Siemens Change After Corruption Scandal

Siemens Change After Corruption Scandal This change management report is intended to present the boundary condition of culture change efforts at Siemens after corruption scandal came to light on November 2006. Even prior to corruption scandal, Siemens had a system of rules, policies and procedures; however it had not done enough to entrench its values, policies and procedures into company practice. They lacked in subsequent leadership and culture, inconsistent communication, training and company did not take adequate measures to punish conduct in breach. Siemens understood that they have to make some changes to its business to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a one of Germanys largest publicly held corporations and Europes largest engineering conglomerate by sales. Siemens is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. It activities include cross sector businesses and services, equity investments. The company has around 405,000 employees working to develop, design and install complex project and tailor a wide range of solutions for individual requirements. Siemens has built his reputation and world class with its technical achievements, innovations and internationality over 160 years, generating a sales volume in excess of â‚ ¬75 billion with communication division at the heart of business (Siemens, 2010). Up until 1999 bribing foreign officials to secure contracts was not only authorized but tax deductable in Germany. Siemens were allowed to pay legal fees for employees who got arrested or prosecuted abroad for bribery. Corruption is a part of a countrys culture, so is Siemens. It maintained a culture in which corruption was a likely business strategy to enter into emerging markets. In addition Siemens had grown closer to government (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). A culture of corruption in a dominant organisation does not occur accidently. Why would workers willingly commit an offence? The only likely explanation is if the organisation rewarded such behaviour. Siemens is not the kind of organisation where tens of thousands of slush funds gets unobserved. It is conceivable, certainly plausible, that Siemens top management knew anything about the bribes and corruption scandal. But as top officials they share responsibility for the widespread see-no-evil-hear-no-evil corporate culture in t heir organisation, which suggest that Siemens lacked a corresponding leadership and culture. So it is evident that culture at Siemens was illegal and unethical. Klaus Kleinfeld appointed as CEO of Siemens in January 2005-a conglomerate with 75 billion euros. He was called as wunderkind among shareholders of Siemens after turning the operation of communication division and making profits of 569 million euros or (3.2%) increase in sales. Later on November 2006, Klaus Kleinfeld announced that Siemens net income went up by 38% and sales growth were up by 16% from previous fiscal year (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Leader will go wrong, if they jammed in single metaphor (Esther Cameron Mike Green, 2009) and this is what Siemens witnessed. Despite knowing the corporate culture of the organisation, he broke accustomed consensual management style, instead he threatened to sell or restructure if they didnt hit targets. Kleinfeld focused only on the colossal task of strategically restructuring the division and ways to improve the company growth. According to business daily Suddeutsche Kleinfeld gave lot of attention about the financial markets demand a nd restructuring the company. Spiegel particularly concentrated more on Klaus Kleinfelds tactical errors: Possibly his biggest failure was to underestimate the impact of bribery scandal (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). He seemed to not fully take control as bribery scandal kept whirling around the company. This shows that Kleinfelds recklessness and negligence. This body of work presents the boundary conditions of the Siemens change effort. It has been believed that organisational leadership and culture, with in the present organisations business environment, are the most critical aspects that determine the dynamics of organisational change. Siemens had policies in place, but they were not lived up to the expectation, the corporate values were not incorporated and leadership has failed miserably, resulting cost of â‚ ¬ 660 MM fines and â‚ ¬ 650 MM attorney and consultant fees (Frank Schmidt Kenny Mok, 2008). Reputation and trust were battered due to the series of corruption scandals which rocked Siemens. Siemens was blacklisted in Nigeria by Federal Government of Nigeria (Felix Onuah, 2007). As a result reputation and trust were battered due to the series of corruption scandals which rocked Siemens. So to keep hold of business, Siemens were in the position to change their culture and leadership style in order to get rid of corruption . Corruption Scandal: But one of the major concerns with Siemens was corruption kept escalating. Siemens has been at the middle of a very serious corruption scandal, since November 2006. Siemens officials have been investigated and scrutinized in a bid to clarify uncertain payments totalling some â‚ ¬1.3 billion ($2.07 billion). In 2006 Siemens was at the middle of one of the Germanys biggest corporate corruption scandal. In November 2006 around 270 police and other German officials ransacked Siemens offices. Six executives were arrested, including CFO of telecommunications division. German officials alleged that the suspects had diverted some 200 million euros through secret bank accounts in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and through shell companies, paying bribes for winning contracts in Iraq, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Italy, Israel, Russia, China, Argentina and Greece (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Repercussions of the Scandal: Siemens identified the expenses of corruption as very high, through slowing down financial growth, rising levels of poverty, foreign investment misallocation, reducing tax revenues and additional government costs. Siemens concentrated on some of the key areas where they lacked quality in order to get rid of corruption. It is also very imperative to keep up their brand name and reputation to do good business and compete against their rivals. After the corruption scandals were unveiled at Siemens, the management started many initiatives to reinforce its compliance controls and corporate governance. New Governance Structure: One of the most important challenges an organisation faces, apparent leadership is crucial if an organisation is to make sure that the board and employees are not engaging in bribery and corrupt practices. It is really imperative that the board members do not transmit mixed signals; urge officials and managers to follow strict codes and high standards. Siemens supervisory board members Huber, Ackerman and Cromme were against their former CEO Kleinfeld, although profits had increased by about a third and sales by about 10%. As a result Kleinfeld was asked to step down because the image of the company was in tatters. For the first time ever in the history, board members turned to an outsider as chief executive officer-the Austrian Peter Loscher (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). Siemens implemented new managerial board position for compliance and official matters. Peter Solmssen, Hans winters and Andreas Pohlmann were appointed as General Counsel, Chief Audit officer and Chief Compliance off icer respectively (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Loscher was in a position to develop a power base for him and then make sure his acceptance. Unlike Kleinfeld, Loscher made sure to maintain co-operative relations with unions and employees. Understanding culture is desirable for leaders in order to lead and to make a successful change. For e.g., what the leaders pays more attention to, controls and measures on a regular basis, how do they respond to crises and critical situations, how do they assign limited resources, promotions, rewards and status, all these factors informs the culture that has been developed in an organisation. Training: Since Siemens was listed on New York Stock Exchange, it was expected that Security Exchange Commission (SEC) would interrogate the scandal and might impose higher fines than authorities of German, whilst the U.S justice department would launch a criminal probe (Rawi Abdelal et al., 2008). To meet the challenge, Siemens had restructured the Compliance and started a comprehensive compliance program. So Siemens hired a cofounder of Transparency International to consult on compliance and hired the well-known United States law firm of Debevoise Plimpton to investigate the bribery scandal. Top officials and divisional heads were asked to submit joint bids for projects, a measure designed to remove corruption. (Andreas Pohlmann, 2008) Compliance program focussed on three important factors Siemens concentrated on providing training, propagating awareness and understanding and implemented a control system in order to overcome substantial deficiencies. Training is very imperative to make sure the exact implementation of the controls. To avoid unethical business practices, the Siemens provided anti corruption programs as a part of training for more than 15,000 employees. In addition, Siemens launched a web based anti corruption training program for more than 120,000 employees (Andreas Pohlmann, 2008) This graphs shows that training is gradually increasing from the