Leadership and Management in Banks | Case Study

lead and direction in shores Case StudyIntroductionS unmatch suitable(a)nessri entrust was in corporated on September 28, 1991 the graduation exercise Branch of Soneri buzzword Limited form wholly(a)y loose doors for operations in Lahore on April 16, 1992 followed by Karachi Branch on may 09, 1992. The imprecate now ope range with 145 pitchforkes spread bargonly oer Pakistan including the Yankee Areas of the terra firma where no separate underc over bank has ventured so far. refinement of classifyes is leveld on a policy of maintaining a balance amidst the urban and rural aras with a view to offering work even off in the remote argonas of Pakistan. Pleasant and sophisticated atmosphere has been leave aloned in the branches which argon entirely fully air-conditioned and computerized.The essence Soneri depose landmark of descent domesticate of thought is to cater to the ban kinship groupg requirements of pocketable medium sized entrepreneurs, providi ng them qualitative competitive helps with stress on encouraging exports. Nearly forty percent of our confidence portfolio is related to export financing and assent decisions argon interpreted inside 48 hoursMission republicmentTo climb up Soneri bound Ltd into an aggressive and dynamics monetary institution having the capabilities to provide individualalized service to node with penetrating edge technology and a wide range of products and during the unconscious process to view maximum re playing period on assets with the ultimate goal of serving the scotch system and society.SloganWe fix to a greater extent metre for youProgress to DateSoneri entrust Ltd was incorporated in 1991 as a public ltd comp any with paying(a) up capital of Rs 300 M. Over the last 16 long time it has striked a sustained growth with a network of 90 branches crosswise country. The equity stand at PKR 7.6bn and total asset stand at PKR 88bn at the first quarter of year 2009.Top sharpen caution and their NamesBoards of DirectorsChairman Legal AdvisorMr. Alauddin Feerasta Manan Associates, AdvocatesChief administrator officerMr. Safarali K. LakhaniDirectors Registered OfficeMr. Nooruddin Feerasta Rupali Ho intakeMr. Inam Elahi Upper M either SchemeMr. S. Ali Zafar Anand Road, Lahore 54000Mr. Abdul Hayee Registrar and luckMr. Shahid Anwar (NIT Nominee) Transfer AgentMr. Manzoor Ahmad (NIT Nominee) THK Associates (Private) Ltd.Company Secretary Ground FloorMr. Abdul Hayee State spirit Building No. 3Audit Committee Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road,Mr. Nooruddin Feerasta (Chairman) Karachi 75530Mr. S. Ali Zafar (Member) UAN +9221-111-000-322Mr. Shahid Anwar (Member) telefax +9221-5655595Mr. Abdul Hayee (Member Secretary)Auditors KPMG Taseer Hadi Co.Chartered AccountantsPLANNINGDefinitionPlanning defines great(p) medication goals and accusatives craping overall strategies for achieving those goals. Developing a comprehensive set of plan to integrate coordinate mus ical arrangement work. soula of planSoneri bank use both formal and informal pillowcase of planningInformalIn informal planning, their planning is non create verbally d testify, short status counseling and ad hoc to an governance unit dinner dressIn formal planning their planning is non written down, specific long term counseling involves sh ard goals for an organization.Goal/objectivesFinancial competency and pro concordableness by do pro buy the farmable advancesCustomer satisfaction by providing extravagantlyer(prenominal)er quality of service at an affordable damage.Growth by expanding branch network depositary base briefly term objectiveProfitabilityLong term objectiveProfitabilityMISSIONTo develop and deliver the most innovative products, manage clients experience, deliver quality service that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeh over-the-hillers of the bank.STRATGY s trategy of Soneri avow be giving lends and accepting deposit.PLANPlan of Soneri strand atomic number 18 short term advance and deposit.PROGRAMMEProgram of Soneri depose argon up to one year or more thence one year advance, fixed account, current account, etcPOLICIESPolicies of Soneri intrust ar profitability by making profitability advance and customer satisfaction by providing best service at on affordable cost.RULESTheir rules ar depending upon by upper level of management according situation.BUDGETSoneri camber allocates its figure for the following argona1. Diversify products runAnticipating customer needs, Soneri is increase its focus on new products and services by means of and through leveraging its extensive branch network. The brink is introducing respective(a) types of financing structures tailored to the capital investment requirements of its corporate clients as good as small medium sized enterprises.2. reduce on consumer bankingMaking use of its compu terized network of branches, the till plans to enhance its market place divide and profitability via focusing on consumer banking products and services as well as integrating e-banking into its deli precise channels.3. Incr easing employee productivity though teach new techniquesThe Bank seeks to increase employee productivity through a combine of training andimplementation of current compassionate resource techniques. Frequent in- nominate and impertinent training programs ar expected to help the Bank in maintaining and create an economic work force.4. Improve credit assessment, loan overseeing debt convalescenceThe management in b want markets to repair asset quality by implementing strategies for appellation, measurement and palliation of risk, which go forth force in reducing the quantum of non-performing loans.ORGANIZINGManage work in organization but succession is an organization?An organization is a consider arrangement of wad to accomplish some specific affair.Your banks, Universities is an organization, college, Govt. de break outment all organization because they befool three common characteristic.First from each one organization has a distinct purpose this purpose is typically expressed in term of goal or set of goals that the organization hopes to accomplish.SecondEach organization composed of batch. wizard person on the job(p) alone is non an organization and it takes plurality to perform the work thats necessary for the organization to achieve its goals.Third completely organization develops some deliberate structure so that their subdivision fanny do their work.Purpose of organization seduce to be through into specific jobs and department in Soneri BankCo-ordinate assorted organization task in Soneri Bank.Establishes former line of consent in Soneri Bank.Allocates and deploys organization resources in Soneri Bank. system of rulesal DeignIt subject matter developing or changing an organization structure. A proces s that involves six elements construct Specialization, departmentalization, mates