NGOs and Domestic Violence against Women in Pakistan Essay

To start with, non- governmental organizations assist in the collection and documentation of data regarding violence against women in Pakistan. Due to their passionate and active involvement in the whole issue of violence against women, these groups have been able to collect and document most of the information that is associated with this subject. Aspects such as the regional preference of violence against women are well documented. It is clearly indicated that women in rural areas of Pakistan are the most vulnerable group when it comes to violence against women. Due to reasons such as illiteracy and little exposure of the people in these regions, the males still respect the outdated behavior of male superiority and all that they do when the women are perceived to have made any mistake is to beat them up. Other practices that are still being carried out in the rural parts of Pakistan that are considered oppressive to women include the qasas, the hudood, karokari and early marriages of young girls to adult men (Kumar, 2005). Other crucial details that can be obtained from the records kept by these organizations are the type of violence that is common in Pakistan, the various bodies that are involved in the fight against violence against women, the success levels of the efforts and the effects of violence against women in Pakistan. Aurat Publication and Information Service Foundation was registered in 1986 and it stores information on the welfare of women in Pakistan. There is also the Applied Social Research organization that was established and registered in 1983 and Simorgh- Women’s Resource and Publication Centre that are rich sources of information on women’s affairs including violence against women in Pakistan. Apart from the above, non- governmental organizations in Pakistan play another vital role of direct provision of skills that assist the women in attaining economic independency. Their philosophy in this is that an economically empowered woman will not run to her male companion now and then for assistance thus reducing chances of being subjected to violence. Hawwa Associates as a non-governmental organization has offered support to women involved in making handicrafts in Pakistan for a very long period (Asian Development Bank, n. d). The Adult Basic Education Society has been in existence since nineteen seventy two and has undertaken the training of girls in non- formal education as a major project. It has also carried out a multi-grade teaching training for Pakistani women in the Rawalpindi Division. This project ran from 1998 to 2001. The Association for Creation of Employment trained women on how to secure training and get employment in the year 1997. They were also given training on how to handle businesses and access micro-credit facilities for their businesses (Association for the Development of Pakistan). Behbud Association is another non-governmental organization that is deeply involved in the tackling of violence against women in Pakistan through female empowerment. Established in nineteen seventy, Behbud Association has carried out major projects such as the skills training of 1971 and the education project of 1971. All these projects were carried out in Karachi, the capital city of Pakistan and the main aim was to empower women with skills that are supposed to give them an economic edge. The Bunyad Literacy Community Council has also carried out major empowerment projects such as the women development project of 1998 and the empowerment for poverty alleviation project of 1999. Caritas was established in 1965 and registered in 1980. It opened handicraft centers for women in 1998 and developed an education program for working girls in the same year. It‘s area of operation is around Punjab in Lahore. Also, there is the De Laas Gul Welfare Program that was established in 1976 but got formal registration in 1988. With vocational training as its thematic area; it has a running tailoring training project for women. This tailoring project commenced in 1997. TheAga Khan Development Network has also participated in women empowerment through micro-finance (Aga Khan Development Network, n. d). The economic empowerment of women in Pakistan has led to the reduction of gender based violence albeit not to the desired levels. The provision of counseling services to victims of domestic violence in Pakistan has always been the concern of non-governmental organizations. Bedari was established in the year nineteen ninety two and deals mainly with the psychological health of women. Those caught up in the confusion of domestic violence always access counseling services from Bedari. It is obvious that victims of violence always end up suffering from trauma as well as other psychological disturbances that can only be dealt with through the provision of psychotherapy. Theater services are offered in villages by this organization with its objective of psychological health as its major theme. Behbud Association also handles women’s health issues and was able to deal with distress management and rehabilitation of the victims of violence back in 1971 (Daiya, 2002). The role of educating the public and making it aware of the concerns of women in Pakistan is also taken up by non governmental organizations. Issues such as domestic violence that leads to grave injuries of women and sometimes even death are always brought out to the public by non governmental organizations working in Pakistan. For reasons such as that of being perceived as being weak and ineffective by its own people and a watching world, the Pakistani government does not come out to inform the general public the state of violence against women in the country. And this is where the non-governmental organizations come in handy. Ways of understanding and combating violence against women are taught to the public and the state of abuse of women is disclosed. The All Pakistan Women’s Association established in nineteen forty nine and registered in nineteen sixty five carries out the crucial role of educating the public on women’s issues. It handles the moral, social and economic concerns of Pakistani women and the one of the ways by which it does this is by educating the public and raising awareness on matters pertaining to violence against women. Violence against women takes many forms such as sexual violence, economic violence, verbal violence that comes in form of verbal abuses as well as the common physical violence that leads to bodily harm of the victim. The All Pakistan Women’s Association avails this information to the public (Persona Blog, 2007, All Pakistan Women’s Association). Besides the above, non-governmental organizations in Pakistani protect the rights of women as a role in the whole issue of violence against women. They ensure that there is no discrimination of women in the country as far as the sharing of resources is concerned. The Mothers’ Trust and the National Research and Development Foundation are at the forefront in pushing forward the rights of women. Vocational training aimed at giving women a leap so as to catch up with their male counterparts is done by the Mothers’ Trust while the National Research and Development Foundation has handled the rights of women through projects such as the Ulema and Women’s Rights project of 1998. These non governmental organizations that are involved in the push for the preservation of the rights of women also go a head to ensure that government and private enterprises that do not recognize the rights of women as human rights are exposed and pressurized to grant women equal rights like their male counterparts. Thus informing women about their rights is not the only way through which these organizations push for the recognition of the rights of women. Through coordination and networking with other organizations and government agencies, they are able to ensure that females are given full protection by the law through enforcement of penalties that are meant for those who overstep the line and subject women and girls to violence of whatever form. Far from the above, non-governmental organizations in Pakistan perform the important role of assisting women in developing action plans for their activities. Most of these organizations are international and therefore possess lots of skilled manpower. This skilled manpower always comes in handy when the women of Pakistan are supposed to come up with comprehensive ways of dealing with the issues that affect them. Therefore the design and development of work plans, action agenda and execution strategies is done by the trained members of these organizations who go a head to train the local women on how to do these things on their own (Women Empowerment Literacy and Development Organization). The Sustainable Development Policy Institute that was established and registered in 1992 has assisted Pakistani women in coming up with action plans for a long time. The Bunyad Literacy Community Council has also undertaken training programs for women focusing on how to shape their agenda as they fight for their place in society in Pakistan (Sustainable Development Policy institute). Non-governmental organizations also play the role of lobbyists in the area of legislation. The driving motivation or interest is to have laws favoring women passed by the country’s legislative body which is the Pakistani parliament. They also lobby so that laws that condemn women are dropped from the establishment. The reduction in the powers of the country’s backward traditions is as a result of the hard work done by non-governmental organizations through their lobbying. Their lobbying activities are normally done by writing to the legislators, buying spaces and airtime for advertisements in the country’s print and electronic media and holding demonstrations when there are signs of a possible negative legislation. Leaving the above aside, non- governmental organizations in Pakistan play the role a catalyst in the encouragement of local women to participate in social processes that are geared towards the betterment of their lives. There is common understanding that there can be no meaningful change of any kind if the rural women are not involved in the whole activism process. The role of making the grassroots women active in matters pertaining to opposition to violence meted out on women is therefore the work of non-governmental organizations and community based organizations in Pakistan. Through activities such as the theater programs as well as the training activities carried out by organizations such as the Mothers’ Trust, Pakistani women are mobilized and energized and this makes it easy for them to receive the targeted or intended information that is geared towards making them change their behavior so as to reduce chances of being caught up in the mess of gender based violence. This mobilization is also vital when it comes to areas where their numbers are needed to push for a particular agenda. For example if a certain piece of legislation is supposed to be passed and its impact on the lives of women will be devastating, the huge numbers of mobilized women will come out and effectively shut down the legislation by putting pressure on the legislators. If the law is beneficial to women and it is threatened with being shot down, the huge numbers of mobilized women can also come out and pressure the law makers into enacting the law. This mobilization works to the best advantage of the women (Farman). Another equally important role that is performed by non-governmental organizations in Pakistan as far as violence against women is concerned is that they act as safe havens for abused women. It is not surprising that some of the non governmental organizations operating in Pakistan run homes and centers where women and girls who are abused are given temporary hosing or accommodation till conditions that they are running away from are changed. In these homes or centers, the women and girls are provided with food, clothing, shelter as well as education. They are also provided with health facilities. It is not uncommon to find schools and hospitals within these centers or homes meant for the rescued victims (Behbud Association, n. d). Also, the world has come to understand the position of women in Pakistan not through the efforts of the government of Pakistan but through the loud cries of the non governmental organizations that are handling women’s issues in Pakistan (NGO NET portal on women and children’s human rights, 2008). Since the government is always ashamed of the poor state of women’s rights, they shut down any attempt to tell the world what is going on inside Pakistan as far as women’s issues are concerned. The non-governmental organizations, especially the international ones that are based in other countries such as Britain and the United States of America serve as informers to the rest of the world concerning the state of affairs of women in Pakistan. It is possible that without these non-governmental organizations within Pakistan, the world will be unable to know what the Pakistani woman is going through (Shaheen, 2002). In addition to the above, the non-governmental organizations serve as points of direct employment for victims of violence. Most of the women and girls who are rescued from abusive relationships within the Pakistani society undergo a period of treatment so as to clear trauma. After this treatment, they are given some duties within these organizations so that they are able to earn a wage which they use to meet their needs. In addition to teaching them some bit of responsibility and earning them a living, these people assist the organizations in doing some of the duties that they are supposed to do without spending so much (Association of business professional and agricultural women Pakistan). Moving away from the above, the non-governmental organizations in Pakistan also play the role of a vigorous campaigner as far as violence against women is concerned. Apart from the areas of education and creating awareness, the non-governmental organizations campaign with a lot of energy against this form of violence which reduces women to sub humans. They reach out to remote villages with clear messages on why men should treat their women and girls with dignity and respect as opposed to disrespect and abuse. The greater part of the campaign against violence that is directed towards women is carried out by these organizations with the Pakistani government only playing a facilitating role. The messages that are given out through the print and electronic media, the conferences, workshops, and seminars on the protection of the rights of women and girls are sponsored by non governmental organizations working within the boundaries of Pakistan (Khan, 2008). As a result of their duplicated roles and sometimes lack of transparency as well as political interference, the non-governmental organizations have also created confusion in Pakistan in the field of violence against women. This has led to the divergence from the key message and the failure to achieve the set goal of total freedom for the Pakistani woman. This is an unfortunate role that some of the non-governmental organizations working in Pakistan have found themselves playing (Raza & Ghauri, 2005, Chetia, 2007). In conclusion, it is clear the non-governmental organizations in Pakistan play numerous roles as far violence against women is concerned. They act as sources of data on this crucial subject, equip abused women with skills as a way of empowering them, they offer counseling services for the victims of violence, they educate the public, and assist women in coming up with action plans. They also assist in legislation through lobbying; mobilize women at the grassroots, act as safe haven for victims of violence, act as the eyes of the world, offer direct employment to women and act as campaigners against this vice. They also play the negative role of creators of confusion in the fight against violence against women due to political intervention, corruption and role duplication. References: Aga Khan Development Network, (n. d), AKDN in Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. akdn. org/pakistan Asian Development Bank, (n. d): Gender and Development: Training Program for Women Artisans – HAWWA Associates. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. adb. org/gender/working/pak003. asp Association for the Development of Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://forums. developpakistan. org/viewtopic. php? p=1370&sid=3c1089e69fe80705b96ea4c05cd43ccc Association of business professional and agricultural women Pakistan: Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. abpaw. cjb. net/ Behbud Association, (n. d); Karachi Family Health Centers. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://xiber. com/behbud/health. htm Chetia, N. , (2007); Pakistani Women in Politics. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www.iknowpolitics. org/node/1900 Daiya, K. , (2002): â€Å"Honourable Resolutions†: Gendered Violence, Ethnicity, and the Nation. Alternatives Journal: Global, Local, Political, Vol. 27, 2002 Khan, A. N. , (2008); Peace, Justice, Democracy: Country Report: Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://groups. google. co. ke/group/peace-justice-democracy/browse_thread/thread/a33dc1bedb152c18? hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=roles+of+NGOs+in+pakistan+on+violence+against+women#e020275ebdbf7d8c Kumar, M. , (2005); The Hidden Conflict: False Optimism and Silent Strategy in Kashmir. Harvard International Review Journal, Vol. 26 NGO NET portal on women and children’s human rights, (2008). Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. netbaz. org/ Persona Blog, (2007): Role of women rights organizations in Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://spot. bz/blogs/fun2shhspotbz/2008/05/07/role-of-women-rights-organization-in-pakistan/ Raza, S. & Ghauri, I. , (2005); Feudalism, tribalism engendering bias Musharraf lambastes NGOs for ‘demonizing’ Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://forum. atimes. com/topic.asp? TOPIC_ID=3609 Shaheen, (2002); Insufficient Protection of Women: Amnesty Report on Pakistan. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://groups. google. co. ke/group/soc. culture. pakistan/browse_thread/thread/afdb81b2097e893a? hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=women%27s+NGOs+in+pakistan#df815d5af7e911d1 Sustainable Development Policy institute: Know your rights. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. sdpi. org/know_your_rights/ngo. htm#allpak Women Empowerment Literacy and Development Organization. Retrieved on the 30th December, 2008 from: http://www. weldo. org/

