Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Social Work - Essay Example The latter is according to research in social work. According to (Coady and Lehmann, 2008), the emergence of the two theories is a result of outcomes that were not efficient concerning approaches in case work. These approaches were stuck according to the method known as psychodynamic. The center of focus from the relating methods is on short term and brief interventions. The link emerges from theory learning and forms a basis of ideas geared towards solving problems. The call made by the two approaches is to have workers in the social sphere to be part of service users in a joint activity. The intention will be to analyze troubles, what causes them and actions that will help address them. The person-centered theory is consequently necessary for the process of applying the above methodologies (Walsh, 2006). There is a need to have the service user to be central to the problem. Then it is vital to see the urgency of the case from their perspective. In regard to that, social workers are to be good listeners if they are to trace issues because interfere with service users. As a result, they can offer help with solutions that can help handle their problems. Task centered approach also has challenges just as other social work methods. (Rzepnicki, McCracken and Briggs, 2012) Looks at the service users and how ready they are to carry forth duties with social workers and how reasonable this is. To achieve more value, it is applicable to necessary assistance from the agency. Further, the two approaches are valuable in creating empowerment and innate approach to opposing oppressive techniques. Therefore, the inclusion of a new set of skills will improve the capabilities of the service users. That will allow them to handle the present situations and more so upcoming state of affairs that portray oppression and difficulty. There are many factors that influence the practices in social work that require the inclusion of

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND TRAINING IN SOMALIA

TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND TRAINING IN SOMALIA TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) IN SOMALIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world, a situation aggravated by the civil war and the absence of a functioning national government for over a decade. The impact of state failure on human development in Somalia has been profound, resulting in the collapse of political institutions, the destruction of social and economic infrastructure, and massive internal and external migrations. This is more pronounced in Central South Somalia where intermittent conflicts continue to destroy what has been left. In the more peaceful semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland, notable progress has been registered in public sector growth, albeit slowly. Even in these regions, the public sector has very limited capacity to create employment opportunities for its own citizens. Providing employable skills is one of the alternatives assessed to have potential to create employment opportunities for the youth. The level of economic development notwithstanding, partner governments in Puntland, Somaliland and Central South Somalia need to formulate and execute appropriate systems and policies that can effectively guide and facilitate the growth of the private sector within agreed national development priorities. Still, in spite of the efforts of the international community, weak coordination and fragmented implementation of actions has not supported the effective growth of the TVET sector. The choice of skills training is not always guided by the needs of the market but by need to ‘address all needs by projects whose scope is too small to warrant such undertakings. Puntland, Somaliland and Central south Somalia do not have standardized curriculum or syllabi for TVET. There is also no standardized system for TVET assessment, examination and certification. The only standardized curriculum available but not being used in most of the TVET centres is the UNESCO PEER developed curriculum[1]. It is imperative that this is considered in any future intervention. Implementation of education programs in Somalia is coordinated through the Education Sector Committee (ESC), yet there are many partners with sub-programs falling under this sector but subsumed under a different thematic area. In such situations, the TVET does not receive appropriate technical direction for its success. The survey involved conducting a skills training market and opportunities study in respect of the vocational training leading to livelihoods opportunities of the unemployed youths in Somalia. The survey was expected to provide a situational analysis on skills development by focusing on opportunities and institutional arrangements for skills development taking cognizance of the specific characteristics of the three different zones of Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Somalia. The study would come up with recommendations on appropriate skills development to provide the target and guidelines on implementation framework of the skills development strategy. Data was gathered using secondary sources, key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observation. Excerpts of interviews with stakeholders by the first consultant were reviewed and relevant inferences made. The survey found that skills market in Puntland, Somaliland and some regions of South Somalia has potential owing to private sector growth, the high demand for specific skills, among other factors. The skills in high demand include electrical works, tailoring/dressmaking, solar PVC technology, plumbing, shampoo/soap making, masonry, metal work, shoe making, fabric design (tie/dye, printing, batik, and embroidery), secretarial, management and ICT. Poverty, insecurity, low expectations and an overall environment characterized by market imperfections limit skills development and will be critical challenges during project implementation. Based on the findings, the survey recommends the following: 1. Financial support to partners and institutions implementing vocational training activities should demand a proportionate financial contribution from the partner government or institutions. This could take either or all of the following forms: cost recovery through charging user fees; government part funding to the VTCs or public-private-partnership. 2. Capacity strengthening of MOEs structures to execute a policy framework which will guide the quality implementation of vocational training by public and private institutions. 3. Given the nascent/formation level of the management structures of respective vocational training centers, it is critically important to train and build the functional capacity of these institutions on the vocational skills training concept and Employment Promotion so that they can be stronger in their role of designing and implementation of literacy and vocational training in skills with economic and social relevance to the community. 4. Orientation of the vocational training teachers on adult education pedagogy/methodologies. Even if they have been found qualified during recruitment, orientation is critically important for consensus and solidifying their understanding on vocational and livelihoods skills training objectives and expectations as well as the different stages in the learning process. 5. UNESCO needs to re/design modular training process entailing the following three areas: (i) Basic functional literacy and numeracy skills. (ii) Vocational and Livelihoods skills in identified trade areas. Cross cutting issues such as HIV and FGM needs to be gradually worked into this module. (iii) Simple business management or entrepreneurship skills on identifying and evaluating a viable business idea, market effect on skills demand, getting started and basic management and book keeping, and customer care principles. Continuous efforts should be made to bear in mind that livelihood and skill training is a process and not an episodic event. 6. Given the landscape of insecurity and the concomitantly heavy investment in security, it is advisable to link vocational training with peace and reconstruction efforts. The example of Kosovo Enterprise Programme (KEP) in the collapsed USSR can be a learning model. The model is simple and workable in any society under reconstruction. 7. In order to enhance the marketability and relevance of the skills, it is critical to support a research and marketing development unit that regularly undertakes local Economic Development and Skills Market survey for consideration by VTCs in reviewing vocational skills curriculum. The training approach adopted should be one that links center-based vocational training and apprenticeships in which those being trained can undertake practical work with the local business/merchant community for purposes of applying the knowledge acquired and getting exposed in starting their own enterprises. The capacity of the master craftsmen to whom the trainees will be attached will have to be improved through training and induction on areas of practical emphasis. 