Pfizer-Pharmacia Merger

Problem statement: Pfizer, Inc. announced the acquisition of the company Pharmacia, Corp. In the months leading up to the merging of the two companies, there were issues with the employees of Pharmacia. The announcement of 2. 5 billion in cost savings as a result of the merging of the two companies, had staff worried because it would be in form of labor costs, which would potentially cause disclosure of local operations. Staff was concerned about their financial futures, loosing their income would not just affect their personal lives, and families but the community in general.A â€Å"trickle down effect†, would effect businesses that provide products, and services to the consumers, as well as the tax bases of local communities (Stamper, 2). The issue of having to potentially seek a financial bailout, and also possible bankruptcy of the city if Pfizer were to close down the operations of Pharmacia was a larger issue as well. The core mission of typical pharmaceutical company is drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing. Before the merging of the company, the core mission of the company was met.Now the issue is, due to the merging of the companies, there was a loss of discovery, clinical development, and sales marketing. Why did the problems occur? The problem of staff being worried about their financial future, and the future of the company mainly aroused because of the 2. 5 billion dollar in total cost savings that would be implemented as a result of merging the two companies. Emotions were a major concept that was overtaking the staff at Pharmacia, everyone was in a certain state of readiness at times, due to the uncertainty of jobs, and the uneasiness with staff members caused mainly from the distributed memo.Misunderstanding of the memo, giving the impression that Pfizier was going to pull out of downtown Kalamazoo, was a â€Å"misunderstanding†. This caused uncertainty avoidance within the company, people fel t threatened by ambiguity and uncertainty. It also caused stress; the well being of staff members was at stake. The problem of staff being overwhelmed by the memo was due to the fact that Pfizer did not take the time to properly explain the meaning of the cost savings, from the very beginning.Loosing core essential missions for the company due to the merger occurred because the team at Kalamazoo was extremely effective; the decline of efficiency within the newly merged company could have been caused by the new collectivism of the company. With the merging, people got swapped around the concept of â€Å"job rotation†, and moving employees could be seen as a bad thing in this situation, because the Pharmacia had a very successful company to begin with, now with the merging it caused the company to have to work with less resources than prior to the merge. Alternatives:In assessing the case, the main problems with the merging of the company were communication. The lack of communi cation with the two companies, and the staff created a lot of problems, not only with staff but with government. If there was more communication within the companies from the beginning, it would have saved a lot of emotion, and stress due to the potential job loss and financial problems trickling to the whole community. To fix this initial problem, CEO of Pfizer Hank Mckinnell could have re-assessed the memo going out, and maybe spent more time thinking about the staff of the company, and how it would affect them when writing it.Within the newly devolved company, they could adapt high-performance-work-practices that could help the company get to where it was before the merge. Gathering the knowledge and skills and abilities that all the employees have, and trying to built them so the company can be successful. Conclusion: The Internal Subsystems could have been looked at more in depth, looking at how the company worked as a whole, instead of automatically making changes to the syste m. In order to have a successful company, you need to be able to have not only efficient, but adaptive and innovative.There could have been organizational efficiency, so when merging the two companies, it was helping the company grow and develop instead of putting it behind on its mission statements. Before the merging of the company, they should have taken a better look at the Internal Systems, and how well the company was operating internally. If this was done, they could have maybe found alternative ways for savings, and realized that the organizational efficiency of the company to begin with, was extremely strong.

Technologyâ€Ups Competes Globally with Information Technology:

Technology—UPS Competes Globally with Information Technology: The website is pretty straight forward and easy to navigate. UPS has spent a lot of time and millions of dollars making a website user friendly and easy to use for all customers, whether small, large, international, etc. What Services does Website Provide? 1. Individuals. Individual shippers can check time in transit zones, how long it will take to ship a package to a particlar destination, costs of that shipment, and can even keep a mail list directly on-time for frequently used shipment addresses. The website will till you prices for each service such as ground, 3 Day Select, 2 Day Air or 1 Day Air overnight†¦ even Sonic Air which can move stuff in just hours. 2. Small businesses. Can do all things an individual user can plus track shipments, maintain contact lists, offer multiple options of transportation to the end user. The customers can even get notified through email and texts the location of their shipment or any delays, this is invaluable for UPS’s just-in-time logistics world. 3. Large businesses. Large business can track large volume of shipments using a service call Quantum View. It will track delivery performance, track exceptions during the delivery cycle, and get notified on key service thresholds. It can monitor shipping trends, zones, and potential help analyze the cheapest and most effective way to use all of UPS's services. Many large customers have volume discounts, incentives and all that can be managed within the UPS information network. I think the newly updated website has offered customers a lot of options and help clarify the complicated world of logistics†¦ specially international shipping and brokerage. UPS have actually won some awards in the internet world for our user friendly website. It is important to mention the international support the UPS can give a start up company. To many customers, information regarding a package is almost as important as the package itself. UPS has invested in scanning and tracking technologies to provide up to the minute information on where each package is while in the UPS system. If there are weather or service delays, that is tracked as ell and can even prompt a message to the receiver and shipper. Large companies also benefit from the full array of UPS's extensive portfolio, such as freight, ocean and air, trade direct, international brokerage, banking, logistics management, billing, managing customer databases, etc. UPS have logistics specialists that work with new companies to assist them in all the customs, brokerage, transportation, warehousing, payments, security, delivery, inventory managing, etc. all while doing business internationally. UPS has worked hard to offer customers a â€Å"one-stop-shop† so their customers won't need to look elsewhere for part of there logistics needs. UPS try to develop a deep, integrated relationship with each customer by developing value based solutions that support their business and in turn gives them business. If businesses grow, UPS grow, that is their motto. UPS have also business development associates that work with each customer and they become the one â€Å"go to† person for all issues when it comes to trade and transportation. It is almost like a partnership to help navigate the complicated world of logistics and shipping. UPS want business to focus on their core competency while they take over almost everything else, some large companies that have a deep relationship with UPS that they rarely talk about: Nike, DELL, IBM, Amazon, Ford, Williams Sonoma, Costco, HP, Verizon, Apple, ATT, etc. UPS also handle almost all of their logistics needs so they focus on what they do best. A department that I specially think is very important and unique in UPS is the overnight just in time world of UPS. They help manage the airline for them. UPS handle the most critical time sensitive shipments for their customers, such as machine parts, medical supplies, prescriptions, healthcare stuff, legal documents, etc. whatever needs to be there tomorrow for something urgent. UPS started the airline in 1987 and have grown to 245 jets and the largest cargo airline fleet in the world. Some trade direct stuff: Get Time Back on Your Side When doing business in North America, bypassing distribution centers and shipping direct to retail stores or end consumers can result in a competitive advantage. As your merchandise flows between the U. S. Canada, and Mexico borders, UPS Trade Direct ® Cross Border can eliminate inefficiencies in your North American supply chain. This results in a cost savings to you and enhanced service for your customers. Streamlined Supply Chain Let UPS act as your single source for cross-border supply chain management needs. From pickup to delivery across the Mexico/U. S. and Canada/U. S. borders, UPS Trade Dire ct Cross Border is the integrated solution that lets you focus on improving service to your customers. Definitely the UPS website is one of the most powerful tools of the company in order to attract and keep their customers loyalty.

