Proposal for a Research Paper on Space Tourism

Free Essays on Daycare

There are many advantages and disadvantages when parents are considering daycare for their child, also the alternatives to daycare. Parents have a lot to consider when they are looking for a daycare specific to there needs and the child’s need. They must consider how old the child is, whether they should be in a daycare that tends to specifically the needs of infants and toddlers or the needs of older children. They must know the time of the daycare, when they should drop the child off and then pick them up. They need to have arrangements encase the daycare is closed due to whether or holidays. In Edward Zigler’s testimony, Early Education. He states that literacy involves the alphabet, phonemes, and other word skills. Literacy begins at age four, they begin to understand everything at the age of 4. â€Å"A child’s curiosity and belief that he or she can succeed are just as important as reading like knowing the alphabet† Zigler said. Also the children do not learn when they suffer from hunger, abuse or a sense of fear. The child is too worried about being abused or wondering where are they going to find their next meal than learning how to count or how to say the alphabet and learn to read just the basic(â€Å"Early Education†). There are many advantages when considering daycare. There is a daycare for every child, for example children with disabilities, sicknesses, social problems, etc. There are clear cute rules in daycare. For instance, the pickup times and the drop-off times. The parents have to always be there at a specific time. Parents and children both make friends. When the parents drop there children off they meet the other parents. Also the children make friends with the other children in the daycare. They are in the daycare usually all day with other children, so of course they are going to become friends. Daycare is always there, regardless if a teacher is sick, if they are tardy, or if they go on... Free Essays on Daycare Free Essays on Daycare There are many advantages and disadvantages when parents are considering daycare for their child, also the alternatives to daycare. Parents have a lot to consider when they are looking for a daycare specific to there needs and the child’s need. They must consider how old the child is, whether they should be in a daycare that tends to specifically the needs of infants and toddlers or the needs of older children. They must know the time of the daycare, when they should drop the child off and then pick them up. They need to have arrangements encase the daycare is closed due to whether or holidays. In Edward Zigler’s testimony, Early Education. He states that literacy involves the alphabet, phonemes, and other word skills. Literacy begins at age four, they begin to understand everything at the age of 4. â€Å"A child’s curiosity and belief that he or she can succeed are just as important as reading like knowing the alphabet† Zigler said. Also the children do not learn when they suffer from hunger, abuse or a sense of fear. The child is too worried about being abused or wondering where are they going to find their next meal than learning how to count or how to say the alphabet and learn to read just the basic(â€Å"Early Education†). There are many advantages when considering daycare. There is a daycare for every child, for example children with disabilities, sicknesses, social problems, etc. There are clear cute rules in daycare. For instance, the pickup times and the drop-off times. The parents have to always be there at a specific time. Parents and children both make friends. When the parents drop there children off they meet the other parents. Also the children make friends with the other children in the daycare. They are in the daycare usually all day with other children, so of course they are going to become friends. Daycare is always there, regardless if a teacher is sick, if they are tardy, or if they go on...

Vietnam War & Films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Vietnam War & Films - Essay Example Rambo, a United States’ veteran from the Vietnam War, comes back to America and finds out that â€Å"for him nothing is as it used to be before the war† (Anderegg, p. 83, 1991). On a journey on the lookout for a military friend, he notices problem with a small city sheriff. Rambo is at first harassed by the sheriff and detained on fake blames of vagrancy. He works impulsively, overcomes all the protectors and escapes. Rambo has been working in a labor camp detention center when his former commander visits him and offers the opportunity to be freed from detention, but on condition of him going into Vietnam to look for American prisoners of war. Rambo meets an American civil servant who is in command of the operation and he informs Rambo that the American community is requiring information regarding the prisoners of war and they would like a skilled commando to step in and search for them. Rambo received the notice that he should only take pictures of the prisoners of war and not to save them, nor is he to involve in any opponent armed forces. Rambo unwillingly gives consent and he is subsequently told that a representative of the American government will be present to receive him in the ruthless situations of Vietnam. America has modified its perceptions about the Vietnam War and veterans of that war. By the year 1977, no one even likes to speak regarding Vietnam. From 1977 until 1980, a ‘whole bunch’ of actually excellent films on the subject of Vietnam War was released, and all of a sudden, it was justifiable. At the moment, it is acceptable to be a Vietnam veteran. Two of the early movies that cause the alteration in opinion were ‘Missing in Action’ and ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’. ‘Platoon’ was the earliest of five key movies concentrating on the personal account of veterans about warfare's incidents. That was a year of self-assessment as well as understanding of history. It was a straightforward public acceptance of defeat during a 20 years old combat. Platoon (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987) symbolize a number of of the most excellent Vietnam films and each of them criticized the war from a special point of view. The proliferation of th ese films overlapped with the administration of Ronald Reagan, a Cold Warrior determined to finish the confrontation with the USSR. Vietnam films may have been aggravated by the need to remind Americans of the pointlessness of battles like Vietnam that started as a result of hopeless apprehensions of socialist growth. Nevertheless, most Americans during the 1980s had place Vietnam behind them, concentrating on creating nationwide as well as individual prosperity. Rambo arrives at the Vietnam soldiers’ camp, and in opposition to his briefing, he locates American captives there and releases one of them from a temporary crucifixion. Subsequent to his break out, the camp's Soviets, as well as Vietnamese soldiers are sent to try to find him. Rambo gathers his weapons, and by means of guerilla fighting approaches, is able to destroy a huge number of opponent military forces. He continues to a small rival camp and annihilates it along with quite a lot of vehicles. The movies that fo llowed near the beginning of 1980s created a mythic Vietnam: the revenge movies about

