A Soccer Story Essay

Snow fluttered to the ground as Jane pulled her gold jersey closer to guard against the blistering chill. Although the miniature goblins and ghouls had just collected their annual treats, winter was already wrapping its bitterly cold hands around her. The soccer field shone, glistening from the already melting snowflakes. Even though championship game had not yet started, the Warrior stadium overflowed with rows of eager fans, enthusiastic to be watching such an important soccer match. The line of girls marched up to the slushy field to meet their adversaries, the Panthers, shivering in their gold soccer shorts. Jane could see the opposing team glance warily at them as if the game was just a waste of their time. In every heart burned the desire to win, to achieve a task never before accomplished. The Lady Warriors were on a mission: to beat the Panthers for the first time in school history. The first forty-five minutes of the game went uneventfully; both teams attempted to score, but the soccer ball was shuttled around the field like a ping-pong ball, aimlessly with no sense of direction. As they battled against their opponents, the harsh and brutal wind attacked the athletes. They had to win. They had to beat the cold. They had to beat the best team, and they had to get even. Whistle blaring, halftime was declared, and the team trudged back through the icy grass, disappointed. The winter chill was barely felt as their unspoken frustration took over. The team circled together and listened to their coach’s encouragements. The shrill whistle sounded once again, and the team charged back onto the field, feeling the motivation to win, remembering Coach Smith’s last words: â€Å"There’s nothing you girls can’t do†. Jane was inspired and she rushed on the field, playing like a maniac. Suddenly, an ear-splitting crack was heard and for a second, there was silence. Perhaps her excitement blinded all other senses, but Jane only remembered seeing a blur moving in her direction before she collapsed on to the snowy field, head throbbing. Head bowed down in defeat, Jane could not bring herself to look up at the crowd surrounding her. But a solitary clap  emanated from the row of spectators, and as she lifted up her tear-streaked face, her eyes locked with those of her optimistic team mates. Unsteadily, Jane stood up and the stadium resounded with cheers. The game commenced promptly; the clock was ticking with no time to lose. Then, the words, the assertion, that made Jane’s fists clench, a single statement uttered by the rival coach: â€Å"That girl’s weak, one charge at her, and she’ll be down again†. That girl was Jane, the offensive player, the unnerving forward, and she was enraged. Stinging pain from where the ball made contact with bare skin was quickly forgotten, even as the ugly red marks remained. The biting wind whipped strands of hair in her face, and Jane’s eyes squinted in the icy coldness. But her mind was defiantly set: she was on a mission to score. Adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream and her heart pounded rapidly as she rushed down the field. Jane swiftly maneuvered the ball with exact precision, imagining the moment the ball would enter the opponent’s goal. It was amazing how much satisfaction one solitary act could reward a person. One moment the white jersey of the defensive girl was coming at Jane’s way, ready to charge and steal the ball away. At the next instant, the sky was looking quite beautiful, sun shining, as the ball sailed swiftly into the white net. The whistle sounded shrilly and the multitude of onlookers erupted with excitement, the Warriors had defied an age old tradition, defeating the long-standing champions. The accomplishment, the pain-it made Jane triumphant that day. Against the odds, the underdog emerged victorious on the battlefield.

Personal life Essay

Living a â€Å"Good Life. † This is something most people strive for, but what we all question is, what is it that leads to a â€Å"good life,† or what does it really mean to have a â€Å"good life. † Most people would agree that whatever makes a person happy will lead to a good life, but happiness with each individual differs. Whether it be pleasure, wealth, or health many can disregard the virtue of true happiness, and their material desires leads to ignorance. Aristotle’s answer to this is that we must enjoy the proper things in life in order to be happy; and it is through proper activities that we are able to live the Good Life. I would have to agree with Aristotle’s beliefs, because of my upbringing, simple material things will not make me fully happy; one must live a just life filled with happiness. There is this woman named Janice, she s a manager for a major corporate office. Janice believes her happiness and the happiness of her children relies on her success in her career, and how much money she makes. She will do whatever it takes in order to rise up in the company to get any extra bonus or raise—even if it means stepping on other people to get there. Aristotle would say Janice is not living the Good Life by concentrating on the wealth and mistreating others for her own personal gain, because what she is doing is not a proper activity. I believe Aristotle may believe that the way Janice is living is irrational, and not the â€Å"good life,† because her happiness relies on her material wealth. According to J.L Ackrill from the Princeton university press Aristotle’s argument is as follows: 1) proper activities are those activities that best represent or fulfill the unique nature or purpose of humankind; 2) the unique nature or purpose of humankind is found in that particular quality which separates us from other species of beings; 3) that particular quality which separates us from other species of beings is reason; thus, 4) those activities that best express our reasoning abilities are those activities that will allow us to lead the Good Life; therefore, 5) some activities, like Janice’s activities, are not able to lead us to live the Good Life because again it is not a proper activity. Happiness isn’t simple, and living a good life isn’t easy. We can’t all just focus on the material; we have to focus on reason, on the virtue of our decisions. I was raise in a Christian home, so by default I was taught about being a servant to others, spreading the word of Jesus Christ, living a good life—according to what God has declared for me. But I believe that Aristotle’s belief of a good life coincides with some of what God has planned for me, by doing what is proper, and in my interpretation what is proper for me is following my path that God has laid out for me. We all have a purpose to life, everyone and everything. We are pieces to an order, a design t our universe, everything somehow fits together, we see the good and the truth through living justly with values and virtuous lifestyles, doing what makes us happy but only things that are â€Å"proper. † Aristotle believes that happiness is God given, and we need to live right by God.

