P&G Advertising Strategy Essay

For marketing students at IIM Ahmedabad, 9th of January, 2011, is anything but a typical Sunday. They have resisted the temptation to join their batchmates in a lazy basketball game and appear oblivious to the cheerful riotous frenzy of the kite festival on the banks of the Sabarmati. Instead they have been pitted against each other all morning in a brand exercise organised and masterminded by P&G. The prize? A dinner date for the teams with a man responsible for running the marketing function of one of the most powerful FMCG companies on the planet, Marc Pritchard , global marketing and brand building officer, P&G. However, even students who do not make the cut get a chance to experience Pritchard firsthand when he addresses a respectably packed hall that evening. Soon after he’s done, the questions fly thick and fast. These include some potentially embarrassing posers. How does P&G feel, one student wants to know, about its campaigns being ambushed by its archrival HUL? Few people have forgotten the teaser campaign about a mystery shampoo last year (that was revealed to be P&G’s Pantene) being hijacked by Dove from the HUL stable. Pritchard opts to take the high road on this one: â€Å"We can’t prevent any competitor from ambush (surprise attack). But if you focus on the consumer, what your brand is doing to serve the consumer and if you have a big idea, you will win most of the time. † And that’s a running theme through pretty much everything that Pritchard has to say. Whether he’s addressing students at IIM-A, the media or an audience at the Cannes Lions Festival, he’s a tireless champion of brands serving consumers or â€Å"purpose driven branding. † P&G spent most of the 1990s establishing a global footprint. Now, according to Pritchard, it finally has the chance to live up to its purpose. The first step was getting senior management to define a purpose for each of the brands in the P&G stable: a blueprint on how the company could touch and improve lives. Pritchard explains, â€Å"We still have a core benefit but are thinking more broadly on how we can deliver it. We are very focussed on sharpening what the brands stand for, identifying human insights that can translate into big ideas. † Bold Gamble However those prepared for a lofty chronicle of CSR and corporate do-gooding are likely to step back, a little disappointed. Pritchard’s showreel of purpose driven work from P&G includes pretty much every big campaign the FMCG has come up with recently. This includes the highly awarded work on Old Spice with its cocky ‘The man your man could smell like’ tagline. Pritchard says, â€Å"Purpose is much more than a cause or a corporate responsibility. We deliberately focused on making people define purpose as how brands improve everyday lives. A cause is just a piece of it as opposed to the whole thing. † This helps take purpose out of an ivory tower. It’s no longer something that resonates only with consumers in developed markets, fed up with hard sell, looking for corporates to do something more. Instead it could even be used as an effective go to market strategy. Which is pretty much the case with Pampers. Pritchard defines the brand’s purpose as â€Å"to improve a baby’s healthy, happy development. Its benefit is dryness and comfort that allows babies to sleep, play and explore more. When they do that, they develop better. By the way, it’s also making their mom’s lives a lot better if they sleep through the night. † To bring this purpose to life, P&G sends pediatricians to villages with tips on how to help the baby sleep and advice on immunization, besides using this interface as a sampling opportunity. The one pack = one vaccine program run in association with the UNICEF is tied into this larger purpose too. â€Å"It helps bring the community of moms together since they like to help other moms,† says Pritchard. Even ‘Women Against Lazy Stubble’ for Gillette, a homegrown campaign, has something larger driving it. Purpose takes on a more meaningful role in developing markets,† he explains. The vans that propagate the program give young men tips on shaving, how to dress, handle an interview and talk to women. Purpose coincides well with P&G making a concerted push into non-city markets not just in India but in other countries like Brazil and China that have a yawning urban-rural divide. P&G is focusing on stores because it’s the first moment of truth for the rural consumer. Pritchard says, â€Å"We market back from there to create awareness to get them to that point. † There are approximately 7 million high frequency shops in India and P&G has covered 4 million of these so far. A fair amount of product and package development is being done to cater to this segment. Using the store as the starting point also helps make the entire process less sporadic. Pritchard states, â€Å"It means you are always on. We have consolidated the number of distributors into a core highly capable, powerful group. We give them the material, knowledge and know how on display. † India is in some ways at the vanguard of P&G’s rural drive. One of the things pioneered in India was generating more household trial. Pritchard admits, â€Å"It was Sumeet Vohra (chief marketing officer – Asia, P&G) who created this machine to identify what it was going to take to get these products in the households, as well as the tools to measure performance. Much of what we learnt in India has been exported to other markets like Africa for example. † The recent acquisition of Paras by Reckitt Benckiser proves that multinational giants look to India for a lot more than its large consumer base. Pritchard gives a diplomatic answer when asked if there are any local heroes that he’s got an eye on. But P&G invariably unearths little jewels with every acquisition, he says. Like Koleston which was not very big globally but strong in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, around the time Wella was acquired. P&G took the brand to Mexico, Europe and are now launching in India. Pritchard goes further back for his next example: Richardson Vicks in 1985 had a very tiny brand called Pantene that accounted for $70 million in sales. He says, â€Å"We put the new technology in, and launched it in Taiwan and came up with Pantene Pro V. Now it is over a $3 billion brand. † To be chosen for the big push, the brand needs equity and it helps to have some sort of a story. Like Max Factor’s SK2 which was made with Pitera, a yeast extract used by monks in Japan which kept their skin in a better condition. â€Å"We built from that story, tested it in different markets and now it’s more than half a billion dollars and growing like crazy,† says Pritchard. In a classical FMCG battle, market observers may be tempted to brand P&G as a pacifist, with hardly any aggressive countermoves towards competition. But, combining brand awareness with social programmes, driving its brands further into the hinterland and acquiring a knack of creating billion dollar brands, Pritchard knows that the company is pushing the right levers.

