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 168-188. Lipe, M. G. , Salterio, S. E. (2000), â€Å"The balanced scorecard: judgmental effects of common and unique performance measures†, The Accounting Review, Vol. 75 No. 3, pp. 283-6. Cited in Chavan, M. , (2009), ‘The balanced scorecard: a new challenge’, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 393-404. Mueller, F. (1996), â€Å"Human resource as strategic assets: an evolutionary resource-based theory†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 757-85. Cited in Rocha, B. H. , Mills, J. F. , Fleury, M. T. (2005), ‘Resources that drive performance; an empirical investigation’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 344-351. McGregor, D. (1960), Human Side of Enterprise, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Cited in Halachmi,A. Boyle, (2005), ‘Performance measurement is only one way of managing performance’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 502-516. Moul lin, M. (2004), ‘Eight essentials of performance measurement’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 110-112. Olve, N. , Roy, J. , Watter, M. (1999), ‘performance Driers: A practical guidence to using the Balanced Scorecard’,John Wiley Sons, Chichester. Cited in Amaratunga, D. , Haigh, R. , Sarshar, M. , Baldry, D. (2002), ‘Application of Balanced Scorecard concept to develop a conceptual framework to measure facilities management performance within NHS facilities’, International Journal of Health care Quality Assuarence, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 141-151. Payne, J. and Keep, E. (2003), â€Å"Revisiting the Nordic approaches to work re-organization and job redesign: lessons for UK skills policy†, Policy Studies, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 205-25. Cited in Hyde, P. , McBride, A. , Young, R. , Walshe, K. (2005), ‘Role Redesign: new ways of working NHS’, Personal Review, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 697-712. Rocha, B. H. , Mills, J. F. , Fleury, M. T. (2005), ‘Resources that drive performance; an empirical investigation’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 54, No. 5, pp. 344-351. Silk, S. (1998), â€Å"Automating the balanced scorecard†, Management Accounting, Vol. 79, No . 11, p. 38. Cited in Gautreau. , A. , Brian. ,H. (2001), ‘Recent trends in Performance Measurement Systems: The Balanced Score Card Approach’, Management Research News, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 97-104. Nelson, S. H. (2008), ‘System dynamics modeling for a balanced scorecard. Computing the influence of skills, customers, and work in process on the return on capital employed’, Management Research News, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 168-188. Schoemaker, M. , Jonker, J. (2004), ‘Managing intangible assets: An essay on organising contemporary organisations based upon identity, competencies and networks’, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 506-518. Schmidt, S. , Bateman, I. L. (2006), ‘A management approach that drives actions strategically Balanced scorecard in a mental health trust case study’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 119-135. Saunders, M. , Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. (2007), Research Methods for Business Students, 4th Edition. , Person Education Limited, England. Smith, I. (2004), ‘Continuing professional development and workplace learning and human resource development – the return on the investment’, Library Management Journal, Vol. 25, No. 4, p p. 232-234. Smith, I. (2006), ‘Benchmarking human resource development: an emerging area of practice’, Library management Journal, Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 401-410. Wong, K. Y. (2005), â€Å"Critical success factors for implementing knowledge management in small and medium enterprises†Industrial Management and Data Systems, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp. 272-289.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Sop Cassava Processing Essay Example

Sop Cassava Processing Essay |Document ID: |Standard Operating Procedures’ Title: |Print Date: | |ORIGIN-CA2 |CASSAVA PROCESSING |08/07/2012 | |Revision: |Written By: |Date Prepared: | |01 |Ayodele E. J. AJAYI, General Manager Operations |08/07/2012 | |Effective Date: |Reviewed By: |Date Reviewed: | |mm/dd/yyyy | |mm/dd/yyyy | | |Approved By: |Date Approved: | | | |mm/dd/yyyy | |Applicable Standard: None | |Company: ORIGIN Group of Companies Limited Vegefresh Foods Limited, Nigeria. | |In Africa, cassava is mostly used for human consumption in various forms ranging from boiling the fresh tuber to processing it into cassava flour. |[pic] Cassava starch in the making: freshly harvested roots roll | |along a conveyor belt at a processing plant in Brazil | | | |[pic] | | | | | | | | | |Cassava Starch. | | | | | Policy: It is a policy of this Company to provide Standard Operating Procedure documents that contain instructions on how to perform assigned tasks. Purpose: The purpose of this document is to ensure that routine tasks on the farm are performed safely, qualitatively and in compliance with applicable regulations. Below are some of the ways, this Standard Operating Procedure could have direct or indirect positive impact on ORIGIN Group’s Agric business performance: a) People need consistency to achieve top performance. This SOP will reduce system variation, which is the enemy of production efficiency and quality control. b) This SOP will facilitate training. We will write a custom essay sample