Example of the Stages of Building Maintenance

Building careTable of Contentss Abstraction Introduction DEFINITION OF BUILDING MAINTENANCE SCOPE OF BUILDING MAINTENANCE WORK Preventive care: Day to twenty-four hours fixs: Emergency fixs: Servicing plants: Minor plants: Designation of Possible Defects Defect Due to Dampness Cracks in walls: Rising Damp: Cracks in Structural Components: 1: Stains & A ; Moulds on the Cantilever ceiling: 2: Mounds found of external wall: 3: Cracks in howitzer articulations: 4: White discolorations on lower degree of Inner wall: 5: Dark stains & A ; fungus/moulds on the entryway manner: 6: Roof Gutter Collapsed: 7: Cracks within the Floor: Designation of Maintenance Generator Remedial Measures for the defects identified DecisionAbstractionThis study is based on the planning facet of the edifice. Planing a edifice is an imagitavie procedure, building the edifice is the realisation of the dreams of an designer, but the care of the edifice makes it worthy of its functional usage for which it is designed. A decently maintained edifice is an immoveable plus of an person. The primary of a edifice is to supply precautions to its dwellers against external conditions conditions, against the scorching Sun & A ; thundering rain, etc. To utilize the maximal potency of a edifice, it should hold to be decently maintained. Each & A ; every edifice has a continuance which is like 30 – 40 old ages. As per the external conditions conditions & A ; type of use of edifice & A ; its functionality decides how long a edifice can prolong itself. A edifice is a non- life thing, it can non mend itself. For this an effectual maintained unit should be placed. Besides periodic visit of an designer along with MEP adviser s hould be done to look into any mishappening. This study is prepared based upon the templet of indentifying the defects in the Architecture edifice, done with the aid of ocular photographic certification. This study will cover the elaborate & A ; elaborated survey of the assorted edifice defects happening in assorted parts of architecture edifice. Detailed survey of defects, its causes every bit good as its redresss are to be provided in this study. The study will besides speak about designation of a future care generator.IntroductionA edifice comprised of structural burden bearing units like foundations, beams, columns, floors & A ; slabs. These are the parts which require thorough idea design, an effectual procedure of building carried out as per the structural demands & A ; recommendations of the structural applied scientist & A ; last but non the least, a proper in topographic point care system to maximise the life of such structural units. Other than structural units, a edifice has non- burden bearing constituents which comprises of walls, external facing done for aesthetical intent, shocking & A ; false ceiling etc. These are the constituents of the edifices which are to be designed by the designer & A ; constructed by the civil applied scientist. Other than this, a MEP adviser is to be hired to overlook the integrating of architecture, construction & A ; services. The architecture edifice of the University of Newcastle is constructing made in Brick tile. The architecture edifice is a land + 2 floor edifice, has studio suites, category suites, conference hall, etc. The usage of wood as a inveighing stuff is a distinctive feature of the edifice.DEFINITION OF BUILDING MAINTENANCECare of a edifice cost more than building it. Proper care of care is a word picture of love & A ; attention for the infinite we are utilizing. Be it our place, our university, our office composite etc. There are certain parametric quantities which define how & A ; up to which restri ct a edifice should be maintained. a edifice decently maintained so that it provides its users safety & A ; security against external conditions.SCOPE OF BUILDING MAINTENANCE WORKHarmonizing to Burgess & A ; White ( 1979 ) , care work of a edifice is divided into two parts. The really first is explicating a planned plan comprising of betterment every bit good as redevelopment in a edifice. The range of this betterment & A ; redevelopment is chiefly due to sudden failure in the assorted public presentation standards of a edifice. Five major types of care plants are elaborated by Burgess & A ; White. Following the chief types of care plants: – Preventive care: This includes minimal preventative steps done at an early phase of defect sensing. The stating or bar is better than remedy is the footing of this type of care work. Like keeping the roof prior to the rainy season is an activity of such type of work. Day to twenty-four hours fixs: This fix is the most of import type of care carried out by the house lady of the edifice or the individuals engaged in edifice care. Emergency fixs: Certain fixs are to be done on an exigency footing. The toppling of a wall, bending of a roof, moistness of wall or roof etc are the illustration of such sort exigency fixs. Servicing plants: This fix is done on a periodic footing. Normally a edifice requires painting & A ; cleaning work on a annual footing. The care of roof against the moistness & A ; escape against H2O ooze is to be done one time in two old ages. Minor plants: Such sort of plants includes minor repairing of assorted constituents of constructing like doors, Windowss, healthful plants etc. This range of this study includes elaborate designation of defects done through templet & A ; the solutions of such sort of solutions to be done for care. Both the major every bit good minor defects are to be identified along with their solutions. All the remedial solutions are to be based on a proper constructional technique to be used among the Australian peninsula.Designation of Possible DefectsFor an architectural edifice of the University of Newcastle or for any edifice assorted defects can happen sing the age group of the edifice. A building defect can render the edifice insecure & A ; can put on the line the lives of the people utilizing the edifice. A damaged/collapsed edifice will non merely ensue in loss of money but consequences in a loss to the society by the danger posed by the edifice. This besides consequences in loss of money in mending the edifice etc. A building defect is different from the usual clip bound defect caused in any edifice due to aging. The clip edge de fect depends upon the lastingness & A ; workability of the structural constituents of the edifice. The following are the general type of defects common in all edifice due to constructional failure, structural failure or design failure. Defect Due to Dampness: The addition in wet content in the dirt every bit good as in the air, can consequences in moistness of the walls, if moist proofing class is non used, provided at the pedestal of the edifice. To minimise the ooze of H2O through capillary action organize the dirt, a moist proofing class is to be given beneath all the walls excepting the door gaps. Cracks in walls: Due to shrinkage consequence of the bomber dirt, walls tend to develop cleft all along the length of wall. This cleft is a consequence of settling consequence of the bomber dirt, due to which a part of a wall tends to switch downwards, ensuing in clefts. Proper dirt trial all at major junctions of walls, foundations & A ; columns are to be conducted to avoid such sort of clefts. Rising Damp: Due to the failure of moist cogent evidence class beneath the plinth protection of the edifice, moistness rises to the wall, making a white pulverization like surfacing on the walls above the pigments. The moistness causes major populating conditions jobs to the dwellers of the edifice, particularly if the site of the edifice is non opened from any side. Cracks in Structural Components: The foundations, columns, roofs & A ; beams are the parts of structural stableness of the edifice. Cracks develop due to permeableness of concrete, thermic motion which takes topographic point within the concrete & A ; steel etc. Proper structural every bit good as architectural design along the building to be done as per edifice norms is a solution to avoid the clefts. The prostration of edifice due to clefts in structural constituents is unsafe the lives of the people. A edifice such as Architectural College of the University of Newcastle, which is a G+ 2 construction, will hold some general type of defects including both building defect every bit good as age edge defect. Following types of defects have been identified in the edifice of architectural college of the Newcastle University: 1: Stains & A ; Moulds on the Cantilever ceiling: This defect found in the external corridor of the land degree of architecture edifice due to miss of care every bit good as non functional use of the ceiling visible radiations. The redress for this sort of defect will be proper cleanliness to be carried out along all the corridor of the edifice peculiarly for the ceiling of corridor. Using the light fixtures during dark may turn out to be the best solution which will guarantee care. 2: Mounds found of external wall: Due to increase in wet content & A ; breakage of moist cogent evidence class beneath the pedestal of the edifice, moistness rises on the external wall which is along the south side of edifice. It is of import to observe that. Although the south side gets maximal Sun, but due to dampness, mould can still be found. Proper landscaping strategy is besides to be formulated which can ensue in incursion of sunbeams up till the wall. 3: Cracks in howitzer articulations: Vertical clefts are seen on the wall around the first assistance child located at land floor of the architecture edifice. The possible cause of these clefts is the shrinking in the Sue dirt due to increase in wet content. Soil proving to be done on an immediate footing, which will quantify the shrinking happening in the bomber dirt. Coating of H2O proofing Si bed is to be done on an pressing footing all along the walls of the land floor. 4: White discolorations on lower degree of Inner wall: These white discolorations are the consequence of combination of termite action & A ; moistness. With addition in Dampness, termite & A ; other insects grows which hampers the open cements howitzer in the brickwork. Anti- termite spray along with H2O cogent evidence Si pigment is to make be done on pressing footing. 5: Dark stains & A ; fungus/moulds on the entryway manner: The non- usage of any infinite within the edifice is the greatest enemy which renders the edifice prone to multiple defects. By the photographic observation, it seems that the entryway is non of much usage by the pupils every bit good as staff of the college. Lack of care is straight seeable from the exposure. Proper cleansing is required, with encouragement needed to utilize this infinite. 6: Roof Gutter Collapsed: The technique of supplying trough for taking the rain H2O from the roof is an old technique that requires periodic betterment. Chocking of trough will ensue in accretion of H2O through the roof. 7: Cracks within the Floor: Due to tension turning with the concrete in the absence of enlargement articulations or any other articulations.Designation of Maintenance GeneratorThe Architecture edifice has many care generators. The care generators are those factors which act as an external factor upon edifice constituents. Due to Dampness, white pulverization like substance gets accumulated on the articulations of the walls, Due to termite action, doors & A ; wooden Windowss becomes hollow from indoors, such factors are called as care generators. Certain care generators are found within the edifice, which can be prevented by taking immediate action & A ; by commanding the proper use & A ; functionality of the edifice. Addition in Moisture Non use of certain edifice parts like the entryway of the architectural edifice Shrinking of bomber dirt Orientation of the edifice ( South facade of the edifice gets maximal Sun but still shows mark of moistness ) Functional infinite allotment Proper care to be doneRemedial Measures for the defects identifiedWith the nature of defect & A ; use of edifice, the nature of redress will differ. For the defects like perpendicular & A ; horizontal clefts, certain building techniques are to be followed which was non practiced earlier during the clip of building. Following steps are to be provided against some general defects found in the architectural edifice: – Dampness Redress: To avoid moistness doing failing of critical edifice constituents, following techniques are to be used:Provision of get bying rock to be done on all wall parapets.The incline of get bying rock should be inside the, towards roof non on the exterior.R.C.C. protective round gola should be made on all the corners & A ; junctions of the roof & A ; wall.The oral cavity of rainwater pipe should be sealed with H2O proofing sealer.Water proofing of crystalline Si is to be done on all the walls, to be done regularly twice a twelvemonth.Crack Redress: For look intoing against the perpendicular cleft, developed in the brick wall, sulphate content of the brick is to be checked, so that it does non respond with wet over a period of clip & A ; causes flower, which is the deposition of sulfate salt over the brick.For the clefts developed in concrete construction, following redress should be used against each peculiar type of cleft:for bar against shrinking of the bomber dirt, found ations is to be taken every bit much deep as possible to supply a amalgamate difficult province of stones to rest upon & A ; reassign the burden every bit on the bouldery interior surface of the Earth.Site sloped should be decently calculated, designed & A ; maintained.Damp H2O proofing is to be done in dual bed for sites where the land H2O tabular array is much higher.Overloading of any sort should non be entrained, for each burden there should be an structural constituents to bear its burden.Expansion spreads to be provided in roofs every bit good as floors for tenseness & A ; compaction actions in the concrete every bit good as steel.Alternate Method with Cost EstimationTo supply a cost effectual redress for any defect, will turn out to be sustainable in nature when the cost appraisal is to be concerned. Common method of bar & A ; protection of the assorted edifice defects are possible which are really cost effectual. It used locally available redresss, therefore cut downing the dependences on the high tech chemicals & A ; machine intensive plants for assorted defect. Use of landscape which repels the white ants & A ; insects is an first-class method to look into the termite action with the edifice. Such workss are to be planted in thrower plantation owner & A ; placed all along the external wall. It will besides heighten the aesthetical quality of the infinite along with supplying safety from insects & A ; termite. To forestall the wet content in the bomber dirt near the plinth country of edifice, workss necessitating more H2O are to be used as landscape elements. Plants like cactus & A ; other desert plantation owners can be used.Short & A ; Long Term Maintenance PlanShort & A ; Long term care program comprises of redress for assorted type of plants to be done under care direction. Prevention against moistness, molds, slickness, paying attending to the fresh facilitates of the edifices are a portion of short term program which will non take much clip & A ; based upon the templet are ranked 3 – 5 on the precedence footing. While long term programs include intervention against moistness by the H2O proofing Si pigment spray & A ; intervention of structural constituents like clefts, trough ooze etc.DecisionThe university architecture college is a non an old edifice, all the defects reported in the appraisal & A ; designation of the edifice are chiefly due to miss of proper care. The edifice is reasonably good conditions. The full defect runing near to 1 is to be treated on an pressing footing. Protection from moistness is really indispensable. For a organic structure to stay fit, we have to utilize each and every organic structure portion, the same expression goes worth the edifice, if you cease to utilize the infinite it will discontinue to be & amp ; act like a functional infinite. With the readying of short term programs on an pressing footing, the care section would make a healthy start up for care of the edifice which is the really psyche of Architecture College. 1|Page

