Is knowledge management a fad? Essay

Abstract Knowledge management is a broad term that includes tools and theories from various fields. T.D. Wilson had been impeaching the need for knowledge management and he had come to the conclusion that knowledge management is just a fad started by consultancy companies and IT/ICT departments. This paper examines the righteousness of this proclamation and provides explanations and specifications of some conclusions that had T.D. Wilson provided in his work â€Å"The nonsense of ‘knowledge management’†. Is knowledge management a fad? 1 The need of KM in information society With the instantaneous global information sharing is arising the need of knowledge management. This is based on the evolution and transformation of society. Every year the amount of the whole human knowledge is doubled. The role of information in current organization has transferred from peripheral and incidental to central and fundamental. Management is no longer supervising their employees, but instead is prioritizing feedback from the employees and therefore the function of the manager has shifted from pure decision making to information processing (Brunet-Thorton, 2010). Information society is characterized by the interconnection of information sources, the ease of transferring categorizing and saving information with the help of applied use of data digitalization. In the definition of information society has the large importance the fact that inner telecommunication structures are more and more dependent on outer telecommunication systems. An example of this interconnectedness can be the internet, which is for our society nearly indispensable. And therefore is enabling the impressive growth of communicational and informational business organizations. With the beginning of the 21st century we can observe strong globalization tendencies – huge networks if users, which are able to communicate and share information without the presence of third persons. This way the volume and amount of knowledge information and data is astonishingly expanding. The communication infrastructure is slowly becoming the infrastructure used for knowledge sharing. The information society is indirectly enabling smaller companies and businesses to get involved in global trade market. For accomplishing their business objectives, these companies can get advantage in using new paths for trading such as on time production and delivery, online publishing, teleworking and network based virtual teams. The rapid evolution of information-globalized market is supporting the transformation to perfect market – from the economical perspective. New businesses opportunities are emerging form these technology shortcuts. Specific examples from the present can be Google or Facebook, which have so far used the information globalization most prospectively. Information society can bring new paths to advance the economy and contribute to increasing the number of highly skilled jobs, but at the expense of reducing the number of working positions with lower or no qualifications. A key factor is the role of education and retraining of unskilled workers, especially in government and public administration. This is closely related to other difficulties emerging from information society – safety and protection of information. You will need to modify the legislation together with the development and emergence of new information technologies. The fight against cyber-crimes, data protection, information privacy, i.e., to prevent fraud with the certification authorities and prevent the spread of malicious code should be a top priority in the developing information society. 2 Data, Information, Knowledge We can define data as a â€Å"crude facts relating to things and events that have not been processed or organised† (Thorton, 2010). An example can be database filled with numbers. Without knowing the context – what the abbreviations describing each column mean we cannot get any information from these data. Another example can be a text in a foreign language. Without knowing this language we are not able to transform data (characters) into any information (meaning of whole words and sentences) and consequently we are not able to obtain any knowledge from this text. Data become information, when they havebeen manipulated permitting its meaning to be understood. (Thorton, 2010) One of the tons of definitions of knowledge is: â€Å"Knowledge is directly related to understanding and is gained through the interpretation of information. Knowledge enables us to interpret information i.e. derive meaning from data. The interpretation of meaning is framed by the perceiver’s knowledge.â€Å" (Mark Sharratt & Abel Usoro, 2003, p.188). The definition of knowledge management becomes more interesting then definition of knowledge, because of the various views on this term as Wilson points out (Wilson, 2002, What is ‘knowledge management’?, para. 1). Despite the recent lack of agreement on what is meant by knowledge management, the definitions of knowledge management aim at three core components of knowledge management: knowledge/information repositories, communities and networks and experts and knowers. (Chatti & Jarke & Frosch-Wilke, 2007, page 406) 3 Tacit explicit and implicit knowledge Wilson has also raised the question about explicit knowledge. He is literally asking the reader â€Å"Does it make any difference to the argument if, in the diagram, we replace â€Å"tacit knowledge† with â€Å"knowledge† and â€Å"explicit knowledge† with â€Å"information†?† He is not answering his question, so it may seem unanswered, but while reading the whole paragraph, which is quite critical to the established distinction between explicit knowledge and information, I stopped looking for the answer, because it quite evident that this question is just rhetorical. Other authors are fairly more specific about the term of explicit knowledge. One of the views is offering Stenmark: The fact that routines, procedures, rules, manuals, books, blueprints, and all the other examples given above are useful does not make it knowledge. They all need knowledge to be decoded and are therefore not knowledge but information, albeit interwoven with the knowledge required to create it. Knowledge, which remains tacit, is also needed to interpret the information. Although some argue that â€Å"knowledge† may be embedded in a text (e.g., a balance sheet where columns and totals have predefined meanings), the reader cannot appreciate it without bringing the required personal knowledge (2002, page 6). As a conclusion I think a can say that the term explicit knowledge can be used synonymously with information. 4 Knowledge in VSE courses In order to show the importance and purport of knowledge management I am presenting here the syllabuses of few courses from The University of Economics, Prague that engaged with knowledge. 4IZ210 – Information and Knowledge Processing Aims of the course: To familiarize students with basic methods for both information storage and retrieval, as well as for acquisition and processing of formalized knowledge. Furthermore, the aim is to highlight the interrelationship of these areas and outline anticipated developments. Learning outcomes and competences: Find and process information about companies and present the processed information, especially for analysis of the competitive environment. The emphasis is put on working with electronic information resources. Apply the selected method for knowledge discovery in databases on a given data and publish acquired knowledge to an expert. The emphasis is put on working with association rules. Understand the basic methods selected for processing information and knowledge within presented subjects. Course contents: The method for storing and retrieving information, methods of obtaining and processing of formalized knowledge, solving practical problems. (4IZ210 syllabus, n.d.) This course is dealing with all free levels of intelligence produced by humans: data information and knowledge. Student should be able to distinguish between these three easily and they should also be capable of transforming one to another. 3MA661 – Management of Knowledge Workers Aims of the course:Introduce students to modern tools and methods of management convenient for management of knowledge workers. Demonstrate those tools and methods in real life corporate situations. Learning outcomes and competences: distinguish between tacit and explicit dimension of knowledge, use basic tools for work with explicit and tacit knowledge, identify knowledge workers in organization and classify them to groups in relation to their importance for organization and style of work, manage and develop knowledge workers in relation to their personality type, manage personal development of knowledge workers, initiate and manage process of knowledge sharing among knowledge workers, create visions and get the support of knowledge workers for them. Aims of the course:Explain importance of knowledge for business and management. Present key concepts and processes of knowledge management and demonstrate them on case studies. Explain the term tacit knowledge and teach students to work with it. (3MA661 syllabus, n.d.) This syllabus is quite unspecific about specifying knowledge management tools used for managing knowledge workers. It seems, just from the text of this syllabus that this course is overlapping with majority of the topics with the Knowledge management course. 4SA320 Information Management Basics Aims of the course: Course offers basic theoretical background as well as practical application of information management. It presents information management as multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary science, which integrates knowledge in three areas – modern management, system approach and informatics. The content of the course accents global overview of the information society, its development and presents main topics of managerial work in conditions of actual information society. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to know the legal frame of information society in conditions of the CR, work with components of Integrated Management System, actively know how to use basics of knowledge management in the area of enterprise informatics. (4SA320 syllabus, n.d.) I absolved this course last year. From the syllabus it seems that student will have to do lots of with knowledge. So thought I, and although I wasn’t really able to tell much difference between information and knowledge, my expectations were aimed on knowledge – from my today’s point of view. But this course is purely focused on Information management. It peeks more into technological and legal fields than in management of knowledge itself. And as the last I would like to present not a course of The University of Economics, Prague but a student’s site called vseborec.cz. It’s not primarily a knowledge management tool, but rather an information sharing site. But from simple sharing site for student’s notes to lectures it has developed to a ‘database of student knowledge’. It’s quite interesting that has expanded to today’s proportions thanks to the sharing and unselfish naturel of students on a school which aim is to teach its student to compete and not to share. You can find out what will be the professor and his lectures like even before enlisting in the course. 5 Web searches analyse To support or refuse the formulation of Wilson that knowledge management is just a fad (2001, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 1) I made an analyse of web searches on Google in the period of the last six years. If the term ‘knowledge management’ is in the business world used just as a synonym for the term ‘information management’ the total amount of searches for the term’ knowledge management’ should be increasing to the prejudice of the term ‘information management’. The absolute amount of web searches for both, the information and knowledge management, has been obviously decreasing in the period of the years 2004 and 2007. The drop of searches is simultaneous for both of the terms, therefore we cannot say that knowledge management is replacing information management, at least in the sphere of web searching. Among the most popular places around the world for searching the term knowledge management in the period of last 12 months is leading South Africa followed by Kenya Malaysia and India. But in the year 2004 in the top ten places for web searching ‘Knowledge management’ we can find countries such as United Kingdom, Italy and Australia. The shift of popularity from western countries to African and Asian areas is evident. (Google Insights, 2010) Graph 1 Web search worldwide (Google Insights, 2010) This is the conclusion that has T.D. Wilson come up with: â€Å"The inescapable conclusion of this analysis of the ‘knowledge management’ idea is that it is, in large part, a management fad, promulgated mainly by certain consultancy companies, and the probability is that it will fade away like previous fads.†(Wilson, 2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, para. 1). And according to my web searches analysis it really looks like that knowledge management is just a fad. The interest in knowledge management has been decreasing for the last six years. But I think that this is only due to the acceptance of knowledge management as such in western cultures and the simultaneous inception of knowledge management awareness not just in business world but also at universities and in a public sector. And due to this conclusion I presume that the growth of interest in knowledge management in South Africa, Kenya, India, Malaysia and other south Asian and African countries is because of the lack of general awareness about knowledge management and not because of the late arrival of â€Å"fashionable knowledge management† to less developed countries. 6 Reasons of knowledge management popularity rocketing Wilson presented in his paper five arguments, why he thinks that knowledge management has been experiencing such a boom in the past decade. Here are they: First, and largely because of a fixation on internal organizational data, the term ‘information’ has become almost synonymous with data in the minds of organizational heads. For example, I’ve been told that the National Electronic Library for Health uses the term ‘Knowledge’ because in the NHS information=data and a different term was needed. We have to lay this, I think, at the feet of the information systems profession whose focus for years was data and data definitions, etc. In fact, they dealt not with information systems but with data systems. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 2) This is, of course, misinterpretation of data and information. If is somebody using this terms incorrectly in one organization, that doesn’t mean that everybody else should take these terms as synonyms. Information systems are by definition â€Å"computerized tools that assist people in transforming data into information† (DiBiase, 2008) but data systems are just groups of facts presented in a specific order (pixels forming a picture, radio waves broadcasted at one frequency). Secondly, and opportunely for the software houses and IT firms, ‘km’ came along just as they were being hit by the wave of scepticism over the possibility of IT ever delivering more than problems – and certainly never likely to deliver productivity and performance. ‘Whoops, we’ve cracked it!’ cried the IBMs and MSofts of this world – ‘We should have been dealing with ‘knowledge’ all along, and now we are – Lotus Notes is no l onger groupware and personal information management, it’s KnowledgeWare!’ So they are happily marketing the same product under a new name. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 3) As I mentioned earlier, the term knowledge management is on its raise, not because of marketing strategy of IT/ICT companies, but because of its popularity increasing with the needs for better entitlement of the information society. Thirdly, the organization and management boys finally began to realise that all this text that people were creating on word-processors, etc., needed to be managed effectively and, indeed, organized, shared and disseminated more effectively, but they couldn’t use ‘information management’ because that was ‘information systems’ and data, wasn’t it? So it must be ‘knowledge’, right? If we can only get people to share their ‘knowledge’ performance must improve because it is the communication barriers that are preventing the free flow of ‘knowledge’ (i.e., information). So, now, every aspect of organization and management theory has to have a ‘knowledge’ dimension, other wise you aren’t in the game. In the literature, of course, this amounts to the token use of the term ‘knowledge management’ and the use of ‘knowledge’ as a synonym for ‘information’. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 4) Knowledge shouldn’t be used synonymously with information and I hope that this is not happening, at least at academic level. Also Wilson is not differentiating between data and information system which definitions are noted above. Fourthly, at the forefront of all this were the management consultancies – why? Because BPR and Organizational Learning were running out of steam. Amusingly, all organizational learning work appears to come under the heading of ‘km’ – more search and replace marketing. So, the consultancies grabbed at km in order to have something to sell at the end of the 90s. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 5) The consultancies are always looking for the needs of business market and therefore they should be reflecting the needs of this market, at least to some point, so this point might be valid on a small extent of a scale. Finally, most (or at least many) departments of information management or information science, and departments of information systems in academia, are somewhat low on the totem pole in most of their institutions, and each needs to differentiate itself from the other in order to try to work its way up that greasy pole, so both have seized on km as an aid in the struggle. I foresee turf-wars over which department, where there is one of each, has the right to run degrees in km. Where only one of the kind exists, it will seek to make km all-embracing of management, computer science, information systems, etc., etc. – because the logic leads nowhere else 🙂 ‘If we deal with knowledge – then how can anyone else presume to do so?’ (Wilson, 2001, pa. 6) The logic of Wilson leads nowhere else, because that is exactly what knowledge management is about: people, culture, technology, processes. The knowledge management is closer with its aim to the management and organization and the departments of information management are rising from IT/ICT fields so the need to go up should be also emerging from management places and not from information management departments. 7 Conclusion With the development of new technologies in information and communication sector the new term ‘knowledge management’ has begun to be used in business sector. The term as such is not useless and meaning less as suggested by Wilson in his research. Wilson is asking the readers in the conclusion of his paper:†If getting promotion, or holding your job, or finding a new one is based on the knowledge you possess – what incentive is there to reveal that knowledge and share it?†(2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 2). And my answer to this probably rhetorical question is: Your working experience, your social and cultural background and most importantly your education. From all of these you can predict the amount of knowledge one possesses. Although it cannot be evaluated by any empirical measures, the existing society is surviving without these accurate measurements and surprisingly she is doing quite well. This is not to say that enabling people to contribute effectively to the management of organizations is impossible and that sharing knowledge and enabling people to use their creativity in innovative ways in organizations is impossible – simply that it is very difficult, and that it does not reduce to some simplistic concept of ‘knowledge management’! It demands a change in business culture, from the macho Harvard Business School model, to something more thoughtful and understanding of what motivates human beings. Organizations need to learn to think about problems, rather than grab at proffered ‘solutions’ – which often turn out to be expensive side-tracks away from the main issues (Wilson, 2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 3). And that’s why knowledge management isn’t just a simplistic concept. It includes tools from various fields such as and uses them for improvement of knowledge culture within the organization. The slight decrease in popularity of knowledge management in the last six years shows not the recess of knowledge management as a fad, but it rather shows the wide acceptance of knowledge management in the western society. The views presented by Wilson are shocking and very easy to understand and that’s why I find this view presented by Wilson too simplistic and demagogic to some extent. References 3MA661 – Management of Knowledge Workers FPH – WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=68577 4SA320 – Information Management – Basic FIS – WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=68886 4IZ210 – Information and Knowledge Processing FIS WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=69183 Brunet-Thorton, R. (2010) Knowledge management. Presented at The University of Economics, Prague 3MA624 Knowledge Mangement lecture. 11th November Chatti, M.A. and Jarke, M. and Frosch-Wilke, D (2007) The future of e-learning: a shift to knowledge networking and social software. Int. J. Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 3, Nos. 4/5, 2007 Retrieved from: http://cites eerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.141.3202&rep=rep1&type=pdf DiBiase, D. (2008) Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access Glossary. Retrieved from: http://www.pasda.psu.edu/tutorials%5Coutreachglossary.asp Google Insights (2010) Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=knowledge%20management%2Cinformation%20management&cmpt=q Sharratt, M and Usoro, A. (2003). Understanding Knowledge-Sharing in Online communities of Practice. Page 188. Retrieved from: http://www.thestep.gr/trainmor/dat/%7B7a8f15e0-b7eb-404e-864a-ef0eb1403751%7D/article.pdf Stenmark, D. (2002), Information vs. Knowledge: The Role of intranets in Knowledge Management, Proceedings of the 35th Hawaii

