Customer Service in Travel and tourism Essay

Communication skills is important an important part of the travel and tourism industry. It is important to use the appropriate methods of communication for a given situation. Communication takes place face-to-face, by telephone, in writing electronically (e-mail and fax). Face to face is dealing directly with customers either face to face, individually or in a group situation. Dealing with customers face to face has a few ground rules. You must always smile greeting the customer, listen to what they are saying and always make eye contact, stay interested, address your customer by names, always thank when appropriate. Communicating by telephone is an essential part of daily life for businesses especially in the tourism sector. Using the telephone is a way of keeping in touch with one another weather its’ with customers booking or asking for advice. Customers find communicating by phone convenient and fast and cheap with instant feedback. As a travel and tourism staff it is important to answer calls quickly, greet the customer with your name and organisation, smile while you’re talking speaking clearly, listen carefully and take notes. Written communication comes in many different forms such as letters and faxes, brochures, memos, reports, documents for meetings and advertisements. This can be formal, informal or complaint. It is important to make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes, the intended message should be conveyed, make sure it is made clear who the letter is from when it was received and who it is to, handwriting should be legible and it should be appropriate language. Effective listening and questioning should be the key characteristic of customer service staff. This is important when customers are unsure about something or don’t fully understand a situation. Effective listening and questioning should be performed by maintaining eye contact when facing the speaker. Non-verbal communication is all about the way you present yourselves to others and transmit messages either intentionally or unintentionally. Making eye contact, orientation, postures, physical proximity, and gestures are all a form of non-verbal communication. Presentation is how staff and the working environment are presented to  customers which is the important in the travel and tourism sector. Personal appearance is important like wearing an appropriate dress because what you wear at work says a lot about you and the organisation that employed you, the appearance of the work place and personal hygiene is key! Staff will not tolerate a staff member with poor body odour or bad breath. A tidy workplace enforces a positive attitude and environment. Staff should be clean and well groomed. Teamwork is about getting along with your staff members and having an understanding of each other but at the same time getting things done accordingly together. Most work in the tourism sector is carried out by teams rather than individually. Good services and products all happen from the effort produced as a team to achieve a common goal. Team work will enforce a positive fun environment for an organisation by having the same understanding as one another developing each other’s character. Business skills are needed by customer service staff in order to carry out duties effectively which includes completing documentation that is relevant to the organisation. This also includes keeping records that are needed for internal purposes, IT skills such as sending e-mails accessing internet and using computerised reservation systems. Accuracy, legibility and complying with normal business conventions are important points to be followed. Complaint handling can be challenging but it is also rewarding and interesting. Staff in the industry must know how to handle situations and turn complaints into positive advantages. Complaints should be handled correctly with feedback so that the customer can give the organisation a second chance to put things right. Staff should listen, thank, apologise and provide support to the customer. Selling skills is bottom-line when selling products and services in travel and tourism organisations. Even staff not employed as salesman come into contact with selling when they themselves are customers, expecting the highest levels of customer service, courtesy and attention when making a purchase. Being successful isn’t something that happens. Building rapport is a state of understanding with another individual or group that enables greater and easier communication. In other words, building a rapport involves getting along with another person or group of people having things in common making communication easier and more effective. This can occur in a shop, hotel, restaurant, at home, or in an office. Factors that influence customers to buy from a business or elsewh ere  is the tidiness and cleanliness of the sales environment, the appearance of the staff, and the attitudes received by the customer. Establishing customer needs and expectations is to help the customer to state their needs and expectations clearly. Always remember that customers purchase products and services because they believe they need them. Expectations are what a customer expect to gain from the service or product received. Staff should start communication with an open question rather than questions that simply have responses like yes or no to gain more information. Features and benefits come after determining a customer’s needs and expectations. The next step is to present the product or service based on their specified requirements. The main aim in this stage of sales process is to concentrate on the features and benefits of the products using these statements during the presentation of the product†¦ Features statement highlighting the key features of the particular product, Advantage statement indicating what the product or service can do in general, and benefits statement expressing specifically what the product can do for the customer. Overcoming objections may occur after explaining the features and benefits. These may be based on price or availability of services or may resulting in insufficient choice range by the salesperson. In this stage questions will need to be asked to discover exactly why the customer is not happy and you use of persuasion will come into effect. Closing the sale is all about the persuasion of a customer to make a commitment. Product knowledge and communication skills have been used already to discover and match the customer’s needs and expectations with the right product or service. As a professional salesperson, one must truly believe that they can satisfy the prospect’s needs.

Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer is the story of a custody battle, but in its time (1979) and place it becomes a battle of mothering vs. fathering and over how men and women should lead their lives.   Ted Kramer, a Madison Avenue art director is so consumed with his career that he doesn’t understand the basic needs of his son or even the grade he is in school.   Joanna Kramer, a former employee of Mademoiselle, had left her career to care for their son, Billy.   Joanna finds herself overwhelmed with feelings of worthlessness and leaves her son and husband to find herself.   Ted is forced to learn to be a parent and Billy loves being with his father more.   After a period of fifteen months, Joanna returns.   She is not looking for forgiveness but rather to obtain custody of their son.   Their battle leaves us questioning the very definition of gender in our society. Ted and Joanna Kramer had a life that was defined as our society would have seen fit.   Joanna, being biologically suited, would remain at home and care for their son.   She provides for the emotional needs of the family.   Ted, operating in the public sphere, would provide for the families material needs.   This is what American culture has defined as the nuclear family.   This is the standard that our society would define as desirable. This ideology is so clearly spelled out in the courtroom.   Part of the case that Streep  presents for herself during the custody trial is a simplistic appeal-to-the fact that motherhood is  powerfully persuasive as a social institution.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I'm his mother. He's my child. I love him. He needs me more  than he needs his father. I'm his mother.† The simple fact that Streep as the boy's biological mother is supposed to outweigh, in  court, any particularities of their individual case. And on the basis of this argument the court  grants custody to Streep. As Hoffman's lawyer says, â€Å"They went for motherhood right down the  line.†Ã‚   The movie insists that gender is the primary factor in child custody determinations at the  time of divorce. Having established gender as the key, the movie then goes to court, where  proceedings are seen from a distinctly male perspective. Attorney Shaughnessy warns Ted Kramer that courts favor mothers in custody battles over young children. The task, Shaughnessy is certain, is to prove Joanna is an unfit mother. Shaughnessy also apparently overlooks the fact that the parties had already divorced, and Ted had custody, so the issue was not custody but rather custody modification. Even assuming a maternal preference rule, modification hearings place great weight on maintaining child care continuity.   fictional Judge Atkins sees things the way attorney Shaughnessy does. Atkins' award of custody to Joanna Kramer relies almost completely on the â€Å"tender years† When the Kramers do in fact have their day in court, viewers are propelled to defend Ted.   It seems unfair when Joanna's attorney asks Ted on the stand about his move from one advertising agency to another for lower pay. Viewers are angered by the suggestion that it was Ted's negligence that caused Billy's playground fall. But somehow, this does not seem quite as bad when Shaughnessy questions Joanna about her sexual liaisons since the time of her divorce from Ted. Even Ted sympathized with Joanna at the legal proceedings seems. With Joanna wilting on the stand from a brutal cross-examination, Ted shows no vindictive pleasure. With Joanna struggling with the question â€Å"Were you a failure at the most important personal relationship of your life?† Ted establishes eye contact and supportively shakes his head no. Even after the legal proceedings conclude with a decision adverse to Ted, we continue to reflect on developments from Ted's perspective. When Ted asks Shaughnessy about an appeal, Shaughnessy warns that it would be necessary to put little Billy on the stand. Ted realizes how destructive this would be. The viewer shares his appraisal of the legal process' twisted ways and seconds his decision to back off for Billy's sake. Ted continues to win our sympathy. Kramer vs. Kramer, this issue is gender inequality.   In New York, where the movie takes place, the courts were no longer going to rely on gender to decide custody battles, but gender was still a topic on the minds of the public in the 1980's, when the movie was released.  Ã‚   I believe that in a large proportion of our population today, there continues to be gender issues when parenting or custody issues are reviewed.   There still exists the notion that women are built to be parents and nurture a child, something men are not emotional enough to do. In this case, Kramer vs. Kramer, the court’s finding of Joanna as the custodial parent, does not appear to have been a decision based on anything other than gender.   The decision was made on the societal belief that a mother will be the better parent, it is what women were built to do.   Ted is denied custody on the basis of gender, he cannot possibly be a better or even equal parent. The demonstration that Ted is not an adequate provider because he lost one job and took a lesser paying job, and that this somehow makes him unfit because as the father he is to be the breadwinner and this outweighed the fact that Joann had abandoned her child.   The belief that Joanna should have stayed with her family, despite her own desires or wishes, and the portrayal of her as promiscuous because she had other relationships, further highlight the gender issue. The inequality of the decision in this case, is inequality to both the parents.   Both Ted and Joanna had the ability and means to be a good parent.   The court did not evaluate the case on that basis.   The court evaluated the case on the basis of gender roles and who should be doing what given the society beliefs present.