Functional Skills †Literacy Letter Writing Essay

I belong to a group called ‘Community Concern’. We as a group provide volunteers for community projects. I have recently seen the advert in the local paper about the old bus station being redeveloped and our group have all decided that we would like to volunteer to clean up the area before the work starts We have a lot of our own equipment, and we do supply things for this such as; Gardening equipment; †¢ Shovels †¢ Lawn movers †¢ Chainsaws †¢ Rakes †¢ Garden Forks †¢ Hedge trimmers and †¢ Leaf blowers General equipment; †¢ Buckets †¢ Yard brushes †¢ Paint †¢ Litter Pickers †¢ Gloves However, although we do provide this equipment there is on vital thing that we may need from the local council and that is a skip to put all the waste materials into once we’re done with it. I feel that this would be something we could discuss at a later time. Our group Community Concern are committed to improving the appearance of the local area and we feel that this project will strengthen the community and maybe even bring new people into the local area. Our Volunteers take pride in the work that they complete and are an asset to the group. They have completed a number of renovation projects over the years, the most recent being the re-decoration of the leisure centre a few weeks ago. I would like to thank you from all of us at Community Concern for taking the time to read this letter. And will leave you with our contact number in the hope that it would be possible to set up a meeting to discuss all the issues I have brought up today and hopefully to finalise some details and start planning the work!

