Reflective Portfolio

Abstract This is a reflective essay looking at the author’s career expectations and working background. Models of reflection are used to examine the author’s experience and self learning in terms of career aspirations. Past working history, and the situation with jobs in the airline industry, are discussed. A model of ideal characteristics for the author’s desired job is presented, and the areas in which the author is lacking are set out. The tools and approaches which can be used to improve these characteristics and hence become more like the ideal candidate are set out. 1. Introduction In the following paper, I am going to look at my career aspirations in the context of available careers in my chosen industry: the airline industry. I want to work in a customer services / management capacity at British Airways, building upon my existing skill-set and experience. I will discuss this subject in terms of approaches and insights I have gathered from studying international tourism management and travel tourism management, as well as what I have learnt in this particular module on career development. I will be looking critically at my experience and self-learning in order to identify the characteristics which I have that I feel equip me for this role. I will also be identifying areas which need to be further worked on. I will be combining intuitive writing about my experiences and capacities with academic research, textbooks and theories. In reflecting on my experience, I have been influenced by a number of models of learning through reflection, including Gibbs’ an d Kolb’s. Both these models show a way to structure learning. In Kolb the learner is encouraged to look at an experience and make observations then form concepts and general theories, which are then tested against more new experience. Gibbs suggests a similar process of describing, analysing feelings, evaluating, analysis and conceptualisation (Moon 2013). I have used models like these to first describe to myself or others my experience, then build conceptual models, abstract key ideas and theorise about what happened in order to do things differently in the future. Overall, I will be demonstrating how and why I feel I fit the role of Customer Service Manager within the airline industry, and how I might fill the current gaps in my knowledge and experience. 2. The Airline Sector and Available Careers In this section, I will look at the airline industry globally and in the UK, outline the areas of work, discuss the different possible job roles, and suggest the one which is right for me. I will also look at the career possibilities associated with this role, and look at the relationship between the ideal candidate for this role and my capabilities. My aim is to work in management within the airline industry. Although I have had a variety of jobs in my career so far, I have always wanted to work for British Airways. I was drawn to the opportunities for travel, as I see it as a way of learning and personal development. The old saying that travel broadens the mind seems true to me, although it also seems that travel and tourism research has so far concentrated more on why tourists select the destinations they do, rather than the impact on travellers psychology and perceptions (Chon et al 2012). Initially, I felt I should wait until the right job came along, but I was advised by a friend that I should take any job within the organisation and then work my way into the position I wanted. Many jobs are advertised internally first in many employers, not just B.A. (Williams 2010). The airline industry as a whole is large, and is likely to expand particularly if the trend for cheap air travel continues. Globally, there are approximately 2000 airlines with 23,000 aircraft serving over 3500 airports. By 2006, air travel growth was approximately 5% year on year, and capacity was thought likely to double by 2021 (Hencke 2006). Within the UK, aviation is a significant contributor to the economy, with UK airports handling 230 million passengers a year. UK manufacturing, technology and service providers in the industry are considered world leaders. Nearly 150,000 people are employed in the UK directly within the industry, and the sector contributes nearly ?10 billion to GDP (The Air League [online] 2014). The strength and likelihood of growth of the sector, while not directly motivating me to want to join the industry, certainly give me confidence that I will be able to have a life-long career within the industry. In terms of different organisations, the industry is d ominated by a few large organisations, although low-cost players have changed the situation somewhat. British Airways is the largest operator, followed by Virgin Atlantic Airways. British Midland and Easy Jet are also well known. UK companies face competition from overseas providers as well (Belobaba et al 2009). I was especially drawn to working for British Airways as they are the largest provider in the UK, and as such I feel I will have more opportunities for career development. But because many other companies operate globally, I feel I am in a good position to move to different organisations in the future, not least because I speak a number of languages. Given the large number of jobs in the sector, it is unsurprising that there are a wide range of occupations and roles. The type of jobs available can be divided into three main sections: ground handling services (e.g. baggage handling), airport operations (e.g. terminal manager, customer support) and airline operations (e.g. ground handling, cabin crew etc) (National Careers Service 2014). Of the choices, I have decided to focus on roles which directly progress out of the role I am now occupying. In particular, I have mapped out a possible career development path. First, I will go for a Future Talent Customer Service Manager (FTCSM) position, which I can move to after 12 months in this role. After this I can progress to a Customer Service Manager (after 2 years), and, beyond this, to an In-Flight Business Manager (IBM). I have chosen this particular development path having considered and rejected another. In the other path I would take a less customer-facing role, becoming a Duty Off ice Manager (DOM) or Turn Around Manager (TRM). The first looks at the management of crew, while the second deals with the mechanics of putting aircraft back in the air quickly and efficiently. My decision to go for the first career route was guided by my skills in dealing with people. I feel I have demonstrated empathy with different types of people, and am practiced at dealing with people’s problems. I care about people, want them to enjoy their experiences and want to continue to be very hands-on, if not with the public then with other employees. I also feel that there’s a more defined and visible career path in the first set of roles, as I can move from FTCCSM to CSM and to IBM, and beyond. In terms of my chosen career progression, there are a number of skills and abilities the ideal candidate will have. These are not specific to B.A. or the aviation industry, but are needed across all customer service and people facing roles. A CSM/FTCSM should have: Good leadership skills Planning ability Understanding and acting on feedback Communication ability Networking ability Flexibility The ability to manage stress and pressure as well as cope with job challenges Be able to deal with conflict (Evanson 2011) In terms of this ideal checklist, I believe I already possess several of these requirements. That is, I feel I am able to deal with conflict in a low-key, non-confrontational manner (a skill honed during my time as a bouncer), I can manage stress and pressure, I am fairly good at planning, understanding feedback and communication. This is not to say I cannot improve in these areas, but I feel that the areas in which my personal profile is most mismatched with the ideal job candidate profile are: Leadership Networking Flexibility I will explore in more detail my personal circumstances and their match to the ideal profile in the next section. 3. Current Career & Circumstances This section looks at my background in terms of career history, strengths and weaknesses. I then assess my competencies in terms of the ideal candidate profile I outlined in the last section. Finally, I identify areas for improvement in relation to this profile. Currently, I am working as a member of cabin crew. I have 6 months experience. I felt this position will help me advance in the industry as a whole. My previous career history has given me some very useful experience. I have had a variety of jobs from modelling to being a bouncer. While many of these positions might be considered ‘low level’ I feel they have taught me to deal with many different types of people, particularly people who are aggressive or who attempt to manipulate. Having dealt with so many tricky people, I feel I have a strong intuition about what people’s real motives are, as opposed to what they say they are motivated by, and also an ability to communicate with all sorts of people without making situations worse. Before I started my current job, I knew I wanted to work within the airline industry. I was also attracted to B.A. as I had heard they were a good employer (indeed.com [online] 2014). I treated the application process as a way of learning how to improve my interview skills. I applied to some organisations not because I especially wanted the advertised job, but in order to brush up on these skills, and become familiar with a range of the interview styles which exist in different companies. Some organisations, for example, use stress techniques to see how you cope under pressure (Parkinson 2002), others put you in either a very structured or an unstructured situation, both of which elicit different types of responses and require different approaches (Lehman and DuFrene 2010). During my 6 months in this job, I have come up against a number of new challenges which have made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses in terms of the job I am ideally looking for. I have found that people tend to assume that working as a member of the cabin crew is easy particularly for men. Indeed, there’s a strong ‘trolley dolly’ stereotype (Bolton & Boyd 2003), which I have found frustrating at times. In fact, cabin crew work is a difficult job demanding good time management, concentration, the ability to think ‘on your feet’ and solve problems quickly, and an ability to get on with many different sorts of people. In addition, you need to pass a number of tests. For example for the BA mixed fleet crew the tests include health, criminal record and different aircraft licenses. I have found out in this job that I am good at listening to others. I feel I have a natural empathy with others and want to listen to what they are saying, rather than try and organise them into my way of doing things. However, and perhaps this is connected with this strength, I am not naturally forceful and good at leading others. In fact, if I am faced with a domineering or overpowering customer, I tend to give