The New Global Community

Andrew Shiveley asked:


Over the past six months it seems like almost every major finance magazine has published an article related to the weakness of the dollar. If you are a currency trader like I am then this topic is particularly relevant to you because you need to know what the long-term trends of each currency are so that you can make profitable trades.

What you probably have not been reading about in the news are some of the events that have been happening behind the scenes or that will be happening in the near future, and why the American economy will ultimately regain its strength.

The single most significant factor affecting the American dollar is the trade balance, and the biggest portion of this problem is related to our war in the Middle East that should never have been authorized, yet is still costing us billions of dollars every single day. I will not spend a lot of time talking about the horrendous actions of the Bush administration (namely that they defrauded their way into office in order to wage a cultural genocide for the sake of gaining control over oil), but there are truly good things that have been happening behind the scenes and that will be happening in the near future.

You will not hear about many of these things in the mass media news outlets in America such as CNN and ABC, and there is an exceedingly simple reason why these manipulated news networks try to convince the American people that there is a threat of danger when really none exists at all: War is profitable. There are powerful groups in our world today whose agendas are motivated by greed and control, and these people engage in heartless wartime profiteering so that they may satisfy their lust for power. But it is not all bad: I will discuss some of the wondrous events that are causing these groups to rapidly lose their power, and what all of this information means for the currency markets.

The Bush Administration has dropped to single-digit approval ratings, and millions of Americans have gone to websites such as Impeach Bush and spoken out about their opinions of why this man is no longer our leader. Dennis Kucinich, a representative from my home state of Ohio that I have had the pleasure of meeting, is leading the way for the eventual impeachment and forcible removal from office of Bush and his war-mongering cronies.

The Bush Administration has inadvertently caused a global recession with their desire to wage a heartless war, and the signs are strong that the global community has finally come together and told these warmongers “Enough!” They are rapidly losing power as people are becoming more conscious and aware of the fact that they have been lied to by the controlled mass media outlets.

If you are looking for really good forex trading opportunities, I would be willing to bet that when the news releases come out stating things such as Bush’s impeachment or other things that peace-loving people the world over are working to create, there will be a large jump in the value of the dollar in the window of a day or two.

The really good news for the dollar and for the American people is coming from Japan. The Japanese are the largest holders of foreign dollar reserves (around $5 trillion dollars), and they have openly declared that they will no longer fund the American war effort.

The reason why I remain optimistic about the future of the American economy is because of the two main presidential candidates that have come forward to lead our country. In my mind (and in accordance with recent political data), the two main candidates in the 2008 presidential election will be Barack Obama and Ron Paul. Both of these men are benevolent leaders and are sufficiently equipped to rectify the errors of the Bush Administration, and Ron Paul has openly stated that he will abolish the Federal Reserve and the IRS to create a more prosperous America.

In the last paragraph, notice that I said the “American economy” and not the dollar. This is an important point, because many benevolent and powerful leaders are discussing new potential monetary systems for the United States that can lead to greater prosperity. The Federal Reserve system is based upon perpetual debt, and it is not sustainable because it steals wealth from the American people and puts it into the pockets of a few. This is all very good news, and so you may be wondering how this plays into your forex trading.

The dollar will continue to go down so long as our war is not stopped, and so for the next few months until the Bush Administration is forcibly removed from office or until they simply fade away to be replaced by a new leader, there will still be a downwards trend for the USD.

After our war ends due to internal political pressure from our benevolent leaders as well as financial pressure from the Japanese, many Japanese leaders are discussing the possibility of using their foreign dollar reserves to create a global humanitarian mission where they can bring knowledge and modern telecommunications access to countries that have not been able to provide it for themselves.

As this happens the American economy will regain strength because our trade balance will become much more sustainable. So ultimately for your forex trading, the downwards trend for the dollar will continue until these big benevolent changes occur, afterwards the American economy (as well as the global economy as a whole) will regain its stability.



Reuben

John Callingham asked:


The Foreign Exchange market takes place wherever one currency is traded for another. Also referred to as the Forex, FX, or currency market, the Foreign Exchange market is the largest and most liquid financial market in the world. Here, large banks, central banks, governments, multinational corporations, currency speculators, and other financial markets and institutions trade to reach their ultimate goal of making profit. According to reports on Forex news, the average daily trade in the international Forex market, including related markets, is currently almost US$4 trillion. That’s a lot of money, and you might want to have a share.

Through the use of the Internet, you can discover the well-kept secrets to becoming a successful Forex trader, making you earn not just a healthy income, but a robust profit, if you dare. The first thing you have to do, of course, is to read up on the subject so you can be better informed and thus, make better money-making decisions. You have to read articles related to Forex news.

