Imon's Cover Letter, CV and Samples of Work

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Manager, SMB, Latanier House Latanier Road, Victoria, Mahe Republic of Seychelles. Phone: + 248 – 718012 Email: [email protected]

Imon's application for the

Seychelles Institute of Management

Senior Lecturer position

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Seychelles Institute of Management Senior Lecturer Application

Contents

1. Imon's cover letter 3

2. Curriculum Vitae 4

3. Personal mission statement 13

4. Goals for contributions as an Economist 13

5. Goals for contributions as an Author 14

6. Goals for contributions as a Trainer 15

7. Annexes

A: Concept note for earning foreign exchange for SIM 16 B: Text of speech on Monetary and Fiscal Strategies for Ending Inflation 18 C: Paper on Enhancing Seychelles' Freshwater Assets 24 D: Workshop participant feedback 43 E: Articles on The Benefits of Training, and Corporate Training Strategies 61

Imon Ghosh

Manager, SMB Latanier Road Victoria Mahe Seychelles Phone: (+248) 718012 Email: [email protected]

June 23, 2005 Greetings, Your recent advertisement in the Seychelles NATION inviting applications for the position of Senior Lecturer in the field of Management at the Seychelles Institute of Management caught my attention and interest. Would your team benefit by having an economist who has strong training (covering instructional design, development, and delivery), research, writing, editing, monetary and fiscal policy analysis, program evaluation, advocacy, and managerial skills - besides a long-standing passion for economic management issues and enhancing lives? If so, my C.V. will interest you. Besides being a corporate trainer, manager, economist and development consultant, my work experience includes teaching economics, business studies and environmental law at a management school, and law university. A paper I wrote on Reducing Rural Poverty (which was abridged and published on the Editorial page of The Times of India on April 4, 2001, noted in the records of the Indian Parliament, included in the syllabus of the National University of Juridical Sciences in India, and could help the United Nations achieve its poverty-related Millennium Development Goals), and the 121 page final report of a study I conducted evaluating the SGSY (the government of India's largest rural self-employment programme) are available on request, or can be downloaded from the Resources page of the World Bank's Global Development Finance (GDF04) site: http://www.dgroups.org/groups/worldbank/GDF04/index.cfm?op=main&cat_id=6230 I would be delighted if my skills, experience and passion as a corporate trainer, economist, writer and manager are utilized to enhance lives and further the mission of the Seychelles Institute of Management. With all good wishes, Imon Ghosh

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mailto:[email protected]

http://www.dgroups.org/groups/worldbank/GDF04/index.cfm?op=main&cat_id=6230

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Imon Ghosh

Manager, SMB Latanier Road Victoria Mahe Seychelles Phone: (+248) 718012 Email: [email protected]

Curriculum Vitae

Objective: To lead strategic institutional initiatives, and enhance lives as an economist, author, and trainer. Skills set: Strong leadership and teamwork abilities. Inspiring training, writing and editing skills. Innovative thinker with a passion for poverty reduction, enhancing lives and organizational development. Experienced computer/internet user. Strong goal setting, agenda building and implementation abilities. Professional Experience 07/2003 to date: Manager, MD's Office, Seychelles Marketing Board. The Seychelles Marketing Board (SMB) is tasked with ensuring food security at stable prices for the 85,000 inhabitants and 115,000 visitors per annum to the Seychelles, a picturesque small island developing state. Besides importing and distributing a variety of products, SMB fulfills its food security mandate by manufacturing over 100 varieties of processed meats, tetra-packed milk and fruit juices, as well as yoghurt, jams and sauces, pasta, mineral water, snacks, tea and coffee, and prawns etc. SMB has 1,900 staff and a turnover during the 2003/4 fiscal year of 713 million Seychelles Rupees (130 million USD). My responsibilities as Manager in the MD's Office include developing and delivering corporate training modules for SMB Managers and Staff, serving on a Task Force that is revamping SMB retail and manufacturing operations,


besides being a member of the corporate News-gathering Board, Training Committee, Annual Report Committee and a technical committee responsible for all SMB brand positioning and marketing communications. Accomplishments: • Conducted leadership development workshops for 200 SMB Managers and Supervisors. • Provided training in teambuilding, delivering superior service, communication and interviewing skills / HR processes to HR & A staff, sales team, duty free staff, supermarket staff, and corporate security staff. • Participant feedback of my training workshops has been very positive (please see Annex D). • Authored a corporate training participant handbook. • Built a corporate training resource library from scratch. • Serve on the Editorial Board for corporate publications, and contribute a column, 'Build The Future', for Newstalk. • Drafted / edited the narrative (non-financial) sections of SMB's Annual Reports. • Contributed to the deliberations of a corporate Task Force and drafted / edited its final reports. • Ideas for Seychelles' development include sound monetary and fiscal policies, ways to reduce the economic vulnerability of this small island developing state (SIDS) through strategic infrastructure projects, besides enhancing the nation's freshwater assets (please see Annex C). 08/2002 – 07/2003: Economics faculty at the Nopany Institute of Management Studies (NIMS), and Visiting faculty at the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Calcutta, India. The Nopany Institute of Management Studies (NIMS) was founded in August 2002 although its K-12 affiliate, Nopany Vidyalaya was established 50 years ago, in 1954, and has a consistent track record of high academic excellence among its students. Laxmi N. Mittal, currently the world's 3rd wealthiest individual (after Bill Gates and Warren Buffet) studied at the Nopany Vidyalaya. Accomplishments: • Took the initiative to have NIMS accredited as an Institutional member of the Calcutta Management Association. • In addition to regular teaching load, conducted workshops and field trips, including one to the Reserve Bank of India. • Ranked one of the Management Institute's most effective teachers in a student evaluation of faculty.

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The National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) was founded in July 1999 as a national level institution of excellence in the higher learning of law in India, and its aims include the study of the role of law in national development, and most importantly the promotion of an inter-disciplinary study of law in relation to technology, economics, management, etc. The Chief Justice of India is ex-officio Chancellor of the University. On the invitation of the founding Vice-Chancellor of NUJS, Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon, I taught classes on Economics and Environmental Law, and also participated in research on globalization and the impact of the WTO on Indian agriculture. Accomplishments: • A paper I wrote on Reducing Rural Poverty has been included in the NUJS syllabus for a course on Agricultural Law and Law relating to Local Self-Government. 05/2001 – 07/2002: Creative Director of the National Advertising Agency at its Headquarters in Calcutta. The National Advertising Agency is among India's oldest advertising agencies (established in 1924). Accomplishments: • Guided the Agency's creative teams in conceptualizing and executing press, television, outdoor, exhibition and sales promotion campaigns. • Participated in presentations to Clients, and provided oversight of the client servicing function. 09/2000 – 04/2001: Pre-Sales Specialist with the Web Development Company.

Established in 1998, the Web Development Company (WDC) offers a wide range of internet and web related technology solutions in India, the Asia/Pacific region and Europe, in alliance with IBM, Lotus, Netscape, Oracle, 3WI, i2, Nokia, Network Associates and other industry leaders.

Accomplishments: • Conceived and oversaw execution of communications strategy for WDC and its clients, involving both creative and business development teams. • Drafted website content, and wrote scripts for multimedia presentations.

• Scripted and oversaw execution of a multimedia CD on Kumartuli's artistic heritage in record time, prior to its release by the Chief Minister of West Bengal. • Oversaw the design and development of prabhatkhabar.com, the online edition of the largest circulation Hindi language newspaper in Jharkhand State. • Conceptualised ads for www.fashionindia.net which ran in the Indian edition of Cosmopolitan magazine and the international editions of India Today, quadrupling click-throughs at the site.

01/1998 – 08/2000: Established The Imon Ghosh Life-Skills Workshops & Seminars. Accomplishments: • Conducted workshops and seminars on Goal Setting Skills, Effective Communication, Motivation and Leadership etc. • Faculty for a Family Counselling Course organised by The Legal-Aid Services, West Bengal (LASWEB) at the Calcutta High Court. • Won a Man of the Seminar Award after delivering a speech at the Indian Ceramic Society. • Commissioned by CARE India to assess the SGSY, the Govt. of India's largest rural self-employment programme. The 121 page final report of this study, which addresses issues in microfinance and poverty reduction, is available on request.

01/1996 – 12/1997: Served on the faculty of the Kodaikanal International School in South India as Economics teacher.

Established in 1901, the Kodaikanal International School is an autonomous, Christian, multicultural, residential school with a co-educational program for pre-school to Grade 12 students, set at a height of over 7,000 ft. in the Palani Hills of South India, a region renowned for its rugged beauty and cool climate. As the first school in India to offer the International Baccalaureate, KIS has developed a high level of expertise which is reflected in examination results. KIS is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools, USA, and recognized by the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.

Accomplishments: • Elected High School Staff representative to the school's library management committee, and to a subcommittee that oversaw the computerization of library records.

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• Tasked to identify educational resources on the World Wide Web for use in our classroom environments. • Active in school's hiking program, and awarded hiking pin. • Invited to join the Rotary Club of Kodaikanal. Served as Director for Youth Services, organized inter-school competitions and inaugurated two new Rotaract Clubs in Kodaikanal. 11/1993 – 12/1995: Educational Consultant with World Book International's Indian affiliate, Lotus Learning. Accomplishments: • Made Senior Consultant within a year. • Guest speaker at the Calcutta Management Association, on Monetary and Fiscal Strategies for Ending Inflation (please see Annex B for text). • Conducted several economic surveys for the Reuters News Agency in Mumbai. Interviewed key economic decision makers including the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and the Chairman of the State Bank of India, and filed several reports for the Reuters news wire. 06/1991 – 10/1993: Established own Advertising and Management Consultancy. Accomplishments: • Developed communications strategies and media campaigns for clients. • Organised conferences. • Invited to be a judge in inter-college speech contests. 01/1983 – 05/1991: Advertising Copywriter and Client Service Executive with Kerala-based Agencies. Accomplishments: • Conceptualised media campaigns, wrote advertising copy, made presentations and provided client service support to a diverse range of clients in several different industry segments. • Clients included the Indian Aluminium Company, The Taj Group of Hotels, Marine Products Export Development Authority, The Spices Board, Kerala Tourism etc. • Wrote an advertisement for India's Marine Products Export Development Authority that was published in a special issue of Time Magazine celebrating the bi-centennial anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.