in and do what they want. This creates problems for me, for example if what they want is against the company rules. I think if I had more leadership ability, I would be better able to convince such people that the way I want them to behave is the right one for them as well. I also feel I do not currently demonstrate leadership skills. When in group meetings I tend to hang back and do not put my point of view across. I also feel I do not make the best use of situations. For example, I was asked to train up a new member of my team, but I felt I did not do this well, I felt und er-confident of what I was doing and I think I confused the person I was training. In addition to the areas of improvement I need to work on, which I will discuss more in the next section, I need to look at ways in which I can achieve my goal of a management position. I believe that my experience so far has helped a great deal. I have already had 6 months experience working as a member of cabin crew, so I understand the mechanics of this industry, but also of this particular job. After all, many people have to spend several months, if not years, volunteering to get similar experience of their desired industry, and I have had the luck to be paid for getting to this stage. Another benefit of being in the industry is that I have had a chance to build contacts already. Networking is an extremely powerful tool for getting the job you want (Souza 2010) and continues to be useful once in the job. After all, networking can be defined simply as creating opportunities, improving relationships with other people and making useful contacts. In a job, these benefits deepen over time, as you develop a more permanent network (Fisher 2011). As such, it is useful to career progression. Another skill I need to learn is flexibility. After all, as Pryor and Bright (2011) point out, the 21st Century workplace is characterised by change. Being able to adapt to change, not to expect the workplace to stay the same for years (or even months) and having a portfolio approach to a career are becoming increasingly important. I recognise that I am somewhat inflexible, and that change scares me. I naturally prefer the security of some sort of routine. However, there are things I can do to become more flexible. To some extent, working as cabin crew has helped improve my adaptability and increased the extent to which I can have a positive response to change, as I am never 100% sure where I’ll be going over the next months, and I have become aware that people can be very different in their demands and expectations. As I deal so much with members of the public, I have learnt to adapt to circumstances as they come up in a consistent way. I think there is more I can do in this area though. To summarise, there are some key areas which I need to work on: developing my management skills (including communication) and improving my networking, as well as being more flexible and open to change. I have covered networking and flexibility in this section, and will look at leadership in the next section. 4. The Development of Key Skills: Leadership This section evaluates the personal development tools I have used to improve my leadership skills, as it has been identified above as one of the areas I need to work on. I have had extensive working experience in a variety of positions, but have not really worked in a position where I have had to lead others. This initially made me wonder if I had what it takes to be a leader, but a number of things we covered in the module have convinced me that I can lead others. Other gaps include networking skills and flexibility. Theoretical learning about leadership has helped expand my horizons in terms of career development. Before I started the module, I believed that leaders are born, not made, and that one either is or is not the sort of person who can lead others. However, we learnt about different theories about leadership, and also about ways leadership can be developed. The idea that leaders are born is also known as the ‘great man’ theory of leadership (Daft 2007). A similar theory is the ‘trait’ model (Komives et al 2009). Although these are old models, they were still influential in my thinking. My experience on the course opened my eyes about different leadership theories. Many hold that leadership can be learned, for example behaviour-based theories, contingency theories and transformational theory (Komives et al 2009; Bragg 2008). Of the three, I have been most influenced by transformational theories. Behavioural and contingency theories seem to lack soul for me. It seems to me, based on my working experience, that people need to relate to and be inspired by leaders. Transformational theory, introduced by Burns (1978), suggests that transformational leadership is related to â€Å"morality, charisma, vision and values† that is, the leader must inspire people. Leaders also need to work with the people they lead, sharing information (Lucas 2005, p.20). One problem I found was that while there is a lot written about transformational leadership, there is not so much about how it can actually be put into practice. I did find a model based on Burns (1985) ideas. Manktelo et al (2005) suggest a 4 step process involving Creating a picture of the future to inspire people Getting people to ‘buy in’ to the picture Manage the way the vision is made to occur Improve relationships between people involved in delivering the vision They also suggest ways in which each stage can be achieved. In order to attain my desired career goals I will certainly be using this model to help me. I also found some textbooks recommended for the module useful. Chapman and O’Neill (1999) broke leadership down into 6 practical steps. I found this useful as I find it hard sometimes to translate theory into practice. I also found Covey (1999) useful. This approach teaches one how to base leadership around principles. I have always felt that management should be to do with treating people fairly and involving them in decisions, no matter what level of the company they are working at. Gardner and Laskin (1996) have given me ideas about how to watch what other leaders do and incorporate their behaviours into my own approach. One writer I found less helpful was Watkins (2013). He suggests getting to understand the â€Å"pivotal† people in the organisation quickly, through understanding their motivations and the pressures t hey are working under as well as the way they see their choices. The strategy is then to apply tools of influence to sway them. I have two issues with this approach. First, I believe every worker in an organisation is equally important. I would rather get all people agreeable to a course of action than concentrate on those he sees as ‘pivotal’. By concentrating on a few, resentment might arise. I would also suggest that it might not be possible to get to know people as quickly as he thinks. Watkins (2013) assumes that people will be honest and open about their motivation in a short conversation, and from my experience this often is not the case. Overall, I believe that learning more about leadership and finding practical approaches to being a better leader, including coaching skills, is the key way to address the gap I have talked about in earlier sections between my current skill set and the skill set required for my ideal position. 5. Conclusion In conclusion, I have examined my career in the context of my past working experience, where I am at the moment, and where I want to be. A number of tools I have learned during this module, as well as through self-learning, have helped me work out the ideal profile for my desired job role. I have also identified how I might turn my current skill set into the desired one. In particular, I need to work on leadership abilities. I have found a number of practical tools to help me do this, and have explored them above. My networking skills and flexibility can also be improved. 6. References The Air League (2014) ‘UK Aviation’ [online] (cited 8th February 2014). Available from http://www.airleague.co.uk/about/position-papers/uk-aviation/ Belobaba, P, Odoni, A and Barnhart, C (2009) The Global Airline Industry, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ Bolton, S C and Boyd, C (2003) ;Trolley Dolly or Skilled Emotion ManagerMoving on from Hochschild’s Managed Heart’, Work, Employment and Society, 17:2, 289-308. Bragg, D J (2008) The Application of Transformational Leadership, Proquest, USA. Chapman, E N and O’Neill, L S (1999) Leadership: Essential steps every manager needs to know (3rd edn.), Prentice Hall, USA Chon, K S, Pizam, A and Mansfeld, Y (2012) Consumer Behaviour in Travel and Tourism, Routledge, UK Covey, S R (1999) Principle-centered Leadership, Simon & Schuster, London Daft, R (2007) The Leadership Experience (4th edn.), Cengage Learning, Mason OH. Day, D V, Zaccaro, S J and Halpin, S M (2004) Leader Development for Transforming Organizations: Growing Leaders for Tomorrow, Psychology Press, Bristol D’Souza (2010) Brilliant Networking: What the Best Networkers Know, Say and Do, Pearson, UK Evenson, R (2011) Customer Service Management Training 101: Quick and Easy Techniques That Get Great Results, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, USA Fisher, D (2011) Professional Networking For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ Gardner, H and Laskin, E (1996). Leading Minds: An anatomy of leadership, Basic Books, NY. Gladwell, M (2001) Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference Abacus, London Hencke, E (2006) ‘Airline Industry Overview’, [online] (cited 8th February 2014) available from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/consultingclub/Resources/Airlines_Eric_Henckels.pdf Indeed.com (2014) ‘British Airways’ [online] (cited 8th February 2014) available from http://www.indeed.com/cmp/British-Airways/reviews Komives, S R, Lucas, N and McMahon, T R (2009) Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (2nd edn.), John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Lehman, C and DuFrene, D (2010) Business Communication (16th edn.), Cengage Learning, Mason, OH Lucas, D B (2005) A Study of the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Constructive Organizational Culture in Small Manufacturing Companies, Proquest, USA Manketelow, J, Brodbeck, F and Anand, N (2005) How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You, Mind Tools, Swindon. Moon, J A (2013) Reflection in Learning and Professional Development: Theory and Practice, Routledge, Oxon National Careers Service (2014) ‘Finding out about aviation’ [online] (cited 9th February 2014) available from ttps://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/LMI/Pages/aviation.aspx Parkinson, M (2002) Your Job Search Made Easy, Kogan Page Publishers, London Pryor, R and Bright, J (2011) Chaos Theory of Careers: A new perspective on working in the twenty-first century, Routledge, Oxon. Watkins, M D (2013) First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, Harvard Business Press, USA Williams, C (2010) Management (6th edn), Cengage Learning, Mason, OH

