Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay Essay Example

Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay Essay A affinity attention agreement is an understanding that is normally made between the parent of the kid, the local authorization and a close comparative such as a grandparent or aunt on a short or long term footing, the affinity carer must be approved by Warwickshire Fostering Panel. Where the kid is accommodated by the local authorization that is frequently capable to an Interim Care Order the affinity understanding is reviewed under the Child in Need process s ( Warwickshire County Council 2009 ) . There is a six hebdomad timescale to finish the affinity appraisal. The fosterage squad has the duty for finishing this within the timescale set out in line with the Fostering Regulation s 2002. A Viability Assessment which is Schedule 3 of the fosterage ordinance 2002 requires that there is a elaborate study complete with mentions be submitted to the Fostering Panel for blessing ( Warwickshire Fostering Services 2002 ) . As portion of this appraisal I had to finish a two portion Health A ; Safety Checklist Part One during initial visit and Part Two during the existent appraisal, which is updated yearly as portion of the Foster Carer reappraisal. I was required to finish the initial 6 hebdomad Kinship Assessment on Arthur and Joan to be submitted to Warwickshire Fostering Panel blessing, followed by entry to a Finding of Fact meeting in tribunal. We will write a custom essay sample on Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Jane is a 6 twelvemonth old double heritage female who lived near to Nuneaton Centre with female parent, Ruth 28 white female unemployed retrieving heroin nut and her current spouse Jason 35 twelvemonth old unemployed white male with piquing history for force. The local authorization have been involved with Ruth and her kid since 2008 the constabulary reaching societal services to rede them that Ruth s spouse had been arrested for holding indecorous images of kids on his computing machine and serious maltreatment of babes. Ruth was advised of this but did non look to recognize the hazard he presented to Jane. The tribunals ordered that Ruth should merely hold supervised contact due to this. Warwickshire Council convened a kid protection conference which concluded that Jane be made topic of a kid protection program. Whilst the probe into the disregard was on-going, Jane stayed with her maternal gramps Arthur and Joan his spouse. Arthur is 58 twelvemonth old football manager and Joan is a 62 twelvemonth old retired book keeper and they live in a 3 sleeping room house close to Ruth. A kinship referral was received by the Fostering Team to finish a viability buttocks Arthur and Joan s ability to run into Jane s demands as impermanent carers. Jane is still capable of a kid protection program, every bit good as Looked After Child processs and is capable of an Interim Care Order made in December 2009. The duty for finishing the affinity appraisal was given to the fosterage squad that I am on arrangement with and I was so asked to finish the appraisal under supervising. This is the type of appraisal that is completed when a kid is looked after and placed on a statutory order. Jane is presently sing jobs at school with intimidation because of her skin coloring material and is in a minority. Jane is being teased because her hair is non the same as other kids. I feel that Jane has non recognized that her female parent is white and her male parent black. Arthur has stated that although she is non white she is his granddaughter and he doubts whether Jane even recognises her skin coloring material as important. It is of import for the Fostering Social Worker to hold entree to all instance files associating to the kid when finishing the viability appraisal so that the appraisal demonstrates the degree of committedness the gramps and his spouse have and have had to the kid ( BAAF, 2009 ) . Farmer and Moyers ( 2005 ) suggest: Kinship attention occupies an uneasy place on the boundary between the public and private domains of lovingness and this leads to a state of affairs where some kin carers struggle to care for destitute kids with low degrees of support and fiscal aid. Jane s maternal gramps has shown unbelievable committedness including being willing to give up his fulltime occupation to be able to run into Jane s demands. This is doing tenseness in the relationship between Arthur and Joan as this will significantly cut down their income. She has besides expressed concerns at non ever being able to get by with the high demands of Jane and how this has brought her relationship with Arthur to interrupting point at times. When kid s behavior is doing a break, affinity carers ( as opposed to further carers ) tend to be more willing to persist with the troubles faced by the kid ( Broad and Skinner, 2005, Colton et Al, 2008: 38 ) . It is of import that when analyzing Kinship Care that the result for the kid is mensurable, this could be in footings of regular contact with the birth parent with less supervising. Legislation has a leaning towards procuring long term arrangements, kids who were placed with their grandparents were the least likely to see break when compared with other household or friends ( Hunt et al, 2008 ) . Some arrangements continued with small monitoring or supervising from the societal worker. In other cases societal