Agriculture and Development

Agriculture is in many parts of the world is the main source of food and income of households. The role that agriculture plays in development has been debated during the last decades and the views about it are very diverse. Today, many authors consider agriculture as an essential factor for development and an important instrument for poverty alleviation. In my opinion access to land and water is an indispensable condition to ensure the livelihood of the poor.The current market conditions and the economic liberalization process make it difficult for small farmers to compete with the international sphere, which led many people to move out of agriculture. Also, the market-driven economy has serious environmental consequences, which leads to the investment in the research of more sustainable agriculture methods. In this essay, we provide a situational analysis of agriculture in the third world, which warrants our interest in the same. 1. Different views about Agriculture and Development. For some authors agriculture is a provider of raw material for the rest of the economic sectors and it is seen as a mere contributor to fuel economic development. This simplistic vision contrast with that of those who see agriculture as an essential instrument for industrialization, allowing the transfer of capital to urban areas, stimulating the market and, thus, resulting in economic development. According to Norton (2004), most of economic theories of the last 50 years support industrialization as the basis of economic development.Many governments supporting this theory saw liberalization of agricultural goods as the key for economic growth, without taking into account the effect of dependency that the new system would create. 2. The effects of the market on rural agriculture. The case of Kenya, The global economy and liberalization has deep effects on agriculture, and especially on the economy of smallholder’s farmers in the Third World. New market arrangements have broug ht opportunities for some farmers, but also had negative impact on others, who cannot compete with the low prices established by a liberalized trade.An example of this is the case of Kenya, which as many countries in Africa, suffered from a strong economic crisis during the 80s. The new international terms of trade and the increase of the world interest rates, together with internal causes (such as one of the worst drought periods of its history and political mismanagement) led to disastrous consequences on its agriculture. International market arrangements greatly influence the rural poor livelihoods as it establishes the rules that may not allow them to play in the market.These rules are designed to benefit exclusively large commercial farmers, instead of rural smallholders farmers who have experienced a reduction in their incomes. Food prices are intimately connected to the world market in areas where the poor live. 3. Agriculture research for development. Smallholder farmers pro duce food, which will be consumed by the poor, so rural agriculture, is a key for the livelihoods of the majority of the world’s poorest people (Kydd, 2002).Therefore, agriculture is a central question of development and it needs the adoption of convenient technologies for the different rural population’s needs. The idea is that smallholder farmers will be able to increase their capacities to improve their living standard through their own efforts. Thus, rather than addressing the symptoms should be better to address the causes of poverty through the application of more appropriate agriculture methods to rural farmers. The commercialization of agriculture has also led to a set of agriculture practices completely different from those of the last century.These changes are basically imposed by the new market demands and by the producers’ attempts to answer it. The new agricultural patterns involved a change in the research methods carried out by private organizatio ns searching for more efficient production practices. In this context, advances in biotechnology in the last decades have focused on profitable markets, especially orientated to large commercial agriculture. According to Norton, (2004), irrigation alone cannot be the only basis to supply food to an increasing world population.Important advances have been made in GMO as a new alternative to food production in order to feed future generations. â€Å"Participatory technology development†, where the farmers acquire the control and play a crucial role on agricultural development. Like in the years before industrialization, small farmers have again in his hands the tools for technological change in agriculture, although this new participatory process is still in its development stage. 4. Gender considerations.Due to the essential role that women are playing today on the economy of the household in developing countries, agriculture development research cannot ignore gender issues wh en designing new programs. Women in many countries produce a large part of the food crops of the households and they are essential for the family’s food security (IFAD, 2001). . References. Bibliography. Duncan, A. & Howell, J. (1992). Structural Adjustment and the African Farmer. London and Portsmouth: ODI, James Currey Ltd. & Heinemann Educational Books, Inc. o Search Top of Form

Children as Eyewitnesses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7250 words