The Level of Disaster Preparedness of Pangasinan State University

THE LEVEL OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS OF PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, LINGAYEN CAMPUS S. Y. 2012-2013 A Research Paper Presented to Dr. Lorna G. Urbiztondo In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course ProfEd 117 (Introduction to Research) By: Ryan S. Oris March 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would to express my sincerest appreciation and gratitude to the people behind the success of this undertaking: * To Dr. Lorna G. Urbiztondo, Research Adviser for her very supportive and professional guidance and assistance; * To the Staff of PSU Library, for allowing me to borrow undergraduate thesis; * To Mrs.Helen Braga Mabanta, registrar of PSU Lingayen Campus for giving me the total population of enrolled students in this university; * Most of all I would like thank my families, friends and classmates for their inspiration and understanding; * And finally the Eternal and Gracious God, for answering and providing the needed intellect, strength, spiritual guidance in the completion o f this study. Phenomenal things happened because of this people. I wish that all blessings and love be showered upon them. Chapter 1 The Problem and It’s BackgroundI. Introduction Preparedness in time of disasters known to be critical for households, communities and businesses but many people remains unprepared. Mindanao’s are blown in the wind, deaths in flashfloods. A shocking news that Typhoon Pablo’ pounds Mindanao last December 2012. It was approximated that this typhoon killed nearly 2,000 people and wiped out their livelihood and also residential areas. More than 90 percent of infrastructures are destroyed in Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and parts of the Agusan provinces (Inquirer News).This disaster serves to emphasize the significance of the responsibility of individual, local coordination and effective plans to ensure the capacity to respond and cope from major unexpected events. Natural or man-made disaster may come in many forms, anytime, anywhe re without advance notice. If we caught unprepared, it causes damage and devastation it brings to lives and properties. Disaster may strike in any place whether at home, in school, in church, in market, in the workplace or in the streets.Furthermore, students are one of affected in case of these disasters- one reason why government promotes enhancing skills and knowledge as a major instrument to cope with any eventuality that might come in life. As government’s prime duty is to avert and safeguard people from incoming disaster and other forms of catastrophe (CWTS Coursebook, 2009). In school or community, there are volunteer groups; training service and programs promoting the effective and appropriate measures in order to abate dangers.This research assesses the end result of training services and programs to students. The purpose of this research is to examine the current disaster preparedness level of campus students at Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus in order to explore strength and weaknesses to be used in future campus disaster preparedness plans. If the University already aware with this knowledge, the university will be able to more effective plan, develop, and implement procedures in order to move in an efficient manner to preserve life and property in the event of a disaster on campus.This descriptive research used a quantitative survey to assess the following research questions: What is the profile of the PSU- Lingayen Campus students in terms of age, sex and civil status? What is the level of preparedness in terms of natural and man-made disasters? What are the problems encountered by the respondents in the preparedness of disasters in terms natural and man-made disasters? This research used questionnaires to explore the status of their preparedness for a disaster. Significance of the Study The output of this research is deemed significant to the following: * The Students.They will able to know the level of disaster preparedness of Pangasinan State University students. They will be more active in training services and programs concerning to disaster preparedness. * The Teachers. This study will give a feedback to the teachers on teaching disaster preparedness especially to NSTP (National Service Training Program) teachers. * The University Administration. This study will make the university aware on the level of disaster preparedness of the students and will help them coin appropriate programs to cope with the necessity of the students. The Future Researchers. Result of this study would be beneficial as a basis for further studies related to this research and to be inspired to conduct more extensive and substantial study about level of disaster preparedness in bigger area. Scope and Delimitation This study primarily focused on the level of disaster preparedness of students. According to the registrar office of Pangasinan State University Lingayen Campus, there are 6,447 students who are enrolled in this uni versity. From the total population, there are 1,793 freshmen, 1,642 sophomores, 1,584 juniors and 1,428 seniors.It only covers the 10% of the total population. It was conducted during the second semester of S. Y. 20012-2013. Statement of the Problem This study aimed to determine the level of disaster preparedness of Pangasinan State University students, Lingayen Campus S. Y. 2012-2013. Specifically, it sought to answer the following sub-problems: 1. What is the profile of the PSU- Lingayen Campus students in terms of the following variables: a. Sex b. Age c. Section d. Civil Status? 2. What is the level of preparedness in terms of: a. Natural disasters . Man-made disasters? 3. What are the problems encountered by the respondents in the preparedness of disasters? Definition of Terms The study used some terms which the researchers defined for clearer understanding. The following terms are defined operationally: 1) Disaster. It refers to a natural or man-made hazard resulting disturban ces and disruption of social and economic aspects, loss of life, and drastic change of environment may happen. It has great effects to Pangasinan State University students, Lingayen Campus. 2) Disaster preparedness.It refers to PSU-LC student’s ability to respond and recover in the event of a disaster. It encompasses measures aimed at intensifying life safety when an emergency occur. 3) Level of disaster preparedness. It refers to the level of readiness or preparation for disaster of the PSU-LC students. 4) Natural disasters. These are disasters that brought by nature. 5) Man- made disaster. These are synthetic disasters that brought by man. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies This chapter presents the related literature review and studies which served as springboard in the conceptualization of this study.They are reviewed hereunder to show that these studies are consistent with the present concerns of this research. RELATED LITERATURE A. Foreign Disaster may s trike anytime, anywhere resulting to great loss and misfortune. Disasters have two kinds, the natural and man-made disasters. Natural and man-made disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, plane crashes, high-rise building collapses, or major nuclear facility malfunctions, pose an ever-present danger challenge to public emergency services. According to The CDC (2007) the leading cause of death in the typical college age population is the unintentional injuries.Annually, more than 30,000 deaths occur from unintentional injuries for those between the ages 15 and 35 (CDC, 2007). According to the reports, homicide and suicide are the next two most frequent causes of deaths in age group. From the reports of the U. S Census Bureau (2008), in 2006 with 17. 1 million undergraduate and 3. 4 million graduate students there are more than 20 million college students in the United States. This represents an increase in students by 3 million, or 17 percent, from the 2000 census information.As state d by Aker (2007), colleges represent a significant target hazard for the communities that they serve with potential for staggering amounts of loss of life, economic resources, and future potential if an incident on campus was to occur. Gaull (1997) stated that the prevention of a dangerous occurrence is known as the most practical way to save life from an unintentional injury. In fire prevention practices since the days of Benjamin Franklin, the American fire service has participated. From one of his newspaper articles, Mr.Franklin quotes â€Å"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure†, actually was referring to the common hazard of carrying smoldering embers or coals through the home. The release of the America Burning Report in 1973, from the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, was the formal declaration to the seriousness of the fire problem in America (EACRR, 2009). NFPA (2011) reports that from 1977 to 2006 that the fire rate in America dropped fro m 3. 2 million fires to approximately 1. 6 million. Though that represents almost a 50% drop in fires, the firesafety. ov (2011) reports an increase in the number of campus related fire deaths. Since January 2000, 135 college students have been reported to be killed in fires (firesafty. gov, 2011). The H1N1 flu epidemic serves as a great example of new and emerging risk that can quickly have a significant impact on a college. From August to the end of September 2009, campuses had reported 13,434 cases of H1N1 and two student deaths (Park, 2009). Colleges across the country were forced to scramble to develop plans and implement counter measures to ensure the safety of their students and workers.Some colleges such as Arizona State went so far as to stock up on medications such as Tamiflu to dispense to students, other schools prepared dorms to be used as quarantine locations for infected students (McGraw, 2009). Almost all colleges developed and implemented some sort of prevention edu cation program to deal with the spread of the flu. Ultimately, the education and prophylactic measures proved to be the most successful measures (CDC, 2010) Campus safety is not only important to the lives of those on college campuses but to the reputation of the college which is tied to its enrolment and in turn its economic success (Clunn, 2010).It is recommended that individuals be prepared to take care of themselves for the first hours of an emergency or disaster (Bayless, 2011; FEMA, 2011). An interesting argument is how prepared college students are in the area of safety prevention. College Watch contended that a major reason for an increase in campus related fires is that the students’ knowledge level in regards to safety aspects is not proficient. For example, the number one factor found in campus fires was cooking accidents (Campus Fire Watch, 2011).Cooking safety is a pretty common fire prevention topic in grade school so it is surprising that it would be the number one cause of fires on campus. According to Aschenbrener (2001), college campus students, faculty, and staff are at risk from thousands of different hazards. Prevention practices can teach the normal person how to live safer and how better be prepared for an emergency or disaster that may affect them and their family (Comeau, 2007). For college inhabitants to minimize their risk to death or injury from an unintentional injury they must have the knowledge and practice prevention strategies.Preparedness is significant. According to White House (2003), preparedness is the existence of plans, procedures, policies, training, and equipment necessary at the federal, state, and local level to maximize the ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from major events. Meanwhile, National Incident Management System (2012) defined preparedness as a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effectiv e coordination during incident response.This cycle is one element of a broader National Preparedness System in order abating dangers. B. Local The Philippines being a locus of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and typhoons is a hotbed of disasters. Natural hazards have in? icted thousands of  deaths and costly damage to property, not only natural disasters that has great impact to the lives of Filipino but also the human- induced or man-made disaster (Corresponding Author). In a report from Citizen’s Disaster Response Center (CDRC, 2011), a total of 431 natural and human-induced disasters were reported in the Philippines in 2011.These killed 1,774 people, and affected more than 3 million families or 15. 