Freigtag Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Freigtag Company - Essay Example The company prides its products in high regard, which is mirrored in the price of the bags. The company targets the high-end market, but it has not stopped the market from spending money on the pricy bags. However, the nature of the products is designed as durable bags, which is incorporated in the pricing. The company bases their pricing on the factor that the purchase of a bag will imply that the customer will not have to buy another bag for a long time. The durability of the bags is attributed to the resources used in the product development (Kotter, 2002). The organization uses old truck tarpaulins, car seat belts, and the inner tubes of bicycle tires to develop their expensive bags. The tools used are ideal for the company because they are cheap material since they are on low demand and they can be used in developing the bags, which are durable. The design of the bags is based on the bag design for the bike couriers, which they use for making deliveries. The design is suited to the general market because it has a casual look, and the bag can be used for various occasions, as well as in practical sense. The design is based on attracting keen observers of style and design. Along with the design, the bags are proven durable, waterproof, repairable, easy to use, and practical. The designs are unique and each bag is hand-made, making each bag personally tailored for its buyer (Richard, 2001). Strategy The strategy implemented by FREITAG is focused on using cost-cutting measures to increase or maximize profits. From the inception of the company, Marcus and Daniel did not borrow money, which was a main strategy of reducing any costs of the company that may affect the productivity in the long run. Even with the aim of creating FREITAG into an international company, the brothers focused on using their funds purchase material that will increase efficiency in the firm’s production strategies (Kleiman, 2010). The plan has served the brothers well over the years , it has fostered the development, and success of the organization, and they have managed to succeed in turning the company into an international company. The prime factors that have influenced the company’s strategy are three vital factors: quality, sustainability, and functionality. The three factors are integrated in the bag design as a measure of ensuring the firm’s success in the market. The brothers also ensured that the bags would be special, tough, and useful (Mitcham, 2005). It pushed the firm into using strong and durable material in the production of the bags, but still using materials that would keep the firm’s costs to a minimum. It is the reason why the organization will use recycled materials, which include pieces of airbags to make labels, and Velcro to produce quality bags at a low cost of production (COP). The organization focuses on in-house funding (revenue) as the means of developing the company’s brand and expansion strategies. The c ompany’s main core is centered in Europe, where it employs 88 employees. 76 are located in it is headquarter in Zurich, four operate in Hamburg, and Berlin and Cologne have three employees each. The company may have over 350 designated selling points worldwide; however, they are not employed directly by the company, which is a measure that ensures the firm maintains a low COP (Gomez, 2008).

Expo-magic of the white city Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Expo-magic of the white city - Essay Example The documentary also makes a description of Midway Plaisance and features sideshows, belly dancing, street fighting, a large Ferris wheel and even salons and other activities that marked the beginning of the 21st century. The legacy that the ventures in the documentary left is also not left outside of the discussion in the documentary (Connelly, 2). 1) Discussing How the Columbian World's Fair Highlighted the Technological Delights and Cosmopolitan Pleasures of the Progressive Era There are several ways by which the Columbian world's fair highlighted the technological delights of the progressive era. One of these ways is the large Ferris wheel which served as the paragon of technological and industrial advancement. These are non-building structures comprising the rotating upright wheel and passenger cars [gondolas]. These are kept attached to the wheel in a manner that as the wheel turns; the force of gravity keeps the cars upright. It is for this reason that at the end of the 20th c entury, roller coaster, theme parks and carnival observations became increasingly popular. Conversely, there are also ways by which the Columbian world’s fair reflected the cosmopolitan pleasures of the progressive era. Some of these manifestations of the cosmopolitan pleasures of the aforementioned era include acts of revelry such as belly dancing, street fighting, riding on and participating in roller coaster rides, theme parks and carnival observations. ... 2) Discussing How The Fair Highlighted The Imperialism of The Late Nineteenth Century And How The Anglo Saxon Culture of The West Tried To Dominate The Culture of The Rest of The World Through Colonization It is a fact that the fair highlighted the imperialism of the 19th century. The Anglo Saxon culture of the West tried to dominate the culture of the rest of the world through colonization by using superior weapons that they had acquired from their industrial revolution and development that took place before the close of the 20th century. With these superior weapons, colonial masters were able to safely travel the world in search of more colonies, and to bring the autochthones into capitulation, whenever the two groups came across each other. It is the same technological advancement that helped the Anglo Saxon culture of the West entrench the unequal relations between themselves and their colonies. Particularly, the technological advancement allowed the Anglo Saxons to extract resou rces from colonies and transport them to the United Kingdom for processing and use. In another wavelength, the fair highlights how the Anglo Saxon culture of the West tried to dominate other cultures through colonization through the use of the concept of socio-cultural atavism. Because of being technologically endowed, the Anglo Saxon felt that it was more culturally advanced and that in this respect; it had the mandate and call to bring other societies that were perceived to be uncivilized, into civilization. Interestingly, colonialism was to be the conduit and model through which this civilization of colonies was to be socio-culturally emancipated. Conversely, the Anglo Saxons of

