Obesity and Government Control

Obesity and Government Control In today’s society there are many Americans who are either overweight or obese and have diabetes. David Zinczenko in â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater† argues that fast food companies ate to be blamed for the obesity that is now very common in the US. Radley Balko argues in â€Å"What You Eat is Your Business† that the government is responsible for the obesity epidemic that the US is found in today. The government should have some in not all control or regulations on what the people of the country decide to eat.With no control the US is headed for a nation of overweight, obese, diabetic, and unhealthy people. Before the early 1990’s, diabetes found in children were usually because of genetic disorders and around five percent of the children were obsess or had Type Two diabetes. According to the National Institute of Health, about thirty percent of the children population has Type Two diabetes. Because of the increase in the amount of people who are being diagnosed with diabetes, the amount of money spent on health care costs is a surprising one hundred billion a year.Since 1969 that has been a dramatic increase of about ninety-seven billion. (Zinczenko) Zinczenko argues that many fast food restaurants don’t give information on the calorie count their food contains. Unlike grocery items, there aren’t many fast food companies that provide their clients with the calorie information on their food labels. By not giving out this important information, consumers aren’t aware of the unhealthy consumptions.Although this is a good point, we as humans are smart enough to know that if we walk into a fast food restaurant, the food we buy isn’t going to be the healthiest and that if we eat this type of food twice a day every day or even every other day, we will eventually put on a great amount of weight and make our body vulnerable to health risks such as diabetes. The government should m ake it a law for restaurants such a McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s put exactly how many calories each thing on their menu has.The fast food industry doesn’t only target adult but also children by selling kids meals that come with a toy from that popular movie every child wants or has watched or that popular toy company. This is how they attract kids but in return for the money, they give kids that delicious but unhealthy burger with a toy that usually ends up lost or in the garbage after a few days or even hours. Instead of giving a side of fries and soda, what they should do is give kids a daily fruit serving with he choice of either orange or apple juice. There should be a regulation on the amount of calories children can consume at these restaurants. These children are the future of the country and if they grow up having horrible eating habits, how this country going to get anywhere with people who aren’t able to do a certain job because of their health problems? The government should put very tight restrictions on how the fast food industry carries itself when it comes to selling food that isn’t healthy.According to Zinczenko, â€Å"prepared foods aren’t covered under Food and Drug Administration labeling laws. † (Zinczenko 393) This is one very important thing that the government should definitely change. People need to be informed with the amount of calorie intake that delicious Whopper has. If the person sees how many calories they are eating they may second guess about eating fast food four times a week. Changing this regulation can make a difference on someone’s life.Balko states that, â€Å"state legislatures and school boards across the country have begun banning snacks and soda from school campuses and vending machines,† (Balko 396) and that this is not the way to combat obesity. By the government banning the unhealthy foods we eat, they are taking responsibility on our health car e and wellness, instead of us worrying and taking care of ourselves. Although Balko makes a good point, right now the government had no control on our food consumption choices and we are still making horrible health choices.If the government takes control on the food we can and can’t eat, we soon will accustom ourselves to pick a fresh apple over some deep fried onion rings. Pretty soon the US will find itself in a society where the amount of people who are diabetic and obese isn’t sky rocketing. Like everything, there is always going to be those people who don’t agree with the government telling us what to eat and what not to eat. The way I see it right now, in this specific time in life, I would agree with the government helping us out.A little push won’t hurt and in the long run it can make a huge difference on our own health and for the health of those we care most, them being our children, parents, family, and friends. Works Cited Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. â€Å"Don't Blame the Eater. † They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. 391-94. Print. Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. â€Å"What You Eat Is Your Business. † They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. 395-99. Print