The Blue Sword CHAPTER SIX

She remembered little more of that day. She settled herself on a heap of cushions a little way from the long table while the king and his men talked; and if they spoke at all of her, she did not know it, but she did notice that none but Corlath ever allowed his eyes to rest on her. The feeling she had had earlier, before she had tasted the Water of Seeing, that the closeness among the king and his men in some way supported her, was gone; she felt lost and miserably alone, and she decided that when there were eighteen people pretending you didn't exist in a small enclosed area, it was worse than two people pretending you didn't exist outside under the sky. The shadows nickered strangely through the tent, and the voices seemed muffled. There was a ringing in her ears – a ringing not like the usual fear-feeling of one's blood hammering through one's body, but a real ringing like that of distant bells. She could almost discern the notes. Or were they human, the shifting tones of s omeone speaking, far away? The taste still on her tongue seemed to muffle her brain. And she was tired, so tired †¦ When his Riders left, Corlath stood looking down at his captured prize. She had fallen asleep, and no wonder; she was smiling a little in her sleep, but it was a sad smile, and it made him unhappy. However much formal honor he showed her, seating her at his left hand, setting his household to serve her as they served him – he grimaced – he knew only too well that by stealing her from her people he had done a thing to be ashamed of, even if he had had no alternative – even if she and the kelar she bore were to do his beloved country some good he could not otherwise perform. Perhaps she could learn to see something of what made the Hills and their people so dear to him as a man, not as a king – ? Perhaps her Gift would bind her to them. Perhaps she would hate them for her lost land and family. He sighed. Forloy's young wife had not wished to hate the Hills, but that had not helped her. Harry woke in the dark. She did not know where she was; the shapes beneath her were not of pillow and mattress, and the odor of the air had nothing in common with Residency air, or Homeland air. For a moment hysteria bubbled up and she was conscious only of quelling it; she could not think, not even to decide why she wished to bottle up the panic – her pride automatically smothered her fear as best it could. Afterward she lay exhausted, and the knowledge of where she was reformed itself, and the smell was of the exotic woods of the carven boxes in the Hill-king's tent. But as she lay on her back and stared into the blackness, the tears began to leak out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks and wet her hair, and she was too tired to resist them. They came ever faster, till she turned over and buried her face in the scratchy cushions to hide the sobs she could not stop. Corlath was a light sleeper. On the other side of the tent he opened his eyes and rolled up on one elbow and looked blindly toward the dark corner where his Outlander lay. Long after Harry had cried herself to sleep again, the Hill-king lay awake, facing the grief he had caused and could not comfort. When Harry woke again, the golden tent flap had been lifted, and sunlight flashed across the thick heavy rugs to spill across her eyes and waken her. She sat up. She was still curled on and around a number of fat cushions; the back of the hand her cheek had lain against was printed with the embroidered pattern of the pillow beneath it. She yawned and stretched, gingerly pulling the knots of midnight fears out of her muscles. One of the men with a mark on his forehead approached her, knelt, and set a small table with pitcher and basin and towels and brushes before her. She saw nothing of Corlath. The tent looked as it had when she had first entered it the day before; the low tables had been removed, and the peak lamp raised again. When she had washed, she was brought a bowl of an unfamiliar cereal, hot and steaming like Homelander porridge, but of no grain she recognized. It was good, and she surprised herself by eating it all with good appetite. She laid down her spoon, and one of the men of the household approached again, bowed, and indicated that she should go out. She felt crumpled, in the same garments she had slept in; but she shook them out as best she could, observed that they didn't seem to wrinkle horribly as Homelander clothing would have done, raised her chin, and marched out – to be met by another man with a pair of boots for her, and a folding stool to sit on while she fumbled with the lacing. She felt a fool, let loose, however involuntarily, in a highly organized community which now wished to organize her too: like the grain of sand that gets into an oyster's shell. What if the grain doesn't want to become a pearl? Is it ever asked to climb out quietly and take up its old position as a b it of ocean floor? Did she want to go back? What did she have to go back to? But what was Dickie thinking of her absence? She had no more tears at present, but her eyelids were as stiff as shutters, and her throat hurt. People were moving hastily across the open space before the king's tent; and as she watched, the outlying tents began to come down. They seemed to float down of their own accord; all was graceful and quiet. If anyone was doing any protracted cursing over the recalcitrance of inanimate objects, it was only under his breath. Her brother should see this. She smiled painfully. She blinked, her eyes adjusting slowly to the bright sunlight. The sky overhead was a cloudless hard blue, a pale metallic blue. It was morning again; she'd slept almost a full day. To the left rose a little series of dunes, so gradually that she only recognized their height by the fact that her horizon, from where she stood, was the tops of them. Somewhere in that direction lay the General Mundy, the Residency, her brother – and farther, much farther, in that same direction, over desert and mountain, plain and sea, lay her Homeland. She felt the sand underfoot, nothing like the springy firm earth of Home, no more than the queer soft boots she wore were like her Homeland boots; and the strange loose weight of her robes pulled on her shoulders. The king's tent was being dismantled in its turn. First the sides were rolled up and secured, and she saw with surprise that the rugs and lamps, chests and cushions, were already gone from inside; all that remained was the sand, curiously smoothed and hollowed from what it had borne. She wondered if they might have rolled her up like an extra bolster if she had not awakened; or if they would have packed up all around her, leaving her on a little island of cushions in a sea of empty sand. The corner posts and the tall central ones folded up on themselves somehow, and the roof sank to the ground with the same stateliness she had admired in the smaller tents. She counted ten of the household men rolling and folding and tying. They stooped as they worked, and the great tent in only minutes was ten neat white-and-black bundles, each a mere armful for one of the men. They walked to a line of horses who stood patiently as their high-framed saddles were piled with boxes and bundles such as t hose the king's tent made. She noticed how carefully each load was arranged, each separate piece secured and tested for balance before the next was settled. At the end all was checked for comfort, and the horse left with a pat on the nose or neck. Horses were the commonest animals in the camp; there were many more horses than people. Even the pack horses were tall and elegant, but she could pick out the riding-horses, for they were the finest and proudest, and their coats shone like gems. There were also dogs: tall long-legged dogs with long narrow beautiful skulls and round dark eyes, and long silky fur to protect them from the sun. Some were haltered in pairs, and all were members of three or four separate groups. Sight-hounds, Harry thought. The groups roamed as freely as the untethered horses, yet showed no more inclination than they to wander from the camp. She noticed with interest that a few of the pack horses were tied in pairs, like the dogs, and reflected that perhaps it was a training method, a younger beast harnessed to an older, which could teach it manners. There were cats too. But these were not the small domestic lap-sized variety; these were as lean and long-legged as the dogs. Their eyes were green or gold or silver, and their coats were mottled brown and amber and black. One animal looked almost spotted, black on brown, while the next looked almost striped, fawn-pale on black. Some wore collars, leather with silver or copper fittings, but no leashes, and each went its solitary way, ignoring any other cats, dogs, or horses that might cross its path. One came over to Harry where she stood; she held her breath and thought of tigers and leopards. It viewed her nonchalantly, then thrust its head under her hand. It was a moment before Harry recovered herself enough to realize that her hand was trembling because the cat was vibrating as it purred. She stroked it gingerly and the purr grew louder. The fur was short and fine and very thick; when she tried, delicately, to part it, she could not see the skin. The cat had very long blond eyela shes and it looked up at her through them, green eyes half closed. She wondered how all the animals got on together: were there ever any fights? And did the big cats ever steal one of the green-and-blue parrots that rode on a few of the Hillfolk's shoulders? The tents were all down, and she was amazed at the numbers of beasts and people that were revealed. She wondered if the people were all men but herself, thinking of the attempt by the men of the household to wait on her at her bath the evening before. She could not tell, now, by looking, for everyone wore a robe similar to her own, and most wore hoods; and only a few wore beards. â€Å"Lady,† said a voice she knew, and she turned and saw Corlath, and Fireheart followed him. â€Å"Another long ride?† she said, feeling a flush in her cheeks for being called lady by the Hill-king. â€Å"Yes, another long ride, but we need not travel so quickly.† She nodded, and a smile came and went on the king's face, so quickly that she did not see it, as he realized that she would not plead, nor ask questions. â€Å"You will need this,† he said, and handed her a hood like the one he and most everyone else were wearing. She stood turning it over helplessly in her hands, for it was little more than a long tapered tube of soft material, and not too plainly meant as one thing or another to someone who had never seen one before. He took it away from her again and put it on her, then produced a scarf and showed her how to wrap it in place. â€Å"It grows easier with practice,† he said. â€Å"Thank you,† she said. Another voice spoke behind them, and both turned; a man stood with another horse at his heels. This man was dressed in brown, and wore leggings and a tunic above his tall boots and bore a small white mark on his right cheek; and Corlath told her that so the men of the horse, the grooms, dressed; men of the hunt, who cared for the cats and dogs, were dressed similarly, but their belts were red, and they wore red scarves over their hoods and their white mark of office was on the left cheek. â€Å"I – I thought all the Hillfolk wore sashes,† Harry said hesitantly. â€Å"No,† Corlath answered readily enough; â€Å"only those who also may carry swords.† The brown-clad man turned to the horse he had brought them. â€Å"His name is Red Wind, Rolinin,† Corlath said; he was another red bay, though not so bright as Fireheart. â€Å"For the present, you will ride him.† She speculated, a little nervously, about the for the present. She was pleased at the idea of not bumping on somebody else's saddlebow, but as she looked up at the tall horse, and he looked kindly down on her, she collected her courage and said, â€Å"I – I am accustomed to bit and bridle.† She thought, I am accustomed to stirrups too, but I can probably cope without them – at least if nothing too exciting occurs. He looks like he'll have nice gaits †¦ Oh dear. â€Å"Yes,† said Corlath in his inscrutable voice, and Harry looked up at him in dismay. â€Å"Red Wind will teach you how we of the Hills ride.† She hesitated a minute longer, but couldn't think of anything further to say that wouldn't be too humiliating, like â€Å"I'm scared.† So when the brown man went down on one knee and cupped his hands for her foot, she stepped up and was lifted gently into the saddle. No reins. She looked at her hands as if they should be somewhere else, rubbed them briefly down the legs, and then laid them across the rounded pommel like stunned rabbits brought home from a hunt. Red Wind's ears flicked back at her and his back shifted under her. She closed her legs delicately around his barrel and he waited, listening; she squeezed gently and he stepped gravely forward; she sat back and he stopped. Perhaps they would get along. Corlath mounted while she was arranging her hands; I suppose they'll expect me to learn to mount without help too, she thought irascibly; when she looked up from Red Wind's obedient ears Fireheart moved off, and Red Wind willingly followed. They traveled for some days. She meant to keep count, but she did not have the presence of mind immediately to find a bit of leather or rock to scratch the days on as they passed, and somewhere around four or five or six she lost count. The days of travel continued for some time after the four or five or six; every muscle in her body ached and protested from the unaccustomed exercise, after months of soft living at the Residency and aboard ship. She was grateful for her weariness, however, for it granted her heavy sleep without dreams. She developed saddlesores, and gritted her teeth and ignored them, and rather than getting worse as she had expected, they eased and then went away altogether, and with them the aches and pains. Her old skill in the saddle came back to her; she did not miss the stirrups except while mounting – she still needed someone to be a mounting-block for her every day – and slowly she learned to guide her patient horse without reins. She could bind her boots to her legs and her hood round her head as deftly – almost – as though she had been doing these things all her life. She learned to eat gracefully with her fingers. She met four women who were part of Corlath's traveling camp; they all four wore sashes. She learned the name of the friendly cat: Narknon. She often found her keeping her feet warm when she woke up in the morning. Narknon also, for all her carnivorous heritage, had a taste for porridge. Harry continued to eat at the king's table for the evening meal, with the eighteen Riders and Corlath; she still sat at the king's left hand, and she was still politely served and equably ignored. She began to understand, or at least to suspect, that Corlath kept her near him not only because the Hillfolk were not accustomed to dealing with enemy prisoners, but more because he was hoping to make her feel like a respected guest – he was quick to answer her questions, partly perhaps because she did not abuse the privilege; and there was often almost diffidence in his manner when he offered her something: a new cloak, or a piece of fruit of a sort she had never seen before. He wants me to like it here, she thought. She still slept in the king's tent, but a corner was now modestly curtained off for her, and when she woke in the morning and put the curtains back, Corlath was already gone. One of the men of the household would see her, and bring her towels and water, and breakfast. She grew fond of the porridge; sometimes they made it into little flat cakes, and fried them, and put honey over them. The honey was made from flowers she had never seen nor smelled; the rich exotic fragrance of it set her dreaming. She never asked Corlath why she was here, or what her future was to be. In the mornings, after breakfast, while the camp was broken, or, if they were staying an extra day while messengers came from nowhere to talk to the king, she rode Red Wind and, as Corlath had told her, taught herself, or let the horse teach her, to ride as the Hillfolk rode. After her riding-lesson, if they were not traveling that day, she wandered through the camp, and watched the work going forward: everything was aired and washed or shaken out or combed, and the beasts were all brushed till they gleamed. No one, horse or dog or cat or human being, ever tried to stop the Outlander from wandering anywhere in particular, or watching anything in particular; occasionally she was even allowed to pick up a currycomb or polishing-cloth or rug-beater, but it was obvious that she was so permitted out of kindness, for her help was never needed. But she was grateful for the kindness. She spoke her few words of Hill-speech: May I? And Thank you, and the Hillfolk smiled at her and said, Our pr ivilege, slowly and carefully, back to her. Sometimes she watched the hunts ride out; the dogs hunted in their groups, the cats alone or occasionally in pairs. There did not seem to be any order to those who rode with them, other than the presence of at least one man of the hunt; and she never saw any return without a kill: desert hares, or the small digging orobog – Corlath told her the names – or the great horned dundi that had to be hung on a pole and carried between two horses. She was homesick in