Marijuana legalization

White House, it is the most commonly used recreational drug in the United States. It has been proven to be less harmful than alcohol, which is currently legal; and prohibition caused a black market to arise leading to an increase in an organized criminal activity. The fght against those organizations is costing a great amount of money and was cause for the loss of many innocent. While there are strong arguments in support of prohibition there are stronger arguments in support of the legalization if marijuana than there are counterarguments to keep the substance illegal.When comparing the Alcohol Prohibition in the 1920s and compare hat situation with the current situation with the legal status of marihuana, we cans ee that a repetition of history is occurring. According to Douglas McVoy, at the beginning of prohibition, the consumption of alcohol fell, however eventually it increased again. Since the drug was illegal and only the black market could sell it, a significant amount of ta x revenue was removed and crime rates increased in addition to become more organized.Consumption, illicit production, and distribution grow exponentially; therefore courthouses and prison systems were exhausted from such an increase in crime due to illicit alcohol. Government spent great amount of money devoted to enforcement, in fact, the annual budget of the Bureau of Prohibition went from $4. 4 million to $13. 4 million during the 1920s, while the Coast Guard spending on Prohibition averaged over $13 million per year. (McVoy). This are some reasons that proved that alcohol prohibition was a failure to the United States.Comparing the alcohol with the cannabis prohibitions. Marijuana is the most used recreational drug in the United States, as reported by the White House (Marijuana). One could say that after a long term of prohibition, the consumption rates have increased. Like in the 1920s with alcohol, there is now a huge black market that sells marijuana and its essentially lead by organized criminal groups. According to Steve Nelson, Marijuana offenses accounted for 48. 3 percent of all drug arrests in 2012 (Nelson) and more than 80 percent of marijuana arrests are now for simple possession (Kilmer,etc. . United States government spends enormous amounts of money in the fght against drugs and the criminal groups grow more and more each day. Alcohol prohibition was considered a failure and, actually, we are experiencing some situations today that the United States taced in the 920s Since betore marihuana was prohibited, the drug was used in a medical way. It has been proven that cannabis used as a medicine can relieve chronic pain, which is cause by a significant number of pain- producing illnesses.Marijuana can assist many mental health problems, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depressions. It can also be used as an analgesic (painkiller) or an anti- inflammatory drug for autoimmun e diseases, diseases that arise when the body cannot create an appropriate immune response to substances or tissues present ormally on the body. Such diseases could be rheumatoid arthritis, complex sympathetic dystrophy, and so on (Bearman). California was the first state in the United States that legalized medical marijuana.One of the negative results of this legalization is the significant increase of individuals seeking treatment for marijuana abuse or dependence (Kilmer, etc. ). This could mean that there has been an increase in consumption. One interpretation of this phenomenon is that people which use marijuana as a recreational drug rather than a medical drug, seek treatment not to eal with a substance abuse but to manage a legal problem (Kilmer,etc. ). Even though marijuana can be used as a medical supplement, this does not mean it do not have secondary effects on human ‘s bodies.Marijuana can also get to be harmful. In fact, THC (The major component in cannabis that g ets you â€Å"high†) by binding to receptors in the basal ganglia and cerebellum can disrupt coordination and balance of the body. Therefore doing complicated tasks such as driving, participation in sports, or learning is affected. One of the long lasting effects cannabis can produce on you is psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia. This illness alters a person's ability to make good Judgments, understand reality, communicate or think clearly.Memory can also be affected by marijuana consumers, studies has proven that THC alters how information is processed in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory information (National drug Institute). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana also affects your cardiovascular system. After a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, the heart rate, which is normally between 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats or even double in some cases. Mixing marihuana with other drugs can amplify thi s effect.This means that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking is about four times his usual risk. (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Before legalizing and decriminalizing the use and possession of marijuana, a regulation system should be instituted, that, like Douglas Mcvay stated, should not be the same as systems used during the legalization of tobacco and alcohol. Those models of legalization taught the world and the United States a lesson of how not to regulate the use of these drugs (McVay).Cigarettes and alcohol advertising companies spend significant amounts of money to promote the use of their products which ultimately contributes to many health problems and eventually the death for many users. An example of a non-regulated drug after it was legalized was after the repeal of alcohol prohibition, where the death rate from liver cirrhosis increased dramatically (McVay). To prevent the abuse of marijuana, governments should build a system to regul ate its use. An important part of the system build for legalization according to RAND Corporation is the price the drug is going to have.

