Sunday, January 26, 2020

Economic impacts of tourism

Economic impacts of tourism Economic advantages of tourism in Poland. Once of the main economic advantages for the country from the sector of tourism is foreign exchange. Money tourists spend while in Poland creates income the county can then use to invest or fuel the development and financial advancement of other economic sectors. Before Poland joined the EU and the Euro became the official currency of all member countries. Poland accelerated its economic growth by using other currencies such as the German mark or the English pounds which tourists brought with them and were stronger against the local currency (zl). Now as it has the same currency as any other country in the Euro zone it no longer requires to accumulate foreign exchange to help transactions made with member countries. Of course foreign exchange still remains an important indicator of international tourism even though there is no foreign exchange in Europe other countries such as America, Russia and China and its people are still required to bring an amount of money from their own currency based on their length of stay. As one of the top five export categories for 83% of the worlds countries and the main source of foreign exchange earnings for 38% them. Before joining the EU Poland belonged under both these categories. Contribution to government revenues from tourism is separated into two categories. The direct contributions which are generated from income taxes, tourism employment, businesses related with tourism such as travel agencies, public boats, marinas etc. and of course from direct taxes on the traveling tourists such as departure taxes. The second category is the indirect contributions, generated from taxes and duties taxed and products and services supplied to the tourist for example accommodation and food. Leaving Poland aside for a moment and viewing this on a worldwide scale the WTO had estimated in 1998 that direct and indirect tax contribution to economies around the globe surpassed 800 billion US $. This year (2010) the WTO estimates this figure to be double. Employment generation The rapid expansion of tourism in Poland the recent years lead to a significant increase in and creation of employment. For examples Hotels alone provide around #### jobs Furthermore tourism generates jobs also directly through restaurants, means of transport, nightclubs, and travel agencies, souvenir sales and tourists attractions while it also generates jobs indirectly through the supply of goods and services sectors associated with tourism related businesses. In total tourism supports about 437,600 workers in Poland. Stimulation of infrastructure investment Since a nice country is an attractive country, tourism motivates the government to work on improving the infrastructure of destination sites which slowly spread throughout other parts of the country as well. Such improvements among others are better water systems, sewage and waste handling systems, roads, electricity, communication means and quality, transport networks and so on. These improvements of course do not only help attract tourism but benefit the life of the local population. Contribution to local economies The environment is a basic part of the assets used by the tourism industry and for that reason profit coming for the field of tourism is measured to measure the economic value of protected areas. But local revenues are not always easy to qualify as tourism related ones that happens because not all of tourist expenses are formally registered. In Poland as in any country money is also earned through informal employment, for example from street vendors, informal guides or rickshaw drivers. The positive side of informal employment however is the fact that the money theses people earn returns to the local community as they engage their own transactions as they too have to live. This money gets a great multiplier effect as it is spent over and over again. The multiplier however is not only attributed to the informal revenues any transaction between any tourist related business and the visitors or two or more business entities which purchase items or services one from another within the local economy. What has as a result the inflow of money to Polands economy from en exterior source and this money is subsequently spent again by its new owner in a different transaction and so on. In this way the market and the different sectors is fueled extra cash. For example, the tourist will take a taxi to go to his hotel, the taxi driver will then use that money to pay for a service to his car, the mechanic will use the money he gained to go to the super market, the super market will then order new stock and so on. The multiplier is itself is split into 3 categories. Direct expenditure, is when the tourist personally exchanges money for a good or service, in the hotel or at a restaurant or at a cinema etc. It is also related with tourism produced exports and with investments related to a tourism project in an area. Indirect expenditure, is the transaction made subsequently to the one described above by the new owner of the money. For example when a hotelier pays for goods or services provided by the local area like ordering food supplies or taking extra staff. Induced expenditure