Evaluation of Leadership Development Plan of Maersk Oil in Qatar

1.0 Introduction One of the biggest challenges of the modern business era is the retention of a talented and skilled workforce for business organizations, and the development of future leaders within a company. Business organizations are required to employ a dynamic strategy to respond to the needs and aspirations of their workforce. A smart, well-designed employee development program can benefit a business organization to great extent in this regard and shape the future of the company by individually shaping the leaders of the future. Prior research indicates that employee development program is linked to higher levels of performance and output. It can create a reservoir of knowledge that can enable business organizations to do better than their competitors. The most important development aspect of any employee is training them in leadership skills which can benefit the business as a whole. Transformational Leadership is a framework which, according to Barling, Christie and Hoption, promotes the qua lities of â€Å"idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration† (reference). By displaying motivational qualities and attitudes a leader can improve the efficiency, proficiency and well-being of employees. The aim of the proposed dissertation would be to investigate employees’ leadership development plan at ‘Maersk Oil’, particularly in reference to transformational leadership training. Maersk Oil has been operating in Qatar since the 1990s as a major oil company. It works on the Al-Shaheen Field which produces significant amount of petroleum. The company’s current production level stands at 300,000 barrels of oil per day. As a result of that, Al-Shaheen Field is predicted to be the biggest contributor to oil production in Qatar, making the company significant for the Oil industry and the overall economy of the country. Maersk Oil is a multinational company which is part of A.P. Moller â€⠀œ Maersk Group, operating in various parts of the world. Like any major multinational firm, Maersk Oil Qatar has a diverse workforce belonging to various nationalities (Maersk Oil, 2012). The diverse workforce present in the organization needs to be managed in an efficient and effective manner. The dissertation will try to identify the importance of a leadership development plan, investigate the current practices of the company, evaluate its effectiveness, and identify common obstacles for employee’s leadership development plan at the company. The dissertation will also propose some recommendations based on its findings for creating a viable improvement to the leadership development program. The dissertation will be divided into five chapters. The first chapter will be comprised of the introduction, overview of the research, background, and research objectives. The second chapter will detail the research methodology. The third chapter will present a literature review and the oretical background of the research. Fourth chapter will present the findings and analyze the data. Finally, chapter five will present the results and conclusions of the research. 1.1 Research Objectives Investigate to what extent does the company care for its employees through its leadership development plan Identify the significance of employees leadership development plan Investigate practices of employees leadership development plan Evaluate the effectiveness of employees leadership development Identify most common barriers for employees leadership development plan 1.2 Research Questions What is the employees’ attitude towards the company regarding its transformational leadership development program? Is transformational leadership more efficient than other forms of leadership? How does the transformational leadership benefit the objectives and goals of the company? What is the significance of the transformational leadership development plan for both the company and its employees? To what extent do the employees consider the development plan at the company efficient? What are the common barriers associated with the transformational leadership development plan at the company ? 1.3 Rationale for the Current Research Although there is a large array of literature on human resource development, practitioners often come under criticism for doing very little to evaluate the learning and development solutions that have been designed to deliver whereby significant and often scarce resources are allocated blindly in development plans that are considered to be effective (Harisson, 2005). When undergoing financial stress, organizations often downsize human resource development budgets. Human resource development personnel undergo tight scrutiny in justifying their expenditures and are required to prove the effectiveness of their employee development plans. Thus evaluation of employee leadership development plan is a viable solution. The importance of evaluation in further signified as the learning and development theory and practices in the modern day is undergoing a considerable change in order to keep up with new circumstantial requirements. In fact, one of the major changes occurring nowadays and in th e upcoming years is the organizational changes driven by ‘higher integration between coaching, organisational development (OD) and performance management’ (CIPD survey, 2010: pg.6). Similarly Sloman (2007) made several important propositions regarding the ongoing change in the employee development practices and approaches (see appendix 1). The shift in the learning and development approach and employee development practices signifies the importance of evaluating the current practices of an organization to see whether they are abreast with the prevailing best practices. Additionally, employee development approaches and practices of the oil and gas rich Middle Eastern countries and the Gulf Nations is an under-researched area in HRM literature. Moreover, the available literature regarding employee development practices generalizes the Middle East and the Arab World rather than addressing individual countries or companies (Harry, 2007). The existing gap in the literature p ays way for the current proposed study to evaluate the leadership development plan at Maesrk Oil in Qatar. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of employee leadership development Employee development plans have been defined as a set of planned efforts by an organization which facilitates the learning and acquaintance of knowledge, specific skills and behaviors for its employees; all of which are essential for them to be successful in their current jobs (Goldstein, 1993). Dotta (2009) defines it as a â€Å"sequence of concurrent activities, initiatives and programs that an organization is involved with to maintain, improve and enhance the skills, capabilities and performance levels of its workforce and other staff members†. Employee development plan encapsulates various individual development plans. A leadership development plan goes one step further than this: as well as providing all of the support listed above the employee is also being trained for a management role through the subtle development of the most desirable qualities. According to Department of Defense of USA (2006), an individual employee development plan is â€Å"a tailored written plan developed by the supervisor and employee outlining the employee’s developmental objectives and the developmental activity for achieving these objectives. The purpose of an employee development plan is to increase the current proficiency, development, and progression of the employee through a systematic development plan†. The personal progression of an employee can only be realized if they have been instructed in the transformational leadership qualities which will optimize the business as a whole. Based on aforementioned definitions, several important points can be stated: Employees’ development plan is aimed at enhancing the capabilities and competencies of an organization’s workforce. Employees’ development plan is also crucial for the progression of a career path. Through leadership development it is common for organizations to train and develop their employees to occupy critical positions in future. A transformational leadership development pro gram helps employees to understand the key roles of leadership and develop qualities which will make them an inspirational motivator to their workforce. 2.2 Significance of transformational leadership development In today’s business environment, which is characterized as multi-faced, highly complex, extremely competitive, and dynamic, organizations are required to be very flexible and adaptable in order to survive and succeed. Employee development, a practice that seeks to assist organizations in meeting their business goals through continuous learning and development (Harisson, 2009) is a critical element for achieving that flexibility and adaptability. So much that often human resource development personnel are qualified as ‘agents of change’ (Harisson, 2009). It is only through continuous, effective learning and development of employees that modern day organizations can acquire the essential competencies to adapt to a new conjuncture. Transformational leadership is significant as it not only benefits the leader in question, but also the morale of the employees. Candidates for the development program will be taught the traditional methods of leadership, such as how to ta ke responsibility and effectively manage a team, while also being taught to be motivational, inspirational and influential among their colleagues (Barling, Christie and Hoption). 2.3 Best Practices in Employee Development Plan Numerous studies have recommended several successful approaches towards employee development programs. There is a general consensus among researchers regarding the foremost need for an organization to conduct an analysis of its existing needs and requirements (Jacobs and Jones, 1995; Clegg et al, 2005). According to Jacobs, (1995) an employee development can be rendered meaningless if it does not respond to the organizational needs. Existing needs and requirements can be identified through an effective market analysis, analysis of existing and future labor trends. (Clegg et al, 2005). Since every organization needs to secure its’ future in the business industry it stands to reason that leadership is a high priority in the organizations needs, and transformational leadership can arguably give the best opportunity for employees to grow and develop along with the requirements of the company. Apart from the needs’ assessment, several best practices have been identified by h uman resource practitioners and researchers. A survey of best practices of 71 companies practicing employee development activities identified three underlying factors important for an effective employee development plan. These are: (1) individual development plans should be developed for key and high potential employees with the ability to become future leaders (2) the individual development plans and practices should be strictly aligned with organizational strategies and goals, with the future of the company in mind and (3) the entire workforce should be facilitated for its progression through the developmental process (Reynolds, 2005). 3.0 Research Methods and Approach 3.1 Research Philosophy Identifying a research philosophy is imperative for designing a viable research method as it determines the manner in which information regarding a research problem/question is collected, evaluated and applied. Researcher have identified mainly three research philosophies namely positivist and interpretivist and realist (Galliers, 1991). A positivist research philosophy perceives reality as a constant phenomenon; something that can be perceived objectively (Levin, 1988). It is a stance of a natural scientist. According to Hirschheim (1985 p.33), â€Å"positivism has a long and rich historical tradition. It is so embedded in our society that knowledge claims not grounded in positivist thoughts are simply dismissed as ascientific and therefore invalid†. Interpretivism, on the other hand, seeks to understand reality from a subjective perception in order to make sense of motives, actions and intentions of those that they study. They emphasize the social construct of the reality (H usserl, 1965). Interpretivists contend that reality and its perceptions can be better understood by placing people in their social contexts (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). Realists believe that the existence of reality is independent of human thoughts, emotions and beliefs. The research philosophy underpinning the proposed research is interpretivism. The research aims to evaluate the employee leadership development plan of Maersk Oil through the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of its employees, managers, and executives; thus it aims to gain subjective insights for evaluation. 3.2 Research Approach and Strategy A research approach can be either deductive or inductive. The premise of a deductive approach is to test a hypothesis, explain casual relationships and enable generalization of a theory. On the other hand, inductive approach focuses upon building a theory by understanding a phenomenon seeking an answer for a question. The approach adopted for the proposed research is inductive, as this study will look to identify the weaknesses or strengths or the current employee development plan at Maersk Oil Qatar, and answer several proposed questions pertaining to its evaluation. The research strategy for this study will be exploratory as it will aim at providing insights and understanding of the nature of the phenomenon under study in new light. Within the exploratory approach, this study will utilize both qualitative and quantitative data. On one hand, statistical analysis will carried out for the survey responses which will be distributed among the employees of a company, whilst interviews wi ll be conducted with some senior officials and employees in order to gain insights regarding the evaluation of the employee development program. It will complement the understanding gained through the data analysis results. 3.3 Data Collection According to Yin (1994), there are five ways of collecting data; these are â€Å"experimental, surveys, archival analysis, history, and case studies†. This research will utilize a survey strategy. According to Kelley et. al, (2003) â€Å"the survey strategy refers to the selection of a relatively large sample of people from a pre-determined population, followed by the collection of data from those individuals. The researcher therefore uses information from a sample of individuals to make some inference about the wider population†. For the purpose of evaluating the employee leadership development plan, a questionnaire will be prepared, reviewed, and distributed to a random sample of Maersk Oil Qatar employees and people in leadership roles. Survey strategy will allow the researcher to collect a large amount of data within in short time with minimum costs and efforts (Naresh et.al, 2003). Interviews, the qualitative form of collecting data within survey method will be use d concurrently. Semi-structured interviews will be designed and conducted of several senior officials at the company. References CIPD (2010), ‘Annual Survey Report : Learning and Talent Development’, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, {online} http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/BC060DD1-EEA7-4929-9142-1AD7333F95E7/0/5215_Learning_talent_development_survey_report.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Clegg ,S. et all, 2005: Managing Organizations: An introduction to Theory and Practice. Sage Cohen N., 2002?Pressure on AP Moller to Be Open,† Australasian Business Intelligence, April 23, Department of Defense of USA (2006) The individual development. {online} http://www.usuhs.mil/chr/idp.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Dotta, P.(2009) ‘What Is an Employee Development Plan?’ {online}: http://www.ehow.com/about_5161579_employee-development-plan.html (cited on 13th September, 2012) Goldstein I. L., 1993 â€Å"Training in Organizations† (3rd Ed.) Pacific Grove, California: Books Cole Harrison, R. (2005) Learning and development. 4th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Harrison, R. (2009) Learning and development. 5th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development . Harry. W (2007) Employment Creation and Localization. The crucial human resource issue for GCC. Int Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 18, no.1, pp 132-146. Husserl, E. (1965), Phenomenology and the crisis of philosophy, New York: Harper Torchbooks. Hussey, J. & Hussey, R. (1997), Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and post-graduate students, London: MacMillan Press Ltd Jacob, R L and Jones, M J. (1995) Structures on Job Training- Unleashing Expertise in the Work Place. San Francisco. Berrett Koehler. Kelley, K., Clark, B., Brown, V., and Sitzia, J (2003) Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research. Int. Journal for Quality in Health Care. Volume 15, Issue 3 Pp. 261-266. Levin, D. M. (1988). The opening of vision: Nihilism and the postmodern situation. London: Routledge. LSA Global (2008) ‘Top 10 training best practices for effective learning and development programs’. {online} http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?do cid=375846 (cited on 13th September, 2012) Maersk Oil (2012) ‘About Us’ {online} http://www.maerskoil.com/ABOUTUS/Pages/AboutUs.aspx (cited on 13th September, 2012) Naresh,M. et.al.,(2003) Methodological issues in cross-cultural marketing research. International Marketing Review. 13 (5) 7-43 Reynolds, S.(2005) Training and development managers share best practices and courseware through LearnShare. Toledo Business Journal. 5(2) 155-163. Sloman, M. (2007) ‘The changing world of the trainer: emerging good practice’, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Yin, R. K. (1994) Case Study Research. Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