Describe three methods that have been proposed for valuing minority Essay

Describe three methods that have been proposed for valuing minority interest and goodwill in the consolidated balance sheet of a parent company and it's partially owned subsidiary - Essay Example intangible assets that come from the business connections or reputation of the company gained through several variables including competent management, customer acceptance, favourability of location, efficient production systems, among others (Ammar et al., 2001). The similarity here is that in both cases, the parent company does not have direct control of what the asset manoeuvring of these two but the two are reported on the consolidated balance sheet of the parent company as a means of reflecting the claim of assets to the company and other non-controlling shareholders (Chaney, Mead & Schermann, 2002). Because of the place of these two in the consolidated balance sheet of the parent company and the subsidiary, the methods that go into the valuation of these two have often been an area of interest to stakeholders. The paper discusses three methods that have been proposed as part of the valuation of minority interest and goodwill. The average profit method has often been used to value the goodwill of the company as reported in the balance sheet but this calculation could be done to incorporate the minority interest as well. For example in calculating goodwill based on this method, an average profit is found with an agreed number of past years’ profits. The average is then multiplied by the agreed number of years to know the goodwill in a very simple mood (Gauthier, 2007). Horrigan (1968) however noted that the issue of minority interest comes in ahead of the utilisation of the formulation given above since any abnormal profits are expected to be deducted from the net profits of the various years. Again, abnormal losses are also expected to be deducted, as well as non operating incomes such as those incomes made from non-accruing investments (Sohl et al., 2009). In all three deductions, minority interest plays a major role because even though consolidated balance sheets are prepared to appear as though the parent company fully owned the partially owned

International Relations and Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Relations and Terrorism - Essay Example The US bombing on September 11th is one case where terror was unleashed upon a mixed combination of individuals from countries across the world. International relations experts have made attempts to explain the impacts of this attack on the US and in the world. The events of September 11 are clearly etched in the minds of individuals across the world. The terrorist attack targeted and hit the World trade centre, a building that was central to the activities of many countries, not only the United States of America (Saurette, 2006). The terrorist attack in effect caused what political scientists would call a domino effect. Soon after the bombing, Afghanistan was invaded closely followed by the invasion of Iraq. The aftermath of America's retaliatory actions were only seen later, at a time when no remedial action could be taken - several lives were (and are still being) lost, and billions worth of property destroyed. The American dollar gradually devalued while the Euro has achieved tremendous gains, rich oil companies departed from the United States for Dubai and much more effects have been witnessed across the world. In Afghanistan, America's actions resulted in a gender revolution. Generally, the reputation of the US as a superpower has also been negatively affected by the attack as well as by its wars against the countries it engaged in war (Saurette, 2006). Th The terror attack on the world's superpower on a global scale raised eyebrows. The reality of terrorism has much more been accepted, and nations across the world have continued ever since to make provisions for counter-terrorism. Extremist movements have since received international attention and nations are taking pro-active measures in preventing small and big flare-ups as opposed to waiting for an attack to apply reactive measures. The events as they occurred, together with the retaliatory actions of the United States of America have provoked a lot of International Relations theorists to jump into action in an attempt to analyze the impacts of the event on international relations. The following sections attempt to critically relate international relations theories with the events that followed the September 11th US attack. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY International relations theory is geared towards providing a conceptual model that can be used as a basis for analyzing international relations. Every theory takes a reductive and essentialist form to different degrees by taking different assumptions in each case. In international relations theory, the analysis only focuses on salient events that are prove to be relevant to the theory. This can better be stated considering a case where a realist completely disregards an event that may be crucial to the constructivist and vice versa. The character and number of assumptions that are made by an IR theory practically determines how usefulness it will be. Again, several ways of thinking come to play when dealing with International relations theory. The different schools of thought which are usually conflicting include Neo-Gramscianism, Marxism, Constructivism, Institutionalism and others. Two positivist schools of thinking however have become most popular: Liberalism and Realism. Constructivism is continuously becoming a mainstream theory and particularly outside the USA, post-positivist theories are increasing in popularity (Mann,

Assess the practical usefulness and the relevance of game theory in Essay - 1

Assess the practical usefulness and the relevance of game theory in light of the demanding assumptions behind the concept of the - Essay Example In addition, today game theory is used in a variety of behavioural relations and is extended to both human as well as non-humans. This theoretical framework first described zero-sum games where an individual’s gains are exactly equal to the net losses of other participant(s). This paper will assess the practical usefulness and the relevance of game theory in light of the demanding assumptions behind the concept of the Nash equilibrium. Game Theory The game theory is based on the fundamental concept of zero-sum games, and a game has elements such as players, actions, information, strategies, outcomes, payoffs, and equilibria. Game theory evaluates strategic interactions where the outcome of a player’s choices greatly depends on the choices of other players. Basically, for a situation to be a game, there should be at least two rational players who consider each other’s choices while framing strategies (QuickMBA). The game theory has two distinct branches namely coo perative and non cooperative game theory. Most of the cooperative games are expressed in the characteristic function whereas extensive and normal forms are used to illustrate non-cooperative games. Games are illustrated using trees (figure 1) under the extensive form and each node or vertex represents the point of choice of players participating (Fudenberg & Tirole, 1991, p. 67). Each rational player is particularly indicated by a number specified by the vertex. The participants’ possible actions are depicted by the lines projecting out of the vertex while bottom of the tree represents the payoffs (Ibid). The authors add that the extensive form can be termed as â€Å"a multi-player generalisations of a decision tree† (Ibid). (Source: Ross, 2012) Under the normal form or strategic form, a matrix representing players, strategies, and payoffs is used for illustration. A major assumption when the normal form is used to indicate a game is that each participant makes choices without actually knowing the choices or actions of others. When players’ actions are known to other participants, generally the extensive form is used to represent the game. The characteristic function form was developed by scholars like John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. The authors claim that when a union C appears, it begins to work against the fraction (N/C) as if two players were participating in a normal game. Nash Equilibrium Nash equilibrium is a complex concept associated with the game theory. As Osborne (1994, p. 9) clearly states, â€Å"Nash equilibrium is a steady state solution concept in which each player’s decision depends on knowledge of the equilibrium†. More precisely, under the Nash equilibrium, it is assumed that each player knows the equilibrium strategies of other participants and no player can gain anything by altering their own strategy. The concept of Nash equilibrium has a wide range of applications in connection with the game the ory. Game theorists widely use this solution concept to interpret the outcomes realised from several decision makers’ strategic interactions. It greatly assists analysts to predict what would happen if several players are forming decisions simultaneously and if the outcome depends on others’ decisions. Nash equilibrium is potential to analyse unpleasant situations like arms

Merits of Joining a Human Resources Professional Association Essay

Merits of Joining a Human Resources Professional Association - Essay Example Keeping in mind that one is in the establishment stage of his/her career with the expectation of acquiring the position of a manager, the membership of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) had been found to be suitable. This is because, in addition to providing professional membership, SHRM provides opportunities to enhance owns knowledge, gain information from fellow members through networking and access to valuable resources pertaining to latest HR issues. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 3 Overview 4 Relative Merits of Joining a Human Resources Professional Association 4 Comparative Analysis of some of the Human Resources Professional Associations 6 Society for Human Resource Management 6 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 7 Dubai Human Resources Forum 8Â   Arabian Society for HR Management 9 Australian Human Resource Institute 10 Decision of the Selection of a Human Resources Professional Association and its Justification 11 Conclusion 13 References 15 Overview This report discusses the relative merits of joining a Human Resources Professional Association. The report conducts a comparative analysis of some of the renowned Human Resources Professional Associations and then selects a particular association that suits the professional requirements considering the candidate’s career stage. ... Â  As an individual with around 14 years of experience in the Human Resource Department (HRD), the rationale for willingness to join a Professional Association is to develop and enhance the HR skills by means of journals as well as magazines which are comprised with the membership of any Professional Association. Involvement with a Professional Association provides with the opportunity to attend conferences as well as conventions with proficient and professional speakers. Thus, being a member of a Human Resource Professional Association would provide an HR professional with an opportunity to access his/her career proceedings and specific human resource job listings. In addition to this, Professional Associations offer career networking opportunities with other members of the association. Human Resource Professional Association gives an individual admittance to the most beneficial and existing HR networks as a professional (Gatewood & Et. Al., 2010) Furthermore, Human Resource Profes sional Association would augment an individual’s professional development in addition to presenting information about issues pertaining to HRD. Every local or the international Human Resource Professional Association publishes informative newsletters and journals related to issues of Human Resource Management (HRM). Such Professional Associations also update their websites with significant HR issues along with fresh developments in the HR field. Moreover, these Professional Associations regularly coordinate and conduct professional development programs and conferences consisting of industry associated exposures and knowledge for their members.