is the increased purchasing activity of locals due to the additional personal income resulting from the Direct expenditure of visitors. For example, the hotel employees use their wage bonuses or tips to buy something at the super market. Induced and Indirect expenditures are also called secondary expenditure. Based on this the WTO assumes that tourism generates an indirect contribution the economy which equals to 100% of the direct tourism expenses. Economic Disadvantages of tourism in Poland. Leakage The direct income from tourism oriented transactions is the amount of money that remains after subtracting taxes, profits and wages paid to sources outside of the area and imports are bought. These amounts removed from the overall amount are leakages. Fire example in the all inclusive holiday packages more or less 80% of the tourist money goes to international companies which own airlines, tour operators, hotels etc. while the locals receive very little of that money. Additionally the remaining retained income can still leave Poland through subsequent leakage or transactions the locals do with informal or wandering vendors. There are two main ways of how leakage can occur. Import Leakage, happens when the visitors expect to find or demand standards of equipment, food or beverages Poland does not produce or cant supply by itself. Champagne, feta cheese, bananas and natural gas are only some examples of industries or products Poland cant produce for various reasons or it simply does not yet have a supplying industry. Furthermore a significant amount of the income made from tourism leaves Poland again to pay for these imports. The average import related leakage is assumed to be between 40 to 50% of gross tourism earnings for small economies and between 10 to 20% for more advanced countries. Polands leakage on imports is estimated to be 36% Export leakage, international companies play a big role in this kind of leakage. Particularly in poor developing destinations they are the ones that have the required capital to invest on building of tourism infrastructure facilities and improvements. As a result the foreign investors who sponsored the construction of hotels and other facilities take their share from the tourism related revenue back to their own countries. Enclave tourism Takes place when the more developed countries try to control the tourism development in developing destinations or use that as an opportunity to increase their own incomes. As the international companies intervene with tourism activities of les advanced countries, local businesses see their chances to earn money from tourists greatly reduced. This potential revenue decreases further with the creation of more and more All-inclusive hotels and vacation packages. Since if the visitor remains for his whole stay only in the hotel which offers him all he wants (food, drink and entertainment) local market has little ways to benefit from tourism. While all inclusive packages generate big revenue little of that reaches the local economy compared to other forma of accommodation. These types of establishments also import more trying to gain cheaper prices and employ less people than normal establishments. Infrastructure costs The development of tourism costs the government and Polish taxpayers great sums of money. In order to be able to attract and host more visitors the government proceeds to improve airports, make batter roads and improve other infrastructures as well. Foreign and even local developers in most cases request tax breakers or other financial advantages which are costly procedures for the government. The public resources with will be used to cover these financed infrastructure or tax breakers accordingly reduces Polands investment in other important areas like education or health. Increase in prices Growing demand for basic services and goods from tourists results in price increases which have a negative effect on local societies as their wages remain without an according raise. Developing tourism also creates a raise in real estate demand and this has as a result the increase of constructing costs and value of land. These growing prices and a static salary make life for locals hard. Economic dependence of the local community on tourism Diversification inside an economy is evidence of health, but when a country becomes dependant for its economic survival on a single industry, this puts great stress on the industry and the people involved with it as it has to perform well. There are many developing countries which due to little ability to explore or use other resources have focused entirely on tourism for the development of their economy. There are countries like the Maldives where 83% of local work depends on tourism; such over-reliance on tourism brings a lot of risks to an economy as the economic recession, changing tourism trends and natural disasters can have devastating results on the country. Seasonal character of jobs The problems included in the seasonal nature of tourism oriented work are mainly income insecurity as when the season is over the workers are fired and have no work until the next season. But even there is no guarantee he will get reemployed next year. It is also hard for the seasonal employees to get training, employment related medical benefits or recognition for their experience and in some cases the housing and working conditions they are offered are unsatisfactory.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Time Management Research Strategy Paper

