Comparison & Contrast Between Two Online Holiday Companies Essay

Comparison & Contrast Between Two Online Holiday Companies - judge ExampleThis report stresses that lowcostholidays.com is essentially targeting the middle signifier families who look forward to traveling but have a very limited budget for the same. Kuoni.co.uk, on the other hand, has a different approach and a different feel to the website. The moment we get into the website, it gives a rich appeal and talks about lavishness destinations, which clearly implicates their target market. Kouni.co.uk targets the upper class by offering luxury holidays packages with premium pricing which is not affordable by the average middle class families. This paper makes a conclusion that they are still successful with their physical promotion and presence and attract many customers who are looking for relaxations by travelling to some exotic locations. Lowcostholidays.com, on the other hand, is successful in their own way by doing significant online promotions and launching their exclusive appli cation on facebook with the military service of Betapond. They have successfully established themselves as low cost solution for travelers worldwide. Sticking to their current market and trying to capitalize on their target customers would champion them to continuously be successful in their respective areas. The author of the report approves that since customer feedback is quite essential for the process, there is a rating prompt after every chat to enable the visitor comment on the level of service. This is very important for quality assurance purposes. It is also interesting to note that the confederacy website is able to provide online booking and quote services. As a result, one does not have to visit Kuonis offices to be able to book for his or her preferred destination.

Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Article Critique - Essay ExamplePurpose of the search The research sought to establish the factors from the SCT standpoint that influence the consumption demeanor of fruits and vegs among the adolescents in the low-income bracket of the black Americans in the lower Mississippi Delta region. Personal, environmental as sanitary as behavioural factors have been investigated in the study to establish the extent to which they influence the consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables by the targeted adolescents. Method of the research This qualitative research use the focus group methodology to collect data from the participants. 42 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 13 years were involved in the focus groups which were divided as into six. 21 female and 21 male adolescents were involved in this study. The advantage of this method is that it enabled the researcher to get personal opinions from the participants about the factors that influenced their consumption behaviour and pa tterns of fruits and vegetables. Results of the research The results of the research have been divided into three main categories of the Social Cognitive Theory which include behavioural, personal and environmental factors. ... Personal factors such as appreciation played a major role in influencing the consumption behaviour of fruits and vegetables among the youths who participated in the survey. There were both negative and positive connotations about the taste of fruits and vegetables. For instance, umteen youths revealed that they like fruits because of their sweet taste while the taste of vegetables produced more negative reactions. Many youths described the taste of vegetables as nasty and they said that they would rather choose to eat vegetables that have been prepared with sugar or cheese since these ingredients could improve the taste. The results of the study also revealed that environmental factors have an influence on the consumption behaviour of fruits and vegetables by the youths. The aspect of availability played a major role in influencing the behaviour of youths towards fruits and vegetables. Many participants pointed out that fruits and vegetables were not readily available at their homes as well as the nearby grocery shops. Some of the youths said they ate fruits and vegetables when they visit their friends places. This showed that the youths cannot be able to consume something they cannot readily access and this is seen as a barrier to their consumption behaviour of the fruits and vegetables. Conclusion of the research The purpose of this research was to explore factors that influence the low-income southern black American adolescents fruit and vegetable consumption patterns with the aim of developing tools that are culturally relevant for intervention and measurement of behaviour among this target group with regards to choice of fruits and

Choosing a Right University Essay Example for Free

Choosing a Right University EssayChoosing a university is a serious life-decision, because a university is a deterrent example of the real world and a place to stay for four years. In a university, we can chase for genuine knowledge, expand social networking, and learn nigh how to interact with people, etc. If we choose the wrong school, we might miss a lot of opportunities to learn and experience. In order to choose the right university, we draw 3 important factors to consider pedantic resources, activity resources, and accessibility. Since studying is the first priority for a university student, there is no doubt that we should first consider whether the school contains the academic resources that fit our interest . On one hand, if the students have interests in disciplinary sphere of influences, then they should choose a comprehensive university instead of a single field university. On the other hand, for students who have interest in specific field, they should choose t he school that is dominant in that particular field.That is to say, to investigate whether the school owns the academic cleverness of the field that we are curious about is vital. Besides studying, how the students spend their free time is the second important factor to think about. Do the students spend solely their spare time fooling around, or play on-line games? Or do they have various opportunities to experience life?In other words, we have to know whether the school offers chances of meaningful experiences for student to explore the world, such as international conferences, enlightened speeches, exchange programs, volunteering works and student clubs, etc. After wake academic and extracurricular resources provided by the school, we can then take a look at the accessibility of the school. The reason why the accessibility of school strike to be considered carefully is because there are still lots of things happen out of the campus. For example, exhibitions, intern, and speec hes etc.all take place in the city center. As a result, we need to check whether we have the convenient access to the city center, for having chances to get connection with the real world. Choosing an ideal university is a complicated matter, but quest for the factors which mentioned above might help us cross out some unsuitable options. To conclude, first is to know about the academic background of the school, then to condition what extracurricular opportunities the school offers, and finally to know whether the access from to the real world is convenient or not.