year 2008 to 2009 and Compliance staff increasing from 86 in 2006 to 598 in 2009 (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Siemens thought, compliance is the common platform and the moral responsibility to sustain the mutual set of morals for which the firm stands: superiority, creativity and accountability. Detect: Siemens relied on the loyalty of their employees towards the company, to detect and Identify potential problems at the early stages. They motivated and encouraged their employees to actively participate in developing a culture of reliability by not allowing anybody to violate in the organisation. They launched a helpdesk with Tell us and Ask us functions, so employees were asked to inform the helpdesk if anybody violates the rules (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). According to Ask me helpdesk, around 3000 questions were raised regarding particular compliance problems, and many individual violations have been reported at the helpdesk. Respond: Siemens has started responding to non-compliance, violation and misconduct through regular and proper sanctioning across each and every departments of the business. Siemens had enforced more than 550 penalizing measures in fiscal year 2007 (Dietrich G. Moller, 2009). Communication Communication is an imperative factor for Siemens to incorporate its new strategic direction of superior ethical behaviour, corporate social responsibility and transparency. Siemens has started concentrating on more direct discussion between the employees and Managing Board in both directions. Through this way, Siemens communication of morals and values can be sustained right through the business, without being lost in transformation. Siemens has placed tactical significance on making its anti corruption strategies and compliance guide easy to read, this would help the employees to understand better (Article 123, 2008). Approaching Change: Altering the culture of an organization may be the toughest job a CEO will ever take on. The culture in an organisation or department is shaped over years of relations among organization members. The change process requires statistics, cautious study and good consideration of results. Scheins Organisational culture model: Culture is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problem of internal integration and external adaption (Schein, 1990). Culture is not only about programmes and initiatives, it is everywhere in the company (Cameron Mike Green, 2004). Thus culture gives a sense of organizations norms, values, beliefs, rituals and language; the way in which things are to be done around. To understand organisational development, learning and planned change, culture is considered as primary resource (Schein, 1999). Though Scheins model has been criticised (e.g. Collins 1998, Hatch 1993, Parker 2000), it specifies the main aspects of culture, namely its partly learned and unconscious nature. Organizational culture, consequently, is not simply a single new entity which illustrates organizations and which can be also identified from the other entities that impact an organization performance. Scheins assumes culture as a set of shared postulations, which can examined at three important levels. The first level of Scheins culture model consists of perceptible organizational process and various artefacts that can be heard and felt by uninitiated observer. First of all, the fact that will shape the entity of this investigation is culture itself (Schein 1992). Artefacts consist of any physical or tangible elements in a company. Dress code, furniture, history and architecture all represent organizational artefacts (cf. Reason 1997). According to Schein, it is really difficult to understand the true meaning without detailed study, since it symbolizes the most superficial cultural phenomenon i.e. only reflections of the exact business culture The second level of Scheins model consists of the companys espoused values. These are very comprehensible in, for example, the companys objectives, declared values, operating philosophy and norms. However, espoused values do not always reflect an organisations daily functions and businesses. Most key and imperative in terms of functions is the in-depth culture level, i.e. its principal assumptions (Schein 1985, 1992). Actions and behaviours of a successful individual employee in the organisation become benchmarks on which other employees refer to. Such historical behaviours and actions become organizational key values. Third level of Scheins model consists of basic assumption and underlying values. The essence of culture is characterized by the fundamental underlying values and assumption, which are difficult to distinguish as they present at an unconscious level. Underlying values is a array of decisions that form the culture further. Therefore, they are not static (Schein 1985, 1992). Basic Assumptions are considered as an ultimate source of actions and values. Analysing culture: Assessment (What to look for) In order to assess the culture, Siemens has to identify their artefacts. Artefacts can be identified by conducting surveys, group meetings or personal interviews that asks the employees to list their reactions to various artefacts. A pattern for identifying artefacts include: level of formality in relations, working hours, dress codes, rituals, ceremony, myths and how decisions are made (Scheins, 1999). Secondly, espoused values should be examined. This can be obtained easily since every organisation has their written values. According to Argyris Schon, the best word is espoused values, since most of the organisations have written values but act out different values (Scheins, 1992). Finally, underlying assumptions should be identified. Possibly the best way to spot basic assumptions are through progression meeting where all the artefacts are listed, underlying values and assumptions are reviewed (Scheins, 1992). Analysing culture: Analysis (Congruence Test) Using the assessment Siemens can compare the cultural artefacts to the stated values to check if the stated values are congruent with physical materializations of the organisation. Second level is to compare the espoused with the actual value of the Siemens. Then, analyse the type of culture that enhances the mission of the Siemens. Find out the new value and implement it in order to accomplish the companys mission and goal. Finally, culture can be compared to the employees. Here, the employees would be observed in terms of personal ideas, values of what is significant, and personal decision making procedures. Analysing culture: Implementation (Finding changes Final step is to figure out the changes in the organisation to accomplish the mission. Whilst execution of cultural changes is a colossal undertaking that changes sensibly conceived, but conventionally fail (Bolman and Deal, 1997), the gaps between artefacts and espoused values, assumptions and espoused values, workforce and culture or culture and mission are identified in the analysis stage. Implementing Change: Kotters eight step model: Kotter established eight steps and he believed that these 8 steps would lead to successful changes. He has developed an 8 step model where the first four levels focus on unfreezing the organisation, the next three levels focus on what needs to be changed , and the last level refreezes the company with a brand new culture. When organisations need to make huge changes effectively and significantly, these are the eight steps to be followed in sequence. Establish a sense of urgency: For change to take place, Siemens really have to develop a sense of urgency. In order to do that Peter Loscher and other board members have communicated to their employees about the need for change and significance of acting without delay. They examined the market strategies, competitive realities, reputation, how to prevent corruption and potential problem of the failure. This is not merely a matter of just telling employees about the corruption, poor sales statistics or discussing about increasing competition. Board members explained about the drawback of corruption and why corruption has to be removed. It is really imperative for Siemens to spend significant energy and time to develop the urgency in order to lead the change. Form a powerful guiding coalition Team: Top management of Siemens should shape powerful corporate governance with enough leadership skills, authority, credibility, communication ability and energy to lead the change. Leaders should be able to convince the employees that change is necessary. So Siemens appointed Peter Loscher as their CEO in 2007. Siemens implemented new managerial board position for compliance and official matters. After joining the company Peter Loscher communicated both his and shareholders expectations, and to set comprehensible compliance targets based on values of responsibility and integrity for all firm departments, units and levels. Develop a clear vision and strategy: The mission is to create a culture of openness and honesty right through the business, evidently driven from the board. The first step will typically be for the CEO to make a presentation to the board, possibly after review by board committee or risk management function. The important lesson learnt at Siemens is that a cadre of managerial positions is necessary at organisations to make sure the reliability, operation and integrity of the organisation. The frequency and level of bribery and unprofessional behaviour had significantly increased until Peter Loscher took over; top management, board and employees realised that they wanted to change their culture