change management: Resistance

change management: Resistance Chapter 2 A Review of the Literature 2.1. Introduction This part will focus on how to overcome resistance to change. We will discuss theories on resistance to change and any other theory related to change management. The notion of change is something that we are facing everyday in our life; it is therefore the only constant. Change process can take gradual, rapid or radical form. Society is made up of human beings as well as inanimate organisms are subject to change over time. Environment is the only factor that is subject to and the only thing that does not change is the change itself. Change always affects employees in the organisation, therefore it is important to manage it successfully in order to avoid a failure of change or resistance to change. The change concept was studied by Authors like: Lewin, Trist, Hardy, Nieto and more. Nieto (2006) highlighted that a good definition of change is where the refreezing stage of Lewins model is no longer an option because nowadays change is faster in the twenty first century, there is no need to refreeze or you will be left behind by the competition. 2.2. A Review of the Literature If we conduct a survey we will find out that many employees have a negative attitude, behaviour and perceptions towards change. Employees feel more insecure about their jobs, status and also the fear of doing more work. Very often, the impacts of change on employees in the organisation are negative. There are fears, stress, frustration and resistance of change. Therefore most employees tend to resist to the change and change is always first resisted than accepted or seeing as an opportunity for improvement. Change, as death and taxes cannot be avoid, is it necessary bad? Even though uncomfortable and embarrassing, change can also be positive. The marriage, the birth of a child and a promotion are examples of change, very often we are happy and therefore it can be easily accepted rather than the negatives one like the divorce and the death. Good or bad, any change that happens whether to a person or inside an organisation requires adaptation and management. Nothing is unchangeable, even organizations are required to change. It is important to know understand why people resist change, to support those who cannot cope with change by motivating and coaching them and also handling the problems that change brings. Organisations are dynamic entities. They are changing all the time as they develop their operations and outputs in the pursuit of efficiency and effectiveness. The management of change is concerned with how change is effected in organizations and the principles and processes are essentially the same whether applied to the resign of the working practices of one section or the re-specification of the whole organisation and management structure According to Balogun et al (1999) change management is fast becoming one of the most talked about topics in management circles. Discussions about organizational change often focus on how important it is for organizations or individual managers to possess a capacity in this area. Likewise, business school courses on strategic change stress that change competence is fast becoming a key promotion differentiator within a managers toolbox. 2.3. Change management According to Ventris (2004), change management is all about inspirational leadership, detailed planning and rigorous, comprehensive implementation. A successful change management programme can be helpful to establish a continuous change in the organisation. But the most important thing is to make people realizing the value of change. Once people and have good experience about change management, and recognize the need for almost continuous change. As William Shakespeare said Things must change or cease. This sentence illustrates what has been said before about the Constance of change. Organisational change is a modification to employee attitudes, expectations, and skills (Robertson, Roberts, and Porras, 1993), it can also be a deliberate introduction of new ways of thinking, acting and operating ( Shalk, Campbell and Freese, 1998). The general aim of organizational change is an adaptation to the environment ( Barr, Stimpert and Huff, 1992; Leava and Barry, 2000) or an improvement in performance (Boeker, 1997; Keck and Tushman, 1993) This definition shows the importance of culture on change management, for the management to be able to implement these changes successfully, they will require changing the organizational culture which is not something easy to accomplish. Therefore by change employees attitudes, expectation and kills as suggested by many authors it will be necessary to make sure they adapt to the new environment and improve their performance which will also improve the organisational performance. Organisational change involves moving from the known to the unknown. Because the future is not certain and may affect employees performance, worth, and coping abilities, people inside the organisation do not want change unless they are forced to do so. It will be therefore important to create readiness for change. Implementing change in an organisation involves moving from the existing organisation state to the desired future state. (Cummings and Worley 2005) Change is omnipresent in society, and can occur in many forms. It is not a new phenomenon. Many Authors have developed a model of change process as it was argued by Moorhead and Griffin (2004) cited by McKenna (2006), that an alternative model of lewins process model will be the continuous change process model, which incorporates facets of the Lewin model. It is considered more realistic because it studies the change in an organisation from the top and recognizes that change is continuous. It is not good enough for an organisation to change; it must try to anticipate it as well by being proactive. This would require the planning of organisational change as part of the organisational strategy. According to McLagan ( 2003), managing changes as they emerge is not enough nowadays. As the number and complexity of changes increasing, it is time to plan and rethink about the structure of the organisation. It is time to accept the change in our life and move along with it, avoid doing business as usual or staying in the status quo. It is time to look at how the organisation is running its daily activities so that it is not a case of constantly trying to override the usual organisational processes. Such approach requires a structural and mental regesign of the organisation. The author emphasizes that change should not be managed during a period of crises or when strategies shift. It is a continuous challenge and condition in organisational life. A successful change management depends on how ready is the organisation to change its culture that is the attitude and the behaviour of members of the organisation. It is pointless to have only a part the employees who agree to the proposed changes. The aim of the executives is to ensure that all employees in the organisation are accepting the desired changes. The biggest motivator is to see other people embrace change management and witness the successful implementation of the companys vision. 2.3.1 The importance of change Change will always be there and will not disappear. Technology, civilizations and creative thought will keep their ever- accelerating drive onwards. It could be argued that change has almost become a continuous routine. (Luecke, 2003) Change management plays a significant role in any organisation since the task of handling change is not an easy one. Managing change in this case, mean making change in a planned way. Changes involve more challenge and life without challenge can become boring, therefore it is important to notice any small change because it will create an impact inside the organisation. The speed of change has increased significantly. Managers and the organisations they work for will be judged by their ability to manage change successfully. Unfortunately, for the managers of the early twenty-first century their ability to cope with complex change situations will be judged over ever decreasing time scales. Change is important because it enables to business managers to be more effective as a leader and sponsor of change. Knowing the importance of change will also enable you to prevent and manage resistance to change, decrease the cost, avoid unnecessary turnover and increase the probability that your business changes produce the desired results.( Hiatt, J and Creasey, 2003) As change is essential in an organisation, it is crucial to continue to improve and sustaining the change. The results about the organisational leaderships ability to continue and sustain performance improvement will be observed after a long period of time. Schein (2004 and Kotler (1995, 1996) have suggested that change is only Sustainable, when the organisational culture will match the new ways of thinking. These new ways of thinking must reflect the new behaviors and approaches that Become institutionalized. Change is important in any organisation and it contributes to its success, but the people perceive it in a different way, some employees might resist the change in a passive way or in the opposite way. 2.4. Types of change Change is inevitable in an organisation. Different types of change require different strategy strategies to implement the change successfully. According to Dessler(2004) there are four types of change which are: strategic change, technological change, structural change and people/Behavioural/Cultural change. Strategic change could be one option. For example, a company can face declining profits and decide to adopt this kind of change. This type of changes are usually triggered outside the company. External threats or challenges, such as deregulation, intensified global competition, and dramatic technological innovation like the internet generally make organisation to embark on companywide, strategic change. Strategic changes are often required for survival. For example researchers discovered that implementing strategic change did not necessary lead to success, but companies which did not change failed to survive. Another types of strategic changes will the one implemented during a crisis period, these types of change are highly risky. Technological change is the second basic approach of Desslers type of change. It means bringing change in the way the company is creating and marketing its products or services. Here, for example, the owner of a small farm might want to improve the productivity by buying new machines, training employees to use the new machines and also modifying the relationship between employees and their physical environment. Structural change is all about modifying the organisational structure or it is about how to reorganize. Structural change means changing one or several aspects of the companys organisation structures.( Here, for example, GEs new CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, recently reorganized his firms huge GE Capital division. He broke it into four divisions, with their four managers reporting directly to him rather than to the former GE Capital head) Structural change can also be applied by downsizing, recruiting or replacing. Or managers can change the firms infrastructure by changing its policies, procedures, and rules. People/Behavioural/Cultural change This is the last approach; strategic, technical and structural changes invariably trigger various changes in the behavioural side of the firm, including the employees attitudes, values, and skills to the job. This type of change is very difficult to manage because it is related to people and people always resist change, culture is hard to change. Some Authors have also discussed about other types of change. According to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, incremental change is associated with those periods when the industry is in equilibrium, and the focus is doing things better through a process of continuous tinkering, adaptation and modification. Nadler and Tushman (1995) argue that incremental changes are not always about small changes. They can be large in terms of both the resources needed and the impact on people. A key point of this type of change is that is builds on what has already been accomplished and focuses on the continuous improvement. According to the gradualist paradigm incremental change can be cumulative and, over time, can lead to an organisation transforming its deep structures and reinventing itself. Transformational change is another type of change and it occurs during periods of instability. This kind of change can be referred to be revolutionary, but most writers- for example Tichy and Devenna (1986), Kotter (1999) and Burke and Litwin (1992) use the term transformational change. It involves a break with the past, a step function change rather than an extrapolation of past patterns of change and development. It is applied on new relationships and dynamics within the industry that may undermine core competencies, and try to know the very purpose of the organisation. This king of change involves doing things in a different way or doing different things. Transformational change is change which cannot be handled within the existing paradigm and the organisational routines; it entails a change in the taken-for-granted assumptions and the way of doing things around here. Nadler and Tushman have summarized the work of Tushman and colleagues, and the studies suggest that continuous incremental and discontinuous transformational change are faced by most companies but that: ââ€" ª This pattern of change keep on coming with some degree of regularity ââ€" ª Patterns change across sectors (e.g. periods of discontinuity may follow a thirty-year cycle in mini computers) ââ€" ª in almost all industries the rate of change is increasing and the time between periods of discontinuity is decreasing. The Authors also suggest that this holds true whether the focus is episodic or continuous change, and they propose that the ideal company in both cases would look like the successful self-organising firms that have been studied by Brown and Eisenhardt in the computer industry. There are three main categories of organisations that may not experience periods of discontinuous change; the self-organising and continuous changing learning organisation, companies that operate in the niche markets and last organisations that are able to continue functioning without transformating themselves. Weick and Quinn (1999) and Gersick (1991) Combining the incremental change and the transformational change which have been discussed so far- the extent to which change involves incremental adjustment or transformational change- provides a useful typology of organisational change (see Figure xxx). Nadler et al. (1995) also identify four types of change: Tuning is a type of change that occurs when there is no rush to change. It involves looking for better alternatives of achieving and defending the strategic vision. Here, for example, improving policies, methods, procedures; introducing new technologies; redesigning processes cost or developing people with required competencies. Adaptation is an incremental and adaptive response to a pressing external demand for change. It might involve responding to a successful new marketing strategy adopted by a competitor or to a change depending on the availability of the resource. Re-orientation involves a re-definition of the enterprise. It is introduced in anticipation of future opportunities or issues. The aim is to ensure that the firm will be aligned and successful in the future. Re-creation is a reactive change that leads to the transformation of the organisation or the restructuring through the fast and simultaneous change of all its basic elements. The Authors state that it inevitably involves a break down and destruction of some elements of the system. 