Research Paper Taxation Essay

Wage is the fixed amount of compensation for service rendered covering a fixed period of time, usually hours, or fixed amount of work. It is usually a compensation given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to a salesperson based on the amount of his sales. This amount is usually added to basic salary. Bonus is given to simulate employees to work more efficiently and effectively (Valencia & Roxas, 2009) To make sure that employees comply with BIR regulation and local government laws, companies must include crucial employee and company information in their payroll systems. Setting up and running the different components that comprise a payroll system requires due diligence and adequate knowledge of tax legislation. Employee’s benefits In Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) 19, paragraph 7 states that employees benefits are all forms of consideration given by an entity in exchange of services rendered by employees. These benefits may be paid directly to the employee’s or to their dependents, such as their children or spouses. These can be settled by payment in cash in form goods and services. Paragraph 4 of PSAS 19 enumerates the following four classes: (a) short term employee benefits; (b) post-employment benefits; (c) other term employee benefits; and, (d) termination. Employee information During the new hire process, companies must collect information such as medical insurance and W-2 forms to determine what should be deducted from an employee’s paycheck. These forms also provide employers which crucial information, such as the employee’s Social Security number and their withholding amount for government tax purposes. The systems must also track and process changes made to the employee’s tax exemption status, pensions, insurance plans or retirement funds. Salary information As part of the new hire process, payroll systems include a component that designates which employees are full time, part time and contractors. Classifying worker in a payroll system is important since the government levies high penalties on companies that categorize employees incorrectly. Applicable taxes and deductions The National internal Revenue Code (R. A 8424) requires the employer to withhold portion of the salaries earned by employees that will at least approximate an income tax due of the earner relative to the income earned. The monthly or semi-monthly withholding s taxable could be obtained from the BIR to serve as guide as to what amount to be withheld from the salary of the employee (http://www. ehow. com/list_6725482_components-payroll-system. html, 17 July 2010). In preparing a payroll, certain government mandated contributions needed to be deducted from the gross play of each employee. These include withholding taxes, PAG-IBIG, SSS (Social Security System) and PhilHealth contributions. Withholding taxes is remitted to BIR while PAG-IBIG is remitted to Home Development and Mutual Fund (HDMF) (Cabrera, Ledesma & Lupisan, 2009). Other payroll withholdings include employee contributions to benefits, retirement accounts, and charities, these are determined by the employee during the fringe benefits selection process offered by their employer and must be taken into account as well as any employer matches when reporting payroll . Methods of Payroll Computation A payroll system involves everything that has to do with the payment of employees and the filing of employment taxes. This includes keeping track of hours, calculating wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, thus appropriate methods must be applied in the computation to achieve a desirable output. More and more aspects of payroll are being handled electronically. Methods include direct paycheck deposit, debit cards, payroll and non-payroll, use Web-based information system to allow employees access, with a secure password, to their individual payroll records including pay stubs, an earnings record and in some cases, employer information, such as the company manual or health insurance plan overview (Banning, 2008) Giove (1993) stated the seven methods for computing payroll: Hourly Rate Plan Employees paid on an hourly rate plan receive a fixed amount for each hour they work. An employee’s regular earnings are equal to the employee’s hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked during the payroll period. Salary Plan Salaried employees receive a fixed amount for each payroll period, whether weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. If an employee on the salary plan works less than the regular hours during a payroll period, the employer may deduct for the time lost, although in most cases the employer does not make such a deduction. Regular earnings would be determined by multiplying that hourly rate by the actual number of hours the employee worked during the payroll period. Overtime Pay All employees in all establishments and undertakings whether for profit or not are entitled to overtime pay for work rendered beyond eight (8) hours. But this does not apply to managerial employees, field personnel, and members of the family of the employer who are dependent on him for support, domestic helpers, person in the personal service of another, and workers who are paid by results. Employees in the government are also entitled to overtime pay but they are governed by Civil Service laws and rules. Only employees in the private sector are covered by the Labor Code. Guaranteed Wage It is a written agreement to pay an employee a guaranteed minimum amount regardless of the hours worked, with an extra half-hour premium for hours over 40. Piece – Rate Plan It is a compensation plan whereby employee earnings depend on the units produced. Commission Plan Sales commission plans vary greatly from company to company but are generally based on the sales made during payroll period. Combination Plan This is a compensation method whereby employees receive a fixed amount of salary for each payroll period plus an extra amount for production (piece-work) or sales (commission). Timekeeping Records Accurate timekeeping is an essential part of an efficient payroll system. Every business must have an orderly method of recording the hours employees worked during the payroll period. The time records show the date and the time the workweek starts, the number of hours worked each day, and the total hours worked during the week. Time records are filed after the payroll is prepared and, in accordance with the requirements of the law, retained up to three years. The most common methods of timekeeping use a time clock with timecards or a time sheet. There are two primary reasons to maintain accurate payroll records. First, is the collection of the data necessary to compute the compensation for each employee for each payroll period. Second, provision of information needed to complete the various government report-federal and state- required of all employees. All business enterprise both large and small are required by law to withhold certain amounts from employees’ pay for taxes, to make payment to government agencies by specific deadlines, and submit reports on official forms. (McQuaig & Bille, 2008). Other Aspects of Payroll Accounting System Payroll Register The payroll register summarizes employee earnings and deduction information in a journal entry that is inserted into the general ledger for accounting and general research purposes. Payroll registers are also used to create tax report. These documents are prepared by payroll staff or generated using payroll computer system. Payroll Services The meteoric success of payroll services is not accidental, but rather a reflection of the business community’s willingness to outsource the tedious and complex task of payroll accounting to outside specialists. The upside of outsourcing payroll is that payroll services ensure that the company complies with laws pertaining to payroll. That is a big deal considering the time investment it would take the payroll officer to stay current on payroll-related legislation. Another big plus is that payroll services are responsible for keeping track of each employee’s accumulated earning, tax withholding, and other information needed to issue W-2 forms at the end of the year. They also stay on top of things like direct deposits, salary adjustment, quarterly tax payments and all of the other details that can be distraction from the important job of leading the company (http://Gaebler. com/payroll-services, 8 Aug, 2010). In-house Payroll If contracting a payroll service does not sound like a good fit for a business, the management also has the option of doing it in-house. But if the management plans on saving money by personally administering the payroll, having more alternatives will be a better idea. Even if the company only has a few employees, dealing with payroll-related details can be a waste of time. Instead, designating the job to an employee who can give it the time it requires so precious time can be dedicated to other things (http://Gaebler. com/in-house-payroll, 8 Aug, 2010). Whoever ends up doing payroll in the company will be happy to know that there is a lot of software out there to help them. In fact, most accounting software solutions have payroll modules. Start by assessing the capability of their current accounting software program. If it does not have a built-in payroll function, chances are it is available from the manufacturer as an add-on. If it is not, then the company needed to decide whether to change accounting to one that does or attempt to find a payroll program that is compatible with the current system. Either way, it is worth the time to find a computerized system that meets the company’s needs rather than trying to do it the old-fashioned way. Internal Control A district’s accounting and payroll functions are critical for the maintenance of a solid financial foundation. Accurate and timely financial reports are crucial to administration and board decision-making. Payroll must be accurate, as it represents the district’s largest budgeted expenditure. Internal controls must safeguard the district’s assets from misappropriation. Payroll processing is an error prone activity. If organizations have just one or two employees it may seem relatively easy to compute salaries outstanding, taxes etc, but as small business starts adding employees they find spending more and more time in computation of salaries including variable pay. Errors are common in the full and final settlement and increases when employees join in the middle of a term as the processes are manual (http://ezinearticles. om/? expert=Mikael Anderson, 4 Aug, 2010). Waterhouse (2010) said in one of his studies that the objective of internal controls for payroll is to ensure that payroll disbursements are properly recorded and that related legal requirements (such as payroll tax deposits) are complied with. Segregation of duties is an effective internal control. The bank reconciliation clerk reconciles the bank accounts and is not involved in processing or approving items for payment. A payroll administrator, supervisor, specialist and six clerks perform the payroll function. The Human Resources Department (HRD) enters employee data into a database share by Personnel and Payroll and sets the rate of pay. The software system controls the ability of individuals to change information based on their access to the system. This prevents unauthorized individuals from changing this information (http://window. state. tx. us, 6 Aug, 2010). Gelinas, Sutton and Hunton (2005) included in their study some of the procedures that can be used to prevent or detect schemes. First is the direct deposit of payroll to eliminate alteration, forgery and theft of paper check. Second, is checking for duplicate names, addresses, and Social Security number in the employee data, finally is comparing actual to budgeted payroll. Expense Accounts are often an area of fraud and abuse. This include: (a) using legitimate documentation from personal expense for the business expenses; (b) overstating expenses by altering receipts; (c) submitting fictitious expenses by submitting copies of invoices. Such abuses can be minimized by formulating reasonable policies that compensate employees for their out-of-pocket expenses. Copies of invoices should only be accepted in extreme circumstances. Finally, expense account activities should be monitored on a regular basis to detect unusual patterns (Gelinas, Sutton & Hunton, 2005). Payroll Fraud Connection Payroll, similar to cash disbursements, is an area ripe with fraud potential. After all, large organizations will make thousands of payments to employees for payroll and expenses account reimbursement every payroll period. Firth (2006) expresses that Payroll Fraud is an important issue that needs to be addressed by both Finance and Payroll professionals. Some of the key activities need to be considered include: improving the quality of master file data, reviewing the end to end payroll process, and reviewing the people that are performing each step in the payroll function. It is worth remembering that improving each of these areas will not only reduce the risk of payroll fraud, it will also result in many other business improvements right across the organization. Here are some of the types of payroll frauds, along with the median loss for each to an employer: (a) Ghost Employee, employees do not actually work for the company but receives paychecks. These can be recently departed employees or made-up persons; (b) Falsified hours and salary, employees exaggerate the time that they work or are able to increase the salary in their employee date; (c) Commission Schemes, employees falsify the sales on which commissions are based or increase the commission rate in their employee date; and, (d) False worker’s compensation claims, employees fake injuries to collect disability payments (Gelinas, Sutton & Hunton 2005).

Microbiology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microbiology - Lab Report Example respectively. Introduction: Bacteria are ubiquitous in nature. They are beneficial and harmful to the human beings and animals. Bacteria are present in the food. Probiotics supplements contain specific strains of bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria to increase the gut flora. Beneficial bacteria are present in the food and produce many important biological molecules. In the mozzarella cheese, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are present. Camembert cheese contains lactococcus and penicillium species are present. (Waites et al. 2009). Bacteria can be differentiated based on the enzymes secreted by them. Some enzymes are secreted out by the micro organisms enabling simple biochemical tests. The major exo enzymes present in bacteria are amylases, caseinase, gelatinase (hydrolytic enzymes), oxidase and catalase. (Gunasekaran 2007). Since most of the exoenzymes are hydrolytic enzymes which break down complex substances into simpler molecules, they are us ed as identifiers for the bacteria. (Sharma 2007). Catalase converts hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water and oxidase oxidizes dichlorophenol indophenols from colorless to blue or red. (Benson 2001). The microorganisms present in the given samples can be isolated using the serial dilution technique and plated in the culture medium. The organisms are either gram positive or gram negative. The results obtained from the biochemical tests are used for the identification of the bacteria up to the genus level. (Reed et al. 2007). The number of bacteria present in the given sample is identified as the number of colony forming units. Colony forming units are then used to identify the number of bacteria present in the given diluted sample (Reed et al, 2007). The number of bacteria present in the given sample is calculated using the formula: Number of cells per gram = (Number of colonies (CFUs)) / (dilution x amount plated). The main objectives of this study are 1. Isolation of individual colonies from the given Probiotics, mozzarella cheese and camembert cheese samples. 2. Identification of the bacteria present in the given samples using the biochemical tests. Results: Table 1: food type and the morphological characteristics: Food type characteristics Probiotics 10-6 Circular, cream, raised and undulate Camembert 10-5 Pink, circular, convex and entire Camembert 10-4 Cream, punkiform , entire and convex Mozzarella 10-4 Brown, entire , circular Table 2: Colony count data Sample x10-3 x10-4 x10-5 x10-6 x10-7 probiotic - Greater than 300 Greater than 300 246 - Final count - 3 x 10^8 CFU / ml 3 x 10^9 CFU / ml 2.49 x 10^9 CFU / ml - Camembert 210 104 44 - - Final count 2.1 x 10^6 CFU /g 1.04 x 10^7 CFU / g 4.4 x 10^6 CFU / g - - Mozzarella 3 1 0 - - Final count 3 x 10^4 CFU / g 1x 10^5 CFU / g - - - Figure 1: The number of cells present in the given samples versus the dilution factor: Sample Colony characteristics Food characteristics Catalase Oxidase Gram stain String t est Agglutination Probiotics 10-6 Soured , acidic Circular, cream, raised and undulate x x Positive (blue colored rod shaped cells) v X ( no agglutination was formed ) Probiotics 10-5, Soured , acidic C

India as Emerging Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

India as Emerging Market - Essay Example The preamble of Indian Constitution declares India as sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic and importantly promises social, economic and political justice. Therefore, India is constitutionally a modern social democratic state with a strong emphasis given to ‘socialistic pattern of development’ (Basu, 1994). The Directive Principles of State Policy delineated in part IV of the Indian constitution upholds the notion of an active welfare state which could intervene in the social, religious, and cultural affairs of the country in order to ensure progress. Indian federalism is of a mixed type in which states and the centre effectively wield power distinct areas. However, the centre has supreme power in many areas including the power to dismiss the elected governments at the state level in terms of article 356. For Basu (1994), although the federal system is the basic structure of the government of the country, a strong mixture of unitary bias is apparent. The Panchayati Raj system is a unique characteristic of Indian polity. Kashyap (2002) is the view that â€Å"the seventy-third and seventy-fourth constitutional amendments have made some fundamental changes in our political structure and in the status of local institutions†. Thereafter, governance has been considerably decentralised through panchayats and other institutions of local governance. Although India has a strong economy and an young, vibrant work force, it is still long behind in terms of human development. Health remains an unresolved issue, over half of the children in the country are malnourished. One third of the population still faces chronic hunger. Majority of the population lives with less than a dollar per day. In literacy rate, India is even behind some of the poverty-ridden sub-Saharan countries. And, the gender and regional gap in terms of