workers had allowed professional criterions to fall good below what would hold been acceptable to another kid. This can do the kid rights to be compromised as they will non have a service that they are entitled to ( Farmer A ; Moyers, 2005 ) . An assessment involves piecing full and accurate facts about a service user s fortunes and it is indispensable during the assessment procedure that individual being assessed is to the full engaged with the appraisal and as the assessor I am in uninterrupted audience with my supervisor. The information collected must be recorded in a systematic manner to give a clear and accurate apprehension of demands and a possible program of action ( Smale A ; Tuson, 1993 ) . The viability appraisal must pay close attending to the fortunes around the ground why the affinity agreement is needed. Arthur and Joan realise that if they do non take on the function of carers so Jane is likely to be placed with unrelated Foster carers. The appraisal includes the household to look at making a affinity agreement that will at best be acceptable to the kid, the local authorization should see the kid s drawn-out household as an option to the mainstream fosterage system when finishing the appraisal. The Children s Act 1989 directs that where the kid is looked after by the local authorization the kid should be placed with a comparative, friend or important other ( www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk accessed 16/01/2011 ) if this is a feasible option. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 directs that relations must be considered in attention proceedings and in line with Public Law Outline which emphasizes the importance of robust judicial instance direction. The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 has led to developments that promote the kid s public assistance and are likely to increase the usage of arrangements with household members. Over a 15 twelvemonth period from 1989 to 2005 there has been a gradual addition in the Numberss of kids in attention that are fostered with household and important others, from 6 per cent to 12 per cent of looked after kids in England ( Department of Health, 2006 ; DfES, 2004 ) . If a kid is looked after by the Local Authority and is placed with a hous ehold member or important other for a period transcending 6 hebdomads so the carer should be approved as a surrogate carer by the Local Authorities Fostering Panel ( Warwickshire Council 2009 ) . The Local Authority must hold a clearly defined function in enabling the parent of the kid to hold some input in the attention agreements of their kid in conformity with subdivision 20 of the Children s Act 1989. Where the local authorization topographic points kids in affinity attention agreements they besides must measure the affinity carer ( s ) in line with bing statute law that applies to unrelated Foster carers hence have duties to guarantee that the affinity carers receive fiscal support in line with get oning out ordinances ( Warren-Adamson, 2009 ) . The Munby opinion in 2002 set a case in point that local governments must handle affinity carers in the same manner as non related surrogate carers. This means that Warwickshire County Council must measure Arthur and Joan as affinity carers even though they may well already be looking after the kid at the point the appraisal starts. The troubles I experienced as the Fostering Social Worker finishing the appraisal was chiefly around the support, preparation and payment of Kinship Carers. The research besides found that Kinship Carers are improbable to dispute parents lawfully for the affinity of the kid because it can hold a negative impact on the parent s relationship with the Kinship Carers. One of the deductions highlighted by the research papers was that Kinship Carers are improbable to travel for Particular Guardianship Orders due to the decreased payments and support. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation ( JRF ) research found that kinship carers may resent the invasion the appraisal procedure will imply into their lives by statutory services and feel they are being monitored and placed under surveillance ( JRF, 2002 ) . The Joseph Rowntree Foundation ( JRF ) found that unsatisfactory arrangements with household and friend lasted significantly longer than with unrelated carers ( Farmer A ; Moyers, 2008 ) . Local Governments are required under the Children s Act 1989 to run a policy of less intrusive intercession when step ining with households. Argent ( 2009 ) draws attending to the premise that societal workers from non cultural backgrounds tend to presume that households from Black Minority and Ethnic groups would instead pull off the affinity without outside aid or they do non understand the procedure. Argent high spots that some minority groups have a strong sense of affinity without any legal or statutory intercession. There are four types of affinity attention these are determined by the legal position of the kid that is being accommodated Fostered with a household or friend ; Residence Order ; Populating with household and friends and a Particular care order. The viability appraisal I undertook was to measure whether Arthur and Joan were suited to travel on to the following phase of the appraisal, the Particular Guardianship Order. Particular Guardianship Orders were introduced in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to promote flexibleness