Reader Response of Monkey’s Paw Essay

The short story which is going to be analyzed in this paper is Monkey’s Paw. It is a horror short story by William Wymark Jacobs. He is an English author of short stories and novels. The story itself is divided into three parts and will be determine the constituent and supplementary events of it. The constituent event is an event, what if it is removed, will make a gap in a plot of the story. It is also known as main event. Every story must have the constituent event, in order to create a chain of plot. Certainly, Monkey’s Paw has the constituent event in it. First, it is the most important event which is constituent – the title itself, Monkey’s Paw. The title of the story is really influential. The reader can get a gap when the object of monkey’s paw is changed with a mystical lamp, for example. It may feel more Arabian and there will be an event when the user of the mystical lamp rubbed down on it. It also changes the plot of the whole story, even the title itself, and it is not the Monkey’s Paw’s story anymore. Next, it is about the Herbert White’s death. The event when Herbert died is a constituent event which can not be removed or even be replaced. The reason of deciding it in to constituent event is that the Herbert’s death influences the three wishes to the monkey’s paw. If Herbert was not died, Mr. White would not make a second wish to get her son alive. It is shown that the event of Herbert White’s death is influential, and if it is removed, it can damage the plot of the story. Besides the constituent event is the main event in a story, the supplementary event is the removable one. It can be removed or deleted from the story, because it will not make a gap and change the structure of the plot. There are so many supplementary events in Monkey’s Paw. The first is playing chess done by Mr. White and his son, Herbert White. It can be removed, actually. The reasons are the existence of that event do not change the structure of the plot and the event is meaningless. Even if the event is not removed but is replaced its activity by another game, playing bowling for example, it does not mean anything to the structure of the plot. Another example of supplementary event is the last event of the first part of the story. It tells that Mr. White sat alone in the darkness, gazing at the dying fire, and seeing faces in it. This event is a removable and replaceable event. Without the existence of this event, the structure of the plot are not changed. Even, if the event is replaced by Mr. White is going to bed immediately, it is meaningless. In conclusion, the title of the story Monkey’s Paw, is the most important constituent event that are appeared and it is followed by another constituent event which can not be removed or be replaced. Finnaly, to supporting the constituent event, there are also some supplementary events.

Law of Business Transactions assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Business Transactions assignment - Essay Example nited Floors Ltd had included an exclusion clause in its contract, which required intimation of any alleged defects within three weeks of fitting the carpets. As such, it had included a clause, whereby its liability per contract was to be restricted to five hundred pounds. Peter is seeking refund of the two, thousand, three hundred pounds paid by him and compensation for the business lost, during the time the carpet was being replaced. United Floors Ltd refuses to accept and relies on its exclusion clause. An exclusion clause can be enforced by resorting to adhesion contracts or standard form contracts. The party which draws up such contracts offers negligible choice to the other party to the contract. In the words of Downes, an authority on contract law, wherever, there is great disparity in the bargaining power of the parties to the contract, exclusion clauses can prove to be extremely prejudicial.1 Legislation like the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 or UCTA and the Unfair Terms of the Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 or UTCCR have been enacted, in order to exercise stringent control on the use of exclusion clauses. The UCTA makes a business liable for not fulfilling obligations or duties that are consequent to what has been done or is to be done in the normal course of business2. Peter’s contract with the United Floors Ltd is subject to the UCTA, because consumer contracts fall under its purview3. In contractual terms reasonableness is of paramount importance and the UCTA verifies as to whether an exclusion clause, after taking into consideration the circumstances that should have normally been known to the contracting parties, is rational4. In this manner the UCTA grants wide discretion to the courts, in determining whether an exclusion clause is reasonable or not. If a contracting party wishes to take recourse to an exclusion clause in the contract, then the onus of establishing its reasonableness rests on it5. The UTCCR deals with all the contractual