Desdemona as a Moral Heroine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Desdemona as a Moral Heroine - Essay Example Shakespeare’s Othello was first performed in the year 1604. It is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. The play deals with issues that have been written about since time immemorial. It depicts, as the saying goes, the fall of the mighty. The death of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is perhaps one of the Bard’s most poignant stories.   The play is a tale of treachery, revenge, greed and over-reaching ambition. It depicts Iago’s machinations as he brings about Othello’s fall. In this play, not only did Shakespeare succeed in creating one of his most famous tragic heroes, but he also created one of his most charismatic and self-sacrificing heroines. Desdemona is perhaps one of the most misunderstood Shakespearean heroines. This is her story as much as it is Othello’s.   In Othello, Shakespeare created a society that is quintessentially patriarchal. Women have almost no voice and all their decisions are made for them, either by their fathers and brothers or their husbands. It is in such a situation that Shakespeare places his willful heroine, Desdemona.   It must be understood that Desdemona is vital to the unfolding of events within the play. She is the glue that holds the five acts together. She is the key to Iago’s success. In fact, it is her marriage to Othello that allows Iago to proceed with his plans. Very early in the play, Iago perceives the need to make Desdemona a very important pawn in his political games.   Desdemona’s character is not expendable. The entire play depends on her presence. She is not discarded by the playwright as in the case of Ophelia in Hamlet. Desdemona's eventual death in Act V is a classic example of the way women are treated in patriarchal societies. Women must either submit to higher authority or suffer a fate similar to Desdemona's.   Desdemona is one of Shakespeare’s most self-sufficient and strong-minded heroines. In the very first act, we find her making a choice. She chooses to marry Othello, a highly respected general in Venice. It is a decision made out of free will. A decision that eventually inspires Iago to sow the seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind.

Continued Professional Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Continued Professional Development - Essay Example On the other hand, PhD is designed to assist nurses to be tangled in research aimed at discovering new knowledge. DNP deals with courses such as evidence based practice and applied statistics, financial management, budget planning, health system transformation whereas on the PhD side courses such as philosophy of science, qualitative research methods chronic illness and care systems For a DNP, one can get health care administration in clinical nurse faculty and preparing nurses in management and health information technology to improve the care given. On the other hand, a PhD holder can work as a nurse scientist in the nursing faculty and carry out research to tackle issues that are arising in nursing discipline. Another difference between the two is the amount of time taken to complete each. A DNP course takes around 5 semesters to finish after a master’s degree whereas a PhD takes around 4-5 years depending on the learning mode of the university. From my point of view I would prefer to take a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) because of its broad spectrum of finding good jobs and also my passion of helping the patients recover fast (

Shakespear - King Lear Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Shakespear - King Lear - Assignment Example Despite this she still loves her father, she says simply, â€Å"I love your majesty, according to your bond, no more nor less† (1.1 100-102) despite the honesty she reveals with this statement, her father cannot per see that it’s the honest love she shows. After discovery of her sisters plan to kill their father, Cordelia gathers a French army to go to war with her sisters in the defence of her father despite what he did, this true act of bravery leads to her death which portrays her saviour character in the play. Edgar is the play is the son of the Earl of Gloucester. A gullible character that falls into his brothers cruel plan that leads him to escape and disguises himself as a peasant and when his father plans to commit suicide, he tricks him that he will help him, convinces him that he has already fallen and that his life is a miracle â€Å"thy life is a miracle/Speak yet again† (4.6 69). He also kills another human in the sense of saving his

