HRD Sample Free Essays

Drawing from theories and models that inform adults and organisational learning, critically evaluate an HRD program or intervention that you deliver or have personally experienced. Introduction This essay looks into a learning program which was personally delivered. It aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the program by drawing upon relevant theories and models revolving around adult and organisational learning. We will write a custom essay sample on HRD Sample or any similar topic only for you Order Now Theories are used to substantiate the step by step processes undertaken in the program as well as to critique the areas which could have been performed better or were carried out uccessfully by the program coordinators. This essay is told from the perspective of a facilitator’s role in which I was primarily involved in. At the end of this essay, we hope to understand how a successful HRD learning program should be run and what factors significantly influence its success. Learning Program The selected program used throughout this essay as a case study is the ‘Combat Medical NSmen Ops Refresher Training. The program involved me as one of the key facilitators which was conducted during my national service time. The objective was to ensure the competence of the National Service (NS) men in carrying out their edical responsibilities and performing up to expectations when the time arises for them to do so in future. This was carried out by first refreshing the NSmen’s theoretical knowledge of specific medical subject matter, i. . various emergency surgical procedures, that was taught during their NS days. Typically conducted annually, the refresher training would see the NSmen undergoing classroom learning followed by a practical hands-on session of role playing, after which they would be tested under a controlled, simulated setting as a form of learning assessment. The refresher training was a one-day program carried out in the compounds of t he Singapore Armed Forces Medical Training Institute (SMTI). The facilitators comprised of regular senior medical officers and fulltime national servicemen (NSFs), of whom I was one of them. The seniors acted as supervisors while the NSFs were more primarily involved in running the program on the ground. Teaching and demonstrations were conducted by NSFs while assessment was done by the senior officers. The age group of the NSmen participants ranged from 30 to 40 years old, thus the target audience was specific to older adult learners who were most likely married or some even fathers. The program was catered to a batch group of 20 NSmen with 2 facilitators assigned. The four stages of HRD HRD is an ongoing learning process involving training and development activities which seek to groom individuals’ skills for the purpose of enhancing organisational productivity (Swanson Holton 2 ) Adult learning talls within the HRD learning process. Knowles (1998) mentioned that adults tend to follow andragogical assumptions of learning such that firstly, the learning should have practical value for applying in real-life situations and problems. Next is for the learning to utilise the knowledge inherent in the adult and lastly it should actively engage him/her. All hese are reflected in the medical refresher program and will be explained through a series of four step by step stages namely the needs investigation, design, implementation and evaluation stages. HRD Needs Investigation (HRDNI) HRDNI refers to the process of identifying how much is known by the participants prior to the program against what is expected of them to know based on the learning objectives set out (Tovey Lawlor 2008; Rothwell Kazanas 1989). It represents an organized way to determine if a HRD solution is needed in the first place. It helps identify the content and learning objectives, the population, resources required, as ell as context and organisational politics. Behind every successful HRD learning program is a good HRDNI carried out in the beginning. The refresher program showed that HRDNI was conducted successfully as clear learning objectives, competencies and learning outcomes were established (Delahaye 2011). The needs were determined through the two levels of HRDNI: surveillance and investigation (Delahaye 2011). Program coordinators had long been monitoring how competent NSmen were in carrying out their medical duties upon completion of their NS time. Through the observation of several past reservists’ in-camp trainings where these NSmen were required to demonstrate their medical proficiency in a simulated battlefield environment, their quality and competencies were analysed. Data was gathered through the means of organisational records and observations (Delahaye 2011). It was found that most NSmen were unable to remember much of what they had learnt during their NS days and thus, lacked in several key competencies. One of which was the ability to remember the medical apparatus to be used in assisting the surgeon in the surgical procedures. Thus, as a result of HRDNI, the ‘Combat Medical NSmen Ops Refresher Training learning program came about as form of HRD ntervention. Its aim was to keep NSmen constantly up to date with their medical roles so that when a real emergency breaks out in Singapore, they would be ready for it. Although the need for refresher training was correctly identified by program coordinators, the HRDNI could have been more specific to seek the opinions of the participants as well. Conducting such a program meant that more time, be it for work or family, had to be sacrificed by the working adults so that they could attend. Moreover, not all might feel the need for the refresher as they might be confident of their own knowledge. Thus one investigatory method to gather their opinions would be through holding an online survey questionnaire weeks before the commencement of the program. The questionnaire could ask them for their current level of knowledge and ask if the refresher would be effectively catering to their needs, also for their level of interest in participation. Curriculum Design This is the second stage once HRDNI nas been completed Curriculum represents tn systematic process of putting the learner through action (Smith Lovat 2003). This stage involves matching the learning structure to the characteristics of the adult learners (Delahaye 2011). To do this, constructive alignment needs to take place. This means that the expected actions the learner has to emulate based on the learning