A2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A2 - Essay Example Mohamed’s life and teachings were written down, and in the centuries after his death, many scholars wrote interpretations and commentaries, preserving the letter of his teaching as well as explaining its meaning for subsequent generations. As the religion spread, so the Arabic language inevitably spread with it, bringing the values and customs of this region to very different areas. To this day Muslim children are taught to recite verses of the Qur’an, learning the ancient words and preserving the older, classical form of the language which serves as a lingua franca in every country where Islam is an important religion. There is also a great value in preserving the philosophy and literature of previous centuries for modern people to read. The ability to read classical Arabic is a mark of superior education because it represents a prestige form: â€Å"it is a cultural force which unites all Arabs† (Nydell, p. 91). So long as people strive to master this ancient language and culture, they are able to benefit from ancient wisdom and reflect on the common heritage that they share. This linguistic and religious fusion creates unity across the globe, since many Muslims do not speak modern Arabic as their native language, but still learn classical Arabic for religious purposes. In the modern world, therefore, there is a common Arab heritage passed on through the language, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, and this can be seen for example in the giving of certain names to people and places (Suleiman, p. 143). Names such as Mohamed or Ahmed are given to boys in many countries, and this maintains an obvious connection with the ancient heritage of Islam. There is also evidence, however, of the divergence of the spoken language into different dialects, and this has served to differentiate different strands of Arab culture. It has been

Taking Care of Teenagers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Taking Care of Teenagers - Essay Example Given that reasoning, one must wonder as to whether or not it pays off in the long run to raise a teenage kid. Those that oppose raising teenage kids do so on the premise that anybody between the age of 13-18 require too much parental supervision in their academic, social, and family lives. It becomes difficult to keep track of the teenagers activities at these ages because of their quest for self discovery and self-understanding. Some parents get confused because the teenager seems to wear his personality the way he wears his clothes, it changes everyday. One minute you can have a loving, clingy teenage child who wants nothing more than to cuddle with mom and dad. Then the next minute, you have a kid asking you to park the car 3 blocks from school so his classmates wont see him being dropped off by mom or dad. So, it becomes understandable when parents say raising a teenage kid requires volumes of aspirin in order to combat the headache that it is. But if you analyze it, these mind boggling personality changes within a teenager are exactly the stuff that a parents memories are made up of. T hese are the very moments that are to be cherished for a lifetime and make it all worthwhile to raise a teenager. Parents say that teenagers are rebellious and do not have a clear understanding of life and its intricacies. They get into so much trouble that sometimes a parent wonders if he should just prepare bail money instead of an allowance for the kid. These are the parents who give up on raising their teenager when they should be the most involved in the raising of their teenager. A parent has to understand that a teenager is on the verge of adulthood. Their problems are caused by the fact that they want to be treated as adults but still act like the children that they are during certain situations. This is the time when a teenager needs his parent the most. The teenager needs to know how to be an adult before he turns 18 and is officially given the reins to his life

Commercial Production of Vitamin C Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commercial Production of Vitamin C - Assignment Example Vitamin c, chemically is Ascorbic acid, It naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables, it is a vital substance ,and is water salable, Human body can not synthesize Vitamin c, nor can it store it , therefore the body requirements needs to be full filled from diet, through absorption from the gut. Historically, the deficiency of dietary in take can lead to a disease called Scurvy.. In 1 8th century the sailors and solders who used to be ,on ship for long time and there food was deficient in fruits and vegetables would develop scurvy, main symptoms of scurvy are , bleeding gums, bone and Joint pain nerve disorders and death.. , East India company appointed surgeon general MR Jhon woodall, who recommends in his book the use of lemon juice for the prevention and cure of Scurvy. In the year 1912 MR Casimir Funk a polish American, developed the concept of vitamins, he thought that they are micro constituent of diet and are essential for health, he named them vitamins because he thought they are vital and chemically are amino acids., from 1928 till 1933 MR Joseph L Svivly and MR Albert Szent Gyeryl of Hungary and An independent American MR Charls Glin King first isolated the anti Scorbutic factor and named it Ascorbic acid . British chemists Sir Walter Norman Haworth in 1933 till1934 synthesized vitamin C and hence made it cheaply available, for this contribution he was awarded the Noble prize of medicine in 1937.... pregnancy, sickness and lactation the daily requirement increases .Many folds Properties of Vitamin C, and Uses vitamin C is needed as a dietary supplement , for humans and pets, like humans some animals can not synthesize the substance hence they need it on daily basis, Vitamin C is also used in Industry as food preservative , in fruit juices beverages, that is because of its antioxidant properties, it is used to preserve color , taste in many food products. Vitamin c removes the oxygen from the surroundings to become oxidized, by this action it acts as an antioxidant, oxidation is responsible for the brown color that develops in fruits ,once exposed to oxygen., by oxidation the phenols in the fruits are converted to Melanins,, Melanins are brown in color. Those fruits which turn brown on cutting , like apple bananas, have a phenols, these Page 3 Phenols, in presence of oxygen and metal can turn quickly into Quinns., which are harmful.. Vitamin C is added to fruit juices to improve taste , preserve nutritional value and to preserve the color In meat industry Vitamin C is used for its antioxidant properties, Vitamin C 1 accelerate color development, prevents Color fading , inhibits nitrosamine formation, and 2 prevents oxidation.." Vitamin c is more stable in amber colored containers ,and glass containers than in white ,and brown containers." ( Ahmed AA p 3 ). 3 "Vitamin C can improve the bread dough, where it improves the dough texture and loaf volume. " (Hosney R

EBusiness and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EBusiness and Ethics - Essay Example The growth and advancement of computer technology and several networks have encouraged an incline in the number of criminal activities propagated over the computers as well as risks (Jamrich and Dan Oja 28). The world is currently witnessing the development of new criminal activities that are being committed through the digital world. Therefore, there is a greater need of coming up with measures and strategies that can help curb cyber risks. There are many system administrators and skilled enough to do the work and provide what the client need. However,  it is hard to find the one that can do what you want with the right way and beneficial and effective for long time. The biggest problem that companies face is the security in the network. The data and information are crucial to a company that is why they need security. In these days, there are many viruses that can harm the computers and destroy the data in companies and it cost them lots of money and gives them a bad reputation. The project will provide and set up data security to the cell phones that helps to secure the data and protect it from threats and viruses (Siegel 31). Furthermore, there is need for security from the outside network. Also, the cell phones should have protection from viruses that destroy and might consequently steal data. Nowadays, every company needs to setup a security program and the only way to do it is to hire system administrators to do that with the right way. What the project intend to  set up is the required security for the data and cell phone. Further, the data will be backed up because it is better to have backed up data in case it is lost or destroyed. Setting up security for the data and cell phone will include activating the firewalls, blocking any spyware attacks, as well as using valid malware software or anti-virus. Protection of data entails using encryption for the most sensitive files such as the financial records, tax returns, and backing up the significant

Should GCSE formate be changed over the next few years Essay - 1

Should GCSE formate be changed over the next few years - Essay Example In conclusion, it will review the various proposals. There has been a vigorous debate about failures in the GCSE. Anxiety focused on Grade inflation and the suspicion that GCSE grading was faulty, but knee-jerk changes to the grade boundaries that dominated results in summer 2012 when many students failed to get predicted Grade C, led to calls to Ofqual about harsh marking1 and claims that there was a â€Å"gross injustice done to many young people†; other concerns focus on cheating or unfair practice and the range of subjects that are offered. A number of politicians today have urged that the GCSE as it stands should be replaced with more rigorous tests with better grading systems. Replacing the GCSE, however, is not so simple and current plans are already delayed until 2018. A debate about the standard secondary school exam had been ongoing in British politics since the 1950s. Efforts to modify the O level system were proposed by the then education secretary Shirley Williams in the 1970s but the election of a Conservative Government in 1979 delayed her proposals of a single comprehensive examination that would mirror comprehensive schooling. Following changes to the Scottish Ordinary Grade exam for secondary school children2 and the establishment of the Scottish Standard3, the English-based O Level and CSE4 was replaced by the broader GCSE from 1986 to 1988 under plans drawn up by Keith Joseph in 1984. However, the O level, currently still set by the University of Cambridge International Examinations board, survived in the Commonwealth, with a comparable exam also based in Hong Kong which only recently switched to the IGCSE. Current GCSEs are graded from A-G (and U) and cover around 60 subjects including a number of Vocational courses that had previously been a part of the GNVQ examinations (General National Vocational Qualifications). The exams are set to a â€Å"common timetable† between May and June each year by a number of boards, so many po pular subjects are offered by a variety of competing boards like AQA, CCEA, Edexel, OCR, and WJEC. The boards are supervised by Ofqual, DCELLS (Wales) and CCEA(Ireland). Coursework was always envisaged to be a feature of the GCSE and a new body, the School Examinations and Assessment council, later the QCA, was set up in 1991 to establish and monitor what was an acceptable level of achievement. It is hard to prevent parental help, or indeed too much guidance from the teacher. The development of the GCSE is tied to the debate about selection in Education. Many countries, with the notable exception of Germany, which still retains elements of selective schooling, have moved away from routine selection. Not only was the means of selection questioned (for example an IQ test, or cognitive skills test at a specific age), but the very idea that one child should have advantages denied another child was felt to be wrong. A movement in the UK in the late 50s saw the reduction of gender segrega tion5, and efforts to ignore the economic background of parents. The elitist system which had existed in the UK until the early 60s allowed for a very small percentage of pupils to follow academic studies in school to the age of 18, and then to progress to Higher Education. Almost 45% of the rest achieved no qualifications6. Today, most students expect to attend University as a

