Australian culture in the final decade of the twentieth century

Assignment 1

Introduction

Australian culture in the final decade of the twentieth century struggled to deal with massive forces of global change as well as the challenges of a racial divide and multiculturalism. The Labor and Liberal governments of the 1990s attempted to satisfy constituencies that were often at odds: the urban globalizing forces of business and cosmopolitan values and the largely working-class and rural constituencies that were uncomfortable with economic and social change that threatened the hegemony of Old Australia ( 2002). Aboriginal population struggling with entrenched mining and agricultural companies required some very fast footwork from national politicians. The conservative forces sponsored the uprooting changes of globalize as well as the more traditional values of the old xenophobic Australia; the left forces favored social pluralism and social democratic safety nets while still embracing the same disruptive economic policies as the conservatives. For the culture at large, the process was confusing and disorienting; the appeal to extremes grew as social dislocation increased (2002). A part of the culture of Australia is its film industry. The film industry has made various works that contribute to the uniqueness of the country. To protect and maintain the products of the Australian film industry the government created the National Film and Sound Archives. This institution collects works created in the late nineteenth century when the recorded sound and film industries were in their infancy, it still collects works up to the present. This paper intends to analyze the website of Australia’s National Film and Sound Archives.

Main Body

Initially, Websites were read-only information sites, and the only interaction supported on Websites was navigation to other parts of a site or to other sites. In addition, tools for developing Websites were limited to providing ways to define content; presentation of content was mostly outside the control of individual Website authors and under the control partly of browser applications and partly of users through the browser. Tools now exist to support the development of interactive Websites that are almost indistinguishable from traditional types of interactive software and to provide extensive support for design and presentation to Web authors ( 2003). Even when designing simple, informational, read-only Websites, designers can draw on usability principles from the field of traditional software usability engineering. Much traditional software user interface (UI) design involves effective presentation of information and the design of effective navigational aids and methods. These issues are common to both traditional software application and traditional Website design. As Websites become more interactive and new tools and technologies provide more design options to developers, the principles, guidelines, and methods of software usability engineering become even more directly applicable (2003).

 

 A random tour around the world wide web shows that the knowledge and wisdom collected in the field of software usability engineering over the last 20 years is generally not being applied to Website design. In most cases, at least when designing public Websites or applications, ease of learning and remembering goals will be more important than ease-of-use goals, due to the infrequency of use. Most users do not visit a given Website daily, and many often visit a site only once ( 2004).  Ease of navigation and maintaining context will usually be very important qualitative goals for Websites and applications. In general, Web designers need to be aware that if they take full advantage of all the latest Web capabilities, many users will find their Website or application unusable. Care needs to be taken to provide alternative interfaces for users with lower end platforms. User feedback can be solicited directly from a Website or application. This can be done by providing a link on the site taking users to a structured feedback page, or by offering direct e-mail from the site and asking users to provide free-form feedback. One can even have survey questions pop up, triggered by specific usage events. An advantage of this kind of solicited feedback is that it collects feedback while the experience is fresh in the user's mind. Website browsing is one entity for the user, and the other is the interaction of the Website within the browser ( 2001).

 

The website of National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA) aim to give information on what does the institution do and how it intends to achieve its goals.  The website of NFSA has a sleek but simple design. It has readable fonts. The website made use of various colors that give emphasis to important information and links. The page layout of NFSA’s website is simple yet informative wherein all the needed information and related information can be a few clicks away. NFSA’s website has managed to put various aspects of the web in appropriate places that can easily be noticed by those viewing the website.  It makes use of graphics and pictures that gives assistance to the user on what to click if they need certain information. The arrangement of each segment of the website is not complicated thus users can easily know what to click if they are looking for certain information. The website features a support and help section which can guide the user in navigating the website. The navigation of the website is easy to find. Users can easily find the information they want without viewing the page entirely.  NFSA’s website has obvious section names wherein the user doesn’t have to use a dictionary to know what a certain section means.  NFSA’s website is successful in giving information to all those who will visit it. It was able to attract attention and provide the needed data for members of the film industry and other people interested in Australia’s culture.

 

Conclusion

The website of National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA) aim to give information on what does the institution do and how it intends to achieve its goals.  Through the website’s sleek but simple design, readable fonts and proper arrangement of segments and information the website was able to achieve its goal. It helped in explaining the why the NFSA was created and how does it make sure that the culture of Australia is preserved.  The website of NFSA serves as an online reminder of how beautiful is the culture of Australia. The government needs to make sure that it would continue to maintain such website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment 2 Report

Executive Summary

Sustainability is one concept that has become popular in the business world. To coincide with the rise of the idea of sustainability, a proposal on a networking and fundraising function or event will be made. The proposal intends to discuss why there is a need for a fundraising event and who will be the one that will benefit.  The proposal will try to provide an opportunity for internal clients and community members to create a network at the same time raise money for a worthy cause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

The concept of sustainability emerged in the early 1980s. Since then the ideas of a sustainable society and sustainable development have played a key role in policy statements by national governments and the United Nations. Despite this widespread attention there is still no agreed definition of the concept, and perhaps more critically, little progress towards translating the idea of sustainability into clear policy targets (Ekins 2000). The scope of institutions in the context of sustainability has its range from groups like national governments, local governments, private companies and individuals (Banister 1998 Sustainability is said to be the act of maintaining supplies for future generations.  Supplies do have its own limitation; it will run out of stock eventually. Through the use of sustainability companies can make sure that there can be supplies for the present and the future.  The planned event is a concert for a cause. This would bond members of the organization, the clients and other members of the community. The proceeds of the concert would go to Greenpeace.

 

Preliminary details of the event

The event would feature a concert that would feature known bands and artists from the country. It would be held in a local stadium that can occupy around 1,000 people that consist of employees, clients, community members and other guests.  The event would be titled “Concert for a cause” The show would start at 8 in the evening and will last up to 10 o’clock. Ticket prices would range from about -80.

Beneficiary for the event

Greenpeace has been managed by a number of individuals who were successful business entrepreneurs prior to joining Greenpeace. Its aims are different from those of ordinary businesses in that it does not generate profit for shareholders. But many of the methods the organization uses may be compared with other multinationals. As with many multinationals, Greenpeace perceives the rich countries as markets where its messages and consequent income streams have reached maximum penetration (  2000). The main beneficiary for the event is Greenpeace. This group takes care of the environment. Greenpeace has a worldwide presence with national and regional offices in over 40 different countries. This organization receives its income through the individual contributions of an estimated 3 million financial supporters. Greenpeace was chosen because they are one of the leading agencies in maintaining sustainability and the balance of nature.

 

Funding for the event

The event would make sure that it will not use company funds. The ticket sales would be the main funding for the event. The performers would be informed about the low budget for the event thus they will be asked to lower or remove their fees. The expenses for the other aspects of the event would be taken from the initial ticket sales. Donations from clients and members of the organization would be accepted and will be used to pay for some expenses that cannot be covered by the initial ticket sales.