8. Address the poverty barrier that hinder access to vocational skills training by implementing competency/performance based bursary schemes for the trainees. Existing schemes pay the cost of training based on duration required to complete the training. It is a fact that not all are competent enough to produce quality products after completing. A high premium needs to be pegged on performance for both the trainee and the master trainer. 9. Within a wider consultation under the principle of Sector Wide Approach, rethink the incentive structure for trainers at vocational training centers so as to attract and retain qualified trainers. 10. Creating synergy with other vocational training programs implemented or being implemented by other donors (STEO, VETAPE etc) in the same regions will strengthen the sector growth by avoiding wasteful duplication of efforts. This should be greatly achieved through the organisational platform of Somali Support Secretariat/Education Sector Committee and other coordination mechanisms in Puntland, Somaliland and Central South Somalia. 1 INTRODUCTION Susceptibility of Communities to adverse effects of poverty is largely contributed by lack of appropriate skills to engage in efficient and diversified income generation production systems. In Somalia, unemployment creation is slow and inadequate to absorb the high number of youth looking for employment opportunities. Livelihood skills that include technical and vocational abilities impart the community with capabilities, resources and opportunities for pursuing individual and household economic goals. Where this is lacking, poverty and insecurity rise by almost equal proportion. Weak institutional structures limit the provision of skills causing individuals ability to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life to be adversely affected. The political and social turmoil in Somalia provides many challenges for young people, which could be potentially alleviated by providing them with opportunities to acquire appropriate employable skills. Consequently, UNESCO is supporting the development of a systematic, coordinated, needs-based and institutionalised provision of vocational, technical and livelihoods skills approach in Somalia. By working with the local administrations, partners and institutions to set systems and standards for skills development, UNESCO aims at strengthening vocational, technical and livelihoods skills for development and participation of young people. One of the major problems UNESCO will be addressing is the need to increase opportunities for employment and participation in income generation activities for the youth. As verified from different studies and reports, the youths are deficient in employable skills and have limited opportunities to develop themselves in the current situation. In the last 7 years, there has been increased attention by the international community to the revitalisation of the TVET sector. Unfortunately, the capacity of the Ministry of Education to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the TVET is weak raising serious questions on quality and sustainability. The result has been training that is neither linked to the market nor designed with adequate consideration of the capacity of the trainees to uptake and practice the skills effectively. 1.1 BACKGROUND With a population of 7.7 million in 2006[2], and an income per capita estimated in 2002 to be $226 (compared to $515 in Sub-Saharan Africa), Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. The UNDPs Human Development Index ranked Somalia 161 out of 163 countries in 2001. Extreme poverty (less than $1 PPP) is estimated at 43 percent. It is 10 percentage points higher for rural and nomadic populations. General poverty (less than $2 PPP) afflicts 73 percent of households, but reaches 80 percent in rural and nomadic populations. Income inequality is significant with the poorest 10 percent of the population receiving only 1.5 percent of total income. The civil conflict, continuing insecurity in many parts of the country, and poor access to services and infrastructure have made conditions worse than they were before the civil war. Absent or weak administrative structures provide minimal interference with trade or private sector activities. As a consequence, the private sector has flourished, trading with neighbouring and Asian countries, processing agricultural products and manufacturing on a small scale, and providing services previously monopolized or dominated by the public sector. There has been significant (but unmeasured) private investment in commercial ventures, including in trade and marketing, money transfer services, transport, communications, airlines, telecommunications, construction and hotels, education and health, and fishery equipment, largely funded by the large remittances from the Diaspora. The World Bank Country brief for Somalia (2009) assesses that remittances, amounting to about $1 billion per year, have partially offset a larger drop in per capita output for Somalia. However, persistent insecurity threatens further growth of the private sector and the absence of provision of key public goods is hurting both rural and urban households and the private sector. The macro-economic situation offers opportunities as well as challenges in the promotion of vocational and livelihoods skills. The thriving private sector, offers varied opportunities for skills to drive the growth of the different enterprises. Some of the skills are not readily available in Somalia and are frequently sourced from Diaspora or neighbouring countries, the main reason being that there are not adequate Vocational Training Institutions that offer quality trainings to meet the skills demand of the local market. On the other hand, the weak administrations have resulted to growth of the private sector, including the vocational training under a policy vacuum. Even where it exists in Somaliland, enforcement is weak leading to major challenges on quality control. In an environment where the private sector is far ahead of the regulatory functions of the government, it would be more prudent to pursue the dual track of strengthening the governments capacity to implement policy guidelines alongside capacity development of the private vocational training institutions and organisations to implement demand driven quality skills training and self regulate. Male and female Gross Enrolment Rates was estimated by UNICEF to be 37 percent and 25 percent respectively in 2006/2007 school year[3]. Since 2000, the number of children enrolled in grades 1-8 has increased roughly by 300%, from an estimated 150,000 to over 467,780[4]. There is a very high disparity between male and female learners, administrative regions, and various social and economic groups. Secondary enrolment rates are even lower, estimated by UNESCO[5] to stand at only 6%. Those joining Institutional Based Vocational Training are even lower as the facilities only exist in major cities of Puntland, Somaliland and Central South Somalia. Even where they exist, their capacity to absorb the growing number of school dropouts and those who complete grade 8 and form 4 for vocational training is limited. It is estimated that about 65.5% of the urban youth are unemployed. The figure is lower among the rural and nomadic communities where it is estimated to be 40.7%[6]. This is expected, bearing in mind that in rural areas, over 75% of the communities is estimated to be employed within the agricultural and livestock sector- their main source of livelihoods. Overreliance on traditional farming systems coupled with extreme weather conditions have been highlighted as major causes of poverty in the rural areas. A feasibility study conducted by the EC in June 2004 in Puntland and Somaliland revealed that there was a very high rate of unemployment among young adults, and in turn resulted to vulnerable livelihoods and widespread poverty of the target groups. The situation is worse in Central-South Somalia where the civil war destroyed the entire economic and social infrastructure resulting in missed opportunities, disruption of the social order, poverty and vulnerability. Based on available policy papers, strategies and study reports available in the three different regions major problems identified on access to TVET include: threat to traditional livelihoods sources, Structural constraints on job creation, limited availability of people with employable skills and basic education and, high population of disadvantaged people. Among the strategies suggested to address these problems include: provision of financial resources to strengthen TVET framework; Institutional and organisational development for sustainability of TVET, raising quality levels and relevance of skills to increase employability; policy dialogue with partners; Increase and optimise capacity through better management and