Pompeii The Forgotten City History Essay

The wonder of hidden or disregarded metropoliss is capturing. Pompeii was wholly buried in a affair of seconds, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The ash and â€Å" miasmic gas † preserved everything in sight ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) . Even after at least 2000 old ages of being buried you can see people in the center of populating their lives, working on their farm, or merely traveling to the market topographic point. â€Å" Parts of the site remain exposed, and digging and research squads are still trying to uncover this cryptic metropolis ‘s secrets. † ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) It is sad to state that â€Å" the memory of Pompeii and the environing metropoliss faded into a obscure fable about the lost hoarded wealth of La Citta ( â€Å" the City † ) . † ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) Pompeii was a really comfortable land, really rich, in money and harvests, the people at that place had a alone manner to â€Å" manner † their houses, utilizing tiles made of lava and besides colored rocks to do mosaics. â€Å" The site of Pompeii is located in western Italy in a part called Campania, with the seashore to the West and the Apennine Mountains to the E. Campania is a fertile field, traversed by two major rivers and blessed with dirt rich in P and potassium hydroxide. † ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) Pompeii is on a â€Å" a tableland formed by an ancient lava sedimentation sou'-east of the vent Mt. Vesuvius. The metropolis ‘s site is besides a short distance North of the Sarno River and E of the Bay of Naples. This location insured the metropolis ‘s function as a centre of commercialism. Pompeii was a land with fertile evidences, due to the vent and a trade centre. † ( Archive.Pompeii ) â€Å" Pompeii was considered a instead big metropolis at the clip, more cosmopolites than Rome. It held control over city states near it and was a centre for trade in harvests, due to the fertile evidences, vino and olive oil. â€Å" ( Stories form an Volcanic eruption ) Pompeii was a really Rich civilization. â€Å" Pompeii grew from a colony of Oscan talking posterities of the Neolithic dwellers of Campania. Pre-Roman Pompeii, as a portion of Campania, was a receiver of a complex set of cultural influences: Etruscans from the North, Grecian settlers from the South, and Samnites and other Italic peoples all about. † ( Archive.Pompeii ) where Pompeii is located, â€Å" it was a Samnite metropolis for centuries before it passed under Roman regulation at the clip of Lucius Cornelius Sulla ( 1st cent. B.C. ) . â€Å" ( Free Encyclopedia ) â€Å" In 80 BCE Pompeii became integrated into Rome as a settlement ; Pompeii ‘s citizens received Roman citizenship and the metropolis ‘s establishments, architecture, and civilization were Romanized. At its tallness, Pompeii had a booming economic system based on trade and agribusiness, and the metropolis supported between 10,000 and 20,000 dwellers. † ( Archive.Pompeii ) â€Å" As Rome herself became more comfortable, her cit izens began to look up on Pompeii as a luxury resort and shortly luxury state places of the most powerful people in the universe began to embrace the shoreline. â€Å" ( Cornellia ) The worship of Gods and goddesses in this clip are varied, depending on where you were. Isis, an Egyptian goddess, was really extremely adored, as faith spread through Greco- Roman civilization, through the pickings over of states or city states and slaves taking their civilization with them. â€Å" The Temple of Isis in Pompeii was little but flowery. There were temples dedicated to Isis and her brother/husband Osiris throughout the Greco-Roman universe. These temples were the sites of luxuriant day-to-day and one-year rites and were administered by an educated priesthood skilled in music and medical specialty. Isis worship was particularly popular with adult females and with the new elite who gained wealth and prominence as the Roman Empire expanded. â€Å" ( AnceintVine ) And there are many other Gods they worshipped in Pompeii. Pompeii was a polytheistic state. â€Å" First there are the Oscan Gods, eg Flora, the spirit of Agriculture. The Grecian Gods Apollo, Dionysus, Zeus, Athena and Heracles are often depicted in wall pictures. The particular defender of the settlement of Pompeii was Venus. The older Roman Gods, A the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva had their outstanding topographic point at the Temple of the Capitoline, near the Forum. â€Å" ( Gods & A ; Goddesses ) Pompeii ‘s edifice technique was interesting. In Pompeii, they used lava to craft and make bricks and many other things. â€Å" The streets of Pompeii were filled with blocks of lava melted into rock. The people would utilize â€Å" crushed rock or ash † , whatever they could to construct walls for a house or bakeshop. ( Ancient Times ) â€Å" They would aline the bricks on the wall, in diagonal rows. † Using the colourss of the cement and seting them in assorted forms. ( Ancient Times ) The houses in Pompeii each had a alone flow to them. One thing that attributed to that was the floors, â€Å" made of coloured rocks that formed a image, called a mosaic. † ( Ancient Worlds ) Mosaics were really popular in Pompeii to adorn houses, â€Å" Mosaic ornamentation was widely used in the ornament of the houses. † ( Mosaics ) Another thing they used the lava bricks for is public baths. â€Å" The wonts and manners of life in Roman times have been revealed in great item at Pompeii by the program of the streets and pathwaies, the statue-decorated public edifices, and the simple stores and places of the craftsmans. The houses and Villas have yielded rare and beautiful illustrations of Roman art. Among the most celebrated are the houses of the Vetti, the Villa of the Mysteries, and, in the suburbs of Pompeii, the Villa of the Boscoreale. † ( Free Dictionary ) â€Å" On August 24, 79 a.d. Mount Vesuvius literally blew its top, spiting dozenss of liquefied ash, pumice and sulphuric gas stat mis into the ambiance. † ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) â€Å" Some people of Pompeii grabbed their animals of load and attempted to fly the country ; others possibly take to wait until the streets were clear of the panicky multitudes ; still others sealed themselves up in suites † ( Archive Pompeii ) Pompeii, covered wholly in ash in a affair of seconds, was preserved for many old ages before being discovered, being a good preserved state. â€Å" Volcanic activity can be something every bit simple as a mild rumble or a whiff of fume, on up to a full blown eruption of magma or clay. It can besides slowly emit or explode rapidly. â€Å" ( Answers ) â€Å" Smoke, clay, fires and firing rocks spewed from the acme of the mountain, directing a rain of ash and stone through the encompassing countryside. The clay seeped down the sides of Vesuvius, get downing nearby farms, groves and Villas. Adding to the devastation were the miasmic bluess that accompanied the falling dust ; the exhausts foremost caused deliriousness in their victims, so suffocated them. † ( Archive Pompeii ) â€Å" Before the eruptions in 79, temblors occurred for some clip, but were disregarded by local dwellers because of their acquaintance with the phenomenon, † it was usual to experience shudders in that country. ( EruptionofVesuvius ) â€Å" The site of Pompeii is located in western Italy in a part called Campania. Campania is a fertile field, traversed by two major rivers and blessed with dirt rich in P and potassium hydroxide. † ( MNSU, Pompeii ) Since the eruption long ago, the civilisations on the fertile land fear the following eruption. â€Å" Campania ‘s first colonists, the first people to settle in this part were likely prehistoric huntsmans, gatherers and fishers. The part besides hosted some of Italy ‘s main olive Grovess, and the mountains nourished 1000s of sheep. † ( MNSU, Pompeii ) Pompeii, a good preserved civilisation, is now toured by many people ; they go to see the fantastic harvests, and the beautiful conserves. â€Å" Based on artefacts discovered by people who lived on the land, scholar humanists hypothesized that the ancient objects they found came from the celebrated La Citta. Excavations did non happen, nevertheless, until the 18th century, when Herculaneum was rediscovered by a provincial delving a well. Pompeii itself was found during an digging that began on March 23, 1748. † ( MNSU, Pompeii ) â€Å" Though Mt. Vesuvius had one time been a really active vent, it had remained hibernating for every bit long as worlds could retrieve. Since no bequest of devastation had been passed down from their ascendants, the people populating near the mountain did n't recognize there was any possible for danger. The first warning mark came on February 5th, A.D. 62. † ( MNSU, Pompeii ) The town besides â€Å" flooded, it was dismaying, though the temblor merely lasted a few minutes, but at that place was one after the other and nobody knew when there was traveling to be a temblor, † people did non cognize how to experience, hopeful or as if they were approximately to decease. On August 24, there were more shudders and the cragged vent erupted, â€Å" the unfortunate people who could non get away in clip to avoid catastrophe were killed by falling edifices, overcome by the miasmic gas, or merely buried by the quickly falling ash. Their organic structures were rapidly covered by the vent ‘s mineral sedimentations, which covered Pompeii in a bed more than 30 pess thick. † ( EyeWitnesstoHistory ) Pompeii was forgotten, due to being covered wholly, in with ash and â€Å" miasmic gas † because of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 a.d. The ash preserved the full land. There were many things that lead up to the eruption, including a inundation. Pompeii was a really comfortable land, really rich, in money and harvests, the people at that place had a alone manner to â€Å" manner † their houses, utilizing tiles made of lava and besides colored rocks to do mosaics. Remarks: This study is short by 5 inches. There are several things that need to be addressed: Obviously, as a new pupil, I do n't cognize how much old research and study composing you have done. It appears that you have done a just sum of research for this study, based upon your commendations page and citations in your study. You use a really big figure of citations within the organic structure of your study which should be reduced. Your study needs to be in your ain authorship, sum uping what you have read, with the occasional citation to back up your authorship. If anything, it is the other manner around here. We need to work on this. Although you have good information, it is non good organized. As I had stated in my remarks in your rough bill of exchange, your composing demands to be better organized. Further, there are expressed countries where you neglected to do alterations based upon my remarks ( â€Å" aˆÂ ¦being a good preserved state. † Pg 4 ) Again, evidently you put a batch of work into this, and I do n't desire you to be disheartened. We merely have to work on your authorship manner so that what you have to state us makes the greatest impact. Citations Brion, Marcel, Michael Grant, John Ward-Perkins, and Amanda Claridge. â€Å" Pompeii. † Web. 01 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/europe/pompeii.html & gt ; . â€Å" The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD. † Eyewitness to History – History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm & gt ; . â€Å" How Often Do Volcanoes Erupt | Ask Kids Answers. † AskKids Answers | AskKids.com. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //answers.askkids.com/Nature/how_often_do_volcanoes_erupt & gt ; . Institutions, City ‘s. â€Å" Pompeii Information. † CyArk. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //archive.cyark.org/pompeii-info & gt ; O'Neill, Amanda. Ancient times. London: Bramley, 1992. Print â€Å" Pompeii. † Peoples and Topographic points in the Ancient World. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //cornellia.fws1.com/pompei.htm & gt ; . â€Å" Pompeii Definition of Pompeii in the Free Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Pompeii & gt ; . â€Å" Pompeii Mosaics. † Pompei Online.net: La Citta ‘ Di Pompei, Gli Scavi Archeologici Ed Il Santuario. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.pompeionline.net/pompeii/mosaic.htm & gt ; . â€Å" Pompeii: Narratives From an Volcanic eruption. † Welcome to The Field Museum. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fieldmuseum.org/pompeii/pompeii.asp & gt ; . â€Å" Temple of Isis. † AncientVine.Com. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ancientvine.com/templeofisis.html & gt ; .

The Killer Clown Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Killer Clown - Case Study Example However, on December 12, 1978, a teenage boy, Robert Piest was reported as missing by his mother with the information that he was offered a job by Gacy's contracting company (Lohr, 2001). The following day, the police searched his house and recognized the odor of a decaying body, but found none. They did, however recover relevant pieces of evidence. On December 22, 1978, he voluntarily confessed to the police that he raped then killed a minimum 30 people whose remains he buried under the crawl space of his house (Bell & Bardsley, n.d.). So the digging began. The police then uncovered the bodies of 29 people underneath the crawl space of his house (Montaldo, n.d.). All of his victims were male, whose ages range from nine to the early twenties (Montaldo, n.d.). He was then dubbed as the "Killer Clown" because of his perfected act as "Pogo the Clown" when entertaining kids (Montaldo, n.d.). His trial began on February 6, 1980, and was declared guilty of the murder of 33 people and was sentenced to die on March 13 of the same year. Finally, a little after midnight on May 10, 1994, John Wayne Gacy, Jr, the Killer Clown, was executed by lethal injection with the three last words "kiss my ass." (Lohr, 2001; Taylor, 2003) Analysis Psychological Characteristics John Wayne Gacy seemed to have led a normal life. He was successful with his professional life and popular among his friends and neighbors. However, beneath this faade of normalcy, lies a man who has raped, tortured, and killed 33 young men. Gacy aimed to please. Gacy was also a very determined and industrious individual who strived for success. He devotes himself to community organizations and is an exemplary member, if not a leader of these organizations (Bell & Bardsley, n.d.). He performs as a clown for entertaining children in hospitals and during parties, and hosts extravagant parties himself. To his friends and neighbors, John Wayne Gacy was a model citizen. Patterns Inferred About the Individual Gacy was a hardworking man. Hence, it is no surprise if he worked hard at keeping his marriage as well. However, it seems that after a few years of marriage, Gacy gets tired of keeping pretenses from his wife, and eventually his sexual preference is discovered by the wife. After these divorces, Gacy would recover and then strive harder in his professional and community life. Recovering from rumors was also a relevant pattern in Gacy's life. When there are rumors going on about his sexual preference and sexual deviances, Gacy would use his charm and wit to subdue the nasty rumors. Document Findings Behavioral Variables Gacy's father was a very strong figure in his behavioral outcome. Because of the prescribed drugs for his epilepsy, Gacy's mood swings were progressing, and he was becoming more and more dependent of the mood-altering highs that the drugs were giving him. Accordingly, his father became increasingly contemptuous toward his son, and called him names such as "he-she" (Giannangelo, 1996). Consequently, during his killings, he referred to his victims as "worthless little punks," and called his victims names like his father did