Applications of Geographic Information System Essay Example for Free

Applications of Geographic Information System Essay ABSTRACT This paper discusses the application of GIS as a tool in monitoring biodiversity with special reference to Pakistan. The major advantages of satellite data are that the large and inaccessible areas can be covered using a standard approach, with a uniform level of detail and at relatively low coast. Networked information like GIS and Remote sensing not only provides speedy answers to scientific problems and issues, but also broadens planet of possible questions on the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological diversity. Simply we can say that the GIS is associated with two different functions for a geographical perspective on biodiversity data and other environmental issues. (1) It contains a powerful reference base (geographic location), i.e. maps of natural vegetation (endemic, multipurpose, and threatened), soil, land cover, topography, hydrology, bird migration, distribution of fauna and flora, etc. (2) GIS is a powerful and effective way of communicating a large variety of information. In developing countries GIS is used so as to make possible the sustainable development, conservation, management and monitoring of biodiversity. In Pakistan the application of GIS in various fields is still not very common. Talking about its usage for biodiversity conservation, management and monitoring, it is just 5-7 years back. Departments like wildlife department of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhton Khawa, Baluchistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and various NGOs like IUCN, WWF-P, SUPARCO are using this satellite based technology for conservation, management and monitoring of various ecological characteristics like distribution of flora and fauna, the population and the status of flora and fauna, the health of wetlands, national parks, game reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. In addition to this GIS is also use now a days in Pakistan for land use purposes but this work so far done is not enough to come through the circumstances face by our planet specially the tropical and sub tropical countries like Pakistan. Therefore, in Pakistan there is a need for more comprehensive approaches  that deal with new remote sensing technologies and analysis in a GIS-environment, and that integrate findings collected over longer periods with the aim of prediction. It is also imperative to collect and integrate data from different disciplines. These are essential in the spirit of sustainable development and conservation, management and monitoring of natural resources. Keywords: geographic information system (GIS); biodiversity; monitoring. INTRODUCTION Geographical Information Systems A Geographical Information System (GIS) is a system of hardware, software and procedures to facilitate the conservation, monitoring, management, etc by manipulation, analysis, modeling, representation and display of geo-referenced data to solve complex ecological and environmental problems. GIS functions in a systematic way as: data entry, data display, data management, information retrieval and analysis. The main function of an Information system is to improve one’s ability to make decisions. A geographic information system is an information system that is designed to work with data referenced to spatial or geographic coordinates. GIS is both a database system with specific capabilities for spatially referenced data, as well as a set of operation for working with any type of data as well. The three basic types of GIS applications which might also represent stages of development of a single GIS application are as under (Ramachandran, 1993, Ramachandran et.al., 1997, 1998). Inventory Application The first step in developing a GIS application is making an inventory of the features like flora and fauna for a given geographic area. The emphasis at this stage is the updating of simple data retrieval (Ramachandran, 1993, Ramachandran et.al., 1997, 1998). Analysis Application After the inventory stage, complex queries on multiple layers can be performed using spatial and aspatial analysis techniques. Management Application More advanced spatial and modeling techniques are required to support the decisions of managers and policy makers so that they can better monitor the issues. This means that the shifting of emphasis will be from basic geographic data handling to manipulation, analysis and modeling in order to solve real world problems (Ramachandran, 1993, Ramachandran et.al., 1997, 1998). There has been a revolution in the availability of information and in the development and application of tools for managing information during the past 4 to 5 years (Harison 1995). Geographic information system (GIS) is an important tool for monitoring biodiversity, which accommodates large varieties of spatial and aspatial (attribute) data. The information programmed in a GIS is used to target surveys, measurements and monitoring schemes. Various types of data on species and habitat distribution from different dates allow monitoring of the location and the extent of change. A GIS is actually a spatially referenced database that allows multiple layers of data to be created and displayed together as computerized maps. Data sources may includes aerial surveys, satellite data, existing maps, field surveys and expert knowledge. GIS is such an efficient technology that it enables the standard formatting of all maps used, no matter what their source is. The major advantages of satellite data are that large and inaccessible areas can be covered using a standard approach, with a uniform level of detail and at relatively low coast. Biodiversity means the variety of life in this universe and its definition as given by The Convention on Biological Diversity is: â€Å"The variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are apart, this includes diversity within species and of ecosystems. More simply, the biodiversity is the variety of the world’s organisms, including their genetic makeup and the communities they form. Biodiversity is dynamic: the genetic composition of species changes over time in response to natural and human-induced selection  pressures; the occurrence and relative abundance of species in ecological communities changes as a result of ecological and physical factors (Box 2)†. (Elzinga et al. 2001) defined monitoring as, The collection and analysis of repeated observations or measurements to evaluate changes in condition and progress toward meeting a management objective Monitoring is actually the repeated surveys or measurements taken by means of some standardized procedure so that the predetermined objectives or values be analyzed or interpret. Thus, the biodiversity monitoring is the estimation of diversity at any location more than one time so as to draw inference about any change that has occurred or is likely to occur (Wilson et. al 1996). The attributes of biological diversity that can be assessed at each level of ecological organization were identified by (Wilson et.al 1996). The attributes that could be monitored include the identity, distribution, and proportions of each type of habitat, and the distribution of species within those habitats at landscape level and at ecosystem level, richness, evenness, and diversity of species, guilds and communities are important. Abundance, density and biomass of each population may be of interests on species level and at the genetic level, genetic diversity of individual organisms within population is important. It is very important to assess and interpret biodiversity at all these levels of organization by using various approaches at several spatial and temporal scales (Noss and Cooperrider 1994). DISCUSSION GIS plays an important role as a tool for environmental conservation, management and monitoring, with the current greater concern for sustainable use of resources, and conservation, management and monitoring of biodiversity. Simply we can say that the GIS is associated with two different functions for a geographical perspective on biodiversity data and other environmental issues. (1) It contains a powerful reference base (geographic location), i.e. maps of natural vegetation (endemic, multipurpose, and threatened), soil, land cover, topography, hydrology, bird migration, distribution of fauna and flora, etc. (2) GIS is a powerful and effective way of communicating a large variety of information. In developing countries GIS is used so as to make possible the sustainable development, conservation, management and monitoring of biodiversity. These  countries not only hold a large part of universe’s biodiversity (particularly from tropical coastal ecosystems), but they are also the most vulnerable to environmental degradation. Remote sensing studies relevant to the field of sustainable development in tropical developing countries were provided by Calzadilla P ´erez et al. (2002), Dahdouh-Guebas et al. (2002b), De La Ville et al. (2002), Jayatissa et al. (2002), Kairo et al. (2002), Sulong et al. (2002) and Verheyden et al. (2002). Records of species and other ecological characters or habitat can be stored in a database and mapped to show where they occur and this geographic information can be used to target surveys and monitoring schemes (Marqules Austin, 1991). Spatial and aspatial data from different dates allow monitoring of the location of change (where) to be identified and the extent (how much) measured. The aspatial data include tables of measurements, species and habitat, attributes, images, videos, so und, etc while the spatial data include maps, satellite imagery and aerial images. The taxonomic, ecological and cultural variables required for assessment and monitoring of biological diversity and their corresponding information scales were showed by Davis et al. (1990). A GIS-based approach for the analysis of biodiversity was developed by Walker Faith (1993) and according to this approach species lists for different geographic locations with other geographic data describing the locations of nature reserves and geographic variations in environmental conditions were linked. The analysis modeling applied to environmental data are the recent developments in GIS (Aspinall, 1995), notably predicting the distribution of wildlife species under present and changed environmental conditions, understanding the interaction of habitats and other aspects of ecological infrastructure within landscapes, and interpreting and monitoring biodiversity for use in management. Networked information like GIS and Remote sensing not only provides speedy answers to scientific problems, but also broadens the planet of possible questions on the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological diversity (Canhos et al., 1998). The above examples indicates the monitoring assessment of the status and trends in biodiversity using GIS. In Pakistan the application of GIS in various fields is still not very common. Talking about its usage for biodiversity conservation, management  and monitoring, it is just 5-7 years back. Departments like wildlife department of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhton Khawa, Baluchistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and various NGOs like IUCN, WWF-P, SUPARCO are using this satellite based technology for conservation, management and monitoring of various ecological characteristics like distribution of flora and fauna, the population and the status of flora and fauna, the health of wetlands, national parks, game reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. In addition to this GIS is also use now a days in Pakistan for land use purposes. According to this GIS based studies Garstang et al. (2003) categorized Wetlands of Pakistan into four broader ecological categories i.e., Montane and Alpine region, Semi-arid region, Arid region and coastal region. The Wetlands Survey Programme Section (WSPS) of Pakistan Wetlands Programme is responsible to carryout nation-wide wetlands’ surveys on birds, mammals, fish, micro macro invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians, vegetation, and water quality, therefore, by using GIS all these biodiversity data along with their observers’ details and observation conditions are being maintained in a web-accessible database deployed at National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW), Islamabad. Pakistan Wetlands Inventory (PWI) data model integrates or collects the Wetlands Survey Programme and Wetlands GIS programme (Qamer, 2007) and the boundaries of all the protected wetlands were mapped into GIS format using government record, field data and GIS maps. CONCLUSION In Pakistan there is a need for more comprehensive approaches that deal with new satellite based programmes like remote sensing technologies and analysis in a GIS-environment, and that integrate findings collected over longer periods with the aim of prediction. It is also imperative to collect and integrate data from different disciplines of biodiversity. This is very essential in the spirit of sustainable development and conservation, management and monitoring of natural resources. In addition to this the use of GIS and other satellite based systems can save our time due to their fast actions and data taken is also considered more authentic and reliable. REFERENCES Boyd, D.S., Foody, G.M. An overview of recent remote sensing and GIS based research in ecological informatics. Ecological Informatics(2010), doi:10.1016/J.ecoinf. 2010.07.007 Qamer, F. M., Saleem, R., Hussain, N., Akram, U. Raza, S. M. (2008). 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Business overview of McDonalds and analysis

