The Crucible- Compare and Contrast Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris

Taylor Orr Mrs. Blakley AP English III-3 16 November 2012 Reverend Hale vs Reverend Parris Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a compelling look at the witch hunts in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. In the play, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris play major roles in the town and influence a shrewd of characters. They both have a number of job duties and responsibilities in common. As well as have a variation in personality, attitude, changes in the play and different roles at the end of the play.In the beginning of the play Reverend Parris is struggling with his daughter Betty – which has become â€Å"inert†. When asked if the cause of her behavior is due to witchery with Abigail in the forest, Parris refuses to have it as though it will stain his clean reputation, â€Å"But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. †(1038).Reverend Parris’s personality is too overcome with the thoughts of others, to be a leader of the town he acts more like a puppet , â€Å"I cannot go before the congregation when I know you have not opened with me. †(1038). Proctor says of Parris: â€Å". . . the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought it were an auction† (841). Reverend Hale, on the other hand, is more of a strong leader. Hale is more compelled to find the truth and accept it, no matter positive or negative, â€Å"We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy[Devil]. †

Starch Lab

Krupa Desai Cell Biology April 3, 2013 Lab: Biosynthesis of Starch Introduction: In this lab we learned the concept and procedure of synthesizing starch. We also learned the effects of pH and temperature on the reaction rates of amylase.. In the process of the synthesis lab we learned phosphorylation using a potato, which was what we synthesized. The phosphorylation took place after the addition of primer. There are two different types of starches used are amylose and amylopectin.To test for the presence of starch, the Starch Test is used. This is a simple test in which iodine is added to a given solution. If a polysaccharide such as starch is present then the iodine ion will lodge itself in the polysaccharide chain and give it a black-blue color. If iodine added to a solution turns black-blue than starch is present. If the solution remains the color of iodine, reddish-orange, there is no starch present, a negative test.In our experiment we scale the color we see in comparison to the neutrals to test for the amount of starch. Methods/Materials: See print out Data Table:Below Time in minutes| Tube 1| Tube 2| Tube 3| Tube 4| Tube 5| Tube 6| Tube 7| 0 mins(TO)| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| ++| +++| 3 mins| 0| +| 0| 0| +| +| +| 6 mins| +| ++| +| +| +++| +++| +++| 9 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 12 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 15 mins| 0| +++| +| 0| ++++| ++++| ++++| 18 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| ++++| +++| ++++| 1 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| ++++| +++| +++| 24 mins| 0| +++| ++| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 27 mins| 0| ++++| ++| 0| +++| +++| ++++| 30 mins| 0| ++++| ++| 0| ++++| ++| ++++| Discussion: This lab gives a better understanding of biosynthesis of starch. As you can see with our data we had some discrepancies in tubes where glucose was present no starch should have been found however we have â€Å"+† in a few of the time slots this could be do to the interpretation of color or some spill over.Since we were trying to get exact times the drops could have splattered over into a nother part of the dish and contaminated some of the other tubes overall our data is fairly accurate however tube 7 had the most phosphorylation because it turned from blue to black over time. Some of the other tubes although had the presence of starch did not alter much over time in fact most stayed the same. Additionally it is concluded the pH and temperature greatly effect the reaction rate of enzymes.

