P.O.S (Points of Sales system) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

P.O.S (Points of Sales system) - Essay Example POS System Requirements The system requirements will comprise of hardware and software. These specifications will vary in terms of the terminal either client or the server. POS Software There will be several software required to ensure smooth running of the system both at the client and server terminal. The POS application which makes the entire system functional will be internally developed. This is to ensure its customization to stores requirements and functionality. It will be installed in the serve terminal. The preferred platform will be windows 7 operating system. This is because of its user friendliness and compatibility with all software designed for windows.Access database will be used, due to the size of the business, to track inventory. QuickBooks2010 accounting software will be installed this will cater for the production of accounting reports. On the other hand, client computers will be installed withmagnetic and barcode data recognition software,credit card authorizatio n software, printers software, and windows 7 operating software. Furthermore, all the terminals will be connected to the server through the Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wide Area Network (WAN). This will enhance transmission of information between the terminals. Kaspersky antivirus 2011will be installed to all the terminals to enhance system security i.e. hacking and virus associated by networking. This antivirus is automatically updated through the internet. In addition, Ultra Exit 2M software will be installed in the sever computer to track burglary in the store. The Ultra Exit 2M will be mounted on the exit points to enhance security. POS Hardware Computers The retail store will have twelve client computersof Intel Core 2 duo, with 1 GB RAM, 1.5 GHz processor speed and a HDD of 80 GB. They will be the main primary sales transaction keying points and will be password controlled for individual clerks. The main data input will be digital, magnetic data and manually keyed data. O utput from the terminals will be generally sales receipts and terminal sales report. The server computer will serve as control and backup purposes to the terminal points. It will be anIntel Core i3; with 4 GB RAM, 3GHz processor speed and a HDD of 1TB.The outputs will involve sales reports, accounting reports such as inventory level analysis. Cash Drawer and Printer There will be receipt driven Dot matrixprinters with a tear bar and a locking cash drawer with plastic inserts which separates notes from coins at every client computer. The printers will serve to receive sales receipt data input from respective computers and output a hardcopy of sales receipt. Finally, as a control measure upon printing the receipt the cash drawer will open. Portable Bar code Scanner and Magnetic stripe reader These devices will be at every clerk desk to facilitate fast and accurate data input, and efficient customer service. Magnetic stripe will facilitate input of magnetic data from customer’sc redit cards to the POS system.Products within the store will have a unique bar code strip for easier identification. Therefore, bar code scanner will assist to match products with their bar codes and input their prices to the system. Wireless Payment System This will be meant to make payment by customers more effective, as they will

Research in psychology-week3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research in psychology-week3 - Essay Example Furthermore it uses meta- analysis to compare this rate of relapse of offences in juveniles to those of adults and the findings indicate that it was relatively lower but not significantly different. This quantitative research analyses the issue at hand using an appropriate research framework because the situation requires the division of clearly defined variables. The undertaking is most appropriate as it is conducted by the use of meta-analysis. Using this approach the researchers gets the opportunity to critically evaluate and statistically combine results of comparable studies to the one he is currently conducting hence acquiring a comprehensive findings. This in regard to the current study would be to analyze the characteristics of the juvenile justice and compare the probability of repeat offences with that of the instruments of adult risk assessment. The findings indicate the presence of strong similarities between the two. Susan J. Smiths ‘Crime and the structure of soci al relations’ analyses the geography of crime. Looking at the element of victimization in an ethically mixed inner city the findings of the study suggest that the distribution of crime reflects the lifestyle and the activity patterns of a community. Using aspects of an exploratory research and observation the researcher addresses abstract concerns about the problems of law and order by highlighting certain characteristics of a specific residential environment and the effect of crime in terms of social anxieties it faces. The approach taken by the research is deemed most appropriate considering the achieving of an understanding of a complex phenomenon. Furthermore it investigates the relationships and patterns in the context in which the activity happens. This can be seen in the way the findings indicate that the more an environment is prone to violence in terms of trends of lifestyle the more the crime feeds into the structure of a society and social relations. References Cra ig S. Schwalbe. Risk Assessment for Juvenile Justice: A Meta-Analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 31, 449 - 464. Susan J. Smith. Crime and the Structure of Social Relations. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 9,