The benefits of the event to the organization

Ethics and Corporate social responsibility provides a better relationship between companies and other people in its environment. Ethics and corporate social responsibility contributes to the success or failure of a firm. International organizations need to have corporate social responsibility that will help them develop a good relationship with their clients and other people in their surroundings.  The Corporate social responsibility strategies of the company focus on using the issues of economy and technology to determine what activity can be done to point out that they have corporate social responsibility. The event will help the company show that it has corporate responsibility. The event will show that the company supports the need for sustainability. This will improve the image of the company to the clients and the community.  The event will give the company’s personnel some time to relax. This in turn will show that even towards their personnel the company shows that they are responsible.

 

 Conclusion

The planned event is a concert for a cause. This would bond members of the organization, the clients and other members of the community. The proceeds of the event would go to Greenpeace.  The event will show that the company supports the need for sustainability. It will show that the company has responsibility towards its environment. The event will give the company’s personnel some time to relax. This in turn will show that even towards their personnel the company shows that they are responsible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment 2 Justification

Introduction

All too often professional managers and their advisers have been tempted to see the resources of public companies as their own property without the sense of stewardship that owner-managers once had. The balance can only be struck by combining professionalism with transparency. The international nature of the operations of business in trade, investment, and production brings a more complex dimension to business ethics and corporate responsibility in both the cultural aspect of doing business in environments with different norms and values, and in diversity of employees and stakeholders (1996). This is not without dilemmas in operating in different cultures, not least where preference is given to relationships along family, tribal, ethnic, and community lines. One of the fundamental problems of addressing ethics and corporate responsibility in an international setting is the existence of many governments that lack the capacity for proper market regulation, let alone the many states which are weak, corrupt, and in a few cases failed states engaged in internal conflict and civil war. Companies engaged in such locations have a compelling reason to engage in collective efforts to promote an enabling environment for corporate citizenship ( 1996).  Social responsibility is one of the main reasons for the creation of the report. It was the driving force that created the need to report and proposes something different.  This part tries to look at how social responsibility contributed to the creation of the report and the proposal included in it.  This part intends to discuss why the report was made in such particular way.

Main body

Businesses are like mobiles in a windstorm being blown about by continuously changing gusts of wind. The mobiles' weights have gone awry and the mobiles shake for a period of time before they can settle into their original positions. When a gust of wind rips off one of the weights, the mobile again shakes and then settles into a new position. In this turbulent windstorm all of the entities that have been shaken about have not yet settled into their new configurations. People are not sure what things will look like or if they will settle down in this lifetime (1994).  What people do know is that new forces are at work. Employers and employees will have to be alert in order not to be swept away by the winds. There are different types of winds, crossing and mingling, making the mobiles dance and leaving employees looking for work. These winds constitute the business trends that dictate the new careerism. The increasing globalization of business has resulted in a windstorm of competition, causing companies to try to pare down and revitalize their bloated operations to be faster on their feet. The automatic-elevator, the modern telecommunication systems, and the automatic teller machine (ATM) are examples of how technology has replaced workers (1994).

 

Gone some time ago were the friendly elevator operators. Gone are the switchboard operators. And gone, too, are bankers' hours and many of the helpful bank tellers. Another wind that has been picking up is the notion of customer service and high speed management. Another wind affecting businesses is often referred to as Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM is shorthand for a number of changes in ways leaders can manage in order to respond to customer needs and improve the quality of the service or product for which the business is responsible. These changes include everything from empowering lower level employees to become involved in problem solving, decision making, and quality control to the introduction of advanced statistical process control strategies that can measure output, waste, rejects, and cycle time (1999).Another wind upsetting the mobiles of business is the force brought about by experience-based learning. It is not an ill wind. It is the kind of fresh breeze any industry welcomes, but it does disrupt the status quo. To keep pace with the changes, it is helpful to have a perspective on the whole range of industries and occupations. Businesses also have available to them the opportunity to learn new ideas and perspectives, as international communication increases and free trade brings increased interchange among national groups. New industries and occupations are blown in by the winds, and industries and occupations with which people have become familiar are blown aside. Recently the terms sunset and sunrise have been used to remind us that while some industries are downsizing or vanishing altogether, others are starting up or growing ( 1999).

 

There are various business trends ranging from economic in nature, technological in nature or personnel related. One trend is the use of business ethics and social responsibility.  Ethics is an important part of the company since it is the one that creates a good and lasting relationship between clients and the company.  Ethics helps the company stand out in the competitive environment. With proper knowledge of ethical ideas the company can solve various problems that cannot be easily solved by simple strategies.  The proper use of ethical ideas can help the company create products and services that will satisfy the needs of the people without causing problems to the natural environment. The report concentrated on showing how the firm treats the personnel, the client and the environment. It made sure that in its every aspect the responsibility and etiquette of the business will be clearly shown.  The report was based from the changing environment wherein the focus has shifted from being self centered to being environment conscious. The report was written in a simple way so that those who need to understand how the company demonstrates corporate responsibility will achieve little difficulty in achieving their goal.

 

Conclusion

Social responsibility is one of the main reasons for the creation of the report. It was the driving force that created the need to report and proposes something different. . There are various business trends ranging from economic in nature, technological in nature or personnel related. One trend is the use of business ethics and social responsibility. The report concentrated on showing how the firm treats the personnel, the client and the environment. It made sure that in its every aspect the responsibility and etiquette of the business will be clearly shown.

 

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

 

 

Books

 

Allman, L.R. and Jaffe, D.I. (1982). Readings in Adult Psychology: Contemporary Perspective. New York: Harper and Row Publishers.

 

Calderon, J.F. (1998). Foundations of Education. Sampaloc Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.

 

Calhoun, C., Light, D. and Keller, S. (1994). Social functions of school. Sociology. 318-320.

 

Lemme, B.H. (1999). Development in Adulthood. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

 

Lesteram, G. (1979).  Family Process. 80-85.

 

Mc Connel, R. J. (1986).  Management and Managing Stress.  Stockbridge Georgia: Bregmans. 16-17.

 

 

 

Periodicals

 

 

Alarilla, J.G. (2000, December 15). D txt is d msg. Philippine Daily Inquirer. F2.

 

Baker, S. and Resh, I. (1999, October 21). Cell phones for all. Business Week. 26-27.

 

De Jesus, N.F. (2000). War between RP cell phone companies. Philippine Graphic. 23.

 

Dewitt, P.E. (1999). A portable office that fits in your palm. Time. 40-41.

 

Dusek, J.B. (1996). Adolescent Development and Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

 

Ernsberger, R., Gleizes, F. and Hall. C. (1993). The wireless age: A flurry of advances will turn mobile workers into digital nomads. Newsweek. 38-39.