Gustave Flaubert and Madame Bovary Essay

Madame Bovary consists of a Realist critique of Romanticism with Emma Bovary portrayed as the emotionally overwrought romantic who destroys herself and others in her attempts to fulfill her unrealistic dreams. For writing about such a horrible woman Gustave Flaubert, the author, was charged with corrupting the morals of French society. He was acquitted of the charge at a public trial. The major characters of the novel include Emma Bovary, the title character and the villain who brings ruin to herself and others in her efforts to realize her romantic illusions; Charles Bovary, a mediocre country doctor who is lackluster at best but deeply in love with his wife Emma; Leon, a law clerk who is a fellow romantic to Emma with whom he eventually has an affair; Rodolphe, a â€Å"gentleman† landowner and womanizer with whom Emma has an affair; and Lheureux, a merchant and money-lender. Lheureux† in French means â€Å"the happy,† and this character becomes happy by preying upon Emma as she attempts to buy the reality of her dreams. Selections, Summaries, and Commentary We meet Charles Bovary who struggled in school to become a doctor. He assumed a practice at Tostes, France, and married. But his wife died. One evening, Charles was summoned to a farm to set a broken leg. Here Charles made the acquaintance of Emma Rouault, the daughter of the patient. Char les, at the invitation of Mr. Rouault, ate breakfast with Emma; and, among other things, they talked of Emma’s dislike for the country. They had closer contact when both of them reached for Charles’ riding crop after it had fallen to the floor. â€Å"Instead of returning to [the farm] in three days as he had promised, he [Charles] went back the very next day, then regularly twice a week†¦. † Though Charles never had the nerve to ask Mr. Roualt for the hand of his daughter, Roualt figured things out, and the marriage was contracted. â€Å"Emma anted a midnight wedding with torches, but old Rouault could not understand such an idea. † It was a country wedding. They walked a mile and a half to and from the church, Emma’s dress trailing on the ground and gathering grass and thistles. After the ceremony, the guests ate until night. â€Å"Charles, who was anything but quick-witted, did not shine at the wedding. † Two days after the wedding, Charles and Emma left for Tostes. Charles now â€Å"had for life this beautiful woman whom he adored. For him the universe did not extend beyond the silky circumference of her petticoat. For Emma, on the other hand, things were different, â€Å"Before [her marriage to Charles] she thought herself in love; but since the happiness that should have followed failed to come, she must, she thought, have been mistaken. And Emma tried to find out what one meant exactly in life by the words bliss, passion, ecstasy, that had seemed to her so beautiful in books. † Emma, we learn, had been fed a steady diet of romanticism at the convent where she was placed at age thirteen. â€Å"Accustomed to the quieter aspects of life [in the country], she turned instead to its tumultuous parts. She loved the sea only for the sake of its storms, and the green only when it was scattered among ruins. † She found herself attracted to the mystical aspects of the religious life. An old maid at the convent kept the girls dreaming. She [the old maid] knew by heart the love-songs of the last century, and sang them in a low voice as she stitched away. She told stories, gave them news, ran their errands in the town, and on the sly lent the big girls some of the novels, that she always carried in the pockets of her apron, and of which the lady herself swallowed long chapters in the intervals of her work. They were all about love, lovers, sweethearts, persecuted ladies fainting in lonely pavilions, postilions killed at every relay, horses ridden to death on every page, somber forests, heart-aches, vows, sobs, tears and kisses, little boatrides by moonlight, nightingales in shady groves, gentlemen brave as lions, gentle as lambs, virtuous as no one ever was, always well dressed, and weeping like fountains. Girls at the convent hid keepsakes with engravings. Here [on the engravings] behind the balustrade of a balcony was a young man in a short cloak, holding in his arms a young girl in a white dress who was wearing an alms-bag at her belt; or there were nameless portraits of English ladies with fair curls, who looked at you from under their round straw hats with their large clear eyes. † After Emma returned home to the farm, she became disgusted with the country. When Charles came to call on her father, she saw Charles as her knight in shinning armor, come to rescue the damsel in distress. Something â€Å"sufficed to make her believe that she at last felt that wondrous passion which, till then, like a great bird with rose-coloured wings, hung in the splendor of poetic skies, — and now she could not think that the calm in which she lived was the happiness of her dreams. † Emma is a victim of the mass media, dying because she read the escapist, romantic fantasies and mistook them for reality. She wondered, â€Å"Why could not she lean over balconies in Swiss chalets, or enshrine her melancholy in a Scotch cottage, with a husband dressed in a black velvet coat with long tails, and thin shoes a pointed hat and frills? Charles’ talk, in contrast, was dull. He provoked no emotions in her but disgust; he had no desire to do or see anything. Charles’s conversation was commonplace as a street pavement, and every one’s ideas trooped through it in their everyday garb, without exciting emotion, laughter, or thought. He had never had the curiosit y, he said, while he lived at Rouen, to go to the theatre to see the actors from Paris. He could neither swim, nor fence, nor shoot, and one day he could not explain some term of horsemanship to her that she had come across in a novel. A man, on the contrary, should he not know everything, excel in manifold activities, initiate you into the energies of passion, the refinements of life, all mysteries? But this one taught nothing, knew nothing, wished nothing. He thought her happy; and she resented this easy calm, this serene heaviness, the happiness she gave him. Flaubert writes that â€Å"ennui, the silent spider, was weaving its web in the darkness, in every corner of her heart. † But after a few months, Emma and Charles were invited to the Vaubyessard estate by the Marquis d’Andervilliers (â€Å"Another Village†). Charles had cured the Marquis from an abscess in the mouth, and the Marquis had requested some offshoots of the cherry trees that were in the Bovary’s little garden. When the Marquis came to thank Charles personally, he saw Emma. He thought her pretty and sophisticated enough to invite to the chateau. Charles and Emma arrived at nightfall along with many others. An elaborate dinner was served, and they prepared for the ball. When Charles intimated that he would dance, Emma replied, â€Å"Why, you must be mad! They would make fun of you; stay in your place, as it becomes a doctor. And when he kissed her on her shoulder, â€Å"’Don’t touch me! ’ she cried; ‘I’ll be all rumpled. ’† The dancing began, and when the atmosphere grew warm and heavy, a servant broke out the window panes. Through the windows Emma â€Å"saw in the garden the faces of peasants pressed against the window looking in at them. † She was reminded of her own heritage, the days of the farm, but â€Å"the splendor of the present hour† made her almost doubt she had ever been there. Supper was served, and at three o’clock the cotillion (more dancing) began. Emma danced with a Viscount, and proved to be a highly courted partner. Charles, in the meantime, had spent five consecutive hours watching people at the card tables â€Å"without understanding anything about it. † Lunch was served the following day, and then Charles and Emma left for Tostes. Emma believed the life of Vaubyessard to be the kind of life she wanted and deserved, and her immediate surroundings grew even more dreary. â€Å"She longed to travel or to go back to her convent. She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris. † She became increasingly irritated with Charles and her surroundings to the point of becoming ill. She suffered from heart palpitations, and she exhibited altered states of hyperactivity and torpor. She constantly complained about Tostes, and Charles thought that perhaps her illness was due to the town itself. From that thought on, â€Å"Emma drank vinegar to lose weight, contracted a sharp little cough, and lost all appetite. † The Bovarys moved to a new town, Yonville (â€Å"yonder village†), a small market town some twenty miles from Rouen. Here the Bovarys had a daughter, whom Emma names Berthe, after a young lady she had encountered at Vaubyessard, and the Bovarys sent Berthe to be nursed by a carpenter’s wife. Emma was not a very good mother. She really wanted a son who would be free to â€Å"explore all passions and all countries, overcome obstacles, taste of the most distant pleasures. † She did not care for the realities of motherhood. On one occasion, after returning home, Berthe approached Emma. â€Å"‘Leave me alone,’ repeated the young woman quite angrily. Her expression frightened the child, who began to scream. ‘Will you leave me alone? ’ she said, forcing her away with her elbow. Berthe fell at the foot of the chest of drawers against the brass handle; she cut her cheek, blood appeared. Emma then felt sorry for her treatment of the child. The Bovarys met Leon Dupuis, a clerk for the town notary. Leon and Emma were fellow romantics. They spoke of their desire for change as opposed to routine. They talked about their desire for walking in the country, witnessing sunsets, visiting seashores, mountains, lakes, waterfalls. They related their love for music and reading by the fire. The two of them fell in love with one another, but did not yet allow themselves to express their love. â€Å"Weary of loving without success,† Leon eventually left for Paris to pursue a law degree. Emma became unhappy and ill again. A â€Å"gentleman† named Rodolphe Boulanger brought one of his workers, who wanted to be bled, to see Dr. Bovary. Rodolphe had just acquired an estate that consisted of a chateau and two farms that Rodolphe cultivated himself, â€Å"without, however, taking too many pains. † Rodolphe â€Å"lived as a bachelor, and was supposed to have† a sizeable income. When Emma was called to assist in the bleeding, Rodolphe became infatuated with her beauty. But he only desired her as a mistress. Flaubert described Rodolphe as â€Å"having had much experience with women and being something of a connoisseur. † Rodolphe thought to himself, â€Å"Three gallant words and she’d adore me, I’m sure of it. She’d be tender, charming. Yes; but how to get rid of her afterwards. † His present mistress, an actress in Rouen, was beginning to bore him. During an Agricultural Fair, Emma and Rodolphe strolled around, arm in arm, eventually ascending to â€Å"the council room† on the first floor of the townhall. The room was empty, and Rodolphe suggested they could enjoy the show there more comfortably. Flaubert showed his appreciation of irony when, in the background, he awarded the first prize for manure at the same time Rodolphe told Emma, â€Å"A hundred times I tried to leave; yet I followed you and stayed†¦. As I would stay to-night, to-morrow, all other days, all my life! † Also, as Emma and Rodolphe gazed at each other, â€Å"as their desire increased, their dry lips trembled and languidly, effortlessly, their fingers intertwined,† a prize was awarded to an old peasant woman for fifty-four years of faithful service at one farm. Emma was susceptible to Rodolphe’s charms. After some six weeks, a time chosen by Rodolphe for the purpose of not appearing too eager, he visited Emma. He knew just how to play her. When Charles returned home, Rodolphe suggested that riding might be good for Madame Bovary’s health. Charles thought it a good idea. At first, Emma objected, but Charles talked her into it. She and Rodolphe rode and walked. Sometime into their first outing, Emma â€Å"abandoned herself to him. † Charles bought her a horse. Emma and Rodolphe rode regularly, and they began exchanging letters, placing them in the cracks of a wall located near the river at the end of the garden attached to the Bovary home. If Charles left early enough, she would sneak off, on foot, to see Rodolphe at his estate and return to Yonville before anyone awoke. She would cry when she had to leave Rodolphe, and her farewells would go on forever. Rodolphe suggested her visits were too dangerous; she was compromising herself. So, Rodolphe began coming to the garden at night, throwing sand against the shutters, and Emma would sneak out after Charles had retired. Six months passed. Rodolphe became increasingly indifferent, and Emma became uncertain herself. One day, news of a new surgical procedure for curing clubfoot reached the apothecary at Rouen. Emma, who wanted more fame and excitement for her husband, and the apothecary, who wanted fame for himself, urged an unwilling Charles to carry out the new operation on a crippled servant at the inn. The servant was pressured and finally consented after the operation was offered to him at no charge. At first, the operation appeared successful, and Emma was delighted with Charles and his prospects. But the device in which they strapped the servant’s foot caused swelling. In response, the device was tightened even further, and gangrene set in. A surgeon was called in for consultation. He laughed and scolded Charles. The surgeon had to amputate the servant’s leg to the thigh. Emma was no longer delighted. â€Å"Everything in him [Charles] irritated her now; his face, his dress, all the things he did not say, his whole person, in short, his existence. † The disastrous operation was further proof of Charles’ stupidity and incompetence, and Emma turned to Rodolphe to fulfill her dreams. She sent Rodolphe love notes, and the two of them made plans to leave for Italy. Emma was apparently willing to leave without Berthe. When she firsts suggested the idea of leaving, Rodolphe asked about the fate of Berthe. Then, Emma, who had obviously not thought of Berthe before, said they would take Berthe with them. But no further mention of Berthe was made in their succeeding plans, and Emma rarely gave Berthe any attention. Rodolphe, who had no real intentions of running off with Emma, postponed the departure on several occasions, and then they set a specific date. On the day of their departure, however, Rodophe sent a letter to Emma through a servant. In the letter he ended the affair and announced that he was leaving without her. He had his servant echo his plans to depart, but he was not actually planning to go anywhere. Though, later in the day, he did decide to go to Rouen. Emma saw him leaving as he passed by the Bovary home. She was devastated and became ill. Charles stayed by her side for forty-three days, neglecting his own affairs. Charles thought the theatre may be good medicine, and so he and Emma went to Rouen to see an opera. The whole experience began to reawaken Emma’s romantic being. After the second act, Charles went to get Emma something to drink and ran into Leon. As the third act began, the three of them left to talk elsewhere. Leon, as it turns out, after his schooling in Paris, had come to Rouen to work as a clerk. Because the three old acquaintances talked through the opera, Emma did not get to see the third act; and since Emma now seemed energized, Charles suggested that she stay the night and see the third act the next day. Charles, however, must return home. Emma stayed, and she and Leon began an affair. As Flaubert wrote it, Emma and Leon apparently consummate their feelings for one another during a long carriage ride through Rouen. When she returned to Yonville, she was informed that Charles’ father has died. Emma was by this time substantially indebted to a shopkeeper and moneylender by the name of Lheureux (â€Å"the happy,† as in the seller of happiness), and he suggested that Emma obtain the power of attorney over Charles’ father’s estate. She manipulated Charles into giving her this power of attorney, and she even earned his gratitude for going to Rouen to have Leon look over the legal papers. Emma’s stay in Rouen lasted three days, after which Leon came to Yonville at times and sent Emma secret letters. Emma then began to make weekly trips to Rouen under the pretense of taking piano lessons. She manipulated Charles into asking her to refresh her skills in this area. She and Leon would stay in a hotel, and she was running up all kinds of debts with Lheureux, spending freely on her trips to Rouen and satisfying all of her whims. Lheureux lent her money on the value of Charles’ father’s estate. Charles was unaware of her spending and her adultery. Leon and she began seeing each other more frequently. She began billing Charles’ patients herself, without his knowledge, and selling things in order to pay on her bills. She gave Berthe no attention. Finally, someone wrote Leon’s mother, telling her that Leon was ruining himself with a married woman. Leon’s mother wrote her son’s employer who then indicated to Leon how important it was to break off the affair. Leon wanted to end it, but he was in love. Eventually Emma’s unpaid bills ran long overdue, and her creditors obtained a judgment against her. On her return from a visit to Rouen, the maid showed her a judgment that commanded her â€Å"by power of the king† to pay the sum of eight thousand francs. She went to Lheureux, who by this time had sold the debt at a discount to a banker at Rouen. Emma tried to talk Lheureux out of the judgment. She â€Å"even pressed her pretty white and slender hand against the shopkeeper’s knee,† but Lheureux would have none of that. She owed a vast sum of money, and the sheriff’s officers arrived to confiscate the family property. Emma tried frantically to raise the money. She went to Leon at Rouen and urged him to borrow the money for her, and she even suggested that he steal the money from his office. Leon tried to borrow the money from lenders, but to no avail. On the next morning, people gathering in the market read a notice indicating that the Bovarys’ furniture was for sale. Madame Bovary went to see the town notary. The notary was in business with Lheureux and, so, knew all about Emma’s plight. But he listened as she told him all about it. He then made it clear, in a not so subtle manner, that he would expect a sexual relationship if he were to lend her the money she needed. Emma appeared insulted by his forwardness, shouted that she was not for sale, and left in a fury. She was surely not opposed to exchanging herself for money, but the notary was too crass and straightforward about it. Had he concealed it in more romantic language, she probably would have consented. Later, as Flaubert wrote, â€Å"perhaps she began to repent now that she had not yielded to the notary. † At last, when she heard the sound of Charles coming home, she went to the town’s tax collector and offered herself to him in return for the money. He was offended by Emma’s advances. While Emma was running around, thinking about how to get the money, Charles learned of his family’s financial ruin. Emma, at least, turned to Rodolphe. But even though it seemed the two of them could once again become lovers, Rodolphe was either unwilling or unable to help. Out of shame and despair, Emma poisoned herself with arsenic she obtained from the pharmacy through an unwitting assistant. She hoped to make her death short and sweet. She said, â€Å"Ah! It is but a little thing, death! â€Å"I shall fall asleep and all will be over. † But she suffered long and horribly with vomiting, sweating, pain, moaning, and convulsions. Charles, unable and in no shape to help his wife, called in another doctor, but to no avail. â€Å"A final spasm threw her back upon the mattress,† and she died. Charles appears to be the true hero of the novel. He genuinely loved Emma, would have done anything for her, offered her a decent li fe, was a good husband, a good provider and a good father. But, he was a real human being with real human characteristics and flaws. At the end of the novel, however, Charles becomes a genuine romantic, engulfed by authentic and understandable emotions. Charles decided in favor of a mausoleum for Emma’s tomb, and he wrote the following instructions: â€Å"I wish her to be buried in her wedding dress, with white shoes, and a wreath. Her hair is to be spread out over her shoulders. Three coffins, one oak, one mahogany, one of lead. Let no one try to overrule me; I shall have the strength to resist him. She is to be covered with a large piece of green velvet. This is my wish; see that it is done. The pharmacist and the priest, we are told, â€Å"were much taken aback by Bovary’s romantic ideas. † Charles’ mother shared their view. But Charles now had become a romantic just like Emma, emotionally overwrought with the death of this woman he so dearly loved, refusing to sell any of her possessions to satisfy her debts. Flaubert writes of Charles, â€Å"He was a changed man. † â€Å"To please her, as if she were still living, he adopted her taste, her ideas; he bought patent leather boots and took to wearing white cravats. He waxed his moustache and, just like her, signed promissory notes. She corrupted him from beyond the grave. † Soon, though, Charles discovered the love letters from Leon and Rodolphe hidden in a secret drawer of Emma’s desk; and, shortly thereafter, Charles died of love sickness. A surgeon â€Å"performed an autopsy, but found nothing. † All of Charles’ belongings were sold to satisfy debts, and there remains just enough to send Berthe off to her grandmother. But the grandmother died the same year, and Berthe fell under the care of a poor aunt who sent her â€Å"to a cottom-mill to earn a living. †