2.5. Change process theory This theory as formulated by Lewin (1948) called force field analysis states that change can be divided into three stages namely; unfreezing phase when people realize that the old ways of doing things is no longer an option due to crisis, threats or opportunities; changing phase when people look for new way of doing things and select a promising approach; refreezing phase when people implement new approach as it becomes established. The problem for many organisations is not that they need to change, but that they do not see the need for change. This is especially true for organisations which have been successful in the past and cannot see why they should change what they see as a winning formula that everyone has become safe and comfortable with. By looking at the position of leadership towards change, the theorist states that leader can achieve change by either of the following two actions: to approach it by increasing the driving forces towards change through increase in incentives, use of position power to force change or to approach a change by reducing the restraining forces that create resistance to change, e.g. reducing fear of failure or economic loss, co-opt or remove opponents. Or using dual approach, which is a combination of the two approaches. Considerable research in the process of change management has been conducted in the work of Lewin, his model focused on changing the behaviour of groups, involves actions beginning in phases over time. The unfreezing stage according to Schein (2004) is about improving motivation and getting ready for the change, the changing stage is when the change is implemented, and the refreezing stage involves reinforcing and integrating the change. One of a popular model in the business literature about the change process has been developed by Kotters (1995, 1996) into an eight-step process for leading change management: (1) the first step is about establishing a sense of urgency, (2) forming a guiding coalition, (3) creating a vision, (4) communicating that vision, (5) empowering individuals to act and removing obstacles, (6) creating short-term wins, (7) consolidating improvements and creating more change, and lastly (8) institutionalizing new approaches. 2.6. The impact of change on organisational members The theory of reaction to change process describes how people in organisations react to an imposed change, is founded upon the typical sequence of peoples reaction to sudden traumatic events like death of loved ones, marriage collapse or natural disaster. The four stages of reaction pattern, which also happen during organisational change are: denial- deny the change is necessary; anger- get angry and look for someone to blame; mourning- stop denying that change is inevitable, acknowledge the loss and mourn it; adaptation- accept the need to change and go on with ones life. There is a related opinion regarding the effect of experiencing a repeated traumatic change has on different people. One effect of such repeated change is to leave people less resilient and more vulnerable to adverse effect from subsequent change. Another effect of repeated traumatic event can inoculate and leave them better prepared to change again without such an intense or prolonged period or adjustment. Repeated change can make some people more resilient and others less resilient. It is over thirty-five years since Toffer has published his book on Future Shock in which he discussed three aspects of change and assumed about the impact it will have on people. Toffer (1970) suggests that future shock is similar to culture shock, but with a crucial difference- there is no going back. If people find it hard to adapt to a new culture there is often an alternative to go back to the old culture, however this option is not possible with future shock. For example, if emigrants fail to settle in a new country it may be possible for them to return home. The management of change poses many challenges for managers. Burnes (2005) observes that: Managing and changing organisations appears to be getting more rather less difficult, and more rather than less important. Given the quickly changing environment in which firms operate, there is a small doubt that the capacity to manage change successfully needs to be a core competence for organisations. 2.7. The benefits for change According to Bradley (2006), changes must be well designed and managed in order to generate benefits which the author refers to benefits not generated, but removed from budgets. One realization can be made by a team effort; achieving benefits and agreed targets needs team effort. The author defines benefit as something that can be related to a cost reduction or increase revenue. A better definition of a benefit is an outcome of change which is perceived as positive by stakeholder. Changes consume resources, cost money, and need managing. Benefits are the outcomes, which cannot be directly made to happen and have no direct cost. The benefits of change can be also well explained by elaborating the following characteristics of an effective change management team which has been developed by Kotter(1996) as follows: The team member must share a keen sense of discomfort with the inertia They should be in substantial agreement on a vision for the future The team should include people who represent diverse points of view They must have a good reputation in the firm They must be willing to demonstrate public support for the change The team must commit to being involved for the long-haul Enough of the key players in the organisation must actively support the change to legitimize the process 2.8. Theories of change 2.8.1 Lewins three step model of change Lewin ( has worked on assessing the extent to which organisational change might be resisted by members of the organisation as we saw earlier when considering force field analysis in the change process. In addition, his work on group dynamics has resulted in what is known as Lewins three step model, which is usually used in change programmes. Introducing a programme of change into an organisation tends to arouse expectations in those involved; thus a subsequent failure to come up with the goods can lead to a state worse than it was before the innovation, because of these hopes and expectations not being realized. Thus Lewin considered that attention should not simply be made on the change itself, but should address what happens both before and after. The process of change should be implemented into three steps according to Lewin (1951) which are: Unfreezinf, changing and refreezing. The first step is unfreezing, where the motivation for change in the workforce is created. It is important to move the organisation away from its current position. This step is often not taking into consideration and is related with dividing old patterns of behaviour. People must be given reasons about the change and a good communication should be created before the implementation of change. To unfreeze the resistance to change, managers must increase the tension and dissatisfaction with the present, and improve the desirability and feasibility of the alternative. This stage takes more time because people have to change attitudes and behaviour. People do not like change because they are comfortable with old habits and it is important to consult them, let them know adopt the project as their own. To avoid resistance to change, we must encourage the staff, discuss and explain them the reasons for change. Once employees are aware, and have accepted the need for change, we can now move to the second stage. Changing is the second step where we have to identify the new behaviour, process or procedure and also encouraging individuals to adopt the new behaviour. It involves the development of new responses by the personel, based on the new information being made available to them and moving towards the new culture as necessary to fit strategic requirements of the organisation. At this stage it is important to make sure that there is a successful implementation of change, we also monitor the change and find out how people are feeling about their team. Refreezing is the final stage and we need to reinforce the changes made and stabilize the new culture in order to avoid people to go back to their old habits. At this stage, motivating employees by incentives will occur in the form of praise or reward for adapting to the new culture. The process as a whole is achieved through leadership, communication, education and training. In the twenty-first century it will be difficult to implement the refreezing stage, the term refreezing need a critical evaluation. The slush model was introduced by Nieto (2006), where he stated that changes in technology, employees, tasks and structure are more frequent. Organisations should have a flexible structure as having employee who is always been learning. The motivation of employees by using incentives will be a good idea. Refreezing is no longer an option because in this century, the change is moving faster than before, there is no need to refreeze otherwise you will be left behind by your competitors. Lewins model has been developed by edgar Schein through the integration of the latters perception of the response to change involving seven stages. This is known as the three conditions change model. See figurexxxx!!!!!!!! 2.8.2 Interrelationship of change The interrelationship of change or Trist model was developed by Trist (1981), this model helps to understand the interconnection of activities that influence change in organisations. It is important for the HR to understand because the model can be applies to our attention on the influence that changes in a firms activities can have on employees. For example a change of technology would lead to training people, changing task and the structure of the organisation, all elements are interconnected that means one element affects the others. Reid and Barrington (2000), argues the sociotechnical model suggests that management should learn how to understand and cope to changing relationships between people, tasks, technology and structure. It is therefore helpful to review the kinds of internal changes which have occurred in the organisation and to what extent to appropriate HR initiatives have been put in place to prepare employees to cope with the new technology but neglected to invest sufficiently in staff training, it is likely to be as effective as planned. Deciding what to change is very important for the organisation, it means any change should be planned effectively. The managers change programme can aim to alter one of the four basic things: the firms strategy, technology, structure and people/behaviour/culture. For example an organisation can change its strategy when the profit is declining. Technological change is a second basic approach and it means changing the way the firm innovates and markets its products or services. Structural change means changing one or more aspects of the companys organisation structure. Reorganizing is a familiar organisational change technique in todays fast-changing times. Dessler (2004) 2.9. Resistance to change Change can create uncertainty and therefore lead to personal insecurity. Therefore, we are not surprised to notice resistance to change within organisations. An organizational change, such as being promoted, is mostly accepted, simply because it is perceived to have obvious advantages. But not all changes fit into this category. Where changes create confusion and uncertainty, then resistance is likely to take place; the resistance is not to change as such- rather it is to the personal loss (or possibility of personal loss) that people believe will accompany the change (Burke, 1982). 2.9.1 Reasons for resistance (1) Perceived negative outcomes Employees are resisting to the change most of time because they perceive it as a negative outcome. According to Manfred (1995) change is creating a multitude of fears, of the unknown, of loss of freedom, of loss of status or position, of loss of authority and responsibility, and loss of good working conditions and money. This can be summarised as being in the comfort zone. People do not like change; they like staying in the same position and keep on doing the same old things. Once any change is introduced it will automatically create a resistance because it does not allow them to be in a comfort zone. Before undertaking any change management exercise, managers must identify where the changes will occur in the organisation and also anticipate how the change will affect employees in their job. After an economic assessment of the proposed change, managers will highlight the nature of the changes that need to be made for the benefits to be realized. (Berry 2002) (2) Fear of more work By introducing new changes it creates the fear of more work and less performance by employees, there is fear that additional work will be required at the same level of compensation. Change mostly involves additional work, change of culture and responsibility. We can also face some changes on the working hours, possible relocation, working condition, technology and more. As people fear of additional work, we will notice that people always resist change; Strebel (1996) argues that resistance to change is based on the disturbance of an employers implied pact with the company. This pack is formed of cultural values, job description and social dimensions. (3) Misunderstanding and lack of trust This is a situation when the people affected do not understand the real reasons and benefits of the change and mistrust the management who are introducing the change. They often do not believe what the management says and believe that they have secret ulterior motives. This may be because the management can access too many information than the people affected. This situation is commun in any organisation which have been organised traditionally on antagonistic industrial relations lines and have developed an us and them culture. Nowadays, most organisations try to engender a harmonious spirit which sees everyone as having a common interest, but for organisations which have a long history of conflict this is not something which is easily changed. The lack of trust is due to imaginary hidden implications; we can also list other elements that caused the resistance of change like: belief that change is not necessary or feasible, economic threat, relative high cost, fear of personal failure, loss of status and power and lastly threat to values and ideals. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) (4) Lack of communication Communication is the exchange of information in an organisation. For organisations to work effectively, it is vital that information be communicated to those who need