Black People and African American Actors Essay

Stereotyping is the automatic/ exaggerated mental pictures that people hold about a particular racial group without taking individual differences into consideration. Examples of stereotyping would be the main characters of the movie Rio2, Jewel and Blue being voiced by white actors whilst their ‘wild’ relatives are voiced by ‘non-white’ actors implying sophistication as well as in the movie Despicable Me 2 where El Macho and his son are given a Spanish image portraying a smooth talker and an irresistible lover that is often stereotypes about Spanish people. [87] People seem oblivious to the racial content due to various distractions like visual stimuli such as 3D effects and the contrasting use of color, sound effects such as surround sound and the voices of the character and lastly the plot of the story. Most people are over stimulated by these ‘distractions’ that they rarely notice the stereotyping. Another factor would be that parents neglect the responsibility to screen the movies that their children are watching. In some instances the stereotyping may be instilled in some parents from birth resulting in children seeing stereotyping as normal behavior. [96] Subtle racial prejudices towards Hispanic and Black people in Rio2 were the implication that ‘wild’ Amazonian Macaws voiced by ‘non- white ‘actors are uncivilized. Songs sung by these Macaws are primarily voiced by African American actors accompanied by rhythmic beats and movements with catchy phrases primarily found in native song and dance. Roberto (wild Macaw) is voiced by the singer Bruno Mars who is from a mixture of Jewish and Hawaiian decent implying (help with that word). Pedro and Nico two rapping, gangster, music loving birds are voiced by two equally successful and famous rappers Will.I.Am and Jamie Foxx [99] From this passage I can conclude that even though warnings about stereotyping may be placed before animation movies, many parents would still allow their children to watch it. [31]

Indian Restaurant Case Study Essay

Porter’s five forces model will help us to determine in what ways this new venture will use it when thinking about business strategy and the impact of IT. 1. Buyer power: Buyer power is high when buyers have many choices from whom to buy, and low when there are few. As a provider of the product or services, we should always wishes to reduce buyer power. For this enterprise the buyer power will be low because there is no other Indian restaurant in that area. In addition, the enterprise will keep track of the customers who make their visit often to the restaurant through loyalties programs, number of times credit card being used etc. and it is not feasible without large –scale IT systems. 2. Supplier power: supplier power is high when buyers have few choices from whom to buy. As a customer of other supplier organizations, you want to increase your buyer power. Over here, IT plays a vital role in bringing buyer-supplier together through internet, IT-enable B2B e-marketplaces etc. For this business the supplier power will be low. We can create a competitive advantage by locating alternative supply sources for the organization. 3. Threats of substitute product or services: It is high when there are many alternatives to a product or services, and low when there are few alternatives from which to choose. Ideally, we want it to be in the organization in a market in which there are few substitutes for the products and services. In this venture if we talk about the availability of the Indian food in this area, the threat of substitute is very low. But competition can be given other fast food chains like McDonalds, Wendy’s, domino’s etc. Over here we can take the help of IT by providing fast services to our customers by the help of taking order online, drive through etc. 4. Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrant is high when it is easy for new competitors to enter a market, and low when the entry is not easy. Over here the threat of new entrant in this particular type of business is low because it required high investment, involvement of risk in front of the other fast food chains etc. 5. Rivalry among existing competitors: It’s high when competition is fierce in the market and low when competition is more complacent. Over here there is no existing competitor as far as the Indian restaurant is concerned. But still we can get competition from other fast food chains who have already established themselves in the market. BUSINESS INTELIGENCE Business intelligence is a knowledge about your customers, competitors, business partners, competitive environment, and your internal operations that gives you the ability to make effective, important, and strategic business decisions. It is an IT applications and tools that support the business intelligence within an organization. The objective of BI is to improve the timeliness and quality of the input for decision making by helping knowledge workers to understand the a) Capabilities available in the firm. b) Trends and future directions in the markets. c) Actions of competitors and implementation of these actions. d) Economic, political, social, and regulatory environments in which the firm competes. Over here BI will help us in getting knowledge about competitors; future prospects of the business and hence will help us in efficiencies and lowering cost in internal operations of the restaurant. Through BI we can find out the business strategies which have to be implied in the future if restaurant faces a competition from other restaurant or fast food chains. It is known that BI systems provide actionable information and knowledge at the right time, in the right location, in the right form. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT A customer relationship management uses information about customers to gain insights into their needs, wants, and behavior in order to serve them better. Customers interact with companies in many ways, and in each interaction should be easy, and error free. It’s uncommon for a customer to change companies after having a bad experience. The goal of CRM is to limit such negative interactions and provide customers with good experiences. Its plays very important role in the industry likes food industry because once customer have a bad experience in it he will never like to come back. So we should take care of the quality of the food and good customer service. Not only this we should also take care of the other facilities which is to be provided to them like availability of the wi-fi within the premises so that they can do there work online, now over here IT plays its role. We can also provide facilities like free home deliveries, taking order online and they can book the table in advance to hold any type of gathering like graduation day, valentine day, birthdays etc. IT will help us to enhance feedback from the customer and thus meet their requirement as far as service is concerned, and they can also give suggestion to improve further. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Supply chain management will play very important role in this venture. IT will help us in bringing together vast network of suppliers. Over here, in restaurant business we have to take special care about the quality of materials to be used. Supply chain management will help us in tracking arrival the date of the material, expiry date of it, also help in tracking inventory and information about raw materials and their suppliers. Too many materials on hand means that too much money is tied up in inventory and also increases the risk of obsolescence, especially in the case of perishable goods. Too few materials on hand are not good either. So to avoid that situation we can use just in time (JIT) approach. It will help us in reducing holding cost. TO REACH TIPPING POINT To reach tipping point in this venture, the main focus would be on customer satisfaction and the quality of the food because customer wants value out of the money spent and it they get that value it will keep bringing them. It can be done by using differentiation strategy and IT will play major role in this. We have to do planning, implementing and controlling of the operations to satisfy customer requirement as efficiently as possible. We have to take care of the movement and storage of raw materials, in- progress inventory and all this can be done with help of IT. Staff will also play a major role in reaching to the tipping point. We will look for highly skilled and experienced staff for this. Importantly, all this would be offered to the customers at a reasonable price.