Police and Legitimacy Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Police and Legitimacy Law - Essay Example Therefore, for effective governing, an institution has to acquire political legitimacy as this is necessary to prevent the collapse of the government due to various legal setbacks that governs the state. However, there are some political systems that survive despite illegitimately acquiring power. This institution usually seeks the support of individuals who hold influential positions in the society and thereby considering such systems as legitimate despite opposition from the wider mass. Locke further argues that legitimacy comes from the popular consent of the people and without it, any institution formed and operating is illegitimate. Dolf Stanberger defines legitimacy as a foundation of an existence of governmental power with the knowledge of officials of government that they have a right to govern for the benefits of the people (Alderson, 1979). An author by the name of Seymour Martins disagrees with the definitions of Locke and Stanberger on legitimacy. He argues that legitimac y involves a belief by the ruling class that the practiced system of governance is the best and he does not involve the masses as in his definition (Blumberg, 1983). Legitimacy encompasses morality and scholars of moral philosophy define it as the normative position given to the government and other institutions operating in the country by the masses on the acceptance that they use their authority in accordance to the law. Scholars of law distinguish legitimacy from legality. They argue that a government can be legitimate in its composition but they actions can be illegal, for example implementing a budget without parliament’s approval. The police is an organ of the government and its main function is to maintain law and order. In conducting their operations there are always aspects of legitimacy in question. Are they acting within the law or are they violating the same law they are supposed to implement. This paper seeks to analyze legitimacy in the contest of a specific pol ice function. The police function identified is maintenance of law and order in England and Wales (Miyazawa, 1995). In talking about this role, it will highlight its different aspects and how it defines the concept of legitimacy in England and wales. The questions that this paper seeks to answer are two fold, What is legitimacy? How does the police role of maintaining law and order define the concepts of legitimacy in England and Wales? This paper has a concluder which basis its analysis from the research done and it explains other concepts of legitimacy. The main role of the police force is to maintain law and order and in order to function appropriately; the police need public help and support and it’s of great use to them when such support is voluntary and sincere. Such voluntary support from the public comes from the notion of legitimacy. The society has to acknowledge the roles of the police as outlined by the laws governing the state and if police action contravenes the se laws, they will lose legitimacy and therefore getting cooperation from the people becomes difficult. One of the main reasons as to why people agree to cooperate with the police is because they enjoy legal recognition and therefore people view them as a legitimate authority to be obeyed. The public are also concerned with the manner in which the police execute their functions and from their conclusions

Biodiversity Museum exhibit Presentation Essay Example for Free

Biodiversity Museum exhibit Presentation Essay Very little is known about biodiversity and its effect on livelihood and the environment. In order to clearly understand where we are coming from a clear definition of the broad concept is in order Biodiversity is the difference in number, frequency and variety of living organisms in an ecological system. This includes plants, animals, birds, fish among others. Basically this term encompasses variety of ecosystems species, and relative abundance (http://www. equalearth. org/wildlifeextinction. htm ). Importance of Biodiversity. Tropical rainforests are dying or being cut down at a faster rate than be replaced. The rainforests play a vital role in water catchments areas and are home to thousands of birds spices and animals. The replacement of these forest with artificial ones is insufficient because the rainforest support undergrowth and attract more rain. Animals species take millions of years to adapt to their habitat and no human being should fuel elimination of such progress. Biodiversity sustains our own survival as well as that of the global economy. The small millipedes play a profound role of improving the quality of our soils. The same also goes for the fungi, algae, and bacteria among other microorganisms. These organisms aerate the soils, incorporate crucial elements like minerals and nitrogen. Additionally ecosystems in marshes remove excess nutrients from the soil. A good example is the mollusus. The forests reduce soil erosion through wind and water. What’s more, forests hold the soil firmly together thus preventing landslides. Furthermore, biodiversity ensures stabilization of the climate in the sense that they act as repositories of CO2 in exchange for O2, act as wind breakers and lessen the brunt of freezing temperatures. Other benefits include controlling natural disasters, pollinations of plants by the bees and birds thus better crop production and such like. On a different note biodiversity provide food security, aesthetic, medicinal bioprospecting, spiritual healing and value. Virginia is an area rich in biodiversity with variety of native plants and animals. It is important that this ecosystem is preserved and hence it is important to educate visitors on the causes of wildlife extinction. Deforestation is one reason that causes extinction as humans destroy forest to build roads, cultivate and other infrastructure. In US only 15% of tropical forest remains. Other causes of wildlife extinction include poaching, habitat degradation (through mining), animal diseases, pollution and overexploitation (http://www. equalearth. org/wildlifeextinction. htm ). The aquatic life is also not spared. Whales, Atlantic cod, bald eagle and others are hunted town piercely for economic gains especially whale oil. Water pollution has also killed several aquatic species in a short duration. The impact of wildlife extinction on our world increases as the destruction of ecosystem progresses. This is because each species of living organism has a role in maintaining a balance in the system. If one species becomes extinct the whole system is destabilized. For example the food consumed by that species will overpopulate causing the others that fed it to reduce. Extinction of wildlife depraves future generations from knowing nature as it was. The extinction of dinosores millions of years ago stripped humanity of the knowledge of such creatures. Extinction of species also die hence food insecurity and economic loss. The relationship between wildlife extinction and deforestation is clear cut. The rainforests support life of over a million species of plant and animals. Deforestation Randers these animals homeless and without food to eat. The destruction of their habitat forces them to look in other areas which they are not adapted to. In such a case only the fittest survive the hostile environment fuelling extinction. Deforestation leads to food insecurity for animals, which eventually starve to death. Additionally exposing animals to unsheltered habitats puts them in the hands of poachers who kill then for money. This leads to extinctions of wildlife. Besides, deforestation strips wildlife of their homes, which in turn exposes hem to adverse climate and temperatures causing diseases and death, thus extinction. Deforestation has some current and potential impacts on world cultures. For instance, the economic lifestyle of a people in Brazil depends on extraction of rubber, nuts and other raw materials which they sell to companies in exchange of money to buy food and other necessities. Deforestation hampers this source of income. Culture incorporates the kind of shelter, foods and lifestyles people have. Deforestation causes disharmony in this culture in that indigenous people go without traditional medicine from tees, lack materials for building their homes, go without recreation facilities and no longer have good soil to cultivate crops. Given that clear understanding, of biodiversity, I have been hired by the largest, natural history museum in the world and charged with the responsibility of designing an exhibit that introduces visitors to the importance of biodiversity, causes of wildlife extinction, ways that wildlife extinction impacts on the world, causes of deforestation, and its relationship to wildlife extinction current and potential impacts of deforestation on world cultures and description of the methods that are and could be implemented to preserve the present level of aquatic biodiversity. This task is equally challenging, as it is exciting. The proposed design will be submitted to the Museum’s board or trustees. Aquatic life zones Currently, the US and other countries have realized the importance of aquatic biodiversity and taken steps to preserving it. The well-being of lakes and water bodies directly promotes well-being of aquatic life. The US has laid down laws that prohibit pollution of H2O. It has also banned the use of pesticides and fertilizers that contain elements which could pollute water. Sensitization of communities living near tributaries to plant trees by rivers sides has also helped to preserve aquatic life fro soil sedimentation. The coral reefs are an attractive feature of aquatic biodiversity. The EPA has been in the forefront of banning sewage discharges (human/industrial) which deposit pathogens and other harmful compounds into the coral reefs thereby destroying them. In Florida, the FKNMS) ensures sustainability of the Florida key reefs with the help of EPA and NOAA. As it stands the EPA intends to develop a watershed approach to protect coral reefs. Reference http://www. equalearth. org/wildlifeextinction. htm Accessed on 11th October 2007

Cars Enslave Us Rather Than Liberate Us Essay Example for Free

Cars Enslave Us Rather Than Liberate Us Essay How much effort do you put in travelling to school or workplace each week? Created in 1870, cars have been one of the most useful and spectacular inventions of human beings. The society we live in has recently became completely reliant on these fuel-burning vehicles. It is widely discuss whether cars are a blessing or a real nightmare that may lead people astray. As a young driver, I firmly believe in the liberating power of cars. Not only do they facilitate life, but also encourage to broadens one’s horizons, which may be justified in the following essay. To begin with, cars allow people to travel from place to place with no limits. Basically, they give a perfect opportunity for those who live in the suburbs and have no access to the public transport. Living far away from the city requires the involvement of other people, typically parents, who drive their children to various places. Otherwise, how would they be able to develop and participate in some additional activities, like volunteering or learning to play the violin? It is important to stress that these ingenious machines may give people the fantastic experience of travelling round the world without worrying about covering long distances having a place to sleep when one is on the way! Furthermore, cars have an unquestionable advantage over the means of public transport. Given the choice between walking in the rain to get to the bus station or taking a car and driving directly to one’s destination, who would not prefer the latter? Rarely do people claim that cars are less convenient or luxurious that buses owing to having the air-conditioning system or soft seats. What is more, there is little possibility of getting stuck in the crowd or being exposed to delay or robbery. Surprisingly, people who travel with the use of public transport are more likely to be late and to demonstrate continual anxiety. On the other hand, cars are very expensive to maintain. They burn a lot of fuel and, therefore, force people to be more restrictive about their expenses. However, public transport is not free too. For a five-member family, it is quite more beneficial to have a car since it not only saves money, but also a lot of free time that can be spent on more pleasant activities. To conclude, living without a car appears to have a lot of serious disadvantages. It strikes me that these vehicles save a lot of time and do not put any demand to subordinate to timetables. To my mind, they liberate us rather than enslave us.