John Stuart Mills Essay -- Essays Papers

John Stuart Mills John Stuart Mill was one of the most well regarded and widely renowned philosophers and economists in history. He was considered a philosophical genius by the age of 20, and was mainly taught only by his father. His father believed that he should be educated and be taught many different languages and philosophies to become a well-rounded individual. When he had to end his studies early in life because of a mental breakdown at the age of 20, he soon recovered and was something different than when he first studied. Not long after he recovered he showed how different he was than his father and began writing in the Westminster review. He has widely been known for his views on liberalism that he showed in On Liberty. Mill believed that the individual was essentially sovereign over his own mind and body, a belief known as individual autonomy. The only thing individuals could do justifiably to violate other individuals' autonomies was in pursuit of self-protection, where the other individuals had broken into theirs first. Millsian philosophy was completely against negative liberty, or the absence of restraint, chaos. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Mill also opposed the tyranny the majority could impose on any minority, particularly the individual, by way of legislative control. Mill strongly believed in the practice and respect of law, and that minorities of any sort should be protected and only suppressed if the greatest good for...

Looking for Alibrandi: Influence of Family Essay

Family has a strong influence on everybody’s lives, it often affects the way everyone views themselves and how people view others. How we are raised will also affect our personalities, relationships and judgement of others. The novel Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta comprises all these factors around the characters in the story. Everyone’s persona is based on what our family teaches us. Our persona reflects on how parents raise their children. Josie grew up fatherless which caused her sense of insecurity leaving a void that couldn’t be filled. Until Michael Andretti showed up but ‘seventeen-year olds don’t need a father ‘ because Josie can’t the sudden change that was occurring in her life. Jacob grew up motherless never learning the true meaning of love and family, ‘his found his place’ in society and is content on staying that way never questioning or trying to change these boundaries however ‘if his mother was still alive he’d probably be a better person. ‘ John Barton coming from a well-known and respected family has everything people all want looks, money, name and power ‘a step in the door’ that would lead to a better future yet with all those going for him his self-esteem didn’t change. Relationships are formed through bonding and time spent one another. Josie and her mother Christina ‘have a pretty good relationship if a bit erratic’ like teenage girls Josie is at her teenage years of rebellion which is why there are times they have disagreements and fallouts but eventually make-up since they would feel guilty with the time apart from each other. They are able to influence each other because of this mother daughter unit, ‘I’ve spent my how life trying to impress her because I know that deep down she is the only person who loves me for who I am.’ John Barton and Josie’s relationship was based on admiration of one another because of their intellectual minds. They are attuned to each other since they share similar thoughts about society, school and individual opinion. How everyone was viewed in the story affected the way they treated everyone. With Josie’s perception of everyone around not fitting in because of culture held her back critically. Her judgment based on people was stereo typing every person from their nationality, culture and class. That is why names such as ‘wog’, ‘ethnic’ or ‘Australian’ were often heard in conversations of the story. Or as Lee would say ‘The rich marry the rich, Josie, and the poor marry the poor. The dags marry the dags, and the wogs marry the wogs.’ Since she believes that the world around us will never change and people only associate with others like themselves. To conclude, family plays a very hefty role in all people’s lives, they are the foundation of a person no matter how much they try to deny its ‘nailed into you so deep you can’t escape it.’ Just as Josie, Jacob and John they have all grown up in different family environment and that has all affected them differently.

Chamonix in the French Alps Essay

Show how Mary Shelley achieves effects through the skilful use of settings in â€Å"Frankenstein†.  I am going to explore how Mary Shelley uses settings and locations to great effect in her novel Frankenstein.  Mary Shelley was born in 1797 and was an only child. Her father was a novelist and her mother was a feminist. However her mother died only ten days after she was born. This meant Mary did not receive much emotional support or nurture as a child. In her teens Mary ran away with the poet Percy Shelley across Europe. They visited Switzerland and stayed at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva, the home of poet Lord Byron. Whilst there it rained constantly and many storms passed by with lots of thunder and lightening. The occupants decided to have a competition to write a story and this is where Mary Shelley began to write â€Å"Frankenstein†, aged only 19. The book begins with the explorer Robert Walton and his crew trying to find a passage through the North Pole. He then discovers a despaired Victor Frankenstein on the ice sheets. After being rescued, Victor begins to tell his story. His story starts with his childhood in Geneva, then going to university in Ingoldstadt and making the creature there. Then he talks of escaping it by going to Chamonix in the French Alps. The book ends with Victor chasing the creature to the North Pole where Victor meets Walton.  I think the inclusion of the North Pole at the start of the book works well because it fits well with the creature that Frankenstein creates. The North Pole and the creature are both mysterious and isolated. Additionally Walton is trying to overcome the North Pole just like Victor is trying to cope with the creature. The use of Robert Waltons’ letters also make the story seem more plausible Victor Frankensteins’ house in Geneva, where he grew up, is almost the complete opposite of the North Pole. His house has a happy and friendly atmosphere. It is also a spacious and relaxing. The description of ‘blue laked and snow clad mountains’ and ‘scene so beautiful and heavenly’ must have been so welcoming to Victor after spending time studying at university in Ingoldstadt where he created the creature in his lab. When Victor tries to escape from the horror of his creature and its actions he runs off to Chamonix, in the French Alps. However the creature follows him here and tells his story. I think Chamonix is a clever location for this part of the book because it fits in well with feelings of the characters. For example Victor is isolated and defenceless just like the baron landscape and the Creature is angry and aggressive like the hostile environment. Also it is described as ‘rising like the waves of a troubled sea’ which shows also that Victor is still troubled by what might happen. This is another example of sympathetic background, when the characters mood is reflected in the setting. The book ends with Victor pursuing the creature across Europe, Russia and eventually back to the North Pole where they meet Robert Walton. This is a fitting end to the book because it brings the book full circle back to the beginning. It is also the extreme conditions of the North Pole that finally force Victor to his death. They also destroy the moral of Waltons’ crew so much they force him to turn around. The North Pole defeats all the people there.  In conclusion I think that Mary Shelley uses sympathetic background as a key effect in the book in order to make the book more interesting realistic. Also she drew on her own experiences of life and where she had been to add to the vivid detail in order to enhance the book further.