One of the most important things that you have to understand is that there are a number of factors that affect foreign currency trading. Ultimately, currency prices in the Forex market are dictated by the result of supply and demand forces, as with any other market in the world. However, in order to make sense of patterns, you’ll do well to consider several factors, including economic issues and political conditions. Being regularly updated on Forex news is vital to your success as a foreign currency trader.

The economic factors include economic policies embraced by one country and disseminated by agencies of a government and its central banks, economic conditions, which are manifested through economic reports, and other economic indicators. The most important of these factors is economic policy. This encompasses a government fiscal policy, which pertains to the budget or spending practices of an entire nation, and monetary policy, through which a government’s central bank influences the cost and supply of money, which is then reflected by the rise or fall of interest rates. Economic conditions, on the other hand, include everything from the way the government budget deficits of surpluses, inflation levels and trends, the balance of trade levels and trends, and the overall economic growth and health of a country. You can find Forex news about global economics in the news, whether on a cable television channel or in a section of a newspaper.

The political factors include internal, regional, and international political conditions and events that can have a significant effect on currency markets and one country’s currency value. The most common example of this is political upheaval and instability, manifested by strong and constant protests out in the streets against a government. The presence of this kind of activity creates a negative impact on a nation’s economy, resulting to a fall in the value of its currency.

Now you know how important it is to tune in to Forex news. Keep yourself updated and you’re sure to be ten steps ahead in becoming a successful foreign currency trader.



Marsha

PhilippineNewsOnline asked:

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Tina

Stig Kristoffersen asked:


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has made a three day working visit to Ukraine. And he has made statements of both non-political as well as political nature while he has been there. What caught the international and domestic press immediate attention were his comments on the Ukrainian women. Well, it is a compliment that a Vice President makes this statement and could maybe boost a segment in Ukrainian business, who knows?

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, on a visit to Kyiv during July 21st – 23rd , has delivered a positive message to a beleaguered Ukraine. Despite Kyiv’s paralyzing domestic political feuds and a deep recession, Biden said Washington’s efforts to repair strained ties with Russia will not hurt U.S. support for Ukraine’s push to integrate with the West. Biden — who is on a tour that will also take him to Georgia — made his comments at a joint news conference in Kyiv following talks with President Viktor Yushchenko.

U.S Vice President and Ukrainian women

Wherever Joe Biden goes, so does his mouth. Meeting today with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Kyiv, the vice president lived up to his reputation for loose lips making himself out to be a horndog-in-waiting. “I cannot believe that a Frenchman visiting Kyiv went back home and told his colleagues he discovered something and didn’t say he discovered the most beautiful women in the world. That’s my observation,” he told Yushchenko. “It’s certain you have so many beautiful women.”

Working visit

The U.S Vice President got to meet the sitting president, prime minister and presidential candidates of Ukraine during his meeting. Biden got to cover lots of various topics, but we do not know any details apart from what was said in the various press conferences straight after meetings or by the Ukrainian party afterwards. It is worth mentioning that the pro-western policy of Ukraine was supported by U.S. However, it remains to see what the retorics is worth when it comes to politics in reality. U.S sold out Ukraine in its EU campaign in order to keep their foot in the missile program in former Soviet states in Eastern Europe. However, has proved to be an important economic partner for Ukraine, but not as important as European countries have proven to be in the last decade.

Below, you will find a short summary from each meeting Biden had with his Ukrainian politicians. It also reflects the Ukrainian press coverage of the meetings, and it is interesting to see that the press covers more of Yanokovich’s meetings with Biden than the three others together.

Biden says to President Viktor Yushchenko that Ukraine need not worry about U.S.-Russia ties

Vice President Joe Biden assured a nervous Ukraine that its interests won’t be sacrificed as the United States tries to mend ties with Moscow.

Visiting Kyiv two weeks after President Barack Obama attended a Moscow summit, Biden said Russia can claim no “sphere of influence” in its backyard. The U.S. vice president travels next to another former Soviet republic, Georgia, which lost a five-day war with Russia last year over separatist provinces that Moscow insists are independent states.

Russia has responded angrily to efforts by the pro-Western leaders of Ukraine and Georgia to distance their countries from Moscow and seek NATO membership.

As confrontation simmers between Moscow and the West over Ukraine’s future, Biden signaled that Russia has no special rights in the region.

“We do not recognize – and I want to reiterate it – any sphere of influence,” Biden said after meeting with pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko. “We do not recognize anyone else’s right to dictate to you or any other country what alliances you will seek to belong to.”