Branding Bangladesh Essay

We would always be available and ready to explain further any of the contexts whenever asked. Sincerely yours, Members of the Brainstormers Acknowledgements Any comprehensive work such as report making owes credit to multitude of people. Certainly, we should acknowledge the contributions of the pioneers in the field of marketing & branding, especially those whose teachings have become a part of our thinking. First we commit ourselves grateful to almighty Allah who gives us power and knowledge to complete the report. Then we acknowledge our honorable course teacher Rafiuddin Ahmed; who has opened the door of knowledge in front of us. Through the whole semester he has broaden our outlook in Pricing and related sector. Next we acknowledge the Writer of the book who has helped a lot by writing a core book on: Strategic Brand Management (3rd Edition) -Kevin Lane Keller Without the direct and indirect support of these dear people this report would not exist. Contents |Serial No. | Topic Name |Page no. | |1 |Introducing Sundarbans |12 | |2 Nation Branding |13 | |3 |Branding Bangladesh |13-14 | |4 |Why select Sundarbans |14 | |5 |Branding Sundarbans |15-18 | |6 |Main attractions |19-20 | |7 |Requirements and recommendations |21 | |8 |Key Development strategies for Branding Sundarbans |22-25 | |9 |Conlusion |26 | |10 |Reference |27 | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In our report, we have discussed about a very significant phenomenon and that is our country’s natural pride Sundarbans. No other thing is so important for our nation in branding our country than the one and only Sundarbans. It is our nation’s very much blessing from God that, he has given it upon us. Not only its natural beauty but also its natural resources have made us very resourceful. Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world and it was on the short list of the new natural Seven Wonders of the World. The most amazing matter about Sundarban is that, it is the only forest in the world where the Royal Bengal Tiger lives. This Bengal tiger is a very rare animal in the world and its now on the verge of extinction. Most part of the Sundarban is water covered area and that is why it is called mangrove forest. Bangladesh can easily brand this mangrove forest and could gain a lot of attention of the foreigners. As a UNESCO world heritage site, the government of Bangladesh can make this extraordinary forest much more attractive to the outside world especially to the westerners. This â€Å"Beautiful Forest† sundarbans is the thing that we can proud of very much. It can be the main attraction for the visitors who love forests. The beauty and natural resource of the Sundarbans can symbolize the natural beauty of Bangladesh. The name may have been derived from the  Sundari  trees (the mangrove species  Heritiera fomes) that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers. Tourism as an industry can have all grounds to contribute to the national exchequer along with other industries. Perhaps, it sounds quite new when it comes up as industry in our country but tourism is one of the oldest industries across the world. As we look into the growth of tourism in the region, we do come to see bewildering facts that many countries of this region those developed quite a lot in industry did not have substantial natural advantages to turn tourism into industry. Though Sundarban consists of two countries- Bangladesh and India, most part of it are located in the Bangladesh portion. And again most number of royal Bengal tiger also live in the Bangladesh part. For that reason, it can easily be a tourist attraction and thus could become a good tourist spot for the tourists all over the world. Introduction As a student of marketing, we have to acquire a thorough knowledge about nation branding and country image. As a result to brand our own country is a very big as well as effective effort for us to achieve that knowledge. Moreover, the worthwhile thing is that, Sundarbans could be a good area of interest for the foreigners to visit our country. The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat. According to the 2011 tiger census, the Sundarbans have about 270 tigers. Although previous rough estimates had suggested much higher figures close to 300, the 2011 census provided the first ever scientific estimate of tigers from the area. The management of wildlife is presently restricted to, firstly, the protection of fauna from poaching, and, secondly, designation of some areas as wildlife sanctuaries where no extraction of  forest produce  is allowed and where the wildlife face few disturbances. Although the fauna of Bangladesh have diminished in recent times[  and the Sundarbans has not been spared from this decline, the mangrove forest retains several good wildlife habitats and their associated fauna. Of these, the tiger and dolphin are target species for planning wildlife management and tourism development. There is high profile and vulnerable mammals living in two contrasting environments, and their statuses and management are strong indicators of the general condition and management of wildlife. Origin As a marketing student it is necessary to know different tactics and policies available to the term of Branding. The main purpose of our report is to make it an efficient as well as well-concerned item for a branding manifesto in the criteria of nation branding. Our teacher Mr. Rafiuddin Ahmed has been very much concerned with our topic and helped us in every step to create this wonderful report. The most important aspect of this report is that it has the latest information about the country aspect, the natural resources allocation items, the forest related articles and much more. It is a report which consists of all the current stuffs about the nature, the scenario, the natural habitat issue related to Sundarbans. Mostly our report is based on the nation branding that means we are very much focused to brand our country by Sundarbans and it is our main view of making this report. Therefore the natural scenario and the tourist attraction are all covered in this report about the Sundarbans. The most general view of this report is that, if a general person reads this report, he or she could easily understand the branding in Bangladesh and its current market situation, position, relevance in our country. Many organizations and renowned personalities of the world have made their report according to this planning process. Therefore to make this report meaningful and acceptable, we have tried our best to do this work a perfect one. Objectives Every report has some objectives. There are one broad objective and some specific objectives in their respective field. Our report on ‘Sources of Nation Branding’ has some specific objectives and a broad objective. Broad objective To make Sundarbans as a major branding element for Bangladesh. Specific objectives: ? To know the branding aspects of Sundarbans. ? To know the current tourism situations. ? To explain the various branding ways to brand our nation. Methodology We prepared one third of our report from secondary sources. We collected all the required information from different reference books, journal and related papers. All the members of our group worked hard in seminar for preparing this report. We also followed our text book for collecting some necessary information. The sheets provided by our course teacher also helped a lot for preparing report. Limitations We face some specific problem while preparing this report. These problems created some barriers to go ahead. Those specific problems are – 1. We didn’t get enough time to prepare this report, that’s why we prepared the report in a hurry. 2. We also had some financial problems to prepare the report. 3. We didn’t get all the required materials for enhancing the report. Introducing Sundarbans Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Two third of the Sundarbans remain in Bangladesh and the rest of it are situated in the India. The name  Sundarban  can be literally translated as â€Å"beautiful forest† in the  Bengali language  (Shundor, â€Å"beautiful† and  bon, â€Å"forest†). The name may have been derived from the  Sundari  trees (the mangrove species  Heritiera fomes) that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of  Samudraban  Shomudrobon  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sea Forest†) or  Chandra-bandhe  (name of a primitive tribe). However, the generally accepted view is the one associated with  Sundari  trees. The history of the area can be traced back to 200–300 AD. A ruin of a city built by  Chand Sadagar  has been found in the Baghmara Forest Block. During the  Mughal  period, the Mughal Kings leased the forests of the Sundarbans to nearby residents. Many criminals took refuge in the Sundarbans from the advancing armies of Emperor  Akbar. Many have been known to be attacked by Tigers  Many of the buildings which were built by them later fell to hands of Portuguese pirates, salt smugglers and dacoits in the 17th century. Evidence of the fact can be traced from the ruins at Netidhopani and other places scattered all over Sundarbans. The legal status of the forests underwent a series of changes, including the distinction of being the first  mangrove  forest in the world to be brought under scientific management. The area was mapped first in Persian, by the  Surveyor General  as early as 1764 following soon after proprietary rights were confiscated from the  Mughal Emperor Alamgir II  by the  British  East India Company  in 1757. Since the British had no expertise or adaptation in mangrove forests. Systematic management of this forest tract started in the 1860s after the establishment of a Forest Department in the  Province  of  Bengal, in  British India. The management was entirely designed to extract whatever treasures were available, but labor and lower management mostly were staffed by locals. Nation Branding Nation Branding is the establishment of an image (internally and externally) for a country based on positive and relevant values and perceptions. Nation branding aims to measure build and manage the reputation of countries (closely related to place branding). Some approaches applied, such as an increasing importance on the symbolic value of products, have led countries to emphasize their distinctive characteristics. The branding and image of a nation-state and the successful transference of this image to its exports – is just as important as what they actually produce and sell. This is also referred to as country-of-origin effect. Nation branding is still a developing field in which scholars continue their search for a unified theoretical framework. Many governments have resource dedicated to Nation Branding. Their aim is to improve their country’s standing, as the image and reputation of a nation can dramatically influence its success in attracting tourism receipts and investment capital; in exports; in attracting a talented and creative workforce and in its cultural and political influence in the world. Simon Anholt is widely considered to be the â€Å"founder†, â€Å"champion† and â€Å"instigator† of this concept and field of study and practice. Branding Bangladesh Like other countries, Bangladesh has started to brand her and trying to figure out the resources, capabilities, acumen in the related field. We have lots of scopes/opportunities; resources say novel laureates, historical places, longest beach in the world, culture, manpower, cuisine etc. Lack of proper branding initiative and expertise, we are lagging behind form the race of branding the country. Simon Anholt identifies 6 criteria for branding a nation. They are: 1. Tourism, 2. Exports, 3. Governance, 4. Investment ; immigration, 5. Culture and heritage and 6. People. Tourism sector Tourism sector has a lot of potentiality for branding. It can be our major criteria for branding. We can create a positive brand image about Bangladesh by branding our beautiful tourist area. Because most of the people when think about any country, the first visual image come to mind that the tourism place of the country. We have many place in the country which is full of natural beauty, they need to be properly advertised and maintained. Why Select Sundarbans We have the largest mangrove forest in the world. This is The Sundarbans. The Sundarbans over the years attracts adventurous forest product collectors, hunters, nature and wildlife lovers, researchers, and tourists. The beauty and natural resource of the Sundarbans can symbolize the natural beauty of Bangladesh. It has the unique beauty with the dazzling expanse of green, the blue heaven overhead meeting the horizon, the playful high tide and the ebb, the very smell of life in the air and the pristine sea beach. The Sundarbans play an important role in the economy of the southwestern region of Bangladesh as well as in the national economy. It is the single largest source of forest produce in the country. The forest has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1999. So, we select Sundarbans for Branding Bangladesh. Branding Sundarbans The word â€Å"brand† is widely used but unequally understood. Its meaning ranges from source country to consumer’s perception about a product. In today’s world, consumer perception gets more currency. If we put it simply, a brand is defined as a name, term, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of all these elements that is intended to identify the goods or services of a seller and differentiate them from competitors. According to marketing guru Philip Kotler, â€Å"Brand image is the set of beliefs consumers hold about a particular brand. † Simon Anholt, pioneer of nation branding, argues that brand is intangible because it has brand value as outlined in his book Brand New Justice. The brand value lies in the trust of a brand name for quality and reliability, a form of guarantee for its reputation, a promise the brand delivers and the service it provides to the consumers. An increasing importance of the symbolic value of products has led marketers and, consequently, policy makers of countries to leverage their products with distinctive characteristics of the country of origin. Here comes the concept of ‘place branding’. Dr Heather Skinner provides a comprehensive definition of place branding: â€Å"a place’s promotional activities, contextualized in the domain of marketing communications, marking the place with a distinct identity in the minds of the various target groups targeted by the incorporated place, from an inside-out approach, assuring the place’s multiple stakeholders, in partnership, manage and communicate the place’s brand identity to a wider world as they wished it to be presented. † The idea of nation branding is an extended form of ‘place branding’. Nation branding focuses on the nation as a whole — its people, culture and heritage, products and exports, investment, climate, tourism and so on. Bangladesh must take care of its own brand. This means that it must invest in its brand. It must manage and promote its brand. This is a task that must be taken by the government. The government has to take initiative to identify the full agenda of the country and mobilise the power. For this, the government needs to involve the key stakeholders. Participation in the branding process would encourage the stakeholders to promote the brand. The government, with a positive initiative, can get the willing support of other stakeholders. Every citizen and organization in a country would like to share a positive image of the country. A successful brand will represent the diverse. A good brand will take into account the inherent complexities and, at the same time, it will differentiate the nation from the others, putting it in the best light possible, without exaggeration or distortion. Bangladesh is a wonderful Country in the world. Bangladesh has many tourist spot. All spot are very attractive and well-known. Sundarban is one of them. It is more beautiful place for the Tourist. The largest mangrove forest in the World (140,000 ha). The World famous Royal Bengal Tiger’s homeland and about 400 tigers live in sundarban. About 30,000 wonderful spotted deer live in sundarban. There are many Tourist Spot in Sundarban. We have the largest mangrove forest in the world. This is The Sundarbans. It can be the main attraction for the visitors who love forests. The beauty and natural resource of the Sundarbans can symbolizes the natural beauty of Bangladesh. place. Our most of the tea garden is situated in Sylhet district. It can symbolize the beautiful image of Bangladesh. KATKA Katka is one of Heritage sites in Sunderban. In Katka there is a wooden watching tower of 40 ft. high from where you can enjoy the scenic beauty of Sundarban. A beautiful sea beach is there is Katka; you will enjoy while you are walking to go the beach from the watching tower. Verities birds are visible in Katka. Most beautiful place in sundarban. Kotka beach is truely magnificent. This sand track   is five km long. I heard   Kotka Beach is beautiful. But, it was more than beautiful. Moreover, it is built by nature and cared by nature. We were standing in front of Bay of Bengal and behind us there was the largest mangrove forest of the world. The weather was perfect to take a sea bath. We made a lot of joy while some other were too busy to keep the snaps of this beautiful place in a beautiful day. We   stayed there till noon and then slowly made a return walk through the mysterious jungle of Sundarban again. It was really a thrilling walk. If one are interested to go to kotka beach, you will find it  Ã‚  south-east of  Ã‚  Nilkamal  Ã‚  in the range of the Sundarbans. Usually it is convenient to start from the nearby island of Mongla (Khulna) by a variety of different boats, such as speedboats and cabin cruisers. The World famous Royal Bengal Tiger’s homeland and about 400 tigers live in sundarban. About 30,000 wonderful spotted deer live in sundarban. There are many Tourist Spot in Sundarban. Katka is one of Heritage sites in Sunderban. Katka a base for safaris, and well spot to see tigers and for bird-watching. Katka is well known for many rare and majestic wild animals. At Katka, one can see many precious wild animals right from tigers to deer and also varieties of birds and many kinds of monkeys. Here one can hear the natures’ music mixed with the wild fowls in the mornings and evenings. For those interested in wildlife trekking, the vast expanse of grassy meadows running from Katka to Kachikhali (Tiger Point) is an ideal route. Don’t miss this place if you are an adventurous tourist. HIRAN POINT This is another tourist spot in Sunderban. It is called the world heritage state. You can enjoy the beauty of wild nature and dotted dears walking and running in Hiron point. There is number of spot in sundarban. Hiron Point is another tourist spot in Sunderban. It is called the world heritage state. Hiron Point is a graceful spot, great for spotting tigers and other spectacular and rare wildlife animals. Also known as Nilkamal, it is well-known for tiger, deer, monkey, crocodiles and many precious birds. Often they are looking out there. This place attracts many tourists owing to its natural beauty and connate splendor. This is a place to have a look at the rare species of wild animals and birds, to be noted in the diary of bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Every visitors can Enjoy their time by watching this beautiful sinary of the nature. Here land and water meet in many novel fashions, Wildlife presents many a spectacle. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks. With the approach of the evening herds of deer make for the darking glades where boisterous monkeys shower Keora leaves from above for sumptuous meal for the former. For the botanist, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter this land provides a variety of wonder for which they all crave. Its  beauty  lies in its unique natural surroundings. MAIN ATTRACTIONS Wildlife photography including photography of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, wildlife viewing, boating inside the forest will call recordings, nature study, meeting fishermen, wood-cutters and honey-collectors, peace and tranquility in the wilderness, seeing the world’s largest mangrove forest and the riverine beauty. FAMOUS SPOTS The main tourist spots in Sundarban are Karamjol, Katka, Kochikhali, Hiron point and Mandarbaria. Hiron Point (Nilkamal) for tiger, deer, monkey, crocodiles, birds and natural beauty. Katka for deer, tiger, crocodiles, varieties of birds and monkey, morning and evening symphony of wild fowls. Vast expanse of grassy meadows running from Katka to Kachikhali (Tiger Point) provides opportunities for wild tracking. Tin Kona Island for tiger and deer. KARAMJOL Karmajal is one of the wonderful visiting places in sundarban. To appreciate and to view the most cherished species of Bangladesh’s wildlife, thousands of visitors make their way to Karamjol, a ranger station deep in the forest that also serves as a deer-breeding center. Bangladesh has some exquisite wildlife species that are unique to the country, and Karamjol is one of the gateways to the majestic wildlife sanctuary, Sundarban. About karamjol: Karamjol is one of the gateways to the majestic wildlife sanctuary, Sundarban. ? Karamjol, a ranger station deep in the forest that also serves as a deer-breeding center. ? In the year 1966, the 38 500 square kilometers of Sundarban was declared a wildlife sanctuary . ? Hunting in this area is strictly prohibited and illegal. ? Karamjol is one the main tourist attraction point in shundarban. ? Every year thousands of visitors make their trip to karamjol. ? The preservation and conservation of rare and endangered species, such as the Royal Bengal Tigers, are the primary concern of this national park. Wildlife of karamjol the treasure of karamjol is its wildlife. t is a kind of the focal point for the tourists. here one can enjoy the true sprite of the amateur forest. here one can see many kinds of species from birds to crocodiles. The lists of wildlife are following thereby: 1. Mammal, 2. Insect. 3. Bird species (260 species). 4. Reptiles and fish (120 species). 5. Wildlife enthusiast can look forward to viewing River Dolphins. 6. Salt-Water Crocodiles. 7. Deer. 8. Wild boar. 9. Ducks. 10. Sandpipers. 11. Moths. 12. Monkeys. 13. Snakes. 14. Foxes. 15. And the ever elusive and graceful Royal Bengal Tiger. Requirements and Recommended Items The requirements to make a trip to karamjol are quite easy and hassle free. they are following thereby: Visitors who are elicited in catching a glimpse of the breathtaking wildlife of Bangladesh at Karamjol and Sundarban must first gain permission from the Forest Officer before entering the forest. ? And vaccines against Cholera must be taken before leaving for Karamjol. ? Other recommended items for the trip include dressing according to the tropical climate. ? boots with rubber soles or comfortable walking shoes ? Adequate drinking water. ? Insect repellent. ? A medical kit. ? Anti-diarrhea medication. ? And ant-malarial medication is also proposed. Karamjol and the breathtaking natural world of the Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary await the adventurous traveler. To stand in one of the world’s largest mangrove belts, the mysterious forests and swamp land, and be amidst he picturesque jungle of Bangladesh, is an experience that will stay forever embedded in the hearts of those who come to explore Bangladesh. DUBLAR CHOR Bangladesh is a wonderful country. Along with sky touching hills and forests there are a lot of majestic beaches and islands. Dublar chor is one of them. This island is an awesome place for visitors. This beautiful little island can be found on the southern border of the Sundarbans. It looks onto the magnificent bay of bangle, providing visitors with some outstanding views. It can be said that Dublar Chor is like paradise in the Bay of Bengle. Around 50,000 individuals stop here every year. Many of these visitors are local, but each year more and more foreigners seem to be added t o the mix. One of the main reasons that so many people make the trip out to Dublar Char annually is because it is the best location to celebrate Rash Mela and holy bath. This Hindu festival is based on the meeting of Radha and Krishna a pairing which is celebrated by a three-day long annual festival. The tradition dates back more than 200 years and is incredibly exciting for both local and international visitors . The island is beautiful and awesome†- that’s what I can say about the Dublar Char. The beach Is a nice one. And the water is like glass. Most important thing is that there is no  pollution  in the island. All are built by nature and taken care of by nature. Forest is very near and you can feel it. | | | | | | Dublar Char, a beautiful island known for its picturesque scenes, is famous for fishing and is a place for fishermen with abundant of fish fauna. One can enjoy the fishing here, The Island has all the natural beauty of any of the world renowned Islands. It is an attractive island where herds of spotted deer are often seen to graze. A casual walk around the Island provides the tourist with the chance of spotting many wild animals. With water all around and with lots of fish fauna, Dublar Char offers unique experience to the enthusiastic visitors. Key Development strategies for Branding Sundarbans 1. Establishing Priority Zones: Overall development of tourism in a country is a huge task that should be a coordinated effort while stakeholders, both public and private one, must reach a consensus in designing and creating priority zones for tourism in Bangladesh. Selecting priority zones is something that needs special focus and consideration from different sectors like Ministry of Civil Aviation & Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, different Chambers of Commerce & Industries, and interested corporate houses. To present an international standard Tourism Site, we not only have to take soft policies but also have to take hard policies as well. We ought to realize and believe that Branding for Sundarbans for the international visitors needs to understand the nature of available Tourism facilities they are interested in. 2. Marketing Mix Strategy: For any commercial venture appropriate marketing mix can play a dominating role along with other relevant mechanisms. When it comes to marketing mix for Sundarbans, the concept of marketing mix has to be understood in a way that the industry can become objectively profit oriented by using all its competitive advantages. The 7P’s, that is – Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence, of the marketing mix needs to pragmatically be considered to create effective market oriented customer services that can attract the local and international customers. There are sea, hill, historical and cultural tourism products in Bangladesh. That is why the nature of marketing strategy or product strategy should comply with the regions and its vicinity. Tourism as an invisible sector especially international tourism, as one of the most vibrant indistinguishable export sectors, get significant amount of foreign exchange to the balance of payment and makes very important contribution to the economic growth of a country (Hossain 2006). Tourism is regarded as an invisible export because it has the potential to bring foreign exchange to a country, through the provision of services to overseas visitors (Davidson 1994). 3. Branding Bangladesh as a Largest Mangrove Forest: In order to promote any country as tourist destination the collective efforts from the different stakeholders are mandatory because the bigger success of the promotion abroad depends on creating and presenting a very positive image of the country where the role of branding plays a definitive performance. So far as our tourism experiences are concerned our biggest fallout in tourism is lack of brand image. Briton (1979) in his article â€Å"the image of the third world in tourism marketing† pointed out the inability of the tourism industry to represent destinations as real places and noted that the third world destinations are portrayed as paradise, unspoiled, sensuous, mystical and/or exotic and these types of representation affect tourists’ expectations and behavior. As a result, branding Tourism in Bangladesh is a part of Branding Bangladesh as a nation, what means that Bangladesh should be branded first as a nation so that the products of the Bangladesh can be placed in the other parts of the world. Baker (2007) argues that creating a brand that is going to stand out from competitors, resonate with customer needs, and gain the support of local stakeholders requires patience, vision, collaboration, and strategic thinking. This is the high time for us to have a collective branding approach for Bangladeshi products abroad in general and for tourism in Bangladesh in particular. 4. Communications Strategy: Communication means a total sum of different facilities provided by roads and transports, power and energy, telecom and ICT based communication and so on. When the question of branding Bangladesh comes to the table of discussion, ur strategists both private and public ones should have a comparative picture of our communications with our neighborin g countries. Our roads and transport system cannot meet the global standard. Most of the roads of inter-district communications have been suffering from severe damage and maltreatment, for example, one passenger has to take about 7- 9 hours from Dhaka to Khulna. About 95% of the foreign airlines don’t cover any destinations of the country rather than Dhaka. The domestic flights between Dhaka and other destinations are not hassle free. World Wide Web creates a new avenue for a number of new players into the tourism marketplace. Internet as a main distribution mechanism for direct contact is the noteworthy creation. A well-organized, informative, easily accessible attractive website needs to be designed to pull the tourists. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the prime criteria here to make the browser hit the particular website. Better communication will increase the number of domestic tourists as well as overseas tourists. 5. Accommodation Strategy Developing unique accommodation facilities is an integral part of total tourism approach. What has to be stated here is that accommodation facility for tourism industry must be designed in different tiers. In addition, establishment of food shops and restaurants should also focus on income level of the different tourists. Here we want to state that local administration and business body should come forward to control this malpractice. In order to attract international tourists, some accommodation facilities should have all kind of services that are making available by our competitors. 6. Role of Financial Institutions: Tourism has yet to be recognized as an industry in our country. To establish or to recognize a concern as industry different organs of the society, business and government should frame a uniform code of policies where the role of financial institutions is in the front line. Short, medium and long-term project-financing needs to be made available to boost need-based portfolio investment in tourism sector. So, financial institutions, different business organizations and potential investors of this sector might develop a joint working policy to turn tourism into a full-fledged industry where concerned backward and forward linkage industries are equally treated as inevitable part of tourism advancement in Bangladesh. 7. Safety and Security Strategy Many of our tourist places happen to be quite vulnerable to security concerns. Most people believe that effective vigilance by the security agencies play vital role in maintaining security. In some cases, it is true that law enforcing authority can ensure safety and security. On the other hand, if we look into causes of the insecurity in one place, surprisingly it is found that most miscreants and trouble makers are from the locality. Consequently, moral, ethical and cultural upliftment of the local people, to a large extent, is the fundamental and sentinel for ensuring security of tourists. In the same vein, some quarters think that formation and the deployment of especial security force, which may realistically be called â€Å"Tourist Police†, can provide substantial security benefit along with regular security agencies. For example, an specialized police (Beach Police) are already in operation in Cox’s Bazaar but what has to be in the front line is that they need to be equipped so as to withstand against any disturbance from any quarter on beaches. Tourism as an industry can have all grounds to contribute to the national exchequer along with other industries. Perhaps, it sounds quite new when it comes up as industry in our country but tourism is one of the oldest industries across the world. As we look into the growth of tourism in the region, we do come to see bewildering facts that many countries of this region those developed quite a lot in industry did not have substantial natural advantages to turn tourism into industry; however, they for example, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Singapore took effective and rational strategies to establish tourism as industry. At the same time, many countries of this region have earned considerable trust and financial benefit out of their tourism. Bangladesh as a country having enormous natural facilities and being at cross section of the land can be an illustrious destination of tourism. To make Bangladesh so, effective tourism strategies and contemporary product mix have no alternative. Therefore, categorization and segmentation of tourism product remain a challenging issue for our concerned strategies. As we understand, Bangladesh has dedicated room to develop tourism in the areas of hill, sea, history and culture. Concl usion The Sundarbans area is one of the most densely populated in the world, and the population is increasing. As a result, half of this ecoregion’s mangrove forests have been cut down to supply fuelwood and other natural resources. Despite the intense and large-scale exploitation, this still is one of the largest contiguous areas of mangroves in the world. Another threat comes from deforestation and water diversion from the rivers inland, which causes far more silt to be brought to the estuary, clogging up the waterways. A new Khulna Forest Circle was created in Bangladesh back in 1993 to preserve the forest, and Chief Conservators of Forests have been posted since. The direct administrative head of the Division is the Divisional Forest Officer, based at Khulna, who has a number of professional, subprofessional and support staff and logistic supports for the implementation of necessary management and administrative activities. The basic unit of management is the compartment. There are 55 compartments in four Forest Ranges and these are clearly demarcated mainly by natural features such as rivers, canals and creeks. The Sundarbans plays an important role in the economy of the southwestern region of  Bangladesh  as well as in the national economy. It is the single largest source offorest produce  in the country. The forest provides raw materials for wood based industries. In addition to traditional forest produce like timber, fuelwood, pulpwood etc. large scale harvest of non wood forest products such as thatching materials,honey, bees-wax, fish, crustacean and mollusk resources of the forest takes place regularly. The vegetated tidal lands of the Sundarbans also function as an essential habitat, produces nutrients and purifies water. The forest also traps nutrient and sediment, acts as a storm barrier, shore stabilizer and energy storage unit. Last but not the least, the Sunderbans provides a wonderful aesthetic attraction for local and foreign tourists.