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Discuss Chinas role in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Discuss Chinas role in Africa - Essay Example It comes after the United States and has overtaken the United Kingdom. The growing relationship between China and Africa has been highlighted in two different events. First it took place in November 2006 in Beijing where the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held. The Second one took place in May 2007 in Shanghai. This was known as the annual meeting of the African Development Bank (ADB). This came immediately after the official release of the white paper by Beijing in early 2006 titled China’s Africa policy. It contained the contours of the China’s official policies directed towards the African countries. During the two events, China announced its engagement with Africa. China also made public the relationship which it considers to have mutual benefits basis and that it results in a win -win situation. However, critics have argued that China is taking advantage of the African exports which consists of oil and different raw materials. In return the imports t o Africa consist of Chinese goods which are cheaply manufactured. In fact, critics associate this to the earlier colonial era. It is considered that China’s desire to help Africa stems from their objective of obtaining raw materials and different sources of energy in Africa. According to Dillon (2009), the major objective behind this trade is to improve China’s current economic growth and its new markets of export. The existing trade is of importance to various actors and different African economies. However, proper discussion concerning the consequences of this kind of trade should be put in place. The relations between some African countries and China are deeply developing. China’s successive foreign ministers have visited the African continent yearly in the past 20 years. This frequent high level of exchanges portrays how important the relation between China and Africa is to the Chinese government. China as a country treasure face to face communication especi ally with the African leaders because it enables individuals to have the deepest understanding. There is existence of mutual support between China and African countries on several issues both international and regionally. According to Gries and Rosen (2010), most African countries have been committed in supporting China in different issues. From Africa, China is able to obtain raw materials and in exchange, China offer Africa some full support in various issues including peace, development and trade. In addition, China supports Africa in UN Security Council discussions because it perceives different opinions of the African countries to be of great importance. First, China assists Africa in times of adversity. History helps people know of the past, foresee the future and understand the present. From history, Africa just like the People’s Republic of China has been excluded from the international community. However, China considers Africa its ally and has always come out to sup port some African countries to solve its problems such as war and piracy. This is because of many reasons. First, some African countries supported China to restore its seat at the UN Security Council, which was delayed up to 1971, even though it was a member state that founded the UN. Consequently, African countries voted along with China in the 26th UN general assembly regarding resolution on whether to award PRC or not with the China’

Letter on the desire to become a college coach Essay

Letter on the desire to become a college coach - Essay Example I have for this reason been following their games and training sessions and I am informed of their potentials, to be exploited, and their weaknesses that should be managed for success in competitions. Besides my personal interest in the college team and my passion for its success, I have extensive and outstanding skills and qualities that meet the college’s expectation of a football coach. I am a trained coach who meets the national coaching standards for a national league team. My experience as a coach also establishes confidence in my performance potentials. Based on my training, I have the capacity to ensure the student’s physical fitness through offering safe training. This guarantees mitigation of the college’s liabilities that would arise from student’s injuries while on sporting duties, either in trainings or in competitions. I have successfully achieved this as a high school coach, a position in which I served for six years. My experience also includes coaching special team’s ‘runningbacks’, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive coordination. My personal attributes include a firm belief in positive coaching, and respect and discipline among team members. I am also a hard worker who ensures motivation of my team for effective preparations before each game. Further, I am a self-motivated individual, self reliant, positive, a self-starter, energetic, trustworthy, and a team player. My skills and experience, therefore, identify my qualification as the best candidate for this job. This is because my intrinsic motivational features and my long-term passion for the team have already established a commitment towards a high-leveled leadership and management that will not depend on external environmental factors. My successful coaching experience also guarantees success with the college team. Similarly, my leadership potentials will ensure a good relationship between the team and the school

Compare and contrast Pearl harbor Intelligence failure with Battle of Essay

Compare and contrast Pearl harbor Intelligence failure with Battle of midway intelligence success - Essay Example riority conflict between the battleship service and the carrier service departments in the US navy with each trying to reserve its independent identity. The carrier service, which had always been a subordinate to the battleship administration, was considered not very vital in naval strategy and there was a perception that an attack on Pearl Harbor was impossible. Unlike the Pearl Harbor attack, the Battle of Midway between Japanese and U.S found the United States prepared. However, the battle remained unpredictable until towards the end. In the attack that started on June 4 1942, the Japanese sought to capture the central pacific island of Midway, which was being used by the US as an airfield. The Japanese aimed to destroy the American fleet and use the island as their base. However due to Communications intelligence success, the United states Pacific fleet made a surprise attack on the Japanese sinking four of their carriers and losing one. This paper compares and contrasts the caus es of failure and success in the two battles. Prior to these attacks, there were clear signs of mistrust and suspicions by both Americans and Japanese. In addition, both Tokyo and Washington had been engaged in negotiations aimed preventing any event of war, but these later turned out as the strategies merely used to buy time as the military of the two nations put strategies in place. A clear sign of the inevitable war with Japan became evident when the American intelligence intercepted some sections of the Japanese diplomatic communications. Six messages wired from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in Washington which communicated the deadline for the bilateral negotiations, and the consequences in case of the failure of the talks, should the US refuse to accept the terms so offered by Japan. For instance, â€Å"†¦and the messages illustrated the Tokyo’s fear or threat of rupture of the negotiations† (Lundstrom & John 2004). The other aspect of similarity is that during both the

Engineering ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Engineering ethics - Assignment Example gained through studying, experience and practice is used to invent ways of utilizing economically the scarce materials and forces of nature to benefit mankind. It is therefore implicit that professional and ethical practices should be upheld to ensure public good is realized. In the recent engineers have failed to remain devoted to upholding high personal honour and professional integrity and accountability as they should in their practice. Despite the fact that their duties are clearly stated in all the phases of an engineering project and they are expected to concentrate on achieving goals set in their area of competence within the time allocated, there are complains of poor quality of work, failure to meet deadlines and failure to adhere by the governing rules especially about environmental conservation. This causes the society to doubt their professional integrity and accountability. Engineers are expected to be faithful to their employers and handle their clients’ information with confidentiality where necessary .It is ethical to be open to their colleagues and disclose anything that can affect their image directly or indirectly to their clients and society at large in order to uphold confidence in professional engineers. Society seeks engine ering services from those who show integrity and good citizenship. (Koen, B.V) Engineering projects are always done in teams, for a effective teamwork members are expected to utilise the skills or their specialists’ knowledge without looking down at others. They should be honest and forthright with each other, accepting responsibilities for ones action whether good or bad for fast identification and correction of errors that could otherwise result to failure of the whole project. Objective criticism of each other’s work improves the coordination and participation amongst all the team members. All members should present their statements or any information regarding project progress without fear of

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories Essay

Historical Development of Graphic Design and Animation Theories - Essay Example From the research it is clear that early specimen of graphics manifested in the form of symbols, signs and writings on any surface. A myriad of graphic designs were developed through time applying different techniques to capture the attention of the admiring audience. It was not until the 1920s when a group of German psychologists namely: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka, devised a systematic approach in graphical design perception. They based their interpretation of graphical design on the notion of completion, where audiences sub-consciously view separately arranged entities as a single item. According to the paper finding colors were incorporated into graphics. This was so because colors were able to convey emotions and moods unlike previous monotonous colors (black and white). From the latter events, it can be presumed that colors breathed life into graphics. Most people’s initial knowledge on color, seem to suggest that all colors are simple mixture of three primary colors; green, red and blue. The color theory vehemently disputes this notion. It is crucial to understand the basics of color formation so as to accurately utilize those (colors) in graphic design to imply various moods. The contentious issue of color formation dates back to the 15th century where a number of disciplines were used in explaining the concept, namely; chemistry, mathematics and physics. Not all yielded to viable conclusion.

Religion in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Religion in Canada - Essay Example So, are Canadians picking and choosing when it comes to their religions and religious practices? Using examples from different religions, here it will be examined how Canadians think of religion, what the trend of religious practices are in Canada, and what the future of religion is in Canada. Much like the U.S., Canada is somewhat divided over religion. Depending upon where one goes, there may be more Catholic than Protestant influence. For the most part, Christianity remains one of the religions that plays a major role in Canadians’ lives. Since Canada is close to the U.S., Canadians share many of the same Christian values that Americans do—although perhaps not to the extreme that Americans do. The Canadians that this writer knows—who happen to be Christian—tend to be very choosy with the way they practice their Christianity. Basically, their services are boring. Their music is boring. In fact, there is not really too much to celebrate when worship rolls around on Sunday morning. Canadians live in somewhat of a glass bubble. Canadians are sheltered from the world. Usually, their personal views are very narrow. Anyone who does not share these narrow views is considered an outsider. Canadians treat outsiders to their religious practices much the same way that they treat Americans-usually with an odd stare and a disdainful glance. This is not particularly unusual-after all, who wouldn't react the same way The Other is usually considered taboo wherever one goes, and outsiders are almost never welcomed with completely open arms. Let us go back to this notion of closemindedness within Canadian Christianity. Canadian culture in general is very guarded. This is possibly due to the fact that Canada is so close to the U.S. that it competes very fiercely for recognition on many levels. Canadians in general feel that they have been left out of the sociocultural landscape of North America due to their unique position in the world. On one hand, Canada is very isolated. Thus, its people are in many ways sheltered from the world. Unless a Canadian travels outside his or her own country, he or she will not have the kind of cultural experiences that make good breeding ground for a mind rife with religious diversity. Christians in Canada think that basically everyone is out to scam somebody. Canadian Christians generally don't believe in the inherent goodness of people. However, they are skeptical of people who are genuinely in need. Part of this inability to comprehend how people can be in need of goods and services is because Canadians are highly self-reliant. Even if a person is religious, that does not necessarily cut the mustard with Canadian Christians. Generally, Canadian Christians are well-read and well-informed about their faith, in terms of knowing the history behind it. They are very concerned with how their faith evolved over time with regard to their particular religion. Trends of religious practices in Canada include a move towards more inclusion of those with religious differences. For example, Canada is moving towards the inclusion of other religious traditions, especially Islam. Normally Canada might be thought of as an unusual place for Muslims to settle. However, many Muslims are just like their Canadian Christian neighbors-they want to have good home lives with no trouble. Canada has been a good place for Muslims to settle because of the relatively benignly neutral state of the country. Canada in the past has recused itself from getting involved in foreign wars, and has been largely neutral with regards to various wars having been fought. Muslims generally feel more or less accepted moreso in