History of American Education Essay Example for Free

History of American Education EssayThe Colonial Period (16071775) 1642 mom Bay Colony constabulary requires proper teaching of children. In 1642, the Mass Bay Colony ruled children not taught properly would be apprenticed (practical ferment experience under the direction of skilled workers in the trade and arts) to the town. The Early National Period (17751820) 1805 First elementary school established in New York, Formed by a wealthy businessmen to provide education for poor children. Run on the Lancastrian model that the older students learn and pass it down to the younger children. The mutual School Movement (18201865).1825 Noah Webster standardizes word meanings. First edition of Noah Websters An American Dictionary is published. The Evolution of the American High School (1890- 1920) 1895 First compassment test devised. Joseph sieve develops a spelling test, which he gives to over 16,000 students in eighth grade. The spelling test is made of 50 words. The Modern Era (1946 present) 1954 Brown vs. Board of education, capital of Kansas case makes segregated schooling illegal on the grounds that segregated schools generate feelings of racial inferiority and are inherently unequal.The Colonial Period (16071775) 1642 Massachusetts Bay Colony law requires proper teaching of children. In 1642, the Mass Bay Colony ruled children not taught properly would be apprenticed (practical work experience under the supervision of skilled workers in the trade and arts) to the town. This even in education history has shaped todays classroom and proposes enceinte reflection of what children are to become tomorrow.In this even, societies are molding a future for children, boosting their education in hopes that someday theywill have made a wise career choice and make something of them. Not intended for the children to work under someones care, but to work for themselves. This is still practiced in todays classroom. The curriculum gets more complicated and t he lessons get harder to accomplish. This paves the way for children to challenge themselves and others around them in order to succeed. Teachers are to encourage students to be what they sine qua non to be in life and not to settle for less.Children are encouraged by parents, teachers and society to become successful no matter what they plan to achieve with their education. This method is started before birth for many children and parents. Parents practice things such as singing, playing music, reading and talking to unborn children to stimulate them in the womb. This stimulation helps children pass faster and learn easier when they are born. Society has stressed to children that they should learn, learn, and learn some more to be as successful as they can possibly be.

Interest Rates Affects on the Is-Lm Model Essay Example for Free

Interest Rates Affects on the Is-Lm Model Essay appointee 4 5. According to the IS-LM model, what happens to the amour rate, income, consumption and invest under the following circumstances. a. The central bank increases money supply. An increase in the money supple shifts the LM curve downward. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B. Income rises from Y1 to Y2 and the interest rate travel from r1 to r2. Therefore this increase in money supply causes a minify in interest rate, an increase in income, an increase in consumption and an increase in investment. LM Income, output, Y b. Government increases government purchasesAn increase in government purchases result in a shift in the IS curve to the right. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B. Income rises from Y1 to Y2 and interest rate rises from r1 to r2. This increase in government purchases therefore causes interest rate to rise and income also rises. Consumption depart also increase but the increase in gove rnment purchases will cause investment to decrease. interest rate, r LM IS2 IS1 Income, output, Y c. The government increases taxes. An increase in taxes shifts the IS curve to the left. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B.Income falls from Y1 to Y2 and the interest rate from r1 to r 2. Therefore increase in taxes will bring about a decrease in interest rate, cause income to also decrease which will decrease consumption also but will result in an increase in investment. interest rate, r LM IS1 IS2 Income, output, Y d. The government increase government purchases and taxes equally 6. Consider the following economy of Hicksonia. a. The consumption function is given by C= two hundred + 0. 75 (Y T) The investment function is I= 200-25r Government purchases and taxes are both 100.

Role of Multi-Detector CT in Paranasal Sinuses

Role of Multi-Detector CT in Paranasal SinusesSUMMARY OF THESIS summon of speciality Radio-diagnosisName of System Head and NeckTitle of Thesis and Role of Multi-Detector Computed Tomography in Paranasal SinusesPathology, 2015.Lakshmi Kumar ChalamarlaName of Supervisor Dr. Kavita Kapoor, ConsultantImaging, Batra infirmary andMedical Research Centre, New Delhi.Hospital/Institute Batra Hospital and Medical ResearchCentre, New Delhi-110062.AIMS AND OBJECTIVESTo characterize pathologies of paranasal sinuses on MDCT and to delineate their anatomical location, point of reference and bony involvement.To correlate the multi detector computed tomography findings with clinical/operative/histopathological/ microbiological findings.MATERIAL AND METHODSSTUDY AREAThe have was conducted at the Department of Radio-diagnosis and Imaging in quislingism with the Department of ENT, Department of Pathology, and Department of Microbiology, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre. Other departme nts are collaborated for acquiring cases, and follow up of patients to correlate clinically or histopathologically or microbiologically.STUDY POPULATION100 patients were included in our examine mostly urban population. Patients belonged to both OPD and IPD cases. The study comprised of 65 males and 35 females. The number of male patients were high than the female patients. at that place were 15 patients in 0 20 years age group, 36 patients in 21 40 years age group, 37 in 41 60 years age group and 12 were greater than 60 years. The age group of patients ranged from minimum of 9 months to maximum of 81 years. The highest number of patients were in 41 60 years age group.SAMPLE SIZE100 patients referred for evaluation of sinus complaints were enrolled in the study after fulfilling the comprehension and exclusion criteria and taking written/verbal informed coincide