Time Management Research Strategy Paper At first, I thought the example given; â€Å"Time Management† was not a good example to use for my paper. I didn’t really [Clearer writing suggestion–â€Å"real† or â€Å"really† means â€Å"existing in actuality†Ã¢â‚¬â€œit adds little to the meaning (and using it to mean â€Å"big,† â€Å"very,† or â€Å"genuine† is slang); replace it with a more expressive word] feel like I have an issue managing time, after all I complete my task about ninety [Express numbers higher than nine in digits (when not the first word in the sentence)] -nine percent of the time and normally finish on or ahead of schedule. However, when I stopped to look at what I complete I was surprised [The passive voice is a form of â€Å"be† (was) and a participle (surprised). Over-use of the passive voice can make paragraphs tedious to read and officious. Try to use the active voice most often, e. g. , the student completed the paper on time. The passive voice version–The paper was completed on time by the student–See eCampus>CWE>Tutorials & Guides>Grammar & Writing Guides>Active & passive voice] at my findings. I found that I have to some degree, mentally categorized my task. What I mean by this is that I have, without thinking about it, categorized my task into two separate groups: Work and personal. The first, being my primary group is the tasks related to my job. This group boasts has a very high completion rate and quality of work on these tasks is checked [Passive voice] by my employer as well and then communicated to me. Based on task tracking I have about a ninety [Express numbers higher than nine in digits (when not the first word in the sentence)] -eight percent completion rate and based on feedback from my employer I know the quality of my work is very high as well. Now, the second category is my personal life category and my after examining it, I found that I don’t have results anywhere near my what I have in my job related category. My personal category breaks down into two groups as well: The have to be done now [Clearer writing suggestion–â€Å"Now† is a tricky concept. If the sentence is in the past tense, it probably should be rendered as â€Å"then. † If not, and unless you are making a philosophical statement (Now is the time to improve myself) or mean â€Å"as of the present time† (the business is now known as Ajax Corporation), onsider removing â€Å"now†Ã¢â‚¬â€œbecause this is being read after the time you wrote it, your â€Å"now† is in the past] and the can wait until later groups. I find that when I leave work, I leave a task-oriented environment and enter an environment of relaxation and enjoyment. This environment of less critical tasks allows the task to be ignored [Passive voice] until they can’t be ignored [Passive voice] any longer, forcing some sort of action. Now in review of this method, the completion rate is not the only item to score poorly, the quality of the work suffers tremendously as well. Project oriented tasks that have some sort of visible outcome; such as [Check word choice: â€Å"such as† refers to things that are exactly what you are discussing; â€Å"like† means something similar to what you are discussing] laying tile in a walkway get [Doctoral rule (although good advice for any academic writer)–â€Å"get† is informal English and can mean many things; in academic writing, use forms of â€Å"arrive at,† â€Å"can,† â€Å"could†, â€Å"grows,† â€Å"is able to,† etc. ] completed in a timely manner and with a much higher level of quality. My goal for this research paper is to develop a strategy for improving my time management skills for my personal category. With the proper time management skills I believe the quality of work on these tasks will also rise exponentially. My goal requires information on time management tools, prioritization and [Check punctuation–insert a comma before this word if this is the last in a list of more than two–or if it begins a new clause] organization. I want to gather information from credible sources, so I will be looking for information from reputable time management coaches. Additionally I need to answer the following questions: â€Å"How can I improve my prioritization skills? What organization tools are there for time management? and â€Å"What are the keys to managing your time? † I will use the Internet for my research because it can be accessed 24/7 and reference any books that are available through â€Å"University of Phoenix† online library. I will place the information retrieved into two categories, relevant and non-relevant. Discarding the irrelevant data and sorting the relevant into categories that fit the questions that I have asked and a category for the questions that may be applicable which [Use â€Å"that† for a restrictive phrase (or place a comma before â€Å"which†)] I did not ask. I will then analyze the data, re-categorizing if needed, examine the evidence of recommendations, determining whether the information is fact or opinion and if it is opinion is it supported [Passive voice] by any facts. I will make comparisons to similar information identify any themes or ideas and