Postscript Adobe Product

Postscript Adobe Product Adobes first product, Postscript ®, was a driving force behind the desktop publishing revolution of the mid 1980s. Postscript provided an interface between computer program and an output device such as a printer. It comprised of three parts; a page description language which was open, documented and free, an interpreter which was licensed to output device manufacturers, and fonts which were sold to end customers such as graphic artists. The first postscript products were introduced in 1985 through a strategic alliance among four firms: Adobe, Apple, Aldus, and Linotype. The combination of products from these firms sparked the desktop users could create news letters and other documents that had a professional look and feel: documents could integrate graphics and text using professional quality fonts. The result was accomplished through a system of products. Aldus PageMaker software, which ran on Apple Macintosh, enabled the creation of documents that integrated text and graphics, PageMaker required a postscript device for printing. The Apple Laser writer was the first postscript printer and incorporated a postscript interpreter licensed from Adobe. Finally, professional looking documents only required high quality fonts such as Times Roman or Palatino, which typically were only available to professional publishers. Linotype, a firm with over 100 years of experiences in the typesetter industry, licensed a set of its most popular fonts to Adobe so that Adobe could offer them in postscript format. The Laser Writer came with 35 postscript fonts build in Linotype also introduced a high-end postscript image setter so that PageMaker documents could be used in professional publishing. By 1989, postscript had become the defacto standard for printing in the graphic arts and publishing industries. A most 100% of high-end image setters on the market incorporated postscript, while penetration in the general laser printer market reached only about 25%, penetration of Postscript in laser printers used by graphic artists was closer to 100%. Adobe also leveraged the underlying graphics technology of postscripts in applications software for the graphic arts community. The first end-user application, Adobe illustrator, was introduced in March 1987 and gained wide acceptance among graphic artists. Illustrator created output Postscript output and helped to create demand for Postscript printers. Adobe also acquired a number of software products including Photostop for digital image editing in 1989, and Aldus PageMaker in 1993. These products were extremely successful, with Photostop capturing over 90% of the market for photo-editing software. Ownership and leveraging of the Postscript standard had reaped huge rewards for Adobe; between 1984 and 1995, revenue had grown from $2.2 million to $762 million- a compound annual growth; rate of 70%. Adobes share price growth had been equally impressive, increasing at an average rate of29% between 1986, when the firm went public and 1995. In order to create PDF documents users had to purchase either Acrobat  ® Exchange for $195, or a more sophisticated product, Acrobat  ® Distiller for $695. As with the Postscript standard, the specification for PDF was open. By using documentation from Adobe, other firms could create files PDF format. Sales of Acrobat however were originally quite disappointing and reached only about $25 million in 1993. Given the advent of the internet, Adobe modified its Acrobat strategy. Instead of focusing exclusively on document exchange among workers within a corporation, Adobe also targeted internet users. The goal I was to make PDF the de facto standard for posting and exchanging documents on the internet. Question 2. In order to encourage software developers to use the Postscript language, Adobe made it open to anyone for free. The language was meticulously documented in what programmers fondly called â€Å"The Red Book†, and strong technical support was provided to third party developers working with the language. As a result, the number of applications supporting Postscript increased from 180 in 1986 to over 5,000 by 1991. To accelerate the diffusion of Postscript output devices, Adobe developed a boilerplate controller design based on the Motorola G8000 chip. Printer manufacturers interested in licensing Postscript had free access to this design, thus accelerating the development time for Postscript products. In addition, Adobe engineers often worked on joint product development teams with customers in order to help with the design of customized Postscript interpreters. The number of Postscript licenses increased from just one, Apple in 1985 to 60 by 1994. Adobe invested a large amount in creasing its own library of Postscript fonts. In 1986, Adobe invested 16% of sales in font development, and dollar investment continued to increase from 1985 through 1992. The number of Postscript fonts in the Adobe collection increased from 35 in 1985 to 2000 in 1994. These fonts were valued most highly by graphic artists designing pages for professional publishing. Adobe encouraged adoption of the Acrobat Reader by changing its previous policy of charging $50. The Acrobat Reader became widely available for free. In 1994, an alliance was made with AOL made the Acrobat Reader available to all AOL users. Adobe also established relationships with a number of computer vendors such as Compaq, Dell, and Sony to preload the Acrobat Reader on Personal Computers they sold. In 1995 free downloads of the Acrobat Reader were made available from the Adobe website. When users visited a site with PDF content they were instructed to click on a link to Adobe.com to get the free Acrobat Reader. Downloads of the Acrobat Readers explored starting in 1997, and by July 2000 over 197 million Acrobat Readers had been downloaded, with ongoing downloads of about 6 million more each month. Traffic to the Adobe site was also significant with about 11 million unique visitors a month. Downloads also drove sales of the full Acrobat product, needed for PDF creation. Adobe mark et research indicated that 88% of full Acrobat purchasers had used the Acrobat Reader prior to buying the full product. Question 3. Standard wars and battles for dominance in the market between incompatible technologies are products of the information age. Adobe announced it would release the entire PDF specification (current version 1.7) to the International Standards Organization. PDF has reached a point in its maturity cycle where maintaining it in an open standards manner is the next logical step in evolution. Not only does this reinforce Adobes commitment to open standards, but it demonstrates that open standards and open source strategies are really becoming a mainstream concept in the software industry. PDF will go from being an open standard/specification and de facto standard to a full blown dejure standard. (http://www.ameinfo.com/40724.html) Adobe has found that with Postscript and PDF, publishing the specifications, making them open but not open standards is the right path. This is because once something becomes a standard driven by a standards body, it moves to a glacial place Ad innovation slows down significantly because everybody has to agree and compromise. If it is made a totally open source, they do not get a return on investment. They believe that by opening up the specification, they allow other people to take advantage of it. However, they still own the source and get to innovate around that standard more quickly. (http://www.ameinfo.com/40724.html) Uncertainty about the market of e-Books hinged on a number of factors. One of the major impediments to adoption of E-Books was on-screen readability. Anti-aliasing technology had been developed by both Adobe (Cool Type) and Microsoft (Clear Type), improving text resolution by up to 300% e-Book resolution, however, was still not close to matching the quality of paper. So far the place of e-Books was similar or higher than that of print books, constraining demand. In addition, dedicated e-Books reading devices had been relatively expensive, costing a minimum of $250. Finally, the selection of e-Books was still quite limited and e-Books formatted for one device could generally not be used on another. Depending upon their assumptions about pricing and standards, analysts had different perspectives on the potential of the market. After the well publicised battle between VHS and Beta formats in the VCR industry, both produces and consumers were wary of standards war. No consumer wanted to be stuck with the equivalent of Betamax CVR, an orphan product with no tapes to play on it. Likewise, producers did not to be on the losing end of a standards war. It was unclear how standards in the e-Book market would evolve. While Microsoft had changed head on into the consumer it is wondered whether Adobe should instead focus elsewhere. Other segments, such as professional and technical users, while similar than the general consumer market, seemed to place more value on what e-Books had to offer and were leading in their adoption. In addition, Adobes superior graphics capability was more highly valued by the professional market. Adobe can win the standards war by creating alliances with other software companies. A good company is Google. Relative market caps show Adobe at $24 billion, Google at $148 billion and Microsoft at $296 billion. Google needs something like Adobe and Microsoft does not have the same perspective. This could be a strategic relationship to help Adobe win formats/standards war against Microsoft. Adobe may already own the market for electronic documents thanks to PDF, but the company knows that Microsoft has a habit of showing up late to a party and stealing the crown. In turn Adobe is beta testing a new project it calls â€Å"mars† which is an answer to Microsofts new XPS format. (http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm) Negotiations over standardization and interconnection and standardization are critical once a network has been launched Adobe can explore seven key assets that show its ability to successfully wage a standards war. These are; intellectual property rights, control over an installed base of users, ability to innovate, manufacturing abilities, first mover advantages, strength in complements and brand name reputation. The standard wars are especially bitter and crucial to business success in markets with string network effects that cause consumers to play high value on compatibility. (http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm) Pre-emption is one of the two crucial market place tactics that Adobe can use in its standards battle. The logic of pre-emption is straight forward: build an early lead so positive feedback works for you and against your rival. The same principle implies in markets with learning by doing: the first firm to gain significant experience will have lower costs and can pull even further ahead. (Shapiro, Varian 1999) Expectations management is the second by tactic in standard wars. Expectations are a major factor in consumer decisions about whether or not to purchase a new technology. Just as incumbents will vary to knock down the viability of new technologies that emerge, so will those very entrants strive to establish credibility. (Shapiro, Varian 1999) Reference: Carlo Shapiro, Hal R. Varian. Information Rules. A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy. Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/40724.html on 5th March 2008 Carlo Shapiro, Hal R. Varian. The Arts of Standard Wars, California Management Review, Vol.41, No.2 1999. http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm http://www.business.ualberta.ca/mlounsbury/ORG658/readings/standard%20wars.pdf

Balance Sheet Analysis Applebees International 2004 Essay -- Finance F

Balance Sheet Analysis Applebee’s International 2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In analyzing the common-size balance sheet for Applebee’s, it is noted that the total current assets has jumped from 11% to 14% of the total assets. The total assets for Applebee’s has jumped 6% from 2000 to 2001 driven by increased in the total current assets of 28%. Of those 28% increase, they consisted of 88% increase in the Cash & Equivalents (increased of $10.6 millions) caused by the decreased in the Capital Stock repurchasing in 2001 by Applebee’s. The repurchase of capital stock has decreased by 31% as noted from the year-to-year percentage changes of the Statement of Cash Flow which equivalent to about $11 million dollars. The other current assets increased was from the other Current Assets category; there was an increase of 92% from 2000 to 2001. Due to the higher earnings for Applebee’s, there was an increase in income tax due. A significant component of the increase of other Current Assets was from increased in prepaid incom e taxes with net deferred income tax asset of $6.7 millions dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The intangibiles has also decreased from 18% to 16% in common-size balance sheet for Applebee’s from 2000 to 2001. This is equivalent to a decrease of 7% from year to year percentage change. This change was driven by amortization of intangible assets related to previous acquisitions of other franchisee restaurants by Applebee’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There was a trend in rise of the net property & equipment related assets since 2002 to 2004. This boost in net property and equipment assets was related to the acquisition strategy conducted by Applebee’s. For the $34 millions acquisitions of 21 restaurants in Washington D.C. area on November 7, 2002; $24 millions has been allocated to the fair value of property and equipment plus $10 millions in goodwill. This has caused a jump in net property & equipment assets for 2002 to jumped 16% and Intangibles assets to jumped 12% when compared to 2001. Since most of the purchased are by cash, this has caused a 31% decreased in the Cash & Equivalents for Applebee’s balance sheet. For the 11 Applebee’s restaurants acquisitions in Illinois, Indianan, Kentucky, and Missouri for $21.8 million on March 24, 2003, $7.9 millions were allocated to the fair value of property and equipment, the other $16.6 millions went to goodwill, plus a net liabilities in addi tions of $1.3... ...ense has decreased 82.8% from 2000 to 2004. All the above are contributing factors in Applebee’s achieving higher earnings, a 75% increase in net earnings from 2000 to 2004. Average shares has fall due to consistent share repurchasing programs by Applebee’s. Overall, the common-size analysis of the income statement are relatively consistent over the five years of study. Cost of goods has stayed consistent between 74%-75%, the Depreciation and amortization is between 9%-11%, income from Continue operations and Net Income are also both between 9%-10% in common-size analysis for income Statement. No unusual flutuations has been discovered. As of December 26, 2004, our liquid assets totaled $10,924,000. These assets consisted of cash and cash equivalents in the amount of $10,642,000 and short-term investments in the amount of $282,000. The working capital deficit increased slightly from $50,359,000 as of December 28, 2003 to $51,041,000 as of December 26, 2004. This increase was due primarily to increases in the loss reserve and unearned premiums related to the captive insurance subsidiary and accounts payable and was partially offset by increases in inventories and receivables.