Before Biden even spoke, Russia had warned the United States to tread lightly when it courts Moscow’s neighbors.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said all nations are free to choose their partners, but added: “It is important that this be done transparently, without under-the-carpet games and not at the expense of others’ interests.”

Nesterenko suggested Russia’s traditional ties with Ukraine give it a bigger stake in the country’s future, saying nations dealing with Ukraine should take regional context and “historical specifics” into account.

Biden reassured Ukraine that Obama’s bid to “reset” relations with Russia would not hurt Ukraine’s push for integration with the West, saying better ties with Moscow “will not come at Ukraine’s expense.”

“To the contrary, I believe it can actually benefit Ukraine,” he said. “The more substantive relationship we have with Moscow, the more we can defuse the zero-sum thinking about our relations with Russia’s neighbors.”

The Russia-US summit on July 6-8 aimed to make a new start in relations, which reached post-Cold War lows after Russia’s war with Georgia last August. Obama stressed that “NATO seeks collaboration with Russia, not confrontation.”

Mindful of a rift within Ukraine about joining NATO, Biden said the U.S. would not dictate to the nation, but emphasized that “if you choose to be part of Euro-Atlantic integration – which I believe you have – that we strongly support that.”

Polls have shown a majority of Ukrainians oppose NATO membership, and European allies have been more wary than the United States about bringing Ukraine into the alliance. While NATO has stressed that the door remains open, Russia’s war with Georgia deepened concerns by hinting at the lengths Moscow is willing to go to keep neighbors out of the Western alliance.

The war also raised alarms in Ukraine about Kremlin intentions toward a nation many Russians see as inextricably linked to their own. Biden stressed that “the United States supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and freedom, and to make its own choices – its own choices – including what alliances they choose to belong.”

Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, drily dismissed Biden’s trip as “psychotherapy” aimed to comfort Ukraine and Georgia, and said neither has a chance of joining the alliance any time soon.

Welcoming Biden, Yushchenko called Ukraine a “European country where democracy rules” – seeking to set it apart from Russia, which has often-acrimonious relations with the European Union and has faced accusation of a retreat from democracy in the past decade.

“We are going forward, we have chosen a European path,” Yushchenko said.

He also called for U.S. investment in upgrading Ukraine’s natural-gas pipeline network, which carries large volumes of Russian natural gas to European consumers. Russia turned off the taps during a price dispute in January, leaving many Europeans without gas for two weeks and prompting the EU to step up efforts to find alternative supply routes.

Accompanied by Yushchenko, Biden placed flowers at a memorial to victims of a deadly 1932-33 famine engineered by Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s government – the focus of one of several disputes between Ukraine and Russia over history. Yushchenko is seeking international recognition of the famine that killed millions of Ukrainians as genocide, while Russia adamantly argues that Ukrainians were not specifically targeted.

Biden later met with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a former Yushchenko ally who is now a bitter foe and chief challenger in January’s presidential election. He also met with opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych and former parliament speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who also plan to seek the presidency.

Biden urged the feuding leaders to put disagreements behind them and get down to fixing the country’s devastated economy. “Working together, especially in times of crisis, is not a choice, it’s an absolute necessity,” he said. “Compromise … is not a sign of weakness, it is evidence of strength.”

The rivalry has played into the hands of Yanukovych, who has warmer ties with Moscow and is popular in Ukraine’s largely Russian-speaking east.

Biden on Wednesday visits Georgia, whose strategic location along a key energy route has made it a geopolitical battlefield between Moscow and the West.

Russian forces quickly crushed the Georgian army last August after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili launched an offensive targeting the Moscow-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia to try to bring it under control.

Russia has defied the West by deploying thousands of troops in South Ossetia and another separatist province, Abkhazia, and recognizing both regions as independent nations.  

Biden: U.S. intention to improve relations with Russia cannot compromise relations with Ukraine

The United States intentions to improve relations with Russia cannot compromise the country’s relations with Ukraine, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has said.

He was speaking at a meeting with Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn in Kyiv on Tuesday, the press service of the Ukrainian parliament has said.

Biden told those present that his visit to Ukraine was approved while U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Russia was being planned.

The U.S. Vice-President has noted that his country has maintained two principled positions: firstly the U.S. doesn’t agree that Russia cannot influence any country, and secondly each country can decide, what relations it will be building.

He also noted that all the states that lived through the so-called colored revolutions are always facing a crossroad and assured the Verkhovna Rada speaker that the United States will support Ukraine.

Ukraine, Russia need new agenda of bilateral relations, Yatseniuk tells Biden

Leader of Ukraine’s Front for Change initiative Arseniy Yatseniuk has said that Ukraine and Russia need a new agenda of bilateral relations.