Timber Certification in the Building Industry Dissertation

Timber Certification in the Building Industry - Dissertation Example tion gathered through interviews with forestry officials on the timber certification methods and their company history respectful of the sustainable forest management process. These interviews will focus on timber companies who have and have not received timber certification and the impact both have their business relationships with manufacturers and consumers. Primary/Secondary Sources The primary sources are very much dedicated to one of only a few certification groups, TRADA, and the main players. The main players in timber certification include the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), WWF 1995plus, PEFC, and, UKWAS as these groups are all related to the manufacturing side of the forestry industry. There are mainly two forms of primary sources to be used: journals, internet and company interviews in an effort to not only relay what, if any, timber certification has on both the forestry industry as well as on consumer impact. It will be important through interviews to obtain whether certification is fully understood or whether consumer's and merchant's tend to take heed of what certification means to them and the forestry industry in general; or, if there is a lack of understanding by both parties of what certification means. Through using questionnaires and interviews with these two parties will provide empirical data to be used in analysing whether timber certification is fully understood by the general public and if this information is being provided adequately by forestry industry officials. Secondary sources are entirely related to building and trade merchants and how timber certification can affect their business relationships with the manufacturing sector. This also includes the processes that have been put forward in developing forest management standards... The primary sources are very much dedicated to one of only a few certification groups, TRADA, and the main players. The main players in timber certification include the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), WWF 1995plus, PEFC, and, UKWAS as these groups are all related to the manufacturing side of the forestry industry. There are mainly two forms of primary sources to be used: journals, internet and company interviews in an effort to not only relay what, if any, timber certification has on both the forestry industry as well as on consumer impact. It will be important through interviews to obtain whether certification is fully understood or whether consumer’s and merchant’s tend to take heed of what certification means to them and the forestry industry in general; or, if there is a lack of understanding by both parties of what certification means. Through using questionnaires and interviews with these two parties will provide empirical data to be used in analysing whether timber certification is fully understood by the general public and if this information is being provided adequately by forestry industry officials. Secondary sources are entirely related to building and trade merchants and how timber certification can affect their business relationships with the manufacturing sector. This also includes the processes that have been put forward in developing forest management standards in order to look toward further sustainable forest management. Tertiary empirical data can be gathered in an effort to recognise.

Environment and Evolution of human being Research Paper

Environment and Evolution of human being - Research Paper Example nce has been collected through considerations of facts like fossils of the early human skull and concurrent bone structure that indicated the presence of the differences in the structure of human with respect to respective age period in the past. Such differences were notable in the human skull morphology, for instance, in some human species like Lucy. The stand has been further supported by Adrienne Zihlmans article regarding "paleosols" that hugely back up the relationship between environment and human evolution (Penna, 2010). According to (Haviland, 2007), the current theory and entailed elaborations on the evolution of man attains its backing from a set of independently notable observations well placed in the fields of anthropology, molecular biology and other sectors like paleontology. All the three segments outline or exhibit life originating from a common point of ancestor and then branching into various categories under a gradual and progressive genetic changes spanning millions of years in a "tree of life" that is hugely influenced by environmental variations. Evolution of man similar to other animals in the ecosystem has been impacted by the environment that has consecutively acted in the formats of three main principles. The first principle is through microevolution that refers to the presence or the occurrence and establishment of build-up of mutations acting on the genetic sequence of an organism. The environment created huge impacts on established of the new establishment of build-up of mutati ons acting on the genetic sequence from the historic ancestor of man. Though the change can equally occur naturally. Several environmental effects have been linked to the microevolution of the mankind especially those originating from different geographical regions. The main environmental variations includes existent chemicals and varied earth radiations notable in various parts of the earth. Environmental radiations is believed to contribute to the difference

