Toys and Games Essay Example for Free

Toys and Games Essay The Toys and Games industry is one of the most adaptable and creative enterprise businesses that outlined a wide scope of products for younger children as well as slightly older children. An increasing market of children toys and games have grown over the last several years to producing intriguing products that satisfies parents both on prices and technology. The toy and gaming industry has grown to produced extraordinary entertainment products as well as brand identity to solidify the company’s brand equity (Kelly, 2000:08). For instance the Mattel and Hasbro company brands contributes to the enormous consumer interests to toys and gaming system in the United States, China, and U. K. that created fierce competition with corresponding international company brands. The marketing strategies implemented by the firms operating in different geographic locations present an interesting perspective for defining the product specifics (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007:98). Some of the boundaries identified in the toy and game industry that resulted in the market being affected by falling birth rate. This in turn created a lower accountability in children population is declining in the past decade from 1996-2001 (Key Note, 2007:44). Therefore, the boundary creates the need for enterprises to redesign products for the older children market and provide appropriate marketing aspects according (Emeraldinsight. com, 2008). The marketing strategies used by the firms the major company brands are centered on the core technical advancement to solidify the target segmentation (Shermerhorn, 2008:38). The marketing strategies are planned and executed from its central platform in the international market due to the vast opportunities to reaching majority of the children population. The company’s brand cohesive approach provides the challenges exposed by each sector market that redefines the boundary previously indicated for exposure in the United States, China, and the U. K. target market segments identified (Asa. org, 2008:2). The toy and games industry sectors are categories in nine units that are as follows (Key Note, 200711): ? Infant/pre-school toys and games products for under 5year olds ? Activity toys ? Outdoors/sport toys and games ? Games/puzzles ? Dolls ? Action toys ? Vehicles ? Plush toys ? Other Products The toy and game industry category sectors are garnering the marketing approach to be designated by target demographic and locations to render the most brand equity to a profitability standing (Chitty, Barker, and Shrimp, 2005:22). The business enterprise has to renders a longer consumer commitment to a particular brand in order sustaining operations when the target demographic changes, case in point the last past decade declined in child births (Cameron, 2004). Moreover, the pricing strategies offer another element to assist in the differentials between the large company brands that creates a fundamental aspects to outlined the concepts for competitive prices in order to become the leader in the toy and game industry. The impact of government policies and laws on the Toys and Games Industry The identified government policies impacting the Toys and Games industry relates to several concerns that safety to weights and measure regulations. These two areas out of the many specified regulations depending on the location around the world where toys and games are sold, the safety area and weight measurements are dominately the primary concern. The safety legislation enforces the Toy Safety Directive 88/378/EEC that stricts the toy company to adhere to materials not destructive to the environment or longtime negative exsposure to children. Furthermore, the safety legislature covers the means for ensuring the toy products and games are aligned communicating the correct assessement towards age, choking hazards pieces, EN71-2:2006 Flammability, and other additional information to provide the parent the right assessment. The weights and measure regulations 1994 No# 1851 relates to the requirement for an indication of actual weighing of the toy and game. Case in point, the younger children demographic are at different sizes as well as the container/furniture to hold or stand up the product (Key Note, 2007:55). Therefore, this particular regulation provides the parent needed information to better assess what is acceptable for the children and/or houselhold. The weight and measure regulations allows for the company’s brands to focus on the appropriate components necessary to address two folds of marketing and RD concerns; pricing and targeted demographic preferences for longtime interests in the toy or game. These enforced government policies are geared towards bringing the law within the toy and game industry to facilitate the growing company brand in the international market as well as domestically. In doing so, the end user that is mostly younger children are able to enjoy the toy and game product to its full potential without the immediate concern of a possible harmful outcome. Analysis on the Economic Forces which Affect Demand for the Toys and Games Industry The economic environment is constantly changing that produces a challenging concept for toy and game companys to being creative in selling and distributing their products. The U. K. gross domestic product continues to show the consistent level of growth from 2004 to currently. In doing so, the GDP has provides a very positive backdrop for the corporate spending in RD for product development. The area of inflation does arises, especially the last couple of years particularly in U. K. , in which the rate have lagged behind for the increase of household disposable income (Carol. co. uk. ,2008:2). As economists have outlined, the prices that rises in an economy as a whole hoave been lower than income rises creates opportunities for toys and games company enterprises to adapt to the market conditions (Baye, 2009:102) The GDP in the U. K. averages to a 5% increases between 2007-2010 that encourages toys and games enterprises for further investment in traditional demographic markets. The senior management team within the toy and game industry companies provided the needed funding to further explore more creative ways to tap into the available expendable/spendable income of households. Respectively, the international focus of marketing to these targeted households are more effective in highlighting new products and features that can translate to â€Å"crazes† that boost volume sales for specific products. The growth rate continues to improve as more and more toy and game companies trained their marketing team to identify trends and adapt quickly to the changing preferences in the demographic (Pelsmacker, 2006:122). Case in point, the latest report on younger children are more inclined to prefer toys and games that are older in content that is understanding due to the rise in pre-school education. The younger children population tend to be more attracted to toys and games that are at least1 grade higher that produces an emphasis on creating products that are challenging to hold children’s interest. The economic environment additionaly creates a structure for companys to provide upgraded options in order counteract with limited product shelf life within the particular age groups. This is critical for major brands to adjust accordingly due to current trends of younger children preferences that are different than forty years ago. The cooperation of major company’s brand with retailers and research on trends offers a stronghold to RD to marketing effectively in a challenging economic environment. The Impact of Demographic Change, Society’s beliefs, Values and Attitudes The identified impact of demographic changes are in the specifications preferences from the younger children population. In recent years, the younger children population prefers more challenging activities from toys and games that requires for better RD to market effectively in the industry. In addition, the impact of the primary demographic creates an opporutunity for major companys to expand the focus of product development for ages 7-9 and 10-18 that focuses on educational development as well as entertainment. These demographic changes has pros and cons depending on the specificity of the toy and game company to adapt accordingly in order to stay relevant and leader in the industry (Bryman, 2007:45). The society’s beliefs, values, and attitudes on certain toys and games provide for social responsible company to adhere to that will not limit the marketability of the product. That is why most toy and game companies concentrate most of their investments in the international markets to expose the product line. The different cultures provides for a more specified marketing strategy that acknowledge the children society belief and values that will encourage a positive attitude towards the company brand. Case in point, the Mattel Corporation number one doll Barbie is marketed internationally and in each culture there are different theme Barbie, for instance the UK model will be different for the China model or even the U. S. A. model. This approach allows for a more competitive toy and game company to incorporate needed attributes in products that has a lasting impressions on younger and older children. The flexibility of the younger children preferences allows for the creation of upgraded tailored toys and games that older children are more attracted to purchase accordingly. Therefore, the brand of Sony and Playstation developed different demographic age groups to market that will balance out the disparity of time periods of low birth rate to a higher older children population. The demand for a different gaming experience by the older demographics sets the bar for firms both in the U. K. and the United States that creates a platform for influencing the marketing and design strategy (Burnes, 2004:102). The toy and games companies are utilizing the feedback from consumers and integrating a newer technology approach that infuses the society beliefs of acceptable products (Wild, Wild, and Han, 2006:94). The challenge is the constant ability to target market the appropriate resources to secure the designated children population (Fleming and Koppelman, 2006:25). The approach taken by each of the toy and game companies is to release products and game titles that catered to the targeted demographic preferences with care to parents and children values of appropriate features, i. e. the Brats Dolls probably will not be acceptable in China compared to the U. K. or the U. S. A. Therefore, the advancements during certain times for maximum impact in designing the product and accessories are critical to demonstrate a willingness to staying as a leader in the industry (Williams, 2008). The toy and game industry provides the straight forward concept to effective RD that produces an interesting business perspective to effectively knowing the market in different geographic locations to meet is strategic goals in demographic assessment. Assess the Impact of Technological Development in Relation to Toy and Game Industry. The dramatic impact of technological development in relation to the toy and game industry is the major features for the Sony PlayStation contrasting approach from the other products. As mention prior, the major opportunity for toy and game companies to market the brand towards different demographic age groups when the fluctuations in birth rate creates an audience interested in complicated toys and games (Cooper, Grey, Raymond, Walker, and 2005:28). These fluctuations in time-tables of releasing titles and online initiatives in China compared to the USA. The strategy for the time-tables is to apply pressure in the gaming markets on the other brands to follow suit after Sony sets the trend. The outcome projected for online capabilities increased revenue and returned investment due to the Sony PlayStation robust multimedia capabilities (USA Today, 2005:1). Conversely, the fundamental marketing strategy for Sony PlayStation is to allow U. K. to focus on the accessibility mindset for the expansion into international markets by the availability of titles to increase interest in the product. In doing so, the Sony PlayStation continues to stay competitive compared to Xbox and Nintendo Wii in both international markets. The Xbox predominately brand positioning with the manufacture trade-name Microsoft offers a competitive edge in the U. K. and the United States to keep the brand competitive to Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Wii. (See Figure A). Brand Positioning Brand Name Selection Brand Sponsorship Brand Development Attributes Benefits Beliefs and Values Selection Protection Manufacturers brand Private brand Licensing Co-branding Line extensions Brand extensions Multi-brands New-brands More importantly, the Sony PlayStation PS3 consoles have sold in the U. K. markets creates a profound interests to producing sales trends upwards (PlayStation. com, 2008: 2). The identified recent market strategy to improve the consoles model of PSP and PS2 that features a Blu-ray influenced the overall sales returns for the company. The Blu-ray provided the Sony PlayStation to effectively utilize the younger demographic age range from 12 to 18 years old. This approach for the Sony PlayStation differs from some of the other products by focusing and maintaining the aspect of a visual experience as the primary focus. In doing so, the targeted market segment offers Sony PlayStation to build on its already establishing consumer base to strengthen its brand identity (Sony, 2008:1). Furthermore, the Sony PlayStation marketing strategies adapt its features to the U. K. market on technique for the gaming experience compared to other international geographic markets that provides accessibility to upgrade features. The Sony PlayStation focuses on the titles for the video game console produced to solidify their lead in specific game titles. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsofts Xbox 360 and Nintendos Wii as part of the generation of video game systems that distinguishes the PlayStation by its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network. The theoretical concept that Sony Company Entertainment incorporates is based on the understanding to the international markets that the firm concentrates on adaptability that secures a holding on the demographic both offline and online. The firm geographic locations, specifically in markets that catered to the product demographics interets presents more a direct interest to the game titles and technical online accessibility. Moreover, the Sony PlayStation contrasts with previous game developer’s perception on how Sonys marketing strategy for the online play to infuse advertising funding appropriately (Porter, 2004:89). Nonetheless, the Xbox generation video game console expanded the landscape to present Microsofts second foray in succeeding their projects in the international launch (Bowen, 2000). The promotional strategy for the Xbox 360 focuses on opening an alternate reality game title selections primarily in the USA and the Microsoft Corporation primary focus is to split resources for products exposure in U. K. for the marketing strategy. The focus on the U. K. is mainly due to the reported sales that have slowed due to the onset of the Nintendo Wii product launch that counteracts Microsoft Corporation approach (Xbox. com, 2008). Therefore, the Microsoft Corporation strategy is to penetrate the domestic and global markets with advance visual impact technology by presenting the product on an online community’s websites. The Xbox brand identity has grown in the internatinal markets over the years along with association to the British and American public; therefore, the brand identity provides an advantage in securing the brand equity compared to Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Wii. However, the Xbox marketing strategy for the product concentrates on the adaptability and brand loyalty in the United States the on going approach is to strenghten itself in U. K. and international markets. The measure implemented by toys and games companies such as Microsoft Corporation Xbox, Nintendo, and other corresponding companies provides the necessity of the concept for consumers to utilize the products in a different way rather than an ordinary way (Nintendo. com, 2008:3). The toys and game technology strategy is to provide more attractive software adaptability with creative tools to play the video game to solidify the consumer base. The product offers the technical capabilities on the online marketing to solidify the target market population for infusing the product’s brand equity. The 3 most Opportunities and 3 most Threats Identified The three most opportunity for the toy and game industry is the companies sources of information on demographics, distribution to international markets from economic scale, and the market is susceptible to â€Å"crazes† that boost volume sales for a specific item. These benefits of using demographic segmentation for targeting a children population audience is the increase of the share of the customer in the market, high customer equity, and brand equity that provides continued growth for business operations. The building of profitable relationships with them is the foundation of marketing management (Mantel, Mereidith, Shafer, and Sutton, 2008:11). The formula for the marketing management agenda is the philosophy for a design plan that empowers the brand idenitiy through effective customer-driven marketing strategy (Thill and Bovee, 2007:88). The opportunity creates a vast trend towards a specific product item that at times transcends the available spendable household income that truly boost sales. Therefore, the ability to change efforts to finding, attracting, and growing the target demographic from younger children to slightly older children proves beneficial by superior customer value (Kotter, 1996:1) The identified three threats are children getting older creating a shorter product shelf life, many products are global but ignoring local markets, and toys and games company has to compete with for consumer expenditures during high buying season i. e. Christmas. Therefore, the pursuit to successfully utilize the RD data to formulate products that adapts to growing children to reduce shelf-life, however, companies that do not invest accordlying in RD lose a significant share in the demographic segmentation (Saunders, 2007:55). The focus effort required to balancing the marketing strategy not just globally but locally provides a strong hold on the brand loyalist to further brand equity. Respectively, the measure to acquire toy and game brand influence both globally and locally markets requires the needed information to segments of the targeted demographics to when to effectively market during low periods of household spending. Therefore, the methods to achieving and managing the toy and game company brand identity to established a â€Å"familiarity† from the customer base that produces product superiority through brand value proposition. References 30 Key Note (2007) The Key Note Report 2007 21st Edition, Edited by James Manley, Retreived December 23, 2008, Published date May 2007 Emeraldinsight. com (2008) The Emerald Insight Review, Retrieved December 22, 2008, from http://www. emeraldinsight. com ASA. org (2008) The Advertising Standards Authority, Retrieved December 28, 2008, from www. asa. org. uk Carol. co. uk (2008) Annual Report Online, Retrieved December 26, 2008, from http://www. carol. co. uk Chitty, W. Barker, N. Shimp, T. A. (2005). Integrated Marketing Communications. Melbourne: Nelson. Pelsmacker, Patrick (2006) Marketing Communications: A European Perspective. Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 3 edition Porter, Michael (2004) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. Free Press; New Ed edition Saunders, Mark (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 4 edition Schein, Edgar (2004) Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey Bass; 3rd Edition Baye, Michael R. , (2009) Managerial Economics and Business Strategy Fifth Edition, Retrieved from August 2, 2008, McGraw-Hill / Irwin, Boston, MA Bryman, Alan, (2007) Business Research Methods. Oxford University Press; 2Rev Ed edition Burnes, Bernard, (2004) Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organizational Dynamics. Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 4 edition Cameron, Ester, (2004) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. Kogan Page Ltd PlayStation. com (2008) The Official Website of Sony PlayStation, Retrieved from July 27, 2008, from http://www. playstation. com Nintendo. com (2008) The Official Website of Nintendo, Retrieved from July 25, 2008, from http://www. nintendo. com USA Today, (2005) Tech Gaming, Retrieved from July 29, 2008, from http://www. usatoday. com/tech/gaming/2005-11-21-xbox-rivals_x. htm Sony Boasts PlayStation, (2008) The PlayStation Boasts Sales, Retrieved, from July 30, 2008, from http://www. joystiq. com/2008/01/06/sony-boasts-playstation-holiday-sales-numbers/ Xbox, (2008) The Official Website of Xbox, Retrieved from July 26, 2008, from http://www. xbox. com Armstrong, Gary, Kotler, Philip, (2007). Marketing: An Introduction, 8th Edition. Pearson, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Wild, John J. , Wild, Kenneth L. , Han, Jerry C. Y. , (2006). International Business, The Challenges of Globalization Williams, Meri (2008) The Principles of Project Management, SitePoint Incorporated Fleming, Quentin Koppelman, Joel (2006) Earned Value Project Management, 3rd Edition, Project Management Institute Bowen, R. Brayton, (2000). Recognizing Rewarding Employees. Journal of McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group. 2(3) 140-141 Kelly, Joe, (1998). Existential-Systems Approach to Managing Organizations. Journal of Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. 1(3) 122-125 Shermerhorn, John, (2008). Organizational Behavior. Wiley, 10 Edition Cooper, Dale, Grey, Stephen, Raymond, G, and Walker, (2005) Managing Risk in Large Projects and Complex Procurements Mantel, Samuel J. Jr. Meredith, Jack R. Shafer, Scott M. Sutton, Margaret M. (2008) Project Management in Practice, John Wiley Sons, Inc. Publishing Kotter, John (1996) Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press Thill, John V. and Bovee, Courtland L. (2007) Excellence in Business Communication, Seventh Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

The Production Of An Alternative Construction Material Economics Essay

The Production Of An Alternative Construction Material Economics Essay To prepare an industry study of all the construction materials currently being used in housing and commercial developments. To review the waste management system in the Philippines and look for areas that are sustainable sources of PET materials. To identify the current drivers and trends of the real estate and construction industry, as well as the Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in order to explore the viability of introducing the EHB products for their construction needs. To prepare a business model for each market segment, namely: (1) Non-government Organizations (NGOs) and (2) Real Estate Developers and Contractors. This MRR is focused on the following market segments: real estate developers, construction companies and NGOs. The study is limited to the Philippines specifically the National Capital Region (NCR) and provinces within a 130 km radius. Other construction materials that have the potential to be used with PET flakes aside from the concrete hollow block are excluded from this study. This MRR focuses on the Ecoblock venture into the Philippine market through the NGOs specifically on housing and development programs; and eventually cater to the local real-estate developers and contractors. Hence the desired outcome of this MRR would be a venture strategy considering the economic conditions, market outlook, competitive analysis, risks analysis and capital sourcing. President Aquinos State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 2010 highlighted the importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).  [1]  The PPP was seen as an important strategy for infrastructure development. It has also been estimated that the pipeline of PPP projects (infrastructure projects for transportation, water, power, health, and agriculture) for the year 2012 will amount to USD 5.49B. Another factor that can have an effect on these projects is the upcoming election in the year 2013 that can increase government spending on infrastructure developments. Lastly, the issue of corruption (specifically in government infrastructure projects) is seen as an important political factor in the construction industry of the Philippines. The corruption issues of the Philippines regarding infrastructure was discussed during Finance Secretary Cesar Purisimas meeting with Ernie Bower, the senior adviser and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.  [2]  In this meeting, it was cited that the PPPs program of the Philippines will be able to address the current issues on corruption. According to Purisima, the right infrastructures should be accompanied by forward-looking policies for the Philippines to be competitive through highly-viable and promising ventures. It was also made clear that corruption is a major factor that will hinder the gov ernment to increase spending for infrastructure projects. As shown in Figure 1, the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) decreased from 7.6% in 2010 to 3.7% in 2011. This is due to the negative export growth rates in 2011 that was influenced by the global economic conditions particularly the economic and financial crises in US and Euro countries  [3]  . The domestic factors on the other hand include the decreasing demand and negative growth rate in agricultural production and the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects. Based on the GDP projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank, the Philippine economy will slightly improve in 2012 due to the support of growth in private consumption (higher OFW remittances), investment, and government spending  [4]  . However, if the debt woes in Europe will worsen and the recovery of the US economy will not be sustained, the Philippines will experience lower exports and foreign investment that may lead to lower GDP growt h. Considering these factors the Philippine government must be able to increase government spending on infrastructure projects to prevent the economy to slow down further. As shown in Figure 2, even if demand in the economy is lower in 2011 due to the lower GDP growth rate, overall prices still increased which was brought about by the increase in prices of petroleum in the global market.  [5]  Looking at the disposable income of Filipinos, if the overall prices increase, the purchasing power will tend to decrease. This might affect the amount of disposable income that might be allocated for house purchase. Based on Figure 2, inflation is lower in the 1st quarter of year 2012. Meanwhile, the 91-day Treasury bill interest rate decreased when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) attempted to stimulate economic growth. The peso-dollar rate remained stable due to the increase in inflow of remittances. The stability of the peso-dollar rate is very important in the construction industry due to the fact that some of the materials being used in construction are imported. The instability of the peso-dollar rate will affect the price of these materials. As shown in Figure 3, construction output in 2011 went down. This is due to the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects.  [6]  The construction-to-GDP ratio decreased from 5.7% to 5.2%. The increase in government spending can increase the GDP for the coming years. Growth of other industries will also open opportunities for the construction industry. As shown in Table 1, the tourism industry, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and the mining industry are continuously experiencing growth which may lead to more construction projects. For the tourism industry alone, 47 hotels with 14,000 rooms will be constructed by the year 2013.  [7]   Due to the Philippines stronger financial position, the Standard and Poor raised the Philippines international debt rating to one notch below investment grade (BB+).  [8]  According to the DBS Group, the Philippines can achieve investment-grade credit rating with a year or two. Once this is achieved, more investments will flow to the country. The social factors that we will be considering in this study will give emphasis on the population growth rate, age profile, and housing backlog in the Philippines and try to correlate them with the construction industry in the country. As of July 2011 the Philippines has an estimated total population of 103.775 million and out of this, 11.86 million reside in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Philippines has an average population growth rate of 1.9% and the NCR has an average population growth rate of 1.78%. The majority of the population in the Philippines belongs to the working class (15-64 years: 61.1% or 62,201,170 as of 2010). This is the portion of society who are about to start their own families until those who are about to retire from their respective careers. People in this segment are also the ones who have the capacity to invest in residential developments. As of 28 December 2011 Philippines housing backlog is currently 3.6 million.  [9]  The government will tap shelter agencies like the Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC), the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), the Pag-ibig Fund, the Social Housing Finance Corporation, the National Housing Authority, the Home Guaranty Corporation, and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation to reduce the housing backlog by 50% with an annual target of 350,000 housing units. To achieve this, the Aquino administration highlighted the need for more PPP programs to use the underutilized government lands. The insufficiency of available funding resulted to this housing backlog. The government needs Php 1.7 trillion to address the Philippines housing needs. In 2011, several typhoons and flash floods occurred in the Philippines between May and September. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will develop recovery and rehabilitation projects for victims of flash floods in NCR and other provinces with a total of 187,008 families. Also, projects will be developed for the victims of typhoons that entered the country, which affected 1.4 million families  [10]  . Last June 28, 2012, the general membership meeting of the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA) was held to discuss the current issues that the industry currently faces. In this meeting, innovation was considered as a driver of productivity. According to Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao, the players of the industry must be able to re-evaluate their resources and processes to make it more efficient, responsive and relevant to the present stringent requirements of the industry.  [11]  Regarding PPP for infrastructure projects, the government must demand from its private partners new technologies that will accelerate delivery time while ensuring public safety. However, Canilao also recognized the fear of being the first to try something different. With this, he emphasized that those players who will not invest in technological innovation might be left behind at bidding time. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Philippines may adopt new construction trends in Japan, particularly on the latest technology on roads and bridge construction.  [12]  The construction and engineering technologies from Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help the Philippines build disaster-resilient infrastructures that would mitigate the effects of climate change. Technological innovation in the Philippines doesnt only happen with government projects, private manufacturers of construction materials also try to innovate the products and processes to improve the product offering. Cement manufacturers like the Holcim Group created a green sustainable solution for cement.  [13]  The company is trying to minimize the impact of cement manufacturing in the environment. The company focuses on bringing down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by reducing the clinker factor by using mineral components as alternative materials.  [14]  Innovation on the use of raw materials was accompanied by improvement in the process namely: (1) use of alternative fuels; (2) co-processing; and (3) quarry habilitation policy. Co-processing is considered as a globally accepted technology that helps the company process water streams in the cement kilns to properly dispose hazardous industrial wastes.  [15]  The quarry habilitation policy would ensure that the quarry sites can be used productively by the community before they are completely mined out. Holcim Philippines was the first company to submit a Final Mine Decommissioning and Rehabilitation Plan to the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), which will serve as a blueprint in restoring quarry sites. Land development and construction have a direct impact on the environment wherein land conversion from agricultural to urban and residential greatly reduces bio-capacity (ability of the land to produce food and other resources for the society).  [16]  Because of this, sustainable land development is becoming more important in the construction industry. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) developed an ALI Sustainability Framework to chart, monitor, and report the companys progress in sustainable land development. The increasing awareness about environmental impact of construction activities will eventually affect the way residential and commercial developments are built. In 2006, the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) was formed as a national non-profit organization through the alliance of building and construction industry leaders from the private and public sector.  [17]  This organization was formed to ensure an ecologically and economically sustainable industry. This resulted to a local green building rating system that is now called Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE). The BERDE scheme will serve as a benchmark for all property developers in the country. Last August 17-19, 2011, the first Philippine International Total Green Movement Exhibition and Conference was held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Manila. The joint venture of the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA), Global-Link Exhibitions Specialist, Inc. (GESI), Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-conditioning, Refrigerating Engineers, Inc. (PSVARE), Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Manila, created the Green Philippines 2011.  [18]  This event featured four exhibit segments on construction (Green Construct), manufacturing (Green Manufacturing), lifestyle (Green lifestyle), and energy (Green Energy). Also, last August 16-17, 2011, the 2nd Sustainable Building Technology Conference was held that invited international sustainability experts to discuss the best practices for a green industry. These events would show that the players in the c onstruction industry are already leaning towards environment friendly development projects. The construction industry is one of the most hazardous and risky occupations in the country. With this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWG), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement last May 4, 2011 to strengthen the campaign to minimize accidents in construction activities. This MOA aims to promote the welfare of construction workers and prevent the recurrence of construction-related incidents, notably the ones that recently killed or severely injured workers early 2012.  [19]  Also, this MOA is an off-shoot of DOLE Department Order No. 13 (which provides the Guidelines Governing Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry) and aims to intensify the holistic and extensive execution of the policies and programs set forth in D.O. No. 13 in construction sites. The construction industry in the Philippines is currently leaning toward ecological friendly materials due to the global campaign to save the environment. The materials that are available range from pre fabricated walls and blocks to bricks that is considered to be the oldest building material used. The pre-fabricated walls and blocks use polystyrene as an aggregate that is added to the concrete mixture to produce a lighter and insulating product. Reinforced fire bricks are also one of the common construction materials that are used in construction of homes. Reinforced bricks are made of industrial wastes such as rice hull, coal ash, silt, mud and clay. The existing market for pre-fabricated walls and blocks are the contractors for commercial buildings and high-rise residential buildings. There are also some contractors that use pre-fabricated materials for home construction but the homeowners still prefer to use concrete hollow blocks (CHB) because of the high cost of the pre-fabricated material. The walls are pre-ordered by the contractor and are sometimes manufactured on site to avoid delivery expenses. On the other hand, the reinforced firebricks are used in home construction. This material is usually specified by the people who belong to the higher class of society mainly because of the price of this construction material. Pre-fabricated walls are used in exterior and interior applications in building construction. The lighter wall means that the foundations of a building project could be smaller due to the reduction in weight that the foundation needs to support. Installation time for the pre-fabricated wall is shorter compared to using conventional materials in wall construction. The product is smoother and does not need additional plastering (only the joints require additional concrete) because of the smooth finish that these walls generally have. The pre-fabricated walls also serve as good insulators that result to less energy consumption. A notable disadvantage of using this product, aside from the cost, is that the sizes that are available are only limited and could not be cut to size. The advantages of using reinforced fire brick in construction is that it uses less cement and is stronger than concrete. Bricks are also weather resistant and are considered to be ideal in tropical countries like t he Philippines because it slowly absorbs heat to keep the inside of the house cooler. Bricks do not need cement plastering and the walls do not need to be painted. The disadvantage of using this material is the high cost. Even if it requires less cement and no paint the cost of the material is still higher compared to common construction materials used. In the Philippines, CHB remains as a backyard industry because it is easy to produce, especially the non-load bearing CHB. The CHB can be produced manually by using an improvised mold. In producing a non-load bearing CHB, a mixture of sand, gravel, cement, and water can be manually compressed using the improvised mold. There are three reasons why CHB is still being used in construction, namely: (1) cost; (2) availability; and (3) ease of installation and handling. CHB still remains as the a cheaper choice in construction of a concrete house. As a backyard industry, CHB