Education: M.A. Economics, University of Mysore. Studied at various International Schools, including the Lesotho High School, Woodstock School in Mussoorie, U.P. and the Kodaikanal International School in T.N., India, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Committed to life-long learning and continuous personal growth. Grateful for opportunities to enhance skills and make meaningful contributions. Publications: Published articles in various newspapers and journals, dealing with economics, technology and life-skills. Writings include a monograph on inflation written in 1984, and a 121 page study evaluating the Government of India's largest rural self-employment programme, the SGSY (2000). An article on jumpstarting India's rural economy was published on the Editorial page of The Times of India on April 4, 2001 and noted in the records of the Indian Parliament. Hobbies: Enjoy reading extensively, writing (economics, life-skills, technology and poetry) and following developments in technology. Current reading includes Daniel Goleman's Working with Emotional Intelligence. Love the outdoors, and have done a great deal of hiking in the mountains around Mussoorie and Kodai. Like good music, particularly instrumental and classical (both Indian and Western). Enjoy meeting people, balanced with reflective time alone. Love speaking in public, and have delivered many talks at Rotary Clubs, colleges, etc. Professional Associations / Community Involvement Rotary : Served as Youth Services Director of the Rotary Club of Kodaikanal in 1996 and 1997, and Chairman of a District Project for Street Children with the Rotary Club of Cochin East in 1998. Member of Rotarians On The Internet (ROTI). Others: Life Member of the Indian Science Congress Association and the Palani Hills Conservation Council. Member of the Calcutta Management Association. Committed to environmental issues: Initiated two environmental class action suits involving the Government of India. Both were won. References: Available on request.

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Personal Mission Statement

My personal mission statement is to enhance lives as an economist, author

and trainer.

The goals that flow from this personal mission statement include …

Goals for contributions as an Economist

Empowering the 700 million people who live in rural India (and many more

who live in other developing nations around the world) through access to

affordable credit, by creating refinance markets that bridge the formal and

informal financial sectors is an issue I feel passionately about.

A paper on Reducing Rural Poverty that I wrote in 1992 outlining these ideas

was abridged and published on the Editorial page of The Times of India on

April 4, 2001 and noted in the records of the Indian Parliament. These ideas

could help the Micro-Credit Summit achieve its targets (of ensuring that 100

million of the world's poorest families, especially the women of those families,

are receiving credit for self-employment and other financial and business

services by the year 2005), the United Nations achieve its poverty-related

Millennium Development Goals, and help make poverty history.

Reducing Rural Poverty has been included in the syllabus of a leading law

university in India. Feedback on the

paper, posted by an economist from El

Salvador, on the World Bank's Global

Development Finance (GDF 04) site, can

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be viewed by clicking on the following link:

http://www.dgroups.org/groups/worldbank/GDF04/index.cfm?op=dsp_showmsg&list%20name=GDF04&msgid=134917&cat_id=6228

Goals for contributions as an Author

"Words still offer the most complete kind

of understanding, and they last."

- Bob Woodward, Journalist / author

Writing is a personal passion, and I have earned a living as a writer since

1983 (and had earlier been Editor of my school newspaper, and literary

magazine).

What books would I like to write, keeping my personal mission of enhancing

lives in mind?

Besides volumes on economics and personal development, I would enjoy

writing travelogues describing interesting people I have met and the many

picturesque places I have visited.

My dream as an author is to complete at least two book length manuscripts

that are ready for publication in the next three years, which meet my personal

mission statement criteria.



Goals for contributions as a Trainer

Few things give me greater pleasure than to design, develop and deliver

workshops and seminars.

I have designed and delivered interactive workshops and seminars on

Visioning / Goal Setting Skills, Leading Teams, Managing Change, Improving

Communication Skills, Delivering Superior Service and other work as well as

life skills.

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Numerous participants of my interactive

workshops and seminars state that they have

greatly enjoyed, and benefited from them.

Some of their structured feedback has been

reproduced in Annex D.

My training philosophy (as it currently stands) is

outlined in articles I have written on The

Benefits of Training and SMB's Training

Strategies, which are reproduced in Annex E.

I would be delighted if my skills, experience and passion as a corporate

trainer, economist, writer and manager are utilized to enhance lives,

contribute to the development of managers in the Seychelles, and further the

organizational mission of the Seychelles Institute of Management.

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Annex A

Concept note for earning Foreign Exchange for the Seychelles Institute of Management

Why spend a week in paradise ?

Re-energise your management, and top performers.

A great bonding experience for teams that make a difference to the future of your organization.

Participate in workshops on Visioning / Goal Setting, Leadership / Managing Change, Team Building & Facilitation, Communication Skills, and Delivering Superior Service.

Explore business tie-ups, and opportunities to utilize the Seychelles as a springboard / gateway to the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the rest of Africa.

Experience the captivating natural beauty of the Seychelles, among the world’s most exclusive tourist destinations.

Attractive group packages that include team building and organizational development workshops, sightseeing excursions, sailing / snorkeling / golfing, and beach barbeques etc.

For further details, please contact:

The Corporate Training Division Seychelles Institute of Management

P.O. Box 678, Victoria Mahe Island, Republic of Seychelles.

E-mail: [email protected]

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Annex B

Text of talk on Monetary and Fiscal Strategies

for Ending Inflation delivered at the

Rotary Club of Kodaikanal on October 17, 1996

by Imon Ghosh.

Mr. President, fellow Rotarians, Ladies and Gentlemen: I've had the privilege of delivering talks on Monetary and Fiscal Strategies for Ending Inflation earlier on several occasions, including at the Rotary Club of Serampore 7 years ago, and at the Calcutta Management Association a year ago. I'll begin by defining inflation, and discussing ways in which it is measured. I shall then share with you a new metaphor I have created to describe the process of inflation. We shall take a look at some historical case studies on the impact that inflation has had on the social fabric. And finally, we'll look into some specific solutions for reducing inflation and maintaining a healthy equilibrium. George Bernard Shaw once remarked that "If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion !" Few economists, however, would dispute the fact that inflation is a process of steadily rising prices resulting in the diminishing purchasing power of a given nominal sum of money. Classical economic theory defines inflation as an increase in the aggregate (or general) price levels. Prices of individual commodities, seldom stationary, tend to bounce about the place, reflecting the demand and supply situation. An increase (even a sharp one) in the price of a single commodity, therefore, does not necessarily constitute inflation. ... Inflation has also been defined as the time when those who have saved for a rainy day get soaked !

Inflation is measured by a price index (usually the consumer price index or, less frequently, by the GNP deflator). In line with the definition for inflation, this index is derived from a basket of commodities in which each item is assigned a weighted average value according to its presumed importance in the household budget. Certain limitations exist in the measurement of the consumer price index and these need to be borne in mind: In India, as in other countries, the measurement of the consumer price index is based on the basket of goods bought by the household of an average industrial worker. It may not, therefore, accurately reflect the spending patterns of an upper middle class housewife, or a rural artisan. It is also useful to bear in mind that the reading of the index can be changed by altering the composition of the basket of commodities, or assigning a different weightage to a particular commodity. India's consumer price index is also handicapped by the fact that the values assigned to several basic commodities are based on prices prevailing in ration shops - where prices are controlled by the government. The readings of the price index can also be changed by altering the base year from which price increases are measured. When the base year for the index was changed from 1960 to 1982 in India, the result was a snowballing controversy fueled by some trade unions who claimed they had not been consulted. Our government also has the amusing propensity of measuring the rate of inflation using the wholesale price index instead of the consumer price index. I, for one, rarely buy articles of personal use wholesale. Perhaps, in deference to the government, I should start doing so ... I have mentioned these limitations in passing to highlight the fact that statistics do not always accurately reflect reality. In the case of our consumer price index, the general feeling appears to be that it tends to understate the actual rate of inflation. The predominant metaphor for describing the process of inflation is currently the wage-price spiral. Increases in wages lead to increases in prices ... which lead to increases in wages, and so on. Elegant though this metaphor may be, I believe it is incomplete because it does not take into account the important role played by the growth of the money supply, and that of productive output. The metaphor that I've suggested to describe the process of inflation is that of a swimming pool, in which the quantity of water corresponds to M3 (or the total sum of money circulating in the economy) and the height of the water corresponds to the aggregate price levels. If there isn't enough water in our economic pool, we can't swim - but if the level of water rises too rapidly, some of us may drown.

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To add a refinement to this model, picture a beach ball, representing the price of a given commodity, bobbing up and down on the surface of the pool. The ball will not float motionless if there are any ripples of economic activity in our pool. In my metaphor, the bobbing of the beach ball on the surface of the pool corresponds to demand-pull inflation while an increase in the level of the water in the pool, floating the beach ball to greater heights, represents cost-push inflation. This metaphor can be extended to include price controls. The government sometimes tries to keep the price of a commodity artificially low, which can be likened to holding our beach ball beneath the surface of the pool of water. There will inevitably be a strong tendency for the ball - as there are for the prices - to rise to a state of equilibrium (in this analogy, the surface of the pool). The opposite also happens to be true. It would be possible to hold our ball above the surface of the water, but it will only remain there as long as the hand that is holding it up (government regulated price floors) doesn't let go, when the ball, unable to support itself, will return rapidly to equilibrium ... To add a further refinement to our model, let us assume that we enlarged our swimming pool by 6 % during the course of the year. If we do not add any water to the pool, the level of the water is going to drop. If we increase the quantity of the water in the pool by 6 %, the level of the water will remain the same. However, if we pump in water at a faster pace than the growth in the total size of the pool, the level of the water will inevitably increase. Who controls the amount of water that is pumped into our economic pool? The government, through the Reserve Bank, regulates the money supply (or the flow of water into our pool) in one of two ways: By simply printing the money, or through a stroke of the bookkeeper's magic pen. As Peter Drucker noted, "When government talks about `raising capital', it means printing it." What happens when the level of water in our economic pool rises at a rapid clip ? Larger sections of the population find their noses beneath water. The decrease in purchasing power undermines the ability of companies to sell the goods they produce. This leads to stagflation. Capital formation is adversely affected, and so is productive output. The nation's currency is depreciated on foreign exchange markets. Carried far enough, inflation can pave the way for social disorder and economic chaos. This was certainly true of the Weimar Republic during the 1920s, when a wheelbarrow loaded with currency notes could not buy a loaf of bread. The accumulated savings of entire families were wiped out almost overnight.

Breadwinners were unable to provide their dependents with even the basic necessities of life. Something snapped. The social fabric gave way. The resulting economic and social turmoil laid the foundation for Nazism. History is rich with examples of the effects that inflation, and hyperinflation, can have on society. This pernicious influence goes beyond the economic sphere and into the social. Other examples of hyperinflation include Russia after the first world war, where prices sometimes doubled from one day to the next, resulting from the fact that the Tsar found it convenient to finance his expenses, as well as the war, by printing additional currency. A similar inflation in China under Chiang Kai-Shek after the Second World War led to similar results. Present day examples of economies reeling under inflation include several of the countries that emerged as independent states with the break up of the former Soviet Union. Dr. Ben Johnson, a colleague who teaches physics at the Kodaikanal International School, visited Russia in February 1994. When he arrived in Moscow, the exchange rate was 1,620 Russian roubles for 1 US dollar. When he left Russia 10 days later, the exchange rate had deteriorated to 1,790 roubles for each dollar (a ten percent decline in as many days ...) ! The end of the sixties saw a spurt in inflation in a number of economies. According to the IMFs International Financial Statistics, in 1970, fifty seven countries had rates of inflation ranging from zero to five percent. By 1979, this number was down to twelve. On the other hand, no nation in 1970 had a rate of inflation of fifty percent or above. In 1979, there were eight countries in this category. The 1970s can therefore be described as a decade of escalating inflation. The 1980s saw the successful implementation of anti-inflation programmes in several economies, including those of the United States, Britain and India. These nations, however, have learnt not to rest on their economic laurels, since inflation is both an unstable, and destabilizing phenomenon. Now, coming to specific solutions: The way to reduce inflation, and create an environment that is conducive for economic development, is to promote sound monetary and fiscal policies. These would include ... A. Greater autonomy for the central bank (... in India's case, the Reserve Bank) from short-term political pressures. B. Ensuring that there isn't "too much money chasing too few goods" by restricting the growth of the money supply to the growth in productive output (or GNP). The manner in which we control the growth of our money supply reminds me of the `Vector Theory of Systems', which states that systems run better when designed to run downhill !