objectives must be coherent with the teaching and assessment style (Biggs Tang 2007). The refresher program was successful in achieving constructive alignment as the objective to instil confidence in the NSmen to showcase their medical proficiency in carrying out the surgical procedures was well reflected by the practical role- playing sessions demonstrated and taught by the facilitators. The design structure of the refresher program followed closely to Delahaye’s (2011) Hierarchy of Learning Outcomes (HLO) model. The model emphasizes the progression from explicit to tacit knowledge and this was seen in the program as facilitators made use of instrumental to communicative learning. The program outlined movements from basic to intermediate to complex, Just as how HLO mentions in its five categories of programmed knowledge, task, relationship, critical thinking and meta-abilities. The refresher program started off with programmed knowledge which was in the form of classroom-based learning to provide the factual and theoretical knowledge to the NSmen. It then moved into task where they were required to be analytical in a role- laying scenario. That involved a linear, diagnostic and complex analysis which in short, refers to using simple information-processing, interpretation, problem solving and decision making skills. The role-playing session incorporated discussions and effective team play as well, which in turn worked on a relationship level of interpersonal communication between participants. The program ended off with action learning where participants were encouraged to use mental agility under the meta-abilities category to be able to think clearly under pressure, when performing their learning assessment in a controlled environmental setting. The HLO progression was mapped in accordance to the learning characteristics of the NSmen participants. Facilitators took into consideration that because the participants were older learners, the learning environment created was a similar aged batch of between 30 and 40 years old so that they would feel more comfortable and safe (Delahaye ; Ehrich 2008). Older learners tend to be involved in complex learning, occasionally switching from being dependent to independent learners and thus passively seeking and actively seeking knowledge, respectively. Hence, the design of the refresher program ensured a combination of various learning trategies to meet to these adult learners’ characteristics. These strategies will be covered under the implementation stage later. It was indeed a good initiative by the facilitators to find out the basic characteristics of their adult learners and thus used HLO as a step by step process to teach them. However, there is room for improvement. All adult learners have different learning styles and so a good HR designer would pay close attention to finding out what styles their participants fall under. This can be done by issuing out a learning style questionnaire which will seek o determine if a participant is a reflector, theorist, pragmatist or activist (Honey Mumford 1992). Each learning style will differently influence the way an individual learns, and so will impact the design ot a learning program. However, an individual may also have at times a combination of both styles. Thus, a good designer should strive to integrate all four styles in any learning program. Implementation This third stage of the HRD process covers the skills required of a HR developer who is also known as the facilitator. In other words, this section analyses how effective or killed the facilitators are in conducting the learning program, based on the participants’ level of engagement. It also covers the various learning strategies used. As one of the facilitators of the refresher program, I exhibited strong micro-skills of questioning and responding, and a high level of enthusiasm, channelling the energy positively to the participants. Delahaye (2011) pointed out that such skills are important in the delivery of a learning program, but are often overlooked by HR developers. Feldman (2007) agrees that with greater enthusiasm demonstrated, the higher are the chances of learner accomplishment. As for the learning strategy, a structured style was used in the beginning stage of the refresher program. This took the form of lecture-style learning. Delahaye (2011) regards lecture as structured due to the teacher-student controlled form where the teacher assumes full responsibility over the learning of the student and controls what and how the student will learn. Facilitators conducting the lecture used PowerPoint presentation to recap the relevant theoretical knowledge of the emergency surgical procedures. The slides included detailed photographs showing how each procedure was to be carried out step by step. This was complemented with a set of the hardcopy handout slides so that the NSmen could write notes throughout. On top of that, the whiteboard was used simultaneously by the facilitator to Jot down the key points of the presentation. This ensured an appropriate usage of visual aids to appeal to the adult learners (Delahaye 2011). The lecture-style teaching made use of instrumental learning, one of the three transformational adult learning domains (Mezirow 2009). Instrumental allows learning to be controlled and can manoeuvre the environment. Under it is the knowledge generation process of combination which sees a transfer of explicit to ven more complex explicit knowledge (Nonaka ; von Krogh 2009). The PowerPoint presentation, for instance, got the NSmen to combine the explicit knowledge they were looking at and listening to with their own explicit knowledge, thus leading into a process of re-sorting and re-understanding of their inherent knowledge. Another point to make was that sufficient breaks were given throughout the lecture presentation so as to space out the learning and carry out part learning so that participants could digest the information better, especially since older learners dislike having big chunks of information (Grattan 1955; Miller 1956). These were some of the principles of learning highlighted during the structured strategy. Subsequently, in the refresher program, the learning strategy shifted from structured to semi-structured. After the theoretical bit was covered, facilitators proceeded onto the practical, hands-on session. The knowledge Just learnt or recapped was to be applied on mannequins which acted as causalities. Here, the actual whole tray of medical apparatus needed for the surgical