is available nationwide with similar product specifications. Lastly, CHB is a traditional product. With this, majority of the laborers or construction workers are familiar with CHB in construction. The familiarity of the laborers with a product is the main reason why CHB is still being used. The demand for quality, economy, and completion time are the major considerations for all construction projects that usually dictate the choice of technology  [20]  . The traditional construction material currently being used for construction projects is the CHB. Based on the interview with key players in the real estate industry, another alternative is the pre-fabricated walls. For fabricated walls, the entire wall is built off- site or on-site before installation as compared to CHB that are stacked one on top of another. In the Philippines, only 5% are using prefabricated building material in housing construction  [21]  . Over the years, different types of construction materials have been offered containing recycled plastic, such as PVC pipes. Recycling is especially important for thermoset polymers since this form of plastic cannot be reheated and melted back to liquid form. In the Philippines and in other countries, shredded plastic has been used as aggregates for bricks and construction blocks. Most of these, however, are not widely offered commercially and are not load bearing. The demand for this product is readily accessible in most areas and the market is sensitive only to the price relative to the quality of the product they receive. At present the 4-6inchconcrete hollow blocks prices are standard for all and vary only between the volume suppliers and the backyard suppliers because of their respective approach to the business. The buyers of the product favor the suppliers who are nearer to them (because of transportation costs) and if satisfied with the quality they retain their suppliers. However there are instances where the buyer changes suppliers in lieu of quality issues for this reason, industry rivalry will be considered medium. The technical skill and labor required isnt advanced nor does it require highly specialized machines to deliver the product, the only obstacle is the cash required to: 1) purchase the hollow block maker and; 2) to secure working capital requirements. The cost of a concrete block mixer is between Php30,000-P40,000, and a mold container would be approximately Php5,000 per piece. Normally a block maker can start a small-time business with 6 molds which is equivalent to Php30,000 therefore a backyard business can start at a Php60,000 investment excluding working capital. The disadvantage of this practice is it sacrifices the quality/durability of the blocks due to the lack of compression of the block being formed thereby resulting in a lower PSI rating. The difficulty in securing funding for this particular business is high because the business is not unique while the returns in this type of business do not instantly translate to high growth profits. The local venture capitalists who provide seed capital to startups look to sunrise industries such as the BPO sector and IT services delivery, or the next big website investment. The prospects of a potential participant to capture market share will primarily be on their ability to reduce the cost of their concrete hollow block while maintaining a reasonable quality and service. In order to achieve this, the potential participant must have a large base of clients in order to achieve economies of scale in their production of quality products and a person who will provide assistance to the client to ensure proper delivery and satisfaction, a backyard hollow block maker will not be able to be competitive and for this reason the threat of new entrants is rated as medium taking into consideration these factors. Some projects outsource their hollow block while others make it onsite. While it is preferred to buy the product in order to avoid the cost of investment and taking into consideration that there is abundant supply for this product (but at varying prices depending on which type of supplier: backyard supplier, volume supplier or a wholesaler, and depending on the volume purchase of the buyer the bargaining power of buyer is medium given the availability of a quality product in the market. The demand for reasonably priced hollow blocks are assumed to be growing at 10.5% and construction materials 5.4% which supports the argument that demand is good. Another consideration is that the real-estate residential development is in the form of condominiums and they make use other products such as pre-fabricated walls instead of hollow blocks. The construction boom doesnt directly translate to increased hollow block use and the prices of hollow block are generally stable therefore for these reasons the suppliers bargaining power is low. The bargaining power of cement and sand suppliers remain low since there are abundant sources for these suppliers. The PET flakes suppliers have a medium bargaining power since they are less abundant than the cement and sand suppliers. Moreover, the local PET suppliers have different methods in shredding and cutting the plastic such that those suppliers that have the ability to shred PET flakes at a certain size have a stronger bargaining power than others. For the low cost housing sector and other housing projects hollow blocks are still preferred. The emerging sector of high-rise residential projects make use of pre-fabricated products and gypsum boards however the market share of these products is only 5% for construction materials, therefore the threat of substitutes are rated medium. The success in this industry will be in the costing of the product and the quality. In order to reduce the overall cost of the product there is a need to meet operation efficiency and effective marketing in order to achieve economies of scale that will bring down overall costs for our firm while producing a good quality product. Opportunities Emphasis on PPP programs for government infrastructure projects Good forecast for the tourism, BPO, and mining industry Movement towards sustainable community development The use of plastic as an aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines The high amount of investment on PPP programs is seen as a good opportunity for the construction materials industry. For year 2012, several PPP projects are in the pipeline, namely: (1)14 projects on transportation; (2) 2 projects on utilities-water (3) 2 projects on power; 1 project on health; and (4) 2 projects on agriculture that amounted to USD 5.49B will increase the demand for construction materials. These PPP programs will also serve as an opportunity for private companies to increase their annual construction projects. The growth of three industries, namely: (1) tourism industry; (2) BPO; and (3) mining industry will also contribute to the growth of the construction materials industry. The increasing annual foreign tourist arrivals and domestic travelers opted for the increased in resorts, hotels, and condominiums. The increase in number of accommodation facilities was accompanied by the Republic Act of 9593 or Tourism Act of 2009 wherein the roads that are not initially classified as national but lead to tourism sites, airports, and seaports will be improved which will be included in the DPWH budget for 2012.  [22]  For the BPO, construction of commercial buildings is also expected to increase to meet the demand of the industry. The investment of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) would show that the mining still remains as a promising industry (Table 1). Investment on mining would result to more office sites and barracks for mining companies. The movement towards building more sustainable developments is seen as an improvement for the construction industry. New technologies for products and processes will help improve the viability of construction projects in the Philippines. By focusing on the impact of construction of the environment, the need for environment-friendly products may increase as the industry try to include the societys welfare in planning construction projects. The use of plastic as an aggregate is currently being used in Germany. However, this new aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines. This is seen as an opportunity for the company to introduce a product with more benefits than the existing products in the market. Threats Competition (large companies) Emergence of new products Competition especially against large competitors is seen as a major threat because these companies are already established in the industry. New companies that may introduce new products in the market may face difficulties especially if these products are not patented. Large companies can simply launch the same product at a larger scale. The availability of funding for these large companies will give them an advantage to produce more products. The more products a company manufactures, the opportunity to capture a larger market is bigger. Also, large companies can be seen as good suppliers for developers and contractors who want a steady supply of materials. Even if CHB currently remains as the primary choice for wall construction, emergence of new products as a substitute may pose as a threat for the CHB market. Even if only 5% in Philippines uses prefabricated building components in housing construction, the boom in the construction industry may increase the market for pre-fabricated walls. Across time, if more housing developments will be built using pre-fabricated walls, the demand for CHB may decrease. The cost of the EHB is at P5.90 per unit. The cost of direct labor is the largest at P2.52 per unit, followed by raw materials at P2.12 and factory overhead at P1.26. The key assumptions for these figures are assuming that 2,991,150 units of hollow blocks will be manufactured for the year. The hollow blocks will be used for 5,175 houses which represent only a conservative 5% of Gawad Kalingas projected housing projects. The cost of EHB at the end of the third year of operations will be at P4.94 assuming that quantity manufactured has grown to 4,307,206 units. The cost savings is achieved mostly on the labor side at P1.91 per unit (24% savings from P2.52per unit) brought about by more productivity. The hollow block machines full capacity for one year is 9,000,000 of hollow blocks, therefore as long as quantity improves to no greater than this amount, economies of scale can be achieved since there is little reason for labor and overhead costs to increase. Currently the market price for concrete hollow blocks is at P13.30 per unit which is 56% more than the cost of our EHB, the EHB is projected to sell at the CHB market price therefore we feel this cost is competitive enough to be in business. The pricing of EHB will not be lower since the EHB is a superior product compared to the CHB nor will be priced higher since the market may still be critical of the product in its launching phase therefore the best entry strategy is to price it aggressively at par with the CHB market price There is a 21% cost savings per square meter with the use of EHB versus CHB. This is based on Table 2. The addition of PET flakes lessens the requirement for both cement (27% less cost) and sand (32.7% less cost). Additional savings is realized from the labor cost on painting, layering and plastering in hollow block aggregate components, which lead to an overall reduction in cost per square meter. The Filipino construction materials market experienced an annual growth of 6.54% but is expected to witness a more sustainable growth of 5.36% until year 2015  [23]  . Being a supply-driven industry, supply of construction materials come from local suppliers based on the location of the project. However, with the boom in the construction industry (10.5% average annual growth rate), smaller projects like GK projects experience sh

Past, Present and future Factors affecting Human Resource Planning