with respects to the length of the arrangement. This order recognizes that long term fosterage or acceptance might non be an option and that this type of order gives parental duty until the kid is 18. At present there is non a legal demand for Warwickshire Council to research Kinship but the legal model implies that it is a preferable option to private fosterage. A household group conference is called with a position to researching the potency of a household mem ber going a affinity carer ( Hunt et al, 2008 ) . The purpose of the Viability Assessment is to do certain that Jane s demands remain cardinal to the appraisal ( Hunt et al, 2008 ) . Milner and OByrne ( 2002 ) suggest that appraisals can be divided into a figure of phases: Preparation: I gathered information from instance notes and other studies that have antecedently been written, in audience with the Jane s societal worker we agreed on who to interview with respects to people that are a portion of the drawn-out household or wider support web and would be in contact with Jane. Fixing for the interview I ensured that I had the indispensable inquiries and an account of the interview intent along with timescales for the viability procedure. Roll uping informations: I checked on beginnings of written information for factual truth. Weighing the information: I identified spreads, consulted co-workers and began to place any cardinal facts or subjects. Analyzing the information: I considered relevant research grounds and theory. Using the information: I analysed the informations and formed an sentiment as to whether Jane s demands would be met by Arthur and Joan. The result of the above procedure was to do a recommendation to the tribunal. Along with the viability appraisal was the wellness and safety of the belongings that the kid will be populating in besides had to be assessed. . I had to believe about how the separate pieces of information interlink and about their impact on the gramps. It has been suggested it is of import to avoid subjectiveness and non to disregard information that does non suit with preconceived premises: Taking information for granted and non look intoing. Geting stuck with one position, and neglecting to recognize alternate accounts. Pigeonholing state of affairss and solutions to them. Making premises about age, civilization, disablement or any facet of a service user s life. The manner it s done here attack fitting service users into the everyday response of the bureau alternatively of concentrating on the client. Using the appraisal procedure to ration resources or masking their absence, in other words, assessment becomes resource-led instead than needs-led ( Milner and OByrne, 2002 ) . Smale and Tuson ( 1993 ) propose three theoretical accounts of appraisal: aˆ? The oppugning theoretical account: where the worker is seen as expert and follows a set format of inquiries aˆ? The procedural theoretical account: in which the worker gathers information in order to see if bureau standards are met aˆ? The exchange theoretical account: in which the service user is seen as expert in his or her ain state of affairs and the worker helps to supply resources and seeks to maximize possible. In decision, I realise that people change and as a societal worker I need to be cognizant that new information may emerge that causes state of affairss alteration, so I have to see the impact it has on the appraisal. Although the appraisal is frequently viewed as a separate phase to the intercession, it is besides a uninterrupted procedure and there is a demand to constantly re-assess throughout the intercession ( Milner and OByrne, 2002 ) . I used a Task Centered Model for finishing the Viability Assessment as it was a short term ( 6 hebdomads ) job work outing attack with a clear beginning, center and terminal, and has a specific timeframe to finish the assessesment and subject it to the tribunal. I adopted a Solution Focused attack in my intercession as it worked with Arthur and Joan to assist them to look at their strengths and to happen their ain solutions to challenges they may confront. A Solution Focused attack enables people to see better hereafters, it can be used to concen trate on the positives whilst besides accepting that their strengths which are Arthur and Joan s committedness to run intoing Jane s demands for every bit long as she needs them and fact that this can be used as a platform for future long term planning. In pattern I found it hard to take a individual theoretical account as I realized I would be utilizing all three in this instance. First, the Viability Assessment for affinity involved me in the function of expert with a set format of inquiries, and secondly, I was witting of the standards for affinity to enable me to inquire appropriate auxiliary inquiries but in conclusion, I feel that the exchange theoretical account reflects the values of anti-oppressive pattern in that Arthur is placed in a place of control and so that the procedure meets his outlooks every bit good every bit mine as the measuring societal worker. However, as societal workers runing within a statutory scene we must acknowledge that there are force per unit areas to conform to oppugning or procedural theoretical accounts. To work in an anti-oppressive mode is to integrate necessary inquiring, agendas and graduated tables into an appraisal that respects Arthur s expertness in caring for Jane ( Smale and Tuson, 199 3 ) .