Giorgio Armani Fashion Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Giorgio Armani Fashion Brand - Essay Example The Company has been named after the designer, Giorgio Armani who happens to be its founder. The success gained by Armani since its establishment in 1975 reflects in the fact that in only about 3.5 decades, the Company has over 300 stores in 36 different countries of the world with a net worth of more than 3 billion Euros (Blue X Clothing, 2011). Despite the fact that Armani accessories are extremely popular among the elite, it has little customers from the lower and lower-middle class background. This paper aims at identifying a trend employing which, Armani can increase the sale of its accessories among the people from lower and lower-middle class background. An understanding of the Armani’s Brand Values and Image: The weight of brand values maintained by Armani can be estimated from the fact that they are based on the innovative designs and charismatic persona of the founder of Armani and Giorgio Armani has been recently entitled as the â€Å"most successful designer† of the world (Blue X Clothing, 2011). ... ope, Frank Martell made a speech in which he expressed his views about the brand value of Armani in these words: Giorgio Armani and Gucci topped ACNielsen’s Global ‘Most Coveted Fashion Brands’ ranking by scoring consistently high responses from online consumers in every part of the world - a remarkable testament to the power and universal appeal of these two luxury fashion brands †¦ Regardless of where they live, when consumers in Italy, China or UAE purchase a Gucci bag or a Giorgio Armani suit they are prepared to pay a premium because they are buying the image the brand represents. In Armani’s case, consumers know they are getting quality, sophistication and style – timeless values with global appeal. (Frank Martell cited in ACNielsen, 2006). The Armani Brand covers a total of five lines of luxury clothing with their own unique accessories including watches and colognes. The main collection of this Brand is the signature Giorgio Armani line which produces accessories for people aged between 35 and 50 years. Armani is the most profligate brand with respect to cost. It primarily caters for the needs of those people that want to buy gowns and outfits like the ones worn by the artists and celebrities of Hollywood when they walk on the red carpet. The largest of all Armani lines is Emporio Armani which produces accessories for young professionals that are somewhere from 25 to 35 years of age. Of all the lines of Armani, this one is the most popular among Armani’s clients. Accessories from the Emporio Armani line are accessible both online and at high end department stores. Needs of the high end clients are addressed by the Armani Collezioni. It includes such accessories as slim fitting outfits and handmade jumpers which are sold in extravagant Armani