The main purpose Essay Example for Free

The main purpose Essay Businesses have functional areas so that the business can stay organized. Functional areas are the business broken down in to small areas so it becomes easier for the business to be looked after. The main purpose of functional areas is to ensure that all important business activates are carried out efficiently. if the business is to achieve its aims and objectives. In addition, specific areas will be responsibility for supporting specific types of aims and objectives. (BTEC first 2nd edition business). Functional areas large business organisations like Tate and Lyle divide themselves into different functional areas, this is because they have to be well organised to make all their aims and objectives possible and to make it an even easier place to work so that it can be more productive. There are different teams of people who are split into different functional areas so they are able to make the business operate more efficiently. All of the functional areas arent dependent on each other but have to work closely together for Tate and Lyle to operate. (http://www. coursework. info/GCSE/Business_Studies/Functional_areas_within_business_L65336. html) There are seven different functional areas in a business: 1. Finance 2. Administrations. 3. I. C. T. 4. Marketing. 5. Sales. 6. Research and Development. 7. Customer Services. 8. Human Resources. 9. Disterbution. 10. Production. These are the ten main functional areas in a business. Finance for NHS is given by the government and the government recives money from tax payers. Finance is one of the functional areas in a business. Finace deals with all the money in the flowing through the business. Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses, and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. The term finance may thus incorporate any of the following:   The study of money and other assets   The management and control of those assets * Profiling and managing project risks   As a verb, to finance is to provide funds for business. (http://encyclopedia. thefreedictionary. com/finance). Administration is also a functional area in a business that deals with keeping track of all the transactions that take place. In business, administration consists of the performance or management of transactions and other matters, and the making and implementing of major decisions. Administrator can serve as the title of the General Manager or Company Secretary who reports to a corporate board of directors. This use is archaic. (http://encyclopedia. thefreedictionary. com/Administrations) I. C. T is used in most business to help make paper work easier and makes it easier to keep records. Director General of NHS IT Richard Granger gave some insights into his approach for realizing the aims and objectives set out in Delivering 21st century IT supports for the NHS in June 2002. Referring to the publication, he said that when he started last October he inherited a working paper not an implementation plan. In his view, in the past, NHS ICT-based projects had largely stuck at the features phase, which meant that the NHS rarely got to the benefits stage. He described the pitfall of spending a long time, often years, in the specification phase, which does not allow for the half-life of ICTs. By the time a specification is agreed and a solution procured, technology has moved on and the solution no longer delivers the current requirement. Mr. Granger clearly intends the NHS to get to the benefits stages of all its ICT procurements in the National Programmer for IT. ( http://www. bjhc. co. uk/news/1/2003/6001. htm) Research and Development is also a functiomal area in business. Research and development is done so your bussiness can provide there customers changing needs. Research and development   How to anticipate and adapt to your customers changing requirements. Find out about non-financial schemes and networks to help your business with research and development. * Credits and allowances can reduce your tax bill if you spend money on RD. (http://www. businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/layer? topicId=1073859020) Customer Service Customer service is involved with dealing with customer enquires and certain problem that may arise with complaints, this is customer services comes in and deals with the problem solving of certain things that a customer may face. Good Customer Services = Satisfaction. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business wont be profitable for long. Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers. (http://sbinfocanada. about. com/od/customerservice/a/custservrules. htm) Customer Service Software Flight deck the way to provide good customer services. What is Good Customer Care, its something that makes your customers Happy to do business with you   Customer Satisfaction, use Flight deck and be amazed how easy it is (http://www. flightdeckcrm. co. uk/customer-service-definition. aspx) Marketing Marketing is all about meeting customres needs. it Is a functional area in a businesses, markiting looks at the four ps wich are prouduct, prise, promotion and place. These are the four ps that the marketing departmant has to look at through the customers eyes. Marketing research research that gathers and analyzes information about the moving of good or services from producer to consumer. Market research is broader in scope and examines all aspects of a business environment. It asks questions about competitors, market structure, government regulations, economic trends, technological advances, and numerous other factors that make up the business environment. (See Environmental scanning. ) Sometimes the term refers more particularly to the financial analysis of companies, industries, or sectors. In this case, financial analysts usually carry out the research and provide the results to investment advisors and potential investors. (http://encyclopedia. thefreedictionary. com/marketing+research) Sales Sales are also a functional area in a business and businesses. Sales are the exchange of a good or a service for money e. g. card, cash and check. Sales, or the activity of selling, form an integral part of commercial activity. It could be argued that it is the cornerstone of business as it is the meeting of buyers and sellers and all other areas of business has the goal of making that meeting successful. Mastering sales is considered by many as some sort of persuading art. On the contrary, the methodological approach of selling refers to it as a systematic process of repetitive and measurable milestones, by which a salesperson relates his offering enabling the buyer to visualize how to achieve his goal in an economic way. (http://encyclopedia. thefreedictionary. com/sales) Human recourses Human recourses are functional areas in a business and it is for the employees (staff) of the business. Human recourses is in charge of recruiting new employees for the business and ensuring that the employee is trained and is suitable for the vacancy available. Human recourses aim to keep good and experienced workers so that business has a low staffs turn over, all employees have needs and expectations, just like customers the business has to look after it staff, this benefits the business because the staff be come more motivated because there needs are being meet. Human resources are the field of personnel recruitment and management. The person employed in a business or organization is staff. The number one glossary suggestion and question that people request is: What is the definition of human resources? William R.Tracey, in The Human Resources Glossary defines Human Resources as: The people that staff and operate an organization as contrasted with the financial and material resources of an organization. The organizational function that deals with the people Long a term used sarcastically by individuals in the line organization, because it relegates humans to the same category as financial and material resources, human resources will be replaced by more customer-friendly terms in the future. (http://humanresources. about. com/od/glossaryh/f/what_hr.htm). Disterbution Disterbution basically is the goods getting diliverd to the right location, right time and in good codition. Disterbution functions   Ensuring all goods are appropriately stored before dispatch   Ensuring goods for dispatch are securely packed and correctly labeled   Checking vehicle loads are safe and secure   Ensuring goods are dispatched at the right time   Checking that all deliveries match orders precisely and notifying sales if there are a discrepancy Completing the delivery document   Planning and scheduling vehicles routes. Notifying sales staff of delivery schedules so that customers can be informed * Dealing with distribution problems e. g. through bad weather or vehicles brake down. (BTEC first 2nd edition business) Production Production is the making of the product or good. production could be one of the flowing Manufacturing, a branch of industry that processes raw materials into finished goods for sale. Production, costs, and pricing, in microeconomics, the act of making things. Mass production, the large-scale production of standardized products using an assembly line. (http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Production) NHS functional areas are: Finance Administrations. I. C. T. Research and Development. Customer Services. Human Resources. HMV functional areas are: Finance Administrations. I. C. T. Marketing. Sales. Research and Development. Customer Services. Human Resources. Production. AGRICULITURE farms functional areas are: Finance Administrations. I. C. T. Research and Development. Customer Services. Human Resources. OXFAMS functional areas are: Finance Administrations. I. C. T. Marketing. Sales. Research and Development. Customer Services. Human Resources. Disterbution.