Global Warming Cartoon Essays

Global Warming Cartoon Essays Global Warming Cartoon Paper Global Warming Cartoon Paper Global Warming Cartoon Analysis The man holding the sign cannot conclude the effects of climate change just by looking at the climate over a short time span. One heavy snowstorm is not enough evidence to conclude the effects of climate change. It is saying that scientists trying to prove global warming do not research thoroughly enough and often change their point of view. My reaction to this cartoon is that I disagree with the cartoon that we still do not know the effects of global warming. Numerous scientists have found substantial scientific evidence of the correlation of carbon dioxide and global arming. Although the effects of climate change cannot be concluded with the methods that the man holding the sign used, scientific experiments can use methods that take trends into account, making it much more accurate than just looking at the weather over a short period of time. An NBC article by Linda Carroll cites many credible sources of how human caused global warming is real. By comparing todays climate to another similar ancient event, scientists concluded that global warming is real, and we need to do something about it. :

For this assignment, you are to find an article on epidemiology in the

For this assignment, you are to find an on epidemiology in the news - Article Example The researchers studied relations between fast-food /health food eating, and the neighborhood of fast food/healthy food lovers. The participants were more than 5000 middle-aged people from the United States who were asked about the frequency of fast food consumption, the place of its consumption (in the street or in the restaurant) and the place of living. The results of the interrogations were worked out with the aim to determine the connection between active/ not active fast-food consumption and the neighborhood of the fast-food/healthy food lovers. This was compared with the frequency of people’s fast-food consumption near their own homes (Moore, Latetia V.,  Diez Roux,  Ana V., Nettleton Jennifer A., Jacobs, David R. Franco, Manuel, 2009). The results showed that those people who did not consume fast food at all, went on diet very often. In the places, where people like to consume fast-food near their home, the percent of fast food consumption is higher and the cases of going on diet is very seldom (Moore, Latetia V.,  Diez Roux,  Ana V., Nettleton Jennifer A., Jacobs, David R. Franco, Manuel, 2009). Moore, Latetia V.,  Diez Roux,  Ana V., Nettleton Jennifer A., Jacobs, David R. Franco, Manuel. Fast-Food Consumption, Diet Quality, and Neighborhood Exposure to Fast Food. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009, available at

Learning and Development is a Luxury that Organisations Can Afford Essay

Learning and Development is a Luxury that Organisations Can Afford only in Financially Prosperous Times - Essay Example Employers and employees both gain benefit from learning and development. From the viewpoint of employer, learning and development are significant to preserve or develop the knowledge, the abilities and the performances so that they can fulfil the business objectives. From the viewpoint of employees, learning and development help to accomplish performance goals in a successful way. They also deliver an outline to recognise new abilities and knowledge and apply them in the practical work environment. As a result, learning and development can also motivate the employees (ACCA, 2010). One of the most significant assets for every organisation is its employee force. In the modern business environment, knowledge, originality, and passion are crucial differentiators for any organisation or industry. Besides, when it comes to achievement and winning competition, advanced talents and proficiencies in the areas of mechanical, managerial or operational domain become necessary for organisations. Though abilities and knowledge are replaceable in the long-run, the cost of switching employees and providing required training to develop them is huge and it can impact on organisational performance (Mitchell, 2008). Investment in learning and development on a regular basis is significant to retain or ensure lesser employee turnover and inspire them to be involved more in the work and achieve the goals for the organisation. Organisations always require skilled employees who can perform efficiently their allocated tasks. In this rapidly changing business environment, it is extremely necessary to provide effective performance continuously. But the key conflict or constraint with respect to learning and development is the budget. Organisations that are smaller have less money to invest on learning and development. Yet, in present day’s even small organisations have more learning and developmental requirements. Contemporary business environment is different and it comprises of m any innovative technologies which were considered to be science fiction (sci-fi) few years ago. The globalisation is impacting the businesses structures and organisational cultures. New regulations are impacting the working practices, and employees have greater prospects from their companies and working lives. In the workplace, it is necessary for employees to adjust and to react with the fluctuations rapidly and without loss of efficiency. In other words, employees need to understand quickly new tasks, adjust with the new procedures, take additional responsibilities, grasp new technologies and obey the new legal necessities viz. health and security guidelines and data security among others (Clifford & Thorpe, 2007). Learning should be constant with the aim to maintain pace with the business fluctuations. Learning and development cannot be conveyed except when there is growth requirement. Growth requirements arise when employees’ actual performances differ from the desired pe rformances. The central idea of learning is that every person possesses the ability to learn if they are provided with adequate time and support (Clifford & Thorpe, 2007). Learning and development activities can be influenced by several aspects. Certain significant issues that impact on the learning and development are inadequate resources, traditional culture, embedded approach towards training, stress of

(just doin harvard referencing and contents page) Essay