Is Lady Macbeth the villain of the play? Essay

The fact that Lady Macbeth is called ‘a fiend-like queen’ by Malcolm automatically makes the audience view her as a demon, thus making the audience dislike her even more. Lady Macbeth could be viewed as an evil demon or as a supportive and guilt-eaten wife. However there are many events and circumstances which we should take into consideration before any conclusions are formulated. Lady Macbeth’s deceptive, persuasive and potentially witch-like manner should not be overlooked. Although she is the instigator of many of the tragic events in the play, she also comes across as being a loyal and supportive wife. We first meet with Lady Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 5 where she could be viewed as being very close to Macbeth as it seems that she knows him very well. When she reads his letter she does not mock him or doubt his character once which shows that she could indeed be the loyal wife. Although she sees Macbeth as being kind and brave, she also shows her witch-like qualities when she says that she will pour spirits into his ear to make him have more courage in order to kill Duncan to gain the throne; â€Å"That I may pour my spirits in thine ear.† Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to remove her gentler feelings so that she doesn’t feel any guilt or fear. This would make the audience view Lady Macbeth as a witch or a demon and thus making them take an instant disliking to her. When Macbeth arrives at their castle at Inverness he talks with Lady Macbeth and then it becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth has a plan which will lead to Macbeth becoming King. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to act normal when Duncan visits the castle, but to be dangerous and sneaky underneath; â€Å"Your hand, your tongue; look like th’innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t† When Duncan arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth appears to be a very welcoming and charming hostess and her flattery hides her intentions. In Act1, Scene 7 Lady Macbeth’s true character comes to light and we see that she taunts and accuses Macbeth of cowardice. The way that she treats Macbeth in this scene contradicts the fact that she was a very supportive wife to start with. She taunts his strength and even accuses him of not loving her enough. Macbeth saying that he doesn’t want to kill Duncan makes Lady Macbeth very angry and she says that he has broken a promise and also that she would sooner kill her own baby that break a promise; feelings that very few women have. Lady Macbeth seems to manipulate Macbeth’s feelings very easily and it is obvious that she has a very big influence on Macbeth, and eventually, Macbeth decides to kill Duncan. Even though there are many events which support the fact that Lady Macbeth is the villain of the play, in Act 2, Scene 2, we see that she is not as tough and as strong as she shows; â€Å"That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold; What hath quenched them, hath given me fire.† This shows that Lady Macbeth had to have a drink to calm down and to make herself brave as she keeps on hearing noises in the night and she is convinced that they are the screams of Duncan, when in fact they are owls. When Macbeth returns from Duncan’s room with two daggers she fears that he has not committed the murder and then she says that she could not have committed the murder as Duncan looked too much like her father! Neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth think straight in this scene, but it is Lady Macbeth that decides to return to Duncan’s room with the daggers and put them next to the guards to ensure that their plan goes as they intended. This could be her way of helping put the murder to a complete close and to ensure that they do not feel guilty. Lady Macbeth then plans an alibi and tells Macbeth that she does not feel guilty. The enormity of his crime grows along with the confidence of Lady Macbeth which could be a sign of worse events to come. When news of Duncan’s murder goes around the castle, Lady Macbeth again acts well in the defence of herself and Macbeth by covering up her guilt and knowledge of what’s happened by fainting in order to draw attention away from Macbeth as not to give too much away. The fact that Lady Macbeth is a consummate actress creates a feeling of insecurity in my mind as whether to trust her or to doubt everything she does, which I am sure is a feeling felt by any reader or audience of the play. The fact that Lady Macbeth is the villain of the play so far is somewhat changed when we reach Act 3, Scene 1 when we see that Macbeth plans to murder Banquo. This murder goes underway without Lady Macbeth finding out which could then support that Lady Macbeth is not the villain of the play and the only reason that she planned the murder of Duncan as a way to fulfil her husband’s one and only ambition to become King. Macbeth shows that he is for once in complete control and that he is killing Banquo from his own choice, and is not being urged to do so by anybody else. Lady Macbeth appears to be a very supportive and loyal wife in Act 3, Scene 2 where we see that Lady Macbeth helps Macbeth to overcome his feelings of guilt and insecurity. At the banquet, Lady Macbeth again proves to be a very good actress as she welcomes the guests with a friendly smile and she then covers up Macbeth’s strange behaviour with a convincing story. When Macbeth starts to see the ghost of Banquo sitting next to him, Lady Macbeth reassures him that there is no ghost and then she covers up for him so that the other guests do not view his actions as strange or suspicious; â€Å"Why do you make such faces? When all’s done You look but on a stool.† The way that Lady Macbeth acts on several occasions shows that she is capable of hiding her real feelings which could have lead to the events later on in the play. The next time that we meet with Lady Macbeth is in Act 5, Scene 1 where we see that she is very ill and sleep walking. Lady Macbeth shows great feelings of remorse which shows that maybe she is not the villain of the play. Whilst asleep, Lady Macbeth re-enacts the night of Duncan’s murder through washing her hands in the air and talking; â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say!† Her words echo events of the past and this shows that she is permanently thinking of the murders that have taken place. Her caring and supportive manner comes through in the way that she speaks in her sleep and this would again support that she is not the villain of the play. At the end of this scene her true guilt and the fatality of her illness is expressed when the doctor tells Lady Macbeth’s gentle woman to take away any objects which she could harm herself with as he fears that she may commit suicide, this fore-warning does indeed occur later on. In Act 5, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth does actually commit suicide, this is true evidence that Lady Macbeth could not live with the guilt of what has happened and her unhappiness; â€Å"The queen my lord is dead.† The news of Lady Macbeth’s death brings great sorrow upon Macbeth and this makes him realise the futility of his life. This would say that he loved Lady Macbeth and that maybe she wasn’t the pushy and cruel wife that she appeared to be. I conclude that Lady Macbeth was not the villain of the play because she was driven to suicide by the actions of her husband’s actions which she realised were wrong as soon as they were carried out. She did not take part in any of the murders she was merely the instigator of one. The fact that she could not bare to live any longer due to being over come with remorse makes me think that she obviously felt sorry for what happened and that she could not be a villain if she realised the serious nature of what happened as many people do wrong but do not realise that it was wrong. I think that the reason that she planned the murder of Duncan was to fulfil her husband’s ambition and to become queen, a title which she did not feel greatly any way.

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Abortion - Essay Example Spontaneous abortions refer to the natural process during which the human body rejects and expels the fetal contents without any â€Å"voluntary involvement or utilization of induction methods† (102). These events are often the source of great psychological distress to expecting parents and communities. However, the real social dilemma is regarding induced abortions; which refer to a voluntary disruption of a pregnancy brought upon through medical intervention (Hou Chap. 29). As a legal matter, the Supreme Court of United States supported the right to abortion in the judgment given for Roe v Wade case (Hou, Chap. 29). It was seen as the biological right of a woman to decline to carry an undesired child to term, as her physiological right. After this decision was taken there was a significant increase in the rate of abortions in the country (National Right to Life Committee, 4). But not everyone in either the public or private sector agreed with the decision and different states in the United States implemented separate legislations with varying degrees of leniency with regards to the accessibility to abortion services (Hou, Chap. 29), and in many states the debate for the right to abortion is still going on. Recent trends reveal that there is a reduction in abortion rates in the country (National Right to Life Committee 4), indicating that the perspective of the population has shifted against the process, which is labeled â€Å"barbaric† by individuals who oppose it. Anti-abortion perspectives are fueled by the concern for the rights of the unborn child as well as the sanctity of human life – eliminating a human life destroys the sense of a safe and beneficial society for all. Given these sentiments, states with the majority against abortion should implement strong anti-abortion policies which can guide

Media studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media studies - Essay Example Thus, scholars place information online where people can search and find such information. Digital search has changed in terms of sophistication and capability of search techniques and practices, which have evolved in tandem as they expand the search culture. Such has led to overtaking of the normal library search for scholars and individuals in different regions and locations. This is evident in the development of the Google android system, which enables individuals to use mobile phones as the means of searching for information. The search culture is also integrated in the global position system, which enables individuals to use their mobile devices to locate different areas. The education sector has also adopted the culture of search from Google. This is evidenced by the tutors who give assignments and tasks to students and requests such students to engage with Google and search for detailed information. Hence, Google has been able to create a unique culture, which has the common denominator of searching for information via the online

Effect of Mad Cow Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Effect of Mad Cow Disease - Research Paper Example The key events that formed the world meat market in the last decade include the change in trade policy regimes ushered in by the 1995 Uruguay Round Agreement in Agriculture, the macroeconomic crises in Asia and the Former Soviet Union in 1998 and the series of animal disease outbreaks in major livestock producing regions in Asia and the European Union. However, these challenges have aided in stringent policies and regulations in this industry.  Mad Cow Disease is the common name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) that was first recognized in the United Kingdom in the year 1986. In simple terms it the name "mad cow disease" came because it affects a cattle's nervous system. It is a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. The main culprit of the cause of this disease is the rogue proteins, known as prions that reproduce inside the brain of the infected cow. Once the disease progresses, the brain attains a sponge nature and hence it is al so termed as "spongiform". In fact, BSE is categorized to a group of progressive, degenerative neurological diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or TSEs. The other disease in this group includes scrapie, which affects sheep and goats and has symptoms similar to BSE. As of now, there is no cure for BSE (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008).  If we look at how BSE can have an impact on human. In humans, this disease is known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or in short vCJD. The scientific community has still not found a cure for this disease and is fatal in nature (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). In the food industry, this disease has posed a significant threat and could seriously affect both export and domestic markets for cattle and cattle products. Additionally, it is also possible that it can have a serious impact on jobs and businesses in the meat industry and its various support industries. It could also have a consid erable effect on the tourism and hospitality industries. Since there is no cure for this disease, the only options are slaughtering the affected animal. Since its initial outbreak, the food industry has formulated various policies (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). One of the major problems with this disease is the identification of the affected animals. Contrasting the Foot and Mouth Disease that spreads rapidly if not controlled, BSE spreads comparatively slowly. Besides it is found that both BSE and its human counterpart, vCJD, have an unusually long incubation period. In other words, if a human is diagnosed with vCJD, it might be the result of eating infected animal probably up to twenty years earlier. This makes tracking the disease source much more difficult (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). Mad Cow Disease is possibly one of the most significant food-safety-related issues to have troubled the hospitality industry in recent years. In the Unit ed Kingdom, where the disease was first identified and had extensive effects, the consequence for this industry has been characterized as catastrophic-yet little experiential facts support this.

Qualitative study appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qualitative study appraisal - Essay Example It is the continuity which has several harmful manifestations. Literature Review In order to influence, justify and explain certain actions in research, it is always important for the researcher to conduct a literature review. This is also the case if readers are to believe the findings and other assertions formulated by the researcher. To Mason (1996), a research report without literature review lacks an integral part which is supposed to accord the researcher the opportunity to cite reliable who have researched on the same topic. To Mason further, literature review asserts confidence that the writer is not the first to contemplate on the issue, others before have. Newham (1997) argues that, any research paper without literature review is full of the author’s thoughts and opinions and is very hard to convince others otherwise. The researcher in this paper has put a considerable number of reliable citations giving the research paper the required foundation. Study Approach Both qualitative and quantitative research designs were used. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the information. The combination of the two approaches accords the researcher several advantages. Qualitative approaches generate verbal information and not numeric which is analyzed using the holistic analysis approach proposed for qualitative research designs. Inductive reasoning which is involved in qualitative research studies gives the researcher more freedom to probe for more information and explanations. Further, the researcher chose to continue with the qualitative approach since qualitative data collection tools are flexible and can accommodate urgent changes/refinement in cases of new research ideas. This means that the research setting is not affected in the process of the research design implementation. Data collected using the qualitative data gathering methods is very rich and has justified explanations which evoke feasible research contexts.  A qualitative me thod leads to more realistic feel which cannot be given by numerical data analysis in addition to giving the researcher the opportunity to interact and have a feeling of the participants in their own terminologies. The findings which emanate from such techniques benefit from the fact that the data is primary and unstructured and thus the researcher can twist them to fit the context thus giving a better meaning. Quantitative approaches on the other give rise measurable data and are directed by a formulated hypothesis which is determined by the collected data set empirically. In quantitative research design, the research statements and problem are defined in specific terms and not generals statements and clearly specifies the independent variable and the dependent one. Quantitative approaches gives rise to measurable and objective hence providing an effective way of determining casual findings. Data collected using such methods is said to be reliable and valid as there are restriction s placed before actual data collection. Such information puts controls and ensures objectivity in analysis. A valid and reliable approach is used by the researcher to articulate issues. Combining the advantages of the two approaches eliminate any possibility of a biased report. Considering a small group representing other races ensures data quality which makes it possible to generalize the findings to fit