Thomas Aquinas Impact On Western Thought Through Time Philosophy Essay

Thomas Aquinas Impact On Western Thought Through Time Philosophy Essay St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher and theologian living between 1225 -1274 of the medieval period. Aquinas began his education at Montecassino, a monastery which became his first battle site. Thomas was later transferred to the University of Naples in France; this is where he came into contact with a newly found mendicant order of Preachers or Dominicans, and Aristotles philosophy. Aquinas became a Dominican, against the will of his family and eventually went to Paris to study, before going to Cologne with Albert the Great, a philosopher whose interest in Aristotle reinforced Aquinass own predilections  [1]  . Aquinas was a classical proponent of the natural theology at the onset of European Scholasticism, and is regarded as the founder of the Thomism school of philosophy and theology. Aquinass philosophy significantly influenced subsequent Christian theology, particularly that of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as Western philosophy in general. Thomass most signif icant and enduring works include the Summa Theologica  [2]  , an article that systematically expounds his mysticism of the quinquae viae and the Summa Contra Gentiles. Aquinas was well known for his contribution to Christian theology, but he was also a classical Aristotelian as well as an Empiricist, and he significantly influenced these two ideas of Western thought. Aquinas believed that truth is well revealed through both natural revelation and supernatural revelation-through faith as in the scripture, for these two elements, Aquinas was careful enough to separate them in a complementary rather than contradictory manner. He argued that, although Gods existence and His attributes may be easily deduced, specific aspects such as the Trinity and Incarnation may only be revealed through special revelation. As mentioned above, His two outstanding works are the Summa Contra Gentiles translated and published in English as the On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, and the Summa Theologica known as the Compendium of Theology. The former piece was broadly intended for non-Christians; while the latter significantly addresses Christians and is more of a philoso phical work on Christian theology. Aquinas utilized scriptures and traditions of the Catholic Church as the raw material data of his theology. He believed that these materials were produced by Gods revelation to humans throughout history. In addition, faith and reason are the two fundamental tools, which are necessary for processing and interpreting this raw data of theology with an aim of obtaining the true knowledge of God. Aquinas blends Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology to argue that God reveals himself to humans through nature. This implies that Gods nature can be studied through rational thinking as well as though the study of nature  [3]  . Aquinas proposed five statements regarding Gods divine qualities from his classical consideration of what God is not. This include: God is simple, He is devoid of matter or form or even body and soul; God is perfect, deficient of nothing; God is infinite, He is unlimited as He created all things, but humans are limited being, physically, rationally, and emotionally; God is immutable, inept of change with regard to His in nature and character; and God is one, His essence is the same as His existence. Aquinas also pioneered the Principle of Double Effect when it comes to ethical decisions. According to this principle, when an otherwise justifiable act such as self-defense is likely to cause an effect, then one may basically be obliged to avoid it for example if it results to the death of another  [4]  . Modern philosophy is a reaction in favor or against Aquinass views As outlined above, Thomas Aquinas has shaped modern worlds philosophy especially when it comes to theology and ethical philosophy. At large, modern worlds philosophy began in the sixteenth century; but nobodys system of philosophy has entirely corresponded to everybodys perception of certainty; bit to what, if set aside for mens perception, common men may not agree on what is common sense. Against all this, St. Thomass philosophy distinctively stands based on the universal common conviction that supports brotherhood of men, in their common consciousness that, all things attested by the ability of the senses originate from God  [5]  . Rene Descartess argument Rene Descartes is regarded as the Father of Modern Philosophy. Descartess system of thought depicts a major break away from all previous philosophical systems, mainly, away from Aristotle and Aquinas philosophy. For example, unlike Aquinas, a proponent for the tabula rasa model of the human mind (At birth, the human mind resembles a blank recording device and as one grows it records data from sensory experience), Descartes posited that human beings are born with innate thoughts and ideas, these ideas exist in their minds even at birth  [6]  . Further, Thomas Aquinas argued that if humans had innate ideas of Gods existence, then proof of His existence would be inappropriate and faith would be irrelevant as human beings would have direct knowledge and experience of Gods essence and nature. Thus, Descartes was trying to offer the world a philosophy which he thought was compatible with both the new world of science and the convention of Christian faith. However, his philosophy was hi deous to the Church. As a result, in the same way the Roman Catholic Church had condemned Galileo in 1633, thirty years later, it added Descartes work on its Index of proscribed reading material. John Lockes argument John Locke, an advanced philosopher of the