Studies And Investigations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Studies And Investigations - Essay Example At the same time, the Industrial Revolution and the consolidation of people into cities over history replaced the pastoral, wild silence with rural bustle with industrial cacophony. The reaction to both of these tendencies in the twentieth century was electronic music. Though electronic music eventually combined with disco to form modern dance techno, as well as with rock-like tendencies for industrial music, electronic music began with a focus on minimalism and silence, an attempt to leverage machines for something besides noise, an attempt to find an impossible mote of quiet. Emmerson operationally defines electronic music as â€Å"music heard through loudspeakers or sound made with the help of electronic means† (2007). John Cage's music philosophy was integral to the formation and development of electronic music, presaging it. â€Å"The theories of avant-garde American composer John Cage (1912-1992) on music, sound, and silence are of more interest than his musical composi tions. To Cage, there is no such thing as silence. Music is a succession of sounds and the composer the "organizer of sounds." Historically, music has been a communication of feelings, but Cage argues that all sounds have this potential for conveying feeling in the mechanical and electronic sense... 'Any sounds in any combination and in any succession are henceforth free to be used in a musical continuity'... Silence was perhaps the pivotal aspect of Cage's theories. If silence could be shown not to exist, then feelings, too, could be pushed into the category of nonexistence† (Hermitary, 2010). Cage tried to experiment with new sounds that could emulate silence or escape the traditional confines of music and sound, letting the ear get a respite from noise. His work in randomness, while perhaps difficult to listen to, presaged performance art and electronic music (Hermitary, 2010). Cage understood sound the same way electronic musicians do: Universal to nature and man. It is no t just the plucking of a violin that is music, but a catchy phrase that can be sampled and mixed, the whirring of an engine or the brushing of an industrial lave. To Cage, disharmony is a â€Å"harmony that is not understood† (Hermitary, 2010). Cage's work was inspired by the I Ching, by Taoism. â€Å"In the 1950's, Cage hit upon a method of composition that would be the counterpart of the frequency, amplitude, timbre, duration, etc. that constitute the mechanisms of tradition composition. The avant-garde method was randomness. Cage discovered the I Ching. By tossing the coins he came to hexagrams that offered ideas, and from the ideas he developed parameters for "chance-controlled music† (Hermitary, 2010). Ultimately, the biggest contribution of Cage was the understanding of silence not as a mere pause, a break from sound, but a musical creation itself. The nature of silence is a key concept of both Eastern and Western thought. Cage understood from his popular reading s that they could converge. He applied the concept of silence to music and tried to liberate silence from feelings or context, from an social and historical context. But Cage's compositions, while making statements opposed to historical aesthetics, did not discover therein a psychology or philosophy of silence, less an aesthetics. Silence became a utilitarian tool for compositional use, not unlike those historical composers he criticized. Though he argued for the equal status of all sounds, sounds, music, had no meaning, though they did not need

Colony Collapse Disorder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Colony Collapse Disorder - Case Study Example Some of the European countries have observed this phenomenon in alarming numbers whereas some have observed this phenomenon in fewer quantities. Colony collapse disorder is a serious economic concern to the countries particularly to the agricultural countries because bees play a major role in the pollination of pollen grains of the various plants and crops. Bees play a major role in the reproduction of many plants and crops in the forests and due to colony collapse disorder this phenomenon of reproduction has been badly affected. Researchers and scientists are really worried over this rapidly increasing phenomenon of vanishing bees and many researches have been conducted in order to find the real cause behind this phenomenon, but the research teams have not been able to find any major reason for this. Many possibilities have been presented and tested for verification but only a few of the theories related to the cause of CDD have been verified. Though persistent researches many reaso ns have been discovered which are leading to the colony collapse disorder. ... The various reasons that have been found out as the cause of colony collapse disorder are malnutrition, pathogens like Varroa, Nosema, viral and fungal infections combined, pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics, miticides, neonicotinoids, genetically varied crops, variations in migration of the bees, electromagnetic radiations from the cell phones, parasites, pests,, harmful chemicals, destructions of habitats, lack of genetic biodiversity, toxins and poisonous gases in the air, the way the bees are kept, pathogens, extreme climatic conditions, mites, diseases related to honey bees, etc. (Ellis, University of Florida & Florida Cooperative Extension Service, 2007). It is of great concern for the scientists that the insecticides and pesticides used for the protection of the plants and crops from parasites and pests are having a very bad and adverse effect on the environment and the useful insects and living organisms. It has been observed that although these insecticides and pesticides do not kill the organism rather these chemicals impair the abilities and senses of the organisms and eventually the organism will behave absurdly and this will affect the entire eco system. One such pesticide is the neonicotinoids, which belongs to the class of neuro-active insecticides. These insecticides contain the chemical imidacloprid and other such chemicals. These chemical affect the nervous system of the insects, it is found out that these chemicals affect the brain and neurons of the honey bee and disables the sense of directions in the honey bee as a result of which they are unable to reach back to their homes. A research was carried out by scientists in which around twenty hives were considered and each hive was given high fructose corn syrup in different quantities in order to