Herzog and de Meurion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Herzog and de Meurion - Essay Example Herzog and De Meuron manage to preserve their identities as modernist architects. Their early works cite significant inspiration from the minimalist art of Donald Judd. Both also regard Joseph Beuys as an important motivator to their designs as they collaborate with different artists in each individual project. From the formation of their architectural partnership in 1978, Herzog and De Meuron evolved to be the best in their field. From simple styles of rectangular-inspired architectural designs, the complexity of their adventure in the phase of the Modernist Movement allowed them to adopt and develop complex and dynamic geometric shapes and patterns for their designs. Along with the maturity of skill and technique, innovation when it comes to the use of materials is also taken into account. Herzog and De Meuron’s imagination led then to the use of exterior materials such as silkscreened glass to the down-right simplest plywood (Craven). All of these, no matter how grand or si mple, no matter how expensive or cheap, work to the advantage of these Swiss architects. Both are significantly considered as important figures in architecture. They are regarded as primary institutions when it comes to modernism. The honor they received in 2001 through the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize (Craven) was but a tiny complement as compared to the reputation they had built upon the development of their careers as architects. With much said about the prestige of both architects, it is also important to note that the most important development in the lives of both as professionals occurred upon their designation as primary architects of the 2008 Olympic Stadium in Beijing or more famously known as the Bird’s Nest Stadium. It was in that moment that the modern architects almost went into a conversion of style, adhering to the rules and tenets of post-modernism. However before

Net Neutrality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Net Neutrality - Essay Example â€Å"How, What, Impossible,† many would say, when they know that today internet providers have the capability of controlling what everyone goes through, does and believes in for the purpose of getting profit i.e., violate network neutrality. Discussion Internet is at war as one of its basic structural principles is threatened. Telecommunication companies are pressuring major political institutions to intervene and modify neutrality. Users and native internet companies are defending tooth and nail. The debate is open, but the reality is that most people affected by the violation of this principle know its meaning and implications (wiseGEEK, 2003). Companies and Net Neutrality The net neutrality means that bits are not discriminated, and there is no such thing as first or second class for such categories as destination, source, protocol or content. From this definition it follows that any company that provides internet services (ISPs) can manipulate, manage, hinder or prevent u ser access to some Internet services according to their specific interests. Telecommunication companies control access and transport network information. Undoubtedly, Internet service providers are identified as the main threat. Operators have proposed prioritizing some services over others, and some even speak of the payment of â€Å"tolls† and quotas to companies that fill the web content. According to a research it is clear that "The telecom operators want to do much more business with internet by increasing the charges for access as well as monetizing the content that others want to view as if it was their own network. Another goal of the ISP would "limit services (such as IP telephony or video conferencing) within their networks and extract revenues from people who earn a lot of money on the Web, like Google." (Quora, 2010) They provide the â€Å"data pipes† ensuring that any person [at a price] can connect and access all network resources. Currently, these entiti es hold true to a â€Å"code of honor† that prevents them from taking control of the content by these ways. This code means net neutrality: all content and services distributed through the pipes must be treated equally, regardless of person or entity (Quora, 2010). Neutrality still seems intact, but many users report behaviors of operators that already violate this basic principle of the network and most of the information highway studies confirm the dirty war of the companies providing internet against p2p networks. But network neutrality is not limited to a dispute over the division of the economic pie concerning technology or the battle against piracy but it is a concept that has entered the political game. According to some studies, the ISPs will accompany some European governments, in matters concerning the net transfer of money to the other side of the Atlantic in areas such as digital advertising. Perhaps for this reason, politicians have not been clear. There is no co mmunity legislation regarding Network Neutrality (Quora, 2010). The problem is that this policy is not neutrally supported by any law or regulated by any relevant entity. Therefore, their survival depends on "common sense" of users and, primarily, the network providers. The latter is the source of danger as the common sense of the big companies is generally shaped by the opportunities to make money and it can’t be ruled out at some point that they may take control of internet

Avon Products or GE Money America Case Study Term Paper

Avon Products or GE Money America Case Study - Term Paper Example These issues convince the public and economists that the CEO of Avon Products, Sherilyn McCoy and the rest of the organisation may fail to resuscitate the company's dwindling fortunes, despite McCoy's exemplary leadership record at Johnson & Johnson and other pharmaceuticals (Goldsmith and Carter, 10). At the same time, the company's need for change and restructuring is based on the very company's uncertainty. This is because, despite the qualifications and performance track record that McCoy possesses, yet it is true that Sherilyn McCoy lacks experience which is directly related to sales. In the same wavelength, McCoy's unfamiliarity with the Avon Products' business model means that she will have to face a seriously steep learning curve (Goldsmith and Carter, 16). It is also pointed out that Avon Products lacks adequate and proper resources and manpower to make it in a dynamic market that is graced with seasoned companies such as L'Oreal, for competitors. 2. Identifying the Model fo r Change Theory Typified In the Case Study of Choice The model that can best change theory that is likely to help Avon Products' situation is the planned model. Change theory will also readily necessitate the need to take on the use of decision theory. This is because decision theory suggests that people satisfice during decision making, as collective participation during decision making amplifies room for change. According to Rossotti, this recommendation above involves making plans for changes that need to be developed in order to: define measurable goals; outline the strategic factors that are determinants of success; detail the steps that are to be taken in organisational implementation; and outlining the manner in which commitment is to be realised from chief decision makers (Rossotti, 75). In regard to the proposition above, it will be important that Avon Products refocuses its energies and focus on its client base. This proposition is necessitated by the fact that Avon Produc ts is clearly turning away from focusing on market-centred exploits. It is only by following the change theory strategy that Avon Products will be able to effectively use emerging social media and technologies to make operations more customer-centric. This exploit will help the company identify the most valuable strategies such as direct contacts with potential and prospective client. Discussing Factors That Led To the Identification of the Model Chosen There are several factors that qualify the need to choose the change/ decision theory. The most fundamental of these reasons is the manner in which market trends are becoming too pervasive to be ignored in market competition. Particularly, the online social media has become an indispensible tool in for sales and marketing. The number of consumers who are buying cosmetics and perfumes online continues to increase by the day, and Avon Products must not ignore this phenomenon. Avon Products' arch rivals such as L'Oreal, Sephora, Beauty, Mary Kay and Drugstore have already gone to online marketing as a way of netting in a bigger clients' base. Avon Products' successful initiatives of developing e-catalogues and android and iPhone applications are not enough to net clients in social media, and those on tablets and smart phones. This will call for the application of change theory in Avon Products' chain and systems policy of communication.

Article Summery Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summery - Article Example Like any new system that is being implemented, the implementation provided several challenges. The greatest challenging issue was intrinsic cross functional knowledge space existing between the organizations IT department, the tax department and software vendor. The people working with the software vendor understand their product well, likewise to the organization IT department that has unique infrastructure, and tax department understand how to handle tax regulations worldwide. Connecting the three entities that has different knowledge and professionalism is quite challenging and it demands a cross functional knowledge across the three areas, also very talented workers is needed. As the organization started working on the project, they know well that successful implementation is significant in organization success. A good option in the implementation is employing a third party or leveraging the service provider. The third party should be someone who has inside knowledge about Vertex . It should not only be a party that applies business and IT knowledge, but it should also be in a position of identifying problems and rally the required vertex resources to bring a solution to a problem. In preparation for the system implementation, the IT department had strict support requirements for the interruption to avoid system failure and business disturbance. Vertex provided 2 support IT specialist before implementation to assist in transferring knowledge on tax link extension that support several Oracle modules in different countries. For the cut over time, vertex support worked together with organization Tax and It members to tailor the support hours and give direct access to high level team members. Liaising with a service provider which has been proven to be successful specifically on Tax is important for Starbuck. The collaboration between Vertex and Starbuck has gone beyond the initial stages of system implementation and it has empowered the organization IT departme nt and adds lines to business products. The services currently going on are significant in Tax system. The vertex Oracle Tax system will be used to manage tax requirements which continuously changes. It is not a situation where software is installed and those who did it leave. In Tax system, a partner is needed to be constantly monitoring the system since taxation changes frequently. Vertex has been found to be the best partner, the organization went through ERP implementation at first but right now they are in a state of upgrading and resolving new problems that are emerging since the IT infrastructure are constantly being changed or business trend is changing. This means that vertex should be adjusted along the way and this will require experts to monitor the system. Reference Starbucks. (2013). Starbucks Finds Vertex’s Service is the Differentiator for a Successful ERP and Vertex Upgrade. Vertex Indirect Tax Solutions. London: Vertex

Process essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Process - Essay Example of learning this process is to avoid keeping the baby uncomfortable without full bath that relaxes them, saving money on professional services and the most important is that bathing time offers perfect bonding time between a parent (either the mother or father) and the infant. The first step is to decide where the baby will take a bath. The choices in this case are the kitchen sink, the regular wash tub or have a special washing tub for the infant which is the ideal size. The secret in this step is to ensure the parent is in a comfortable position so that he or she can be able to grip the baby steadily as well as wash them without losing that grip. This should be followed by regulating the temperature of the room and of the bathing water. After deciding which room is idle to wash the baby in, regulation of the room temperature is required so that the baby dos not chill during the bath. This is closely followed by regulation of the water to a temperature that is not too hot or too cold. If one has a thermometer, the ideal temperature should be between 90 and 100 Fahrenheit. If not testing the water with the wrist which is sensitive will guide the parent on the ideal temperature. The next step is to prepare the baby’s clothing such as the towel, the clothes, diaper, wash cloth, lotion and bathing soap. There is also the alternative of baby shampoo though care should be made to ensure that is tear-free. This should be followed by undressing of the baby and then dipping it in the water feet first. A firm grip of the baby with one hand under the neck is needed in order to support the baby as well as prevent it from wobbling its head which is still not firm at this stage of development. Use the soap and wash cloth to wash starting from the head moving downwards and ending with the diaper area. Any skin folds should be thoroughly cleaned. Having completed the bathing, towel and dry it and apply lotion (this is optional) and dress the baby. Hand the baby over to