align the information with other information retrieved. Then I will examine perspectives and assumptions. By determining what perspectives the author [If this means yourself, avoid referring to yourself in the third person; if this is a personal account, use the first person (I, me, my)] may have I will derive a better idea of what direction his information is coming from and better determine how applicable it is to my situation. Likewise, if the author has made or not made certain assumptions the information collected from this person may be applicable to my situation. There may also be a need to prove or disprove an assumption to determine just how relevant a certain piece of information is or for that matter how relevant a certain author is. I think it is important to examine my perspective as well as the author’s so that I can be more specific in my search for answers. As research progresses and more is learned [Passive voice] about time management, I will ask additional questions and look for examples of these ideas and tools played out in everyday life to ensure its suitable to me. The information must make sense and be adaptable to anyone looking to improve his or her time management skills, but I will also be looking for ideas and tools that fit my character and lifestyle. Once I have answered my questions, I will determine which tools recommended work best for my personality type, I will take my character and schedule into consideration then formulate a strategy that will be easily implemented [Passive voice] into my personal lifestyle. Once implemented I will track the completion of my tasks and determine my successful completion rate, then based on feedback from my family as well as myself I will determine if the quality of my work has improved as well. References Carter, C. , Bishop, J. , & Kravits, S. L. (2007). Keys to College Studying: Becoming an Active Thinker (2nd ed. ). : Pearson Prentice Hall.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Culture and Organisation Essay

1. Introduction Established in 1993 and commenced operations on 18 November 1996, AirAsir was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate DRB-Hicom. On 2 December 2001, the heavily-indebted airline was purchased by former South East Asian regional vice-president Warner Music Group Tony Fernandes’s company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for one ringgit. AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian low-cost airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international flights and is Asia’s largest low-fare, no-frills airline. AirAsia is a pioneer of low-cost flights in Asia and was also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless travel. Its main base is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In 2010 AirAsia won the Skytrax World’s best low-cost airline award. Air Asia budget with no-frills airline is introduced by Tony Fernandes with the tagline â€Å"Now everybody can fly† and the man himself is also the founder of Tune Group. No fuel surcharge and no admin fee. However, ticket fare and airport tax need to be paid. This was after great deliberation as the initial offer was fifty sen. Fernandes proceeded to engineer a remarkable turnaround, turning a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at breakneck speed, undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as RM1 (US$0.27). 2. Identification of central issue The main issue that will be discussed in the analysis will be Tony Fernandes’  set of values and beliefs that shaped the company corporate culture. In six words, corporate culture is ‘How we do things around here.’ Corporate culture is the collective behaviour of people using common corporate vision, goals, shared values, beliefs, habits, working language, systems, and symbols. With the tagline introduced by CEO of AirAsia Tony Fernandes ‘Now everyone can fly’, AirAsia’s philosophy of low fares is aimed to make flying affordable for everyone. AirAsia also aims to make travel easy, convenient and fun for its guests. â€Å"A firm believer in big dreams†, can be found online (Profile-Tony Fernandes of AirAsia, 2006) Tony Fernandes famously once said, â€Å"We Asian have this habit of kicking ourselves and saying it can’t be done. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it.† (http://www.rdasia.com/a_dream_takes_flight/ , no date). At AirAsia, there is a sense of being in a good family. Tony Fernandes believes that his employees are his greatest assets and encourages a culture that emits positive vibes to ensure that every player in the team is committed and unified to set about achieving their shared goals. He once said in an interview, â€Å"We do every bit we can to succeed, including making sure that we have the right atmosphere at work. Keeping our culture intact entails a lot. We have to make sure that we stay true to winning values and traits: industry, appreciation for diversity, discipline, flexibility, honesty, friendliness, passion for learning and excellence, and a genuine concern for the welfare of all.