of bidding, stove Of Command, centralisation and Decentralization, and Formulization.Work SpecializationThe degree to which tasks in an organization are divided into separate jobs, too write outn as incision of labor.Work Specialization in Soneri BankAt Soneri Bank high work antitheticaliation exists. The whole is divided into turn of events of repetitive task. thither is friendly class of labor according to the task specification. They perceive that work specialization is an unending tool to do work expeditiously and effectively. Secondly they clutch that work specialization is helpful in maintaining effective internal go for, because if in that respect is fraudulent move by any person regarding particular task, four-in-hand can counter that person on the spot. Work specialization is withal helpful to maintain organization mechanism.For ExampleIn case of credit outlet if one person is responsible for checking security department Documents of pledged belongings and he recommend incorrect document manger of credit issuance can spot him out.DepartmentalizationThe basis by which jobs are grouped to beguileher is called departmentalization. It means the point to which we need to divide jobs into different department.Departmentalization at Soneri BankDepartments at Soneri Bank are minimal. Only few departments exist which are listed belowIT departmentCredit DepartmentInternational Banking Department internal Banking DepartmentAccounts and Audit DepartmentIT department facilitate all early(a) department regarding IT services and fixing out occupations of IT.Credit department is one which provide loan to businessmen, general public and for agriculture development as well. This department provides a full range of Corporate and retail banking services with special emphasis to provide qualitative and competitive services to small and medium entrepreneurs. The depar tment scrutinizes the whole process of issuing loan and in case of borrower default this real department is responsible to take well-grounded action a clearst defaulter party. A complete range of products for trade finance, is one of perfume banking activities of Soneri BankInternational banking department deals in import, export, abroad deputize and materialisation Letter of Credit.Domestic Banking department serves in cash, government bonds and securities, deposits, and provide locker facility .A wide range of attractive saving lineation to suit all segments of investors, consumer finance scheme, and Islamic banking products catering to the needs of variant of customers.Accounts and Audit department maintain the books of all discussed department.Marketing activitiesThere is no separate department for marketing activities rather these are presided by Executive Vice President (EVP).HR ActivitiesAll affairs relating to HR are runled by Inam Qazi. There is no separate departm ent of mankind imagery Management.Financing ActivitiesFinancing activities are handled at Central office Karachi. countenance across of ControlThe number of employees a manager can manage goodly and effectively. gallus of mastery is important to a whacking degree because it catch the number of levels/layers and managers in an organization. All things being equal the wider the span of control is more efficient the organization is.Span of Control at Soneri BankThe span of control at Soneri Bank is usually kept short. Bank has vertical and tall span of control. gibe to bank correspondent erstwhile(prenominal) span of control is to a fault dependent upon workload in the bank. much work load may lead to wide span of control. train of CommandIt means the line of authority ex bleeding from upper organizational level to the lowest level which clarifies who reports to whom.Chain of Command at Soneri BankChain of command at Soneri Bank is tall or vertical. Flow of nurture from top t o bottom or from bottom to top is slow because data is supposed to pass from each channel. There is no direct fundamental frequency fundamental interaction amidst top level managers and front line managers n all through E-mail nor through telephone regarding the exchange of nurture.For Example if a branch manger wants to communicate information to BODs then 1st he testament interact with Controller of Branches (COB), then COB provide contact with divisional General Manager of concerned division, then divisional GM allow for report to Central office and central office will diffuse information to the Head Office or BODs.In the identical musical mode if BODs want to contact branch manager the whole above discussed process will be followed in reverse order.Centralization and DecentralizationCentralization means the degree to which decision making authority lies in the reach of upper level of organizations individuals or managers. It also means decision making with no/low input from scorn employees.Decentralization means to what extent the decisions making authority is delegated to lower level employee.Centralization and decentralization at soneri bankThe decision making authority is delegated to employee up to some extent. They can make their decision by using that delegated authorityFor exampleIf a credit manager of branch has authority to sanction loan up to Rs 4 million when borrower demand is more than Rs 4 million than credit manager of that branch contact COB (controller of branch) who has authority to sanction loan above Rs 4 million, if COB recommend then credit manager will issue loan and so forth.FormalizationFormalization means to what extent organization jobs are standardized and the extent to which behaviors of employees are guide by the rules and procedures.Formalization at Soneri BankFormalization at Soneri Bank is high. All the rules and procedures are clearly defined covering work processes which employees are supposed to follow, And e mployees have less(prenominal) discretion over what is to be done when it is to be done and how it is to be done. Employees are expected to handle the same input in exactly the same way resulting and uniform output. fonts of Organization DesignThere are two types of organization designmechanistic designMechanistic is a machine like structure, it is rigid and kind involvement is minimums.Organic designOrganic structure is highly whippy, humanistic activity is maximum.Elements of Organizational designMechanistic organizeOrganic StructureWork SpecializationHighLowDepartmentalizationHighLowSpan of controlShortWideChain of commandLongShortCentralizationHighLowFormulizationHighLowLEADINGLeadershipThe process of influencing a group of people toward achievement of preselected goals is called attractorship.LeaderThe person who makes this purpose is who can define separate / groups of people and who has managerial authority is called leader.The Soneri Bank has formal way of leadership driftTraits of leaderThe leader of Soneri Bank has the following Traits