 

Florendo, B. (1999). Texting, the new opium. Philippine Daily Inquirer. F1.

 

Florendo, B. (1999). Texting pioneer copes with wages of success. Philippine Daily Inquirer. F1-F2.

 

Lara, T.T. (1999). Sex, frats and cellular phones. Philippine Star Week. 8.

 

Lewis, P. (1991). Frequency boost for cellular phones. Executive. 34.

 

Manuel, C.M. (1999) Cellphone:Boon or bane?. Sun Star Manila. 9.

 

Moreno, M.G. (1996). Technology, design come together in today’s cellular phones. Business World. 7.

 

Pano, A.R. (2001). Create your own text site. The Philippine Star. 23.

 

Reyes, C. (2000). Text messaging: A social phenomenon. Philippine Daily Inquirer. B8.

 

Salazar, Tessa R. (2001).  Bill seeks to regulate use of cell phones while driving.  Philippine Daily Inquirer.  B5

 

Villanueva, M. (2000). DECS chief bans text messaging inside classrooms. The Philippine Star. 9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NEW PROTECTION POLICY IN AUSTRALIA

1. Describe the main characteristics of the policy of ‘New Protection’ in the first decade of the 20th century. What were the links between tariffs, wages, and the White Australian policy?

            New protection was established after the union was defeated in early 1980s. It is a permutation of required arbitration and high tariffs (, 2004). It is a motion that refuses to credit the acts of violence and lawlessness that was attributed to the Queensland bush workers, and implement an effort to assist those bush workers in opposing the encroachments on their just rights on the part of the Australian capitalism (, 2004).

            New protection is needed during 20th century due to the weakness and helplessness of the working class that in the direct bargaining agreement in relation to wages and condition (, 2004). It is design for the assistance of the employees in the industry and intended to secure them something that they will never get from the ordinary system of an individual bargaining with their employers.

            White Australian, new protection, arbitration and conciliation, state paternalism and imperial benevolence are the values and policies that characterized Australia as a country. It helped them to form the foundation of the Modern Australia (, 1998, ). Both White Australian and the new protection act are policies that articulate sets of values that express the decorum of the common man – even if they were less related to his female counterpart (, 1998, ).

            In general, this law or act is intended for the issues regarding employees and their employers like their wages and other financial assistance and human rights.

2. What are the meaning of the term ‘protection all round’? With which period in Australian economic history do we associate it?

            Protection all around policy enables every factor of production to be insulated from the international competition by an array mechanism ( & , 2000, ). It means that local manufacturers are protected provided that the fruits of protection are shared between management and labor. This eventually resulted in fair and balance price and competition (, 2004).

            The reason why the new protection act was implemented during the time of 20th century of Australia is due to the helplessness of victims of ruthless and powerful employers and not because of the threat to industrial and social stability (, 1998, ).  

            During 1895, the Victorian Parliament declared their sympathy for those helpless people whose lack of degree of free will and who required constant protection from the inspectors (, 1998, ).  

            During this 20th century the rights of equal wage between the men and the women are also implemented (, 1998, ).

            The reason why it was called protection all round is that during this era, both the sides of the employers, business establishments and manufacturers as well as the workers and the employees are having their fair and equal share of rights and equality. It focuses to the rights of the helpless employees that are working hard but unfortunately not getting the fair payment for their service. The issues about the wage rates and conditions of works are better and according to the equality and in friendly terms between the employees and the employers (, 2004).

3. What do we mean by the terms ‘neo-liberalism’ and ‘deregulation’? Explain some of the reasons why de-regulation has occurred and identify the main institutions that has affected.

            Australia and New Zealand are two of the most eager countries that are strongly supporting the removal of tariffs, subsidies and other type of protectionism (,  & , 2000, ).

            Neo-liberalism is a predominant ideology that helps to legitimate the privatization of the state-controlled economy and the substitution of the market for the sake of the social provision of basic welfare (, 1993).

            Deregulation of the financial marketplace was first pursued by the Treasurer  during the mid-1980s. It includes tariff protection cutbacks and by privatization of public sector asset and public sector downsizing (cited in ,  & , 2000, ).

            Deregulation arises when government is in need of certain amount that can be helpful for the development of the place or the country. In order to solve the dilemma of not doing a certain project, the government will search for state assets that can be sold. Most of the time, governments are selling white elephant assets or those assets that are expensive and often rare or valuable but can be consider as burden financially () to private individual or corporations.  This process is also known as privatization.

            Institutions that are involved in this economic reform are the state government. They are responsible for privatization such as what happened in the electricity industry of the country that brought the country enough revenue after the recession after early 1990s (,  & , 2000, ).

 

4. Why have Australia’s economic institutions been relatively so stable and long lasting? Have stability and longevity been, on the whole, more or less beneficial for Australian society?

            Economic reforms helped the Australia to be stable. The country has analyzed their needs to lessen the balance of payment deficits by means of increasing the export sector and focusing on industries with a demonstrable competitive advantage (cited in ,  & , 2000, ). They also integrate with the dynamic production, trade and financial systems of the Pacific Rim and embraced the growth culture of the Asian way (,  & , 2000, ).

            According to  (1991), the country have implemented deregulation of their financial sector, flotation of their dollar and creation of a new Industries Commission that will help to develop economic reforms in a given industries, and progressively reduce the protectionism for a specific industry (cited in ,  & , 2000, ).

            The government also builds a strong wide-spread system of relationship between them and the different businesses in the country, including the taxpayer subsidies by discounting inputs of land or energy, tariff protection from the import competition and price support schemes. (,  & , 2000, ).

            The protection for their citizens as well as the businesses is the main reason for the stability of the country. They are offering fair and equal attention and right for both parties. This is helpful for the society since their economy is good, there are enough jobs for everybody and the government can give assistance for their poor citizens.

Bibliography

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Outsourcing as a Globalization Strategy

 

Introduction

A lot of factors have influenced the ever-increasing pressures that resulted to intense competition in the global manufacturing industry. New trends in the business operations strategies, more interactive business relations among different market players as well as the customers’ increased involvement in maintaining the quality of products and services continue to demand efficient and productive measures among service providers.

The business, in order to effectively execute any business strategy or plan, should be able to determine first and identify the resources that are available in the company. Studying and examining the opportunities of the available resources will help in constructing a business plan which will be profitable. The characteristics of the business should be clearly laid out and the ideas that will be made available should be thoroughly researched. This will provide relevant information that the general management can utilize so as to be able to allocate the funds of the company in the most effective way. If the company knows the nature of the business, the further steps in formulating strategic business plan will be easier.

Manufacturing companies were able to answer and meet the specifications of their customer base by utilizing the current technological advancements in the past decades. Innovations in computer features, networking strategies, and telecommunication products facilitated business organizations to invest on market researches, company development, and effective re-engineering measures to create quality products and provide efficient services. As a result, outsourcing strategies have been widely accepted in order to reduce expenses, improve productivity, operations management, and delivery, and concentrate on upgrading the company’s technological expertise.