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C. Facilitating the process of deregulation (which, inspite of `economic liberalization', isn't yet complete), without which India will remain a high cost, and uncompetitive, economy. An amusing example of the regulatory red tape from the not too distant past is the government of India's requirement that exporters fill in over 50 different forms before a single consignment of their goods could leave India's shores to compete in world markets, even as the government exhorted them to export more in the nation's best interests. D. Encouraging policies that channel scarce economic resources, and savings, to the most productive sectors of the economy. India has invested over one trillion (one lakh crore) rupees in a largely underperforming public sector which has contributed to India's huge, and growing, fiscal deficit. It might be stated here in passing that these solutions are not easy to implement, and require considerable political will and social support –especially in relation to the control of the money supply. This is because the government benefits from inflating the money supply – at least in the short term ! The government is the first user of all the money it creates. Inflation allows it to repay its debts with cheaper rupees, as well as benefit from bracket creep. Milton Friedman, noted monetary economist and Nobel prize winner, estimates that an excessive growth in the money supply takes around six months to find its way through a healthy economy before being transformed into aggregate price increases. Sooner for an economy less healthy. This brief period between monetary expansion and inflation is characterized by general economic euphoria, greater output, higher employment – and needless to say, greater government spending. Then, the `morning after', comes the hangover ... In economic terms this means lower output, higher unemployment and greater inflation. The government at this point can do one of two things: The hangover isn't a permanent state of affairs (they seldom are), and can be allowed to run its course. Or, the government can ease the hangover by inflating the money supply yet again. As Dr. Lawrence J. Peter puts it, "Affairs of state are operated so that one generation pays for the debts of the last generation by issuing bonds payable by the next generation."

If we want to see an end to inflation, and its associated economic distortions like higher interest rates and lower capital investment, the government must be discouraged from living beyond its means on deficit financing. In formulating fiscal, and monetary policy, it is important to avoid being short-sighted: A politician is credited with the insight that a week, in politics, is a very long time. Inflation, unfortunately, takes longer to cure. Like our blood pressure, the money supply and its velocity of circulation seldom attracts our attention, or elicits our concern, unless something goes terribly wrong. The guardians of our currency owe it to the rest of us not to compromise long-term stability for short-term growth. What are the implications of all this for those of us present here? To begin with, all of us would like to protect our savings and investments from the ravages of inflation. The first step is to discount the returns on our investments by the rate of inflation, to get a clear picture of what our real returns are (for example, a savings bank account currently earns an interest of only 5 %; whenever the rate of inflation exceeds 5 % - which is most of the time ! - the real returns on this kind of account will be negative). If you are involved in implementing a large project, it would be in your interests to complete it at the earliest possible date, to avoid escalations in project costs. And since business invariably gets blamed for inflation, without reference to the steadily declining value of the rupee, I would suggest that you monitor the escalating costs of inputs in your industries, and communicate these to your customers, opinion leaders and the government ... as frequently as necessary! A belief shared by many public speakers is that, "To be seen, you must stand up. To be heard, you must speak out. To be appreciated, you must sit down." I have perhaps spoken longer than I should have ... To sum up, we have defined inflation in this talk, and discussed ways in which it is measured. I've had the privilege of sharing with you a new metaphor that I have created to describe the process of inflation. We have delved into history for case studies on the impact that inflation has had on the social fabric. And finally, we've looked at some specific solutions for reducing inflation and maintaining a healthy equilibrium. I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Thank you.

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Annex C

Imon Ghosh Manager, MD's Office, SMB

Enhancing Seychelles' Freshwater Assets

Seven Additional Approaches for Addressing our Drinking Water Problem

Enhancing Seychelles' Freshwater Assets Seven Additional Approaches for Addressing our Drinking Water Problem Introduction

Fresh water is a scarce resource of great value.

Seychelles has limited natural fresh water resources. Mean annual rainfall in Mahé averages 2,880 millimeters at sea level and as high as 3,550 millimeters on the mountain slopes. Precipitation is somewhat less on the other islands, averaging as low as 500 millimeters per year on the southernmost coral islands.

Because catchment provides most sources of fresh water in the Seychelles, yearly variations in rainfall or even brief periods of drought can produce water shortages.

Small dams have been built on Mahé since 1969 in an effort to guarantee a reliable water supply, but drought can still be a problem on Mahé and particularly on La Digue.

This proposal suggests 7 additional ways (besides desalination) to enhance Seychelles' freshwater assets, and solve the recurring drinking water crisis.

Six of these proposed solutions are scientifically tested, and one is entirely speculative. Even if one or two of these seven approaches prove to be practical / economical, they can serve to alleviate the recurring fresh water shortages.

Why would an SMB manager, and member of our corporate Task Force, brainstorm solutions for enhancing Seychelles' freshwater assets, and addressing the recurring drinking water problem? There are three reasons: (1) SMB has interests in drinking water: we produce bottled drinking water at our BDR factory, and are affected by freshwater shortages. (2) Our MD is also Chairman of the Public Utilities Corporation. (3) SMB's corporate mission statement is Building the future for the people of Seychelles.

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Executive Summary

The seven approaches for enhancing Seychelles' freshwater assets, and addressing the recurring drinking water problem described in this proposal are:

1. Rainwater harvesting

2. Constructing micro-reservoirs

3. Cloud seeding over catchment areas

4. Solar distillation

5. Water recycling

6. Allowing market forces to facilitate water conservation by regulating demand

7. Sand-filtration as pretreatment for desalinated water

These solutions can be financed by private investments and government subsidies for household level units, as well as public investments for community level and national initiatives.

The Hydrologic Cycle

Solution 1: Rainwater Harvesting

For centuries, people have relied on rainwater harvesting to supply water for household, landscape, livestock, and agricultural uses.

Before large centralized water supply systems were developed, rainwater was collected from roofs and stored on site in tanks known as cisterns.

With the development of large, reliable water treatment and distribution systems and more affordable well drilling equipment, rain harvesting systems have been all but forgotten, even though they offer a source of pure, soft, low sodium water.

A renewed interest in this time-honored approach has emerged due to:

• the escalating environmental and economic costs of providing water by centralized water systems or by well drilling; • health benefits of rainwater; • potential cost savings associated with rainwater collection systems

The harvesting of rainwater simply involves the collection of water from surfaces on which rain falls, and subsequently storing this water for later use.

Normally water is collected from the roofs of buildings and stored in rainwater tanks. This is a common practice in many parts of the world (…and was actively promoted by environmentalist friends and colleagues of mine at Kodaikanal, a hill resort in India that faced period water shortages despite having a sizeable lake).

The collection of rainwater from the roofs of buildings can easily take place in the Seychelles. All that is necessary to capture this water is to direct the flow of rainwater from roof gutters to a rainwater storage tank. By doing this, water can be collected and used for various uses.

What are the Benefits in Rainwater Harvesting? By capturing water directly, we can significantly reduce our reliance on water storage dams. This places less stress on these water storages and can potentially reduce the need to expand these dams or build new ones.

Collecting and using your own water can also significantly reduce water bills.

By capturing water, the flow of stormwater is also reduced and this minimises the likelihood of overloading the stormwater systems in our neighbourhoods.

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What About Dirty Roofs? There are a number of devices (first flush devices) which allow for the first flow of water to the rainwater storage tank to be diverted from the tank. By doing this, any dirt on the roofs of buildings that has built up prior to the rain can be excluded from the tank.

Sizing of Rainwater Storage Tanks. The most appropriately sized rainwater storage can be chosen by quantitatively assessing the performance of various sized storage capacities.

Water Balance for Estimation of Rainwater Storage Capacity

The size of the area of capture or roof area must also be known when estimating the amount of rainfall that is able to be collected. The larger the roof area, the more rainfall that is able to be collected.

Solution 2: Construct Micro-Reservoirs

The concepts of rainwater harvesting are not only applied to roof catchments. Water can also be collected in small check dams and micro-reservoirs from rain falling on the ground and producing runoff. Either way, the water collected is precious.

Besides providing additional storage sites for fresh water runoff, these small check dams and micro-reservoirs will facilitate the replenishment of the water table.

Solution 3: Cloud Seeding Over Catchment Areas

"Weather modification" is the general term that refers to all human attempts to exercise some control over the weather. From the late 1940s into the

1960s, the term "weather control" was sometimes used. But, scientists know that no one can "control" the weather. The best that can be done is to change the weather in small ways, such as squeezing a little more precipitation out of clouds than would have otherwise fallen.

Cloud seeding refers to using silver iodide or other materials to increase the amount of precipitation from clouds. It is the one technique of planned weather modification that has been shown to work.

Cloud seeding over catchment areas could help 'wring the moisture' from the atmosphere / passing clouds and fill our reservoirs.

Sometimes precipitation only occurs in small amounts, or not at all, because certain required conditions are not present. Of prime importance for determining both the initiation and amount of precipitation from the cloud system are (1) the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the clouds, (2) the lifetime of the clouds and (3) the sizes and concentrations of cloud droplets and ice particles.

Under proper conditions, one or more of these three factors can be favorably modified by seeding the cloud with appropriate nuclei.

There are two basic mechanisms by which precipitation forms in clouds. These are called the "warm rain" and the "cold rain" processes. The term "warm rain" was derived after scientists noticed that rain in tropical regions often fell from clouds with temperatures never colder than 32°F (0°C). Rain is formed in these warm clouds when larger droplets collide with and absorb smaller cloud droplets in a process known as coalescence.

Compared to the amount of water that is visible as clouds or that falls to the ground as precipitation, the atmospheric reservoir of water above the earth is large. The sizes, types and concentrations of nuclei present in the atmosphere play an important role in determining the efficiency with which a cloud system forms and ultimately produces rain or snow.

For instance, salt crystals acting as giant condensation nuclei are abundant in the oceanic regions. These allow larger cloud droplets to form and the subsequent coalescence process initiates rainfall well within the lifetime of the clouds.