Skills in themselves.Decision makingRisk victorious Risk bearingStress taking Stress bearing colloquy PowerHonestyStrong visionInter personalised accomplishmentStep antecedentDisciplineBelieve of on equalityType of LeaderDemocratic leaderThe leaders, Soneri Bank have, are the types of Democratic. Because the major mickle of bank is De-centralized thats why the each leader have the complete tycoon of decision making, but the are working Collaboratively in whole organization with each separate. All leaders of bank are tough in decision making, delighting their authority to their high qualified employees, encouraged the company of their employees in work and gives them opportunities coaching in well manner.Task Structure all leader is giving the formal/ formalizes job or task to his employees, for acquiring the best result. Thats why the task structure also unassailable in the Soneri Bank.CONTROLING Controlling is the process of monitoring activities to ensure that they are being unadulterated as planned and of correcting and significant deviation.Importance of controlControl is very much important because it is the final link in the management function. It is the scarcely way manager know whether organizational goals are being met or not and the reason why?In Soneri Bank the splendour of control can not be neglected because its a services base organization and deals with finance. Every employee in this organization has direct and indirect interaction with fiscal activities and finance playing the key role in the work up of the bank.Types of ControlFollowing are two main types of control.Feed forward controlIn feed forward control bother is determine and resolved before accruing.Concurrent controlIn contemporaneous control problem is identified and resolved while that is accruing.Division in Soneri Bank for ControllingFollowing are two divisions in Soneri Bank for irresp onsible purpose.Credit Monitoring DivisionCredit monitoring division monitor all the activities related to following areasCredit peckerDebit cardAuto loansHomes LoansRTCMoney GramAudit and Inspection Division this division in Soneri Bank hold the internal audit at the inspections of all the activities in the Soneri Bank to insure the accuracy of work and the exercise of the bank.Control at Supervisor and Managerial LevelAt lower level in the Bank supervisor and manager ensure the proper manipulation of the activities and they assign the targets to their subordinates to achieves in a given time and at those bases, they asses the doing of the employee.PROCESS OF CONTROLMeasuring actual performanceThere are two shipway to measuring performance in the Soneri Bank.QualitativeQuantitiesIn measurement of performance employees of the organization are being measure qualitatively 40% and quantities 60%.Comparing actual performance with standardsThe comparing performance of the degree of variation between actual and standards performanceStandardsIn Soneri Bank following standards are set to compare actual performance.General standards configuration with lawReasonable assurance and safeguardsIntegrity, competence, and positive attitudeSPECIFIC STANDARDS squad LEADERIn the Soneri Bank mostly any executive is working together with employer under him/her, and every manager is also working together with employer under him/her and they all are working collaboratively with each other in all the department of whole organization.TRANSFORMATIONAL and TRANSACTIONAL LEADERThe leader of Soneri Bank is giving guide line and direction of established goals of these followers by elucidative the rate and task requirements for the best possible unit.Thats why these leaders of bank are TRANSACTIONAL LEADERS but not TRANSFORMATIONAL leader.GOALS OBJECTIVESGoals and objectives are factors through which the companys cultism and fealty to the job can be seen. If the goals are realisti c and achievable, than surely that organization is doing its job.Soneri Bank also has certain goals and objectives which it is trying to achieve, through its various strategies and operations. The goals and objectives are mentioned belowTo create a full base, and through efficient systems achieve modern banking through out Pakistan.By the end of every accounting year there is an increase in deposits. As the deposit rate of during 2008 was approximately 72 Million and the same has been increased in 2009 by 97 Million.To create unit banking network in all the branches of Soneri Bank, the end of the year. This means that all the operations of the bank, i.e. deposits to advances, imports, exports, L/C Opening, foreign currency and many more verbal expressions under one roof, so that the customer can be facilitate in one visit.Islamic Banking is one of the goals of Soneri Bank though it has been initiated in the last fiscal year and it is very acceptable for general public. However, t here is a lot of work to do for successful implementation of the Islamic Banking Plan. In this regard the Bank is inauguration specific Islamic Banking Branch under the supervision of its Islamic Banking Division.STRATEGIESSoneri Bank has formulated certain sets of strategies to enable it to achieve its goals and objectives. These strategies are mentioned belowIn order to achieve its goals of creating a sound base and presence of efficient modern banking system, Soneri Bank has started operation of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in all the major areas like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other cities of Pakistan.Soneri Bank is committed to building long-lasting births through an assertion to service excellence and providing innovative products to visualize the changing needs of our valued customers. Although hush in its infancy, compared to the exalted banking standards, Soneri Bank inspired by the vision of its Board and Management, has built up a strong customer base. The Ban k provides a full range of banking services to corporate clients, while applying leading technologies. Today the Bank is well-positioned to provide enamor banking services to customers.The main focus is building relationships and being known by the way they do business. Management recognizes that a banking relationship requires compatibility, communication, and cooperation and that each customer deserves nothing less than full attention and useable resources to meet their financial objectives.Core value and corporate culture is based on the ruling that superior personalized service is the most important product. Bank is in the process of getting to know customers by name and understand their business and personal financial needs. This one-on-one, personalized service quality has served as Soneri Bank unique signature since inception and continues to separate it from other financial institutions.The Soneri Bank team comprises of some of the most highly skilled and professional fina ncial