when world largest corruption scandal came to light. Tone from the share holders after corruption scandal The tone from the shareholders is Only Clean Business is Siemens Business! Everywhere Everybody Every Time! Compliance as Part of Corporate Responsibility is 1st Priority! Peter Loscher and board restructured the corporate governance and enhanced the compliance department. Communicate the Vision: In this step the new vision and strategies should be communicated in every possible ways to employees. Make sure that everybody in the organisation understand and accept the strategy and vision. After identifying the strategies, Siemens communicated those strategies to the employees by the compliance department and anti corruption programmes. To avoid unethical business practices, the Siemens provided anti corruption programs as a part of training for more than 15,000 employees. In addition, Siemens launched a web based anti corruption training program for more than 120,000 employees. Training is very vital for altering the mindset and developing a culture of integrity and responsibility. Siemens vision is to remove the corruption and change the culture, because Siemens understood the cost and impact of corruption and were very desperate to get rid of corruption. Empower others to act on the vision: They motivated and encouraged their employees to actively participate in developing a culture of reliability by not allowing anybody to violate in the organisation. They launched a helpdesk Tell us function, so employees were asked to inform the helpdesk if anybody violates the rules. It is really imperative for Siemens in order to get rid of obstacles. So they enforced around 500 disciplinary measures in the year 2007, mostly the cases of violation, and corruption. Create Short term wins: Changing the culture, either good or bad, it is not going to happen overnight. Siemens achieved their short term goal when their employees began to realize that they were anticipated to do their duties in a professional and ethical manner. Siemens monitor the progress of the compliance program by conducting employee survey. Survey results include: Positive perception of compliance program, compliance communications understood and well regarded. Siemens thought that compliance issues have changed the economy and society and it has changed Siemens. Consolidate improvements and producing still more change: Siemens engaged in variety of co-operative initiatives with international organisations committed to fight against corruption and sustaining and establishing freedom of competition. Siemens continuously improved their compliance program by co-operating with international and non government organisations, such as World Bank institute by exchanging knowledge and vice versa. By monitoring the process and receiving the feedback continuously will help Siemens to improve change. Institutionalise the new approaches: Siemens needs to believe a leading role in integrity, transparency and compliance with the clear aim of becoming a respected international organisation in the fight against bribery and corruption. They needed to move towards a value based culture and to bench mark with the best. In order to achieve these objectives they have to inst ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­itutionalise the new strategies and approaches. Conclusion: The above study has looked at the context, content and process adopted by Siemens in order the change their culture after the bribery came into light on November 2006. This study will also give an overview of how Siemens has implemented detailed anti programmes policies on bribery and corruption, altered its management structure to fit its new values and policies, developed a new compliance department and has made changes to their communication with direct conversation between workforce and management. The Scheins model analysis helps us to understand the culture of the organisation and what changes needed to be done, while Kotters model helps us to understand how the change can be implemented. Unprofessional behaviour and violation of rules and standards are something all organisations must constantly be alert of. Eventually, the changes at Siemens have allowed the management to successfully meet its mission, which is an obligation to public safety. References: Andreas Pohlmann (2008) A New Direction for Siemens [online] http://www.enewsbuilder.net/globalcompact/e_article001149152.cfm?x=bd2Hd2m,bb6LfBj8,w [accessed 2 April 2010] Article 123 (2008) Integrating Transparency and Anti-corruption throughout the business [online] http://www.article13.com/UNGC/Siemens%20anti-corruption%20case%20study.pdf [accessed 4 April 2010] Collins, D. (1998). Organizational Change: Sociological Perspectives. London: Routledge. Dietrich G. Moller (2009) The Siemens Compliance Program -A Change Management Process [online] http://russland.ahk.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Events/Praesentation/09-11-18-Siemens.pdf [accessed 4 April 2010] Esther Cameron mike Green. (2009) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, 2nd ed. London: Kogan page Esther Cameron mike Green. (2004) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, 2nd ed. London: Kogan page Frank Schmidt Kenny Mok (2008) The Siemens Compliance Program -A Change Management Process [online] http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13221847/Compliance-Program-SlidesSiemens [accessed 4 April 2010] Felix Onuah (2007, December 5) Nigeria to blacklist Siemens after bribery scandal [Online] http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL0539089320071205 [accessed 4 April 2010] Hatch, M.J. (1993). The Dynamics of Organizational Culture. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 657.693 Parker, M. (2000). Organizational Culture and Identity. London: Sage Rawi Abdelal, Rafael Di Tella, Jonathan Schlefer. (2008). Corruption in Germany: Managing Germanys Largest Corruption Scandal. 9-709-006, p1-8. Reason, J. (1993). Managing the Management Risk: New Approaches to Organisational Safety. In: Wilpert, B. Quale, T. (eds.). Reliability and Safety in Hazardous Work Systems. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum. Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents. Aldershot: Ashgate. Schein, E. (1985) Organizational culture and leadership 1st ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (1992) Organizational culture and leadership 2nd ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (1999) The corporate culture survival guide: sense and nonsense about culture change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Schein, E. (2004) Organizational culture and leadership 3rd ed, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Siemens (2010) About Us [Online] http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/about_us/index.htm [accessed 29 March 2010] Siemens (2010) Compliance [Online] http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/about_us/index/corporate_responsibility/compliance.htm [accessed 29 March 2010]

History of Electronic Media Essay

The history of providing information has been shaped by innovations and innovators. This paper attempts to chronicle the different factors and events that led to the media landscape of today. 1) Congress and the FCC began deregulating broadcast and cable television in the late 1970s. Describe the ideologies which motivated these deregulations. What changes in the television industry occurred as a result of these deregulations? Include two of the following in your discussion: Financial Interest and Syndication Rules, Telecommunications Act of 1996, media ownership debates in the 2000s and intellectual property regulations in the 2000s. The Financial and Syndication Rules, or more popularly known as Fib-Syn, were implemented by the Federal Communications Commission in 1970 with the objective of increasing programming diversity thus breaking the monopoly of the three major TV networks in the United States: CBS, ABC and NBC. Its rationale was to democratize UHF airwaves making it easier for independent television producers to penetrate the television market. The rules primarily targeted two areas to disempower the big networks: freeing television programs from the ownership of the networks after its first run and the introduction of in-house syndication arms in the major networks. The idea was to discourage the networks’ monopoly on tv programs and restricting the networks’ part in syndication. These steps would substantially reduce production incentive and lead to the separation of production and distribution practices in the big networks. The FCC justified the implementation of Fin-Syn as beneficial for independent television producers since it gave them the larger part of production profits and allowing them a foothold in the business of syndication. The democratization of syndication would lead to a wider distribution of shows and prevented the networks from its exclusive use in their affiliated stations. Supporters of the rule envisioned a television industry where innovative and   much more diverse programs would be available to the viewers ( McAllister , www.museum.tv). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was promulgated by the FCC to address issues regarding the rapid development of telecommunication technologies in the United States. It contained new rules and regulations regarding TV, Radio, Cable, Telephone and Internet services. President Clinton, when he signed it into legislation, proclaimed that the act would â€Å"stimulate investment, promote competition, provide open access for all citizens to the Information Superhighway† (Clinton, White House press release 1996). Upon closer inspection, the Telecommunication Act of 1996 was the final step in disassembling the provisions of Fin-Syn Rule. The act loosened rules on media ownership in traditional media forms such as TV and radio, thus empowering them to compete with emerging media technologies such as cable and the Internet allowing for the development of new and innovative services. However, the implementation of both the Financial and Syndication Rules of the FCC and the telecommunications Act of 1996 met harsh criticisms once they were fully implemented. The introduction of Fin-Syn bred more problems than solutions. Most critics pointed out that instead of empowering independent TV producers, it just shifted the competition from one Goliath to another. Instead of   competing with the big networks, the independent TV producers where now pitted against large production organization such as Disney/ABC and   Warner. In the end, it was these larger TV production companies that benefited financially from producing television shows with independent companies opting to produce cheaper productions such as talk shows and game shows. Thus, it produced more conventional shows rather than innovating the television industry. Eventually, television groups especially television distributors called for a change in the implementation of Fin-Syn which eventually led to FCC totally removing the rule in 1995. Studies showed that although there were periods of diversity on TV programs from 1970s to the 1990s, the general conclusion was that there was no significant changes in the programs in the implementation of the FCC rule (Einstein, p. 5). With the disappearance of the rule, productions and distribution companies started to merge especially in the big three networks. This culminated in the emergence of FOX Network and its merger with Paramount and Warner Bros., a step followed by Disney when they bought and merged with ABC Network. The deregulation that resulted from the implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act fueled much debate on media ownership and responsibility. Questions arose on whether the the Act did deliver its promise of innovative media services from increased competition and serve the public interest with increased diversity in media programs and information. Critics cite that the only ones who benefited from the Act were media moguls who were able to merge with other media corporations and in essence creating media monopolies that could have the power to control information. William Melody reveals that media entrepreneurs will always look for profit and economic efficiency leading to media monopolies which threaten freedom of speech (Melody, p. 32). Concerned groups have also reasoned that public interest have always been the core value of media regulation and not profit, and to diminish government control on ownership would mean violating public inters. Deregulating media ownership can only lead to a monopoly of information resulting in less diversity, Neumann noted that the creation of media conglomerates have led to the mass media having similar â€Å"content and world-view† (Neumann, p.130). On the other hand, those who were in favor of the Act identified it as a much needed move in revolutionizing media. By allowing media corporations to merge, it has led to a more comprehensive and cohesive delivery of information. Supporters also point out that instead of eliminating diversity, viewers have had much more program options with th emergence of 24 hours news channels such as CNN and FOX News and specialized channels such as Discovery and History (Compaine, www.reason.com). In fact, Adam Thierer revealed that instead of the lack of diversity of programs, audiences are actually experiencing â€Å"information overload† due to explosion of media options. He pointed out that today’s media environment is â€Å"diverse and characterized by information abundance† (Thierer, p.2). The issue, as FCC concluded in revising the Telecommunication Act, â€Å"was whether media companies will be able to dominate the distribution of news and information in any market, but whether they will be able to be heard at all among the cacophony of voices vying for the attention of the Americans (FCC proceedings, p.149) 2) The three broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC did not face a broadcast network competitor until Fox emerged in the 1980s and the WB, UPN and Univision grew in the 1990s. Why did these networks emerge when they did? What regulatory changes aided their growth? How did they differ from the other networks in terms of their relationships with their affiliates? What audiences did they target and what types of programs did they use to do so? How did they change as they grew? You may choose one or more network(s) to illustrate your points. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the big three networks dominated the American airwaves. Independent and local television networks would occasionally penetrate the national airwaves but most of these did not survive due to financial constraints. It was in 1986 however that the first rival to the big three emerged with the establishment of   FOX Network.It started out dabbling in TV business by producing and distributing shows for the three big networks. In 1985, Rupert Murdoch bought 50% shares in the 20th Century Fox   movie and television studios. When Murdoch finally achieved full ownership of the studios, he proceeded to buy television stations owned by Metromedia which gave Murdoch a foothold in the major U.S. cities such as New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Chicago (www.teletronic.co.uk). This move would spur Murdoch to create a â€Å"fourth network†. In a brilliant move, the new Fox network labeled their new venture as a â€Å"satellite-delivered programming service†(www.teletronic.co.uk). This enabled Murdoch, who was not a citizen, to bypass FCC rules such as foreign-ownership and the definition of FCC of a â€Å"network† as â€Å"airing more than 20 hours of programming per week†. These enabled Fox to operate unhindered by the FCC rules on networks, thus being able to still distribute its TV productions to other networks but only airing 2 hours of primetime shows as opposed to the 3 hours of the big Networks. When it was launched in October 1986, almost 96 stations were connected to Fox enabling it to reach 80% of American audiences. Before making it big, Fox had to start from scratch in expanding its audience share. The network first major release was the â€Å"Late Show† with Joan Rivers. They hoped to capture the 11:30pm late-night slot and targeting young audiences. This strategy however failed as ratings fell with viewers switching back to their previous stations. Despite these failures, Fox continued to lure the younger to middle -aged viewers with shows such as â€Å"Tracy Ulman† which won the station its first Emmy, â€Å"Married†¦with   Children† which would be its first biggest hit and â€Å"21 Jump Street† which was its first drama. These shows were some of the first forays of the network into the Sunday prime-time slot. Although they were received lukewarmly at first, these shows would gain momentum in the coming years. The success of Fox would lead to FCC relaxing the Fin-Syn rule and redefining their concept of â€Å"network†, which would finally result in t he elimination of the Fin-Syn Rule in 1995. (www.museum.tv) The success of its first primetime shows would lead to Fox introducing documentary-style shows such as â€Å"America’s Most Wanted† and â€Å"Cops†. But their biggest success would come in when Fox reintroduced animation to the primetime slot with â€Å"The Simpsons†. The animated show would penetrate the top 30 primetime ratings and would then become the longest running comedy show on television (www.teletronic.co.uk). Soon, Fox found its niche by veering away from conventional shows, like game shows and   talk shows, by introducing reality-based shows and shows that targeted the young viewers. Fox owner Rupert Murdoch would change the media landscape when it snatched exclusive rights to air the National Football League in 1993 (Kimmel, p.162). This move would cement Fox’s role in the ratings game. As of today, Fox’s main draw is its reality-based shows such as American Idol that have dominated airwaves since its release in 2002, capturing much of the 18-49 viewer demographic (tvbythenumbers.com). With success comes controversy. Such was the case of the Fox news network as critics accused it of being biased towards the U.S. Republican Party (Greenwald, p.4). Despite these, Fox shows and its affiliated cable channels still rake in much of the ratings with Fox News attracting 2.4 million viewers in the first quarter of 2009 (Gold, www.latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Days of the Month in Japanese

Want to know how to say which day of the month it is in Japanese? The basic rule for dates is number nichi. For example, juuichi-nichi (11th), juuni-nichi (12th), nijuugo-nichi (25th) and so on. However, 1st through 10th, 14th, 20th and 24th are irregular. Japanese Dates 1st tsuitachi ä ¸â‚¬Ã¦â€" ¥ 2nd futsuka ä ºÅ'æâ€" ¥ 3rd mikka ä ¸â€°Ã¦â€" ¥ 4th yokka å››æâ€" ¥ 5th itsuka ä ºâ€Ã¦â€" ¥ 6th muika å… ­Ã¦â€" ¥ 7th nanoka ä ¸Æ'æâ€" ¥ 8th youka å… «Ã¦â€" ¥ 9th kokonoka ä ¹ Ã¦â€" ¥ 10th touka Ã¥  Ã¦â€" ¥ 14th juuyokka Ã¥  Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¦â€" ¥ 20th hatsuka ä ºÅ'Ã¥  Ã¦â€" ¥ 24th nijuuyokka ä ºÅ'Ã¥  Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¦â€" ¥ Click ​each link to hear the pronunciation.