from July 2013 to April 2015.INCLUSION CRITERIAPatients with complaints like headache/nasal obstruction/discharge/h yposmia /swelling over boldness and with clinically suspected paranasal sinuses lesions referred for MDCT PNS evaluation.EXCLUSION CRITERIAAcute sinonasal inflammatory disease.Previous evidence of sinonasal surgical procedure.All cases of trauma.SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION(Ref. Methods in biostatistics, Dr. B. K. Mahajan, 7th edition, pg. 85)For numeration of sample size Mahajans allowable error formula was applied.N = 4pq/e2Where p = % of population = Target population/Total population100q = 1-pe = 20% of pAs per CT room register over last 3 yearsMinimum no. of MDCT PNS cases at our hospital/month = 20Maximum no. of MDCT PNS cases approach shot under exclusion criteria/month = 5So,Minimum no. of MDCT PNS cases at our hospital/year = 240Maximum no. of cases coming under exclusion criteria/year = 60So, p = 180/240100 = 75q = 25e = 20% of p = 15N = 47525/152 = 33.The minimum sample size thus calculated should be 33.STUDY DESIGNObservational study.CT PNS of the patients was evaluated fo r the cause of sinus complaints. Causes deduced from CT PNS were correlated with clinical/histopathological/surgical/ microbiological findings.ETHICAL ISSUESThe study was conducted after necessary approval from the Institutional review board and ethics committee. MDCT is a non-invasive modality. All sentry duty and screening measures were undertaken as per the American College of Radiology practice guidelines for performing Computed Tomography.INSTRUMENTATIONLight VCT 64 slice MDCT of GE radical system with advanced workstation 4.3 GE.communications protocol followed for MDCT PNS1. Scout LateralkV 120mA 10Scout Plane 9002. Axial ImageskV 120mA 120Start/ cobblers last 0 to 74.3Total Exposure Time 5.4 secGantry tilt 0Interval 0.625 mmSlice thickness 0.625 mmHelical contemplateRotation Time 0.6 secRotation Length FullPitch and Speed 0.5311 10.62 mm/rotationDetector Coverage 20 mmPROFORMAUnique ID NoHISTORYPresenting ComplaintsNasal discharge HeadacheNasal obstruction EpistaxisSwelling over cheek Hyposmia/AnosmiaOthersH/O roll of tobaccoOccupational exposureHistory of AllergyAny other Systemic IllnessFamily HistoryEXAMINATIONGeneral ExaminationLocal Examination brushupProbe testOthersImportant Surgical FindingsInvestigational ResultsMDCT PNS HistopathologyMicrobiological and other important lab testsDepartment of Radio-diagnosis and ImagingBatra Hospital and Medical research CentreM.B.Road, New Delhi-110062. certified CONSENT FORMI s/d/w of r/odo hereby declare that I give informed take to participate in the thesis study titled, ROLE OF MULTI-DETECTOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN PARANASAL SINUSES PATHOLOGY.Dr. Lakshmi Kumar Chalamarla has informed me to my full satisfaction, in the language understand, about the purpose, nature of study and various investigations to be carried out for the study. I have been informed about the duration of the study and the possible benefits and risks.I give full, free and voluntary consent for being enrolled in the above study and reserve the right to look at from the study whenever I wish to without any prejudice of my right to undergo barely treatment at this hospital and its associated hospitals. I have been given a copy of this form on with the patient reading piece of paper.For illiterates patient information sheet will be shared with the family members. The family members are expected to read out and then get the informed consent. We will try to take written consent, if non we will take verbal consent in front of relatives.(Signature/Thumb (Signature/ThumbImpression of patient) Impression of relative)Name NameDate Relation vocal Consent DatePATIENT INFORMATION SHEETTitle ROLE OF MULTI-DETECTOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN PARANASAL SINUSES PATHOLOGY.Introduction This statement describes the purpose, procedures, benefits, risks and discomforts of the study and your right to withdraw from the study at any point of time.Purpose This study involves MDCT scan evaluation of patients with paran asal sinus complaints.Study Procedure Your relevant clinical record will be recorded, clinical examination will be conducted and findings noted. MDCT PNS will be performed and the radiological findings will be recorded. These findings are correlated with clinical/surgical/histopathological/microbiological findings.Benefits No monetary benefits will be given to you. However, any new information that can come to light regarding any new findings in the study will help in further management of the disease and help all other ailing patients suffering from this problem.Confidentiality Records of your study participation will be kept confidential, under safe custody. Any publication of data will not identify you by name. By signing the consent form you realise the sharing of your study related medical records to the regulatory authorities and the Institutional Ethical Committee.Information regarding withdrawal You have the right to withdraw yourself from the study at any time during the course of the study without any prejudice to you or your familys right to undergo future treatment at BATRA HOSPITAL.Contact for additional information Any time during or after the study, you can obtain further information about the study from Dr. Lakshmi Kumar Chalamarla, Department of Radio-diagnosis, BHMRC, New Delhi.DATA ANALYSISSensitivity, specificity, exacting predictive value and prejudicial predictive values were calculated, followed by use of Fischer Exact test. Diagnostic accuracy of MDCT for different pathologies were calculatedThe research hypothesis and statistical methods were formed in consultation with the Biostatistician.SALIENT FINDINGSKey imaging features considered were significant anatomical variations, site of involvement, bony and soft tissue changes, invasion of surrounding structures, pathognomic features and correlation coefficient with clinical complaints/surgical/pathological/microbiological findings.The patients were divided into five categories bacte rial sinusitis, fungal sinusitis, benign tumors, malignant tumors, and others. 