The role of Contract Manufacturers (CM) in providing the needs of partner organizations have resulted to more sophisticated electronics parts that improved the quality of electronic products that are made available in the market. Their different designs and distributions services enable improvements among industries that practice outsourcing in delivering the demands of the consuming population. As such, maintaining the success of outsourcing entails continuous dedication in developing efficient and effective delivery options and business relations through proactive as well as improved information, operations, and supply chain management initiatives.    

In this paper, it is interesting to know how big business organizations which depend highly on efficient delivery and distribution procedures gain their success in the competitive market environment by examining the strategic implications of outsourcing as well as the benefits and costs of such business strategy.

 

Strategic Implications

In the traditional supply chain management used by business organizations, a lot of people, time and money are invested upon to ensure that the demands of the consumers will be handled in the specified date and time required. Before being able to place an order of shipment of products and even services, several transactions are consulted between the product supplier or the service provider to meet the demands of the consumers and clients.

The supply flow normally includes the intention of order, quotation, confirmation, delivery, payment and handling of receipts. Normally, great amount of time is consumed in the mere planning of the purchase orders of a particular business company. And since most of the time the transactions involve not only a single client or customer, especially in the case of huge product and service providers, business establishments need to deal with sub-suppliers with several forwarders from which a number of consolidations are exchanged. As such the workload and time that the inventory managers handle defines the proceeding business processes that follow and thus, predict and maintain the success and profit of the whole business organization.

In this regard, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become a key strategic initiative for companies to improving service and reducing costs in order to remain competitive in today’s global economy. SCM is business strategy focusing on the quick response to ever-changing market needs and shortened purchasing lead time, also adding value to increasingly demanding customers at the least cost and time. Today, we cannot rely on a single party to fulfill the sophisticated needs of customers; we need a total commitment and full collaboration, integration and synchronization among all business partners.

Almost all industries have been undergoing continuous explosion in products, technologies and dynamic customer requirements. This fierce global competition has resulted in the decision by many OEMs to outsource manufacturing in order to concentrate on R&D, marketing, and sales. Since the Industrial Revolution, companies have grappled with how they can exploit their competitive advantage to increase their markets and their profits. In the 1950s and 1960s, the rallying cry was diversification to broaden corporate bases and take advantage of economies of scale. By diversifying, companies expected to protect profits, even though expansion required multiple layers of management. Subsequently, organizations attempting to compete globally in the 1970s and 1980s were handicapped by a lack of agility that resulted from bloated management structures.

However, most organizations were not totally self sufficient; they outsourced those functions for which they had no competency internally. Publishers, for example, have often purchased composition, printing, and fulfillment services. The use of external suppliers for these essential but ancillary services might be termed the baseline stage in the evolution of outsourcing. The main business purpose for outsourcing is to enhance the value of an organization’s offerings to its customers. calls this “smart” outsourcing, which indicates a careful selection of functions to be outsourced based on strategic decisions.

Presented a study evaluating the implications of 50 supplier-manufacturer relationships in the area of product development. There were three new product development projects which were utilized for the analysis of the inter-organizational relationships.. The contributions of both parties were analyzed focusing on the products’ (a) design scope or the types of problem-solving activities utilized, as well as the (b) level of task interdependency or effects of the interaction between the manufacturer and the supplier to the product innovation practices. The results of the study indicated that the success of their relationship is highly dictated by the distribution of tasks and the type of problem-solving approaches as well as their continuous coordination during the entire project. It was emphasized that resolving the differences between the suppliers and the manufacturers likewise contributed to the positive performance outcomes of the relationships through the exchange of efficient short-term business strategies and long-term dedication to learning enhancement.

Meanwhile, conducted a study on international procurement focusing on the significance of technological uncertainty in developing supplier assurances and structuring supply relationships in the Pacific Rim global organizations. The findings of their study indicated that mutual commitment to business relationship among suppliers and manufacturers/buyers can lead to increased level of mutual dependence of both partners. Moreover, since the relationship-specific investments among suppliers are reciprocated by buyers through shared information, learning and market adaptation are enhanced. As such, uncertainty contributes to the generated gains and advantages on the supplier side through cooperation so as to provide flexible, continuous and stable business relationship assurances. They learned that suppliers adapt demand-stabilizing strategies to establish business relations as a result of technological uncertainty among manufacturers/buyers while dependence-balancing strategies are reinforced in high competitive market industry. In relation to this, and looked into the relationship of environmental volatility with opportunism in cross-cultural interfirm relations. They highlighted the importance of cultural sensitivity in cultivating commitment which is relevant in establishing cross-border business relationships. They identified and examined the driving forces of upholding commitment in the international business operations as well as its implications and influences to the business’ performance in a year’s time.

In this regard, companies employ detailed business plans and strategies in order to gain several benefits from its competitors such as increased profits and enhanced customer relations as company objectives. The application of strategies directed towards the achievement of these objectives naturally requires the allocation of financial resources. However, while the company is capable of providing a budget, the outcomes should be able to recover these allocations in order to prevent capital losses. Thus, the company should employ strategies and create objectives that are compatible to the capacity of the company and what it intends to achieve.

In the electronics industry, increased market competition identifies continuous adjustment and improvement in the production lines, outsourcing and supply chain management of companies. Interdependence and participation of suppliers and manufacturers in product design, innovation, as well as research and development characterize the current international business environment resulting to market volatility. In response to the increasing price pressure and competition due to market volatility, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) turned to outsourcing practices to electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers as contract manufacturing grew offering design, assembly, and test services. The high cost of acquiring leading-edge, technology-based equipment and an accompanying highly skilled research and labor force makes contract manufacturing a highly attractive alternative for many companies.

These organizations usually share proprietary corporate data with external suppliers and partners while ensuring maximum security to enhance efficiency across the product lifecycle by streamlining procurement, production, fulfillment, and distribution processes which requires integration of applications and data across multiple geographically dispersed supply chain partners, as well as internal integration with legacy systems. This trend is the result of OEMs focusing on their own core competencies such as research and development (R&D), or marketing while outsourcing manufacturing to EMS providers who can perform and deliver the service better, cheaper and faster.

Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers are facing the dual challenges of industry consolidation and the lingering effects of economic recession worsened by the impact of ecommerce regarding both supplier selection and supplier customer interface. As larger original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) expect top tier EMS providers to support manufacturing operation investments and ventures, mid-tier EMS companies who engaged in a follow-the-leaders strategy continuously struggle to find viable niches. As such, looked into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) in current EMS-OEM relationship trends and made recommendations for effective strategies to maintain and grow customer relationships among these industries. The recommendations cover the following aspects:

 

o       The impact of e-commerce trends in supplier selection and supplier-customer linkage,

o       Potential areas of conflict in OEM needs/practices vs. limitations of the EMS business model,

o       The impact of consolidation on customer retention, and

o       The impact of geographic migration trends for high volume manufacturing on business practices for mid-tier and lower-tier EMS providers.