Revolution failure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Revolution failure - Research Paper Example The deep analysis of the situation revealed a dark fact that the claims of societal equality and justice are superficial in nature and therefore, humans are still far away from becoming a unified race (Fuente, 2000). The slogan of equality and social justice was raised in order to help the Multinationals in the process of gaining entrance in the developing areas of the world. The rich environment of the developing nations attracted the eyes of the industrialists and they planned a fiscal invasion of the countries. The business professionals entered and promised to raise living standards of the societies. In response, the local governments reacted favorably and allowed the companies to start their activities. The companies used indigenous natural and manmade resources and destroyed the local industries with the help of using dumping. At the end of each year, the management repatriated a major chunk of profit into the home economy and because of this reason, it can be established that developed nations in the name of equality created more of it in an economic sense. The case of Cuba is no different in this regard, as American organizations entered into the Cuban economy few decades ago and pledged that they will work for the holistic development of the local system but what they did in reality was the destruction of local infrastructure and as a result, Cuba’s identity as a nation deteriorated. The social scientists are of the view that Cuba is just another name for national subsidiary of America (The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2011). The American jails operating in the territory of Cuba is presented as the most significant proof of the abovementioned argument. The social equality and justice are profoundly considered as the byproducts of economic development. The economic development leads to increasing investment in education because economy’s need for skilled labor increases and therefore, governments are compelled to increase depl oyment of financial resources in the industry of human capital development. The rise in educational activities then stimulates educated and civilized behavior in the community. The fiscal development and growth of the troubled economy was hindered purposely by adjacent superpower. Every country in the world is known to operate with a secret and hidden agenda of increasing its influence on near geographical areas. In the past, the goal of increasing influence on other countries was accomplished by military incursions and conflicts. The development of nuclear and chemical weapons dulled the productivity of armed conflicts and nowadays the great nations of the globe find cultural, economic and societal invasion more attractive and suitable to their needs. This option is much less bloody whereas, its effectiveness is remarkable to say the least. The people of developing nations are being enslaved in masses every year and they are not aware of the fact. The Americanization is notably gro wing in all parts of the world. The Cuban culture has almost submerged and the newcomer would fail to differentiate Cuba from America (Buscaglia-Salgado, 2002). The Indian society on the other hand, is exhibiting early signs of Americanization. Unfortunately, all of the developing nations are implementing negatives of American culture in the local setting. The American

The Usage of Mobile Devices in Education Research Paper

The Usage of Mobile Devices in Education - Research Paper Example ing systems in the hands of everybody, now the era of technology has reached to a level where people have started using mobile devices for learning and educational purposes. However, when information and communication technology (ICT) in education has been trialed, results have been miscellaneous. In view of the fact that the mobile communication systems also fall in the category of information and communication technology devices, hence why should we still assess that making use of mobile devices in education is less fixable (Goundar, 2011). In addition, mobile phones are a great deal more different from traditional systems and computer labs filled with computers or a cart of net-books for the reason that the cell phone is one of the most personally used communication technologies. In fact, the majority of students and teachers have invested much of their time in learning the characteristics of the mobile phone. Additionally, various researches show that mobile phones are one of the most important devices for the sake of more efficient educational purposes. These systems are more and more prevalent and known these days for the sake of improving students and educators' performance (Ormiston, 2012). This paper will present a detailed analysis of how mobile and portable communication systems can be used for the sake of improving the performance and capability of students and learners. This research will discuss the role of mobile devices for the education and learning. Literature Review For a long time computer systems played a significant role in approximately all probable areas of our lives and we have experienced numerous modern methods and ways to utilize computers for learning and teaching in education. There came a time when the power of portable computing systems... This paper approves that mobile phones are a great deal more different from traditional systems and computer labs filled with computers or a cart of net-books for the reason that the cell phone is one of the most personally used communication technologies. In fact, the majority of students and teachers have invested much of their time in learning the characteristics of the mobile phone. Additionally, various researches show that mobile phones are one of the most important devices for the sake of more efficient educational purposes. These systems are more and more prevalent and known these days for the sake of improving students and educators' performance. In addition, this research based survey as well outlined that educators, teachers and administrators who dynamically make use of mobile systems at home or in the classroom consent that mobile systems and computers should be employed for learning in the 21st century’s schools. This paper makes a conclusion at the present, information and communication technologies are playing a significant role in all the areas of life. Without a doubt, the majority of tasks are currently performed through the latest tools and technologies. The developments and advancements of technology have significant impacts on all the areas of life. In the same way, they have also started playing a significant role in the education sector. The mobile device is a most important and commonly used information and communication technology. This paper has discussed the uses of mobile devices in education. This paper has highlighted that the use of mobile devices in education increases the students’ performance. This research has shown that mobile as a communication tool is one of the most attractive technologies.

An evaluation of the law surrounding forced marriages Essay

An evaluation of the law surrounding forced marriages - Essay Example Although, the government through legislation has tried to discourage forced marriages, these policy measures have been ineffective in eradicating the dehumanising practice. This difficult in ending the tradition comes from the fact that the forced marriage is deeply rooted culture in the minority groups. According to the United Nations, Forced marriage consists a violation of individuals’ human rights. Forced marriages also violate the rights of children some of whom are forced into marriages before they even reach the age of 10. Legislative response that really tries to address the problem has only been enacted recently, but they still do not provide enough cover for individuals in forced marriages or under threat of being married forcefully. In 2007, the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act) was passed where victims could obtain protection orders from courts. Recently, the Conservative government has announced plans to make forced marriage a criminal offence. This paper cr itically analyzes legislative attempts by successive UK government to respond to the problem of forced marriages among minority groups. Secondly, it critically analyzes the proposed attempt to make forced marriage a criminal offence. ... a Nobleman could only marry a noblewoman.1 To retain and consolidate power noble families encouraged and coerced their children to intermarry. However, with cultural advancement these practices were disappeared before any legal policy could be articulated to address the issue. Nobody envisioned that hundreds of years later a modern British society would be grappling with the problem of forced marriages. In the present and the last century, UK society made the first legal attempt to discourage forced marriage in 1949. In the Marriage Act 1949 prohibited marriages between parties below the age of 16 in section 2.2 This law was strengthened in the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 in Section 11 (a) (ii) put the age of consent for marriage at 16. The 1973 Act also provided protection for individuals below the age of 18 requiring the consent of a legal representative3. Under the matrimonial causes act an individual aged between 16 and 18 has the right to obtain consent for marriage through a co urt order, if the legal representative unreasonably refuses consent4. In the 1973 Act, all matrimonial relationship must start through the free consent of both parties. In Section 12, the 1973 Act prohibits vitiating of consent by other factors like violence or pregnancy. In the 1960’s UK governments made further legal changes to address the issue as immigrant communities continued to increase their number in the UK. In 1962, the UK signed the United Nations Convention to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration5. The convention came into force two years later in 1964 and was adopted by the UK in 1970. Later in 1969 the UK passed the Family Law Reform Act 1969 defined a person under the age of 18 as a minor. Under this definition a minor

The Human Resource Management in an International Setting Research Paper - 1

The Human Resource Management in an International Setting - Research Paper Example A flow of new migrants in any country may have a huge impact on the labour market, however the positive or negative aspect of the impact greatly depends on the jobs being created due to the spending of the immigrants to boost businesses and their production, the drop-off in the activity of the existing population such as the retirement or number of dependent population, and the capabilities of immigrants to fill the existing gaps of skills. Such factors are considered when it is decided whether migration has actually affected the labour market of a particular country negatively or positively. Moreover, in the UK, analysts suggest that immigration has led to a huge impact on the labour market which is mostly regarded as a positive one (Adesina, 2008, p. 72). According to the statistics and trends which have been observed in the labour market since the 1940s when the mass migration took place, it can be concluded that there have been several positive impacts of migration when it comes to the diversity and the increase in skill levels. But at a critical level of analysis, it can be said that there have been many distributional impacts which means that competition levels in the market rose and businesses experienced more rivalry. As the years have passed since the 1940s, the pressure of migration has increased and the impact of immigration on the UK local communities have also been obvious especially at a time of rapid change that Britain is going through continually from time to time. This is why countries need to maintain the laws and policies for migration and control the negative effects (Ham, 2010, p. 152). Migration has taken place in a number of countries which had opportunities in the labour market. However, due to this migration, the prominent labour markets such as that of the UK have been overcrowded which has resulted in the reduction of wages.