Recent Organisational Changes in the Virgin Group

Recent Organisational Changes in the Virgin Group These assignments discuss the organisational changes that the Virgin Group has been during the last few years, and how they are adapting to the changes in the operating environment. This will be in the context of the employees perception of the changes, and how the Virgin Group can lower their resistance to change. This is a natural feeling from employees, when faced with uncertainty, and this needs to be managed. The assignment focuses on the Virgin Group airline operation, Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic Airways was founded in 1984, and it is the UKs second largest carrier. The company is based at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airport; Virgin Atlantic operates long haul services to over thirty destinations globally. The organisation has been recognised through awards from top business, consumer and trade (www.virgin.com). 2.0 THEORECTICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Meaning of Change management Change management is not a distant discipline with rigid and clearly defined boundaries. Rather, the theory and practice of change management draws on a number of social science disciplines and traditions. Three schools of thought form the central plank on which change management theory stands. This includes: The Individual perspective school: This school is split into Behaviourist and Gestalt-Field theory. The Gestalt-Field theorists believed that behaviour is not just a product of external stimuli; rather it arises from how the individual uses reasons to interpret the stimuli. The behaviourists, on the other hand seek to achieve organisational change solely by modifying the external stimuli acting upon the individual. The Group Dynamics school: This originated from the work of Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin (1974) people in organisations work in groups, and individual behaviour must be seen, modified or change in the light of groups prevailing practices and norms. HENCE the focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on influencing and changing the groups norms, roles and values (Cummings and Huse, 1989). The Open Systems school: The school is concerned with understanding organisations in their entirely. It attempts to take a holistic rather than a particularistic perspective. This is reflected in its approach to organisational change. Change management can be defined as a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and on the individual level. A somewhat ambiguous term, change management has at least three different aspects, including: adapting to change, controlling change, and effecting change. A proactive approach to dealing with change is at the core of all three aspects. For an organization, change management means defining and implementing procedures and/or technologies to deal with changes in the business environment and to profit from changing opportunities. Daft (2000) states that change is a necessary evil and all organisation undergo change at one time or another if not continuously. Organisations usually change in response to political, economical, social, technological and legal forces. There are four different types of change that an organisation can undertake, they are technological change, new product based change, structural change, and cultural change. According to Bass (1985) successful adaptation to change is as crucial within an organisation as it is in the natural world. Just like plants and animals, organisations and the individuals in them inevitably encounter changing conditions that they are powerless to control. The more effectively you deal with change, the more likely you are to thrive. Adaptation might involve establishing a structured methodology for responding to changes in the business environment (such as a fluctuation in the economy, or a threat from a competitor) or establishing coping mechanisms for responding to changes in the workplace (such as new policies, or technologies). 2.2 RESISTANCE FOR CHANGE Many authors (Lawrence, 1954; Maurer, 1996; Strebel, 1994; Waddell and Sohal, 1998, among others) stress that the reasons for the failure of many change initiatives can be found in resistance to change. Resistance to change introduces costs and delays into the change process (Ansoffs, 1990) that are difficult to anticipate (Lorenzo, 2000) but must be taken into consideration. Resistance has also been considered as a source of information, being useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process (Beer and Eisenstat, 1996; Goldstein, 1988; Lawrence, 1954; Piderit, 2000; Waddell and Sohal, 1998). Undoubtedly, resistance to change is a key topic in change management and should be seriously considered to help the organisation to achieve the advantages of the transformation. To manage resistance change effectively, the following methods could be used: Communication and Education: This is by far one of the most effective implementation tactics that can be used by an organisation. Communication is used when solid information is required to ensure that employees buy into the process and education should always be used when the change pertains to the introduction of a new technology or product or service (Bunker and Alban, 1992). Participation: This will help with the smooth transition from the pre change phase to the post change phase and if employees were encouraged to participate in the change initiation phase then most of the problems that can occur when the change is implemented could be eliminated as the issues and problems may have been identified and solved in the initiation process (Buller, 1988). Negotiation: This can be used when there is severe resistance and management needs to sell the idea to the employees. Top Management: The visible support of top management to the change process can help reduce and eliminate resistance (Daft, 1982). 3.0 IMPLEMENTING CHANGE IN VIRGIN GROUP One of the largest internal change moves by the Virgin Group, was when Sir Richard Branson, became disillusioned by the public listings, obligations and corporate bureaucracy of a publically listed organisation, he sought after to taking the organisation back to private ownership (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). This was from the philosophy that forgoing short-term profits for long-term expansion is the way forward (www.virgin.com). This contingency approach of the Virgin Group is formed from the business requirements, and the structure (which will take the shape of what is needed to operate within the change environment) as this has a considerable direction on the overall organisational performance (Burnes, B. 2000). The structure of the Virgin Group and its accomplishments, are contingent the environmental influences. As a result by changing the structure, this is an internal driver of change in reaction to the external markets (Mullins, L 2005). With the change in the listing of the organisation, came the reduction in organisational bureaucracy. The need for bureaucracy and a hierarchical structure in the Virgin Group was reduced greatly (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). As a result Sir Richard Branson assumed a hands-off stance, with the managers, encouraging them to use their initiative, skills and experiences (www.virgin.com). This change to the organisational structure has led to a separation of the employees, through now working in specific groups or parts of the business. The variety in locations that the Virgin Group operates, and the wide range of services and goods they offer has led to divisions in the work force. Therefore they are not a centralised team; some divisions could operate in an insular manner, which is easier said than done to change, without altering the structure (Burnes, B. 2000). Some of the internal drives of change