† This shows that he began by setting the right foundation on which his company operates on. Maintaining the AirAsia culture is a lot of work, but it does not mean all work and no fun for the employees. According to Tony Fernandes, the AirAsia staffs are all quite happy to contribute towards keeping what they call â€Å"Culture All Stars†. Organisational culture (hrm ASIA, 2010). It is what their success has been built on and what keeps their staff coming back for more. Tony Fernandes’s credo, â€Å"Believe the unbelievable. Dream the impossible. Never take ‘No’ for an answer† has clearly helped shape the AirAsia culture to what it is today. (http://www.rdasia.com/a_dream_takes_flight/, no date). â€Å"We’ve somehow managed to keep this uplifting atmosphere going for us, and we attribute our success to our collective faith in, and commitment to, our raison d’etre: Now everyone can fly.† Organisational culture (hrm ASIA, 2010) We will next delve deeper for a better understanding of how the values of the ‘Corporate  culture’ turned AirAsia into one of the leading airlines in Asia. 3. Outline of the theoretical framework We will be using the three levels of organizational culture as defined by Edgar Schein (2010) to analyse AirAsia. â€Å"Culture†, as formally defined by Schein (2010, p.18) is â€Å"a pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†. The three levels of culture are namely artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and basic underlying assumptions. Artifacts are described by Schein (2010, p.23) as the surface level of culture, as they can include the things that a person see, hear and feel when they join a new group and are experiencing their culture for the first time. Artifacts are visible and ‘feelable’ structures and processes, and can also be an observed behavior. However, one drawback is that they can be difficult to understand and decipher (Schein, 2010, p.24). Thus, the true culture of the organization cannot be understood by solely looking at the artifacts. To understand more, it is necessary to look at the next level. Espoused beliefs and values are goals, values, aspirations and ideologies shared by everyone in an organization. Normally, these values are laid down by the leaders or founders of the organization (Schein, 2010, p.25). However, espoused beliefs and values can sometimes be mutually contradictory (Schein, 2010, p.27). Thus, the organization’s culture is only understood just on the surface level. Basic underlying assumptions, which are unconscious and taken-for-granted beliefs and values provide for a deeper understanding of an organization’s culture. Schein concluded that the essence of a culture lies in the pattern of basic underlying assumptions (Schein, 2010, p.32). If the basic underlying assumptions are not deciphered, it will be hard to understand the artifacts and espoused beliefs and values correctly. As Schein (2010, p.32) himself had concluded, any group’s culture can be studied at the three levels. The three levels of culture allows for an analysis of AirAsia’s organizational cultural from an observational level. Information can be readily drawn from business reviews, news articles on AirAsia, interviews with AirAsia’s founder Toney Fernandes  and AirAsia’s website, thus making Edgar Schein’s three levels of culture an ideal model for analysis of AirAsia’s culture. 4. Analysis 5.1 Artifacts It is a normal procedure to have an induction organized by the Human Resource Management team to welcome new employees into the AirAsia corporation. A corporate culture department in AirAsia was set up in August 2004 to promote the AirAsia spirit and family atmosphere through close communication and exciting activities designed especially for AirAsia employees. This act supports the statements made by Tony Fernandes; that his employees are the driving force behind the brand’s success. The objective is to ensure that the AirAsia employees across the world uphold the culture of ONE PEOPLE, ONE CULTURE, ONE AIR ASIA and ONE FAMILY to reach the goal of ensuring the best experience at ONE AirAsia wherever they fly. The people of AirAsia are their asset, and their dedication, determination and patience have made AirAsia a success story. They have built conducive and positive AirAsia culture that permeates all the line of operation. Annual report (AirAsia, 2006). There are five published list of values at AirAsia that are inculcated in the employees – safety, passion, integrity, caring and fun. These values provide a frame of reference for AirAsia experience and a corporate culture in which they live and deliver peak performance. Tony Fernandes’ usual style of dressing at work also reflects the culture at AirAsia. He goes to work wearing his trade mark red AirAsia cap, short sleeved t-shirts and a pair of jeans which are sometimes older than his employees. By doing so, he is able to break the psychological barrier of communication between himself and his employees and get everybody to talk and give invaluable ideas. As mentioned earlier, â€Å"People are AirAsia’s best asset.