Windows Upgrade Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Windows Upgrade Report - Essay Example XP is termed a real operating system capable of working on a separated mode giving maximum benefits in terms of server features for home and office use. Windows 7 came to live in 2009 as a replacement for Window XP. The Edition was designed for business, home and desktop use. The graphic features improved those of XP and implored the 3D. The â€Å"super bar† improved the architecture of the task bar with better coding scheme for instant access. In addition to Windows Media player, the new revolutionary Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery updated the media segment (Er. Vivek Sharma, 2013). Windows 7 is available in many versions and present different features. Windows 7 is available in Starter, Premium, Enterprise, Professional and Ultimate. A user has a choice of these versions according to their needs. The system adopted higher requirement specifications than those of XP. Windows 7 is characterized by 64-bit and 32-bit architecture with 64-bit 1 GHz processor. The minimum RAM size mandatory is 2GB with a lowest amount of 20 GB hard disc. The 32-bit architecture has a RAM requisite of 1GB. This is the disadvantage with Windows 7 if the current hardware does not suite the requirements. Another issue is that Windows XP is not easily upgraded to Windows 7. Window 7 Enterprise has a number of features that minimizes cost for the business user. Direct Access is one such feature. Like the Direct Access, Branch cache is another application in Windows 7 that can be utilized together Windows server 2008 to improve the speed of extracting data from remote locations by caching the information in the intranet or the internet the first time it is requested. Other advancements include VDI, App locker, Federated search and Language Pack (Abraham Silberschatz, 2013). Windows 8 was first released for manufacturing on August 2012 and is an extension of the 6.2 version of the Windows NT Kernel. The new

Procter & Gamble Paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Procter & Gamble Paper - Case Study Example This became rather beneficial for the P&G to improve its brand image and position in the market among others. In the year 1890, Procter & Gamble integrated extra funds so as to enhance the business process of the P&G. Moreover, innovative machines and analytical labs were also introduced so as to improve the soap making procedure of P&G. It was the first research labs in the American industry which augmented the status and the corporate image of P&G in the market among others and marked the company as a market leader (Eugene, 2005). After that the company continued to expand and develop for the next 120 years with the help of extensive research and development, modernization and global expansions. Apart from this, P&G also developed new products such as Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste, which became quite famous in the market. This ultimately facilitated P&G to become a global market leader by 1993 resulting in the enhancement of the sales by US$30 billion. At this time, P&G was n ot only a market leader but also an innovator of new product lines which were highly appreciable among the other competitors. This helped to improve the market share and the brand identity of the company in the international market. This as a result improved the turnover of the company to a wide extent. Still, P&G continued its pace of movements and in the year 1999, it purchased a pet food producing company Iams. At that time, Iams was also one of the reputed brands in the sector of pet food manufacturing in the US. Hence, this helped P&G’s endeavor to become a multinational corporation working worldwide. Iams was a company developed by an animal nutritionist with the vision to improve the welfare of the dogs and cats by offering them with eminent quality of foods and care. As P&G deals with animal well-being which is one of the significant responsibilities of ‘PETA’, so its role is mandatory. PETA refers to ‘people for the ethical treatment of animalsâ₠¬â„¢ which was established in 1980 so as to defend the rights of the animals and maintain the interests of the animals. However, unfortunately certain unethical conducts of P&G on the animals hampered its brand image and marked the beginning of the investigation by PETA (Eugene, 2005). Question 1 Due to unethical treatment of animals, Procter & Gamble had faced risk of reputation damage (Eugene, 2005). Therefore, damage in reputation can impact upon the communication of stakeholders with the company. It is uncertain that how the stakeholders will react in the reputation crisis of Procter and Gamble. The stakeholders can be any group which can impact or can be impacted by the performance of Procter & Gamble, such as advertisement agencies, financiers, wholesalers, traders, community groups, competitors, customers, clients, employees, franchises, global managers, investors, law administration officers, licensers, media, politicians, suppliers and salespersons. Among them the most sign ificant stakeholders that will be affected most are customers, clients, suppliers, financiers, law administration officers, licensers and investors. Protecting reputation is vital for any organization in order to retain a position in the market and to avoid poor status in the industry. Managing the reputation is the way about how an organization is satisfying the expectations of stakeholders on the basis of past performances. Reputation is extensively acknowledged as a worthy intangible resource which helps to entice more customers and investors,

Zenecas DTC Advertising of Nolvadex Essay Example for Free

Zenecas DTC Advertising of Nolvadex Essay Zeneca is largest pharmaceutical and agricultural/industrial chemical company in United States. In 1999 breast cancer was the most frequent diseases were found in American women, about 175,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed and about 43,500 women were died due to the breast cancer. According to the breast cancer prevention trial (BCPT), 45% reduction in breast cancer cases came through the use of Nolvadex. In November 1998 due to the new indications from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of Nolvadex, Zeneca had decided to start direct to consumer advertisement campaign for Nolvadex. Findings In finding report will find over all performance of Zenecas advertisement campaign. This report will also look at the ethical issues which were raised in the case study, issues which were raised by activist groups and recommendations for managing the activists protests. 1. 1-Uncertainties from medical o Lack of sufficient data form breast cancer preventing trial physicians were worried about the side effects of Nolvadex, because the women who have high risk of breast cancer who might die if they do not take drug but for healthy women Nolvadex were not suitable from their point of view. According to physicians past experiences, Nolvadex lowered the breast cancer risk in women age 35 or more but increase the risk of other diseases in healthy women like endometrial cancer and other minor side effects like blood clots in the legs and lungs, hot flashes flushing, irregular menstrual periods, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting and irritation of skin around the vagina. o Same studies like breast cancer preventing trial came from British and Italian studies which failed to show that tamoxifne was associated with a cancer risk reduction benefit They give assurance that women can both learn and control their risk, when, in fact, the risk model that is being promoted by Zeneca has been rightfully criticized by biostatisticians. The drug that Zeneca is promoting is one whose short tern benefits in healthy women are in question, and whose long term risks among healthy women are still unknown. o Some doctors were argued that side effect was too serious to prescribe for women who did not have breast cancer. They were asking to add more advisability of using the drug to lower the risk of breast cancer. These physicians wanted to wait for more data regarding Nolvadex and comparing trial of Nolvadex with Eli Lillys Evista which some believed that safer then Zenecas Nolvadex. 1. 2-Uncertainties from regulatory o According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) there were some problem with exact language that contained in the new labelling e. g. Zeneca wanted to use word Prevention for describing the Nolvadex but FDA was not agree because labelling was lack of enough data on what happened to the women in the study after five years of treatment FDA was disagreed with Zenecas ads. because they were lack of brief summary regarding the risk and other information about Nolvadex. They wanted to disclose those information in advertising campaign o Zeneca had made the video for unbranded advertisement which was included full information of breast cancer and about Nolvadex but FDA had argued that video was heavily branded and lack of fair balance between benefits and risks of Nolvadex o Zeneca was required to include a four-part disclaimer (including side effects) when ever the word Nolvadex comes in video FDAs Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communication (DDMAC) reviewed the information material in advertising campaign and determine that they are false or misleading and lacking fair balance and they are full of product and in violation of the Act for the above reasons o Zeneca was failed to discuss the Gail Model Risk Assessment Tool in the print advertisement or brochure which damage the importance of an accurate risk assessment and side effects. Due to lack of mortality data FDA approved the Nolvadex for women at high risk of breast cancer but did not approved it for use as a breast cancer prevention agent and they refer Nolvadex as a risk reduction therapy 1. 3-Zenecas decisions on DTC campaign When Zeneca decided to do the DTC campaign for Nolvadex, they had done some research before advertising campaign but this research only focusing on womens thinking about breast cancer. They did not involve patients, physician, advocacy group and activist groups in ad campaign. Another draw back came from The Food and Drug Administrations regulation and guide lines which were keep changing during the development of direct to consumer advertising campaign. FDAs guide lines were influencing the Zenecas decisions on advertisement campaign. They were trying to follow FDAs regulations but other side they had ignored physicians and activist groups during the development of DTC advertisement campaign and later Zenecas campaign was concern by these independent groups. They had tried to make branded ad but due to the regulatory it was required full information regarding drug. They were feared that if they disclosed the information regarding drugs benefit and risk it would affect the advertisement effectiveness. Thats why they decided not do the branded advertisement. Zenecas unbranded advertisement was less concern by regulatory in terms of disclosing drugs information but more concern by activist groups because of incomplete information. Also assumptions in advertisement were not appropriately taken into consideration e. g. women care their body shape more then health or you can only get breast cancer if you have family history which were concerned by regulatory and activist groups. In brief Zeneca had taken inappropriate decision regarding DTC advertisement campaign. They did not involved patients, physicians, distributors and advocacy groups before developing DTC campaign. They had followed the rules and regulations of FDA but failed to take physicians, patients and activist groups in confidence.