Nature of Human Resource Management: Hiring and Recruiting

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION In the present time, Organization’s most important assets are its people i. e. Employees. These employees are the foundation on which the organization stands strong; without the human power to perform certain tasks, to produce, to operate, to analyze, etc no organization can live. Although the modern technologies have made a lot things much easier but nothing can replace the significance of the Human Resources. Therefore, Hiring is a very challenging, time consuming and costly function of the company.But what’s even harder – especially in today’s chaotic economic situation is, â€Å"Making the right Hire†. Recruiting and Selection is all about â€Å"hiring the right person for the right job at the right time. † Even a single wrong hire can affect the operations of the business and can cost the firm a fortune. In order to avoid making a bad hire, HR managers must carefully conduct and analyze the Human Resource P lanning (HRP) process. HRP is a process used by the organizations to ensure that it has right amount and kind of people to fulfill its particular goals in future.This is done by forecasting the Labor Demand for future and matching it with the forecasted Labor Supply of the firm. Organizations that do not conduct HRP or don not perform HRP properly may not be able to meet their future labor shortage or may have to resort to layoffs due to labor surplus. Even though hiring the right people with right skills is very protracted and difficult process but Human capital is a substantial investment and even a single mistake can put financial burden on the firm. The pace at which a business moves from survival mode to growth paths is largely dependent on the successful hiring of the correct employees.The prosperity of the business not only depends on hiring good people but hiring extremely talented people with the right skills for any particular job. Following are some useful tips for hiring right people for the right job: * Develop a detailed Job Description; identify the key responsibilities, functions and expectations for the position under question. * Design a careful Job Specification; specify the skills, requirements, experience and knowledge required for the position under question. * Use internal or external labor market to find adequate number of potential candidates * Conduct the Screening process wisely and horoughly in order to find valuable information regarding competitive salaries, intelligence and the working standards. * Try to use structured interview process to select the best possible candidates * Check references provided by the candidates, verify their degrees and other information provided by them and find out about their past working behaviors by contacting their ex boss or subordinates * After hiring, make the new hire welcomed and make him/her understand the culture of the organization through Orientation. Opening CasePAKISTAN CIVIL AVIATION A UTHORITY Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority is a Public sector autonomous body working under the Federal Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Defence. It was established on 7th December, 1982 as an autonomous body. Prior to its creation, a Civil Aviation Department in the Ministry of Defence used to manage the civil aviation related activities. The day of 7th December has significance, as it coincides with the date of creation of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944 as a result of the famous Chicago Convention.Incidentally, the United Nations have declared 7th December as the International Civil Aviation day and celebrated as such every year all over the World. All kinds of Civil Aviation related activities are performed by CAA including the regulatory, air traffic services, airport management, infrastructure and commercial development at the airports, etc. Recently, Civil Aviation Authority underwent Restructuring and Change Management process to meet t he present and future challenges.This organizational transformation process identified Structure, Culture, Skills, and Rewards as four tracks on which simultaneous emphasis is being laid. The Vision, Mission, and Core Values have been identified. Wide-angle buy-in process by CAA senior management with staff and lower levels for bridging communication gaps between different hierarchical levels of the organization has been taken. As a result of the Restructuring process, the fundamental organization structure has been balanced to focus on three core areas namely Regulatory, Air Navigations Services, and Airport Services.These Core / Line functions are fully supported by the various corporate functions of the organization. The restructuring process has helped Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to fully focus on:- * Strengthening its safety and security oversight role as per International Civil Aviation Organization requirements and standards. * To facilitate growth of the infrastructure development (Airports and Airport Cities) on a fast-track basis. Private sector participation in the process is also being encouraged. Enhanced Regulatory and air space management capabilities. Moreover, emphasis is being laid on commercialization of its assets and land with improved customer / passenger service standards, benchmarked with top performing international airports * Development of a New Aviation Policy for the country in consultation with the Ministry of Defence, Planning Commission, World Bank, Airlines, and Aviation Experts (Expected to be considered by the Cabinet for approval shortly). Investing in Human resource development through structured approach with particular focus on quality of people and enhancing their professional capability. Quality work on new initiatives is in progress such as introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Health, Security, Safety, and Environment (HSSE), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Ethics Management Program, Custome r feedback mechanism at the airports, Employees Performance Management system, benchmarking, outsourcing of non-core and wasteful activities, etc.Recently, we have embarked upon a challenging phased program to acquire international standards of Integrated Management System (IMS) in CAA during which the international standards of ISO 9001:2000 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) shall be acquired. VISION STATEMENT â€Å"Be world-class service provider in the aviation industry† MISSION STATEMENT â€Å"Provide safe, secure and efficient best-in-class aviation services to the stakeholders† CORE VALUES * Commitment * Professional Excellence * Customer Focus Safety and Security * Integrity ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE PCAA MANAGEMENT BOARD Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority is administered by the Board which performs tasks like policy formulation, execution, monitori ng and evaluation. The board is being assisted in different administrative and financial issues by the number of sub committees namely PCCA Executive Committee, PCAA Audit Committee and HR Committee. PCAA BOARD PCAA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PCAA AUDIT COMMITTEE HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT OF PCAA The HR department of PCAA is still under the developing process as it was formed only three years ago.Prior to the formation of the HR department there was an ‘Administrative Department’ which use to manage all the activities; finance, accounts, hiring and selection, employee record keeping, audit, etc. Even though the HR department is not completely established, PCAA HR is making pretty good efforts for fostering a prosperous corporate culture and developing organizational capabilities by designing an effective and efficient workforce who remains devoted towards the company. The head of the HR department is the Chief HR who is in Pay Group of 11. He is appointed by DG CAA (Director G eneral).Directorate of human resource delivers high quality of management services from manpower. HR supports the line function/directorates to achieve strategic goals of PCAA. HR directorates have five branches which perform different functions. Each Branch has different head called General Manager (GM) which then reports to chief HR for approval. Following are the branches of the HR Department of PCAA: * HR Employee Relation and Record Management (EM & RM) * HR Recruiting and Selecting (R & S) * HR Career Planning and Performance Measurement (CP & PM) * HR Pension * HR Training and Development (T&D)This report only discusses the HR Recruiting and Selection branch. The HR policies and strategies are formulated and designed in a way to develop a unified, stable and fair working environment for every single employee so that they perform in the best way they can. Moreover, every employee is provided with opportunities to learn and grow. HR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART RECRUITING AND SELECTION AT PCAA The Recruiting and Selection branch is responsible for attracting the potential candidates for any present or future vacant positions; it plans and provides employees with the right skills for the right job.Similarly, the branch also deals with the employee layoffs in case an employee is not performing up to the mark or is indulged in wrong working practices and sometimes the layoffs result due to labor surplus. This branch first seeks approval for any new hire for a post or layoffs from Director General. Before starting the Hiring and Selection process, the HR first conducts Human Resource Planning to find out about its labor demand and analysis. But the HRP process is performed in depth. After the discovering the human resource requirements through HRP the Recruiting and Selection process is started.PCAA Recruiting and Selection Process Human Resource Planning The present working environment has become extremely competitive for every business. People are now open to a gre at deal of opportunities and they are also well informed about the market place; candidates know the standard working practices and salary being paid by the various employers in an industry. Therefore, employees have become less loyal to the companies in general; if they are not satisfied or happy with their employer or subordinates then they don’t hesitate to switch to some other company.Keeping this trend in mind, PCAA HR performs a simple demand and supply analysis for its labor force. Demand Forecasting Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority uses a very simple method for forecasting the labor demand i. e. RATIO ANALYSIS. The method simply compares the ratio of the employees to CAA units with the expected number of employees for each job. Below is a sample table which demonstrates how the demand forecasting is done in PCAA. Column A shows the current number of employees holding the existing key positions in the firm. Column B calculates the present ratio of employees to PCCA un its.Column C calculates the expected number of employees for each job position in 2012 by multiplying the current ratio of employees to PCAA units by 32 (additional number of firms to be added). This is a Quantitative technique. Supply Forecasting Once the demand analysis is done the next step is to do labor supply forecasting. The labor requirements are fulfill either through Judgmental techniques. PCAA uses Executive Reviews; Top Management makes judgments about who should be promoted, reassigned or fired, and Vacancy analysis; judgments are made about likely employee movementsKey Positions| DEMAND FORECAST ANumber of Employees2010| BRatio ofEmployees/CAA Units(Col A/25)| Projected 2012 laborDemand for 32 Firms(Col B x 32)| Secretary Ministerof Defense| 25| 1. 00| 32| Vice Chief of Air Staff| 9| 0. 36| 12| Secretary Planning and Development division| 23| 0. 92| 29| Managing Director PIAC| 20| 0. 80| 26| Director General CAA| 14| 0. 56| 18| Deputy Director General| 22| 0. 88| 28| C hief HR| 25| 1. 00| 32| Chief Financial Officer| 20| 0. 80| 26| General Manager| 45| 1. 80| 58| Director Technical| 27| 1. 08| 35| TOTAL| 230| | 296| RecruitingRecruiting is the process of generating a pool of qualified candidates for a particular job. The firm must announce the job’s availability to the market (inside or outside the organization) and attract qualified candidates to apply. First of all the Recruiting and Selecting branch obtains the detail information about the vacant positions from the respective departments (such as finance, Operations, etc). This is explained in Job Description and Job Specification. However, if the vacancy exists for any HR position then HR develops the job description and job specification.Once all the relevant information is gathered then the job vacancies are announced to the general public through posting the news on their website and newspapers. The internal employees are also informed about the job vacancies through announcements, o fficial emails or office notice board. This is a newspaper ad: PCAA HR department receives job applications within 30 days of the publication of the advertisements (as per the mentioned date in the ads). All the job applications are carefully analyzed and scrutinized and then a certain amount of candidates are short-listed who are eligible for giving the written test.The HR (R&S) then forwards the list of selected candidates to National Testing Service (NTS). Written Test For ensuring transparency and upholding the motto of Merit, PCAA has outsourced its written test examination to a third party National Testing Service (NTS). This decision was made during the Executive Committee Meeting held on 27th July, 2007 as proprietary to conduct all type of written test on behalf of HR (R&S) branch. NTS carries out the written test once it receives the names of the short-listed candidates form HR (R&S).NATIONAL TESTING SERVICE (NTS) NTS is an organization who provides services for conducting academic performance evaluation tests which was formed in July 2002. Following are the test standards that NTS follows for all of its tests. * Developmental procedures * Suitability for use * Customer service * Fairness * Uses and protection of information * Validity * Assessment development * Reliability * Cut scores, scaling, and equating * Assessment administration * Reporting assessment results * Assessment use * Test Takers' rights and responsibilitiesAfter the test is conducted NTS compiles the results and announces them on their websites as well as forward them to HR (R;S) of PCAA. Then HR (R;S) branch is responsible for the development of merit list and issuance of interview call letter to top five candidates as per quota share given below: MERIT QUOTA| PERCENTAGES| PUNJAB| 50%| SINDH| 19%| SINDH (rural)| 11. 4%| SINDH (urban)| 7. 6%| NWFP| 11. 5%| BALOCHISTAN| 6%| AZAD KASHMIR| 2%| WOMEN | 10%| NON-MUSLIMS| 5%| DISABLE| 2%| Interview The candidates who made to the merit li st are called for the final phase of the Recruiting and Selection process i. . Interview. The interview can be conducted at five centers namely Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar. The Administration instructs the Airport Managers for making arrangements for the candidates. After interview, HR (R;S) branch compiles the result domicile vise by taking the weight-age of 60% of Written Test and 40% of Interview. INTERVIEW SELECTION BOARD Employee Verification Organizations should not hire people before verifying their documentations and past work behavior; even if they performed excellent in the written test or interview.HR (R;S), in order to predict the future performance of a prospective employee, looks at the Past Employment Record of their prospective candidates. Most of the companies do not provide any kind of job-related information about their ex employees due to fear of insult. But checking employee’s references is a best way for PCAA to avoid negligent hire. Another method used by HR (R;S) branch to do employee verification is to do Background Checks. This includes criminal background checks, verification of degrees, credit history, etc.Background checks help PCAA to avoid any lawsuit resulting due to a negligent hiring. Selection When the prospective employees pass the verification step they are hired. An appointment letter is issued in the name of the employee by the PCAA HR (R;S) branch. The new hires are given a date and time for the Orientation. Training Once the Orientation is conducted the new hires of non-technical posts (e. g. Financial Officer, Accountant, etc) is required to join PCAA from the very next day. But the new hires of technical posts (e. g.Engineers) are send to Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI) Hyderabad for training. The duration of the training varies from four to six weeks depending upon the nature of the job. Evaluation of the Recruiting and Selection Process PCAA HR(R;S) branch doesn’t use any p roper method of evaluating their Recruiting and Selection process. They simply see the performance of the new hires and see if their decision of hiring a particular employee was correct or not. Hiring and Keeping the Right People Case Study By: Rich Kramarik We have a couple of stories to share with you this month.The first is an accounting firm. This firm has 8 employees and revenues of three million dollars. This firm had been experiencing a problem with turn-over. The CEO was using good interview techniques and involved other members of the firm in the interview process. In a couple of cases clients were used to interview the candidates. This firm was using every bit of good judgment and process to screen candidates. But, yet they experience a high level of turnover. The reasons were all over the map. In one case the new hire just was not as productive as expected.In another case the new hire just didn’t get along with clients. And, in yet another case the new hire was ver y argumentative with other employees. We worked with this CEO and could not find any substantive changes that we thought would help. We started looking at how new employees were introduced into the firm and how they were trained and supported. We found that the nature of the business was the problem. This firm did contract accounting services and by the nature of the business new hires were out of the office and working in the client offices immediately after hiring on.Through interviews we discovered that the employees were uncomfortable and felt disconnected as they â€Å"got thrown to the wolves. †Ã‚   We work with the CEO and new support plans and work procedures were implemented. As new employees came on board, they were assigned a â€Å"buddy† who worked with them at the client location half the time. This helped the new hire get comfortable with both the client and accounting firm. The â€Å"buddy† was also responsible to â€Å"train† the new hire in the office for two weeks before the new hire went out to client locations.This was not dead time, but rather on the job training working on client work but at the accounting firm’s office. The CEO also implemented one-on-one coaching sessions with new hires that were held on a weekly basis for the first 90 days of employment. These coaching sessions were to help orient the new hire to the company culture and they were used by the CEO as a safety valve or venting session. The CEO found these coaching session invaluable in helping both of them to resolve issues before they got out of control and became commitment reducing concerns.The result of the new approach is that the CEO has not lost a new hire for nine months now. This is retention that is already longer than the past experiences. A second situation is an engineering firm with 20 employees and ten million dollars in revenues. The CEO said he was loosing his employees to competitive firms. He said he was tired of train ing new hires and then loosing them. With the permission of the CEO we interviewed several employees – both new hire and long term employees. We found some interesting environmental facts that pointed to the problem.We heard that employee expectations were not being met. The employees felt that they didn’t have adequate equipment and materials to perform their work. They also felt that there was disparity from employee to employee in the quality and capabilities of the equipment that the company made available to employees. We heard that employee assignments were constantly changing and that client demands often were accepted by management and the implications were longer work hours and lost family time. We heard much more, but this is enough of an example to show the problem.These items alone point to a poor work environment, but that was not the problem. These employees said that during the hire interview process the CEO made statements that led the new hires to beli eve they would have state of the art equipment. They said that the CEO said they had a culture of working a 40 hour work week. These employees also said that they had talked to friends who were working in other companies and that the environment was much better. The CEO said that demands from clients and fear of loosing business were driving some of his actions.He also said that poor revenues lately were impacting his ability to spend on equipment. Our CEO was also surprised to hear that his competitors were providing a better work environment. We helped this CEO implement some changes that have helped with his attrition problem. He did some work to script his interview questions and comments about the company. This helped him avoid his enthusiastic descriptions about the company that tended to overstate the real situation. We helped him put plans in place to stage the purchase of new equipment. He was able to schedule work hours in taggered sessions that allowed some sharing of the new equipment. The biggest change the CEO made was to share more information with the company employees on the business environment and to implement a more open listening style. This CEO is working hard to change these company culture issues and the results so fare is that he has not lost any employees since he started this new focus. In summary, our clients are getting our help to get their focus on working â€Å"on their business† rather than working â€Å"in their business† and when they do – they find excellent results.