Is humanitarian assistance with displaced populations and refugees Essay

Is humanitarian assistance with displaced populations and refugees useful, neutral, or harmful - Essay Example There are several organizations that have been established to look into the issuance of humanitarian assistance to affected individuals of the humanitarian disasters (Slim, 1997). There have been variations in contemporary international relations in 21st century caused by advent of globalization process and termination of the cold war. Struggle for power among states and relationships involving organizations and individuals, have been subjected to numerous alterations resulting in a totally changed international scenario. All these variations have been regarded as a threat to state sovereignty. Domestic and international organizations have come to realize that human rights deprivations are issues that cannot be solely left in the hands of domestic jurisdiction alone (Grossrieder, 2003). In fact, there is more displaced populations and refugees in the 21st century that has led to the formation humanitarian assistance of various kinds. Looking at the happenings and calamities facing the world and various human societies in the 21st century, there has been much work that has been done by Humanitarian Assistance organizations especially in saving and bringing back the joy of life to the displaced populations and refugees in general. Consequently, these organizations (HA) are considered to be useful and not neutral or harmful not only because of the work they undertake as far as Humanitarian Assistance is concerned, but also because of their willingness risk their lives for the sake of displaced persons and refugees in general. The usefulness of HA could be attributed to the need that led to their formation. For instance, the aftermath of the cold war prompted the establishment of the right to humanitarian assistance in different years. First and foremost, the resolution 43-131 that would regulate delivery of humanitarian aid to victims of natural disaster and any other related cause was approved by the UN general assembly in December 8, 1998. A similar resolution

USING EVIDENCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

USING EVIDENCE - Essay Example Leaving children unsupervised, ignoring their needs, and making them feel unworthy are forms of child abuse as well. Several myths are related to child abuse; for instance, abuse is related to violence, only strangers abuse children, and abuse does not occur in families (Saisan, Smith & Segal, 2012). Therefore, it is important for the staff to learn the symptoms and signs of child abuse, and as a result, making a difference in their lives. Schools are regarded as a second home for children; despite the staff being trained on their profession, training on signs of child abuse is also vital. Members of staff can have positive influence on the children’s lives once they detect signs of abuse at an early stage. This is because child abuse has serious effects on children, which affect their academics and future lives as well, such as, the ability to maintain a healthy relationship and lack of self-worth. This essay will discuss whether staff members are trained appropriately to rec ognize signs of child abuse. Both academic and online sources will be used to produce a literature review, and their outcome will be discussed as well. When child abuse is detected at an early stage, it gives room for recovery and effective treatment for the abused child. According to Children First (2011, p.8), child abuse occurs in different forms; neglect involves depriving a child his/her needs such as clothing, food, shelter, security, health care services and love. Therefore, neglect can be defined as ill-treatment of a child by depriving his/her needs. Signs of neglect include frequent absenteeism from school, stealing or begging for food, lack of clothing and medical care, and lack of personal hygiene (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2007; Cambridgeshire county council N.d, p.5). Secondly, emotional abuse occurs when a child is deprived affection, such as, unresponsive parent who neglects his responsibility to the child and unrealistic

Irish Literature in English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Irish Literature in English - Essay Example To what extent those pendulum movements characterize Irish literary identity With the rise of nationalism in Europe, the Irish nation sought to re-discover its own distinct culture, which had progressively been erased by the English hegemony over the Irish territory. While successive British governments had ignored Irish culture and language, the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 allowed new possibilities for the nation to re-discover its forgotten cultural roots. To claim itself a nation-state, Ireland needed to find itself a true national identity (see B. Anderson 2000). As a consequence, national heroes (like Parnell), icons, symbols and traditions embodying national ideals, and the promotion of Irish past history and language, became new standards for self-definition of the nation. Literature obviously had to play an important role in the promotion of this new Irish national identity. The Irish Literary Revival, founded by William Butler Yeats, sought into Irish myths and folklore to discover or re-invent the true roots of Irish identity and get rid of colonialist stereotypes. This created a new Irish literature, developing along nostalgic visions of old rural Ireland (before industrialization) and adapting oral folklore to written narration. However, most poems and plays by Yeats were written in English, revealing a true miscegenation of cultures within the texts. Whereas Yeats' works reworked Irish myths and folklore, the strong influence of Percy Bysshe Shelley unveiled an English "shadow" on his texts. Yeats and the movement that he founded showed a strong will to take distance from the English culture, yet this defiance only proved that the English culture served as a landmark for the creation of an Irish national culture and literary tradition, hence showing that the English influence could never be totally erased. Minority voices versus Irish national literary conventions. Irish nationalists' striving for the recognition of Irish traditions indirectly conveyed a political message (to claim independence), so as to invent an intrinsic antithesis, the concept of "un-Irishness". Ignoring the new Irish national conventions, led by the Celtic Revival, came to be considered as an act of defiance against national standards, and authors who chose to criticize the national narrow conception of "Irishness" indirectly accepted (or sought) an ideological exile from the mainstream. Irish authors who showed a tough scepticism vis--vis new national standards, like James Joyce or Samuel Beckett, were in fact adopting an escape distance from the turbulent issues during the modern era. Writers chose a more peaceful way to deal with the Irish identity, through writing. They considered that re-inventing national traditions had paradoxically erased the liberty that Irish people were so much seeking on their

Write a detailed marketing strategy for WizzAir low cost airline Essay

Write a detailed marketing strategy for WizzAir low cost airline - Essay Example It is projecting its investments in technology to provide safety and comfort for the low-cost traveler. Thus, it is differentiating the brand Wizz Air as an excellent quality, reliable, punctual and friendly airline. This differentiation is manifested in terms of its aircrafts technical quality and ambience, people, promotions, business processes, logos and all communications. With such a market strategy, Wizz Air hopes to maintain its leadership position and be seen as the best low cost airline. Wizz Air started its operations in 2004 with a seed capital of 34 million Euros. Within six months it became one of the leading low-cost airlines for the Central and Eastern European region. Wizz Air had carried over 1.9 million passengers in 2005, thus showing a 300% growth. It has carried a over a record 3 million passengers within 2 years It operates through flights from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia and Romania, and from 5 bases in the CEE - Katowice, Warsaw, Gdansk in Poland, and Budapest in Hungary. It plans to open another base in Bucharest, and has a target to carry 4.5 million passengers in 2007. It flies to 50 European destinations on 56 routes. The airline has been acknowledged as the largest low-cost airline, and the second largest airline of Poland by the Polish Civil Aviation. It was also chosen as the Best Airline of Hungary within 5 months of operations in Hungary. CEO of Wizz Air, JÃ ³zsef VÃ ¡radi, was awarded Brave Innovator’ by the Earnest&Young foundation. Wizz Air has a 15% market share of the Plolish airline market, with a 67% increase in its Polish passengers in 2006. It has a fleet of 9 Airbus 320, which are known for their operational efficiencies. (wizzair.com, 2007) The airline industry in CCE is experience a time of intense competition. There are a number of low-cost airlines that have entered the market, and the market is growing at a slow rate. This

Choose a president Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose a president - Research Paper Example However, at least until 1949, the Russian threat was not significant in its scope and character. It assumed ominous proportions only when Russia began deploying the tool of communism influencing the people and nations of Europe. More to that, the Soviet Russia exploded its nuclear bomb that nullified the US lead over Russia. Due to changing circumstances, economic assistance was not just enough to establish the confidence in the Europe; however, the rearmament of West Germany, and military assistance in Europe became necessary to tackle soviet expansionary motives. Adding fuel to the fire, the Korean War intensified the cold war between two super powers. Truman soon realized that democratically elected governments anywhere in the world would be in jeopardy if the communist aggression having support from Russia was not resisted strongly (Gaddis, 1974). Thus, the Truman Doctrine emerged not in isolation but essentially to counter expansionary Stalin Doctrine. In 1947, President Truman, while addressing a joint session of congress, asked for $400 million economic and military aid for Greece and Turkey with an aim to contain communist onslaught in those countries (Merril, 2006). In fact, between 1947 and 1949, several policy measures were taken by the establishment that included the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Vandenberg Revolution, and the North Atlantic Treaty. It is important to notice that President’s doctrine for the first time had military and economic perspective to contain the soviet communism. These were mainly the psychological measures aimed at developing confidence in the minds of Europeans about democratic means and ways against the juggernaut of communism (Gaddis, 1974). Truman doctrine was hugely successful in its objectives in the sense that it halted the Soviet insurgency in Greek. Moreover, between 1948 and 1952, technical support grants, and loans extended to Europe amounting