School Uniform Essay Example for Free

School Uniform Essay A school uniform makes it easier for the school authorities to recognize students belonging to their school. Authorities can also make out if someone doesnt belong to a school, if someone just manages to sneak in; unless, of course, they go through all the trouble of buying a uniform that fits! †¢ A school uniform also saves the school administrators from having to police what the students wear. There are no daily battles regarding whats appropriate to wear or not for school. †¢ A school uniform apparently also saves students from putting their fashion tastes before their learning requirements. When they dont have to spend time wondering what to wear and how to make a fashion statement, they can devote more time to getting educated. This in turn, lifts their academic performance. †¢ Wearing the same type of dress reduces social snobbery and peer pressure in educational institutions. It is also supposed to reduce incidents of bullying and theft. How do you pick on someone for wearing the same dress as yourself? Why would you steal a pair of shoes you both have and can afford? Thus there are fewer arguments, and following a dress code plays more of a balancing act. †¢ School uniforms cramp the style of gang members. They have to recognize each other by names and faces instead of flaunting aggressively painted jackets, T-shirts with obscene messages, clunky jewelry, and things like that. Instead of my gang and your gang, they also have to think in terms of our school. Its a hard life. On the brighter side, it helps them to live another day and go on to survive in college. †¢ A school uniform can instill a sense of discipline and community feeling. This naturally reduces incidents of violence. Students can come to school without worrying about personal safety. Teachers dont have to double as guards, and can concentrate on teaching. †¢ By wearing a uniform dress code, students can find other means to showcase  their creativeness. †¢ At a very young age, school uniforms instill the spirit of teamwork and one feels proud to be a part of a school, if he/she represents the school for any occasion. †¢ Most importantly, uniforms are cost-efficient, as parents do not have to spend on clothes for their children, thus benefiting them. So, to sum it up, by wearing uniforms, students appear to belong to a single community, they require less time to spend on deciding what to wear and it prevents wrong conduct, thus inculcating discipline in them. Hence, wearing school uniforms seems to be a pretty convincing and stimulating strategy. Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-school-uniforms.html Pros of School Uniforms It helps you to find children: If a school is on a trip, or if a child runs away, a school uniform can help teachers to quickly identify children from their school and so prevent them from getting lost. This is a very useful ability for teachers and if it means fewer children going missing its of course a good thing. It prevents competition and teasing: When children wear their own clothes into school, this then becomes a time for them to judge each other. Some children will be more mature than others, some will have better dress sense, and some will have more money at their disposal. What you dont want is some children turning up in fashionable new clothes and bullying the ones in their hand-me-downs who will inevitably feel embarrassed as a result. With a school uniform everyone is the same, thus no one can argue this point. Likewise wearing home clothes can show affiliation – to sports teams, to TV series, or to bands – and this can then cause arguments between the r ival teams. It can enforce a positive attitude: In a work place we dress smartly even though theres normally no uniform in office jobs, and even the self employed are advised to dress as though they were going into an office. The reason for this is that it can make you feel professional, and that that in turn can make you produce a better quality of  work. The same is true of school children and if they are in shirts they will feel more like little workers and less like football fans. It can teach discipline: Though many jobs do not require a uniform, others do. If you children are going to grow up to become nurses or checkout assistants then they may as well get used now to putting on the same uniform day in and out. It shows their age: At the end of the day you want people to know that your children are children. This prevents people from chatting them up or serving them alcohol. By putting them in school uniforms the older looking children then cant pretend to be older than they are. It can be used as an excuse: If a child is misbehaving and needs to be put in line, it can sometimes be difficult for a teacher to find a reason. By telling them off for having their shirt un-tucked though you have a legitimate reason. This is often why there are dress codes in clubs (though some parents would undoubtedly argue this was a bad reason to wear a uniform) Helpful for Teachers * Uniforms allow teachers to teach. Taking away the need to police clothing choices gives teachers a chance to focus on curriculum and not on what the students are wearing. It helps to remove the subjective nature of general clothing guidelines, such as determining what is offensive. Attitude * Uniforms help to change the attitude of those wearing them. Unlike regular clothing choices, you are not likely to pick on someone wearing the exact same thing as yourself. Many a schoolyard fight has begun with someone making fun of someone else regarding the clothing they are wearing. Dressing nicely also helps students to live up to their clothing. There is an innate sense of decorum when we dress for success. People tend to act differently depending on the clothing they are wearing. By creating a uniform specifically designed for attending school, the attitude falls in line. When those clothes are on, it becomes as regular as putting on pajamas, so a brain knows it is time to focus and learn. Sex Factor * Reducing the sex factor also provides motivation to focus on studies. Even when students dress within guidelines, children can find a way to push the limits with how low cut or tight their clothing might be. With a  uniform, that is almost entirely removed. You will no longer have the girl with the low-cut blouse distracting the boys in the classroom. Sense of Belonging * Providing a sense of belonging is an important part of uniformity. When you help to remove the class system by leveling the playing field, it provides students with the opportunity to be included. Clothing is an easy way to point out those who do not have money or support. By eliminating this discrepancy, you have made life easier for all students. Safety * Safety-wise, uniforms make students easily identifiable. It becomes simple to locate those who do not belong on a campus when they are not in the correct clothing. They also prevent the concerns of gangs and other forms of cliques sporting their colors and causing friction between groups or individuals. The main reason schools in America choose not to allow their students to wear their own clothes is because of the gangs. Having a uniform stops gang members from displaying their colours and garb. The schools also believe it helps stop violence and helps instill a sense of pride in the students. It also helps to break down the barriers between different socioeconomic groups. Below are some opinions taken from a messageboard regarding the issue: I feel we should keep to the uniform. It sets an example of the school. It is representation the community. It is easy to point out different people. Also there would be more fights/bulllys due to the lack of fashion. Many schools throughout the U.S. force students grades kindergarten through twelfth to wear uniforms. Students who attend public schools should not have to wear uniforms for four reasons. 1. School uniforms inhibit studentsEUR(TM) individuality. Young people often express their feelings through the clothing that they wear. Uniforms will take away this form of expression. Why should school districts try to make everyone look the same? 2. A school uniform policy inhibits a students freedom of choice. Schools teach students that our country is a free one. But when school boards make students wear what they tell them too it curtails the students freedom. 3. There is the issue of cost. Many parents shop for  their childrens clothes at used and discount stores. Uniforms can cost more money than these families might be able to afford. Also, these students would need to buy additional clothing to wear after school and on the weekends. Thats double the amount of money a family would spend than they would without the uniforms.  wearing comfortable clothing to school. Uniforms are not necessarily comfortable. Also, wearing a uniform might make the student uncomfortable around people outside the school who dont have to wear a uniform. If we want individuality, freedom, and comfort for students while keeping costs down for families, we should not have a school uniform policy for students who attend public schools. In my opinion, right up to year 11 students/kids should have to wear school uniform, it stops all the arguments about who has the latest fashions etc. But when you reach college or 6th form it should stop, because by then your old enough to know not to take the pee out of what people wear. Mind you saying that, most of the people at my 6th form were wallys. Professional: Some say that a child in a school uniform is more likely to take school seriously. Putting on the school uniform signals he or she is going to school just like dad dresses up to go to work. Schools report that when students dress in work clothes rather than play clothes they take a more serious approach to their studies. Promotes Good Discipline: Many think that school uniforms help maintain school discipline, decreasing the amount of discipline problems. The argument is that children today are lacking in self-discipline because parents refuse to discipline them. This makes it more difficult on the teacher who has to deal with classes of 25-30 students at a time. Reduces Fighting and Violence: Schools report that school uniforms decrease fighting and violence that arrise out of arguments over fashionable clothes. Children invariably tease those who do not have trendy clothes. Those who cant afford name brand clothes are often sensitive about their clothing. Schools struggling with  gang problems report that school uniforms help ease tensions. Distractions: Many parents believe that students wearing school uniforms look nicer and that a school uniform policy ensures that children will come to school in appropriate clothing, avoiding distractions such as fads considered to be outlandish or overly revealing. Some students have turned school into an unending fashion show. This disctracts from learning, as some kids spend more time focused on thier clothes than on homework. AdChoices Values: School uniforms stress that individuality and self-expression are not determined by designer clothing or the latest fashion fad. Low Cost: School uniforms are a bargain. They are becoming far less expensive than many other clothes. Schools argue that school uniforms are economical, especially compared to designer clothing, and parents agree given school uniform durability. They say school uniforms last longer because they are made for repeated wash and wear. Many schools capitalize on this by starting used school uniform stores or swap meets. Parents can get used school uniforms at discount prices, or just use them as hand-me-downs between siblings. School Spirit: Some feel wearing a school uniform helps build school spirit. It instills a feeling of belonging. As the Beach Boys said, Be true to your school. Schools report an increase in school pride. Individuality: Supressing individuality is the most commonly cited objection to school uniforms. Educators argue that an academic program encouraging students to pursue individual thought is much more important than what they wear. They inhibit creativity and self-expression, forcing students to conform. Causes Discipline Problems: Some students reject any rules. Forcing them to wear school uniforms only aggravates their rebelious spirit. They alter their school uniform by tightening, widening, shortening, or lengthening them, and teachers are given the impossible task of policing the students on a daily basis. Little  or No Relationship to Academics: Opponents insist that their is no credible evidence that school uniforms improve school discipline or promote higher academic acheivement. The principal argument is that some great students are terrible dressers. Dress does not necessarily improve learning.