McCleskey v. Kemp Essays

McCleskey v. Kemp Essays McCleskey v. Kemp Paper McCleskey v. Kemp Paper CRJ 150 McCleskey v. Kemp The case began with Warren McCleskey, an African-American man who was sentenced to death in 1978 for killing a white police officer during the robbery of a Georgia furniture store. McCleskey appealed his conviction and sentence, relying on the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishment and the Fourteenth Amendments guarantee of Equal Protection to argue that the death penalty in Georgia was administered in a racially discriminatory and therefore unconstitutionalmanner. Jack Boger, then director of LDFs Capital Punishment Project, argued the case before the Supreme Court on Mr. McCleskeys behalf. Joining him on the briefs were Julius Chambers, James Nabrit Ill, Anthony G. Amsterdam, Deval Patrick, Robert Stroup, Vivian Berger, and Timothy Ford. In support of McCleskeys argument, LDF presented the United States Supreme Court with strong statistical evidence showing that race played a pivotal role in the Georgia capital punishment system. LDF introduced a landmark study by Professor David Baldus, who examined over 2,000 Georgia murder cases. Baldus concluded that in capital ases, the race of the defendant and victim determined who was sentenced to death. Specifically, Professor Baldus found that that African-Americans were more likely to receive a death sentence than any other defendants, and that African- American defendants who killed white victims were the most likely to be sentenced to death. His findings indicated that racial bias permeated the Georgia capital punishment system. Although the evidence presented by LDF gave the Court the opportunity to acknowledge and renounce the arbitrary influence of race on the dministration of the death penalty, the Court found no constitutional error in a system where African-Americans and whites were treated unequally. In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. , the Court ruled against McCleskey and found that unless he could submit evidence showing that a specific person in his case acted with a racially discriminatory purpose, McCleskeys death sentence and the stark racial disparities in Georgias capital punishment system would stand. In this specific case I do not think that race played a role in the sentencing that McCleskey had gotten. The common punishment for people who kill police officers is a death sentence. Although, I do believe that the minority groups get treated much worse than whites. Statistics reveal that blacks are found to be suspicious more often than whites are. This suspicion leads to minorities being stopped to be searched, ticketed and arrested more often than whites. This could also be due to the fact that minorities tend to be in areas where more police officers on patrol, and therefore the police will be more likely to notice any violations that these minorities commit. It is very clear that people of color get arrested at a much higher rate than whites and they are more likely to receive capital punishment according to the Baldus Study. It does not seem very fair because blacks make up twelve percent of the U. S. population, yet they amount to 44 percent of sentenced inmates, which makes them the largest group behind bars. I know that most people think that blacks are very bad people in general and that they commit much more crimes than people in other groups, but this is most likely because of a low economic class. In poor areas people re less educated and are more prone to committing crimes, if they are constantly surrounded by this bad behavior and they have little to no guidance from their parents, then they are likely to follow in the wrong path. Statistics also say that one in three African-American males will be imprisoned at some point in the lives. That number seems to be outrageously large to me. It does not sound right that people of color commit the most crimes. Minorities are called minorities for a reason, so it absolutely blows my mind how such a small percentage of people get charged at uch a high rate. A few studies also show that black defendants get harsher sentences when their victims are white, and that whites get lesser sentences for the same crimes. It is evident that our world is not perfect and that people are biased, and not everyone gets treated equally, but that is part of life, which everyone knows to be unfair and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. Over the past few decades we have become more diverse but some people will always be favored more than others. Maybe if the current minority groups become the majority, and the majority ecomes the minority, things might be the other way around. No matter what race or ethnicity, killing someone is a serious crime, especially if they happen to be a police officer. I think that everyone should get charged the same way for the same crime no matter what they happen to look like. I was under the impression that our systems were supposed to treat individuals as equals. I do believe that if a white man committed the same crime as McCleskey, that his sentencing would be the same because crimes committed against officers are taken very seriously because the eople who protect and served must also be protected to a higher degree because they are big targets. Therefore a death sentences for cop killers may be an effective of protection for police because people might think twice before shooting and killing a cop. In my opinion it does not make a difference if the Jury did not like Mr. Mcleskey due to the fact that he was a colored man, because I feel as if he got the punishment that any person should get for a crime such as that one. Bibliography naacpldf. org/case/mccleskey-v-kemp

Eliot And Sylvia Essays - Chapbooks, Free Essays, Term Papers

Eliot And Sylvia Essays - Chapbooks, Free Essays, Term Papers Eliot And Sylvia , talking of Michelangelo, a subject so deep that it begs a discussion more serious than that of the chatter at ladies' tea parties. But the women just come and go, discussing the great artist only superficially, and Prufrock addresses the ladies with an air almost of biting sarcasm. Prufrock then decides to switch back to this other, more beautiful world, and he describes the fog rubbing up against the windowpanes. He describes the fog almost as if it were an animal; personifying it and giving even it some sense of feline beauty With Sylvia, the only feeling that is particularly obvious is one of contented pride, as the mother celebrates her baby's birth (Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival) and congratulates it on its newly-found independence. There does seem to be an upset, almost resentful undertone, as the mother says I'm no more your mother/ Than the cloud which distills a mirror to reflect its own slow/ Effacement at the wind's hand. Although she is only pointing out that this is the case, she seems to be nostalgic for the time when her baby was wholly dependant on her. The focus of the poem, however, seems to be on discovery, as is shown by the end: And now you try Your handful of notes;/ The clear vowels rise like balloons. This appears to be a description of the baby crying, but instead of reprimanding her child, the mother acclaims it. This has the effect of showing her contentment due to the baby being able to cry, and her satisfaction with regard to its experimental use of sounds. The new co ming baby is very excited as a child cry, the sound of live and hope, but after a few days later, her child is gone because a miscarry problem, she lost her child. I am no more your mother. In T.S Eliot's the love song of J. Alfred Prufrock self esteem affects his love life greatly. The woman he is in love with is younger than he is and this distresses him. He does not believe that some younger woman could possibly accept him or find him attractive. Expressing any kind of affection to her is awkward and difficult. Prufrock knows what he must say but cannot bring himself to say it should I, after tea and cakes and ices, have the strength to force the moment to it's crisis? (79-80) his apprehensiveness in his love life is very troublesome for him indeed. The debate in Prufrock's mind finally comes to a close when he compares himself to prince Hamlet from William Shakespear's masterpiece Hamlet. Prurock decides he is diplomatic, conscientious, and strives for perfection. However at the same time he tends to lack some sort of mental power fears he is looking like a fool. This is the conclusion he comes to in order to accept his place in society and live life the way he should. Fantasizing of a world where these problems do not exist is a pleasant daydream for Prufrock. He imagines the peaceful world under the sea where social classes do not exist. This shows the internal conflict still occurring within him. Even though he has overcome his problem with his love life, he still has many other worries to contend with. The mermaids a re singing beautifully, but in his opinion, they can not possibly singing for him. His insecurity is still present and seems incurable, his fantasy world is brought to a crashing halt easily. Till human voices wake us, and we drown.(131) His only happiness can be found in daydreams and can be destroyed easily as such. Although giving him temporary relief from the pressures of his life, this dreamlike state is destroyed his heart and only r eturning to the real world will save him. The trauma can happen to anyone similar with Prufrock. Sylvia Plath had been suffer a lonely since a child hood, her dad died when she was eight year old, so lonely is a big problem for her to afraid. Shadows our safety, we stand round blankly as walls. Her comment on motherhood in Morning song tells of her disassociation with it. I'm no more your mother/Than the

An Overview Of The Transformation And The Expected Changes Of Middle Easts Air Travel Industry