The recommendations of the study focus on the strategies to retain and grow existing business while identifying new business opportunities aligned with effective core business models.

 

Benefits and Costs

Outsourcing manufacturing is one of vital business and supply chain strategies which is one way companies are revolutionizing business operations to deliver better products faster at lowest cost possible. It is a kind of supply chain collaboration model and strategic alliance approach, which allows the OEMs to concentrate on product development, sales and marketing. It eventually helps business organizations to gain competitive advantage of increased product availability, reduced inventory; minimized total logistics cost and rapidly introduce their product to market without a significant investment in plans for capital equipment.

Normally, there are two types of outsourced services, technology and business process. Each can be inert partial to the subsequent areas. The first type of outsourcing is the technology services. This type covers the electronic commerce (e-commerce), infrastructure (networks), software (applications), telecommunications and website development and hosting. The second type of outsourcing is the business process outsourcing. Under this type of outsourcing are customer contacts (customer relations management), equipment, finance/accounting, human resources, logistics, procurement/supply chain management and security.

There are many reasons for outsourcing in a company or an organization. The most common reasons for outsourcing are the needs for expertise, that is due to lack of learning curve and re-creating; manpower, for having not enough staff; time requirements, because of the limited time available to accomplish the job; needed for economics, owing an overall cost savings; shifting of responsibility as for deniability; and removing of stumbling blocks in keeping the work for flowing.

The commissioned research activity by Group Sense (International) Ltd, Philips Electronics Hong Kong Ltd and VTech Holdings Ltd (2004) regarding the initiatives of electronics companies in Hong Kong to shift from being OEM to ODM investigated the use of knowledge management tools that enhance electronics manufacturers’ product design capabilities and speed up ODM developments. The research activity found out that:

pro-active selling and higher profit margins are major driving forces for developing ODM business;

marketing knowledge and intuition were critical success factors when shifting from OEM to ODM;

difficulty of identifying market need was the major barrier for company transform from OEM to ODM;

there is no absolute single roadmap that leads to ODM;

a project-based product development team structure is most common; and

most innovations were generated from customers’ or suppliers’ ideas.

In his review of the current literature, outsourcing is a trend that will continue. There are many benefits to outsourcing, including freeing up management resources, sharing costs, creating integrated networks, building new organization structures, training staff, and interfacing with other information systems. Outsourcing offers a company functional specialization and flexibility. On the downside, some of the negatives include difficulties in maintaining confidentiality, retaining control, and confronting transition problems.

The case studies pioneered) examined the codevelopments across a supply chain by highlighting the importance of researching good information as well as effective information management styles which directly affect the stipulation of chip production projects among semiconductor suppliers and manufacturers. The study discussed how they both were involved in setting the tradeoffs and boundaries in undertaking product development initiatives. The findings presented the profits and advantages to the manufacturers in deciding whether to “buy” or “make” the products particularly on the considerations made when they decide to “make” production modifications with the suppliers for codevelopment efforts. As such, manufacturers should opt for generally applicable modifications not just in their production line but also the extent of its application to the whole industry because it will lead to innovation due to increased supplier investment on follow-on knowledge creation for upgrades and field support, and will likewise decrease equipment costs.

Other considerations include intellectual property rights issues, prompt access and launch of the modified equipment, and increased production outputs. concluded the study by emphasizing the importance of mutual knowledge accumulation between suppliers and manufacturers as well as its implications to long-term industry structure which contributed to the advent of contract manufacturing and outsourcing trends in the semiconductor industry. In this light, collaboration and synergy during codevelopment projects benefits the members of the supply chain and supports the short and long-term goals of the suppliers and the manufacturers.   

Stated that there have three major outsourcing drivers: (a) economic - expense reductions, cost control and containment; (b) strategic - sharing risks, gaining access to new resources, achieving quicker time to market, as well as exploiting internet opportunities; and (c) technical - access to new technology; access to special expertise, coping with increasingly sophisticated risks and keeping up with the increasing complexity and speed of technology changes. Reports that by using the outsourcing concept Cisco has found that time to volume was cut by 25%, giving an additional 0 million US contribution to revenue, and on average, an iteration of the prototype phase is eliminated and the remaining four are shortened by more than a week. Moreover, electronic document packages, once manually assembled by engineers over one to two days can now be assembled automatically and directly by the EMS providers in a few minutes.

Some OEMs are planning to take back portions of strategic sourcing responsibilities from EMS providers to regain control of sourcing strategic high-value components particularly the purchasing controls and functions and in effect, maximize the benefits of tighter supplier relationships. This is upon realization that both OEMs and EMS providers are still handling strategic activities of sourcing decisions, as well as supplier relationship management.,  senior vice president of supply chain consultancy Design Chain Associates, “OEMs are losing their relationship with component suppliers” resulting to decreased levels of services and putting at risk necessary component allocations.  

Investigated the role of relational norms in the governance of relationships between the US manufacturer and an independent distributor in the export market across four industry sectors in which the use of foreign distributors is the norm: (a) heavy equipment and machinery, (b) appliances, (c) medical equipment, and (d) electronics. The study addressed the following:

·        the manufacturer’s use of relational norms to enhance its competitiveness in the export market examining both the direct and the indirect effects of relational norms;

·        the manufacturer’s use of relational norms as affected by (a) cultural distance, and (b) a manufacturer’s relative dependence on its foreign distributor; and

·        the influence of hostility of the legal and institutional environment on the relative dependence of a manufacturer on its foreign distributor.

 

It particularly contributed to the understanding of governance structures in international distribution channels by considering relationships between organizations that operate in different cultural and legal/political environments and the uniqueness of relationship building in the international context in order to acquire competence in managing international channel. However, in the past few years, the landscape of the EMS industry has been both competitive evolving from an assembly services industry to an end-to-end product service solutions industry. The business relationship, and the overall supply chain networks between OEMs, EMS providers as well as the related business partners have become increasingly sophisticated and complex as characterized by complex supply chains which are integrated internally across different functions as well as externally with upstream suppliers and downstream customers (OEMs). Due to intense competitive pressures in the electronics industry, faster time-to-market, lower total manufacturing and logistic costs, effective communication, information sharing and better asset utilization are requested so as to maintain the competitive power in the market.

The decentralization of manufacturing, fulfillment, and support operations creates a myriad of challenges in the OEM's newly outsourced supply chain network. Surface Mount Technology, highlighted some of market challenges for EMS providers which include the following

·        Demands on efficiency in product lifecycle information management (PLIM) to strengthen their supply chain, critical during the product introduction as well as the end-of-life stages.

·        Consolidation and integration of the supply chain and reduction in the number of supply chain partners as a cost-cutting measure post-recession.