Concept of collective identity

Concept of collective identity Introduction: Although the concept of collective identity is a post-colonial phenomenon, a few nations would describe themselves under a collective identity before the modern times. In fact, Europe is historically unique in terms that it has been the people living in the continent of Europe who have persistently described themselves as Europeans since the 17th Century (Pagden, 2002). Indeed, European Union emerged as the most important attempt for creating a supranational entity in the Continent and the best example of a Pan-European common identity as even the words Europe and the European Union are being used as synonyms by millions of people every day. Nevertheless, an uncertainty of a common identity has always been the case for Europeans throughout history and the physical as well as social borders of Europe has never been distinctly known for centuries which are full of wars, confrontation competition and blood. Today, the same problem continues to exist and many believe that it is the major factor blocking the efforts for achieving a fully integrated Europe, as the definition and frontiers of a common European identity is still unknown. Indeed, one of the most important issues of the European integration from a socio-political perspective is the vague concept of a common European identity including prospects of European Union Citizenship. Although a common European identity has been long around for centuries, these are fairly new issues in relevance to the half a century long history of todays European Union. However, I believe how the common European identity is defined is very important for the future steps of the European integration project, as nowadays the EU is undergoing transformation towards a political union with an aim to become a global actor in the international political arena. What shall be the elements of a common European identity, how shall it be formulized if it is to bec ome a successful construct which would define Europe correctly to end the efforts that lasted for such a long time? I believe a triumphant common European identity must include the concrete and symbolic realities and it must be rooted to the diversity of cultures which had been created by the long history of Europe (DAppollonia, 2002). Otherwise, if it remains as a form of thin identity suggested by Habermas (2006), the problems and uncertainties of European identity as well as the poorly functioning European Union citizenship is most likely to exist in the Unions foreseeable future. In fact, a common European identity can only be successfully constructed by taking into account all the ambiguities, contradictions and developments in form of a unity in diversity principle which can be applied to the reality of Europe rather than building a shallow and artificial construct as it seems to be today. Theoretically, a united Europe in political terms is made possible if a united Europe in cultural terms is established through formulating a collective common identity which may only be conceived as a coll ection of multiple and complex values created by complicated dynamics of Europes long history. Nevertheless, a united Europe in cultural terms shall not mean to enforce a homogenous and strictly ordered European society; rather the European identity shall celebrate Europes long tradition of diversity. Another important question is how should European Union citizenship be defined and what should be the frontiers of cultural implications of such a political formulation. Considering the wide cultural diversity and long history that the individual members of the European Union had share in the European continent, a collective identity may prove to be far too complex to construct, so one may argue that a common European identity is still an illusion. Although Europeans have a successfully formed a common economic and increasingly political union, they are still far away from the desired level of cultural unity and a common identity which seems to be an alarming factor for the next stages of the European integration. Nonetheless, European Union citizenship is an area open to developments and it might be used as a critically important tool by the European Union leaders to accumulate a common European identity, only if it is formulized correctly. The critical point on the debate of Europe an Union citizenship is that the dominant Classical Model of Citizenship is based on the structures of nation-state and that is why this model cannot be applied to the European Union, as it is a whole different level of organization which cannot be compared to a nation-state. On the other hand, Post-National citizenship is a modern approach to the issue of European identity and my evaluation shows that it is a feasible solution suitable for todays Europe in order to reach its goals of unification and deepening through building a stronger common identity in the 21st Century. This paper is organized in several sections. European identity from a historical perspective is analyzed in the first part; nationalist responses to the current status of European identity and the issue of national identities in contrast to the common European identity is discussed in the following part; a new European identity and suggestions for a new understanding of common European identity is suggested in the third part; a brief history of European Union efforts and progress on building a common identity is examined in the fourth part; the current status of European Union Citizenship is discussed in the fifth part and finally, Post-National citizenship as a model for European Union citizenship is proposed in the last part of this paper. After all, this paper argues that a common identity in form of a collective European identity is clearly necessary for the Union at this stage of integration, and it is a crucial element for the future of the European integration project especially as our world is getting smaller as well as more fragmented simultaneously due to the complex dynamics of international relations every day at the age of globalization. European citizenship is very much connected to the issue of European identity and it is the key to achieving such a strong common and collective identity when it is formulized as a Post-National phenomenon. The Europeans must derive their power from the diversity of their cultures by building a thick identity for Europe rather than a thin identity which consists of merely political rights; yet the Europeans shall not overlook the uniqueness of the Continent and the similarities they share in comparison to the rest of the world emphasized by the Unity in Diversity principle. Today, it is time for the Europeans to unite under one roof in socio-political terms, complete the long standing task of defining the boundaries of the European civilization by establishing a common and collective European identity in order to carry on the progress of the European integration project in a globalized world. Nonetheless, the question of possibilities of the Europeans to achieve such a high level of cultural as well as political unity remains a question and it is subject to a whole different level of research. However, often seen as a regional product of globalization itself, I believe the European integration project cannot progress any further without achieving a common European identity which is more critical than ever today in order to overcome the challenges of globalization in the 21st Century. What is Identity? Identity has always been a problematic concept because it is uncertain, fluid and highly flexible. Identity is the way to define ones self and to differentiate from the others. If taken literally, identity means equal; identical. Identity is not static but dynamic, and it can be defined in different ways in different circumstances. Identity is construct, which cannot be constructed immediately but only in time. It is not a fixed, constant and pre-given entity; while identity formation is heavily dependent on how one is perceived by the others. Identification implies belonging or membership, in turn which implies the exclusion of non-members (Bretherton Vogler, 1999: 236). In other words, the sole purpose of identity is to separate self from the other in a sense. Moreover, identities are multiple in nature, or even kaleidoscopic. A person may have a single identity, but it will be made up of many levels of loyalty and identification (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 18). Meanwhil e, identities change, because they are based on perceptions, which themselves change over time and environment; as it is possible to identify ones self with more than one thing at a time such as class and gender, or religion and age. Therefore there are various elements of ones identity and which operate at different levels and these various elements in an identity may well be contradictory (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 12). On the other hand, a collective identity means the attitudes, which all members of that group have in common in their thoughts and behavior; which differentiates them from the other (Munch, 2001: 137). Collective identities can provide existential meaning for people, thus they are primary means of unity in a society which give additional stability especially during periods of upheaval. Collective identities can generate a degree of continuity between individuals and their social environment, and can provide social recognition and approval (Von Benda-Beckmann Verkuyten, 1995: 24). Therefore, collective identities are defined mainly by culture from a historical point of view rather than biological genes, ethnicity, nationalism or simple political rights. Finally, they are used to construct community and feelings of cohesion and holism, a concept to give the impression that all individuals are equal in the imagined community (Strath, 2002: 387). From the perspective of political scienc e; there are two types of political identities: a civic identity and a cultural identity. The cultural definition of political identity entails a sense of belonging of an individual towards a particular group which can mostly defined by its uniform cultural or ethnic values. On the other hand, the civic definition of political identity involves with the identification of an individual mostly in form of citizenry with a political structure, which includes political institutions, rights, duties and rules (Bruter, 2004: 26). Therefore, a cultural European identity implies a reference to Europe as a continent, a civilization and a cultural entity whereas a civic European identity implies a reference to the political and institutional aspects of European Union identity largely in the form of EU citizenship. European Identity throughout History: Europe has always been more of a mental construct than a geographical or social entity (Lowenthal, 2000: 314). Europe has no natural frontiers both in geographic and sociological terms. Therefore it had never been easy to acquire a singular definition of European identity because the borders of Europe had always been dynamic, and no one knew where Europe started and Europe ended (Pagden, 2002). A European identity is an abstraction and a fiction without essential proportions (Strath, 2002: 387). The concept of a European identity is an idea expressing artificial notions of unity rather than an identity of equality. In this sense, the concept of European identity is inscribed in a long history of political reflection on the concept of Europe. From the perspective of history, Europe has been united as a singular entity in various settings for a number of times in its past such as the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Napoleonic Empire, and arguably the Nazi Third Reich. However, identity was only conceptualized as a macro-level collective phenomenon by the intellectual elites of Europe; on the other hand, for the rural masses of Europe, identity was a local term associated with the micro-level, rarely the nation and never an incident as large as the continent of Europe (Pagden, 2002). In different period of history, a common European identity had been defined on different basis. In the Middle Ages, Christianity was the main defining characteristic of European identity, whereas in modern times, the emergence of the nation state, periods of nationalism and afterwards democracy and secularism has been the common characteristic of the Europeans. Meanwhile, Christianity lost its dominance yet it arguably remained as one of the important components of European identity. Today, the European Union similar to the continent of Europe can be characterized by overlapping and unclear boundaries. From a geographical perspective, the EU has fuzzy boundaries due to the ongoing enlargement processes since the 1970s (Risse, 2003: 490). Although the geographical borders of Europe are not objectively defined particularly in the East, a state without a geographical relevance to the European continent cannot become a part of the European Union, even if it shares the EUs collective values and norms. Moreover what adds to the uncertainty of Europes borders is that boundaries of the EU may change according to different policy fields such as the Schengen includes the non EU member Norway but at the same time it does not include the EU member state the United Kingdom. Therefore, before anything else the lack of solid geographical boundaries weaken efforts of the EU to be seen as a singular entity by its own people (Castano, 2004). Meanwhile, the geographic boundaries of Europe have suffered dramatic changes within time and even the recent years provide an image of changing boundaries in Europe considering the reunification of Germany, the break-up of Yugoslavia and collapse of the Soviet Union. Therefore, Europe cannot be defined solely as a geographical space. On the contrary, Europe cannot be defined in cultural space either, unless European culture is associated with the Continents long history of diversity itself. Indeed, diversity shall be the main characteristic of European identity from a cultural point of view. Religious and cultural heritages including Roman law, political democracy, parliamentary institutions, Renaissance humanism, rationalism, romanticism characterize the common identity of the Europeans (Smith, 1992). On the other hand, there are undeniable socioeconomic, cultural, national and ethnic differences among the member states of the European Union. Nevertheless, the motto of the EU, unity in diversity, reflects this fact from a positive point of view and proposes a common identity for Europeans based on their peaceful diversity as a fundamental character of the European society at large. A collective political culture is an important feature of the common European identity. The Greeks gave Europe the science and philosophy and the Romans gave it the idea of single continent and unity which created Europes strong cultural and political origins. The diverse and multiple cultures of the ancient Europe shared a single identity as they were brought together under a common system of Roman law. The people of Europe also shared a common language, Latin, and after Europe slowly converted to Christianity they acquired a common religion as well. Christianity has been a crucial part of the European identity and it played a key role to create its internal cohesion and to designate its relationship with the rest of the world. Further references are made to Europes identity besides its heritage of Greco-Roman civilization and Christianity; such as the ideas of the Enlightenment, Science, Reason, Progress, Industrialization, Democracy and Individualization as the core elements of th is claimed European legacy (Wintle, 1996: 13-16). Hellenism, Romanticism, welfare society and cross-fertilization of diversity can be added to this list (Garcia, 1993: 7-9), while one may argue that Europes core values include its commitments to an undivided continent, to individual freedom, and to the universalism of humanity (Havel, 1996). However, this