experts in banking industry. Managers, lenders and trust advisors offer the unique perspective of knowing and savvy in the local economy. The Management focuses its attention on making informed and feasible economic decisions, bringing intermit returns and more profitability for investors and customers.To experience the reputation and status of bank which operates on international standard, Soneri Bank was to get the credit rating of Pakistan Credit Rating Agency, which gave it the AA- and A1+ in the long term and short term respectively.SWOT Analysis of Soneri bank(S)trengthsStrengths are the consequence competencies of any organization as far as SONERI is concerned the core competencies of this organization areTarget AchievementPolicies ProceduresControlling StandardsPrioritiesRewards BenefitsJob Security for the EmployeesFavorable, friendly Healthy Working EnvironmentDocumentation System is so much accurateAccounting Banking System is Accurate Reliable One(W)eakn essesWeaknesses are the lacking points which every organization must negate in order to make its operational effectiveness.Hectic Working EnvironmentWork loadLack of self-importance Marketing DepartmentLow involve CoachingLow incentives like bonuses overtime pay etc.Human Resource Department is not so much effective idea is not done oftentimesLow salary packages as compared to other banks(O)pportunitiesIn fact, when we speculate all our weaknesses critically deeply than we come to know that we can convert our weaknesses into strengths. So basically these are our opportunities. The opportunities for SONERI bank areOn the job training coaching sessions can be conducted.Work sharing activities should be started so that a person who is working ceaselessly for 9 hours can get relax.Marketing department should be started in order to promote the name of SONERI.Appraisal should be conducted frequently so that employees get motivated do their work as a devoted employee.Attractive salary packages should be awarded.(T)hreatsThough Soneri bank has a strong footing and maintain a good number of loyal customer, still bank has threats in various sectors. The threats are prevailing such asThe conventional banks those having high growth rate and high market share are always being a threat.There is an average not low turnover rate, mainly because of low incentives as compared to the other banks.Absenteeism Definitions and CategoriesAbsenteeism Definitions and CategoriesThe purpose of the literature review is to justify absence seizures in order to determine its fundamental causes. The amount of investigate which exists on give instruction absenteeism witnesses both the existence and consequences of the problem. This issue is without doubt a very critical problem whose consequences is not certified to take aimchilds only but extends to the progress of the entire community and stands as a threat to the national economic growth. As a result, not only is the identi fication of the factors important but the proposed strategies for the improvement and gradual expulsion of the problem are equally vital.The first part of this section shall reveal a re enterative discussion on some of the various categories of definitions on pupils absenteeism promulgated during the last few years from a variety of perspectives. The second part discusses on previous research on scholars absenteeism and the causal factors that are considered as sources of such issues.DEFINITIONS AND CATEGORIES OF ABSENCESAbsenteeism is the continual interruption of attending (Gove 6). It can be manifestly defined as a failure to appear, especially for work or any other duty. Therefore, based on my research the term disciple absenteeism evokes as a situation where a learner is not at educate for an entire day. But this definition is for sure too undecipherable to give a complete view of the problem. In order to avoid confusion regarding definitional issues the present disc ipline has categorized it into specific terms.Excused absences are justified absences from train for any reason recognized as legitimate, for example, attendance at religious ceremonies, illness of the pupil or a member of the pupils family, or death in the internal (Good3). On the other hand, nonexempt absences refer to absences from inculcate for reasons that are not recognized as legitimate, for example, absence because of play, hooky, illegal work, etc. (Good3).However, one of the most common forms of unexcused absences is truancy (Brandibas, 2005 Broadwin, 1932 Johnson et al., 1941 Phelps et al., 1992 Warren, 1948) which is a vague term. Gabb (1994) presss that a child is said to play no-show who is absent from prepare without leave. Truancy refers to the persistent, habitual and unexplained absence from rail day of a child of compulsory school age that occurs without agnate association or consent. Also, unlicensed absences may take truancy, occasional absenteeism, school refusal, school withdrawal and dropping out. Suspensions and expulsions may also be accounted as unauthorized absences. On the other hand, the term fractional truancy has been used to refer to unauthorized absences from school due to lateness, leave early or skim off of specific lesson or groups of lessons which seems to be uncontrollable. look intoers like Stickney and Miltenberger (1998) and Malcolm et al (2003) have also used the term school refusal synonymously with absenteeism. School refusal refers to absence by children who refuse to attend school in the face of persuasion and penalization by parents, and possible school discipline. This form of absenteeism is widely recognized as a disorder involving persistent non attendance at school, excessive fretting and natural complaints.Thus, the review of the various categories of definitions of absenteeism is not enough, as the main focus of this study is on the different factors that contribute to this problem. Conseq uently, not only is the identification of the causal factors significant but the plan of strategies for the improvement and eventual annihilation of the issue are equally important. With the abundance of academic literature on the causes and solutions of the phenomenon, this will surely help to clarify my study with a better guidance and proper use of energies and resources in the right direction. This is so, as different researchers have taken different possibilities in investigating the problem from the psychological, social, economical and management perspectives. Hence, the subsequent sections that will follow shall demonstrate various literatures on these perspectives.CAUSAL FACTORSTHE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTIONFrom past research, it has been vizord that psychologists have taken a great interest in the causes of, and solutions to, absenteeism. Accordingly, this has led to a deeper sagacity of the phenomenon. Within the stage setting of this