·        ODM’s design capabilities, assembly, and manufacturing along with other services, blur demarcation between EMS and, As such EMS providers should have very wide view and exhaustive plans on setting up the supply chain strategies through the e-business models and IT support systems which are crucial to integrate diverse business partners and to guide the internal functions in the actualization of the companies’ logistics goals and business strategies. Studies have been conducted in order to address the current challenges in the supplier-manufacturer relationship among OEMs and EMS providers.

 

Conclusion

Indeed, making a business successful in a particular setting demands crucial and detailed studies and examination of the factors that will generate the best results that will serve the aims and objectives of the company. In this light, owners of big business organizations operating in a competitive business environment should be in constant look out with its competitors and the overall status and events in the industry. Taking advantage of the opportunities and intensifying the strengths while minimizing the risks and weaknesses of a business firm greatly helps in predicting the success in business enterprise.

Examination on the business strategies and plans in order to answer to the demands of clients and customers through efficient delivery of such needs will not only increase the profit of an organization but will likewise gain the trust and competence of the clients and business partners. Efficient management of delivery options in a particular company and looking into the problems encountered in operating the business may enhance the likelihood of a business corporation to attain its goals as enterprising organization.

The need to improve manufacturing services entails high quality electronic products that can be delivered using efficient supply chain management principles applications. Implementation of efficient supply chain strategies is crucial in ensuring success in the industry by satisfying the needs of the customers to gain competitive advantage. In this regard, it is relevant that there should be an understanding of the specific roles of service providers, original manufacturers and distributors in the industry. Clarifications of how outsourcing strategies in the manufacturing industry can be designed to provide advantages to both business partners should be laid out objectively. Moreover the importance and significant functions of both the OEMs and the EMS providers are highlighted that enable them to meet the standards and demands of the consumer market.

In order to provide better services contract manufacturers should be innovative in offering better product quality along with faster delivery system which could be availed cheaper compared to their competitors pricing. Adaptation of effective supply chain strategies and practices is one of the crucial factors for the successful implementation of outsourcing. They should be able to come up with plans and designs that will strategically position them in the highly competitive, diverse, and complex business environment that is experienced at present.

 

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Research Proposal On Why Qatar Did Not Extend Environmental Security Efforts As Part Of Military Actions And Set A National Environmental Security Plan Although It Is A Country With Non-Renewable Resources?

International Environmental Security

 

Introduction

The industrial revolution brought the world into a new age, with new and increasingly complex manufacturing processes which produce by-products of wastes and / or contaminants. These by-products started the process of fouling the land, water and air which all living organisms depend upon for survival. In addition, the resources that are required for the basics of life are rapidly being eroded away. Many resources that are necessary for the survival of the millions of species on this planet, including humans, are falling into short supply. Both renewable and nonrenewable resources are facing the same fate. For example, firewood is used as a source of fuel worldwide, but is in short supply. People are having to search for miles each day in order to gather a tiny ration of wood that will get them through the day. In the meantime, dried cow dung is being used to satisfy the short-term demand for fuel. Oil, silver, and coal, to mention a few, are nonrenewable resources that are also limited in supply. Once the finite supply is depleted, they cannot be regenerated. Rampant deforestation will inevitably destroy many of the habitats for plants, microorganisms, and invertebrates. With this, different governments around the globe are developing actions concerning environmental problems. For instance, the United States of America seriously considered environmental hazards as traditional military threats.  Whereas the military forces of the government are helping the victims of environmental disasters (Baldwin & Falk 2006).  Aside from this, there are some global treaties like the Kyoto Protocol of United Nations which main objective was to reconstruct the greenhouse national gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would avoid dangerous anthropogenic intervention with the climate system that causes environmental disasters such as typhoons and hurricane (Gardiner, 2004).  In some developing countries in Asia, actions concerning environmental securities are also creating significant impact to the inhabitants.  In the Philippines for example, heightened the environmental security as Typhoon Ketsana (local name Ondoy) obliterated the major cities and provinces (Ubalde, 2009). Hundreds of people died forcing Philippine government to placed 25 provinces and Metro Manila under state of calamity (Ubalde, 2009).  People and governments around the globe knew the significant effect of environmental threats resulting to heightened environmental security. But despite of this, there are some nations in Gulf region specifically Qatar are not developing national environmental plan. From the discussion this paper, will investigate the reasons behind Qatar are not developing national environmental plan considering that other countries like the United States of America regard environmental hazards as national security threat.

Literature Review

            In United States of America, Hurricane Katrina left in its wake serious environmental implications, which affected the natural order of the environment that it touched. Consequences of the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, human-induced global warming, neglect of wetlands, which are natural buffer zones, and use of toxic and hazardous chemicals have been brought out in the open subsequent to the disaster (Kirk 2005). Efforts by the US government to address such threats to the environment have received wide support, especially from the affected regions. The current state of the world’s natural environment was dragged in the spotlight, resulting to various research and studies on the subject of alleviating the present conditions in order to prevent, or at least prepare for worse disasters to come.

The natural disaster left the United States facing perhaps one of the worst environmental catastrophes in history. The more observable effects were: (1) severe air and water pollution that has led to health problems in the affected regions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Kentucky (In a September 14, 2005 post in the CNN site entitled ‘The Latest on Katrina’s aftermath’, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said air quality samples taken in New Orleans showed high levels of some toxins, including ethylene glycol, used as a coolant, and isobutylene, a byproduct of gasoline and other fuels. Water was polluted mainly from floods brought by the hurricane); (2) oil and toxic chemical spills and leaks (in a statement by Olson (2005), barely one month after the hurricane hit, 575 spills of petroleum or hazardous chemical has been reported to the US Coast Guard and the EPA and; (3) wetland and timber loss, and declines in fisheries and wildlife populations Katrina damaged 16 federal wildlife refuges and altered habitat for at least three endangered or threatened species, including the endangered Alabama beach mouse, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and some species of wading birds, according to the US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service ( 2005).

            Its national impacts are evidenced by the figures provided by government agencies after the disaster struck. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provided data on the short and long term economic effects of the hurricane, with emphasis on employment in the affected regions. The ultimate impact of the calamity was foreseen to dampen real gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second half of the current year (Eakin 2005). In the global level, the impact can be seen on the interest of the world regarding disaster preparedness and environmental awareness. Most neighboring nations extended support to the country, while others were forced to look into their domestic situation, how they would come up in the event that such catastrophe happens to them.