Ethics Harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethics Harassment - Essay Example In today's world, organisations and workplaces have become extremely diversified and have adopted varied stance s in terms of job processes and the general outlook. What is striking in such a scenario, is the prevalence of organizational or work ethics. Ethics has evolved to become an important aspect fo organizational functioning, since it deals with the self-esteem and the very importance attached to employees in an organisation. Is it but well known, that an employee is the building block of an organisation and the importance attached to ethics in today's organisations are a reflection of the same. In today's workplaces, harassment has become a very repetitive occurrence, with cases being reported every now and then. The various forms of harassment range that come under the purview have increased by the day, with sexual harassment topping the list. The issue came to the fore-front, in the 1970s and ever since, a number of committees, benches and organisations have come into the picture, to outline the relationship between work ethics and harassment. Sexual harassment as an abuse of power has become front-page news in the U.S. business press. Recently, BusinessWeek detailed the sexual harassment endured by salespeople at the U.S. subsidiary of Astra AB, a major Swedish pharmaceutical firm (Maremont 1996). This harassment was perpetrated by people at the highest levels of the organization and salespeople who did not comply found life at the firm extremely difficult. The attention to workplace sexual harassment generally focuses on harassment of employees by others within the same firm. [Insights into Sexual Harassment of Salespeople by Customers: The Role of Gender and Customer Power Leslie M, Fine, C. David Shepherd and Susan L. Josephs] When workplaces become diversified and new parameters of work assessment emerge, it is important to maintain workplace ethics. However, when cases of favourtism and sexual harassment emerge, it certainly goes against what is legally permissive in the ethical nature of actions in workplaces. It becomes difficult when talented individuals are put down, on account of the sexual favours received from other quarters. Besides this, when bosses do harass their subordinates and the like, it goes against moral codes of conduct. Organisational Behaviour is often considered at four different levels. Individual Behaviour, which deals with the single fundamental unit of the organisation, talks about the individualistic perspective. It revolves around an individual's perceptions, actions, notions, temperament and contribution to the organisation. At a higher plane, we have the Group Dynamics, that involves interactions of a group. It is inclusive of team work and team-bonding, while also delving into the nature of interactions, inter-group interactions, departmentalization and the like. An organisation can also be demarcated in terms of the diverse processes and the clubbing of

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Business Ethics - Essay Example One of the ethical issues that emerge occasionally in a business environment is treatment of lost and found properties. This essay seeks to evaluate a case study in which a student finds a lost iPod and is faced with the decision of whether to keep it or not. The essence of this essay is to identify the contentious issues that must be observed while settling a personal dispute. The issue of keeping a lost and found property has garnered a lot of ethical analysis with the controversy arising of whether such a person should be equated with a thief. However, business ethics are grounded on the ability of a person to assess whether an action is good or bad depending on the results of the action. Any action that has a negative effect to another person or to the business is considered wrong and punishable. In such a scenario, the student who found the iPod, their friend and the judicial member all have must use critical decision making approach to arrive to the right course of action. The student who found the iPod has a choice to either keep the gadget it to the legal body of the school. Their friends have a role to advise the student on the ethical course of action to take when they are consulted. The best strategy to make a worthwhile decision is to weigh the effects results of keeping the gadget. In corporate ethics, the best course of action is one that does not hurt any individual in the organizational environment (Hartman, 2008). Handling of lost property in an organization is an ethical issue that can attract a legal action or even punishment. In an organization, if a person finds a lost item, they have a role to find the owner or submit the property to the legal committee of the institution. According to organizational ethics, taking a lost property is a legal issue that is equivalent to stealing. The legal issues that arise from an act of stealing include loss of business trust, lack of transparency and criminal guilt (Hartman, 2008). On religious grounds, if one finds lost property, it is ethical to put an effort to establish the rightful owner, rather than keeping it. In this view, if the student keeps the property, they defy the moral responsibility that is expected in an organization and hence can be accused of stealing. If the student opts to keep the found items and is eventually reported for theft, the student representative in the judicial board members has a role to provide a ruling on the case. To do this, the judicial member would require getting the material facts associated with the dispute. For instance, the cost value of the object, in order to determine whether the gadget was valueless when found. Any valueless object voluntarily abandoned is regarded as trash and if a person who finds it is not guilty of theft (Hartman, 2008). If the item is found to have a value and it is proven that it was abandoned involuntarily, then the student is guilty of stealing for not submitting the iPod to the judicial body. In this scenar io, the student can only defend themselves if there is evidence that he or she submitted the lost item to the legal body and efforts to establish the owner were futile. Other stakeholders in this case would include the friend of student who kept the device as well as the rightful owner The student representative in the legal affairs has several decisions to take in settling the dispute in this case. The first option would be to return

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Example yzed the effects that the U.S economy which is on the verge of and perhaps already in outright recession will have in the general performance of the world economies but particularly to countries with which it trades with heavily such as the economies of Canada, Mexico, Caribbean among others. A U.S recession in 2008 will have a negative effect on real GDP growth of the rest of the world. This will be especially so, in Mexico and Canada. In other countries which would otherwise be threatened by a U.S recession, measures including easing of monetary and fiscal policy would cushion them from the effects, however it is still yet early to undertake any of the macroeconomic measures as a recession in the U.S is still just a prospect. Some countries, such as Australia, china and Sweden have already taken steps to curb any possibility of inflation, they have tightened their monetary policies. However, other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom have eased their monetary policies in response to their weakening economic growth. Most countries and currencies such as the Euro and the Yen have appreciated against the dollar. Whereas these economies to some extent are being affected by the financial turbulence in United States, with the euro zone economies already showing a slow growth, the appreciation of their currencies against the dollar impedes any chances of inflation. With Japan’s weakening exports to the United States couple with a decrease demand dampens any possibilities of an upsurge in GDP growth. China’s economy continues to grow at an increasing rate, however with a high growth rate comes the problem of inflation, therefore the authorities are being faced with the problem of inflation, and this is necessitating them to tighten their policies both monetary and fiscal. To do this, the best option is to appreciate their currency against the dollar and stimulate domestic demand, however their authorities are not willing to employ this measure. Real