the Virgin Group faced with, were the several layers of managers, which can slow down the management reporting systems and their reaction to situations they are faced with. With the contemporary environment, this is negative to change and will slow down the internal management process (Burnes, B. 2000). There have been internal issues since the structural change, with communication across the group and this was particularly noticeable in the middle and lower levels of employees. They were not receiving enough information on the proposed changes, leaving them unable to instruct employees on the organisational changes (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). The organisational structure of the Virgin Group is a group de-centralised; this could encourage silo behaviour, from the different business teams and the different locations in which they operate. There is a natural competiveness between groups, and operating under this structure can encourage competitive behaviour between them (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). To encourage the Virgin organisation working as a group, and to reduce silo behaviour caused by the structural change they started using a single web address, Virgin.com, for the whole of the organisation customers has entrance to all the Virgin services under a solo portal. These strategies assist in supporting the organisational parenting strategy and improve the synergies already imitative from the organisational branding of the Virgin Group (www.virgin.com). Virgin Atlantic service is very much customer focused with a prominence on value for money, quality, fun and innovation. The organisation is 51% owned by the Virgin Group and 49% owned by Singapore Airlines, and employees over 9000 people (www.virgin.com). This change has led to two internal parent organisations, but with Virgin retaining the majority share. Changes to organisations are almost at an epidemic status, reducing the organisations control of the external environment. All organisations are faced with incessant change; this is in their operational environment and the organisational context. In the modern-day organisational situation, there is enormous attention and spotlight on the human resource. The drivers from this change can be both internal and external to the organisation (Coram,  R Burnes B 2001). The human resource is not excluded from this change process, and is a significant part of the organisational context (Frank F et al 2004). Contemporary theorists advocate that if organisations want to be effectual, in both their current and future operating environment, they must focus on the composition and motivation of their human resource (Beardwell, I. et al. 2004). Virgin Atlantic values their employees and trains them to maintain the high service levels and to be able to remain effective (www.virgin.com). As a result of the change it is vital to manage the human resource fairly. When organisations use human resource management as a tool, it will assist them to encourage and motivated their employees to adapt to the proposed changes. The future prospects for all organisations are unpredictable and it is difficult to confirm what is required from the human resource, when an organisation is changing (Bratton, J Gold J 2003). An internal driver of change is the HR responses to market forces. The HR function should mix the current issues of their human resource with the wider financial and business requirements, that change will force upon them (Bratton, J Gold J 2003).The Virgin Group including Virgin Atlantic focus on their employees, as they see the value in managing the resource. Employees are recruited who fit within the culture and support the Virgin ethos. Internal change is driven by an organisations strategy (Bellin, B Pham C 2007). The strategy is a consciously created plan, which will include the methods and actions, to achieve the desired result. An organisation mission statement is normally a non monetary realisation. This mission is the future direction of the organisation (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). The internal forces for change includes making the organisational structure more effective, reducing diversification through streamlining the portfolio and identifying new and emerging markets. This change has realigned the organisation on their mission, focusing employees to assist in the transformation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004).   Virgin Atlantic is reliant on their branding, this is recognisable when they enter new markets, and this has been an internal driver of change (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The Virgin brand name is the most significant benefit and asset to the organisation. This brand of Virgin and Sir Richard Branson was capitalised on, when an adverts for Apple Computers, Sir Richard Branson was connected to Einstein and Ghandi, as a shaper of the 20th century (www.virgin.com). The management of Virgin Atlantic has been very strong, during the changes over the past five years. This strong leadership of the organisation will focus the employees during periods of change. An organisations efficiency and survival during periods of change, is dependent on the ability of their management and leadership team. (Bailey, J. 2009). Gupta (2004) concluded that the ideal world of vision, the leadership transfers this to the real world, making it happen (Gupta, S 2004). The virgin group is a good parent to Virgin Atlantic, with Richard Branson as an effectual leader (Bailey, J 2009). This will assist in the stabilisation of the organisation during times of change, and reduce employee resistance. The success of the organisation is, in addition, dependant on clear-cut communication and management of the behaviours that motivate employees performance to be an effective organisation (Gupta, S 2004). Through proving freedom of decision making to the managers with Virgin Atlantic, encourage a responsibility of their actions and ownership of the organisation. This provided an organisational culture that encouraged growth with the managers. When recruiting new management, potential employees are shortlisted for innovation, abilities and competitive nature (www.virgin.com). In addition, Virgin Atlantic is capable to cope with the possible downsides of this autonomy and decentralisation. To prevent the failing of communication links and the potential threat of single business units chasing their own strategies, the Virgin Charter sets out a management system and internet business strategy that takes gains from the of information technology, further extending the Virgin brand (www.virgin.com). External forces have led the separate business within the Virgin Group to move towards the tactically five pillar realm. The core strategy is the heart of Virgins core strategy to develop the five pillars of the business empire: travel, leisure, mobile phones, entertainment retailing and personal finance (www.virgin.com). This during periods of change keeps employees focused on the organisational goals, and unites the organisation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The accomplishments of the Virgin Group are reliant on their corporate parenting strategy, and the competitive advantage is dependent on the culture (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The Virgin Groups strategy is executed through the decentralisation of the businesses and the unified branding. In the short run, the strategy looks very strongly constructed, and some commentators believe it is near enough unstoppable (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). On the other hand, in the long term, they need to be a succession plan, to replace the natural wastage of management, with individuals that believe in Virgin Charter. They will need to continue the legacy of the Virgin Groups corporate ethos, through successful