An Overview Of The Transformation And The Expected Changes Of Middle East's Air Travel Industry Introduction: Over the past decade, there has been momentous change in the air travel industry in the Middle East. The rapid expansion of three Gulf-based airlines and the development of three major air travel hubs in the region has brought large amounts of new air service to these cities while the growing route networks of these carriers has put great pressure on other established airlines carrying passengers across the Eastern Hemisphere. Fifteen years ago, the region’s air travel market looked very different. A single airline, government-owned carrier Gulf Air, served as the flag carrier for Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Oman. It operated services to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania; however, lacking a central hub, it did not aim to service passengers traveling between those regions, focusing instead on origin and destination traffic to the Middle East. Traffic between these continents was left to the carriers based on each end of the route. One example of this is the Kangaroo Route wh ich refers to flights between Europe and Australia. Until the 2000’s, the Kangaroo Route was dominated by Qantas and British Airways who operated the flight with intermediate fuel stops in Southern Asia (Schofield, 2012). These long, point-to-point routes lack the efficiency and economies of scale that a centrally-located hub provides. In 1985, Emirates Airline began operations as a small carrier based in Dubai. This airline would eventually become a major rival to Gulf Air and spark the airline boom in the Middle East (â€Å"Our History†, 2012). Beginning in 2002, the states invested in Gulf Air began to withdraw and form their own state carriers with hubs in the capital of each. By 2006, Gulf Air was fully controlled by Bahrain and Qatar Airways, Oman Air, and Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi had been formed. Since the inception of these carriers, three have grown dramatically through the expansion of their route networks, fleet sizes, and improvements to the airports at which they are based. These are Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways and have come to be known as the Middle East Three or ME3. In this memo, I will analyze the factors that have enabled the expansion of the ME3 and attempt to determine the effect the growth of these companies has had and will have on other air carriers. Findings: Changes in the Air Travel Market Some of the growth in the Middle Eastern air travel market can be attributed to trends that are affecting the industry globally. Long-haul air tickets have fallen over the past decade making intercontinental travel accessible to many more people. In the market for coach-class travel, consumers have become more price-sensitive and tend to opt for the lowest fare over other factors such as comfort or routing. This has led to the launch of numerous no-frills carriers and caused full-service carriers to increase seating capacity and decrease complimentary services in order to lower ticket prices and better compete. On the other hand, in the premium-class air travel market, competition has become centered on providing the most luxurious product in the sky (Smyth, 2008). The ME3 have outdone each other installing showers, private rooms, bars, and even an entire apartment in their first-class cabins. The introduction of codesharing and airline alliances has also enabled airlines to launch r outes that may previously have been unprofitable. Codesharing allows passengers traveling on one airline to seamlessly connect to a partner airline’s flight and stimulates demand for flights between the hubs of partner carriers. The ME3 all have extensive codeshare relationships with airlines from around the world, allowing them to sell tickets to a greater number of destinations and operate fuller flights (â€Å"What the,† 2005). Qatar Airways is also a member of the Oneworld alliance, enabling them to codeshare with all other member airlines as well as coordinate flight schedules and reciprocate frequent flyer benefits. Middle East Demographics and Geography Changes in the demographics and economies of Middle Eastern countries have also caused demand for air service in the region to grow, making expansion of the Middle East Three possible. Gulf nations have seen extreme growth in population largely due to immigration. Qatar’s population has seen average annual growth of around fifteen percent in the past decade (â€Å"Population growth,† 2015), while the United Arab Emirates has experienced a growth rate of around fourteen percent (â€Å"Demographic profile,† 2011). The population of expatriate and migrant workers in the UAE and Qatar has expanded rapidly as well in the past decade. Eighty-four percent of the UAE’s population and ninety percent of its workforce are made up of migrant workers, many of whom come from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan (Malit, 2013). This has stimulated great demand for flights between Gulf countries and the home countries of their labor forces to serve workers beginning and ending their contracts and returning home to visit family. There has also been large economic growth in the Middle East. The UAE has averaged 4.66 percent year-over-year GDP growth in the past decade (â€Å"United Arab,† 2015), while Qatar has averaged 3.81 percent (â€Å"Qatar GDP,† 2015). This economic prosperity has created demand for skilled workers, especially in the finance and banking sectors. The Dubai Economic Council has even stated that â€Å"Dubai is heavily dependent on expatriates for continued economic growth and development† (Al Awad, 2008). Many of these expatriate workers come from Europe, East Asia, and North America. As companies open new offices in cities such as Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi and send employees to these cities to conduct business, a great deal of corporate travel to the Gulf region is created, allowing air carriers to launch new routes and add capacity to other business hubs. The ME3 also have a geographic advantage. The hub cities of these carriers are located on or near the shortest route between Oceania and Europe and are centrally located in the Middle East region for connections to other cities in the region. They are also located close to the halfway point for travel between Europe and South Asia. These geographic factors make the ME3 ideally situated for handling connecting traffic between these regions using a hub and spoke model. Struggling Legacy Air Carriers The Gulf-based carriers have benefitted from the struggles and downfalls of other air carriers serving routes also covered by the ME3. A few examples of this are Air India, Kingfisher Airlines, and Qantas. State-owned Air India has faced severe financial woes since it chose to â€Å"aggressively dry and wet lease aircraft was taken to increase market share† in 2006 and unsuccessfully merged with Indian Airlines in 2007, according to an aviation analyst (Manju, 2009). They have since greatly reduced the scope of their operations, cutting routes and selling or leasing their long-haul aircraft to other carriers. The airline sold five of its long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft to Middle Eastern rival Etihad Airways and is focusing on growing its short-haul operations (â€Å"Air India,† 2013). Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Sing cited foreign competition as a cause of the troubles saying, â€Å"The airline cannot be complacent as there a lot of new airlines that are coming in. Both the management and employees of Air India must perform or perish† (Phukan, 2013). Another, younger, Indian air carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, did perish after experiencing a financial crisis stemming from its nonpayment of income taxes and subsequent bankruptcy. The carrier, which had been the second-largest in India by market share, suspended all operations permanently in 2012 (â€Å"Kingfisher Airlines,† 2012). The downsizing of Air India and elimination of Kingfisher from the marketplace has presented itself as a great opportunity for the ME3 carriers. Their hubs are geographically well positioned to serve traffic travelling between India and points westward and they are based in countries with large amounts of migrant labor traffic to India. Qantas Airways had historically dominated the Oceania to Europe market with its well-known Kangaroo Route; however the airline’s long-haul operations have been generating significant losses recently, causing the airline to implement cost-cutting measures and begin a restructuring campaign. This has involved Qantas’ elimination of 5,000 jobs, cessation of flights to Europe, growth of its low-cost subsidiaries, and formation of codeshare partnerships with other carriers to carry the airline’s Europe-bound traffic (â€Å"Qantas responds,† 2014). The Middle East-based carriers have again benefitted from this airline’s reduction in service. They have hubs that lie on the straight-line path between Australia and Europe and are capable of handling large amounts of connecting traffic between the regions. Qantas chose to discontinue its former flagship London service in favor of routing passengers through Dubai on flights operated by codeshare partner Emirat es (Leo, 2012). Future for Expansion The future for the Middle East Three continues to be bright. All three carriers have outstanding orders for significant numbers of large, long-haul, widebody aircraft. Qatar Airways has orders for aircraft that will expand its fleet by over 140 percent (â€Å"Our Fleet†). The Emirates fleet will expand by 130 percent and Etihad’s will grow by nearly 200 percent in the next decade (â€Å"Our fleet,† 2015). All of the ME3 carriers operate the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the 500-passenger Airbus A380. Emirates plans to operate a fleet of 140 of these aircraft and is already by far the largest operator of the aircraft type (â€Å"Our Fleet – The Emirates Experience,† 2015). The carriers plan to add new destinations to their route maps as additional capacity is added into the fleet with Qatar Airways opening at least four new cities within the next year. Etihad Airways has been especially aggressive in growing through the acquisition of stakes in other carriers. Etihad has purchased forty-nine percent stakes in struggling carriers Alitalia and Air Serbia, rebranded Switzerland-based Darwin Airlines as Etihad Regional to feed traffic from smaller European cities onto its Geneva to Abu Dhabi flights, and also has large holdings in Air Berlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, Jet Airways, and Aer Lingus. The airline has begun what it calls the Etihad Equity Alliance made up of all the carriers in which the airline has significant investment (â€Å"Etihad Airways’,† 2013). The airlines cooperate in a similar fashion to those in the big three traditional airline alliances; coordinating schedules, launching co-branded marketing campaigns, and enacting codeshare agreements. The home base hubs of each of the ME3 carriers are also undergoing significant improvement. Doha, Qatar’s airport was recently completely replaced to provide additional facilities for its main tenant, Qatar Airways and improve the passenger experience (â€Å"Hamad International†). The Dubai International Airport, home to Emirates, is currently completing its expansion Master Plan with a new Concourse D and expansion of Terminal 2 to be completed this year (Jain, 2011). Dubai has also opened a brand new airport called Al Maktoum International Airport to which some smaller carriers have moved, making room for the expansion of Emirates at Dubai International (Cohen, 2010). The Abu Dhabi International Airport is also being expanded with two new runways and an entirely new terminal complex to facilitate Etihad Airways’ growth (â€Å"Terminal Complex,† 2014). The expansion of these airports will allow the ME3 to further grow their operations, reduce congestion, and make the hubs more attractive as connecting points for transiting passengers. Response from Other Carriers Naturally, the extreme growth of the air travel market in the Middle East and the expansion of the Gulf-based airlines have impacted other players in the global airline market. This has led other air carriers to make changes to their operations in response. In order to compete with the ME3, Turkish Airlines has expanded their hub operation in Istanbul to accommodate more connecting traffic. Also well-positioned for handling traffic traveling from Europe to Asia, Turkish Airlines seeks to emulate the hub model of the ME3 in order to remain competitive (â€Å"Turkish Airlines,† 2013). The airline is also expanding its aircraft fleet with its fleet slated to expand by about seventy-five percent (â€Å"Turkish Airlines – Fleet,† 2014). Turkish Airlines is also promoting the construction of the Istanbul New Airport to allow the airline to expand further and alleviate congestion at Ataturk Airport. The development of the Middle Eastern air travel market by the ME3 and the population and economic expansion taking place in the area have also led to the launch of several low-cost air carriers in the region who target more price-sensitive travelers flying shorter routes. Air Arabia was founded in 2003 and operates from Sharjah, in an emirate not served by Etihad or Emirates. Profitable since its first year of operation, the airline’s fleet and route network continue to grow. Competing more closely with Dubai-based Emirates, low-cost carrier flyDubai launched in 2009 operating regional routes with coach-configured aircraft (Hofmann, 2009). They also continue to expand their fleet and move closer toward being a full-service carrier with the addition of a Business Class cabin in 2013 (Algethami, 2013). Fierce competition on the part of the ME3 has led to a number of airlines cancelling long-haul routes that are more easily served by the Gulf region’s hubs. As previously mentioned, the end of Qantas’ Kangaroo Route and their opting to partner with Emirates on the route signal that the ME3’s cost and geographic advantages have significantly impacted the operations of other players in the air travel market. British Airways also ended its Australia service and Air New Zealand cut its version of the Kangaroo Route, opting to fly to Europe via the Pacific with a stop in Los Angeles (Schofield, 2012). Numerous routes within the Middle East have also been impacted. Flights to countries such as Iran, Pakistan, and India have also largely been transferred from the local airlines of each nation to the ME3. The rapid growth of the ME3 has also led to some outcry from other airlines regarding possible unfair advantages possessed by the Gulf-based carriers. In the midst of a movement to begin an Open Skies agreement between the United States and United Arab Emirates in which carriers from each nation would have fewer restrictions on the routes and frequencies they operate between the countries, leaders of United, American, and Delta Air Lines recently issued a joint statement to the Department of Transportation in which they accused the ME3 of receiving â€Å"$42.3 billion in â€Å"quantifiable† subsidies since 2004, accompanied by other benefits including breaks on local airport infrastructure and services, exemptions from corporate taxes and advantages from â€Å"opaque† related-party transactions† and that this â€Å"clearly shows there has been subsidization of these carriers,† representing an unfair advantage (Carey, 2015). Conclusions: There are a number of factors that have enabled the Middle East Three to become dominant global air carriers. The near-dissolution of Gulf Air paved the way for three major hubs to form in Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, each with an independent airline. Increases in the amount of foreign investment and trade in the region have stimulated business traffic and immigration to the Gulf states, leading to greater demand for air travel. Global trends regarding consumer preferences in air travel purchases has helped validate the hub and spoke and high-density coach class configurations used by the ME3. The struggle and failure of other airlines serving destinations also served by the ME3 has allowed these carriers to easily expand into many lucrative markets. The growth of the ME3 has challenged other carriers to remain profitable on several long-haul routes and led to some effectively saying, â€Å"If we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,† and forming partnerships with the Gu lf carriers. The ME3 have helped cultivate the air travel market in the Middle East and enable new startup and low-cost carriers to launch. In order to better compete, some airlines, like Turkish, are attempting to emulate the ME3’s East to West hub model. All signs point to the ME3 continuing to expand for the foreseeable future. Each of the airlines has large aircraft orders outstanding and is working on improvements to its hub airport in order to facilitate further growth. The growth of the airline sector has also had a significant impact on the economy of the countries in which the ME3 are based. The Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said that the aviation industry â€Å"will contribute 32 percent to Dubais GDP by 2020† (â€Å"Thriving aviation,† 2014). The Middle East Three have benefitted from very fortunate geographic, demographic, and economic situations in their home region. Good planning and some possible government subsidies have enabled the rapid growth of these companies over the past decade. These carriers have become a force to be reckoned with in the global aviation market.