Basically, Hurricane Katrina and other forms of natural disasters emerging in different parts of the globe sparked debates over global warming influences. Some argued that global warming intensity the frequencies of hurricanes. Last year, a number of studies conducted have tried to make a connection between the global warming and hurricanes. At least one prominent study suggests that hurricanes have become significantly stronger in the past few decades during the same period that global average temperatures have increased but some other scientists believe that a natural environmental cycle is responsible rather than any human-induced change (Verrengia, 2005). Findings by Peter Webster of the Georgia Institute of Technology showed that the work of his group is consistent with the concept that there is a relationship between increasing sea surface temperature and hurricane intensity. ‘However, it’s not a simple relationship. In fact, it’s difficult to explain why the total number of hurricanes and their longevity has decreased during the last decade, when sea surface temperatures have risen the most’, Webster stated (‘Did global warming power Katrina?’ 2005). Several recent studies have warned that human-induced climate warming has the potential to increase the number of hurricanes (Leifert 2006). In particular, James Elsner of Florida State University in Tallahassee inferred from an examination of the two occurrences that ‘future hurricane hazard mitigation efforts should reflect that hurricane damage will continue to increase, in part, due to greenhouse warming’ (as cited in Leifert 2006). To date, no specific and hard evidence from the numerous studies have proven the direct relationship of global warming and hurricanes.

In addition, evidences on global warming include melting of polar ice, extinction of biological niches and a beginning of new dreadful diseases. According to Verrengia (2005), “there is substantiation that global warming already caused the average global sea level to rise between four and eight inches during the last 100 years and that the seas are now rising at one tenth of an inch per year.” With this natural occurrence, many countries in the world – both highly industrialized and underdeveloped felt the disruption in all aspects.  Developing countries slow down the process of progress because of the various consequences of this nature disturbance. Greatly, poor countries and other Third world nations vastly suffered to its effects that cause serious environmental and human health impacts.

Poor nations are more vulnerable to the effects of global warming both on its scientific and economic perspective. Economically speaking, poor nations have limited resources of revenue. Their economic stratum is distant lower as to compare to richer nations. These poor countries are more centered on the aspect of production of food and industry to maintain the survival of their economy. But due to the effects of this existing phenomenon wherein richer countries contribute greatly to its spreading out, it is no longer important for the developing countries to allocate budget for precautionary measures and standards. Due to lack of capability to spend money for new trends of technology, the acquisition of modern means of technology to help them predict and lessen the effects of the situation is relatively impossible.

In Canada, environmental actions are also considered seriously (Environment Canada, 2007). Since Confederation, federal and provincial legislation has always included at least a minimal core of command-penalty offenses which could be used to protect the environment. Federally, An Act for the Regulation of Fishing and Protection of Fisheries (commonly referred to as the Fisheries Act) of 1868, included offenses prohibiting the deposit of deleterious substances into water (Environment Canada, 2007).

Provincially, the Ontario Public Health Act of 1884, included offenses prohibiting the disposal of garbage, excreta, manure or filth unless approved by provincial sanitation officers (Environment Canada, 2007). The Manitoba Sanitary Act prohibited the deposit of "any stable or barn manure, or any night soil, or any other filthy or impure matter of any kind, along the bank of any river or running stream." By the mid-seventies, virtually all federal and provincial jurisdictions had promulgated control regimes thereby giving administrators the power to require modifications or to close down a polluting operation and to require disclosure of any plans concerning any activity likely to pollute.

Quebec passed its Environmental Quality Act in 1972 thus making it a requirement to obtain a certificate of authorization to operate a polluting activity. New Brunswick's Clean Environment Act was passed in 1973 giving the Minister the power to use control and stop orders to limit, control or curtail pollution (Environment Canada, 2007). In Saskatchewan, the Air Pollution Control Act and associated regulations require a permit to be issued before an industrial operation which emits air pollutants can be put into operation. The Alberta Clean Air Act and the Alberta Clean Water Act replaced by the Environ-mental Protection and Enhancement Act 1992, use licenses, control and stop orders, and permissible effluent discharge regulations (Environment Canada, 2007). Similarly, the Prince Edward Island Environmental Protection Act, the Nova Scotia Environmental Protection Act (formerly the Environmental Pollution Control Act and Environmental Protection Act, and the Newfoundland Department of Environment Act all prohibit discharges without a permit and authorize the Minister to issue orders (Environment Canada, 2007).

From a practical standpoint, the shift from prohibition to control drove pollution abatement decisions underground into the quiet and less visible regulation and license-negotiating processes of government. Over time, and in response to continued public pressure to do so, aspects of these underground bureaucratic processes have since made their way back to the surface to be more public, but progress has been slow.

Considering the significant effect of environmental hazards among the lives of the people and economy, Qatar is not taking this seriously due to different factors.  In the paper of Gardiner, (2004) argued that people as well as their governments are not doing environmental plans because of different factors and reasons.  As Gardiner, (2004) stressed out because of the debates concerning the global warming, people are not taking actions.  If people are confused, people are waiting for the result results. Aside from this, Gardiner (2004) also argued that politics in the government also play significant role for not taking environmental security plans. In the case of the countries in the Saudi Arabia, the countries are not listed in the “World’s Disaster Prone Areas”.  As reported, in Center for Research and Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) in Belgium, Asian countries are prone in disasters. Having suffered about half of the world’s major disasters over the past five decades. The prevalence and magnitude of disasters have had serious consequences on human society and the economy. More recently, natural disasters had claimed more than 313,000 lives and affected close to one billion people from 1996 to 2000. The economic loss was estimated at 142 billion dollars. Each year, natural disasters impoverish millions of people in Asia.

In terms of geographic location, Qatar is far away better compared in the Philippines which is considered as the most disaster prone country in the world. In terms of disasters, Philippines suffered from Mount Pinatubo eruption, disastrous typhoons, floods, garbage and landslides in Metro Manila, and for the war in Mindanao. At the end of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1990-2000), the Philippines was still at the top of the list of countries hit by disasters, as recorded by the Center for Research and Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) in Belgium. These records show that the Philippines was hit by an average of 10 disasters a year since 1991 compared to 8 disasters a year from 1900 to 1991.  And now 2009, another disaster brought by Typhoons enormously hit Philippines.

Research Questions

This study aims to find out “Why Qatar did not extend environmental security efforts as part of military actions and set a national environmental security plan although it is a country with non-renewable resources?

This study also attempts to answer the following sub-queries:

1.                    Do Qatar needs extending environmental security efforts as part of military actions?

2.                   Is Qatar aware of the advantages and disadvantages of environmental security efforts?

3.                   What are the factors related in Qatar for not setting national environmental security plan?

4.                   What are the emerging problems in creating a national environmental security plan?

Hypothesis

The research hypotheses of this paper are:

The geographic location of Qatar has significant effect to their decision of not developing environmental security plans.

The emerging politics Qatar has significant effect to their decision of not developing environmental security plans.

The current economic success of Qatar play significant role to their decision of not developing environmental security plans.