Business overview of McDonalds and analysis The UK fast food market is worth an estimated  £7.82 billion annually (Keynote, 2003), amounting to an average spend  £20/month per adult (Mcdonald, 2003). Due to busier consumer lifestyles and dual working families with children emphasis is increasingly being placed on quick meal solutions (Atkins and Bowler, 2001). This has resulted in a market growth of 19% in fast food since 1998. As the business has spread globally; giant fast food companies adapted their business strategy as well. It has invested money on research and development to strengthen their managing policies. Recently many researchers have shown interest regarding implementing change in management system of the fast food industry. They have carried out numerous observations to illuminate the darkness of this field. As the literature review helps to frame the initial focus of the study, well as to focus the data analysis (Swanson Holton1997). It also helps researchers to limit the scope of their inquiry and acts as a benchmark for comparison purposes. In this literature review, their findings and suggestions are sincerely considered for further steps of the research. According to Creswell (2003) literature reviews provide a framework for establishing the importance of the study. 2.1 An overview of McDonalds In the world of globalisation the fast food business is the most dynamic and growth orientated business. McDonalds is one of the most thriving global restaurant chains around the world. McDonalds have used effective global expansion strategies to enter new markets and gain a share of the foreign fast food market. Now McDonalds is a global scale brand. Since the start of the company in 1973, McDonalds Corporation began spreading domestically throughout the United States thus establishing its brand recognition. Its initial strategy began by advertising directly to the middle and upper class citizens, as can be seen in countries such as India and China. To meet the challenge and maintain the success McDonalds has, they had adopt may changes in their strategy, management, and operation process. The focus of the research is to reveal the elements of resistance in the current change management system both in practice and theory in MacDonalds. This chapter is organized according to the various components of resistance to change and reducing resistance with the help of human resource strategies of the organization. In England first McDonald was opened 1974 at Woolwich Southeast Station. In 35 years 1250 restaurants have reached by end of 2005 most of the traditional high streets, shopping centres, retail parks, roadside locations, leisure centres, railway and airport terminal and motorway service areas (Official website). They have different types of store like 24hrs, take away only, super store in Retail Park. There is no particular up-to-date information about how many superstore, take-a-way or airport as well as franchise restaurant in London or in specific area in UK. May be this information is only for top level management, not available for general people. New store is open every year, also some store has been relocated or even close for business policy. MacDonalds also spread its franchise business all over the world mainly in Asia. Asia is very attractive business market for McDonalds. Its now common to see MacDonalds drive to logo in many Asian major cities. Recession is also affecting the fast food industry but this situation is improving day by day. Many new menus are including attracting more customers. MacDonalds also develop policy for healthy fast food policy so campaigners cannot blame them continuously which influence general public to have MacDonalds food. 2.2. Change McDonalds has adopted many strategic and operational changes during its business cycle .Organizational theorists like Drucker (1995) stated change is a constant in all contexts. Change can be defined from an organizational development perspective. Pendlebury, J. et al (1998) demonstrated change as troublesome to organizations, and it is quite disruptive to the individual. The effect of change on individuals is significant. In many respects, it is the emotional dimension of resistance that must be managed throughout the life of the change event. Vigorous emotions can be removed through the process of change within organizations. In fact, scholars argue that every act or event of change will draw some type of resistance resistance that will clear itself in emotions such as fear and anger, denial, avoidance, and resistance. Change can be so disturbing that even individuals directly unaffected by a change initiative can be affected through survivor guilt. According to Noer (1997) survivor guilt or sickness may be experienced by individuals indirectly affected by change and may serve as a significant source of resistance for individuals. 2.2.1. Forces of change Change depends on two forces, which could be external and internal forces. If managers, employees or organisations think about these forces, than they can implement on change successfully. The forces for change are: Internal Forces Human resource prospects (Unmet needs, Job dissatisfaction, Absenteeism and staff turnover Productivity Participation) Managerial decisions. Managerial decisions (Conflict, Leadership, Reward system, Structural reorganisation) the needs for the change. (Bullens, et al 2006). External Forces Change is initiated via external sources such as cultural and political factors. In short, additional external factors like globalizing markets, technology, politics, and communications are all sources of change (Nadler, 1997). Social Change There is lots of pressure from many health concern organisations, doctors association, consumer association even government health institution for the food type and food value of McDonalds restaurant. Many scientific statistics has been published on different media about the quality and nutrition value of Macs food. Even UN organisation W.H.O (World Health Organisation) also comments negatively against fast food. Macs mainly targeted customers are children and teenagers rather professional and elderly people. McDonalds always face different social challenge from internal as well as external sources. But they try to maintain highest possible hygiene and safe way to make and serve the food as well as plan to mention the food values for each item which help all the consumers to know the nutrition value of the food. Technological Change Technological change in the organisation is critical, for three primary reasons. 1- Competitors use technology as part of major success strategies. 2- Technology driven is everywhere and always present. 3- Value capture from new technology is challenging and never guaranteed. Source: Ettlie,J (2000) Most of the time, we hold technology as a constant, because its convenient. The more change in technology of products, services, and operations, the more change in administrative procedures, new strategies, new organisational structures, and new operating procedures will be required to successfully capture the potential benefits of the venture. The failure of technological change typically occurs when either too much technology is adopted too quickly or not enough technology is adopted to stay ahead of competitors. Nadler (1997) argue strongly for the case of new technologies and new markets. Jick (1995) identifies competition and the aspirations to gain and maintain competitive advantage a key Impetus for change. Economical Change McDonalds has the tendency to experience hardship in instances where the economy of the country is hit by inflation and changes in the exchange rates. **The current recession also put them struggling. The high store maintenance cost in major cities like London, New York, Tokyo etc. is very expensive. For the recession people try to eat home to save money even MacDonalds offers food is the cheapest than other competitors. The low sales impact on store profit which also related to all kind of necessary expenditure. Another factor is the maintaining the food preparation and service standard for MacDonalds food which is prime concern for them to establish the hygiene and safety issue for the people health. If MacDonalds charge high price of their food to maintain store standard they will definitely loose target customer and most valuable reputation. Still they are in market leader position. Economical chance has great influence on MacDonalds business. Political Change Government can implement some bindings on the advertisement of McDonalds because of the high cholesterol, obesity and some other health problem. They also control the licence as we mentioned earlier in social change that MacDonalds have many legal bindings from different level of government and non-government organisation. Political change of a country has also affect MacDonalds business. As health issue is one of the prime concerns of the respective government, if any political change occurs the health policy can also change. The very practical example in UK conservative government will change the health policy of the previous labour government. MacDonalds must track the relevant information by which their business can be affected. In other case marketing can also affected by political change. Sometimes, social crisis influence to raise the public issue politically. Like obesity in the western world is an important discussion topic in heath area. Government regulates the advertising to focus this concern so that people awareness will increases about the obesity. MacDonalds must accommodate with this policy in all its marketing campaigns. Culture Culture examines societys values, norms, believes, symbols. Organisational culture, is the concept to analyse that the organisation can be very useful for focusing on the more behavioural and attitudinal aspects of the organisational life. Organisational culture is the social aspects of our employing organisations. Scheins (1985) developed the following typology for cultural analysis The organisations relationship to its environment (belief that relate to the broader environment) The nature of the human activity (beliefs about what the core activity of the business should be) The nature of the reality and truth The nature of human nature (beliefs about what people are like) The nature of human relationships (beliefs are about how people should relate to one another both hierarchically and horizontally) Homogeneity versus diversity (beliefs about similar or diverse the workforce should be) (Ellis Dick 2003). According to Schein (2004) culture change certainly involves unlearning as well as relearning and is therefore, by definition, transformative thus: Schein (2004) also suggested learning leaders must be well connected to those parts of the organization that are themselves well connected to the environment-the sales organization, purchasing, marketing, public relations, legal, finance, and RD must be able to listen to disconfirming information coming from these sources and to assess the implications for the future of the organization. The Wider Environment Social Values Demographics Task Environment Customers and markets Economy Technology Suppliers of Inputs Competitors For markets For resources Regulatory groups The Firm Process Factor What is done (task) How things are done (technology) People factors Workforce diversity Workforce Behaviour Figure 2.1: Triggers to change. Corlett,Forster, (2004), 2.3. Theories of change management There are many change models that are used to aid experts in implementing change. These models can be broken down into two types of change theories that organizations can use: radical and incremental. Within each of these approaches there are various models and processes. 2.3.1 Radical vs Incremental change Radical change approaches include, but are not limited to, six sigma, quality function deployment, and re-engineering. Radical change models are used to jump-start an organization and are also used when a culture change is required. In 1994, Dyer explain radical change , In a conventionally Midwestern family business atmosphere, change is likely to be more heavily resisted than in other organizations because the feelings adjacent to the change tend to be deeper and more intense, and previous research shows that family values, goals, and relations deeply influence strategic change in family-oriented firms . A review of the literature Senge (1990) reflects the need for organizations to be able to continuously adjust as well as to allow for learning to take place. Incremental change approaches include, but are not limited to, Kurt Lewins model, Beckhards change model, Kotters transformation model, and the Bridges transition model. Incremental change models are related with improving the existing system and operate within the current business model. All these models have a stage of unfreezing of the current behavior, a change being introduced, and a stage of refreezing the new behavior, or else they begin with the identification of the current state, the desired state, and the blocks and barriers that exist between the two. Cummings and Worley, (2001) state that Kurt Lewins three-stage change model is the root of change management. Lewins change model consisting of the following steps: 1) unfreezing the old behaviour (or situation), 2) moving to a new level of behaviour, and 3) refreezing, the behaviour at the new level. Lewin viewed the change process as a fundamental alteration or change in the forces that kept a system in stasis. According to Lewin, an organization will go through the process of making preparations for change, developing the force for change, implementing change, and then will strive to re-establish stability or reach stasis. Unfreeze Change Refreeze Figure 2.2 Kurt Lewins three-stage change model of change. Adopted from Cummings and Worley, (2001) According to Van de Ven and Poole (1995) Organizational change is an empirical observation in an organizational entity of variations in shape, quality or state over time. Kaestle (1990) states in A New Rationale for Organizational Structure, that there are fundamentally two drivers for organizational change: 1) a dynamic marketplace and, 2) information technology. 2.3.2 Conditions for change According to Kotter (1996) certain conditions need to be met in order to bring about effective change. These conditions on what is known to contribute to the failure of change efforts. 2.3.3 People involved in change Kotter also states that producing change is about 80% leadership (establishing direction, aligning, and motivating and inspiring people) and about 20% management (planning, budgeting, organizing, and problem-solving). In most change efforts he has studied, the percentages have been reversed. While there are some examples of successful change efforts, so leadership or management works as a change agent within the organization. According to Vago (1999) in a planned change effort, change agents are professionals who influence and implement the change; they are critical to the success of a change effort. Recent studies indicate that static change models are being replaced with dynamic change models that reflect the discontinuous nature of organizational change. In other words, change does not occur at a steady rate even though in the past organizational theory has written about steady or static models. 