Business Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Business Communication - Essay Example A motivated team with clearly defined goals is capable of handling tough assignments effectively and efficiently. Today, people are constantly bombarded with the message that their top priority is to single handedly emerge as the best in the process forgetting the value of teamwork. Most managers ignore this vital aspect of business forgetting that without it, the company is doomed to fail as one can not work alone. Managers need to work with a group of carefully selected individuals who will complement their skills in order to achieve a specific objective to enhance efficient running of the organization. In this paper, teamwork shall be looked at in depth, the major factors that ensure the delivery of a team and factors that lead to strained relationships within a team. Teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage because very few people properly execute it to get the best possible results. According to Accel team (2010) building a strong team remains one of the greatest hurdles managers have to overcome. Although not an impossible task, it is time consuming and needs a great deal of patience especially since human beings are inherently unmotivated. Its place in companies and the business world at large is critical and managers have to learn the art of carefully picking out members of a team and push them towards a unified direction. A team needs an assertive leader to ensure everybody carries out their work. In essence, a hands-on leader is the backbone of the team and they set the pace for the rest of the team. They need to work with diligence and ensure the completion of their end of the deal by doing their part well. They need to motivate the team, be a source of inspiration and yet be part of the team in working towards the goal. In a team every member has a role to play; they complement one another and eventually achieving success. For teamwork to succeed, each person has to realize the importance of other team players and recognize that without

A Campus wide Composting Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

A Campus wide Composting Proposal - Essay Example Therefore composting is a natural process used to recycle organic materials that have already decomposed. This process leads to an end product known as compost which is also referred to as rich soil or manure from an agricultural perspective. All living things end up decomposing upon death. This decomposing process or decay is vital as it ensures that all our organic wastes return their nutrients back to the soil and this ensures that life cycle continues. For the decomposition to occur anaerobic digestion should take place to accelerate the process. This is seen to overtake composting and it has been used in many countries where they have been down cycling waste organic matter. In composting there must be careful selection of the materials to be composted. The reason is because there are some materials which have shown high performance in composition than others. The materials can also be selected with consideration of the locality where one wants to set the compost. This process ha s been said to be very beneficial to the environment (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 301). There are some scientific and technological approaches which can be used to make the decomposition fast. This is however not encouraged because the whole process aims at using only what is natural and not man-made. In setting compost there is need to make the best preparations for the same so that the process does not work half way. There are different methods of decomposition but are broadly divided into three namely backyard composing, warm decomposing and grass cycling. The three are very different however they all use natural materials. Backyard decomposing involves the use of food scraps, grass clippings which are normally referred to as greens and also use of straws and fallen leaves referred to as browns which are mostly found in the backyard. This method involves the balance of the greens and the browns. To promote this process, some elements of nature need to be present. They include: air, moisture and temperature (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 930). Worm compositing also known as vermin-composting is commonly used by individuals with a tiny backyard and where food scraps are in abundance. This process is mainly used by individuals living in apartments. Based on their natural habitats decaying leaving leaves, compost piles and piles of manure, the worms are domesticated to live in shallow bins in the compound and this diverts all food wastes from being dumped to the landfills and water treatment facilities. Grass cycling involves leaving of grass clippings that one does not intend to use. The grass clippings just left to decompose on the lawn. The basic rule in grass cycling is that the grass should not be cut to more than one third the blade of the grass at any given time. Proper mowing should be maintained and one should always ensure that the mower blades are sharp and that the grass is dry. Watering the lawns early in the morni ng and applying fertilizer is essential. The main aim of compositing is to supply additives to the soil through supplying of humus and nutrients. It provides the best environmental conditions which will make the plants to healthy and also to grow fast (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 810). (ii) Problem definition There are a number of food waste management and are based on the various ways of reducing food waste. The first and important method to avoid food waste is first by making a list of what you intent to prepare. This involves designing a menu that helps to plan the meal one intents to prepare for a given timeframe for instance a week. This is best achieved by cross checking what you intend to purchase â€Å"

Hotel management questions(answer each questions with few sentences) Essay - 4

Hotel management questions(answer each questions with few sentences) - Essay Example Also, cashiers are in charge of making transactions between different currencies. Some precautionary steps that employees can take include checking that the card has been signed, when the expiration date occurs, and ask for some form of identification if it is felt to be necessary. Additionally, employees can make sure that documents containing information about a payment card number only include part of it for security reasons. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is designed to combat computer breaches, payment card fraud, and also report identity theft. This is critically important because it adds an extra layer of security for cardholders. It applies to all merchants who accept debit or credit cards as a form of payment. There are severe penalties for merchants who choose not to comply. A second-party check is made out to the guest presenting the check, while a third-party check is made out to someone who then signs the check over to the guest for presentation. The reason why many properties choose not to accept these types of checks is that if the writer of the check stops payment then it can be difficult to recover any funds. When accepting personal checks, a property should take into account whether the check is for the room and taxes only, food and beverage purchases, and will a check need to be verified after each subsequent transaction. Also, the property must decide whether or not checks from foreign bank accounts are acceptable, and will other types of checks, such as money orders, be okay. If necessary, a property should inform a guest that their credit will be denied, although it should be done in a nice manner so as to respect the guest. Ideally, the guest should be taken aside and informed of their credit problems. All efforts should be made to cater for the guest, including allowing them to investigate the problem on their own. Incomplete or illegible guest registration records can pose a problem because it

Jim Sharpe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jim Sharpe - Essay Example He has to find a business within the time period he has given himself. And finally time has to quickly adapt to this new role of his. He has to keep pace with the dynamics of the situation and keep increasing his learning curve. Sharpe is falling short of the capital required to make the deal. Thus he is going for a leveraged buyout. The upside of this way of transacting is the availability of liquidity and flipping. However, the second benefit is cut by the original owner. In case the business does not go well, Tim will be in whole lot of mess. The biggest culture change that he will experience is the unionized environment of his acquired company. Whereas previously in which ever company he has worked in there was zero tolerance for unionization. But in this company the previous owner has received quiet serious blows from the activities of the union. Tim is in a very tough situation and he needs the commitment of his employees to execute is turnaround strategy. If they do not comply with his orders than he would have much to lose as compared to his workers. If Press Alloy had been a subsidiary of large corporations than in it current situation, it would have been decide by the corporate CIO to put it out for divestitures or liquidate it. Tim might have received a comparatively lower price, because the people who are dissecting Press Alloy from the parent company are not looking to sell it at a profit. These people are happy with whatever they can muster. Their focus is to minimize the parent company’s losses arising due to Press Alloy’s unprofitable operations. The corporate guy responsible for the deal would have a minimum price to extract, whereas the original entrepreneur would be pricing the company according to the company’s earning potential, thereby shifting the paradigm of the entire negotiation

Rephrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Rephrase - Essay Example The world is changing is changing more rapidly than ever before, to be able to succeed, managers and employees need to perform at a higher level. Most organizations have discovered that to be able to reach and remain in the top of the competitive environment, they need to build a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is the ability of organizations to perform better than other organizations because they are producing desired goods and services more effectively and efficiently than its competitors. The main items that help in building a competitive advantage is quality, innovation, efficiency, and responsiveness to customers’ changing needs. In the today’s competitive environment, organizations look for new ways to improve themselves (BECERRA-FERNANDEZ, 2008). This shows that knowledge is crucial to the success of an organization. This paper looks at how organizations in the UAE can succeed if they develop proper knowledge management, organizational trust, creativ ity, and innovation and how these elements are related. Knowledge management is a crucial aspect in gaining insights over the competitive edge in the framework of the EAU economy. Knowledge has proved to be beneficial in helping organizations gain an advantage over other competitors in the market. The concept of efficiency and effective management of knowledge is a crucial aspect in all organizations. When knowledge is managed, organizations get ways to take advantage of opportunities and are able to reduce the chances of errors. Knowledge management goes through some steps which include; identification of need, knowledge acquisition, and sharing. Knowledge acquisition is the process that a company tries to obtain information from internal and external sources. External knowledge sources include customers, suppliers, partners, competitors, and external experts. This is the process of extracting knowledge

Hotel management questions(answer each questions with few sentences) Essay - 4

Hotel management questions(answer each questions with few sentences) - Essay Example Also, cashiers are in charge of making transactions between different currencies. Some precautionary steps that employees can take include checking that the card has been signed, when the expiration date occurs, and ask for some form of identification if it is felt to be necessary. Additionally, employees can make sure that documents containing information about a payment card number only include part of it for security reasons. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is designed to combat computer breaches, payment card fraud, and also report identity theft. This is critically important because it adds an extra layer of security for cardholders. It applies to all merchants who accept debit or credit cards as a form of payment. There are severe penalties for merchants who choose not to comply. A second-party check is made out to the guest presenting the check, while a third-party check is made out to someone who then signs the check over to the guest for presentation. The reason why many properties choose not to accept these types of checks is that if the writer of the check stops payment then it can be difficult to recover any funds. When accepting personal checks, a property should take into account whether the check is for the room and taxes only, food and beverage purchases, and will a check need to be verified after each subsequent transaction. Also, the property must decide whether or not checks from foreign bank accounts are acceptable, and will other types of checks, such as money orders, be okay. If necessary, a property should inform a guest that their credit will be denied, although it should be done in a nice manner so as to respect the guest. Ideally, the guest should be taken aside and informed of their credit problems. All efforts should be made to cater for the guest, including allowing them to investigate the problem on their own. Incomplete or illegible guest registration records can pose a problem because it

Rephrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Rephrase - Essay Example The world is changing is changing more rapidly than ever before, to be able to succeed, managers and employees need to perform at a higher level. Most organizations have discovered that to be able to reach and remain in the top of the competitive environment, they need to build a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is the ability of organizations to perform better than other organizations because they are producing desired goods and services more effectively and efficiently than its competitors. The main items that help in building a competitive advantage is quality, innovation, efficiency, and responsiveness to customers’ changing needs. In the today’s competitive environment, organizations look for new ways to improve themselves (BECERRA-FERNANDEZ, 2008). This shows that knowledge is crucial to the success of an organization. This paper looks at how organizations in the UAE can succeed if they develop proper knowledge management, organizational trust, creativ ity, and innovation and how these elements are related. Knowledge management is a crucial aspect in gaining insights over the competitive edge in the framework of the EAU economy. Knowledge has proved to be beneficial in helping organizations gain an advantage over other competitors in the market. The concept of efficiency and effective management of knowledge is a crucial aspect in all organizations. When knowledge is managed, organizations get ways to take advantage of opportunities and are able to reduce the chances of errors. Knowledge management goes through some steps which include; identification of need, knowledge acquisition, and sharing. Knowledge acquisition is the process that a company tries to obtain information from internal and external sources. External knowledge sources include customers, suppliers, partners, competitors, and external experts. This is the process of extracting knowledge

Drug Use in Sports Essay Example for Free

Drug Use in Sports Essay In the article William Moller blames discusses Alex Rodriguez and other athlete’s performance enhancing drug use. He compared the harsh pressure that is forced upon athletes to his own experience in high school that led him to try illegal substances. He stated â€Å"I did what I felt was needed to do, to accomplish what was demanded of me† (Moller 547). Moller later goes on to ultimately place blame on the fans by placing Rodriguez and other athletes on a pedestal, and viewing them in a god like manner by saying â€Å"What it really comes down to is that the reason Alex did steroids is you and me†(Moller 547). The writer argues that Rodriguez just wanted success wherever he went he wanted â€Å"To erase the memories of Mantle and DiMaggio and Berra† (Moller 548. ) Moller also discussed how we shouldn’t hate players who have gotten caught because the majority of the best athletes in baseball are users. â€Å"He’s just one of the gang† (Moller 551) Moller says about athletes who have gotten caught using steroids. Moller states â€Å"This game is all about getting an edge† (Moller 549) whether you’re taking illegal substances or your corking your bat everyone is trying to get the edge on their opponent. The author did not bring any outside sources or naysayers in his article that may have provided objections to his views. His article may have been more persuasive if he had maybe speculated on the negative side effects of steroid use as he did earlier in the article about his Ritalin use.