Past, Present and future Factors affecting Human Resource Planning Human resource planning has traditionally been used by organizations to ensure that the right person is in the right job at the right time. Under past conditions of relative environmental certainty and stability, human resource planning focused on the short term and was dictated largely by line management concerns. Increasing environmental instability, demographic shifts, changes in technology, and heightened international competition are changing the need for and the nature of human resource planning in leading organizations. Planning is increasingly the product of the interaction between line management and planners. In addition, organizations are realizing that in order to adequately address human resource concerns, they must develop long-term as well as short term solutions. As human resource planners involve themselves in more programs to serve the needs of the business, and even influence the direction of the business, they face new and increased responsibilities and challenges . In the beginning, HRM definition was as a Process through which a companys management was able to determine how the company would be able to achieve a desired manpower level. The means to achieve this were planning, and efforts by the management to employ the right kind of people at the right positions and at a proper time, and in a way that it would benefit in the long run both the company and the employees. Presently HR management it is a part of a much wider context of the business strategic organizational plan. It is, in addition to the present planning, also forecasting all future human resources needs of the company and how to achieve best results. It starts by first determining the objectives and then try to develop programmes like appraising of the present staff, compensations, training etc. in order to make sure that people with the required qualifications and skills would be available to the company whenever they are needed. It also develops and implement various programmes aiming to improve the performance while, at the same time, the employees are kept satisfied and involved in companys productivity, product quality and or innovation. Concluding, human resources management and planning is necessary to collect data which can be useful when it comes to evaluate how effective the ongoing programmes are, thus enabling the planners to detect and decide on necessary program revision s or forecast amendments. As one of plannings objectives is to improve a companys effectiveness, it should be integrated into the companys short and longer term business targets and operational planning. Most of the leading organizations in industry are implementing this, unlike what happened in the past when business requirements and HR planning normally were restricted only to personnel requirements. This conservative approach was in line with short-term personnel orientation. In our times, because of revolutionary changes in socioeconomic environment and business concept and the uncertainties these changes are causing, companies integrated their business planning with HR planning and management, thus creating a longer-term perspective. HR planning process became an integral part of the strategic business planning. HR planning and management became a part of the whole companys development and expansion planning process. Companies, at least most of them, do nothing without involving HR management in their planning either it concerns policy or finalization procedures of any kind. It can be explained as an integrated connection between HR planning and companys business. A connection bringing together the line managers and HR planners in order to determine HR future requirements and business plans for development, analyse the workforce profile along with future business strategies, review and deal with appearing HR issues, and create programmes to face and resolve such issues thus supporting future business planning. In this way, when HR managers and planners make companys business planners to comprehend and appreciate that HR planning and management represents a major advantage against their competitors, meaning an inc rease in profits provided there is a careful management. In this thesis Ill try and explain a few of the activities where industrial and other organisations HR planners and managers are involved with, when trying to make an organisation more competitive by correct and effective HR planning and management. Factors Influencing the Interest in Human Recourses Management and Planning There is no doubt that the contemporary increased attention of the industry to HR planning and management is influenced by many factors, among others the most important are considered the new technologies, globalization, environmental concerns, changing economic conditions, and the potential of workforce changes. These factors result to a complex and uncertain business environment. Efficient operations can be influenced by uncertain conditions and force organizations to try and find ways to reduce its impact; formal and efficient planning is a tool, both industry and organizations use as a protection against business environmental uncertainties. Considering the changes in workforce characteristics, one only of the environmental factors, though important, it is evident that there is a need for correct and timely planning and HR management. Between 1976 and 1980, the labour force in the industrialised world grew by an average of 2.8%, but between 1991 and 1995, the rate of growth dropped to 1.1 %. Also as per ILO (International Labour Organisation), and other recognized international statistical bodies, the year 1980 in USA more than 3 million people entered the countrys workforce, but only 2 million each year between 1981 and 1995. During the years 1995 and 2010 a total of 25 million workers entered the workforce. Of them the 22% were immigrants. All these demographic projections have significant implications for human resource management, thus increasing the importance of human resources planning. The changing demographics mean that there will be fewer workers are entry-level, so the competition among employers will increase. Moreover, the changing demographics signal changes in abilities, skills, interests and values of the workforce of tomorrow. For example, the lack of many types of skilled workers are imminent, including tool-and-die makers, builders, shipbuilders, engineers, machinists, and engineers. Even if organizations are willing to train new employees, the work can be difficult. An examination of how the values of workers who will soon constitute the majority of the workforce differ from those that will begin to leave propose additional changes in the near future. There are already signs of growing resistance from employees to relocate. Greater emphasis on self-assessment and mitigation faith and loyalty to employers makes it more difficult for agencies to undertake to move employees around anywhere and anytime. A decline in organizational trust occur at a time when workers feel insecure about their jobs. A recent study comparing the work values of people aged over 40 years with those of 40 other proposed changes for which they must prepare. For example, workers from the younger generation does not trust authority we do as members of the older generation, which are products of the First World War era II. The younger generation believes that the work should be fun, while the older generation sees work as a duty and a vehicle for financial support. Younger workers believe people should advance as quickly allows competence, whereas older workers believe that experience is a necessary path to promotion. Finally, the study found that the younger generation, fairness is to enable people to be different, but the older generation means treating people equally. Changes in the workforce is only one aspect of the environment stimulate the need for human resource planning. Demographic change is somewhat predictable, but when considered in conjunction with changing technology and many other external changes described elsewhere in this work, will pose significant challenges for human resource planning and help to change the regime in last two decades. A model for the description of Human Resources The remainder of this paper will try to explain the activities performed by designers of human resources at leading organizations. Throughout the discussion, I will describe four phases of human resource planning: (A) gathering and analyzing data to predict the expected demand of human resources as a business plan for the future and predict future human resource supply; (B) Establish objectives of human resources; (C) Design and implement programs that will enable the organization to achieve the objectives of human resources; And (D) Monitoring and evaluation of programs. Â  Activities related to the four phases of human resources planning are described for three different time horizons: short term (one year), intermediate term (two to three years) and long (over three years). These correspond to typical time horizons for business planning. Using the same conventions heads use to distinguish between activities with different time horizons is a step towards human resource planners can take to facilitate the integration efforts with business needs. . Although the four phases of human resource planning is conceptually the same regardless of time horizon, no practical difference to improve the functionality of four phases, as the time horizon expands. Therefore, activities related to the planning horizon for each explained separately and in sequence, starting with short-term planning. We start with the smallest term planning horizon because they are historically the HRM activities of many analysts have been made to achieve short-term goals. As organizations and HRM analysts began to recognize the potential benefits of engaging in more planning condition, however, in view of long-term issues has become more common. Therefore, as explained later in this thesis, many analysts HRM is now engaged in activities designed to prepare organizations for decades to come. In our discussion away from the stages of human activity Resource Planning, according to three time horizons, we do not mean to suggest that organizations which separates the planning of their activities in this way. The reality is that organizations should integrate their activities in the four phases of design, and the three time horizons, as shown in Figure 1. Since the feed-forward and feed-back arrows connecting the four phases of the design show, planning activities within a time frame associated with each other in a dynamic system. Initial phases (eg, forecasts of demand and supply) to serve as inputs to subsequent phases (eg, setting goals). Equally important, organizations can learn from the results obtained during the evaluation phase and then apply what is learned to make adjustments in goals and programs. In addition to the arrows connecting the four phases of design in each time frame, Figure 1 includes arrows to highlight (A) How long-term goals that can influence the design of shorter term (dotted line arrows), (B) how short-term results of the evaluation can affect the predictions for the future of human resources and programs designed to meet future requirements, and (c) the results achieved through the implementation of human resource programs may affect the business plans. Arrows connecting the design activities for different time horizons is important to note because it stressed that the planning for a time horizon usually has consequences for the other. For example, long-term planning almost always leads to the development of programs to be implemented within a short time and intermediate term. Moreover, the evaluation results obtained for short-term projects often lead to a re-evaluation of longer term projects which in turn can induce changes in programs designed to meet longer term. The idea is to have full integration of all types of human resource planning activities and the integration between human resources and business planning. Short-Term Human Resource Planning Many HRM analysts work on activities related to designing and implementing programs (e.g., recruitment, selection systems, and training programs) to meet short-term organizational needs. Such activities generally involve an element of planning in that they are future-oriented to some extent. Even projects for which objectives are expected to be achieved in as little time as a few months have, ideally, been designed with an understanding of how the short-term objectives are linked to the achievement of longer term objectives. For example, an aeronautics company engaged in a recruitment campaign to hire 100 engineers should have a clear understanding of how this hiring goal will help the company achieve long-term goals such as becoming a most innovative company in that industry. This hypothetical company also might have a college recruiting drive designed to find 75 college graduates to enter a training program in recognition of the fact that a growing company needs to prepare for the middle managers it will need 5 to 7 years hence, as well as the top level managers it will need in 10 to 15 years. As this hypothetical example highlights, in order for a clear linkage to exist between human resource planning and strategic business planning, it is essential that an organizations top executives have a fully articulated vision for the future, which has been communicated and accepted by managers throughout the organization. Forecasting Demand and Supply In a short-term time horizon, demand and supply of human resources can be predicted with some certainty. Human resource objectives follow logically from consideration of any discrepancies between demand and supply. Demand refers to the number and characteristics (e.g., skills, abilities, pay levels, or experience) of people needed for particular jobs at a given point in time and at a particular place. Supply refers to both the number and characteristics of people available for those particular jobs. Salient questions are What jobs need to be filled (or vacated) during the next 12 months? and How and where will we get people to fill (or vacate) those jobs? What jobs need to be filled and vacated? Answering the demand question involves predicting who will leave jobs and create vacancies, which jobs will be eliminated, and which new jobs will be created. One method for