The Staffing Problems at British Airways (BA)

Abstract This paper focuses on a case study of the staffing problems at British Airways (BA) as an illustration of a service-oriented company that faces modern-day problems of employee opposition to downsizing. The paper uses online questionnaires as the main data collection tool to sample the views of ten company employees who work in British Airways (BA). Comprehensively, this paper acknowledges that BA has maintained a good relationship with most of its stakeholders, except for its employees.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on The Staffing Problems at British Airways (BA) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, this paper proposes that BA should adopt an open communication strategy to improve its relationship with its employees. Similarly, this paper recommends that BA should uphold stakeholder engagement as the main solutions to the periodic industrial actions it faces. This way, the company can improve its competitiveness in service provision and maintain its leadership in the aviation sector. Introduction British Airways (BA) Company is the national flight carrier of the United Kingdom (UK). BA operates under the banner of the One World Alliance and under its parent company – International Airlines group (Cole, 2003). The parent company lists in the London Stock exchange (Cole, 2003). So far, BA flies to more than 160 destinations around the world (Melville, 2011). Its presence manifests in Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and other parts of the world (however, its main hub is in London) (Melville, 2011). Based on its fleet size, BA is among the largest airline companies in the world. Moreover, besides Easy Jet Company, BA is the largest airline company in the UK, in terms of its passenger numbers (Cole, 2003). BA offers a variety of services including engineering and cargo transportation. However, passenger service is its main business focus. Since its privatization, BA has been a phenomenal success in the provision of passenger services. The company’s privatization helped the organization to move from a loss-making entity to a profitable enterprise. An increase in the organization’s turnover, operating profits, and earnings per share characterized the swift transition of the company into a profit-making entity. The volumes of passengers have also more than quadrupled in the past decade (Melville, 2011). Nonetheless, underlying BA’s success is a growing dispute between the company’s management and its workers. The fiercely competitive aviation sector also threatens the sustainability of the company’s service. Indeed, low-cost airlines considerably erode BA’s market share through effective pricing and the provision of quality services.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On one hand, BA’s has been forced to improve its customer services by nurturing long-term relationships with its customers, but this move has been undermined by several factors. Staffing problems and a demoralized workforce highlights some of the problems that affect the company’s goal of maintaining its industry leadership. Defining the Problem For most parts of the years 2010 and 2011, British Airways experienced several industrial actions from its workers (Werdigier, 2010). The workers demanded higher pay and better working conditions. BA was however hesitant to do so, after citing significant hikes in operating costs and an unstable business environment as its reasons for rejecting the demands of the workers. Besides the rising costs of operations and the unstable business environment, British Airways also suffered from an increasingly fragile British economy, characterized by high unemployment rates and a weakening consumer spending power (Werdigier, 2010). The sheer extent of a serious British Airways strike worried many analysts who feared that such an eventuality might cause more fragility of the country’s economy (Werdigier, 2010). This happened. Broadly, the BA strike involved a dispute between the company’s staff (through their union) and managers of the airline company. The union accused the airline’s management of bullying and harassing its workers. For example, in 2010, the airline’s management decided to withdraw cabin benefits of the workers. Most of the employees considered this move as bullish and went on strike. In fact, for the period of the strike, the company threatened most of the workers with job termination and the withdrawal of fringe benefits (Melville, 2011). Consequently, most of the workers believed that the airline’s management was out to gag some of its workers and cripple the worker’s union. The strikes caused significant losses for the company because BA was still experiencing the effects of fie rce competition and rising costs of operation. The strike affected BA’s operations at different levels because customers reported significant delays in flight operations and lack of baggage services. The check-in staff was also not on duty, thereby affecting the company’s sales. In some major airports around Europe, the strike affected the airline’s operations for more than 24 hours. For example, the strikes affected Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow airports with significant delays of up to 24 hours (Smith, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on The Staffing Problems at British Airways (BA) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In fact, at Heathrow alone, the company cancelled more than 150 flights (Smith, 2012). At Gatwick airport, the strikes caused the cancellations of more than 45 flights (Smith, 2012). The effect of the strike was so severe that the company had to c ancel more than 1,100 flights out of a possible 1,900 flights that the company scheduled to do within the strike period (Smith, 2012). Moreover, even as the strike continued, periodic collapses in negotiations between the workers and the airline managers occurred. Analysts say that for the period that the airline company witnessed the industrial action, the company incurred more than 264 million Euros in losses (Werdigier, 2010). Similarly, during the strike, the airline’s brand suffered a significant dent in its image after customers shunned BA and decided to book flights with its competitors. As the strike continued, its spillover effects started to be felt by other airlines as well. This standoff caused many analysts to fear for the airline’s future, especially as the competition in the airline sector grew fierce, and the costs of operations continued to rise (Smith, 2012). The 2010 industrial action witnessed at BA has not had a long-term solution. In fact, the ind ustrial action is not the first in the company because a similar strike in 1997 occurred after workers complained about managerial insensitivity to the plight of the workers (Smith, 2012). While BA’s managers solved the 2010 strike, the threat of a new strike is always not far away from reality. For example, BA recently collaborated with a Spanish airline company, Iberia airlines, as part of its expansion plan. However, since the merger has not been profitable for the company, BA considers restructuring the company to make it leaner and more efficient (WSN, 2012). Unfortunately, this strategy requires the company to dismiss hundreds of workers. This has been the latest battlefront for BA and its workers because the workers are threatening the company with more industrial action if it intends to proceed with its plans. Therefore, BA faces a tougher future as it is involved in a fierce battle with its workers, who oppose its restructuring plan. Tools used for Data Collection Th e main data collection method was the online questionnaire. Ten BA employees received the questionnaires. We gathered the data as a survey to understand the opinions regarding the human resource issues at British Airways and their possible solutions.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The unavailability of some respondents for a face-to-face interview informed the selection of the online questionnaire as the main data collection tool. Indeed, online questionnaires transcend geographic boundaries that would prevent a face-to-face meeting with the respondents (McDonald, 2003). Moreover, the use of the online questionnaires provided a cheaper approach of data collection because of the simplicity in administering them. Certainly, the respondents easily keyed their opinions through the online questionnaires without having to meet with the researcher in person. Therefore, there were no travelling and printing costs incurred. Another motivation of adopting the online questionnaire was the limited probability of errors occurring in the data collection method (McDonald, 2003). A comprehensive regulation of the online questionnaire occurred through a data input software that disallowed the input of â€Å"unacceptable† information. Moreover, in some instances, the re spondents had to select their answers from a series of available choices. This option created a lot of flexibility in the collection of data because answers displayed through check boxes, pull-down menus, pop-up menus, help screens and sub-menus. The use of the online questionnaires also enabled an easy and prompt review of the participants’ responses because it was easy to get information from the respondents (promptly) without waiting for the physical delivery of the questionnaires (McDonald, 2003). Furthermore, since the data collection process occurred through a central database, the data analysis process was also faster than physical questionnaires. It was therefore easy to understand the views of the respondents because their answers were more direct. The use of the online questionnaire often poses significant challenges in data collection, but most of these challenges did not occur in the research. For example, McDonald (2003) says that online questionnaires normally h ave a low response rate when researchers use them in areas that do not have an internet connection. However, all the respondents who were involved in this study had a working internet connection in their offices. It was therefore easy to avoid this challenge. McDonald (2003) also says that online questionnaires have a bias towards young people and have a lower reception to their completion. These challenges were equally avoided because the respondents were young people aged 40 years and below. Moreover, they did not exude any hesitation to participate in the study or to use online questionnaires. Analysis of Data Gathered The biggest issue identified by the BA workers sampled included managerial insensitivity. Many of the respondents believed that the company’s management was running the company single-handedly without considering their thoughts. When the respondents stated their greatest grievance in the company, they affirmed that managerial insensitivity, coupled with poor pay and bad working conditions were their main concerns. As seen from the graph below, managerial concerns formed the greatest grievance of the workers (60%), followed by bad working conditions (21%) and poor pay (19%) in that order. Many respondents therefore believed that their managers were largely arrogant and insensitive to their plights as workers. The withdrawal of some of their fringe benefits was also an issue of serious concern for most of the workers. The lack of job security and the uncertainty that prevailed in the workplace also stood out as serious concerns for the workers. The workers were therefore not sure about their employment status in the workplace because the fear that they would lose their jobs always lingered over their work. One respondent said that the company intends to dismiss about a quarter of their workforce without any consideration to the welfare of the workers, or any proper notice for such actions. Another respondent said that the company intende d to reduce workers’ pay by about 25%-30% without any consideration to the prevailing financial hardships that most workers faced. This uncertainty demoralized them and prevented them from fully engaging in their duties. They therefore lacked enough focus to dedicate their services to the company. The main indicator of this lack of employee commitment was the low level of customer satisfaction with the services of the company. The employees no longer experienced the need to satisfy their customers because they lacked the commitment to do their job well. One person said, with the fear that they would no longer