procedures is introduced to the NSmen participants, after seeing pictures of them in the PowerPoint slides and the hardcopy andouts. Participants were divided into 4 groups ot 5 in which each group nad a mannequin and a set of tools to work with. Each facilitator was assigned to 2 groups to firstly demonstrate the correct techniques and steps to perform the emergency surgical procedures, using the apparatus provided. Participants observed carefully to learn the steps that they would later be tested, in what was actually known as modelling, one of the 3 basic types of learning. Modelling refers to copying an action after observing how it is done (Bandura 1977; Gardner et al. 1981). Facilitators of the efresher program aimed to see an exchange of tacit to tacit knowledge between the participants and themselves in a socialisation process. This was achieved through the modelling learning behaviour. The semi-structured strategy using the mannequins was a form of role-playing as within each group, participants took turns to role play as surgeons and assistants to the surgeons. This role-playing also helped to strengthen the HLO in areas of forging better interpersonal relationships and the use of group processes, Just to name a few (Delahaye 2011). On a separate point, ole-playing illustrates that the NSmen participants also underwent communicative learning, which is known to be a learner’s effort to relate to another to understand each other’s viewpoints (Mezirow 2000). Evaluation This last stage of the HRD process signifies the importance for proper assessment methods. The evaluation technique that was used for the ‘Combat Medical NSmen Ops Refresher Training program was the assessment of learning. This assessment, as stressed by Delahaye (201 1), paves the way for measuring the effectiveness of the learning program, allowing the examiners to gauge how useful the program had een for the participants as well as to see if the learning objectives set out from the start had been met in the end. In addition, assessment offers feedback for both the adult learner and HR developer. Through it, they can identify their strengths and weaknesses so that they can make necessary amendments to make their learning processes more effective in future. Out of the six types of assessment of learning methods available, the refresher program used performance tests, which proved to be the most suitable form of evaluation due to the complex nature of the program (Delahaye 2011). Following on after the role-playing session of using the mannequins and medical tools, the NSmen participants were made to undergo a performance test in the outdoors open field which simulated an actual situation of what it would likely be in an actual war zone battlefield environment where the NSmen would encounter multiple casualties suffering from different kinds of wounds and war injuries. They would be required to think on their feet using mental agility, under a stressful environment, of which of the following emergency surgical procedures learnt would be best used for treatments. As said by Delahaye (201 1), performance tests need to be conducted by highly skilled trainers whose evaluation makes use of their tacit knowledge. Thus, the assessment of the program was a success as it brought in the senior medical officers, who have years of experience in the field, to evaluate the performances of the NSmen. This also served to be a non-biased evaluation as the seniors were not involved in running the on ground training. In evaluation, a pre- designed evaluation criteria form was used by the senior officers so as to quantify the observed results (Thorndike 2007). The results were then snowed to the NSmen articipants during the program debrief. The outcome of the performance test showed a match to the adult learners’ HLO, identified in the curriculum design stage, in the categories of programmed knowledge; and task and relationship. It also successfully tested the learners’ action learning process of critical thinking and meta- abilities. Conclusion This essay has looked at the ‘Combat Medical NSmen Ops Refresher Training’ as a learning program which served as an HRD intervention based on the needs investigation conducted. It found that a refresher program would be beneficial to the NSmen in helping them to familiarise with the medical proficiency knowledge they are required to demonstrate in their annual reservist in-camp trainings. This essay thus went on to elaborate the four stages involved in influencing this successful HRD learning program using theories primarily from adult learning. Following on from a thorough HRDNI, the design of the program saw that a necessary constructive alignment was made between the teaching style and the characteristics of the adult learners. The HLO model was used in this stage. As for the implementation, the acilitators of the program demonstrated strong micro-skills as well as using structured and semi-structured learning strategies through a PowerPoint presentation and role-playing session which reflected on instrumental and communicative learning for the adult learners, respectively. The final stage was the evaluation of the program in which a performance test was carried out as a specific assessment of learning method. Word Count: 2566 Reference List Bandura, A 1977, Social learning theory, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Biggs, JB Tang, C 2007, Teaching for quality learning at university: what the student does, 3rd edn, Open University Press, Maidenhead. Delahaye, B Ehrich, L 2008, ‘Complex learning preferences and strategies of older adults’, Educational Gerontology, vol. 34, pp. 649- 662, viewed 30 August 2012, Emerald Database. Delahaye, B 2011, Human resource development: managing learning and knowledge capital, 3rd edn, Tilde University Press, Prahran Australia. Feldman, KA 2007, ‘Identifying exemplary teachers and teaching: evidence from students’ ratings’, Perry, RP ; Smart, JC (eds. ), The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: an evidence-based perspective, Springer, AA Dordrecht, Netherlands. Gardner, G, Innes, JM, Forgas, JP, O’Driscoll, M, Pearce, PL Newton, JW 1981, Social psychology, Prentice Hall, Sydney. Grattan, CH 1995, In quest of knowledge: a historical perspective on adult education, Association Press, New York. Honey, P Mumford, A 1992, The manual of learning styles, Peter Honey, Maidenhead, I-JK. Knowles, MS 1998, The adult learner: a neglected species, 5th edn, Gulf, Houston. Long, HB 2002, Teaching for