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay Example for Free

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) were the two great figures of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. They were not men of the same generation, but they were contemporaries in the sense that they influenced one another, and there is a kind of likeness about them which makes them belong together as the outstanding representatives of their own particular period. That period, known variously as the Age of Haydn and Mozart, the Viennese Period, or the Classical Period, is susceptible to two interpretations, depending upon whether the emphasis is placed on its relation to the preceding or to the succeeding period. If the relation to the preceding period is to be stressed, the age of Haydn and Mozart should properly be called the Classical Period because it marks the culmination of the principles of monophonic style and pure independent musical form, the growth of which had marked the period of Gluck, Stamitz, and C. P. E. Bach. If, on the other hand, its relation to the succeeding period is to be emphasized, it must be looked upon as a transitional period leading to, or forming the beginning of, the Viennese Period of Beethoven. In the firest case the formal and stylistic perfection of Mozart, and to a less extent of Haydn, is considered as a culmination, as an end in itself; in the second case that perfection is considered as a necessary but secondary step in an evolutionary chain leading to the achievement of a new expressive medium. (Sieghard Brandenburg, 1998) Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, lower Austria, on March 31, 1732. As a child he went to live in the house of a relative, Johann Matthias Frankh, who gave him a thorough musical training. Between 1740 and 1748 Haydn was a chorister at St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna. During that period he earned his living by teaching, playing the harpsichord, and doing hack work, but all the while immersing himself deeply into serious music study. In 1755 he was engaged by Karl Joseph von Furnberg as conductor of his orchestra, for which he wrote various nocturnes and divertimentos. It was during this period that he also created his first string quartets. While employed at the palace of Count Morzin, between 1758 and 1760, he wrote his first symphonies. In 1760 he married Maria Anna Keller, a marriage that proved unhappy from the beginning and soon gave way to a permanent separation. In 1761, Haydn became second Kapellmeister for Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy at his estate in Eisenstadt. When the Esterhazys built a new palace at Esterhaz, Haydn assumed the status of full Kapellmeister (1766) and held this post for almost a quarter of a century. For the many concert and opera performances at Esterhaz, Haydn produced a vast repertory of compositions in virtually every field and form, arriving at full maturity as creative artist. He rarely left Esterhaz, except for occasional visits to Vienna where he met Mozart and became one of his most devoted friends and admirers. In 1790, Haydn withdrew from his Esterhaz post and went to live in Vienna. In 1791 and 1794, Johann Peter Salomon, impresario and violinist, invited him to London to lead orchestral concerts. For these performances Haydn wrote twelve celebrated symphonies now identified as the London or Salomon Symphonies. Back in Vienna after the second visit, Haydn wrote in 1797 a patriotic hymn which became the Austrian national anthem. Between 1798 and 1801 he completed two choral masterworks, The Creation and The Seasons, his first attempts at writing oratorios. He died in Vienna on May 31, 1809, and was buried in the Hundsthurm churchyard; in 1820 his remains were reinterred in the upper parish church of Eisenstadt. (Jay Parini, Brett C. Millier, 1993) HAYDNS CONNECTION WITH THE ESTERHAZY FAMILY Following the disbanding of Count Morzins musical establishment Haydn secured a post in 1761 with the Esterhazy family, thus forming a relationship which was to continue until the end of his life. First as assistant, and then as first chapelmaster, Haydn was given every incentive necessary to the realization of his genius. Prince Esterhazy was a capable amateur, and in such genial surroundings Haydn gradually developed a remarkable orchestra and a group of singers adequate for the performance of dramatic and religious music. (Ralph De Toledano, 1987) The Esterhazy family, at Eisenstadt and later at Esterhazy, maintained one of the most splendid courts in Europe. Music furnished there, as it did all over Germany, a large part of the entertainment. Almost daily concerts of chamber and orchestral music, interspersed with marionette operas and true operas, to say nothing of the regular use of music at religious services, kept the time of the princes musicians completely filled. Life for men like Haydn was a constant round of concerts, performances and rehearsals, for which most of the music must be composed in otherwise unoccupied moments. The routine was broken by the occasional appearance of troupes of traveling musicians and by the removal of the prince, sometimes accompanied by the whole musical corps, to the capital for the winter season. Fortunately for Haydn, the trips to Vienna furnished opportunity both for the dissemination of his own works and for him constantly to renew his acquaintance with the musical life of the city which had become the musical center of the whole of Europe. (James E. Perone, 1995) THE MUSIC OF THE ESTERHAZY PERIOD A list of the music composed by Haydn during the twenty-nine years of his active connection with the Esterhazy family would be far too long to be included here. His compositions ranged over every musical form characteristic of the time: symphonies, operas, Masses, string quartets, piano sonatas, concertos for various instruments with orchestra, and music for numerous other combinations of instruments and voices. The addition of a famous harpist to the musical forces brought forth a series of compositions for harp; having a famous cellist as a member of the orchestra necessitated concertos for cello and orchestra, which Haydn straightway produced; a ball attended by the emperor brought out the whole orchestra with proudly performed new ballroom music. Haydn stood ready to compose, genially and to the best of his lavish ability, music for any occasion. At the death of Prince Esterhazy in 1790, the musical establishment was disbanded, but Haydn retained his title of Kappelmeister, and although he was now free to devote himself to other affairs, he retained an income from his patrons. The story of the rest of his life recounts constantly increasing fame and honor. His works were performed throughout Europe; Naples, Berlin, Madrid, and London were all anxious to hear his latest composition. Pupils flocked to him, and contemporary composers were almost unanimous in acknowledging his greatness. (David Ewen, 2007 ) LONDON: SYMPHONIES AND ORATORIOS Haydns later life was rich in incident, but that aspect must be left to the biographer. The two journeys to London, in 1790-1792 and 1794-1795, during which he composed the twelve great London symphonies, and conceived the desire to compose oratorios, are most important from the historical standpoint. On his first return to Vienna he devoted himself largely to the two oratorios, the Creation, first performed in 1798, and the Seasons, first performed in 1801. In 1803 he made his last public appearance as a conductor, and from then until his death in 1809, in a Vienna conquered by the armies of Napoleon, his life was that of an honored old man gradually succumbing to his infirmities. (Robert L. Marshall, 2003) Work Cited David Ewen. Composers of Yesterday; Kessinger Publishing, 2007 James E. Perone. Musical Anthologies for Analytical Study: A Bibliography; Greenwood Press, 1995 Jay Parini, Brett C. Millier. The Columbia History of American Poetry; Columbia University Press, 1993 Ralph De Toledano. â€Å"Haydn, Beethoven Old Instruments†; National Review, Vol. 39, April 10, 1987 Robert L. Marshall. Eighteenth-Century Keyboard Music; Routledge, 2003 Sieghard Brandenburg. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven: Studies in the Music of the Classical Period; Clarendon Press, 1998

Leadership styles in youth work

Leadership styles in youth work Team members Questionnaires Analysis Q1: Who makes the decisions in your team? It can be seen that the maximum support goes with the team leader making decisions with the help of his teammates. This shows that the team leaders use the participative form of leadership which is a part of the democratic style. This ensures effective decision-making. (Leadership Styles: Democratic Leadership Style, 2008) Q2: Are team members punished if they dont achieve the set goals? The answer to this question shows that most agree with the fact that the team members are punished some times. So, this means that the team leader does give warnings and a chance to improve as well before coming to any conclusion. As next majority is with never punishment, the team leader seems to be lenient. Q3: Are team members rewarded when they achieve goals set for them? About 50% of the population says that the leader awards for good work. This indicates that the degree of motivation amongst the employees is really high and the competition to excel is also which is highly essential in the success of any firm. It also builds up the morale. Q4: Are team members allowed to be involved in setting goals and are rewarded for achieving those goals? The majority goes with the fact that team members are never allowed to set their own goals. This means that the goal of the organization is definite and the team leader expects the members to follow them with complete zest. Though he rewards for good performance but not in case of own ways. Q5: Are team members allowed to be rewarded for setting their own goals and achieving them? Many employees feel that there are situations when team members are rewarded for even setting goals. This shows that during situations of dilemma, it can happen. But still maximum feel that this never happens. Hence, one can see that leader only consults team members, but final decision is his. Q6: Does your team leader involve you in decision making about various strategies to be implemented in the company? This question again proves the same fact that the team leader involves the members in taking decisions. This means that he does believe in the members in giving suitable suggestions to his targeted goal. The second majority is with sometimes, which means that as per as the effectiveness of the suggestion, this participation is allowed. Q7: Does your team leader encourage you to do something innovative in the company? Most of the employees are with the fact that innovation is mostly preferred. This shows that the leader goes as per as the situation of the industry. In this dynamic environment, one must give chance to innovate. Hence, this again is an indication of the use of democratic, participatory style of leadership. (Leadership styles in youth work, 2010) Q8: Does your team leader share important information which helps in making decisions for the project? Here, maximum feel that most of the times, the team leader shares important information. This indicates that the team leader gives enough chances for the leaders to come up with their suggestions. It not only is good for the company but also adds up to boosting the morale of the employees to a larger degree. Q9: While implementing various strategies, employees are free to make suggestions. The answer shows that even in the case of making strategies, the employee are allowed to give suggestions. This indicates a cordial relationship that exists between the leader and the employees. It also makes it less prone for the team leader to take wrong decision. Q10: Are you satisfied with the way decisions are made by your leader? There are about 70% of the employees who are sometimes satisfied and 25% who ate satisfied all the time. This indicates that there are a few experienced members in the team whose suggestions are kept prominent and the others are given equal chances to develop that maturity in the future. Q11: Are you satisfied with the leadership qualities that team leaders have at Dnata? About 45% are always satisfied with the leadership qualities and 50% at times. This is a very high percentage indicating the proficiency of the team leader to a large extent. Hence, overall, the team members seem to be satisfied with the way the team leader has been doing his work with respect to the members. Team Leaders Questionnaires Analysis Q1: Who makes the decisions in your team? The team leaders feel that they are lenient enough as half of them allow the employees to take the decisions themselves and the other half allows their participation in the decision-making process. This indicates both democratic and Laissez-Faire approach of leadership. (Leadership Styles, 2008) Q2: Do you punish team members if they dont achieve the goals set? Most of the team members show their strictness towards non-fulfillment of the organization goals. This is because 50% feel that they always punish members for the same. There is an equal proportion of non-punishment and punishment sometimes. So, by and large the leaders are strict in their means. Q3: Do you give rewards to team members when they achieve goals set for them? As far as rewards are concerned, half the population is inclined towards giving the same. This shows that the proclivity for a better performance exists in the leaders. They feel that by giving rewards, the motivation of the employees would go high and they would give better consequences for the team in the future. Q4: Do you allow team members to be involved in setting goals and reward them for achieving those goals? Here again, 50% of the team leaders allow their team members to be involved in setting goals and also rewarding on achievement. This is contradictory to what the employees feel. This means that the leaders do give an option but it is the experience of the members that lacks where their suggestions dont seem appropriate. Q5: Do you allow team members to be rewarded for setting their own goals and achieving them? Here again, 50% of the team leaders sometimes even reward the employees for setting their goals. This shows that as and when they feel that it is worth appreciating, they do so and when they feel it is not they dont. So, the leaders seem to give opportunities to the members. Q6: Do you encourage your team to participate when decision making is required in the company at various levels in order to help them in implementing the ideas? 50% the leaders allow this always and 50% allow this sometimes. This means that half of them are confident about their team members totally and the other half go according to situations. When they feel that the situation is right, they allow this participation. Q7: Do you always eager to do something new in the organization which means that you always encourage your employees towards thinking something new and innovative? Here 75% of the leaders always have a view of allowing the members to think innovative. Once again, we can see that they do this as per as the dynamic nature of the society where innovation is the major tool to success. This is in accordance with what the employees feel. Hence, the importance of innovation is certainly not doubtful amongst the leaders. Q8: Do you always explain intricacies and various aspects of tasks to the team members that are to be done in the project which is given to their team in order to make them aware about what exactly the present scenario is and what needs to be done in future? About 75% of the leaders agree with the fact totally. This shows that they are extremely helpful to the team members in doing their jobs; this doesnt only prevent failures but also helps the employees to add on to their capabilities. This is a booster for the employees in the organization. Discussion and Recommendation The above analysis of the questionnaire distributed amongst the team members and the team leaders at Dnata indicates that the organizations have leaders who solely follow the democratic styles of leadership. Some of the leaders are participatory and there are even more who allow the Laissez Faire approach where the employees themselves take the decisions. This concludes two facts. The first of these is that there is an abundance of leaders who have faith in the employees and the other thing is that the leaders move according to the dynamic style of the environment where every suggestion of the employees matters to a large extent. (Democratic Leadership, 2007) Improvement The following are the improvement ideas in the company, Dnata: The leaders allow participation of the employees but at the same time they should also have a control mechanism where they check the fact the members do not take advantage of the situation by cheating the team. As per as the last question asked to the leaders, they assist the members in every intricacy of the company. This is not recommended at all times as the members might not be able to develop a self-learning capacity which can be extremely harmful for the team. This can even be dangerous during adverse situations. Finally, even for those leaders who havent established a cordial relation with the employees, should begin doing so it can be effective for better communications.