be part of the company; they could no longer devote all their energies to the company’s activities. When the respondents suggested what the mangers could do to alleviate their problems, many of the respondents answered that the managers should demonstrate empathy and concern for the plight of the workers. Other respondents said that the company’s management should adopt more consultative approaches when formulating their decisions, so that whatever decisions they came up with, demonstrate the input of all the parties involved. However, there was the unwillingness of the respondents to appreciate the factors that led the managers to make their decisions. More specifically, the respondents did not understand the external and internal factors that were privy to the managers, which forced them to make the decisions that they did. Moreover, the workers did not refer to the competitive pressures and the growth of competitive forces that forced the company to make hard decisions about its staffing problem. The workers therefore never appreciated that the company had to be more efficient and leaner to make more profit and compete with other airline companies in the industry. When the respondents stated who would better solve their problems (between the managers and the union) an almost equally opinionated response highlighted the potential fo r the worker’s union and the company’s management to solve the company’s problem. As seen from the above pie chart, 49% of the respondents said that the union should continue to pressure the company’s management for better working conditions, while 51% believed that the managers had the sole discretion of solving their problems (better than the unions would do). Broadly, the employees believed that the union’s role was mainly to advance their agenda to the management, but the management had the mandate to solve their issues. Indeed, there was a clear understanding that the union did a good job to organize the workers and formulate a collective bargaining agreement with the company’s management. The role of the union could however not be undermined because without their opinions in the negotiations, the workers would not stand a chance of effectively receiving a favorable response from the company’s management. Therefore, through such an understanding, the employees believed that the union’s input was instrumental in the decision-making process. Therefore, the solutions to the staffing issues had to mirror the union’s input. When the respondents explained if their industrial actions were effective in advancing their plight, all of them answered affirmatively. In fact, most of the workers believed that this strategy was the only â€Å"language† that the managers understood. WSN (2012) said that during the 2010 strike, the industrial action cost the company about 7,000,000 Euros, daily. For most companies, such (daily) losses would be significant enough to warrant a careful reconsideration of the plight of workers. Nonetheless, so far, the company has made some effort to open its communication policies to include the trade union, but such efforts are still insufficient. For example, a planned exercise to dismiss more than 400 cabin crew has been ongoing because BA’s management has tried to engage with the workers’ union about this plan to no avail (Melville, 2011). So far, the company is facing a situation where the union demands that the management should only dismiss workers who are unwilling to work for the company (Melville, 2011). Therefore, the union would oppose any attempts by the company to dismiss workers who are still willing to retain their jobs. Such hard-line positions require a well-thought approach to solving them. Conclusion and Recommendations Stakeholder Involvement The importance of companies to maintain a good relationship with their stakeholders cannot be overemphasized. This is because stakeholders support most company activities, and without their support, organizations would seize to exist. BA has managed to maintain a good relationship with most of its stakeholders (Werdigier, 2010). For example, suppliers have provided the company with crucial goods and services that support the organization’s activities. Indeed, since the c ompany is a service-centered company, BA buys many goods from its suppliers, including food for its customers and fuel to power its airplanes (Werdigier, 2010). The company’s suppliers are always keen on nurturing a good relationship with the company because as BA expands, they will also expand and enjoy greater profits. Some of the company’s main suppliers are Boeing and Airbus because both companies manufacture airplanes and sell them to the company. Both companies therefore have a big stake in the London-based organization (Werdigier, 2010). Creditors also surface as an important stakeholder for BA because most of them are interested in receiving regular and periodic payments. They need to know that the company can pay its debts on time, so that they can lend the company more money to make more profit. Such stakeholders are more interested in the financial performance of the enterprise (Werdigier, 2010). Therefore, BA’s creditors would be more concerned with the company’s profitability, cash flow, balance sheet and the likes. According to the context of this paper, employees are the main stakeholders for BA. Employees are normally interested in the company’s activities because it provides them with an income and a livelihood. Besides this advantage, workers are interested in the company’s activities because it provides them with fringe benefits and an opportunity for advancing their careers. However, BA has failed to understand the role of its employees in the company’s decision-making process. Consequently, it has failed to include all stakeholders in its decision-making process. Some of the sampled respondents mirror this weakness because some of them feel isolated and vulnerable to managerial excesses. They also feel that most of the company decisions do not reflect employee input. The importance of stakeholder engagement at BA cannot be overemphasized because the management needs to realize that it needs to consider the inputs of everybody that it influences through its decisions (Welch, 2011). Stakeholder engagement may offer the company a good opportunity for aligning its operations with the needs of the employees and the organization. Through this process, the company will also find it easier to improve stakeholder value and improve the company’s long-term sustainability. Welch (2011) says proponents of stakeholder engagement intend to encourage organizations to exploit the opportunities of full stakeholder engagement that is associated with the process. Through this engagement, Welch (2011) says that BA may find it easy to enjoy an employee buy-in. Moreover, such a strategy may improve the motivation of the workers, thereby improving the company’s overall productivity. This way, the company may also improve its services and improve customer satisfaction. In fact, BA has long suffered from the lack of customer satisfaction, which has also significantly eroded its pr ofitability from low sales. The improvement of these organizational functions will also lead to the improvement of the company’s competitive standing. Such a development will be an important addition to the company’s brand because BA continues to face stiff competition in a fiercely competitive aviation sector. At the same time, the company will be introducing new and procedural changes to the company’s operations. Better Communication Based on the analysis of BA’s internal and external environments, there is a clear understanding that the company’s management faces tough choices regarding the maintenance of the company’s long-term sustainability (profitability) and keeping its employees happy. While the company may not have the power to change its external environment (which influence its decision-making process), it needs to do more work to make its employees understand the prevailing market conditions that influence their decisions. For e xample, increased competition is a significant challenge for the company because it threatens its long-term sustainability. The company is helpless to such forces. Similarly, the rising cost of operation is also a significant challenge for the company because it erodes the company’s profitability. Issues like rising fuel costs are equally beyond the company’s control. BA’s management therefore needs to communicate such challenges to the employees, better than it has done in the past. Relatively, the main problem that arises throughout the analysis of this paper is the presence of a closed system of communication between the company and its employees. The communication mainly seems to be a top-down approach, where the company communicates managerial decisions â€Å"down† to the employees, without their participation. While a top-down communication channel may be undesirable for the company, BA’s decision to make the company more efficient by reducin g its workforce is not new to modern-day companies. Indeed, many companies have downsized their workforce without much opposition from workers’ unions. In fact, in the last two decades, most major companies in the world have downsized their workforce (Strain, 2013). For example, HSBC holding (an international banking and financial services) has downsized its workforce without widespread public opposition. The company dismissed more than 5,000 employees, in 2011, and it intends to lay off more workers in the future. Another company that has adopted BA’s downsizing strategy is General Motors (American car automaker). Necessitated by a drop in sales, the company’s management had to dismiss more than 75,000 – 100,000 workers (Strain, 2013). Interestingly the company dismissed the workers between 2008 – 2010 when BA wanted to reduce the workers’ fringe benefits and salaries. Examples of other major companies that have downsized exist. Therefore, compared to BA, other multinational companies have dismissed more workers that BA intends to do. While there is a danger in generalizing the managerial decisions of different companies, across varied industries, the above analysis shows that there is no strange difference in what BA intends to do and what other companies have done. Communication is the only difference that exists for BA and other companies (Powis, 2012). BA needs to adopt an open strategy of communication because the current communication strategy is uncomfortable and unproductive for everyone. While many people may identify different reasons for the ideological differences between the worker’s union and the management, it is important that BA’s managers do not allow past disagreements with the workers to influence its future decisions (Powis, 2012). So far, past animosity between the union and the management seems to overshadow future company operations. The company needs to mitigate this concern by e mbracing an open and clear communication channel with the employees, to build a more productive environment for everyone in the organization (Powis, 2012). Furthermore, the company also needs to demonstrate that it is proactive in solving employee issues. Indeed, as the workers said, the greatest responsibility for solving the company’s problems rest with the management and not the workers, or their unions. References Cole, G. (2003). Strategic Management: Theory and Practice. London: Cengage Learning EMEA. Melville, T. (2011). British Airways Plans to Cut 400 Cabin Crew Jobs. Web. McDonald, H. (2003). A comparison of online and postal data collection methods in marketing research. Marketing Intelligence Planning, 21(2), 85-95. Powis, A. (2012). A journey to award-winning employee engagement. Human  Resource Management International Digest, 20(5), 31 – 34. Smith, J. (2012). Travel Tourism: AS Level for OCR : GCE AS Level Double  Award. London: Heinemann. Strain, M. (2013). Examples of Downsizing in the Business World. Web. Welch, M. (2011). The evolution of the employee engagement concept: communication implications. Corporate Communications: An International  Journal, 16(4), 328 – 346. Werdigier, J. (2010). British Airways Strike Effect Disputed. Web. WSN. (2012). BA Owner Faces Strike Threat Over Job Cuts. Web. This case study on The Staffing Problems at British Airways (BA) was written and submitted by user Perla V. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Impact Of Hurricanes In Florida Essays - Atlantic Hurricane Seasons