Demonstrative Communication Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Demonstrative Communication Paper - Essay Example Oral communication encompasses oral or written communication while nonverbal communication encompasses utilization of facial expressions, gestures, eye contact or gesticulations. Written method of communication occurs through utilization of emails, statements and articles among others (Barnlund, 2010). Demonstrative Communication Demonstrative communication encompasses nonverbal and unrecorded communication. This communication also includes transferring and receiving wordless messages. Demonstrative communication is usually utilized to emphasize oral communication, although this communication can stand on its own and transfer information on its own. Many individuals usually utilize facial expressions as a method of nonverbal communication. Demonstrative communication strengthens oral communication. For instance, the way an individual dresses, greets people or whether or not they possess a friendly behavior depicts the character of the person. Dressing impeccably, a firm grasp, friend ly greetings, wearing a smile all depict the character of the person in a job interview. Utilization of demonstrative communication is crucial for an individual in an attempt to emphasize his or her oral communication. Meeting an individual for the first time one can elucidate what character of the other person is by observing his or her nonverbal communication. ... Demonstrative communication permits personal expression. The way an individual presents himself or herself depicts their character and personality to the external world. Demonstrative communication is a technique that depicts communication that occurs without an individual knowing. The manager of a company wears a powerful suit to portray his or her authority. This could also depict his or her capacity as a leader. There are numerous things that portray the nature of a person. Varied individuals utilize these signs or things to show the world his or her character. These signs comprise hairstyles, dressing, body marks, gestures, emblems among others. All these symbols portray demonstrative communication (Sutton, 2011). Demonstrative communication is affirmative in varied ways. However, this communication can easily misguide or misinform someone. Demonstrative communication can also be inaccurate. Utilization of signals, appearances, and facial expressions portray divergent meanings to different individuals. When an individual meets a new person for the first time, it extremely easy to misjudge this new person particularly through using the demonstrative communication he or she portrays. Demonstrative communication is devoid of the intricacy that oral communication presents. An individual cannot narrate the incidents of his or her life without utilizing words, or literally showing photos because this would leave some portions of the story untold. Demonstrative communication requires paying attention and responding. It is probable to learn a lot about another individual by utilization of their demeanor than from their words. In many instances, people listen using their eyes as a substitute for their ears (Sutton, 2011).