Building A Safer Health Care System - 981 Words

According to Err is Human: Building a Safer Health Care System, thousands of Americans die annually due to medical errors and hundreds of thousands are victims of a non-fatal medical errors or injuries (Kongstvedt, 2013). With that being said, health care is composed of three main components: quality, access, and cost (Tabish, 2009). High quality care could prevent many of these fatalities or never events that occur within the health care organization. Historically speaking, many health care changes and improvements in quality of care have occurred due to quality management and quality assurance. To fully understand how quality is achieved and maintained, it is important to dissect these two programs or processes. This paper will analyze the key components of a quality management program as well as discuss characteristics that distinguish a quality management program from traditional quality assurance. Quality Before understanding a quality management program and traditional quality assurance, it is important to understand the definition of quality. Quality is composed of two elements, content and delivery (Brent, nd). Content quality is related to the medical outcome that has been achieved. While delivery quality is based upon the patients interaction with the health care system, also known as the patient s impression of the organization such as its environment, the providers and caretakers, and treatment. Together, content and delivery create quality. (Brent, nd) QualityShow MoreRelatedThe Institute Of Medicine ( Iom )788 Words   |  4 PagesBackground Many health care leaders, authors, and professionals have given their time and effort to write and discuss quality. Quality is now recognized as one of the key aims in healthcare today. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has had a profound impact on health care in America and the view of quality within health care facilities. The National Roundtable on Health Care Quality met six different times between 1996 and 1998 to look at changes regarding quality in health care. Within their conclusionRead MoreThe Role of Information Technology in Healthcare856 Words   |  3 Pagesanalyses To Err Is Human: Building A Safer Health System (Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson. 2000) which underscore just how far apart patient and treatment care initiatives are versus actual results achieved. This variation in the potential to deliver quality care and results achieved has been increasingly explained by significant gaps in the use of healthcare informatics and healthcare technologies (Sensmeier, 2008). The i ntent of this analysis is evaluate the utilization of health information technologyRead MoreInstitute Of Medicine Report On Quality1432 Words   |  6 Pagesaimed to evaluate and improve the quality of care for health care systems in America (Bielaszka-DuVernay, 2011 p.2). Consequently, IOM Committee on Quality Health Care outlined strategies to improve patient safety by preventing medical errors that are caused by individual and system factors in a report titled â€Å"To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System† (1999). Furthermore, IOM‘s 2001 report titled, â€Å"Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century† emphasis the need to designRead More Advancing Patient Safety Essay1350 Words   |  6 Pagessafety in the health care industry reveals a multitude of challenges facing providers and patients alike. A new commitment to providing safe, quality health care to patients is a critical part of reforming the U.S. health care system. B ut to be effective, a new health care discipline (i.e. Patient Safety), needed to be established that would emphasize the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical errors that lead to adverse health care events. In analyzing this growing health care issue, I foundRead MoreMedical Errors And The Medical Error1595 Words   |  7 PagesPeople go to the hospital when they are in need of medical care when sick or physically hurt, expecting to get well and return to loved ones. Unfortunately health care is not safe in the United States. There are cases where people get worse because of an honest mistake, or because something has gone wrong in consequence of a medical error. Medical errors may be perceived as a well-organized plan that has gone wrong or even getting the opposite results of what was expected. According to the InstituteRead MoreRelationship Between Medical Errors, Nurse Education And Patient Safety And Education1550 Words   |  7 PagesComplex issue arises everyday p utting a hinge on providing quality care. The relationship between entry into nursing practice, education levels of nursing, medical errors, and improving patient outcomes will help shed some light on the adversary’s nurses face every day, whether it be directly or indirectly. The American Nurses Associations state, â€Å"Working together we address critical issues to strengthen nursing and improve health care (Cipriano Berkowitz, 2016)†. Entry into practice have long beenRead MoreThe Challenge For Providers Implementing Ehrs And Achieving Meaningful Use908 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.† The ultimate goal in implementing EHRs is to assist in building an evolving body of knowledge and valuable resources to assist in supporting health care providers and health information tech professionals as they work towards the implementation, adoption and meaningful use of EHR systems in the healthcare system. According to Ivancevich, K.M., Konopaske, R., and Matteson, M.T. (2013), â€Å"Management interventions are the actions takenRead MoreThe Tenets Of Healthcare Quality And Safety995 Words   |  4 Pages Since the release of the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, the healthcare industry has struggled to make substantial headway in improving the quality of care and safety of patients.Continued problems with healthcare quality have caused mounting public frustration. For an industry in which the stakes are high and small problems can mean the difference between life and death, operations tend to be far from reliable. This paper will discuss the tenetsRead MorePersonal Note On Medical Informatics1087 Words   |  5 Pagessimilar to the ones asked by the physicians. These websites also provide the patient with some vital pieces of information which otherwise might have been overlooked leading to more testing and time. Also, some of the diseases like diabetes where the care has to be more on the lines of being continuous rather than episodic, web based solutions where the patient can interact with other patient and share their views has proven to be greatly helpful on a emotional front and how to deal with the problemRead MoreThe Roots Of Patient Safety Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesthe importance of hand washing in medical care. Patient safety in the United States came to the forefront in the 1990s and since has developed into a new health care discipline focusing on preventing adverse health care events. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and other academic research paved the way in brining light to the issue of patient safety in the U.S. One of the first pushes for patient safety was with the introduction of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) then called the Computerized

Love should grow up like a wild iris - 1244 Words

Sam Fischer Lawler English 102 DATE \@ d MMMM yyyy 18 April 2014 â€Å"The Lottery† Since the beginning of human existence love has earned a meaning of pure bliss and wild passion between two people that cannot be broken. Through out time the meaning of love has had its slight shifts but for the most part, maintains a positive value. In the poem â€Å"Love Should Grow Up Like a Wild Iris in the Fields,† the author, Susan Griffin expresses that this long lost concept of love is often concealed by the madness of everyday life and reality. In the poem, Griffin uses many literary elements to help convey the importance of true love. The usage of imagery, symbolism, and other literary techniques really help communicate Griffins’ meaning†¦show more content†¦Each time used, Griffin changes the word play following the line, which each gives its own tone to it. The first time he used the line was in the first sentence that was quickly followed with the stanza that gave of a sense of beauty while comparing love to nature. The second time Griffin uses the line she follows it with â€Å"but does not† and then compares love to dinner hour, which portrays a tone of turmoil andShow MoreRelatedLove Should Grow Up Like An Wild Iris739 Words   |  3 PagesReal Life Love Throughout â€Å"Love Should Grow up Like an Wild Iris in the Fields† Susan Griffin provokes the readers to think twice about why they consistently enslave themselves with the burden of daily monotony, instead of enjoying the simplicity of love. Griffin uses two metaphors in her poem when describing love, as a flower, as well as the iris of an eye. Her comparisons are both interesting as well as accurate. Love should be born and live in fields, just like wild flowers. Love needs to beRead MoreA Letter to His Parent by Jose Rizal4223 Words   |  17 Pagesthan a hill. ______ 4. We can see mountains all over the world. ______ 5. A plateu is an elevated land area that surrounded by a lower land area. ______ 6. A mountain is good for putting up airports and railroads. ______ 7. Rice fields are usually found on plains. ______ 8. People cultivate the land and grow different crops on it. ______ 9. Island is a flat level land between mountains or hills. ______ 10. Lava is very hot mud. Match the correct answer. ____ 11. It erupts and throws out lavaRead MoreHow to Read Lit Like a Prof Notes3608 Words   |  15 PagesFrom How to Read Literature Like a Professor Thomas C. Foster Notes by Marti Nelson 1. Every Trip is a Quest (except when it’s not): a. A quester b. A place to go c. A stated reason to go there d. Challenges and trials e. The real reason to go—always self-knowledge 2. Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion a. Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion b. Not usually religious c. An act of sharing and peace d. A failed meal carries negative connotations 3. Nice to Eat You: Acts of VampiresRead MoreGardening For Beginners : Gardening5513 Words   |  23 Pages GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS Gardening is a pastime activity of cultivating a piece of land either with fruits, vegetables, herbs or flowers to become a garden. I love gardening! Do you love gardening too? There are several reasons why I love gardening. One is the fact that I readily have a place to relax, unwind and enjoy a bit of time in solace with nature and revel in its beauty. That means, I do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on vacations with my family. DependingRead More Imagery in The Tempest, by William Shakespeare Essay3748 Words   |  15 Pagestempest-imagery in this scene. Shakespeare then returns to the present through Mirandas asking for Prosperos reason/For raising this sea-storm (I. ii. 75). Shortly afterwards we see a being who is himself a kind of storm-spirit and, through his spirit-like nature, is related to the airy elements. The words   and images which characterize Ariel (and by which he characterizes himself) at the same time thus revive, the world of the sea, of the winds and waves. Ariels description of his activity duringRead MoreThe Original Purpose Of Greek And Roman Mythology2203 Words   |  9 Pagesrepresent powers dealing with nature. For example Zeus’ thunderbolts and no one knowing where they would strike, like lighting. 11. Zeus evolves in Greek mythology because he was once a rain god evolving into a thunder god. When he was a rain god he brought rain to Greece because they needed it more than the Sun. 12. Ovid was a Latin poet who wrote many myths. He thought that myths should be elegant. He changed some myths by in his words â€Å"Making them less silly†. Part One- The Gods, theRead MoreBook Xvi: the Iliad - Homer3177 Words   |  13 Pagesfight without him. 4. Achilles tells Patroclus to ‘limit his efforts’ and return to the camp after he has driven the Trojans from the Achaean ships, so that the two warriors may go into battle together. Achilles wishes for this as he fears that should Patroclus go alone, he will only make Achilles’ â€Å"glory that much less†. 5. Achilles’ hurries Patroclus on his way as at this moment in the book, Hector has managed to gain the upper hand in the fight against Ajax. Ajax is the second most powerRead MoreCats: Domestic Cat11027 Words   |  45 Pagesobey simple commands, and has been known to teach itself to manipulate simple mechanisms (see cat intelligence). The trinomial name of the domestic cat is Felis silvestris catus. Its closest pre-domesticated ancestor is believed to be the African wild cat, Felis silvestris lybica.[1] Humans have developed several dozen breeds of cat, in a variety of colours. Cats have lived in close association with humans for at least 9,500 years,[2]. Legends and myths about the cat exist in many cultures, fromRead MoreEssay on Ducati8819 Words   |  36 Pages1997 to around 60.0 million Euros in 2000; the market share had gone from 5.1% in the sport bikes segment in 1997 to 6.7% in 2000 (see Exhibit 1). Despite this success, Minoli was concerned with the future of the company. He knew that Ducati could not grow indefinitely, and was struggling with what strategy might overtake these bounds. Minoli and the rest of Ducati’s top management team were considering different alternatives. One alternative was to attack Harley Davidson’s niche with a Ducati interpretationRead MoreThe Ballad of the Sad Cafe46714 Words   |  187 Pagessensation. She is very special, one of America s superlative writers who conjures up a vision of existence as terrible as it is real, who takes us on shattering voyages into the depths of the spiritual isolation tha t underlies the human condition. A grotesque human triangle in a primitive Southern town. . . A young boy learning the difficult lessons of manhood. . . A fateful encounter with his native land and former love. . . These are parts of the world of Carson McCullers -- a world of the lost,

Book cover judgments Free Essays

The term ‘book cover judgments’ bears only negative connotations. It’s widely accepted in the society that a person should analyze and synthesize all the available information before arriving at any decision. People who sometimes make book cover judgments are considered shallow and hypocritical. We will write a custom essay sample on Book cover judgments or any similar topic only for you Order Now It’s often deemed to be a sign of narrowness and over-indulged self-opinion. Psychologists struggled to prove that the first impression is frequently the most lasting and important one, yet the society still keeps to the notion that superficial judgments are the greatest evil. Upon careful investigation, it becomes evident that book cover judgments often provide the most relevant and accurate information, being an important way to organize information, which is especially relevant at the dawn of the Information Age. In many cases, book cover judgment can provide the most relevant and accurate information. It’s especially true about making up one’s mind about other people: it’s a well-known fact that the first impression can be formed from brief exposure to another, and it can last for years. It can be proven by one of the new fads, speed-dating, organized by such companies as 8MinuteDating and HurryDate, when people meet with a dozen of people for up to ten minutes and then decide on their potential companions. Its concept rests on a simple belief that a couple of minutes can be plenty of time to understand a person up and judge compatibility. It’s not a top secret that everybody evaluates each other based on immediate intuitions. Scientists are discovering that in many situations our social intuition is indeed astonishing, as we can sometimes collect a considerable amount of information about a person’s nature or abilities in just a few seconds. Initial encounters are emotionally intense events that can overwhelm us, therefore true and accurate judgments can be formed. Book cover judgments are not simple hardwired reactions, since people are also taught how to judge others, holding our first impressions up to the light of social stereotypes. Implicit attitudes that enter into our calculations are always in place. As a consequence, sometimes book cover judgments are considered synonymous to such words as stereotypes and prejudices. Prejudices and stereotypes are schemes that assist us in comprehending the reality; when reality does not correspond to our prejudice it is easier for our mind to modify our interpretation of reality than to modify the prejudice. Prejudices help us to complement information when we do not posses at the moment. And here it’s of paramount importance to draw a line between these two concepts. From a psychological perspective, stereotypes are simply ways to organize information in your head. Having stereotypes amount to having life experience to build upon. It’s necessary to use stereotypes to draw parallel with other similar cases in the past, to avoid mistakes or use the strong sides of some employees. Stereotypes consist basically in shared beliefs or notions about a certain group or event. A stereotype is a combination of characteristics that sums up this group or event. The goal of stereotypes is to simplify reality. Prejudices, however, are judgements we make about another person or group of people without trying to understand them. They are divided into negative or positive in character, yet negative prejudices prevail. Prejudices often go along with ignorance, fear or hatred. When making judgments about groups of people, book cover judgments aren’t enough. It has been shown already that one can’t do without organizing information without help of stereotypes. This is especially true in the Information Age when people are receiving a huge amount of information every second. Information flows are continuously intensifying, and this tendency is projected to amplify in the future. In the past, people had enough time to allocate to such matters as judging and rethinking. The decline of conventional philosophy at the beginning of the 21st century is the evidence of the diminishing value of in-depth analysis. While this analysis is sometimes performed for a variety of reasons, it’s conspicuously absent from our everyday life. It’s too early to blame modern men for laziness or ignorance – without making book cover judgments, it’s impossible to make sense of all the information we have to process every day. In other words, book cover judgments are necessary for many reasons. First of all, they can quickly provide much information about a certain person just after few minutes of initial contact. Secondly, stereotypes have been proven to be an important way to organize information. Las but not least, book cover judgments are the only option available to the society living in the Information Age. The society should gradually change its negative perception of quick judgments. Psychologists have already started debunking many myths about the psychological mechanism behind making book cover judgments. Instead of trying to diminish the value of this essential psychological tool, people should be trained to handle first impressions effectively and derive maximum information possible from the first seconds of encounter. How to cite Book cover judgments, Papers