2.3.4 People in change Schein (2004) also suggested learning leaders must be well connected to those parts of the organization that are themselves well connected to the environment-the sales organization, purchasing, marketing, public relations, legal, finance, and RD must be able to listen to disconfirming information coming from these sources and to assess the implications for the future of the organization. 2.3.5. The modern version of Lewins theory Neito (2006) described the graceful tools of Lewins theory is the critical analysis if it is to be helpful to HR professionals. To start by means of, it is affective and how easy to get the agreement of employees regarding a change process. Even though if the change is important, but people will not accept the change easily, thats way the first stage Unfreezing takes more time rather than other stages. Next process is Change, this process will be by itself, but this process should be managed properly. If this process is managed properly there are incentives and benefits (easy wins) during the change process, end of the day this process will give the positive support. Finally, the last stage is Refreezing which is a process of that stabilizes the change, which has been done. Human resource strategies are influenced by external and internal factors. Change successful depends on the concern and growth on the employee relations and interpersonal relationships. Human resource professionals should consider the change processes are likely to meet resistance and that is more efficient to consult with staff and expand teamwork than to oblige changes. Present workers should therefore invest in special development to enhance their long term employability.(Neito,M 2006) To understand the process and the nature of change in the organization, it is important to understand how organization works in the complex environment of external and internal forces. According to Hayes. J (2007) open structure theory predicts that changes to any one of the internal and external elements of an organisations will source changes to other fundamentals. Hayes. J (2007) adopts from Kotter (1980) the integrative model of organisational dynamics. Recent theorists have considered change according to developmental change, transitional change, and transformational change (Anderson Ackerman-Anderson, 2001). The six main elements in Kotters model are: External environment, based on the direct task related environment and the wider environment (which includes the political system, economical system etc). Employees and other tangible assets, as well as building cash and all other stuff and inventories. Formal organisational arrangements which system is operating and job design Social system, which is based on organisations culture and social structure. Technology is the main product of the organisation. Dominant coalition Goals, strategies of those who control to make the plane. According to Hayes.J (2007) adaptability is very important because it determines whether the organisation will be able or not to maintain the require degree of alignment over the long period. For the long period, the main purpose of change management needs to be ensuring, that the structural basics of the organisation are as adaptable. Key organisational processes Information gathering Communication Decision making Matter energy transportation Matter energy conversion Formal organisational Dominant coalition External environment Technology, methods Social system culture Employees and tangibleaaaa assets Source of potential behaviour and constraint Impact on Figure: 2.4 Source: Hayes,J.(2007) The theory and Practice of Change Management ,2nd ed, p-47, palgrave Macmillan. 2.3.6. Force Field Tool Force Field Tool is the pioneer tool for change management; the tool was developed by Kurt Lewin. Schein (2002) explain Kurt Lewin tool, how change is influenced by two opposing factors driving and restraining forces that work against each other to sustain a state of stability .At the same time as driving forces uphold change, restraining forces resist the driving forces and thus hold back change. When these forces are balanced, a state of quasi-stationary equilibrium is achieved. Equilibrium Driving forces ( Restraining forces Figure2.3: Lewins Force Field Theory The term quasi-stationary equilibrium was used by Schein (2002) to describe the stable routine of day-to-day activity, rather than just equilibrium which implies a state of rest . According to Schein (2002) Any living system is always in a state of some change (growth, metamorphosis, or decline), but all systems are homeostatic in that they always tend toward some kind of equilibrium (p. 35). To explain the quasi-stationary state, Lewin used the analogy of a river flowing at the same velocity and direction over time. Although the river is not at rest, it flows consistently at the same rate and thus is stable. A shift in velocity or direction, however, would constitute a change. To bring about change, either driving forces need to be added or restraining forces must be diminished. According to Schein (2002) adding more driving forces is likely to be paralleled by higher aggressiveness, higher emotionality, and lower constructiveness than if restraining forces were reduced; therefore, the latter is a more desirable course of action. In addition, adding driving forces is likely to result in new restraining forces as people try to maintain a state of quasi-stationary equilibrium. In this study, force field theory provided the theoretical framework for the variable of resistance to change in that it posited the tendency for groups to maintain a state of stability with restraining forces (i.e. resistance) resulting when driving forces that promote change are introduced. 2.3.7. A congruence model of organisations A substitute open system model, planned by Nadler and Tushman (1982) point out the effect of the congruency of the elements of the organisation, and shows the effectiveness on the organisation. Additionally, it puts more pressure, on the role of strategy, because any organisation based on the strategy as well. Congruence model depends on the four classes of input: Environment: Environment as well as based on wider culture, within which the organisation operates, thats the backbone of the organisation. Environment is a part of financial institutions, supplies, markets and it is the overall system of the organisation, which is based on the external and internal environment of the organisation. Environment provides the strength and opportunities that the organisation has to compete with. Resources: Resources like as raw material, liquid capital, labour, technologies. History: History is very important for the organisation, because past strategic decisions and development of central part values and patterns of leadership can affect the present model of organisation. Strategy: This input gives the direction how the organisations resources can be used to be the advantage in relation to the opportunities, and demands of the environment. Successful organisations are those that are able to support themselves with the help of external environment and move themselves to take advantage of any environmental changes. Nadler and Tushman (1982) argue that strategy defines the task of the organisation. Strategy is effective to the organisations behavioural system. They recommend that the goals of strategy measure the organisations performance. Nadler and Tushman(1982) define the major components of the transformation process as: a- Task, can be viewed in terms of obstacle, predictability, interdependence a skill demands. b- Individuals, those are the members of the organisation and their reaction capabilities, intelligence, experience, training, skills, attitudes, expectations etc. c- Formal organisational performance that include all the mechanisms used by the organisation to direct, control behaviour or formation. d- Informal organisation, as well as informal group structures, the quality of inter-group relations, political processes, etc. Transformation process x Informal organisation Individual Task Formal organisation Organisation Group, Individual Environment Resources, History Inputs Outputs Strategy Feedback Figure: 2.5 Source: Hayes,J.(2007) The theory and Practice of Change Management 2nd ed, p-52,palgrave Macmillan. Like Kotter, Nadler and Tushman argue that any useful model of organisations must go beyond only providing a simple sketch of the tools of the organisation and consider the dynamic relationships that exist between the various tools. They define congruence as the degree to those the needs, goals, objectives and structures of any one tool of the organisation are reliable with the needs. Their general theory is that, other things equal, the greater the total degree of congruence between the different tools the more efficient will be the organisations behaviour. Figure 2.5 summarises the congruence model and the bold double headed arrows specify the six fits between the components of the transformation process (the internal organisation) These are: (a) Individual Formal organisations for example to what extents are individual needs met by the formal organisational arrangements? (b) Individual Task for example, to what extent do individuals have the skills required to meet task demands and to what extent do the tasks satisfy individual needs? (c) Individual informal organisation for example, to what extent does the informal organisation satisfy the needs of individuals or make best use of their talents? (d) Task formal organisation for example, to what level are the formal organisational arrangements enough to meet the demands of the task? (e) Task informal organisation for example, to what point does the informal organisation make sure to task performance? (f) Formal informal organisation for example, to what level are the goals, rewards and structures of the informal organisation reliable with those of the formal organisation? Mostly tools that Nadler and Tushman desire to focus on are different to those that figure in kotters model. All models are overview of the real world, and the usefulness of the particular model, in the context of the change management. Schneider state in the book of john Hayes, Internal and external alignment promotes organisational effectiveness because the various elements of the system strengthen rather than upset each other, thereby minimising the loss of system energy and resources. 2.4. Defining resistance to change Resistance to change is not rigorously related to organizations management and leadership. It is a problem embedded in the very nature of its organizational members. In any case, resistance to change is a significant factor that must be understood in the organizational context. Examples of resistance may include, refusal to work, riots (in extreme cases). On the other hand the employees can demonstrate contentment with change, a happier performance at work and a general consensus that the change was beneficial to the restaurant. Individuals can arrive at a psychological state where major change can no longer be absorbed. According to psychologists, change can trigger emotional experiences such as depression, mania, irritability, anger, disturbing or obsessive thoughts. According to Conner (1998) the main sources of individual resistance to change are: lack of trust, commitment to the status quo, belief that the change is not feasible, economic threats, relative high costs, loss of status and power, and threats to values and ideals. Tushman and OReilly (1997), state that despite the inevitability of change and its necessity for survival, it presents serious dilemmas to anyone serious about the notion of change. Change is disruptive to organizations. That is undeniable. Change is not helpful to an environment of stability; it precipitates more and more disruption wooing business leaders to a critical deadlock. One cannot have both stability and change; they are conflicting forces. Pascal, R et el (1997), state, findings from surveys confirm that executives have begun to give renewal a high priorityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.however, most of their efforts to achieve it have met with frustration partly because large organizations have such a remarkable capacity to resist change of all kinds. 2.4.1. Sources of resistance in the implementation stage According to Klein and Sorra (1996) implementation of any change in the organization is the significant step between the decision to change and the regular use of it at the organization. In implementation stage more resistance groups can be found. The main resistance is with political and cultural locks to change. It consists of: Implementation climate and relation between change values and organizational values, considering that a strong implementation climate when the values relation is negative will result in resistance and opposition to change and forgetfulness of the social dimension of changes ( Schalk et al., 1998). Last but not least, a set of five sources of resistance with different characteristics are according to Rumelt (1995): leadership inaction, sometimes because leaders are afraid of uncertainty, sometimes for fear of changing the status quo ;embedded routines ;collective action problems, specially dealing with the difficulty to decide who is going to move first or how to deal with free-extruders ,ask of the necessary capabilities to implement change capabilities gap and cynicism. 2.4.2. Sources of resistance in the formulation stage of change To understand resistance in the process of change in any organization, we need to focuses on the very fast formulation stage of change. It includes: inability of the company to look into the future with clarity. According to Morrison and Milliken (2000) organizational silence, which limits the information flow with individuals who do not express their thoughts, meaning that decisions are made without all the necessary information. Denial or refusal to accept any information that is not expected or desired ( Rumelt, 1995). Low motivation for change, sources are: Direct costs of change, is the cost of change that brings success to a product but at the same time brings losses to others, so it requires some sort of sacrifice. According to Rumelt (1995) the need for a change is compensated through the high rents obtained without change with another different factor, so that there is no real motivation for change. According to Lorenzo (2000) past failures, leave a pessimistic image for future changes. Waddell and Sohal (1998) identified different interests among employees and management, or lack of motivation of employees who value change results less than managers value them). 2.5. Kotter and Schlesingers Choosing Strategies Choosing Strategies for Change an article of Kotter and Schlesingers (1979) explain causes for resistance to change. Organizations frequently experience employees resistance when change is introduced.