Innovation of Emirates 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Innovation of Emirates 2 - Essay Example Appraisal of the Organization The Emirates Airlines has had a profitable run for a while now, and this calls for an in depth look at the company. This will involve looking at the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities that the company has and the threats that the company has to its profitability. Strengths of the Airline As seen above, the company has managed to be profitable within the economic downturn that has faced many of her competitors. This certainly points to the strength that this company has to its advantage. One strong point of this company is the level of stability in terms of management that the company has. In light with this, the company is able to transact with its clients who have a high level of trust that the company will deliver when it promises to do so. Another upside to the state ownership is the fact the company has a secure source of funding for its existent or future plans. Unlike most other airlines that compete with the Emirates Airlines, t he issue of funding does not bring in as much headache as it does to a lot of her competitors. This is because the state is in complete control of the airline and has a much wider purse with which it can fund the airline’s operations. This, to a large extent explains why the company has been able to remain successful in the long run. The airline is also committed to the use of technology in improving its services. The company has embraced the use of online booking of its tickets as a way of easing congestion as well as improving the overall customer experience. The company has adopted the use of Verified by Visa (VbV) technology (Pan and Polishuk 2004). This is a move that has been calculated to ensure that the airline has a safer mode of transaction with its clients. Aside from that, this technology is also poised to place the airline on a leadership vantage point in relation to its competitors. In addition, this has the advantage of mounting the trust that the clients place on the airline securing their return services. The airline has also strength in terms of the services that it offers to its travellers. The premium customers will get a limousine ride from their homes or office to the airport (Shaw 2011). This action, which is part, of the company’s product differentiation strategy, is calculated to encourage more clients to explore the premium package. This is further accentuated by the services that the clients will get once they arrive at the airport. These services include a kerbside check-in facility to eliminate the hustle of carrying heavy language into the terminal and further a luxurious lounge and ease for the passenger during checking-in (Shaw 2011). This, obviously remove many of the hustles that go with travelling. Therefore, this has had the effect of ensuring that customer loyalty is upheld as well as customer comfort throughout their travel. Weaknesses of the Airline The airline has a number of issues that limit its performan ce. Some of these issues have a lot to do with the ownership and by extension the management of the airline. Accordingly, the government, having full ownership of the airline highly controls the running of the airline’s operations. The government’s say in the running of the airline is a hindrance in many times (Betz 2010). Though the government having a say in the airline is not such a bad thing in the ultimate outlook, it may constitute interference when it decides to overhaul a decision that the airlines’

Science Lab Research, Predictions, & Observations Report

Science Research, Predictions, & Observations - Lab Report Example The force of gravity is greater on objects that have a heavier total mass. 2. When a rock and a feather are dropped on the moon, they are going to float in the air rather than falling, for a much longer time. There is no friction from the air to influence the feather, on the moon. â€Å"The weight of an object is different on the earth and on the moon since the strength of the gravitational field is different† (Newton, 2009). The hammer still has greater mass, so it will still hit the ground on the moon, faster than the feather. 4. The containers fall at the same rate, apparently. I dropped them from about five feet: a drop of several stories may have been different. When the objects are in the containers, the air resistance is equalized. 1. In terms of the logic of the horse, when the horse pulls, it puts force on the earth. It contacts the earth with its hooves, and pushes against the earth. At the same time, the earth exerts force itself. Meanwhile, the horse is exerting force on the wagon. It is a system of pushing and pulling, in which various forces have an impact on each other. The logic of the horse is that it will cause the wagon to accelerate, because of the force of the horse. 2. This may seem to make sense, but what the horse is stating incorrectly is the relative importance of its force on the wagon. The wagon and the horse are separate, so they have different levels of force acting on them, independently. The forces at work on the horse, are not the same as those at work on the wagon. The relation between the horse and the wagon is incorrect. 3. The force between the cart’s wheels and the road is another force that can be added to the picture. From this perspective, the force exerted by the horse on the ground, has an effect on how the wagon moves. This then questions the fallacy of the

Water Pollution (what are the reason and what to do to keep it clear.) Annotated Bibliography

Water Pollution (what are the reason and what to do to keep it clear.) - Annotated Bibliography Example lhoun has focused more on legislations and acts that have direct effects on environmental issues rather than causes, effects and sources of water pollution. This book provides a comprehensive review on basic and latest developments of water pollution. Goel not only has discussed in detail the origins of water pollution but also provided separate chapters on its history, legislation, pollutants, detrimental effects, monitoring etc. This book also emphasizes on control of water pollution by employing various techniques. Ritter L, Solomon K, Sibley P, Hall K, Keen P, Mattu G and Linton B. Sources, pathways, and relative risks of contaminants in surface water and groundwater: a perspective prepared for the Walkerton inquiry. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental health part A, 2002. 11:65(1):1 Ritter L, Solomon K, Sibley P, Hall K, Keen P, Mattu G and Linton B, in this paper have evaluated the resources, pathways and hazards associated with human health at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Data collected was mainly from literature sources and drinking water surveillance program of Ontario. Assessment was limited to major contaminants i.e. metals, nitrates; pesticides and the results indicated that little risks were associated with specific concentration for these compounds present in water. However, this study does not emphasize on risks related to other contaminants i.e. pharmaceutical products and also the results are particular to specific concentration of pollutants. This paper discusses the sources of pollutants and their identification in rivers and streams across United States. Also, leading sources of pollution and its potential risks on human beings, environment, agriculture and aquatic life are explained. As an organization, WWF’s mission is to decrease the impact of human activities on nature and reduce pollution. Several measures have been launched worldwide to create awareness and promote preventive measures for water pollution. This

Drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Drama - Essay Example In this case, Jack lies about his brother’s death and makes his relatives to believe the lie. Jack does all this drama by feigning seriousness. He pretends to be mourned by use of costumes and some props Wilde claims that Algernon joins Cecily in making up fairy tales, although they have no intention of deceiving anybody; the lies will definitely hurt some other character (78). The author portrays Cecily and Agernon as the architects of their lives. This is because they are creative and thoughtful on issues, which concern them. The false impressions of the characters like Jack, Cecily and Algernon serve to reveal their true personalities. In this case, Jack and Algernon use hypocrisy and deception to be free of domestic duties. The freedom affords them an opportunity to engage in pleasurable activities and leisure. The characters could not readily embrace the fact that their engagements were to end soon. In this regard, Jack tells Algernon, ‘†¦ You wont be able to run down to the country quite so often as you used to do, dear Algy†¦ You wont be able to disappear to London quite so frequently as your wicked custom was†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Wilde 34). This implies that Algernon and Jack always enjoyed the freedom and the end of the freedom caused them pain and sorrow. Hypocrisy is also manifest in the infatuation between Gwendolyn and Cecily. These characters pretend to be in love, but they confirm the contrary, when they disagree on Earnest. The language used by most of the characters in this play has epigrams, which depicts deception. In this regard, the speeches made by the characters do not conform to logical sense. Hypocrisy is prevalent in the Victorian society given that the participants harbor ill attitudes. This is manifest when Gwendolyn and Cecily misbehave before the servants. Additionally, this element is portrayed by Lady Blackwell when she warms to Cecily on account of her richness. Both of them want to marry Earnest but it turns

A movie review of the film The Insider Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A movie review of the film The Insider - Essay Example The film revolves around two people: Wigand, who was recently fired from a tobacco corporation, and Bergman, a veteran reporter in search of a story. The bombshell that Wigand holds in his possession is the information that Chief Executive Officers of tobacco corporations – The Big Seven – had known all along that tobacco was addictive but had concealed this information from the public. From there, the story unfolded masterfully – telling in gripping fashion how the influences of money and the legal system bore down on Wigand and Bergman, all in order to suppress the truth. Wigand was even the subject of extreme character assassination and despite his attempts to live a quiet life as a professor, was always followed by the story he chose to tell. He became the subject of death threats, the FBI was on his trail, his personal life was in disarray. In the meantime, a bigger context was unfolding. There was a lawsuit poised to be filed against the Big Seven in order to recover what the State paid in medical expenses to treat tobacco-related illnesses. Two legal concepts then emerged from the movie. The first one is the concept of tortuous interference – which basically means that if two parties have an agreement, and a third party induces a party privy to and bound by that agreement to break that agreement, that third party may be made liable for damages. That legal concept is used in connect to the confidential agreement, which is the second legal concept featured in this movie. In the film, Wigand was bound by an iron-clad confidentiality agreement that he was made to sign with his former company. The movie then forces its viewers to reflect: are there limits to a confidentiality agreement? What happens when a confidentiality agreement comes into conflict with public welfare, public health, or even simply the right of the public to know? It is important to situate the movie against the larger social backdrop on which it operates. The m ovie came out in the late 1990’s – a period in history when tobacco politics had reached a crucial juncture. It was at this period that the impunity of the tobacco firms to lawsuit had ended and for the first time, they were being held liable for the addictive consequences of cigarettes. How dangerous really is tobacco? As early as 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General had come out with a landmark report that spoke of the dangers of smoking on one’s health and issued a categorical statement against its use and its spread. In an article, it was stated that: Each year three million people around the world die from tobacco-related illnesses. In the US, tobacco kills more than 400,000 people each year, and medical care for tobacco-related illnesses costs $50 billion annually. The World Health Organization projects that the yearly death toll from tobacco will rise to 10 million by the 2020swith seven million of those deaths striking economically poor countries. Of the one m illion US teens hooked each year on cigarettes, one-third or more will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. If current trends continue, over 200 million of today's children and teenagers around the world will lose their lives to this addictive product. (InFact: 1997) Despite these findings, the tobacco corporations have won every single legal battle against attempts to hold them accountable for putting public health in jeopardy. It is said that Philip Morris and other tobacco corporati

Throughout Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay Example for Free