seventeenth-century, effectively presents his argument against Descartes innate ideas, in a manner that is similar to that of Aquinas. Locke criticize Descartes claim that God must exist based on Descartes idea of God in his mind even though he (Descartes) has disconnected his mind from his senses. Locke argued that, holding such a claim is the same as believing that millions of gods must exist just because millions of different minds have ideas of millions of different gods. However, Locke used Descartes argument that in order to have a clear and distinctive idea of something one must have a clear understanding of that which they are having an idea about. Locke uses scripture to argue that in the Bible, no other belief clearly distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever except the belief that, Jesus is the Messiah, and He (Jesus), is able to save everyone who formed this belief with no requirement of other beliefs whatsoever  [7]  . Immanuel Kant argument From research, it is clear that St. Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant were born almost half a millennium apart and, on the exterior, the styles of argumentation of the two philosopher and their broad approaches to philosophy emerge as being equally distinct from each other; nevertheless, both philosophers aimed to congeal the essential knowledge of God. Kants metaphysics legitimately attempted to develop a kind of critical science that would guarantee the truth of knowledge. Similarly, Aquinas succeeded in arguing that some of the worlds most closely held beliefs can be justified in the course of rational thinking; exclusively, he tried to generate a wide-ranging argument in favor of the Gods existence, which supports the most central doctrines of the Catholic Church. Comparing Thomas Aquinas to Kent, one can argue that Thomas was more ensconced in the conventional hierarchy of the Catholic Church and interpretations of Gods existence than Immanuel Kant. Thomas main focus was placed u pon the issues and concerns regarding the relationship between God and man, in as well as the relationship between God and the natural world. Basically, he aimed at investigating the various aspects of the world that casts doubt to the existence of God, and as a result, why Gods existence is questioned so often. Ultimately, Aquinas writings would then be adopted as the accepted books of theology for the Catholic Church, and consequently, would strongly possess a kind of stigma for either those who were not Christians or not Catholics, especially after the protestant reorganization. Indisputably, in as much as, Aquinas arguments were definitely rational. This implies that, he purposed to draw an abstract of claims regarding the nature of God and mankind by examining physical anomalies. This distinguished him strongly from most of the modern philosophers, particularly with regard to the fact that he supposed that true faith required rational investigation; however, it made him similar to Immanuel Kant, who also believed that faith in God and salvation require critical analysis. Aquinass impact on the Catholic Churchs philosophy Aquinas believed that Gods existence is neither patently obvious nor is it beyond proof. In the Summa Theologica, Aquinas outlines five rational proofs (quinquae viae) for the existence of God, these include: God is an unmoved mover (ex motu), as everything that is moved is moved by God, the source of all motion. God is the cause of all things; this is argued though the argument of the first cause (ex causa), where everything that is caused is caused by God. Through the argument from contingency, Aquinas argues that Gods existence is not contingent of any other being. But the universe contains contingent beings as something cannot come of nothing. God is the pinnacle of perfection; it is from this lesser degrees of perfection derive their meaning. This is outlined in the argument from degree. The final argument is the teleological argument, also known as the argument from design (ex fine). According to this argument, all natural bodies in the world are in themselves unintelligent, and are guided by God to act towards ends rationally. Aquinas understood that Jesus Christ was ultimately divine and He (Jesus Christ) is not simply a human being or merely God in humanly inhabiting the body of Christ. Nonetheless, Aquinas posited that Christ also had a justly cogent human soul, resulting in a duality of natures that endured even after Incarnation. In essence, these two natures existed concurrently yet distinctively in a single existent human body. Aquinas is also credited for defining the four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. For these values, Aquinas held that they are revealed by nature and are and necessary for everyone. Further, he highlighted three theological virtues; faith, hope and charity, which are the chiefest, supernatural and distinctive from other virtues as their object is God. Furthermore, Aquinas distinguished four kinds of law: natural law-discovered by reason, eternal law- Gods decree that governs all creation), human law-natural law as applied by governments and institutions and divine law-this is specifically revealed in the scriptures  [8]  . According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the ultimate goal of human existence is to find eternal union and fellowship with God. He believes in life after death for those who have experienced Christs salvation and redemption while living on earth. The Incarnation is an adorable vision which will be granted to Christians as a perfect and everlasting happiness through understanding of the very quintessence of God. Thus, during an individuals existence on the earth, their life must be inclined toward right things such as peace, holiness and charity.