(just doin harvard referencing and contents page) - Essay Example Viewed on February 26, 2014. Buttler, s 2014, â€Å"Shopping by smartphone and tablet in UK increases by 18%,†Viewed on February 26, 2014. Centre for Retail Research n.d, â€Å"Retail in 2018 - Shop numbers, Online and the High Street: A GUIDE TO RETAILING IN 2018 BY THE CENTRE FOR RETAIL RESEARCH,† Gauri, DK, Bhatnagar, A & Rao, R 2008, â€Å"Role of Word of Mouth in Online Store Loyalty: Comparing online store ratings with other e-store loyalty factors,† COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM, vol. 51, no. 3, pp.89-91. Hall, J 2012, â€Å"Britons are biggest online shoppers in developed world,† Viewed on February 26, 2014. Li, N. & Zhang, P. 2002, â€Å"CONSUMER ONLINE SHOPPING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR: AN ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH.† Viewed on February 26, 2014. Lim, HC, Chung, JJ & Pedersen, PM 2012, â€Å"Effects of electronic word-of-mouth messages,† SMIJ, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 56-75. Viewed on February 26, 2014. Lomas, 2013, â€Å"IDC: Tablet Sales Grew 78.4% YoY In 2012 — Expected To Pass Desktop Sales In 2013, Portable PCs In 2014,† Viewed on February 26, 2014. Machado, AT 2015, â€Å"DRIVERS OF SHOPPING ONLINE: A LITERATUREREVIEW,† IADIS International

Effects of Privatization on Performance

Effects of Privatization on Performance This research study investigates the impact of privatization on the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) financial performance which is privatize in 2005.The variables Net Profit Margin, Operating Profit Margin, Return on Assets and Earnings per Share and Number of trades of shares are used as representation for financial performance. The paired-samples t test for mean difference has been used for comparing the pre and post privatization performance. Analysis of the financial data shows decline in the net profit margin, operating profit margins, return on assets and earnings per share after the privatization; but the impact is insignificant for all the variables except the operating profit margin. The effects of privatization on employees performance and management remain a potential problem and issue for further research due to shortage of resources and knowledge. Effect of Privatization on Performance Poor performance of many companies and public institutions in general has shown that in principle the government is not a good businessman. In this regard Privatization, a global phenomenon considered as a tool that leads to economic growth, increase in productivity, efficiency in utilization of resources and expansion in output and employment. The rational consumer takes benefits from competition among private firms in the form of better quality services and low prices especially in banking, air travel and telecommunication sectors. Due to rigidity in our culture, Public Sector companies do not become flexible and more dynamic as compared to Private companies. In general, it can be claimed that privatization is a part of a broader economic policy which is referred to as the economic release or connecting to the world economy by some governments. Privatization is the process of changing the conditions of governmental activities so that the major context is fixed but the atmosphere of the sectors changes and the effect of atmosphere and conditions of markets on companies performance is likely to consider private sectors mechanisms Telecommunication plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. PTCL was privatized in 2005. Due to the privatization of PTCL, overall financial performance and the share prices of the PTCL became volatile. This purpose of this study is to study dynamic aspects of privatization and compare the pre and post privatization financial performance of the company. An overview of PTCL In 1947, after independence, Pakistan had an insufficient telecom base. Only 14,000 land lines were there in whole country and only one department of Telephone and Post Telegraph. In 1962 these two departments were alienated as Postal department and Telephone and Telegraph Department (TT). Pakistan started gradually enhancement in telecommunication sector in 1990. The brief history of PTCL is as follows: Telegraph and Postal Department was established in 1947. Telephone and Telegraph Department was established in 1962. Pakistan Telecom Corporation was established in 1990-1991. PTCL was listed in the Karachi Stock Exchange in 1996. Internet and mobile subsidiaries was established in 1998. Policies of Telecom sectors were finalized in 2000. Deregulation policy of Telecom sector was announced in 2003. Objectives of Research This research study aims to examine the effect of firms privatization on the performance of the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL). The objectives of the study are as follows: To evaluate impact of privatization on the financial performance of PTCL. To understand whether privatization how much privatization is effective To help policy makers and other authoritative bodies regarding decision making about privatization. Literature Review Memon (2007) argue that privatization and the preparations for privatization are very important to minimize the social costs and dislocations caused by such initiative. Most South Asian countries have come to realize that privatization for the purpose of reducing fiscal deficits has caused them to off-load those enterprises which are loss making first. Such action has not inspired private sector confidence, and has resulted in large-scale worker retrenchment. Privatization is the key factor that enables markets to work properly and appropriately. According to Megginson Netter (2006) from last two decades most countries of the world shifted their firms from state ownership to privatization. In 1999 the revenue of privatization firms was $ 1 trillion around the globe. Given the importance of the subject, a lot of studies have been performed to analyze the impact of privatization in a number of countries. Taghizadeh (2009) compared 12 privatized telecom corporations with 12 non-privatized (governmental) ones regarding their per capita cost of operating, per capita cost to fix damages and per capita wage and costs of labor maintenance and conclude that the costs were lower in privatized centers regarding all three above mentioned domains. A recent study (Farinos et al., 2007) while investigating the companies privatized in Spain through the years 1990-2001 argue that privatization has had a great impact on efficiency, sale income and employment. Warzynski (2003) in his study of 300 Ukrainian firms finds that competition does not have a significant effect on firm performance measured by productivity and profitability while privatization has a marginal positive significant effect on profitability and an insignificant effect on productivity. He points out; however, that competition and privatization might be complementary measures, as he finds that competition increases the performance of privatized firms. Boubakri et al. (2005) study the post privatization corporate governance of firms and show that performance gains are associated with the type of dominant owners. Choi and Hassan (2011) argue that Privatized banks, on average, perform better than established