execution of the Virgin Charter (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). Virgin Atlantic must also carefully consider the new markets they plan to enter. One solitary slip-up can blemish or even destroy the Virgin Brand, and this could be disastrous for the group (Johnson, G Scholes J 2004). Diversifying too much could weaken the Virgin brand, especially when a service or product does not meet the expected Virgin standard. The news on a loss of reputation will travel faster than the success of a product or service. Therefore the association of a single Virgin brand can also have a negative effect on the group (Kotler, P et al 2005). As previously discussed, organisational change is an existing and inevitable aspect of organisational life. The environment surrounding the organisation in the operational and market context is in a continuous situation of change, this through the worldwide economy and the speed and change of technology. As a result, organisations should take action to reduce the impact of forced change, through predicting and assessing the possibilities (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). There are numerous external factors, which will have an effect on the Virgin Atlantic, and how they manage their operations. The external political environment includes the administrative and legal systems, which govern the organisation where they operate. The external operational environment for the Virgin Group will influence the internal procedures and ultimately the organisational effectiveness. These external political influences can be drivers of change, which manage over the organisation. For example an unfavourable political environment can prevent expansion into the location (Klein, L 2008).   The national financial trends will also be a driver of change, for example a down turn on the economy will impact on an organisations expansion plan. This driver of change can reduce the economic stability of the finances of the organisation; as a result, less investment will be attracted. The state-run legal systems are made up from the policy, laws, and regulations of the host country.   As a result the organisation must survive within this legal framework, and audit their systems to ensure compliance to local regulations (Baldry, C et al, 2007). This economic stability is vital for organisational survival. This is achievable through re-evaluating their present market position, and tactically plan where they want to be. This is the organisations strategic fit, aligning their strategy with the environment, through matching their core competencies and skills, to the required strategy. This is a simple process that some organisations overlook (Kotler, P et al 2005). This continuous organisational change has an effect on the employees; this can impact the workplace, these changes can leave the workforce unsettled and can leave individuals uncertain of their role, and how this fits in with the organisations strategy. Change is unsettling for employees, and in times of economic downturn, they can become fearful of their job security (Hunter, D 2006). The very structure of an organisation can add to employees uncertainty in periods of change. The organisation hierarchical structure can put off the workforce from acquiring the details of the planned change. This is a basic change process, which is regularly overlooked, to the determent of the strategy (Hesketh, A Fleetwood S 2006). Consequently, the workforce is not aware of the full extent of the organisational change strategy, or their role within it. The structure of the organisation is capable of covering up what is really is occurring, frequently with just the summit of the management team being conscious of the full strategic intent of the organisation (Groucutt, J. et al 2004). The constant change in the Virgin Atlantic can lead to uncertainly with some employees. This uncertainly can lead to resistance to the change. This resistance is not malicious, and is not intended to disrupt, but some employees feel more secure through holding on to the way things are, and not changing working patterns and behaviours. When the employee relationship is not as strong as it should be, then any change to the working environment will be met with resistance (Beardwell, I. 2002). The most important tool that the management has during periods of organisational change is communication. Through setting up formal and informal communication channels, the employees can be given the information on the changes, leading to them understanding the rationale and the benefits to the organisation. The employee voice is a fundamental human right, for free speech, which should be encouraged in the workplace (Hunter, D 2006). These employee forums can be used as a platform for the Virgin Atlantic to discuss organisational changes that will affect the employees working lives. This will give the employees a voice, to openly discuss their concerns. Prosser (2001) concluded that the collective voice of the employees achieves what the lone voice could never do: it humanises and civilises the workplace (Prosser, M 2001). Therefore, it is vital to give employees a collective voice. The Virgin Group can also measure the employees feelings, fears and attitude to the proposed change, through employee surveys. This is good human resource management practice. This method of gauge the employee attitudes is only of assistance to the organisation when they are surveyed on a regular basis, to be used as benchmarks of the progress of the organisation in the employee relationship (Marchington, M et al, 2001). There are arbitrating factors when employees attitudes are surveyed, and this is further enhanced to benefit the organisation, when they are used with other forms of listening to the employee, for example discussion and communication (Hesketh, A Fleetwood, S 2006). When concerns are discussed it is imperative to pay attention to the motivational factors, which will maintain the employee interaction with the employer (Parker, S (2000) cited in Dorenbosch, L et al 2005). Not all theorists agree that employee attitude surveys are the way forward in industrial relations. When they have the results from the surveys employers do not have to respond to the conclusion from them, sometimes it is just lip service (Blyton, P Turnbull, P 2004). Union representation in organisations is frequently viewed as ideal in employees voice, and there is support that there is considerably more to the employees voice, than any survey can reveal (Dundon, T 2003). Virgin Atlantic has successfully managed organisational change through changing the structure of the organisation. This is in reaction to the different markets they operate in and the changes individually to their environment. This has led to an insular culture; this can be addressed through communication across the group. One of the major issues the organisation has faced is the employees rà ©sistance to the changes, sparked by uncertainty of their current and future working environments. Employees as individuals enjoy security, and when this becomes uncertain, there is a natural reaction to resist the change. 4.0 CONCLUSION The objectives of the assignment is the implementation of change in an organisation through understanding of the theoretical aspects of change management and the best way change management can be effectively implemented. It is absolutely clear that the support of senior management staff need to be sorted, development of effective strategies, tackling staff resistance to change, and implementing plans for accomplishing each goal stated need to be taken serious during implementation process to gaining comparative advantage over competitors. Virgin Group, are successful and encourage innovation. They must now ensure that all employees are committed to organisational strategy, and will through the knowledge accept the change.