utilisation of facilities; increased provision and retention of qualified trainers and the implementation of employment promotion to improve rural livelihoods. Financial support towards development of TVET sector by EC, Italian Cooperation, UNDP and other international development partners have resulted to enhanced institutional framework for implementation of vocational training. In particular, capacity has been developed in the ministries of Education in Puntland and Somaliland resulting to the establishment of TVET units, administered under the NFE department headed by a Director. TVET policy developed under the EC funded PETT project has already been approved and adopted by MOE, Somaliland. In Puntland, the draft policy developed under the same project has not been finalised for adoption by the council of ministers and parliament. However, attributes of it are well captured in the Puntland Education Policy Paper (PEPP), 2007. Personnel working in Vocational Training Institutions have benefited from capacity building programs implemented under the PETT and STEO projects funded by EC and UNESCO support. The vocational training centers in Kismayo, Mogadisho, Berbera, Burao, Hargeisa, Galkaio, Garowe and Bosaso have received support in the form of equipment. The Kuwait government contributed equipment towards Garowe Technical and Vocational Training center. However, due to low pay, the institutions have not been able to retain all the trained personnel. However, as captured by End of Project evaluation[7] report of PETT (Promotion of Employment Through Training) project, there are many gaps that the current grants are not able to completely address owing to the large number of people who need the skills. The vocational training manuals developed by UNESCO for 11 crafts and trade skills covering levels 3 2 are the only coherent manuals that exist. The manuals have been good references materials for vocational training programs implemented from different funding sources in Somalia. Several studies undertaken by international development partners indicate that the vast majority of the 14-20 year age group is out of school and with very limited access to education and skills training. Among the urban, rural and pastoral families, lack of employment and poverty are consistently ranked the most common problems and potentially the most common causes of other social problems. The institutional framework for implementing TVET in all the three zones (Puntland, Somaliland and South Central Somalia) is weak and currently not able to offer technical support that would guarantee quality control, registration and certification of all the institutions providing vocational training. The situation in south central Somalia is different; Coverage of Ministry of Education as an implementing partner is limited to small pockets of Mogadisho; No recognizable central authority for liaison purposes; Widespread destruction of facilities which could create demand for more capital especially for institutional based intervention (IBTVET); fluid security situation pitting the armed groups against the Transitional Federal Government and threatening to result to full blown conflict. The Technical, vocational and livelihood skills development envisaged by UNESCO is in tandem with the Rehabilitation and Development priorities for Somalia that can partly be pursued through supporting sustainable livelihoods improvement via provision of employable skills to the youth. Currently the majority of the youth have limited knowledge and skills to enhance their employability (self or paid) and productivity. It is recognized that chances of gainful employment are enhanced by acquisition of employable skills. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Somalia is very limited due to lack of adequate infrastructure and systems to implement the activities falling under the sector. Trainings are provided by private vocational training centers and the few public training centers funded by the international community. As institutionalised training is limited, most trainees acquire their skills through apprentice training. In effect the quality of skills acquired is dependent on the capacity of the trainee and the quality of the trainers/craftsmen to provide training. TVET needs to be expanded in order to produce skilled artisans and middle level technicians who will eventually strengthen the Somali economy, which can then increasingly rely on their own domestic workforce. Consequently, the MoEs need support in order to expand their capacities by strengthening the TVET framework. The increased efforts by the international community to provide improved technology (eg motorised water pumps, grain milling machines, tractor hire, and improved livestock management systems) are intended to raise productivity and value addition to cushion peoples livelihood activities from the effects of extreme weather patterns. Due to limited technical skills, the uptake and sustainability of this technology has been discouraging. The low unemployment in the rural areas by itself is deceiving as there is plenty of disguised unemployment. Many implementing partners (IPs) have activities under the broad category of livelihoods development. These entail beekeeping, tailoring and dressmaking, soap making, sesame oil extraction and flour milling. By funding livelihood activities, Implementing partners plan to graduate the communities from emergency to development status. But despite the increased programming around the livelihoods development activities, beneficiaries are not being lin ked to vocational training institutions to acquire the relevant skills; in other regions, skills training opportunities are completely lacking. Evaluation reports of many of these interventions present a very grim picture of the sustainability of provided technologies. The primary objective in providing the technologies was to increase productivity that was to result to increased income and employment opportunities for the many unemployed youth in the urban and rural areas. As poverty and unemployment are the major drivers of conflict in Somalia, employment creation for the youth is not only a social and economic necessity but also a political imperative. The study is based on the information needs by UNESCO to guide in planning interventions in TVET and livelihoods Skills Development in Somalia. The study aims at analysing the status of Technical Vocational Education and livelihood skills Development (TVELSD) in Somalia to map out current interventions and gaps in the sector. It also aims to assess the policy and resource capacity of the respective MOEs to implement a sustainable TVET. The survey is reviewed against the existing policies by the government in the respective regions. The broad national development study in Somalia is well documented in the Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) report and the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) report. A previous survey undertaken by UNESCO PEER[8] in 2002 revealed that a number of the institutions providing TVET lacked proper management structures, standardised curriculum and assessment system. Additionally, they lacked adequate equipment, teaching and learning materials, and qualified and motivated personnel. A countrywide market feasibility study conducted by European Commission[9] in 2004 re-confirmed this state of affairs by citing the following constraints in the TVET sub-sector. * Weaknesses in the management of TVET activities; * Difficulties of quality assurance for TVET, especially limited availability of course syllabi and lack of qualified technical trainers; * Limited number of standardized TVET courses; * Lack of standardized assessment and certification services; * Urban bias of TVET opportunities and limited benefits to rural communities; * Difficulties of sustaining TVET interventions; * Lack of strategic planning for TVET by local authorities; * Limited capacity of local authorities to manage TVET Prior to the civil war that culminated in the collapse of the government in 1991, Somalia had functioning technical and vocational institutions in Mogadishu, Kismayu, Burao and Hargeisa that specialized in a range of technical courses and traditional trades at craft and artisan levels. Youth joined these institutions to acquire specialized skills that in turn enabled them to join the employment sector, either as employees or self employed persons. Most of these institutions were however destroyed or run down during the long period of civil. Consequently, these events resulted to high drop out of youth from schools to add to the number of unskilled youth that existed even before the civil war. With limited skills and no functioning education system, the youth had limited livelihood options. In apparent response to the demand for education and vocational skills training, the international community through UN, INGOs, LNGOs have supported the rehabilitation and or construction of vocational training centers in major towns of Somaliland (Hargeisa, Berbera and Burao), Puntland (Bosaso, Garowe, Gardo and Galkaio) and Central South Somalia (Mogadishu, Merka, Baidoa). Most of the functioning institutions are owned by local Institutions and governments through the support of the International Community. Several skills provided in these institutions include: garment making, soap making, tie and dye, carpentry, computer technology, masonry, electrical installation, plumbing and metal fabrication. UNESCO PEER through Technical and Vocational Education projects funded by the Italian Government initiated several interventions to revitalize technical and vocational education in Somalia at the grassroots level. Some of those interventions include: development of curricula/syllabi in selected marketable and demand driven trade areas, training of instructors and center managers, provision of course materials and textbooks to vocational training centres and initiation of standardized assessment and certification. This study commissioned by UNESCO PEER draws lessons from past and current activities on TVET in Somalia. 