banks, whereas this is not true where we do not consider country differences across privatizations. They conclude that although governance and foreign ownership are significantly correlated with decreased performance deviation of privatized banks relative to the established bank group, banking freedom (regulations) and extensive deposit insurance schemes in respective economies are associated with increased performance deviation. A recent study (Okten Arin, 2006) on the effect of privatization argues privatized firms improve productive efficiency by increasing their capita l and decreasing their labor endowment. But this effect disappears when we control for changes in market structure using a measure for market concentration. Hence, while private ownership has a robust positive effect on productive efficiency, whether gains in productivity will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices will depend on the market structure ensuing from privatization. Kerr et al., (2008) studied the privatization process in New Zealand and Australia through which they confirmed that the performance of companies after being privatized has improved greatly and privatization has increased the annual growth of New Zealand companies up to 12% and Australian companies up to 9%. Another study (Sarboland, 2012) conducted in Iran conclude that privatization has increased the overall financial performance of the corporation, however financial (debt) leverage ratios also increase, which reflects the companys poor performance in the years after privatization because in such a situation creditors will have less assurance and, moreover, in the view of lenders the less financial (debt) leverage ratio, the better. Some research studies found average performance after reforms, whereas, some studies found positive effect of reforms. However, most of the literature suggests that there is a significant relation between privatization and efficiency and due to the importance and the role that privatization has in increasing efficiency and optimum use of resources, more research is needed to confirm or reject the findings of previous studies. To do so, this current study has been tried to investigate the relation between privatization and efficiency in PTCL. Methodology The study basically focuses on the impact of Privatization on the financial performance of PTCL. Since the domain is PTCL, financial ratios of years 2000-2004 (before being privatized) and financial ratios of years 2005-2009 (after being privatized) have been analyzed, research population and sample are the same. Information and data needed for this research has been collected from the annual reports of PTCL. Since used data was obtained from company documents and financial records and accounting, the data is considered reliable. For measuring financial performance the following four variables have been used: Operating Profit Margin Net Profit Margin Return On Equity Earnings per share Number of Share trade In this study, to analyze data obtained from documents available in finance department, first, after separating and identifying the data of two periods (i.e., after and before privatization), the paired-samples t test for mean difference has been applied to analyze the data. This test explains volatility and significance of the variables, with the assumptions that the distribution of the variable is normal and that the variance of the variable is same in both set of populations. The test id done with help of Microsoft excel and SPSS. Analysis and Findings Refer to Table.1 in appendix, the shows summary of result of Paired-samples t test for the variable operating profit margin. Mean value of the operating profit margin is lower in the post privatization period. On the other hand, standard deviation is higher in the post privatization period as compared to pre privatization period. It indicates that privatization has negative impact on the net profit margin; moreover, it has also become more volatile after privatization. Whereas, the significant value is less than 0.05 which indicates that significant change has been observed in the operating profit margin after privatization. Refer to Table. 2, 3, 4 in appendix, the result shows summary of result of Paired-samples t test for the variable Net Profit Margin, Return on Equity, and Earning per Share respectively. Results show that all of these three variables have declined after privatization, and have become more volatile. The significance value is greater than 0.05 which indicates that changes in these variables are not statistically significant. Refer to Table. 5 in appendix, the result summarizes result of paired t test for the variable Number of trades. The mean value of the Number of trades is almost double in the post privatization whereas, the standard deviation for the number of trades is high in the post privatization period. P or significant value for the variable Number of Trades is highly significant as it is less than .005 indicating that the number of trades per day is significantly affected due to privatization. Conclusion Based on the results obtained, it was shown that there is a significant effect of privatization on the average number of trades of shares. This effect is being found positive as well. However, Analysis of the financial data shows decline in the financial performance of the company after privatization measured by operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on equity and earnings per share ratio. These entire four variables show decline in the post privatization period but the change is significant only in the variable operating profit margin. Hence we can conclude that privatization of PTCL has not been found analytically favorable. It is recommended, based on the result of the research, the legislative agencies should make appropriate policies to achieve a suitable market for Pakistan. Information clarification, choice of investor and a transparent privatization process should be the top priorities of authoritative bodies in order to make privatization more effective and effic ient. As suggested by Zeitun and Tian (2007) a privatization reform should go gradually and government should provide all necessary social securities to reduce the negative social impact of a firms liquidation. Issues for Future Research Many issues are not covered during the study due to shortage of resources and time. Based on the findings of the current research the following suggestions are recommended for further research: To examine the relation between privatization and management performance. To examine the impact of privatization on employees sense of job security. To examine the failures of financial ratios in decision makings. To examine the analysis of financial ratios in decision makings. To examine the impact of privatization on staffs efficiency.