The Impact on America of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson Essay

The Impact on America of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were completely at odds in their vision on how America was to develop. Hamilton wanted to concentrate power in a centralized federal government with limited access and Jefferson wished to diffuse it among all the eligible freemen of the time. Alexander Hamilton feared anarchy and distrusted popular rule while Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of liberty and freedom. Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that the main purpose of government was to assure freedom of its individual citizens. He had a fear of tyranny and distrusted centralized power, especially from an aristocracy or a moneyed class. Thomas Jefferson favored the spread of power ranging from the federal level to state and local levels. Jefferson stated, ?I have never observed men?s honesty to increase with their riches.'; Alexander Hamilton, on the other side, distrusted popular rule and emphasized law, order, authority and property. Alexander Hamilton wanted to promote commerce and industry through a strong central government. He also would diversify American economic life by encouraging shipping and creating manufacturing by legislative directive. Hamilton also believed that a ...

Zuni Indian Mythology :: essays research papers

Hundreds of years ago the Zuni people created and told stories of human and world creations, tales of love and lust, and just about anything "that gave people an explanation for something they could not understand" (Gaarder 25). They made up all these legends or myths before there was anything called science. The stories came from the heart and soul of these native people. Legends are not just silly stories that were told for amusement they are like magic lenses, they allow us to have a glimpse of social orders and the daily life of how the Indians interpreted things long ago. One legend of the Zuni tribe tells the tale of the sun and the moon and how these two heavenly bodies came into being. The legend is called "Coyote Steals the Sun and Moon." The story begins when an out of luck Coyote can never seem to kill anything. He watches Eagle catch rabbit after rabbit with all the ease. He decides to go to Eagle with a proposition. Coyote told Eagle that they should hunt together, Eagle accepts, so they begin to hunt in partnership. Still all Coyote catches is just a couple of grubs, while Eagle is far ahead with many rabbits. At the time the world was still dark, the sun and moon had not been placed into the sky yet. So coyote blamed his hunting problems on the fact that he could not see and eagle if he knew where they could find light. Eagle was not really sure, but he figured it was somewhere on the west. So they set out to find it. They soon came to the Kachinas' village, where the villagers were busily going all out in their sacred dances. The Kachinas invited Coyote and Eagle to rest and have a bite to eat while they continued to dance. Eagle observed the people and could sense all the power they bestowed within. He began to wonder if they were the ones who had control of the light. Coyote pointed to two boxes, a large one and a small one. They noticed that when the people wanted light they opened the lids of the boxes. In the smaller box was the moon, it contained little light. In the larger one was the sun and it gave off a lot of light. Coyote told Eagle that they should go and steal the big box. So when all the Kachinas went home to sleep, Eagle put both the sun and the moon into one box and flew off. After a while Coyote wanted to carry the box

Ethnobotany Essays -- essays papers

Ethnobotany An Available Option Try to imagine yourself or someone you hold close to you being very sick, so sick that just being alive each day gives more pain and suffering than the previous day. Not one person should have to suffer from a disease that is incurable and leads inevitably to death. With an assisted suicide a person and his or her family can be relieved of the agony of the illness. Euthanasia is sometimes considered to be the best option for a loved one who is in intractable pain, and should be an option available to patients who meet qualifications and agree to the assistance in suicide. There are two different forms of Euthanasia: Active and Passive. Active Euthanasia is the causing of a person’s death through a direct action in response to a request of that person. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is most well known for his acts of Active Euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia is, according to www.religioustolerance.org, hastening the death of a person by altering some form of support and letting nature take its course. Examples of Passive Euthanasia include â€Å"pulling the plug† on a patient in a coma or turning off a respirator to aid in the breathing process. These two processes should, at times, be performed on some patients so that death will occur sooner and suffering will no longer happen. Although some pains that are effects of terminal illnesses can be controlled to a level that can be endured, most people who are suffering from these illnesses do not...