Materialism in George Eliots Silas Marner Essay -- essays research pa

Materialism in George Eliot's Silas Marner After contemplating which theme would be best to illustrate in my paper, in the end, I chose "Materialism vs.Relationships". In certain spots in the novel, it seems, George Eliot attempts to prove that the love of others is ultimately more valuable and fulfilling than the love of money. In my opinion, the actions of few characters could be viewed as materialistic, but I managed to find three: Dunstan Cass, William Dane, and Silas Marner. First, William Dane, Silas's friend and deacon of the church in Lantern Yard.William murdered the ill senior deacon of the church while watching over him. Silas was supposed to watch over him that night. The next day, when the senior deacon was found dead and his money missing, Silas was immediately questioned and accused. William, of course, didn't defend him. He even married the woman Silas was engaged to. Instead of remaining a good friend and deacon, he chose to steal the senior deacon's money and leave Silas to deal with the consequences. Now, on to Silas Marner. After fleeing to Raveloe, S...

Essay --

â€Å"It was not without justification that the OECD 1979 report on the impact of the newly industrialized countries referred to Japan as the forerunner of the NICs† (Dore, 1986). Over the ages, Japan has developed from a powerful economy in Asia, to the third biggest economy in the world after the United States at number one, and the People’s Republic of China at number two, Japan in fact was the second biggest economy in the world until the year 2010 when China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) got higher at $1.337 trillion, more than Japan’s $1.288 trillion GDP. Japan has over the years struggled to fight deflation, which has been a major problem to their economic growth. The growth of Japan’s economy will be looked at from four basic perspectives, the historical miracle of the bubble economy, the current deflationary and debt crises Japan is facing, the direction of the economy right from the economic miracle of the 1950s, and an insight to the fut ure of Japan. Japanese economic growth can be sectioned into three different historic eras namely, the Tokugawa (EDO) period, the Meiji period, and the post-war span. The Tokugawa period also recognized as the Edo period, lasted from 1603 - 1867, during this period, Japan under the rule of Emperor Iyesu Tokugawa became isolated from the rest of the world, as a result of that they enjoyed internal tranquility, political and economic stability, Japan enjoyed a stable economy because of the embargo the emperor embossed banning farmers from involving in other economic activities apart from the agricultural sector, this policy helped boost Japan’s national economy rapidly from the 1680s to the earliest parts of the 1700s. In 1867 the last Tokugawa shogunate was over thrown, less than a year later... ...lumber of stagnation currently hunting them, the persistent escalation in devaluation combined with high administration debt and low cash spending from the people will make it harder for Japan to recover their economic attitude. The Japanese Prime Minister’s policy are basically aimed at restoring the economy of the country, pessimist economists believe a deflation as great as that of Japan will be difficult to reverse, from the look of new spending power policies from BOJ, the Japanese are expected to increase spending power, thereby increasing PPP which will give rise to inflation in the country. The future of Japan’s economy may yet still be regained as a powerful global economy. The future of the Japanese economy depends on the success of Shinzo Abe’s economic strategies, the rate of deflationary cut-down, and good economic policies.

Maryland Science Assessments :: Essays Papers

Maryland Science Assessments Within the discipline of science there are facts, principles, skills, and processes of five classified standards: earth/space, biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. In the State of Maryland, the main assessment tool is the MSPAP (Maryland State Performance Assessment Program). Also, an individual teacher has to do assessment of his/her students throughout the school year. A teacher needs to know what to assess and how. Through an interview, a teacher of Bodkin Elementary has given her opinion about the state assessment test MSPAP. Maryland State has one major test that brings up many opinions of professionals in the education field. With state and classroom assessments Maryland’s intention is to measure their school improvement within the discipline of science as well as mathematics, reading, writing, language usage, and social studies. The Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) is "an assessment or testing program whose primary purpose is to provide information that can be used to improve instruction in schools"(MSDE, 1999). Students in third, fifth, and eighth grades take the MSPAP assessment each May. The assessment was created to be able to test the how well the students could solve problems both individually and with others, to see if they can use background knowledge to solve real world problems and to see if students can use knowledge from one subject into another. Students normally work in groups to complete the task they are given for each subject. Students are required to write extensively unlike other forms of assessment or testing where students fill out bubble forms such as scantron. The MSPAP assessment takes five days with 105 minutes spent each day on the assessment. Sample problems are given to teachers to help their students prepare for they type of activities and writing assignments they will be given on the task. One example task for eighth grade science students is to look at scientific data on the solar system and to write at least three questions that they can ask after looking at the data(Carr, 2000). After students have asked the questions they then need to "describe three repeating patterns of astronomical change that occur in the sky above us"(Carr, 2000) The MSPAP was created in May, 1990 by many teachers and administrators after the State Board of Education came up with learning goals that they wanted to reach by the year 2000. The MSPAP has six sections: reading, writing, language use, mathematics, science, and social studies.