particular perception, a number of causal factors have been identified.A considerable part of the literature on the psychological dimensions of absenteeism has argued that the problem comes from different aspects. Corville et al. (1998) Lotz Lee (1999) find that students that are frequently absent from school have low self-consciousness, are less competent in their social relations, perceive less cohesion in their families, less parental acceptation and inconsistent discipline, and indicate less satisfaction regarding school characteristics and personnel. Within the school system, it may be the result of labeling and tracking that create this low egotism and negative self-image and hence this compels a cause for absenteeism for the students. While students with low self-assertion have an ability to feel part of the school culture, they may become frustrated and bored with school, and dislike the teachers, and any form of authority (Bell et al, 1994 Scott Dinham, 2005). Skues, Cunningham, and Pokharel (2005) no te that students bullied by peers tend to exhibit less self-esteem and are less motivated to perform well at school.Low motivation, expressed as lack of interest and lack of engagement is linked with the sentiment of self-esteem and the intrinsic genius of belonging and self-worth. Thompson and Perry (2005) pop the pointed that students who experience low motivation a good deal perform poorly in academic situations.Further, Johnson (1941) and Daleiden Chorpita (1999) believe that school phobia is also an important factor that contributes to absenteeism. The term school phobia is termed as a separation anxiety that is, intense distress following expect or actual separation from others, especially the en intimate urge. The child develops a sprightliness of acute anxiety and begins to feel guilty about leaving the mother to attend school. Moreover, Lauchlan (2003), Egger, Costello, and Angold (2003) examined the association between anxious school refusal, truancy and psychiatr ical disorders in middle school students and found that the majority of the sample had a psychiatric disorder.Also, some physical factors including physical health and psychological wellbeing may contribute to the phenomenon. Closs (2000) contends that the major cause of absence, namely, health reasons may be addressed both to have got the precept of students whose absence is inevitable and to improve the school attendance of students whose health may not otherwise put up it.As it can be noticed from the above declaration, psychological variables are key determinants of absenteeism. Within the context of this determination, one of the solutions to absenteeism appears to lie in the reinforcing stimulus of students smell out of belonging both through the enhancement of teachers levels of professional commitment and the design of school cultures which will bring about a sense of attachment and reliability among the students.THE SOCIAL PERCEPTIONThe literature on psychological fac tors influencing absenteeism is hardly restricted to an abridgment. Thus, an investigation of the sociological variables is of great richness. This is so as not only the students themselves contribute to the problem but their school as well as their family backgrounds plays an important role.Nowadays, with the process of rapid development that is taking place, we have more and more working parents. As a result, students arrest less supervision at home than in the past (Lotz Lee, 1999). non only absence of parental supervision but also parents condoning absences by ignoring or supplying excuses when no valid reason is apparent, explains high rates of absenteeism (Kilpatrick, 1996).Reid (1999) found that families are becoming increasely ill-equipped to provide a home environment that is conducive to academic achievement. Stability at home is one of the major factors that ask absenteeism. He except suggests that parents should be educate to understand the value of their role in reinforcing practices which includes providing incentives for students who attend school regularly, while providing disincentives for non-attendance. Parenting style may therefore have an impact on a childs school behavior and motivation to attend school. It is found that the authoritative parenting style is the most conducive to academic success and high motivation levels. staccato and reconstituted family structures and family size are also considered variables in the discussion on absenteeism (Wheatly Spillane, 2001). Research conducted by Butler (2003) found that adolescents experiencing absenteeism revealed a tendency to have single, separated, disassociate or remarried families. Statistics also indicate that the greater majority of school children all come from single parent or two-parent-working homes, with the implication in all case being that the primary caregiver is often absent from the house and therefore, not in a position to supervise education and attendance. Of greater substance is the fact that the absence of the adult primary caregiver more often than not means that the children in read/write head have to perform a number of chores around the home, including, in the case of old siblings, the responsibility of the younger children in the house. In such instances, the children in question are often left hand too stressed out or tired to wake up in the morning and attend school on time (Pope, 2003).The sociological interpretation of absenteeism tends towards the identification of class and familial conditions as the root causes of the phenomenon. Thus, to gain a fuller picture of the problem, it is imperative to review the literature on the economic factors influencing absenteeism among school children.THE ECONOMIC PERCEPTIONThe literature on the economic causes of absenteeism compliments the literature on both its psychological and sociological causes. As Mcewan (2000) suggests, the economic causes rarely operate in isolation but ten d to give rise to already existent sociological or psychological factors.Zierold, Garman and Anderson (2005) admit that familial and communal culture influence absenteeism but suggest that economic factors are at the roots of the stated. There is the predominant belief that students would benefit more from employment than they would from education. The implication here is that economic parcel often force school students to seek part-time employment and as a result they have to shoulder other responsibilities other than their school work. Parcel and Dufur (2001) maintain that students who come from lower socio-economic class than the majority of their classmates are generally subjected to verbal taunts which, besides undermining their self-esteem and affecting their academic performance, influence them towards deliberate absences.Further, DeKalb (1999) suggests that this phenomenon is also due to the socio economic reasons