1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY According to the TOR, the study will identify dimensions of technical and vocational education training (TVET): Skills Development and issues of economic relevance, social relevance, and management models effectiveness. Based on this; make recommendations for increased and improved TVET delivery in Somalia. The anticipated results of the study will be as follows: 1 Analysis of the organization and structure of TVET, public and private, formal and non-formal, by levels and management structures, including objectives, strategies and results, as well as the regulatory framework for private TVET 2 Identification of the main issues and problems in TVET delivery in terms of relevance to economic and market requirements, access to training, quality of training, and efficiency in the delivery processes. 3 Analysis of government TVET management and delivery. 4 Recommendations on improving the relevance, equity, quality, efficiency and management of TVET 1.3 SCOPE OF WORK The study was planned to cover the whole of Somalia but due to insecurity in the Central South Somalia, the Consultant limited his visits to Puntland and Somaliland- the two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia. The survey covered the Non Formal, technical and vocational Education sub-sector targeting the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS), Refugees, Returnees, pastoral communities and ex militia as study groups. The study involved undertaking socio-economic and prefeasibility investigation of vocational and livelihoods skills training in Somaliland, Puntland and Central South Somalia. Unfortunately, field visits to south central was not undertaken due to insecurity. 1.4 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY i. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in conflict and post conflict areas is a critical component of the socio-economic development of target communities. It has been assessed that acquisition of livelihood skills results in enhancing communities ability in battling poverty and social exclusion in favour of self-employment. By spreading know-how, it inspires innovation and works to curb unemployment, especially among marginalized population in conflict and post-conflict countries. ii. It will act as a catalyst for streamlining the TVET sector in Somalia by providing information which will better inform policy makers and service providers and facilitate TVET programme development. iii. It will contribute to better coordination and implementation among stakeholders. 1.5 APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY Following initial meetings with the Head of UNESCO PEER in Somalia, it was agreed that the study would review the initial study report, assess information gaps not addressed by the submitted report and use a combination of methods to collect information necessary in re-drafting the report. The study thus reviewed available information on TVET projects that included the PETT and STEO, relevant TVET-related surveys, project evaluations reports and best practices undertaken elsewhere in the world. There was a feasibility Survey done by EC[10] in June 2008 covering Puntland and Somaliland and the report was extensively used as a key source of information for this study especially in the general overview of livelihoods and vocational training situation in Somaliland and Puntland. However, from the gaps identified from the direct interviews with stakeholders in Somaliland and Puntland and to validate some of the information contained in the report and documents reviewed, questionnaires were designed to elicit information from the some of the VTC where much of the information gaps existed. The data collection was undertaken by consultant assisted by field based UNESCO staff. The methodologies adopted in redrafting the report included: i. collection of data from the submitted report, ii. stakeholders consultations and interviews, iii. Review of literature available, and iv. internet research, The methodology and approach used in generating data for the first report included: i. Discussions with different TVET stakeholders, NGOs, UN agencies, institutional managers and trainees to understand implementation of TVET; ii. Focused group discussions with the Somali Ministries of Education officials at various levels and other stakeholders to establish policy aspects of Non Formal and Technical and Vocational Education; iii. Site visits to observe institutional facilities; iv. Document review of UNESCO PEER reports and syllabuses and reports of other agencies hard copies and online including UNESCO Website to gain insight into technical and vocational education; v. Structured questionnaire used to access baseline data on institutions offering technical and vocational training; vi. An assessment of the job market to find out the livelihood skills and skill gaps. The consultant was not able to visit some central south Somalia but was able to interview MOE officials in Puntland, Somaliland and other implementing partners in both locations. Much of the information in compiling this report is derived from the initial field interviews undertaken by the first consultant and enriched by additional literat

The Longest Memory :: essays research papers

Whitechapel is the focal character of D'Aguiar's novel, The Longest Memory however, the author has used a great many other characters whose stories also stand-alone. Why has D'Aguiar structured his novel in this way and how does it lead the reader to an understanding of the impacts of slavery? D'Aguiar's central purpose is to make us reflect upon American society during the slavery era and to acknowledge its realities so that we understand the capability for evil that exists in society. D'Aguair has used Whitechapel and his memories to encapsulate the brutality and inhumanity of slavery. The succeeding narratives further our understanding of the society and these are presented in a manner that forces the reader to accept D'Aguiar's judgements. The characters represent all of the voices of the society including people from different races, social status's and both genders so that the reader can see the position society imposed upon all citizens. The forms of the individual narratives help us to understand the reality of society because they allow the characters to emerge as individuals, telling their own stories with undisguised honesty. The Longest Memory is told from the oldest to the youngest character showing how society instilled its ideals on each generation in an unc ompromising manner and so the stories overlap and intertwine, to illustrate this D'Aguiar has used an overwhelming tone of sadness and despair to emphasise the negative feelings that society created. Whitechapel's narrative focuses on the symbolism of seeing; the reason for this is to give the reader a sense of the extent to which society enforced its beliefs upon people and how much it effected them. Whitechapel has lived a very long time and has finally realized the truth about his enslavement and the extent to which he is dehumanized; this is emphasized by his regretful tone and demonstrates his disgust. The dehumanisation that has occurred is over his philosophies that as a slave he could earn respect through hard work and loyalty; this is rejected when his son is killed. The repetition of the phrase, 'I am nobody'; acknowledges that as a slave the society could not reward his loyalty or hard work because he had no status. Various narratives have been put after each other so that the reader can compare two characters to see the different impacts that society had on them. This Juxtaposition is used to confront the reader with the inhumanity of the views of some characters such as Sanders Senior, the placement of Cook straight after shows that contrary to Sanders seniors disgusting beliefs she is quite human and is dramatically effected by his beliefs, the societies beliefs.