He said this at a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Kyiv on Tuesday

“We have touched on the Ukrainian-Russian relations… We need a new agenda of the Ukrainian-Russian relations and I have briefly expressed my viewpoint on this issue,” Yatseniuk told reporters at a briefing following his meeting with Biden on Tuesday afternoon.

The Front for Change leader also said that they didn’t discuss with the U.S. Vice President the issue of NATO or the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine, but focused on the global economic turmoil instead.

Biden, Yanukovych discuss energy security

Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the Party of Regions, and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden have discussed energy security issues. “It was discussed,” Yanukovych told reporters after a meeting with Biden in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to him, it is important for Ukraine to build transparent relations with its strategic partners, such as the European Union and Russia.

“Ukraine, as a transiting country, is interested in having an efficiently working gas transportation system and see it modernized in the near future, for which it is definitely necessary to draw investment, and both the EU and Russia should be involved as strategic investors. They can be Ukraine’s partners in this issue,” Yanukovych said.

He also mentioned the initiative of setting up an international consortium.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko earlier said after his meeting with Biden that Ukraine would welcome U.S. investment in the modernization of Ukraine’s gas transportation system.

Yanukovych assures Biden he is ready for compromise with other political forces

Leader of the Regions Party Viktor Yanukovych has assured U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that he is ready for compromise with other political forces in Ukraine.

“I repeated his own phrase to Mr Vice President that strong politicians, strong people, they always look for a compromise and find it,” he told the press after his meeting with Biden in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The Regions Party’s leader also said that he had announced many times his readiness to “choose peace between war and peace.”

Biden earlier said that the United States called for Ukrainian politicians to join efforts to tackle the recessions.

Yanukovych, Biden touch upon future presidential elections in Ukraine

Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the Party of Regions, and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden have touched upon future presidential elections in Ukraine during their recent meeting in Kyiv.

“As for the future elections, I’ve very briefly emphasized that we’re interested in the fair and transparent elections,” Yanukovych told reporters after the meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday.

He also added that the Party of Regions is interested in U.S. observers at the elections “who could create equal conditions for every candidate.”

Yanukovych also said that he had heard the U.S. Vice President’s viewpoint on the economy in Ukraine, relations with the International Monetary Fund, and democracy-related issues.

Among other representatives of the Party of Regions at the meeting were MPs Serhiy Levochkin, Mykola Azarov and Hanna Herman.

Future of Ukraine and bonds to U.S and EU

The next election of the Ukrainian president is scheduled for January 17, 2010 and it remains to see if U.S will take a preference amongst the 4 candidates he has met with during his trip to Ukraine this year.

It is important however, to observe that U.S is quite open when it comes to its desire to bring Ukraine towards Western Europe and form a stronger alliance with Europe both in a political as well as in military sense.

It remains to see how U.S will play their cards when it comes to gas politics in the region, as EU has taken ownership in Nabucco gas pipe line, which is in direct competition to North Stream which Germany and Russia favours.

However, U.S has shown its commitment to assist Ukraine in its path towards a true democracy, however, much of the work and responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the present leadership in Ukraine and its future ones. There is no room for Ukraine political leadership to make lots of diversions now. They need to commit themselves to a path that is clear to the outside world as well as the domestic economic forces and business. Unless Ukraine manage to show strength through the economic turmoil they experience at the moment, it can get worse and set Ukraine back several decades. It can be a domestic reset button for Ukraine economy and development towards a democratic state.

Ukraine is looking for the leader that will bring Ukraine out of the crisis, but also can unite its people to pull in one direction towards prosperity of all levels within Ukraine. There is a need to modernize the public as well as in private business sector.

At the moment it looks like there is only one candidate ready to take this challenge on his shoulders and try to unite the people of Ukraine and at the same time have enough stamina to keep international relations at a good stronghold.

This candidate is most likely Arseniy Yatseniuk which collects more and more support amongst the Ukrainian people with his diplomatic skills and experience.

 

 



Hunter

Bharti Venkatesh asked:


“The real wealth of a nation is its people. And the purpose of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. This simple but powerful truth is too often forgotten in the pursuit of material and financial wealth.”

 

INTRODUCTION

Globalization of Indian economy is compelling organization to rethink their future strategies. It is now widely recognized that transformation is a pre-requisite to their survival and growth. Business organization in India especially public enterprises are experiencing winds of change. For the HR function, there would not be a more existing and challenging opportunity than managing the complexities of change and transformation. HR today is playing a lead role along with business functions in creating the necessary momentum and internal capabilities.

 

Now first let us understand what we mean by globalization.

 

WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?