learning, Malabar, Florida, Krieger. Mezirow,J 2000, ‘Learning to think like an adult: core concepts of adult learning theory, in Mezirow, J (ed. ), Learning as transformation: ritical perspectives on a theory in progress, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Mezirow,J 2009, ‘Transformative learning theory, in Mezirow, J Taylor, EW (eds. ), Transformational learning in practice: insights from community, workplace and higher education, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. M GA 1956, ‘The magical number seven plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information’, Psychological Review, vol. 63, pp. 81-97, viewed 30 August 2012, Emerald Database. Nonaka, I von Krogh, G 2009, ‘Tacit knowledge and knowledge conversion: controversy and advancement in organizational knowledge creation’, Organization Science, vol. 0, no. 3, pp. 35-652, viewed 28 August 2012, Proquest Database. Rothwell, W] Kazanas, HC 1989, Strategic human resource development, 4th edn, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Smith, DL Lovat, TJ 2003, Curriculum: action on reflection, 4th edn, Social Science Press, Tuggerah, NSW. Swanson, RA Holton, EF 2001 , Foundations of Human Resource Development, Berrett-koehler, San Franc isco. Thorndike, RM 2007, Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education, 7th edn, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Tovey, MD Lawlor, DR 2008, Training in Australia, 3rd edn, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW. How to cite HRD Sample, Papers

Essay about Comparsion of TV Shows Family Guy and South Park Essay Example For Students

Essay about Comparsion of TV Shows Family Guy and South Park Essay It seems today, that all we see is violence in movies, and sex on TV. But where are those good old fashion values, on which we use to rely? The lyrics to the opening of Family Guy gives an overview of the popular shows and movies that are seen today and how they no longer have stories or morals. The creators of Family Guy and South Park have created shows that have morals and stories that come in humorous and creative ways. By doing this both shows have found a way to be somewhat educational and impactful in society by using specific character development, episode structure and critics/ controversies to their advantage. This is something that the average viewer may not notice but is hidden within episodes and is a major element of the success of their shows. Despite the controversy both shows have had, they are still some of the most popular among both kids and adults. Between the humor and easy going cartoon like style both shows are remarkably successful, but if they were to combine some of their elements they would create the perfect show. The character development of a show has is extremely important to its success. Viewers like to see people like them in similar situations and how others react to them. (This is a reason why reality TV is so popular today.) This character development is important for both the main characters and the side characters and having character diversity is ideal. Diversity within the characters gives the viewer the chance to connect and match characters in the show, even if its just one person. South Park follows the story of four fourth grade friends that live in a small boring town of South Park, Colorado. Within these four boys, South Park provides character diversity which gives the storie. .ce can understand the jokes and puns, whereas in Family Guy it may be more difficult to understand jokes, songs and cutaways if you dont have common knowledge on a subject. The way South Park can create an episode that explains and mirrors pop culture and current events is fantastic with its up to date weekly episodes. Whereas Family Guys episodes are current but not up to date because of their slow production time. However Family Guy and its ability to turn its criticism into jokes that later benefit them and increase their number of viewers is incredible and extremely important to its success. Over all I think South Park is the stronger show but, the perfect show would be created if the strengths from South Park and Family Guy were combine. It would be the ultimate Adult Animated Sitcom on television that kept up with currents events yet had morals and stories.

Equal Outcomes Vs. Equal Opportunities Essays - Social Inequality

Equal Outcomes Vs. Equal Opportunities Equal Outcomes vs. Equal Opportunities Description: If you take all the change out of your pocket and look at the tail side of each coin you will find written in Latin the motto of the United States of America; e pluribus Unum. It states : out of many, one. This statement suggests that there are many different cultures that comprise our country, and all these cultures are as one. The United States political system has enacted numerous policies in order to ensure the equality promised by this motto among all the people of this Nation. Due to the discrimination that is sadly, still a part of this society, blacks, Indians (of both vernaculars), Hispanics, women, gays, and the disabled are sometimes denied the opportunity to the outcomes enjoyed by the majority. Policy makers fight every day concerning a persons ability to receive the same equal opportunities and equal results (or outcomes) as everyone else. It is important to distinguish the difference between equal opportunity and equal outcomes. An employer who offers equal opportunity does not discriminate based on a persons race, creed, or disability. That employer makes sure that everyone has a chance to achieve a certain outcome. Equal outcomes is making sure that everyone ends up at the same place. For instance if a crippled man and a Olympic runner were to race, in order to achieve an equal outcome the crippled man would have to start well before the Olympic runner. Equal outcomes is rooted in discrimination because it looks at a persons race, creed, or disability in order to place them where they can finish the race at the same time. Each of these policies have beneficial effects on our society. Equal Opportunity employment has made it possible for people of all races to enter the national workforce, avoiding the discrimination of the past. By doing so it has diversified the workplace adding new levels of thinking and efficiency. Equal Outcome policies have made sure that all races, creeds, and peoples with disabilities are proportionally represented in the work place. This has sent a message to the minority that it is possible to for