Mystery Shopping†the Miracle Tool in Business Research

VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories Indexed & Listed at: Ulrich's Periodicals Directory  ©, ProQuest, U. S. A. , EBSCO Publishing, U. S. A. , Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities, U. S. A. , Open J-Gage, India [link of the same is duly available at Inflibnet of University Grants Commission (U. G. C. ], Index Copernicus Publishers Panel, Poland with IC Value of 5. 09 & number of libraries all around the world. Circulated all over the world & Google has verified that scholars of more than 2022 Cities in 153 countries/territories are visiting our journal on regular basis. Ground Floor, Building No. 1041-C-1, Devi Bhawan Bazar, JAGADHRI – 135 003, Yamunanagar, Haryana, INDIA http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 CONTENTS Sr. No. TITLE & NAME OF THE AUTHOR (S)HIERARCHY PROCESS MOJGAN RIAZI, DR. YOUNOS VAKIL ALROAIA & DR. ALI AKBAR AMIN BIDOKHTI ASSOCIATION OF TRAINING PRACTICES WITH JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS RIZWAN BASHIR & FARZANA BASHIR STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CAPITAL AND TALENT MANAGEMENT IN IRAN STATE MANAGEMENT TRAINING CENTER (SMTC) SAYED ALI AKBAR AHMADI, MOHAMMAD ALI SARLAK, MUSA MAHDAVI, MOHAMMAD REZA DARAEI & SAMIRA GHANIABADI CONTEMPLATIVE SCRUTINY OF THE ADEQUACY OF HERZBERG’S MOTIVATION-HYGIENETHEORY: A VERDICT OF JOB SATISFACTION IN THE MID LEVEL MANAGER IN TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY ABU ZAFAR AHMED MUKUL, SHAH JOHIR RAYHAN & MD. SHAKIB HOSSAIN PLANNING AND MANAGING A SCHEDULED SERVICE DR. IGNATIUS A. NWOKORO REAL INCOME, INFLATION, AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGERIA (1970-2005) Dr. OWOLABI A. USMAN & ADEGBITE TAJUDEEN ADEJARE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA: A PARADIGM SHIFT ADEYEMI, A.ADEKUNLE THE EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENTâ₠¬â„¢S EFFECTIVENESS ON E-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY ON PAYAME NOOR UNIVERSITY OF IRAN BAHAREH SHAHRIARI & KIARASH JAHANPOUR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN VIETNAMESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES NGUYEN PHI TAN ANALYSIS OF LIQUIDITY OF SELECTED PRIVATE SECTOR INDIAN BANKS SULTAN SINGH, SAHILA CHOUDHRY & MOHINA PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT OF PUBLIC SECTORS BANKS IN INDIA DR. BHAVET, PRIYA JINDAL & DR. SAMBHAV GARG IMBIBE ETHICAL EDUCATION DR. T.SREE LATHA & SAVANAM CHANDRA SEKHAR MODELING INDIAN MONSOON (RAINFALL) VOLATILITY AS AN INDEX BASED RISK TRANSFER PRODUCT D P. SHIVKUMAR, M PRABHU & DR. G. KOTRESHWAR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES IN MEGHALAYA MUSHTAQ MOHMAD SOFI & DR. HARSH VARDHAN JHAMB REGRESSION MODELS M. VENKATARAMANAIAH & M. SUDARSANA RAO EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEE RETENTION TECHNIQUES ADOPTED BY BPO COMPANIES WITH REFERENCE TO CHENNAI DR. RANJITHAM. D ROLE OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION INSTITUTIO NS IN INDIA SHABANA, SONIKA CHOUDHARY & DR. M. L.GUPTA AN EXAMINATION OF LONG-RUN AND SHORT-RUN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRUDE OIL PRICE, GOLD PRICE, EXCHANGE RATE AND INDIAN STOCK MARKET R. KANAKARAJAMMAL, S. PAULRAJ & M. V. ARULALAN MYSTERY SHOPPING– THE MIRACLE TOOL IN BUSINESS RESEARCH SHAKEEL-UL-REHMAN & A. VELSAMY THE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION BETWEEN EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE AND WORK PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN SALES PEOPLE DR. RITIKA SHARMA MARKETING OF BRANDED PRODUCT IN RURAL AREA: A CONCEPTUAL BASED STUDY ON RURAL MARKET PANKAJ ARORA & AJITHA PRASHANT A STUDY ON EMPLOYEES JOB SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO COACH FACTORY P.MANONMANI & V. UMA E-CRM APPLICATION IN INSURANCE SECTOR AND RETENTION OF CUSTOMERS DASH BISWAMOHAN. & MISHRA RADHAKRISHNA THE USAGE OF SIX SIGMA TOOLS IN BRINGING DOWN THE DEFECTS IN THE HR PROCESSES SREEJA K & MINTU THANKACHAN WOMEN EMERGING GLOBALLY AS THE POTENTIAL MARKET: REASONS, IMPLICATIONS AND ISSUES DR. JAYA PALIWAL URBAN RESIDENTIAL WATER SUPPL Y IN GADAG TOWN IN KARNATAKA STATE DR. H H BHARADI TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: A TOOL TO MEASURE MARKET VOLATILITY G. B. SABARI RAJAN CO-BRANDED CREDIT CARD – A TAILOR-MADE PRODUCT NICHE FOR CONSUMERS DR.A. JESU KULANDAIRAJ A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH SERVICE QUALITY IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS DR. SAMBHAV GARG, PRIYA JINDAL & DR. BHAVET EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI): AN IMPERATIVE SKILL FOR MANAGERS IN THE GLOBAL WORKPLACE SMARTY MUKUNDAN Page No. 1. THE EXTENT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONALITY INDICATORS OF INDEPENDENT ENTREPRENEUR THROUGH USING GROUP ANALYTICAL 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 8 14 21 29 34 40 45 49 54 57 63 66 72 83 86 91 94 101 104 111 120 123 128 136 140 144 150 153 157 160 REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT & MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Include d in the International Serial Directories ii http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 CHIEF PATRON PROF. K. K. AGGARWAL Chancellor, Lingaya’s University, Delhi Founder Vice-Chancellor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi Ex.Pro Vice-Chancellor, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar FOUNDER PATRON LATE SH. 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REFERENCES: The list of all references should be alphabetically arranged. The author (s) should mention only the actually utilised references in the preparation of manuscript and they are supposed to follow Harvard Style of Referencing. The author (s) are supposed to follow the references as per the following: All works cited in the text (including sources for tables and figures) should be listed alphabetically. Use (ed. ) for one editor, and (ed. s) for multiple editors.When listing two or more works by one author, use — (20xx), such as after Kohl (1997), use — (2001), etc, in chronologically ascending order. Indicate (opening and closing) page numbers for articles in journals and for chapters in books. The title of books and journals should be in italics. Double quotation marks are used for titles of journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, reports, working papers, unpublished material, etc. For titles in a language other than English, provide an English translation in parentheses. The location of endnotes within the text should be indicated by superscript numbers. PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING FOR STYLE AND PUNCTUATION IN REFERENCES: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ BOOKS †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Bowersox, Donald J. , Closs, David J. (1996), â€Å"Logistical Management. † Tata McGraw, Hill, New Delhi. Hunker, H. L. and A. J. Wright (1963), â€Å"Factors of Industrial Location in Ohio† Ohio State University, Nigeria. CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS Sharma T. , Kwatra, G. (2008) Effectiveness of Social Advertising: A Study of Selected Campaigns, Corporate Social Responsibility, Edited by David Crowther & Nicholas Capaldi, Ashgate Research Companion to Corporate Social Responsibility, Chapter 15, pp 287-303. JOURNAL AND OTHER ARTICLES Schemenner, R. W. , Huber, J. C. and Cook, R. L. (1987), â€Å"Geographic Differences and the Location of New Manufacturing Facilities,† Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 83-104. CONFERENCE PAPERS Garg, Sambhav (2011): â€Å"Business Ethics† Paper presented at the Annual International Conference for the All India Management Association, New Delhi, India, 19–22 June. UNPUBLISHED DISSERTATIONS AND THESES Kumar S. (2011): â€Å"Customer Value: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Customers,† Thesis, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. ONLINE RESOURCES Always indicate the date that the source was