Market Segmentation

Division of marketing for Kit Kat – chocolate bar, into geographic , demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation. Geographic segmentation The market is broadly divided into Urban (cities and towns) and Rural (villages). Kit Kat caters the high urban need by making products available that too with a variety with the help of which the rural crowd can be kept attracted. Rural needs are also kept in mind and there is nothing even required for Kit Kat to make an effort to attract rural crowd because of the price.Kit Kat’s price is very reasonable that attracts rural crowd and gives them proper quantity of chocolate as well be it the two-finger Kit Kat or the four-finger. Since Kit Kat has its price stable and has a very minor change in its price, it can still target the rural crowd by making them aware that compared to their competitors Cadbury their product is cheaper and much affordable. Demographic segmentation With the youth population getting larger, Kit Kat looks to take an advantage of that.They have also segmented the market for children, adults and aged people. Kit Kat is a type of a chocolate that is light and can be consumed by every age group. Majority of the customer base in market comprises of middle class and upper middle class. But income groups have never been a concern for Kit Kat, the prices of Kit Kat have been stable for decades and the prices are such that any income group can afford it. Psychographic segmentation Market Segmentation Market segmentation Market consists of large number of actual and potential customers. The process of splitting the market into different groups or segments based on the needs, characteristics or buyer behavior is called as Segmentation (Kotler, Brown, Adam, and Armstrong, 2007). Singapore Airlines (SIA) has used traditional approach adopted by legacy carriers for segmentation. SIA focuses on business travelers and the price sensitive leisure travelers. The business paradigm of SIA has clearly differentiated these two segments by catering to their heterogonous need. In order to penetrate their existing market and expand their revenue base they are also focusing on additional segment based on consumer loyalty. The increasing revenue of SIA has been depicted in appendix 1. Detailed analysis of segmentation strategy used by Singapore Airline is given as below: Psychographic variables Preferences: The two major groups of business and leisure travelers differ in their preferences. It’s believed that on an average in aviation industry elite travelers contribute up to 50% of revenue though they add up to less than 20% in passenger number (Brancatelli, 2009). Hence the preference of this particular segment (Business travelers) is given additional importance. They are given exclusive in-flight service with respect to variety of cuisines being served, exotic drinks and special seating comfort (Wirtz and Johnston, 2003). At the same time since the other segment i. e. the leisure travelers form the major chunk of passengers their preferences also cannot be ignored. They too are given in-flight services which can be termed best as per industry practices. Nature of demand: Since the nature of demand varies with respect to business and leisure travelers it is used as a parameter for discriminator analysis. Business travelers demand more working space, internet and telephone connections whereas leisure travelers demand more in-flight entertainment features (Singapore Airlines, 2009) Behavioral variables: Brand loyalty: Customer loyalty can also be used as a basis for market segmentation (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA has also segmented their market on the basis of customer loyalty. Retaining an existing customer goes a long way in bringing in additional revenues for the company and this is exactly the reason why SIA has chosen loyalty as a variable for segmentation. SIA gives KrisFlyer and PPS club membership to their loyal customers in a bid to retain their loyalty. KrisFlyer silver group members, enjoy certain privileges such as they are allowed to fly on short notice even if the reservation is not confirmed. Similarly PPS club members are given privileges like free accident and travel insurance, increased baggage allowance etc. Singapore Airlines, 2009) Targeting Target marketing basically refers to the division of the market into various different segments and then focusing on prominent and significant key segments (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA targets customers based on lifestyle, income group and social class. Lifestyle SIA targets segments based on lifestyle (Murali and Murali, 2008). SIA ensures that customers, who give more importance to comfort and luxury , have a great experience on board. SIA places special focus on high end and discerning customers and targets customers accordingly. Income Group Income group is also used as a parameter for targeting customers (Murali et al, 2008). SIA is a premium airline which focuses on providing value based flying experience to the customer and it comes with a heavy price tag. Hence, SIA aims to tap the high and middle income groups which are more likely to pay for quality. Social Class SIA also targets customers based on their social class. Every social class has beliefs and attitudes, which shapes their buying behavior (Kotler et al, 2007). People belonging to the elite class will go for a high end brand, so being a luxury airline SIA targets the high social classes. Positioning Positioning can be defined as the process of framing the image of a company in the view of the target market, based on the products and services offered (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA positions itself as a premium luxury carrier. SIA portrays itself as an airline that provides all the luxuries that one may desire while travelling, be it comforts, a hospitable crew or an overwhelming in-flight experience. The primary message used by SIA, is self explanatory; A Great Way to Fly (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The marketing strategy has been consistent all the way, the message that SIA wants to send across to the target market is that; it is the best airline in its segment. SIA joined the Star Alliance in 2000, which is the first and the largest airline alliance of its kind (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The â€Å"Singapore Girl† strategy was a very influential idea that gave SIA the push it needed and went on to become a very successful brand icon (Roll, 2009). This brand personality of â€Å"Singapore Girl† further helps them reaffirm their position as an airline which provides high level of hospitality. Brand positioning for SIA is depicted in the diagram shown below. The strategy adapted by SIA is to position themselves as a high quality and high value brand and especially with the â€Å"Singapore Girl† concept they show the level of hospitality offered to the customers. SIA positions itself away from the competitors in every class, be it economy class, business class or first class. In the above diagram; AIQ – AirAsia ALK – Srilankan Airlines DLH – Lufthansa SIA – Singapore Airlines In the current scenario, where premium airlines are cutting down onboard services to reduce prices in order to compete with the low-cost carriers, SIA continues to maintain their brand image. The management of SIA believes that there are customers willing to spend a good amount for quality products and services (Roll, 2009). So looking for high end customers is not an issue, rather their job is to position the brand in such a way that customers get attracted to fly on SIA, and so far SIA has been able to create, what they refer to as the Wow Effect (Wirtz et al, 2003). Market Segmentation Division of marketing for Kit Kat – chocolate bar, into geographic , demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation. Geographic segmentation The market is broadly divided into Urban (cities and towns) and Rural (villages). Kit Kat caters the high urban need by making products available that too with a variety with the help of which the rural crowd can be kept attracted. Rural needs are also kept in mind and there is nothing even required for Kit Kat to make an effort to attract rural crowd because of the price.Kit Kat’s price is very reasonable that attracts rural crowd and gives them proper quantity of chocolate as well be it the two-finger Kit Kat or the four-finger. Since Kit Kat has its price stable and has a very minor change in its price, it can still target the rural crowd by making them aware that compared to their competitors Cadbury their product is cheaper and much affordable. Demographic segmentation With the youth population getting larger, Kit Kat looks to take an advantage of that.They have also segmented the market for children, adults and aged people. Kit Kat is a type of a chocolate that is light and can be consumed by every age group. Majority of the customer base in market comprises of middle class and upper middle class. But income groups have never been a concern for Kit Kat, the prices of Kit Kat have been stable for decades and the prices are such that any income group can afford it. Psychographic segmentation Market Segmentation Market segmentation Market consists of large number of actual and potential customers. The process of splitting the market into different groups or segments based on the needs, characteristics or buyer behavior is called as Segmentation (Kotler, Brown, Adam, and Armstrong, 2007). Singapore Airlines (SIA) has used traditional approach adopted by legacy carriers for segmentation. SIA focuses on business travelers and the price sensitive leisure travelers. The business paradigm of SIA has clearly differentiated these two segments by catering to their heterogonous need. In order to penetrate their existing market and expand their revenue base they are also focusing on additional segment based on consumer loyalty. The increasing revenue of SIA has been depicted in appendix 1. Detailed analysis of segmentation strategy used by Singapore Airline is given as below: Psychographic variables Preferences: The two major groups of business and leisure travelers differ in their preferences. It’s believed that on an average in aviation industry elite travelers contribute up to 50% of revenue though they add up to less than 20% in passenger number (Brancatelli, 2009). Hence the preference of this particular segment (Business travelers) is given additional importance. They are given exclusive in-flight service with respect to variety of cuisines being served, exotic drinks and special seating comfort (Wirtz and Johnston, 2003). At the same time since the other segment i. e. the leisure travelers form the major chunk of passengers their preferences also cannot be ignored. They too are given in-flight services which can be termed best as per industry practices. Nature of demand: Since the nature of demand varies with respect to business and leisure travelers it is used as a parameter for discriminator analysis. Business travelers demand more working space, internet and telephone connections whereas leisure travelers demand more in-flight entertainment features (Singapore Airlines, 2009) Behavioral variables: Brand loyalty: Customer loyalty can also be used as a basis for market segmentation (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA has also segmented their market on the basis of customer loyalty. Retaining an existing customer goes a long way in bringing in additional revenues for the company and this is exactly the reason why SIA has chosen loyalty as a variable for segmentation. SIA gives KrisFlyer and PPS club membership to their loyal customers in a bid to retain their loyalty. KrisFlyer silver group members, enjoy certain privileges such as they are allowed to fly on short notice even if the reservation is not confirmed. Similarly PPS club members are given privileges like free accident and travel insurance, increased baggage allowance etc. Singapore Airlines, 2009) Targeting Target marketing basically refers to the division of the market into various different segments and then focusing on prominent and significant key segments (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA targets customers based on lifestyle, income group and social class. Lifestyle SIA targets segments based on lifestyle (Murali and Murali, 2008). SIA ensures that customers, who give more importance to comfort and luxury , have a great experience on board. SIA places special focus on high end and discerning customers and targets customers accordingly. Income Group Income group is also used as a parameter for targeting customers (Murali et al, 2008). SIA is a premium airline which focuses on providing value based flying experience to the customer and it comes with a heavy price tag. Hence, SIA aims to tap the high and middle income groups which are more likely to pay for quality. Social Class SIA also targets customers based on their social class. Every social class has beliefs and attitudes, which shapes their buying behavior (Kotler et al, 2007). People belonging to the elite class will go for a high end brand, so being a luxury airline SIA targets the high social classes. Positioning Positioning can be defined as the process of framing the image of a company in the view of the target market, based on the products and services offered (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA positions itself as a premium luxury carrier. SIA portrays itself as an airline that provides all the luxuries that one may desire while travelling, be it comforts, a hospitable crew or an overwhelming in-flight experience. The primary message used by SIA, is self explanatory; A Great Way to Fly (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The marketing strategy has been consistent all the way, the message that SIA wants to send across to the target market is that; it is the best airline in its segment. SIA joined the Star Alliance in 2000, which is the first and the largest airline alliance of its kind (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The â€Å"Singapore Girl† strategy was a very influential idea that gave SIA the push it needed and went on to become a very successful brand icon (Roll, 2009). This brand personality of â€Å"Singapore Girl† further helps them reaffirm their position as an airline which provides high level of hospitality. Brand positioning for SIA is depicted in the diagram shown below. The strategy adapted by SIA is to position themselves as a high quality and high value brand and especially with the â€Å"Singapore Girl† concept they show the level of hospitality offered to the customers. SIA positions itself away from the competitors in every class, be it economy class, business class or first class. In the above diagram; AIQ – AirAsia ALK – Srilankan Airlines DLH – Lufthansa SIA – Singapore Airlines In the current scenario, where premium airlines are cutting down onboard services to reduce prices in order to compete with the low-cost carriers, SIA continues to maintain their brand image. The management of SIA believes that there are customers willing to spend a good amount for quality products and services (Roll, 2009). So looking for high end customers is not an issue, rather their job is to position the brand in such a way that customers get attracted to fly on SIA, and so far SIA has been able to create, what they refer to as the Wow Effect (Wirtz et al, 2003). Market Segmentation Market segmentation Market consists of large number of actual and potential customers. The process of splitting the market into different groups or segments based on the needs, characteristics or buyer behavior is called as Segmentation (Kotler, Brown, Adam, and Armstrong, 2007). Singapore Airlines (SIA) has used traditional approach adopted by legacy carriers for segmentation. SIA focuses on business travelers and the price sensitive leisure travelers. The business paradigm of SIA has clearly differentiated these two segments by catering to their heterogonous need. In order to penetrate their existing market and expand their revenue base they are also focusing on additional segment based on consumer loyalty. The increasing revenue of SIA has been depicted in appendix 1. Detailed analysis of segmentation strategy used by Singapore Airline is given as below: Psychographic variables Preferences: The two major groups of business and leisure travelers differ in their preferences. It’s believed that on an average in aviation industry elite travelers contribute up to 50% of revenue though they add up to less than 20% in passenger number (Brancatelli, 2009). Hence the preference of this particular segment (Business travelers) is given additional importance. They are given exclusive in-flight service with respect to variety of cuisines being served, exotic drinks and special seating comfort (Wirtz and Johnston, 2003). At the same time since the other segment i. e. the leisure travelers form the major chunk of passengers their preferences also cannot be ignored. They too are given in-flight services which can be termed best as per industry practices. Nature of demand: Since the nature of demand varies with respect to business and leisure travelers it is used as a parameter for discriminator analysis. Business travelers demand more working space, internet and telephone connections whereas leisure travelers demand more in-flight entertainment features (Singapore Airlines, 2009) Behavioral variables: Brand loyalty: Customer loyalty can also be used as a basis for market segmentation (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA has also segmented their market on the basis of customer loyalty. Retaining an existing customer goes a long way in bringing in additional revenues for the company and this is exactly the reason why SIA has chosen loyalty as a variable for segmentation. SIA gives KrisFlyer and PPS club membership to their loyal customers in a bid to retain their loyalty. KrisFlyer silver group members, enjoy certain privileges such as they are allowed to fly on short notice even if the reservation is not confirmed. Similarly PPS club members are given privileges like free accident and travel insurance, increased baggage allowance etc. Singapore Airlines, 2009) Targeting Target marketing basically refers to the division of the market into various different segments and then focusing on prominent and significant key segments (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA targets customers based on lifestyle, income group and social class. Lifestyle SIA targets segments based on lifestyle (Murali and Murali, 2008). SIA ensures that customers, who give more importance to comfort and luxury , have a great experience on board. SIA places special focus on high end and discerning customers and targets customers accordingly. Income Group Income group is also used as a parameter for targeting customers (Murali et al, 2008). SIA is a premium airline which focuses on providing value based flying experience to the customer and it comes with a heavy price tag. Hence, SIA aims to tap the high and middle income groups which are more likely to pay for quality. Social Class SIA also targets customers based on their social class. Every social class has beliefs and attitudes, which shapes their buying behavior (Kotler et al, 2007). People belonging to the elite class will go for a high end brand, so being a luxury airline SIA targets the high social classes. Positioning Positioning can be defined as the process of framing the image of a company in the view of the target market, based on the products and services offered (Kotler et al, 2007). SIA positions itself as a premium luxury carrier. SIA portrays itself as an airline that provides all the luxuries that one may desire while travelling, be it comforts, a hospitable crew or an overwhelming in-flight experience. The primary message used by SIA, is self explanatory; A Great Way to Fly (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The marketing strategy has been consistent all the way, the message that SIA wants to send across to the target market is that; it is the best airline in its segment. SIA joined the Star Alliance in 2000, which is the first and the largest airline alliance of its kind (Singapore Airlines, 2009). The â€Å"Singapore Girl† strategy was a very influential idea that gave SIA the push it needed and went on to become a very successful brand icon (Roll, 2009). This brand personality of â€Å"Singapore Girl† further helps them reaffirm their position as an airline which provides high level of hospitality. Brand positioning for SIA is depicted in the diagram shown below. The strategy adapted by SIA is to position themselves as a high quality and high value brand and especially with the â€Å"Singapore Girl† concept they show the level of hospitality offered to the customers. SIA positions itself away from the competitors in every class, be it economy class, business class or first class. In the above diagram; AIQ – AirAsia ALK – Srilankan Airlines DLH – Lufthansa SIA – Singapore Airlines In the current scenario, where premium airlines are cutting down onboard services to reduce prices in order to compete with the low-cost carriers, SIA continues to maintain their brand image. The management of SIA believes that there are customers willing to spend a good amount for quality products and services (Roll, 2009). So looking for high end customers is not an issue, rather their job is to position the brand in such a way that customers get attracted to fly on SIA, and so far SIA has been able to create, what they refer to as the Wow Effect (Wirtz et al, 2003).