Coconut Production free essay sample

Traditionally, the economic importance of coconut was laid on its nourishing water, kernel, copra, oil and coir, but laying emphasis on value addition and product diversification is widening the spectrum of its economy. The coconut is a benevolent tree, a nature’s gift to mankind, as it is a source of food, beverage, oilseed, fibres, timber, health products and also associated with mystery and omen in the life of people. The coconut tree provides clothing, utensils and dwellings, therefore, is an important source of earning livelihood to the people of coconut growing states, especially in the coastal areas. The coconut tree therefore, is eulogized, reverently as â€Å"Kalpavruksha† or tree of life by the people. The coconut crop is grown in 12. 5 million hectares of land which constituted about 0. 7% of net crop area of the world. The crop is grown in the coastal lowlands of continental South Asia and spread along the Indian and Pacific Ocean, the cultivation is mostly done by small and marginal farmers. According to FAO statistics 2007, about 57. 9 billion nuts were produced, which was equivalent to 7. 3 metric tonnes of oil. The coconut oil ranks sixth among the eight major vegetable oils of the world. India contributes about 15. 46 per cent in area and 21 per cent in terms of production of coconut in the world. The coconut crop is grown in eighteen States and three Union Territories covering an area of 1. 935 million hectares of land, with a production of 12,833 million nuts in the country. The major coconut crop acreage is concentrated on the West Coast region of the country comprising the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra, followed by East Coast of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Pondicherry. The coconut cultivation areas also traditionally located in the coastal region of Gujarat, Goa, West Bengal, Islands of Andaman amp; Nicobar and Lakshadweep. About 90% of the area of coconut cultivation and equally the same per cent of production of coconut are from the four Southern states, viz. Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Kerala is considered as the land of coconut and holds the key for the development of coconut production and marketing in the country. Cultivation and Varieties: Cultivation The coconut palm is found to grow under varying climatic and soil conditions. It is essentially a tropical plant growing mostly between 20oN 20oS latitudes. However, a rainfall of about 2000 mm per year, well distributed throughout, is ideal for proper growth and maximum production. Coconut is grown under different soil types such as loamy, laterite, coastal sandy, alluvial, clayey and reclaimed soils of the marshy low lands. The ideal soil conditions for better growth and performance of the palm are proper drainage, good water-holding capacity, presence of water table within 3m and absence of rock or any hard substratum within 2m of the surface. Variety There are only two distinct varieties of coconut, the tall and the dwarf. The tall cultivars that are extensively grown are the West Coast Tall and East Coast Tall. The dwarf variety is shorter in stature and its life span is short as compared to the tall. Tall x Dwarf (TxD), Dwarf x Tall (DxT) are the two important hybrids. There are 10 different combination of hybrids, developed by Kerala Agriculture University and Tamil Nadu Agriculture University and released for commercial cultivation. They are high yielders under the good management conditions. Laccadive Ordinary, Andaman Ordinary, Philippines, Java, Cochin-China, Kappadam etc.  are the other tall cultivars under cultivation. Coconut Development Board Coconut Development Board is a statutory body established by the Government of India for the integrated development of coconut production and utilization in the country with focus on productivity increase and product diversification. The Board which came into existence on 12th J anuary 1981, functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, with its Headquarters at Kochi in Kerala and Regional Offices at Bangalore in Karnataka, Chennai in Tamil Nadu and   Guwahati in Assam. There are six State Centres situated at Bhubaneswar in Orissa, Calcutta in West Bengal, Patna in Bihar, Thane in Maharashtra, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Port Blair in the Union Territory of Andaman amp; Nicobar Islands. The Board has 9 Demonstration cum Seed Production (DSP) Farms in different locations of the country and now 7 farms are maintained. A Market Development cum Information Centre has established in Delhi. The Board has set up a Technology Development Centre at Vazhakulam near Aluva in Kerala. Functions of the Board * Adopting measures for the development of coconut industry, inter alia. Imparting technical advice to those engaged in coconut cultivation and industry. * Providing financial and other assistance for the expansion of area under coconut. * Encouraging adoption of modern technologies for processing of coconut and its products. * Adopting measures to get incentive prices for coconut and its products. * Recommending measures for improving marketing of coconut and its products. * Recommending measures for regulating imports and exports of coconut and its products. * Fixing grades, specifications and standards for coconut and its products. Financing suitable schemes to increase the production of coconut and to improve the quality and yield of coconut. * Assisting, encouraging, promoting and financing agricultural, technological, industrial or economic research on coconut and its products. * Collecting statistics on coconut and its products and publishing them. * Undertaking publicity activities and publishing books and periodicals on coconut and its products. Products Major coconut production in the country primarily is in demand from consuming states for traditional products viz. matured nuts, tender coconut water, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, oil cake and coir products. Nearly 90 percent coconut production is directed for traditional use in domestic markets. * Activated Carbon * Desiccated Coconut * Nata-da-Coco * Shell Charcol * Spray Dried Milk Powder * Virgin Coconut Oil * Coconut Oil * Milk Cream * Packed Tender Coconut Water * Shell Powder * Vinegar * Bottling of Coconut Water Production and Marketing Philippines, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka account for 78 per cent of the area and production. India ranks third on world coconut map and in recent times became the largest producer of coconut with the production of 16. 9 billion nuts from acreage under plantation of about 1.89 million hectares. The most eminent countries exploring coconut palms for commercial production are located in Asia, Oceania, West Indies, Central and South America, East and West Africa. According to FAO-2004 citation on coconut data , the coconut crop is grown in about 90 countries across the World in an area of 14. 231 million hectares producing 57. 514 billion nuts or 1 0. 52 million tons of copra. Out of World’s total area under coconut, 16 major coconut producing countries accounted for 93. 75 per. Among the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), mainly six countries i. e. Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia together accounted for 80. 65 per cent of the total area under coconut cultivation and about 82 percent of world production. The distribution of area in india under coconut cultivation shows that the major portion of coconut production in the country rests with the Western plains and Ghat regions comprising the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra followed by Eastern coast plain and hilly regions comprising Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry . Andaman amp;Nicobar ,Lakshadweep and states of Gujarat are the other traditional coconut growing areas. Certain tracts of TamilNadu, Karnataka and the states of Assam, Tripura, WestBengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are the non-traditional areas where coconut cultivation has made in roads rapidly. In the North Eastern belts, state like Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are also experimenting coconut cultivation successfully. The food processing sector has not paid due attention to diversification and value addition to coconut, coconut products and by products. The coconut processing therefore traditionally remained confined to copra production, oil extraction, manufacturer of desiccated coconut, coir and coir products. The most important and economically valuable produce of coconut palm is its fruit popularly known as ‘nut’. It is made up of an outer exocarp, a thick fibrous fruit coat known as husk; underneath lies the hard protective endocarp or shell. Lining the shell is a white albuminous endosperm or ‘coconut meat’ and the inner cavity is filled with a clear sweet refreshing liquid called ‘coconut water’. The kernel of a matured nut is the most precious