unexpected spasms so strong that Red Wind, who was a faithful old plug by Hill standards and could be trusted to children and idiots, would feel her freeze on his back, and toss his head uncomfortably and prance. She had not wept herself to sleep since her first night in the king's tent and she thought, carefully, rationally, that it was hard to say what exactly she was homesick for: the Homeland seemed long past, and she did not miss her months at the Residency in Istan. She recalled the faces of Sir Charles and Lady Amelia with a pang, and she missed her brother anxiously, and worried about what he must think about his lost sister. She found she also missed the wise patient understanding of Jack Dedham; but she thought of him with a strange sort of peacefulness, as if his feeling for his adopted country would transcend the seeming impossibility of what had happened to her, and he would know that she was well. That sickness of dislocation came to her most often w hen she was most at ease in the strange adventure she was living. She might be staring at the line of Hills before them, closer every day, watching how sharply the edges of them struck into the sky; Red Wind at Fireheart's heels, the desert wind brushing her cheek and the sun on her shoulders and hooded head; and suddenly she would be gasping with the thing she called homesickness. It would strike her as she sat at the king's table, cross-legged, eating her favorite cheese, sweet and brown and crumbly, listening wistfully to the conversation she still could not understand, beyond the occasional word or phrase. I'm missing what I don't have, she thought late one night, squirming on her cushions. It's nothing to do with what I should be homesick for – Jack would understand, the oldest colonel still active, looking across the desert at the Hills. It's that I don't belong here. It doesn't matter that I'm getting burned as dark as they are, that I can sit a horse all day and not complain. It doesn't matter even that their Water of Sight works in me as it does in only a few of their own. It is only astonishing that it would work in one not of the Hills; it does not make that one any more of the Hills than she was before. There was a certain bitter humor to lying awake wishing for something one cannot have, after lying awake not so long ago wishing for the opposite thing that one had just lost. Not a very useful sort of adaptability, this, she thought. But, her thought added despairingly, what kind of adaptability – or genius – would be useful to me? She traced her life back to her childhood, and for the first time in many years recalled the temper tantrums that she had grown out of so early it was hard to remember them clearly; but she did remember that they had frightened even her, dimly, still a baby in her crib, realizing there was something not quite right about them. They had scared two nursemaids into leaving; it had been her mother who had at last successfully coped, grimly, with her and them. That memory brought into focus another memory she also had pushed aside many years ago: the memory, or knowledge, of not-quite-rightness that grew up after the tantrums had passed; and with that knowledge had also grown an odd non-muscular kind of control. She had thought at the time, with a child's first wistfulness upon being faced with approaching adulthood, that this was a control that everyone learned; but now, lying in the desert dark, she was not so sure. There was something in her new, still inexplicable and unforeseeable life in the Hills that touched and tried to shape that old long-ignored sense of restraint; and something in her that eagerly reached out for the lesson, but could not – yet – quite grasp it or make use of it. There was, too, a reality to her new life that her old life had lacked, and she realized with a shock that she had never truly loved or hated, for she had never seen the world she had been used to living in closely enough for it to evoke passion in her. This world was already more vivid to her, exhilaratingly, terrifyingly more vivid, than the sweet green country, affectionately but indistinctly recalled, of her former lif e. She did not have much appetite for breakfast the next morning, and fed hers to Narknon, who gave a pleased burp and went back to sleep again till the men of the household routed her out when they took down the king's tent. They were nearly to the foothills by the time they halted that evening. The scrub around them had begun to produce the occasional real leaf, and the occasional real leaf was green. For the first time, there was an open stream that ran past their camp, instead of the small secret desert springs; and Harry had a real bath in the big silver basin for the first time since her first evening with the camp, for there had been little water to spare since then. This time the men of the household left towels and a clean yellow robe for her, and left her, as soon as her bath was full. They made camp behind a ridge that ran into what was certainly itself a hill. The tents were pitched around a clear space at the center, with the king's tent at one edge of it. That clear space always held a fire in the evenings, but tonight the fire was built up till it roared and flung itself taller than the height of a man; and as everyone's duties were completed, all came and sat around it till they ringed it. The dogs' pale coats turned red and cinnamon in the firelight; the cats' shadowy pelts were more mysterious than ever. The wall of the king's tent facing the fire was rolled up, and Harry and the king and his Riders sat at the open edge and stared at the fire with the rest. After a time no more dark figures came to join the circle; the fire shadows fell and sidled and swam so that Harry could not guess how many people there were. The fire itself began to burn down till it was no more than the kind of glorious bonfire she and her brother had had now and again when they were children and the weather and their parents' mood had conspired together in their favor. Then the singing began. There were several stringed instruments like lutes, and several wooden pipes for accompaniment and harmony. She recognized ballads even when she could not understand the words, and she wished again that she could understand, and fidgeted on her rug, and glanced at Corlath. He looked back at her, intercepting her frustration, and while there was nothing particularly encouraging about that look, still there was nothing particularly discouraging about it either – as was usual with the looks he gave her now; as was also usual, there was an edge of wistfulness, or sheepishness, in his glance. He had either lost or, as she thought more likely, learned to restrain the slightly resentful puzzlement she had seen the night she had drunk the Water of Sight. She stood up and went over to him and sat down beside him, and pulled up her knees and put her chin on them and stared at the fire, and listened to the words she could not understand. She knew that there had to be at least one more person in the camp who spoke Homelander, the man who had acted as Corlath's interpreter – and, as Peterson had guessed, unnecessarily – at the Residency, but she had never learned who that man was. Someone else who might have spoken to her, and taught her some more Hill words, that she might be able to talk to those around her – might be able to translate the words of the songs they were singing now. But someone who had chosen not to make himself known to her; someone who liked his skill so little that he felt no pity for her isolation: she, an Outlander, who did not belong to the desert and the Hills. Corlath was watching her face as these thoughts went through her mind, and perhaps he read something of them there, for he said without prompting: â€Å"They sing of what is past, hundreds of years past, when the possession of kelar was so common it was hardly thought a Gift, any more than the length of your nose is a Gift. â€Å"Those given the kelar are far fewer today than they were then. I – we – believe that we are soon to learn at our gravest cost the worth of what we have lost.† He thought, wearily, looking at her and unable to read her expression, What does she see? What do we look like to her? And with a flash of anger he thought, Why is it so arranged that I must hope for the comprehension of an Outlander? Why must it be an Outlander who carries so precious a Gift? A Gift she may choose to repudiate or – or use against us, who need the strength so sorely? Harry hugged her knees closer, and for a moment she saw again a bright narrow thread of riders trotting up a mountain way. So I have the Gift, she thought, but of what use is it to see uninterpretable visions? She came back to herself as Corlath said: â€Å"We sing because we have returned to our Hills; tonight is the first night we sleep again in their shadow. â€Å"Listen. They will sing a ballad of Lady Aerin, Dragon-Killer.† Harry listened, listened hard, with the muscles of her back and of her thighs, as if the Hill-speech were a fractious horse she might tame; and out of the firelight came a figure, wavering with the leap and flicker of the flames, and with hair that was fire itself. A tall broad-shouldered figure with a pale face, and in its right hand it held a long slim blade that glittered blue. Harry stared till her eyes felt as dry as sand, and then the figure's face swam into focus, and it was a woman's face, and it smiled at her. But it didn't smile, it grinned, the wry affectionate grin of an elder sister; and Harry's head swam with love and despair. Then the woman shook her head gently, and her aureole of hair flamed and rippled about her, and she reached out her empty left hand, and Harry found herself on her hands and knees, reaching her hand back. But a gust of wind came from nowhere and whipped the fire as though it were an unruly dog, and the figure vanished. Harry fell where she had knelt, and pressed her face to the earth. One real dog sat up and howled. Corlath picked her up as gently as if she were a baby, fallen down after its first steps; and she found there were tears running down her face. He stood up, holding her in his arms, and she cared nothing but that Lady Aerin, Firehair and Dragon-Killer, had come to her and then left her again, more alone than she had ever been before. She threw her arms around the Hill-king's neck and buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. And Corlath, holding her, her tears on his neck, felt his resentment waver and dim and fall to ashes; and he felt pity instead for the Outlander, as he had felt pity when she tasted the Meeldtar. The Gift had been a hard enough thing for him, he who had grown up with it, had always known it existed and been trained from childhood in its use, or at least its acceptance. He had had his father to tell him what to expect, and his father had not scorned him when he wept as the Outlander now wept; had, in fact, cradled and comforted him and soothed the headaches the kelar brought. He would help this girl now, as much as he might, stranger and thief as he might be to her. He would do what he could. Harry woke up the next morning in her usual corner, behind the usual curtains, her face still smudged with dirt and tears, and she remembered what she had done rather than what she had seen, and she went hot with shame and swallowed hard, wondering if she dared show herself outside her curtains, even for water to wash in. She could not think about seeing Corlath again at all. She thought, He must have laid the sleep on me again, as he did when he first took me away; put me to sleep like an unruly child because I behaved like an unruly child. Narknon didn't care; she walked up Harry's legs and rubbed her head against Harry's smudgy face, and Harry blinked hard and petted her fiercely. She put back her curtains with an effort, and washed her face, and ate her breakfast as she might have eaten wood chips, silent and stony-faced. A voice broke in on her sorry reflections, and she looked up, surprised, and was still more surprised to see one of the Riders: the short square grim man she had noticed during her first meal in the king's tent: the one man who had tasted the Water and made no sign. He spoke to her again. Whatever the words were, they had the inflection of â€Å"Good morning,† so she said, â€Å"Good morning.† Some expression passed lightly over his face, and still he looked at her till she began to wonder if â€Å"Good morning† in their language sounded like a terrible insult and he was now considering whether to strike her dead on the spot or spare her ignorance. Maybe he was only musing on how best to handle an unruly child. But he spoke to her again, slowly, patiently, and she was distracted from her shame of the night before. He broke his words down into syllables; so she took a deep breath and said them back to him. This time the flicker of expression was definitely kin to a smile, although she would never have seen it if she had not been watching his face so closely. He corrected her accent, and she said the phrase again, and this time apparently she said it properly; for next he bowed, laid a hand upon his chest, and said, â€Å"Mathin.† She said â€Å"Mathin† back at him, and she knew his name already from Corlath's speaking it and his answering. Then he stretched his hand out till the tips of his fingers did not quite touch her collarbone. â€Å"Harry,† she said, thinking that the two-syllable version of her impossible name would keep them both out of trouble; and Richard wasn't there to disapprove. â€Å"Hari?† he said, a little taken aback; and she nodded, and made hi m a small bow. It must have been a long day for Mathin. She knew he was one of the eighteen Riders, yet he did nothing till sunset but take her around the camp and touch various objects and speak their names. She also learned some useful all-purpose verbs, and the names – or at least she heard the names and tried to remember them – of about half of the men who sat around Corlath's table. She knew Faran and Innath already, for she had picked out their names from Corlath's calling of them, as she had Mathin's. They met her eyes as they were introduced, and quietly bowed, as if she had nothing to do with the awkward baggage their king had taken from the Outlander town in their company a few weeks ago; as if they were seeing her for the first time. Forloy was the man with the scar on his chin; Dapsim rode the black mare who won the horseraces often held in the evenings, till the other riders would no longer let her run. She did not see Corlath that day, nor the next. The camp remained whe re it was, in the shadow of the Hills, though the evening fires were small again, and there was no more singing. The hunting-beasts went out every day, and returned laden with a far wider variety of wildlife than the desert had offered. Harry learned that Narknon hunted alone, and was famous for permitting no other beast near her; she occasionally made friends with a human being, but she was very choosy about such friendships. Harry felt flattered. As the days passed, lean faces and flanks grew a bit plumper on men and beasts; but Narknon still begged for her porridge. Mathin came for Harry after breakfast each morning. By the end of the third day she was speaking in sentences, simple, painful, and ungrammatical ones; but she found that certain Hill words were creeping into her Homelander vocabulary and staying there; and the few people besides Mathin she tried to speak to stopped to listen to her and to answer. She was no longer invisible, and that was the best of all. She was fascinated by the specialties of the language she was learning; there were, for example, a number of kinds of tent. The king's great tent, with its internal grove of poles to hold it up, was called a zotar, the only one in this traveling camp. The smaller tents, where most of the people were housed, were called the barkash; the stable tents were pituin. Then there were several terms she didn't have quite straightened out yet that referred to how the thing was made, how many corners it had, made of what material, and so on. A dalgut was a cheap, poorly made tent; there were no dalguti in the king's camp, and to refer to another man's tent as a dalgut, if it wasn't one, was a profound insult. She woke up earlier than usual on the morning of the fourth day of Corlath's absence, and, despite Narknon's protests, went outside to stare at the eastern greyness that heralded the swift desert dawn. She heard the desert lark's song, a little speckled brown bird the Hillfolk called a britti. The camp was astir already; several of the men whose names she could recall hailed her as Hari-sol. She'd heard this the last two days and wondered if it was a term of respect, of definition, or a way of spinning out a name she could see did not meet with unqualified approval. As the early light flowed down into the mountains, she saw the trees and rocky ridges pick themselves out of the shadows and assert their individuality. She didn't notice till they rode into the center of camp that Corlath and three companions had returned. She turned around on her heel as she heard his voice, but her attention was distracted at once. Corlath still sat on Fireheart, who stood as still as a great red rock; and beside them stood another horse, riderless, as tall as Fireheart and a stallion like him, but golden, a chestnut as gold as the kicking flames of the bonfire three nights ago. She walked toward them silently, her bare feet in the still-cool sandy earth, but the chestnut horse turned his head and looked at her. She heard Corlath murmur something as she drew near, and at his words the horse took a step toward her, and lowered his head till she was looking into a calm, mahogany-brown eye. She raised her hands and cupped them, and she felt his warm breath, and his s oft nose touched her fingers. Corlath spoke aloud and a man of the horse appeared at once, carrying a saddle, golden leather only a few shades darker than the horse, with red stitching; and he set it delicately on the chestnut's back. The horse ignored him, not even shuddering his golden skin as the saddle settled into place; but he lipped Harry's fingers, and leaned his cheek against her shoulder. â€Å"I brought him back for you,† Corlath said, and she raised her eyes and found his resting on her; â€Å"I seem to have chosen well,† he said, and he smiled. The brown-clad man had girthed up the saddle and stood watching her expectantly. â€Å"Come, we will try his paces,† said Corlath. It wasn't till she was tossed into the saddle and felt the great horse quiver under her as her legs found their places against the long supple flaps of the saddle that she realized that Corlath had spoken to her in the Hill tongue. It was a glorious morning; more glorious than any she'd known since she had awakened as a disheveled huddle on the lee side of a scraggy little dune – more glorious than any since she'd set sail from the Homeland. â€Å"His name is Sungold,† Corlath told her, and this he translated. â€Å"Sungold,† she said. â€Å"Tsornin.