Free College Essays - Rip Van Winkle as Fairy Tale :: Rip Van Winkle Essays

Rip Van Winkle - A Fairy Tale In the short story "Rip Van Winkle" , Washington Irving tells a story of a man who sleeps through the revolution. This story demonstrates two ways of looking at Revlutionary history, one of myth and one of fact. The mythical representation wins out, through popularity, over the factual representation. In the story, Rip Van Winkle wanders off to the mountains and runs across some small men who are rolling bowling balls and drinking. Rip witnesses all this and joins them in their drinking until he passes out. When he wakes up, everything has changed the people, the town, and himself. After he tells his story, he becomes very popular among the townspeople, whereas before he was seen as lazy. The two characters that mainly represent the opposing sides are Rip and the man with the cocked hat. The man in the cocked hat represents the factual representation. Upon Rip's entrance into the town, the man asks him very direct question and expects very direct answers. If someone were to ask the man where he had been for the past twenty years he probably would would have told the story of the revolution and specific battles. He is not interested in tales, only the facts. From his description, "the man with the cocked hat," cocked can also mean leadership. The man was a leader, or at least an authority at the time Rip returned. Rip on the other hand, tells a tale that is reminiscent of a fairy tale. He talks of little men and drinking. He uses symbols to represent the story of the revolution. The community perfers the fairy tale version over fact. This is evident through Rip's gain in popularity and the commn knowledge of his story. Irving writes, "and not a man, woman, or child in the neighbourhood, but knew it by heart" while "the self-important man in the cocked hat...screwed down the corners of his mouth, and shook his head - upon which there was a general shaking of the head throughout the assemblage." This demonstrates that the community wants the revolution to look a certain way; they want it to be fun and symbolic, so Rip's version fits better. The townspeople in the story may prefer a fairy tale but this can be problematic. The symbols in Rip's story become so far removed from the actual occurances that it is hard to tell what some of the symbols represent.

World War I :: World War I History

World War I Introduction: Then I heard an excited exclamation from a group of sisters behind me, "Look!Look! Here are the Americans!" This was said by an overwhelmed British nurse. This is when America entered WWI. They helped the Allies out a great deal. During WWI a lot of new weapons evolved(machine guns and airplanes), countries got spilt apart, Women became more evolved in men's regular work. In the end of WWI an entire generation of Europeans were killed, dynasties fell in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The League of Nations was made up to promote peace. Because of WWI, WWII occurred. This is why I believe WWI was more important then the Gulf War. The new weapons that evolved during WWI were machine guns, and airplanes. The machine guns fired its ammunition automatically. With the use of a machine gun, you could literally wipe out dozens of people at a time. Now for the airplanes. This was an amazing ordeal for a plane to be used in war, or any type of combat for that matter. The planes were a big advantage. They played numerous roles. We also became smarter about the use of airplanes today. When Russia had a second revolution the communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin gained power. Lenin deiced to end his country's involvement in the war. Well the first thing he did was make a truce with Germany. From this the Russian government had to give over Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to Germany. Even after the war when the treaty became invalid, those countries gained their independence. If this had not happened those countries would not be independent today. Maybe this is a good thing because if Russia still had those countries they would be more powerful and one day might deiced to challenge the U.S. During WWI when the men were at war the woman took on the mans everyday job. This included factories, shops, offices and so on. Woman all of a sudden were constructing, farming, even running hospitals. Something back then men thought was impossible for them to do. As well as working their everyday jobs, they would help the war men with food, clothing and supplies. It was like the woman became the dominate role. They went to work and then would come home and tend to the children and housework. After the war when the men returned, peoples views changed.

Left Brain vs Right Brain Learning Styles Essay

People learn in many different ways, but do you ever wonder why that is. Why are we so different and learn so differently? The brain is the answer to that question. The brain gives us what we need to determine what and who we are as people. Because of the human brain’s complexity, professors and teachers are starting to see that one way of teaching is not always the best way from everyone. â€Å"Each child processes new information in ways are related to environmental, emotional, sociological, physiological, and psychological elements† (Green, 1999, p. 684). When it comes to the process of learning and thinking, the average person has two sides of the brain that determines how they learn. The two main halves of our brain are the right brain and the left brain hemispheres. Each hemisphere performs different functions and communicates information differently. One hemisphere is not more important than the other but they do determine how we see things and interpret them in our mind. With the left brain hemisphere, the characteristics are mathematical and analytical and with the right hemisphere the characteristics are more creative and imaginative. The brain is very complex to understand. Once we learn how the left side brain learns and how the right side brain learns, then we can better develop a way of learning for all types of students and people. The left side hemisphere of the brain include characteristics such as language skills, mathematical concepts, analytical skills, and logic and reasoning. Those individuals that have this brain hemisphere dominance are good with letters, numbers and words (Sousa, 1995, p. 88). The concepts of learning for the left side brain hemisphere is based on step by step instructions. A person who is dominant on their left side hemisphere learns better by having a plan to follow with organization. Learning facts and solving problems are some of the many ways to teach people with a dominant left side. Those people do not like surprises and they don’t like to learn courses that have no connection to the real world. They tend to want to deal with things the way they are in real life, not in a fantasy world. Left side learners are affected by their environment and have a hard time adapting to changes in their environment. Some of the other things that left side dominant learners are good at over the right side is they are better at memorizing facts and doing hands on work. They are list people and process things in a linear manner. Everything must be in sequential order to make things easier to learn. This is why math comes so easy for them because that is all math is a sequential order of steps to get to a solution. Left side learners do have trouble expressing themselves in words which makes the right side learner more dominant in that area. The right side hemisphere of the brain is quite different. The right side dominant people prefer to discover the possibilities and are good at grasping new concepts. They are more comfortable with abstractions and do not like courses that involve a lot of memorizing and routine calculations. The right side learner usually needs background information before a lecture or to have an abstraction before they read a book or chapter. This helps them better prepare for their class or what they are about to begin. They want to see, feel, or touch the real object. They have a need for things to be concrete, not theory. The right side learner does not like repetition unlike the left side learner. They need to see words and how a formula works in order to grasp the concept of how it works. Creative arts, music, and facial recognition are the dominant portions for the right side learner. Because they are color sensitive, right side learners try to use color to learn sequence. For example how to get to the grocery store from where they live. They would try to match up places and how they looked to where they might need to turn or go to. It is known as the Artist Brain because it is in charge of creative talents. Since both sides of the brain are not equal in the way that a person learns things, each side serve their purpose. For everyone, one side of their brain is more dominant than the other but no one is just right side or left side alone. â€Å"When learning is new, difficult, or stressful we prefer to learn in a certain way† (Hopper, 2007, p. 2) . Both sides of the brain are needed to function and communicate with each other through the corpus callosum which sends messages back and forth to each other between the right and left hemispheres. So now that we know that not everyone learns the same due to the left or the right hemisphere being more dominant than the other for those people, how do we become better teachers to provide a better learning environment for both sides. â€Å"While brain research alone can’t tell us how to teach people, understanding the brain leads to uncovering underlying learning mechanisms† (Worden, Hinton, & Fischer, 2011, p. 10). With this understanding of how both sides of the brain work, teachers and researchers can better train and teach students how to do things based on what side brain they use the most. There should not be just one way of learning something. Teachers have a hard job, but with knowledge and understanding they can better equip today’s leaders with the right tools to success. In conclusion, both sides of the brain are powerful in their own ways. The left side hemisphere learn by logical process and right side hemisphere learns by more creative ways. With understanding what each side does and how both sides might work together, we can come up with better ideas on how to teach students better for all types of learners. There is no one right way to teach someone something. It is finding that way to get them to understand things that poses as a challenge for us today. Each side serve their purpose and help each other along the way. With this understanding, we can become better teachers for the average person to the mentally disabled. References Green, F. E. (1999). Brain and Learning Research: Implications for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners. Education, 119(4), 682. Hopper, C. (2007). Learning Styles. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from Learning Styles: http://frank. mtsu. edu/~studskl/hd/learn. html. Sousa, D. R. (1995). How the brain learns. Reston, VA: NASSP. Worden, J. M. , Hinton, C. , & Fischer, K. W. (2011). What Does the Brain Have to Do with Learning?. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(8), 8-13.