product used for edible purpose. The dried kernel or copra is the richest source of edible oil and a by-product coconut oil cake, a source of vegetable protein used as an ingredient for livestock feed. The shell as such is used for fuel purpose, shell gasifier as an alternate source of heat energy, making handicrafts, ice-cream cups and other commercial products like shell powder, shell charcoal and activated carbon. The husk yields fibres, which is converted into coir and coir products viz. , coil carpets, coir geo-textile, coir composite, coir safety belts, coir boards, coir asbestos and coir pith. Coir pith a secondary by product obtained during defibring process is used as soil conditioner and mending all types of soils. The spongy nature of pith helps in disintegration of clay soil and allows free drainage. Its sponginess helps to retain water and oxygen and also prevents loss of vital nutrients from. Even though, India is the third largest coconut growing country in the world, its contribution to international market remains insignificant. The Export and Import of coconut products reveal grim situation in the country. However, it has been reported that India’s exports earning from coconut products is increasing at the compound growth rate of 20.71 percent per annum and the import of coconut and its products increases the trade deficit in the export earning of the country. Since the rate of growth on the import of Coconut products, during the same period was 33. 50 percent per annum. Marketing of coconuts differs from that of other fresh fruits due to natural durability of coconuts, which are sold as fresh tender nuts as well as matured water nuts and dry nuts, though the marketing practices followed are similar in nature, they may differ in accordance with the post harvest practices followed by farmers of coconut and form of products consumed in that area. Coconut farmers in the country have adopted indirect mode of disposal of their produce. However, rich farmers prefer to trade through direct channel, as a result the role of intermediaries or middle men is seen prominently in the marketing channels of coconut. Most of the coconut farmers have adopted leasing their farms / gardens as the mode of disposal of the coconut, but absence of lease holder, low productivity and uncertain farming conditions, always force coconut farmers to adopt mixed marketing practice. Since tender coconuts are marketed for drinking coconut water, the farmers Prefer to sell them immediately after harvesting without subjecting it for grading. Tender coconuts have great demands in most of the towns and cities all over the country, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi are major consuming market for tender coconut and the major assembling markets for tender coconut are located at Kolkata, Maddurai and Mumbai. The assembling and distribution of tender coconut through out the country is almost uniform and involves producer, contractor, itinerary merchants, wholesalers, retailers and hawkers. Realizing the importance of tender coconut as a nutritious and refreshing drink, the tender coconuts are also marketed to the processing unit for packing the tender coconut water in bottles, polythene satchels or aluminumcans. The matured nuts reaching markets are either partially husked or dehusked as per demand and requirements in distant markets. The coconut meant for copra making are sold fully husked by the farmers in near markets, similarly, where the coir industries are located and retting facilities are available, the coconut are completely dehusked for marketing purposes. In accordance with the demand the storage practices for matured coconuts differ from place to place and from farmers to the traders depending upon the requirement for the ultimate utility for the market. Since the major portion of the coconut produced in the country is marketed Through indirect mode of disposal and to limited extent through direct channel, the numbers of agencies involved in the marketing system are more or less similar through out the country with exceptional number where direct sale is involved. The states where copra making and milling industries are located, the agencies involved are village merchant / or copra maker, middle men or copra merchant, trader / miller. Though grading of coconut is an important marketing function to fetch a remunerative price for the coconut but it has not been fairly adopted at the producer’s levels, through out the country, whether for tender and or matured coconuts. However, the wholesale traders adopts the practice of grading coconut and copra based on the categories such as size, colour, freshness in case of tender coconut and size, weight and kernel content in case of matured coconuts, while copra is graded, into edible and milling as ball and cup copra. The grades and classification differ from the state to state and depends upon the local nomenclature. Since, Kerala is an important coconut trading centre the main centre for coconut oil markets are located at Kochi, Trichur and Trivendrum, similarly Kanghayam and Vellakovil in Tamil Nadu and Udipi and Mysore in Karnataka are main oil trading centres. The marketing practices followed in the coconut and coconut product trade, it has been revealed that in-numerable intermediaries, channels, functionaries, brokers, assemblers, traders, merchants, wholesalers, institutions and retailers are involved directly or indirectly in the movement of coconut from the point of production to the point of consumption, performing various activities in the flow process, enabling movement of coconut and its products until placed in the hands of consumers. Though the future trading in copra and coconut oil was discontinued due to excessive speculation in trading activities, in early 70’s it was reintroduced in 2001 for coconut oil under the first commodity exchange of India at Kochi, to boost marketing of coconut oil and copra in the country. Since long the prices of coconut and coconut products in the country are mainly centred around copra and coconut oil, the price of coconut is usually influenced by the prevailing prices of coconut oil in the wholesale market. The coconut prices are characterized by wide and violent functions with erratic price trends. The prices of coconut at the important markets in coconut producing areas (viz. , Arikere, Kozhikode, Kanghyam) generally move in close sympathy with one another but at other distant markets the prices do not show the sympathetic trend. The monthly wholesale prices in the above markets followed similar trend and seasonal variations and moved alike without much fluctuation in these three marketing centers. The coconut prices tend to rise where there is sustained demand of copra making from the months of October, November to March and April. The large scale arrival of coconut during the month of January-February declines the prices of the coconuts in almost all the markets. However, the prices remain low during monsoon period inspite of regular supply in the market due to reduction in copra making. The coconut prices vary in accordance with the quality of the nuts, the size of Coconut matters much in fixing the price of matured nuts, big nuts invariably fetches higher price than the smaller nuts. However, the previous price trend had changed a lot in case of tender coconuts in today’s market good quality tender coconut fetches higher price or if not then equivalent to the price of matured coconut due to higher demand from the consuming market. In areas where the coir industries are located, the unhusked coconut fetches higher prices than the husked coconut. Copra is a basic raw material for commercial end product the coconut oil, but the ruling price of coconut oil is the yardstick for determining the prices of copra in market. The price trend in India showed that the ball copra generally fetched more price than cup and milling copra. Similarly, the edible copra fetched even higher prices than that of milling copra. Since copra prices is subjected to wide fluctuation Government ensures the remunerative price to the farmers by declaring Minimum Support Price (MSP) as a result some time it was observed that the price of ball copra remained above the Minimum Support Price (MSP), though the prices of coconut declined in the market. The other factor which affects the prices of copra in the markets are harvesting of tender coconuts, increase in demand, resumption of future trading and or combination of various factors such as demand-supply imbalancing, availability of cheaper substitute and introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT). Since, coconut oil is an important product of coconut with world wide demand, the prices of coconut oil moves in close sympathy with that of other vegetable oils. The other features which affect the prices of coconut oil are the end uses of coconut oil and their responsiveness to the prevailing prices, supply of other major vegetable oils viz., soybean oil, palm oil and different polices of Government in execution from time to time, do effect the price determination process of coconut oil. The coconut oil as such is over priced in domestic and world market, being source of caprelic, capric, lauric acid and myristic acid, which are considered as important items for industrial application. Reasons of setbacks in coconut production†¦ Kerala can no more take pride in claiming the top slot in coconut production. Keralas share in area as well as production of coconut in the country has been declining over time.