Recidivism of Sex Offenders Essay -- Adult Sex Offender Recidivism

Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their crimes(Oakes 99). This presents a problem for the public, as potential victims, and the legal system which is entrusted by the public for protection. It would be irresponsible for the legal system to ignore the criminal class of sex offenders, for they are subject to a recurring physiological urge that requires the use of effective restraints that would curb the habitual repetition of episodes producing the harmful consequences to the public(Schopf 95). In light of this realization, steps beyond treatment have been taken to reduce the recidivism rate of sex offenders. Notification laws, special supervising techniques by parole officers, and both surgical and chemical castration are techniques used in various forms in this country and abroad with success. However, notification laws and both forms of castrations have not come about without criticism on constitutional grounds. Any criticism should take into account the extraordinary recidivism rates found only in the criminal class of the s... ...Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 15. pp. 279-290 Martin, R. (1996). Pursuing Public Protection Through Mandatory Community Notification of Convicted Sex Offenders: The Trials and Tribulations of Megan's Law. The Boston Public Interest Law Journal, Vol. 6, Issue 29 Oakes, S. (1999). Megan's Law: Analysis on Whether it is Constitutional to Notify the Public of Sex Offenders Via the Internet. The John Marshal Journal of Computer and Information Law Sampson, E. (1999). Supervising Sex Offenders: Alternatives to Incarceration, Bethpage, Vol. 5, pp.6-7 Schopf, S. (1995). "Megan's Law": Community Notification and the Constitution. Columbia Universtiy School Journal of Law and Social Problems, 29 Seto, M. & Barbaree, H. (1999). Psychopathy, Treatment Behavior, and Sex Offender Recidivism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14, pp.1235-1248

The Milky Way :: Essays Papers

The Milky Way http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/more/mw_sky.html The Milky Way is the home of our Solar System along with at least 200 billion other stars and planets. It contains thousands of clusters and nebulas. It is the home of nearly all the objects of Messier’s catalog that aren’t their own galaxies. The mass of our giant galaxy is somewhere between 750 billion and one trillion solar masses. The diameter is estimated to be about 100,000 light years. The galaxy has three main components: a disk, in which the solar system resides, a central bulge at the core and an all encompassing halo. The disk of our galaxy exhibits it’s spiral structure and is part of the prominent nuclear region which is part of a notable bulge/halo component. http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/gal_milky.html The Milky Way is categorized as a Hubble type Sb or Sc spiral. It is unclear if the galaxy has a bar in its spiral so that is why its classification is unsure. The image above is that of the spiral galaxy M83, which is thought to be similar in size and shape to our Milky Way, causing some to classify our galaxy as a Abbc type spiral. The bright ban of light seen at night, is usually what is referred to as the Milky Way. The bright plane is actually the disk of our galaxy. The disk is composed of mostly Population 1 stars, which are blue and fairly young, which range between a million and ten billion years old. The disk of our galaxy has four spiral arms, which contain interstellar matter, diffuse nebulae, and young stars and open star clusters emerging from that matter. The spiral arms are also where the active star formations take place. The arms are approximately 300 pc thick and 30 kpc in diameter. The red stars, or the older stars, in our galaxy are located in the bulge component, which is the center of our galaxy. These Population II stars are thought to be 10 billion years old. The bulge component also contains the globular star clusters. It is estimated that our galaxy has about 200 globulars, but we know about 150. These globular clusters are consolidated toward the Galactic Center. Harlow Shapley concluded that the center of the Milky Way lies at a cpnsiderable distance in the direction of Sagittarius.

Analysis of the Macro and Micro Environment at British Airways Essay

British Airways is the largest international scheduled airline in the UK. The company was founded in 1919, and has continued to grow and expand since privatisation in 1987, until the global recession hit in 2008. On 23rd January 2009 the UK was officially declared to be in recession following two consecutive quarters in 2008 during which economic growth dropped (BBC, 2009). Many businesses, including British Airways, have found it increasingly difficult to survive in the resulting testing macroeconomic environment. The Recession  A recession will often occur when inflation grows rapidly; goods become more expensive at a time when consumers have less money to spend. As consumers spend less money, supply begins to exceed demand within the markets. This causes businesses to produce less of their goods, and so require less staff. The unemployment that results from this creates a situation whereby people do not trust the markets and have less money, so stop spending, thus creating a vicious circle. UK unemployment figures up to March 2010 show that unemployment has risen to 8%, the highest figure since 1996. For many people, air travel is a luxury good. This means that in times of hardship, where the consumer is reducing their spending, air travel will be an area that is very hard hit, as many people are not taking holidays. For some consumers, air travel is for business purposes, as opposed to recreational. This area of the market has not been hit as hard, although many people