their group to succeed in a given workforce, thus giving them motivation to strive for the best and eventually eliminating the need for an equal outcome policy. With the implementation of such equal outcome policies, in time the workplace will become a equal opportunity for everyone. With the rise of equal outcome/equal opportunity policies, many problems have risen, however, that present a detriment to egalitarianism. Equal opportunity policies all too often go too far and focus more on equal outcome policies such as quotas. Quotas are hiring based on the percentage of a certain minority in a community. For instance, if there are two percent Asians, and ten percent Hispanics in an area, then a company will hire two percent Asians, and ten percent Hispanics. This is unfavorable because if a company has a position open and needs Asians to fulfill its quotas, they will pass over a more qualified white male to hire the Asian and meet its requirement. Though equal outcomes strives to eliminate discrimination, it forces employers to discriminate against a possibly more qualified individual in order to meet a quota. Analysis: If the United States Government were to implement a policy to increase equal opportunity what would be the effects? Companies would no longer be able to discriminate in the employment process, which in itself is the goal of equality programs. Equal equality programs represent social progress towards minority groups. The continuation of such programs is a sign that society is more readily accepting minority groups on a whole. This shift in societal mindset will be reflected in the views of Americas youth, and by doing so, killing discrimination more and more every year. An equal opportunity program would allow students from lower income, less competitive school districts to enter into a college experience that at one time was denied to them. This will better prepare the student for the real world. Equal opportunity policies, however, are often self defeating. Equal opportunity employment would make the employer focus on not discriminating in the hiring process. By focusing in on that the employer might make a decision based solely on the applicants race. By trying not to make a choice based on race, the employer ends up doing just that. An equal opportunity policy would only end up focusing on the wrong goals. For instance, if a prestigious college accepts

Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition

Drugs have„ «History / Definition a long and notorious history for altering minds. Drugs are used as a way of In this speech, I will„ «escaping reality and disappearing into another world. assist you in understanding the history and definitions of various drugs. My proposed findings are based upon information I have gathered from a variety of Therefore, according to„ «what I believed to be reputable and credible sources. Professor Blum, from the University of Chicago the original home of cannabis is thought to be Central Asia, but has spread around the globe with the exception Early in its„ «of the Arctic regions and areas of wet tropical forests. history ¡Xthe Chinese undoubtedly used it as a hallucinogen. 1500 years later when they had their first contact with Europeans the drug had fallen into decline. However, its value had become a primary source of fiber and there is record of The United States declared„ «hemp cultivation dating back to Neolithic times. marijuana as an illegal drug in 1937. It has been a source of great controversy Another popular drug widely used in the United States is cocaine.„ «ever since. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of a plant called E-Coca. E-Coca, a bushy shrub native to South American countries at high altitudes. Cocaine is the primary alkaloid in these leaves. In addition, Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, used cocaine to treat many of his patients, later he himself became an addict. Cocaine was found to have a numbing effect, therefore it was introduced as an anesthetic by Carl Koller. Cocaine use fell off for various reasons, before it reemerged in the late 1970s. Though touted as the  ¡Ã‚ §perfect Next, lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly„ «drug, ¡Ã‚ ¨ it has ruined many lives. known as (LSD) was created in 1943 by Albert Hofmann. This drug gained huge popularity in the 1960s. Hofmann ¡Ã‚ ¦s description of his experience while testing the drug was a pleasant intoxi... Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition Free Essays on Drugs History And Definition Drugs have„ «History / Definition a long and notorious history for altering minds. Drugs are used as a way of In this speech, I will„ «escaping reality and disappearing into another world. assist you in understanding the history and definitions of various drugs. My proposed findings are based upon information I have gathered from a variety of Therefore, according to„ «what I believed to be reputable and credible sources. Professor Blum, from the University of Chicago the original home of cannabis is thought to be Central Asia, but has spread around the globe with the exception Early in its„ «of the Arctic regions and areas of wet tropical forests. history ¡Xthe Chinese undoubtedly used it as a hallucinogen. 1500 years later when they had their first contact with Europeans the drug had fallen into decline. However, its value had become a primary source of fiber and there is record of The United States declared„ «hemp cultivation dating back to Neolithic times. marijuana as an illegal drug in 1937. It has been a source of great controversy Another popular drug widely used in the United States is cocaine.„ «ever since. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of a plant called E-Coca. E-Coca, a bushy shrub native to South American countries at high altitudes. Cocaine is the primary alkaloid in these leaves. In addition, Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, used cocaine to treat many of his patients, later he himself became an addict. Cocaine was found to have a numbing effect, therefore it was introduced as an anesthetic by Carl Koller. Cocaine use fell off for various reasons, before it reemerged in the late 1970s. Though touted as the  ¡Ã‚ §perfect Next, lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly„ «drug, ¡Ã‚ ¨ it has ruined many lives. known as (LSD) was created in 1943 by Albert Hofmann. This drug gained huge popularity in the 1960s. Hofmann ¡Ã‚ ¦s description of his experience while testing the drug was a pleasant intoxi...