Impact Of Hurricanes In Florida Essays - Atlantic Hurricane Seasons Impact Of Hurricanes In Florida IMPACT OF HURRICANES IN FLORIDA INTRODUCTION According to the National Hurricane Center, a hurricane releases heat energy at a rate of 50 trillion to 200 trillion watts, which is equivalent to the energy from exploding 10 megaton bombs every 20 minutes. With such strength, it is no wonder why these natural disasters have such large destructive impacts on the environment. Furthermore, hurricanes are of extreme importance to Florida, since they have historically plagued the state, especially in 1992 with Hurricane Andrew. Since it is certain that hurricanes will hit Florida and equally certain that biological populations (including people) will exist in Florida, there is a need for researching methods to coexist with these monstrous storms. IMPACTS OF HURRICANES First, to be able to create solutions to hurricane damage, experts must understand the physical manner in which hurricanes actually cause damage. Roger Pielke, in his hurricane book, The Hurricane, identifies four impacts of a hurricane: storm surge, extreme winds, tornadoes, and rainfall. These impacts are not completely separate from each other; they interact, but are different in scope. Storm surge refers to the rapid rise of sea level as a storm approaches a coastline. This is the biggest impact of a hurricane and accounts for 90% of hurricane deaths (Pielke 1990). Storm surges are caused by three factors. First, the overlying atmosphere pressure drops. Second, strong onshore winds cause a piling up of water at the coast. Third, the decreasing sea depths as the ocean approaches the coast causes the surge to get steeper. A storm surge of 15 feet corresponds to a level 5 hurricane, and a surge greater than 5 feet can cause major damage and loss of life. Since surges diminish as they move inland, surges are mostly destructive to beaches. Extreme winds, which carry a lot of kinetic energy, can cause significant structural damage and even endanger life with dangerous debris. The damage of winds is proportional to the kinetic flow, which is exponential. For example, a wind of 50 ms-1 is four times greater than winds of 25 ms-1. In addition, winds are not restricted to the coasts; extreme winds appear and are destructive far inland. Tornadoes are connected with extreme winds. Although hurricane induced tornadoes are not as strong as the normal ones that appear in the Midwest, they still cause a lot of damage and are dangerous to life. Tornadoes are mysterious, but there are theories on their causes. Tornadoes form as a response to large vertical shears of horizontal wind that develop as lower level wind is slowed by ground friction. The large velocity shears tilt due to spatially varying vertical motion, which causes circulation to complete the tornado. Tornadoes can form far inland. Rainfall is the mildest impact, although it still causes major damage and erosion. Even weak tropical disturbances can cause extreme rainfall. This extreme rainfall can cause flash floods or cause body of waters to flood. Rainfall becomes excessive at and after the hurricane hits land. FLORIDA PROBLEMS WITH HURRICANES According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Florida had the most hurricane strikes from 1900 to 1996 of any other state in the United States with 57 hurricanes. Texas was a far second with 36. With such an intense hurricane history, it is no wonder why hurricanes are a major environmental problem facing Florida. For examples, a 1928 hurricane hit Lake Okeechobe and killed 1800 people (Stormfax Weather Almanac 1997), and 1994 Hurricane Gordon caused significant beach erosion along Floridas east coast and $275 million in agricultural damage by flooding Dade and Collier counties (NHC Hurricane Andrew 1994). The best example of the powerful destruction of hurricanes to Florida is hurricane Andrew. According to the National Hurricane Centers report on hurricane Andrew, total damage was estimated at $25 billion! Fortunately, good preparation prevented major loss of life as 26 people died directly from the hurricane. Over $2 billion dollars was needed to cope with environmental damage from the storm. Also, Ocean Oil reported that there were seven incidents of pollution from the hurricane destroying oil structures in the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps worst of all, the $15 billion of damage to private property left many people homeless, with most of their possessions destroyed. This hurricane caused