† Corlath sent Fireheart forward at a long-striding trot, as though they would leap into the dawn; and as soon as her legs closed against the big chestnut's sides he surged forward to follow. She was, for the first few minutes, fearful of her own lack of skill, and of the strength of the big horse; but she found that they understood each other. She felt half grateful, half ashamed, of the time and patience the good Red Wind had spent on her; and at the same time she felt almost uneasy that it was too simple, that she understood too readily. But she was too caught up in the beauty of it to wish to doubt it long. If she thought of it at all, she drove it out of her head at once: didn't she deserve something for all her bruises, of both body and spirit, over the last weeks? She could think of nothing better than the feel of Sungold's mane as it washed over her hands. When the sun was almost overhead, and its rays were dazzling when they reflected off Tsornin's bright neck, and the emptiness of her stomach was beginning to force itself into her attention despite everything, Corlath said, â€Å"Enough,† and wheeled Fireheart back toward camp. Sungold waited for her signal, and she stood a moment, first looking at Fireheart's quarters jogging away from them and then up, where a brown hawk swung on an updraft, high overhead. Just to test the magnificence of her power, she kneed her horse a half-turn to the left and shot him off at a gallop; and just as he reached the peak of his speed she brought him back to a gentle canter, circled once, and sent him after Corlath, who had paused and was watching her antics. They stopped beside Fireheart and his rider, and the two stallions nodded to each other. Harry expected a lecture on frivolity, or something, and lowered her eyes to Sungold's withers; but Corlath said nothing. She looked up again as she heard the ring of metal on metal; Corlath had drawn the sword that hung at his side. She watched, surprised, as he held it, point up, and the sun glared fiercely on it. She remembered that this morning, as he rode into camp, he had been carrying it, the first time she had ever seen him armed with anything more ostentatiously threatening than a long dagger, or the slim short knives all the Hillfolk carried to cut up their food and perform any minor tasks where something with a sharp point was necessary. She'd forgotten about it as soon as she'd noticed Sungold; and now that she saw it more closely she decided she didn't much like the look of it. This was obviously a war-sword; it was much too unwieldy for anything but serious hacking and hewing. Corlath took the deadly thing in his left hand and handed it to her, hilt first. â€Å"Take it.† She grasped it, warily, and when Corlath let go it did not knock her out of the saddle, but it tried. â€Å"Lift it,† he said. And as she tried, â€Å"You've never held a sword.† â€Å"No.† She lifted it as if it were a snake that would crawl up its own tail and bite her. Corlath edged Isfahel out of harm's way as her arm and shoulder experimented with this new thing. She swung it in a short half-arc, and Tsornin came suddenly to life, and bounced forward on his hind legs, neighing. â€Å"Ouch,† she said, as he came to earth again; his ears were tipped back toward her, and all his muscles were tense. â€Å"Sungold's a war-horse,† Corlath said mildly. â€Å"You're giving him ideas.† She turned to glower at him, and he rode up beside her and took the sword back. There was a gleam of humor in his eye as he returned her glower; and they turned back toward camp together. He said something that she didn't quite catch, and as she turned to him to ask him to repeat it, Fireheart leaped forward into a gallop that flattened out to full stretch at once. After a moment's shock she recognized the challenge, and Sungold bolted after them, and gained ground till her face was flicked by Fireheart's streaming tail, and then Sungold's nose drew even with Corlath's toe; and then they were sweeping into the camp, and the horses steadied down to a canter, and then a walk. Their nostrils showed red as they breathed, and Sungold turned away from the camp, asking for more; but Harry said, â€Å"I don't think so,† and Sungold heaved a sigh and followed docilely at Fireheart's heels. It was only when she dismounted that she realized she was still barefoot. Corlath and Harry had b reakfast together, on one square of the long table. Harry did not speak, except to Narknon, who was inclined to be sulky; and Corlath's attention was for the men who came to speak with him, about the minor things that had gone wrong in his absence, and about messages they had received for him; and Harry understood much of what they said, and wondered if Corlath cared that it was no longer entirely safe to talk secrets around his Outlander. After they had eaten, a man of the household entered the zotar and handed the king a long thin bundle wrapped in linen. He bowed and retired; and Corlath shook the thing free of its covering and held up another sword. This one was appreciably smaller than the one he himself wore, but Harry still watched it with dislike. Corlath ran a quick hand over the scabbard with the linen cloth and then offered her, again, the hilt. She took it reluctantly, and rather than drawing it smoothly out, she backed up awkwardly, so that it rang free with a sullen cl unk. â€Å"You'll have to do better than that,† said Corlath; and she was sure that he was amused. â€Å"Why?† she said, anger beginning to uncoil itself somewhere deep inside her and make its way to the surface. â€Å"Why? What have swords and – † she gulped, for she loved Sungold already – â€Å"war-horses to do with me?† He came a step or two closer to her as she stood with the point of the sword unhandily dug into the heaped carpets, and her arm out, as if to keep the undesired object as far from her as she could; and he looked, thoughtfully, into her eyes. â€Å"It is because of what you have seen,† he replied. â€Å"When you tasted the Water of Sight you saw a war-party coming to battle; I and all my Riders heard you cry out what you saw – in the ancient tongue of our forebears here, the tongue that was spoken when Damar was one land, a great and green land, before †¦ â€Å" Before my people came, she thought, but she was not going to say it aloud if he was not. â€Å"And several days past the entire camp saw the Lady Aerin come out of the fire to greet you, carrying the Blue Sword, Gonturan, with which she won back the Hero's Crown and defeated the armies of the North.† He hesitated. â€Å"Aerin had not been seen since my father's father's day; and yet she has always looked after her country well, since she first rode out to face the Black Dragon, before Gonturan had come to her hand; and our dearest legends speak of her.† The bright bubbles of anger in her eyes burst and disappeared. She bowed her head; then bent her elbow and brought the sword under her eyes. The long wicked edge of it winked at her. It had a silver handle, nearly plain, with a few faint graceful scrolls on the underpart of the hand-guard, where it met the hilt. She stared at them unhappily: the sweep and arch of them seemed to her a more likely ornament for a church pew than a sword. Her wrist began to quiver with the unaccustomed weight. He said, as gently as he could: â€Å"Here, anyone who is granted the Gift of Seeing is given to what they see; it is thought to be a guide, a direction, a help sent by the gods; or by the heroes of our past greatness, who still care what happens to their children's children. Children now sip the Water when they meet their tenth birthday, in the hope that they may be told what apprenticeship they are most fit for. Many see nothing, for, as I have told you, the Water does not work for many people; and then the simpler considerations of parentage and availability are allowed to decide. But all our priests were given Sight of the priesthood on their tenth birthday; each of my Riders saw himself carrying a sword †¦ many of them will only choose a war-horse the color they saw themselves riding in the vision.† She broke out frantically: â€Å"But this is nothing to do with me. I am an Outlander, not of your Hills at all. If it is war I have seen, my people have feared war too; it is not strange that even I should feel it. This thing you have done to me, I – † She choked off, for she had heard herself speaking: Outlander she had instinctively said, and she was speaking swiftly in the Hill tongue that she had only – or so she had thought and now desperately was not sure – begun to learn, haltingly, a few days before. She heaved a breath that had she been a year younger might have been a sob; but it was not. She stood, trembling, holding the sword, waiting for it to speak to her too, to tell her her awful destiny. Corlath took her right wrist in his hand and then turned her around till she was standing next to him; he rearranged her fingers on the hilt, curled her thumb under it for her. She felt at once, wearily, that this was the way it was supposed to be held; and wondered if swordsmanship, like riding a war-stallion and speaking a language strange to her, was suddenly going to awaken in her blood like a disease. â€Å"Lady,† Corlath said over her shoulder, his right hand still supporting her wrist, â€Å"I know it is difficult for you. Perhaps this may make it easier: you have given my people hope by your presence, by your visions, by your very foreignness. It is the first hope we have had since we knew that the Northerners would come. We need that hope, my lady. It is so nearly the only thing we have.† She pulled away from his hand on her arm so that she could turn and look up at him. She stared, appalled, and he looked gently down at her. A frown collected slowly on his brow. â€Å"What is it they call you – Hari? That cannot be your name.† She grimaced. â€Å"No. it's a – † She did not know the Hill term for nickname and her mysterious sixth sense didn't seem to want to provide it for her. â€Å"It's a short-name. I don't like my real name.† â€Å"And it is?† There was a pause. â€Å"Angharad,† she said finally. He turned this over on his tongue a few times. â€Å"We will call you Harimad,† he said. â€Å"Harimad-sol, for you are of high rank. Few See so clearly that others too may see, as all saw Aerin-sol come out of the fire. â€Å"Try to have faith: even in these things that are strange to you. My kelar told me to bring you here, and your kelar speaks through you now. Lady, I know no more of your fate than that; but I believe, as do all the people in this camp, that your fate is important to us. And Aerin, who has long been the friend of her people, has given you her protection.† That does not make Aerin my friend, she thought sourly, but when she remembered the elder-sister grin Aerin had given her, she could not believe ill of her. And Corlath's kelar told him to bring me here. Oh dear. I suppose that explains something. Harimad. Mad Harry. I wish Aerin would stay long enough to talk to me – tell me what is going on. She looked up at him and tried to smile. It was a gallant effort; it was even almost a smile. But Corlath's gold-flecked brown eyes saw more than just the gallantry, and his heart went out to her; and he turned away from her and clapped his hands, and a man of the household b rought the hot brown drink Harry had first tasted behind a scrubby small sand hill, barefoot and in her Homelander dressing-gown, and that she had learned since to call malak. That evening Corlath and the Riders and Harimad-sol ate a great dinner of many dishes, and Harry made first acquaintance with the Hill mustard made of the jictal seeds, which burned out not only her mouth and tongue, but her throat and stomach lining; and the front of the zotar was rolled up, and outside much of the rest of the camp sat on rugs before small low tables and ate also, under the moon and the white stars. Harry began pulling nervously at her sleeves and twiddling the ends of her belt as the end of the meal approached; there was a tension hanging over the camp that she did not like, and she hoped that the tooled leather bag was not to put in an appearance tonight. It did not, but she suspected Corlath of eyeing her nervousness wryly. The conversation went too quickly for her to catch all of it – or perhaps her sixth sense had overstrained itself and was resting – but she understood that the purpose of the journey they had been on was to discover how well, or ill, prepared the many small mountain villages, north, south, and east of the great central desert, were for holding off Northerners; and how many horses, arms and warriors, supplies and supply transport, each could provide. It had not been a very cheerful journey, not least for the western excursion into Outlander territory, where a stubborn and pompous old man had refused to listen to the truth; but Corlath had expected what he found and – she thought – saw no use in being discouraged. They were near the end of their trek now: in the Hills before them, although still several days' journey hence, was Corlath's city, where his palace lay, and where what there was of a standing army was quartered. Harry rather thought, from the way they referred to it, that â€Å"the City† was the only city in Corlath's realm; his people were not much interested in building and maintaining and living in cities, beyond the king's own, which had the advantage of being thick with kelar. But the Hillfolk were an independent lot; they preferred to hold their own bits of land and work them, and neither cities nor positions in a regular army appealed to them. As she heard the word often, Harry was beginning to understand better what the word kelar indicated. It was something like magic; a Gift was the specific manifestation of kelar in a particular human being. Kelar was also something like a charm or a sorcery that hung in the air in a few places in the Hills; and one of those places was the City, where certain things might happen and other things be forbidden to happen, in ways quite unlike the usual physical laws. When all else was lost, the Hillfolk could retreat to the City; if the Northerners took or laid waste to all else, a few might live still in the City, for in it was some of the strength of the Damar of old. She began to speculate about the City, to look forward to seeing it. Around her the Riders and their king spoke of repairs to be made, and new forging to be done, and the best blacksmiths – dhogos – and leatherworkers – parisi – in the Hills. Narknon had her front half in Harry's lap, and was purring to rattle the bones of them both. It was very late. The Riders stared at their empty cups, the men outside stared at the stars; Harry was falling asleep, still listening to the hum in the air, and still unable to account for it. â€Å"Mathin,† said Corlath, and Harry twitched and woke up. Mathin looked up the table, and his eyes rested briefly on the golden-haired girl in the maroon robe before he looked at his king. â€Å"The laprun trials will be held six weeks from tomorrow on the plains before the City.† Mathin knew this perfectly well, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl look up at Corlath, puzzled, and then glance down the table at her patient language teacher. â€Å"Harimad-sol will ride in them.† Mathin nodded; he had expected this, and, having taken some measure of Hari in the days past, was not displeased. Harimad-sol herself swallowed rather sharply, but found she wasn't too surprised either; and after a day of war-horses and swords could guess the sort of thing the trials (what was a laprun?) would prove to be. Poor Mathin. She wondered what he thought of the idea-six weeks to knock the rawest of beginners, even if kelar-guided, into shape – and resigned herself to not knowing. â€Å"We will ride out two hours before dawn tomorrow,† said Mathin. Six weeks, thought Harry. How much can you learn in six weeks, even if Aerin is keeping an eye on you?