84 patients presented with sub acute or chronic bacterial sinusitis, 4 patients were of fungal sinusitis, 4 patients presented with benign tumors, 3 patients with malignant tumors and 5 patients with other conditions.Among 84 patients with bacterial sinusitis, 26 patients presented with sporadic pattern, 23 patients with infundibular pattern, 23 patients with ostiomeatal whole pattern, 8 patients with polyposis pattern, and 4 patients with sphenoid recess pattern.The various causative factors which came across in infundibular pattern were Haller cells in 6 cases, giant bulla ethmoidalis in 6 cases, uncinate process pneumatisation in 1 case, and mucoperiosteal modify in 10 cases.The various causative factors for ostiomeatal pattern which were found during our study were inferior turbinate hypertrophy in 6 cases, giant bulla ethmoidalis in 6 cases, deviated nasal septum with or without septal spur in 4 cas es, concha bullosa in 3 cases, concha lamella in 2 cases, agger nasi cell in 1 case, and paradoxical middle turbinate in 1 case.The various findings which were encountered in bacterial sinusitis in our study were mucoperiosteal thickening in 84 cases, ostiomeatal unit block in 31 patients, swot thickening in 20 patients, bone thinning in 8 cases, and bone sclerosis in 6 patients.Various anatomical variations were encountered during our study. One or the other anatomic variation was found in 99 cases ( 99% ).Of the structures virtually ostiomeatal unit, giant bulla ethmoidalis was found in 35 cases, middle turbinate pneumatisation in 33 cases, paradoxical curvature of middle turbinate in 19 cases. Haller cell was found in 15 cases. Type 1 frontal sinus drainage pathway in 78 cases, type 2 frontal sinus drainage pathway in 21 cases. Deviated nasal septum with or without septal spur in 55 cases, inferior turbinate hypertrophy in 30 cases, accessory maxillary ostia in 26 cases, and a gger nasi cell in 93 cases. Type 1 optic nerve course was found in 53 cases, type 2 in 14 cases, type 3 in 9 cases, and type 4 optic nerve course along with Onodi cells in 23 cases. Type 1 anterior clinoid process pneumatisation was found in 10 cases, type 2 pneumatisation in 1 case. Sphenoid septum squinty attachment in 7 cases, and sphenoid sinus septum pneumatisation in 14 cases.Among 4 patients with fungal sinusitis, the various findings were bilateral / multisinus involvement was found in 4 cases, expansion of any involved sinus was found in 4 cases, intrasinus hyperdensity was found in 4 cases. impecunious thinning was found in 4 cases, bony erosions and nasal cavity involvement was found in 3 cases.The various findings in 4 cases of benign tumors seen ( 1 inverted papilloma, 1 juvenile angiofibroma and 2 ivory osteomas ) were bony thinning in 2 cases, bony remodelling in 2 cases, multisinus involvement in 2 cases, intracranial backstage in 1 case, and intra orbital extensi on in 1 case. Bony destruction, bone thickening/sclerosis, and calcification were not seen in any of the cases.Among 3 cases of malignant tumors, various findings were Bony destruction in 3 cases, bony thinning in 3 cases, bony remodelling in 0 cases, multisinus involvement in 2 cases, intracranial extension in 2 cases, and intra orbital extension in 3 cases. Bone thickening/sclerosis, and calcification were not seen in any of the cases.In our study we found sensitiveness and specificity for bacterial sinusitis as 100% and 94.11% respectively. The fungal sinusitis had sensitivity an specificity of 75% and 100% respectively. Benign, malignant tumors and others had sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The diagnostic accuracy for bacterial sinusitis and fungal sinusitis was 99%, and the diagnostic accuracy of benign, malignant tumors and others was 100%. The p value was obtained after applying Fischer Exact test. The p value obtained was statistically significant for all the disease conditions. found on the statistical values it can be inferred that multi detector computed tomography is useful to characterize paranasal sinuses lesions with respect to anatomical delineation, extension and bony involvement.There are certain limitations in our study. Our findings cannot be generalised to the whole population because of the limited sample size. However, our findings add value to the research done. The role of contrast cannot be adequately studied. The role of magnetic resonance imaging in various paranasal sinus pathologies was not evaluated.CONCLUSIONSParanasal sinus diseases are very commonly encountered problems in clinical practice. Clinical assessment alone is not sufficient to reach a diagnosis, as the presentation of most of the conditions is nonspecific. Imaging forms the mainstay not only in making correct diagnosis, but also to know the extent of lesion, pre-operative assessment of the sinonasal anatomy and commonly encountered anatomic variations. X ray has low sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. CT is highly sensitive and specific in determining the presence of paranasal sinus pathology and clearly demonstrates the complex anatomy. The introduction of multi detector CT has transformed the axial imaging modality into a volumetric one and allows the pathology to be displayed in any desired plane. The capability of thin-section acquisition improves visualisation of bantam pathological details, and the isotropic nature of high spatial resolution data sets enables display in multiple planes, obviating image acquisition in addicted or hyper extended patient position.RECOMMENDATIONSMDCT has proved to be highly sensitive in classifying the lesions into clinically relevant categories, making diagnosis and more so in knowing the extent of involvement with a high diagnostic accuracy.MDCT is an indispensible tool before Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) to accurately delineate the mulct bony details t hat contribute to disease and also can predispose to complications which can be fatal.MDCT is very useful in predicting the diagnosis of fungal sinusitis by the presence of intrasinus hyperdensity, granulomatous diseases by the presence of nasal septal perforation and intracranial or intraorbital invasion, malignancy by bone destruction and invasion.MDCT can tailor the surgery according to the extent of disease. It helps in determining the prognosis of the malignant tumors depending on the site and extent of the disease. It can also obviate the need for surgery in certain conditions like polyposis.MRI can be problem solving tool in differentiating inflammatory sinonasal diseases from tumors, and also for the presence of intracranial or intraorbital extension.However, MRI alone cannot be performed in the evaluation of paranasal sinus diseases because of the problem of signal voids. It has to be supplemented by CT.MDCT is the preferred modality of all imaging studies purchasable beca use of its ease, availability, accuracy, precision and low cost.