Negative ECONOMIC impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil Research Paper

Negative ECONOMIC impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil - Research Paper Example Most available literature has also been limited to the positive aspects of hosting the FIFA World Cup. The argumentative question that this research paper poses however is whether there are no negative economic impacts of hosting the FIFA World Cup. In the opinion of the researcher, there could be some very crucial negative economic impacts that the hostage of the FIFA World Cup comes with, but most of these have been ignored by host countries. In this research paper, Brazil is used as a case study, where the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is brought under perspective. The research paper shall be delimited to only the negative economic impacts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and so will not look into other aspects like social effects. The approach to discussing the negative economic impact would be to look at different variables of economic parameters that may be of concern to the country’s economy, before, during and after the World Cup. At the end of the paper an argumentativ e debate shall be developed with the question given below: 1.1 Research Question Is the 2014 FIFA World Cup an economic imprudence for Brazil? 2.0 Pre-World Cup Effects 2.1 Government spending Government spending is a crucial aspect of the economic determinant of Brazil. This is because already, the government is under much pressure for its inability to live within its annual budget (Bukova, 2013 International Finance Corporation (2009) notes that within the past decade, the Brazilian government has used a supplementary budget in about 7 out of 10 national budgets. The simple reason is that the bid for the World Cup came several years ahead of 2014. For countries to be approved to host the World Cup there are strict requirements laid down by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) that must be adhered to. Greater part of these requirements looks at the availability of sports infrastructure, security, transportation, power supply, accommodation, sanitation, among others (Istomina, 2005). In effect, the very moment that the country announced its intention to host the World Cup in 2014, active preparations started going on. Meanwhile, even though there were some level of sports development in Brazil, it was not adequate to get the country the bid. To this end, government had to start spending, in most cases, beyond its budget to get some of the required requirements underway. As an economic effect however, whenever government is forced to spend beyond its budget, there are sectors of the economy that suffers massively. It is not surprising the number of labor unrest that has hit Brazil since the government started spending on the World Cup preparation (Ivanova, 2004). Already, the government has spent R$9.9 billion (USD1.1 billion) on infrastructure alone; made up of the construction and renovation of existing stadia (Karbalevich, 2011). The upgrading of international airports alone in Brazil ahead of the World Cup has cost the government US$2 .5 billion with some other budget spending that have come up to a total of S$14 billion (). 2.2 Taxation The effect of the World Cup hostage on taxation in Brazil has been analyzed in various peer reviewed literature and economic forums. It has for example been noted that one of the very first economic policies that the government undertook as a way of raising money to cater for the US$14billion budget it was faced with in hosting the World Cup was to raise taxes in several aspects of the

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Global threats to human beings caused by human population growth - Essay Example Human overpopulation has several negative effects on the environment. Environmentalists have established that nearly all environmental problems are as a result of rapid human population growth rate. Environmental trends such as loss of biodiversity, depletion of water resources, alteration of climate and atmosphere are some of the environmental problems that are associated with human population growth. This paper only discusses how overpopulation lowers living conditions, depletes natural resources, and causes environmental degradation. In most developing countries, cultural traditions and lack of access to birth control programs have led to rapid population growth rate (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). The number of people living in these regions has created pressure on land and food securities. This has led to overpopulation where the available resources are insufficient to sustain population growth and developmental growths. This results in ever increasing number of poor people acros s Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and other developing countries across the world (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). This people suffer from lack of clean water, malnourishment, inadequate shelter, overcrowding, AIDS and other waterborne diseases. Most of these people lack sufficient access to basics of life, and this means that their living standards are significantly lower than those people living in developed countries. Poor living standards resulting from overpopulation in a given region is evident in most African slum dwellings. In these slums, people lack adequate access to clean drinking water and enough food. Domestic water used for cleaning and cooking in the slum dwellings is usually contaminated, and this is the reason why waterborne diseases such as cholera, bilharzia, and typhoid are common in these regions (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). The second cause of human population growth is depletion of natural resources. While rapid growth of human population is slowly dimin ishing or leveling off in most developed nations such as United Kingdom and United States, the rate at which people are utilizing the world’s natural resources is significantly on the rise (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). Over dependence on natural resources usually creates environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity, climate change, depletion of water resources and over fishing. The ever increasing human population requires more land for settlement. This makes human to clear natural forest and displace animals living in it, and this leads to loss of biodiversity. In addition, gases that are released into the atmosphere deplete the ozone layer, which in turn causes climate changes such as global warming. With global warming, the amount of annual rainfall received in an area decreases significantly. This has made human to adopt irrigation as the alternative source of water for the crops. Heavy irrigation, on the other hand, causes excessive loss of natural water resource s such as rivers and lakes (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). Finally, overpopulation posses the biggest threat on the environment more than any other thing. Most of the environmental degradations such as depletion of the ozone layer, pollution, climate and atmosphere changes, and overfishing are common phenomena in industrialized nations (Zuckerman & Jefferson, 1996). Developed countries own capital industries, which consume a lot of natural

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Un-American - Essay Example The altered political ideology following the communist expansionism of the ‘Cold War’ had domestic repercussions in American society. The stage was set by F.D. Roosevelt, who conceded control over post-war Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union, granting â€Å"moral legitimization to what Stalin had acquired by sheer force† (Nisbet, qtd. in Maltsev and Simpson, 15). The subsequent race for nuclear supremacy, and the policy of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction,’ â€Å"inspired widespread fear of impending nuclear war† in Americans, who built bomb shelters in their backyards (Foner, 891). This let the â€Å"sweeping tide of anti-communism† (Pike, Global Security organization web site) engulf America. Any criticism of American society was construed to be ‘Un-American.’ Senator McCarthy’s witch-hunts made ‘McCarthyism,’ with its connotation of ‘unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty’, a dominant theme of the 1950’s. America of the 1950’s witnessed â€Å"the twentieth century’s greatest citizens’ movement – the black struggle for equality† (Foner, 899). The rigid racial boundaries of the previous decade persisted in post-war America. The new suburban landscape was racially segregated, and reinforced by methods, such as ‘block-busting’ (Foner, 863). Jim Crow laws flourished in the South. The American judiciary led the assault on racial discrimination. In 1944, the US Supreme Court ruled racial segregation unconstitutional in public schools. Rosa Parks’ defiance led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and Martin Luther King burst upon the scene with his charismatic leadership. Despite strong resistance, America’s march towards a truly equal, ethnically integrated society began in earnest. Economically and culturally, the 1950’s gave a new definition to ‘the American way of life.’ Most significantly, â€Å"consumerism replaced economic freedom and democratic participation as central definitions