9/11:The Swedish Debate :: Politics Political Persuasive Essays

9/11: The Swedish Debate The attack on September 11 has affected countries all over the world. This was the case in Sweden where the events of 9/11 definitely had an impact. Naturally, the immediate reaction was shock at how someone could plan something so terrible and kill so many innocent people. However, a small group of authors and journalists made some statements saying that the United States "deserved" what happened. Obviously, these statements made a lot of people, including myself, very upset. These controversial statements led to a very intense debate in Sweden regarding Western countries, especially the United States, policies in the Middle East. The terrorist attack on September 11 opened the eyes of many people to what is going on in different parts of the world. People wanted to know how someone could hate a nation and a people that stands for freedom and democracy so much that they were willing to take their own lives in order to kill innocent people. To begin with, the discussion in Sweden was focused on these questions. However, the discussion took a different turn when some people, led by the Swedish author and politician Jan Guillo, begun to say that the United States had this coming because of the way they conduct their Middle East politics. Jan Guillo appeared in all major Swedish newspapers and TV stations saying that what happen was a terrible tragedy but the United States should have expected that something could happen. The United States should not have expected to go unpunished for the way they treat the Middle East and the Muslim states (Dagens Nyheter). Jan Guillo has a Socialist and anti-Capitalist bac kground and he believes that the Western countries, including Sweden, back the United States only because they want to please the greatest Capitalist country in the world. He argues that the Western countries would not have reacted in the same way if five thousand people in Baghdad were to be killed in a similar attack. People in the Western world would not have cared if five thousand Iraqis were killed, simply because they feel dependent on the United States and have less concern for poor countries where the religion is considered fundamentalist and extremist. Everyone wants to be on the United State’s good side, according to Guillo (Dagens Nyheter).

Organizations Performance Essay

An organization’s performance is vital for their success and it is important that all employees are on board with making sure the performance is of high quality. It differs from other evaluations within the company because the performance evaluation â€Å"focuses on the organization as the primary unit of analysis† (Evaluating the Performance of an Organization, 2012). Within an organization’s performance it helps determine the actual output or end results of an organization against the intended outputs or goals for the organization (businessdictionary.com). The product market performance is also included in an organizations performance. Some tools can help the organization change or â€Å"improve their policies on behalf of greater preparedness for the many futures ahead† (NYUWagner, 2011). Different areas and tools are used to determine the organization’s performance and how well they either are doing or how much improvement the organization needs to bring their performance up. â€Å"Organizations are constantly trying to adapt, survive, perform and influence† but that does not always mean they are successful at doing what they do (Evaluating the Performance of an Organization, 2012). One way that an organization can better their performance is by conducting an organizational assessment to diagnose their current performance to see what is working and what could use a little bit of improvement. This â€Å"tool can help organizations obtain useful data on their performance, identify important factors that aid or impede their achievement of results, and situate themselves with respect to competitors† (Evaluating the Performance of an Organization, 2012). The main four tools for organizational performance are effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, and financial viability. â€Å"Effectiveness is the capability of producing a desired result† (businessdictionary.com). This means that if something is considered to be effective then it has an intended or expected outcome which is what is used in the organizations to determine if what is set in place is working effectively or if additional changes need to be made. There is sufficient reason and means with effectiveness and that is to accomplish a purpose. Without a purpose there is not an effective meaning behind conducting business or maintaining a successful organization. Effectiveness is a very good tool for organizations and managers to understand and become familiar with to be on the right track for success. Another tool that management should be familiar with and make sure the organization is doing is efficiency. Efficiency is not to be confused with effective even though sometimes they are mixed up and confused. â€Å"Efficiency describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose† (businessdictionary.com). Typically efficiency is used with the specific purpose of relaying the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort (Evaluating the Performance of an Organization, 2012). Relevance is a basic tool but one that can help in the success of an organization. It is â€Å"the ability to retrieve material that satisfies the needs of the user† mostly in the terms of an informational retrieval system (businessdictionary.com). Management need to have relevance in order to be successful because they need to be able to pull the necessary information from production, departments, and other sources to see if what is being produced or utilized is satisfying their requirements or not. For a business to be effective they need to â€Å"strive for the best possible economic results from the resources currently employed or available† (Drucker, 1963). Having an effective business is the key for the business to be able to grow and establish themselves as a company and within the community. Several different techniques are used to allow the business to become effective. One of the keys for successful management â€Å"is to examine the marketplace† and focus on the process of management versus the output (Drucker, 1963). When focusing on the process of management it is important for the company to look at strategy, planning and budgeting and understand the difference between each of them yet understand how each one works with each other to make it successful. â€Å"Strategy is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty† (businessdictionary.com). For a business to be successful they need to implement some sort of strategy. Strategy is important because it helps to utilize all of the resources that are available or could be available for the project at hand. Most of the time resources are usually limited and in order to achieve the goals that the company has set in place making sure the strategy is set in place will help the process flow more smoothly. â€Å"Strategy is also about attaining and maintaining a position of advantage† over the opponents, or competition that is able to have flexibility instead of having to stick to any specific fixed plan. By allowing there to be slight flexibility that allows the company to try to keep an advantage over the competition and stay ahead compared to the other organizations. Planning â€Å"is the process of thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal† (businessdictionary.com). Strategy could be considered the first step and then planning would be the second step in achieving the desired goal for organizational su ccess. Planning involves the construction and maintenance of a plan. â€Å"This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan† or combination of it with other plans (NYUWagner, 2011). Planning typically combines forecasting of development with the preparation for how the organization should react to these situations. For the organization to remain successful it needs to understand the importance and relationship between planning and forecasting. â€Å"Forecasting can be described as predicting what the future will look like† or what the future might hold for the company and â€Å"planning predicts what the future should look like† (NYUWagner, 2011). Organizations that do not understand the difference between planning and forecasting will not be as successful as the organizations that do. This is because looking at the numbers of what something might look like and what it should look like are two different ways of planning. For a business to be successful the need to focus on planning so their predictions are what the future should look like to be successful and stay on the right path. Budgets are also incorporated with strategy and planning, they all intertwine together. â€Å"A budget is a quantitative expression of a plan for a defined period of time† (businessdictionary.com). Several different factors can be associated within a budget such as sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities, costs and expense, assets and liabilities, and even cash flows. The budget â€Å"expresses strategic plans of business units, organizations, activities or events in measurable terms† (Evaluating the Performance of an Organization, 2012). For a company to have success in their daily operations they need to make sure the stay on budget and current with all of their projects. Many organizations create a budget for each plan however they do not follow through with the budget. It is one thing to create a budget for a product and it is another thing to actually follow through with the budget and make sure everyone stays on track. If the company goes over budget then the planning and strategy process were not calculated correctly. Everyone involved within the project needs to be familiar with the strategy, plan and budget aspects to keep the organization successful and continue moving forward instead of always having to back track. It is easy to get off of track or to change the plan in the middle of the project. It is up to the organization and the team responsible for the project to keep the budget that they were assigned. Works Cited NYCWagner. (2011). Retrieved August 21, 2013, from http://www.NYCWager.com Evaluating the Performance of an Organization. (2012). Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/business-ethics.html#ixzz2afud6KU0 Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2013, from http://www.businessdictionary.com Ferrell. (2011). Business Ethics. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kirby. (2012). Accounting Principles. McGraw. Zain, B. (2011). Strategic Management. Pittsburg: McGraw.