3 million people, and caused over Php 26 billion in economic damages. Based on the EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database, of the 302 natural disasters that happened worldwide, 33 occurred in the Philippines and 21 in China. Last year, the country was only third on that list with only 14 natural disasters recorded. The Philippines also placed third in the list of countries most affected by natural disasters in 2011 with 11. 7 million people affected. Previously, the country placed only 5th on that list.In terms of casualties, the Philippines is second to Japan with 1,924 people killed. In terms of frequency, flood topped the list with 121 reported incidents, or 28. 07% of the total number of disaster events monitored in 2011. This was followed by fire with 98 incidents –majority of which occurred in urban centers, particularly in congested urban poor communities. Meanwhile, earthquake occurred 78 times, while landslide 66 times, and tornado 23. Tropical Cyclones may not have made it to the top 5 most frequent disasters, but it affected the most number of people.At least 10. 3 Million people were affected in 2011. The two most destructive tropical cyclones in 2011 are Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) and Typhoon Pedring (Nesa t). Prevention is doing always better than cure. Why wait for some predicted situations to happen when at first we are aware it will happen? Disasters and calamities though cannot be avoided but can be mitigated. These disasters may serve a lesson for us to become a disaster resilient. Furthermore, what we really need to do is to develop a culture of safety in order to prepare ourselves against any disaster.It is not di? cult to demonstrate that we lack this culture, because examples can range from riding motorcycle bikes without helmets, to search and rescue teams not knowing where to ? nd rubber boats to save flood victims. According to Philippine Information Agency (PIA, 2011), during calamities, children are most vulnerable, reason to have education about disaster risk reduction. Since natural calamities are unpreventable, the best government can do is to reduce its disastrous effect through knowledge on disaster preparedness.The provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte and Eastern Sa mar in Eastern Visayas are the provinces specifically at high risk of natural calamities like landslide and flooding as the said provinces are located in the eastern seaboard of the country. As a preventive measure against disaster the Department of Education (DepEd), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have mandates to concretize disaster preparedness by integrating disaster reduction and management education in the curricula of the public secondary and tertiary schools.It was learned that some schools in Eastern Visayas have started adopting introductory courses and modules on disaster risk reduction at the start of classes this year. The Regional Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) tied up with the DepEd in the conduct of a training and seminar for teachers expected to handle the subject. Some schools in Leyte have already included disaster risk reduction in their Earth Science subject even if the subject have yet to be formally ironed out between the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the DepEd (PIA, 2011).The subject will also be taught in the National Service Training Program (NSTP) for tertiary schools, technical-vocational, indigenous learning and in out of school youth courses. (PIA-8) It is very helpful for students to have information about weather conditions in the Philippines. Good news from students and also to Filipino, Department of Science and Technology launched a mobile application based on its highly successful project called  NOAH  which stands for Nationwide Operational Assessment of  Hazards. From the report, NOAH aims to provide reliable and authoritative information about weather conditions in the country.It is designed to be a disaster preparedness system to reduce loss of lives, and damages to properties due to rain-triggered natural  hazards. Now that it’s accessible via a mobile application, Filipinos will be able to access information r elevant to current weather conditions right on the palm of their  hands. Raymund Liboro, Department of Science and Technology project director for  NOAH said, â€Å"When it comes to getting and accessing information, there is nothing more ubiquitous than the mobile phone†. A 2011 World Bank study showed that 80 percent of Filipino households have a mobile phone, making the application convenient and  accessible.Furthermore, the  NOAH  mobile application will initially be available only for Android smartphones. However, its sharing options will allow users to share information across different social  media. Future enhancements include incorporating a flood forecasting system. â€Å"This will really help us give advance warning to residents of flood-prone areas [and] if there is a need to evacuate,† said Vic Malano, Deputy Administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical  Services. RELATED STUDIES A. Foreign Kevin Kupietz conducted a research entitled Retention of Emergency Preparedness Knowledge at Halifax Community College.According to him, there are more than 3. 5 million students attending more than 4,000 colleges and universities in America. These students, along with faculty and staff members could be at risk of injury or death from natural or manmade incidents and disasters on and off campus. It is known that how well prepared and the actions one takes during an emergency can have a significant impact on the events outcome. The problem is that the emergency preparedness knowledge of students, faculty, and staff of colleges, like Halifax Community College is unknown.It is critical for emergency preparedness planning to understand the core knowledge of the group that intends to develop protection plans for. With this in mind the purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the current emergency preparedness knowledge of Halifax Community College students, faculty, and staff members. This study used a quantitative survey tool or a web based testing instrument to explore the following questions pertaining to campus students, faculty, and staff: What is their current of understanding of campus emergency procedures?What is their current level of knowledge is in regards to basic emergency preparedness? What is their current level of emergency preparedness based on the prevention actions they have taken? Kupietz’ study found that overall knowledge towards preparedness and prevention was fair to good for those that participated. The study also indicated that while the knowledge may be possessed the prevention actions were not always put into place by participants. This study concluded that a college campus puts a large quantity of people together in a small geographical area.This can create the risk of an event leading to multiple injuries and/or deaths. College campuses often represent a new world of freedom for young adults that may lead to reckless behaviors such as drinking in excess. These factors, singularly and combined, put the typical college campus at risk. Through prevention programs that are able to promote good information with high retention rates that inspire people to take preventative actions the risk can be greatly reduced.Through further research providing foundational information for prevention specialists to work from great strides can be made to protect the students, faculty, and staff of not only Halifax Community College but of colleges across the country. B. Local There was an assessment of disaster preparedness in selected public schools in Luzon, Philippines. This study was conducted by Jonathan Guevarra, Caridad Ancheta, Jason Dela Pena, Adelwisa Ortega and Theresita Lariosa. This study will attempt to describe the disaster preparedness of selected public schools and also School’s disaster preparedness plan.Furthermore, this study will also attempt to determine awareness of key school personnel on disaster preparedness p rograms (both local and national) and Department of Education (DepEd) disaster related policies. From their study, 37 key personnel from elementary and secondary schools were interviewed using an interview guide from January to March 2006. They secured the written permit from the Department of Education (DepEd) Division Superintendent. Prior to interview respondents, consent form was obtained. They were collected the school profile and data on each School’s disaster preparedness.Using descriptive statistics, data was analyzed. After a long period of time, they come up with the following results: of the 37 schools covered in the study, most (59%) of them came from the National Capital Region (NCR) and most of them were Elementary Schools. Thirty five schools (95%) reported to have formed disaster committees. However, less than one third (30%) of the respondent schools had disaster preparedness plans. The majority (95%) of the public schools conducted drills once a year. The mo st common type of drill conducted in these schools was fire and earthquake drills.Fifty-one percent (51%) were not used as centers of evacuation during the disasters that occurred in the last five years. The majority (95%) of the public school key personnel were aware of the national local disaster management programs. All respondents were aware of disaster-related DepEd policies. The five researchers concluded that this study provided a glimpse of the efforts that teachers and students are preparing in times of emergencies and disasters. They recommend that specific hazards that affect schools may have to be addressed. â€Å"Chemical spills†, food poisoning and infectious disease outbreaks are examples of these.These may also be considered the preparation of the School’s preparedness plans. As we reviewed the related literature from the local and foreign studies, it may help to understand the current study. From the local study- Assessment of Disaster Preparedness in Selected Public Schools in Luzon, Philippines, we knew already the status of elementary and secondary students of Luzon in preparing for disaster. In contrast, this current study focuses only to students of Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus in assessing also the level or status of their disaster preparedness.Furthermore, this current study does not attempt to determine awareness of key school personnel on disaster preparedness programs but it is similar to the method to be used in analyzing data. From the foreign study entitled Disaster Preparedness; Concepts, Guidance, and Research, it has also a great help to my study. They gave summary of concepts, guidance and research about disaster preparedness. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK From the insights of the related studies and literatures presented earlier, certain concepts stood out as the source of the conceptual framework of this study.Through this, the main intention of this study is to determine the level of disaster preparedne ss of PSU students in Lingayen Campus. The input variables of the study are the profile of the respondents which consist of age, gender, course and section, and civil status. The process is analyzing the information through the descriptive method using questionnaire. The output of this study is the level of disaster preparedness of PSU students in Lingayen Campus. The paradigm found on the succeeding page has guided the researcher in the conduct of this study. PARADIGM Analysis of the input through the descriptive survey methodAnalysis of the input through the descriptive survey method 1. Personal Profile of the students in terms of: a. Sex b. Age c. Civil status 2. The level of preparedness in terms of: a. Natural Disasters b. Man-made Disasters 3. Problems Encountered by the respondents. 