The Importance of the Opening in Enduring Love Essay Example for Free

The Importance of the Opening in Enduring Love Essay The opening of a piece of literature is very important as it is responsible for creating the interest and anticipation that will drive the reader to carry on and enjoy it. Readers expect openings to include a couple of key areas like the setting, the introduction of characters and interest through a form of enigma or tension. Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love both conforms and challenges what a reader would expect of an opening through opening on what seems to be a climactic point of the book. Opening with the balloon incident immediately creates tension. McEwan’s choice of opening sentence is particularly effective. â€Å"the beginning is simple to mark† firstly because this foreshadows that the event will be colossus, and that the reader is the lucky one how gets to discover what happens. And secondly that starting a story with â€Å"the beginning† links quite strongly to religion and creates this biblical tone right from the start. This is interesting because religion is what Joe seems to disagree with seeing as he is very scientific and this choice of wording seems to ominously suggest a link between Joe and Jed and in fact how similar they are. The opening also introduces the narrative voice in enduring love which is particularly important because the story is told through the first person retrospective narrative of Joe rose. This causes the reader to form a sense of reliability and truth as is required as the story is told through only one person’s experience. The inclusion of words like †labyrinth† implies that confusion and complication are a part of the story and causes the reader to rely even more on the narrate voice of Joe. The reference to various senses heightens verisimilitude as every detail felt through the senses of the character is described. â€Å"As the cool neck and the black foil touched my hand†. Furthermore including such fine details creates an early sense of reliability in the narrative voice. There are numerous references to the wind in the opening which is involved with the tranquil setting but stands out as â€Å"strong gusty wind† suggests danger and creates tension. There is also the personification of the wind â€Å"the wind roared† linking the wind to animalistic foreshadows that it will be a danger. The image of the buzzard is also significant as it creates a filmic perspective on the event, like the buzzard is the omniscient creature that observes the already highly anticipated event. The buzzard’s image of being all-seeing and free can be linked to the image of God and once again further to Jed.

International Organisation Food And Agriculture Organisation Politics Essay

International Organisation Food And Agriculture Organisation Politics Essay The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, or ONUAA for its French equivalent Organisation des Nations Unies pour lalimentation et lagriculture is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO acts as a neutral forum, serving both developed and developing economies, where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is a source of information and knowledge, and helps developing countries/ countries in transition to modernise and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring adequate nutritional bal. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates into English as let there be bread. As of 8 August 2008[update], FAO has 191 members states along with the European Union and the Faroe Islands, which are associate members. 2. The Food and Agriculture Organization  [1]  of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. During its last summit in 2009, plan of action including seven commitments was drawn out. First of it is to ensure an enabling political, social and economic environment for eradication of poverty, most conducive to achieving food security for all. The importance of basic human right to food and sustainable agriculture was acknowledged by the summit. FAO has a special programme for food security which is country based steering committee. Another programme, food security and vulnerability information and mapping system (FIVIMS) is established at world food summit and is monitoring undernourished people and issues of food access. United Nations Development Programme 3. The United Nations Development Programme is concerned with integrating human rights in all global development activity, such as democratic governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, energy and environment  [2]  . Export Credit Agencies (ECA) Watch 4. ECA Watch is an outreach mechanism of a larger international campaign to reform Export Credit Agencies (ECAs). Non-governmental organisations working on issues related to the environment, development, human rights and anti-corruption participating in this campaign lobby national and global ECAs to improve their environmental policies and practices. World Agro forestry Centre 5. The World Agro forestry Centre is an autonomous, not-for-profit research and development institution supported by nearly 60 different governments, private foundations regional development banks and the World Bank whose primary mission is to improve food and nutritional security and enhance environmental resilience in the tropics  [3]  . International Food Policy Research Institute(IFPRI) 6. Aimed at identifying and analysing policies for sustain ably meeting the food needs of the developing world. The research at IFPRI focuses on economic growth and poverty alleviation in low income countries and the sound management of the natural resource base that supports agriculture  [4]  . IFPRI seeks to make its research results available to all those in a position to use them and to strengthen institutions in developing countries that conduct research relevant to its mandate. Consultative Group on Agricultural Research 7. CGIAR is a strategic alliance of countries, global and regional organisations and private foundations supporting 15 international agricultural centers. It works with national agricultural research systems and civil society organisations to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy and the environment  [5]  . Harvest Plus 8. Harvest Plus, one of the CGIARs Global Challenge Programs, seeks to reduce the effects of micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the power of plant breeding to develop staple food crops that are rich in micronutrients, a process called Bio fortification  [6]  . International Rice Research Institute 9. The International Rice Research Institute, an autonomous, non profit agricultural research and training organisation with offices in more than ten nations aims to find sustainable ways to improve the well-being of poor rice farmers and consumers while protecting the environment  [7]  . International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) 10. IIED is a London-based independent, non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable patterns of development through collaborative research, policy studies, networking and knowledge dissemination. It works to address global issues like mining, paper industry and food systems. A 34 year-old organisation with a presence in 18 countries, IIED was the first recipient of the Blue Planet Prize (1992) for outstanding contributions to environmental policy and action  [8]  . Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) 11. CIFOR is an international research and global knowledge institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics. CIFORs high impact research in 40 countries helps local communities and small farmers gain their rightful share of forest resources, while increasing the production and value of forest products  [9]  . International Water Management Institute 12. IWMI is a non-profit scientific research organization specialising in water use in agriculture and integrated management of water and land resources. The institute works with partners in the developing world to develop tools and methods to help these countries eradicate poverty and ensure food security through more effective management of their water and land resources  [10]  . World Health Organisation 13. The worlds foremost health agency, the World Health Organisation is the United Nations specialised agency for health, established with the objective is to achieve attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health  [11]  . The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) 14. A research institute with five Indian centers and four overseas affiliates, TERI is committed to every finding innovative solutions to critical energy and environment related issues and the challenges posed by sustainable development from providing environment-friendly solutions to rural energy problems to helping shape the development of the Indian oil and gas sector and from tackling global climate change issues across continents to enhancing forest conservation efforts among local communities  [12]   United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 15. Established in 1972, United Nations Environment Programme acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. To accomplish this, UNEP works with a wide range of partners, including United Nations entities, international organisations, governments, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and civil society  [13]  . United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 16. Located in New York. It has separate divisions called sustainable Energy and Environmental division (SEED) and Sustainable Lively hoods unit of poverty. The former focus on food security research and monitoring technical and policy issues e.g. food security action plans and the later focus on field and policy work having direct relevance to food security and emphasis on capacity building  [14]  . Centre for Science and Environment 17. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an independent, public interest organisation which aims to increase public awareness on science, technology, environment and development  [15]  . Environment News Service 18. The Environment News Service provides daily international news updates on the environment  [16]  . World Bank 19. World Bank is the major founder for Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) which conducts much of Green Revolution related R D. Adequacy Of Role/Contribution Of International Organisation 20. As per UN convention, Industrialised and developed countries are required to spend 0.7 percent of their national income on international aid. However, except Norway, Sweden, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Denmark, no other developed nation is meeting the target. (Data fact Map of UN). Lack of political consensus among developed countries on food security related issues and non implementation of UN convention in terms of national contribution towards aid has further weakened UN standing. Organisation of economic co-operation and development data mentions reduction of aid by 5.1 percent with effect from 2005 to economic crisis looming those countries. A mere scrutiny of mother organisation of world in respect of Global food security i.e Food And agriculture Organisation of United Nation enunciates the level of inadequacy of international agencies dealing with the crisis. 21. There has been severe public criticism  [17]  of FAO performance for the last 30 years. After the 1974 World Food Conference, due to dissatisfaction with the FAOs performance two new organizations ie World Food Council (WFC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD were created. World Food Programme, which was started as an experimental 3-year programme under FAO, grew in size and independence, with the directors of FAO and WFP struggling for power. Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. wrote that the sad fact is that presently, the FAO has become essentially irrelevant in combating global hunger. In recent years, bloated bureaucracy known for mediocrity of its work and the inefficiency of FAO staff, the FAO has become increasingly politicised. In the same year, the Society journal published a series of articles about FAOs inefficiency and lack of transparency. 22, US State Department expressed the view that The Food and Agriculture Organization has lagged behind other UN organizations in responding to US desires for improvements in program and budget processes to enhance value for money spent. In 1991, The Ecologist magazine produced a special issue written by experts such as Helena Norberg-Hodge, Vandana Shiva, Edward Goldsmith, Miguel A. Altieri and Barbara Dinham under the heading The UN Food and Agriculture Organization: Promoting World Hunger and questioned FAOs policies and practices in forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, and pest control. 23. In 1996, World Food Summit organised by FAO was attended by 112 Heads or Deputy Heads of State and Government and concluded with the signing of the Rome Declaration, which established the goal of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by the year 2015. In the meantime, 1,200 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from 80 countries participated in an NGO forum. The forum was critical of the growing industrialisation of agriculture and called upon governments and FAO to do more to protect the Right to Food of the poor. Although some progress has been made during the last twenty years, the future is not bright. At the World Food Summit in 1996, high-level policy makers from more than 112 countries agreed to the goal of reducing the number of food-insecure people by half, to 400 million, between 1990 and 2015. At the follow-up Summit in 2002, policy makers from the same countries reaffirmed the same goal. Unfortunately, action does not seem to follow rhetoric. Even after ten years of first summit less than one third of the countries managed to reduce the number of food-insecure people, while one half experienced an increase. 24. To reach this target of world food summit, 22 million people need to escape from food insecurity every year. But only 6 million have been fortunate enough to do so. Given the progress, this commitment seems to have been mere lip service. Till date the countries who undertook this commitment have made choices each year about how to spend money and expend effort and policy goals to pursue. But for the vast majority, food security has never made it near the top of the agenda. With the present policies and approaches now being pursued in most countries and international organizations, there is no possibility of achieving sustainable food security for all in next decade. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations projects that even the more limited WFS goal will be met not by 2015, but by 2050.

Bethel School District vs. Fraser :: essays research papers

On April 26, 1983, Matthew Fraser, a student at Bethel High School in Bethel, Washington, delivered a speech nominating a fellow student for a student elective office to his fellow high school mates. The assembly was part of a school-sponsored educational program in self government. During the entire speech, Fraser referred to his candidate in terms of "elaborate, graphic, and explicit sexual metaphor." However, no obscene language was used. Fraser discussed his speech with three of his teachers. Two of the teachers testified at the trial that they informed Matthew the speech was "inappropriate and that he probably should not deliver it." They also mentioned that the speech might have "severe consequences," but none of the three suggested that the speech might violate a school rule. So Matthew gave his speech, during which a school counselor observed the reaction of students. Some hooted and yelled; others appeared to be bewildered and embarrassed by the speech. A Bethel High School disciplinary rule prohibited the use of obscene language in the school: Conduct which materially and substantially interferes with the educational process is prohibited, including the use of obscene, profane language or gestures. The morning after the assembly, the assistant principal called Matthew into her office and notified him that the school considered his speech to have been a violation of this rule. The assist ant principal informed Matthew that he would be suspended for three days and would be ineligible as a candidate for graduation speaker at the school's commencement exercises. Matthew went to the school's hearing officer for a review of the disciplinary action. The examiner determined that the speech fell within the ordinary meaning of "obscene," as used in the disruptive-conduct rule, and affirmed the discipline in its entirety. Fraser served two days of his suspension, and was allowed to return to school on the third day. Matthew's father appealed the school district's actions on behalf of his son to the federal district court. He alleged a violation of his First Amendment right to freedom of speech and sought both injunctive relief and monetary damages. The District Court held that the school's sanctions violated respondent's right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, that the school's disruptive-conduct rule is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, and that the removal of respondent's name from the graduation speaker's list violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because the disciplinary rule makes no mention of such removal as a possible sanction.