Marketing Mix for U.S.A car market Chery Cars China Essay

Marketing Mix for U.S.A car market Chery Cars China - Essay Example Strategic Planning: A strategy outlines the game plan of an organisation for its success. An effective marketing plan requires sound strategic planning at many levels in an organisation. At the top level and mid level planners deal with the strategic decisions which focus on long term development of the product (Kapferer, 2008, p. 182). Research and Analysis: Strategic planning is dependent on availability and interpretation of information and hence it is considered to be the lifeblood of an organisation. Thus it is important for marketing planners to have right information for making right product. Thus marketers regularly conduct and analyze the opinions, needs and attitudes of their customers. In addition to it, there is internal analysis and external analysis for getting useful information for the company (Chery, 2014, p. 1). Developing Competitive Advantage: Competitive advantage is important to set the tone or strategic focus of the entire marketing program. With this the firm can offer customers a compelling reason for them to purchase their product. Without competitive advantage, the company and its products are just like any other company offer commoditized products (Jobber, 2012, p. 172). Product: Product is developed to meet the needs and demands of the consumers. It must be developed at the right level of quality to meet the present and future needs. Thus the perfect product must create value for the consumer and it is not necessary for a product to be tangible. Price: The price of a product is actually the perceived price of the product in the eyes of the customers. A company must make the price competitive, not necessarily the cheapest. A company can compete with large companies by offering better value to the customers for their money (Henry, 2008, p. 112). Place: The place indicates the location where customers buy their products. It is crucial for a company to make the

Leonardo Da Vinci - a Worshipper of Nature's Divine Order Essay

Leonardo Da Vinci - a Worshipper of Nature's Divine Order - Essay Example Leonardo's name was actually Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci, though he was known throughout his life as Leonardo or Leonardo Ser Piero. 'Da Vinci' is simply a reference to the Tuscan village in which he was born. Referring to him as 'Da Vinci' is a little like referring to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery of Alamein as 'Of Alamein'or Joan of Arc as 'Of Arc'. It is strange that Brown calls him 'Da Vinci' consistently, despite the fact he apparently studied art in Seville and his wife is supposedly an art historian.The life and work of Leonardo, the archetypical 'Renaissance Man' for whom no branch of knowledge was allowed to remain a closed book, has proved endlessly fascinating to later generations. At one time he was known only as a painter, although many of his works by other hands were unknown and a number of inferior works by other hands were wrongly attributed to him. The full, amazing extent of his genius emerged only in quite recent times with the rediscovery of his notebooks and drawings. For a time, even Leonardo the painter seemed to be submerged by the weight of his new reputation as a scientist. Some readjustment has taken place since then. As a scientist and engineer, Leonardo's achievements, though staggering enough, have proved to be a shade less novel than once we thought, while at the same time a succession of brilliant art historians, beginning with Bernhard Berenson and Kenneth Clark, has made us far more knowledgeable about his art. Though Leonardo would have jibbed at such a judgment, he was and is, first and foremost a great painter; a man whose output was tiny compared with other geniuses of his time (a Michelangelo, a Raphael, a Titian) yet included possibly the two most famous paintings in history, the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

Water transportation through a ship dock

Water transportation through a ship dock Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Research Background A port can be simply defined as a location where ship can dock and move personnel or cargo to or from land. in the last 50 years, ports have evolved from this definition, and have acquired a vital place in value-driven logistic-chain systems. They now are international logistic platforms forming a common boundary between production and consumption centres .Being an international logistic platform port sector deals with the volatile world market and are influenced by political factors, international trade, and overall world economic conditions than other sectors. These complex environments in port sector has made the port planning and port development into a very challenging task (Taneha,2010).Port functions can be compared to a self sustaining industry with domestic and international trade. As a part of supply chain management they also act as foreign exchange earner by providing logistics services to the industry. Thus while expansion of an existing port or planning of a green fiel d project, ports can be treated as an industry. Water transportation is a relatively energy-saving and environment friendly way of transporting many goods. However, coastal zones are particularly sensitive regions, and coastal ecosystems often are very fragile. Planning of an industry is driven by lot of factors such as demand and supply, institutional framework, application of technology, marketing strategy and ultimately economic impact analysis for the development and implementation of a project. The vigorous development of waterways in promoting sustainable development of transportation could potentially lead to negative environmental impacts on ports and the waters surrounding around ports ,and hence planning of a port should not only be concerned on simply demand and supply but need to pay more attention the importance of port environmental protection and planning 1.2 The reason of the choice of this subject There have been a lot of researches and papers done on port planning but much of these researches were dominated by financial-economic aspects of port planning. .Author being a port management aspirant believes that focusing on other factors in port planning may contribute to the acceptance of the port activities and the sustainable development. The planning of a port should not only be concerned on simply demand and supply but need to pay more attention to the issues such as environmental factors ,safety and security, local mobility, noise, pollution, etc of the port area The Existing Doha port has become somewhat hemmed in by all the development going on around the citys waterfront, and thus a new Doha port is under construction. it has already been recognized that the location of the new port is close to environmentally sensitive coastal areas and the government has already ensured that the environmental impacts of the project, during both construction and the subsequent operation of the port will be mitigated to the maximum extent possible .Author consider this as opportunity to attain practical knowledge apart from theoretical studies on environmental considerations in port planning. Since the author has lived and visited Qatar several times he was able to generate some personal relationships which he believes to be vital in doing this thesis. 