† Tony Fernandes would like to create a flat structure, where everyone has access to the big boss and that allows him to get the best people and discover their potential and talent. A fine example of such discovery of talent would be Azmir Hash im, a former Guest Service staff who successfully graduated from AirAsia’s cadet pilot program. This proves that Tony provides support that fulfils the dreams of his employees. In this way, Tony Fernandes has created a friendly and approachable working environment within his company. Tony Fernandes’  philosophy of low fares aimed to make flying affordable for everyone while providing convenience and fun for its guests across the region is reflected by the successful Airbus A320, which is known for its fuel efficiency, high reliability and low operating costs. The Airbus offers guests greater width space, a quieter ride and unrivalled comfort. In December 2007, AirAsia became the largest Airbus A320 customer in the world. The fleet consists of 56 Airbus A320 aircraft spread across Malaysia (44 aircraft), Thailand (8 aircraft) and Indonesia (4 aircraft) as of the end of 2008. Annual report (AirAsia, 2008). Through this approach, AirAsia has greater flexibility to meet the needs of each market while building on the cost efficiencies of operating one aircraft type. 5.2 Espoused Beliefs and Values At AirAsia, where Tony Fernandes aims to create the best environment within the company to work in, employees are treated as part of a big family, and being family, safety always comes first. AirAsia has committed itself to a programme of reducing risks and hazards normally associated with the aviation industry through a Safety Management System. This commitment is extended to ensure the full integration of a safety culture, safety policy and safety objectives in a proactive approach to aviation safety. In short, the Safety Management System is not just an add-on but a core part of AirAsia’s business process. A Safety Management System relies on the development of a reporting culture by all employees and is a vehicle for ensuring that hazards and safety deficiencies are brought to the attention of those who have the authority to make changes. CEO Tony Fernandes has pledged that he would not take disciplinary action against any employee who dared to make a stand and report a sa fety hazard to the company’s management, and no staff member will be asked to compromise AirAsia’s safety standards just to get the job done. â€Å"Training of employees to ensure they can perform their tasks in a safe and efficient manner is an essential ingredient of AirAsia’s Safety Management System. It is management’s responsibility to make available and carry out this training, and it is the employee’s responsibility to follow safe working practices†, said Tony Fernandes, who highlighted that safety is a core value of his company. Annual report (AirAsia, 2010). To Tony Fernandes, the staff members are the  pillars of his company, where everyone has a chance to shine regardless of their race, gender, creed, age, disability religion and sexual orientation. The vital thing is to ensure quality work from the staff, and Tony Fernandes believes all these start from providing a happy workplace for them. The Junior Wings Club was set up in 2008 to encourage interaction and friendship between the families of AirAsians. The objectives of this Club is to allow the children of the AirAsia staff members to understand their parents’ jobs, hone their characters and leadership skills, impart them with knowledge on various subjects and tap on their creativity by participating in activities together. The aim is to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life so that it will result in higher efficiency in work performance at AirAsia. This is an example of how AirAsia lives up to its promise of â€Å"Valuing Our People†. Annual report (AirAsia, 2008). Another main value at AirAsia is to enhance the guests’ experience by improving speed and efficiency at every interface between the guests and the airline. A comprehensive Microsoft-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system was deployed since 1 April 2010. This Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system integrates its various sales, service and marketing initiatives onto a single platform which allows AirAsia to int eract with guests on a more informed basis and tailor its services to meet individual guests’ needs. From reservations and check-ins, to baggage handling, boarding and in-flight Customer Relationship Management (CRM) takes care of them all. AirAsia supervisory staff members are strategically located at the airports to provide on-the-spot assistance to the guests. There are also Service Counters in the departure halls to handle enquiries. In 2010, AirAsia introduced new mobile phone apps for smart phones which makes booking-on-the-go more convenient. In January 2011, AirAsia also introduced the concept of web and self check-in. This allows guests to check in from their laptop or computers days before their departure dates. Guests can also quickly key in their flight details at kiosks at the terminal airports to obtain a boarding pass without having to queue up at a counter when they do self check-in. All these new implementations serve to make good its promise â€Å"to make travel easy, convenient and fun for its guests.