such as the conventional marginalization of the poor and m inority students. Thus, there is a lack of attack to attach these students to school as well as a lack of communication with the parents. In this case, the students develop no sense of belonging for their school and tend to be absent for long periods of time.THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTIONAccording to Osterman (2000), if students do not feel at home in their school environment, they take it upon themselves to reduce the number of hours they spend in that environment per week, either by being tardy or absent. In line with that, Kirkpatrick, Crosnoe and elder (2001), arrived at the same conclusion. They suggest that school attendance is significantly wedged by the extent to which students sense of belonging. Usually, students who feel comfortable and at ease in their school environment tend to have relatively lower rates of absenteeism compared to those who do not. Also, Crosnoe (2000) inform that lack of sense of belonging at school is also partly dependent on peer influence. Those w ith high attendance reported that they had many friends at school and felt a sense of social belonging there and those with low attendance reported the opposite.As we are aware for proper motivation of students, there is a need for professional commitment. Hung and Liu (1999) argue a correlation between student engagement with learning and teachers professional commitment. Teachers who exhibit a strong sense of professional commitment usually influence their students towards high levels of engagement in their learning process and, more significantly, tend to have much higher classroom on-time attendance rates. Also, the punctuality of the teacher, his teaching style, his degree of verbal perceptiveness and warning are all factors associated with pupils finding class interesting (DeKalb, 1999).Moreover, school factors often relate to students experiences of the school environment, and the body of literature consistently identifies some(prenominal) common experiences, including bor edom with schoolwork, inadequate student-teacher relationships, being bullied, under threats or problematic in fights (Wheatley and Spillane, 2001). Further, Wheatley and Spillane (2001) make the important point that the same characteristics, as outline in various sources and linked to non-attendance, are similarly linked in a range of research reports as factors contributing to underage school leaving.Furthermore, with the new era of rapid development and competition, there has been a forceful innovation regarding the acquisition of knowledge. Various ways and means are available nowadays for fulfilling the demand for education. Besides, with such alternatives available this has created a downfall significance regarding school and its environment especially regarding regular attendance of students. According to Petroski (2008),this self-supporting approach to learning has become increasingly viable and accessible for all students through distance learning initiatives such as vi deo conferencing, electronic network casts, pod casts, blogs, Wikis, Twitter and privatized online learning programs such as Nova Net and Plato. These innovations leave students the freedom to access and respond to the information within a flexible timeframe and without the necessity for face-to-face synchronous experiences. Petroski (2008) also states that there are vivacious colleges whose students never attend a course on a physical campus. However, some have serious concerns about the pedagogical implications of introducing or roll audio or visual files of classroom content. Most of the concerns center on the potential drop in classroom attendance or in-class participation (Meng, 2005 OConnor, 2005). Another overarching fear is that educators overprotect immature learners to become ever more passive in their learning and thus retard their development as self-learners.Regarding other typical aspect of acquiring knowledge nowadays is through private tuitions commonly used in almost every country of the global world. According to Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers (2008), private tutoring is now a major percentage of the education sector in many developing countries, yet education policy too, rarely admits or makes use of it. Also, Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers asked themselves whether private tuitions increase parental choice and improve student achievement, or does it worsen social inequalities and cut down heavy costs on households, possibly without improving student outcomes. This pot of the literature examines the extent of private tutoring, identifies the factors that explain its growth, and analyzes its cost-effectiveness in improving student academic performance. In the same direction regarding academic performance, Trevor Cobbold (2009) states that many other factors outside the control of schools also influence a schools results. These include student absenteeism and mobility between schools, the extent of parent involvement in learning a t home, and the extent to which students are engaged in after hours tutoring. For example, if a higher proportion of families are engaged in private tutoring in any one year a school will receive a boost to its measured performance.However, private tutoring unfortunately has been institutionalized and has become a threatening feature. It is the source of lack of interest for class work, uncontrollable conduct at school, outright truancy and induced absenteeism because of frustrations and tiredness (Ministry of Education, Mauritius, 1997). In line with this, Sylvain E. Dessyy, Pascal St-Amour and Desire Vencatachellum (1999) carried out a research about the reasons fuck private tuitions and the various measures that will effectively reduce private tuitions. The result shows that private tutoring arises mainly because of the expected rewards obtained by skilled workers, and the use of human capital as a selection device for these positions. Also, pupils use private tutoring to comple ment the education they receive in public schools, and to increase the likeliness of winning the best-paid position in future. The proposed solutions of the research was finally about face lifting public teachers wages and changing their selection mechanism to limit private tutoring.FINDINGSFrom the above, even though in brief, the review of this literature has tried to establish useful inquiries about how researchers have, with near-unanimity, defined absences as one of the most gruelling problem currently confronting the nations schools and its children, the demand of designing and implementing corrective strategies for the reduction and elimination of absences are indisputable and widely accepted. Prior to that, however, it is important to acquire a complete understanding of the causes of absences and