unity never reached to the point of sharing a common European culture up to this point in history of the Continent. In fact, a single body of citizenry or a common cultural identity could not be reached even in the peak of Europes history of unity and solidarity. When the differences within Europe are emphasized, they are often in the form of unity in diversity; religious differences such as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christianity, and linguistic differences including Romance, Germanic and Slavic languages are obvious; yet they are seen as correlated, Catholic-Romance, Protestant-Germanic, Orthodox-Slavic, and essentially are underlying the major ethnic cleavages and conflicts in the history of Europe (Wintle, 1996). Anthony Smith is among the scholars who are skeptical of the possibility of a common European identity because they could not find a common culture across the European continent, and even more critically they claim that Europe lacks of a shared set o f myths, experience and symbols; these elements which they find crucial to create post-national identity (Smith, 1992: 72-73). Furthermore, Europe lacks of a shared historical and cultural content as which is the largest source of division among Europeans. Other obstacles to a common European identity include linguistic diversity and its tripartite religious division. In fact, a major difference among EU countries is the persistence of linguistic diversity, even though in practical level English has become the dominant language in Europe. Language does not only have an instrumental but also an emotional dimension and peoples sense of nationality is often tied up with their mother tongue (Guibernau, 2001: 192). Finally, confrontation, wars and the effort to establish clear differences between peoples of the continent dominate the history of Europe, which is the exact opposite of what the European Union seeks to achieve today. On the other side of the debate, scholars such as Michael Wintle are more optimistic on the possibility of creating a European identity. Indeed, the existence of the EU identity in the form of converging education standards, educational exchanges, and the organization of a European civil society is already established in most parts of Europe. Wintle argues that a European identity was previously already created during the high Middle Age (Wintle, 1996: 19-22), and it can be easily established today considering the forces of globalization. For now, the major success of the EU in fostering its identity has been limited with the increasing free movement of people across European borders, which has accelerated since the 1985 and formalized in 1990 Schengen accords parallelly correlated with the rising impact of globalization. Increased interaction among peoples of Europe would also encourage cultural exchanges and this could foster a stronger sense of a shared community. Education and hi gh culture shall play a key role in European Unions cultural policy which has critical importance for building a thick European identity, because these two factors have an important effect on the creation as well as promotion of the EU identity. Education is obviously one of the crucial dimensions in any attempt to develop the future identity of the EU or at least more understanding and convergence among Europeans; high culture unites Europeans against the low culture which separates them. After all, the development of the EU identity will be the outcome of a long process in which bottom-up as well as top-down initiatives are likely to be employed (Guibernau, 2001: 183-184). The idea of Europe as well as the identity of Europeans are constructed over time with processes of contention and bargaining. Gerard Delanty argues that a European Culture is not an entity with cohesion and fixed boundaries, but a floppy concept, with no clear borders and with internal opposition and contradictions, discursively shaped in contentious social bargaining processes (Delanty, 1995; 1999). In other words, the images of Europe do not exist as a natural phenomenon but are discursively shaped by internal as well as external forces (Strath, 2002). A basic step in the process of creating a collective identity is to defining itself in relation to the other. Central to ones identifications are images of others. Likewise any identity, European identity necessarily contains an element of separation from the non-European. The boundaries of Europe can only be drawn and the identity of Europe can only be realized in the mirror of others. Indeed, Europe does not exist without non-Euro pe and that non-Europe does not exist without Europe (Wintle, 1996). Many centuries ago, the Europeans defined people living in the north as uncivilized and people living in the south as oriental (Pagden, 2002). Furthermore, the Greeks labeled the non-Greek speaking people as barbarians, even if that word would surely have a different meaning by that time. In nearer times, although the Russians shared many features with a European society including the same religion, it could not reach the formal limits of a Romanized civilization thus perceived as a barbaric empire or the orient, depending on the time. Moreover, European belief of its superiority relied on the common features of European societies such as science and liberal arts. Thus the rest of the world could only be portrayed as actors in relation to Europe, in other words always remained as the other. According to Delanty, Europe has been always invented and reinvented on the basis of division and strategy for the construction of difference from the other starting from Christian identity against Islam in the Middle-Ages, after that in the colonial politics to the New World, and to the ethnic minorities in the contemporary European Union (Delanty, 1995). Therefore, historical experience suggests that the new European identity may be constructed on the other which may be the United States, the East, Islam or the European past itself. Samuel Huntington has argued that religion provides the best common means of historically distinguishing between Europeans and the other, especially in terms of the confrontation between the Judeo-Christian tradition and Islam (Huntington, 1996). However, at the same time, the separation between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Western variations of Christianity has, for a long time, been crucial in establishing a division between Western and Eastern E urope; partially reinforced in the Cold War, divisions between Catholicism and Protestantism and separation between North and South (Guibernau, 2001). Therefore, history shows that peoples of Europe has been united against peoples of other civilizations at times such as global upheaval and wars while at other times Europeans get divided and separated due to the face that they may perceive the other internally. Today, the European Union is frequently argued to be a fortress for the other and the EU is often referred to as a Christian Club, because historically all states on the continent of Europe had Christian societies. The Ottoman Empire was the greatest enemy of European states as well as Christianity in the Middle Ages; which made Islam the primary characteristic of the other for Europeans from the perspective of history. Today, the accession dialogues of Turkey into the European Union raise wide public opposition in Europe while the European Union officials make constant efforts to prove their allegiance to non-religious, non-ethnic but solely liberal and non discriminatory Copenhagen Criteria independent from historical aspects of the other which has actually been extensively used to define the European identity. Finally, Europe is unique because it has possessed an identity as a cultural space which gave birth to political unions throughout its history; however, it has never succeeded to constitute a single nation-state or a unified ethnic group. Although the European Union with its single currency and supranational political and legal institutions changed these historical facts to an extent, it is only possible with the means of a common European identity which will carry Europe to the next stage of integration that it always aimed but failed to achieve during its long history. Nevertheless, history has already proved that it will surely be hard to overcome uncertainties of a common European identity at the level of the masses. Over the past millennium, the advancements of European civilization gave rise to the elites living on the continent of Europe who feel increasingly attached to Europe as a whole and shared dreams of a united continent. However, Europe as a realm sharing a common history as well as a common destiny has been largely abandoned by fixed prejudices on often nationalistic and ethnic grounds. National interests and biases at local, national, and global levels have prevented the masses of European people from viewing themselves collectively (Lowenthal, 2000: 315). However today, forces of globalization, advancements in communications technologies and popular culture now promote the sense of being European among larger segments of society other than the European elites. Although a truly trans-European society is still far away, many of its essential elements are already in place this time largely due to the forces of globalization. Most European states are increasingly democratic; their econo mies are for the most part market driven; their popular culture grows more homogeneous as communication technologies expand under the forces of globalization in the 21st Century (Waterman, 1999: 23). Therefore, Europe is at the stage of defining its identity today; however which criteria are being deployed to define Europe, Europeans, Europeanness and their respective boundaries is critically important. A common European identity must be constructed by defining and understanding the historical roots of outstanding features of the European society in relation to the notion of citizenship, which will be discussed in depth in the following parts of this paper; developed in the past over the land of Europe. For sure, Europe is being redefined as a result of a complex set of processes, but an important question is what sort of Europe is emerging from them? Nationalist Responses to European Identity: There is certainly a structured symmetry in the perception of the European Union as the coincidence of a homogenized socio-political space, a unified regulatory space of an EU super-state, a singular European civil society surpassing existing national and regional differences in culture and identity (Hudson, 2000). In some respects there has been progress towards such an ideal of European common European cultural and a trans-national civil society. For example, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights have had an important role in defining acceptable standards across Europe. The issue of European identity and the criteria used to denote Europeans is clearly a critical one for the political and social integrity of the European Union. Europe will exist as an unquestionable political community only when European identity permeates peoples lives and daily existence (Demos 1998). Identity is a key issue which is continuously changing and thats the reason why it is so hard to define especially in a world of fast changes in the 21st Centurys globalization. The member states of todays enlarged EU have become multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies with various structural phenomenon ranging from the immigrant community of France to Post-Communist yet ethnic communities of the Central and Eastern European states. As the EU expanded eastwards in the last two rounds of enlargements, the issue of defining a European identity became even more critical for sake of integrity and stability of the Union. One conception of a singular European identity would see it constructed through a process similar to that involved in the creation of national identities in the 19th and the 20th Centuries. Ironically, while the aim was to create those national identities in the past, the challenge that Europeans face today would be to transcend them for the creation of a trans-national understanding of Europeannes. However, the current trends at local European level are quite different from the interests of Europeanists at the supranational level. There are pressures from nation-states and their citizens to resist any further transfer of national sovereignty as well as erosion of national identity (Hudson, 2000). In fact, the success of extreme right wing political parties in important European countries such as Austria and France in recent years may be seen as a sign of the reappearance of dangerous nationalist and racist ambitions which the peoples of Europe have most probably experienced more tha n any other continent in the world history. Eric Hobsbawm has proclaimed that nationalism is dead (Hobsbawm, 1990). On the contrary, Llobera argues that national identities are certainly not eternal, but the time of their demise has not yet arrived (Llobera, 2003). In fact, national identities are still dominant in Europe as recent Eurobarometer surveys show that people in Europe prefer maintaining their national identity and sovereignty; but increasing number of people have accepted European identity in addition to their national identities. Therefore, European nationalism is another important component of a common European identity and it has been a major ideological tool for unifying nation states as well as the Europeans as a whole throughout Europes history. To start with, the European Union, with its both intergovernmental and supranational characteristics represents a far different type of state-organization than a classical nation state. The main distinguishing characteristics of the EU from the nation-state are the ab sence of a shared language, a uniform media, common education system and most importantly a central state structure (Shore, 2000: 64). Furthermore, the powers of the EU rely on the sharing of sovereignty of its member states which may often have conflicting national interests. Indeed, the European integration project has mainly served as a tool for progressively limiting individual nation-states to practice any kind of harmful nationalism and this makes up an important part of the European identity. At this point, nationalist Euroskeptics may argue that building a common Europe and an identity for it means destroying nations. However, a general feeling of Europeanness and loyalty to Europe in a cultural sense, does not need to conflict with national identities (Andreani, 1999). A successful construct of European identity must include the concrete and symbolic realities created within history of the Continent but exclude nationalist ambitions of the past. Surely, the European states have not always been nationalist through Europes long history. The definition of nationalism counts on the idea of nation and territory; while the definition of a European nationalism depends on the historical and ideological evolution of the European nation states and aspirations for a post-national Europe. In fact, the aspirations that underlie in the roots of the foundation of the European Union are parallel to European cosmopolitanism in the 18th and the 19th centuries. From the Enlightenment to the beginning of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) after the Second World War; European nationalism found two separate meanings: one as an antinational Pan-European idea of a new united Europe that limits the sovereignty of the nation states, and the other as a pro-national ideology to create or legitimate new nation states (DAppollonia, 2002). Historically, cosmopolitanism reflected intentions for a European unity, and gave rise to anti-national European nationalism. European nationalism was characterized by the will to protect the European interests and its supremacy from non-Europeans as well as protecting Europe from itself by creating a federation. It can be argued that economic development, comme