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources Practitioner

The Human Resources Profession Map (HRPM) sets out the skills, activities, behaviours and knowledge (professional competence) which is essential for any successful HR role.The HRPM helps a HR professionals to assess which level they are currently working at, to think where they would like to progress, gives advice on what they need to do to get to their progress plan professional area or band and helps you reflex on what you have done.There are four bands in the HRPM bands one up to four, here is a breakdown of these bands:Band one is delivering fundamentals, this is the level you would be at if you are a HR Administrator.Band two is adviser, issue-led, you are likely to be at this level if you are a HR advisor or manages a small team. This is what band I am currently at as I am an Assistant HR Manager in my organisation, I am advising and managing a team, I handle HR issues and give flexible options and recommendations.Band three is Consultant, co-operative partner, this is the band I was working towards do currently do parts of this band like address the HR challenges, I give solutions to these challenges and I have a seat an management meetings.Band four is Leadership colleague, client confidante and coach, this bank is more if you are a partner or HR Manager/director.There are ten professional areas in the HRPM at the centre or the ‘core’ of the HRPM; you have the core professional areas which are made up of ‘Insights, strategy and Solutions’ in the very core then around this you have ‘Leading HR’.Insights, strategy and Solutions part of the core is about the understanding of the organisation and using the your insights into the organisation so you can best work out what strategy or solutions are needed to meet the needs of the organisation in the current day and going forward.When I did my personal HRPM some of the recommendations for me to be able to move through my bands were:Make sure you regularly share ‘my insights and ideas’ with your manager and key clients/team members.Ask for feedback on your contribution to business strategy forums.Communicate, communicate, communicate! Set the tone for your team and make sure you are proactive with your communications regarding the change.Leading HR is about being a role model leader, maximising the contribution that HR provides to the organisation through your own or your teams efforts.The other eight professional areas are:Organisation design.Organisation development.Resourcing and talent planning.Learning and development.Performance and reward.Employee engagement.Employee relations.Service delivery and information.Out of these eight professional areas in my current job the last six areas in the above list are relevant to me in my current job. For example ‘employee relations at band two ‘9.15.2 Coach managers to communicate clearly to employees on performance and reward matters, seeking to avoid conflict.’ And ‘ 9.5.2 Support and coach HR colleagues and managers in understanding and complying with ER policies and practices’ (http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/profession-map-2.4-Oct-2013.pdf page 36 and page 37). The last month in my organisation we had an issue between two employees in which a grievance was raised.I worked with the direct line manager and advised him on the process to follow in accordance with the organisations grievance procedure and making sure it was dealt with lawfully. I advised him to hold a grievance meeting with the employee who had put the complaint in and the correct process of doing such a meeting, which he did. After this meeting we looked at the minutes together and  decided this seemed to be a clash of personalities so we decided that instead of taking this to disciplinary we would hold a few mediation sessions. The outcome of this has been very successful so far.The final part of the HRPM which is the outside ring is the behaviours which are:Curious.Deci sive thinker.Skilled influencer.Personally creditable.Collaborative.Driven to deliver.Courage to challenge.Role model.Looking at the behaviour curious which is ‘being future-focused, inquisitive and open minded; seeks out ways of evolving.’ When I did this part of my HRPM this one really stuck out for me as the main part of my CIPD course which I have struggled with is the continuous development and mainly reflection. I really have to push myself to do this and some of my recommendations directly state this:Introduce a more disciplined approach to reflecting on work and non work activities in terms of ‘What have I learned from this?’How often do you ask someone directly for feedback? Incorporate these requests into your weekly if not daily operating mode as a matter of course.