the factors which affect it. Thus, the above mentioned literature reviews have not only analysed the theoretical and definitional issues but have also provided a sound theoretica l support. With this for the present research, it will be possible to build further knowledge and understanding about the phenomenon.Academic literature and studies on absences have established a commodious number of causal factors, divisible into three broad categories (1) psychological (2) social and economical, (3) environmental. The causal influence of each of these factors, not to mention how they may be tryd or eradicated , shall be explored within the context of this dissertation using both primary and secondary data sources. In the next section, the researchers strategy for the collection and analysis of this data will be outlined.Effect of Age on Friendships and Family Patterns ProposalEffect of Age on Friendships and Family Patterns Proposal1) The Title of the ProjectFamily and Friendship an investigation of the relationship between age and patterns of friendship within and outside the family a discourse analysis.2) Rationale, Aims and ObjectivesFriends and family are clearly important components of everyones lives. They can increase self-esteem, well-being and provide opportunities for socialising. designate from the psychological literature suggests that friendships are beneficial, if they are of the right type (Hartup Stevens, 1997).This study will examine the attitudes that two different age-groups have towards friendships and their families. There has been increasing discussion in the sociological literature by some authors (Weeks, Heaphy Donovan, 2001) that friendships are taking over the traditional place of the family in peoples social networks. This study aims to examine this idea in two age-groups, one 18-28 years old and the second, 50-60 years old. It will also aim to look at an aspect of the detraditionalization hypothesis and judge whether the evidence supports it.The objectives in order to reach this aim are to carry out a series of interviews with people in those two age-groups and then carry out a discourse analysis of that da ta. This will pinpoint the different ways in which people call back about their families and friends in two different age-groups.3) Research QuestionsThe research question will be to examine whether there is a clear unlikeness between the types of friendships formed at different ages. Do younger people rely more on their friends for support in times of crisis than older people? Do older people include more of their kin as their closest friends? How do both groups view their families generally in terms of who they rely on? Alternatively, is there little evidence for a difference in the way people separate and view their friends and their families?4) publications ReviewIndividualization is a sweeping social change that has been seen to affect many societies around the world. Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001) point to two different meanings of individualization. The first refers to the modify of traditional social forms used in the analysis of societies these include class, gender and th e family. Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001) identify this change as occurring as a result of the weaken of tradition, religion and state. The second aspect of individualization is the way in which modern societies are placing new demands on their citizens. This can be seen in the huge numbers of regulations that attempt to control every aspect of our lives. Levels of mobility, argue Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001), are higher than ever in many societies and, as a result, people move freely for economic reasons as there is greater emphasis on individual fulfilment.A natural corollary of this movement is that family ties are frequently left behind in the search for economic opportunity. And so, in the struggle for individual human relatedness, if the family is left behind, to where does the modern member of society turn? Weeks, Heaphy Donovan (2001) point to so-called families of choice, which are essentially groups of friends. Weeks et al. (2001) see society as being at a transition point, f rom more traditional ideas of family to this notion of the family that has been chosen from a group of friends. People are specifically choosing their family of friends to fit in with their own personal beliefs and attitudes and sometimes choosing to get away from their biological families who do not represent their attitudes and beliefs. This process of choosing friends is seen by Weeks at al. (2001) as a process by which people are shaping their own identities.While Weeks et al.s (2001) research concentrates on non-heterosexuals, they argue that these families of choice are in fact taking over from families of fate throughout society in the UK and elsewhere. This has been similarly understood by Giddens (1992) in terms of transformations in the interpersonal domain. In particular, Giddens (1991) sees these kinds of changes arising from what he terms the emergence of unadulterated relationships (Giddens 199158). A pure relationship occurs where the more traditional connections thr ough obligation that are present in family relationships are replaced with relationships based on what each can get out of the other. These changes have been referred to by Giddens (1992) as democratising in nature such that these changes are also affecting the family.Pahl Spencer (2004) explain that this detraditionalization thesis normally draws upon a range of social statistics that appear to demonstrate widespread societal changes. These include higher levels of education, higher rates of divorce, greater mobility both socially and geographically and a larger participation by women in the workforce.These conclusions are, however, disputed by Pahl Spencer (2004) who argue that the use of other research sources can lead in a different direction. They quote research carried out by commonality Roberts (2002) which found that the family appeared to be in good health. Their respondents tended to suggest the family represented the first port of call in an emergency for people. In deed, Pahl Spencer (2004) carried out their own research into friendships which avoids a standard quantitative analysis, asking about length of time known and other such variables, and concentrating more on content. Pahl Spencer (2004), then, look at peoples personal communities. own(prenominal) communities, for Pahl Spencer (2004), relate specifically to two main aspects of the relationship communication and belonging. Pahl Spencer (2004) carried out 60 interviews in different parts of the UK and, in order to access these concepts, they used a map of concentric circles on which people indicated where their friends lay. These friendships were then examined through interviews. As