1.2 Overall Aim The aim of this research is to investigate the role of Environmental factors in strategic port planning and development .The research will be done taking new Doha port as case study 1.3 The objectives of this research include: Analyzing the role of Institutional framework in def ining the Port ownership model and hence to define the objectives of port To evaluate the power and influences of stakeholder in port development and planning process To investigate the limitations of port Planning in terms of environmental considerations To provided an overview of proposed new Doha port 1.3 Propose Methodology Research will be done by using both primary and secondary data .The secondary data will be collected from book, journal, company report and website which will be used to construct the framework of this research. Primary data will be collected from the ports and port authority in the form of documents, questionnaires and interview. After that, the findings from primary and secondary data together with the literature review will be employed to conclude this thesis. 1.4 Research Overview Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction There is relatively little academic literature concerning planning perspective of environmental management within ports .The literature review will first cover a comprehensive summary of the basic features of strategic port planning including the definition, with the emphasis on the importance of port environmental protection, planning and management. Thorough analysis of the environmental issues related to ports will be conducted to gain a more comprehensive understanding of port environmental protection in New Doha port. A review will also be done in analysing the present methods followed in mitigating existing problems. Secondly an outline of the new Doha port will be done involving Qatars new policy and the reasons for conceiving the new port. 2.2 Strategic Port Planning Planning and development of ports requires extensive organization and collaboration .Strategic planning in port can be defined as â€Å"systematic and continuing process which enables a port and its management to clearly determine mission, direction and activities† (AAPA,1998). One of the key principles to be followed on planning a seaport is that it should be flexible to accommodate the periodic emerging changes happening in the technology of ships and cargo handling. Therefore identifying the factors that effects the port in the future including an appraisal of the port s external and internal environment can be considered as a top priority objective in strategic port planning . The major function of environment appraisal is to utilize the identified opportunities by developing appropriate responses and to act upon the counter threats in its market share. To evaluate the strategic investment required in terms of human resources, training, facilities and infrastructure, a clear assessment of ports strength and weakness is essential. It is imperative for a port to identify its environment and its competition, its vision and mission and its strategies. Ideally a port is designed according the demands of the objectives of the port, which in turn depends on the mission statement. Mission statement includes four elements purpose, strategy, behaviour standards and values. The purpose elements explains why the company exits, strategy explains the competitive position and distinctive competence of company, values suggests why the company exits and behaviour standards look in to the policies and behaviour patterns that underpins the distinctive competence and the value system of company. (Gaur,2009) An ideal single typology for port planning can rarely be achieved.The facilities which a port provides is designed by considering ships which uses them, the land transport and the port facilities at the other end of the route-that is, as part of an integrated transport system. A planner should always consider the problems in the port, in the context of the larger transport system of which the port is a part. He should also be aware of that fact that that strategic and social considerations play an important role in the location of a new port. Within these limits he should, however must be able to encourage and assist the industrial planners to search for the overall optimum economic resolution. Port development and planning is largely influenced by numerous factors such as demand, competition, changes in trade patterns,port management, cargo handling technology ,environmental pressures etc. Environmental Issues of Port Sea ports are very multifaceted system when viewed from environmental point of view. The, the very existence of ports, as well as any expansion can always results in a certain loss of habitat .In fact most of the elements including construction and operation of ports in one way or another way can be associated with environmental impact. Pollution in ports can take place either under normal conditions or accidentally(Darbra et al., 2004). The constant and movement of ships in a limited and compact area can lead to collisions between ships or between ships and the coast at frequent intervals, following risk the of the release of hazardous materials (Trozzi andVaccaro, 2000).Ports faces with different environmental issues and is greatly influenced by the characteristics of each port (Casal, et al., 1999). Table 2-1 (A) summarizes the ranking of the major environmental issues in sea ports, according to the results obtained from the Europe Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) The have been a lot of changes occurred over the thirteen years ase shown in the table .Port waste which not even present in the 1996 top 10 ranking was able achieve the first placed in 2003.In 2009 pollution caused by noise topped the chart. These changes can be considered as the result of increased environmental awareness in ports and the actions carried out