Using Lies to Define Morality of Characters in Adventures of Huckleberr

Mark Twain once said, "Lie--an abomination before the Lord and an ever present help in time of trouble." Twain's description of deceit gives it a type of double meaning. This idea of lying being used for good as well as evil is not unheard of. Many time people find it necessary to lie to maintain a greater good or save a life. However, all too often, people lie for self-serving, immoral purposes. In this quote, Twain elegantly shows the delicate balance between good and evil in the performance of the same act. Furthermore, Twain also shows this complex thought in his portrayal of characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twains novel emulates his quote, juxtaposing the good and bad aspects of stretching the truth. Throughout the novel, Twain provides numerous commentaries on the morality of characters. His display of deception in the story continually serves to improve the reader?s understanding of a character?s moral integrity, based on the nature and intent of the lie. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the lies of numerous characters to better define the moral ambiguity of those characters. Twain portrays the complete lack of moral fiber in the King and the Duke through their cons and deceit. On numerous accounts, the King and the Duke lie to others exclusively for self-serving and wicked motives. From the first meeting with the King and the Duke, Huck knows that, ?these liars warn?t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds? (ch. 19), knowledge obtained via the utter disregard for others in the King and the Duke?s scams. Huck?s use of ?fraud? (ch. 19), for instance, highlights the duo?s use of fabricated personas to rob others of their possessions, acts of such low ... ...n contrast to those of the King and Duke expose the dichotomy between good and evil present in everyday life. Traditionally, a dark shadow has loomed over the art of deception, and rightfully so in regards to the King and Duke. However, when in the face of a greater evil, a small number of noble people can use lies in a dignified manner, as demonstrated by Huckleberry Finn. By observing the motives someone has for straying from the truth, the morality of that person emerges, becoming ever more discernable . Lying, however, has evolved into an archetype for immorality and evil, only to be slightly redeemed by those who are fighting for a greater good. In this light, Twain portrays the dichotomy nested within deceitfulness within numerous characters in his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a dichotomy that is too often slanted toward one, immoral side. - cdyoung

A Transcendence of Exhaustion? :: Free Essays Online

A Transcendence of Exhaustion? In his article "Power and Weakness", Robert Kagan offers an insightful explanation of recent trends in transatlantic relations. He puts forth a very elegantly systemic explanation for this unraveling, or at least schism, of the West that seems to be taking place under our very noses. And yet for all its apparent clarity, Kagan's underlying argument is a myopic one, a model in need of a corrective lens in order to gain any significant predictive power. Luckily, current events offer an indispensable laboratory for testing some aspects of Kagan's ideas, while even our class' very circumscribed readings in the field equip us to spot major shortcomings of the argument. Kagan posits that a Kantian "perpetual peace" has emerged in Europe in the decade after the Cold War's demise. (211) America, in many ways a Western European nation but in many ways not, has found itself straddling a sort of a boundary between ideologies. (239) On the one hand, it espouses the same liberal values held by the Europeans, of forming economic and diplomatic ties, the establishment of the liberal "separate peace," so to speak. However, even as it speaks these noble words, it finds itself stomping on Panama and Chile, reaching out to slap at Iraq. It is not free from the need to act in the Hobbesian world of anarchy and strife. (211) This fundamental disagreement drives much of the tension over foreign affairs that has arisen between Washington and the European governments in the recent past. (Ibid) It is in offering a historical explanation for this state of affairs that Kagan excels. He dismisses outright the possibility that some abstruse national character might be to blame, pointing out that in many respects Europe and America have recently switched places, and behaviors accordingly, on the world stage. (214) Europe from the time of the Westphalian peace until the World Wars was the bloody realm of machtpolitik, the constant power plays at home and abroad that characterize especially the colonial period. As the locus of power in the Hobbesian sense, the Europeans historically believed in it and wielded it without hesitation. The timid young America, subject to the persecution of hostile European empires for much of its early life, learned accordingly to make use of the weapons of the weak: political and economic diplomacy. (215) However, Europe laid waste to itself in the two World Wars that can rightly be called the climax of machtpolitik, eliminating the concrete basis it once held for world domination.

Family First Alert

Family First Alert llc†, which is a company that supplies alert buttons and the service of monitoring those buttons for the elderly. At the time of this printing â€Å"Family First Alert llc† has been in business for eight years servicing and taking care of literally hundreds of elderly people. Dan has always cared deeply for older people and wanted to do something that would help them and make a difference in their lives. Many of the people that have and are currently clients of his company have written many letters thanking Dan for the service and the quality that they receive each month.When Dan started the company he did so because his own mother was in need of that type of service and the family had checked into different companies that offered the service, but were just not completely satisfied with everything they had found. This is when Dan decided to research the industry and learn all that he could about how it worked and how it could be improved on. This was t he birth of â€Å"Family First Alert llc†. Dan not only wanted to make a quality service, but he wanted to make it affordable as well to those that needed it. This is why â€Å"Family First Alert llc† has never raised their prices from the time they started to present day.Dan boast’s the lowest price in the industry today for the same service as the many other companies and is very proud of that claim. You can follow â€Å"Family First Alert llc† on the net at www. familyfirstalert. com or on Face book as well. Introduction: When I was born, my mother and father were forty and forty one years old. They were wonderful parent's and they raised my brother and sister and I with much love and care. They were there for us whenever we needed them and for whatever reason. Whether it was financial support or moral support they never failed to be there for any of us. We weren’t by any mearns financially well off, my father owned a hardware store and my mothe r was a secretary for the board of education.It didn’t matter to them though, because their kids always came first and if we needed something, they would find a way to get it. I remember one time my father coming home with a flu gal horn in his hand for me. I asked him where he got it and he told me that he had traded it for an antique ax and $50. 00. He didn’t have the money to go buy a new one, but he was willing to sacrifice something that he cared about for something he cared more about, Me. He loved collecting antiques and the ax was one of his collectables. This was a common thing in our household. I remember growing up having older parent's than most all of my friends. This was a real worry for me as a kid and when they started to get older and have some health problems my fears became a reality.I always told my mother who lived to be 86 that she would never have to worry about going into a rest home, that I would take care of her and she could always come live with me and my family. My father died at the age of 63 after having heart problems from what I feel was a result of a life of smoking two packs of cigarettes per day. As I said before, my parent's were wonderful parent's and took care of us as best as any parent's ever could. It’s funny how things go full circle in life. Your parent's take care of you and worry about you when your young and then it’s your turn to return the favor in their later years. Because of their love for me and the love and respect that I had for them, I had always felt a responsibility for them and would do whatever I could in their later years.This article is an attempt to try to help others that are going through what my family and I did while taking care of our elderly parent's. I will attempt to go through some different stages that will hopefully help ease some of the burdens that you may face. I hope you will find the following information in someway helpful. As Time Begins to Pass, Drivin g Can Be A Challenge: When our parent's begin to hit those later years it can be somewhat like walking on eggshells. You might start seeing some small things that concern you, but try not to blow them out of proportion. They might be still driving their car and the thought might come to you to ask them to stop driving or you might even be so bold as to take their keys from them. This is where many children make a big mistake.Remember, it is very important for the elderly to be able to maintain self worth and dignity in their later years. Having a son or daughter tell them what to do or what not to do can really hurt their feelings and cause a lot of problems. It’s easy to understand this concern if the paren't has had some accidents or is not able to drive safely where they might be a risk to themselves or others on the road, but if this is not the case, respect them enough to allow them to have input into what they are wanting to do. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel published a very good article online on December 26, 2012 where they outlined many good and useful tips for older drivers and their families.They stated that it’s important to help older drivers stay safe behind the wheel for as long as possible. Adult children can help aging parent's regularly maintain their vehicles. And if it's time for a new car, adult children can help identify choices with new technologies that can enhance safe driving, like reverse monitoring systems. Older drivers can brush up on their driving skills with AARP Driver Safety's course, which is specifically designed to help people 50 and older refresh their driving skills. Family members should observe an older loved one's driving by taking a ride as passenger and keeping an eye out for warning signs. It's important to look for changes in driving abilities. These signs include: – Frequent â€Å"close calls† or near-crashes. ?- Unexplained dents or scrapes on vehicles, fences, mailboxes, ga rage doors, etc. ?- Getting lost, even in familiar locations. ?- Difficulty seeing or following traffic signals, road signs and pavement markings. ?- Slower responses to unexpected situations, trouble moving the driving foot from the gas to the brake, and confusing the two pedals. ?- Misjudging gaps in traffic at intersections or on highway entrance and exit ramps. ?- Experiencing road rage or inspiring it in other drivers. ?- Easily becoming distracted while driving. ?- Difficulty turning around to check the rear view while backing up or changing lanes. – Receiving multiple tickets or warnings from law enforcement officers. ?Third, if you notice a pattern of warning signs and an increase in frequency, then it's time to initiate a conversation. â€Å"It's important that the right person initiate the conversation,† says Jodi Olshevski, a gerontologist and assistant vice president at The Hartford. â€Å"Research indicates that 50 ppercent of married drivers prefer to he ar about driving concerns from their spouses first, then doctors and finally adult children. Whowever initiates the conversation should have a sthrong rapport with the older driver. † ?Avoid bringing up the topic of driving during family gatherings.Instead, look for a quiet, private time when all parties involved will have privacy and minimal distractions. If the case is serious and they should not be behind the wheel then sit down with them and discuss it in a very loving way and try hard not to talk to them in a demeaning way. Remember, they have lived along time making their own decisions and have done pretty well on their own. They deserve to have your respect as they always have. Many times just sitting down with the elderly paren't and discussing your concerns and worries and why you feel the way you do, will allow them to look at things in a different way. Remember, they loved and took care of you for a long time and they cared about how you felt and I’m sure the y still do.If you truly show your love and concern for them as you speak to them, showing them respect and dignity, they might surprise you and see things more your way. Young or old nobody likes to be told what they are going to do. Often, if your concerns are put to them as â€Å"What do you think about this mom†, or â€Å"Dad, don’t you think it would be better if we did this†, they would be more excepting of the suggestion and not be as defensive. If the situation is serious and they will not listen after all you have done, it might require a more drastic approach. I feel that it is very important to hold the relationship between our parent's as most important.Having said that, you may not agree with the following tactic, but it may very well solve the problem. If I knew that my mother was dangerous on the road and that her well being and the well being of many other innocent people were at risk, I might be so inclined to contact a police officer friend or j ust talk to one about your concerns. I might explain to the officer that I feel that my mother could be a danger on the road and would he be willing to keep an eye out for her and see what he thinks. This is more easily done in smaller towns and communities but if you have that luxury, it might be worth your wild. I’m not an advocate for telling you to be dishonest to your paren't or sneaky, but we are talking about their well being here.Sometimes the less you say can be the best, if you know what I mean. If the officer feels that she is unsafe in her ability to continue to drive then he can take the needed steps on his end. This will accomplish the goal of her safety and also help you save face in her eyes as well. I do feel that you must be prepared to take up the slack in the event they voluntarily retire the keys or if they are taken by other mearns. If they lose their ability to move around that they have enjoyed for many years, this is going to be a life-changing event. As their offspring, we’ll need to be sensitive to this and be willing to make arrangements for them or be willing to transport them ourselves.Depending on the number of siblings we have and the availability of each, we can have a family meeting and work out who could be responsible for what week or what day or what church meeting or what ladies or men’s organization we would be able to drive them to. I would suggest that the paren't not be in attendance at this meeting. I remember times when my own family meetings were taking place and my mother was sitting there. Every once in a while there would be a conflict amongst us siblings with who could or couldn’t do what and my mother would just get frustrated and speak up and say, â€Å"Just forget it, I don’t need it†, or something like that. These types of situations can really hurt the paren't in so many ways. Most of all it makes them feel as though they are burdensome and can start them on a path of depression.Depression is a whole other issue that we will deal with later, but it is very serious. We never want our loved ones feeling in anyway that they are a burden. I always tried my best to let my mother and father know how much I enjoyed being there for them. I’m not saying that every moment was a vacation, but for the most part, I did enjoy being there for them and seeing the gratitude in their eyes. The paren't doesn’t need to be in the meeting anyway to solve logistical issues of who is going to transport and when or who is going to stay and what night. The paren't doesn’t need to be in on who will be taking care of getting the medicines ready each week.They just need to know that they don’t have to worry about it. The less they worry the better off they are. Bottom line is, work around them and make their lives easier. Business Affairs And The Elderly: There are many things to think about when it comes to taking care of business concerns. Ta king charge of making sure the paren't’s bills are taken care of is a huge worry off their minds. It’s important to know where all the legal documents are and just what there is to take care of. Make a list of all bills that need to be taken care of and the addresses to where the payments need to be sent. Check to see if there’s any balance on any of the accounts.Find out if there is any extra bills that are not utility type bills such as, monthly donations or Christmas club dues, or maybe they are sponsoring an over seas child each month. Evaluate at this time, (with the paren't) if the budget can continue to fund these things. In today’s world the task of taking care of the monthly bills is getting easier everyday, with the use of the internet. By going online, most bills can be paid on a monthly basis now with very little effort. This will most likely have to be set up for them being as though most elderly people are not internet savvy. I would also re commend if possible in your area, to have your paren't’s utilities put on a budget with utility companies. This will allow them to make easier payments and free up some of their capitol for other uses.Bills that are not reoccurring, like groceries, getting their hair cut or that weekly massage, will have to be taken care of the old fashion way, just do it for them. When it’s time to get groceries, go for them or have someone go, or if they feel they want to go, go with them. This is another example of allowing them to hold onto their dignity longer. Tell them, you love going to the store with them and ask them not to take that pleasure away from you. This gives them another example of your love for them and also allows them to get the help they need with getting the groceries. It may be a smart business move to put any large assets such as vehicles or the family home place and property into the names of all the children. It could probably be a smart move to talk to a l awyer that deals with estate planning who also offers Medicaid planning services in case you paren't might need government assistance with in the next three years. Often, if a paren't has to go to a rest home facility and they have much in the way of assets, they might find themselves in a bad financial spot, which could effect their forfeiting their property. Transferring assets may also put those that are receiving such property, eligible for being taxed on it. These are important things to think about and should be discussed with a qualified lawyer. Someone will have to agree to take on the position of power of attorney.If there’s only one child involved the decision is easy, but if there are more it can become a little bit troublesome. If your paren't has already decided which child this duty will fall to, do them a favor and respect those wishes. This is something that is probably going to be worrisome to them anyway. They will most likely worry that they may be hurting some ones feelings. Do all that you can do to let them know that you support what they have decided. It can be a lot of work being the person with power of attorney or the executor of the will. This person has to be willing to do the paper work and the research of assets if it is unknown. This person also bears the burden of making the final decision on most all the legal decisions to be made.If you’re not the one chosen in the family to do this job, please be patient with the one that is and show them your support. Usually, it is customary that the person doing this job is compensated by at least $5000. 