The Electricity Company Of Ghana Action Plan Finance Essay

The Electricity Company Of gold coast Action Plan Finance EssayElectricity gene symmetryn, transmission and distribution in gold coast mainly shoot three institutions that work in an interrelated manner. Volta River Authority (VRA) gene range the electric power through hydro and thermal plants and, until recently, as well as had responsibility for the high voltage transmission system. The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), created as part of reforms in the power sector, now has responsibility for the high voltage transmission so as to befuddle that disconnected from generation entities. It is the least known of the institutions. The Electricity Company of Ghana ( electrocardiogram) distributes the energy produced to most consumers through low voltage transmission lines. It is the institution that is in place contact with most of the public. Figure 1 below shows the main processes of the power distribution in Ghana.The ECG is a limited liability fraternity possess completely by the Government of Ghana and has the responsibility of supplying and distributing electrical power in the southern part of Ghana. It was established in November 1997 as formulate Stock Company based on the companies code in accordance with the 1993 Corporate Act (Act 461) of Ghana. The company has its headquarters in Accra, a total hands of 5,281 with a customer base of 1.7 million (ECG annual report 2008).VisionThe ECGs vision is to be among the leading electricity distribution companies in Africa in damage of property, safety and reliability.Mission StatementThe mission statement of the company is to provide quality electricity services to support sparing growth and wearment in Ghana.The primary objective of the company is to supply electrical energy to people in its atomic number 18as of operation. In discharging its various duties, the company has executed a number of guinea pig electrification programmes on behalf of the government. The ECG is a monopoly in the electricity di stribution sub sector of Ghana. The tariffs that clients pay for the supply of electricity services are regulated by the state owned company called Public Utility Regulatory Commission. The ECG charges commercial rates to its clients which are subsidized by government.Organizational structureThe company is run by the circuit board of Directors, Principal Officers and Advisors. The companys display board of Directors are appointed by the Government of Ghana. The Principal Officers and Advisors control and run the eight directorates of the Company. These directorates are engineer, trading operations, guest Services, physicals Transport, Finance, Audit, Legal Services and Human Resources. Figure 2 below depicts the disposalal structure of the ECG.Fig.2 The Organizational Chart of ECGBoard of DirectorsManagingDirectorrectordivisional Managers (3)divisional Managers (6)Director Legal ServicesDirector Customer servicesDivisional Managers (3)EmployeesEmployeesDirector Human Resourc eDirector Customer servicesDirector Material and TransportDirector Material and TransportDirector AuditDirector FinanceDirector designDirector operationsDivisional Managers (6)Divisional Managers(3)Divisional Managers (2)Divisional Managers (2)Divisional Managers (3)Divisional Managers (3)Divisional Managers (5)Divisional Managers (3)Lower managemt EmployeesLOwerManagemt EmployeesLowerManagemt employeesEmployeesLowerManagemt EmployeesLowermanagemt EmployeesLower managemt EmployeesLowerManagemt EmployeesLowerManagmtEmployeesBoard of DirectorsThe Board of Directors as at 29th June, 2009 was composed of the following personsIng.Sqn. Ldr. Clend Sowu (Rtd.) The chairman of the Board. He is a Consultant Engineer and a Retired Military Officer.Mr. Cephas Gakpo The Managing Director of the companyMr. Bernard Allotey Jacobs A Media PractitionerBarimah Kwame Nkyii XII Omanhene Assin Aimanim Traditional Area, Tax Ecpert.Dr. Kwaku Osafo Economist/EngineerMr. Samuel M. Codjoe LawyerMr. Anthony Gyampo EducationistMr. Kwabena Adjei Businessman, Communication ProfessionalHon. Dr. Nii Oakley Quaye-Kumah Member of Parliament for Krowor Constituency, Veterinary SurgeonMr. Jake Kofi Anre A Lawyer and Secretary to the BoardDirectorates of ECGThe Engineering Directorate is responsible for the planning and designing of the distribution net income. The directorate is overly responsible for the procurement and death penalty of investment projects.The Operations Directorate is responsible for delivering quality reliable and safe supply of electricity to customers, maintain the network regularly in graze to cut down the number of interruptions and outages, respond quickly to faults and use modern technology to operate the distribution systemMaterials Transport Directorate has responsibilities of managing all activities regarding materials received for projects and other ECG operations. In addition, the department has to manage all operations regarding Transport (Vehicles).Custom er Services Directorate has responsibilities of gathering all information about forefinger Purchases, Power Sales, Average End-User-Tariff (EUT), System Losses, Revenue Collection, debtors position at the end of each year and customer population.Audit Directorate is responsible of operational, commercial and financial activities of ECG. With practiced Audits, physical inspections and reconciliation of materials usage are carried out. The directorate is also responsible of Audit investigations on fraud and corruption. Lastly, it support Management about operational activities and break down directives to address them.Legal Services provides legal services to the ECG. The Director is the Secretary to the Board of Directors and maintains a Board Secretariat to provide secretarial services to the Board of Directors. He is involved in the prosecution of people involved in the illegal activities against the ECG to take down system blemishes.Finance Directorate has responsibilities of analyzing and reviewing financial data, inform financial performance, preparing budgets and monitoring expenditures and appeals for the ECG as a whole.Human Resources Management Directorate has responsibilities in the following areas Staffing (Employment and Recruitment, Personnel records, Compensation) Training and Development and industrial Relations (Health and Safety).The ECG is a Strategic Enterprise in the sense that it is the only electricity distribution company that supplies electricity to the whole of Ghana. Secondly it offers exercise to over 5,000 Ghanaians, making it the largest employer in Ghana.SITUATIONAL ANALYSISThe analysis of the performance of ECG as described below is based on available information up to year 2008.The Impact of