Role Of Transportation In Economic Development Of Pakistan Tourism Essay

Role Of Transportation In Economic Development Of Pakistan Tourism Essay It is defined in term of gross domestic product (GDP) and market production. It is increased the number of goods and services produced by an economy in defined time period. Introduction: Motorway network of any country is of vital importance of its economic development and effect positive on different fields of economy. An economy seems to developed and industrialized if widespread transport system. It is extremely difficult to put the economy on the high rapid path without an efficient transport system. An efficient communication system is essential for trade, national commerce and integration. Pakistans economic development depends upon improvements and modernization of its transport system. In 1947 depends on roads was only 8 %, now it is more than 96% of inland freight and 92% of passenger traffic. Now it is a backbone of Pakistanis economy. Motorway boost Pakistan economy Motorway increase positive effect on production, Supply and employment Fiscal impact of motorway Motorway and land use Motorway speedy access to labour, education, Health. Motorway transport and poverty Motorway and environment National Highway Authority (NHA) It is responsible for the development and maintenance of national highways and motorways. The total length of roads under the NHA is 12000 which accounts 4% of the entire road network and take 80% of Pakistans commercial traffic. Road density is an indicator of development. Current road density is 0.32 km/km2, which is much less even from regional standard. The government wants to bring double digit of 0.64 km/km2. Pakistans current road network is now more than 260000 km. Pakistans motorways are part of Pakistans National Trade Corridor Project, which aims to link Pakistans three Arabian Sea ports (Karachi Port, Port Bin Qasim and Gwadar Port) to the rest of the country and further with Afghanistan, Iran, India, Central Asia and China. M-1 Motorway Islamabad to Peshawar Pakistans motorway (M-1) 155 km 6-lane, linking Peshawar, Charsada, Noshera, Sawabi, Attock, Burhan, Hasanabadal to Islamabad capital of Pakistan, has been operational since 30 October 2007. It has become a vital link to Afghanistan and Central Asia and is expected to take much traffic off the highly used N5. It is safe way of NATO supply line to Afghanistan. It is the most beautiful motorway of Pakistan crossing river Sindh and river Kabil. M-2 Motorway Islamabad to Lahore Pakistans first motorway, the 367 km 6-lane M-2, connecting the Pakistan capital Islamabad and Lahore, was constructed by South Koreas Daewoo Corporation and was inaugurated in November 1997 in Nawaz Sharif Govt and was the first motorway to be built in South Asia. It is strategic road during war using as emergency run way. The M-2 is a motorway in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is 367 km long and connects Lahore with Islamabad. It passes through Kala Shah Kaku, Sheikhupura, Khanqah Dogran, Kot Sarwar, Pindi Bhattian, Sial Morr, Kot Momin, Salem, Lilla, Kallar Kahar, Balksar, and Chakri before ending just outside the twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It then continues on to eventually become the M1 motorway linking the twin cities with Peshawar. The M-2 crosses the junction of the M3 (to Faisalabad) at Pindi Bhattian. It has connected best places for tourists like Hiran Minar, Waris Shah Tomb, Khewara mine, salt range, Citric fields, Rice fields and Kalar Kahar Jheel. M-3 Motorway Pindi Bhatian to Faisalabad Pakistan motorway (M-3), the 54 km 4-lane linking the Pindi Bhattian Arch bridge Junction on the M-2 with Faisalabad. Initially, it was planned to have 6-lanes, however, due to the shortage of funds, it was decided to reduce the number of lanes to 4 with an option to upgrade it to 6-lanes in future. Construction of the M-3 began in May 2002 and it was completed ahead of schedule in September 2003 at a cost of Rs 5.3 billion. It was inaugurated and opened for traffic on 2 October 2003. Now industrial Area of Punjab Govt is being constructed on Sahinwala interchange. (M-4) Motorway Faisalabad to Multan It has length of 233 km 4-lane, began on 19 August 2009 with breaking ceremony performed by Pakistans Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. There is working on progress at two constructions Phase Faisalabad to Gojra and Khanewal to Multan. It will link Multan with the M-3 Motorway at Faisalabad. The M4 will begin Faisalabad interchange at the Sargodha Road of Faisalabad. It will continue on a southwest course connecting the cities of Faisalabad, Jhang, Gojra, Toba Tek Singh, Shorkot, Khanewal and Multan. Once at Khanewal, it will merge onto the N5 temporarily until the M5 is complete.. The M4 will be constructed in four stages (i) Faisalabad-Gojra (58  km), (ii) Gojra-Shorkot (61  km), (iii) Shorkot-Din Pur-Khanewal (65  km) and (iv) Khanewal-Multan (65  km), whereas two large bridges will be constructed on the River Ravi and Shadhnai Channel. Estimated cost is USD 601 million. M-5 Motorway Multan to Dera Khazi Khan It is a planned 4 lane motorway that will link Multan with Dera Ghazi Khan. It will be constructed after the completion of the Faisalabad Multan (M-4) Motorway. M-6 Motorway Dera Ghazi Khan to Ratodero It is a planned 4 lane motorway that will link Dera Ghazi Khan with Ratodero. It will be constructed after the completion of the Multan to Dera Khazi Khan( M-5) Motorway. M-8 Motorway Ratodero To Gawader The 892 km 4-lane M-8 is under-construction in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Initially, it will have 2 lanes with a further 2 lanes planned. The 4 lane motorway will be upgradable to 6 lanes. Once completed it will directly link the port city of Gwadar with the rest of Pakistans motorway network at Ratodero where it will link up with the M-6 Dera Ghazi Khan-Ratodero Motorway. M-9 Motorway Haiderabad to Karachi Hyderabad-Karachi Super Highway is in the process of being upgraded into a 6-lane access-controlled motorway designated the M-9. Expression of Interest (EOI) was invited by the National Highway Authority (NHA) in May 2011. The NHA awarded the Rs. 24.93 billion contract to the Malaysian construction company on Built Operate Transfer (BOT) basis in January 2012. The proposed 136-km long motorway will be completed in three years. Patrolling and enforcement National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) is responsible for enforcement of traffic rules and safety measures, security and free flow of traffic on the Pakistan Motorway network. The NHMP use heavy jeeps, cars and heavy motorbikes for patrolling and help purposes and uses day and night vision speed cameras for enforcing speed limits. It is friendly and corruption free police in Pakistan. SIGNIFICANCE OF TRANSPORTATION AND ITS SENERIO: Road transport is the backbone of Pakistans transport system. The 9,574 km long National Highway and Motorway network, which is 3.65 percent of the total road network, carries 80 percent of Pakistans total traffic. Over the past ten years, road traffic, both passenger and freight, has grown significantly faster than the national economy. Currently, it is accounting for 91 percent of national passenger traffic and 96 percent of freight. Port traffic in Pakistan grows at 8 percent annually in recent years. Two major ports, Port Karachi and Port Qasim, handle 95 percent of all international trade. Port Gwadar, which was inaugurated in March 2007 and is being operated by Singapore Port Authority, is aiming to develop into a central energy port in the region. 14 dry ports cater to high value external trade. Pakistan Railways (PR) has a broad gauge system (with a small network of meter gauge in the South East). The network consists of the main North South corridor, connecting the Karachi ports to the primary production and population centers in Pakistan. The track is in good condition with an axle-load of 23 tons and maximum permitted speeds of 100/110 kph. There are 36 operational airports. Karachi is Pakistans main airport but significant levels of both domestic and international cargo are also handled at Islamabad and Lahore. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the major public sector airline, though facing the competition from a few private airlines, carries approximately 70 percent of domestic passengers and almost all domestic freight traffic. The transportation sector accounts for about 10.5 percent of the countrys GDP and 27.4 percent of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in FY06. It provides over 6 percent of employment in the country and receives 12 to 16 percent of the annual Federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP). Government agencies dominate the sector. Although the sector is functional, its inefficiencies with long waiting and traveling times, high costs, and low reliability are dragging the countrys economic growth. These factors also reduce the competitiveness of the countrys exports, increase the cost of doing business in Pakistan, and constrain Pakistans ability to integrate into global supply chains which require just-in-time delivery. The poor performance of the sector is estimated to cost the economy 4-6 percent of GDP each year. Roads Over half the national highways network is in poor condition, and the road safety record is poor. The countrys truck fleet is mostly made up of obsolete, underpowered, and polluting vehicles, and trucks are often grossly overloaded. Truck operating speeds on the main corridors are only 40 50 kph for container traffic, half of the truck speeds in Europe. For trucks carrying bulk cargoes, the journeys take 3-4 times longer than in Europe. Bridge between South Asia and South West Asia; Iran and Afghanistan are energy abundant while India and China are lacking of. China finds way to Indian ocean and Arabian Sea through Korakaram. China with its fastest economic growth rate of 9%; is developing its southern provinces because its own port is 4500 km away from Sinkiang but Gawader is 2500km away. Pakistan offers to CARs the shortest route of 2600 km as compared to Iran (4500 km) or Turkey (5000 km). Land locked Afganistan now at the phase of Reconstruction, finds its ways through Pakistan. Gawader port with its deep waters attracts the trade ships of China, CARs and South East Asian Countries. Hypothesis of the study: The research study will examine the impact of motorways on Pakistan Economy. I will describe the relationship between motorway and economy. H1: There will be positive impact of motorway on Pakistan Economy which is assumption of proposal. H2: There will be negative impact of motorway on Pakistan economy which is against of H1. H3: There will be effective relationship of motorway with Pakistan economy. H4: There will be ineffective relationship of motorways with Pakistan economy. ASSUMPTION OF STUDY Limitations: Time constraints of the semester require less time than may be ideal for an ethnographic study. By being in the organization for only four hours a week for five weeks, there are bound to be aspects of leadership practice, organizational culture and team communication that will not be revealed during my observations. Being an outsider may also limit what is revealed to me. The team members may be guarded in their conversations around me, especially in my initial observations. [Describe conditions beyond your control that place restrictions on what you can do and the conclusions you may be able to draw] Delimitations: I am choosing not to observe multiple teams, even though such comparisons might be valuable, in order to allow more depth of understanding regarding the group on which I will focus. Additionally, I will not use structured interviews in order to minimize my obtrusiveness and my influence on the team members. [Describe the boundaries of the study that you determine] OBJECTIVE OF STUDY There will be following main objective of my research. Economic growth Private Sector Development Regional Cooperate Social growth Description The overall objective of the study will be to provide the Government with a detailed implementation plan for the motorway corridors, and to prepare the highest priority project ready for award and implementation using an appropriate public-private partnership model. (i) Pakistan road sector; (ii) the project preparation phase to prepare a project for the selected motorway link; and (iii) the procurement preparation phase to prepare necessary documents and prerequisites for procurement process. Linkage to Country/ Regional Strategy to reduce logistics cost and increase the countrys global competitiveness. The overall objective of the road network is to reduce logistics costs in Pakistan through the promotion of (i) more efficient logistics in the production sector, (ii) more efficiency in the transport sector, (iii) the development of private sector logistics businesses, (iv) better facilitation for international trade, and (v) better human resource development. Within the road subsector, the Government intends to pursue its overall goal of reducing logistics costs and maintaining or increasing the countrys regional competitiveness primarily within the framework of these five areas. A number of challenges and constraints must be overcome to achieve this goal within a reasonable period, including (i) developing a broadly based financing plan that reaches well beyond the dependence on normal yearly budget allocations; and (ii) making significant changes to Pakistans legal and contractual frameworks to provide the environment essential for the introduction of innovative public private partnerships. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Considerable progress has been made in the transport and communication sector during the current fiscal year. During July-March 1999-2000, the total length of roads in the country was 249,959 km, including 138,726 Km of high type and 111,233 km of low type. Total number of motor vehicles on roads stood at 4.085 million during the same period. The construction work on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway which started in 1998, is expected to be completed with the cost of Rs.26 billion by December 200:1. Pakistan Railways network consists of 7,791 route km during July-March, 1999-2000. Its major assets include 582 locomotives, 2,029 passenger coaches and 22,247 freight wagons. During 1999-2000 (July-March) it carried 49.2 million passengers and 3.8 million tons freight and its gross earnings stood at Rs.7,208 million. The network of Pakistan International Airlines covers 37 international destinations and 35 domestic stations covering almost all parts of the country. Its fleet consists of 48 aircrafts of varied types. Presently, three .private airlines i.e. Shaheen Air International, Bhoja Air Line and Aero Asia are operating on local and international routes, while the fourth private sector airlineSafe Air International is operating on domestic routes only. The country has two major sea ports namely, Karachi Sea Port and Port Qasim. Beside, two Fish Harbour-Cum-Mini Ports are being developed at Gawadur and Keti Bunder. The Karachi Port has handled 18.0 million tons of cargo during July-March, 1999-2000, compared with 1.7.6 million tons of cargo during the corresponding period of last year. Pakistan is now connected with most of the countries of the world through international gateway exchanges. Value added services such as internet, E-mail, cellular mobile telephone, optical fiber system, card pay phone, paging services etc. are now available in the country which are providing innovative and modern services to the consumers. At present, about 21,000 customers are connected through internet, whereas the total number of internet users in Pakistan upto March, 2000 are 120,000. There are more than 3.8 million telephone lines, out of which about 3.03 million lines are connected to the customers, 2,663 telephone exchanges, 1,362 NWD exchanges, 10,256 VHF PCOs, 393 telegraph offices and 112 customer service centres are working in the country. The estimated number of TV and VCR sets in the country as on June 30, 1999 were 3.035 million and 0.136 million respectively. As on March 31, 2000, the TV and VCR sets are estimated to be 3.150 million and 0.136 million respectively. Pakistan is an emerging market for automobiles and automotive parts offers immense business and investment opportunities. The total contribution of Auto industry to GDP in 2007 is 2.8% which is likely to increase up to 5.6% in the next 5 years. Auto sector presently, contributes 16% to the manufacturing sector which also is expected to increase 25% in the next 7 years. Pakistan, with 155 million people, has a reasonably developed transport infrastructure. Road transport is the backbone of Pakistans transport system. The 9,574 km long National Highway and Motorway network, which is 3.65 percent of the total road network, carries 80 percent of Pakistans total traffic. Over the past ten years, road traffic, both passenger and freight, has grown significantly faster than the national economy. Currently, it is accounting for 91 percent of national passenger traffic and 96 percent of freight. Port traffic in Pakistan grows at 8 percent annually in recent years. Two major ports, Port Karachi and Port Qasim, handle 95 percent of all international trade. Port Gwadar, which was inaugurated in March 2007 and is being operated by Singapore Port Authority, is aiming to develop into a central energy port in the region. 14 dry ports cater to high value external trade. Pakistan Railways (PR) has a broad gauge system (with a small network of meter gauge in the South East). The network consists of the main North South corridor, connecting the Karachi ports to the primary production and population centers in Pakistan. The track is in good condition with an axle-load of 23 tons and maximum permitted speeds of 100/110 kph. There are 36 operational airports. Karachi is Pakistans main airport but significant levels of both domestic and international cargo are also handled at Islamabad and Lahore. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the major public sector airline, though facing the competition from a few private airlines, carries approximately 70 percent of domestic passengers and almost all domestic freight traffic. The transportation sector accounts for about 10.5 percent of the countrys GDP and 27.4 percent of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in FY06. It provides over 6 percent of employment in the country and receives 12 to 16 percent of the annual Federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP). Government agencies dominate the sector. Although the sector is functional, its inefficiencies with long waiting and traveling times, high costs, and low reliability are dragging the countrys economic growth. These factors also reduce the competitiveness of the countrys exports, increase the cost of doing business in Pakistan, and constrain Pakistans ability to integrate into global supply chains which require just-in-time delivery. The poor performance of the sector is estimated to cost the economy 4-6 percent of GDP each year. Methodology This presents an overview of the methods to use in the research. It shows the research design, population, sample and sampling techniques, data collection and analysis. Research Design The study will involve the evaluating the role of motorways in the Pakistan economy. It will be effect at regional countries like China, Central Asia, Afghanistan and India. Consequently, the research will be designed to achieve the objectives set out by research. Population The transport sector of Pakistan is playing an important role in the economy. The ministry of communication is main controlling authority on motorways for planning and construction. The ministry of communication including their Departments like National Highways motorway police, National Highway authority and Transport research center essential for operational process. The targeted population for the study thus includes the following Ministry of communication (FEDRAL) National Highway authority (NHA) National Highways Motorways police (NHMP) National transport research center (NTRC) National trade corridor improvement program (NTCIP) Frontier works organization (FWO) The Main cities (Population) liked with motorways Sample The research belongs to impact of all motorways of Pakistan but in sample I will discuss only Lahore Islamabad Motorway (M-2) Only such department belonging to M-2 will be considered. The questionnaire and date will be collected only for M-2. Sampling and Sampling Technique It obvious from the population above that a census is not feasible in this study. Accordingly, I shall adopt the survey type of research in which a sample from the target population will be used for the study. In total, a sample of 150 elements will be selected from a targeted population of 300. Details of the sample are as follows: 20 officers and official from NHA 20 officers and staff from NHMP 30 transporters and 20 passengers 20 economy experts 20 officers planning department 40 citizens near motorway The research study will adopt a multistage stratified sampling method to select elements. First, the  population will be divided into officers and officials. Next, It will be grouped into Ministries, Departments and Agencies and into Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts. This will ensure a fair representation of each group of institutions since their  operations are significantly different. Data Collection The focus of study is on attitudes and perception and the importance of primary data cannot beover-emphasised. However, secondary data will also be collected to augment the studies. Before the actual data collect the researcher will collect introductory letter from the School of  Business of the University of Cape Coast to the sampled institutions. The initial visit to the selected institutions will therefore be to introduce himself, familiarize himself with those institutions as well as seek their consent for the study. Data collection instrument The researcher will collect data by administering a questionnaire. The questionnaire will unstructured questions, consisting of approximately 20 questions divided into three sections A, B, and C. Section A will consist of seven questions seeking to answer the first research question. Section B will consist of six questions covering the second research question where as Section C will consist of questions to test the hypothesis and also answer the third research question. Table 1: Section Research Question Investigative Questions A Sample Investigative Questions SectionResearch QuestionInvestigative Questions A à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What account for the lowsupport for Internal Audit by  public sector managers? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are you aware of the role of the Internal Auditor  in you organisation? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How important do you think is the role of theInternal Auditor to your organisation? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In your view, is the Head of Internal Audit placedappropriately on the organisational chart?B à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What actions are necessary toget the support of  management of internalauditing in the public sector? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Generally, how will you rank the relevance of  Internal Audit in your organisation? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What reasons account for your answer above? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What do you consider the three most importantactions needed to promote Internal Auditing inthe public sector?C à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Is there a link between thequality of service the InternalAuditor provides for hisorganisation and the attitudeof managers towards theInternal Audit function? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What do you consider to be the highest achieve of  your internal audit department? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Would agree to the statement that ones  perception of the Internal Auditor is influenced byhow they perceive his role in the company? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Will your attitude towards Internal Audit bedifferent if they help you achieve your objectives? Research proposal SB/MAC/08/0005 Page 10 Most of the structured questions will be the close-ended type and respondents willbe asked to mark the appropriate box matching the correct answer. Otherquestions, however, will require respondents to give opinions. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: After analytical study keeping in view their results, discussions will be suggested to solve the problem for this purpose also policy implications will be discussed. This study will be useful for the research on the topic and will provide guideline for planner and policy maker. REFRENCES www.worldbank.org.pk//PAKISTANEXTN/0,,content MDK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorways_ of _Pakistan SACTRA. (1999), Transport and the economy. HMSO, London. Mewton, R. 1997, The costs and benefits of induced traffic on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and Gore Hill Freeway. Masters Dissertation. University of New England, Armidale. The Institute of Internal Auditors (the IIA). (2007),The Professional Practices Framework. Florida, U.S.: The IIA Research Foundation. B., Cooper, D.R., and Schindler, P.S. (2005)  Business Research Methods,Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill

Staff Roles And Responsibilities In Rfp Process Information Technology Essay

Staff Roles And Responsibilities In Rfp Process Information Technology Essay Best Western International is looking at develop the functionality and the eServices of the European consolidated Best Western website that support the national European IT departments to integrate their functions and maintain-operate this single website portal. As the travel industry is characterised by dynamic changes such as mergers and acquisitions of hotel chains and properties, Best Western International is looking for a partner who is willing to share the responsibilities, benefits and risks. The partner should continually find ways to advance the functionality of the consolidated website portal and advise Best Western on the change management processes for its national IT departments. The vendor is also expected to help and assist the hotel to plan and go through with the required organisational change. The project is to complete within the next six months. This is a huge challenge as Best Western does not have any single IT department to oversee the design and the management of outsourcing requirements and process. This report helps to identify its operational and strategic needs for developing the Request for Proposal (RPF) as well as identifying and selecting an appropriate outsourcing vendor. One of the major requirements of the RFP is not only the technical requirements of the application but also the organisational competencies of the vendor that is required to help Best Western, Europe, manage the organisational transition process. This report advise the client how to write and negotiate the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the selected vendor in order to ensure the provision of reliable services, how to develop and negotiate a contract with a potential vendor so that Best Western enjoys pricing, technological and organisational flexibility. This report also examines the business operational environment, its culture and propose strategies. This should enable Best Western to effectively manage the knowledge transfers and process collaboration between the internal multi-national IT staff and the IT vendor development staff. The focus areas include knowledge management and transfer issues, management of the transition process and organisational changes that are required to take place within Best Western in Europe. In addition, it helps Identify the staff who should be involved in the transition process and their roles and responsibilities. Major outsourcing risks and recommend practices to overcome them were identified as well. Introduction Best Western International is the worlds largest hotel brand. With its presence in 80 countries, it has over 4,000 hotels all around. Member hotels of Best Western consortia enjoy many benefits. Besides being associated with the international brand name, they receive the benefits of the marketing and operational services of Best Western. This includes access to (electronic) distribution channels, international reservation call centres, training, and centralised e-procurement. While Best Western International has its footprints all over the globe, its local representative offices in each country function independently in more ways than one. They develop and operate their own websites. These websites are not characterised by any standardised design. Each one features different online services and functionalities. Furthermore, there is limited synergy and links amongst these country specific websites. These websites create confusion to international travellers and also act as a major technological and organisational inhibitor to the future development and adoption of sophisticated eServices by the hotel chain. Furthermore, every national Best Western office has an individual IT department. This department is responsible for developing its own eServices based on the departments financial resources and skills. As a result, eServices development efforts are replicated; leading to a waste of resources at a European level despite the fact that other national IT departments may be lacking resources for website development The organisation has recognised the need to develop a consolidated portal providing access to all European Best Western websites. This should feature integrated and holistic new eServices; such as dynamic packaging solutions and an easier interface to the Best Western Reward programme Dynamic packaging solutions provide several benefits and revenue making opportunities to travel companies. It can also help the organisation realise its aims to promote Europe as a single destination. It has envisaged the need to re-organise the IT departments of Best Western in every European country. Other requirements will be to foster and support their cooperation and synergies as well as define their roles and responsibilities related to website design and e-services development. RFP Development RFP is typically drafted at the end of the requirements-gathering phase of a project. It is important that the following prerequisites be completed before embarking on RFP process: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify organisational objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify stakeholders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identify project objectives. Once the prerequisites are completed, we can then accurately capture, interpret, and represent the voice of the client in specifying the IT system requirements. It is important that all stakeholders must achieve a common understanding of what the IT system will be and do. To achieve that, a combination of meetings with user representatives, facilitated workshops with analysts and users, individual customer interviews, prototyping, and user surveys be employed. It is important that Best Western International undergo the following pre-RFP activities before developing its RFP Has it performed any prior feasibility studies or High level design analysis on the new web portal to be developed Has the cost and benefit analysis of the consolidated systems being conducted and documented Was the benefits been quantified and shared with key stakeholders within the organisation to get consensus and endorsement about the new business for developing and consolidating the IT system Was the high level scope been identified including completing the documentation of the business process procedures (BPPs) to be enabled through new IT systems Identifying the sponsor for the new Portal and receiving approval to proceed. For example, a project charter to formally engage the necessary resources for the outsourcing project an Has the timelines for the implementation of new IT system and the estimated budget for the entire programme including TCO(total cost of ownership) for enduring support been finalised Pre-RFP activities are critical for formulating any business case into an RFP. It is recommended to use information gathering or IT requirement gathering methods, tools and techniques in order to capture the requirements for the new IT system. Some of the main tools that would help in elicitation of requirements are Brainstorming, structured questionnaires, case scenario, state transition diagrams and UML model diagram to capture relationship between the real time objects and classes. In other words, the pre-RFP activities are as much critical as the RFP activities. A good RFP address and capture the following: Scope of activities that are clearly defined to be delivered by the vendor. Unless the scope of the engagement is clear, vendors would not be in a position to submit a viable and competitive response for the RFP. Include inputs from the initial study/HLD analysis performed by client organisation with the quantifiable benefits expected out of new IT system. Vendor must understand the sizeable benefits and criticality of the new system to client organisation otherwise it would not be able assess direct financial implications on client organisation for any slippages and understand the criticality of the project to client Include technical requirements including specific technical infrastructure, platform and software. Furthermore, it is important to highlight reasons behind finalising on a particular platform and software including its roadmap in the RFP Include timelines for the vendors response submission and timelines for the project implementation and what impact would have on the client organisation in case of slippages Explicitly mention Vendor characteristics and minimum qualifications expected from vendor for being trusted partner for this engagement Clearly articulate the service level Agreement (SLAs) for the delivery of new IT system and impact of not adhering to SLAs along with financial liabilities (if any) Highlight the expected frequency and details to be incorporated in status reporting Explicitly document the mandate for signing on non-disclosure agreement of vendor with client organisation in order to ensure security and integrity of data Highlight the need for obtaining approval from key client personnel who will be engaged in the programme from vendors team Enforce the business units to highlight the risks, operational constraints and issues that the vendor can foresee on the programme/project. This will help in assessing its impact and its likelihood even before start of the programme and plan for mitigation What infrastructure required from a vendor perspective to deliver the new information system Vendors commercial offer and what factors that vendor thinks that would position them ahead of others Any live case studies whereby vendor had involved in similar engagement with other clients along with contact references from those clients for future enquiry and reference. Articulate clearly responsibility and accountability of activities to be taken by vendor and other parties as part of the engagement through RACIS(R-Responsible A-Accountable C-Consulted I-Informed S-Supported) matrix Include the warranty requirements that is expected from vendor on the new IT system to be developed The acceptance criteria for the new system and the process for obtaining signoff In addition an RFP should request a corporate profile of the responding vendor. Typically this will include risk statements around corporate liquidity, market share, an outline of local operations, number of staff in this country, support models (where support may be with a third party), escalation procedures to parent, local install base (number of customers in this country) etc.. A typical RFP for a website project should include the following components: Introductiona summary of the organization including the mission statement. Project outline Goals and purpose Project scope Website requirements Database development requirements User requirements Design requirements Functional requirements Budget constraints-limited budget Time constraints-when we need the project completed by and when we require responses from vendors Criteria for selecting a vendor Submission of proposal and further information-contact information that encourages vendors to contact the organization for more information Staff roles and responsibilities in RFP process: One of the critical success factors of an outsourcing deal is involving the right stakeholders who will be actively involved in this project whose interest may be positively or negatively affected as a result of the project execution or successful completion. For project outsourcing to succeed, it must be well-planned and carefully implemented. To help ensure the organisation benefit from outsourcing, different teams or roles can be formed or specified: Ideas team This team is involved in identifying processes which can be beneficial to outsource. They should be directly involved in overseeing the companys business strategy to ensure that they have a strategic overview of the companys existing processes and goals. Policy-level team This team is involved in assessing whether outsourcing specific processes is appropriate. For each process, this requires analysing the possible benefits of outsourcing in relation to the companys policies and strategic goals. The team should consist of senior company executives, rather than employees from individual departments. A common perception is that outsourcing a process implies a departments failure to manage it. Using senior executives rather than department members in a policy-level team helps ensure objectivity. It also ensures that the team has the required strategic perspective. Assessment team This team is involved in analysing the likely implications of outsourcing the process for the company. This team should include members from the policy-level team, and should be lead by an executive from the team. This team should include members with different roles and skills. This helps ensure that the team can recognise the likely implications of outsourcing across different areas and form the perspectives of different stakeholders. Members of an assessment should include: Consultants Functional managers Process experts Representative customers Technical experts Implementation and transition team This team is responsible for setting up project outsourcing to address any implication identified. It makes the changes required to pass internal production processes to a service provider. The transition team should be involved in managing the change involved in outsourcing project. This teams focus should be on ensuring that the move from internal production to outsourcing des not impact negatively on the company. Vendor evaluation and assessment criteria Prior to developing the evaluation criteria, it is important to clearly define the company objectives of outsourcing its IT operation in term of functions, performance, quality and costs. We can then define the following outputs expected from the vendors: Operational systems Documentation Management Training Communication Support Reduced costs Expertise Assets When we have the above outputs, we can define the following acceptance criteria: The quality of the service in term of functionality, usability, performance, reliability and availability The implementation and operational plan The quality of the support Capability for future enhancements in line with business expansion Qualification of vendor technical capacity ability to meet objectives financial stability quality system In additional, an evaluation of the following should be performed: Assess the managerial proposal: Desired working relationships Depth and frequency of liaison, meeting, reports Dealing with extraordinary items Location of offices and services Resources/commitment required of client Confidentiality Assess terms and condition: ownership of hardware and software maintenance of customer supplied equipment protection of customers and vendor proprietary information Warranty period Escrow arrangement Assess the technical proposal completeness of proposal