Soft Skills And Communication Skills For Engineers

Soft Skills And Communication Skills For Engineers Abstract Engineering education widely recognize an increasing need to equip students with effective study skills early in their university education and basic professional skills prior to graduation. These, however, are traditionally difficult modules to teach successfully to larger groups through traditional lecturing. Observations suggest a poor absorption rate from the students and thus a lack in their ability to benefit from these skills both personally and professionally. Specific techniques described in this paper can be easily integrated into most types of teaching material. Introduction Over the years there has been an increase in emphasis on soft skills and particularly communication skills in the engineering programs. Reflecting both the demands of potential employers and professional bodies, as well as the creativity of course designers, modules such as first year study skills and final year professional skills have become more and more common. The greatest focus has been placed on fundamental topics such as presentation skills, effective report writing, teamwork, and time/project management. Whilst this change is certainly a positive one, these modules seem to be among the more challenging to teach and assess successfully, the criteria for success being that the student can understand the concepts presented, apply them using exercises, and demonstrate the resulting competence through assessment. A modified teaching approach is required that addresses the professional students. The approach needs to add interest and obvious relevance; students need to feel that any guidelines presented can solve a pressing issue or concern that exists in their world. Above all, to be successful the teaching approach must be dynamic, interesting, practical and organized to manage tactically the attention span of the audience. Modifying the approach Keeping a large number of undergraduate students continually engaged is not the easiest of tasks, particularly considering the challenges above. It was decided that a different and more dynamic teaching approach was required to stimulate students in place of traditional lecturing styles based essentially on one-way communication. If students frequently had to respond, discuss, react or participate they would be far less likely to disengage or go to sleep! Allowing them to make mistakes in a supportive environment would also go some way to convincing them that they needed to improve their skills and were doing so by attending the learning sessions. Some might argue that a high level of interaction is only practicable with smaller audiences. Whilst smaller groups are indeed easier to manage this was found not to be the case, although an experienced lecturer is required who is willing to engage in open discussions and deviate from a detailed lecture plan if necessary. Towards a task-based approach Typically, a traditional ELT syllabus lists learning items in terms of structures, functions, notions and vocabulary which are then set in situations and which usually integrate a variety of skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). This dominant approach has been characterized as product-orientated because it focuses on what is to be learnt or on products. The problem with this approach, as Nunan (1988) has pointed out, is that input cannot be equated with output and that teaching cannot be equated with learning. In short, what the teacher teaches is not what the learner learns. Swan (2005) in his critique of task-based learning laments the polarization of attitudes in relation to recent discussion of language learning. On the one hand traditionalists argue in favor of a linear, atomistic syllabus design. On the other hand, hard-line task-based ideologues seem to exclude any atomistic activity in favor of all-or-nothing holism. Bygates distinction (2003, p. 176) between tasks and exercises helps to situate this debate. He defines exercises as activities which practice parts of a skill, a new sub-skill, a new piece of knowledge. In contrast, he defines tasks as activities which practice the whole integrated skill in some way. Bygates discussion (2001, pp.23-48) lends support to the idea that task-based teaching needs to be situated in a broad curriculum framework, suggesting that isolated tasks are not sufficient in themselves to promote learning. The implication drawn from such research and discussion is that units of learning that involve the strategic use of holistic repeated tasks and supporting atomistic exercises provide one means of avoiding narrow ideological positions. A task-based unitary framework is therefore proposed here that leads to student-led holistic outcomes in the form of written reports, spoken presentations and substantial small-group conversations that lead to decision-making outcomes. However, due consideration is also given to the design of atomistic exercises within the framework. In her model for task-based learning, Willis (1996, pp.52-65) proposes a pre-task component, a task-cycle component (pre-task/task/post-task) and a language focus component. With regard to focus on form, Willis emphasizes the importance of a post-task report phase, which could be a written activity such as writing a polished report or a spoken public-report phase in which students can be encouraged to focus on accuracy and can be prompted to recast inaccurate forms. Other key stages for Willis that improve the linguistic focus of task-based learning are the planning stage during which the teacher can take on a role of language advisor. This 1996 framewor k by Willis has been influential. In his 2006 Asian EFL Journal (AEJ) conference keynote speech, for example, Ellis made extensive reference to it, adopting it as his basic framework. Components of a Task Tasks contain some form of input that may be verbal (a dialogue/role play/reading) or, nonverbal (pictures/a gesture) followed by an activity, which is in some way derived from the input. This activity sets out what learners need to do in relation to the input. Tasks have also goals and roles for both teachers and learners. Components of a Task (Nunan: 1989) From the above diagram, a task can be viewed as a piece of meaning focused work, involving learners in comprehending, producing and/or interacting in the target language. Before taking up the task of converting the textual content into various tasks, the following points were noted and kept in mind by the investigators: -The objective of the task must be stated very clearly -The task must be appropriate for the level of the learners -The task must equip the learners with the ability to apply classroom learning in new situations. -Tasks must be interesting and motivating to the students -The form the input takes, must be clear to the teacher -The roles of teachers and students must be specified clearly -Through the task, learners must be encouraged to negotiate meaning -The language that will be generated by the task must be predicted -There should be variety and flexibility in the tasks The following are eight well documented techniques that can be used flexibly to transform any standard lecture into a more dynamic one. These techniques are summarized below. An emphatic and captivating introduction A successful training session must begin by creating a sense of urgency and somehow capturing the interest of the audience, usually by emphasizing the importance of the topic and its relevance. What rewards can be obtained by applying the content of the session? What pitfalls exist for those who lack the competence? However, it is important that in emphasizing the importance of a topic the presenter is not perceived as finger wagging. For example, when youre in industry youll have to . . . or you wont pass your final year project unless you learn to . . . are unlikely to prove engaging whereas would you like me to help you get more marks for your lab reports without doing any more work is. Use of relevant examples and storytelling Examples, stories and anecdotes turn theories and guidelines into perceived reality by providing a true-to-life basis for their application. They will also capture the full attention of most audiences. Use plenty of these at least one for each principal point covered and, wherever possible, focuses on real examples rather than hypotheses. Let students share their similar experiences. Group exercises Have students perform short exercises in groups to try out the application of concepts presented, followed by debriefing where each group reports its findings, progress and difficulties to the audience. Exercises of this type break up the session, increase engagement and can be easily conducted even in a lecture theatre. They also force the students to admit their errors, even if these errors are not reported to the audience, and this helps to establish for them the fact that they have learnt something. Brainstorming This is another interactive technique to provide stimulation and variation. Provide an open question and have students brainstorm in small groups (usually together with those sitting next to them) before beginning a discussion session. Demonstrations/simulations It is much more effective to demonstrate an idea than to talk about it. Documentation could include some type of physical simulation, a simple game, or even a video clip. Role playing is particularly effective as it involves the students in an active way, provided that a risk-free and supportive environment is provided to those who participate. This in turn is dependent on the lecturers making sure that students are never embarrassed by failure during an activity. Opinion polls This is a quick change and helps students to engage in a new activity or a new aspect of a topic. For example a quick show of hands: How many people think .? The mind break Used to refresh the listeners attention span during more demanding presentation components, for example, take a 2 minute break to chat with your neighbor before we move on . . . Facilitation vs. lecturing Whenever possible, lean towards the process of facilitation rather than lecturing. Prompt the audience with relevant questions, challenges their ideas, and shapes an understanding based upon the responses and active discussions rather than reading a script. It is, however, important to be respectful towards students who give wrong or poor answers. The techniques presented above provide some of the most important ingredients for an engaging lecture. They are well documented and widely used in isolation. Not all are applicable to all situations and types of material, and the next step is, therefore, to devise session plans into which they are woven appropriately. The choice of techniques will depend largely on the topic to be presented and to some extent the lecturers personality and individual style. Conclusion Perfect communication is near impossible in the classroom because it depends on many variables. However, if the teacher is to be successful, the content of his message should be clear in his mind and be put in suitable code and transmitted through appropriate media. There is need for a careful sequencing of ideas and the use of activities that is within the experience and understanding of the students. Whatever learning experience the students are exposed to, they should be allowed to practice it. Learning takes place through the active behavior of the students. It is what the student does that he learns and not what the teacher does. The teacher is only a facilitator of learning. The quality of learning that takes place in any situation, to a very large extent, is dependent on the effectiveness of the teachers plan and communication.