† The Board of Directors of AirAsia is committed in ensur ing the highest standards of corporate governance are applied throughout the Group. Reviewing adequacy  and integrity of the Company’s internal controls is one of the duties and responsibilities of the Board. The Board is made up of Non-Executive Directors, and they are persons of high calibre and integrity who collectively possess rich experience. It is required that all Non-Executive Directors are independent in character and judgement who do not participate in the day-to-day management of the company and do not involve themselves in business transactions or relationships with the Group in order not to compromise their objectivity. In order to improve the overall organizational effectiveness and to uphold the integrity of the Company in the eyes of the public, the Company has updated the whistleblowing program during the year which acts as a formal communication channel where all stakeholders can communicate their concerns in cases where the Company’s business conduct is deemed to be contrary to the Company’s common values. All concerns will be addressed to the Chief Audit Executive (Audit & Consulting Services), who will then assess all concerns reported and recommend the appropriate action and all details pertaining to the name and position of the whistleblower will be kept strictly confidential throughout the investigation proceedings. Mazliana Mohamad was appointed the Regional Head of Audit and Consulting Services in 2010. Her main roles include providing independent and objective assurance and consulting services designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of AirAsia’s operations and integrity of the financial reporting and to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Practicing the highest standards of ethical behavior and demonstrating honesty in all the line of work is vital to gain trust and command mutual respect at AirAsia, and this is in line with Tony Fernandes’ beliefs of his company’s â€Å"winning values†. Setting goals beyond the best and reinforcing high quality performance standards is to support AirAsia’s values of â€Å"Excellence in Performance†. In its endeavor to be a full-fledged self-sufficient airline, AirAsia has set up its own Academy which commenced operations in April 2005 with a vision to provide and fulfill training needs that would support their mission to deliver low-cost, high quality benefits to their customers across the region. The Academy is a one-stop, comprehensive learning centre and caters to all the important and necessary needs for all its employees. This includes pilots, engineers, cabin crew, ramp support and guest services front-line staff. The curriculum  undertaken conforms to international standards and this training facility complies to all the regulations of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation, Thai Department of Civil Aviation, Indonesian Department of Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia. Annual repo rt (AirAsia, 2008). 5.3 Basic Underlying Assumption There is a great sense of empowerment of AirAsia enhanced by an open office layout which encourages easy interaction between everyone and flat hierarchy that breaks down psychological and cultural barriers. All staff (All Star) can approach any member of the management team to voice out an opinion or share an idea. Good ideas, proposed by anyone, can be implemented quickly because there is little bureaucracy. At the same time, bad ideas can be scrapped just as fast. The AirAsia staff members understand that generating ideas is not limited to the directors and executives of the company and that everyone can contribute ideas regardless of their rank in the company. This informal structure means not only that there are more than 8,000 brains (of All Star) contributing to the company performance as opposed to just 20 or so at management level. It also helps to keep costs down by tapping on internal resources as opposed to paying for outsourced external help. Human capital development at AirAsia is about providing opportunities to their people (All Star); opportunities such as fulfilling the dreams of the cabin crew and ground officers to become pilots. This helps to develop talents within the company and saves cost on hiring a brand new employee who needs to be trained from scratch. With the basic assumption of ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’, AirAsia is operating in a cost optimization philosophy to make flying affordable for everyone. 5. Conclusion With the foundation that Tony Fernandes has created, the AirAsia staff members are currently in a friendly workplace with a flat hierarchy. This creates a conducive working environment where everyone can perform at their best. With the low cost implementations in place, AirAsia has continued to deliver its promise of affordable airfares with reliable services. As a company previously with almost RM40 millions in debt, AirAsia has made  tremendous progressive steps to where it is today, thanks to the leadership of CEO Tony Fernandes. With the growth that sees AirAsia currently in 18 countries, it has potential to progress even more. Continued success creates strongly held shared assumptions, and thus a strong corporate culture core. If the internal and external environments remain stable, this continues to be an advantage. However, if there is a change in the environment, some of those shared core assumptions can become liabilities, precisely because of their strength. An example is a change of leadership in the company. Tony Fernandes created the very environment AirAsia is right now. But when the time comes for him to leave the company, the culture may diminish along with his departure. â€Å"New leaders who come into the organization who do not share or value the core assumptions on which the organization was built may result either from the departure of the key culture carriers and the inability to find replacements with the same values and assumptions, or because the board wants to change the core culture and deliberately brings in outsiders with different values and assumptions.