Climate of Russia essays

Climate of Russia essays Much of European Russia has warm summers and cold winters. In the polar north, summers are cool and winters are very cold. Northern Russia has temperatures regularly below those in Antarctica. Russias weather was amongst its greatest defences: Napoleon could not conquer due to ice and snow, and Hitlers troops did no better against the Soviet army of Stalin during the winters of the early 40s. The town of Oymyakon is the coldest inhabited place on earth. Its winter temperatures drop to -65C. Moscow's winter average is -12C; the summer average is 24C. Russia is in fact so cold that semiconductors are not widely used in avionics because they cease to operate at these sub-zero temperatures; instead, transistors are used. The European part, which this paper is based on, is located between 40N and 65N and 40E and 65E. ie. the boundaries are the Urals to the east, the Sea of Barents to the north, across to Finland, the Black sea to the west and the Caspian seas to the south. The European part is separated from the Asian part (Western Siberian Plains) by the Ural Mountains. Map of the Russian Federation. Note: European Russia is the shaded area west of the Urals The Russo-European Plain is separated from the Asian part of Russia by the Ural Mountains, but the central Urals are not high enough to block the flow of westerly air mass flows. Nearly half of the area lies below 200m and much of the area is situated well away from sea coasts. The countries that make up the region include Finland and the former USSR states of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine, Different climates are experienced throughout Russia because it is a large country that spreads through 11 time zones 10, 000km from east to west and 4, 700km from north to south. Due to Russias vast landmass, the climatic zones are divided into two parts: the...