Analysis Of Mark Strand?s ?kee :: essays research papers

Although it’s not a lengthy poem, the few words and their layout in â€Å"Keeping Things Whole† certainly possess great significance. This poem is centered on the idea that the narrator’s life is lacking purpose. In exploring the meaning of his existence, he determined that his reason for living was to keep moving so that people’s lives were only temporarily interrupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strand’s technique of splitting up his sentences helps emphasize certain phrases and ideas. When I read poetry I naturally pause for a brief second at the end of each line to allow the words to sink in, therefore taking an extra moment to realize what the author is saying. With each line in this poem only a few words long, there is a higher pause-to-word ratio, which allows for more thought for each idea the first time you read through it. Strand splits up the sentences in places where he is trying to convey more meaning, with the hope that the reader will pause and contemplate what was just read. His stanzas are concluded when he wants more attention placed on his current idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s viewpoint towards life in this poem is quite different from how most people see it. Where he writes, â€Å"In a field / I am the absence / of field.† (ll. 1-3) instead of acknowledging his existence as something, he regards it as a lack of something. This negativity towards himself is what the entire poem is focused on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He uses the idea that when his body enters an area the parts of that area are momentarily interrupted and are forced around him, just waiting to return back to normal once he leaves: â€Å"When I walk / I part the air / and always / the air moves in / to fill the spaces / where my body’s been.† (ll. 8-13) The â€Å"air† in that line symbolizes the existence of other people around him, and the narrator sees himself as a nuisance to those people, always being in the way. He is saying that whenever he enters into a location with a bunch of people, those people see him as a bother and simply as something that they must put up with for a little while. They can’t wait for the narrator to leave so that they don’t have to put up with him anymore and can therefore return to what they were doing. The last stanza explains the narrator’s reason for â€Å"moving,† or in other words living: â€Å"I move / to keep things whole. Analysis Of Mark Strand?s ?kee :: essays research papers Although it’s not a lengthy poem, the few words and their layout in â€Å"Keeping Things Whole† certainly possess great significance. This poem is centered on the idea that the narrator’s life is lacking purpose. In exploring the meaning of his existence, he determined that his reason for living was to keep moving so that people’s lives were only temporarily interrupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strand’s technique of splitting up his sentences helps emphasize certain phrases and ideas. When I read poetry I naturally pause for a brief second at the end of each line to allow the words to sink in, therefore taking an extra moment to realize what the author is saying. With each line in this poem only a few words long, there is a higher pause-to-word ratio, which allows for more thought for each idea the first time you read through it. Strand splits up the sentences in places where he is trying to convey more meaning, with the hope that the reader will pause and contemplate what was just read. His stanzas are concluded when he wants more attention placed on his current idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s viewpoint towards life in this poem is quite different from how most people see it. Where he writes, â€Å"In a field / I am the absence / of field.† (ll. 1-3) instead of acknowledging his existence as something, he regards it as a lack of something. This negativity towards himself is what the entire poem is focused on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He uses the idea that when his body enters an area the parts of that area are momentarily interrupted and are forced around him, just waiting to return back to normal once he leaves: â€Å"When I walk / I part the air / and always / the air moves in / to fill the spaces / where my body’s been.† (ll. 8-13) The â€Å"air† in that line symbolizes the existence of other people around him, and the narrator sees himself as a nuisance to those people, always being in the way. He is saying that whenever he enters into a location with a bunch of people, those people see him as a bother and simply as something that they must put up with for a little while. They can’t wait for the narrator to leave so that they don’t have to put up with him anymore and can therefore return to what they were doing. The last stanza explains the narrator’s reason for â€Å"moving,† or in other words living: â€Å"I move / to keep things whole.

Justice In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee Essay

â€Å"†¦in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal.† Describe and explain how justice and injustice are represented through events and characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. Justice, what is right and fair by all of society’s standards and morals, is represented, along with injustice, through events and characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. â€Å"†¦in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal.† (Atticus, pg227). One type of justice is the legal kind, the kind in our courts, where men are found guilty or innocent. The other is any right or just act. â€Å"The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.† (Atticus, pg116). In To Kill a Mockingbird these justices and injustices are represented through Atticus, Tom Robinson, Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, and through the prejudices of people. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch represents the epitome of justice, through his belief in equality. He has a great belief in the legal system, and a belief that it will be fair and equal to all. â€Å"Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal. ‘I’m no idealist to believe in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system – that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality.† (Atticus, pgs 226-227). Atticus Finch, a lawyer by profession, has a deep rooted belief that the court system will be just and fair, as that is what it stands for. Atticus is also just in that he is not prejudice; he does not think himself above another man based on skin colour. â€Å"‘The handful of people in this town who say that fair play is not marked White Only; the handful of people who say a fair trial is for everyone, not just us; the handful of people with enough humility to think, when they look at a negro, there but for the Lord’s kindness am I.'† (Miss Maudie, pg261). Miss Maudie shared the same beliefs as Atticus, the belief that everyone is equal. Through Atticus there is also an injustice shown, not in how he treats others, but by how he is treated. â€Å"‘Mr Cunningham is basically a good man,’ he [Atticus] said, ‘he just has his blind spots along with the rest of us.’ Jem spoke. ‘Don’t call that a blind spot. He’da killed you last night when he first went there.'†Ã‚  (pg173). Because of his belief that Tom Robinson deserved a fair trial, he was a target for anger, which is an instance of injustice. Atticus shows that treating everyone equally is the right thing to do, and that is justice. On the other hand, Tom Robinson is a perfect example of injustice. He had a good character, and was a kind-hearted person who got accused, and convicted, of rape because of the basis that he was black. He tried to help Mayella Ewell, but was looked down upon because of this. â€Å"‘Yes suh. I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em -‘ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ Mr Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling.† (pg218). It was unheard of in the 1930’s white society that this book was set in to have a black man feel sorry for a white woman, and this added to the reason why Tom got convicted. â€Å"‘Given,’ said Atticus. ‘Tom Robinson’s a coloured man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world’s going to say, â€Å"We think you’re guilty, but not very,† on a charge like that. It was either straight acquittal or nothing.'† (pg242). Tom was found guilty on the sole account of him being black. As a result of this conviction, Tom gave up hope and lost all reason to live. â€Å"Atticus leaned against the refrigerator, pushed up his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. ‘We had such a good chance,’ he said. ‘I told him what I thought, but I couldn’t in truth say that we had more than a good chance. I guess Tom was tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own.'† (pg260). Tom couldn’t live with being found guilty of a crime he was innocent of solely based on the fact that he was black, so he decided to try escaping, ultimately resulting in his death. That is one of the greatest injustices shown in To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice, a main theme of To Kill a Mockingbird, is another representation of injustice in the novel. Racism is the most obvious type of prejudice, and this is shown through the trial and the outcome of it. â€Å"Well, coming out of the court-house that night Miss Gates was – she was goin’ down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her – she was talking to Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say that it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were getting way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home – ?† (Scout, pg272). In the 1930’s, being  racist was seen as normal. Atticus, for example, was seen as unusual because he thought that whites weren’t above blacks. â€Å"‘Cry about the simple hell people give other people – without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too.'† (Dolphus Raymond, pg222). The prejudice of racism is shown throughout the book, and because of Atticus’ views, Scout begins to see it as unfair and unjust. Another type of prejudice that is briefly touched upon is that of sexual discrimination. â€Å"For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman.’ ‘You mean women in Alabama can’t – ?’ I was indignant.† (Atticus and Scout, pg244). Like racism, sexual discrimination is seen as common practice. The third type of prejudice is the most basic kind, the kind where one has formed an opinion of something or someone before knowing all the facts, such as what happened with Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley. â€Å"Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night and when the moon was high, and peeped in windows.† (pg9). Jem and Scout had a preconceived idea of what Arthur was like because of what they had heard from other people, but they had never themselves met, or even seen him. The way in which he was seen was unjust; most people would not have accepted him because of their preconceptions. In the end, however, Scout and Jem realise what kind of person Arthur really is. â€Å"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.† (pg308). Whether or not Arthur getting away with killing Bob Ewell is justice or not is a debatable one. On one hand, Boo was protecting the children, so it was a right deed. â€Å"‘I never heard tell that’s against the law for a citizen to do his utmost to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Heck Tate, pg 304). Arthur is also a solitary creature, so if the fact that he killed Bob Ewell came into light, he would be in the limelight. â€Å"To my way of thinkin’, Mr Finch, taking the one man [Arthur] who’s done you and this town a great service an’ dragging him with his shy ways into the limelight – to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about  to have it on my head. If it were any other man it’d be different. But not this man, Mr Finch.'† (Heck Tate, pg 304). Even Scout seems to understand Heck Tate’s arguments. â€Å"‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?'† (Scout, pg304). On the other hand, Boo did kill a man, and according to the law he committed murder, even if it was in self-defence. â€Å"†¦it’s my duty to tell the town all about it and not hush it up.† (Heck Tate, pg304). In either case, the murder of Bob Ewell, and Arthur Radley being let off for it, is an example of justice, whether it is for the good of justice, or for injustice’s sake. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, Tom Robinson, his trial and subsequent death, the treatment of Arthur Radley and Bob Ewell’s death, and the prejudice of people, whether it be racial, sexual, or a misconception show the issues of justice, injustice, and how they are represented throughout the novel.