Global and National Forces on ECGs OperationsThe worldwide economic recession (Credit Crunch) affected both the economy of Ghana and ECGs operations. The year motto rapid hikes in crude oil and metal prices which resulted in the high cost of power generation from thermal sources and sharp increases in the cost of materials and equipment postulate for capital investment projects.The Ghana Cedi also depreciated against the major world trading currencies specially the US Dollar, the Euro, and the British Pound. Since most of the inputs for ECGs capital investment projects were imported, prices consequently change magnitude relative to energy cut-rate sales which were generally denominated in the Ghana Cedi. The cost of investment projects at that placefore increased from 12% to about 20%. The U.S dollar for shell appreciated in value against the Ghana Cedi from a rate of $1 GH0.92 in July 2007 to $1 GH1.49 in June 20091The ostentatiousness rate in Ghana also contributed to the high cost of operations and subsequently affected the companys receiptsability. The inflation rate has increased over the period from an average of 10.73% in 2007, 16.46% in 2008 to 19.86% in 2009. This resulted in increases in labor cost and other local raw material inputs. Details of the inflation rate is attached as appendix 1Financial, Operations and Human Resources PerformanceProfit and LossThe ECG has do an run profit of GH25,089,202 in 2008. Prior to this year, the company had been making losses. In 2006 and 2007 for example, the net operational losses were (GH3,429,300) and (GH8,657,716) respectively.Current additionsThe stocks direct at year 2008 was GH135,851,792. This was an increase of 99.8% over year 2007 mental image. The Accounts Receivables also increased by 50.5% to GH258,033,418 in 2008. The table below depicts the attitude of the Current Assets of the company over the three year period from 2006 to 2008.Current Assets2008 GH%age change2007 GH%age change2006 GHStocks135,851,79299.867,999,84139.348,800,300Debtors258,033,41850.5171,411,58716.2147,503,100Prepayment8,323,294184.62,924,574 48.45,665,800Short Term Investment16,358,519108.57,845,12612.07,002,600 immediate payment and Cash Balanc es49,473,76542.634,690,92916.429,796,100468,040,78864.3284,872,05719.3238,767,900The increases in the stocks and debtors depict a weak inventory management and character policy of the company.Debtor/Sales RatioThe Debtor/Sales ratio which is an expression of customer debt in days of billing was 130 days in 2008. It deteriorated from 138 days in 2006 to 162 days in 2007 representing a decrease of 17.4%. Although there was an improvement from 162 days in 2007 to 130 in 2008, the figure is still too high.Loans and Suppliers CreditThe ECG through the Government of Ghana has secured the following loans and credit from the World Bank and other suppliers for investments in its distribution network. This has increased the companys debt situation tremendously.DSUP $15m financed by IDA, ECG (2003-2007)GEDAP $94.5m financed by IDA and cooperators, AfDB, ECG, (2008-2012)GEDAP Extension $70m for Ashanti Region, financed by IDA (2010-2014)French credit Euro 65m for Tema and Kumas. pay fr om the french govt. (2008-2012)Norwegian credit Euro 60m for Greater Accra and Eastern regions. Financing from the Norwegian govt. (2008-2012)El Sewedy credit 16.5m from El Sewedy TD (2010-2011)As at December 2008, an substance of GH171.92 million was outstanding in suppliers credit.Systems LossesSystem loss is a power loss in its course from the source to end users. In 2007 the systems loss was 24.03%. This increased to 25.58% in 2008 as result of poor transmitting system and also theft through illegal connections. The ECGs performance in this area is declining and this is adding onto the cost of operations of the company. The table below shows the trend of the systems losses over a three year period from 2006 to 2008.System losses units (GWh)Year2005200620072008 replete(p) Purchases5045.45252.85145.65799.4Total sales3762.03978.43909.14315.8System losses in %24.2624.0325.58Human Resources CapacityECGs ply strength at the end of the year 2008 was 5,281. This was an increase of 6 .07% over year 2007 figure of 4,929. Staff turnover over the year period is showed in the table below.Employee turnoverYear200620072008Employee turnover3.02%3.27%3.53%The percentage of employee turnover increased from 3.27% in 2007 to 3.53% in 2008. The reasons assigned for this increase upon our investigation are lack of motivation and incentives to the employees.E military rank of ECGThis section of the Plan tries to come out with a range of evaluate fair market values for ECG incase the government find it necessary to privatize it.The main purpose of this evaluation is to give all stakeholders especially government and management of the company a fair market range of values within which the ECG can be sold.ECG, as already mentioned preceding(prenominal) is a public monopolist and as such not listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). As a result of this, the market coincidence Method of evaluation can not be used. The only feasible formulas to use would be the Asset Appraisal M ethod and the Discounted Cash Flow Method.Asset Appraisal MethodThis method involves revising all the plus and liabilities of the company including Goodwill. Using the 2008 audited financial report of the company, we can easily get the values of the asset and liabilities of the company at Net Book cherishs (NBV) and not the Revised Values.Since we are not in a position to revalue the companys assets and liabilities we are solely relying on the NBV of these assets and liabilities. The NBV of assets and liabilities for the 2008 financial year were given as follow2008GHCurrent Assets 468,040,788Fixed AssetsPlant, Property and Equipment 1,171,197,452Goodwill 2,021,653,890Total Asset 5,008,661,390Less Current Liabilities (259,567,145)Value ECG 3,401,324,985Calculating the value of GoodGoodwill is calculated based on the Supper Profit Method. This involves determining a value for the expected future profit of the company. Here, some past profit of the collected based on the 2008 report and an average is taken. We then make adjustments to reflect future profits. Thus, expected future expenses and income are adjusted.Years Net profit/LossGH1999 17365,2592000 (7,583,807)2001 152,973,0462002 (451,974)2003 (483,609)2004 (269,686)2005 (305,425)2006 (475,200)2007 (48,836,581)2008 11,598,017Total 123,530,040Average profit for the 10 years = anticipate approaching Operating ExpensesLooking at the operating expenses of the company over the years, the average expenses over the years is around GH6,574,530. Since expenses are expected to increase over the coming years, a 10% adjustment