Students' access to,use of,perceptions and attitudes towards computer Research Proposal

Students' access to,use of,perceptions and attitudes towards computer assisted language learning in EFL instruction at Tabuk University in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example sector, the approach of teaching has transformed and still transforming significantly due to availability of different technologies that have become a part of teaching practices, and administrators are implementing different technological tools to replace conventional forms of teaching (Jones, 2001: 360-367). In other words, education is now depending heavily on the interactive means of technology, as teachers are endeavoring to provide interactive-based teaching to their students, in order to maintain their concentration and interest that has become one of the major issues in contemporary education society (Hoffmann, 1996: 24-29) (Gattegno, 1976: 20-22). In such endeavors, ‘computer assisted language learning’ (CALL) is playing a significant role in facilitating teachers and educators in the provision of a learning platform to students with the utilization of advanced forms of technology, especially computers (Allen, 1999: 16-31). Since its commencement, CALL has continued to enhance and improve gradually and has been able to offer significant and effective outcomes that have inclined experts to carry out researches and studies related to this interdisciplinary tool of teaching (Levy, 1996: pp. 23-25). However, despite various studies (Lirola et al, 2008: 67-81) related to CALL exist today; however, there is still a huge room for new and more importantly, specific studies, as it is a personal observation that culture plays a significant role in the success or failure of CALL in any learning setting. Thus, it is very important to carry out specific and focused studies related to computer-assisted language learning, in order to acquire effective outcomes. Moreover, there is huge need of studies related to CALL, however, in context of EFL, as studies in EFL context are very rare, and thus, new studies will allow a more comprehensive understanding related to pros and cons of the technology. For this purpose, the proposed study will attempt to identify and

Cultural Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultural Anthropology - Essay Example His definition offers a complete overview of the subject matter of anthropology and is widely quoted by many. This essay now defines culture and its characteristics. People in cultures mostly have the same human cultural traits (O'Neil, p. 5). However, many human beings have different ways of expressing these traits that result from varying cultures and traditions. This essay used to compare the classification of two lifestyle patterns in North American Indian regions': the culture of foragers and the culture of horticulturalists to discuss and analyze the similarities and differences of both cultures in relation to their way of food production, way of living and the like. In his book Primitive Culture, Edward Tylor defined culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society" (Kottak 62; Scupin 43). He emphasized on the last phrase "acquired by man as a member of society" for he believed that culture is not only acquired through biological inheritance but living and being part of a society as well for they are more exposed to cultural tradition. His definition also suggests that culture includes all aspects of human activity-tools, weapons, fire, agriculture, animal domestication, metallurgy, writing, airplanes, computers, penicillin, nuclear power, rock-and-roll, video games, designer jeans, religion, political systems, science, sports, and social organizations. It involves every activity from the fine arts, popular entertainment, development of new technology and even everyday behaviour. The process by which a person learns his or her culture is called enculturation (Kottak 62). An individual acquires any cultural tradition because of the capacity of a human being to learn. Though animals learn from experience or from other members of their group, the cultural learning only develops within the human capacity to create symbols or signs. Cultural learning signifies that people have the ability to create, remember, and deal with ideas. According to Kottak, culture is learned ("Cultural Anthropology" 63). People begin to internalize an established group of meanings and symbols that people use to define their world, express their emotions, and create their judgments. This can be done through a process of conscious and unconscious learning and interaction with others. People transmit culture through observation where most children modify their own behaviour in accordance to what their culture entails as right or wrong or bad or good. Culture is proven to be acquired unconsciously because of the cultural tradition that they do automatically without a direct instruction to maintain them. Anthropologists stated that cultural learning is intricate among humans and though humans differ in their emotional and mental abilities, people can still learn their cultural tradition. Culture is also shared for it is a quality not only of individuals but of individuals as members of groups as well (Kottak 63). People who grow up in the same culture have shared their beliefs, values, memories, and