Macroeconomics Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics Part 2 - Essay Example Demand pull inflation is caused by a rise in aggregate demand which means persistent rightward shifts in the aggregate demand curve. The rise in aggregate demand may occur due to rises in consumer demand, in the level of government expenditure, in investment by firm, in foreign residents demand for the country’s exports or a combination of these four (Sloman 1997). Demand pull inflation is usually linked to a booming economy. When the economy is in recession, demand pull inflation tends be low. However, when the economy is near the peak of the business cycle, demand pull inflation is likely to be high. The graph above illustrates the rise in aggregate demand by a rightward shift in the aggregate demand curve, from AD1 to AD2. Prices rise from P1 to P2 and output rises from Q1 to Q2 resulting in inflation. On the other hand is the cost push inflation where high costs force firms to increase their prices (Gillespie 2001). Aggregate supply is the total amount of goods and service s produced at a given price level in an economy. When there is a fall in the aggregate supply of goods and services caused by an increase in the cost of production, cost-push inflation occurs.  Cost-push inflation essentially means that prices have rose by an increase in the costs of any of the four factors of production that is; labor, capital, land or entrepreneurship given that firms are already managing at maximum capacity. With increased costs and maximized productivity, firms cannot sustain profit margins by producing the same quantity of goods and services. Consequently, the increased costs are borne by consumers, causing an upward shift in the general price level. The graph above shows the amount of output that can be attained at the given price level.  As production costs escalate, aggregate supply falls from AS1 to AS2 (given production is at maximum capacity), causing the prices to increase from P1 to P2 and total output to decrease from Q1 to Q2. Demand pull and cost push inflation can occur together, since price rises can be caused both by increases in aggregate demand and by independent causes pushing up costs. Similar is the case with the UK’s economy. The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation rate went up to 4.5% in April, from 4% in March (BBC 2011). As always, there are elements of both types of inflation in the UK’s economy. With the ongoing recovery and a slight increase in demand, there is a small level of demand pull inflation. However, the majority of the effect is cost-push. The increase in VAT is one of the major reasons of inflation in this economy, as well as increases in non-discretionary items such as fuel, utilities, housing and food. These are all necessities whose price hikes act more like an additional tax. The figure below shows the change in the UK’s annual quarterly rate of inflation over the last 15 years. b) Keeping inflation down to a desirable moderate level is an important contributive factor to sustain economic growth. This is because it serves as an incentive for increasing output, investments and unemployment. A rapid rate of inflation disrupts regular economic life leading to a wider income gap, falling output and unemployment. However, the remedy for such inflation depends on the cause. Therefore, government must diagnose its causes before implementing policies. Government policies may pull the rate of inflation down through contractionary fiscal and monetary policies. Monetary policy covers government changes in either the supply of

Policy papr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy papr - Essay Example At the end of it all, one can die very quickly as a result of the diseases. Therefore, a policy to govern the levels of consumption of the junk foods has to be applied in order to ensure that people feed on nutritious foods. One of the effective policies that are effective is that junk foods must be taxed to reduce their consumption. Taxation will make the foods expensive than the nutritious foods. As such, people definitely opt to purchasing nutritious foods, which even if consumed in small quantities, lead to satisfaction. Agreeably, junk foods are cheap to acquire and readily available to the consumers (Matz, 2004). This makes it easy for the low-income earners to acquire them because they cannot afford purchasing nutritious foods. By having the prices of junk foods very high through taxation, positively, obesity will be addressed and decrease at a high percentage of about 15 percent. However, not only should the food be taxed, but also be highly taxed to ensure that the prices rise. However, this will hinder the low earners from purchasing it but for those who can afford, they will continue consuming it. Taxation of junk food will trigger so many factors that will lead to low consumption of calories. When the prices are high, agri-business will be encouraged and there will come up new types of snacks, which contain low levels of calorie. As a result of these new snacks, fattening will reduce at a very high considerable rate. This will prevent the consumers from the bad eating habits of consuming lots of calories and sugar. Through taxation, people will be in a position to consume foods that are affordable and contain low amounts of sugar and fats. Since foods that are less starchy will be affordable to all people including those with low capabilities, their consumption will be high and reasonable because they are healthy (Matz,

Urban Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Urban Health - Essay Example The number of cases also exceeds to countries like Eritrea and Gambia (Abernethy 2013, n.p.).According to these mentioned statistics, tuberculosis is an urban health issue which has to be prevented. To elaborate on the effect of TB and why it has grown into an urban health issue, this study text will highlight the emerging TB issue in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. The discussion will argue on the perspective that immigrant populations contribute to its increase, as is observed in the New Ham region of the London Borough. Tuberculosis in Newham is at an alarmingly high rate (Howes 2013, p.136). The following study text will critically examine the prevalence of tuberculosis within Newham in comparison to other boroughs within the UK. The paper will discuss the situation of the area of New Ham, East London and see that are the causes of increasing number of tuberculosis cases. In its conclusion, the study will also provide some potential recommendations to deal with the issue which will help in the fight against tuberculosis in the said region. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014, n.p.),Tuberculosis is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. As is popularly known, it affects mostly the lungs and other organs such as the lymphatic system, the circulatory system and to an extent the central nervous system (NHS 2014, n.p.). The lymph nodes surrounding the lungs and heart become enlarged, as is the case with all other lymph nodes in an effort to curb the spread of the disease to the entire body (On Health 2014, n.p.). Upon realizing this threat, the body’s immune system reacts by forming scar fibrosis or tissue around the bacteria. If by any chance the bacteria bypass the fibrosis, the disease is reactivated and the pneumonia re-emerges. What follows is damage to bones, kidneys, and the meninges lining the brain and spinal cord. There are two categories of TB. Latent tuberculosis means that

John Lewis new product 4p's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John Lewis new product 4p's - Essay Example John Lewis has come up with one of the interesting range of products in the children department and one of their latest hits seems to be that of Childtablet (Barker and Angelopulo, 2005). In this paper, let us see the marketing strategy that can be used in order to promote the product Childtablet in the market. Any marketing strategy has Four Ps as their crux based on which all of the marketing activities are carried out. According to Baker and Hart (2007), Product strategy is the ground for a product’s competitiveness and also the maintenance of its position in the market. John Lewis is one of the most established names not only in the UK market but has a good standing all over the world. Products from John Lewis have a competitive advantage over the other educational electronic tablets that are out there in the market. All of John Lewis kid products have done good business so far and people give importance to brand factor very much. When it comes to pricing, it is better to provide some discount offers or promotional offers in the beginning so that people will get used to the product. Once the quality of the product gets established then pricing will not be an issue. In order to gain a winning edge over the competitors, it become absolutely necessary to monitor the competitor price and provide a slightly lesser price than that. Demand and supply forms are the basic when it comes to pricing (Onkvisit S and Shaw J J 2008). As per Smith (2003), Place constitutes the most important aspect when it comes to marketing. John Lewis is a world renowned store that has more number of visitors each day thus it becomes easier to sell the Child Tablet through the outlets. Also, John Lewis has a wide spread branch of department store all over Britain and also some parts of the world. Thus the product can be market both indigenously as well as in the international market. Distributing the child tablets to places that has a good record

The Economist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Economist - Essay Example The main publications and services offered by the Economist include The Economist newspaper, The Economist online, Economist intelligence unit, Economist Conferences, Economist Corporate Network, The World In and Intelligent Life; along with many other government and financial brands, a well represented reflection of the fact that this newspaper that had only 6,000 copies circulated in 1920, has expanded its operations widely by keeping up with the demands of the modern times (The Economist Group, Our Brands). Unlike many of its peers, who suffered immensely by the global recession of 2008/09, The Economist has been able to report a steady growth every year. In the year 2011, the Economist has reported an increase of 10% in its profits whereas its revenue grew by 9% as compared to the last year. Such an increase in profit has led to the 10% increase in the dividend s to the shareholders in the year 2011 as compared to that of last year and the credit has been given to their advertisi ng recovery along with increased investments in their brands, which led to an increase in their print as well as e-circulations (The Economist Group, Press Releases 2011). ... The Economist always had pride in targeting the smart and the successful of the lot as their target market and it was successful too, The Economist was and is always considered as a status symbol for the respective target market but in July 2009, the Economist launched a whole new approach to its marketing strategies by targeting not only the smart and successful readers but the readers of the curious kind. The sudden change in the overall approach to the magazine’s target market has proven to be very beneficial for the company as the magazine industry grows more competitive. It has helped the company in a consistent rise in the profitability and ensuring a positive return on the shareholder’s investments. According to the Porter’s Five Forces model, there are five main factors that contribute in determining the overall competitiveness of the magazine industry (Hill et al, 2010). Every factor will be discussed separately: Risk of entry by potential competitors: T he magazine ‘The Economist’ competes both on the levels of print media and electronic media as with the passage of time the whole industry has moved to more electronic versions of distribution. Although the internet media creates both excitement and paranoia at The Economist, still the magazine has been trying to maintain its individuality on the internet. Every article on the internet is always somehow related to any other article online, thus the same individuality that the magazine pertains on the print media has proven somewhat challenging. The magazine has introduced many new features online but to say that they haven’t reached their full potential will not be unjustified, whereas new emerging magazines are utilizing

THE WAR ON TERROR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

THE WAR ON TERROR - Essay Example This terrorism and war on terror is a direct outcome of America meddling into the business and affairs of other nations. Would it have been possible to avoid this kind of terrorism attacking us? When these attacks happen it is easy to put the onus on a few government or social departments. However when terror attacks of this scale happen then it is obvious that they are an outcome of years of meticulous planning. By the same logic blaming Federal Bureau of Investigation or Immigration and Naturalization Service was an easy way out of pinpointing the responsibility. However as stated earlier attack on America is an outcome of years of American intervention in the affairs of other nations and even failing to beef the security well within time. Posting guards at airports post the attacks was a reaction to the event. The more interesting question is what could have been done proactively to avoid the attacks. This clearly indicates that we did not look into the system weaknesses at our en d and rectify them well within time. It also means that someone whose idea could have been useful was rejected on the grounds of ulterior political aims and perceived to be confusing. For ex: Homeland security chief Tom Ridge introduced colour codes for levels of security risk. The colours changed from green to red as the level of security changed from low to high.

Armellini Ice Cream and Caf Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Armellini Ice Cream and Caf Chain - Essay Example The managers, who kept to the system and ensured that it worked, were rewarded and those who failed to meet the expectations were sacked. Creativity was not encouraged during Alessio’s stewardship. After his retirement, Helen Patterson, an Australian management consultant was brought in as CEO.   Helen is following the ‘bounded rationality model’ of decision making as she firmly believes in the principle of management by objectives which need to be achieved within the given constraints through empowered managers. ‘Bounded rationality takes into consideration the real decision making constraints which confront managers’ (handbook). Effective decision making is an essential part of managerial leadership to achieve desired objectives and optimal performance outcome.   She has set targets for the expected results of the various outlets of Armellini Ice Cream and Cafà © chain. Helen has considerably empowered the managers of various outlets in the management of the outlets and creating regional boards to boost their efforts, but their human resource policy and recruitment need to be whetted by the head office. While inspections were still carried out, they became more of an exercise to look at the progress rather than a ‘checklist’ inspection. She has also broadened her objectives to include ‘franchising’ as a means of expanding the business.   Helen’s management style is very relevant in the contemporary environment because the market has become more complex and highly competitive in the contemporary environment of fast advancing technology and rapid globalization. Wilson and Gilligan (2003) have asserted, ‘marketing is increasingly being conceptualized as an organizational philosophy or ‘an approach to doing business’ (Wilson and Gilligan, 2003, p4).