predicting both vacancies and job growth is to project historical trends into the future. This is particularly relevant for organizations affected by regular, cyclical fluctuations in demand for their products or services. Behavioural theories of the causes of turnover combined with employee surveys designed to assess attitudinal predictors of turnover (e.g., job satisfaction) also help HRM analysts and human resource planners predict how many currently filled positions are likely to become vacant. Such information can produce useful predictions when the organizational unit of interest is large, although making predictions about precisely which positions are likely to become vacant is less precise. Predictions about how many and what types of jobs will be eliminated or cre ated in the short term generally follow directly from business plans submitted by line managers. How and where will we get people to fill and vacate jobs? The first step in answering this question-the supply question-involves determining the desired characteristics of employees who fill (or vacate) the jobs of interest. Then the availability of those characteristics in the organizations current work force and in the external labour market must be assessed. The particular characteristics of current and potential employees that are inventoried and tracked by human resource planners are influenced by the nature of the organization and the environment in which it operates. For example, for human resource planners in growing organizations, simply finding people with the needed skills and abilities is likely to be a top priority. For planners in mature and declining organizations, the costs (e.g., salary level) associated with employees become more salient, especially if work-force reductions are needed. Thus it is important for the human resource planner to know the business needs and characteristics of the organization. This knowledge is gained by human resource planners meeting with line managers to discuss their business plans as well as their human resource needs. The process of discussion increases the accuracy of supply and demand forecasts and facilitates the establishment of human resource objectives.. Establishing Objectives With a short-time horizon, objectives are often easy to state in quantifiable terms. Examples of short-term human resource objectives include increasing the number of people who are attracted to the organization and apply for jobs (increase the applicant pool); attracting a different mix of applicants (with different skills, in different locations, etc.); improving the qualifications of new hires; increasing the length of time that desirable employees stay with the organization; decreasing the length of time that undesirable employees stay with the organization; and helping current and newly hired employees quickly develop the skills needed by the organization. Such objectives can generally be achieved in a straightforward way by applying state-of-the-art human resource management techniques and working with line managers to ensure agreement with and understanding of the program objectives. Design and Implementation of Short-Term Programs The technical skills of HRM analysts are often applied to short-term program design and implementation. For example, recruiting programs are used to influence the size and quality of the applicant pool. Selection programs are developed for making hiring decisions. Performance appraisal systems identify performance deficiencies to be corrected and competencies to be rewarded. Training programs emphasize developing skills for use in the near future. Compensation systems are designed to attract new employees, to motivate people to perform well, and to retain employees. Even when these activities are designed to achieve short-term objectives and are expected to have relatively immediate pay-offs, they can serve to help an organization achieve its longer term goals. A vice-president and general manager of a known Corporation (name withheld by request), described how short-term human resource planning efforts helped his organization achieve its strategic goals; The Company realized it had an opportunity to significantly increase its business, but to do so would require them to increase their hourly work force by a net of about 125 employees in one year, at a time when the local unemployment rate was only 2.5%. Past experiences had taught Barden that foreign immigrants often became excellent employees. Although there were many immigrants from a variety of different countries who were interested in employment, a major hurdle to their immediate success was their lack of fluency in English. The said V. President and General Manager described the problem and the solution, like this: To begin to be functioning, qualified Companys employees, newcomers must not only master the basic English vocabulary, but they must be able to look up standard operating procedures, read Material Safety Data sheets, and they must also master basic shop mathematics, measurement processes and blueprint reading . We asked Personnel to investigate how we might teach these people enough English to pay their way. The upshot was this: We employed an English language teacher. A special intensive course was developed in cooperation with our training unit. All students are on our payroll and meet with the English instructor four hours a day for 15 consecutive work days during working hours. The effect has been amazing. The confidence level of the students has soared as they have tried out their new language ability. Supervisors are impressed. And the word is getting out to the community with positive results. This example illustrates a problem that organizations will face increasingly in the near future, namely, a shortage of qualified entry-level job applicants. This demographic change is likely to mean that organizations will begin to shift the focus of their short-term human resource programs. During the past 30 years, the combined forces of equal employment opportunity (EEO) legislation and the abundant supply of new entrants into the labour force were congruent with human resource activities aimed at improving the ability of organizations to select employees on the basis of their job-related skills and abilities. Organizations benefitted from investing in the design, validation, and use of selection tests of all sorts. This is because even tests with relatively low, but nonzero, validity can have economic utility when selection ratios are sufficiently low. As the workforce shrinks, but the selection conditions will become more bigger. As a result, small marginal gains in test validity have less economic benefit, based on the past. To yield to invest in the development and use of modern methods for selecting economic returns have much more energy to combat the recruitment efforts for the number of candidates because only increase by attracting a large pool of candidates can be considered fair selection addressed are low. If small selection ratio can not be maintained, organizations can be concluded that their resources are better in training, efforts to achieve these few that are available to prepare invested. Examples of innovative recruiting programs are already plentiful. For example X Inc., has a mobile recruitment office, a van that a closed recruitment center that is looking for candidates, by visiting schools, shopping centers, and so on. X-2 employs successful minority business people to help in the community to recruit minority applicants and act as mentors. We can look at a real example: McDonalds Corporation as a leader in the recruitment of older workers emerged, which with TV commercials and formal relationships with senior citizens organizations. It is important to note that these efforts require the pool of candidates so often a coordinated medium-term programs designed to ensure that the non-traditional recruitment are effective and can be retained to expand. Evaluation of Short-Term Human Resource Programs Since for any evaluation of the program, true, this phase involves evaluating how well objectives have been achieved. Due to determine the short-term planning in terms of objectives, in general, that relatively easy to quantify (eg the number of candidates is the number of hires and performance of employees), systematic evaluation of programs for short-term organizational needs, staff development is quite feasible , and some types of program evaluations are indeed common in large organizations. For example, in part because a number of international and state laws prohibit certain forms of discrimination, in particular the selection programs have been carefully checked to ensure that employers make decisions concerning the selection of candidates, characteristics that are job related basis. Legal regulations have prompted many organizations, especially large, to evaluate empirically the relationship between applicant characteristics (eg skills) and job performance. Such evaluation stu dies (validity studies) benefit the employers because they serve the purpose of getting the right people in the right job monitor. Validity studies also serve an academic function by valuable data for researchers interested in improving our understanding of the factors that influence human performance. Until recently, when programs for the selection, training and motivation of HRM analysts criteria of effectiveness have been almost exclusively behavioral changes (such as performance and turnover were assessed) or settings (eg, job satisfaction and commitment). Such criteria have no defense to be accepted by analysts, but line management support for Human Resource programs can be difficult if the expected results of such programs are not translated in the language of business, that is, to get money. Building with continued progress in the utility analysis techniques, and human resources cost estimation techniques, it is always possible compelling economic arguments in support of human resources programs. of So, rather than argue for energy to spend resources to short-term programs that perform HRM analysts in organizational settings are free, more extensively engaged in medium-and long-term human resources issues. Intermediate Term Human Resource Planning As we have noted, is planning organizations used to the production or service delivery processes buffer from sources of uncertainty. Human resource programs for the recruitment, selection, training and motivation of staff to help reduce the uncertainty by ensuring that a sufficient number of people with the required characteristics and skills are available at all levels in the organizations. If the planning horizon is short, there is little uncertainty about what skills and how many people are needed, and it is forecast to provide relatively easy. However, rapid and ongoing changes in todays business world means that not just the future by simply projecting past trends can be expected. As the focus moves from short term planning in the medium term the question what do we need? is less easy to answer and so is always dominant. For medium-term planning, there is more uncertainty with respect to the question What will there be? Consequently, personnel planning for the distant future quickly raises the question, How can we determine what is needed and what will there be? In other words, more technical attention be given to the problem of forecasting. As a short-term staffing to provide the two problems of forecasting, demand and forecasts of both, before goals can be demonstrated and developed programs are addressed. With the growing uncertainty, the interaction between the human resource planners and line managers is critical for accurate forecasts of supply and demand. Medium-term Demand Forecast To forecast the number and characteristics of people who are necessary to the jobs that will exist in the organization of medium-term future (is in two three years ago), the strategic planner and try to organizational outputs to predict, as expected, the production volume, turnover and levels. The outputs that an organization to deliver produce or to use in combination with the technology, the organization that wants to dictate to generate the outputs, the human resources needs of the intended organization. Prediction outputs needed in view of factors such as future requirements of the market for the products and services, the organization offers, the share of the market that the organization is likely to be able to serve, the availability and nature of new technologies that the amounts can affect, and types of products or services that may be offered, and the various countries to serve in which the organization of it. The task of drawing up plans that specify the intended future results (in terms of quantity, type and location) of the organization is usually the responsibility of middle level managers. Human resource planners need to translate these objectives must be for outputs to predict the amount and type of jobs that people perform in order will produce the desired results. Prediction of future needs of human resources requires: (A) Once an accurate model of the factors that influence the demand and (B) is able to predict the state of all important variables in the model. Organizations