Every day we hear it on news, we read it in the newspapers, we overhear people talking about it… and in every single moment the word ‘globalization’ seems to have a different meaning. So what is globalization?

“…integration of business activities across geographical and organizational boundaries.”

“The capacity to treat the world as one market while…dealing with many culturally diverse merchants.”

“…the process by which markets expands to include competitors for customers and productive inputs without regard to national boundaries”.

 

“…doing business with a world wide focus… rather than doing business in an international market with the focus from a home-country viewpoint.”

Globalization is not just a recent phenomenon. Some analysts have argued that the world economy was just a globalized 100 years ago as it is today. Yet the term is used since the 1980’s, reflecting technological advances that have made it easier and quicker to complete international transactions, both trade and financial flows. The most striking aspect of this has been the integration of financial markets made possible by modern electronic communication.

At a political and economic level, globalization is the process of denationalization of markets, politics and legal systems i.e. the use of the so-called global economy. Globalization refers to an extension beyond national borders of the same market forces that have operated for centuries at all levels of human economic activity (village markets, urban industries, or financial centers). It means that world trade and financial markets are becoming more integrated.

At a business level, we talk of globalization when organization decides to take part in the emerging global economy and establish themselves in foreign markets. First they will adapt their products or services to the customer’s linguistic and cultural requirements. Then, they might take advantage of the internet revolution and establish a virtual presence on the international market place with a multilingual corporate website or even as an e-business.

Overall, globalization requires a combination of linguistic, engineering and marketing knowledge that is not easily available. (Sparrow, Paul, R, 2006)

 

Globalization is linked to four major aspects:

Trade Capital movements Movement of people Spread of knowledge

DRIVERS OF GLOBALIZATION

Driving factors of globalization can be divided into four groups:

MARKET DRIVERS

Convergence of per capita income Convergence of life styles Organizations behavior as global customers

COST DRIVERS

Push for economics of scale Advances in transportation Emergence of newly industrialized countries with productive capability and low labor costs

COMPETITIVE DRIVERS

Growth of global networks making countries interdependent Rise of new competitors intent on becoming global competitors Increased formation of global strategies alliances

GOVERNMENT DRIVERS

Reduction on tariffs and other trade barriers Privatization of industry in many parts of the world Creation of trading blocks (i.e. EU)

Globalization has elevated the importance of HRM development in organization. These changes have led to the notion of the HR system as a strategic asset. Many of the arguments about processes of globalization within the HR function rest on the assumption that there has and continues to be longitudinal change in the conduct of HR. in the intervening seven years a wide range of contextual changes have led to significant globalization of activity, including: the transfer of work abroad, either to outsourced providers or on a global in-sourcing basis; the e-enablement of many HR process; greater sophistication in the HR information technology, new structures for international HR functions; greater competition for talented staff at all levels of organization; more protracted and strategic talent pipelines. In particular, there has been a very strong marketing, corporate communication and IT influence on the HR function. The HR function is realigning itself in response to this process of cross-function globalization (building new alliances with these functions) creating new activity streams and new roles and skills required of the HR function (Sparrow, Brewster and Harris, 2004).

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGERS: THEIR ROLE IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

Issues facing HR are expected to change dramatically in the next decades. Thus, HR professionals must play special roles in dealing with these changes and must develop specific competencies to support these roles.

Workplace flexibility is expected to be on the rise as the future workplace, the ‘virtual office’ is characterized by creative and flexible work arrangements. As more employees work off-site-up to two thirds of an organization in the 21st century – there will be an increase in emphasis on performance and results as opposed to the number of hours worked. In addition, off-site employees can expect to attend fewer meetings. Specified work will become much more collaborative and management will spend nearly all its time managing cross-functional work teams who enjoy a lot of autonomy. In essence, there will be a movement, a trend towards a decentralized model of HR.

HR managers will have to accommodate employees in their virtual work locations and find ways to manage corporate culture, socialization and employee orientation. In order to obtain and maintain a competent workforce, they must act as organizational performance experts and shape employees behavior without face to face meetings.

Another expected change in HR is the ‘Global Business’ concept world trade knew a major growth during the last years and there is forecasted as well the growth of international businesses, especially among small firms. Organization rely more and more organization HR specialists as the facilitators of work across borders and among different cultures. Therefore, they must be knowledgeable of other cultures, languages and business practices. They will be required to develop and manage an international workforce, maintain written and unwritten corporate polices for transportability to other cultures, keep top management informed of the costs of not paying attention to the transnational issues and provide their services to a variety of locations world wide.

 

Concerning the recruitment in the above mentioned ‘global business’ it will be important which strategy will be adopted by the management.