† Schein (2009, p.171). 6. Recommendations From the analysis so far, we can see that AirAsia values its employees as much as its customers. The evidence is the environment created for its staff and its fulfillment of promises made to its customers. However, the leadership for AirAsia should not be taken for granted. In the face of the possible threat that Tony Fernandes may relinquish his role one day, career development programs can be rolled out to protect and preserve AirAsia’s culture. Top performing staff such as directors and executives could undergo training to prepare themselves for this potential role in the future. An internal candidate would be more suitable as this person would have been exposed to the AirAsia culture and familiar with the way AirAsia operates. This program in place would likely ensure that the AirAsia culture can be preserved, and AirAsia will also retain its position in the aviation industry. Aside from this, regional meetings and team building sessions are recommended to be held periodically to keep the region abreast of each other’s activities internally, and it would also strengthen relationships between employees from different countries. This will also ensure that AirAsia is consistent in their visions and beliefs regardless of their  location. In conclusion, AirAsia is doing a great job and they should preserve their culture and continue with their mode of operation to enjoy success in the future. 7. References 1. Profile-Tony Fernandes of AirAsia (2006) Available at: http://www.skorcareer.com/malaysia-eng/tonyfernandes-airasia-profile.htm (Accessed: 26 November 2011). 2. http://www.rdasia.com/a_dream_takes_flight/ (no date) (Accessed: 26 November 2011) 3. hrm ASIA (2010) Organizational Culture. Available at: http://www.hrmasia.com/resources/employer-branding/organisational-culture/41247/(2nd)/ (Accessed: 26 November 2011) 4. http://www.rdasia.com/a_dream_takes_flight/ (no date) (Accessed: 26 November 2011) 5. hrm ASIA (2010) Organizational Culture. Available at: http://www.hrmasia.com/resources/employer-branding/organisational-culture/41247/(2nd)/ (Accessed: 26 November 2011) 6. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 7. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 8. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 9. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organ ization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 10. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 11. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 12. Schein, E.H. (2010) Organization Culture and Leadership. 4th edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 13. AirAsia (2006) Annual report. Available at: http://issuu.com/airasia/docs/aa-corporate-06 (Accessed: 26 November 2011). 14. AirAsia (2008) Annual report. Available at: http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/pdf/AirAsia/IR/AA%20Corporate%202008.pdf (Accessed: 26 November 2011). 15. AirAsia (2010) Annual report. Available at: http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/pdf/AirAsia/IR/AirAsia_AR10.pdf (Accessed: 26 November 2011). 16. AirAsia (2008) Annual report. Available at: http://www.airasia.com/iwov-resources/my/common/pdf/AirAsia/IR/AA%20Corporate

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Third Amendment Conservative Perspectives

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.The Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects American citizens from being forced to use their homes to board members of the U.S. military. The amendment does not extend the same privilege to American citizens during times of war. The laws relevance diminished greatly after the American Civil War and is largely archaic in the 21st Century. During the American Revolution, colonists were frequently forced to house British soldiers on their property during times of war and peace. Very often, these colonists would find themselves being forced to put up and feed entire regiments of the Crown, and the soldiers werent always good house guests. Article III of the Bill of Rights was created to do away with the troublesome British law, known as the Quartering Act, that permitted this practice.In the 20th century, however, members of the U.S. Supreme Court have referenced the Third Amendment in privacy rights cases. In most recent cases, however, the Ninth and Fourteenth amendments are cited more frequently and are more applicable to defending Americans right to privacy.Although it is occasionally the subject of far-fetched lawsuits, there have been a few cases in which the Third Amendment played an important role. For that reason, the amendment has never suffered a significant challenge for repeal. For conservatives generally, and cultural conservatives, in particular, the Third Amendment serves as a reminder of this nations early struggles against oppression.