Conversely, the atmosphere over continental regions usually contains much smaller and more numerous condensation nuclei. Medium-sized clouds formed in these regions normally dissipate before the coalescence mechanism has had a chance to initiate rain.

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The technology may best be described as simply lending nature a helping hand. Man can assist nature by furnishing appropriate types and numbers of nuclei through "seeding" the clouds at the proper time and place. Seeding with very large condensation nuclei (hygroscopic particles such as salt crystals) can be done to accelerate the warm rain process.

Flares mounted on a cloud seeding aircraft are shown below.

Solution 4: Solar Distillation

Solar distillation for purifying water is one of many processes available for water purification, and sunlight is one of several forms of heat energy that can be used to power that process. Sunlight has the advantage of zero fuel cost.

To dispel a common belief, it is not necessary to boil water to distill it. Simply elevating its temperature, short of boiling, will adequately increase the evaporation rate. In fact, although vigorous boiling hastens the distillation process it also can force unwanted residue into the distillate, defeating purification. Furthermore, to boil water with sunlight requires more costly apparatus than is needed to distill it a little more slowly without boiling.

Many levels of purification can be achieved with this process, depending upon the intended application. Sterilized water for medical uses requires a different process than that used to make drinking water. Purification of water heavy in dissolved salts differs from purification of water that has been dirtied by other chemicals or suspended solids.

The present dollar cost of solar-distilled drinking water is several times that of water provided by most municipal utilities, but it costs less energy-wise. On the other hand, solar-distilled water is much less expensive than bottled water purchased in the store.

For people concerned about the quality of their municipally-supplied drinking water and unhappy with other methods of additional purification available to them, solar distillation of tap water or brackish groundwater can be a pleasant, energy-efficient option.

Solar distillation systems can be small or large. They are designed either to serve the needs of a single family, producing from ½ to 3 gallons of drinking water a day on the average, or to produce much greater amounts for an entire neighborhood.

In some parts of the world the scarcity of fresh water is partially overcome by covering shallow salt water basins with glass in greenhouse-like structures. These solar energy distilling plants are relatively inexpensive, low-technology systems, especially useful where the need for small plants exists.

Solar distillation of potable water from saline (salty) water has been practiced for many years in tropical and sub-tropical regions where fresh water is scare.

Natural fresh water often cannot be diverted for direct human consumption without substantial environmental damage. The economic feasibility of solar desalination of ocean water will, therefore, improve considerably as energy costs continue to escalate and population pressure exerts more stress on available fresh water supplies.

There are several acceptable designs for small solar stills for the individual family; however, there is still much room for innovation and improvement. Solar desalination is particularly well-suited for backyard experimentation by individuals with little or no technical training.

Basic Principles

The basic concept of using solar energy to obtain drinkable fresh water from salty, brackish or contaminated water is really quite simple. Water left in an open container in the backyard will evaporate into the air. The purpose of a solar still is to capture this evaporated (or distilled) water by condensing it onto a cool surface, using solar energy to accelerate the evaporation.

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The rate of evaporation can be accelerated by increasing the water temperature and the area of water in contact with the air. A wide, shallow pan painted black makes an ideal vessel for the water. It should probably be baked in the sun for a while before it is used in order to free the paint of any volatile toxicants which might otherwise evaporate and condense along with the drinking water. The pan is painted black (or some other dark color) to maximize the amount of solar energy absorbed. It should also be wide and shallow to increase the surface area, assuming the availability of a substance with good solar absorbing properties and durability in heated salt water. (This is a very harsh environment for materials to survive in over prolonged periods.)

To capture and condense the evaporated fresh water, we need some kind of surface close to the heated salt water which is several degrees cooler than the water. A means is then needed to carry this fresh water to a storage tank or vessel. The evaporating pan usually is covered by a sheet of clear glass or translucent plastic (to allow sunlight to reach the water) which is tilted at a slight angle to let the fresh water that condenses on its underside trickle down to a collecting trough. The glass also holds the heat inside.

Other possible configurations and materials are discussed in the Manual on Solar Distillation of Saline Water, available for $10.75 (using order no. PB 201 029) from the National Technical Information Service, Order Department, Springfield, VA 22161.

Another excellent publication is Solar Distillation as a Means of Meeting Small-Scale Water Demands, published in 1970 by the United Nations. It is available for $6 from the United Nations, Publications Sales Section, Room A-3315, New York, NY 10017 (order no. E70.11.B.1.). These two publications are recommended for individuals interested in building a solar water still. In addition, the Office of Water Research and Technology, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240, offers an extensive bibliography of relevant reports available from the National Technical Information Service.

Economics

For families interested in building a solar still, a good design should be capable of producing l/2 to 1 gallon of fresh water per day for each square meter (10.7 square feet) of still area. Material costs generally do not exceed about $20-$30 per square meter for large solar distillation plants. For smaller, backyard models, the material costs are likely to be somewhat higher.

The per-gallon cost of solar-distilled water can be calculated as follows: (a) estimate the usable lifetime of the still; (b) add up all the costs of construction, repair and maintenance (including labor) over its lifetime; and (c) divide that figure by the still's total expected lifetime output in gallons (or liters).

Such a cost estimate is only approximate since there are large uncertainties in both the lifetime and the yield estimates. Costs are usually considerably higher than current water prices – which explains why solar backyard stills are not yet marketed widely.

However, as times change, water prices rise. The quality of "city water" is deteriorating in many parts of the world and some people are buying expensive water filters or drinking only bottled water. Consequently, a more favorable evaluation of solar-produced fresh water costs would involve a comparison with bottled drinking water prices. For example, a 1970 United Nations report cites costs of $3 to $6 per 1,000 gallons of solar-distilled water. Using a 10 percent annual inflation rate, this translates into about $6 to $12 per 1,000 gallons at today's prices, excluding labor costs. This can be contrasted with a price of .50 to $1 per 1,000 gallons for utility-supplied water, and from .50 to $1 per gallon for bottled water sold in supermarkets (equivalent to $500 to $1,000/1,000 gallons).

We see that the solar-distilled water costs much less than bottled water and somewhat more than utility-supplied water. Small solar stills capable of producing pure drinking water even for as much as $20 to $30 per 1000 gallons might find many buyers who are unhappy with the quality of the water they are presently getting. As the cost of purifying polluted groundwater and delivering it to the home continues to rise, the solar distillation market should continue to grow significantly–especially if someone comes up with a unit that produces good drinking water at a reasonable price.

Water Quality

On August 22, 1978, the St. Petersburg Times stated that published reports of impurities in some water systems and national concern over carcinogens in drinking water had created a growing market for what are called "home water purifiers."

The article quoted Paige Geering of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency as saying that "the problems they (home water purifiers) create may be far worse than the benefits".

During discussions with this author, Ms. Geering emphasized that her published comments were primarily directed at the use of the word "purifier" with home water treatment devices. She said that these products can provide some improvement in drinking water, especially if the filter is changed frequently, but that one should be cautious of manufacturers' "purity" claims.

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In principle, the water from a solar still should be quite pure. The slow distillation process allows only pure water to evaporate from the pan and collect on the cover, leaving all particulate contaminants behind.

Since a clean glass cover plate and storage vessel should produce no contaminants, the catch basin, or trough, remains as the potential source of direct contamination.

The catch trough should be made of material unlikely to degrade water flowing through it, even at the moderately elevated temperatures which might be encountered. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic plumbing pipe is commonly available at relatively low cost. Since vinyl chloride has been identified as a carcinogen potentially harmful to workers in plants manufacturing PVC products, one should be very careful about using this material in a drinking water system.

Fortunately, some PVC formulations have been designed for use in potable water systems; however, other formulations are not so-designed and could pose a problem.

It is possible that a chemical in the feed water (or in the still itself) which evaporates along with the water could condense on the underside of the cover and be carried into the catch basin. There are several ways to minimize contamination from the materials in the still itself . Preconditioning of the distiller by "baking" it under the sun for several days may be sufficient to drive off most volatiles. Non-volatile materials left behind in the concentrate may be discarded. Avoiding use of materials containing known toxicants is another way to ensure condensate water purity.

With care in design and operation, the solar still should, therefore, be capable of producing good drinking water free of cancer-causing pollutants and other harmful substances – water that is colorless, odorless and, unfortunately, tasteless. When the minerals common to drinking water are removed, taste goes, too. One flavor recommendation is to add small amounts of minerals or salts to the distilled water maybe a good idea, since the minerals found in water may be healthful. Lost minerals also can be replaced by trickling the distilled water through a bed of marble chips.

Summary Comments on Solar Distilation

In principle, solar energy can be used to separate pure water from most of the natural contaminants, such as dissolved solids (salts) and particles (dirt and algae). Solar distillation is most economically effective when sunlight is

allowed to pass through a transparent cover and into a black evaporating pan with little or no concentration of the sun's rays.

A reasonable production rate would be about one gallon of water per day per square meter (10.7 square feet) of still area. If it costs about $40-$60 per square meter to build the still and if this water is worth roughly $15 per 1,000 gallons, the still should pay for itself in 2,500 to 4,000 days, or 7 to 11 years. As the value of solar-distilled water increases, the payback time shrinks. If one values this water at .60 a gallon, about what distilled water costs at the supermarket, then the payback time is only 60-100 days.

Solar distillation of water is not quite competitive with utility-supplied drinking water in Seychelles, but it is highly competitive with bottled water. Rising energy prices seem bound to create an early market for small manufactured solar water distilling units. In a few more years, large-scale solar distillation may also become economically viable for utility use in the country.

Solution 5: Water Recycling

Water can be recycled by means of membrane filtration and membrane bio reactors (MBR), ozone disinfection, UV-disinfection and sand filtration.

1. Tap and well water

The cost of tap water is constantly increasing. One pays now on average 1 - 1,50 EURO per cubic meter (1000 litres). This is a 20 % increase from 1990. When extracting groundwater, a levy of EURO 0,15 - 0,20 must be paid in the Netherlands e.g., due to a drop in the ground water level.

Concessions are rarely granted for the extraction of ground water anymore. This has resulted in more and more drinking water companies having to use surface water for the preparation of drinking water and companies changing to water recycling. It is therefore expected that drinking water will soon double in price. In the countries neightbouring the Netherlands, high water tariffs are already in use. (Germany: EURO 2, - per m3, Denmark: EURO 2,50 per m3)

2. Energy savings with the water recycling

Many industrial processes require the process water to be heated or cooled. Well water and tap water have an average temperature of 10 °C and 13 °C respectively. On average, every degree rise in temperature costs around EURO 0,05 per m3. Every degree lowered in temperature costs around EURO 0,07per m3.

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By re-using process water, the energy requirement demands are lowered and therefore savings can be made on energy expenses.

3. Further cost savings when re-using process water

When preparing process water, certain elements are removed to increase the performance of the system (e.g. the removal of iron from well water and the softening of water by the removal of carbonates).