Buffer Overflow & Rootkits Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buffer Overflow & Rootkits - Assignment Example Another reason is the failure of individuals to update their existing protections that render them non-functional. Someone can design a program that can detect a rootkit. A rootkit describes stealthy software that makes it hard to detect the existence of certain programs in a computer. Therefore, to detect one, someone needs to use an alternative and trusted operating system. Designing programs constituting such operating systems would make it possible to detect rootkits. Other ways include signature scanning, difference scanning, behavioural-based methods and memory dump analysis. The behavioural-based approach depends on the fact that rootkits behave in a way different from other programmes (Pleeger, 2012). In signature scanning, an antivirus will detect any stealthy measures that a rootkit might adopt to unload itself or prevent its detection. The difference-based scanning method compares trusted original data from the computer with defective data returning from the API (Application programming interface), a programme building tool. Memory dumping involves dumping of virtual memory, which can then be forensically analysed to capture an active rootkit with a tool called a debugger. It prevents the rootkit from taking any measures to hide itself. However, the overall detection of a rootkit depends on its

The Assessors Main Responsibilities Essay Example for Free

The Assessors Main Responsibilities Essay Assess the learner’s knowledge, understanding, skills and competence against the criteria set by the awarding body. The assessor must at all times display a fair and professional manner. High standards must be maintained and a thorough understanding of the standards and criteria each learner is working towards is needed. To plan and undertake assessments using the appropriate assessment methods for example, observation, questioning, discussion, recognising prior learning or examining work products. It is important to apply holistic assessment whenever the opportunity arises. All methods of assessment to be used must be agreed upon and understood by the learner. A thorough initial assessment of each learner must be done to ensure any special requirements can be met. It is important to be aware of learners targets and completion dates and work closely with teachers and tutors to ensure continuous progress is achieved. The assessor must support, guide and encourage learners through the assessment process and judge the competence of their work and recognise when a learner is ready for assessment. The assessor must ensure the assessment experience is a positive one for each learner, whether it has a formative or summative outcome. During assessment all VACSR (valid authentic current specific realistic) points must be followed to ensure all judgements and decisions are fair and correct. The assessor must promote equal opportunities at all times and take into account the individual needs and requirements of the learner. Every learner should be given an equal chance to succeed. After the assessment decision has been made constructive feedback must be given and any further planning and action that may be necessary must be agreed. The assessor must keep accurate and up to date assessment records so the learner can clearly understand and keep track of their progress and achievements. It is  important for the assessor to understand the value of reflective practice and continuous professional development (CPD). The assessor must undertake and provide proof of a minimum of 10 hours, 30 hours if a full time assessor of good quality CPD per year and be fully aware of current standardisation methods and procedures. To uphold their assessor status, the assessor will also be required to attend standardisation meetings and be observed carrying out assessment twice a year by the internal quality assurer (IQA). This ensures they are maintaining standards and have a full understanding of the criteria and may occasionally be observed by the external quality assurer (EQA) thus ensuring standards and quality are maintained at all times. The IQA will support any needs they feel the assessor may have. An up to date knowledge of centre policies and procedures for example, Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and be able to deal with appeals and disputes is also required.