Free Essays on Soon

Theme and Close Reading for â€Å"Soon† Pam Durban’s â€Å"Soon† encompasses the life cycles of three generations of the Long Family. Life comes full circle in every life represented and follows in the steps of the previous generation. Elizabeth Long Crawford meets the destiny of a partially blind person when she is a young girl. Having her hopes dashed at a happy future, Elizabeth settles with a husband and has children, but both of these aspects in her life become unsatisfactory to her. Her husband dies, her son is average in her eyes, and her daughter Martha becomes the subject of constant criticism. As Martha moves on after the death of her mother, she realizes that although she wants nothing to do with her mother, she wishes she was closer to her relatives, so she organizes a family reunion. This brings about something Martha never expected. The repetitious rise and fall of hope and despair that engulfs Martha’s life takes her on the endless human journey to happiness and fulfillment. Elizabeth Long Crawford sees Martha as one of the many failures in her life. She called Martha â€Å"horsey† and knew of all of her lacking attributes. She is so distraught in the failures of her life that she finds imperfections in other aspects of her life so as to blame those imperfections for her dissatisfying life. No one in her life was perfect, and neither was she, but this shortcoming cost her the closeness of her family and a wealth of memories left uncreated because of her low outlook on life. This eventually rubbed on Martha the wrong way and causes her to create a life for herself that is something her mother never gave her. Martha, deprived of love and motherly affection generally given by mothers, embarks on a journey to find the love and attention that she needs to thrive as a human being. Knowing she did not want to be anything like her mother, Martha set out to become a happy wife and loving mother. She married a man â€Å"against... Free Essays on Soon Free Essays on Soon Theme and Close Reading for â€Å"Soon† Pam Durban’s â€Å"Soon† encompasses the life cycles of three generations of the Long Family. Life comes full circle in every life represented and follows in the steps of the previous generation. Elizabeth Long Crawford meets the destiny of a partially blind person when she is a young girl. Having her hopes dashed at a happy future, Elizabeth settles with a husband and has children, but both of these aspects in her life become unsatisfactory to her. Her husband dies, her son is average in her eyes, and her daughter Martha becomes the subject of constant criticism. As Martha moves on after the death of her mother, she realizes that although she wants nothing to do with her mother, she wishes she was closer to her relatives, so she organizes a family reunion. This brings about something Martha never expected. The repetitious rise and fall of hope and despair that engulfs Martha’s life takes her on the endless human journey to happiness and fulfillment. Elizabeth Long Crawford sees Martha as one of the many failures in her life. She called Martha â€Å"horsey† and knew of all of her lacking attributes. She is so distraught in the failures of her life that she finds imperfections in other aspects of her life so as to blame those imperfections for her dissatisfying life. No one in her life was perfect, and neither was she, but this shortcoming cost her the closeness of her family and a wealth of memories left uncreated because of her low outlook on life. This eventually rubbed on Martha the wrong way and causes her to create a life for herself that is something her mother never gave her. Martha, deprived of love and motherly affection generally given by mothers, embarks on a journey to find the love and attention that she needs to thrive as a human being. Knowing she did not want to be anything like her mother, Martha set out to become a happy wife and loving mother. She married a man â€Å"against...

Role of Organizational Culture in Change management Essay

Role of Organizational Culture in Change management - Essay Example Organizational change is a subject of high interest for both business researchers and academic researchers. Recent researches have mostly focused on the forces that lead to continuous changes within the organizations (Harigopal, 2006). According to Gibson and Barsade (2003), the forces of change cause organizations to rethink the deeply rooted cultural beliefs and values. In addition, the beliefs and values are also modified for the principal purpose of surviving in the shifting business landscape and coping up with intense competition. The dramatic amplification of markets, products, robust competition as well as enhanced technology has led business world to witness and experience a dynamic environment. Companies that have been able to flourish and maintain a strong market position are those which have learned how to effectively manage organizational change and respond to the environmental turbulence. Most of the organizations are aware of the need for change, but the challenge lies in the implementation process and effectively managing the internal resistance being offered by some group of employees. This study investigated on the role of organizational culture in change management and found that organizational culture to be a playing an important and positive role in managing the implementation of change. The methodology adopted for a study is extremely important as it gives direction to a study. In this study, only secondary data sources will be used to collect data. The secondary sources will be using journal articles, books, and authentic electronic sources. The conclusion to this study will be drawn by deducing the theories presented by the scholars about the area of concern. Hence a deductive approach will be taken to address the topic of study. Review of Literature Organizational culture is defined as a system of assumptions, values, norms, and attitudes, manifested through symbols which the members of an organization have developed and adopted through mutual experience and which help them determine the meaning of the world around them and how to behave in it (Janićijević, 2011, p.26). The author also believes that one of the vital components of management, which gets highly impacted by the organizational culture, is the organizational change management. The cultural assumption as well as the values shared by the members of the organization establishes the course in which managers

Examine the nature of popular protest in South Africa between 1969 and Coursework

Examine the nature of popular protest in South Africa between 1969 and 1990 - Coursework Example Adding oil to fire was the on-going recession which did not make things any better for the rural or migrant class in the region. This paper will be analyzing the aforementioned aspects, beginning with the political sphere and then shifting to the social front. With respect to the political status, Lodge has mentioned how ‘the body was not organizationally geared to undertake the urgent task of undertaking people’s war’ (Lodge, 1983) which is one of the major reasons behind the deterioration of the external mission’s leadership and politics. The formation of the said mission in 1960 was one of the four phases of the development of the external wing of the ANC. However, ‘it was criticized for isolating itself from the rank and file, and devoting too much time to international solidarity work.’ (Lodge, 1983) To begin with, exile movements in South Africa were faced with considerable barriers owing to the cordon sanitaire of colonial territories who were themselves engaged in counter-insurgent operations. Furthermore, in towns, influx control and the police stalled political activity, and this was coupled with the fear of new legislation and police powers. Despite this strict system of controls, guerilla movements and the course of Black resistance were successful mainly because of the ‘middle peasantry’ which proved to be fundamental to such undertakings. The success was also bolstered by their own ability to succeed in overcoming the innate complications of the exile environment itself. Here, it is necessary to point out the four different phases that the ANC went through: the establishment of an external mission in 1960, the shift in Congress leadership from within the country to outside it (owing to the arrest of its internal leadership), the collapse of the ANC/ZAPU joint operation and the reconstitution of the ANC as a major force South African black politics. With