Methodology

            The researcher sees that the most appropriate design for the study is the descriptive approach to research. Because science is empirical, all research are somewhat descriptive. The empirical nature of research means that statements are made only after evidence has been seen to substantiate them. When a report of any scientific investigation is presented, a description of the evidence put forward to substantiate the conclusions is always offered. It is in this sense, then, that all scientific research can be considered descriptive. The aim of descriptive research is to verify formulated hypotheses that refer to the present situation in order to elucidate it. Descriptive research is thus a type of research that is primarily concerned with describing the nature or conditions and degree in detail of the present situation. The emphasis is to describe rather than on judge or interpret.

            Descriptive research has as its purpose developing a better understanding of a phenomenon in detail. Descriptive studies usually have as their purpose the first two aims of normal science as described by Kuhn (1970, pp. 25-26): “attempts to increase the accuracy and scope with which…facts…are known” or “determination…of those facts that…can be compared directly with the predictions from…theory”. The aim of descriptive research is to clarify the nature of a phenomenon in a specified, static context while viewed from a specific, fixed perspective.

Research Approach

The multi-methods strategy, or the mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods, will be adopted for this research. On the whole, the multi-methods approach to gathering and analyzing data will be helpful in exploring and examining the reasons why Qatar are not developing environmental security plans. In essence, the quantitative approach pursues facts and is employed when researchers desire to acquire statistical truth. Quantitative research assumes that the social environment has objective reality that is relatively constant across time and settings; on the other hand, qualitative research assumes that individuals construct reality in the form of meanings and interpretations, and that these constructions tend to be transitory and situational (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2003).

            While the quantitative research approach provides generalisability, it is difficult in the qualitative research approach to generalize to other research settings mainly because it is limited by the researcher’s unique viewpoint. In other words, theoretical model developed for one research project is difficult to generalize to other research projects. Thus, relying on the qualitative approach alone will weaken the generalizations made regarding the reasons behind Qatar decisions concerning environmental security plans. Along this line, Eisner & Peshkin (1990) ask whether it is possible to present research values with the unique situation of the qualitative research approach and how can research knowledge be accumulated if there are no generalizations on the research. Moreover, the qualitative research approach is limited by its nature that the researcher controls the research.

            Considering the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative approaches, the current research employed the principles of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Central to the discussion of the rationale behind the mixed methods strategy is the fact that knowledge is accumulated from a variety of sources in a variety of ways, thus, methodological diversity (Fiske & Shweder, 1986) is needed. Basically, the mixed methods approach proposes that traditional scientific approaches and their alternatives have their place and should be valued.

Research Strategies

            For the research strategies, this paper will be considering the use of secondary data sources from desk researches and primary data from the interview information to be given by known personalities engaged in developing environmental security plans.

• Desk Research

            There are a plethora of secondary data sources. If coming to the topic from the beginning, the researcher will start wide, and will go through the task of identifying and analyzing information that has already been compiled and published in any form. Secondary data is obtained through desk research (Ruskin-Brown, 1999). One of the major strengths of desk research is its practicality – data and information are collected quickly and it is easier to conduct than field research. On the minus side, however, the secondary data may not be recent or accurate. Moreover, secondary data sometimes can be hard to find, depending on the subject.  Finally, the data derived by others may not be relevant to the context under study. Nevertheless, the researcher did not encounter the aforementioned problems in desk research. For this study, the secondary sources of data were gathered from articles in journals, magazines, current events news, and books and other materials relating to disasters, global warming, environmental hazards and environmental-related action of Qatar. Secondary sources were also collected using the online library Questia, other online data bases such as ProQuest and ScienceDirect and other legitimate and reliable environment-related websites. These sources provided the researcher a plethora of materials about the topic.

• Interviews

Three environment disasters experts will be approached by the researcher to be interviewed regarding their perceptions towards environmental security plans. One participant was interviewed on a scheduled date she set while the other two were interviewed on the spot. The aim of the interview was to obtain qualitative insights about brand perception. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the interviewees.  Unlike structured interviews which are standardized and do not allow the interviewer to deviate from the questions (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2003), this type of interview does not limit response of the interviewees. Open-ended questions will be also asked to the interviewees.

Difficulties of Research

This research study has a broad range of topics regarding the Qatar consideration concerning environmental security plans. Although the focus is on the investigations concerning decision about environmental security plans of Qatar, other considerations such as the evolution of environmental security actions as part of military actions, effect of global warming on Qatar, and other general information about environmental hazards and disasters are discussed. The outcome of this study is limited only to the data gathered from online materials, books and journals about environmental security, hazards and disasters and from the primary data gathered from the result of interview conducted by the researcher. As the research will be completed in a relatively short period of time and because of difficulty of obtaining classified information from the government of countries like USA and Qatar other factors and variables are not considered. This might have an impact on the results of the study.

References:

‘Did global warming power Katrina?’ (2005). World Science, November 23, 2009 from <www.world-science.net>.

‘U.S. Dept. Of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service’, (2005). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conducting Initial Damage Assessments to Wildlife and National Wildlife Refuges, Accessed November 23, 2009 from <www.fws.gov>.

Baldwin, G & Falk, H (2006). ‘Environmental Health and Hurricane Katrina’, Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 114, no. 1, pp. 12-15.

Eakin, D. (2005). ‘Macroeconomic and Budgetary Effects of Hurricane Katrina’, Congressional Budget Office, Accessed November 23, 2009 from <www.cbo.gov>.

Eisner, E. W. & Peshkin, A. (Eds.) (1990) Qualitative Inquiry in Education. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

Environment Canada (2007). A Climate Change Plan for the Purposes of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act – 2007. Minister of the Environment. Accessed November 23, 2009 from http://www.ec.gc.ca/doc/ed-es/p_123/CC_Plan_2007_e.pdf

Fiske, D. W. & Shweder, R. A. (Eds.) (1986). Metatheory in social science: Pluralisms and subjectivities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2003). Educational Research: An Introduction (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kirk, M. (2005). ‘Statement on Environmental Implications of Katrina’, Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, Accessed November 23, 2009 from <www.ospirg.org>.

Kuhn, T. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Leifert, H. (2006). ‘Establishing a connection between global warming and hurricane intensity’, American Geophysical Union, Accessed November 23, 2009 from <www.eurekalert.org>.

Olson, E. (2005). ‘The Environmental Effects of Hurricane Katrina’, submitted in writing to hearings before the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the US Senate, Natural Resources Defense Council, Accessed November 23, 2009 from <www.nrdc.org>.

Ruskin-Brown, I. (1999) Mastering Marketing: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Skills of Developing and Defending Your Company's Revenue. London: Thorogood.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thronhill, A., (2003). Research Methods for Business Students 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall.

Ubalde, J.H. (2009). Storm 'Ondoy' makes landfall, causes widespread flooding. GMANews.TV. Accessed November 23, 2009 from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173215/storm-ondoy-makes-landfall-causes-widespread-flooding

Verrengia, J. (2005). ‘Katrina reignites global warming debate’, USAToday, Accessed November 23, 2009, <www.usatoday.com>.

 

 

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