Managing Change in the Workplace

Managing Change in the Workplace Managing Change in the Workplace â€Å"Managing and changing organisations appears to be getting more rather than less difficult and more rather than less important† Burnes [1996] Critically evaluate and debate this statement, highlighting the potential challenges organisations face in managing change effectively Over the last 20 years new products, processes and services have appeared at an increasing rate. Local markets have become global markets due to the advance of technology (the internet) and protected or semi- protected markets have been opened to competition. Monopolies have been transferred to the private sector (e.g. British rail, BT, utility companies) or they have adopted more market-orientated practices. To keep abreast of competition organisations are restructuring, introducing new products and services, changing information systems and introducing new work practices. Organisations that fail to change cannot survive in the competition and will fail to make a profit. (Burnes, 2004) The aim of managing change in organisations is to guide the people in the change process so they can adapt, change behaviour and cope with the new change that is happening in the organisation. Sometimes people in the organisation find it difficult to cope with change as the old responsibilities, roles and behaviour and attitudes are not easily forgotten. In organisations people are the most important asset in the business if people cannot change, processes and systems cannot change. Careful strategic planning must take place involving the people so they can understand what is needed to change as the behaviours, personality, values and all work for and against organisational change (Blake Bush, 2009) According to (Blake Bush, 2009 p3) â€Å"Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of business change to achieve the most successful business outcome† Organisations are constantly assessing their efficiency and performance therefore managing change is important. Persuading stakeholders to change can be difficult yet if it is successful organisations can survive and thrive to gain a competitive advantage. According to (Blake and Bush, 2009) organisations have to meet four conditions to convince their employees, these are:- 1. Give an insight to why their organisation wants to change and how it will benefit them and make then agree 2. Make sure structure, processes and reward systems must be put in place to support change 3. Employees obtain the right skills for the new change 4. Ensure employees update their roles and responsibility and model them to the new change. The need for change can be difficult, costly and sometimes disappointing. Expensive new information systems, policies and organisational structure attract most attention but organisations forget their talent workforce and how they are affected by change. Sometimes it is a difficult process depending on how old or new, large or small the organisation is. (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004) The need for change is initiated by two categories, internal factors and external factors within the macro and micro environment. External triggers for change can include: * Economic fluctuations This may develop or hinder the development of new products or processes. For example, in times of recession customers may not have money to spend on ‘luxury items and will concentrate on basic everyday essential items. New products will not come into the market due to lack of funds. * Social For example, the size, age and sex distribution of the population can affect the demand for a product. An ageing population will make organisations target products / services to suit them to increase sales and market share. * The development of new technology has made it possible to develop a whole range of new products. * Changes in customer requirements and tastes require organisations to cater for their needs. * Competitors are continually developing new products * The EU has opened new markets in new countries * Global trading via the internet increases pressure for organisations to change its design and become globalised but in order for the organisation to do so it must transform their processes, systems and cultures to become internationally known. * Changes in social and cultural values Internal triggers for change can include: * High absenteeism and staff turnover * Inadequate skill or training * New design of product /service (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004) Generally, a high proportion of change efforts end in failure (Beer and Nohria,2000; Burnes, 2003; Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Change projects fail because not enough planning or thought has taken place to achieve the desired objectives. Sometimes change takes place not for the interest of the organisation but for personal or sectional interests. (Burnes, 2004) The value of the HR function is very important when an organisation is going through the process of change. A lot of companies are giving more responsibility to senior and line managers. Senior managers and the HR function can work together to ensure that the business can change to meet the needs of customers, build good relationships with its stakeholders and ensure employee talent is retained and developed in changing situations. (Hennessy McCartney, 2008) HR can also help ensure that organisational culture is open to change by ensuring change agents handle sensitive emotions and the correct management policies are in place. For example the right people are recruited, trained or developed and the appropriate pay and reward policies are in place to keep staff motivated. HR also ensures that change is gradual across the whole of the organisation. HR change agents should find out whether part of the change is supported or resisted. It also gives people a chance to discuss and sort out their concerns with the â€Å"change agents† and to feel satisfied with the change. Communication is important such as face to face and team briefings are beneficial in the change process (Armstrong, 2006) However, there will always be some resistance to change. â€Å"People resist change because it is seen as a threat to familiar patterns of behaviour as well as to status and financial rewards.† (Armstrong. 