Industry Analysis on Food Lion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Industry Analysis on Food Lion - Research Paper Example 13 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 13 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 13 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 13 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 24398/(193406-117645) 14 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 2302/ (12278-2149) =22.7% 14 23538/(180782-109535) 14 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 22118/() 14 Publix Super Markets, Inc. 14 †¢ Stock Analysis 15 In 2012 Food lion fetched $46.69 per share as the highest stock price in that year while in 2013 with just a few months into the New Year, the company has managed to trade as a high of $56.51 this evident growth in share price has been made possible by the good quarter one results and the potential in the retail industry in America. After suffering years of image smear following the undercover report by ABC News year ago, investors and customers alike have totally regained confidence in the ability of Food Lion as a retailer. The company’s stock is expected to rise by double digit percentages b y the end of 2013. 15 External Analysis 16 Internal Analysis 20 Recommendations 23 It is axiomatic to squabble that Food Lion LLC is one of the largest supermarkets chains in the United States. The company is currently operating more than 1200 stores across the country (Anderson, Sweeney& Williams, 2009). The company is operating in an environment that is intended to serve its clients. The company’s grocery chains have been changing its strategy to see an upsurge in their profits. Through the cutting out of its overhead the company has been in a position to offer affordable and low prices to its consumers and still manage to remain profitable and compete well with other big firms. Food Lion has faced increased competition in the past forcing it to reduce the number of workforce and closing of some of the stores spread across 11 states in the country. It has also revitalized the grocery shopping experience through the introduction of the Bloom concept which is intended to prov ide a peculiar convectional layout and also competitive prices. Despite serious competition the company has been facing, it has managed to exponentially increase its sales. The firms sales are backed by a MVP Card which is issued to any client who intends to have it. It has currently added butcher departments, pharmacies; bakery departments, deli departments and also fresh seafood departments so as to favorably compete with other major firms. The discussion in this paper will analyze the operations in the company taking into consideration the firm’s competitors, internal and external operations, financial performance and analysis and the firm’s future projections. This will finally lead us into drawing a conclusion and recommendations to ensure the better performance of Food Lion. Current Situation During the first half of the 21st century, Food Lion was continuously involved in various food experiments with different formats, creating its own brand of ice cream which is low fat, remodeling of a number of stores, and opening of in- store pharmacies. Despite a number of challenges that the firm has been facing, it has overall managed to prosper. The firm has considered satisfying clients as the major source of their strength. It has managed to give its customers on real one stop shopping experience. A microscopic look and analysis of the firm indicates that their main strength is their low price tags. This gives them a competitive edge against their

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Richter (2011), Diversity in and of itself is neither a good nor a bad thing. It’s what we do with it that renders its quality. (para. 1). I believe that as a manger you should always be diverse when communicating to your employees. Diversity is showing a great deal of variety; very different. When you are communicating with your employees you must realize that everyone is different. This is why you have to communicate by different aspects to â€Å"get through† to each person. Many managers in many organizations are very unaware of the unlikeliness of diversity within their organization. Along with diversity in communication there also must be diversity in the organization’s climate. Organization climate is a set of properties of the work environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the employees, that is assumed to be a major force in influencing employee behavior. (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, 2013). In my organization, our corporate entity, developed a Cultural Team. We have one hundred sixty stores in our division, and this team was mandatory in each store. It is a team made up of approximately ten to fifteen store employees. This team is to be a communication byway between the employee and management. The team is designed to develop events within each store to enhance employee morale. In my store we have adopted the idea of the Make a Wish Foundation. We conduct fund raisers, carnivals, cookouts, and holiday events that require help of all store employees and management. This interacts all employees with different cultural ideas. Not only does the team boost employee morale, it also helps management conduct business. The team helps management enforce policies in a manner to which all employees can adapt to. I believe that this team is a valuable asset to our organization. Our Cultural Team not only helps with existing employees, it also has a new hire aspect. When hiring new employees to the organization the team checks out this process.  The team makes sure our managers are being diverse in the making up of our demographics within o ur organization. My organization hires very diversely. The organization has employees with disabilities, male and female, different races, all ages, different religious views, and all ethnicities. I believe that these qualities show the diversity in any organization. It is important to hire employees with all of these differences. I believe that it makes an organization prosper and grow. With diversity also comes being ethical in the workplace. I believe that the manager of an organization serves a huge role in communicating the ethical guidelines. I think that it is the mangers responsibility to set the ethical climate for their organization. â€Å"Ethical climate is best understood as part of an organization’s culture. From the cultural vantage point, an organization is a tribe. As tribal members gather, they develop their own language, stories, beliefs, assumptions, ceremonies, and power structures. These elements combine to form a unique perspective on the world called the organization’s culture, how an organization responds to ethical issues is a part of this culture. Every organization faces a special set of ethical challenges. It creates its own set of values and norms, and develops guidelines for enforcing its ethical standards. Ethical climate, in turn, determines what members believe is right or wrong and shapes their ethical decision making and behavior.† (Johnson, 2008). Along with ethics, and diversity come being a culturally sensitive. Being culturally sensitive in your work environment means â€Å"being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and behavior.† (Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna, 1997). I believe that mangers of any organization must realize that every employee is culturally different. In today’s society the younger generation especially were raised so differently. Young people adhere to a different set of values and communicators than an older generation will. I think as a manager that you have to deal with each situation differently. As a manager get to know your employees on a personal level, so that you may be able to dial into their cultural differences. Lastly comes ethical dimension decision making within an organization. In my opinion, managers should be well aware of all ethical dimensions within their organization. Being a manger always means  being aware of right and wrong. To me that is ethical. My own take on being ethical, is being honest. If an employee comes to you as a manager then it is my opinion that you owe that employee your full attention and honesty. In closing being a manger of any organization takes great skill and dedication. Though a manager and an organization are only as great as its employees. If you treat employees with respect to their own diversity, culture, and ethics, then you should have their respect. I believe that the main aspect that fails people in an organization today is being treated fairly. So if I ever become a manager within my organization, I plan to treat people based on their individual situation. I plan on knowing my people. Reference Page Richter, L. (2011). Bright Hub. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/92553.aspx Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_climate Johnson, C.E. (2008). Creating an Ethical Organizational Climate. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/23172_Chapter_9.pdf Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna, L. (1997). University of Vermont. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~cdci/prlc/unit3_slide/sld005.htm