accessed, as online resources are frequently updated or removed. Garg, Bhavet (2011): Towards a New Natural Gas Policy, Political Weekly, Viewed on January 01, 2012 http://epw. in/user/viewabstract. jsp WEBSITES †¢INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT & MANAGEME NT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories vi http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 MYSTERY SHOPPING– THE MIRACLE TOOL IN BUSINESS RESEARCH SHAKEEL-UL-REHMAN RESEARCH SCHOLAR ANNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CHENNAI A. VELSAMY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES SONA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY SALEM ABSTRACT Satisfied customers are an important advantage for almost every company. Every company tries its level best to deliver better services to make the customers satisfied.A customer must be satisfied up to the highest possible level. Mystery shopping is a type of research tool to measure the level of satisfaction, a customer experiences through impartial way. The present paper tries to bring out the conceptual understanding of mystery shopping – tries to explain the openness of mystery shopping to various ar enas whether public or private and how it creates attention for improving performance of the company. KEYWORDS Mystery Shopping, Mystery Shopper, Customer Services, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Appraisal, Competitive Advantage. INTRODUCTION nowing the customer satisfaction is always the top prerogative in any business.Getting to know the level of satisfaction and (or) the changing expectations of customers’ is a continuous process. Though there are various methods and tools available for this, mystery shopping is considered as unique and undeniable tool in any organisation. As defined by Wilson (2001), mystery shopping is â€Å"a form of participant observation that uses researchers to deceive customer-service personnel into believing that they are serving real customers or potential customers†. Mystery shopping is a technique that involves looking at your business from outside and measure the efficiency of your own key processes from the view point of customers. My stery Shopping can be carried out in person, by telephone, or less commonly by email.It can recognize strengths and weaknesses and aid to show exactly where service delivery can be improved. In instances where excellent service is provided, the service may be considered an example of best practice and specific staff members can be singled out for recognition and reward. Initially set up in retail and private sector service industries, now mystery shopping is used increasingly in the private as well as public sector to gain a better understanding of how service users are taken care of when they approach front line offices. Research is the foundation stone of effective marketing planning and is vital for implementing successful marketing strategies.Mystery shopping is a research to know about company in customer point of view. It is the use of individuals, skilled to measure any customer service process, by acting as potential customers and in some way reporting back on their experien ces in a detailed and objective way. It is also an act of purchasing goods and services for collecting information for market research. K REVIEW OF LITERATURE Although the concept of mystery shopping is old, there are very less literature available in its field. Since the use mystery shopping as a tool of research has got much concern in the present business competition, investigating through the literature becomes imperative.As the use of mystery shopping is gaining much importance in the present chase of competition. The literature obtained by the investigator, in the form of various reports and research studies is briefly reviewed in this part. Banks and Murphy (1985) have noted that organizations prolong to articulate discontent in performance assessment systems even though advances in appraisal technology. Appraisal reliability and validity still remain a major problem in most assessment systems. Mystery shopping is the collection of facts, not perceptions. The mystery customer questionnaire or checklist should emphasize objective questions with a view to collecting factual data, again negating another weakness of customer surveys, i. e. hat customers only remember their overall impression of a service and not the individual elements or transactions (Wilson, 1998). Finn & Kayande, 1999 found that the process mystery shopping uses a form of member observation to observe the behavior of employees, usually in the process of providing services; the resulting data are then used for evaluation purposes. The process usually includes a structured interaction between the representative and the service provider; an employee whose behavior is being assessed. It is followed by an evaluation interview in which the manager gives the employee feedback about the data collected during the interaction. This procedure is intended to increase the accuracy of the service provider.Bromage, (2000) found it as an integral training tool in that it can be used to identify training needs. Wilson, (2001) defined mystery shopping as a form of participant observation that uses researchers to deceive customer-service personnel into believing that they are serving real customers or potential customers. Shing and Spence (2002) argue that their use to gather competitive intelligence is parallel to industrial espionage and conclude that in such cases mystery shopping is difficult to defend ethically. Karia, 2005 stated that mystery shopping in India is of not a much scope but some of the big corporate have started to do mystery shopping for increasing their service delivery. Brender-Ilan, B. nd Shultz, T. (2005) found that the procedure of mystery shopping research is intended to increase the accuracy of the service provider valuation, as this type of jobs is considered rigid to appraise impartially. Obviously, the process is used differently in different organizations, and for different purposes. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING Mystery shopping is necessary for companies t o get an objective opinion on how their business is doing. If they used their own employees to evaluate their service and operations, it would be biased. So mystery shoppers, who don't already have a connection with the company, are used to provide honest and unbiased feedback.In the UK mystery, shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities, and other non-profit organizations such as housing associations and churches. Mystery shopping is a term that describes a field based research technique of using independent auditors posing as customers to gather information about product quality and service delivery by a retail firm. The mystery shopper poses as a customer in order to objectively gather information on the business being INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT & MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directo ries 01 http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 studied. Getting a customer's view of one's business is a widely recognized tool in both the marketing and customer service arenas. When mystery shoppers are dispatched to visit a business, they use criteria developed by the client to evaluate the business and focus primarily on service delivery and the sales skills of employees. Their reports, usually written, are forwarded to the client and can be used in a number of ways. Mystery shoppers can also objectively evaluate competitors and their service delivery and product mix for comparisons and benchmarking.Mystery Shopping is also known as Ghost Shopping where industry serves to evaluate the customer service for any company that deals with customer satisfaction. By sending an anonymous ghost shopper, that forms the base on their visits to client locations. Ghost shopping helps in evaluating the service provided by the company’sâ€℠¢ channel members to its customers. From this information companies