Apart from the removal of unwanted elements, other substances are usually added to improve the water quality and promote the effectiveness of the process (e.g. nutrients for plants in a horticultural nursery). When this water is re-used, it is free of unwanted elements and already contains those elements that are needed by the process, therefore lowering costs.

4. Stricter demands on water usage

Stricter demands are being made on the quality of the water flowing through processes. Disinfection by means of environmentally friendly products is highly recommended.

5. The costs of wastewater The cost of draining off wastewater has risen by 20% in the past 5 years. This cost is expected to rise even more. Some companies have therefore already placed pre-treatment units for treating wastewater. In many cases, post treatment of the water is also possible, therefore making it suitable for water recycling in the process. The effluent water can also undergo a less effective treatment and be used as cooling or cleaning water.

Solution 6: Let Market Forces Facilitate Water Conservation

Allowing market forces to facilitate water conservation by moderating demand (through higher prices), and encourage investments in new technologies and production facilities may help enhance Seychelles' freshwater assets and alleviate the drinking water problem.

The growing demand for bottled drinking water is evidence that a market exists.

Market forces alone, however, cannot regulate the production and distribution of water, which is essential to the sustenance of life itself and therefore cannot be permitted to be priced beyond the reach of the poor.

http://www.lenntech.com/recycle.htm

http://www.lenntech.com/iron_removal.htm

http://www.lenntech.com/disinfection.htm

http://www.lenntech.com/waste_water.htm

Solution 7: Sand-filtration as Pre-Treatment for Desalination

Can sand-filtration be used as a pre-treatment for desalination ? If so, why not sink a borehole into the sea bed: Even marginal reductions in salinity and other impurities (inexpensive tests can be carried out by drilling at various depths) can reduce desalination costs, and increase the output of treated water…

Slow Sand Filtration Makes a Comeback

In the early 1800s, a Scotsman named John Gibb needed a way to provide his bleachery with clean water. Taking matters into his own hands, Gibb built a water treatment plant that utilized the slow sand filtration technique, which is now regarded the oldest type of municipal water filtration. The facility he built was so successful that it not only supplied water to his bleachery and his town, but within three years, filtered water was piped directly to customers in nearby Glasgow.

Since that time, slow sand filters have continued to provide potable water to consumers throughout the world. In fact, some experts claim that slow sand filtration currently is experiencing a resurgence in North America - especially in smaller communities - primarily because it is a cost-effective and reliable method of purification. Specialists say it may also be a suitable treatment choice for rural homeowners who depend on private water sources for household use.

How It Works

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In a slow sand filter, a combination of physical straining and biological treatment effectively purifies the raw water. The process itself is relatively slow- filtration rates ranging from 0.015 gpm/ft.2 to 0.16 gpm/ft.2 are common. Because of their rather lethargic filtration rates, slow sand filtration systems often must take up a large amount of space to produce substantial amounts of filtered water. (Smaller systems do not require such extensive physical space.) Extensive pilot testing during the design stage is critical to ensure that the filter performs up to par.

In the system, untreated water percolates through a bed of uniformly graded porous sand that overlies a gravel bed (see Figure 1 for diagram). The water enters over the surface of the filter and is drained from the bottom. In a mature filter, a rich, sticky, mat-like biological layer called a Schmutzedecke forms in the top layers of the sand, where particles tend to settle because of the slow rate of filtration. The Schmutzedecke is composed of biologically active microorganisms, including bacteria, algae, and other single- and multiple-cell organisms. The microorganisms break down and feed off of organic matter in the water that is passing through the Schmutzedecke, and inorganic particles are trapped and strained by this layer, as well. The Schmutzedecke assumes the dominant role in slow sand filtration because it allows the process to remove particles smaller than the sand could trap on its own. To ensure that the biological community in this layer remains effective, the filters should operate at a constant rate.

Eventually, flow becomes reduced because the filtered material and debris begin to block up the Schmutzedecke. To increase the flow rate, the filter must be cleaned by scraping and removing the top layer of sand. Until the biological layer replenishes itself, the filtered water should not be used.

Advantages

While there are many other monitoring and operational tasks that need to be performed (some daily), the scraping of the top layer probably is the most time-consuming maintenance-related task that the slow sand filter requires. However, even if one does not clean this top layer on a regular basis, the quantity of filtered water will be reduced, but the quality of the water will not suffer.

This limited maintenance to-do list is just one of the major advantages that slow sand filters offer. However, cost is probably the biggest benefit of slow sand filtration method. Materials used to build the system may be locally found, making the cost of construction relatively inexpensive. Also, since close, constant supervision is not necessary, the cost of operation also is reasonably low.

Another benefit of the filtration technique is that it there is no known negative impacts of using this technology on the environment. In fact, because it is a low-energy consuming process, slow sand filtration can actually help protect the environment, as compared to other water disinfection techniques.

Other advantages of slow sand filtration:

• No pre-treatment chemicals, are required • The system has great adaptability in components and applications • Problems handling sludge are minimal

Limitations Nothing is perfect in this world, and slow sand filters are no exception. The systems have several limitations that one should consider before investing in them. As mentioned previously, slow sand filters need a great deal of land, as well as filtration materials, to produce significant amounts of treated water. Therefore, if a large amount of water is needed, substantial space needs to be set aside for the system, which may not be feasible in some environments. A lengthy testing period - preferably a year - also must be reserved to ensure adequate performance throughout the four seasons.

Work is done on a slow sand filter. Courtesy of Dr. N. Nakamoto, Shinshu University.

Is Slow Sand for Us? Slow sand filtration has many advantages, especially for small communities and rural homeowners, but like every purification technique, it has its limitations.

Table 1. Typical Treatment Performance of Conventional Slow Sand Filters Water Quality Paramenter vs. Removal Capacity

Turbidity <1.0 NTUU Coliforms 1-3 log units Enteric Viruses 2-4 log units Giardia Cysts 2-4+log units Crptosporidium Oocysts >4 log units Dissolved Organic Carbon <15-25%

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Biodegradable Dissolved Organic Carbon <50% Trihalomethane Precursors <20-30% Heavy Metals Zinc, Copper, Cadmium, Lead >95-99% Iron, Manganese >67% Arsenic <47%

Brief History of Drinking Water

The history of water treatment is still being written, as discoveries continue to document its origins.

Early Egyptian paintings from the 13th and 15th centuries B.C. depict sedimentation apparatus and wick siphons, and it is speculated that the ancients utilized alum to remove suspended solids.

Historically, water was considered clean if it was clear. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, invented the "Hippocrates Sleeve", a cloth bag to strain rainwater, in the 5th century B.C.

Skilled Roman engineers created a water supply system that delivered 130 million gallons daily through aqueducts between 343 B.C. to 225 A.D.

Public Water Supply Systems were born at the end of the 3rd century B.C. in Rome, Greece, Carthage and Egypt.

Storage or settling cisterns were constructed to remove silt by plain sedimentation.

From about 500 to 1600 A.D., there was little progress in water treatment and its connection to public health.

Sir Francis Bacon, the great Elizabethan philosopher, chronicled only 10 scientific experiments in the preceding 1,000 years which related to water treatment.

Drinking Water in the 17th and 18th Centuries

In 1680 the microscope was invented by Anton van Leeuwenhoek, and in 1685 an Italian physician named Lu Antonio Porzio designed the first multiple

filter. These two unrelated events were to play important parts in the future of water treatment.

Van Leeuwenhoek was accused of inaccuracy. The scientific community regarded his sketches of microscopic organisms as unimportant curiosities.

Then 200 years later, the scientists of the 19th century made the connection between these "animacules," water, and health.

Porzio's filter used plain sedimentation and straining followed by sand filtration. It contained two compartments (one downward flow, one upward).

In 1746, Parisian scientist Joseph Amy was granted the first patent for a filter design, and by 1750 his filters for home use could be purchased. The filters consisted of sponge, charcoal, and wool.

Drinking Water in the 19th and 20th Centuries

The first water facility to deliver water to an entire town was built in Paisley, Scotland in 1804 by John Gibb to supply his bleachery and the town, and within three years, filtered water was even piped directly to customers in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 1806 a large water treatment plant began operating in Paris. The plant's filters were made of sand and charcoal and were renewed every six hours. Pumps were driven by horses working in three shifts. Water was settled for 12 hours before filtration.

In the 1870's, Dr. Robert Koch and Dr. Joseph Lister demonstrated that microorganisms existing in water supplies can cause disease. Since then, America has relied on several processes of water treatment to progressively ensure the best water quality.

The Civil War interrupted the development of filtration in the United States; however once the North and South were reunited, the U.S. became a leader in the art of water treatment.

The year 1906 saw the use of ozone as a disinfectant in Nice, France. Because of the equipment's complexity and cost, ozonation was less prevalent in the U.S. Jersey City Water Works became the first utility in America to use sodium hyperchlorite for disinfection in 1908, and the Bubbly Creek plant in Chicago instituted regular chlorine disinfection. The initial treatment process utilized slow sand filters to provide a more aesthetic product. Within several years filtration was recognized for removal

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of undesirable particles and deadly bacteria, as those communities that utilized it had fewer outbreaks of typhoid. William Stipe, superintendent of water works at Keokuk, Iowa, organized a meeting of all persons concerned with water-works at Washington University in 1881. The 22 participants founded the American Water Works Association. Significant improvements to water treatment in the latter part of the 19th century included the development of rapid sand filters, filters, improved slow sand filters, and the first applications of chlorine and ozone for disinfection. At the turn of the century, chlorination became the most popular method in the United States and numbers of typhoid dysentery and cholera case plummeted.

In 1914, the U.S. Department of The Treasury promulgated the country's first drinking water bacteriological standard, a maximum level of 2 coliforms per 100 mL. By the 1920's , the use of filtration and chlorination had virtually eliminated epidemics of major waterborne diseases from the American landscape. These two decades also saw the development of dissolved air flotation, early membrane filters, floc blanket sedimentation, and the solids-contact clarifier.

Late 20th Century

Desalination Equipment 1940

A major step in the development of desalination technology arrived during World War II when various military establishments in arid areas required water to supply their troops.

In 1942 the U.S. Public Health Service adopted the first set of drinking water standards, and the membrane filter process for bacteriological analysis was approved in 1957.

By the early 1960's, more than 19,000 municipal water systems were in operation throughout the U.S. Since the 1974 enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the government, the public

health community, and water utilitiesthroughout the country have worked together to safeguard the nation's drinking water supplies and to ensure that law protects public health in the best possible ways. Today, the AWWA leads the effort to advance science, technology, consumer awareness, management, conservation and government policies related to drinking water.