Basque and Kosovo: A quest for freedom

In the latter part of the 1990’s, the region of Kosovo gained international media attention when the armies of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic were deployed with the purpose of crushing the desire of the majority Albanian initiative for independence (BBC News 4, 2006).In the chronology of the 20th century, the two opposing sides in the country, Serbs and the native Albanians, had launched attempts to wrest control of the volatile region (BBC, 2006). Yugoslavia was then known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes before the onset of the First World War (BBC 3, 2008).In 1929, the state was reconstituted to the name Yugoslavia (BBC 3, 2008). Though an ethnically diverse autonomous state, tribal irritation was still very prevalent (BBC 3, 2008). During the leadership of Josip Broz Tito, the province of Kosovo and Vojodina was accorded autonomy by the government (BBC 3, 2008). But after Tito’s demise, the country began to disintegrate (BBC 3, 2008). It should be noted that the Serbians constituted only a small fraction of the entire population, the province of Kosovo was held in high reverence by the Serbs (BBC 4, 2006).To the Serbs, Kosovo was the bassinet of the heritage, erudition and their identity (BBC 4, 2006). In the constitution of the former Yugoslavia, the fundamental law set the parameters of the state of Kosovo as a semi-independent province of Serbia (BBC 4, 2006). The movement for independence began to gain stem in the 1980’s with the demise of then Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito (BBC 4, 2006). The portents of trouble in the Kosovo province started in the powder keg town of Mitrovica (BBC 1, 2008).Two hand grenades were lobbed at the two world bodies’ buildings (BBC 1, 2008). The first grenade exploded in the vicinity of a United Nations edifice, the other failing to explode at the new offices of the European Union delegation (BBC 1, 2008). In the former Yugoslav capital city of Belgrade, protestors hurled roc ks and destroyed windows in the United States embassy office as crowd control forces attempted to defend against an estimated 1,000 protestors (BBC 1, 2008). The US embassy was not totally caught off guard (BBC 2, 2008).The American diplomatic building was empty at the time the rioters began their assault on the complex (BBC 2, 2008). Many foreign states had been wary that the security authorities in the country would do much of anything to try and establish control of the situation (BBC 2, 2008). The primary factor that became the trigger in the minds of the protesters was by twin events (BBC 2, 2008). First, the rioters were incensed by the promulgation of the Kosovo province of their independence (BBC 2, 2008).The other was the rapid action of the United States and many other countries to officially recognize the new nation (BBC 2, 2008). In a moment, history was made for the people of Kosovo (BBC 1, 2008). Premier Hashim Thaci declared that the new independent nation would be fo unded on respecting the rights of all native groups in the province (BBC 1, 2008). In the 1990’s various movements for the securing of independence was established on the principles of non violent aggression (BBC 4, 2008). In 1991, tribal Albanians leaders had on its won declared independence for their state (BBC 4, 2008).In the summer of 1998, many Albanians were beginning to stage protest actions against the authority of Serbia (BBC 4, 2008). As the increasing protests grew, Milosevic sent police and army contingents in the region to destroy the independence movement (BBC 4, 2008). 1999 saw the international trying to broker and finalize an accord for the restoration of order in the troubled region (BBC 4, 2008). The accord was accepted with reservations by the tribal Albanians but was turned down by Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic (BBC 4, 2008). Basque: protecting a language and a way of lifeIf the struggle in Kosovo was centered on the conflict of losing a cultural and national center, the Euskera-speaking Basques have been trying to defend their use of their language (BBC 5, 1999). For many millennia, the people of the Basque region in Spain have focused the main primer of their struggle on the preservation of their language and culture (BBC 5, 1999). But the history of the Basques as a people has been a mystery to many (BBC 5, 1999). Even their language, Euskera, is not connected with any of the Indo-European language groups spoken in the rest of European continent (BBC 5, 1999).Not only is the preservation of their native language at the core of the struggle of the Basque people, but also its defense (BBC 5, 1999). When democracy was revived in Spain after the 1975 demise of Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, the language has since began to thrive and flourish (BBC 5, 1999). Of the estimated 2. 