Airport Privatisation The Challenges Way Forward Economics Essay

Airport Privatisation The Challenges Way Forward Economics Essay Traditionally all the airports were owned by the public sector. The European airports in major cities such as Paris, London, Dublin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Madrid, and Geneva were all owned by national governments. The airports outside Europe like Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney, and Johannesburg were similarly owned by their countrys government bodies. Elsewhere, the major airports like in the U.S. were controlled by local or regional governments. Regional airports in Europe too followed this rule. For example, Manchester airport was owned by Manchester City Council and a combination of 8 local authorities of nearby towns with 45% ownership resting with the latter and 55% with the former authority. In Germany, Dusseldorf airport was owned by the governments of North Rhine, Westphalia state and the city of Dusseldorf together, whereas, the Hanover airport was owned jointly by the governments of Lower Saxony and the city of Hanover. In the 1990s, private or partially privately owned airports became significant. Before this, the privately owned airports were limited only to the general aviation or to the aeroclub airports. The norm during that period was that the public ownership, i.e. the government handled the airport operations at least at a local or majorly at national level. This had a major impact on the operations of the airport and its degree of independence. The strictest form of control existed when the government had direct control over the airport, for example the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ministry of Transport or, in few cases, the military. This was commonly practiced in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America. In Canada, 150 commercial Canadian airports were directly controlled by The State Department of Transport. Within Europe, Greece was a good example where CAA controlled all the airports effectively. In some cases, semi-autonomous bodies and companies, those were still under the public ownership owned the airports. Some organizations managed more than one airport, British Airports Authority (BAA) and Aer Rianta Irish Airports were good examples in Europe. Other airport authorities and companies also existed that operated just one major airport. This was the case at Amsterdam airport and many German airports. In the U.S., airport authorities also existed for some of the airports, such as the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission. In some cases, multipurpose transport authorities which operated other modes of transport also operated airports, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or Massport in Boston. There were also examples of airports where companies which were publicly owned managed the airports at concession for the central government. For example, the major Italian airports like Venice and Milan were controlled by public shareholdings and perhaps some private shareholdings at concession for long terms, such as 60 years. The concession could cover management of the total airport operations and handling services like Milan and Turin or just some of the operations like terminal management and handling services like Palermo. At French regional airports, the concessions were given to the local chambers of commerce, but national government holding some control over the airfield facilities. For example, at the Zurich airport, the planning and the overall operation of the airport and the airfield infrastructure is controlled by the Zurich Airport Authority, which is owned by the Canton of Zurich, while a mixed public private company, named FIG, managed and constructed the terminal i nfrastructure. Commercialization The publicly owned and strictly controlled airports were historically considered as a public utility for the public service obligations. As a result, the airport industry was not considered as a business dominant industry but a general public service transport system. However, in the 1970s and 1980s the perspective towards airport management changed as the industry grew towards airline privatization and deregulation. Many airports then were considered more of a commercial industry and businesslike management philosophy was adopted. Thus the airport industry around the world took steps towards commercialization with Europe as its leader. However, airports in areas like Africa and South America mostly stuck on to the traditional way and experienced less changes. The coming of commercialization was seen in many different steps. For instance, many independent airport authorities and airport companies with public shareholders were established resulting in less government control over airports. This gave airports more of operational and commercial freedom and also gave private sector investment and partnership more chances. In 1972, the International Airports Authority of India was established to manage Indias four international airports. In 1986, National Airports Authority took control of the domestic airports in the country. These two merged in 1995. In Canada, where the Transport Canada was in direct control of the countrys major airports, passed its airport management completely to individual non-profit-making authorities in a long-term lease in the 1990s. its main reason was to improve its efficiency and integrate it to the local economy. During the commercialization process, airport management was focused upon operational aspects like financial management, non-aeronautical revenue generation and airport marketing. Many airport directors and senior managers were operational specialists. This realization of commercialization resulted in expansion of staff members and operational resources. Also the typical departments for finance, administrations, operations, and so on was replaced with new department or business units like customer needs, passenger and airline services. One of the most significant changes during commercialization was an increased focus on the non-aeronautical revenues and commercial revenues. Aeronautical revenues such as landing and passenger fee from the airlines had been the most important source. In most of the airports, mainly European airports, non-aeronautical revenues overtook aeronautical revenues as the most important source. For example, Amsterdam airport first reported of its higher non-aeronautical revenue when compared to its aeronautical revenue. This was due to large space allocation to commercial retail shops and other non-aeronautical facilities. In the past, it was very difficult to obtain a true indication of an airports financial and economic performance. Often the government would undertake normal public accounting practices specific to its country and would use public sector rather than more standard commercial procedure. This resulted in difficulty in comparing it with the other organizations. In some cases, airports cost and revenues were considered as one item only within the government departments financial accounts. Therefore no specific profits from the airports could be determined. In the 1970s and 1980s, more commercial accounting practices were adopted in most of the airports. This was mainly due to less control in the hands of the government. For example, in 1987, all major airports in the U.K. became public limited companies (plc). This meant that these airports adopted commercial private sector accounting procedures. One example of this was when Geneva airport became an independent authority in 1994, it began to show balance sheets and asset values in its annual accounts, which previously was ignored. Privatization During the 1970s and the 1980s, commercialization took great strides in the growth of airports around the globe. But it was during 1990s when privatization became a reality. But what is actually meant by privatization? In its broadest sense, it usually means the transfer of airport management, and sometimes ownership as well, to the private sector. Privatization of publicly owned airports had many arguments both supporting and against it. Privatization reduces the need of public sector investment and provides access to commercial sectors. It reduces government control and interference enabling the organization to diversify. It may also increase the operational efficiency of the airport, induces competition and payment of incentives for management and employee staff to perform well. There were some developments that took place in the 1970s and 1980s which strengthened the reasons for airport privatization to occur in some countries. For example in North America and Europe, deregulation resulted in the growth of the airports which meant the existing airport capacity could not cope with this growth. Privatization of airports was considered as a means of injecting additional finance into the airport systems to pay for the future investments. In addition to this, public sector funding became very scarce in the modern-day global econ omic climate as government thought of reducing their spending and turned to non-revenue-earning activities like education and health. Privatization also has some adverse effects like it may create a private monopoly which charges extra for same or lesser standards of services, invests inadequately and gives less consideration to externalities like controlling environmental impacts and maintaining social justice. Less favorable employment condition may occur and redundancies may occur. From a point of view, airport privatization can be considered as just an evolutionary development of the aviation industry. Airports evolved from public sector utility to commercial enterprises and privatization can be considered as commercialization taken to its limits. Increased commercialization has brought about good profits and market oriented management. The increase in number of airport privatization around the world has shown us that this method has successfully achieved ways to tackle some problems that could be faced by the airports in the 21st century. However, this in some countries where publicly owned organizations are considered as national or regional assets being transferred to private companies could be a sensitive political issue. It brings fear that the focus would be then shifted to private shareholders and the customer needs will be neglected. Privatization of airports may have different views among different groups and even between the local and national government. As a result, it should not be thought that commercialization always leads to privatization. A good example for this is the Manchester airport, which runs on a very commercial basis, but has no desire to undergo privatization. Types of Privatization Airports are one of the most attractive organizations for investors, for many reasons. Firstly, the aviation industry has a unique growth rate. Many airports, mainly the major airports have less or no competition, from the airports and also from other modes of transports. It is difficult to enter into the airport industry as it requires heavy capital investment and also difficult to find an appropriate and convenient locations where airport development is allowed. However, there are risks also available such as the political interference in the form of airport regulation and control over airport development as there is deregulation and greater collaborations through alliances. According to the document prepared by Carney and Mew in 2003, the types of privatization can be broadly classified into 5 types: Share floatation Trade sale Concession Project finance privatization Management contract The selection of the most appropriate type of privatization for the airports is done by a series of complex decision-making process in which the reasons for privatizing is checked by fulfilling certain conditions. Share Floatation The first type, i.e., the share flotation or Initial Public Offering (IPO), where the airport share capital is issued, and traded on the stock market. The Management or the public owners are given options to acquire shares. In this type, the government or the public owners give up the total or partial ownership according to the shares open, transferring economic control and risks to the new shareholders. Generally this type of privatization has shown positive results with promising economic growth rate and limited competition as the capital investments are too high for the risk to be taken. Even when total privatization occurs, the government has a certain degree of influence by issuing a golden share so that the national interests can be secured in extreme cases. Trade Sale In this type of privatization, some parts of the airport or the total airport is sold to a trade partner or a consortium of investors, through a public tender. The trade sales which took place in the 1990s had strategic partners involved rather than just passive investors. As a result, the managerial and technological expertise was considered while agreeing on a sale. Concession With this type of arrangement, an airport management company or consortium will purchase a concession or lease to operate the privatized airport for a defined period of time, commonly between 20 and 30 years, again usually through a tendering