Imon Ghosh Friday, August 20, 2004

Annex D

Invitees present at the Workshop for the

1st batch of SMB Supervisors on December 1 & 2, 2003

1. Andy Bristol 2. Claurida Telemaque 3. Maria Tirant 4. Francois Simara 5. Raymond Baker 6. Mica Monnaie 7. Samantha Bradburn 8. Monica Rose 9. Lyne Rasalie 10. Jovit Montemayor 11. Millie Pool 12. Sheila Tripp 13. Radhika Chasmawalla 14. Magdalene Marengo 15. David Francoise 16. Jimmy Cecile 17. Raymond Simeon 18. Christina Bamboche 19. Divina Sabino 20. Christina Germain 21. Sonny Barra 22. Sabrina Sabino

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Evaluation Questionnaire

SMB Workshops for Managers and Supervisors November and December, 2003

Information and comments on this form will be used to help prepare and present future workshops.

The evaluation of training workshops by participants forms an important part of the review process for training conducted at SMB, and will be used to help prepare and present future workshops. Please complete the form below by ticking the relevant boxes. There are additional spaces for you to qualify or expand upon your answers if you wish, and there are some open-ended questions near the end of the form. Thank you for your assistance. Name: Section / Unit: * * * PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO MR. IMON GHOSH OR MRS. MARYMONDE

MATATIKEN * * * (1) The aims and objectives of the workshop were clear.

12 Strongly agree 10 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree

Comments:

• “The issues addressed were clear & related with my work.” - Christina Germaine (Marketing)

• “Clearly listed out. Could remember them at the end of the session.” - Radhika Chasmawalla (Marketing / Sales)

• “The explanation was very clear so that you can understand very well.” - Millie Pool (Manufacturing – Foodpro Unit)

• “The course was very fruitful.” - Sheila Tripp (Marketing)

(2) The content of the sessions was relevant to the objectives and aims of the workshop.


Comments:

• “Agree because it has helped a lot of the Supervisors.” - Christina Bamboche (Builders Depot)

• “Would have been more useful if reading material had been given in advance.” - Radhika Chasmawalla (Marketing)

(3) Taken together, the sessions in the workshop formed a coherent whole.


Comments: No comments were offered for this question.

(4) The workshop as a whole was interesting.

14 Strongly agree 8 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Comments:

• “Very interesting.” - Francois Simara (ION) • “The workshop is very interesting, especially working in teams. It helps also to know ones

co-workers working in other sections.” - Sheila Tripp (Marketing) • “The activities done were certainly interesting but considering the depth of the topics and

time allocated for each, many times the participants would manifest fatigue and as a whole it creates an atmosphere of lack of enthusiasm.” - Divina Sabino (HR & A)

• “I felt more time needed to be given to each topic.” - Radhika Chasmawalla (Marketing) • “Quite interesting because each and every participant had the chance to participate and

share their views and concerns.” - Jimmy Cecile (Agri / ION)

(5) The workshop as a whole was relevant to my work.


• “Not all modules relate to me directly. The thing is that maybe in the long run it will come in handy. Since I am a trainee Product Manager in supply, I do not really have a team to lead, so I can use my knowledge to help my co-workers.” - Sonny Barra (Import / Supplies)

• “Yes, I now have more tools to work with.” - Jimmy Cecile (Agri / ION) • “Most of the subjects we covered form part of my job.” - Claurida Telemaque (B Depot) • “There are things that have been discussed and explained that are relevant to my work

but I’ve also got many new ideas.” - Sheila Tripp (Marketing)

(6) Sessions were well organised.


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Comments:

• “No wasting of time.” - Claurida Telemaque (Builders Depot, Store A) • “Excellent.” - Sonny Barra (Import / Supplies) • “Well coordinated and planned.” - Divina Sabino (HR & A) • “But it needs more time. Time inadequate.” - Francois Simara (ION) • “At least should be done once or twice a year.” - Sheila Tripp (Marketing)

(7) Workshop training and facilitation methods were good.


• “The sessions were very lively and entertaining.” - Sonny Barra (Import / Supplies) • “Could have used more practical exercises like the impromptu speeches.” - Radhika

Chasmawalla (Marketing / Sales) • “So much material, too little time. Little time to grasp & ponder over some issues

discussed.” - Divina Sabino (Human Resources & Administration)

(8) There were sufficient opportunities for group members to share their own experience and knowledge with others.


Comments:

• “It was very interactive.” - Samantha Bradburn (Creative Services / Marketing) • “It was also a chance for many to open up & also meet others.” - Christina Bamboche

(Builders Depot) • “Many were reluctant to go centre-stage & speak. Noticeably, most who went centre-

stage were trainees with little / no experience. Good sharing of knowledge.” - Divina Sabino (Human Resources & Administration)

• “I had the chance to express myself and share my experience with others.” - Claurida Telemaque (Builders Depot)

(9) Sharing experience and knowledge with group members was helpful to me.


• “It helped me to know more about different sections and their roles.” - Claurida Telemaque (Builders Depot)

• “Sometimes a problem surfaced among people from different departments - eg. Resources which meant u r not the only one.” - Radhika Chasmawalla (Marketing)

• “I have learnt a lot through the experienced ones here.” - Christina Bamboche (Builders Depot)

(10) The Handbook issued to participants of the workshop is good.


• “Very detailed with good case studies / examples. Very informative.” - Divina Sabino • “The course was on a very advanced level.” - Sheila Tripp (Marketing) • “Larger space needed for notes.” - Francois Simara (ION) • “It gave you a lot of information and helped you understand more.” - Claurida Telemaque

(Builders Depot)

(11) How do you rate the level of difficulty?

Too difficult 2 Difficult 13 Neither too easy nor too difficult

5 Easy Too easy

Comments: 2 participants left all the boxes blank.

• “It was easy to understand and examples were based on our everyday situations.” - Samantha Bradburn (Creative Services / Marketing)

• “It makes you think a lot of things that you were not aware or take notice.” - Mica Monnaie (Finance – ISU)

• “Workshop should have been done in a span of 3 days at least.” - Divina Sabino (HR&A) • “It was up to standard.” - Francois Simara (ION) • “The bottles that represented the reservoir and how were we supposed to fix it: it was not

easy because it took time to think, but in the end when you get the results you can see that it was not that difficult.” - Christina Bamboche (Builders Depot)

(12) Which aspects of the workshop did you particularly enjoy?

• “The Sync! and when we all had to go infront and speak for a minute and improvise answers to the questions.” - Divina Sabino (HR & A)

• “Group discussions/group activity. This encourages team spirit and motivation. It also makes us realize how important it is to work together as a team, and the difference between working individually and working with others.” - Sabrina Sabino (Imports)

• “I enjoyed visioning and goal setting, and leading a team a lot. On the whole I enjoyed the whole workshop.” - Sonny Barra (Import / Supplies)

• “Leading team process and how to develop communication skills.” - Jimmy Cecile (ION) • “Being able to share experiences and views on the different topics that were being

taught.” - Samantha Bradburn (Creative Services / Marketing) • “Delivering superior service. Visioning / goal setting.” - Mica Monnaie (Finance – ISU) • “The experience sharing parts and where we had to rate our performances.” - Raymond

Simeon (Support Services – Security Unit) • “When working in groups.” - Claurida Telemaque (Builders Depot) • “The part where we had to answer these questions unprepared.” - Christina Bamboche • “I enjoyed the whole workshop.” - David Francoise (Refrigeration)

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(13) Which aspects would you like to see improved or changed, and in what ways?

• “No changes, except that the course should be done once or twice a year.” - Sheila Tripp • “Too much group work.” - Francois Simara (ION) • “Some group members were reluctant to participate so I think it would be better if there

was more group activities to enable more participation.” - Sabrina Sabino (Imports) • “I think that the 4 topics are OK. It’s just that sometimes discussion on certain topic the

time was limited, for deeper debate.” - Mica Monnaie (Finance – ISU) • “Communication skills: Put it in actual scenario like, one member of a team with blindfold

& he has to draw a figure based on the explanation of a leader. This will test how effective is the communication whether it is clear or accurate in every details of the figure.” - Jovit T. Montemayor (Manufacturing / BDR)

• “Maybe a longer period of time for the workshop. Maybe a higher level workshop as well.” - Sonny Barra (Import / Supplies)

• “The workshop was well conducted and is very beneficial in building ones line of work.” - Samantha Bradburn (Creative Services / Marketing)

(14) Was the timetabling of the workshops convenient for you?

• “No.” - Raymond Baker (Tea & Coffee) • “It was fine, but 3 days would be better to be able to participate more.” - Mica Monnaie • “It would have been more convenient if the workshop was carried out only in the

mornings and perhaps it should have been for 3 or 4 days instead of only two.” - Sabrina Sabino (Imports)

• “Yes, one should allow time for such matters.” - Samantha Bradburn (Creative Services) • All the other responses were ‘yes’.

Thank you for your cooperation in completing this form. Please return it to your Trainer - Mr. Imon Ghosh, or the Training Co-ordinator - Mrs. Marymonde Matatiken.


2nd batch of SMB Supervisors on December 4 & 5, 2003

1. Jimmy Pauline

2. Jose Esparon

3. Patrick Appoo

4. Maryse Port-Louis

5. Monica Camille

6. Jacqueline Domingue

7. Brigitte Hoareau

8. Beryl Adeline

9. Tony Moustache

10. Emmanuel Damoo

11. Rita Vadivello

12. Anastasia Maria

13. Myrna Bonnelame

14. Michel Robert

15. Cynthia Camille

16. Jacqueline Mederick

17. Dothy Horter

18. Denise Bonne

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Comments:

• “Yes, they were very clear and to the point.” - Emmanuel Damoo (Manufacturing - BDR) • “Every module in this workshop has been clearly explained.” - Maryse Port-Louis

(Support Services) • “He was a very clear tutor. And very helpful.” - Rita Vadivello (Builders Depot)



Comments:

• “Strongly agree as I was here to know what makes a good supervisor.” – Tony Moustache (CMU)

• “Yes it was very relevant to the objectives & aims of the workshop.” – Cynthia Camille (Finance Section)


9 Strongly agree 8 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Comments: 1 participant left all the boxes blank.

• “Yes all the sessions tend to complement each other.” - Emmanuel Damoo • “It has helped us more to focus on ourselves, our co-workers and our customers.”