Human Capital and Development in Nigeria

Human Capital and Development in Nigeria Development all around the world is related to the economy. The economy is in part a social system of production, exchange, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of a country. People produce, distribute and consume goods and services and as such they need to be skillful, well experienced and be in good condition physically and mentally (Human Capital) in order for the economy to develop and prosper. Human Capital development especially through Health care and Education are primary factors needed for each and every individual in a society to function well and be able to reach his/her full potentials, increasing overall productivity and thus development. Nigeria, a country with a teeming population of about 140 million constitutes a huge economy in which each and every individual matters in the development process. Every individual contributes one way or the other to the GDP and thus to development. A high level of Education in Nigeria will lead to high levels of income and savings thereby increasing investment and thus productivity. On the other hand, a low level of Education in Nigeria will lead to low levels of income, savings and investments which will eventually translate to reduced productivity. Also, a country with a high level of disease will have a low level of development unlike a country with a low level of disease which will have a far better level of development. This is because an unhealthy person will not be able to work to full capacity which will reduce overall productivity and thus GDP. Nigeria also is a democratic country, where the government is formed by the people and for the people. Without Education to some certain extent, the people that will form the government will make wrong choices and thus the whole government will always be inefficient and ineffective. Nigerias economy is already suffering from misallocation of resources, corruption, embezzlement and unethical leadership over the years. Essential issues that affect the lives of people and the economy are being dealt with by inefficient governments; Issues concerning the tradeoff between efficiency and equity in the production of social services, health care, education, clean drinking water and infrastructure. Also, government offices are filled with the wrong people (structural problems) leading to further inefficiencies which affects the peoples ability to enhance themselves both physically and mentally for a better Nigeria. Section 2 after the Introduction of the paper will cover the Literature Review. Section 3 will be Human Capital and Development Indicators. Section 4 of the paper will cover Nigerias Human Capital and Development. Section 5 will cover Empirical Investigation on the impact of Human Capital on Economic Development in Nigeria. Section 6 will cover recommendations and Conclusions. 2. Literature Review The literature of human capital and development in Nigeria is mainly centred on the emphasis of factors that constitute human capital and affect development e.g. education, health, social services and enabling environment. A definition of human capital in the work of Ogujuiba and Adeniyi (2005) state that; anything contributing to the improvement of human productivity, stimulate resourcefulness and enhance human dignity and overall quality of human life while refining attitudes, is an essential part of the human capital of any nation. These will include four important aspects namely the education system, health services, social services and good governance. Any improvement of these four important aspects will eventually lead to development. Akingbade (2008) asserts that; for any nation to have economic development within and outside its borders, it has to cater for its citizens via human capital development. Under achievement of human capital development in a country leads to underde velopment of such country via failure to meet national objectives and lack of optimization of available potentials and resources. Poor human capital leads to hunger, poverty, disease, brain-drain, optical flight, huge debts, political instability etc thereby hampering the development process. There is a positive relationship between human capital and development. As more and more efforts are made to increase the value of human capital of a society, the more the development level of that society. The more a nation has knowledgeable, skilled and resourceful individuals, the more the national growth and development of that nation. The human capital status of a nation will directly influence and positively correlate with economic and social indicators such as gross domestic product, income per capita, balance of trade, life expectancy, literacy rate, level of industrialization and the quality of infrastructural provisions. It can also have great impact on political stability, national peace and harmony as well as the prevailing ethos. (Ogujuiba and Adeniyi, 2005). One of the factors that constitute human capital and affect development is education. Increase in the level of quality education of Nigerian citizens will increase productivity and hence development. Lucas (1988) includes human capital as an additional input in the production of goods, while retaining the other features of the neoclassical growth model. In the model, the labour force can accumulate human capital, which is then used together with physical capital to generate the output of the economy. In one version of the model, human capital is acquired through time spent in an (non-productive) educational process, introducing a trade-off for workers between employing time to produce output and using it to gain further human capital that will increase their marginal productivity when working in subsequent periods. In another version of the model, human capital is gained by the workers through on-the-job training, and so the time employed working increases their productivity later on . A recent research on the impact of human capital on economic development carried out by Ogujuiba and Adeniyi shows a more robust result using data from the Central Bank of Nigeria annual report 1970 2003. Their findings were that education level indicated via primary to tertiary education enrolment in Nigeria has a positive impact on Nigerias economic development. Even though the relationship between economic development and tertiary education enrolment is positive, it is also found to be weak. This is probably associated to the decay in most of the tertiary institutions, persistent strikes and disruption of academic activities, inadequate funding and weak infrastructure in the educational sector of Nigeria. Becker (1992) provides the most direct link between education and economic growth: lower fertility provides an opportunity to increase human capital, which in turn helps sustain lower fertility. The more educated the parents are, the more likely they go for smaller families because not only do they have a higher opportunity cost of time, but also they can teach their children more effectively. High levels of human capital cause low fertility and high investment in human capital. Other factors that constitute human capital and affect development are health services, social services and good governance. Health services include all the necessary need of a citizen when he/she is ill. Health services can be reflected by several indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality. Barro and Sala-i-Martin (1995, Ch.12), among many others, have also included life expectancy and infant mortality in the growth regressions as a proxy of tangible human capital, complementing the intangible human capital measures derived from school inputs or cognitive tests considered; their finding is that life expectancy has a strong, positive relation with growth. This means that Health services which help an individual to operate at his/her full capacity increases overall productivity and hence growth and development. When there is good governance, there will be social services and also, human capital will be increased thereby leading to development. But Nigeria, a country that relies only on oil revenues lacks good governance. Barton (2003) points out that due to lack of good governance in Nigeria, expenditure outstripped revenue, large internal budget deficits mounted and grandiose external debts appeared. He also added that a general lack of accountability and transparency, two critical factors for maintaining good governance was lacking in Nigeria. These problems also eroded overall credibility and drastically undermined investor confidence. Nigerias international image is rather poor. In a credit-risk rating published in the Economist in1994, Nigeria was ranked third to last, after Iraq and Russia (The Economist, 1994). In view of our topic, the literature has been focused mainly on the relationship that runs from human capital to development. In my own view, the relationship can also run from development to human capital. For example, Nigeria with its abundant natural resources can enjoy economic development via international trade gains. Nigeria in collaboration with multinational corporations can exploit its natural resources and sell to the world market. These gains from the global market can be channelled to various sectors of the economy thus enhancing growth and development. But all this will be possible if and only if there is good governance in Nigeria which will allocate resources efficiently, implement the right policies and lead the various sectors of the economy in the right direction. With these gains to trade, which lead to development, human capital can be revisited to enhance greater development. On the other hand also, high levels of human capital can increase revenues via increasi ng output and attracting foreign direct investments. For example the case of India; where their governments have spent a lot on their people to attain Information Technology know-how which attracts companies in the United States to outsource some of their IT work from India. Nigeria is a country with a high population thus with a high human capital potential. With the necessary governance and commitment, Nigeria can be rich in human capital thereby leading to its development. 3. Human Capital and Development Indicator Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income). All these factors affect the output level of a country. According to the 2007/2008 human development Report, Iceland is ranked 1st while Sierra Leone is ranked 177th in the 2005 human development Index. The HDI for Nigeria is 0.470, which gives the country a rank of 158th out of 177 countries. This clearly shows that Iceland is more developed than Nigeria because of the difference in human capital. Table 1 below shows Nigerias Human development index for 2005. Table 1: Nigerias human development index 2005 HDI value Life expectancy at birth (years) Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio (%) GDP per capita (PPP US$) 1. Iceland (0.968) 1. Japan (82.3) 1. Georgia (100.0) 1. Australia (113.0) 1. Luxembourg (60,228) 156. Senegal (0.499) 163. Botswana (48.1) 102. Algeria (69.9) 136. Nepal (58.1) 158. Rwanda (1,206) 157. Eritrea (0.483) 164. CÃ ´te dIvoire (47.4) 103. Tanzania (United Republic of) (69.4) 137. Equatorial Guinea (58.1) 159. Benin (1,141) 158. Nigeria (0.470) 165. Nigeria (46.5) 104. Nigeria (69.1) 138. Nigeria (56.2) 160. Nigeria (1,128) 159. Tanzania (United Republic of) (0.467) 166. Malawi (46.3) 105. Guatemala (69.1) 139. Bangladesh (56.0) 161. Eritrea (1,109) 160. Guinea (0.456) 167. Guinea-Bissau (45.8) 106. Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (68.7) 140. Yemen (55.2) 162. Ethiopia (1,055) 177. Sierra Leone (0.336) 177. Zambia (40.5) 139. Burkina Faso (23.6) 172. Niger (22.7) 174. Malawi (667) Source: UNDP Human Development Index Trends The human development index trends tell an important story of how human development changes over time. Since the mid-1970s almost all regions have been progressively increasing their HDI score (Figure 2). East Asia and South Asia have accelerated progress since 1990. Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), following a catastrophic decline in the first half of the 1990s, has also recovered to the level before the reversal. The major exception is sub-Saharan Africa. Since 1990 it has stagnated, partly because of economic reversal but principally because of the catastrophic effect of HIV/AIDS on life expectancy. Figure 2: Trends Nigerias human development growth is slow compared to other regions in the world and this also translates to slow development. This is possibly due to factors that hinder the three dimensions that the HDI captures (life expectancy, adult literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level and purchasing power parity, PPP, income). Factors may include: high level of diseases, poor health services, misallocation of resources, bad governance, poor infrastructure, and poor educational systems. 4. Nigerias Human Capital and Development Nigeria, a country with a teeming population of over 140 million people with an oil dependent economy has had a declining average economic growth over the years. This is in part due to poor human capital. Several sectors of the Nigerian economy have suffered immensely due to poor human capital. Poor human capital has its devastating effect on the development of any economy. Low income, hunger, poverty, disease, brain-drain, optical flight, huge debts and political instability are all the ramifications of poor human capital. Nigerias high population does not indicate high human capital value because only a few people are opportune to have quality education, health services and other human development services. The value of the human capital asset of a nation is a function of quantity, quality as well as the operating environment (Akingbade, 2008). High population only indicates high potential for human capital development. When substantial inputs and efforts are made to elevate these potentials that is when high population translate to high human capital value. Among the inputs are; a good educational system, good health systems and a conducive operating environment. Nigeria lacks both inputs and efforts needed to elevate its high human capital potentials. For instance, Nigeria is far more endowed in mineral resources and human population than Japan, Sweden or Singapore; yet it comes nowhere near these countries in technological advancement and in economic and social development. What makes the differenc e is human capital, its development, effective engagement and utilization. (Akingbade, 2008). In terms of the educational systems of Nigeria, there are a lot of government owned primary and secondary schools. Also, there are a lot of Universities in Nigeria but the problem is the amount of resources invested in these areas is insufficient. Due to the few resources allocated to the educational sector, quality education becomes difficult to attain. As Nigerias population increase in a geometrical ratio, the resources allocated to education is increasing slowly or sometimes decreasing. This misallocation of resources results to a lot of pressure on existing infrastructure leading to depreciation. Huge quantities of people pass out from primary, secondary schools and the Universities with little or no knowledge and no jobs to do. The masses in Nigeria are the ones mostly deprived of quality education and health services. Due to the deprivation of quality education, there are low incomes and wages. These low incomes and wages drive away already existing persons with high human cap ital to foreign countries in search of a better pasture (brain drain). This brain drain leads to insufficient professionals in Nigeria causing overall productivity to fall. The country is left with a lot of people with little or no useful knowledge in terms of increasing overall productivity. It is in the midst of all this that people are meant to elect a leader they dont know about. The masses deprived of quality education dont know their rights, the constitution, and other related matters that affect their social well being now and in the near future. Inefficient and ineffective leaders are put in place to continue misallocating resources thereby worsening the situation. More masses become poor and thus reduce the overall productivity of Nigeria. Another part of the problem is poor or inadequate health facilities, infrastructure and professionals. The existing health facilities and infrastructure cannot cater for the teeming population and hence a lot of people are deprived quality health care. Due to inadequate health facilities, a lot of people die from diseases that are curable thereby reducing Nigerias high human capital development potential. Also, due to low incomes and wages explained earlier, Nigerian doctors, nurses and health officers migrate to developed countries for a better life. These inadequacies in health facilities, infrastructure and professionals undermine the health sector and hence lead to reduced overall productivity of the nation. The Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) measures severe deprivation in health by the proportion of people who are not expected to survive age 40. Education is measured by the adult illiteracy rate. And a decent standard of living is measured by the unweighted average of people without access to an improved water source and the proportion of children under age 5 who are underweight for their age. The Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) value for Nigeria is 37.3 which rank Nigeria 80th among 108 developing countries. Table 2 shows the values for these variables for Nigeria and compares them to other countries. Table 2: Selected indicators of human poverty for Nigeria Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) 2004 Probability of not surviving past age 40 (%) 2004 Adult illiteracy rate (%ages 15 and older) 2004 People without access to an improved water source (%)2004 Children underweight for age (% ages 0-5) 2004 1. Barbados (3.0) 1. Iceland (1.4) 1. Estonia (0.2) 1. Thailand (1) 1. Czech Republic (1) 78. Rwanda (36.5) 158. Uganda (38.5) 127. Algeria (30.1) 114. Mali (50) 108. Philippines (28) 79. Malawi (36.7) 159. CÃ ´te dIvoire (38.6) 128. Tanzania (United Republic of) (30.6) 115. Guinea (50) 109. Indonesia (28) 80. Nigeria (37.3) 160. Nigeria (39.0) 129. Nigeria (30.9) 116. Nigeria (52) 110. Nigeria (29) 81. Burundi (37.6) 161. Guinea-Bissau (40.5) 130. Guatemala (30.9) 117. Fiji (53) 111. Sri Lanka (29) 82. Yemen (38.0) 162. Congo (Democratic Republic of the) (41.1) 131. Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (31.3) 118. Congo (Democratic Republic of the) (54) 112. Maldives (30) 108. Chad (56.9) 173. Zimbabwe (57.4) 164. Burkina Faso (76.4) 125. Ethiopia (78) 134. Bangladesh (48) Source: UNDP Nigeria, a country with abundant natural resources and high population can invest immensely in human capital development in its citizens to enjoy increased productivity. With the immense Oil revenues, Nigeria can channel sufficient resources to providing opportunities for all citizens to develop to their fullest potentials through education, training and motivation as well as creating the enabling environment for everyone to participate fully in national development. These will include expenditures in educational and training institutions, health facilities, adult functional literacy, vocational and skills acquisition programmes, information and communication technologies (ICT) as well as in research and development. With all these investments, foreign direct investment will increase (e.g. Information Technology task outsourcing of American companies from India) and revenues from within and outside the country will also increase. 5. Recommendations and Conclusion Despite all the poor education system, health services, social services and governance system in Nigeria, there are possible recommendations that will help reduce the enormous impact on the economy. Each and every system stated above has its impact on human capital and thus the development of a nation and as such have different recommendations. Starting with the poor education system in Nigeria, one must consider the resources allocated to this sector before making any recommendation. First of all, the teachers available in schools and Universities considering the number of students are really inadequate. Nowadays, everyone wants to be rich, no one wants to help in social development. Our values have changed and we have become more self centered. So our values need to be changed back via value re-orientation suiting our social values. Students need to understand what is at stake in the educational system and be encouraged to be teachers. Quality teachers need to be produced. No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers and no nation can rise above the level of its education system (Akingbade, 2008). When there is an increase in the number of quality teachers, the ratio of teachers to students will be efficient for quality education. The Nigerian populace is increasing at a geometrical ratio while the numbe r of quality schools and University is somewhat stagnant. For this reason, there need to be more schools for the teeming populace so as to have a considerably small ratio of teachers to students in a well built infrastructure conducive for learning. Also, the educational system needs to undergo reforms to be well equipped with the challenges of the highly advanced global economy. The integration of the use of computers in all spheres of the education system needs to be emphasized because the world is continuously advancing in computer technology. Teachers/Lecturers salaries and improved working conditions in educational institutions should be given high priority by the Government. Regular closure of tertiary institutions due to strikes, cult activities, and excesses of student unions, etc. should be addressed by the relevant authorities. The effort of Government on increasing primary school enrolment through the free compulsory Universal Basic Education should be sustained. This cou ld also be complemented by involving private and religious organizations. Â ­Another problem that needs urgent attention is the issue of poor health services. If the whole country is sick, the whole country stops functioning. And as such here are possible recommendations for the Nigerian health sector; First and foremost is strategizing various ways to retain our medical doctors and nurses to reduce brain drain. Due to poor salary given to these workers, they tend to migrate to other countries. The salaries of doctors and nurses need to be reconsidered in terms of the actual state of the economy. Other alternatives to well paid salaries can be more benefits to the workers to serve as an incentive to stay in Nigeria. For example policy can be created to say if you are a doctor in Nigeria, you are entitled to a house and two cars; one for you and one for your wife. Another recommendation for the Nigerian health sector is the provision of adequate facilities and infrastructure to the ever growing populace. The government needs to increase its expenditure in the health sector as the population increases. More hospitals need to be constructed and more medical equipments need to be installed in these new hospitals. Good hospital roads need to be constructed in order to have easy access. The provision of more ambulances is really a crucial issue in case of emergencies. Also, Information and Communication Technology need to be integrated to the Nigerian health sector so as to increase efficiency. Our doctors and nurses need to be updated always via the internet and as such they need to be familiar with computers and the internet for better performance. All these good hospitals with many doctors and nurses need not to be deprived for the masses; it should be accessed by all because everyone matters in the development process. Lastly, the most important issue after getting all the doctors, nurses, equipment and infrastructure is the maintenance aspect. All these hospitals need sufficient maintenance to survive for a long time and as such a qu alitative maintenance company trusted by the government should be given the sole task. If one maintenance company lacks the capacity to maintain a lot of hospitals, other qualitative maintenance companies can also be in place. With two or more maintenance companies, there will be competition between them and price of maintenance will fall. Good governance in Nigeria can be indicated via various factors and one of the factors is social service. When there is good governance, there will be qualitative and quantitative social services for the people thereby enhancing human capital. But on the other hand, when there is bad governance, there will be white elephant projects leading to few social services. Good governance in Nigeria should be encouraged via fighting corruption and setting up effective and efficient check and balance system. Every individual that is given responsibility in office should be held accountable for his/her actions. Also, government expenditure relative to its revenue should be monitored to enhance good governance. Another recommendation for good governance is making all government decisions transparent to the people. Keeping people in the loop of government decisions reduce the probability of strikes and civil unrest. Strategizing good governance for Nigeria will greatly improve Nigerias image to t he international community thereby encouraging potential investors to invest in the Nigerian economy. As investors invest and the government provides more social services for the people, human capital is immensely increased leading to economic development. In a nutshell, all recommendations should be posed at all possible factors that constitute human capital and affect development; educational systems, health services, social services and governance. It is these factors that turn high human capital potential into human capital value and it is these factors that help a nation develop both socially and economically. CONCLUSION We have seen despite the fact that Nigeria has been immensely blessed with natural resources and high human capital development potentials, it still fails to become one of the leading economic and technological giants in the world. Nigeria in the Human Poverty Index ranks 80th among 108 developing countries; meaning a lot of the masses in Nigeria are poor, deprived of health care and quality education and thus translate into low or no development. Also, Nigeria in the Human Development Index ranks 158th out of 177 countries showing that there is low life expectancy, adult literacy, purchasing power parity and enrollment at primary, secondary and tertiary level. Several results of various research points out the fact that all the factors mentioned above affect the value of human capital of a country and its development. And as such, all these factors need to be given the outmost importance in policy making. With the globalised economy becoming more competitive and advanced in terms of technology, Nigeria, a country with all that it needs to be on top should make the best use of what it has in order to have the best there is in this global economy.