Importance of Pakistan Location Essay

Geo strategic means the importance of a country or a region as by virtue of its geographical location. Geo political is defined as, stressing the influence of geographic factors on the state power, international conduct and advantages it derives from its location. Stephen Cohn describes this importance â€Å"While history has been unkind to Pakistan, its geography has been its greatest benefit. It has resource rich area in the north-west, people rich in the north-east.† Pakistan is a route for transportation, and a front line state against terrorism. Importance of Pakistan Location Location of Pakistan Pakistan is located between 23 degrees.30 North to 37 degrees North Latitude and 61 degrees East to 77 degrees East Longitude. China lies in the north of Pakistan while Afghanistan and Iran are in the West of it. India lies in the East and in the South is Arabian Sea. The Importance of Location The location of Pakistan is not only unique in the world but of special importance in South Asia. Pakistan links the east with the west. Some important neighbouring countries of Pakistan are as under. China There is 600 km long territory of Pakistan along the border of China. Both countries have political, cultural and trade relations with each other. There is a close cooperation between the two countries in heavy machine industry and many other departments. Silk, cloth, machines etc. are imported from China. India India is a Hindu country in the East of Pakistan. There is a common border of 1600 kilometre in between these countries. Both countries are trying to solve their problems including Kashmir. Due to this enmity, wars of 1948, 1965 and 1971 have been fought between the two countries. In the last war, our one wing East Pakistan got separated from us due to this enmity. India is always busy in conspiracy by the cooperation of a super power despite of knowing that it is better for the welfare of both countries to develop  pleasant terms .Fifteen crore Muslims live in India. Their protection is also a big problem. Central Asian Islamic Countries Pakistan has religious, cultural and economic relation with the Central Asian Islamic Countries. Pakistan is the only country that provides them the nearest sea route and transport facilities. These countries lie in the North West of the Pakistan. Afghanistan Afghanistan is situated to the West of Pakistan. When the English got the control of sub-continent, according to a pact with Afghanistan in 1893, the permanent border between the two countries was marked which is called Durand Line. This line is about 2240 kilometers long with the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries have old religious, cultural and trade terms. Iran To the West of Pakistan is the border of Iran along province of Balochistan. It is our Islamic brother country. Iran was the first country which recognized the existence of Pakistan in 1947. Iran has made political and trade pacts known as R.C.D. Its name is E.C.O which means Discipline for Economic Cooperation. Iran openly helped Pakistan during the wars of 1965 and 1971. Pakistan proves its friendship with Iran in every hour of need. Islamic revolution has come in Iran by the end of kingship. It has also better relations with Pakistan. Trade through Arabian Sea Arabian Sea is in Indian Ocean. Most of the trade between east and west is done through Indian Ocean. Pakistan through Arabian Sea is linked with the Muslims Countries of Persian Gulf. All of them are rich in oil. In Karachi Bin Qasim and Gwader are important seaports of Pakistan. In this respect South-East Asian Muslim countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Burunai, Darussalam) and South Asian Muslim countries (Bangladesh, Maldives and SriLanka) are important. Strategic Importance of Pakistan Proximity of great powers: Pakistan is located at the junction of great powers. In its neighbor’s one  world power Russia and the other emerging power china lies. Any alliance among world powers enhances its significance. This factor has been utilized by Pakistan after 9/11. Security and business are two main US interests in the region while Pakistan is playing a front line role in the war against terrorism. Apart from this US interest in the region to contain the growing china, nuclear Iran, terrorist Afghanistan and to benefit from the market of India. Today the political scenario of the region is tinged with preemption policy and US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran’s nuclear program, India’s geopolitical muscles (new strategic deal with US) to gain hegemony and to counter the rise of China. Which has earned all the qualities to change unipolar world into bipolar world. In all these issues, Pakistan is directly or indirectly involved especially after al-Qaeda operations. The American think tank has repeatedly accepted that war against terrorism could never be won without the help of Pakistan. Gateway to Central Asia-(oil and energy game): Central Asia is the center stage of new Great games. Western quest for resources- oil and energy resources in the central Asia. After USSR decline, new quest started which is as manifested by politics of oil. Pakistan is located very close to the oil rich Middle Eastern countries. The belt started from Iran and extended to Saudi Arabia. Thus, Pakistan can influence shipment of oil. Iran is struggling to export its surplus gas and oil to eastern countries, Qatar, Pakistan and Turkmenistan pipeline projects highlight the position. In the energy scarce world, Pakistan is located in the hub of energy rich countries i-e Iran and Afghanistan: both are energy abundant while India and china are lacking. China finds way to Indian Ocean and Arabian sea through Karakoram highway, Significance as a Transit economy: Pakistan has the potential to develop transit economy on account is its strategic location, land locked Afghanistan now at the phase of reconstruction finds its ways through Pakistan. China with its fastest economy growth rate of 9% us developing southern provinces because its own part is 4500 km away from Sinkiang but Gwader is 2500 km away. Moreover, Pakistan offers central Asian regions the shortest route of 2600 km as compared to Iran 4500 km or turkey 5000 km. gwader port with its deep waters  attracts the trade ships of china, CAR and south east Asian countries., also the coastal belt of Balochistan can provide outlet to china’s western provinces to have access to middles eastern markets with the development of coastal highways and motorways. Important link in the chain of Muslim countries: If we look at the map of Muslim countries, Pakistan occupies a central location. Towards west of Iran, china extends to North Africa. Thus it can actively participate in the activities of Muslim world-economic development, transport of resources and above all combat terrorism. Only Muslim country with nuclear capability: In the region Pakistan is the only Muslim country having nuclear capability which has great influence on the political, socio-economic activities in the region and the maintenance of status quo in the region. China’s link to the Middle East: Pakistan is the only direct and shortest link between China and the Middle East. Imagine the impact of China on the Middle East, if this link is fully functional. Gwadar Port located in proximity of Arabian Gulf and Central Asian Republics provide it unique opportunity to serve both. Pakistan needs to capitalize on them through better diplomatic ties with Arab states and CARs. It is therefore anticipated that oil reserves and other resources of CARs would gradually become the focus of world attention in coming years. However, in case of â€Å"exports to and from CARs† a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is must. The port will also help in promoting trade with Gulf States possessing 63% of world’s oil reserves and will prove instrumental in promoting trans-shipment essentially of containerized cargo besides unlocking the development potential for hinterland. The most important factor that makes Gawadar Port strategically unique is the location with respect to other major ports in the region, which are all located on the other side of the sea. Gwadar port being towards north can easily provide services and facilities to CARs, Afghanistan and China. Reduce Indian hegemony in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean: India has a shared interests with the U.S. and NATO in the subjection of Pakistan. Pakistan would cease to be a client state of the U.S. or a manageable state, because of a likely revolution that would occur in the scenario of a broader war in the Middle East against Iran or a far larger Eurasian war involving China and Russia. Nuclear weapons in the hands of such a revolutionary government in Islamabad would be a threat to Indian national security, NATO operations in Afghanistan, and Israel. It is in the shared interests of the U.S., NATO, Israel, and India to neutralize such a strategic and tactical threat from emerging in Pakistan. This is why NATO has underpinned the objective of balkanizing Pakistan and why the U.S. has talked about taking over Pakistani nuclear facilities via the U.S. military. The subjection of Pakistan is also territorially and militarily to the advantage of New Delhi, because it would eliminate a rival and allow India to gain territory that in the view of many Indians was lost with the partition of India in 1947. Economic Significance of Gwadar Port Gwadar Port is Pakistan’s largest infrastructural project since independence. Gwadar Deep Seaport is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, close to the important Straits of Hormuz, through which more than 13 million barrels of oil passes daily. Ever since the construction of Gwadar deep seaport has been undertaken, it is an opportunity for the people of Balochistan to improve the living conditions in their province. Neighbouring countries are very much interested in investing in Gwadar especially China and has already spent $248 million in its construction. The geographical and strategic location makes the Gwadar Deep Seaport at a much advantageous position than other competing ports, like Rashid and Jebel Ali ports of Dubai, Salalah Port of Oman, Bandar Abbas and Chahbahar ports of Iran. 95% trade takes place through sea in Pakistan. Karachi port is handling 68% whereas Port Qasim takes care of 32% of the sea borne trade. The projected rise in total trade by the year 2015 is 91 million tons. This will increase shipping activity phenomenally at the existing port. Gwadar will help Pakistan to monitor the Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs) originating from the Persian Gulf and bottle neck at Strait of Hormuz. Both military and economic power now depends upon oil. It is expected that Gwadar city in  future would turn into an international hub of industrial and commercial activity, which would not only play a key role in the economic development of Balochistan, but also the entire country. To facilitate rapid commercial and economic development, Gwadar will be declared a special economic zone for a certain period. The length of this period has not yet been determined. The SEZ is likely to cover the city of Gwadar and the industrial areas currently planned and foreseen. The specific incentives-regime is likely to include general tax-holidays, no VAT and generous incentives pertaining to business ownership and employment of foreigners. The main purpose of this concept is to accelerate economic development and investments, both foreign and local, in general. This in turn will spur industrial development and port traffic throughput demand. It would also contribute more rapidly to employment creation and uplifting of the Gwadar district and of Balochistan. Trade Significance of Pakistan with Land Locked Countries Pakistann is located in the heart of three vital regions: South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia and thus provides the shortest access to the sea for all landlocked countries of Central Asia besides Western China. It is a fast emerging junction for multiple corridors of cooperation between Afghan, China and CAR involving energy, trade and transportation. Communication and trade correlation between South, Central and West Asia passing through Pakistan has transformed our country into an economic center, giving a boost to inter-regional economic activity. Geographically bordered by Iran on the west, Afghanistan on the northwest, China on the northeast, and Arabian Sea lying in the south has promoted the multi-lateral trade with neighboring countries effectively from the last decades. Pakistan is blessed with three major seaports, i.e., Karachi port, Qasim Port and Gwadar port, along with Arabian Sea, which are the main passageway for the transportation via sea to Pakistan also it borders with Afghanistan and China. Geographically lack of a common border with any Central Asian state is one of the primary impediments to accessing the region. Tajikistan, which has borders with Afghanistan and China, is the most strategically located country from Pakistan’s standpoint. Wakhan Corridor, an area in far northeastern Afghanistan that connects Afghanistan and China, could be the most convenient land link between Pakistan and Tajikistan. Influence of U.S.A Invasion in Afghanistan on Trade of Pakistan The conflict and instability in Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks and their regional implications had very negative repercussions for the years following the US invasion of Afghanistan not only saw a huge influx of Afghan refugees across the border into Pakistan but also witnessed a sudden spike in the frequency and scale of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The cumulative impact of these developments adversely impacted the overall growth rate in all major sectors of the economy. Pakistan continues to pay a heavy price both in the economic and security terms due to this situation and a substantial portion of precious national resources both men and material, have been diverted to address the emerging security challenges for the last several years. This situation disrupted Pakistan’s trading activities which not only resulted in higher costs of business but also created disruptions in the production cycles, resulting in significant delays in meeting the export orders around the globe. As a result, Pakistani products have gradually lost their market share to their competitors. Consequently, economic growth slowed down, demand for imports reduced with declined tax collection and inflows of foreign investment. Conclusion From a general strategic point of view, Pakistan location is very important. Pakistan is a junction of south Asia, west Asia and central Asia; a way from resource efficient countries to resource deficient countries. The world is facing energy crises and terrorism. Pakistan is a route for transportation and a front line state against terrorism. Moreover Pakistan has been traditionally ally of emerging economic giant; china. So in the vague of any change in world politics, Pakistans geo-strategic significance would further be enhanced. Suggestions Pakistan geography has been its greates benefit. It has resource rich areas, and today Pakistanis are a spirited, modern and forward looking nation and it is undoubtedly no overstatement that educated and passionate and zealous people possesses the most lush mind in the world. What is needed is to just  channelize energies of people and provide them opportunities to outshine themselves and proper use of resources thereby bringing a incredible change to the fortune of Pakistan. References http://defence.pk/threads/geo-strategic-significance-of-pakistan.269246/#ixzz3JhbDa5Ru https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140520173701-91576495-afghan-car-and-chinese-transit-trade-through-pakistani-ports http://aboutpak.blogspot.com/2012/05/importance-of-location-of-pakistan-in.html http://www.pakistanaffairs.pk/threads/13740-Geo-Strategic-Significance-of-Pakistan Dailytimes 03-Jun-2014 Pakistan-lost-RS 8264 billion in war on terror