- Beryl Adeline (Builders Depot)



• “Everybody had a great time. Just two days seems too short to cover all the topics in every detail.” - Tony Moustache (CMU)

• “It’s the first workshop which was so lively and interesting. He gave us the chance to participate and know our self-esteem.” - Jacqueline Mederick (Finance / AS400, ISU)

• “It was very interesting. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.” - Brigitte Hoareau (Marketing) • “Because he speak word by word for you to understand the meaning.” – Monica Camille

(Corporate Security) • “It was very interesting because we have learned a lot of useful things.” – Maryse Port-

Louise (Support Services)



• “Yes, I’ve learnt so many things that will be a tool to my work.” – Brigitte Hoareau • “Yes concerning setting goals, team work and sharing leadership.” – Emmanuel Damoo • “In Finance Section, we barely meet customers except at month end, at payment time

and sometimes not at all.” - Dothy Horter (Finance)



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Comments:

• “I was given short notice, but I’m happy in the end.” - Jose Esparon (Workshop) • “Yes it was well organised & I was very pleased to attend.” - Cynthia Camille (Finance) • “The letter was sent a bit late.” - Rita Vadivello (Builders Depot) • “Very well organised. Mr. Imon was a good teacher.” - Emmanuel Damoo • “Because the letter was a bit late.” - Monica Camille (Corporate Security) • “Just hope it could have been longer.” - Tony Moustache (CMU) • “Keep it up.” - Anastasia Maria (Marketing – Warehouse No. 8)



• “Yes as during the workshops a lot of experience was shared.” - Jacqueline Domingue (Sales)

• “We all had a chance to participate individually.” - Beryl Adeline (Builders Depot) • “Yes the training and facilitation was very good.” - Emmanuel Damoo • “Two days were not enough.” - Jose Esparon (Workshop)



Comments:

• “Yes, we were able to express our opinion & pass on our experience with other colleagues.” - Brigitte Hoareau (Marketing)

• “Everyone had the chance to express themselves.” - Maryse Port-Louise • “Yes we all participated.” - Emmanuel Damoo (Manufacturing – BDR) • “We all want to learn more from one another.” - Jacqueline Mederick (Finance/AS400)



• “Helped me learn a lot.” - Michel Robert (Finance / ISU) • “We shared great experiences.” - Cynthia Camille (Finance) • “I didn’t have that chance before.” - Jose Esparon (Workshop) • “Yes I had the opportunity to gain insight with the other supervisors.” – Emmanuel Damoo • “Yes, I’ve learnt how their jobs operate, the problems they face, and working in Team

Spirit to find answers.” - Brigitte Hoareau (Marketing)


16 Strongly agree 1 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Comments: 1 participant left all the boxes blank.

• “It will also serve as an enhancement on our knowledge and skills gained at the workshop into our day-to-day performance.” - Myrna Bonnelame (HR & A)

• “Very helpful.” - Jose Esparon (Workshop) • “Well organised.” - Maryse Port-Louis (Support Services) • “When I’m in doubt I could refer to it.” - Michel Robert (Finance / ISU) • “The handbook was great. There was a lot of information.” - Emmanuel Damoo



6 Easy Too easy

Comments: 1 participant left all the boxes blank.

• “It got us thinking more about how to analyse and apply the newly learnt skills.” - Myrna Bonnelame (Human Resources & Administration)

• “The explanation was good.” - Jacqueline Domingue (Sales) • “It was very challenging.” - Michel Robert (Finance / ISU) • “He helps me to have more confidence in myself. He is really a good teacher. I have

learnt a lot.” - Jacqueline Mederick (Finance / AS400, ISU)


• “Every bit of it. Especially the public speaking. It was fun.” - Brigitte Hoareau (Marketing) • “Visioning & goal setting.” - Patrick Appoo (Support Services) • “Teamwork & leadership.” - Anastasia Maria (Marketing / Warehouse No. 8) • “Presentations.” - Denise Bonne (Manufacturing) • “Speaking in front of the class.” - Jimmy Pauline (Corporate Security) • “When we had to stand at the front to give a speech on any subject that came up. It was

a great experience as we don’t often get a chance to do this.” - Dothy Horter (Finance) • “Everything.” - Emmanuel Damoo (Manufacturing – BDR)


• “The public speaking should be a bit longer.” - Beryl Adeline (Builders Depot) • “Tasks /questions were not always definitely clear for every team member. Though Mr.

Ghosh is a great teacher and made me feel at ease through the session.” - Dothy Horter • “I don’t think that there’s anything to change. Everything was clear and understandable.”

- Michel Robert (Finance / ISU) • “I will have liked the workshop more often as two days was not enough.” - Tony

Moustache (CMU)

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• “Public speaking was the aspect I would like to improve myself.” - Cynthia Camille (Finance)

• “All was very fine and helpful.” - Patrick Appoo (Support Services) • “Well for myself nothing at all.” - Emmanuel Damoo (Manufacturing – BDR)


• “It was good.” - Monica Camille (Corporate Security) • “The time was too short. Because there was a lot to learn.” - Maryse Port-Louis • “I had no problem with that.” - Tony Moustache (CMU) • “Yes, though I was busy being at the beginning of the month. I took time to complete my

work at lunchtime.” - Dothy Horter (Finance) • “Yes, because I was on my annual leave.” - Jacqueline Domingue (Sales)



3rd batch of SMB Supervisors on December 11 & 12, 2003

1. Stella Laurence

2. Harry Bistoquet

3. Kingsley Pouponneau

4. Marie-Madeleine Haidee

5. Lorna Freminot

6. Lysianne Rapide

7. Lorna Volcy

8. Myriam Ferley

9. Juliana Esparon

10. Jossy Florentine

11. Marie-Andre Freminot

12. Maryliane Nolin

13. Marie-Claude Julie

14. Mary-Anne Bristol

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Comments:

• “The workshop was job related and of personal benefit, and I take it as an investment for future endeavours.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)

• “It had been well explained.” - Juliana Esparon (Support Services) • “He was very clear and very helpful.” - Marie-Madeleine Haidee (Marketing) • “I’ve learnt a lot.” - Marie-Andre Freminot (Security) • “It will help me set my goals, communicate more, and deliver superior service.” - Lorna

Freminot (Marketing ITU)



Comments:

• “The sessions content were full of actual examples related to communication, visioning, goal setting, etc.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)

• “It will help you to improve especially when working with customers.” - Juliana Esparon • “Everything was clear.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services) • “I wish the workshop must continue in future.” - Harry Bistoquet (Hatchery) • “It has helped me to build self-esteem.” - Marie-Madeleine Haidee (Marketing)


9 Strongly agree 3 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Comments: 2 participants left all the boxes blank.

• “The sessions were all related.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance) • “Yes, we had a good time together even though we are from different units.” - Marie-

Madeleine Haidee (Marketing) • “Helps one another to understand at the end what we are trying to make our company.”

- Juliana Esparon (Support Services)



• “It was beyond my expectation, full of great inspiring examples.” - Marie-Claude Julie • “Mr. Ghosh knows what he is talking about.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (BDR – Mfg.) • “It was great to learn new ideas to implement in our duties, which we were neglecting.”

- Mary-Anne Bristol • “The teacher was very good. I have good ideas to share with others.” - Lorna Freminot • “It gives me so many ideas that I did not know.” - Juliana Esparon (Support Services) • “Interesting. Lively.” - Lysianne Rapide (Builders Depot)



• “Everything I learnt during these two days is needed in my everyday work.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services)

• “Yes, communications skills, satisfied customers.” - Marie-Madeleine Haidee (Marketing) • “It will help me a lot in my work to operate and organise better services for my company,

and country.” - Lorna Freminot (Marketing ITU) • “It came at the right time.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing – BDR/Soap & TP)

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• “Pli bon ki sa i a gate’ Well done !” - Kingsley Pouponneau • “The organisation was good, the venue was very comfortable, the atmosphere was very

relaxing and the presenter had a way to really get participants to believe in themselves.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)

• “Yes, but send the memo one week before.” - Lorna Volcy (Foodpro) • “The length of sessions could have been a bit longer, and we will not have to rush from

one topic to another.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services) • “Well organised. Everything was on time.” - Lysianne Rapide (Builders Depot) • “Very well organised.” - Juliana Esparon (Support Services)


8 Strongly agree 4 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Comments: 2 participants left all the boxes blank.

• “Everything was ready & on time.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing – BDR) • “The facilitator used examples of things that have actually happened. There was good

communication between all participants.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)



Comments: 1 participant left all the boxes blank.

• “Open microphone. In group sessions, everybody had to participate.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing – BDR)

• “Every member was given chances to share their ideas.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services)

• “Definitely, more than enough and no doubts about this.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance) • “There was sufficient time for us to express ourselves.” - Harry Bistoquet (Hatchery) • “Yes, it was very amusing.” - Marie-Madeleine Haidee (Marketing)



Comments:

• “I’ve learnt about others experiences and I also shared mine, and by bringing all together I will be very efficient in my duties.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services)

• “It makes the whole workshop more inspiring.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance) • “Sharing experience and knowledge in group is very helpful to me. Because in SMB

everybody has different ideas.” - Lysianne Rapide (Builders Depot) • “I learnt a lot about others in the workshop.” - Marie-Andre Freminot (Security) • “Being new in the SMB family, I’ve been able to learn quite a lot.” - Kingsley Pouponneau

(Manufacturing – BDR)


9 Strongly agree 4 Agree 1 Disagree Strongly disagree

• “(Disagree) Because the figure is too small, and my eyes are not good.” - Lorna Volcy (Foodpro)

• “Well written & easy to follow. I will be able to keep it as a reference.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing – BDR)

• “Its good but may be certain wordings could be made simple for certain participants.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)

• “A well organised hand book.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services)



5 Easy Too easy

Comments: 2 participants left all the boxes blank.

• “I did not find it difficult but rather challenging and very interesting.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance)

• “Quite well and good.” - Juliana Esparon (Support Services) • “I was able to follow without any difficulty.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing –

BDR)


• “Leading teams. Communication.” - Lysianne Rapide (Builders Depot) • “Speaking without notes.” - Marie-Claude Julie (Finance) • “I particularly enjoyed the Party Mix, because it helped me to have confidence in myself.”

- Lorna Freminot (Marketing ITU) • “Customer service, good communication and also how to lead.” - Juliana Esparon

(Support Services) • “I really enjoyed the Party Mix.” - Myriam Ferley (Import Section, Supplies Unit)


• “None.” - Mary-Anne Bristol (Support Services) • “Public speaking. It’s not easy to stand in front of an audience.” -Lysianne Rapide

(Builders Depot)

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• “Written activity as the questions were not precise enough.” - Kingsley Pouponneau (Manufacturing – BDR)

• “I think that the session was well presented.” - Myriam Ferley (Import Section) • “I see everything O.K. The teacher was excellent.” - Lorna Freminot (Marketing ITU)


• “No.” - Jossy Florentine (Corporate Security) • "Yes, because I know that my junior staff have the competence to perform their job in my

absence.” - Myriam Ferley (Import Section, Supplies Unit) • “Yes it was good and convenient for me.” - Juliana Esparon • “Yes, it has helped me a lot.” - Marie-Andre Freminot (Security) • All the other responses were ‘yes’.


Annex E

The benefits of training By Imon Ghosh (Manager, MD's Office)

It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot

if you're properly trained. ~ Queen Elizabeth

Creating a learning organization that is able to fulfill its mission of building the future for the people of Seychelles is a priority at SMB. The importance that SMB places on training is seen in the creation of a spacious new conference facility located in the HRA block.

Regular training and learning opportunities are an investment that allow employees to prosper and develop their careers, while giving the organisation a highly skilled workforce, and a competitive advantage in the market.