Factors For Popularity Of Reality TV Show

Factors For Popularity Of Reality TV Show The recent onslaught of new reality programmes on general entertainment channels has once again brought this genre of programming into the limelight. Reality TV is not a new genre here; it has just become more popular (and controversial) now. Reality shows are almost a decade old but thus far, soaps have reigned large in terms of television ratings. With rising competition, however, in recent months, non-fiction-based programmes have made a stunning comeback, albeit in a new avatar-titillating reality programming. After an overdose of saas-bahu (daughter-in-law-mother-in-law) soaps, the producers and also the audience seem to be happy lapping up more realistic soaps (fiction) and reality (non-fiction) programmes. In the list of the top 10 programmes on television currently are two reality shows and some socially relevant soap operas. There are two things about reality shows that attract viewers and generate controversy: the concept of reality or realism; and the shock effect. The concept of reality TV draws from realism in cinema. So, its a format that presents ordinary people in live, supposedly unscripted (though often deliberately manufactured) situations, and monitors or judges their emotions, behaviour or talent. Such formats usually invoke competition and provide big money as rewards. Still, the very dissonance between the fact that these programmes are real and relevant (for the audience) and that contestants usually compete in them for fame and money-thereby being willing to do things they wouldnt otherwise do-raises issues related to the honesty of reality shows. The situation is exacerbated when producers use the concept of reality to shock and awe audiences-one way to break through the clutter. The point still remains: What determines the popularity of reality television show? 2.0 Review of Literature The process of QDA: John Seidel, in his article, discusses at length, the intricacies of the process of qualitative data analysis (QDA). The author goes on to explain that how the complex and rigorous practice of QDA is based on a simple foundation. QDA is described as a process of Noticing, Collecting, and Thinking about interesting things. QDA process has the following characteristics: Iterative and Progressive: The process is iterative and progressive because it is a cycle that keeps repeating. For example, when you are thinking about things you also start noticing few things in the data. You then collect and think about these new things. In principle the process is an infinite spiral. Recursive: The process is recursive because one part can call you back to a previous part. For example, while you are busy collecting things you might simultaneously start noticing new things to collect. Holographic: The process is holographic in that each step in the process contains the entire process. For example, when you first notice things you are already mentally collecting and thinking about those things. 1. Noticing Things and coding data Noticing simply means making observations, writing field notes, tape recording interviews, gathering documents, etc. When you do this you are producing a record of the things that you have noticed. Reading the record helps you focus your attention on that record, and notice interesting things in the record.Coding data is a simple process. When you read a book, underline or highlight passages and make margin notes you are coding that book. 2. Collecting and sorting instances of things This process follows once you have noticed and coded things. The author compares this process to a jigsaw puzzle where you start by sorting the pieces of the puzzle. In a puzzle picture with a tree, a house, and sky, a common strategy for solving it is to identify and sort puzzle pieces into groups ( e.g., frame pieces, tree pieces, house pieces, and sky pieces). When you identify piece, you are noticing and coding them. When you sort the pieces you are collecting them.The author suggests that disassembling, coding, and then sorting and sifting through the data, is the primary path to analysis. But intensive data coding, disassembly, sorting, and sifting, is neither the only way to analyze data, nor is it necessarily the most appropriate strategy. 3. Thinking about things In the thinking process, one examines the things that have been collected with a view to achieve the following goals: . Your goals are: a) to make some type of sense out of each collection, b) look for patterns and relationships both within a collection, and also across collections, and c) to make general discoveries about the phenomena you are researching. One must compare and contrast each of the things that have been noticed in order to discover similarities and differences, build typologies, or find sequences and patterns. In the process one might also stumble across both wholes and holes in the data. Popularity of Reality TV The article explains the results of a new study that examines the ongoing popularity of reality TV. Unlike other shows such as news programs or sitcoms, reality TV allows viewers to imagine themselves as actual participants. People may find a certain fascination in contrasting what they think they would do in a given situation to the actions taken by the real participants a group of individuals they perceive as their peers. In many of the reality shows, ordinary people are placed in exotic, unfamiliar surroundings where they are pitted against the elements. Others focus on ordinary people engaging in common activities such as dating or home redecorating. In both instances, viewers are given the chance to compare and contrast their own lives with those of the shows protagonists. The resulting experience is a complexly constructed and highly individualized experience the researchers call hyper authenticity. That viewers may be drawn by the chance to mentally test their behavior against that of the actual participants contrasts with the common criticism of reality TV viewers as passive voyeurs thereby blending fantasy and reality. Most participants agreed that the main thing that made reality TV shows more interesting than sitcoms is that they are unscripted. In conclusion, the author senses that the success of reality-based entertainment may be the depiction by certain shows that it is totally foreign to viewers. It may reflect nostalgia for authenticity among the class of consumers to whom it is most rigorously denied. According to the researchers, others may appeal simply because they are so familiar, and therefore understandable, to viewers. http://www.wfanet.org/pdf/med_documents/Whatadvertiserswantfromonlinemeasurement.pdf What advertisers want from online audience measurement The objective of this paper is to help inform current and future efforts to advance online audience measurement by providing advertisers constructive input on this vital issue Advertisers increasingly communicate to and interact with their target audiences through the online media in all its variations and platforms for a broad range of purposes and objectives including search, social networks, display, extensions of traditional media, advertisers own sites or services, on fixed and mobile platforms, one-way and interactive. The information needed is specifically related to the following: Assess the appropriateness and economic value of various online media alternatives and vehicles, Predict and plan delivery against targets, build online-and-offline strategies and related media mix, arbitrate between solutions, allocate budget resources and project ROI Purchase commercial space (and/or other inventory, e.g. search) according to properly defi ned and reliable metrics for contacts with the target audience Monitor actual execution and post-analyze if, when and how the purchased spaces or other inventory had been delivered Evaluate the results and ROI to improve future strategies The challenges inherent to the collection and production of the information arise as The online media is still in a nascent stage Exposure or commercial contact themselves are not clearly defined Receptiveness of commercial communication by the audience varies by format The vast majority have small, segmented audiences, the same person belonging to the audiences of a large number of different vehicles. Large samples and/or specific data collection procedures are required.Interactivity provides a major opportunity, which barely exists in other media: Interactivity of the devices: The technical ability to monitor (and potentially track across time) the actual display/delivery of each and every piece of content on every single device in front of the audience Interactivity of the audiences: most frequently the audiences, when reached, are in a posture/situation where feed-back is attitudinally natural and technically possible/seamless. Another opportunity arises from the relative youth of the media. As new measurement systems are introduced in parallel with the medias evolution, the industry can set them up according to the needs of all parties: Consistently across markets whilst benefitting from cross-border sharing of experimentation and experience. Objective statement: To study the factors responsible for popularity of reality TV show Variables: Dependent factor: Performance of reality TV shows Independent factors: (i) Target audience Age group Professional and cultural background Psychological mindset (ii) Social context Political issues in domestic country Social issues in domestic country (iii) TV programming Time slot in which the program is broadcasted TRPs of other TV programmes on this channel (iv) Competition TRPs of TV shows on other channels Profitability of the channel versus that of other channels Target Audience Social Context Popularity of Reality TV show Competition TV programming Measurement of variables Variable Measurement Age group Age group and gender Professional and cultural background occupation, , number of family members, Education, Psychological mindset tourist destination, idle time, you relate to, connect with reality TV program Political issues in domestic country political issue that concern you Social issues in domestic country political issue that concern you Time slot in which the program is broadcasted number of hours of TV watching, length of program (airtime) favorite time of slot for TV TRPs of other TV program on this channel favorite TV programs, TRP ratings (secondary source) TRPs of TV shows on other channels TRP ratings (secondary source) Hypothesis The popularity of reality television shows is influenced by the political issue in the mind of the respondent ( using ANOVA) The popularity of reality television shows is influenced by the social issue in the mind of the respondent (using ANOVA) There is relation between the respondents preference of activity in idle time and different genre of reality television show(using CROSSTABS) There is a relation between age group and preference of time slot (using CROSSTABS) The educational background of the respondents is independent of popularity of reality shows (using Chi Square) There is a relation between the reason for watching TV and popularity of reality TV shows. Research Methodology Recent success of reality television programs made us inquisitive about the factors that dictate their success. We turned this idea into a research question. We reviewed few articles from literature related to this topic so that the knowledge gained will help us in mapping these factors and giving importance to them. We decided to conduct the following studies: Survey-questionnaire: behaviors, beliefs and observations of specific groups are identified, reported and interpreted. Analysis: classes of data are collected and studies conducted to discern patterns and formulate principles that might guide future action We created our hypothesis to continue our studies. Our hypothesis were based on our reading over internet, blogs and personal opinion. The data will be collected and hypothesis will be analyses accordingly. We select convenience sampling methodology for which we created an Online questionnaire in Google documents and passed the link to out friends by email, Google chats and social networking websites. We were able to collect their responses and analyze the data using SPSS 17. We then again checked our hypothesis to reach to the conclusion. On analysis, anomalies in the pattern if any will be captured and the research outcome can create an impact on programming reality television shows in future. The final research report will be submitted to NMIMS university. 6.0 Sampling technique In this form of research, it would be ideal to test the entire population, but the population is just too large that it is impossible to include every individual. This is the reason why we rely on sampling techniques like convenience sampling, the most common of all sampling techniques. Many researchers prefer this sampling technique because it is fast, inexpensive, easy and the subjects are readily available. USES: Researchers use convenience sampling not just because it is easy to use, but because it also has other research advantages. This sampling technique is also useful in documenting that a particular quality of a substance or phenomenon occurs within a given sample. Such studies are also very useful for detecting relationships among different phenomena. CRITICISMS: The most obvious criticism about convenience sampling is sampling bias and that the sample is not representative of the entire population. This may be the biggest disadvantage when using a convenience sample because it leads to more problems and criticisms. Systematic bias stems from sampling bias. This refers to a constant difference between the results from the sample and the theoretical results from the entire population. It is not rare that the results from a study that uses a convenience sample differ significantly with the results from the entire population. A consequence of having systematic bias is obtaining skewed results. Another significant criticism about using a convenience sample is the limitation in generalization and inference making about the entire population. Since the sample is not representative of the population, the results of the study cannot speak for the entire population. This results to a low external validity of the study. Total Sample (n=88)Sample Regular television audience (n=60, 69%) Moderately regular television audience (n=26, 29%) Rarely watch television programs (n=2, 2%) Although we rely on convenience sampling, we have a fairly distributed sample in terms of viewership of television programs Age profile Sex profile Limitation: Since we ask our respondents to rate their favorite reality shows which actually belong to different timelines. Hence the true rating is basically relative to actual shows aired on television channels today. The same limitation also applies to data obtained from Secondary sources Secondary Data We have obtained secondary data from TAM peoplemeter system which measures audience viewership (in the form of TRPs). Since our research is based completely on TRPs, we have obtained the TRP ratings of different genre of Reality shows (Average TRP captured in the period in which the show is captured) Television Rating Interpretation: We observe that the sigma value for Thriller shows, aspirational shows and adventure politics (Fear Factor, Rakhi kaa swayamvar and Roadies) are below 0.05, hence at 95% significance level we reject the null hypothesis (u1 not equal to u2 not equal to u3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. ). This means that we accept the alternate hypothesis which is the popularity of this show depends on social situation in mind of the respondent. For the rest of them, we accept the null hypothesis which states that the popularity of these shows do not depend on social factors. c) Hypothesis: There is relation between preferred activity in idle time and reality television Interpretation: From the above table, we observe that respondents who like meeting and hanging out with friends are generally the ones who rate reality programs on higher side. Another point is those who prefer Socialising with relatives actually like shows with high entertainment value and politics around 50% of Big Boss viewers. D) Hypothesis: there is relation between age group and favorite time slot Interpretation: Assuming 90% level of significance, we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternate one and conclude that the liking of reality television program depends educational background of the respondents. f) Hypothesis: There is a relation between the reason for watching TV and popularity of reality TV shows. Interpretation: The above figure is a Percentage Bar Graph that shows the distribution of responses of various factors that people connect the reality shows with. Roadies Out of all the respondants who have rated Roadies as their favourite show, majority of them connect with Roadies as a pure entertainment show. The next big bunch of individuals connect with Roadies or watch Roadies as a Stress Reliever. It shows that the people interested in this show are looking for something as a stress buster. Big Boss Almost one-third of the respondants who like Big Boss relate to the show as a source of only Entertainment. It is followed by another big set of people who connect with the show as a stress reliever. SaReGaMaPa SaReGaMaPa the musical show also comes out as a major source of entertainment. Rakhi Ka swayamvar Unlike other shows, in case of Rakhi ka Swayamvar, people look at the show as a source of knowledge. This knowledge might include the curiosity of people to understand the prevailing rituals in the society. For most of the other shows, the research highlights that people look at these shows more as a source of general entertainment than anything else.