Millennium Development Goals Essay

Abstract: Woman is a term usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term woman is also used to identify a female human, regardless of age. This paper examines the place of vocational education as a means of women empowerment in Nigeria. How much a nation develops has a lot to do with the quality of human resources and educational attainment of its citizens. The impact of vocational education programme as a positive instrument for the empowerment of women in South-East, Nigeria was discussed. It was predicated on the assumption that vocational education acquisition is closely related to economic empowerment of women. This programme as well as the curriculum could be designed to take care of the needs of the learners in order to acquire skills necessary for employment, self-reliance and economic development. The acquisition of these vocational skills will greatly help to empower and transform women into self-reliant persons and make her economically viable. This economic empowerment will greatly help to ameliorate the incidence of prostitution,  kidnapping, and other social vices that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended among other things, that government, private organizations and NGOs should adequately support the funding of vocational education programme. Keywords: vocational education, economic empowerment, social vices. INTRODUCTION Women play a central role in the socio-economic development of any society. In fact societal sustainable development is possible only if women are actively involved. Women must therefore be both participants and beneficiaries of development programmes. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP (1997) observes that women worldwide constitute half of population, perform two thirds of the hours worked, are registered as only performing one third of these hours, receive only 10% of the world’s income and have 1% of the world’s property registered in their name. This is injustice at its peak, and no sustainable development will take place in such situation of inequality. The Nigerian woman has not pressed hard to derive the full benefit of her economic activism and activities. Going by the 2006 census, almost 50% of the  total population of the country of over 170 million is women. The Federal Office of Statistics, (2006) reports that 70% of this population (about 59,500,000 women) reside and work in the rural areas. In the last few decades, a consciousness has been awaken globally that unless something is done to empower women as an interest group, global development will remain a mirage. Vocational Education has been recognized as â€Å"an instrument for promoting environmentally sound sustainable development† (FRN, 2004:30) as well as â€Å"a  method of alleviating poverty. † It is the basis for the full promotion and improvement of the status of women. Vocational Education empowers women by improving their living standards. It is the starting point for women’s advancement in different fields of human endeavor and a basic tool that should be given to women in order to fulfill their roles as full members of the society. Education of which vocational is an aspect, constitutes the single most important institutional boost to women empowerment. Vocational Education  especially is an excellent tool for bringing about individual and national development. However, a cursory look at the pattern of women’s involvement in vocational education in Nigeria reveals abysmal low levels. In spite of all the laudable goals and objectives of vocational education, Nigerian women still suffer a lot of constraints and inhibitions which militate against their personal and national development. Vocational Education focuses on the learner who is made to imbibe or acquire knowledge, skills, values and even attitudes that enable him to solve his and societal problems. Educated persons who acquire knowledge and skill can easily manipulate goods and services to create wealth for themselves and the society and thus create employment opportunities for others thereby reducing poverty. In absence of this, what is obtainable is a whole lot of women who lack skills, knowledge and appropriate value- orientation to survive in a knowledge-driven economy. They turn out to be societal misfits – prostitutes, armed-robbers, kidnapers, cause crises and upheaval in the society. This paper examines the importance of vocational  education as a means of empowering women in Nigeria. It investigates socio economic and political factors impeding this noble field. It presents a case for improved women’s economic status through greater participation in vocational education to fight hunger, poverty and unemployment through wage or self employment in the face of insecure and corrupt society we find ourselves. VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL IN NIGERIA FRN (2004:29) described vocational education as †those aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of  technologies and related science and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economy and social life. † Fakes (2005) defined vocational education as that type of education that has specific relation with working life. According to Ogbuanya (2006), it is practical oriented and spans across areas like agriculture and related trades, building and wood work trades, commercial and related studies, electrical, textile and related trades as well as hospitality trades. Going by the above definition, vocational and technical education are interwoven as both are geared toward development of skills needed in the world of work, it is based in manual and practical activities which prepares one for gainful employment in recognized institutions and fields. Vocational education has passed through a series of trends ranging from pre- colonial era to date. Fafunwa (1991) noted that formal (western) education started in Nigeria in 1842, however, prior to this time, traditional and Islamic education have been holding sway in Nigeria. Traditional education has some  features of vocational education like smiting, building, craft to mention but a few. Even with the commencement of Christian missionary activities in formal western education in Nigeria, emphasis was not placed on vocational education in the formal education sector. Pure literacy as against vocational skill acquisition was the goal of education then. However, by 1863, it occurred to the missionaries that the plough and spade should go together. Hence this principle made some missionary schools to include elements of manual work like farming and bricklaying in their extra-curricular activities. Worthy of mention is that the attempts made by some of the missionary organizations towards industrial and agricultural education failed in most cases. Today, as pressure mounts in long unemployment queues, youth restiveness, high cost of living and insecurity in the nation, there is growing need to embrace vocational education as a tool for women empowerment for real national development Goals and Objectives of Vocational Education and Training The Federal Republic of Nigeria, (2004) highlighted what the goals of vocational education should be to include: ?Provision of trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and business particularly at craft, advanced craft and technical levels. ?Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development. ?Giving training and imparting skills to individuals who shall be self- reliant economically. It is believed that trainees on completion of vocational education course will have employable skills, set up their own business and employ others or pursue further education in advance technical programmes or other  institutions of higher learning. Vocational education plays a vital role in improving the overall wellbeing of the people by empowering individuals through skill acquisition. UNESCO (2006) affirmed that since education is the key to any effective national development, vocational education is the master key that can alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for all thereby achieving sustainable development through empowerment of women and youths alike. CHALLENGES OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION The importance of vocational education in both personal and national  development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to the following factors: Inadequate personnel in vocational colleges: Vocational education in the formal education sector had not been yielding the expected dividends as a result of the paucity of teachers of the vocational courses recognized by the National Policy on Education. This has brought about a situation whereby the personnel readily available are made to take extra work loads which in effect is not beneficial for the development of vocational education. This practice had raped the official teacher-student ratio of 1:20 as provided by the Federal Republic of Nigerian in its National Policy on Education. Poor delivery and  reception of the expected skills has been a resultant effect. Another problem that had been undermining the development of interest towards the study of vocational education courses by individuals is the issue of lack of industries or job opportunities where the skills thus acquired could be meaningfully utilized (Mohammed 2009). It is obvious that most of the industries in Nigeria are winding up. In view of this, studying a course that will make an individual wallow in unemployment is not in the best interest of the individual. For this reason, individuals do opt for other courses where they have brighter job opportunities. This in fact would bring about the reduction in number of people who would be enthusiastic towards furthering their education along the line of vocational education. In addition, the proximity of the secondary schools to any university that is offering vocational education courses could be a factor towards the development of the zeal for studying vocational education courses. Lack of adequate materials: Vocational education is about the development of motor skills. This cannot be achieved where materials are not adequate. In the case of Nigeria, most of the secondary schools or technical and vocational  colleges do not have the workshops, laboratories and the materials cum equipment that would facilitate the teaching and learning of vocational education courses (Mbakwem and Anyanwu, 2013). This had led to the teaching of theoretical aspects of the courses thus making the learner deficient in the actual use or practice of principles delivered to them. As a result, the products of formal vocational education schools have failed to meet with the demands of employers of labour as they lack cognate vocational training. Sector-specific corruption and the crisis of funding manifested in grossly inadequate budgetary allocations as well as generally collapsed standards in virtually all levels of Education manifested in symptoms of mass failure, cheating, fraudulent and criminal tendencies in schools. These and other numerous obstacles do exist but this work had confined its discussion within the scope of the above stated. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Empowerment is a call to action and it involves a process of fundamental change in quality of life of any material being. It is the ability to effect change  and make meaningful choices. Empowerment is investing legally or formally with power, authorizing, licensing, enabling, permitting, giving people more control over their own lives. Sako (1999) defines empowerment as the process of strengthening the existing capacities and capabilities of disadvantaged groups in society so as to enable them perform better towards improving themselves, their families and the society as a whole. It involves the provision of enabling environment for their productive and intellectual abilities to be realized. Wiki defines empowerment as not giving people power but letting  out the power in them. It opines that most women across the globe rely on the informal work sector for an income. If they are empowered to do more and be more, the possibility for economic growth becomes apparent. Ighodalo (1990) views women empowerment as a process of enabling women to develop the capacity to actualize their potentials. Ighodalo further adds that women should be looked at as individuals that possess some hidden potentials for greatness and so should be encouraged to develop such to the fullest. The process of empowerment must necessarily also include the  expansion of women’s access to educational opportunities, facilities for skills acquisition and positions of authority. Empowering the woman is empowering all of humanity. This is because the woman is the pivot of the family. United Nations was apt to capture this in this year’s international day for violence against women titled â€Å"From Peace in the home to Peace in the World†, it is believed that empowered women can do more to contribute to peace in the world. Empowerment is a drive towards realization of the innate potentials found in an individual. Thus, the potentials found in the woman can  be enhanced if empowered. Women empowerment involves issues like (a) How women perceive themselves and are perceived by intimate and distant others in society. (b) How women treat themselves and are treated by others. (c) Ability to