00 for taking it on. This should not be a source of contention between siblings because the job will require much work to do it right. My sister did it for our family and did it very well. She is the one that found the extra money that we (and our mother) didn’t know she had. She spent many hours on the job and did it graciously. She didn’t take a penny extra fo r it and that was an honorable thing to do if you’re so inclined to do so.It is also recommended that once the power of attorney has been decided on, to also have detailed in a document that names a second person who will take a look at all the bank statements on a monthly basis and do an analysis of all the financial records yearly. This person can be another family member or a professional accountant. It’s also important to try to find extra money for a later time. Using financial tools such as reverse mortgage can improve the cash flow of the elderly. Checking for benefits that your parent's might be eligible for such as a reduction in their heating bills or help with their prescription drugs can really make a difference. There are many avenues to get help out there but actually only about half the people who qualify for such help actually use it.When making purchasing or financial decisions on behave of your paren't, it is also wise to consult with other siblings i f there are any. Don’t make the mistake of making an important, or even a not so important decision without consulting the family involved. This will only open your self up to problems down the road. Someone will always have a different way to have handled it and will tell you about it. When you are in charge of the bills and the worries that come with it, the last thing you want to hear from a sibling is that you didn’t do it the right way or that your decision wasn’t done fairly. Look ahead and prepare in advance. Even the closes families have issues over money. Don’t be so naive as to think that yours will not.When you have done all that you can do to make the decision and the family can’t seem to come to an agreement on something, then it is your job as the executor or power of attorney to make that decision and everyone should support that decision, even if they don’t agree to it. The only other thing that you can do it to agree on (wit h the paren't) another non bias person, sort of a mediator to make any decisions that are in dead lock. This way no family member can be upset with any other family member. All these issues need to be understood and worked out well in advance so that there is no questions or misgivings later. It wouldn’t even be a bad idea for all family members to sign an agreement stating that they understand the way that procedures will go forth and they will abide by them.Of course, if the paren't is still healthy and able to make clear decisions, they are the ones that should set for the procedures and how things will be handled and they will be the ones having everyone else do the signing of understanding. Assets: It’s important to make sure the family knows just what the assets are. I know before my mother passed away, she was very worried that there wouldn’t be enough money to take care of everything. We were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough money to pay off her bills and pay for her arrangements. This was something my mother should never have spent anytime worrying over, but she did. After her death, my sister was going through some of her documents and found that she actually had much more money than she herself was even aware of.My father had investments in stocks and bonds that she didn’t even know about. My brother and sister and I ended up with much more inheritance than she ever knew. It saddened us all to think our mother worried so over this and didn’t have the peace of mind of knowing everything was going to be ok. If there had been some way that she could have known this before, if we would have just taken the time to find out before hand. Worry is hard on the elderly and knowing that she did so was upsetting. Find out what there is and what will be needed. Plan ahead for that time when you will need to know. Financial Help: Many Elderly are living on a very fixed income and can’t afford much in the way of extras.They must budget their income very carefully and some struggle to the point that they give up many things they really need. If your paren't is in a ssimilar situation and you or another family member aren’t in a position to help much, all is not lost. There are many programs available that could be of some help. Arrangements should be made early on for those times down the road where you paren't will most likely need some sort of services to help them get by. These types of services will most likely be that of some type of in home care such as health care, or some other type of service. These types of services usually can run upwards of 19 dollars an hour. For many elderly, this can add up to draining their nest egg pretty quickly.Plan far enough ahead that this situation will not come as a major shock to both their finances and there emotional well being. The local Social Services organization is a wonderful resource that should be tapped into. This organization ha s government funded grants and monies to help. If you contact them and explain your situation with them, very often they will be able to help in some way. Another fine organization is the Area on Aging services and the Community Action group that also can be of great help. They to have monies allocated from the government for helping the elderly. Local branches of the American Red Cross provide Americans with help paying electric and heating bills.Often these particular organizations are given a certain budget that they have to last for a certain quarter or even on a yearly basis, therefore, it is important to contact them as soon as possible to be able to receive such funds. These two organizations would definitely be a good place to start when looking for some assistance. Many utility companies across the country offer support and assistance to Americans to help them pay their electric bills. Sometimes the utility companies will out source the administration of the program to the United Way. By contacting the local United Way office, you can see if they are aware of any assistance or support provided by any of the utility providers.The Cancer Care Co-Payment Assistance Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance and cash grants to people who need assistance with paying hospital and medical bills that result from a cancer diagnosis. There are several programs that offer discounted and free prescription meducations. They include Dispensary of Hope, Together RX Access, NeedyMeds, and the Patient Advocate Foundation. The Meducations: I would first recommend that whowever is in charge of getting the meducations ready, get a weekly pill container to put them in. They even have these for the whole month if you want to do it that far in advance. This helps you organize the pills and keep track of them more efficiently.If the paren't is still seeing that they take the pills each day, these little containers also help them not to take th eir meds twice, thinking that they might not have. If the pills are gone, they know they have and if the pills are still in the container by evening, they know they forgot to take their meducations and can still do so. The responsibility of taking care of the paren't’s meducations can be very nerve racking, at least for me it was. Even when using the pill containers it can still be a difficult task. I think there was only a few times that I didn’t make a mistake while getting them ready for the week. I recommend after all the pills are in the container, that you to take the extra time and go back and check each container for the correct dosage. It’s better to be safe than sorry as they say.I remember when I was doing this job for my mother, it proved to be a very nerve racking job each week. It’s also very important that you stay up on refills so that you don’t get caught without a meducation during a weekend or a holiday when it might be difficult to get one. The pill containers seem to help with this as well, because you can see just when you’re getting low and when you need a refill. Do yourself and your paren't a very valuable favor by doing some of your own research on the meducations that they are on. Don’t always trust the doctors, they see thousands of patients during the week and may not be taking the time to always look and see if something they are prescribing is going to conflict with something else that they are on.This has happened more times than any doctor would like to admit. My own mother was on sixteen pills a day towards the end of her life and at one time wasn’t making a lot of sense with her words. At first, we thought she was just going down hill health wise and that maybe she was getting Alzheimer’s or something worse. She got to the point that she had to be put on Hospice care and was taken off most of the meducations and miraculously regained her clear thinking within just a few short days. This led to her being taken off Hospice care altogether. This was an eye opener to my family that many of the elderly are over medicated in today’s society. â€Å"Sometimes, less is more†, is really true.Any quick search on the internet these days can tell you what any drug’s side effects are and in many cases you might even be able to find out what drugs shouldn’t be taken with certain other drugs. It’s just good to be educated on what is going on because no one is going to care as much for your loved one as you are. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend you make a very clear typed page that shows all the meducations that your paren't is on and how often they take each one. I would make several copies of this document for family members to have. It’s a great idea to place one of them on the refrigerator, so that if an ambulance is ever dispatched to the home, it is in plain site for them to take it with them when transporting.This will alleviate much confusion on the way to the hospital and even after they arrive. Listed on this paper along with the meducations that they are taking, it is important to list any allergies or specific problems that you would want the ambulance crew to know about. The hospital will thank you as well, because they to will have to know this information once your paren't arrives and is diagnosed. Many meducations can cause the patient to be less alert and therefore more prone to falls. Some of these meducations can be sedatives, anti-depressants, and anti-psychotic drugs. People that are taking multiple meducations are at greater risk of falling. Know the side effects of all the meducations that you are taking.Most pharmacists these days include a brochure with the side effects for you to read when dispersing the meducations. Fall Prevention And The Home: The most common reason for injuries to the elderly are due to falls. Falls account for 70% of the cause of accidental deaths in America for elderly persons seventy-five years and older. More than 90% of hip fractures occur because of falls. One third of community-dwelling elderly and 60% of nursing home residents will fall each year. There are many reasons that an elderly person will take a fall and because of their age it can be a devastating experience and in some cases even result in death. I remember once staying ith my mother for the evening and she got up to go to the kitchen and the next thing I heard was a terrifying crashing sound. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen with fear in my heart and found my mother on the floor. It really scared me, but luckily she was not hurt to badly, except for a few scrapes here and there. As I helped her up I felt guilty for not jumping up as soon as I saw her going to the kitchen. The thought that I could have moved faster and gotten whatever it was that she was wanting and prevented her fall was all I could think of. Then I realized if I had no t been there at all, she might have been confined to the floor for several hours.Not that this eased my mind that much, but it did open my awareness to how quickly something like that can happen. I felt blessed that she had not gotten hurt any worse. There are many things to consider when making a home Elderly proof. Just like making a home child proof, there are things that need to be done for the elderly. One of the biggest issues that the elderly have is that they have a high risk of falling. You can alleviate some of this worry by making sure the following is taken care of. Is the home setup in a safe way for the family member? Are there things that can be done to the home to ensure that it’s a safe environment? It’s a good idea to include anti scald devices for showers and faucets that protect older skin.The skin of an elderly person can sustain serious burns much easier than a youthful person. Take the time to set the water heater to the â€Å"low† setting or at 120 degrees. My mother was having trouble getting in and out of her bathtub and we were afraid that she might take a bad fall in doing so. We decided to tear out the old tub and install a walk in shower unit. This way she could just step into it and sit on her shower seat. We found out later that this was a very smart move because of the fact that several weeks later her sugar level dropped and she passed out and laid in the shower for over three and a half hours with the water still running on her.If she would have still had her tub, she might have drowned. Many elderly over the age of 65 have a fall each year. Most of the time these falls occur right in their own home while doing the things they have done for years. Here are some quick things to think about that I have come across in trying to help prevent a loved one from a serious fall. * Make sure all rugs are secure. * Get rid of any throw rugs that are present. * Do away with any slippery surfaces that might be a hazar d to walk on. * If the loved one is bound to a wheel chair or uses a walker, or any other walking aid, make sure the pathway is clear enough for them to pass through without being a fall hazard. It’s sometimes a good idea to install handrails on both sides of the steps for better support. Many have even installed handrails in hallways to help prevent falls. * Make sure appliance cords are out of the way. Especially telephone cords and electrical cords. * Arrange furniture so that you can easily move around it. * Make sure furniture is easy to get in and out of. In some cases, purchasing a lift chair might be required. I would recommend shopping around when looking for these because there can be pretty big differences in price and quality. * Remove caster wheels from furniture. * Use a television remote control and a cordless phone. Avoid using floor polish or wax in order to reduce slick surfaces. * Keep commonly used items within easy reach. * A higher toilet seat can be ver y helpful to the paren't as well. These help by allowing the paren't to sit up higher and makes it much easier to get up from. * Put in a bedside light with a switch that is easy to turn on and off or a by a touch lamp. * Locate a telephone within the reach of the bed. * Adjust the height of the bed to make it easy to get in and out of. * Have a firm chair, with arms, to sit and dress in. * Install night lights where walking will be required. * Keep things off the floor that would create a hazard for walking at night to the bathroom. As mentioned before, a tub seat is a very safe way for the paren't to take a shower. These can be picked up in pharmacies or medical supply stores. * Add a nonskid mat to the bathtub. * Mounting a liquid soap dispenser on the bathtub wall will help prevent falls from trying to pick up fallen bars of soap. * Install a portable, hand-held showerhead. Physical Aactivity is very important: Up to 75% of elderly folks are not getting enough exercise in their lives. Regular exercise has so many health benefits in older adults when it comes to blood pressure, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, lipid profile, and neurocognitive function. Improvements in cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and psychologic health are well documented.Regular exercise has proven to help improve the quality of sleep, cognitive function and even helps with depression and short term memory. Probably the biggest effect that exercise has on the elderly is they gain much in the way of m

Attachment Report: Kenya Seed Company Limited Essay

As per the requirement of the Bachelor in commerce and economics course structure, I was obliged to undertake an industrial attachment at an organization of my choice for a period of eight weeks. This exercise was meant to enable me glamatise with work environment, exercise skills and knowledge acquired in university and gain more competence in my area of specialization. The application process begun as early as third year 2nd semester and I must say it was not an easy task because I can’t count the number of application I made through both letters and e-mail True to say, opportunities as it has been penned down knocks ones at every mans door or a woman’s door if I am allowed to appreciate gender parity. If not so they come ones in a blue moon and as somebody with superior minds has advised, in order for one to acquire this rare ‘commodity’ he/she has to keep jumping and if any comes across in the process of jumping grasp it and capitalize on it. I would link these wise words to be me being accorded an opportunity to work and exercise the skills and knowledge that I have acquired through the years I have been undertaking my under-graduate degree programme at the Institution of Global excellence in Training, innovation and development(JKUAT). As explicitly indicated in the cover page this rare opportunity was accorded to me by the Trans-National Bank Management. I began my industrial attachment on 13th of June 2011 to 26th of August 2011.This translates to around ten weeks. The first day basically involved an orientation programme where I was taken through the various departments in the bank and introduced to the staff members. The departments that I was taken through were customer care, clearing department, cash department, marketing department and credit department where I worked under the supervision of the branch manager Jacinta Ndolo and school based supervisor Dr. Margret Oloko. I must say that it was an exciting opportunity working in an organization which forms part of the pillars of the economy. In one way or another I knew I would extend my services in economic building while there. These may probably be evidenced in the duties that I will perform. 