Honour Killings: Causes and Strategies for Intervention

Honour Killings: Causes and Strategies for Intervention What is honour killing? Every year, hundreds of women are killed in the name of honour by their family members because they have brought shame to the family and the community. Honour killing is defined murdering a member of the family in the name of honour, it is usually the female who is murdered for bringing shame to the family. In rare cases, men are also murdered if they bring dishonour to their family or community. It is believed that honour killing is a private family affair and it should remain between the four walls of the house, no accurate statistics are available on this social evil. It should be noted that honour killing is a gender-neutral concept but overwhelming majority victims are women. The only fundamental difference is that the male accussed of dishonouring might be given a chance to explain his situation before the trible leaders and can escape the death penalty by giving compensation to the family who has been ‘dishonoured’. Women are rarely given oppurtunaties to explain their side of the story and the only possible way to restore the honour is by killing the women who has brought shame to the family. Where does it take place? Pakistan consists of four provinces known as Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and North West Frontier Province(NWFP). The menance known as honour killing frequently all four provinces of Pakistan. In Sindh, the practise of honour killing is known as â€Å"Karo Kari†, meaning ‘black female’ and ‘black male’. In Balochistan it is known Siahkal. The majority of the honour killings take place in rural areas, however, there have been some reported incidents of honour killings in urban cities of Pakistan such as Karachi and Lahore. How can one be dishonoured? Honour killings for a choosing a marriage partner According to the article 16 of Universal Declaration of human rights, both men and women of full age, irrespective race, religion and nationality can enter into marriage with any partner of their choice. It is our fundamental to marry a partner of our choice, however in Pakistan, women are not encouraged to have this right because women are seen as personal property of a man, therefore women should exercise their right. Women are seen as commodity owned and controlled by their fathers, husbands and brothers. Women are not suppose to express any desires and feelings contrary to the wishes of their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Traiditionally women are not allowed to choose their partners for marriage. The head of the family, usually the father, chooses the groom. the bride does not have any say in the process and any defiance against the process is considered a taboo. Women who have been succesful in marrying partners of their choice are often threatened by their father that charges of zina(unlawful sexual relations) would be brought against them. Under the islamic law of marriage, the wali(the closest male adult relative) has the responsibilty and authority with respect to marriage, the wali is usually the father and if it can be proved that the father did not give consent to the marriage then it will be considered invalid, if marriage is invalid then any sexual relations which took place between the man and the women would amount to zina. Most of the time, family members take matters into their own hands instead of going to court. A women who married a man of her choice was murdered outside Peshawar court by her brother in the name of honour. Women seeking divorce The article 16 of Universal declaration of human rights states that men and woman should have equal rights regarding dissolution of marriage. Under Islamic marriage law, a man is allowed to divorce his wife anytime, the divorce can be given verbally but a women cannot divorce her husband, she can apply for Khula(Separation) in the court of law. Divorce is seen as a very serious problem in the muslim world and muslim women are enouraged to avoid divorce at any cost, even if it means by putting up with a severely abusive husband. In 1999, Saima Sarwar was shot dead in a lawyers office because she attempted to obtain divorce from her husband severely abusive husband. The killing was instructed by her uncle but he was soon released Qisas and Diyat laws which states that the person(s) involved in killing will go free if he is pardoned by the Wali of the victim.Her uncle went unpunised as he was pardoned by her husbad and father in the capacity of Wali. It should be noted that Saima Sarwar belonged to a upper-class prominent family, her father is a entrepenuer and the mother is a doctor, this case shows the social evil in question is a cause of concern for both rural and urban population. The local newspapers in the region overwhemingly supported the killing, arguing that it was accordance to the tradition and therefore it cannot be a crime. Honour killings for rape A woman brings shame to the family if she becomes a victim of rape. In 1999, a 16 year old mentally-retarded girl was raped on many occasions by junior clerk of the local government department of agriculture in hotel in Parachinar, NWFP. The uncle of the girl lodged a complain, the accussed was taken into protective custody and the girl was handed to her tribe. The Jirga(tribal court) decided that she has brought shame to her tribe and the honour can only be restored by killing her. She was shot dead in front of tribal gathering. Get rich quick scheme? Ratio of honor killings is higher in those provinces where agriculture lands are abundant. Land is the main reason behind a majority of honor killing incidents in Sindh and Punjab. In overwhelming majority of cases, there is always a ulterior motive such as lust for money, land, lust for another women or to conceal other crimes. Many individuals exploit the concept of honour killing for gaining compensation or land. If both accused of karo kari are murdered then the matter usually ends but if only kari is killed and karo escapes, the karo has to compensate the affected man by giving him money, land or another women. Nafisa Shah, a leading human rights activist describes honour killing as industry which has range of stakeholders including tribes people, police administration and tribal mediators, honour killing is used as an excuse to hide sins and gain money. Police accept bribes of about 7000 rupees(equivalent to  £70) for not investigating claims of honour killing. The International Law International human rights law recognises â€Å"honour crimes† as a form violence against women, therefore it is a direct violation women’s right to life and security; freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; and the right to equality before the law and equal protection of the law. Honor crimes also violate rights guaranteed to women by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), such as the right to freely choose one’s spouse and the right to equality in marriage. CEDAW’s General Recommendation Number 19 defines gender-based violence as a form of discrimination against women and makes explicit reference to honor crimes. CEDAW obligates States to protect women from gender-based violence, including violence committed by family members and to prevent, investigate, and punish acts of violence against women. The Convention also requires States to disqualify honor as a legal defense for acts of violence against women. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women echoes these obligations and states that, States should condemn violence against women and should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination (Article 4). International human rights law is enforced through the state and by way of treaties. A state becoming the party to a international treaty will be bound by th treaty and it is the state’s responsibility and duty to protect the rights of the citizens. Pakistan is a party to a â€Å"Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women†, the treaty has been ratified and as a result of that, the Pakistani government ammended the Criminal Act 2004 which makes â€Å"Honour killing† a punishable offence. Apart from making the ammendment to Criminal Act 2004, Pakistan has taken several other intitaves to curb honour killings and domestic violence against women: Establishment of Gender Crime Cell Gender Crime Cell was established in National Bureau on 1st April 2006 to curb violence against women. The function of the Cell is to gather, collate and analyse data on cases of violence against women. The cell will act as central repository of relevant data on cases of violence against women and it will assist top-policy makers in developing holistic and effective policy countermeasures to control the social evil volence against women. Gender and Human Rights Sensitization To sensitize the police and to further improve law enforcement response to human rights situations, a comprehensive program has been included in the cirruculum of police training schools, police training colleges and national police academy. Cooperation/Collaboration with NGOs/ Civil society National Police Bureau has welcomed visits from NGOs who monitored severall police stations across the country, the main aim was to look into the business procedures, handling of public complaints against police, infra-structure, and facilities in lock-up of the stations. According to the Government of Pakistan, all these measures will help directly or indirectly contribute against curbing crimes against women. After reading the responses submitted to UN by the Government of Pakistan regarding the issues relating to violence against women, one would get the impression that Pakistan is trying to tackle the problem, some measures have been to curb the problem mentioned but the measures taken are not adequate enough to protect women, controversial laws such as Qisas still exist which are often exploited by murderers. Qisas Law Qisas law is relates to offences involving bodily injury or loss of life. The aim of the Qisas law is to put the victim’s family in control, ir is up to the family members of the victim to decide whether to bring an action against the murderer or pardon the murderer. Under the law, murdering a family member virtually carries no punishment as the other family members have the right to pardon the killer. In June 2002, Zakir killed 18- year Sabiha on suspicion that she had become pregnant, Zakir was pardoned by uncle of Sabiha, therefore his crime went unpunished. In a situation like such as this, courts and law enforcement agencies cannot take further action if the pardon is granted by the family member of the victim. n 90 percent cases of honor killings, the culprits are close relatives and therefore they are easily forgiven by the family of the deceased, in order successfully tackle this social evil, Qisas and Diyat Ordinance should not be in practise at all as it allows murderers to walk away free. It is evident that more needs to be done to tacke the menance known as honour killing, but the question what can the further steps can UN take to ensure that Pakistani Government makes further ammendments to the law to ensure that no murderers goes unpunished? The role of United Nations The human rights machinery in the UN systems works in three areas: information, analyis and policy development; provision of support to human rights bodies and organs; and promotion and protection of human rights. In order for this machinery to be successful, the UN has developed human rights institutions at the country level. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) assigns human rights advisers to country teams and their aim is to advance human rights through legislative, judicial and other enforcement mechanisms. The UN has created commitees to oversee implementation of implementation human rights but the commitees have a limited power to investigate or monitor violations of human rights. The UN machinery is merely way of recording information. If a state fails to comply with demands of UN then procedures usually range from coaxing to naming and shaming, it is very rare that sanctions are imposed for human rights violations because of the undesirable consequences. UN is also having monetary problem, many of the major member states have refused to pay their assesed share of costs, the guaranteed budget of OHCHR has fallen less than half. United nations is not effective in curbing human rights violations, it has no other to make sure that the human rights are not violated, they do not have effective mechanisms to make sure that human rights are enforced and they do not have the necessary resources. Simply by signing and ratifying a treaty does not ensure that the State will carry their duties and protect human rights. The only serious measure which the UN can take is impose sanctions. It is possible to impose sanctions solely on the basis of human rights, imposing sanctions for breaches of human rights is rare. Should the UN impose sanctions to pressurize the Government? UN can impose sanctions such as diplomatic isolation , restrictions on international travel, trade and financial transactions. Sanctions is regarded a tool created to ensure that States comply with demands of UN. Imposing may seem as attractive option but it can discredited on the basis of its harsh consequences on the citizens of the state. Sanctions have a bad history as they inflict undeniable pain on the citizens which the UN is trying to protect. If UN was to impose trade and financial sanctions to pressurise Pakistan to do more to curb honour killlings, then it is highly unlikely the sanction will work because Pakistan already a poor country, 17% of the population lives under $1 a day. Pakistan economy nearly went bankrupt as a result of sanctions imposed by UN for carrying out nuclear tests. Economic sanctions means that the Pakistan economy will suffer and therefore the people of Pakistan will suffer, the overall level of poverty will increase and it is likely that honour killings will increase as well because honour killings are often carried to gain compensation or land. Sanctions will have a counter-productive effect on Pakistan, therefore it should be avoided. The role of NGOs Traditionally NGOs are considered to be more effective than United Nations, in the sense that they are better at monitoring than UN. NGOs tend to focus on one issue at a time compared to UN which focuses and many issues at a time, thus there is overload of work within the UN, therefore the procedure of monitoring is not effective. NGOs do not have any authority, it can pressurise Government by way of protest, NGOs can run aware campaigns and provide support and counciling services to the victims. NGOs cannot directlty enforce human rights, for human rights to be enforced, NGOs rely on courts, there are still loopholes in the law which favour the murderer, unless the loopholes are closed, the NGOs will not be effective. Majority of ‘honour killings’ take place in remote areas such as NWFP due to poor infrastructure, as a result of poor infrastructure, it can be very difficult for NGOs to monitor remote areas of Pakistan. According to Khawar Mumtaz, a leading human rights activist said there were many as eight NGOs working in the NWFP and for betterment of women. The organisations were targeted by religious extremists, the houses of workers and directors were destroyed. The NGOs had to close their operations and flee from NWFP because of security concerns. Who else can help? Apart from the United Nations and NGOs, countries such as United Kingdom can help to tackle problems such as ‘honour killings’ in Pakistan by giving them aid, which then can be used to improve the situation of human rights in Pakistan. The United Kingdom donated  £2m in 2006 to set up a gender and justice protection fund, the main aim of the fund is to curb violence against women. Many critics argue that the aid which is given is not always spent on protection of human rights due to high levels of corruption within the the Government. How can we fight this social evil? Legal measures The Government of Pakistan must repeal the Qisas law as it provides a loophole for murderers to exploit, the fight against the menance cannot be won unless Pakistani Government makes further ammendments to law. Adopt a legislation which would criminalise all forms of domestic violence, The UN has developed a framework for a model legislation which can be adopted. Honour killing should be treated as a crime against the state and Preventive measures Run campaigns to inform citizens of their human rights througout the country. Currently Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights is running a human rights mass awareness campaign throughout the country. The campaign is approached through print and electronic media, the campaign is delivered in the form of jingles, talk shows, commercials, slogans and promotional material in the Newspapers. In remote areas such as NWFP and interior Sindh, the people don’t usually have access to electronic media or newspapers. The literacy levels are low in pakistan, the literacy rate for women in 16%, this means that media is ineffective in remote areas because there is no televisions and majority of the women cannot read and write. The women who live in remote areas are most vunerable. Honour killing crimes are under-reported, as a result it is not possible to estimate the real magnitude of the problem. Monitoring and collecting information would help the Government to understand the problem better, and therefore it will enable the Government to come up with better strategy. Protective measures Provide adequate protection to human rights activists and lawyers, often leading human rights activits such as Hina Jilani and Asma Jehangir. In one incident, the two daughters of Asma Jehangir were assaulted and illegally held for several hours along with their friends by armed persons because they were making a video clip. The police did eventually arrive but failed to take any action againt the perpertrators, the police asked Asma Jehangir to remain quiet otherwise the girls would be kidnapped, raped and killed. If activists are not adequately protected by law enforcement agencies then they will not be able to fight for protection of human rights. Long term strategies Honour killing is not a recent phenomoen, similar practices have been known since ancient Roman times, when the Pater Familias (senior male within a household) retained the right to kill an unmarried but sexually active daughter or an adulterous wife. In order to fully eradicate this menance, we should look at the true root causes in order to curb this heinous crime against women. The three main factors are: Male domination Financial dependency Lack of education Male domination Both men and women should be represented equally in all public institutions, most importantly there should be proportiante representaion of women in the Government. The National Assemebly of Pakistan(equivalent to Parliament) has a total number 342 seats and 60 seats are reserved for women, only 17.5% of seats are occupied by women, in order to protect rights of women, it is imperative they are represented proportionaly in the Government. At the moment, there are few women in the Government who are holding key Government ministry, Sherry Rehman is the only women who is holding the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting which considered one of the important ministries. Recently Dr Fehmida Mirza was elected as the Speaker of National Assembly, she is the first woman is Pakistan to be elected as the Speaker of Natioanl Assembly. Late Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister of a muslim country. To end male domination, women should participate in politics, proportiante representation would mean that it will not possible to pass discriminatory laws in future against women such as Hudood ordinance as women would have a greater say in the law making process. Financial dependency Agriculture is the largest of economy of Pakistan, 79.8% of rural women are engaged in some sort of agricultural work. Majority of rural women have dual responsibilties, they have to look after house and work in agricultural land as well but they are grossly underpaid, in many cases they are not paid at all. Most women living in rural areas of Pakistan are not aware of their rights such as equal pay, the Government should run campaigns to empower women and inform them of their rights. The Government should run courses to give women vocational training, this would improve women’s capacity to earn by increasing women’s access to source of livelihood, in particular cottage industry, livestock production and agriculture. Only 9% of the jobs in the services industry of Pakistan are done by women. The Government should encourgae equal employment oppurtunities, it was only 2001 when an Act was introduced which ensures equal remunaration for men and women for work of equal value. Study carried by a NGO confirmed the widespread occurrence of sexual harrasment of women at the workplace, the Government of Pakistan been able to implement laws which adequately protect women at the workplace. Government should undertake measure to make places more safe so women could work without fear of discrimination and harassment. Lack of education Only 16% of women in Pakistan are literate. Illiteracy rates are very high Pakistan. The education sector in suffering from inadequate financing and infrastructure. The budget allocated to education sector is low, Pakistan is one of the twelve countries who spend 2% of their GDP on eduction sector. Education needs to be improved, more schools are needed in Pakistan so more girls could attend school. How practical is it to enforce rights in Pakistan? Lack of eductation and financial independence are the main factors which stop from going to relevant law authorities for protection of their human rights, low literacy rate and lack of awareness does stop women for seeking protection against violations of human rights. Also approching the judiciary through a lawyer can be a expensive proposition, therefore women do not attempt to take any action. Democracy and human rights It is believed that military regime are the worst offenders of human rights, from November 1999 to Feburary 2008, General Pervez Musharraf, a army general has enjoyed absolute power over Pakistan. In his term many human rights abuses took place such lal masjid killings and he sacked 12 judges out of 17 judges to install his own hand picked judges. General Pervez Musharraf’s human rights record has been poor. Elections took place on 18th Feburary 2008, most specators believe that elections were free and fair and democracy was restored. Recently the new Government ratified a key UN human rights treaty and signed two others, this suggests that the new democratic Government is serious about human rights issues and the position of human rights should be better under the Government of Pakistan People’s Party. For many years, a military general had absolute power over Pakistan, the military regime was rarely criticised by USA or UK because of Pakistan position against war on terror, infact he was praised by George W Bush and Tony Blair for his role despite the fact that he committed various violations of international law during his tenure, UN never imposed any economic sanctions on Pakistan, infact economic sanctions were lifted which were on Pakistan for conducting nuclear tests in 1997 after he promised support to hunt Osama bin Laden. Human rights violations in Pakistan are often ignored by major member states such USA and UK. The major member states did provide immunity to a dictator against human right violations, If USA and UK would have not supported Musharraf and would have taken steps earlier to restore democracy in Pakistan then the human rights situations would have been far improved by now. Jirga system Jirga is defined a tribal assembly consisting of male elders of the tribe. Majority of the cases relating to honour killings are decided in Jirga instead of a formal court. Jirga should be banned because the system is unfit to provide justice to women, male elders are biased towards women, trial by jirga is the prime protector of the tradition of honour killing. The tribal assembly usually consists of uneducated male elders who do not have the knowledge and the skills to judge. They do not have any jurisdiction to impose capital punishments. Sindh is the only province of Pakistan where the panchayat(equivalent to Jirgra system) have been banned, Jirga system still operational in Baluchistan and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Jirga system should be be completely banned throughout Pakistan, the only reason why Jirga system is still operational in rural parts of Pakistan because it seen as a cheaper alternative. Any hope? Pakistan is grappling with many crisis at the moment, the burning of judiciary is still unsolved. There is shortage flour and food prices are rising dramatically. There is severe shortage of basic neccesaties such as electricity and clean water in Pakistan. Recently, one of the most popular leader of Pakistan was shot dead. The new Pakistani Government is facing many problems and as result of that, they are not able to fully concentrate human rights issues, honour killings have rarely received any attention from the media or the new Government. We can only hope that the new Government takes positive steps to curb this social evil, so far there has been no progress made by the new Government to address this problem. Pakistan as a suffering from increasing unemployment, increasing inflation and growing anger and frustrations with the system, lack of opportunities, all these factors can lead to violence against women, all tend to build aggravation in men. At the end of the day, it’s the women who are at the receiving end of the vented frustration, thus violence against women occurs as a direct result.