Discussion Board reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Discussion Board reply - Assignment Example By focusing on multiple intelligence skills, the writer can address emotional requirements and motivators associated with flexibility and transformation that are paramount factors of coaching dynamics. It is justified that managers usually have several resources at their disposal and would not hesitate to engage in the coaching process. The explanation given for this reason is explicit. An addition would be that managers mostly like involving themselves with profitable activities. As a result, unless the coaching process is profitable to the well-being of the business, few would find it necessary to undertake coaching. Although feedback given to employees may determine whether a manager will carry out coaching or not, the key justification would be the level of a manager in understanding group dynamics. Employees vary in their levels of motivation and therefore, managers may feel inadequate to coach employees with varied perceptions. This is the rationale behind managers failing to point out other people’s mistakes. The discussion board paper is good and answers all parts of the question to the latter. Any successful and operational organization requires that managers embra ce the spirit of leadership and should not shy off from correcting their junior

Using E-book in higher education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Using E-book in higher education - Essay Example Different assessments that have been done in regards have supported Masrom’s piece of thought according to which normative beliefs and behavioral beliefs acts as a building block in terms of analyzing the certain action (Ros, 2004). Theory of Planned Behavior formulated as the addition of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Hashim & Adviser-Eisner, 2011). It deals with the consequences related attitude towards behavior and subjective norms along with the additional module of behavioral control that comprises the problem such as the lacking of control on the consciousness (Stone & Baker-Eveleth, 2013). Theory of planned behavior includes an array of intentions and behaviors. In the light TpB, it can be stated that, Perceived behavioral control significantly influence the decision making of an individual through behavioral intention (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). Technology acceptance model was formulated by Davis in 1986 (Ajzen, 1991). It deals with the evaluation of the appropriateness of the certain Information System by analyzing the acceptance behavior of the target users, in order to make advancement and improvement which means to be equally acceptable and adequate for the users of different IT applications (Davis & Venkatesh, 2004). As according to the Tam model which summed up attitude in terms of the set of destructive and productive emotions of the person that generated as the result of performing a target behavior such the greater PU’s and PEOS’s that considerably have more positive impact in the mind of the end user (Davis & Venkatesh, 2004). Although, the Technology acceptance Model became modified in which attitude buildup became eliminated. After the elimination of the consequence of attitude from TAM, behavioral intention again embedded to be majorly influenced by two beliefs of the end user (Eckhardt, 2009). According to the TAM, behavioral Intentional extensively manipulated by means of perceived attitude (Chong, Lim & Ling, 2009). Due to

Visionary Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visionary Role - Essay Example He/she uses electronic devices; problem-based learning and the media to access resources, which enhances his/her practice and performance. In addition, a nurse practitioner rapidly expands his/her knowledge through the increasing utilization of informatics and technology in education and practice. The nursing role is also patient-centered care, which incorporates safety, engagement and privacy of the patient (Sines, Saunders, & Forbes-Burford, 2013). According to the United States Bureau of Statistics, in the next 50 years, the population of the elderly will have increased drastically. The generation of baby boom, that is, babies born between 1946 to 1964, will be over 65 years between 2011 t0 2029. In the United States, the population of the elderly will be 19 million between 2000 and 2020. The improvements in nutrition, medical care and safety have increased longevity, which means the number of elderly will grow more. This implies that many people will have disabilities, chronic di seases and living in substandard conditions and in institutions. Hence, these individuals will require considerably more healthcare services than the younger generations. Currently, the scope of a nurse practitioner entails prevention and wellness services; diagnosis and management of various common uncomplicated diseases and chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Nurse practitioners have the same capabilities, skills and knowledge as physicians; however, they are limited in the scope of their work. In the future, it is expected that the scope of nurse practitioners will be broadened, in order to allow them prescribe medication without supervision from a physician; practice autonomously in retail clinics; certify home healthcare visits and admission of patients to hospitals. The specific responsibilities of a family nurse practitioner are: offer general and preventive care; treatment of diseases; conduct check-ups; prescribe medication for adults and children and order for laboratory t ests. The specific responsibility that might change is prescription of medication under the supervision of a physician. A family nurse practitioner forms an effective collaboration with a physician. Both the physician and the nurse practitioner have similar roles; nevertheless, a physician brings in more expertise and in-depth knowledge to patient care. In addition, a physician has the capability to make advanced clinical decisions and carry out special procedures; thus, serving as an outstanding resource in practice. The combination of the two roles results in the sharing of similar objectives and reflecting each other’s practice, which gives a comparable and consistent patient medical management (Clarin, 2007). The role of a family nurse practitioner is relevant in various medical systems, such as: hospitals; community health care centers and private practice. The structure of hospitals flows in a hierarchical order in the following manner: Directors; Executives; Department Administrators; Patient Care Managers and Service Providers. The population that is served by a family nurse practitioner is diverse. The number of the elderly is higher compared to other age groups. This implies that there are many individuals with disabilities and chronic diseases; many live in substandard conditions, institutions or alone. There is the group of ethnic

Propose a solution to a problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Propose a solution to a problem - Essay Example According to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center, 57% of the persons entering America illegally as at 2004 were contributed by Mexico. Southern American nations accounted for 24% of the immigrants, Asia9%, Europe combined with Canada accounted for 6% the rest of the world including Africa accounted for 3%. In this paper I will be taking a broader look of the whole immigration problem and proposing a solution for the government. The immigration law in the US has been and continues to be at the stage of heated political debates for decades now. Policy makers have to struggle with balancing between maintaining competitiveness globally through the tapping of top of foreign talents and curbing illegal immigration through beefing up the security of our national borders. Policy discussions are now focusing streamlining the process through which visa applications are made and addressing the problem posed by millions of persons already living in America illegally majority of which are youth being brought in by the parents. The focus is also directed at the implementation of effective local policies that do not jeopardize public trust in the government especially within the communities of immigrants. Such efforts positively signal a step in the direction of implementing a lasting and workable solution the current ever growing problem of illegal immigration (Lee, 2013). However, the enactment of comprehensive law reforms to address the whole issue of illegal immigration into the United States at the level of Federal Government has been at a standstill during the past few years forcing President Obama to take the approach of enforcement- based policies for curbing the issue in his first term of tenure. At the same time, restrictive laws by some states such as Arizona’s SB 1070 highlight the uncertainties that exist between states and the federal government in terms of authority over policies to address immigration problems. But following

Organizational Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Theories - Essay Example Resource dependence theory is based on the fact that organizations inevitably depend on resources and their mobility and as result in turn depend on suppliers of those resources (Pfeffer & Salancik, 2003). On the other hand institutional theory is based on the argument that organizations aren't particularly concerned about task expediencies but about expediencies that arise from the strategic cultural environment of the organization, along with meeting demands put forward by lending and professional institutions. Finally the population ecology theory emphasizes the ways and means through which organizations' structures and forms are influenced (Hannan & Freeman,1989). For example changing nature of the organization has less influence on such structures than the birth and death of organizations. In the ordinary sense of the word 'power' enables those who exercise it to dominate over those who don't have it. This explanation seems to be rather simplistic though still the conventional organizational theories have a much wider acceptance in modern management theories. Power is a dynamic concept with a degree of fluidity and much less transparency. In other words the concept of power acquires a newer and more articulate dimension in the modern unconventional organizational theory than hitherto was known. The concept of power has many nuances including that it's associated with responsibility. Thus organizational power can be extended to include corporate responsibility as well.Resource dependence theory invariably supports these power dynamics in its articulation of a strategic supplier dominated organizational environment. However it must be noted here that modern writers on unconventional organizational theory tend to speculate on politicized organizational environments in or der to give a revolutionary interpretation to the evolving structures and cultures. Power is rooted in the organization's dependence on resource providers who might not hesitate to manipulate the organizational outcomes by imposing their weight on its structures and forms. Thus power as a concept in the modern sense of the organizational context is a barometer of organizational strengths. In other words organizational power isn't a simple aggregation of 'individual powers' as such. It has a much wider significance and impact on the organizational outcomes.The theoretical premise of power is derived from the fact that suppliers of resources have a strategic link with the organization. Therefore it is the suppliers who exercise political control over the organization (Ulrich & Barney, 1986). The authors identify and address the implications of anti-management theories within the organizational context so that a particularly significant hidden feature of the organization is brought to the surface. Notwithstanding the counter argument that organizations do not seek intentionally to politicize their operational environments, the resource dependence theory focuses on the link between power of resource suppliers and the conformist behavior

Debt to Equity Ratio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debt to Equity Ratio - Essay Example This essay discusses that  the calculation of the debt to equity ratio is as straightforward as its definition. The ratio is computed by taking an entity’s total liabilities and dividing it by the company’s equity. The total liabilities and equity used are got from the statement of financial position of the company on discussion. A company’s equity is the amount of capital the shareholders or owners of the business have put in the business. It is determined by subtracting the total liabilities from the company’s total assets. It is best if the debt to equity ratio is kept within a reasonable range. If the ratio is very high, it is an indication that the business can be in a financial distress and maybe in leverage problem where it can find it had to offset its debtors. On the other hand, if the ratio is to low, it implies that the company is heavily relying on the entity’s equity to finance its operations.  According to the report findings  lo ans acquired from lenders come with an interest payment, which must be paid together with the principal loan amount. The advantage of financing a company’s operation through debt finance is that the company can deduct the interest payments in its tax returns. On the other hand financing the company’s operations through equity makes the company at an obligation to earn return and increase the shareholder wealth. Company’s should therefore strike a balance between the debt and equity use to run the operations of their businesses.