process. Financial terms and the types of lease will vary but typically this option will involve an initial payment and a guaranteed level of investment and/or payment of an annual fee. Hence this tends to be a more complex approach, which has high transactions costs and needs to carefully designed and implemented to ensure that the private contracts achieve the government policy objectives. Project Finance Privatization With this option, a company will usually build or redevelop and then operate an airport or specific facility, such as a terminal, for a certain length of time, typically 20-30 years. This company may be totally private or may be a private-public partnership. At the end of this period, ownership will revert to the government owners. Thus this approach can be viewed as a particular type of concession agreement. Generally such an arrangement will not usually require a large upfront payment but the operating company will bear all the costs of building or re-developing the facility. When it is built, the company will have to cover the operating costs but will also retain most revenues (often after paying an annual fee to the government) until the facility is handed back. Thus, the airport company will take full economic risk for investment and operations. There are a number of project finance privatization methods with the most popular being build-operate-transfer (BOT) when, as the name suggests, the company will build the facility, operate it for a certain length of time and then transfer ownership back to the government. Other similar models include build-transfer (BT), build-rent-transfer (BRT) or design-construct-manage-finance (DCMF). Other options may actually involve the ownership of the facility such as build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) or rehabilitate-own-transfer (ROT) projects. All these methods, however, are often referred to by the generic term BOT. Management Contract The least radical privatization option is a management contract when ownership remains with the government and the contractors take responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the airport, usually for a period of 5-10 years. The government either pays an annual management fee to the contractor, usually related to the performance of the airport, or the contractor will pay the government a share of its revenues. Normally investment will remain the responsibility of the government owner and so the overall economic risk is shared between the owner and the management company. For the government owner this may be politically more acceptable, whereas for the contractor such an arrangement may be attractive in countries where greater financial exposure, through a trade sale, for example, may be seen as too great a risk. Overview The overall reason for this report is to analyze the effects of ownership change on the economic growth of the industry. The main success of privatization is not by attaining maximum airport profits but by providing quality service with continuously improvising efficiency and maintaining cost of charges. There are a number of lessons that can be learnt from this experience: The cost of capital is found to be too high in the plc privatization model. Efficiency is optimized when the business is outsourced. Performance can be improvised even without ownership change. It is difficult to reach objectives to provide quality, cheap, and safe service simultaneously. Privatization is not a successful option unless customer needs are not kept in priority for the growth and development. Customers have gained some from privatization, in terms of lower prices relative to the public ownership organizations, but not by a lot. Identifying Challenges Vienna International Airport (VIA), Austria Privatization resulted in inadequate investment and high charges for customers. Before privatization, VIE had high costs. The weak economic regulation did not help much to change this providing no incentive to improve efficiency, provide adequate investment, or hold back monopoly profits. This is due to the direct regulation of charges from the government. Due to the classic monopolist behavior, profit margins are restricted. As a result, insufficient incentives are being produced which cannot further pay for the cost-efficient investments for the future of the airport. Zurich Airport (ZRH), Switzerland The independent TRL Charges Index of the top-50 airports worldwide ranks Zurich Airport as the 10th costliest airport in the world. Due to the collapse of Swissair, capacity constraints have emerged at the Zurich Airport. As a result it is the least profitable airport among the top 50 airports. Absence of an independent economic regulation resulted in low incentives for higher efficiency. The airport has switched from single-till to dual-till which resulted in the aeronautical revenue to bear all the cost of aircraft and passenger service. Auckland International Airport (AIA), New Zealand Absence of an effective economic regulation, due to which they charge excessively on their customers for higher incentives. Asset base and operational cost valuation of the AIA is remarkably high due to its dominant market position. Moreover the cost of capital used by AIA also appears to be extremely high. These appear to be the reasons for high base for charges. Sydney International Airport (SYD), Australia Although the service quality is complimented by passengers, airlines are less satisfied and charges are high. The prices rose high in 2001, giving reasons that it would help SYD earn a commercial rate of return. SYD also switched to Dual-till; therefore the aeronautical revenue is only confined to cover the aircraft and passenger service charges. The ACCC, similar to the Competition Commission in the U.K., is not influential enough to encourage SYD to increase their efficiency as there is no incentive-based price cap. Perth Airport (PER), Australia Huge price rise in service charges with no improvement in services or any significant capital investment. Absence of economic regulation, asset evaluation and the use of dual-till; all this result in increase in charges for the customers. Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), Argentina Privatization meant very bad for the customers. High charges for the structure, under-investment and poor quality of service to the customers. Absence of an independent economic regulator has led to very high service charges. It also resulted to a very confrontational relationship between the government, airport operator and the customers. Capacity constraints have been dealt very poorly. Under-investments due to payment of high royalties. No competition between service providers led to high customer charges with low standards of service. Athens International Airport (AIA), Greece Service quality is good to the customers but comes at a very high price. It ranks the 3rd highest charges in the world. No consultation with the airline customers on building of the new airport, therefore high cost and inefficient investment. The rate-of-return economic regulation creates no incentives for improving efficiency and permits monopoly profits. If the profits are not met within one year, then the regulator allows charges to be raised in order to recoup. The AIA also uses the dual-till. This means the aeronautical revenue is confined only to the aircraft charges and passenger charges which should have been also used for the commercial charges. There has been over 20 years since privatization of infrastructure providers started in different industries. Although, considerable rise of amounts had been achieved by privatizing many publicly owned companies fully or partially, general public and customer interest had not been one of the major concerns. From the identified challenges brought into light due to privatization of airports all around the globe, some prominent issues like cost inefficiency, high charges due to no independent economic regulation in existence. The cost of capital is too high under the plc privatization model. There is no improvisation in the efficiency and quality of customer services to cope with low or minimal incentives. The privatization of airports has also brought the issue of capacity, financial and environmental constraints into light. This resulted in potential discrimination between incumbent and new airline companies. Expanding capacity at new major airports require huge amounts of capital, where public sector funding might not be sufficient, therefore private sector investment has to be considered. But for future investments, incentives and service charges have to be rightly considered and revised. Compacting Strategies An efficient economic regulation is necessary to regulate the cost of capital, the asset and resource valuation and to control the service charges according to the quality of service provided. It is also needed to improvise the quality of service provided to airlines and customers according to the incentives. It has to optimize the use of given space capacity, both for aircrafts and passengers. An efficient economic regulation system is appropriate for bringing a balance between the service provided and service charges by setting up a fair and efficient charging system for airports infrastructure. It may encourage private investors to invest and take control of commercial management. It is noticed through history that airports when operated with commercial outlook, the performance, efficiency and financial situation is improved, whether it may be publicly owned or privately owned. Airports governed by national or local governments should be allowed some degree of freedom to run more like a commercial type and unnecessary regulations should be lifted. British Airports Authority (BAA), U.K. Excellent example of how to privatize an airport successfully, by implementing effective economic regulation of assets. Since privatization, the company has diversified. It started managing airports overseas with equal stakes and concentrating on particularly the non-aeronautical revenue generation at the airports. Effective economic regulation has been critical for the success of privatization, which regulated the aeronautical revenue considerably low and maintaining good quality of services. The existence of a Competition Commission has resulted in effective regulation of charges by keeping the customers interest in mind. The price-caps are given a regular check in order to prevent the increase in airport profits in excess of the cost of capital. This avoids inefficient investment which would lead to excessive charging of customer services. Revision of incentives for better services keeps the quality of service good and also in improvisation. If neglected, it would lead to poor quality of service in order to increase airport profits. Single-till is the mode of airport accounts management. In this method, both the aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues are taken into account during setting the airport charges. Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Denmark Relatively successful privatization with quality service and relatively low airport charges. Effective economic regulation has been critical for the success of this privatization. This controlled the aeronautical revenue relatively low and quality of service high. Improvisation in the efficiency of services was the key to its success since shareholders are also benefitting. The regulation put price-caps by negotiation with the airline customers, if this failed, then incentive based charges are assigned to improve efficiency of the services. Brussels Airport (BRU), Belgium The economic regulation brought customers into reassurance by setting appropriate charges. With respect to the rate-of-return policy, little incentives are produced for cost efficiency improvements to reduce airport charges. Conclusion Privatization brought drastic changes as the ownership changed from public owners like national or local government to private sector ownership. But commercialization is of greater asset than privatization. Increasing the airport profits, expansion of airport capacity and economic growth happens by undertaking commercial type of management. The public owners can increase the revenue generation by liberalization and allowing the airports more degree of freedom. Effective economic regulation is critical for successful privatization as capital investment is high therefore there is less competition for private sector investment. The economic regulation is highly necessary for creating incentives, which would help in improvisation of quality of service and increasing efficiency and would restrain monopolies created by privatization and allow sharing of airport profits with the customers by reducing customer service charges. A regulatory committee in association with the economic regulation could be considered highly beneficial as they would complement each others price-capping by keeping the customers and the airports cost of capital into consideration. For successful privatization, customers should be considered as key stakeholders in the development and expansion. The pricing infrastructure should be set by keeping the customers interest as one of the most important criteria in making capital investments for growth and future development.