is made to reflect future changes. This 10% was chosen based on the increasing trend of operating expenses from 1999 to 2008. This brings the total future expected operating expenses to (GH6574530 +GH657453) GH7,231,983.Expected Future IncomeAgain, looking at the operating income over the years, the average income for the 10 years is GH54,145,602. Since the expected income are expected to incre ase as a result of the stabilization of the Ghanaian Cedi against major foreign currencies, stable world price of crude oil, materials, and of course the discovery of crude oil in Ghana. Taking all these factors into consideration, a 15% adjustment is made to reflect these changes. on that pointfore the future operating income is (GH54,145,602 + 8,121,840) GH62,267,442GHThe number of years of purchase which depends on the bargaining powers of both the government who is the owner of ECG and the would-be private investor on the reputation of the company.ECG, as earlier discussed, serves both the Ghanaian Economy and other two countries in West Africa (Togo Benin). It also has the potential to expend to other countries as a result of the discovery of crude oil in Ghana. With all the above reputations and potentials, we have decided to reparation the number of years of purchase at 30 years.The Goodwill for the company would beLimitation of this methodThe value of the fixed assets u sed in the valuation might have some composition of non-productive assets and therefore would affect the fair market value of the company.Discounted Cash Flow MethodThis method takes into consideration the epoch value of money. Thus, discounted cash streams of future cash hang. Here, the first thing we do is to forecast the future cash flow by making adjustments to 2008 cash flow of the company.From the cash flow statement (2008), the net cash flow was GH15,819,658. Since cash inflows are expected to increase over the next few years ascribable to expansion and reduction in operating expenses, an upward adjustment of 15% is made to the net cash flow for the next five (5) years. Thus, from 2008 up to 2013. Expected net cash flow from 2013 upwards can not be forecasted due to uncertainty.Discount RateThe company is at the moment using a discount rate of 10%. Due to the possibility of inflation and exchange rate fluctuations, have decided to fix the discount rate between 12% 15%.Acc ording to the discounted cash flow methodFMV = Present value of cash flow up to the termination year + Present value of terminal value.YearExpected Net Cash FlowGH200918192607201020921498201124059722201227668681201331818983Using the NPV formula which is given as NPV =, we can now calculate NPV at both rates of discount (12% and 15%).NPV 12%=But Terminal =NPV =NPV (12%) = GH2,200,234,081NPV 15%=But terminal value =NPV = GH1,708,064,531InterpretationsSince the Asset Appraisal Method gave us the highest value of GH3,401,324,985 it would be considered. We are therefore concentrating on the Discounted Cash Flow Method range of values to determine the value of the company. This therefore means that the value of ECG, must be in the range of GH1,708,064,531 and GH2,200,234,081.SWOT ANALYSISThe investigations conducted on the ECG revealed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as summarized in the table below.STRENGTHCompetent Work ForceHigh level of technical expertiseGover nment SupportA monopolist (large customer base)Facilities (i.e. warehouse)Availability of donor fundsInstallation of prepayment metersCustomer Call Center colossal Distribution network systemLow cost of production as compared to countries in the sub regionAvailability of electrical fault detection technologyWEAKNESSESHigh turnover of professional and technical staffUncompetitive conditions of services omit of rule enforcementPoor CommunicationLack of team worknot clear defined job descriptionsTalents in the company not used to the best advantageNo effective Research and Development (RD)Weak ancestry ManagementHigh network distribution lossesMismanagement of resourcesOPPORTUNITIESPotential to expand (nationwide and other countries)Potential of quality power deliveryPolitical and sparing stabilityStaff training and developmentWest Africa Gas PipelineOil discovery on the coast of GhanaTHREATSGovernment InterferencesGovernment determination of TariffsFluctuations in the exchange rate sEffects of inflationNatural Disasters (i.e. rain storms)Increasing World prices of metals, materials and equipmentWEAKNESSES OF THE THREE MAIN DEPARTMENTS THAT NEEDS TO BE RESTRUCTURING BASED ON OUR ANALYSISMATERIALS AND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENTWeak Inventory ManagementUnstructured Procurement UnitIncreases in the world prices of metals, materials and equipmentMismanagement of Company resourcesEffects of inflation on local procurementFluctuation in the exchange rateOPERATIONS DEPARTMENTNo effective research and developmentHigh network distribution lossesUnreliable and low quality of power supplyInadequate training and development of operations staffInadequate staff piece RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENTHigh turnover of staffTalents in the Company not organism used to the best advantagePoor CommunicationLack of team workUncompetitive conditions of serviceLack of rule enforcementNo well defined job descriptionExcess labor forcestrategic ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGIESBased on the SWOT analysis, the following strategic alternatives are recommended to bring about turnaround for the Material and Transport Directorates Human Resource Directorate and the Operations Directorate.MATERIAL AND TRANSPORT DIRECTORATEAssets Reduction StrategiesDivesting Specific Assets Assets that are in surplus with respect to the future requirements of the company should be sold off. Unproductive and old assets such as transformers, power cables, electric conductors and meters should be sold.Reducing Inventory Material costs should be reduced through improved buying practices, snap off utilization of materials and efficient inventory management. Inventory of the company such as transformers, meters, cables, conductors and wooden poles should be managed based on Vital Few Trivial galore(postnominal) Principle. This will suspensor the company to avoid holding too much inventory, which is cost to the company and also prevent the company from holding too myopic inventory which can make the company loose customers. Not only that but also, the re value level should be fixed between the maximum order level and the minimum order level to prevent the inventory from reaching the danger level.Reducing Debtors (Accounts Receivables) There should be a credit policy to help in the effective administration of the debtors. Customers credit