Throughout Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston uses a number of different items as symbols to convey the significance of certain events that take place in Janie’s, the main characters, lifespan. In this novel, Janie’s life moves in stages. With each stage comes a different item of clothing that represents another relationship and reflects Janie’s inner self during that period in time. Using an apron, a head rag, a blue satin dress, and overalls, Hurston communicates how Janie grows and evolved as a person throughout her relationships with Logan Killicks, Jody Starks, and most importantly, Tea Cake. In the beginning of the novel, Janie’s marries a man by the name of Logan Killicks, a very successful farmer. During their relationship, Janie wears an apron. The apron shows that Janie is a housewife, merely taking orders and doing what she is told to do. During the course of their marriage, Janie came to realize that she â€Å"knew now that marriage did not make love† (25). Janie does not love Logan. She married him for Nanny, her grandmother, and never was able to develop the love for him, as she desired. At this point, Janie begins seeing Jody Starks, and eventually leaves Logan. Upon leaving, she â€Å"feels the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside one road and walked on† (32) as if release of being a housewife and allowing herself to move on; no strings attached. In Jane’s second marriage with Jody, Janie is forced to wear a head rag by Jody. This hides Janie’s hair. Janie’s hair is very different from other women in her community. Her hair is straight, like white women, as opposed to curly. Her hair is a symbol of her uniqueness and independence. By forcing Janie to cover her hair and wear the head rag, Jody extinguishes Janie’s independence. Jody controls Janie, insults her, and destroys her self-esteem. She conforms to his wants and demands, not even fighting back when he hits her. The head rag represents Jody’s dominance over Janie in their relationship. Ultimately, this proves that their relationship in not based on true love, and this ends in a failed relationship. After Jody dies, Janie’s meets Tea Cake, who buys her a blue satin dress. This dress is worn at their wedding and is of high significance despite the small amount of time it is worn by Janie. It is a symbol of a new start with Tea Cake. In addition, it has only been nine months since Jody’s death. At one point. Janie says to Pheoby: Ah ain’t grievin’ so why do Ah hafta mourn? Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain’t never in his life picked out no color for me. De world picked out black and white for mournin’, Joe didn’t. So Ah wasn’t wearin’ it for him. Ah was wearin’ it for de rest of y’all (113). This shows that Janie is sad about his death since she is not mourning, as the community believes she should do. Janie did not truly love Jody, however, she does love Tea Cake greatly and is â€Å"always in blue because Tea Cake told her to wear it†(110). Later in their marriage, Janie switched her attire to overalls. These overalls are nothing fancy and are worn for her work in the fields with Tea Cake. For this reason, they are proven to be a symbol of equality and true love. Neither Tea Cake nor Janie are of higher stature than one another as the men were in Janie’s past relationships. â€Å"What if Eatonville could see her in now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes?† (134) is a thought that Janie simply laughs at. Janie’s love is proven in her ability to become Tea Cake’s equal despite what the people of the town say about how he is poor. Janie continues to wear the overalls after Tea Cakes death, when she returns to Eatonville. She doesn’t dress up to mourn. Janie â€Å"went on in her overalls. She was too busy feeling grief to dress like grief† (189). This further proves Janie’s feelings for Tea Cake more than anything. With Jody, Janie mourned his death and didn’t care for him, showing that mourning doesn’t mean she was sad. In this situation, Janie does not follow what is considered the right thing to do. She knows how sad she feels about Tea Cake and that is the only thing that matters to her at this point in time. The use of clothing as symbols is a dominant element of Hurston’s writing in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It successfully conveys Janie’s emotions and thoughts throughout her life. The symbolism of clothing shows how she evolved from following what is considered â€Å"right† and becoming what she wants; someone who experienced true love. Janie wore an apron for Nanny’s dream, a head rag to satisfy Jody’s need for dominance, and a blue satin dress and overalls for true love and equality with Tea Cake. Works Cited Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. Print.