4. Personal Profile of the students in terms of: d. Sex e. Age f. Civil status 5. The level of preparedness in terms of: c. Natural Disasters d. Man-made Disasters 6. Problems Encountered by the r espondents. Level of Disaster Preparedness of Pangasinan State University- Lingayen Campus S. Y 2012-2013Level of Disaster Preparedness of Pangasinan State University- Lingayen Campus S. Y 2012-2013 INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT Figure 1: Paradigm of the study showing the relationship between the input- process and output of the study. Chapter 3 Research Methodology This chapter deals with the different approaches and techniques used by the researchers in gathering the important data to complete this study. It involves the research design, research locale, samples and sampling techniques, subject, research design, data gathering procedure, validation of instrument, data processing method and statistical treatment. Research DesignThis study is basically descriptive research work. Descriptive research deals with the description, recording, analysis and interpretation of the phenomena that already exist (Calderon, 1993). The data were presented and discussed using descriptive and inferential an alysis technique. Population and Sample of the Study There are 6,447 students enrolled in PSU Lingayen Campus. Ten percent (10%) of the total number of students will be chosen as respondents using stratified random sampling. The distribution is shown in Figure 2. YEAR LEVEL| NUMBER OF ENROLLED STUDENTS| 10%| First year| 1,793| 179| Second year| 1,642| 164|Third year| 1,584| 158| Fourth year| 1,428| 143| TOTAL| 6,447| 645| Figure 2. Distribution of the Respondents of the Study Research Locale The study on the Level of Disaster Preparedness of PSU students, Lingayen Campus was conducted at Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus S. Y 2012-2013 Research Instrument The researchers employed questionnaires in gathering data from the respondents. Questionnaire is defined as the document containing a list of questions related to particular topic. The data which will be obtained from the returned questionnaires will be carefully studied to come up with an appropriate output.This study c overs research questionnaires as data gathering instrument. The questionnaire is divided into three parts. The first research questionnaire was made to gather information about personal profile of the respondents such as age, sex, and others. The second questionnaire was intended to obtain data on the disaster preparedness of the respondents. The third questionnaire was intended also to determine the problems encountered by the respondents in disaster preparedness. Validation of the Instrument The instrument used in this study will be valid until School Year 2012-2013.Data Gathering Procedure The researcher was able to gather data thru questionnaire that was given to the respondents. This questionnaire during the time that the respondent answering the questionnaire, the researcher was able to have small informal interviews with the respondents and ask something related to the research problem. Data Processing Method Through descriptive method, data were analyzed. Statistical Tools a nd Treatment The data that were obtained using the questionnaires and the tests were subjected to statistical procedures as follows:Part 1 on the profile of the respondents are measured and analyzed by percentages, and frequency. The formula is as follows: P= fN x 100 Where: P= percentage f= frequency N= number of respondents For problem No. 2, average weighted mean was used in determining the level of disaster preparedness in terms of hazard knowledge The formula in calculating the average weighted mean is shown below: AWM= ? fxN Where= Average Weighted Mean ?= summation of f= frequency x= the number that corresponding to the level of preparedness N= total number of respondentsThe results will be interpreted using the Lickert Scale which is described below: Range| Scale| Descriptive Rating| 5| 4. 21- 5. 00| Very much prepared (VMP)| 4| 3. 41-4. 20| Much prepared (MP)| 3| 2. 61-3. 40| Moderately prepared (MP)| 2| 1. 81-2. 60| Fairly prepared (FP)| 1| 1. 0-1. 80| Not prepared (NP)| F or Problem No. 3, the problems encountered by the students on the disaster preparedness had been computed by using frequency count and ranking. BIBLIOGRAPHY Africa. Carla, â€Å"Philippine Disasters† 9 November 2012. http://www. academia. edu/693831/Lessons_from_recent_Philippine_disastersAschenbrener, M. (2001). In Twombly S. (Ed. ), How colleges and Universities respond to natural disaster. United States- Kansas: The University of Kansas. Retrieved from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=9603275 Campus Fire Watch (2011, April 11). † Current fire information†. Retrieved from http://www. campus-firewatch. com/resources%20center/currentinfo. html CDC (2007). â€Å"10 leading causes of death by age group†, United States-2007. Retrieved from http://cdc. gov/injury/leadingcauses. html Clunn N. (2010. October, 22). â€Å"Students need lessons in off-campus safety†.NorthJersey. com. Retrieved from http://www. northjersey. com/news/cri me_courts/105505788Students_need_lessons_in_off-campus_safety. html FEMA (2011). â€Å"Emergency response action steps†. Retrieved from http://www. fema. gov/plan/ehp/response. shtm Gaull, E. (1997, May). Show me the results! Fire Chief. HCC (2010). Halifax Community College’s annual report 2010. Retrieved from http://www. halifaxcc. edu/AnnualReport/annualreport2010. pdf Mowrer, F. W. (1999). â€Å"Fire safe student housing a guide for campus housing administrators†. Emmitsburg, MD: United States Fire Administration. Park, M. 2009, September, 22). † Students ad H1N1 mingle on campus. CNN†. Retrieved from http://articles. cnn. com. /2009-09-22/health/h1n1. flu,college. students_1_h_1 _n_1-flu-prevention-seasonal-flu? _s=PM:HEALT http://upmcphresearchoffice. weebly. com http://www. futuregov. asia/articles/2012/nov/09/philippines-launches-mobile-app-disaster-preparedn/ http://www. universityworldnews. com/article. php? story=20120518132734905 http://w ww. academia. edu/1936994/An_Analysis_on_Environmental_Management_Polic y_in_the_Philippines APPENDICES APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE LEVEL OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESSI. RESPONDENTS’ PERSONAL PROFILE DIRECTION: Please check your appropriate answers honestly. Your response will be of strict confidentiality. 1. Name: ____________________________ (optional) 2. Gender:( ) Male ( ) Female 3. Age:( ) 16-18 years old( ) 22-24 years old ( ) 19-21 years old( ) 25 above 4. Civil Status:( ) Single( ) Married II. LEVEL OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS Direction: Please check on the column that describes the level of disaster preparedness. Numerical ValueDescriptive Equivalent 5very much prepared 4much prepared 3averagely prepared 2fairly prepared 1not prepared . Natural Disasters | 5| 4| 3| 2| 1| Climactic Variability (La Nina, El Nino)| | | | | | Coastal Erosion| | | | | | Drought| | | | | | Earthquake| | | | | | Flood| | | | | | Landslide| | | | | | Tsunami| | | | | | Typhoon and Tropical Surge s| | | | | | Volcanic Eruption| | | | | | Wildfire| | | | | | Disease Epidemic| | | | | | 2. Man-made Disasters | 5| 4| 3| 2| 1| Fire Incident| | | | | | Structural Collapse| | | | | | Hazardous Spills| | | | | | Water Breakdown| | | | | | Food Scarcity| | | | | | Pollution| | | | | | Direction: Put a check on the answer you perceived most. 1.Are you aware of the types of emergencies/ hazards that can potentially affect your area? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 2. Do you think that your family is relatively well-prepared for a disaster? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 3. Do you believe that the community you live in is relatively well- prepared for a disaster? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 4. Have you discussed disaster preparedness with your family, friends, classmates and neighbors? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 5. Do you know how to call for help? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 6. Are you aware with the contact number of different authorities (police hotline)? ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 7. Have you conducted a hazard, impac t, and vulnerability assessments? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 8. Do you have a Family Disaster Supply Kit? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 9. Are you current in First-Aid training (trained in the last 3 years)? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 10. Do you participate in any seminars related to Disaster Preparedness? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 11. Are you responsible in CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 12. Do you know how to operate or use the fire extinguisher? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 13. Do you monitor TV and radio reports? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 4. Do you know where your family records are? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 15. Do you stay calm and remember what it is that you know and how it is going to get you through the situation you’re in? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 16. Are you aware where your family will meet outside your home in case of an emergency? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 17. Have you practiced an emergency drill in your home or school within the past year? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 18. Do you know about disaster plans at your school? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 19. Are you aware with the precautionary measures in case of disasters? ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 20. Some family members have special needs, for example the elderly, mobility impaired or sick. Do you have a plan for making sure these members will be safe during a disaster? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 21. Do you have plan for your pets? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 22. Do you prepare a recovery plans? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 23. Do you secure your important documents and properties? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe 24. Do you have the mobile application Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of  Hazards)? ( ) Yes( ) No( ) Maybe III.PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED BY THE RESPONDENTS IN THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS Direction: Please put a check on the space provided for which is you think is the most problem that you encounter in the disaster preparedness. _____ Lack of conducting hazard, impact, and vulnerability assessments _____Lack of appreciation and support to the Disaster Preparedness _____Lack of Disaster Coordinating Council at the local level _____Erroneous disaster reporting and monitoring _____ Difficult to measure the effects _____ Lack of disaster information material _____ Inadequate training in disaster preparedness by key barangay people _____ Lack of facilities ____ Lack of evacuation plans _____ Lack of time to prepare CURRICULUM VITAE RYAN SANCHEZ ORIS #235Barangay Lasip, Lingayen, Pangasinan 09077996587 [email  protected] com I. Personal Background Age:18 Date of Birth:August 6, 1994 Place of Birth:Pangasinan Gender:Male Civil Status:Single Nationality:Filipino Height: Weight: II. Educational Background TertiaryBachelor of Secondary Education (Physical Science) Pangasinan State University Alvear St. Brgy. Poblacion, Lingayen, Pangasinan 2011-present SecondaryLasip National High School Lasip. Lingayen, Pangasinan Salutatorian 2007-2011