Globalization will impact HR managers by requiring new skills such as language capabilities. For e.g., in order to recruit employees from other cultures, HR managers will either have to learn new languages or else they will certainly have to have foreign speakers on staff. But in order to facilitate communication among people coming from a wide range of language backgrounds, in most multinationals, it is preferred to speak English.

However, when we talk about Globalization and culture, then how does this relation influence businesses and HR professionals’ attitudes?

Organization must take into account cultural differences that shape managerial attitudes, when developing multinational management programs. For e.g., British managers value individual achievement and autonomy, whereas French managers appreciate competent supervision, fringe benefits, security and comfortable conditions, while Indian managers gives more importance of their culture and tradition.

HR managers must therefore be familiar with and understand other cultural norms to promote organization diversity. An organization that recognizes and promotes cultural diversity will benefit because it will be employing the market that it serves. With increasing globalization and competition within the market, a diverse workforce is conducive to attracting and retaining a strong client base. While competing in an international market, employees from diverse national backgrounds provide language skills and understanding of other cultures. HR professionals will also be responsible for providing cultural sensitivity training for the organizations employees and for managers throughout the entire organization. (Czebter, Anamaria, 2002)

DILEMMAS FACED BY AN HR HEAD

 Unlike the other industries where HR is considered as a functional need, there is a need to view HR as a partner or a business enabler. One of the constant challenges faced in this area is to align HR to business. The five R’s therefore, assume utmost significance in HR strategy. The HR team needs to get in right from the stage of defining the business strategy to Resourcing, Recruiting the right talent, Retaining the talent, Retraining and Restructuring.

However, if we see the scenario of HR in IT company, we find that flexibility appears to be the key for success and survival as IT has become such a dynamic field due to the constant developments and upgradation in the area of technology and changing customer requirements. Topping all these reasons is also the trend of globalization, which tries the HR test of endurance. The ability and the willingness to modify job structure, job classification and the organizational structure as often and as quickly as necessary are important elements in a successful recruitment and retention strategy for IT professionals. This challenges of managing expectations and change puts constant pressure on the professionals.

The challenge does not stop with recruiting the right person but with how we are going to manage the performance of our employees. The challenge would be to create a performance culture where in opportunities are provided for enhanced performance and where giving out optimum performance becomes a way of life.

Training and development is another area. In the IT industry training takes on a new connotation. It is not just about identifying training needs and giving the required training. It is foreseeing and anticipating the requirements and developing suitable training so that the employees are well-equipped to handle the challenges.

 

Another major challenge is how we are able to incorporate all the sub-systems in HR and help them in achieving the ultimate goal – exceptional performance. People have to be groomed to get in tune with the performance culture. Creating an environment that stimulates the creation of knowledge and its sustenance throughout the organization is big challenge. No longer can the HR department carry on with its traditional functions. However, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is to be put in place – to build and sustain a performance – driven culture. The role will shift to that of facilitator. HR will have to involve the whole organization in this process and act as a counselor and facilitator and that is the most gigantic challenge the HR of any organization faces.

 

In the face of such challenges faced by HR managers, a question arises as to what competencies an HR manager needs to equip them in order to survive in the turbulent phase of globalization.

COMPETENCIES FOR A HR MANAGER

In order to effectively deal with all the changes, HR professionals must develop competencies that will allow them to carry out their roles, competences like:

Flexibility Team work Communication Decisiveness Leadership Strategic planning Network building Client service orientation Organizational awareness Self confidence Sharing of expertise Global and cultural understanding Multiple language competencies

In addition to increasing and sustaining technological skills relating to communication developments, HR professionals will may also be required to increase their numerical and data compilations skills. As increasing demands merge to provide specific measurable results that prove effectiveness in their area, HR professionals will be required that produce quantifiable results that prove that their department is delivering specified outcomes based on the objectives and goals set forth by the organization.

 

In addition to delivering specific measurable developments, managers will also need to know what contributed to the results declared. This may mean that HR professionals will be required to be familiar with and administer employee survey and provide for accurate data compilation and regression analysis.

As a result of the increase in technology, innovation and globalization over the last 20 years, HR professionals around the world are forced to be more efficient, more effective and more competitive. They need to respond to the demands of global competitiveness by becoming more familiar with language skills, cultural awareness and diversity promotion. Additionally, HR professionals must be committed to continuous learning, being familiar with cutting edge communication. If HR managers won’t pay enough attention to their changing role, serous consequences could result, including the deterioration or even perhaps the elimination of the HR department. (Halcrow A, 1998)

TO SUM UP

However, the research has shown that the HR function in international organization has to meet a series of challenges. Three key conclusions about the role of HR professionals working in the field of international recruitment selection and assessment can be drawn:

The added value of the HR function in an international firm lies in its ability to manage the delicate, balance between globally coordinated systems and sensitivity to local needs, including cultural differences, in a way that align with both business needs and senior management philosophy.  There now appear to be a distinction to be made between international HRM and global HRM. In this transition, the old functional divides between international recruitment, international management development and international reward management have become increasingly weak.