The takeover of HBOS

The takeover of HBOS Introduction Mergers and acquisitions have become the most frequently used methods of growth for companies in the twenty first century. Nowadays the information about mergers and acquisitions (MA) can be seen every day in newspapers, internet, television MA can suddenly become a hot topic at anyones workplace because their company is going to merge with another. There are many sides to an MA transaction strategic, legal, financial, and technological to getting a deal done. One very important element to every deal is the human element, this should always be kept in mind. We are going to evaluate the challenges faced by the management of the new organisation in terms of Human Resource Management (HRM) with reference to the recent takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) by Lloyds TSB in September 2008. The evaluation will include the role of HRM in analyzing the Lloyds TSBs decision to make a takeover bid for HBOS, how this analysis related to Culture, Conflict and Change within the organisatio n and possible dilemmas facing Lloyds TSBs stakeholders. Background and purpose of the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB Background On 17 September 2008, very shortly after the demise of Lehman Brothers, HBOSs share price suffered wild fluctuations between 88p and 220p per share, which lost almost half its market value in the week, despite the Financial Services Authoritys assurances as to its liquidity and exposure to the wider credit crunch. However, on 18 September 2008 the terms of the recommended offer for HBOS by Lloyds TSB were announced. The two lenders also revealed plans to raise a combined  £17 billion under a government-funded recapitalisation programme aimed at strengthening the UK banking sectors capital reserves. The government backed the deal using a special national interest clause on the grounds that a collapse of HBOS would have had a disastrous impact on the UK. On 16 January 2009 the Lloyds TSB acquisition of HBOS was completed following final court approval and Lloyds TSB was renamed Lloyds Banking Group plc. Purpose of the takeover: The proposed acquisition of HBOS would combine two powerful financial institutions, and would be another significant and positive step on our journey to provide substantial benefits and value for customers and shareholders alike. Challenges faced by HRM in MA Organisational Behaviour Model Due to the resulting pressure for the MA to succeed, the management of the new organisation is forced to find new strategies as well as evaluate the additional challenges faced. To answer the question of how well the management performed during the integrating activity, it is useful to look at internal factors using the McKinsey 7-S framework. This framework was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. The basic premise of the model is that there is a framework which maps a constellation of interrelated factors that influence an organisations ability to change. The McKinsey 7-S model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either hard or soft elements: Hard elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them: these are strategy statements; organisation charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems. Soft elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, they are less tangible and more specifically related to HRM. These soft elements are as important as the hard elements. A conservative estimate is that roughly 10% of people at work at any one time are directly affected by transformations of this sort. Moreover, another 30% are closely related to those experiencing combination-related tensions and trauma (Buono and Bowditch, 2003). These figures show how the critical challenges faced by management in every MA relate specifically to HRM. The company that effectively addresses people-related issues up front and throughout integration will have a better chance of succeeding and gaining the competitive advantage it seeks. The challenges faced by management in term of HRM in MA. The HRM issues in the MA can be classified in two phases; the pre-MA phase and the post MA phase. HRM should be involved from the beginning and throughout all stages of the MA process. Due diligence is important in the first phase while integration issues take the front seat in the later phase, including: Cultural clashes: Each organisation has a different set of beliefs and value systems. The exposure to a new culture during the MA leads to a psychological state called culture shock. Dissimilar cultures can produce feelings of hostility and significant discomfort which can lower the commitment and cooperation on the part of the employees, therefore post-merger cultural clashes are often blamed for disappointing MA outcomes. According to Anders Spilling and Jarle Hà ¸ien, managers in BearingPoints Business Strategy and Transformation pratice, there are five areas of cultural conflict: Leadership: every companys leadership style can seem unique. When post-MA senior leaders sitting at the same table motivate their staffs and resolve conflicts in diverse ways the resulting friction often creates additional risks. Examples of these risks could be a lack of commitment to new company goals or a high level of turnover among key employee groups. Governance: effective corporate governance requires much more than a system to protect stakeholder interests. It must encompass the way decisions are made in each part of the company and across organisations. One problem that usually arises is the debate over whether the new organisation should adopt one merger partners governance model or define a different model. Communication: Attitudes about confidentiality, preferences for formal versus informal channels and the frequency of communications may all come into play. By anticipating these risks well in advance, the acquiring companys leadership can develop communication tactics that best support the merger objectives. Business process: most companies have distinct ways of developing, updating and enforcing core business processes which must be understood and respected during the integration phase. If changes in core business processes are not deliberately and systemically thought through during the integration phase, organisations face the risk of internal breakdowns and failures in delivery of products and services to customers. Performance management and reward systems: new organisation should include efforts to harmonize performance standards and compensation systems where possible, while explaining important differences when necessary. Newly merged companies must help employees understand that their different recognition and reward systems are fair, even if not always uniform across the organisation. Because cultural change involves both hard and soft issues, HRM considerations will include visible manifestations such as key performance indicators, communication styles, employee interaction, as well as less tangible corporate values and assumptions about how a company does business, such as how leaders drive and assess results and new organisation governance model These findings have important implications for how organisations can anticipate post-merger cultural clashes and tailor leadership programs to address their underlying roots, ultimately enhancing merger success rates. Uncertainty job security: The MA leads to duplication of certain departments, bring about the excess manpower and downsizing is, unfortunately, an inherent result. Hence talking about MA, the first set of thoughts that occur in the minds of employees are related to security of their jobs, changes in designation, career path, working in new departments and fear of working with new teams. The MA also changes future opportunities for the employees in the organisation. Some employees also have to be relocated or assigned new jobs. This may have an impact on the performance of the employees and cause the organisation to lose some talent. The enormous challenges posed by an MA to the HRM are keeping all employees informed of all crucial decisions as well as enhancing effective two-way communication by involving line managers; ensuring an equitable and fair treatment of employees and in case of lay-offs, HRM should offer outplacement services and fair severance packages. All these efforts from HRM can help build trust, quell the rumour mill, relieve anxiety, focus people on the business and its possibilities and lessen productivity loss. Inability to manage changes: Often there are rapid changes in the business environment after MA. Internally HRM will manage a bigger work force, externally HRMs industrial relations will be extended The role of HRM is to quickly develop a HR plan to lead the process for helping the company to achieve the synergies it needs. The HRM must fully be prepared for the significant role they will play throughout the MA process. The issues faced by HR professionals when supporting the MA are extremely demanding they require the creation of a single unified organisation with a clear purpose and set of values from two groups of people with different cultures. HRM should continuously update their knowledge and skills in managing, controlling and monitoring the enlarged workforce, HRM need the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, acknowledge the problems when they arise, improving communications skills, create training programme, explain new roles to employees, implement stress reduction programmes and orientation pro grammes, help post merger team building and feedback helpline for employees. The issues faced by HR during MA deals are enormous, yet it is clear that the key to the success of an MA is the management of people. By identifying the common challenges and finding solutions which work for the new organisation. The value of HRM in the MA should be realised early enough to enhance the chances of a successful deal. Analysing Lloyds TSBs decision in making a takeover bid for HBOS. Issues related to Culture, Conflict and Change: The theory mentioned above regarding issues related to organisation development in term of culture, conflict and change applied very closely to the general challenges faced by the new Lloyds TSB organisation in the post-takeover period. Culture The basis of corporate culture is shared values. These values must be stated as both corporate objectives and individual values, explicit or implicit fundamental beliefs, concepts, and principles that underlie the culture of an organisation. Lloyds TSB and HBOS were two of the UKs leading financial services companies, they have some similarities in organisational structure. According to Charles Handy (1985), who popularized the work of Roger Harrison (1972), has linked organisational structure to organisational culture, both Lloyds TSB and HBOS have Role culture in where people have clearly delegated authorities within a highly defined structure. Power derives from a persons position and little scope exists for expert power. Lloyds TSB and HBOS rest on the strength of strong organisational pillars-the functions of specialists, for example, customer advisors, banking advisors, personal financial advisors On closer inspection, each of them will have its own unique culture, and like most large businesses are likely to be something of a mix of culture and even, each branch, or division has its own culture. From table 1- Soft elements by McKinsey 7-S framework in Lloyds TSB and HBOS, while Lloyds TSB creates an exciting place to work with a lively and fun atmosphere, they affirmed on their website that they have a work hard, play hard culture. HBOS seems to have a more formal working environment with very professional attitude in their approach to work, results-driven, always looking for more ways to move forward and over-achieve. About leadership style, Lloyds TSB built a feedback and coaching culture with regular appraisals twice annually based on Key Performance Indicator system with hierarchy structure. HBOS employed a non-hierarchical culture where everyone was treated equally, fairly. The communication system in Lloyds and HBOS followed these styles as well, hierarchy and non-hierarchy respectively. I dont think these differences in leadership style and communication system were sufficiently considered in the takeover decision. Governance model of Lloyds and HBOS were almost the same, the core purpose was to make it better for their staff, customers and to maximise shareholders value over time. Both groups were led by a board comprising executive and non-executive directorswith wide experience.The roles of the chairman,the group chief executiveandthe boardand its governance arrangements, including the schedule of matters specifically reserved to the board for decision, were reviewed annually. Lloyds and HBOS had very different ways of doing business. Lloyds was very conservative, largely a consumer bank. HBOS was aggressively following the high risk business model, HBOS transformed their traditional banking activities into global trading and speculative operations with little oversight and policing. Although the way of doing business is very important in choosing a strategy for the organisation, the unexpected result of HBOSs strategy and the dominance of Lloyds in the takeover meant that the new merger organisation did not take time to affirm which business model should be followed, therefore this aspect was not critical in the decision making of the takeover. The performance management and reward systems: The Lloyds performance approach includes objective setting using a balanced scorecard, Lloyds has regular performance reviews with competitive remuneration package. HBOS has results-driven rewards, always looking for more ways to move forward and increase achievements. The salary they received is only the beginning because for every role there was a tailor-made total rewards package which was based around three key areas: Performance, Flexibility and Choice. Furthermore, remuneration package for each role, contributory pension scheme, share-save and share-plan schemes, numbers of holidays. are hard to match between the two organisations. These differences of culture will involve much due diligence to identify implicit as well as explicit issues and will require time to build up a proper plan for HRM. The outcome of this plan has an integral role in the decision of the takeover. As the result of the takeover, the above differences in culture mean that the exposure to a new culture is unavoidable. The employees of both Lloyds and HBOS not only need to abandon their own culture, values and belief but also have to accept an entirely different culture. The takeover also leads to changes in organisational climate, the main source of organisation conflicts, which are summarized below Conflict Post-takeover integration demands significant involvement in all level of organizations, both Lloyds and HBOS, causing conflict at work from individual level to organisation level. Organisation cultural: there is no doubt that Lloydss culture is dominant and may lead to feelings of superiority among some of the employees. The employees of non-dominating culture, HBOS, may also get feelings of loss of identity associated with Lloyds. The dissimilarity in the cultures can produce the feelings of hostility and significant discomfort, for example HBOS may feel uncomfortable with the hierarchy of organisation structure and the communication system of Lloyds. In case of hostility in certain