2006, p345). The main reasons of resisting change are as follows: * Change to established routines, methods of working or conditions of employment will be seen as a threat to job security and loss of potential earnings such as overtime etc. * The workforce may view management as having ulterior motives to introduce change making the organisation ready for merger or takeover. * Change can be worrying for the workforce as there is a lot of uncertainty about the impact of the change. * In some organisations change can cause inconvenience to the workforce. For example any changes in starting and finishing work shifts may require new arrangements for child minding etc. * Loss of a parking space or office may be viewed as a loss of status or importance in the organisation and therefore cause resistance to change * Disruption to customary social relationships and standards of the group will be resisted as this will be seen as a threat to interpersonal relationships. * Learning new skills and coping with new demands may raise concern for some of the workforce as they will not be certain if they can cope with the new change. (Armstrong, 2006) Process of change According to Jain, 2005 the following steps are considered in the change process and these are: * Develop new goals or objectives to replace goals or objectives having a negative impact. * A manager must be appointed to overlook the change and control the resistance * Diagnose the problem gather issues surrounding the problem where the change is needed. * Methodology Use a methodology for change so that everyone can agree too and to try and avoid any resistance. All members emotions should be considered when drawing up the methodology * Develop plan/strategies on what changes need to be done * Strategy for implementing the plan correct timing and communication channels need to be done. Members should be briefed up on the changes using one to one meetings as often as possible. * Allow for natural resistance problems to be sorted during the change process. (Jain, 2005) For change to take place successfully the main objective is to change peoples behaviour and attitudes and improve the ability for the organisation to cope with changes to the environment. Nadler and Tushman (1980) cited in (Armstrong, 2006) suggested some guidelines on how change should be implemented. Motivate individuals to achieve change by: * Communicating a clear image of the future * All concerned to support the change rather than block it * Stable structures and processes will help change and reduce uncertainty and instability. Another model of change was invented by Kurt Lewin which was an effective process for achieving behavioural changes in groups. Lewins model involves a three stage process:- 1. Unfreezing the status quo -looking at old processes and what change needs to be done 2. Changing- Bring about the change by reorganising the resources 3. Refreezing Embedding the new changes of working (Mullins, 2002) According to Burnes, 1996 cited in the (Langer, J et al, 2005) claims that the problem with Lewins assumption is that the stability of the external environment is always changing therefore the three stage changing process is not quite straightforward and is only gradual and continuous not revolutionary. (Langer, J et al, 2005) Beers â€Å"6 steps model† looks at the complexity of change and how an organisation deals with responses to the effectiveness of change. Beers model concentrates on â€Å"task alignment† (employees roles, responsibility and relationships) as the key to alter new ways of thinking, attitudes and behaviour. Beers uses this model as a way of changing peoples behaviour and attitudes with their roles and responsibility in order to adapt to change. The 6 steps are:- Stage 1- Act and commit to change through diagnoses Stage 2- Develop the organisations shared vision Stage 3- learn the roles and responsibilities to the shared vision Stage 4- Spread the word about change Stage 5- Make the change institutionalised through policies. Stage 6 Monitor and adjust as needed (Blake Bush, 2009) There are many models of change but different organisations will need to choose a model that best suits their culture and values. A simple model would be to investigate changes that are needed and look at individual responses to change. * Plan the change * Implement the change * Manage the people side of change * Manage the organisational side of change The world is changing rapidly to keep up with global competition, technological innovation; de- regulation, privatisation of public sector organisations and much more managers face complex and challenging pressures and opportunities. Changing organisations is a complex process with more opportunity for failure than success. Good managers and leaders are important to an organisation as they can create the conditions for growth and prosperity. Managers should gather and be more open to a wide variety of information. Any decision to implement change should be to the benefit for all concerned and not just for themselves. Organisations must ensure the efficient use of resources and offer the right products and services, to use the appropriate technologies as well as recruit and retain people with the best skills. (Carnal, 2009) The organisation also needs to have strategies, accountabilities, information systems and resources to improve or sustain performance against the organisations objectives. The efficient organisation focuses on internal efficiency and control. Maintaining internal systems includes activities such as performance appraisal, training, development and reward system. The ability to attract and retain high quality staff at all level is a useful indicator of effectiveness. The effective organisation adapts to the external environment and includes marketing, public and community relations. For change to be successful an organisation need to be customer focused. More interfacing skills, negotiation skill and networking skills will also be needed when a change is needed (Carnal, 2009) References Armstrong M., (2006) A handbook of Human Resource Management practice. 10th ed., Kogen Page: Philadelpia. Blake, I Bush, C (2009). Project Managing Change: Practical Tools and Techniques to Make Change Happen. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Buchanan, D. Huczynski, A. (2004) Organisational Behaviour: An introductory text, 5th ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times. Carnal, C (2007) Managing change in Organizations. 5th ed., Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall Hennessy, J., McCartney, C. (2008). The value of HR in times of change. Strategic HR Review. 7 (6), 16-22. 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