that may be quite stable in environments that most models of the main factors that determine the demand for up to three years in the future to construct part. It is even possible that some organizations to quantify the expected values of the variables in their models, what they can statistical forecasting techniques such as regression analysis, using time series analysis and stochastic modeling of the human means demand forecast. For companies that are in an unstable environment, however, still three years predictions probably the most uncertain, since both the variables and their expected values difficult to specify precisely by on historical data. Given the complexity of the statistical forecast, it is understandable that the evaluative techniques used more frequently than statistical techniques. A simple type of judgmental forecasting is a Senior estimate. Estimates of staffing are made by middle-and lower-level line managers, which they pass to the top manager for further changes to an overall strategy demand forecast form. Increasingly, planners are human resource in these stages of the estimation and revision involved an integrated approach to planning ensured. A more sophisticated method of judgmental forecasting, the Delphi technique, developed a decision-making method in order to maximize benefits and minimize the dysfunctional aspects of group decision making is. In a Delphi session (which must not be face-to-face) take, several experts will present their forecasts and assumptions. An intermediary is any expert in the forecast and assumptions to the other, then the changes in their own forecasts. This process continues until a viable composite forecast is created. The composite may represent specific projections or a series of projections, depending on the expert positions. The Delphi technique seems to be particularly useful for the generation of solutions for unstructured and complex issues, such as those generated during the planning. There are limits, however. For example, if experts do not agree that their views on a final solution that all parties accept the yield can be difficult. Nevertheless, the personnel integrate planners various forecasts to establish the human resource objectives and design programs to achieve these objectives, and line managers are the forecasts as appropriate when they accept offers for their support during th e implementation phase of the Human Resources Programs . Both executives estimates and the Delphi technique usually on forecasts for the number of employees, the focus is likely to be needed. Less attention is usually paid to the question of quality (eg, skills and abilities) that require the prospective employee is primarily because techniques were not widely available for predicting this. If analysts participate in short-term planning, job analysis is used to need the qualities that employees in order to determine current run existing jobs. Rapid technological changes mean jobs in the future are certain jobs in the present, however, differ. As an indication of the fact that HRM analysts now frequently deal with problems of medium-term planning, research, efforts are underway to establish procedures for the implementation of future-oriented (strategic) job analysis and identifying the leadership skills that are necessary for developing effective performance in the future. Because job analysis results in the basis on which the majority of human resource programs are constructed, the development of sound future-oriented job analysis methods is a challenge that must meet HRM analysts before they can realize their potential as contributors to the long-term effectiveness of organizations. Forecasting Intermediate-Term Supply Supply forecasts can be derived from information from both internal and external sources, but internal sources are usually the most important

Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

Cry Baby Bridge The legend I collected was told to me by one of my softball teammates. My teammate is twenty-two years old. She told me this story on our team bus while we were driving at about noon. The atmosphere was light as a few of my other teammates were listening to, and quoting Dane Cook – a popular comedian. Here is the legend she told: There is this small bridge in a small city nearby. There was a car accident and a small child or baby died. And, um, it was in the local papers. It is said that at night, when your drive over it, you can hear the sound of a baby crying. And you know how signs on the side of the road reflect light and stuff? Well, you can’t see it with normal lighting, but when a car’s lights hit the sign at the right angle, you can see a baby’s footprints. My teammate originally heard this story from her classmates during her junior year in high school. My teammate had no problems remembering the story; she was more worried that I would think she thought it was true. There were pauses in her story telling as I wrote down what she said. She related the story with little emotion or suspense. The laughter in the background also affected the impact of the legend because it is difficult to be scared when there is laughter all around. My teammate also did not make a significant effort to enhance the effect of the story through hand motions or vocal tone inflections. Throughout the United States there are other legends and stories similar to the one my teammate told. A similar legend was told to me by my friend from high school. She is nineteen years old. She originally told me the story our sophomore year. I asked her to re-tell it to me a few weeks ago over the phone. There was not much emotion in her voice. Also, there were not many pauses as she had to tell me quickly because she had a class. In Aurora, Colorado, there is a legend about the Third Bridge. The Third Bridge can be found on Quincy Road heading east out of town. The bridge is next to a power plant in an otherwise, dusty, and deserted area of land. The legend states that a van of young children crashed and everyone was killed. Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends Cry Baby Bridge The legend I collected was told to me by one of my softball teammates. My teammate is twenty-two years old. She told me this story on our team bus while we were driving at about noon. The atmosphere was light as a few of my other teammates were listening to, and quoting Dane Cook – a popular comedian. Here is the legend she told: There is this small bridge in a small city nearby. There was a car accident and a small child or baby died. And, um, it was in the local papers. It is said that at night, when your drive over it, you can hear the sound of a baby crying. And you know how signs on the side of the road reflect light and stuff? Well, you can’t see it with normal lighting, but when a car’s lights hit the sign at the right angle, you can see a baby’s footprints. My teammate originally heard this story from her classmates during her junior year in high school. My teammate had no problems remembering the story; she was more worried that I would think she thought it was true. There were pauses in her story telling as I wrote down what she said. She related the story with little emotion or suspense. The laughter in the background also affected the impact of the legend because it is difficult to be scared when there is laughter all around. My teammate also did not make a significant effort to enhance the effect of the story through hand motions or vocal tone inflections. Throughout the United States there are other legends and stories similar to the one my teammate told. A similar legend was told to me by my friend from high school. She is nineteen years old. She originally told me the story our sophomore year. I asked her to re-tell it to me a few weeks ago over the phone. There was not much emotion in her voice. Also, there were not many pauses as she had to tell me quickly because she had a class. In Aurora, Colorado, there is a legend about the Third Bridge. The Third Bridge can be found on Quincy Road heading east out of town. The bridge is next to a power plant in an otherwise, dusty, and deserted area of land. The legend states that a van of young children crashed and everyone was killed.

Stereotypes About People With Disabilities Essay -- Stereotypes of Dis

Disabled people are often stereotyped. A stereotype is an over simplified mental picture of a person or group. Stereotypes of disabled people are things such as; they should be pitied; they are receivers of charity; they are brave; 'super crip' or even aggressive and angry, an example of these stereotypes are put to use in Forrest Gump. It shows Lieutenant Dan as being bitter and having a chip on his shoulder; it also shows Forrest Gump as being like a super crip an extraordinary person who does marvelous things without meaning too. Stereotypes probably originate from feelings like fear; superiority; repulsion and pity. These feelings are likely to have been given through primary and secondary agents of socialization, i.e. parents, friends and the media. I have watched a film advertisement for multiple sclerosis, which has stereotypes within it; I will analyze it and write about any changes that could be made to estimate stereotypes To make a film representation of an issue several elements are involved. Firstly there is editing controls, what happens between shots, it helps control time and space and highlight similarities and differences between shots. In the multiple sclerosis advert editing is used to cut between a long shot of a woman, to an extreme close up of her eye, this shocks the audience holding their attention as well as showing the women's pain. Secondly camera shots decide on how you look at something, how far or near, from what angle and how the camera moves. In the advert, extreme close-ups are used to show the lady's hand clenching some fabric; it has the effect of showing the audience she is in pain. ... ...they have different physical and mental characteristics  · Show the societal barriers that keep them from living a full live. Disabled people face more barriers in life then most people, barriers from prejudice to a door that can't be opened, these should be highlighted and tried to be amended or solutions found.  · Disabled people are not sexual; show them as having loving relationships and the same sexual needs and desires as someone who isn't disabled.  · Show them as being part of life in fictional and factual representation because they are part of life and this should be accepted.  · Most importantly, train them, cast them and write them into scripts programmes and publication just like everyone else, this way disabled people can present themselves These will all improve representation in the media. Stereotypes About People With Disabilities Essay -- Stereotypes of Dis Disabled people are often stereotyped. A stereotype is an over simplified mental picture of a person or group. Stereotypes of disabled people are things such as; they should be pitied; they are receivers of charity; they are brave; 'super crip' or even aggressive and angry, an example of these stereotypes are put to use in Forrest Gump. It shows Lieutenant Dan as being bitter and having a chip on his shoulder; it also shows Forrest Gump as being like a super crip an extraordinary person who does marvelous things without meaning too. Stereotypes probably originate from feelings like fear; superiority; repulsion and pity. These feelings are likely to have been given through primary and secondary agents of socialization, i.e. parents, friends and the media. I have watched a film advertisement for multiple sclerosis, which has stereotypes within it; I will analyze it and write about any changes that could be made to estimate stereotypes To make a film representation of an issue several elements are involved. Firstly there is editing controls, what happens between shots, it helps control time and space and highlight similarities and differences between shots. In the multiple sclerosis advert editing is used to cut between a long shot of a woman, to an extreme close up of her eye, this shocks the audience holding their attention as well as showing the women's pain. Secondly camera shots decide on how you look at something, how far or near, from what angle and how the camera moves. In the advert, extreme close-ups are used to show the lady's hand clenching some fabric; it has the effect of showing the audience she is in pain. ... ...they have different physical and mental characteristics  · Show the societal barriers that keep them from living a full live. Disabled people face more barriers in life then most people, barriers from prejudice to a door that can't be opened, these should be highlighted and tried to be amended or solutions found.  · Disabled people are not sexual; show them as having loving relationships and the same sexual needs and desires as someone who isn't disabled.  · Show them as being part of life in fictional and factual representation because they are part of life and this should be accepted.  · Most importantly, train them, cast them and write them into scripts programmes and publication just like everyone else, this way disabled people can present themselves These will all improve representation in the media.