are now flying in economy class, where they might previously have flown in business or first class. Business and first class passengers have played a large part in BA’s profitability, as they account for a large proportion of the company’s profit. Low-cost, budget airlines such as Ryan Air have done comparatively well, producing profits in a market where very few businesses have been able to. Budget airlines are supplying an â€Å"inferior good†. This means that as consumer income decreases, a demand for the service will increase as the service is seen to be more affordable. Production Costs Over recent years the cost of fuel has increased dramatically, and as each airport has only one fuel supplier, BA is working within a limited market, where there is a lack of price competition to drive the price of fuel down. With demand continuing to exceed the supply of fuel the equilibrium point of the supply and demand curve is continually changing, this allows the fuel suppliers to increase their costs. As demand for air travel has dropped and production costs have increased, BA has found that an increasing number of flights are running with too few passengers to make the flight profitable. However, if BA were to decrease the number of flights they would risk losing their slots at the major airports, which would be disastrous when the market begins to pick up and demand for flights increases again. Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA, believes that a compromise must be found between surviving throughout this difficult climate, and growing the business so that it can prosper once the economy has recovered. Iberia Merger BA has recently signed a merger with Spain’s Iberian Airlines. This will promote the business to being one of the largest international providers of air travel. It is predicted that the merger will allow the two companies to save around ? 50 million per year, which will greatly benefit shareholders as the profit will be seen to increase, and also benefit customers as the synergy between the routes and aircraft used should offer more choice at a more competitive price (Price, 2010). Government Policy As a result of the recent recession, the government has taken steps to increase consumer spending. Increased consumer spending is necessary in order to increase the UK’s GDP (gross domestic product) and so ensure that the recovery from the recent recessi on will continue. Some of these policy responses from the government included lowering VAT from 17. 5% to 15% as of December 1st 2008 (Finch, 2008). This was a move which was aimed at lowering the price of goods and so encouraging the public to spend more. This would start to regain consumer trust, and also start to put money back into the market. The major downside to this policy change is that due to a lower governmental income from VAT, the government has been forced to increase the UK’s national debt and run a larger budget deficit in order to keep national services running. There has been considerable debate as to how much this policy actually helped to bring the UK out of the recession, but it did encourage consumers to have more faith in the government and the economy and to spend more money. By encouraging a higher rate of consumer spending, the economy is starting to recover; this is a positive sign for British Airways as it means that customers are beginning to increase again. As the consumer is regaining faith in the economy they are becoming more likely to pre-book a holiday as they have more money available to them. This cut in VAT has also allowed companies such as BA to either increase their profit margins slightly or lower their prices slightly (BBC, 2009). The Bank of England Since the start of the recent recession, the pound has weakened considerably. With the UK economy struggling and consumers having borrowed heavily before the recession, currency traders have flooded the market with sterling, resulting in the pound dropping in value. In an attempt to maintain monetary stability the Bank of England dropped the national interest rates from 5% down to as low as 0. 5% (Bank of England, no date). This also caused currency traders to attempt to trade their sterling to a currency returning a higher profitability, such as the Euro (Bank of England, 2010). However, this move was needed in order to attempt to keep inflation low and encourage banks to continue to supply loans, overdrafts and mortgages. This was a move which was needed in order to try and maintain consumer trust, but the weakening pound has made business increasingly difficult for international companies as importing goods needed to provide their surface has increased thus increasing their production costs, although it does make the service cheaper for foreign consumers. Leadership Theories Willie Walsh became CEO of British Airways in 2005; since then he has faced numerous challenges as the global economy has been hit hard by the recent recession. Walsh was brought in by British Airways as CEO following his success as CEO of Aer Lingus, where he helped to bring the company out of the financial difficulty that it suffered as a result of the terrorist attacks in 2001, by cutting 2000 jobs and finding new ways to cut costs (Saunders, 2008). In the current economic climate, where the industry has been severely hit by the recent recession, a leader is needed who is able to react to an ever-changing dynamic environment. Walsh has proved his ability to do this, and has been quick to react with BA by cutting many jobs as the recession hit, and working out new ways in which the company can be run more efficiently, such as by reducing the number of aircraft and raising the efficiency of staff. This style of leadership is known as transformational leadership; it relies upon a leader who has a concept of the direction he wishes the business to take, and