make key decisions on matters relating to themselves and their children. (d) The kind of opinion they have in other aspects of decision making in the family. It must be noted here that all these are virtually impossible without proper and adequate training especially at the higher level which includes vocational education. BENEFITS OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT. Women empowerment could be likened to leveling the playing ground for women, and this would offer huge potentials to everyone. For example, UNICEF information sheet (2007) states that educating girls and women help develop self confidence, protection from sexual exploitation, improved health care, better child education and poverty reduction for generations to come. Women empowerment is a global topic. The United Nations included gender and women empowerment in its development goals as it is an important tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In Nigeria, a good  number of women are now found in many prestigious occupations such as law, medicine, architecture, the armed forces and so on and they are really living up to expectations. At the same time, an equally large number, especially those living in the rural areas are engaged in menial jobs to earn a living. Most jobs performed by women, according to Egunjobi (2005) have no economic values . Explaining further, Egunjobi states that all the work and activities which do not require financial reward are the responsibilities of women. This would explain the global call for women empowerment. There are high prospects in women empowerment. First the potentials of women will increase, resulting in building a virile nation, producing better women, better home makers, better future leaders and a better society. The contributions of females in top management positions revealed that females are up to the task. Women in leadership positions, especially in developing countries, have the responsibility and the potential to influence their society through leadership, particularly when they are enabled. Enabled women are empowered to aspire, attain and perform well in leadership positions while still carrying out the home front roles. Women are enabled when they are educated, exposed and economically emancipated. Throughout the ages and in all countries, women in leadership positions have impacted positively on the society. The history of mankind is replete with such women. The last century saw the emergence of great women leaders in various spheres of human endeavours, notable among who are Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Winnie Mandela, who relentlessly battled the apartheid regime in South Africa  in spite of the fact that her husband was incarcerated at the time. Here in Nigeria such women include Queen Amina of Zaria, Idia of Benin, Moremi of Ile-Ife, late Professor (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, the former Director, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and former Honorable Minister of Information and Communication, her Re-branding initiative is still fresh in our minds, the coordinator of Nigerian economy and Minister of Finance, Dr (Mrs)Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof Mrs Grace Alele. Williams the First Female Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, the Late Professor (Mrs) Jadesola Akande and even the keynote speaker of this conference, Prof. G. G. Agulanna, among others. Women from time immemorial have exhibited unparalleled ability in policy development and implementation. Education of which vocational education is an aspect remains a veritable weapon for women empowerment in all facets of life and a source of strength for national development. With vocational education, women will have greater self- fulfillment and would be able to contribute meaningfully to the social and  economic development of their societies. Again for economic reasons women no longer stay at home. The present economic recession has turned things round. Both male and female now cooperatively maintain the home even though the man is still regarded as the head of the family especially in the Nigerian Culture. In such instance, women with vocational skills will be able to earn additional salaries and support the husband and the standard of their living will be high and they can easily survive hard times. This will make for reductions in social vices like prostitution, theft and other corrupt acts perpetrated against and by women. In a situation where there is need for empowerment, vocational skills acquisition programmes is a sure means for women learners to gain basic education and or a vocational skill. The National Open University Centre for lifelong learning vocational skills acquisition programmes are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of students, women included, for immediate employment whether in the private or public sector or be self employed. As at June, 2013, enrolment figures stand at 1066, 381 of this figure are females. These run their programmes in study centres in  the cities with the exception of Awa-Ijebu, Ogori and Gulak. Women of all ages deserve to be integrated into the mainstream of a national economy through training. (Olakulehin and Ojo 2006) CHALLENGES TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The importance of vocational education in both personal and national development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to Illiteracy, according to Olakulehin & Ojo (2006), remains at the centre of women empowerment problems in Nigeria and that there is a palpable deluge of problems besetting the Nigerian women, all of them arise from illiteracy. Also, socio-cultural restraints such as limited parental resources, early marriages, pregnancy, childbearing, sexual harassment etc. negatively impact on women empowerment. In many societies, the education of women especially at the tertiary level is considered unimportant since they believe girls do not normally pay back in full measure the money invested in them. Again, religious practices of keeping women in purdah and the Shariah system (mostly in the northern part of Nigeria) hinder women from participation in education especially at the higher levels. In addition special protective measures aimed at protecting women and enhancing their effective participation has turned round to work against them. For example International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ban women from night work, underground work and stipulate maximum weight to be carried by women. It also provides for maternity protection and welfare facilities at the work place. Some employers have capitalized on this to discriminate against women and spend less on training them. Added to the foregoing some have suggested that women are their own worst enemies. Some women married to wealthy men sometimes have lukewarm attitudes to education. Some women are lazy, lack proper education and are not making positive efforts to improve themselves. All these pose formidable challenge to the empowerment of women. MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED TOWARD EFFECTIVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The hub of development of any country lies on how productive and creative its population are, for a country like ours, where women constitutes a reasonable percentage, the government, parents and men in general have obligations to ensure that women are empowered to discharge their obligations to the society and to better their life. In the light of the issues discussed above, the following recommendations are proffered. ?Funding of vocational education should be taken seriously by the federal, State and Local governments. This they can achieve through increase in the budgetary allocation to educational sector which will reflect in the vocational education sub-sector. ?Vocational education should be inculcated into the school’s curriculum to promote human empowerment and development through vocational skill acquisition. It is a means of reducing unemployment since it is skilled oriented and employment motivated. All school programmes should be geared toward providing vocational skills. ?Government and other stake holders in education should embark on awareness programmes through workshops and seminars to educate girls, women, parents and general society on the benefits of vocational education for women. ?The private partnership and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) should be encouraged to participate in vocational education through funding or contributions in kind. This involvement should be seen by firms as a long term investment, and as an aspect of their corporate social responsibility to the nation. ? To empower women, federal government should provide enabling  environment and all the necessary equipment and materials for the teaching and learning of vocational skills needed for economic enhancement in Nigeria. ?The women should shun joblessness and criminality through the cultivation of vocational spirit and acquisition of relevant skills that will launch them into greatness and economic independence. Conclusion Vocational Education has been viewed in this paper as a panacea to the endemic problem of poverty, hunger, Prostitution and other corrupt  tendencies, paving way for women empowerment. When women are trained, they explore opportunities in their immediate environment instead of chasing shadows and uncertainties in the urban centres. The development of Vocational Education will go a long way in creating employment, give women the opportunity to develop their enterprising skills, empowering them to be job creators and not job seekers and by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to raise their output; income and wealth thereby ameliorate the incidence of prostitution, kidnapping, and other social vices  that are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria. Vocational Education would also contribute to improve the image and highlight the role of women in society. REFERENCES Egunjobi, L. (2005). Women Empowerment: Perspectives and Prospects. Ado-Ekiti Fountain Newspapers and Publishing Co. Ltd. Empowerment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/empowerment. retrieved 17/10/2014 Fafunwa, A. B (1991), History of Education in Nigeria: New edition, Ibadan: NPS Educational Publishers Limited. Fakes, B. B. (2005). Technical Education: An Overview of the Learning Process. Capacity,  building workshop for lecturers in Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria for higher competency and productivity. Education Trust Fund. Federal Office of Statistics (2006), Annual Abstract of Statistics (2006 edition) Abuja Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education: 4th edition. Yaba-Lagos: NERDC Press. Igbodalo, F (1990), Contributions of Women to National Development. Paper presented at the NAUW on Contribution of women to National Development. ILO (2004) International labour organization’s information sheet on the â€Å"convention on workers with family responsibilities. No. 156, 1981 – (July 2004). Mbakwem, J. N and Anyanwu, O. G. (2014) Assessing Qualitative Teaching and Learning Environment at Upper Basic Education in Imo State, Nigeria in T. A. Bolarin and G. C. Unachukwu (Eds) Education for All: Progress and Challenges. Proceedings of the 28th annual congress of The Nigeria Academy of Education (pp 225-232). Lagos: Toptune Educational Publishers. Mohammed, I. A. (2009), â€Å"Problems and Prospects of Vocational Education in Sokoto State. † Text Paper Presented at the Annual Conference of Federal College of Educaton. Gusau. Ogbuanaya, T. C. (2006). Vocational Education Training and Challenges of Human Resource Development. Nigerian Empowering the Youth through Technical and Vocational Education: A Panacea for Sustainable National Development. Journal of Professional Teachers 1(2) 207-214. Olakulehin, F. K. & Ojo, O. D. (2006). â€Å"Distance Education as a Women Empowerment Strategy in Africa. Turkish Online Journal of Distance education, 7, 1, 1. Sako . R. ed (1999) Women Empowerment and Advancement Manual , Kaduna: League for Democratic Women (Leads) UNDP (1997) Human Development Report 1995 , New York: Oxford University Press UNESCO (2006). Revitalizing Technical Vocational Education in Nigeria. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from. http://www. afrreorjo. org/pub UNICEF Information Sheet (2007) Nigeria Country Office. View as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS DOCUMENT Vocational education, Higher education, Millennium Development Goals, Further education, Vocational school, Apprenticeship, Alternative education, Nigeria RELATED DOCUMENTS Women Empowerment †¦ Women’s Empowerment Source: www. undp. org UNDP promotes equality between women and men through ‘gender mainstreaming. ‘ The organization’s corporate strategy on gender is designed to integrate the promotion of women’s empowerment and equality fully in the organization’s core business. This strategy calls for gender mainstreaming to become everyone’s job – not the responsibility of a small number of specialists. It rests on three pillars:†¦ 4121 Words | 21 Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Women Empowerment †¦ Empowerment of any section of a society is a myth until they are conferred equality before law. 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