on Sop Cassava Processing specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sop Cassava Processing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sop Cassava Processing specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Having complete step-by-step instructions helps trainers ensure that nothing is missed and provides a reference resource for trainees. c) This SOP can be an excellent reference document on how a task is done and what are the expectations from employees filling in on the jobs they do not perform on a regular basis. d) This SOP can help in conducting performance evaluations. They provide a common understanding for what needs to be done and shared expectations for how tasks are completed. e) Employees can coach and support each other if there is documentation available on exactly how various tasks must be done and everyone knows what their co-workers are supposed to be doing. This can also help generate a more cooperative team approach to getting all the daily tasks done correctly, everyday. f) This SOP encourages regular evaluation of work activity and continuous improvement in how things are done. Scope: This SOP is written for Production Managers, Lab Technician, Factory workers and Sales Distributors. The specific tasks within â€Å"Cassava Processing† are covered. This SOP does not cover the Cassava Production, Harvesting and Marketing. Responsibilities: The Production Managers, Lab Technician, Factory workers and Sales Distributors should be responsible for coordinating and implementing the Cassava Processing Factory and product sales tasks. The Production Manager is responsible for training and managing the Factory Workers, Supervisors, Lab Techs etc; Production Manager should support the objectives policies of the Company and provide input to further development of SOPs. He/she would be responsible for planning, organizing, supervising and managing the activities of the entire factory and the routine maintenance of all factory equipment. Factory Workers are expected to discharge their duties efficiently and in compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures, work manual and equipment manual provided. The Standard Operating Procedures 1. 0 Cassava processing Cassava processing aims at increasing the quality and storability of cassava tubers. This enhances the ability of the farmers to develop additional products, such as baking products out of cassava flour. It further ensures reduction or total elimination of undesirable toxic constituents in cassava so that it is suitable for human consumption. A. Producing Cassava Flour and Chips: I. Using low-cyanide varieties Freshly harvested cassava is peeled using a knife. The peeled cassava is then washed and sliced into smaller pieces (chips). These are then dried on a raised platform under direct sun for about 2 days or specially-made driers, until moisture content of about 8 to 10 % is reached. Properly dried chips become tough to break, but crumble into flour when hit with a hard item like a hammer. The drying process should be done continuously and the drying chips should not be exposed again to water to avoid molding. The chips may then be ground or milled into flour; dried chips store better than flour. II. Using high-cyanide varieties Freshly uprooted cassava are peeled and sliced into smaller pieces (chips). The sliced chips are then dried in the sun for about 3 days to about 14 % moisture content. The chips are then soaked in water for 8 hours, and dried again to a moisture content of about 8 %. B. Producing Gari Fermented cassava dough: Gari is a creamy-white or yellow dried cassava product, common in West Africa. It is prepared by peeling the outside of the tuber skin and washed. The washed tubers are then grated using a grater. It is then packed in bags with holes to drain off the liquid and left to ferment for 1 to 5 days, depending on the preferred flavour. The fermented material is then pressed to let out the extra water leaving a cassava cake. The remaining cake is broken loose and spread on frying metal trays above a fire. The particles are fried until crisp and dry, about 10 % moisture content. The gari is then cooled, sieved and packed for sale or storage. C. Cassava Starch extraction After washing and peeling, roots are grated to release starch granules. The starch milk water containing suspended granules then, separated from the pulp, after which the granules are separated from the water by sedimentation or in a centrifuge. At that point, the starch requires solar or artificial drying to remove moisture before being milled, sieved and packed. In artisanal production systems, daily starch output ranges from 50 to 60 kg of starch per worker, while semi-mechanized processing can yield up to 10 tonnes a day. In modern, fully mechanized starch extraction plants, daily output is as high as 150 tonnes. Cassava Processing Equipment I. Traditional cassava processing does not require sophisticated equipment. Processing cassava into gari requires equipment such as grater, presser and fryer. The traditional cassava grater is made of flattened kerosene tin or iron sheet perforated with nails and fastened onto a wooden board with handles. Grating is done by rubbing the peeled roots against the rough perforated surface of the iron sheet which tears off the peeled cassava root flesh into mash. In recent years, various attempts have been made to improve graters. Graters which are belt-driven from a static 5 HP Lister type engine have been developed and are being extensively used in Nigeria. Its