Knowledge and Organizational Learning Essay

The emerging importance of social media was not one that has taken the corporate world by surprise. By empowering people with the sensibility that their voice matters and can make a difference, social media technologies have altered forever how people communicate and the way companies conduct their business. The success of Web 2. 0 lies primarily in the network effects which creates a sense of community. With the implementation of effective social media strategies, many global brands have won the hearts of their customers simply through staying connected and relevant. As such, this essay will explore how social media when managed strategically in an organisation, can be used to improve its ability to share knowledge across space and time, support innovation, aid problem solving and build social capital. Some case studies of organisations excelling through their social media platform will be discussed and evaluated. It must be noted however, that social media in all of its glory can act as a double edged sword when it is not used appropriately. Improving knowledge sharing Knowledge could be defined as ‘actionable information’ that allows one to make a more informed decision and provide an effective input to conversations and innovation at organisation levels (Jashapara, 2011). It enables one to act more effectively and aid in the ability to better predict future outcomes. A major challenge in organisations today is fostering a knowledge sharing culture. Whereby explicit knowledge is somewhat easy to codify and stored, the sharing of tacit knowledge remains rather equivocal. Through communities of practice which connects people through shared mutual interest and expertise in a specific discipline, organisations are now able to foster the kind of knowledge sharing culture they aspire (Burk, 1999). These social and professional networks create a virtual platform for employees to share relevant experiences and best practices, as well as identify knowledge gaps in their learning. As the ‘bite-size’ information is now readily accessible, learning and knowledge sharing becomes more convenient and easily assimilated. Yammer, an enterprise social networking tool is used by over 200,000 companies and more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies for internal communications and knowledge sharing (Customer Success). Launched in 2008, it drew inspiration from Facebook and Twitter where it features social networking as well as mircroblogging with a secure and private network. Designed for company collaboration, file sharing and exchange of knowledge and information with other users within their organisation or pre-designated groups, Yammer has successfully removed geographical barriers and creates immense knowledge sharing opportunities. It is imperative to note that there are two internal cultural forces that impacts learning and effectiveness in organisations (Jashapara, 2011). In an organisation culture with strong forces of cooperation, it is an ideological organisation where employees are more inclined to share knowledge and expertise. Conversely, if the forces of competition are dominant, it may create silos mentality whereby there is unwillingness to share knowledge in order to gain a competitive advantage (Holst & Fields, 2010). Despite having the various technologies in place for knowledge sharing, there must be interpersonal trust between employees in order to facilitate the exchange of knowledge (Lucas, 2005). Affect-based trust which is built on mutual care and concern between employees is a predominant factor as to one’s willingness to share tacit organisation knowledge. It is found that individuals who were friends were more inclined to share personal and tacit knowledge with one another (Epsein, 2000). The tacit knowledge transfer is characterized by interpersonal relationship as well as long-standing working relationship which will motivate an individual to act in ways that benefit the other (Smedlund, 2008). Hence, with trust and a culture to share, the silo mentality of an organisation will be diminished and they will reap the benefits of knowledge sharing. Supporting innovation Innovation is the ongoing process of discovering new products for the customers or improving work process and efficiencies (Jashapara, 2011). It is no longer a question whether an organisation should pursue innovation but rather, it is a prerequisite for achieving a competitive advantage and success in many industries today. Innovation spurs motivation and efficiency within an organisation and though effective innovation management, it can increase market share through existing markets and capture new markets as well (Potecea & Cebuc, 2010). Customer experience will be enhanced with improved product quality and with wide range of choices made available to them. Innovation prevails in organisations with flexible and adaptive structure, a culture of trust and knowledge sharing and led by a committed management team who are motivated to promote organisation learning (Dasgupta & Gupta, 2009). Through the use of effective social media strategies, an organisation now has more platforms share ideas, gather feedback and innovate on product offerings and customer experience. One prime example is Starbucks’ own version of a social network portal, ‘My Starbucks Idea’ where it is an avenue for customer to share their own Starbucks related ideas (My Starbucks Idea). Inaugurated in 2008, it leverages on desire for engagement and interaction in social network by giving users the ability to share and vote for ideas and check on the outcomes of their suggestions. Through this platform, Starbucks is able to hear directly from their customers and act upon the ideas thereby cultivating and creating great consumer value and community. My Starbucks Idea’ is complemented with Starbucks Blog, ‘Ideas in Action’ which features contributions by various Starbucks employees who shares on the implementation of the ideas given by users through the ‘My Starbucks Idea’ site (Ideas In Action). Ultimately, through the use of social media, Starbucks is clearly prioritising their communication with customers and this creates an e ven greater sense of loyalty to know that their ideas are valued and implemented. It gives customers the empowerment to be involved in part of the decision making process and the ability to shape the future of Starbucks. Aid problem solving The emergence of problem-finding and problem-solving approach highlights the importance of identifying problems to solve, seizing opportunities and overcoming the challenges in organisations (Nickerson, Yen, & Mahoney, 2012). Through the multiple channels of social media, organisations can now connect with customers and hear first hand of their experiences and address problems instantaneously. A good example of an organisation leveraging on social media to aid problem solving is Best Buy, the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer (About Best Buy). Through the years, they have provided customers with exceptional choice, unbiased advice and trusted support for their technology needs. Galvanised by the influence and power of social media, Best Buy created a feed on Twitter called Twelpforce to provide solutions for customers (Dunn, 2010). Those who are having technical problems are able to post it on Twelpforce and a team of Best Buy associates or other Twitter users can post solutions or suggestions. By monitoring the feeds, Best Buy’s management are able to hear unbiased customers’ feedback on their products and assist them in real time. Twelpforce also presents the opportunity for new sales as individual choices are largely influenced and made on the recommendations and advocacy of others (Cunningham, 2012). Electronic word of mouth is especially powerful as the people in an individual’s social network are usually deemed as a trustworthy source of information (Curran, O’Brien, & O’Hara, 2011). Through Twitter and other social media platforms, Best Buy demonstrates their commitment to rejuvenate and refine their customer experience, and at the same time, drives value and innovation to create a more positive and connecting world. Building Social Capital Social capital refers to the active connections and network of relationships between people: the trust, mutual understanding and shared values which binds them together and facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit (Cohen & Prusak, 2002). It is the glue that promotes knowledge exchange and innovation hence, an essential strategy for organisations to gain competitive advantage in the markets which they operate. However, the development of social capital does not relegate the importance of investing in human capital in organisations (Cummingham, 2002). Huppi and Seemann (2001) phrased it appropriately that â€Å"human capital resides in the people; social capital resides in the relationships among them†. Using social media, organisations can connect with each other more readily and establish a network of community and relationships without any geographical boundaries. This is exemplified by Accenture, a global consulting and technology services and outsourcing company with circa 259,000 employees (About Accenture). They have created a Knowledge Exchange that is integrated with thousands of communities of practice which enables geographically and spatially dispersed employees to share ideas and collaborate more effectively. Residing on a Microsoft SharePoint platform, it features a wide social network with â€Å"people profiles† with biographies, photos and resumes as well as individual’s interests and skill sets. The Exchange also contains blogs, wikis, market insights and e-learning where sharing ideas and knowledge is evident and encouraged. Through The Exchange, company research revealed positively that there was a 42 percent increase in employees’ engagement and collaboration activities. Top collaborators are recognised with â€Å"celebrating performance points† and rewarded with badges that appear on their people profiles (Zielinski, 2012). Risks of Social Media With the many positive benefits of using social media in organisations, there are inherent risks involved when it is not managed effectively. One risk organisations face on social media platforms is the sharing of information. While it is a good medium for employees to share knowledge and ideas, it could be misused when confidential information and intellectual property are leaked. Most employees are aware of the implications of responding unthinkingly to emails however, the same degree of care and forethought are not always applied to social media sites. Thus, there is a danger that an individual may divulge confidential information mindlessly without realising that it is cast in stone and stored online indefinitely (Everett, 2010). While the decision to post videos, photos, thoughts and experiences on social networking site is entirely personal and â€Å"private†, a single act can spark a fire and create far reaching unimaginable consequences for an individual as well as organisations. A passing comment could end up being misinterpreted and a thoughtless prank filmed could easily go viral online affecting the reputation and profits of a company. An infamous example is the Domino’s Pizza debacle in 2009 whereby two Domino’s employees posted unappetizing videos on YouTube. The gross act of tampering with food damaged the company’s reputation severely and cut into nationwide profits. The only saving grace in this debacle is the company CEO, Patrick Doyle who posted another video in response and gave a well-worded apology and took full responsibility. Apart from the risks involving employee’s improper use of social media, social media presents an opportunity for disgruntled customers and competitors to assail a company’s reputation and start a public relations crisis. Instead of a traditional complaint email viewed only internally, unhappiness about a particular product or service standards can be viewed by potentially everyone in the world through social media. This is aggravated by the sharing functions on social media sites like Facebook whereby one may share another person’s unpleasant experience with their ocial contacts even though it may not have affected him. ‘United Breaks Guitars’, a YouTube video created by Dave Carroll in July 2009 is an example of how a customer can use social media to voice his unhappiness. In the song he blamed United Airlines for breaking the neck of his $3,500 guitar, caused by careless baggage handling and unreasonable policies. As the claim did not occur within the standard 24-hour time frame, it was deemed ineligible. 50,000 views were generated just within 1 day and it grew to 8 million by March 2010. It currently has more than 12 million views with popular shows like ‘The Checkout’ on ABC featuring it. Even though United Airlines did finally offered a $3,000 compensation for the damage made to his guitar, the damage done to the reputation and public relations of United Airlines is estimated to have cost them $180,000 within four days of the song been published. Another risk associated with social media is malware and account security. With most of the time spent on social networking sites, it makes their users ideal malware targets. Typical attacks take advantage on the trust relationships between users and their social contacts and try to trick users into giving up sensitive information which can be exploited for financial gain (Everett, 2010). By clicking on links sent by trusted friends, one might be susceptible to malware infection from drive-by downloads which steals information and might give attacker total access and control of the computer. This is especially disastrous for organisation whereby confidential information and trade secrets may be infringed. By not engaging in social media could be a risk in itself for organisations as nowadays most brands and companies are being discussed online. It is essential for an organisation to have a voice in these conversations, monitor and react timely to negative comments. With the risks involved, an organisation should develop a sound corporate policy on the usage of social media and educate employees of the role they play. The IT department needs to regularly update it security protection and firewall to mitigate any malware attacks or unsecure networks. Conclusion Social media presents a wonderful opportunity for organisations to leverage and share knowledge with each other despite geographical boundaries. With effective management, it promotes social capital where trust relationships can be built and creates a platform of engagement and collaboration. Social media platforms enable organisations to listen to the voices of customers and innovate and act upon the ideas given. By doing so, they gain customers’ loyalty and trust which is important to their success. Lastly, social media allows employees and customer to share their problems and receive suggestions and solutions by other users in real time. However, it is imperative to note that not all is good with social media as it can have disastrous impact on a company if it is not managed effectively. Social media does have a powerful amplifying effect. But just like any technology, it can be used for good or evil.

Sustainable Energy Development, Transportation and Gas Flaring in the Research Paper

Sustainable Energy Development, Transportation and Gas Flaring in the Niger Delta, Nigeria - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Nigeria is ranked among the top 10 countries globally with the largest deposits of natural gas. However, much of this gas is flared off, and the volume of the gas flared in a single day is more than the combined energy needs of entire sub-Saharan Africa. This phenomenon has resulted in socioeconomic losses and health problems to the Niger- Delta region, its people and entire Nigeria. Estimates from the World Bank reveal that each year, Nigeria burns natural gas amounting to more than 100 billion cubic meters. Although the world is shifting towards green technologies, there is still a high need for natural gas both for domestic and industrial use. In addition, energy prices are escalating every now and then indicating a global energy shortage. The burning of gas is, therefore, a colossal waste of resources, and especially, in Nigeria where there are huge energy shortages. The main types of energy that Nigeria develops both for its local and export markets are gas oil and gas. Estimates by the US United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggest that Nigeria’s oil reserves are about 16-22 billion barrels (3.5Ãâ€"109 m3) but other sources suggest a higher figure of 35.3 billion barrels (5.61Ãâ€"109 m3). These oil reserves make Nigeria the 10th largest petroleum-rich country and the leading in Africa. This oil is located in 159 oil fields and 1481 wells are already in operation. The most productive oil producing region in Nigeria is the southern region or the Niger Delta, specifically the Niger Delta basin. Khan states that this region has 78 of the 159 oil fields.

Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation in Complex Projects Essay

Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation in Complex Projects - Essay Example Evaluation is there to bring these into light. As bared by Bako (n.d.) however, evaluation and evaluators are still seen as elements of managerial work that inflame one's nerves rather than challenge one for change. Managers are often confronted with questions and challenges both from inside and outside the organization about projects. Questions asked include proper use of resources, results in line with efforts, services meeting beneficiaries' expectations or not, and proper spending of money. To answer these questions, evaluations are undertaken by organizations but relevant information must be gathered systematically first, which is the process of monitoring. Large-scale infrastructure projects would even more need monitoring and evaluation efforts. Examples of complex projects involve the development of power plants, telecommunications systems, water treatment facilities, ports, urban transportation systems and toll ways. Most of these are owned by private sector developers or are partnerships with public sector institutions. They are typically capital intensive, involving tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of investment (CRGP, n.d.). Complex projects, according Coffman (n.d.) compose of a subset of projects large enough financially to pose a significant risk to the organization if they are not conceived of and executed well. There is multiplicity of the parties involved in the planning, financing and execution of the projects. There is also at times complexity in the multiple nationalities of the parties(CRGP, n.d.). According to the World Bank, a separate administrative unit for monitoring is expedient where project objectives are complex, or with projects with multiple components. (WB 1989). The purpose is to serve the information needs of the implementing agency and so accordingly such unit should be integrated into the management structure (Ibid.). Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems should be of quality. At the outset, projects are required to design and implement plans for M&E as far as the Global Environment Facility (GEF, 2004) Council is concerned. To them, an issue with complex projects is their over-ambitious objectives in relation to available resources and the periods for implementation. Another is the unrealistic assumptions about either project problems or solutions (Ibid.). Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) Monitoring is mainly an internal process carried out by those implementing the project. Preferably, monitoring should involve all stakeholders as the results need to be shared with them and fed back into implementation (www.bond.org, n.d.). Monitoring is the continuous assessment of project implementation with the main objective of providing continuous feedback (WB 1989). On the other hand, evaluation is the periodic assessment of the relevance, performance, efficiency, and impact of the project, both expected ad unexpected, in relation to stated objectives. It is intended to identify project design problems, and is essentially an internal activity undertaken for project management. (Ibidl). An evaluation is an assessment of an ongoing or completed project rendered as objective as possible. The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfilment of objectives, development, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. Information in an evaluation should be credible and useful to enable learning from the lessons incorporated for the