Studies of training reveal that organisations with lower staff turnover spend the most on training and education. Minimising staff turnover benefits the organization: replacing staff is a costly process - skills are lost, resources are disrupted, and recruiting new personnel takes time and money.

Training increases the skill-set of the workforce, enabling it to engage in a wider range of tasks and responsibilities. The benefits of a trained workforce have been shown to flow through to customers who become more satisfied with the improved level of products and services.

Training is also a perfect opportunity for staff to get to know each other.

So why does SMB invest in training, and in your future ? How training benefits the organization

Improves the job knowledge and skill at all levels of the organization. Improves the morale of the work force. Helps people identify with organizational goals. Helps create a better corporate image. Aids in organizational development.

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Aids in understanding and carrying out organizational policies. Organization gets more effective decision making and problem solving. Aids in development for promotion from within. Aids in developing leadership skill, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes,

and other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display. Aids in increasing productivity and/or quality of work. Helps keep costs down in many areas, e.g. production, personnel,

administration, etc. Stimulates preventive management as opposed to putting out fires. Creates an appropriate climate for growth, communication. Aids in improving organizational communication. Helps employees adjust to change. Aids in handling conflict, thereby helping to prevent stress and tension.

Benefits to the individual which in turn ultimately benefit the organisation:

Helps the individual in making better decisions and effective problem solving.

Aids in encouraging and achieving self-development and self-confidence. Helps a person handle stress, tension, frustration and conflict. Provides information for improving leadership knowledge, communication

skills and attitudes. Increases job satisfaction and recognition. Moves trainee toward personal goals while improving interaction skills. Develops a sense of growth in learning. Helps a person develop speaking and listening skills; also writing skills

when exercises are required. Helps eliminate fear in attempting new tasks.

Benefits in personnel relations, and policy implementation:

Improves communication between groups and individuals. Aids in orientation for new employees and those taking new jobs through

transfer or promotion. Improves interpersonal skills. Makes organization policies, rules and regulations viable. Improves morale. Builds teamwork and cohesiveness in groups. Makes the organization a

better place to work and live.

SMB’s Training Strategies

By Imon Ghosh (Manager, MD's Office)

The best way to predict the future is to create it. - Peter Drucker

What would it take to enjoy work as much as play? People, after all, will often pay for the privilege of working harder at play, than they will work when they are paid! Our MD states that “I have always preached the principle that no human being should do a job he or she doesn’t like because they won’t do it properly. Going to work should be more like going to a fun place. If you give a person a job that he enjoys and feels right, he will be able to do a better job than what is expected of him. My advice to the workers of SMB, both new and old, is to continue believing in what you are doing because the day you stop believing in it is the day you stop working with your heart.” (Inside SMB, Issue 19, March – April 1999) Unlike educational instruction methods used at school or even university, corporate training focuses more on the use of training games and other interactive strategies rather than just the lecture method. Participants in corporate training workshops and seminars are experienced and knowledgeable (even specialized) in their field. They are professionals who are committed to continually upgrading their work skills and knowledge base as well as to life-long learning, but who may take offence (or become bored) if lectured to. We live in an era of exploding information, where the half-life (or useful shelf-life) of most knowledge is around 6 years. With a little initiative and self-motivation plus a few research skills, anyone can surf the internet, listen to a tape or read a book to gain relevant work-related and performance enhancing information. Indeed, this is what professionals in every field do all the time … In this context, what value addition can SMB’s corporate training interventions offer? Send a few people to a training course, and they often report difficulty integrating their new knowledge and skills into their work, because the rest of

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their team isn’t in sync with the new mindset and skills that they have picked up. Team learning is where our comparative advantage is: When teams reflect on their work, share experiences, solve problems and learn together, the dynamic of the workplace changes and a synergy is created that constitutes the building blocks of a learning organization. This is crucial because we also live in an era of accelerating change, and building a learning organization may represent the best chance to survive, thrive, and make meaningful contributions to our customers, and to society at large. As Jayant Mayadas, SM (Manufacturing) observes, “A successful organization just has to be a learning organization. Machines don’t learn, people learn. We can always find ways to develop that open-minded attitude, which will give us the opportunity of learning something new, all the time. SMB’s diversity offers considerable learning options. Personal development always leads to organizational development, which in turn feeds back to personal development. As someone smart once said, the mind is like a parachute - it always works best when it is fully open.” The training function, when properly structured, resourced and managed, contributes to an organisation’s development by disseminating knowledge and skills, facilitating teamwork, improving effectiveness and morale, and enhancing productivity, among other benefits. The commitment of SMB’s management to training is clear from the resources that are made available for this purpose - including the spacious new conference and training facility in the HRA block. A Training Committee has been established to guide SMB’s training programmes, comprising of Mr. Darwin Athanase (SM – HRA), Ms. Marymonde Matatiken (HRDO), Mr. Jeffrey Appoo (SM – CMU), Mr. Amitesh Banerjee (Communications Manager) and Mr. Imon Ghosh (Manager, MD’s Office). The objective of all SMB training interventions and investments is personal and organizational development. In the past, SMB training programmes have ranged from the ongoing service delivery training mandated by the national visioning exercise, to in-house computer training for non-computer literate staff, occupational health and safety training, workshops for employees who interact with the media, and modules on visioning & goal setting, leading

teams, communication skills and delivering superior service for SMB Managers and Supervisors. What new training initiatives are in the pipeline? SMB’s in-house capacity to develop and customize training content is being augmented with a trainers’ resource library. This will enrich our training programmes with audio and video content, and access the wisdom of leading management thinkers and personal development specialists from around the world. Even trainers need to be inspired! Training resources being acquired include the Service First Video Library, a set of 12 customer service training videos, and The Effective Manager Seminar Series, as well as books, CDs/DVDs, and training software. We are also developing the capacity to create our own training videos, besides documenting training and coaching sessions, and meetings conducted by visiting experts (from Tetrapak etc.) for future use. A visual record that captures technical knowledge and experience sharing can help augment our institutional learning, and communicate best practices. Such a facility, for example, can be used to train SMB’s machine operators in the basic maintenance of their equipment, thereby enriching their work content, and help to reduce production downtime. In response to feedback from our internal customers, training modules will primarily be based on a half-day format to facilitate participation without disruption of work. These modules can be combined, where necessary, to create workshops of longer duration. Based on the findings of our earlier training needs analysis, which will be periodically updated, a variety of training modules (including team building / team problem solving, quality customer service, communication and persuasion skills, time management, negotiation skills, managing stress, project management, and leadership skills etc.) are being prepared. Our goal is to customize these modules, and make them available on demand to work groups and workshop participants across all units of SMB. Learning involves the creation of meaning - not just the consumption of knowledge. Besides enhancing functional skills and teamwork, training helps organizations manage change. Developing role-playing scenarios in collaboration with Unit Managers that capture the challenges faced by a team or work group, and facilitating experience and knowledge sharing between group members has proved to be an effective learning tool for the staff at the SMB Supermarket and Meat Corner, as well as the SMB Sales Team. Other SMB work groups can benefit from taking part in similar exercises. Combined with mentoring and on-the-job coaching, these programmes will give every member of the SMB family an opportunity to develop his or her skills.

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The greater use of customized training games, developing online content that can be downloaded-on-demand from the SMB intranet for self-paced learning, and using business simulation games during training are future projects that SMB’s Training Committee will explore as we work to build a learning organization. Recent research on the nature of human intelligence suggests that we are of two minds: an experiential mind and a rational mind. Our experiential mind learns directly, thinks quickly, pays attention to the outcome, and forgets slowly. Our rational mind learns indirectly, thinks deliberately, pays attention to the process, and forgets rapidly. We need both our minds. Games and interactive strategies appeal directly to the experiential mind. When combined with debriefing discussions, they provide a powerfully balanced approach to whole-brain learning. Members of the Training Committee have also been brainstorming the possibility of organizing seminars, modelled after those used in Executive Development Programmes at business schools, that address issues of topical business interest like globalization, and technological changes etc. that affect our business prospects. Subject matter experts within SMB will be invited to share their knowledge at these seminars. There are ten global trends in the workplace that are relevant to the use of interactive strategies: 1) Teamwork. Every week, more and more organizations are being flattened. During the past decade, traditional bureaucracies have been replaced by team-based structures. The complexity of knowledge work requires collaboration among members of cross-functional teams. If employees are going to work in teams, it makes sense to train them in teams. Therefore, individual instruction is being increasingly replaced by team-based learning. 2) Large-scale participation. Everyone wants a piece of action. In the workplace, employees want to have a say in the way they are being managed. Computer and communication technologies support demands for increased participation. Such participation not only makes moral sense but also business sense. 3) Learning Organizations. Peter Senge’s 1994 conceptual framework that organizations can suffer from fatal learning disabilities has now become an accepted truth. More and more organizations are using operational strategies related to the five disciplines Senge identifies as systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, and team learning.

4) Globalization. Technologies of travel and communication have reduced distance to an insignificant variable. This is changing the way business is conducted. 5) Changing characteristics of learners. People born after 1970 and raised on “Sesame Street”, MTV, and video games have learning and performance characteristics that are different from those for whom traditional training is designed. 6) Increasing diversity among learners. Participants in corporate training programmes are heterogeneous. These learners are also proud and protective of their individual differences, and are unwilling to accommodate themselves to centralized, standardized methods of instruction. Games and other interactive strategies enable us to exploit this diversity. 7) Self-Help Groups. People have discovered the advantages of receiving and giving training and therapy through the sharing of experiences, insights, and skills with each other. 8) Virtual Participants. An unobtrusive and powerful benefit of the Internet revolution is its ability to encourage introverts to interact. 9) More training. Train-the-trainer programmes are being converted into train-the-facilitator programmes. Facilitation models now incorporate an eclectic collection of strategies from creativity, instruction, organizational development, community action, quality control, application design, project management, systems thinking, future scanning and team building. 10) The computers are here. Ten years ago, interactive approaches such as simulation gaming were constrained by the cost and complexity of computation technologies. We now have computer power on everyone’s desktop that is capable of providing interactive, high-fidelity, virtual reality simulations in any complex area. Several companies offer computer game design templates that allow non-specialists to create multimedia activities. Jude is our in-house expert in this area. According to Charles Coonradt (author of The Game of Work) goals are the motivating force in athletics. If you took the goals out of football, what would you have? If you took the goals out of basketball, you would have ten guys (or gals) running up and down the floor just dribbling the ball. When we walk onto the tennis court, we know the goal is to win. When we go onto a football field, we know where we have to put ourselves and what our performance has to be to score. In athletics, goals are more clearly defined than in business. Goals are the main reason people will pay for the privilege of working harder when they play, than they will work when they are paid …

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If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. - George Odiorne

Imon Ghosh Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles June 23, 2005

Documents

Imon's Cover Letter, CV and Samples of Work