CreateSpace is DEAD. Heres what you need to know.

CreateSpace is DEAD. Heres what you need to know. CreateSpace is DEAD. Here's what you need to know. As all writers know, the process of self-publishing a book is ever-fluctuating and evolving. Case in point: CreateSpace, one of the premier print-on-demand (POD) services for self-published authors, recently merged with Amazon’s KDP Print in late 2018. As CreateSpace was one of the go-to options for anyone aiming to print a self-published book, the switch left many in the lurch and confused.That’s where this post comes into play. In this guide, we’ll look at the differences between CreateSpace and KDP Print, clear up any misunderstandings, and answer all of your lingering questions about the switch.What happened to CreateSpace? For anyone who’s not already familiar, let’s do a quick recap. CreateSpace used to be a print-on-demand service for self-publishing authors. As far as print-on-demand services went, CreateSpace was a popular one: the company made it easy to create paperback versions of books, even providing neat bells and whistles such as expanded distribution and printed proofs to make it a well-liked choice among authors.In 2005, Amazon acquired CreateSpace while it continued building its own POD service (KDP Print). In 2018, there were signs that CreateSpace might step aside entirely for KDP Print. And, in August 2018, that came true: it was announced that CreateSpace and KDP Print would merge completely. CreateSpace books would need to be moved onto the KDP platform, as CreateSpace would hitherto be obsolete.In summary, KDP has completely replaced CreateSpace and taken over its core functions. Now, here’s why that matters to you. First, you needn’t panic. KDP Print is an established platform and Amazon took many steps to make sure that the CreateSpace-KDP Print transition was smooth as possible. And the good news is, like we mentioned before, that KDP Print took on most of the features that had made CreateSpace so popular.With this in mind, most authors have reacted to the merge in one of two ways:Transferred all CreateSpace paperbacks to KDP Print. On KDP Print, you’ll be able to publish both paperbacks and eBooks - and receive your combined royalties - on a single platform.Explored print-on-demand services outside of Amazon’s dominion.So what can you expect to find if you decide to use KDP Print - and what are the similarites and differences between KDP Print and CreateSpace?Similarities between CreateSpace and KDPWhen merging CreateSpace and KDP Print, Amazon (for the most part) kept the best of both worlds.Indeed, there are more similarities between CreateSpace and KDP Print than t here are differences. KDP Print prints paperbacks, author copies, and proof copies for the same amount as CreateSpace. In addition to the printing facilities and delivery times remaining the same, these are other important aspects you can expect to remain unchanged:ISBNs. Authors will still have the option to use their own ISBN, purchase discounted Bowker ISBNs, or obtain free ISBNs with KDP Print as the imprint.Distribution and fees. Just as CreateSpace offered authors distribution to Amazon only (with a fee of 40%), and expanded distribution to stores other than Amazon (with a fee of 60%) - so will KDP Print. There is one key difference in regards to expanded distribution, which is outlined below.Book cover and interior design tools. The same Word templates and Cover Creator tool that CreateSpace offered will still be available on KDP Print.Differences between CreateSpace and KDPNow, these are some of the key differences you will find between the two services:Expanded distributio n. If you want to make your KDP Print book available for expanded distribution, you cannot also opt out of Amazon. Expanded distribution with KDP Print means that you must also list your book on Amazon.Royalties. On CreateSpace, royalties were paid every month, 30 days after the month in which they were earned. KDP Print, on the other hand, pays royalties 60 days after the month in which they were earned, meaning that any sales in February would be paid in April.Non-standard trim sizes. KDP Print offers several nontraditional trim sizes that weren’t previously available on CreateSpace.Updating books. If you upload an updated version of your book, you won’t lose the old version (which used to be frustrating if you’d already garnered many reviews and sales). The old version will continue to be available until the new version is approved.Integrated sales dashboard. Publishing and accounting are combined for both Kindle and print versions of your books, so that the user experience is vastly improved!Amazon advertising. While already available for ebooks, publishers will now also be able to purchase Amazon advertising for print books.Local printing for Europe. Instead of printing and shipping from the US (as CreateSpace did), KDP Print will print books locally for European publishers.Author copies. KDP Print lets you order author copies by adding them to your regular Amazon shopping basket, where they are treated as any other Amazon order. If your order is above Amazon’s minimum spend, or if you’re a Prime member, this should save time and money for you.Expanded international distribution. Authors will now be able to distribute to Japan.In general, most authors do end up switching to KDP Print, and most reports about the KDP Print experience are positive. We particularly recommend KDP Print if you want to distribute to Amazon, as you’ll end up saving on time and fees. (Distributing to non-Amazon online stores is another sto ry. Jump here for our discussion of this course of action). Expanded distribution, non-standard trim sizes, oh my! What are the other differences between CreateSpace and KDP Print?Click To Tweet And here’s the great news: transitioning from CreateSpace over to KDP Print is very seamless, as you'll find out for yourself shortly in the next section.How to switch from CreateSpace to KDP PrintIf you decided that you want to continue with KDP Print, Amazon’s made it pretty simple to transition existing titles on CreateSpace to KDP Print. You might even say that it’s as easy as one, two, three, (and four).Let’s get started.Begin by verifying your CreateSpace and KDP accounts on this page.Hit â€Å"Start your move† to begin importing your entire catalog from CreateSpace to KDP Print. Amazon will do it all for you at this point - the whole process should only take a minute or two!Double-check all of your ported data - just to make sure that Amazon imported everything correctly. This includes your titles, book covers, blurbs, and metadata.Double-check your pricing and distribution fields once everything is imported.And that’s it! From this moment on, everything you do to print your self-published book should go through KDP Print - and once you make the switch, there’s no returning to CreateSpace.Finally, a note on your metadata: KDP will offer you seven keyword fields, in contrast to the five that CreateSpace provided. That’s a great chance for added discoverability, so be sure to use them wisely. You can discover more about Amazon algorithms and ways to use them to your advantage in this free course. Level up your Amazon algorithmsSign up for this free 10-part course! Enter your email below and select 'Marketing - All You Need to Know About Amazon Algorithms' in the drop-down menu. Print and Distribute Your Book with Blurb and Reedsy Read post Of course, you may also decide that this is the perfect time to branch out and learn what exists beyond Amazon. Several other companies offer reputable print-on-demand services - each with its own pros and cons. These include:BookBabyIngramSpark (use that link to get a promo code!)BlurbLast year, we tested the quality of the four biggest print-on-demand services in the industry by sending a book to BookBaby, IngramSpark, KDP Print, and Blurb to be printed. Our comprehensive breakdown, along with the results (and winner) of our test, are in this post. We also go in-depth into our recommended distribution setup and considerations of royalties that may prove important to your decision.Where to print your book - and making sure that you get the maximum quality of service and product - is an important decision that you’ll need to make if you’re not planning to only publish eBooks. When you get to this stage in your self-publishing journey, it’s better to be fully i nformed. We hope that this post has cleared some things up for you, but if you have any more questions and concerns, please leave them in the comments and we’ll be happy to answer them to the best of our ability.Are you a self-published author who recently had to make the switch from CreateSpace to KDP Print? What did you think about the experience? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Descriptive Paragraph Essays