can understand whether it is meeting, or failing to meet, it's customer's needs. Ghost shoppers are everyday people who are visiting stores as anonymous customers, and in the process helping these stores to better understand how they can meet customers' needs. METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATIONMystery shopping can be done by two methods a) A company uses its own employees to perform the mystery shopping, in which company trains its own employees to collect the customer related enquires from the market and b) Some companies can engage marketing research companies to evaluate the superiority of service in their stores; these companies use mystery shoppers to get the information in disguise. They disperse a mystery shopper to make a particular purchase in a shop or store, for example, and then report on the experience and understanding. Typically, the shopper is compensated, and can keep the product or service. Mystery shopping can be used in any industry, with the most common venue being retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains, banks, gas stations, automobile dealerships, apartments, health clubs and health care services Mystery shopping can allow a firm to create a competitive edge. It can also assist retailers in developing and evaluating strategies to retain current customers.The first step in mystery shopping is to identify your firm's important customer service characteristics and objectives often flowing from your strategy and overall goals and objectives. Next a firm uses these variables to develop a mystery shopping questionnaire, either alone or with the help or a consultant or mystery shopping firm. The survey can include a mix of description and check-off questions. WHY & WHERE MYSTERY SHOPPING? In this growing severely competitive environment, there is an ever-increasing need for companies to gather evidence on whether their policy initiatives have had the intende d outcomes and whether retail firms treat their customers fairly.In particular, the need is to measure and evaluate the impact of company policies, assess levels of firms’ compliance with rules and examine the experience consumers have of the market. Mystery shopping is regarded as a necessary means of gathering such information. This is because of the problems inherent to surveying those who have recently purchased products – consumers don’t always exactly recall all the particulars. Some of the benefits of mystery shopping are; Product Placement, Point of Selling, Visibility, Customer Demand, Repurchases, Brand Recall, Awareness. Mystery shopping is useful to know about the awareness of that brand, how many outlets are having this product? Through it one can get the information about the competitors like their new product launches, market share, new promotions, campaigns, etc.Even you can check the placement of the product in the outlet, whether the product ha s got right place on shelf, visibility of product, how fast product is moving, impulse buying appeal of the product, etc. A â€Å"conformist† mystery shopper in-person visits more of business locations. The assessments are typically discrete questions along with the correlated point values, as well as some narratives for amplification. However, due to advances in technology as well as evolving customer service requirements, the ability to gather data and other materials relating to a customer’s experience has been significantly increased. Mystery shopping can allow a firm to create a competitive edge. It can also assist retailers in developing and evaluating strategies to retain current customers.Typical areas of assessment are customer service, suggestive selling and up-selling techniques, teamwork, employee and management activities, head-count, store appearance and organization, merchandise displays and stock, cleanliness of the location, signage and advertising com pliance, time in line and time elapsed for service, product quality, order accuracy, customer's preferences, cash handling, and return policies. After pre-testing the questionnaire, mystery shoppers are hired to do an assessment. Assessments can be on-site or via the telephone or even the Internet. A sample size as well as a period of time for the mystery shopping program is determined and results are used for feedback.BENEFITING RANGE OF BUSINESS Mystery shopping is more visible in developing countries and it is mostly prevailing in retail sector. But other sectors also use it as a tool to measure their customer satisfaction, competition, new technology advancements etc. some of the areas where mystery shopping is seen commonly are Banks, Restaurants, Hotels, Supermarkets, Automobile shops, Repair shops, Bars, Clubs, Theaters, Shopping malls, Retail chain operators. FMCG companies, Consumer durable companies, Apparel retailers. Mystery shoppers are professional in this field as he charges a reasonable amount from the companies for doing this service of conducting research.A feedback is given by them to the client whether the services are being performed according to expectations or not and gives a chance for the further improvements that company thinks necessary for its survival. On the other hand they tries to offer a better delivery to the customers to make them satisfied and a company can attract more and more customers if it is efficient in the market USE AND EXECUTION OF MYSTERY SHOPPING Managers can use the reports from mystery shoppers to evaluate their position in the industry, and the results can be used to provide employee recognition and other positive reinforcements of loyalty and morale through incentive programs.Many restaurants, banks, supermarkets, and clothing retailers have used the techniques, along with hotels, furniture stores, grocery stores, gas stations, movie theaters, automotive repair shops, bars, athletic clubs, bowling alleys, and almost any business where customer service is important. As the service sector of the economy has increased, so has the demand for mystery shoppers. Some retailers are large enough to have their own in-house program in place. Other smaller companies who do not have the resources to develop a quality mystery shopping program in-house use mystery shopping contractors. These contractors directly hire and train the mystery shoppers, who work as independent contractors.The reports from mystery shoppers can measure training and levels of customer service pre- and post-training. Mystery shopping allows managers to determine if the services provided by employees are appropriate. Shopping reports can assess promotional campaigns and even verify employees' honesty in handling cash and charges. Reports over time can give up a longitudinal database of averages. Some industries share findings so that managers can know regional or national averages of the industry. At the Web site Managerspot. c om, for example, restaurant owners can compare their numbers from mystery shopping reports with a pool of similar, but anonymous, restaurants.The use of mystery shopping is just one part of a company-wide program to develop and enhance employee performance. The idea is to find out from a consumer's point of view which areas of service and product quality are most important and what areas need improvement. Data from the shopping results can be used by the company to make necessary changes on a timely basis. The results should be used for developmental and reward purposes and not for punishment. Mystery shopping is a valuable tool to businesses and is especially helpful for small, start-up businesses that need accurate and fast information to assess their employees and compare their products and services to the competition.So mystery shopping is a process for exploring everyday experiences, one person’s view at a snapshot in time, a way of identifying strengths and weaknesses i n dealing with customers, a method of measuring employees’ performance against set customer service standards, a useful aid for identifying training needs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT & MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refereed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories 102 http://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 Mystery shopping can be used for various purposes. Most of the time the goal is to measure the quality of the service delivery to the customer.In this situation the mystery guest can be focused on the compliance to specific standards, guidelines or demands, or the mystery guest can be instructed to position the quality of the service on a scale. If a mystery guest visits locations of competitors, benchmarking becomes a way to judge your own activities against those. GROWING NECESSITY OF MYSTERY SHOPPERS Managers can use the repo rts from mystery shoppers to evaluate their status among its competitors and the scope of increasing the business. Also this tool is highly reliable, and the results can be used to provide employee recognition and other positive reinforcements of loyalty and morale through incentive programs.The use of mystery shopping is just one part of a company-wide program to develop and augment employee performance. The idea is to learn from a consumer's point of view which areas of service and product quality are most important and what areas need improvement. Data from the shopping results can be used by the company to make necessary changes on a timely basis. The results should be used for developmental and reward purposes and not for punishment. Mystery shopping is a valuable tool to businesses and is especially helpful for small, start-up businesses that need accurate and fast information to assess their employees and compare their products and services to the competition. MYSTERY SHOPPIN G IN INDIAMystery shopping is not much practiced in India; some of the organizations who have initially used this type of research are ICICI Bank, Titan, Arrow and Reliance communications. ICICI Bank used mystery shopping initially in Pune to check the services offered by one of its branches, it conducted survey by telephone through mystery shoppers to find out the different services provided to different age groups by the bank (Karia, P. M. , 2005) CONCLUSION In the present age of competition there are various tools of research available for the companies to measure their service level from the customer point of view. One such efficient tool is mystery shopping, which is also called as ghost shopping. It can be viewed as an efficient tool in measuring the customer satisfaction with the company.No doubt, companies are spending lot of resources in ensuring customer satisfaction and to know what actually customers want. Mystery shopping can be chosen as an efficient tool in knowing th e overall details of positive and negative aspects of services provided to customers. It can also be used to rectify the problems a company actually faces in dealing with the customers. REFERENCES Banks, C. G. & Murphy, K. R. (1985) â€Å"Toward Narrowing the Research-Practice Gap in Performance Appraisal†. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 38 (2), pp. 335– 345. 2. Brender-ilan, Y. and Shultz, T. (2005) â€Å"Perceived Fairness of the Mystery Customer Method: Comparing Two Employee Evaluation Practices†. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 17(4), pp. 231-243. 3. Bromage, N. 2000) â€Å"Mystery Shopping – It is Research, But Not as We Know It†. Managing Accounting, Vol. 78 (4), pp. 30-35. 4. Cawley, B. D. , Keeping, L. M. & Levy, P. E. (1998) â€Å"Participation in the Performance Appraisal Process and Employee Reaction: A Meta-Analytic Review of Field Investigation†. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 98 (4), pp. 615–621. 5. Finn, A. (2001) â€Å"Mystery Shopper Benchmarking of Durable-Goods Chains and Stores†. Journal of Service Research, Vol. 3 (4), pp. 310-320. 6. Finn, A. and Kayande, U. (1999) â€Å"Unmasking a Phantom: A Psychometric Assessment of Mystery Shopping†. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 75 (2), pp. 195–217. 7. Karia, M. P. , (2005) â€Å"Ghost Shopping†. http://www. indiamba. com. 8.Shing, M. N. K. and Spence, L. J. (2002) â€Å"Investigating the Limits of Competitive Intelligence Gathering: Is Mystery Shopping Ethical† Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 11 (4), pp. 343-353. 9. Stovall, S. A. (1993) â€Å"Keeping Tabs on Customer Service†. Bank Marketing, Vol. 25 (6), pp. 29-33. 10. Wilson, A. M. (1998) â€Å"The Role of Mystery Shopping in the Measurement of Service Performance† Managing Service Quality, Vol. 8 (6), pp. 414-420. 1. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, IT & MANAGEMENT A Monthly Double-Blind Peer Reviewed (Refer eed/Juried) Open Access International e-Journal – Included in the International Serial Directories 103 ttp://ijrcm. org. in/ VOLUME NO. 3 (2013), ISSUE N O. 01 (J ANUARY) ISSN 2231-5756 REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK Dear Readers At the very outset, International Journal of Research in Commerce, IT and Management (IJRCM) acknowledges & appreciates your efforts in showing interest in our present issue under your kind perusal. I would like to request you to supply your critical comments and suggestions about the material published in this issue as well as on the journal as a whole, on our E-mail i. e. [email  protected] com for further improvements in the interest of research. If you have any queries please feel free to contact us on our E-mail [email  protected] com.

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 8: Search or seizure Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure. The first part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that we choose for our project is section 8: Search and Seizure. This section guarantees that everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure. There are two parts to this section, one being unreasonable search and the other being unreasonable seizure.Unreasonable search is when your property, belongings, body, is searched without a warrant or without a probable reasoning to believe that the person would need to be searched. Unreasonable seizure is different; it implies that a person’s belongings have been taken from them by a public authority without the persons consent. Many government activities fall under this law, in all the law helps to secure people’s rights to privacy and it keeps government officials from abusing their power . Many may wonder why search and seizure are under the same section.The reason why they are is because they often fall hand and hand. Seizure often only occurs following a search, and searches only occur for the reasoning of wanting to seizure the person’s illegal belongings. There are many cases of unreasonable search and seizures which exist. For example, if government officials were to go into a man’s house, whom they suspected of dealing Mariana, but didn’t have a good reason to believe so or a warrant, and had taken his illegal Mariana plants then that would be an example of unreasonable search and seizure.Another example of unreasonable search and seizure would be if police officers were to inspect a person’s car at a traffic stop and take belonging inside because they believe they were illegal possessions; this is unreasonable search and seizure because they did not have a good reason to search. Many argue about this right of protection against unr easonable search and seizure because the possessions, weather found reasonably or not, are illegal. Some think that it is the governments right to search belongings of its citizens.An example of this opposition to the rights of Canadians currently occurring in Canada is Bill C-30. Bill C-30 would force Internet Service Providers to give Government Officials your name, address, IP address and a lot of other personal information, without a warrant. With all this information, the government would be empowered with the ability to monitor every action that you make online and use it to catch any illegal activity. This is a complete compromise to the rights of Canadians to protection against unreasonable search and seizure.