United States Colonization of the Philippines Essay

United States Colonization of the Philippines - Essay Example The period between 1898 and 1946 became a time when the Philippines underwent torture, enslavement and loss of their individual rights. Therefore, the colonization of the US was oppressive to the people of Philippine and it benefit for the US. In the year 1898, Philippines fought against exploitation by Spain and managed to reach a treaty. Therefore, the country was in the process of reconstruction before the US arrived in this country. The US disguised in its entry and pretended to have the motive of conducting business with this country. Although trade was part of the plan, it dawned that the purpose of the invasion was to take advantage of the country and leverage economic benefits from the country. In April 1898, the US army engaged the Philippines in war, which led to the death of many people. In the year 1902, the US government elected a civil law to govern the people of Spain (Fitzpatrick and Richard 840-845). This resulted into a tough battle between the two sides, but the Philippines had to finally give up and submit to the rule of the US. Therefore, Philippines served under the rule of Spain in the next 40 years. The motive of the US government to enter Philippine became clear immediately after it took over in the country. To begin with, the government took over the land that the Philippines had invested their efforts on. They were dispossessed of the rice and wheat lands that they had ploughed. The citizens served in these lands with little or no pay, what amounts to slavery. The US took advantage of the fertile lands to develop their industrial sector, which was the main reason for the expansionism strategy. In fact, many Americans became natives of Philippine and they even retained their identities after independence in 1946. The motive of the US was much similar to that of other western countries in the period of colonization. It was a strategy to

An Important Place in My Life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Important Place in My Life - Assignment Example I like this place because of its eccentric nature and the representation of an undying love that was shown by the Emperor. It is evident that the Emperor wanted to honor his three wives to show the world the importance of marriage (DuTemple, 2003). Although it is located in India, the structure comprises of Persian and Mughal architectural drawings. The building is in the shape a white marble tomb with other amazing features that represent the theme of love. Situated in a cool environment where tourists can easily access it without causing congestion within the city, the place registers many visitors each year. The atmosphere is serene and police officers ensure people do not cause damage to the features in the tomb (Arnold, Comora & Bhushan, 2007). As a result, Taj Mahal is an international heritage that deserves the respect and admiration of all people across the world. The symbolic design and nature of the building manifest the love message that Shah wanted to convey through architecture. Similarly, the white marbles normally change color because of the sunlight or moonlight rays that strike the surface. This marvelous site is a symbol of India’s history that made the construction to receive an honor of being among the world heritage locations. I still appreciate the marble domes and the golden finials around the tombs. The notion of combining different art elements from the Indian and Persian inspirations makes the tombs to have a distinct feature (Arnold, Comora & Bhushan, 2007). The other aspect that makes Taj Mahal my favorite place is that love inspires people to appreciate their partners. The place attracts newly married couples who go there for honeymoon sessions. The moments and stories about that place inspire people to appreciate their loved ones by being creative when presenting their gifts to the partners (DuTemple, 2003).  

Investment Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Investment Risks - Essay Example This refers to the poor earning reports, legal actions against the company, management ineffectiveness, or potential bankruptcy related issues that might keep an investor from investing in the company’s securities and stocks. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the company will not be able to meet its obligations and pay off its debts as and when these become due. If this situation arises, this could have a drastically negative effect on the company’s performance and its perception into the minds of potential investors. This might also result in a decline in stock prices and may ultimately lead to solvency problems for the company.This refers to the situation where movements in exchange rates adversely affect the investments for an individual or the company. The exchange rates may move in favor of or against the investments for people. If exchange rates are decreasing, an investment in a security becomes attractive as other investment models, like foreign currenc y, becomes unattractive due to exchange rates being reduced. However, if exchange rates show an increasing trend, an investor might not be willing to invest in a company’s securities until the return from the investment in securities is more than the return from investments in foreign currency. In addition, for multinational companies or for those who try to diversify their portfolio by investing in foreign currencies, exchange risk might be a very critical element to take into account before making the investment.

Development of sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Development of sport - Essay Example 2001) It is amazing, that despite the enormous influence of sports on society, the theoretical development in this flied is underdeveloped. Before taking a deeper glance at social stratification and organizational context of sports, it is worth noting, that in this world there is nothing black and white and even though sports in general has a positive impact on society; drawbacks should and must be emphasized in order to eliminate the possibility of future mistakes. Despite the fact, that sports is widely considered to be a sphere free from prejudice and discrimination, this issue can hardly be taken for granted: "As the 20th century began, American girls and women who wished to participate in sport found themselves in a race that would prove to be more grueling than the actual marathons that females are running and setting records in today." (Motley, M., Lavine, M. 2001) Women were kept from participating in sports and in case if they were allowed, novelty and sex appeal were highlighted rather then athletic skills. This is evident from the names that were given to women's teams in the late 80th: "Balian Ice Cream Beauties", "Slapsie Maxie's Curvacious Cuties" (Motley, M., Lavine, M. 2001). ... ), in accordance with Kay Morgan (1999) the NAGWS "began in 1899 and continues today as one of six associations within the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance," did and do contribute to the improvement of the situation, however, even in the new millennium female population still only will be celebrating the true equality of opportunities in sports. In accordance with Feminist Majority Foundation and New Media Publishing, female population enjoys only 41% of athletic opportunities, 36% of athletic budget, and 32% of the recruitment budget (2005).Why is it so, that sports contributes to inequality between men and women If in this case the issue can be partially attributed to the very essence of sports and, maybe, the inborn, rather then acquired, difference in psychological traits and role models of the two genders, then why does the situation remain unchanged when it comes speaking about racial minorities In the 19th and 20-th centuries sports often took a shaped by social conflict: "early boxing epitomized a lower-class cultural style of raucous play that affirmed working-class virtues of prowess, bravery, honor, and physical culture--all of which brought condemnation from middle-class critics." (Pope, S. 2002) Communities, socialists, labor groups that were formed during at those times transformed sports into politically-charged picnics. Eventually, evolution of sports during the 20th century unified the group majorities and contributed to further segmentation of subordinate ones. White patriarchate determined the Where, When and How cultural minorities and women will participate in sports. Alice Coachman's victory in the high jump during the Olympiad of 1948 was the first time a black woman to win a gold medal and is considered

Scope statement( course)- project management( major) Assignment

Scope statement( course)- project management( major) - Assignment Example One of these will be noted to be constraints. Most of the time project managers fail to accept from the onset that there could be constraints, which can militate against the success of the project. Consequently, most of these constraints come to them much unprepared, making it difficult to use any continuous process method to address them (Jacob, Bergland & Cox 89). There have been times that the scope statement has worked particularly well and other times that they have not worked so well. In a personal experience, there was a time that the scope statement did not work well because the stakeholders who were to put their efforts together to make the project a successful one failed to play their roles adequately. Consequently, the project manager had to take care of everything, which became problematic because the scope that was used to finish the project seemed to be different from the expectation of project owners when the project was completed. The use of requirements documents and work breakdown structure has however proven to give good support to scope statements in ensuring that they work

Tate Modern Art Gallery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tate Modern Art Gallery - Essay Example The researcher of the essay "Tate Modern Art Gallery" gives a review of Tate Modern, London modern art gallery. In the year 1930, the responsibility was given to Sir Giles Gilber Scott. The power station got completed in two phases, with a 200m long brick clad steel structure having a 99m high central chimney. The height was kept a bit lower than the dome of St. Paul’s cathedral, situated on the other side of the river. The power station was made to order due to a power shortage back in 1947; but as the power pant was an oil-based one, it had huge emission of polluted gas in surrounding air. Apart from this, dumping of noxious chemicals in nearby grounds was a part and parcel of the plant operation. Due to gradually rising oil prices it seemed to be uneconomical to carry on with the power station. Finally in 1982, the power station was shut down. After that for several years, this power station was at jeopardy of being knocked down by the developers. A number of people campaig ned for the new usage of the unused building. In 1993, the knocking down process started with digging up a hole on the station wall. Then only BBC came up with a program called â€Å"One foot in the past† focusing on the imminent danger of the old building; a passionate appeal was given by Dan Cruikshank, the reporter in there. Later on in the year 1994, Tate Gallery announced that they are going to develop new house of Tate Modern in the Bankside Power station. At present this is one of the successful art galleries. ... In the eighteen century it was an important trade and industry sector. It was destroyed heavily during Second World War, but construction of Bankside bought a major change. Being an oil based power generating station, it resulted in different pollution related factors. The power station dumped harmful chemicals in the nearby ground that polluted the underground water and surrounding water bodies. The station had emitted different gases directly into the atmosphere without treating them properly for purification and filtration. These gases contain high concentration of carbon dioxide and several other toxic exhausts which deteriorated the environment around. When an international survey was conducted in 1962 by National Survey on Air Pollution, a high volume of smoke and sulphur dioxide was found to be present. The reasons behind such changes were pointed towards a decline in the consumption of coal and a growth in use of oil as a fuel. It was also found that the black smoke emitted b y diesel engines contain carbon mono oxide which is highly poisonous for the health of living being (The British Medical Journal, 1967). The oil based power generation station neglected many legal factors to keep the pollution level low and all these had resulted high pollution of land, water and air. It caused harm to both vegetation and animals of the nearby locality and turned to a major threat to the environment. Health and safety issues related to Tate Modern Bankside power station was in a closed state for many years, so when Tate Gallery decided to convert it in an art gallery there were many safety and health related issues that required to be handled with due importance. The air