has the ability to motivate and inspire his employees in order to attain this goal. Motivation – Content and Process Theories Motivation theories have been developed so that leaders and managers can understand the theory behind the different methods of motivating their workforce and thus work out the most productive and efficient of these methods. It is a common belief that leaders are born and not made; this is supported to some extent by motivation theories as the best leaders will be more perceptive as to how change is affecting his workforce, and the areas in which improvements could be made, as they will have a natural empathy. The best leaders will also be able to use this to the advantage of their company; they will be able to motivate their workforce to a higher work capacity level and so promote productivity. Motivation theories work on the basis that employees carry out work for a variety of reasons, which are weighted in terms of their importance. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need (shown in the diagram below) suggests that there are 5 levels at which a person must be fulfilled before they will perform at their optimal capacity, with the lower levels being the first to be fulfilled and the most important. BA has recently asked its employees to consider working unpaid for up to one month, in a bid to keep the company afloat. Many employees have resisted this change, with only 800 out of 40,000 staff asked agreeing to this. Other options were also put forward to staff, including the option to take unpaid leave or to work part-time; these proved more popular with employees. A reduction in salary would affect employees at the bottom two levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy as with reduced income some may struggle to provide for their physiological needs. This in turn will affect the employee at several levels up the hierarchy; they will feel less secure within their job and society, and consequently on a higher more emotional level. Content theories of motivation suggest that there are three main components which motivate people; these are direction (what they want), intensity (how much they want it) and persistence (how far they will go to attain this). Following on from his, it is assumed that people will work for rewards. These rewards can then be split into two main areas; intrinsic and extrinsic. Content theories place a higher emphasis upon the intrinsic factors, such as the internal drives which motivate people to work. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need is one example of this, and Herzberg’s 2-factor theory is another. Herzberg’s theory relies upon hygiene (extrinsic) and motivators (intrinsic) and suggests that extrinsic factors are important in preventing job dissatisfaction, whereas intrinsic factors are more concerned with self-respect and achievement, thus promoting job satisfaction. Process theories such as J Stacy Adam’s Equity theory, suggest that people are more productive when they perceive that they are receiving fair treatment, and will tend to act if they believe they are being unfairly treated when they compare themselves to others within their social network. Vroom’s Expectancy theory also works upon a basis of fair treatment, but focuses upon the worker’s belief that if they put more effort in, their performance will improve, and their manager will reward them fairly, with a reward that is of value to the individual worker. Managers must therefore identify the rewards that workers will place a high value upon, and attempt to minimise any undesirable outcomes. British Airways needs to focus more upon employee satisfaction, particularly within this economic climate, as this will encourage workers to perform at a higher capacity and thus increase efficiency of the company. Threat of future redundancies is a big motivating factor for many employees; if process theory is applied, so that employees believe increased effort will lead to fair reward (ie. keeping their job) they may be more likely to perform better. Management of Change Theories regarding management of change focus on minimising resistance to change, as this is more likely to make the proposed change viable. Force field analysis requires managers to assess the pro’s and con’s of change, and the movement that will be needed to effect this change. For example, with BA’s pay freeze and request for unpaid work, there will be resistance to this change, based upon a fear of lower income, but, for some, the fear of redundancies and dismissal will outweigh the risk of a month unpaid (BBC, 2009). Resistance to change is often natural due to a fear of the unknown; employees often fear that if they work at a higher capacity this will become the expected normality, which may be difficult to sustain, and can encourage workers to thus work at a lower performance level. Lewin’s 3-step change process identifies unfreezing (where the status quo is disturbed), movement (where new behaviour is adopted) and refreezing (where the new patterns are established as normal) as the three stages. Unfreezing is perceived to be the most difficult to implement, as this is where a fear of the unknown will have the greatest impact. For managers to overcome this they must show empathy, communication and participation. Willie Walsh shows an example of this as he has ensured that all BA employees are kept well informed of all plans towards cost-cutting and voluntarily agreed to work for July without receiving his ? 61,000 monthly salary in a bid to encourage workers to do the same. This also uses process theories of motivation, as it encourages workers to feel that they are receiving fair treatment. Unfortunately for BA, many employees feel that they are being treated unfairly, leading to numerous recent strikes, which have caused massive further losses to the company.