Advertising and Pricing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Advertising and Pricing Strategies - Essay Example This feeling is as a result of Apple’s price skimming strategy that excites late adopters who are able to get their expensive products at a bargain price. This not only creates good will for the company, but also increases their revenue. Moreover, late adopters increase its market share. According to Perreault, Cannon and McCarthy (2011), a price skimming strategy focuses on profit maximization by charging a high price for early adopters of a new product then reducing the price to attract thriftier consumers. Apple has adopted this strategy because it helps them to create an aura of prestige around their products while generating a lot of profits. Moreover, it allows them to reduce their prices to encourage consumers to buy. The purchase decision was informed by a number of factors. First, the affordability of the product. Second, the utility of the product. The iPhone 5c has a lot of features that add value to the consumer. Third, the uniqueness of the brand. Apple products have a beautiful design. Moreover, they are elite products because their high price discourages most people from buying. The research process involved a comparison of different mobile phone reviews online. In addition, conversations with friends and family members reinforced the decision to purchase an iPhone

Mitsubishi believes in EEO Now Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mitsubishi believes in EEO Now - Case Study Example Sexual and racial discrimination are some of the central concerns that organizations have to confront. It then appears that managing the human resources should therefore be taken as an integral aspect of the organizational performance. Equal Employment and Opportunity (EEO) created the need for organizations operating in the United States to consider abiding by the fundamental equity issues that confront the world (Heitmann 2009). The case of sexual and racial discrimination evidenced at Mitsubishi was certainly a low ground for the organization. In any case, it occurs that the company instituted several changes in the American division after the occurrence of these disheartening events. The changes that were thereby made at Mitsubishi were therefore much imperative and necessary given that they were driven by need and time. The HR management therefore did the most appropriate thing upon the launch of investigations to determine the authenticity of the claims and the extent of the whole situation. The performance of the organization is much dependent on the morale of the employees and the pride they demonstrate towards their particular jobs. If employees are disheartened on the account of the presence of discrimin ation in the organization, it certainly implies that performance will automatically be altered. The decision reached to settle the sexual harassment lawsuit is a positive connotation on the commitment of the organization toward addressing its core concerns. More importantly, Mitsubishi compensated all the workers who had complained of racial discrimination in the organization. These radical decisions serve to demonstrate the much regard that the organization bestowed upon the workers. Indeed, such a strategy became quite imperative considering that productivity of the American plant had greatly dwindled and the company’s headquarters even

Two Gender System Essay Example for Free

Two Gender System Essay Setting out this boundary denies one the ability to express their sexuality freely: this may result in the discrimination and subordination of alternative forms of gender that society does not deem as â€Å"natural†. In other words, individuals who do not classify themselves as belonging to the main types of gender systems may be socially neglected and their sexuality, frowned upon. This essay will illustrate what society deems as â€Å"natural† and how the concept of gender and sexual diversity vary across cultures and historical periods. In addition, this paper will argue that the two-sex systems embedded in our society are not adequate to encompass the full spectrum of human sexuality. The â€Å"two-gender system† is defined as the classification of sex and gender into two biological categories of masculine and feminine: a social boundary used to prevent people from crossing or mixing gender roles, where the society divides people into male and female gender roles (Larkin, June. From lecture oct. 3, 2012). This binary system forces an individual to fit into one of the two categories of male or female. This bipolar categorizing of sexuality however does not and cannot encompass the full range of human sexuality. According to statistical analysis, it is said that out of 1,000 children born, seventeen children are intersexual (Fausto-Sterling, 2010, p. 14). The 1. 7 percent, though it is an estimate, is not a small number: theses intersexual individuals will feel out of place and/or easily uncomfortable in society that imposes a two-sex system. In addition, children born with both male and female anatomies as well as genitals are more likely to develop grave psychological frameworks when forced to obey the socially accepted two-gender system. The genital ambiguity in newborns is seen to be a medical emergency and in most cases, the newborns undergo surgery. Psychologist Dr. John Money further highlights this argument by claiming that gender identity can be changed and enforced upon up to eighteen months after a baby is born (Fausto-Sterling, 2010, p. 15). In the case of John/Joan however, the sex reassignment was unsuccessful. The doctors performed the procedure on John, who then was surgically turned into â€Å"Joan†. The case, although codified as John/Joan, was actually about an adult male named David Reimer. David eventually turned to masculinising medication, rejected his female assignment, and committed suicide (Fausto-Sterling, 2010, p. 15). As one can learn from David Reimer’s case, children born with genital ambiguities are faced with confusion and psychological stress as they grow up. The two-gender system leaves no room for such people to freely express themselves and their sexuality. The patients in this case, upon being obliged to follow the decisions made by the physicians, are then expected to act â€Å"natural† in the gender that was chosen for them. It is clear that the gender system embedded in society is not holistic enough for all humanity to truly express their full spectrum of sexuality. To avoid such conflicts and controversy, society should implement a wider, holistic perspective on gender and sexuality so various forms of intersexuality can be recognized and accepted as a both natural and normal way of life. Science, taking a biological approach to the topic of gender, inserts that gender and sexuality is strictly determined by the innate biological organs that one is born with. Ajnesh Prasad, in an attempt to supplement this argument, claims that â€Å"sexual difference is commonly experienced as part of ontology rather than epistemology, as part of nature instead of culture† (Prasad, 2005, p. 80). Other scholars however, argue for both a cultural and a historical perspective in explaining this gender ambiguity. The cultural view is related to the historical perspective in that while colonizers took over these already domesticated societies, they enforced strict cultural gender roles and sexual relations in order to reflect what they deemed was natural. For example, when the English settlers invaded North America, they took it as one of their primary goals to colonize the way these indigenous people dealt with sexual relations and gender: â€Å"the western imperialism†¦governance of sexual relations was central in classifying the colonizer and the colonized into spheres of distinct human kinds while policing the domestic recesses of imperial rule† (Prasad, 2005, p. 81). The gender role that was enforced was one of heterosexuality: the argument that men should act masculine and females, feminine. Previously existing practices that did not reflect this Westernized notion of heterosexuality was heavily frowned upon and neglected. This ultimately led to the subordination of other such frameworks pertaining to gender and/or sexual relations. Historical events thus as evidence from the colonization of indigenous people, renders concrete that gender is not a concept that is biologically determined, but one that implemented and reinforced through culture. Moreover, the native settlers rarely linked, â€Å"biological† sex, gender, and sexual activity together. These Native cultures were not divided up between heterosexuals and homosexuals as contemporary â€Å"Western† societies were, and in their culture, cross-working and cross-dressing men and women belonged to the other gender or to a third gender that either combined male and female features: â€Å"Encounters [were made] with male and female ‘berdache’ [meaning prostitute]. These berdache were cross dressing, cross-working people who constituted a third gender of fourth gender in some of these indigenous cultures† (Kinsman, 1996, p. 92). There were not just two gender groups, but three or four gender groups for â€Å"biological† females, and these alternate-gendered people were seen as combining the spirits of the other two genders (Kinsman, 1996, p. 93). Furthermore, the societal notion of what composes a widely accepted gender and sexual relation is extensively dependent on the culture and the fabrication of historical intervention. In conclusion, the two-gender system advocates the individuals in society to be defined as either male or female and sets limitations for individuals who do not fit into specific categories imposed on them. As a result, intersexuals or individuals born with genital ambiguity face discrimination and is forced to accept what is widely accepted as â€Å"natural† gender in society. Moreover, taking a scientific approach to gender, many argue that sexuality is determined by nature, what genitalia one is born with, but taking on a historical and cultural view, the issue bag to differ. As seen from the indigenous people and the way how two-spirited gender roles work in their society illustrates that the concept of gender is not singular and is determined by culture and society one is exposed in. The two-sex system enclosed in society is not adequate to encompass various forms of sexuality, so rather than confining one’s view to society’s ways, we should raise awareness for wider perspective on gender and sexuality to allow various forms of sexuality can be recognized.