demonstration of capabilities or products compliance to requirement (performance and quality) demonstration of degree of understating of problems and applicability of solution technical strategy maturity applicability and compatibility Assess the financial proposal assess method of payment E.g., fixed price, by usage of resource, shared savings, revenue it Identify Total costs Identify cost payment schedule Other factors in assessing proposal The vendor The company industry specification, track record Length of time in business Length of time with local presence Standard qualification (ISO 90000, etc) Size, ownership, financial position / paid up capital etc. Staff assigned CV, security clearance (if appropriate) Experience, is who you see who you will get? Any other commitments References (other customers) Previous experience with contractors Does contractors representative come across as direct or straight forward? interest in your business In addition, we can quantify evaluation criteria of each vendor by aiming to score vendors against each other. For example: Attached weights to each Criteria Weight Proposed Functionality 6 Demonstrated Services 5 Previous Experience 3 Costs 5 We can give each vendor a score of 1-10 for each criterion and determine total weighted score = sum (weighted scores) Criteria Weight Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Score Weighted Score Score Weighted Score Proposed Functionality 6 8 48 7 42 Demonstrated Services 5 4 20 5 25 Previous Experience 4 6 24 4 16 Costs 5 5 25 5 25 Total 117 108 The vendor with the highest score is usually the preferred partner. Service Level Agreement (SLA) development An SLA defines the boundaries of the project in terms of the functions and services that the service provider will provide, the volume of work that will be accepted and delivered, and acceptance criteria for responsiveness and the quality of deliverables. A well-defined and well crafted SLA should set expectations for parties, including the incentives, rewards and penalties applicable to the outsourcing agreement and its results. To ensure the provision of reliable services from the service provider, an SLA should specify client and the providers accountabilities in the outsourcing relationship. These include: Client role The organisation needs to detail its role in the outsourcing relationship. This extends beyond providing its requirements because it details what the provider can expect from the client organisation. For example, the organisation may need to advise the provider about the process, keep them informed about the vision of the project, provide any customise software it needs, or help it acquire and maintain infrastructure The terms of service This should include the cost and duration of the contract, and a time frame for deliverables. The terms should be realistic and measurable, based on the organisations requirements. It need to stipulate any context-sensitive terms, such as a roadmap for release dates, an hourly billing rate, any ceilings on billing rates, and conditions for payments. Delivery measurements This should detail how the providers service is measured, and any performance bonuses payable if metrics are exceeded. The organisation needs to specify who is in charge of completing the metrics, who reviews status reports, and how any conflicts in the measurements are to be mediated or arbitrated. For example, we should set metrics for service reliability, availability and response times for transactions and any service incidents such as server failure. Reliability = Uptime / Downtime The system shall not suffer a downtime greater than 15 minutes during continuous 24 hours operation Downtime = Operational down time + Waiting time + Investigation time + Recovery time Availability = Uptime / (Uptime + Downtime + Maintenance time) The system shall be 99% available during normal working hours (0700 1900) Performance Response time 95% of all online enquiries will be serviced within 5 seconds Average response time to online enquiries shall be 4 seconds No enquiry shall suffer a response time > 10 seconds Throughput The system will handle a maximum of 100,000 transactions per day Storage The system must currently store 1 million customer records and provision must be made for an increase in records of 5% per annum Delivery and Output The following reports will be delivered daily at 0800 Penalty clauses This should include the price and penalties of non-compliance in the SLA. This should clearly define the expectations in the relationship and helps establish remedial processes to resolve any compliance disputes and ensure uninterrupted service. We can dictate a fee reduction, corrective action or payable compensation for any defects or damages to the organisation reputation or service quality due to non-delivery. For example: A Defect is any non-conforming performance that occurs during a day. A Level one defect is any defect that lasts for more than 2 hours but less than 24 hours A Level two defect is any defect that lasts for more than 24 hours A Level three defect is any defect that occurs more than once during any seven-day period A Level four defect is any defect that occurs more than once during any thirty-day period Penalties For each Level one defect, service provider will grant the client a credit of $1000 against the provider fees For each Level two defect, service provider will grant the client a credit of $5000 against the provider fees Exit clause The organisation may need to terminate an outsourcing relationship due to non-performance, violation of the SLA like Termination for cause, or to reintegrate the outsourced processes into its in-house operations due to mergers or acquisition Termination for convenience. These instances and related activities need to be stipulated in an exit clause to ensure both parties understand how and when the outsourcing relationship can end. For example, the organisation stipulates that the contract automatically terminates after six months or if a contact violation occurs. Flexibility SLA should be flexible enough so that any changes or updates either internal or market-related can be easily added to the contract. It is recommended that SLA be reviewed every six month depending on service aspect and its occurrence of poor performance and duration of the contract itself. However, this should not negate the benefits accruing to either party. For example, if a project is scaled upwards to accommodate extra transactions, the metrics for measuring service deliverables need to change. When setting an SLA, we need to consider the organisation and service provider existing infrastructure, including expertise, employees, and technology. It is useless setting up an SLA that details commitments that cannot be fulfilled due to limited infrastructure. A typical SLA should be as long as it must be and as short as it can be. SLA of 10 to 50 pages are not unusual. The longer it is, the more important it is to focus on structure, clarity and readability Contract Development Building flexible in an outsourcing contract is important to ensure the success of an outsourcing arrange. Today market is moving fast and changing fast. Many IS outsourcing deals seem to be obsolete as soon as they are signed. Business strategy changes, market environment changes, technology changes, law, rules and regulatory changes could affect scope of services which means that outsourcing objectives no longer aligned to the business goals to achieve the desired outcomes that they were set to achieve. Flexibilities need to be built during planning stage, contracting stage and post contract management stage to meet any of the above changes. Planning Stage Selecting the right vendor with culture that reflects its business philosophy is important instead of evaluating merely on price and capability. The selection process should involve due diligence regarding the vendors record and attitudes toward rigidity, structure, adaptation, bureaucracy, change and, most importantly, the vendor attitudes toward creating customer value. Choosing the right vendor by forming a strategic alliance promotes the spirit of teams whereby both share relevant risk and rewards would enable contracting parties to be flexible in getting over those bumps along the path. Contracting Stage Contracts are made to allocate risks. Typical contracts allocate known risks and provide some opportunity to each party to obtain a commercially reasonable outcome for risks that are unlikely but nonetheless possible The first is a change in the scope of services. This will likely affect staffing commitments, technology investment, pricing and service level commitments, among other things. In defining the scope of contracted services, the customer should establish a method for integrating the vendors services into the customers other service infrastructures, both internal and external, both current and planned. In the contracting stage, provision for flexibility should be catered for changes in the business environment within organisation. As mentioned, with rapid globalisation, change is a constant to the business. Such change could result in a drastic increase or decline in provider services. The contract should contemplate the impact on pricing and service level commitments in the face of such dramatic changes. The pricing schedules should reflect a band of services at varying, foreseeable levels in order to facilitate financial planning for both parties. At the outer limit, unbundled and transparent pricing, particularly for commodity-type services should be considered. Pricing algorithms and strategies should be studied separately, since pricing flexibility reflects a constellation of business terms. Next are changes in the legal environment. Laws, rules and regulations change, often unpredictably. A contract that did not foresee such changes must be construed to allocate the cost of compliance with such new directives and compliance. Accordingly, contracts should require the vendor to comply with changes in the laws, and costs of compliance should be addressed. Otherwise, the vendor would be exculpated from having to comply by arguing that an act of state, act of God or other force majeure exonerates the vendors non-compliance. The vendor should assume certain predictable risks of technology changes. With rapid technological update and changes, both parties may predict and contractually agree on certain technology refreshment cycles beyond a certain threshold like three to five years where both sides must provide contractual leeway to benefit from such changes without incurring material adverse consequences if those changes should radically alter the contractual balance. Additionally, organisations are moving towards the concepts such as business process management (BPM). BPM allows an organisation to continually make adjustments to its business processes as it evolves and learns. A vendor should embrace this type of concept and allow flexibility into its processes. Furthermore, using best practices such as Service Oriented Architecture could also aid in flexibility. Business operational environment and Culture Staff roles and responsibilities in transition Staff or stakeholders involved in the transition process and knowledge transfer would include Ideas team, Policy-level team, Assessment team, and Implementation and transition team as mentioned Staff roles and responsibilities in RFP process who roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. In addition, the teams should consist of members from both the client and service provider organisation. Culture and resistance to change The culture of each organisation in an outsourcing relationship helps to determine its flexibility. Change typically involves stress because it requires that people adjust to new roles, process and responsibilities. An organisation culture helps to determine the level of stress caused by change, and whether this stress inspires resent or commitment. An organisation culture can help to determine: Its approach to the value of the relationship and to building the relationship over time with the provider Its openness to change The extend to which employees share a common vision and can work together One of the crucial factors to successful outsourcing is a smooth transition. The transition phase involves multiple stakeholders and a number of dynamics paradigms that outsourcing brings to an organisation impacts all clients stakeholders employees, users, and support groups. Many employees will be concerned about the implication of this change to their jobs and to their futures. For some employees, a clear understanding of the required changes and their rationale will foster immediate buy-in and support. Other employees will express their concern by asking questions, challenging rationales, and finding holes in the implementation plan and process. Other employees may resist the change by either avoiding involvement or causing real or potential disruption. Understanding the stages of Resistance A key step in a smooth transition is to understand the three stages of behavioural patterns as it relates to organizational resistance. The three basic stages that have been identified by organizational management professionals are Holding On, Letting Go, and Moving On. Holding On is the initial the resistance to change that occurs when individuals hold on to that with which they are most familiar and comfortable. Many users are used to getting served in a particular way from a team. There is mutual trust as well as fear of the unknown. In the case of outsourcing, their team may now be thousands of miles away instead of just down the floor. This naturally causes concerns such as: How do I know what my team is doing offshore? How do I speak to my team during my workday? Where is everybody? Signs of this stage include forgetting to attend meetings about the change, coming into work late or an increase in employees calling in sick, or when people become irritable or withdrawn from others with whom they have previously had good working relations. Letting Go is the second phase individuals typically experience when confronted with change. You may start hearing people say things like it just might work if management will let it happen. I will do it once I see others do it without any backlash. It might work somewhere else, but I dont know how it would work here. Letting Go is visible when people start attending meetings and either do not contribute or take opposing perspectives or when individuals question the issues associated with the change and start challenging thinking. They begin spending more of their personal time discussing how it might just work if only Moving On is the third phase. At this stage, we can hear comments like: When am I going to learn how to do this? How can I get this going already? This isnt so bad after all. Moving On is visible when individuals spend time planning how to make things wo