environment, some teams may develop us versus them attitude which may be detrimental to the organisational growth. Conflict in maintaining stability: The need for reform in organisation structures, redefinitions of assigned duties and responsibilities, adjusting the procedures and methods of work after the takeover, can result in conflict in maintaining stability. There should be a commitment to maintain employment in those parts of the UK in which either HBOS or Lloyds TSB currently have significant operations. This should be backed by a commitment to take all possible steps to avoid involuntary redundancies in order to avoid the potentially devastating impact on local communities and economies of large site closures. Conflict in investment in resources: both Lloyds and HBOS have their own large resources that may already be committed to investments in other areas or strategies before the takeover. As this takeover had a short notice period, assets such as branch offices, CRM software, equipment and people which have just been invested cannot easily be altered, thence conflicts arise. Which invested categories should be dropped? In fact, HBOS had in-house call centre operations, while Lloyds had a policy to outsource or off-shore its call centre. Each call centre model has its own advantages and disadvantages, what operation model should be maintained? In the short term, HBOS calls for Lloyds TSB to review all existing and planned outsourcing or off-shoring of operations to maximise employment opportunities in the UK for current employees. Conflict with past contracts or agreements: Both Lloyds and HBOS entered into contracts or agreements with other parties, such as government, trade unions, suppliers, customers and their own employees. These contracts and agreements can conflict with the changes cause by the takeover. For example, there should be a statement from Lloyds TSB committing that HBOS employees pay, pension provisions, employment benefits will be protected. Also, there should be a commitment that if there are new terms and conditions of employment for HBOS and Lloyds TSB staff, those should be no less favourable than the terms and conditions applying before the acquisition. Conflict in power or influence: Another practical problem is differences in the grading or organisational structures. The organisational structures used have different designations for the employees. During the integration Lloyds need to develop a mechanism to remove the differences in the grading systems, bring them to equal levels between Lloyds and HBOS, introducing standard levels of control over decisions, resources or information. Lloyds TSB should make a commitment to dignity at work for all employees and commit to the highest standards in relation to equality, diversity, equal pay and future career development opportunities post-takeover. The reaction of the employees in conflicts can vary from anger to dejection and depression. There can also be a fall in the morale, commitment and loyalty which can lead to impaired performance. Identifying the conflicts in advance will help Lloyds TSB management decide on the takeover. I think Lloyds TSB management was confident enough in their ability to control the above defined conflicts and believed that they would get more chances of success in the changes below: Change: In the decision of the takeover bid for HBOS, Lloyds TSB management board had targeted the opportunity to change for a stronger Lloyds Banking Group. As a common reaction, every change in the enlarged Lloyds TSB is resisted at both the individual and the organisational level. According to Alvin Toffler (1970), people are naturally wary of change and suspicion is out of control. Besides the changes in strategic, legal, financial and technology, the changes in HRM should be carefully designed and proceed with gradual pace. As part of the decision regarding the takeover, Lloyds TSB had considered the strategy to overcome the individual resistance and organizational resistance. Monday 19 January is Day one, the two brands still remain separate. A spokesperson for Lloyds TSB said: It is business as usual. This statement helps to maintain the secure feelings in customers, shareholders and employees. From the early stage of the takeover, Lloyds TSB had set up a guiding team to provide change leadership and handle every steps of the change process. They have created a website to update on a regular basis to shareholders, employees and customers on the proposed acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB and to give them information about the Lloyds Banking Group in this rapidly changing environment.Divisional changes will be communicated via line management and divisional intranet sites. HBOS partner unions, Accord and Unite, will continue to play an important role as before in the new business. There will be no major changes for the vast majority of HBOS employees. The existing HR policies and procedures remain in place. The 2009 pay review will be in May as usual. There will be little immediate change to Total Reward. The current pension arrangements will continue for all employees. Initially, there will be no change to the HBOS performance management approach. Employees will be introduced to the Lloyds Banking Group performance approach during 2009. Lloyds TSB was aware of the default response of resistance during the change of the takeover decision. Therefore they had suitable response to manage the sustaining of a healthy climate in order to gain a commitment to change in the whole organisation. Dilemmas facing Lloyds TSBs stakeholders Lloyds TSB and HBOS had, on a number of occasions over the years since 2000, discussed the possibility of a merger. It was only the unique circumstances of September 2008 that enabled this transaction to happen with the nature of the Governments involvement in the banking sector. In particular, the purpose of Governments interventions that is to stabilise the banking system, provide liquidity and to encourage more lending. Following the collapse of Lehmans, closely followed by the nationalisation of the worlds biggest insurance company AIG and the spreading of the world recession meant that the Government needed to take swift and decisive action by taking the extraordinary step of waiving competitions concerns to get the deal done. Lloyds TSB management board was very aware of the compelling logic of this transaction, including the substantial market positions they would secure and the significant and substantial synergies, the opportunities for growth which a stand-alone Lloyds TSB might not have been in a position to deliver to the same degree. Furthermore, the opportunity to acquire HBOS only came about in the middle of economic adversity and in conditions which are unlikely to be repeated. Besides the support from Government and the opportunity for growth, Lloyds TSB management board was very mindful of the difficult economic backdrop to this transaction with the prospect of further declines to come. However, Lloyds TSB purchased  £17.9 billion of HBOS net asset value for  £7.7 billion so, they were very much convinced that this was the right transaction for Lloyds TSB. The short-term outlook was indeed difficult and problems with the finances of HBOS will not disappear overnight. However, the earnings potential of Lloyds Banking Group will be significantly improved in the longer term. Lloyds TSB directors also understood that after the takeover, to reduce the systemic risk in the UK banking system, the recapitalization scheme has already cost Lloyds its 240-year-old independence. The UK Government, as part of the capital raising process, has now become a 43.4 per cent shareholder in the group. As part of Her Majestys Treasury (HMT) recapitalisation scheme, the Group was required to suspend the payment of cash dividends to ordinary shareholders until the HMT preference shares issued as part of the scheme are repaid. This is considered as a noticeable contribution from Lloyds TSB shareholders in their favourable voting for the takeover. One big concern to the Lloyds TSB employees and unions is the redundancy issue during the global financial recession. Although Lloyds TSB and the government dismissed reports of redundancies involving one third of the workforce and pledged to continue using HBOS headquarters in Scotland, the union leaders believe the job cuts will be about 15,000 in one year out of a 140,000 workforce. This brings concern to the employees about the serious plan which is designed to protect the members jobs and terms conditions of employment. The governments dilemma is how to stabilise the banking system and maintain an equitable business environment. The management boards dilemma is how to continue growing and manage the burden of the ailing HBOS, between short term and long term outlook. The shareholders dilemma is the potential of future substantial share value versus waiving current dividends or the workforce redundancies. In the context of the economic downturn in autumn 2008, Lloyds TSB had to consider the weighting between the benefits and adversities of the takeover, it was really the hard dilemma facing Lloyds TSBs stakeholder in making the decision of the takeover. Conclusion: 2008 was a very difficult and challenging year for the banking industry, the deteriorated market conditions have continued into 2009, both in the UK and overseas, a prolonged period of economic difficulty for many households and companies. The UK Government had to intervene in the banking system by providing capital and liquidity where the markets had failed. At times of great economic and financial uncertainty, many apparently settled ideas come under great scrutiny. When Lloyds TSB announced it was acquiring HBOS plc; and now about a year since the transaction was completed (16 January 2009), the deal is still receiving ceaseless criticism. Critics should consider what would have happened to the UK banking industry and the UK economic situation if the takeover had not taken place? If HBOS had failed, how many HBOS branches would have closed? How many employees would have lost their job? How many bank accounts of customers would have been affected? As a bank with a strong focus on customer relationships, Lloyds TSB is committed to helping its customers wherever possible to manage their way through these challenging times. Without doubt, the Lloyds Banking Group have spent great deal of time to overcome the challenges faced and fulfilled all necessary obligations to society. Here, never forget to mention about the crucial role of Human Resource Management during the pre-takeover and post-takeover. With only a short period of time for preparation, Lloyds TSB Human Resource Management have tried their utmost to create new HR practices and strategies that meet the requirements of the takeover. Employment law challenges, culture clashes, talent retention, employee engagement, recognition and conciliation conflicts, the HRM of Lloyds TSB has harmonised all activities in all phases leading to the creation of a unified organisation with a mission, vision, a clear purpose and values from two culturally different groups. Although there a re some shortcomings due to subjective and objective factors, the job that Lloyds TSB Human Resource Management is doing for employees and company is very valuable and highly valued, and it managed not to cause a big disturbance in the UK labour market. Finally, the decision by Lloyds TSB to takeover HBOS appears to have been the right transaction for the company. The support from government was definitely necessary and the favourable vote from both Lloyds TSB and HBOS shareholders showed that they believed this to be the best solution to the problems of both banks. The short-term outlook for the enlarged Group is challenging. Whenever economic conditions do begin to normalise, however, we believe Lloyds TSB will be in a very strong position to reap the benefits. Their strong franchise across the whole range of product lines will enable them to do just that. One of the most important ways in which leading businesses differentiate themselves from their peers is through the quality of their people and their strong commitment and Lloyds Banking Group believes that they have the qualities and the right people to ensure the bright future. APPENDIX 1: Background of Lloyds TSB and HBOS Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a UK-based financial services group, which employed about 70,000 people. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810, creating Britains largest retail bank, over all, Lloyds-TSB would be the fourth-largest bank on the stock exchange in terms of assets. Lloyds provides a wide range of banking and financial services to personal and corporate customers. Its main business activities are retail, commercial and corporate banking, general and life insurance, pensions and investment provision. Its services are offered through a number of brands, including Lloyds TSB, Cheltenham Gloucester and Scottish Widows. Its UK turnover in 2007 was  £18 billion. HBOS is a financial services group, which employed about 72,000 people in the U.K., was created in 2001 in the 9.7 billion-pound merger of Yorkshire-based mortgage lender Halifax Plc and Edinburgh-based the Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland. It is the UKs largest mortgage lender. HBOS provides a range of banking, insurance, financial services and finance-related activities in the UK and abroad. Its UK turnover in 2007 was  £4.25 billion. The deal of takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB was concluded on 16 January 2009. The three main conditions for the acquisition were: Three Quarters of HBOS shareholders voted in agreement with the boards actions; Half Of Lloyds TSB shareholder voted to approve the takeover; UK government dispensation with respect to competition law. On 19 November 2008, Lloyds TSB shareholders voted 95.98% in favour of the takeover. They also approved plans to raise  £5.5bn by issuing new shares and special preference shares. On 12 December 2008, the takeover was approved by HBOS shareholders. A group of Scottish businessmen challenged the right of the UK government to approve the deal by overruling UK competition law, but this was rejected. The government has allowed the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB to bypass normal competition rules. The exchange of HBOS shares for Lloyds Banking Group shares took place at an exchange ratio of 0.605 of a new Lloyds Banking Group share for every one HBOS share held. As a result, the UK Government through Her Majestys Treasury owned approximately 43.4% of the enlarged ordinary share capital of Lloyds Banking Group. Lloyds Banking Group is now the largest financial services franchise in the UK with a range of leading market positions in important product lines, such as savings, current accounts, mortgages, insurance and long-term savings. They are also a leading player in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and wholesale banking sectors. The Group clearly has a very significant retail banking footprint and, with approximately 3,000 branches, is present in more UK locations than any other financial institution. Lloyds TSB Chief Executive Officer Eric Daniels will be Chief Executive of the enlarged company, and the banks Victor Blank will be Chairman. References Mullins, L.J. (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th edn. London: Prentice Hall Buono, A.F. and Bowditch,