Over the last 20 years, the workplace has changed in more ways that one could have ever imagined, resulting from the increase in technology, innovation and globalization. The next decade will bring even greater change, impacting all facets of the workplace, including major changes for the HR department and HR managers. In order to respond to the demands of globalization, HR managers will require new skills and competencies relating to language and culture, technology capabilities to facilitate overseas communication, methods to measure and quantify effectiveness and evaluate strategies and return on investment. Evidently, these new skills and competencies will result in an emerging new role for HR managers, requiring them to be strategic business partner, supportive of the overall corporate strategy.

The future role of HR professional will change from a less administrative role to more of a strategic role. HR managers will continually be required to prove their effectiveness and their existence. They will be expected to understand international business practices and promote cultural diversity within the organization. They will need to understand the core business of the organization and become partners with line managers. They will need to prove that their initiatives and programs are result-oriented, providing specific measurable results in terms of business competitiveness that contribute positively to the bottom-line of the organization. They will be required to stay current with leading edge as more and more organization is faced with the demands of globalization and strategic alliances with other organization around the world.

REFERENCE

Czebter, Anamaria, (2002), ‘Labor market and Gloablization: Human Resources management in global enterprises, Centre International de Formation Europeenne, Nice. Halcrow A, (1998), ‘Survey shows HR in Transition workforce’. Sparrow, Paul, R., (2006) ‘Globalization of HR at function level: Exploring the issues through International Recruitment, Selection and Assessment Process, working papers, Cornell University. Sparrow, Paul, R., Brewster, C., and Harris, H. (2004), ‘Globalizing Human Resource Management’, London, Routledge.

Lester

Right Selection asked:


ef=”http://rightselection.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/at-your-service/” title=”Permanent Link: At your service”>At your service

Asghar Khan/Gulf News

I want to uplift this spirit of service in everyone I meet all the time, says Ron Kaufman.

Can you grab your customer’s attention in just three minutes? Yes, says Ron Kaufman, the master speaker of service who recently launched his virtual Up Your Service College in Dubai.

Attending a Ron Kaufman seminar on ‘Up your service’ is like being swept away by a mental tornado. Your ideas and creative instincts are stirred, dusted and given such a violent shake-down that you emerge feeling gloriously ingigorated – mentally fresh, your mind brimming over with new concepts and thoughts.

A self-confessed junkie of the speakers cult, I was however blown away by his spontaneous response to a trick question: how can you grab a customer’s attention in just three minutes?

Ron’s answer is just two words: “Pay attention.”

Seeing that I am waiting for him to say more, he explains: “You need to genuinely show a sincere, dedicated and present-in-the-moment attentive concern to listen to and care for that person.

“People offering genuine attention are so rare these days that once you offer this to your customer, he/she is bound to get hooked to what you are saying.

“For instance, think about what happens at home,” he suggests.

“How often do you really listen and are totally connected to the person you are speaking with? But establish the connection with the person … and you will get him/her to open up.

She might tell you what is worrying her and you may be able to offer her some help. Or she might tell you what a wonderful time she had and you could share in her happiness.”

Ron Kaufman, internationally acclaimed innovator and motivator for partnerships and quality service, has helped organisations around the world achieve superior service, increase customer loyalty, create strong partnerships and build winning teams.

He has worked with multinational companies, government agencies and industry associations in high technology, financial, professional and medical services, manufacturing, retailing, entertainment, tourism and public recreation.

So, when it comes to the service industry, what separates the boys from the men?

“If you want to stand out from the competition in terms of your [corporate] culture, in terms of attracting the best people to work with you … then you have to show a genuine passion for the experience that the consumer is having,” he says.

You have to look at everything from the customers’s viewpoint … essentially be in their shoes. You need to find out where they came from before they met you, what concerns they have while they are with you and where they are going after they’ve been with you, he says.

“This way you end up providing a much more robust quality of overall service experience not because you are selling them something which happens to be good (that’s part of it) but the experience of being sold something that is also good.

“The other part of the service experience is that if you have to differentiate, you have to be clear what segment of the market you are aiming at.”

He offers the example of Southwest Airlines, a budget airline. “The aim of their game is to get you there fast, cheap and safely. [They are not spending too much effort on fancy things like coffee, seating area, etc.] They focus on very specific areas which their customers will value and then they’re doing everything they can to accentuate and heighten their value in that clearly defined space.”