as a result of increasing pressure from environmental legislation. Contributions of Port Activities in Pollution A wide range activities in port and harbour including dredging operations, materials disposal, shore zone development, increased maritime traffic and vehicular traffic in the port has an outcome in the form of anthropogenic contaminants to the environment (Trozzi and Vaccaro, 2000). Pollution problems caused by port activities can be characterized into the following: Destruction of coastal habitats and silting of navigational channels due to causeway construction and land reclamation; Unregulated mariculture activities in the port and harbour areas may threaten navigation safety; Surface water quality deterioration can happen during the construction and operation phases; Operations in port and harbour can generate sewage, bilge wastes, solid waste and leakage of harmful materials both from shore and ships; Contamination of coastal water by urban effluent discharge can affect the human and fish health Pollution caused by oil due to the port/harbour and shipping operations is one of the major environmental hazards . This includes bilge oil released from commercial ships handling non-oil cargo as well as the more common threat from oil tankers Air pollutant emissions due to ship emissions, loading and unloading activities, construction emission and emissions due to vehicular movement. Gupta et al. (2002, p. 199) Air Pollution The major air pollutants related to port activities are particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone, and sulphur oxides (SOx). Other pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde, heavy metals, dioxins, and pesticides can cause problems as well (Bailey and Solomon, 2004).Construction and vapours, gas oil produced during oil product transport, emissions of transport vehicles are considered to be major sources of air pollution in ports. Specific analysis is as follows (Bailey, 2004): A mixture of lime dust is produce during port construction which involves land piling, excavation, road resurfacing, materials transport, and cement casting .These have a definite impact on the air in the port area. Another source causing air pollution is the dust released during the process of handling and transporting of coal, ore, grain and other substances.The secondary stirring of dust may also occur whenever natural wind blow are produced with storage of similar merchandises bulk yards. Atmospheric dust pollution may result from the fuel used in assisted lifting facilities; Gases produced during port operation also causes serious air pollution.During the loading, transporting and storing of oil products and liquids at oil ports and container zones exhaust gases are emitted .These gases are referred as oil gases.Exhaust gases are also emitted from freight trucks and transportation vehicles. (Bailey, 2004). Another source includes indirect GHG emissions associated with the import and consumption of purchased electricity by a port for port-owned buildings and operations http://iaphtoolbox.wpci.nl/GreenG_strategies.html The largest emission sources within ports are from marine vessels, trucks and cargo handling equipment. Together they account for over 90% of emissions at ports. Figure 2-2 shows the PM emissions and NOx emissions (Bailey, 2004). Largest Emission Sources within Ports (PM Emissions and NOx Emissions)Sourceï ¼Å¡Bailey, 2004. Noise Pollution Noise can be transferred through waterborne, airborne and structureborne. Most of the noise pollution is the airborne noise and it can influence related area nearby ports (Trozzi and Vaccaro, 2000) Theory of ergonomics states that ‘when the noise operating environment is more than a certain threshold the operating efficiency will decline sharply. it will lead operation errors then cause security incidents Noise in the shore:Construction and operation of a port are the main sources of noise pollution In port areas.This include the noise of construction machinery, traffic noise , mechanical noise of loading and unloading and other shipping activities. Ship noise includes the noise of ship operation, cabin mechanical impacting, air flow vibration, which can seriously affected staffs physical and mental health.. Water Pollution Port activities and development process have larger contribution in water pollution. Major pollutants include direct pollutants during construction and operation phases and indirect pollutant occurring from the port under development. Construction of a new port or development includes building of Cofferdam, land reclamation, waterway dredging which can result in sea water turbidity; and the possible discharge of hazardous substances in sediments at the surface of water cause secondary pollution; Port activities causing water pollution are listed below: Ballast water, washing process of oil tankers, cabin water, gas stations on shore, repair machinery and moving machinery wash water are example of wastewater containing oil by products; Runoff water from storm sewers and coal storage iron ore, non-metallic ore, the terminal yard, the wash water of the terminal surface, the belt corridor and other places, and the leaked sewage water from coal and or mines Toxic, hazardous materials and bulk liquid from containers and transport ships can bepresent in the cleaning sewage Port region and ship sewage, mainly from local canteens, bathrooms, toilets, office buildings and other ships anchored in port; and,Industrial wastewaters produced from the nearby port industrial zone. Mishandling and breakage of cargo process ,fault in machine or fault of stevedores and lack of maintenance can lead to leakage of oils, fuels, chemical substances, toxic material and liquids International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), 1999): 2.3 Environmental Planning and Management in Ports The purpose of environmental management is to protect environment and natural resources systems in the port surrounding area and to ensure the sustainability of development efforts over a long-term basis(Environmental Impact Assessment of Irrigation and DrainageProjects,1995).Throughout the history of port planning there has been only a little attention paid to the major environmental aspects Planning process at ports is basically in the hands of civil engineers and surveyors (Anon,1997) and hence the priority has always been on technical standards and land values. The environmental aspects considered during port development have generally been the by-products of related legislation, such as Health and Safety regulations, dangerous goods area spacing, waste reception and disposal, and traffic planning for ship safety (Couper, 1999).