The Grapes of Wrath

The movie â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† I watched recently is the classic adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel written and published in 1939 only one year before the movie was released. When the movie production was approved the director John Ford and his crew were able to accomplish a major task and finish the project without getting involved in the conflict with labor unions what was very important since many members of the crew belonged to them. The script which is based on Steinbeck’s book adopted a very specific dialect, the language spoken by the villagers living in rural Oklahoma so the authenticity impression was preserved. The movie presents the times of the Great Depression in the American Mid West and West coasts. This was a tough era of American history that got the historically accurate documentation and John Ford’s movie shows us perfectly the experience of many people those days – farmers and their families, drifters and strikers. For many Americans who watched the movie in the theaters in the big cities it was not easy to find out how hard and stressful it was for the people living in the country to be forced out of the lands they were working on. Here the director introduces us to the family of poor farmers from Oklahoma Dust Bowl and their struggling during the tough times of the economic crisis. While watching the movie I observed the contrast between the representatives of the lower class and the wealthy landowners who take an advantage of the unfortunate circumstances. From the events presented I’ve learned that the economic crisis and the advancing technology which was used to farm the land were responsible for drastic and extreme changes which were imposed on thousands of people against their own will. All the farmers’ families which for many generations made the living out of their farms in the short period of time received the notifications demanding to move out and abandon the properties which they were residing at. Obviously it was not their choice and the decision was made on their behalf without giving them the alternative opportunities. The main characters in the movie are the members of Joad’s family who are not only dealing with the problems inside of their family but also with the basis of their existence which is endangered. Those poor people understand very well that when fighting all the odds the only solution is to stay together and rely on each other and when facing the unpleasant reality they decide to remain as a family while entering the new chapter of their lives. In order to find a solution to their problems Joad’s family decides to embark on the journey to California. They have high hopes and strong beliefs that if they will get there, their situation will change for better, they will be able to find jobs and as a result will settle in their new home. On the way to their destination they experience many unexpected events which they have to deal with as they appear. They loose two members of their family and while staying at the camps for the similar migrants they learn about the sad reality which was awaiting them. It appeared that all the information they have been provided before they left Oklahoma were not exactly true and the land owners were trying to earn profits by using the unfair labor practices. Being fully aware of the desperate conditions the owners of the large farms offer low wages jobs and exploit all those hired to work on their lands. The new comers were not welcomed and treated with very suspicious manners. The local residents who were afraid of losing their own source of income were acting very unfriendly and openly demonstrated their opposition. People like Joad’s family while forced to stay in the camps and awaiting the potential employment were treated by local authorities like trouble makers. All those who tried to stand up for their rights were considered difficult and wrongly accused of trouble causing. Rich and wealthy class representatives were simply misusing the power of the local authorities in order to protect their own interest and increase the potential profits. Whoever was brave enough to disagree with those kinds of methods was considered as a threat and forced to leave or had to face the mistreatment and abuse. While majority of migrating families were subjected to the hardship and constant struggling, the smaller number of this group were lucky enough to find the temporary accommodations provided by the Federal authorities as a form of social assistance during the economic depression. Once they were able to reach such facilities they were offered decent and reasonable housing with the basic sanitary installations. The life in those places was organized by the rules which campers could set up so all the residents were treated with respect and there was no tolerance for any form of abuse. However some of the local land owners did not like the situation and were trying to sabotage the camp. Quite often those government managed facilities were subjected to the organized attempts of purposely initiated disturbances which will give the arguments to the local authorities to act while â€Å"preserving law and order†. It should be noticed that even tough it was not the director’s intention the conditions showed and the form of management in those camps succeeded in building up the reputation of the Government and helped in recognizing efforts directed towards continuous improvement during the crisis. The democratic methods which were giving all the residents the right to protect their status were successfully maintaining the stabilized life while staying within the borders of the camp. Even the police authorities were not allowed to enter without the warrant. Many residents quickly realized how fragile and valuable it is for them to continue preventing the established order in the camp so they could organize the system of the comities which were overseeing all the key aspects of every day living conditions. Under those circumstances surviving the difficult times until the employment opportunities appear was much more acceptable and helped to build the confidence in the better future. The movie definitely proves that people while facing major difficulties have much higher chances of prevailing if they help each other and stay together instead of resisting and fighting those problems just on their own. Even the strongest and most determined attempts to resist and fighting the reality by one single person will not last long and at the end will not be considered successful. The Joad’s family proved to themselves that together they can manage to survive and use the difficulties which they went through as the learning experience. By using the combination of wisdom and wise assumptions together with good will and honest intentions they were able to help each other in the process of the decisions making. As we all now go through the inconveniences and carry the burden of struggling economy, while watching the movie we can relate in some certain way to the presented story. We are fully aware that unfortunately seventy years later there are many Americans who do have to find answers to resolve their problems and react to the drastic changes which the economy imposed on them. As Casy, the former preacher perfectly summarizes his view when performing the funeral rites by saying: â€Å"I wouldn’t pray just for an old man that’s dead, ‘cause he’s all right. If I was to pray, I’d pray for folks that’s alive and don’t know which way to turn†. The fact that the American Academy of Motion Pictures nominated John Ford’s movie was one of the reasons why even the President of the USA Franklin D. Roosevelt was present there and gave the speech which consisted of comments regarding the movie unique character. For someone like me whose knowledge of the United States modern history is not so deep I found the movie as being very educating and presenting Americans’ lives during the Great Depression from a different perspective. Comparing to the recent production, the â€Å"Cinderella Man† I found quite few similarities and issues which were particularly important however the director John Ford is not trying to create a fairy tale but instead is exposing the dark side in which both the rules of economy and human nature compete with each other in the most important fight as the only possible way of surviving without loosing the human values such a dignity and pride. We can say that the main characters, their interactions and behavior even if originated from the natural instincts of human beings slowly but steady helped them to built up the resistance and eventually made them stronger than they were ever before. Just like Russell Crowe in the â€Å"Cinderella Man† was given a second chance and did not waste it but succeeded in his journey to the victory on the boxing ring, Joad’s family under the spiritual leadership of Tom’s mother proudly emerged out of all difficulties and remained faithful about awaiting them much better future. In my opinion the history of this country taught us a very valuable lesson which proved that even the Great Depression was not able to destroy the strong American spirit and discourage people from using their skills and joined efforts to help each other in the times of need. People need to believe that the tough times will end and they will be able to enjoy living again. Nothing motivates people in need to take an action and engage in many long term efforts better than having hope and faith that the better future is in their hands, that nothing else can help them better than their own determination.

John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Holocaust from a Child’s Perspective Essay

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is a story that tells of the holocaust through the eyes of a child, Bruno, a boy who discovers a peculiar friend that lives a strange existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence. The important ideas presented in the novel are cruelty, discrimination, and abusive power, the holocaust from a child’s perspective and the misinterpretations from a child who gradually discovers the world to be not as enjoyable as he thought. Using some of these ideas listed above the storyline of the book gradually becomes more evident and keeps you interested in the book to finding that the story is of the holocaust and how the Jews were once treated, last century. Cruelty and racism is the most important idea being expressed in the book. The Nazi’s were cruel to the Jews by keeping them in concentration camps where they were beaten, starved, threatened, gassed, burned and forced to work day in and day out, it impossible for them to earn a living. The way they treated the Jewish race was all because making the Nazi people purely didn’t like them, which is racist because they had no other reason for their murderous behaviour toward them. One example of cruelty recognised is on page 208, in the last few pages of the book where the meaning behind the whole story begins to be more obvious. â€Å"In fact everywhere he looked, all he could see was two different types of people: either happy, laughing, shouting soldiers in their uniform or unhappy, crying people in their striped pyjamas, most of whom seemed to be staring into space as if they were actually asleep. ‘I don’t think I like it here,’ said Bruno. † This part in the book clearly states that Bruno is beginning to feel uneasy with where he is, and recognise that the Jewish people aren’t actually having fun on the other side of the fence but for some reason are unhappy, due to what we work out ourselves, the cruel and inhumane way that they were being treated. Abusive power is another significant issue presented in the book. Many characters in the story have abused their power, three being Lieutenant Kotler, when he physically abuses Pavel on page 148, a Jew who clumsily makes a small fault and knocks over a wine bottle in front on lieutenant Kotler, and the soldier takes him into the other room and beats him. â€Å"What happened then was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant Kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one – not Bruno, not Gretel, not Mother and not even Father – stepped in to stop him doing what her did next, even though none of them could watch. Even though it made Bruno cry and Gretel grow pale. † The fact that Pavel was being beaten made Bruno feel uncomfortable to even be in the room, making it obvious that lieutenant Kotler had abused his power. The second one is Gretel, Bruno’s older sister; she did this several times in the book by constantly criticizing him because of his age and height, which really lowered Bruno’s self esteem. The last and third example is that of Bruno’s parents, as they did not allow Bruno to have a say or choice in moving homes. All Bruno knows is that he was being moved from his comfortable home in Berlin to a home in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. The Holocaust is expressed through many different techniques in the story. The main technique being used is ‘through the eyes of a child’ which allows us to read the novel and get the entire perspective from Bruno, a young boy. The point of this is so that the book isn’t disturbing for us to read because a child has a much more innocent view of the world. â€Å"Bruno was oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe in his country. † This sentence is on the blurb on the back of the book and reinforces that Bruno doesn’t know for almost the whole book what is happening on the other side of the fence, we just catch glimpses of what is really happening when he describes how unhappy the Jewish people were. Capitalisation is another expression used when describing something. Capitalising words or phrases changes the effect of how you read it in a book. For example, if you were reading something in lowercase it would simply be read in a normal low tone voice calmly if it is capitalised, even if we do not recognise it, we pick up our pace when reading over that section and read it in a more angry tone to express the aggressiveness in the sentence etc. Misinterpretations and mispronunciations are the next two strategies used in the book. Misinterpretations are evident on page 210 where it explains that Bruno misconceives what is happening and that he doesn’t understand, â€Å"He didn’t know what everyone looked so frightened about – after all, marching wasn’t such a terrible thing – and he wanted to whisper to them that everything was all right, that Father was the Commandant, and if this was the kind of thing that he wanted the people to do then it must all be right. † Following this he says, â€Å"’I have to go home. † But just as he said this, his feet brought him up a set of steps, and as he marched on he found there was no more rain coming down anymore because they were all piling into a long room that was surprisingly warm and must have been very securely built because no rain was getting in anywhere. In fact it felt completely airtight. ‘Well, that’s something’ he said, glad to be out of the storm for a few minutes at least. ‘I expect we’ll have to wait here til it eases off and then ill get to go home’† Bruno thought that the soldiers were keeping them in this large room out of the rain to be warm, but what was actually about to occur was much worse then that. The last idea I’m going to discuss is discrimination which relates majorly to the first argument but I wanted to state this again because it is racial inequity and this is what the whole book is about, how unjustly the Jewish race were treated. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a very meaningful book and not only can we learn of the holocaust history but still be interested and relate to the story because it is from a child’s perspective and this can be recognised by us. From all the techniques and ideas expressed in the story, the book has an emotional impact on us and makes it almost effortless to read as its puts us directly into Bruno’s world view. The way John Boyne has written the story allows us to sympathise for the Jews. The fact that it is based on a historical event really makes it reliable in showing us how the Jews were treated during the holocaust.