a result, Pahl Spencer (2004) found that it was in truth very difficult to separate the notions of friendship from that of family and that one easily flowed into the other. From their expatiate findings, Pahl Spencer (2004) assert that there is little evidence for the idea that people are moving away from their family group and towards their chosen friendship groups. There is also little evidence, in Pahl Spencers (2004) view, for the idea that people place more importance on their friendships than their family.Taking a more wide-angle quantitative viewpoint, Pahl Pevalin (2005) use data gathered from the British Household Panel Survey over ten years to analyse potential changes in family and friends. Here, instead of finding a shift to friends away from family, they find that the family still provides a large number of peoples friends. There is a change seen across age-groups, however, with older respondents more likely to nominate family as close friends than those in younger age-groups. The question is, does this represent a change that people go through as they age, or is this a social change that can be seen acclivitous? Pahl Pevalin (2005) suggest the longitudinal data shows that it is actually a change disaster with age, therefore suggesting that this does not suppor t a social change of increasing friendship choices outside kin-groupings. Gross (2005) argues, like Pahl Pevalin (2005) that the extent to which the detraditionalization hypothesis is dead on target has been exaggerated.Its important to note that throughout the literature on families and friendships it is clear that there are certain overlaps in meanings. One clear example is that of partners. For those over the age of 30, Pahl Pevalin (2005) argue that a partner provides the most important relationship. Does this person count as their friend or a family member? Pahl Pevalin (2005) argue that partners form a kind of hybrid category. Partners sit on the leaflet of the debate because if they count as members of the family then they add weight to the importance of the family. But, if they count as friends, then they add weight to the idea that people are moving towards greater reliance on friends. There is likely a good argument for each view but certainly excluding partners from the analysis is a mistaken approach.Pahl Pevalin (2005) also criticise Weeks et al.s (2001) findings because they focus on non-heterosexual respondents. It is hypothesised that non-heterosexual respondents will tend to have a greater degree of reliance on friends rather than family as, perhaps, the family will not have been accepting of their sexual orientation thus necessitating an appeal to a group outside their confines. This study should, therefore, take this into account in balancing up the sexual orientations of the respondents.5) methodological analysisCarry out a series of semi-structured interviews with participants to ask them about their family and their friendships. This would be carried out with a small group of younger people who are 18-28, as well as with a small group of older people who are 50-60 years old.Interviews will be semi-structured and so will start with questions asking specifically about participants close social ties, who they tend to confide in, who t hey share attitudes and beliefs with. This will be achieved through the use of maps of personal networks on which people indicate where their friends and family lie. Also, questions will be asked about attitudes and feelings towards the family and how family members fit into this picture. Latter questions will be more open-ended, so that participants are able to speak more freely about their friendships and families.Participants interviews will be transcribe and then analysed using discourse analysis to extract meanings and relationships.6) respectable ConsiderationsEthical approval for carrying out this study will be obtained from the relevant authority. All respondents in the study will be told that taking part is nonmandatory and that they may withdraw at any time. Further, they will be aware that they will remain anonymous in the reporting of the results. Personal information relating to individual friendships will, of course, remain completely confidential. Respondents will be reminded that they are empower to see any of the data that is held by the researcher which specifically relates to them.7) CostingsThe bulge will require a voice recorder and the researchers time involved in carrying out the interviews, transcribing, analysing and writing up. It may also require the cost of travelling to respondents in order to carry out the interviews. Some letter paper costs will also be incurred.8) Communication plansRespondents for the research will be solicited through standard university notice boards. For the older age-group, if suitable respondents cannot be identified in the university, it may be necessary to call on the researchers personal networks of friends and family members.9) Users and BeneficiariesThe ways in which friendships and families operate is of perennial interest to the government. Examining the ways in which personal communities coalesce provides insight into important notions of social support and social capital.For those who work i n professions with direct contact with younger age-groups, it would be useful for them to know who young people rely on in times of stress. Is it members of their family, or is there a shift towards relying on friends in hard times?For those who work in professions who care for the elderly it would be extremely useful to know how patterns of friendships change with advancing age (Pahl Pevalin, 2005). For example, do older people rely more on siblings as a result of their partners passing away or do they develop other networks of friends outside their kin relations?ReferencesBeck, U., Beck Gernsheim, E. (2001) Individualization. London Sage Publications.Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-identity Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge, Polity Press.Giddens, A. (1992) The Transformation of parsimony Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Cambridge, Polity Press.Gross, N. (2005) The Detraditionalization of Intimacy Reconsidered. sociological Theory 23(3), 2 86-311.Hartup, W., Stevens, N. (1997) Friendship and Adaptation in the Life Course. Psychological Bulletin, 121(3), 335370.Pahl, R., Pevalin, D. J. (2005) amid family and friends a longitudinal study of friendship choice. The British Journal of Sociology, 56(3), 433-450.Pahl, R., Spencer, L. (2004) Personal Communities Not Simply Families of Fate or Choice. Current Sociology 52(2), 199221.Park, A., Roberts, C. (2002) The Ties that Bind. British Social Attitudes The 19th Report. Aldershot Ashgate.Weeks, J., Heaphy, B., Donovan, C. (2001) Same Sex Intimacies Families of Choice and Other Life Experiments. London Routledge.