Descriptive Paragraph Essays Descriptive Paragraph Paper Descriptive Paragraph Paper Essay Topic: Paragraph As you walk into the room, you get the feel of a happy room where a lot of fun has taken place. If you look tot he right you see a long, antique, dark wood table facing the wall. On the table there are flowers, angels, and other what-onto to give the room a livable feel. Next to that table, there is a corner piece that holds our many trophies. To the next of our trophy table we have a couch, whose color reminds me of dark chocolate. On each side of the couch there Is a Tiffany lamp and behind It there Is a window. The window has beautiful beige drapes with crochet outlining. Next to the couch we have another corner table that displays an antique clock. On the wall next to the table sets a love seat matching the couch. Beside that there Is a lamp table which Is also of the Tiffany collection. Beside that lamp Is an old tattered chair that everyone loves. On that wall there are deer heads and a pretty lighthouse picture tit a matching wreath. Finally, there sits another recliner, a gun cabinet, and a curio cabinet. On the walls hang plaques, pictures, and animals. We also have an entertainment center which holds our television. On that wall there are deer heads and a pretty lighthouse picture with a matching wreath. Finally, there sits another recliner, a gun cabinet, and a curio cabinet. On the walls hang plaques, pictures. And animals. We also have an entertainment center which holds our television.

A close reading of a fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A close reading of a fiction - Essay Example Sensibly saying, his family and society had affected his style to evolve imaginative provocation in most of his literary works. ‘The Metamorphosis’ is focused at the terrific change that occurs to the protagonist Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman. One morning he finds himself astonishingly changed into a strange large insect. His ambush was more about finding himself more hopelessly unable to continue with his sales work than mere physical change. He was the only financial support for the family and the happiness of the family depended much on his ability to work. His new look terrifies his employer who runs way at his very sight. The family now controls his motions or calls him with ‘Shooos’ rather than his name. His room has become his hiding place. He develops fears of a cockroach like being stamped by people or attacked by cats or other animals. His sister Grete, however, feeds him with milk and stale, rotten fruits or remains of edible things. He manages to remain affectionate to his family members and hides himself behind the sofa or bed whenever someone enters his room. Now his only amusement in the loneliness is looking out through the windows and crawling up on the walls and ceiling. In the mean time, the family lets out a portion to lodgers and Gregor’s room changes into a dumping area for unwanted things. He then realizes that he was no more Gregor and that he should leave the family for their better prospects. Gregor, utterly dejected to stay longer, dies in his room. The family upon finding his corpse feels relieved of a great burden and starts planning for the future. The family improves their living standards and shifts to a smaller flat to delete the memories of Gregor. The dà ©nouement (The resolution of the plot of a literary work) of this work is of a mixed trend. The narration changes the denouement with the development of the story. A person loved very much by the

Global Organizational Environment Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Organizational Environment - Article Example This is a reflective essay which summarises my learning experience gained through the entire model describing each of the sessions undertaken by me all through the course. One aspect has been chosen in each of the sessions’ and an academic journal has been selected which helped me to have a further detailed knowledge about the topics covered in each of the sessions. Session 1: Organizational form and purpose The first session of the module was meant to have an understanding about the various types of business concerns operating in different parts of the world and how they are governed. This session was a great learning experience for me that helped me to have a wide knowledge about different types of organisations, their primary motives or purposes, the concepts of corporate governance and stakeholders and the various ethical issues concerned with the business activities followed by the organizations. The concept of corporate governance and the problems related to the agency t heory was an interesting topic discussed in this session. Agency theory is one of the corporate governance theories which have marked significant importance in the recent years. Jensen and Meckling (1976) are commonly associated with the term agency theory as found in most of the existing literature. The journal named â€Å"A Survey of Corporate Governance† by Shleifer and Vishny (1997) helped me to know more about the issues related to corporate governance systems followed by different business organisations worldwide. It also helped to have knowledge about the concept of ownership concentration found in business concerns. Enron can be cited as one of the many examples related to an organisation which restored to unethical accounting practices because of the existing agency problems associated with the company. It is recorded as one of the major accounting scandals which have ultimately led to the downfall of Enron (Arnold, & Lange, 2004). Session 2: Transnational business a nd its role in contemporary society This session was aimed at having knowledge about the various roles played by transnational companies (TNCs) and how they have contributed to global trade. This session helped me to learn about the impacts of TNCs on the global trading environment, different types of internationalisation strategies followed by organisations, costs and benefits associated with free trade mechanism, and role of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organisation (WTO). Different types of internationalisation strategies followed by TNCs and other global organisations were of particular interest to me. Internationalisation is a process which is followed by organisations to expand their business outside their national boundaries and it can be achieved through various strategies followed by different firms. The journal named "Internationalization strategies for services" by Gronroos (1999) speaks about five types of internationalisation strategies that are followed by service organisations with their motives to establish their business abroad. Those internationalisat