Technology in Helping the Problem of Resource Scarcity

Technology in Helping the Problem of Resource Scarcity Nimra Hussain (11U0141) and Saeeda Malik Introduction A recurring theme in economics has been the economic growth fueled by an increasing consumption of finite resources that ultimately results in those very same resources unable to cope with its greater productive use. Resources here are any essential inputs to the economic process and are restricted to energy carriers, products of photosynthesis and other industrial raw material extracted from the natural environment. Such a practice is unsustainable and instigates the need for resource innovation so as to figure out how to generate growth with fewer resources. Much of economics runs around this one basic problem of resource scarcity and the aim of this paper is to emphasize on how human beings have created technologies or developed innovative methods to meet the challenges of limited resources available. More specifically this paper will review how technological innovation has made the problem of resource scarcity less onerous. The notion of scarcity as a constraint on economic growth goes all the way back to Malthus.(Malthus 1798, 1946).Only in recent decades has scarcity been seen as a driver of innovation and thus a driver of economic growth. There have been actual instances of resource scarcity and even exhaustion usually limited to a particular resource or country. However technological innovation in these instances have allowed for the resulting issues of scarcity to be rectified. For example natural fertilizer, guano and nitrate deposits from the West coast of South America were largely exhausted by the end of the 19th century. However superphosphate from bones and mineral apatites were a replacement for natural guano. Similarly, synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers from coke-oven gas, calcium cyanamid and finally synthetic ammonia provided an alternative source of fixed nitrogen for agriculture (and military explosives). The search for alternatives to natural nitrates was deliberate and well-organiz ed. Germany led this scientific search, with the objective of breaking the British monopoly control over the Chilean sources of nitrates (Smil, 2001). Scarcities have not proven to be obstacles to economic growth. Far more often they have been stimulants to innovation that, in case after case, has led to new applications, new markets and accelerated growth rather than inhibiting it. An emerging scarcity is environmental assimilative capacity for wastes and pollutants. As it happens, most of the pollutants of concern, regionally and globally, are direct consequences of the use of fossil hydrocarbon fuels, especially coal. There is now a worldwide search for technological `fixes’ for the various environmental problems, from smog, acidification to global climate warming. But the most promising solutions involve reduced emissions, either by capture, treatment or storage of pollutants or by more efficient use of energy. Technical change is a dynamic process which includes the creation of new knowledge and technology, and the adoption of new technology by firms (Chavas et al, 1997). This technological change allows for increased production of outputs with the same amount of resources, or the use of fewer resources to produce the same amounts as before. In this way technological progress plays a vital role in the reduction of resource scarcity. It must be kept in mind that the improvements in technology do not augment the reserves of these resources, but rather augments the efficiency with which these resources are being used. A focal point in resource scarcity concerns the incentives for the discovery of reproducible technologies to substitute for finite natural resources that are being exhausted. According to Robson (1980) the date of innovation is random but can be brought forward through expenditures on research. However, according to Harris and Vickers (1995) the urgency to innovate increases as the stock of these already scarce resources dwindles. Looking at both statements intuitively it makes sense to think of technological innovation as being driven by the severity of its need as well as the expenditures needed to fuel its progress. Market responses to natural-resource scarcity automatically induce endogenous technological change that leads to resource conservation and substitution, and in turn, to the amelioration of scarcity (Barbier Homer-Dixon, 1999). Regardless of its source of provocation technological innovation plans cannot be set by countries in advance but will have to be done as they evolve with resource extraction. The idea of technical progress resolving the scarcity issue may seem simple but in reality the cost of acquiring any new knowledge and adapting it to local conditions, the adoption process of new technology may be slow. These lags between RD investment and its payoff can vary with each technology and each industry (Chavas et al, 1997) The most motivated to discover technologies are the importers of these scarce resources. Not only do they desire to overcome the problem of finite stocks but also according to Harris and Vickers (1995), to reduce their dependence upon resource producers, who often enjoy a considerable degree of monopoly power over them. The scarcer their stocks of natural resource the greater will be their RD efforts. It must also be kept in mind that innovation is exogenous and costly which explains why the possessors of large resource endowments are apprehensive towards its pursue*.Robson mentions that innovation and depletion should have opposing effects on growth as more efficient innovation leads to a slower rate of exploitation of the resource. Similarly, a larger output share for the depletable resource can lead to less innovation and a faster rate of exploitation. As mentioned earlier technological innovation is endogenous, and is determined by private and public sector decisions, rather than exogenously brought about into the economic system. If investment by these sectors is optimal then a constant growth rate of output and consumption can be maintained in the economy. Despite there being exponential population growth and scarce natural resources that are essential to production, technological innovations can allow for sustained growth and a long-run steady-state level of positive per capita consumption subject to certain conditions. These conditions as stated by Barbier and Homer-Dixon (1999) are that stable economic policies and social institutions should exist to facilitate endogenous innovations. There is a growing realization that solutions to ongoing and emerging threats to freshwater ecosystems and water resources require collaborative approaches that engage scientists, policy makers, the private sector, and other stakeholders (Chavas , 1997). Contributions by both sectors to technology have had a large and positive effect on productivity. For Chavas more specifically private RD has a strong short-term effect on productivity (after 5 to 10 years) and basically little longer term effect. In contrast, public RD has a small short-term impact on productivity, but a larger positive impact in the longer term (after 15to 22 years). Technology and research based knowledge trickles down or is transferred to and translated by policy makers and natural resource managers (Stelzer Kashian, 2014). models of knowledge transfer have been mentioned as participation, integration, learning, and negotiation. Such partnerships are essential to obtain sustainable outcomes. Once again looking at the link that overdependence on resource exploitation results in the economy remaining structurally tied to less innovative resource-based sectors, such as agriculture, minerals, oil, and other primary product sectors, and is unable to develop manufacturing and other value-added sectors that can produce learning-induced growth. In poor countries heavy resource dependent sectors have higher incidences of scarcity and conflicts over resource use. The severity of allocations can be enough to create social unrest and even violent conflict. In this way the little amount of stable institutional and policy environment needed to attract investments in innovation is disrupted coupled with the disruption of efficient and sustainable management that would have created the rents need to encourage long-term investment in innovation. Any resource crisis that does occur, its impact will be felt à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst and foremost by the poorest sectors of the population, for instance should a water crisis occur its impact would fall upon those that are dependent for their livelihoods on rain-fed or irrigated water in arid and semi-arid regions, where 52% of the world’s population lives (UNESCO-WWAP, 2006). Simply put poor countries such as our own will fail to achieve higher rates of growth because they fail to generate or use new technological ideas to reap greater economic opportunities. The possibility of technological innovation based solutions might not even be considered as increased scarcity often gives birth to competitive action by powerful elite groups and narrow social coalitions to defend their interests or to profit from the scarcity through rent-seeking behavior (Barbier Homer-Dixon, 1999). Robson on the other hand believes that if all the rent from the depletable resource is invested efficiently in innovation and capital, while no investment should occur, then consumption is constant. Truly technological innovation has played an important role. From Lopez-Gun and Llamas point of view thanks to virtual water, many water scarce countries have avoided a water crisis, particularly in politically unstable regions like North Africa and the Middle East. These revolutions of virtual water, groundwater and geographic information systems (GIS) are all created through scientific and technological innovation not in a vacuum but rather with the responsibility of states and other actors to carefully assess their full potential and limitations. Another instance is that of advances in technology, policy and management, such as improvements in pollution control measures (Dolan 1993) and fisheries regulations (Bruch 1999), that have benefited freshwater ecosystems. In China Hybrid corn is an example to demonstrate how innovation can help us overcome scarcity. Fish farming is another example. Intensive fish farming has increased China’s aquatic products supply by 10 times, fr eshwater aquatic products by 20 times over the last quarter of a century. This has greatly improved the food structure of Chinese people. Technological innovation is not without its flaws, as there is a cost of adjustment associated with such technologies such as those borne by workers that are displaced as a result (Stier, 1980). In conclusion innovation can indeed overcome resource scarcity as long as it is joined with government’s support for research, especially for those that of certain nature of public goods. There is also a requirement for qualified scientists and engineers, especially those who understand local needs. There needs to be team work by scientists and engineers coupled with an effective mechanism for knowledge diffusion so that invention and innovation can be used to increase productivity and create wealth. Recommendations Pakistan is another developing country where food in security and energy shortages are key indicators of resource scarcity and problems that are associated with it. In order to overcome this problem, technological innovations should be made use of which would help manage and consume these resources much more efficiently. Firstly, Pakistan should move towards more renewable sources of energy to reduce its dependence on other nations. Solar thermal energy is a cost effective resource in Pakistan (Mirza et al., 2003) and it’s consumption by the household sector can be encouraged by subsidizing solar panels. This would greatly reduce the demand for electricity from the government. The government should install small hydro power plants in areas where there is a natural flow of water to provide electricity to communities/villages that have no access to it or where it is not cost effect to install power lines. Secondly, the government needs to take large scale initiatives to not only develop but also promote the use of technology in large-scale sectors such as agriculture to ensure that producers are made aware of the scarcity of their product and also equip them with the information and ability to use technology to enhance their production capabilities and slow down the rampant process of scarcity, even if it is to a small extent. If such initiatives are streamlined by the government, it will go a long way in ensuring that resources are managed more efficiently and will also pave the way for a technological revolution in rural areas as people become accustomed to it. Thirdly, Allwood and Cullen (2012) argued that emphasis should be put on vehicles and buildings. According to them, vehicles consume a worryingly large amount of natural resources is gas and petroleum. Therefore, if manufacturers start producing lighter cars, that will significantly reduce energy use by almost 75 percent. The production of lighter cars entails not only the physical aspect but also other vehicular aspects such as a smaller engine and less horse power to ensure that the car burns less petrol. Toyota’s production and distribution of hybrid cars in Japan is a perfect example of such an initiative where hybrid cars can be seen just as frequently as normal cars, subsequently saving energy on a large scale. Furthermore, it is essential for governments all over the world to ensure that buildings are built using lesser amounts of steel and cement. Fourthly, industrial waste is a major contributor to scarcity of resources as a large amount of non-renewable resources is wasted during production. Allwood (2012) stated that one-quarter of steel produced goes to waste each year as it is not even used in the production of the final product. Ensuring that such high amounts of industrial waste are cut down will save already existing resources and make production more efficient and eco-friendly. Lastly, it is essential to improve water management and make sure that wat er is not wasted. This issue exists all over the world but is most apparent in countries like Pakistan where due to lack of water management systems, a lot of water is lost in transit and there are major issues of over-irrigation in some areas. This essentially means that some areas receive unnecessarily large amounts of water whereas some receive none at all. Ensuring a balances water management system will lead to better management of resources. This can be done by setting up a central regulatory framework that keeps a check on water distribution. Furthermore, this regulatory body should conduct research to evaluate which areas need what amount of water and subsequently make sure that the right amount reaches the right areas, in turn eliminating the concerns with water supply through proper management. References Harris, C. Vickers, J. (1995, Autumn). Innovation and Natural Resources: A Dynamic Game with Uncertainty. The RAND Journal of Economics, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 418-430. Lopez-Gunn, E. and Ramà ³n Llamas, M. (2008), Re-thinking water scarcity: Can science and technology solve the global water crisis?. Natural Resources Forum, 32: 228–238. UNESCO-WWAP. (2006). Water — a shared responsibility. UN World Water Development Report 2, New York: UN. Robson, A. J. (1980, February). Costly Innovation and Natural Resources. International Economic Review, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 17-30. Stier J. C. (1980, December). Technological Adaptation to Resource Scarcity in the U.S. Lumber Industry. Western Journal of Agricultural Economics Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 165-175. Chavas, J. P. Aliber, M. Cox T. L.(1997, August). An Analysis of the Source and Nature of Technical Change: The Case of U.S. Agriculture. The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 482-492. Barbier, E. B. Homer-Dixon, T. F. (1999, March).Resource Scarcity and Innovation: Can Poor Countries Attain Endogenous Growth?.Ambio, Vol. 28, No. 2 pp. 144-147. Mirza, U.K. Maroto-Valer, M.M. Ahmad, N. (2003, December). Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 7, Issue 6, pp. 501-514. Stelzer, R. S. Kashian, D. R. (2014, June).The role of conservation partnerships between scientists and nonprofit agencies in freshwater science and management. Freshwater Science, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 670-673.