Historical Research Essay Example for Free

Historical Research Essay Soccer is regarded as the most popular sport in today’s world and has been estimated to be played by more than 40 million people. Considering such high popularity, the epidemiology of soccer injury is needed to be historically researched in an extensive way. In numerous European nations, physical injuries received from this game take around 40% of total sports related trauma ( Hawkins, Hulse, Wilkinson, Hodson, Gibson, 2001). Using the non-parametric statistics, historical research must be conducted by recording the intense injuries and the symptoms in professional soccer players by studying the frequency of occurrence and injury rate during sports and practices. MATERIALS AND METHOD Professional soccer players of any team, while playing in their league, has to be studied on daily basis for past few years when they are engaged in their preseason time July to August and game season September to May . Other important data that is also required may include the age, experience statistical distribution and anthropometric attributes of each player. During the game activities in past years, the record of personal consultations may also be available where players registered any injury received in ongoing games or practices that resulted in missing the upcoming game or practice session. The external risk elements, the active causes, the attributes, the anatomical points, and the event, whether it is practice session or actual game, of the muscular or skeletal traumas will provide crucial statistics. Any physical incident occurred during actual game or practice session that keeps a player to continue his game or practice session is called as injury. Injuries are categorized into three grades depending upon their severity: Minor injury: It keeps the player absent from games or practices for not more than one week. Moderate injury: It keeps the player absent from game or practices for one week to one month Major injury: It keeps player absent from game or practices for more than one month. In many previous studies, the same categorization has been done ( Hawkins, Hulse, Wilkinson, Hodson Gibson, 2001). Injury rate is measured as injuries occurred in each thousand hours of playing; this involves both practicing and actual game Note that in historical research it would be recommended to exclude the goalkeepers as various similar research studies showed they incur different rates of injuries. RESULTS By recording a total of 100 injuries we can discover the percentage of injuries occurred during the actual game and during practice sessions. The intensity of injuries that results in absence from the game or practice can also be measured. The findings will show the rate of mild injuries, moderate injuries and major injuries as well. The anatomic point and the kind of injuries must be a focus in historical research. Studied cases may involve injuries on Spine, thorax, back, lumbar spine, Pelvis, femur, knee, tibia, ankle, foot, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand injuries. Previous studies had showed that in lower extremity injuries, the knees and ankles are the most injured joints of the soccer players ( Hawkins, Hulse, Wilkinson, Hodson Gibson, 2001). Ankle injuries are reported to be occurred about 16 ­Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œ31 % of the all, whereas knee injuries are almost 14–34%. There is a dramatic need of more historical research within the ankle and knee injuries to investigate percentages in youth and adult players having mixed skill levels ( Peterson, Junge, Chomiak, Graf-Baumann Dvorak, 2000).

Tissue Conditioners Soft Lining Materials Health And Social Care Essay

Tissue Conditioners Soft Lining Materials Health And Social Care Essay As a briefing history of the denture lining materials, we can find that in 1942, Matthews introduced plasticized polyvinylchloride as one of the first soft lining materials used with acrylic resin dentures (Sultana, 1991) then Lammie Storer published a summary of observations on different soft denture materials and classified the processed resilient materials as follows. (1) natural rubber, (2) polyvinylchloride, (3) polyvinylacetae, (4) methyl methacrylate copolymer, (5) silicone (Lammie Storer, 1958). Furthermore, they stated that this material became hard due to loss of plasticizer after several months, and became stained and cracked in the mouth. However, we tend to examine the composition and uses of both tissue conditioners and soft lining materials in prosthetic dentistry. Basically, Tissue conditioners composed of polyethylmethacrylate and mixture of aromatic ester and ethyl alcohol and they are found in three components system: polymer (powder), monomer (liquid) and dibutyl phthalate as plasticizer flow control (liquid) when mixed together a gel is formed (Braden M 1970). The major uses of these tissue conditioners materials are: tissue treatment, temporary obturator, baseplate stabilization, to diagnose the outcome of resilient liners, liners in surgical splints, trial denture base and as a functional impression material (Nallaswamy D. 2003). Tissue treatment: the advantage of using a tissue conditioner is to prepare the selected oral structure to withstand all the stress from the prosthesis and to preserves the residual ridge. It is also used to heal irritated hyperemic tissues before denture fabrication. Temporary obturator: tissue conditioners can be added as a temporary obturator over the existing complete or partial denture and this can be done directly in the month or indirectly after an impression of surgical area has been made. Stabilization of baseplate and surgical splints or stents: when undercuts are present on an edentulous cast, an acrylic temporary denture base cannot be used as it may get locked into the undercut and break the cast during removal. In this case tissue conditioner may be used to stabilize the record base and prevent breakage of the cast. Adjunct to an impression or as a final impression material: when it is difficult to determine the extent of the denture base due to movable oral structure, tissue conditioner can be used to record the extensions of the denture in a dynamic form that will later help in preparing an impression tray for the final impression. To diagnose the outcome of resilient liners: patient with well-constructed denture sometimes develop chronic soreness and find it difficult to wear it comfortably. Tissue conditioners can be used to determine if this problem will be resolved with the use of a resilient liner. (Nallaswamy D, 2003). Commercially, there are a wide range of tissue conditioner products, for example, GC tissue conditioner and Visco-gel and more but here we will compare between these two only: Firstly, GC- tissue conditioner is composed of Polyethylmethacrylate (powder), methacrylate monomer (liquid) and dibutyl sebacate (plasticizer). Manufacturer claims that using of dibutyl sebacate as plasticizer instead of the conventional dibutyl phthalate has a merit of not being harmful to the human endocrine system. However, it is suitable for conditioning and relieving tissue (for example when there are areas of inflammation or pressure points on the inflamed alveolar ridge), but also for temporary soft relining of partial and complete dentures as well as functional impressions to fabricate new dentures or restore existing ones, for immediate dentures and as an interim solution for direct loading situations in implantology. It is manufactured by GC EUROPE, Belgium (www.gceurope.com). On the other hand, Visco-gel tissue conditioner is composed of Polyethyl methacrylate (powder), Phthalyl butyl glycolate, Ethanol (liquid). It is can be used prior to denture replacement, extension or rebasing, tissue conditioner where the denture-bearing tissues have become disturbed by either denture trauma or infection, temporary lining immediately after extraction or oral surgery, temporary soft liner when normal dentures are not tolerated, particularly for patients with impairment of general health and as functional impression material in post-operative cases or when ill-fitting dentures require replacement or rebasing. Visco-gel is manufactured by DENTSPLY DeTrey GmbH, Germany (www.dentsply.com). Regardless the trade, the following steps should be considered while applying a tissue conditioner, first, tissue part of the denture base, which crosses an undercut, should be reduced then the tissue surface of the denture, which covers the crest of the ridge, should be reduced by 1 mm to allow sufficient room for placement of the tissue conditioner (Nallaswamy D, 2003). Soft lining material is the second part of this review and here it is wise to understand the difference between the tissue conditioner and the soft lining material. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has issued two international standards related to liner materials: (ISO 10139-1:1991): first, lining materials for removable dentures-Part 1: short-term materials and soft lining materials for removable dentures (ISO, 1991) and the second, lining materials for removable dentures-Part 2: materials for long-term use (ISO, 1999). A short-term liner is one that is used intraorally for up to 30 days. A long-term liner is one that maintains softness and elasticity for more than 30 days (Garcia Jones, 2004). Practically, the ISO is differentiating between the temporary and the permanent soft ling material but theoretically, we can find that tissue conditioners can be used for more than 30 days depends on the loss of the plasticizer. Moreover, tissue conditioner and soft l ining have been used for the same purpose clinically. So then, what is the difference? Viscosity is that difference so whenever the material is with low viscosity and flow easily you can use it as a tissue conditioner while material with high viscosity is indicated to be used as a soft liner. There are two groups of soft lining material the first is the acrylic resin-based liner which consists of powder and liquid components. The powder has poly (ethyl or methyl) methacrylate, and sometimes copolymers, while the liquid contains methyl methacrylate monomer and plasticizers that are added to lower the glass transition temperature. The distribution of the large plasticizer molecules minimizes entanglement of polymer chains, which allows individual chains to slide by one another, keeping the liner from fully hardening. The liquids used do not contain acrylic monomers (Craig Gibbons, 1961; Anusavice, 2003). The second type of these soft lining materials is the silicone denture liners wh ich are basically polymers of dimethylsiloxane. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) is a viscous liquid, which can be cross-linked to give rubber a good elastic property. The cross-linking agent is usually an alkyl-silane (silicate) and the reaction is catalysed by an organo-metal salt such as tinoctoate or benzoyl peroxide (McCabe, 1976). Silicones are not dependent on leachable plasticizers and remain elastic for longer periods of time (Anusavice, 2003; Munksgaard, 2004). These liners cannot bind to the acrylic denture base; however, the use of an adhesive can overcome this limitation, which was shown to be a method of failure (Dogan et al., 2006). These liner materials may be selected for the treatment of the following conditions: poor stability of denture, inadequate retention of denture, reduction of vertical dimension, degradation of the denture base, improper extension of borders into the muccobuccal fold regions, mucosal irritations, atrophic ridges, bony undercuts, denture opposing natu ral teeth, reduced thickness and viscoelasticity of the mucosa, pain from gingival irritation, maxillofacial defects, traumatic or pathologic tissue loss and for reline of an existing denture (Zarb et al., 1989; Christensen, 1995; Hayakawa et al., 2000; Hill Rubel, 2011). As a conclusion then, these viscoelastic materials either tissue conditioners or soft lining materials are contributing to solve a list of dental problems that might exist in the removable prosthesis or could be used in a range of dental procedures which are related to fully or partially edentulous patients. Furthermore, these materials need a continuous care and maintenance especially, the tissue conditioner which tends to harden and roughen due to the loss of the plasticizer. However, we should not forget the primary purpose of these materials which is they are used as temporary materials during transitional situations.