2.0 Objectives of the attachment The main objectives of the attachment were as follows * Impact and allow the learner/ student glamatise with the work environment through partaking accorded roles and duties in the organization. This forms a good basis for their future placement in the work industry. * It acts as a measure where student or an individual can relate what has learnt and what is on the ground therefore becoming a gauge for his/her future success in the chosen field specialization * Beside what is learnt in the university, the student gets an opportunity to acquire more skills and knowledge * Gives an opportunity for an individual or the student practically exercise the theoretical part learnt in school or at the university. * Attachment is like a pace setter for an individuals or the student future work. That is the student knows where to position him-self or her-self in the market. * It also forms a good basis for the organization employee out-sourcing processes because from the interns they are able identify potential future employees for the organization. * Instill courage and sense of responsibility in the students even as they purpose to seek job opportunities in future 3.0 Mainframe of the report: 3.1 General description of the organization and the departments where attached. 3.1.2 Brief History of the organization and its role Trans-national Bank always abbreviated as TNB is a private company which came into existence in 1985 as a SACCO. In the late 80s it was fully chattered as a private bank that would provide both personal banking services and cooperate banking services in the republic of Kenya. It has excellent products for small account holders and offers congestion –free banking, innovative and responsive products and services, affordable bank charges and speed in decision making are its strong point over competition. 3.1.3 Physical Address of the Organization. Trans-National Bank (Kirinyaga Road Branch. P.o Box 69963-00400 TOM MBOYA NAIROBI, KENYA: TEL224235/6, 252188-90 Email:managerkirinyagard@tnbl.co.ke 3.1.4 Vision and Mission of the Bank The organization is driven by a number of factors which include their vision and mission. These driving forces are as out-lined below: VISION: To be the  regional financial service provider of choice MISSION: Provision of convenient financial services and solutions to customers through high standards of service while increasing stake holders’ value. 3.1.5 The Core Values of the Organization Professionalism Integrity Efficiency Innovation Team work Good cooperate governance and social responsibility. 3.1.6 The role of the organization The main and core role of the organization is simply provision of banking services in the republic plus engaging corporate social responsibilities 3.1.7 Expectation of the Organization. The bank plans to win a large personal banking clientele over the coming years and continue to expand and spread its wings across all the corners of the country. The bank also expects that its net profit is going to continually rise year in year out. Beside this it also expects that its marketing team will continually seek to come up with tailor made products for its customers 3.1.8 Structure and Management of the organization Like any other organization it has a structure of management composed of the Directors, chief Executive officer(C.E.O), Audit committee, Credit committee, strategy committee, risk committee, Assets and liability management committee, Human resource committee, secretaries, Registered Office, Auditors, Advocates, managers, operations officers and staff members. The above can be summarized by the table below: The Board of directors Chief Executive Officer Audit committee Credit committee Strategy committee Risk committee Assets & Liability committee Human resource committee Secretaries Registered office Auditors Advocates Operations Officers IT committee Tellers &cashiers other staff members 3.1.9 The Organizations Branches The head office is in Nairobi (Trans-National Plaza) city hall way. The company boasts of several branches across the country ranging from Nairobi Branch(city hall way) JKIA branch Kirinyaga Road Branch EPZ(Export Processing Zone) Mombasa Branch Mombasa International Airport Branch Eldoret Branch Nandi Hills Branch Kericho Branch Nakuru Branch Kabarak Branch Olenguruone Branch Kabarnet Branch, Sheik Karume branch among others 3.2.0 The Services and Products being offered at the Bank The Bank offers a variety of services and products ranging from Current accounts Savers Accounts Transaction Account, Mshahara Account (Salaried individuals) Mrembo Acount (Ladies Account) Msomi Account (Students Account) Angels Account ( Children’s Acount) Investment Account, Hazina Account (Self Employed Individuals) Mint Account, Fixed Deposits SWIFT Remmitances Standing Instructions, Air Time Top Up SMS Banking e.t.c. 4.0 Departments at the organization. The main departments found at the station where I was attached and I happened to traverse across were as follows. * The customer care Service * The marketing department * The clearing department * The cash Department * The credit department 5.0 General activities Undertaken in the Organization Filing of account opening forms for clients Filing of RTGS( Real Time Gross Settlement Forms) and their confirmation Memos Filing of TTS( Telegraphic Transfers Forms) Filing of clearing documents, cheque book request forms, expenses receipts e.t.c Issuing of cheque books and recording them Photocopying and printing Turning on and off the systems, setting them up and general updating of the software’s. Documents and parcels delivery between the branch and main Head Quarters at the Central Business District (C.B.D) Stock taking (That includes posting of all received stock i.e stationery in the system) Assisting clients fill the BRITACK (British American) I.P.O (Initial Public Offer) forms. 6.0 Specific activities undertaken during the attachment The core activities were undertaken at departmental level during the period of attachment and they are as stipulated below. 6.1 The customer care service Department Attending to general inquires from clients/customers. Availing account balances and statements of accounts to clients Assisting new clients open new accounts. Closing of in-active accounts. Activating of de-activated accounts upon clients request. Updating clients accounts. The Marketing Department. Marketing the organizations products and services within the branch area and Nairobi environs in general Visiting both present and potential clients at their business premises to find out their progress, challenges facing them, seeking their opinion on the level of satisfaction and possible improvements on our products and services. Preparing call reports after every marketing outing. Phone calls to unreached clients during call visits for updates or follow up exercise. Attending marketing meetings with the marketing managers. Providing a readily available, service-focused, knowledgeable and experienced point of contact for new customers. Cross-selling the bank’s products effectively. Identifying customer needs effectively and open new accounts accordingly. Managing the customer portfolio which comprises of high net worth local investors; Updating and continually maintaining KYC (Know Your customer) on all clients held in our portfolio, including up to date information on clients’ financial background. Identifying market for the organization 6.2 The clearing Department Receiving and verification of cheques Recording of unpaid cheques Issuing and recording of bankers cheques Running the cheques through Checkpoint Truncation System (CTS).This involves capturing the images of all cheques through a scanner, undertaking amount entry, verification and generating their commission. Posting of cheques in OMNI (Omni is network that allow posting of cheques online so that respective recipients can access them wherever they are. Undertaking TR (transfer) this is done for inward cheques and is simply transferring the money from drawers account to the payee account and the same applied to KRA(Kenya Revenue Authority) tax remittance by clients. Recording of received cheque books, issued ones and balancing the books on daily basis. Sorting cheques in order of bank codes and amounts in preparation for cross checking with the Outward Clearing Report (OWCLG). 6.3 The Cash Department * Organizing Cashier’s cubicle, stamps in readiness of the day. * Acquiring controlled balanced cash at the start of the day. * Scrutinizing cash withdrawal cheques and slips for correctness before accepting them. * Scrutinizing cash/cheque deposit pay in slips for correctness of technical details before receiving. * Forex transactions i.e. buying and selling of foreign echange * Verifying customer’s signature. * Paying cash within the limit and referring cheques for limit authorization. * Posting of cash deposits, withdrawals and Cheques for local clearing. * Issuing of Banker’s cheques. * Sorting of soiled notes. * Assisting in cash confirmation ready for sealing and lodgment. * Making references to the operations manual to ensure compliance. * Reconciliation of accounts as assigned by the branch Manager * Any other back office work assigned by the branch manager. 6.4 The credit Department The credit department basically deals with provisions of loans and asset financing to the clients. The core activities involved; Receiving loan application forms/documents from applicants. Analyzing, scrutinizing and assessing their loan documents which include their securities. Undertaking account statistics which included analyzing applicant’s transaction turnover, commissions, interest and ledger fees. Making call visits to applicants business premises to ascertain the following facts as part of loan lending process; The location of the business and their offices The type of business one is operating i.e. company, partnership, sole- proprietorship e.t.c The description of goods and services being offered by the business e.g. Hard-ware, stationery, Hotel, e.t.c. The major suppliers and customers of the loan applicant Whether they do any importation or exportation The mode of payment to suppliers i.e. through cash, cheques,TTs(Telegraphic Transfers) or RTGS(Real Time Gross settlement). Their new investment plan i.e. new products, fixed asset acquisition , , how long they have been in business, the expectation from the investment and if they have had any changes since their establishment. The key management number of employees and their qualification. After all this exercise I was expected make an appraisal report for the applicant in conjunction with other members in the credit department. This would then be passed to manager for approval before being forwarded Head office. 