Human Physical Appearance and Women Essay Example for Free

Human Physical Appearance and Women Essay Throughout these moments in time, the term beauty has slipped out of control and become something utterly dissimilar. The significance of beauty has developed into something so unappealing, so unpleasant, so repugnant, that even now society is coming to the apprehension that the way they are portraying the description of beauty is erroneous. Over time, ‘beauty’ has evolved to something rather peripheral. Being beautiful is turning into an undesirable act, that most girls will go into extremes, just to get a sense of feeling ‘beautiful. ’ Although beauty is now considered something by which your looks will define, during Greek times â€Å"beauty was a virtue: a kind of excellence. Person’s then were assumed to be what we now have to call – lamely, enviously – whole persons. If it did occur to the Greeks to distinguish between a person’s â€Å"inside† and â€Å"outside†, they expected that inner beauty would be matched by beauty of the other kind† (313, Sontag). Nevertheless, there was once a time where beauty was interpreted or described as something internal, unlike now, beauty goes more towards the looks. â€Å"Beautiful† people have lots going on for them. They are more confident, make more money, and get promoted faster than their â€Å"less attractive† colleagues. But for the career – driven women, beauty is a no-win situation; the public wants you to be attractive, but, at the same time, not so beautiful that it is off-putting. People might say that looks shouldn’t matter, but in the real world, they do. Women try so hard to look their best, and at the same time, feel their best. Women struggle a lot in trying to â€Å"fit in† to what society sees as being beautiful. Women nowadays alter their body parts, faces, and their diets in order to feel satisfied with themselves. A universal obsession that girls have been approaching with is that that they must be required to look a certain way to be thought of as pretty. Girls look up to celebrities and models and see how skinny, scrawny, almost skeletal, and undernourished they are and they get this idea that they must look like that in order to be noticed. A widespread trend that has been going around has been that of the name anorexia and bulimia. Starving yourself, or eating excessively and then purging – girls see it as something they must do in order to feel good about themselves. They glimpse these famous figures with their collarbones showing, thigh gaps, small waists, and they get this state of mind that they must achieve that to feel beautiful. Society and mass media are barraging women with images that portray what is considered to be the ideal body. Such standards of beauty are almost completely unattainable for most women; a majority of the models displayed on television and in advertisements are well below what is considered healthy body weight. Mass medias use of such unrealistic models sends an implicit message that in order for a woman to be considered beautiful, she must be unhealthy. And this is what beauty is defined as in our time. Body image is a complicated aspect of the self-concept that concerns an individuals perceptions and feelings about their body and physical appearance. Females of all ages seem to be so vulnerable in this area, starting off in their pre-teen years, going along throughout their existence. Body dissatisfaction is something that goes through most women or young girls at some point in their lives. Females have been found to experience dissatisfaction with physical appearance at a much higher rate than males, and women of all ages and sizes display body image disturbance. Concern over weight and appearance related issues often surfaces in a woman’s early life. Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating patterns have been found to be an especially prevalent issue in adolescent and college females. Body image becomes a major issue as females go through puberty; girls in mid-adolescence frequently report being dissatisfied with weight, fearing further weight gain, and being preoccupied with weight loss. This is a problem that we are now facing, and because of this many girls are suffering and going through difficult times, juts to feel good about themselves. The 20th century has seen a huge upsurge in the importance placed by Western society on physical beauty, particularly for women. The fashion, cosmetics and plastic surgery industries have thrived on 20th century preoccupation with physical appearance. It is a preoccupation that affects women in every sphere, whether they choose to pander to it or not. Definitions of beauty in the 20th century, when referring to human physical  beauty, are nearly always constructed in terms of outward appearance and sexual attractiveness. Images in the media today project an unrealistic and even dangerous standard of feminine beauty that can have a powerful influence on the way women view themselves. From the perspective of the mass media, thinness is idealized and expected for women to be considered attractive. Images in advertisements, television, and music usually portray the ideal woman as tall, white, and thin, with a tubular body, and blonde hair. This representation that is being portrayed has been a vast difficulty that girls are coming across of. They don’t feel beautiful, thus altering their ways of eating and the way they look very drastically in order to fit in. Only a very small percentage of women in Western countries meet the criteria the media uses to define beautiful; yet so many women are repeatedly exposed to media images that send the message that a woman is not acceptable and attractive if she does not match societys ultra-thin standard of beauty. In recent years, womens body sizes have grown larger, while societal standards of body shape have become much thinner. This discrepancy has made it increasingly difficult for most women to achieve the current sociocultural ideal. Such a standard of perfection is unrealistic and even dangerous. Many of the models shown on television, advertisements, and in other forms of popular media are approximately 20% below ideal body weight, thus meeting the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. Research has repeatedly shown that constant exposure to thin models fosters body image concerns and disordered eating in many females. Almost all forms of the media contain unrealistic images, and the negative effects of such idealistic portrayals have been demonstrated in numerous studies. The mass medias depiction of women portrays a standard of beauty that is unrealistic and unattainable for a majority of women in society. Models shown in all forms of popular media are often under what is considered healthy body weight, which sends a powerful message that women must sacrifice their health to be considered attractive by societal standards. The negative effects of ultra-thin media images of women have been well documented; research has shown that females who are repeatedly exposed to and internalize the thin ideal are at greater risk to develop body image disturbance and eating pathology. Although it is clear that the media influences the way women view themselves, it is unclear how this process takes place. The social comparison theory, cultivation theory, and self-schema theory can be used to examine how media images of women come to affect the way women feel about their bodies and physical appearance. These perspectives also give some explanation for why some women show resilience to the negative effects of the media, while others are dramatically impacted. Nevertheless, beauty has become something rather disturbing and unwell. The image of beauty has been portrayed onto something so popularized that mostly all women around the world are being affected by it. Women are changing their ways and changing themselves to feel as if they fit in to what society expects of it. Beauty is still evolving, and is changing throughout the time, not for the better but for the worst.

Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay

Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay The essay analyses theories underpinning and key elements of critical social work and its values. An exploration of counselling as a form of social work practice and how it is influenced by the critical social work approach will be included. Examples from practice experience/ literature and the influence of inequalities, power and social divisions will be discussed. The views of service users and their contribution towards the practice will also be take into account in the essay. Payne (2005) traces social work in the UK back to the 19th century as a community and charitable activity to support the disadvantaged and poor. From the charitable and community origins it developed into a broader field. Jordan (2004) cited in Collins (2009) believes social work owes its origins to Christian morality than a commitment to social problems affecting individuals. Following the economic crisis in the UK in the 1970s due to escalating oil prices social issues like poor housing, unemployment, and poverty and homelessness social work shifted and broadened its focus and tried to address social issues and problems. Adams et al (2005). Adams et al (2009) mentions that in attempting to address social problems, disadvantage and inequalities social work practitioners have drawn knowledge and ideas from various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, philosophy and politics. From this multi-disciplinary knowledge base the underpinning ideology was anti oppressive principle which provides theoretical tools to understand intervene and respond to the complex experience of oppression. This means social work practitioners have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to challenge inequalities and disadvantage (Payne 2005). Fook (2002) claims that critical practice can be traced and associated with radical social work in the 1960s-70s deriving ideas from Marxist theory. Marx analysed the capital society he lived in Germany and argued that the structures within society derived from the economy and the changes in the industrial revolution influenced some people to be more powerful and others not. Individuals were restrained by the demands of capitalism. Marx highlighted issues of class and class struggle where there is a struggle between powerful and powerless resulting in different societal classes. Those in power will seek to retain it mostly by exploitation of the powerless. Thompson (2006) affirms that society comprises of a diverse range of people in which social divisions emerge which in turn forms the societal structures which networks relationships, institutions and groupings. These groupings determine, control and regulate the distribution of power, privilege, status and opportunities resulting in social stratification and dimensions. From these groupings however it is important to mention that unfairness, inequality and oppression is witnessed in the group of people who are vulnerable and marginalised. Radical social work upheld the following themes: structural analysis of personal problems, ongoing social critique mainly focusing on oppressive ideas/practice and goals of self emancipation and social change. Parallel to these traditions empowering and anti-oppressive practice to participation in research and community work Adams et al (2005). Several key principles were shared from radical critiques to present critical social work which are: challenging dominant forces and oppression in all forms, a critique of positivist ideas and the need to challenge dominant constructed ways of knowing by developing other ways of knowing. This would be achieved through recognising that knowledge may reflect reality but may also be socially constructed through language and ideology. In order to create more/new knowledge self reflection and interaction are essential tools using communication processes Allan et al (2009). Moya et al (2009) believes that critical thinking was further enhanced by Marxism through academics from the Frankfurt School of Sociologists (Horkeimer (1979), Adorno and Horkeimer, (1979) and Marcuse (1964) from the 1920s/30s and Habermas (1984, 1987)s writing in the late twentieth century. The sociologists held that social interpretation was based on assumptions of a fixed social order mainly derived from religion, politics and social beliefs. When this order is rejected and challenged, sociologists believed that this would enhance knowledge of the environment which makes individuals more effective. Gerth and Mills (1948) and Durkeim (1972) cited in Harrington (2005) established that if we understand how social relationships work we would be able to achieve our objectives in society. This is how critical thinking in modernist way is about and it was termed modernism but has expanded and embraced other theories concerned with transformation and social change. Gray and Webb (2008) argue that critical theory is shifting from the Frankfurt school but at the same time it has not defined its critical base. Allan et al (2003); Fook (2002); Healey (2000) acknowledge that there is tension in defining critical theory as it comprises different theories, some argue that it is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of theories and approaches including Marxist, radical, feminist, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, post colonial, critical constructivist and structural perspectives. This suggests that there are many theories although different they all try to understand the r elationship between an individual and society. Thus critical practice involves ones judgement in a reflective and diverse manner Adams et al (2009). Critical practice involves exploring different options in a situation or actions in judging the best way to address issues. The practitioner would review their ideas, perspectives and options of others before deciding a best way forward. This is underpinned by the fact of accepting change and continuity as practitioners encounter different situations and ideas. Payne et al (2005) further mentions that in order to fulfil the requirements of critical practice which include liberation and empowerment social workers need an open mind, reflective stance that encompasses diverse perspectives, experience and assumptions. This would result in acknowledging individual differences, equal opportunity and respect. Fook and Garner (2007) further identify three aspects of critical practice which are critical thinking, critical action and reflexivity as essential tools to apply when seeking social justice and change. From these theories we can trace the ideas of critical perspective and acknowledge that the powerless can influence policy, societal views and self emancipation from the oppressors. An example of theoretical development implemented by service users was the theorising of disability from the medicalised interpretation to social model of disability. This shift was championed by disabled peoples movements to express how they felt and were treated for more than a century. This shift and theory influenced societal attitudes, influenced policies and to some extent changed societal attitudes in UK and abroad. Abberley (1998); Barnes, (1998). Morris, (1993) supports this by mentioning that the disability movement has overhauled societal perceptions and upheld disabled peoples rights to live independently, promote anti discriminatory practice, fairness and equal opportunities. Systems theory is another major theoretical source underpinning social work. The theory emphasised that peoples existence is determined by the environment they live or grow in. It highlighted that peoples problems are a result of how they interact with their resource systems which are either formal or informal. The informal include friends, neighbours and colleagues. The formal include support groups/ social clubs and associations. The public/ societal include housing, hospitals, work and school which provide certain structure or particular function in society. The system theory encourages growth and provides a wider range of solutions to problems by identifying areas of improvement or needing improvement. However it is said not to be acknowledging power differences within society and with different roles Adams et al (2009). Coulshed and Orme, (1998) clarifies that the nature of diversity in society makes it difficult to be entirely dependent on one theory or approach. Different situ ations and different circumstances entail different approaches through reflective practices and perspectives. Harris and White (2009) further explored events and changes within the welfare state from administering to managing the welfare state. They observed that the Conservative 1979 -1997 and Labour 1997-2010 were influenced by neo-liberalist ideas. This idea upheld the belief that market was superior to the state and as such professionals including social workers were meant to implement competitive government policy and approaches to meet global standards. These changes affected the vulnerable people in society as well because managers had been given the powers to speak on their behalf. These changes, debates and contradictions have put social work practice into a contested dilemma profession although this definition states that Social work is a profession that promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. (International Federation of Social Workers, 2000 p1). Parton (1998) points out that the present political environment is dominantly global, modernized and authoritarian. As such policies are informed and regulated by market principles which prescribes and narrows professional boundaries which affects the rights of service users. In order to achieve their objectives social workers need to challenge and resist the authoritarian elements by employing critical practice. Fook (2002) articulate that critical social work practice should be concerned with promoting a society without domination, exploitation and oppression. In order to achieve these practitioners need to reflect, reconstruct, deconstruct and unpack more processes for change through careful negotiation within the dominant framework. Many critical social theorists have challenged the existence of a social order and have questioned social order as evidenced in the work of Habermas (1984, 1987) who distinguishes between the system and the life world which interact and sometimes conflict with each other. The system represents the structures like the government departments, transnational companies emerging from globalisation, ideas promoted by communicative reasoning, education and media. All these structures are relaying a world view through different reasoning. As such social work is not excluded as an agent of systematic managerialism in agencies Pease (2005). Fook (2002) and Gardner (2007) proposed alternative forms of critical theory which are feminism and post modernism. They focus on the understanding that the world reflects personal experience and social historical context. They argue that personal experience constructs and is constructed by the world we live in. They advocate to listening to peoples experiences (narratives) seriously and from these we can hear how they view and experience the world in different ways. Powell (2001) suggests that feminists maintain that the narration of experiences by individuals gives us a clue on how they construct the world and how they want to engage with their problems and situations. Thus postmodernists say there is an alternative way of viewing the world than what it seems to be. Post-modernity argue there is a different way of viewing the world and different ways to deal with societal problems hence critical social work seeks for different options and take the best way forward. Adams et al (2009) suggests that in order to seek the best way forward social workers are encouraged to adopt the eclectic approach which entails selecting crucial aspects from different theories and blend them together as one approach. Alternatively they can use different theories for different cases. This has an advantage of addressing inadequacies in particular theories as they compensate one another. However there are also limitations as to master different theories and selecting crucial aspects may be difficult. It might as well be difficult to select the appropriate theory to use in the first place. To overcome these limitations Epstein (1992) suggested that continuous reflection, agreement, debate and teamwork would encourage flexibility in complex issues. Milner and Obyrne (1998) propose that in trying to address social injustices and inequality social work uses a variety of skills and knowledge based on theory perspective and methodology. This empowers social workers to put in place intervention which is appropriate to individual circumstances. This intervention empowers social workers with skills to engage service users to bring positive outcomes. Banks (2001) holds that values are diverse, may overlap, can conflict and socially constructed. Traditional social work and critical social work values overlap and are based on Biestek 1961 and consist of the following: Individualism, non judgemental, self determination, purposeful expression and controlled emotional development. In post modernity terms these can be interpreted to promotion of social justice, emancipation, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, empowerment, non judgemental and respect and dignity. Above all the language used may affect the way we interpret the world resulting in assumptions, overrepresentation or misrepresentation of issues and ideas, Adam et al (2009). Critical social work as discussed explores the best way forward to individuals problems and seeks to listen and engage with the individual to tell their story and work in partnership to find the best way forward. The limitation is critical social work is surrounded by external forces which are beyond it control, for example resources in the current economic climate globally and at home. It is also criticised as its values and origins are Eurocentric and do not represent universal circumstances as what seems to work in UK might not necessarily work in Afro/ Asian communities. For example the issue of confidentiality is valued and essential in UK and Europe whereas in Afro Asian cultures they value kinship support in times of distress. However they would not want anyone else outside the kinship clique to know about their situation. This brings interpretation problems to confidentiality Morley (2003). In order for all these theories to be implemented there should be contact with individuals in society who experience inequality and disadvantage. Furthermore it is also important to mention at this point that social work intervention and practice is broad and spreads into other disciplines. Group work, Counselling, Advocacy and Assessment are examples of different forms of practising social work. I will not focus on the broadness of disciplines but will focus on the aims of the essay which are to explore how the critical social work approach influences counselling. Counselling requires a lot of skills and approaches as it seeks to address and resolve individual dilemmas, decision making and resolving issues. According to Dryden (2004:40) cited in Adams et al (2009) counselling is described as principled relationship characteristics by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice-giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organisational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. The Barclay report in the early 1980s mentioned that it was essential for social workers to engage in counselling as it helped to engage with individuals to help them manage their problems, worries and anxieties, Barclay Committee,(1982). This is no longer the situation today as noted by Brearley (1995) when he states that political, administrative, legislative changes and ideologies have affected the relationship between counselling and social work. Some social work practitioners are in dilemma as to whether they can do counselling or not and where to start with counselling and when to stop. Because social workers operate in a legislative, organisational, ideological, value and ethical context it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in counselling without pushing boundaries, Furthermore the economic environment, budget cuts and lack of resources makes it difficult to manoeuvre and employ uncontested interventions McLeod (2009). However despite the above constraints social workers at some point carry out counselling as not carrying it out would render their job inadequate and inefficient. McLeod (1998) identified a number of counselling theories which are Person centred, Existential, Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Motivational, Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Karpmans (1969) Drama triangle and Eclectic or Integrative approaches. Some of the theories have been criticised as inadequate and resource straining. One approach that is complimentary to social work is the eclectic/ integrative approach. Integrative theory is adaptable to the needs presented by the client or specific circumstances which is flexible and adoptable to client needs. McLeod (2003) supports this statement when he maintains that eclectic approach enables the counsellor to choose the best option and techniques from a range of theories to meet the client needs. It can mean employing different elements from different theories to blend them into a new suitable model or theory. These compliments with one of the social work theory of eclecticism which seeks to integrate different theories to intervene (Adams, 2009). It can be argued that the aims of social work and the aims of counselling are both focusing on individuals and their interaction with the society, problems they face and how they solve them. As Egan (2006) puts it and complimented by Coulshed and Orme (2006) social workers adopt skills that compliment counselling skills such as empathy or understanding, respect, self knowledge and acceptance and honest. Although there are criticisms on Egans work as being ignorant of psychodynamic ideas meaning it has limited application and effectiveness. A reflective practitioner would seek to promote social justice, anti -oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice based on knowledge to promote inclusive practice. Both professions are being challenged by increasing literature developing and need to engage in best, critical and anti discriminatory practice to reach all individuals and communities Morley (2003). My privilege in practice working with clients is that I have acquired knowledge and on values of social work issues and intervention. I also have a black African background which has some conflicting values to social work. I will focus on the social work values to overcome any prejudices and biases which may jeopardise my work. I also have the law on my side which would give me power to intervene and practice. In my experience as a caseworker at Refugee Action (RA) I used counselling as a technique to working with clients. Clients from different background accessed the service to resolve their immigration matters. Mostly the approach we used was the integrative approach which meant that the outcomes met the needs of individual circumstances. I did not allow my own values and prejudices to influence my practice. The advantage of having my own values and knowledge made it easy for me to overcome any prejudices and stereotypes towards my clients. As a person from an African background with different values from those of the British society, it was easy for me to understand how it is to be in the clients shoes. I also observed that Muslim women preferred to work with female caseworkers and male Muslims preferred male caseworkers. They appeared not comfortable working with people from the opposite sex and tended to withhold information if that was the case. I therefore ensured Muslim clients were assisted by a person of preferred gender. Above all I applied the Narrative approach which solicits encouragement to clients to tell their stories. This enabled me to explore clients situation at their own pace and actively listened to assess and establish the real problem in the situation. Carniola (2005) observed that social workers are in the right direction of developing critical consciousness about the psychological impact of oppression on individuals. He further expressed that there is concern on the degree of awareness among social workers on the impact of privilege or dominant status on individuals subjectivities and world views. Rossitter (2000) concurs that the position/ impact and ways in which professionals engage with clients is overlooked and underestimated as they possess a certain class in the form of gender, race, and sexual privilege. Having explored critical social work practice and theories underpinning it, it is important to acknowledge that there is continuous transformation and contest within the academic field and socio-political arena. This is greatly impacting on vulnerable people and how they are treated and marginalised in issues affecting their lives. If the values of critical social work could be fulfilled and the theories underpinning it are integrated social work and counselling would be forces for change to promote social justice.