Determinants And Implications For Focused Antenatal Care Interventions

Determinants And Implications For Focused Antenatal Care Interventions The coverage of antenatal care (ANC) in many areas is known and there are a number of interventions to encourage use of ANC services by pregnant women. However, for women who attend ANC, it is important that they register at the appropriate time and pay a given number of visits over the pregnancy period to ensure that they receive the interventions recommended for the antenatal period at the right time. When a pregnant woman makes regular contact which her skilled antenatal care provider, she is in a position to receive various services such as those meant for prevention of eclampsia, intermittent preventive treatment for malaria, early detection of HIV/AIDS infection and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, micronutrient supplementation, birth preparedness and provision of information on danger signs occurring while she is pregnant or during delivery.1 Presently, Nigeria is transiting to the Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) approach promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO ) which is aimed at ensuring that each antenatal visit counts and that antenatal care interventions are delivered at the appropriate time.2 FANC is one of the pillars of safe motherhood. The goal of FANC is to ensure that pregnancy is normal through for major actions: identification of pre-existing health conditions, early detection of complications arising during the pregnancy, health promotion and disease prevention and birth preparedness and complication readiness planning.3The interventions are deployed in such a way that they are appropriate for the womans stage of pregnancy.4 Unlike the previously used routine care which was ritualistic and frequent visits, the FANC approach emphasizes evidence-based goal-directed actions, family-centred care, quality, rather than quantity of visits as well as care by skilled providers.3 4 Thus, numerous routine visits are no longer recommended and are considered a burden to women and the health care system. The FANC approach also deemphasizes the routine risk assessment approach for classifying women into high and low risks groups.2 With the risk assessment approach, women attending antenatal care were offered services which include blood pressure check, urinalysis to detect protein or bacteria, and blood test to rule out syphilis or anaemia.5 However many women classified as low risk end up having a false sense of security, are unable to recognize and respond to problems and end up developing complications. In addition, most high risk women give birth without complications and the excess care provided constitutes an inefficient use of scarce resources. The FANC approach in Nigeria requires that pregnant women would have paid the first visit for ANC by the 16 week of pregnancy or earlier when the women first thinks she is pregnant, the second between the 24th to 28th week, the third at the 32nd week and the 4th at the 36th week of pregnancy.2 Some authors have considered early booking to mean that a woman pays her first visit before the 14th week to achieve the aim of improved outcome of pregnancy both for a mother and her unborn child.6 Thus, by 36 weeks, a pregnant woman should have made the required minimum of four visits while those with risk of complications of conditions that can impact on pregnancy would require additional visits. The time of booking and ANC attendance can affect the effectiveness of interventions recommended for pregnant women and thus the goals of FANC. Early booking helps ensure that problems are detected and managed early.2 The first visit gives the opportunity to record information on family, maternal and medical history, carry out a physical examination, request laboratory tests, provide care including intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for malaria in pregnancy (if beyond first trimester), provide counselling including birth plan, use of insecticide treated bed nets (ITN), HIV counselling and testing and to discuss the schedule for care. The subsequent visits are necessary for noting complaints, targeted physical examination, reviewing test results, providing care including IPT for malaria, obtaining information on use of ITN, birth plans and carrying out HIV counselling. Justification for the study Interventions for pregnant women aim protect the woman and her unborn baby for the remaining period of the pregnancy and their provision should be timely. The later the timing of first visit the shorter the period of cover and the higher the risk of development of problems and complications for the woman and her baby. Thus it is not just important to know the proportion of pregnant women attending ANC, it is also important to know when attendees commence such visits and whether they pay an adequate number of visits. Although a number of studies have documented the timing of first visit and number of visits to ANC in the south-west region of Nigeria, little is known about the pattern in the south eastern region of the country. Additionally, most of the studies are limited in scope as they are facility based (usually tertiary hospital based) and thus reflect experience amongst pregnant women who are able to access such facilities even though primary health centres are the closest to people and usually the only available point of care in rural areas. Aim: This study is aimed at documenting the socio-demographic predictors of timing of ANC booking and subsequent attendance amongst pregnant women in order to understand the impact these can have on deployment of focused antenatal care interventions for pregnant women. Objectives: To determine the timing of booking and pattern of subsequent ANC attendance among pregnant women attending primary level facilities To examine whether the timing of ANC booking and clinic attendance is affected by individual level socio-demographic factors To assess the appropriateness of timing of booking and attendance for effective delivery of focused antenatal care interventions To examine how the findings of the study can impact on the deployment of antenatal care interventions for pregnant women. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The concept of focused antenatal care is based on the assumption that since every pregnancy faces the risk of development of complications, every pregnant woman should be monitored to avoid development of such complications.2 Lack of antenatal care is known to be a major risk factor for development of negative pregnancy outcomes. However, when antenatal care is appropriately delivered, it has the potential to positively impact on maternal mortality and morbidity.7 Studies have shown that many women obtain care quite late during the pregnancy period and the care obtained is usually inadequate.2 8 9 The first visit for antenatal care in Africa usually takes place around the fourth to fifth month of pregnancy.5 In the African region, 73% of pregnant women aged 15 49 years pay at least one visit to a health care provider for antenatal care while only 44% pay at least four visits.10 A study by Al-Nasser in Saudi Arabia showed that majority (60.8%) of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in primary health care centres were first seen before the 20th week of gestation.11 Fekede, et al noted that 42.8% of 360 pregnant women in an Ethiopian town attending antenatal clinic did so for the first time within the 3rd trimester while only 6.5% had the recommended minimum of four visits.12 In Nigeria, the figures assessing antenatal care utilization are below the African regional values as 58% of women aged 15-49 years receive ANC from a skilled health provider at least once during pregnancy while 45% of women make four or more visits for ANC.2 10 Based on the 2008 NDHS the median gestational age at booking is 5 months.2 Among 395 women attending antenatal clinic in public and private facilities covering the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, 25.8% paid the first visit for antenatal care within the first trimester. Mean gestational age at booking was found to be 18.5 (Â ±6.3) weeks while the mean number of antenatal visits was 4.0 (Â ±2.4).13 A study carried out among 378 pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in Edo state Nigeria noted that the 6th month of pregnancy as the peak period of first visit for antenatal care among the women.14 Okunlola et al found a mean gestational age at booking of 21.82 (Â ±7.0) weeks wi th only 14.1% of the women paying attending for the first time within the first trimester.6 In a tertiary facility in Osogbo Nigeria, the mean gestational age was found to be 20.3 (Â ±6.2) weeks and 82.6% of those studied booked late.15 Amongst 400 women attending antenatal clinic at a tertiary facility in Ile Ife, Nigeria, 71% had registered by the 20th week of gestation.16 Aluko and Oluwatosin found low rates of first trimester booking and irregular visits for antenatal care among women attending clinics in a mission hospital in Ibadan south west Nigeria.17 Socio-demographic factors and parity have been found to directly influence the timing of first visit for antenatal care though the results are sometimes dissimilar. Most women (79.9%) attending antenatal clinic in a tertiary hospital in Edo state Nigeria were found to have booked late.18 However, there was no significant difference in age, parity, level of education and social class between women booking early and late. In a study carried out among pregnant women attending a the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Adegbola found a mean gestational age at first booking of 18.5 (Â ±8.3), 18.4 (Â ±7.4) weeks for nulliparous and primiparous women respectively.19 The overall mean gestational age at booking was 19.1(Â ±7.2) weeks. Women with parity 5 booked at significantly higher mean gestational age of 25.9 (Â ±) weeks and women of lower social class tend to book earlier for antenatal care. Similarly Adeyemi, et al found that late booking was thrice as common in multiparous women com pared with the nulliparous group and the difference was significant.20 Other authors have found an association between parity and timing of first visit, and number of antenatal visits.11 21 A number of studies have documented the factors that affect use of ANC amongst women in the developing countries;9 these determinants are also likely to affect the timeliness of attendance for ANC. Chandrashekar, et al found that women who are poor, illiterate, multiparous, unskilled and over 30 years of age were less likely to receive antenatal care in India.22 Age was found to be a significant predictor of ANC attendance in a community based study in Ethiopia where women aged 15-24 years were found 2.75 times more likely to attend than those aged 25-34 years.12 Geographic place of residence can also have an impact as women living in urban areas are more likely to receive antenatal care during pregnancy. Women have also been found to concurrently use multiple antenatal care providers and this can affect the timing of booking in a facility. Adeoye, et al found that 25% and 30.5% of women attending two antenatal care clinics in a tertiary facility in Ebonyi state were concurrently using both formal and informal providers of antenatal care.23 Of 535 women attending a tertiary facility in Enugu Nigeria, 69.5% were booked in more than one facility.24 The time of commencement of ANC visits has implications for the period of protection that pregnant women have from interventions. For example where women attend antenatal care late in pregnancy, they may not receive the recommended 2-3 doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for malaria in pregnancy using sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine combinations.25 Data from the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) shows that among 11,027 women aged 15 49 years with a live birth within a period of 2 years preceding the survey, only 8.0% received at least one dose of IPT while 4.9% received 2 or more doses.2 The proportion was 9.9% and 5.4% respectively for the south east region of Nigeria. It is important that pregnant women are available at the appropriate time for delivery of IPT which is best given when the growth of the foetus is occurring at its highest velocity (16th 24th week) as this helps to reduce placental parasitaemia, foetal growth reduction and the resultant low birth weight.26 It is also known that the negative impact of malaria is worse among women with their first and second pregnancies compared to those that have had more than two pregnancies.27-29 Thus primi and secundi-gravidae need to pay their first visit early enough to ensure adequate protection through the pregnancy period. The same consideration holds sway for interventions such as insecticide treated nets for which the potential protective time period depends on how early in pregnancy a woman starts sleeping under the net. All it all, timely attendance to ANC is important to enhance the potential for positive pregnancy outcomes since it provides pregnant women with the opportunity to receive recommended interventions and the protection from problems and complications. Socio-demographic and maternal factors such as parity can affect the timeliness of ANC visits by pregnant women. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY Study area: This study will be carried out in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria. Enugu state comprises of 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), has a total population of 3,257,298 people and an annual growth rate of 3.0.30 Three of the 17 LGAs (Enugu North, Enugu South and Nsukka) are urban, one (Enugu East) has a mix of urban and rural areas while the remaining 13 LGAs are rural. The people of Enugu are of Igbo ethnicity and are predominantly Christians. A substantial proportion of the working population in the state is engaged in farming, trading, and public service employment. Study site: Two areas will be purposively selected for the study to enable collection of data across for those in both urban and rural areas of the state. These are Udi LGA comprising Udi North and South Development Councils will be used to represent the rural areas while Enugu North and South LGAs will represent the urban areas. Udi has a population of 234,002 while Enugu North and South have a population of 244,852 and 198,723 respectively.30 Udi LGA has 14 primary health facilities that offer ANC services while Enugu North and South (referred to as Enugu) together have 12 primary facilities that offer ANC (appendix 1). Study design: This will be a cross-sectional study involving eliciting of information from pregnant women attending primary health centres for antenatal care through exit interviews using a pre-tested questionnaire. Sampling and sample size: All the primary health care facilities providing ANC in the study LGAs will be used for the study. Since the level of attendance of ANC varies for different facilities, a proportionate method will be used for determining the sample size for each facility. The proportion will be determined by considering the average weekly number of antenatal clinic attendees to the facility relative to the total from all facilities as reported by the heads of the facilities and the relative proportion will be computed. The minimum sample size required for the study is 374. This was determined using the formula for determination of sample size for population proportion,31 an ANC coverage level of 58%,2 a confidence level of 95% and an error margin of 0.05. Z= 1.96 at 95% confidence level, (two-sided). p=ANC coverage = 58% d=margin of error tolerated = 0.05 Considering a potential refusal rate of 10%, 411 women will be sampled. Study tools: Data will be collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire (appendix 2) which will be administered by trained field workers. The questionnaire will be pre-tested amongst pregnant women attending ANC at the Primary Health Centre Abakpa, Enugu East LGA which will not be used for the study. Data analysis: Epi Info statistical software will be used for data entry while SPSS and Stata Softwares will be used for data analysis. Data will initially aim to elicit the determinants of timing of booking of ANC. Subsequently, a continuous socio-economic status index will be generated using the principal component analysis technique in STATA software package 32 to enable disaggregation of data into socio-economic quintiles. Information that will be used include households asset holdings including television, radio, refrigerator, car, bicycle, rechargeable lamp, kerosene lamp, electric fan, air conditioner, motorcycle.33 The SES quintiles generated will be used in assessing differences in timing of booking for women of various SES groups. Logistic regression analysis will be employed for examination of the determinants of the timing of booking. Data analysis will also aim to estimate the proportion of women attending at the appropriate time for delivery of recommended interventions . Chi squared test will be used to test for significance of differences observed for categorical data while chi squared for trend test will be employed for ordered categorical data. All tests of significance will be done a p value of 0.05. Ethical considerations: Ethical clearance will be obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, while permission to carry out the study will be obtained from the Primary Health Care Coordinator of the LGAs as well as from the heads of facilities to be used. Written consent will be obtained from patients who are interviewed after they have been informed of the objectives of the study and the voluntary nature of their participation.