7.0 A profile of skills and competencies gained I must acknowledge that during this period numerous skills and impartment was gained and they are as outlined below: Further improved my communication skills as being most important skill through interacting with clients through marketing exercise, customer service department and general communication to clients in the departments that I worked Handling of bulk cash including verification, sorting, sealing e.t.c Never new much about loan procedures but got an opportunity to know them as has been stipulated under the activities under-taken in the credit department. Writing of bankers cheques was a key skill gained. Never in my life had I written one. More to it I learnt that bankers’ cheques permit no alteration of any magnitude because if it goes with alteration chances are high that it will bounce. Preparation of call reports and appraisals for loan applicants and new customers was also a key thing that I learned. How to identify original and fake cash by observing certain fe atures through a special cash scanner. 8.0 Activities which I applied my skills for the benefit of the organization. Being through a learning and education system, I came to agree that it is an essential and critical instrument in an individual life and as many institutions would phrase their mottos and vision, true to say education is key, light or avenue to many things in an individual’s life. Therefore to me the skills I have acquired in institutions of learning enabled me serve the organization in the following ways My communication skills enabled me to owe a number of new clients to the organization during the marketing spree and while at customer service. The computer skills that I gained earlier in my life also enabled me solve a few computer errors and software hitches at the organization. The courage I have accrued by embracing leadership positions enabled me interact with clients of all personalities. Through entrepreneurial knowledge gained in university I was able to make significant and immense contribution during marketing and other staff meetings for branch evaluation and addr essing pressing issues. 9.0 Strategy for utilization of the contacts established during attachment Serving at the branch as an intern enabled me to expand my public relation territory by a significant percentage. I have brushed shoulders with people of divergent personalities and caliber both during office work and during marketing sessions and call visits. This exposed me to the market and thus I believe was able to position myself well in the job market. Therefore the contacts, I believe will give me an edge both now and in future as I seek personal and societal establishment. The ideologies also gained through contacts will be used in constructive manner through the daily processes that I will be undertaking or engaging myself in. 10. 0 Challenges of internship. Getting the attachment in the first place was a major hurdle that was difficult to jump across. Many application were made but almost 90% were almost unfruitful Expenses incurred in the whole process of attachment ranging from application to actual working period were very high. That included the travel cost, accommodation among others proved quite challenging Uncooperative clients. Some clients at work place would fail to follow stipulated bank procedures and one had to be patient enough in directing and reminding them what they are supposed to do. Dealing with dead-lines. At times dealing with date-lines proved wanting because of bulk of work, time given to accomplish it and the labor force available to accomplish Work overload. Sometimes work was so much more especially during end-months where organizations are paying salaries to their workers and tax remittance by the organizations 11.0 Suggested solutions to the above challenges The University should chip in by liaising with various organizations to assist students get attachment. Availing of any attachment information at their disposal e.g it came to my notice that some organization needs a prior of like three months before the actual date of attachment commencement. Provision of allowances: The organizations should consider providing some allowances to interns for their upkeep during the attachment period and also act as source of motivation. Civic education on clients on organizations rules and etiquette. The organizations should organize forums where clients can be taught operational etiquette, rules, terms and conditions of operations Provide reasonable date-lines. This should put into consideration the amount of work to be done and available time and also the number of workers Increase the staff members: This would counter the problem workload and beating date-line 12.0 Analysis, observation and critiques 12.1Analysis and observation It was conspicuously observed that there was a significant relationship between what is learned in the university or in the school and what is practiced or exercised in the industry. A few of the things I have learnt and were being used in the industry included the Amortization schedules concepts, reducing balances concepts, reconciliation concepts, market segmentation concepts, partnership, competitive pricing, required improvement on existing banks products and new ones, strategies on improving the companies corporate brand strategy state of sales team and possible improvements, staffing systems e.g adequacy of staff members and skills responsive to business growth, efforts to enhance performance of staff, efforts to create a conducive and professional environment that embeds bank values, efforts to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness in customer service delivery and alternative delivery channels. If one keenly cuts across this we can conclude that quite a number of these things we have learnt in the units that we have covered so far ranging from accounting, finance, marketing, Human Resource Management among other units. Therefore if approximately analyzed I can conclude that 80% of what did was related to what I learnt in the university. 12.2 Critiques Poor communication and feedback system. I would say that there were frequent break down in communication system at place of attachment due to poor network or unstable network in the system that was being used to relay clients information. This created a lot of inconviencies both to clients and workers who had to work overtime because of such failures Under-staffing: Serving clients adequately and finishing work on time was a problem because of less labor force at the firm Lack of motivation to the staff: if one compares the staff re-numeration with the amount work done, it was not really motivating. Workers also worked over-time as late as 9pm but with no extra time allowance which was a really de-motivating experience. Lack of privacy i.e absence of closed door office. The back door offices were open that is the window panes were trans-parent allowing clients see all the transaction under-taken there therefore posing a security threat to the organization which mainly deals with fina nces. 13.0 Recommendation Interns who have successfully completed their attachment and have proved their worth in their area of specialization should be absorbed back in the organization. This would aid the organization in cutting cost on training, orientation of new employees’ e.t.c Increase the staff. The staff numbers should be increased in the organization to facilitate improvement in service delivery hence profit realization. Aggressive marketing. The organization needs still to do a lot in terms of marketing itself and its products in the republic if it needs to proof its worth in the market. Motivation should be embraced. The employees there need a lot of motivation if the organization is to up its performance in the banking industry Quick service delivery to clients should be looked into consideration and this would be solved by staff increment and improvement in the communication net-work at the organization. 14.0 Summary and conclusions. I must acknowledge that going for an attachment was one the most interesting and captivating things in my life. One of the most valuable lessons learnt from the internship is that it is of the essence that one enjoys their job. It is unimaginable that a person should go through so many years of schooling just to end up sulking each and every day of their work – such people were met during the attachment; it is not a desirable state to be in. In most of the cases,the internship served to teach more of what not to do rather than what to do. It clearly brought out the importance of integrating one’s personality and interests with their occupation, although this may not be easy in the light of the highly competitive job market in today’s world. However, it should be noted that enjoying one’s job does not necessarily imply that one has the ideal job they have always envisioned since this may be based on hypothetical beliefs and expectations; rather, it implies finding that job that brings the best out of one’s personality; that occupation that will bring fulfilment and satisfaction and that will lead to a perfection of the human person. In addition to the above, it can be concluded that flexibility in terms of career choice is necessary. It is not guaranteed that one will necessarily end up working in the specific field of study that they have undertaken in their undergraduate program; after all, job dynamics are better learnt on the job itself than in class. It is therefore important that one is open to any viable opportunities that may present themselves, other than the ideal job that may have been envisaged, provided they bring the best out of one’s capabilities.