worthiness should be well determined. Debts should be collected within 30 days. There should also be a debt recovery plan.Reducing Cost The Company should adopt Total Cost Management (TCM) control strategy as a counseling of reducing cost. There should be intelligent optimization and not just cost cutting in the areas of direct costs overheads procurement costs production costs exchange and distribution costs inventory costs personnel costs. There should be speedy execution of contract bids and procurement processes to avoid additional costs being incurred as a result of lapse of deadlines. The introduction of e-Procurement should also be used to facilitate the procurement process. The company should also enter into forward contracts to reduce costs.Debt Restructuring Arrangements should be made for third party (government) to service the debt on behalf of the enterprise. There should be selective sale of assets and the revenue that would be realized from the sale of these assets should be used to offset the debt owed to suppliers.Legal Restructuring Specific legal steps should be taken to privatize the company.HUMAN RESORCE MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATEOrganisational Restructuring There should be a merger of the engineering and operations directorates to ensure harmonization of action plans towards the achievement of corporate objectives. Information technology should also be used to make the vertical organizational structure flat. A strategic planning unit should be created and headed by a corporate strategist to lead the process of strategically put the company towards the achievement of the companys goal.Th ere should be appropriate job descriptions, specifications and schedules matching with the qualifications, experiences and skills of employees so to get the best performance out of them. Furthermore, training and development should be a routine exercise for the company. Rules and regulations should be explicit, easily accessible and discipline enforced to ensure compliance with set standards.Labour Redundancy Management should develop a Redundancy Implementation Plan considering the economic climate and political mood of the country, since the implementation of the redundancy plan could be a complex and sequence consuming process. Staff Performance Appraisals methods such as the Balanced Scorecards should be used to identify and declare non performing staff redundant. Compensation packages should be hustling for such redundant staff, and contingency plans made for unforeseen circumstances in the event of strikes.OPERATIONS DIRECTORATEPhysical Restructuring It is recommended that this Directorate should be merged with the Engineering Directorate to bring about efficiency and effectiveness. The size of budget for Research and Development should be increased. Investments in distribution networks should be increased to improve quality and reduce losses of electric power. There is also the need to improve upon the monitoring of customers consumptions to be able to detect theft of electric power. The technical staff strength should also be augmented and given the appropriate technical know-how so to be able to cope with the growing demands of the proposed merger of the Operations and Engineering Directorates.Safety equipment should be made available for the staff to use in protecting themselves in order to reduce the rate of accidents.Proposed Timeline for implementation of Turnaround strategiess lapse STRATEGIES201020112012Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Discussions with ManagementAssets ReductionReducing CostDebt RestructuringLegal RestructuringOrganisational Restruct uringLabour RedundancyPhysical RestructuringConclusionECG plays a vital role in the socio- economic development of Ghana and there is no doubt that any Turnaround would yield enormous benefits to the Ghanaian economy. Hence, for the above recommended strategies to bring about any meaningful Turnaround, it calls for commitment and support of management of ECG and the government of Ghana. Not only that but also, for efficient and effective implementation of the strategies, there is the need for expert association and advice. It is therefore hoped that the necessary support will be given for the longingd results to be realized in ECG.Privatization OptionThe public sector in Ghana has suffered setbacks which are largely attributed to ineffective and in efficient management. When we consider the case of Ghana Electricity Company, noticing the trend of losses of the company over time and the reverse to meet the objectives or purpose of its formation, in view ,it is suggested that it wo uld be better for the ECG to involve expatriates into their operations, this can be done by private sale of there dowrys to the foreign multinationals who have got the technical and financial knowhow and experience in the distribution of energy to buy into the private share of the organization ,Government should endeavor to have multinational partnership in the operation of the privatization by giving them of shares in the enterprises. There is need for good follow up on privatized enterprises. This would make the organization to be more effective and efficient in their operation. The federal Government should encourage this multinational to participation in the distribution of power in Ghana. This would be done by establishing a power sector reforms which will allow the involvement of foreign multinationals expatriates in the distribution of power. These reforms would include the provision the necessary Infrastructures which would modify the reduction in establishment costs, rati onalization of power tariff, mobilization of private capital for power generation and transmission and lower capital-power generation ratio. In order to achieve these goals, distribution companies. A State Electricity Regulatory Commission would also be also set up to monitor the operation of the company. The desire to involve the private sector in the management and provision of infrastructure and services which will prompt multinational company to buy private share of the organization. .Private placement occurs when a company makes an offering of securities not to the public, but directly to an individual or a small group of investors. Such offerings do not need to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are exempt from the usual reporting requirements. Private placements are generally considered a cost-effective way for small businesses to raise capital without going public through an initial public offering (IPO)The ECG should sale 49 of its shares to a multinational partner would be able to participate in the core business of energy distribution in Ghana. Also the Government should provide