5 million Basques, Euskera is spoken by 30 percent of the population (BBC 5, 1999). An overwhelming majority of Basque children take up the lang uage at schools teaching Eukera (BBC 5, 1999). The earliest history of the Basque people pictures them as hardy and belligerent warriors (BBC 5, 1999).They fought off many invading armies from their territories (BBC 5, 1999). This they accomplished against the mighty Roman Empire, the ferocious Vikings and the Germanic tribe of the Visigoths, as well as Muslim trespassers (BBC 5, 1999). Hence many of the invading forces chose to steer away from the region (BBC 5, 1999). Also, Basques have developed the image of fearsome fisher folk (BBC 5, 1999). They were believed to have constructed vessels that they used to travel large swaths of ocean to fish for whales and cod fish (BBC 5, 1999).It was also believed that the Basques landed on the North American continent centuries before the discovery of the continent by Christopher Columbus (BBC 5, 1999). Ironically, a great number of the crew of Columbus’ ships was comprised of Basques (BBC 5, 1999). The struggle for an independent hom eland began during the incumbency of Spanish strongman General Francisco Franco (BBC 5, 1999). In the Spanish Civil War during the 1930’s, the Basques opposed the Nationalist armies of Franco sent to crush them (BBC 5, 1999). In anger, Franco declared the regions and its provinces as renegades (BBC 5, 1999).Franco found the task of crushing the nation difficult, and this is where the armed schismatic group, the ETA, or Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, was formed (BBC 6, 2008). The ETA began as a student protest group in the 1960’s fiercely opposed to the stifling military rule (BBC 6, 2008). During the rule of General Franco, the Eureska language was interdicted, their unique culture was outlawed and members of the academe were incarcerated and persecuted (BBC 6, 2008). In the ensuing years of the struggle of the ETA, 820 people, many of them members of Spain’s police and politicians at odds with the demands of the ETA (BBC 6, 2008).Both the Basque state and the region of Catalonia have more than just their standing being components of Spain (Jason Richard Young, 2008). These two entities also want to have a greater separation from that larger political body (Young, 2008). The history for the drive of independence in the Basque region originate in the 7th century, with the Catalonia cause coming in at around the 10th and the 13th centuries (Young, 2008). How are they similar with the Yugoslav independence movement? Both of the movements in Spain and Yugoslavia were floundered nationalism (Young, 2008).Both of the movements flopped in the integration of their ethnic components to a singular common identity (Young, 2008). The nationalisms of Serbia and the Basques were conceived as political machinations (Young, 2008). These were conceptualized as programs to preserve and protect their individual erudite associations form infiltration from assimilation from other groups, as well as recognition as a distinct ethnic state (Young, 2008). The French withd rawal from the Pyrenees in 1530 has somewhat built a wall of separation among the Spanish and French Basques (Robert Clark, 1979).References BBC 1. (2008). Kosovo MP’s proclaim independence. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7249034. stm BBC 2. (2008). Serbia faces crossroads over Kosovo. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7258842. stm BBC 3. (2008). How Yugoslavia vanished from maps. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7251376. stm BBC 4. (2006). Flashbacks to Kosovo’s war. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/5165042. stm BBC 5. (1999).Analysis: Basque pride. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/548545. stm BBC 6. (2008). Who are ETA? Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/3500728. stm Clark, R. P. (1979). The Basques, the Franco years and beyond. Nevada, U. S. A: Univ ersity of Nevada Press. Young, J. R. (2008). Nationalism and ethnicity as identity politics in Eastern Europe and the Basque country. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from https://circle. ubc. ca/bitstream/2429/2262/1/ubc_2009_spring_young_jason. pdf