capacity to grate cassava is about one ton of fresh peeled roots per hour. II. For draining excess liquid from the grated pulp the sacks containing the grated pulpy mass are slowly pressed down using a 30-ton hydraulic jack press with wooden platforms, before sieving and roasting into gari. Stones are used in traditional processing to press out the excess moisture from the grated pulp. Tied wooden frames are used for this purpose in places where stones are not available. Pans made from iron or earthen pots are used for roasting the fermented pulp. Fuel wood is the mad or source of energy for boiling, roasting, steaming and frying. Fuel wood may not be easily and cheaply obtained in the future because of rapid deforestation. III. Slight changes in the equipment used in processing can help to save fuel and lessen the discomfort, health hazard, and drudgery for the operating women. The economic success of any future commercial development of cassava processing would depend upon the adaptability of each processing stage to mechanization. However, the first step to take for improvement of cassava technologies should be to improve or modify the simple processing equipment or systems presently used, rather than to change entirely to new, sophisticated, and expensive equipment. Storage of cassava processed products Processing, particularly drying and roasting, increases shelf life of cassava products. Good storage depends on the moisture content of the products and temperature and relative humidity of the storage environment. The moisture content of gari for safe storage is belong 12. 7%. When temperature and relative humidity are above 27 °C and 70% respectively, gari goes bad (Igbeka 1987). The type of bag used for packing also affects shelf life depending on the ability of the material to maintain safe product moisture levels. Jute and hessian bags are recommended in dry cool environments because they allow good ventilation (Igbeka 1987). When gari, dried pulp and flour are well dried and properly packed, they can be stored without loss of quality for over one year. Dried cassava balls (kumkum) can be stored for up to 2 years (Numfor end Ay 1987). Chickwangue, Myondo and Bobolo can be preserved for up to 1 week but they can be kept for several more days when recooked. Cassava leaves as vegetable I. Cassava shoots of 30 cm length (measured from the apex) are harvested from the plants. The hard petioles are removed and the blades and young petioles are pounded with a pestle in a mortar. A variation of this process involves blanching the leaves before pounding. The resulting pulp is then boded for about 30-60 minutes. In some countries, the first boiled water is decanted and replaced. Pepper, palm-oil and other aromatic ingredients are added. The mixture is then boiled for 30 minutes (Numfor and Ay 1987). Unlike the roots that are essentially carbohydrate, cassava leaves are a good source of protein and vitamins which can provide a valuable supplement to predominantly starchy diets. Cassava leaves are rich in protein, calcium, iron and vitamins, comparing favorably with other green vegetables generally regarded as good protein sources. The amino acid composition of cassava leaves shows that, except for methionine, the essential amino acid values in cassava exceed those of the FAO reference protein (Lancaster and Brooks 1983). II. The total essential amino acid content for cassava leaf protein is similar to that found in hens egg and is greater than that in oat and rice grain, soybean seed, and spinach leaf (Yeoh and Chew 1976). While the vitamin content of the leaves is high, the processing techniques for preparing the leaves for consumption can lead to huge losses. For example, the prolonged boiling involved in making African soups or stews, results in considerable loss of vitamin C. III. Cassava leaves form a significant part of the diets in many countries in Africa. They are used as one of the preferred vegetables in most cassava growing countries, particularly in Zaire, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The cassava leaves prepared as vegetable are called sakasaka or pondu in Zaire, Congo, Central African Republic and Sudan, Kizaka in Angola, Mathapa in Mozambique, Chigwada in Malawi, Chombo or Ngwada in Zambia, Gweri in Cameroon, Kisanby in Tanzania, Cassada leaves in Sierra Leone, Banankou boulou nan in Mali, Mafe haako bantare in Guinea, and Isombe in Rwanda. They are mostly served as a sauce which is eaten with chickwangue, fufu, and boiled cassava. Revision History: Revision |Date |Description of changes |Requested By | |01 |08/07/2012 |Initial Release | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | References: http://www. fao. org/index_en. htm http://www. fao. org/ag/agp/agpc/gcds/ [pic] The Global Cassava Partnership, a consortium formed under the auspices of the FAO-facilitated Global Cassava Development Strategy by international organizations, including FAO, CIAT, IFAD and IITA, national research institutions, NGOs and private partners. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Starting a Cassava Farm – IPM Field Guide for Extensions Agents. 2008; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Disease Control in Cassava Farms. IPM Field Guide for Extension Agents; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Weed Control in Cassava Farms. 2000. IPM Field Guide for Extension Agents; In-Service Training Trust (ISTT). Cassava Production Field Guide. 2008. NRDC Campus, Lusaka, Zambia. ORIGIN Group’s SOP: Confidential and Proprietary Page 6