Network installation

Choosing a network that does not meet an organization's needs leads directly to trouble. A common problem arises from choosing a peer-to-peer network when the situation calls for a server-based network Peer to peer networks share responsibility for processing data among all of the connected devices. Peer-to-peer networking (also known simply as peer networking) differs from client-server networking in several respects. According to the computer specifications a peer-to-peer network is inadequate. It can exhibit problems with changes in the network site. These are more likely to be logistical or operational problems than hardware or software problems. For example users may turn off computers that are providing resources to others on the network. (Rutter, 2008). When a network's design is too limited, it cannot perform satisfactorily in some environments. Problems can vary depending on the type of network topology in effect. The physical topology of a network is the layout or actual appearance of the cabling scheme used on a network. Multipoint topologies share a common channel; each device needs a way to identify itself and the device to which it wants to send information. The method used to identify senders and receivers is called addressing. (Mitchel, 2008) The term topology, or more specifically, network topology, refers to the arrangement or physical layout of computers, cables, and other components on the network. â€Å"Topology† is the standard term that most network professionals use when they refer to the network's basic design. In addition to the term â€Å"topology,† there are other terms that are used to define a network's design: Physical layout, Design, Diagram or Map. (Mitchel, 2008). A network's topology affects its capabilities. The choice of one topology over another will have an impact on the type of equipment the network needs, Capabilities of the equipment, Growth of the network and Way the network is managed. According to Rutter, a network topology needs planning. For example, a particular topology can determine not only the type of cable used but also how the cabling runs through floors, ceilings, and walls. Topology can also determine how computers communicate on the network. Different topologies require different communication methods, and these methods have a great influence on the network. The most popular and recommendable method of connecting the cabling in the proposed computer network is the client server architecture of star topology. Here each device connects to a central point via a point-to-point link. Several names are used for the central point including the following: Hub, Multipoint Repeater, Concentrator, or Multi-Access Unit (MAU). (Microsoft MVP, 2004). For the recommended network, the central point ought to be an intelligent hub, which can make informed path selections and perform some network management. Intelligent hubs route traffic only to the branch of the star on which the receiving node is located. If redundant paths exist, an intelligent hub can route information around normally used paths when cable problems occur. Routers, bridges, ; switches are examples of hub devices that can route transmissions intelligently. These hubs are advanced such that they are able to accommodate several different types of cables. In this case there can be a main hub (the hybrid) with other sub-hubs especially for growth purposes. Intelligent hubs also can incorporate diagnostic features that make it easier to troubleshoot network problems. Hub-based systems are versatile and offer several advantages over systems that do not use hubs. In the standard star topology with hubs, a break in any of the cables attached to the hub affects only a limited segment of the network mostly only one workstation while the rest of the network keeps functioning.   In this kind of a system, wiring systems can be changed or expanded as needed, different ports can be used to accommodate a variety of cabling types and monitoring of network activity and traffic can be centralized. (Rutter, 2008) The star topology has many benefits; first each device is isolated on its own cable. This makes it easy to isolate individual devices from the network by disconnecting them from the wiring hub. Secondly all data goes through the central point, which can be equipped with diagnostic devices that make it easy to trouble shoot and manage the network. Lastly the Hierarchical organization allows isolation of traffic on the channel. This is beneficial when several, but not all, computers place a heavy load on the network. Traffic from those heavily used computers can be separated from the rest or dispersed throughout for a more even flow of traffic. According to Rutter This topology originated in the early days of computing when computers were connected to a centralized mainframe computer. One machine can act as a server and as a client at the same time since the setup is not concerned with security. This machine should be the one with the highest processing speed (3GHz), largest Random Access memory (1 Gb) and enough disk space (120 Gb). The importance of the server is to concentrate common peripheral devices, which do not need to be in multiples in the network. This computer can meet the processing and storage needs of other users, it can be able to support many more users in cases of expansion, it also enables administration of resources centrally in cases of troubleshooting there is more consistency and reliability and it also provides backup for the other machines. The server has many dedicated specialized functions in addition to providing basic network services. First it can be dedicated to managing network printers and print jobs to avoid unnecessary spooling. Secondly it can manage modems and other types of communication links. It can also be used to store large databases and run some database applications. Fourthly it can run an application for the access across the network. It can act as a mail server and provide access to email services as well as sending and forwarding email messages to intended recipients in the network. Lastly a server may provide a wide range of information to the public Internet or private intranets form the network. Upgrades can be to maintain, troubleshoot, update and fix the other computers remotely. It's way more effective than trying to explain what to do over the phone. Conclusion Topologies remain an important part of network design theory. You can probably build a home or small business network without understanding the difference between a bus design and a star design, but understanding the concepts behind these gives you a deeper understanding of important elements like hubs, broadcasts, and routes Work Cited: Brandley Mitchel, The New York Times Company. (2008). Wireless Networking. . Retrieved May 10, 2008 from: http://compnetworking.about.com/ Microsoft Most Valuable Profession, (2004, 1st December). Hardware and software specifications. http://www.ezlan.net/Installing.html Daniel Rutter, (2008,1st April). Ethernet Networking. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from: http://www.dansdata.com/network.htm

Burundi’s Millenium Development Goals Essay

This paper aims to examine the millennium development goals for Burundi, a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa. Burundi has 8 different millennium development goals that it is attempting to achieve and this paper will examine five of those goals. The millennium development goals of Burundi that will be addressed are to: (1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, (2) achieve universal primary education, (3) promote gender equality and empower women, (4) reduce child mortality, and (5) improve maternal health. Burundi, as well as all other less developed countries, is aiming to meet its development goals by the year 2015. And in order for Burundi to achieve each of its millennium development goals on time, the country has created targets that directly affect each of the goals and give insight into whether or not Burundi is on track to accomplish its goals. The first millennium development goal of Burundi is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. In order to accomplish this, the first target that Burundi wants to meet is to cut in half, between 1990 and 2015, the number of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. The second target is to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger between 1990 and 2015. There are many factors that must be examined to determine if progress is being made to accomplish both of these targets and essentially the overall development goal. When looking at the first target, it is important to examine the percentage of population below $1 (PPP) of consumption per day, percentage of total population below national poverty line, and the percent of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption. In doing so, we see that in 1990, 84.2% of Burundi’s population that was under $1 (PPP) of consumption per day and there has been little progress since then, as it reached 86.4% in 2000 and then decreased to 81.3% in 2010. We also see that there was a very significant decrease in the percentage of total population below national poverty, going from 91.3% in 1990 to 52.4% in 2010 – which represents significant progress toward eradicating extreme poverty. It is evident that the percent of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption has made little progress over the years, as it went from 8.3% in 1990, down to 5.0% in 2000 and then back up to 9.0% in 2010. For the second target, we must look at the percentage of children under 5 that are moderately or severely underweight and the percentage of population that is undernourished. When doing so, it is evident that the percentages of children under 5 that are moderately or severely underweight have greatly decreased from 1990 to 2010, as it went from 51.6% to 30.4%. Although this represents some progress, the percentage of Burundi’s population that is undernourished has not improved. In fact, Burundi’s undernourished population rose dramatically over time as it went from 49.0% in 1990 to 73.1% in 2010. The second development goal of Burundi is to achieve universal primary education. In order to achieve this goal, the country is aiming for all children, boys and girls alike, to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015. In order to determine if Burundi is on track to meet this goal, it is essential to look at the percentage of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds, net enrollment in primary education (both sexes), and the percentage of pupils starting grade 1 and reaching grade 5 (both sexes). When examining these three measures, the numbers show that there was only slight advancement over the years in the percentage of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds and the percentage of pupils who started 1st grade and reached 5th grade. Although that was the case, there was major advancement for net enrolment in primary education. The percent of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds was 65.3% in 1990, had a slight increase to 73.3% in 2000, and then slightly increased again to 77.6% in 2010. This was similar to trends for the children who started 1st grade and made it to 5th grade, which was 44.3% in 1990, rose to 53.8% in 2000 and then hit 56.10% in 2010. On the other hand, net enrollment in primary education has seen major progress as it jumped from 19.8% in 1990 to 44.9% in 2000 to 94.5% in 2010. The third development goal of Burundi is to promote gender equality and empower women. The target to reach this goal was to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015. The percentage of seats held by women in national parliament and the Gender Parity Index for primary and secondary education enrollment levels can both be used to see if Burundi is on track to meet this goal by 2015. When observing the percentage of seats held by women in national parliament over the years, it is evident that major progress has been made. This is evidenced by the fact that it went from 2.2% in 1990 and reached 94.5% in 2010. In addition, the Gender Parity Index in primary level enrollment has made pretty consistent progress over the years, but the major advancement has occurred in secondary level enrollment, as it went from .56 in 1990 to .72 in 2010. The fourth millennium development goal of Burundi is to reduce child mortality where the country set a target to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two thirds from 1990 to 2015. We can study the percentage of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles and the mortality rate per 1,000 births for children under five years old to determine the progress that has been made to accomplish this goal. When viewing the percentage of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles, it is apparent that this has been a key focus in Burundi over the years, as it has gone from 74% in 1990 to an astounding 94% in 2010. The mortality rate per 1,000 births for children under five years old has also shown advancement in Burundi. This can be seen by the fact that it fell from 182.6 in 1990, to 164.6 in 2000, and to 141.7 in 2010. A fifth development goal that Burundi hopes to accomplish by 2015 is to improve maternal health. They aim to reach this goal by reducing the maternal mortality rate by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. The percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel and the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births are key indicators to show if Burundi is on the right path to achieve this goal. After examining the percentage of births that were attended by skilled health personnel in Burundi in 2000 compared to that of 2010, it is clear that a great amount of progress had been made. Skilled health personnel participated in only 25.2% of births in 2000 but significantly increased to 60.3% of births in 2010. And lastly, the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births has slowly decreased over the last 20 years, as it went from 1100 to 1000 from 1990 to 2000 and from 1000 down to 800 from 2000 to 2010. After examining the millennium development goals for Burundi, it is evident that there has been a significant amount of progress made in many different areas. This can be seen when examining the percent of total population below national poverty line, percent of children under 5 moderately or severely underweight, percent of population that is undernourished, net enrollment in primary education (both sexes), percent of seats held by women in national parliament, Gender Parity Index in both primary and secondary level enrollment, percent of 1-year-old children that are immunized against measles, and the percent of births attended by skilled health personnel. This progress is essential because it is the only way a less developed country like Burundi has a chance to become a developed country in the future. Despite this progress, it is clear that there are also some targets that have shown minimal or no advancement and this will hinder Burundi from reaching its millennium development goals. These targets include the percent of population below $1 (PPP) consumption per day, percentage of the poorest quintile’s share in national income or consumption, percent of literacy rates of 15-24 year olds, and the percent of pupils (both sexes) starting grade 1 and reaching grade 5. If these specific targets are not achieved, it will be difficult for Burundi to reach all of its millennium development goals by 2015 despite its progress in the other targeted areas.