So, what can they do to up their service?

Ron offers some plans: “Take the issue of security,” he says. They could offer the exact-sized plastic bag for you to put your lotions, creams, etc into; they could send out a reminder either by email or inform you at the check-in counter about your shoes, your laptop, your belt … They could put up the information on their website and link it to the e-mail that they send you when you confirm your tickets, he says.

“There are things that all airlines can do to offer the guest a better experience. With the new regulations on what you can carry in your hand baggage, lots of the time you hear comments like, ‘Oh I forgot that my scissors are in my bag. And they are $200 scissors because I’m a hairdresser.’ ” Or it’s about a very expensive lotion someone bought on vacation which (naturally) they don’t want to have to throw it away.

An airline could have a tie-up

with a courier company or the post office and respond to such travellers’ woes with a ‘never mind, mail it to yourself’. “The service would then seem so seamless. But airlines go ‘that’s not my business’. Yeah, but that’s not a solution.”

Our service mindset evolves from our academic background, family upbringing, social status, culture … So how does one teach people to be different from the mindset they already possess?

“It’s more about teaching people how they can find the best in the upbringing that they have,” he says.

“Robert Fritz, author of The Path of Least Resistance, once said the people who make the greatest progress are the ones who are very clear about where they want to get to. And they are also very clear about where they are right now. So you got your feet on the ground and you got your head in the clouds. When you hold on to the two simultaneously, the path of least resistance is in the direction of what you are trying to create. So you need to have both – a fantasy and then an awareness of where you are in order to move ahead. My course at the ‘Up Your Service College’ is designed to move up one step at a time and eventually get where you want to be.”

So do nations and countries have a definitive service culture? With close interaction with several countries, Ron has zeroed in on the service culture of a place.The people of one Far Eastern country, for instance, he says are very gentle, kind, compassionate and caring.

Now if they could add speed to the servic aspect, it wuld be great combination.

How would he rate Dubai? “Before I talk about Dubai, I’ll give you another example from the Middle East – Oman,” he says. Their hospitality is so gentle, it’s legendary, it says something about the culture within the Arab world.

“Dubai is a very interesting spot because there’s so much commerce going on here … It is way too multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-industry to be categorised in blanket terminology.”

Raising the bar

We all often have bad days. But how do you get to the level where you rise above your own preoccupation and ask someone else about his/her day?

“This is a discipline,” insists Ron, who firmly believes that his future doesn’t have to be determined by his past. “If I’ve been told off by the boss and I’m carrying that [rebuke] around, [it's not good]. I throw it at my wife and my kids and they are really sad. Ideally, I should sit down with the boss and clear this up or analyse it in my mind and resolve the issue.

“In the service industry you can’t always [sit down and analyse] that because you are on your feet all the time. You get a rude customer, then you handle him and then comes another customer who doesn’t know that the last one was rude. But why should I bring the problem I had with the last customer to the next customer?

“I want to uplift this spirit of service in everyone I meet all the time. It’s a huge objective and there are times when I don’t even live up to it but then if I don’t live up to it what’s my next challenge – to try to live up to it. That’s the essence of how you keep regenerating for yourself this willingness of being nice to the next person. If you realise that, you can be in control,” explains Ron.

Reaching out



Ron’s seminars are popular with companies that can afford him. But, keen to reach out to the maximum number of people Ron has, over the past two years, invested huge amounts of time and about a million dollars developing Up Your Service College, a virtual college where his teachings, the course ware, exercises, activities, discussions, role play, debates, all are available on DVDs.

The Training College was launched last year in Singapore where Ron has a number of government and commercial clients. He now has clients in London, the Netherlands, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, Finland, India and Indonesia.

Early years

Ron Kaufman grew up in West Port, Connecticut, USA. He studied International political history from Brown University, London and spent two years in Europe while still in College, specifically in the south of France to learn French and understand the culture and “enjoy myself”.

He returned to Brown for his senior year and wanted to learn more about how countries that have been at war can forge business alliances almost as soon as the war is over. He was fascinated by the fact that people would wage a war and kill each other and five years later they could be doing business with each other.

Sport, he found out, played an important role in bridging the gulf.

For example, he says, immediately after the Second World War countries that had been fighting with each other were busy playing football.

Ron decided to take up citizen diplomacy in a professional capacity. He took groups of people to China and the Soviet Union, “helping to bring down the walls of misunderstanding”.

His insight into the role of sport in creating bridges between people is perhaps a reflection of the times when he was busy organising Frisbee Festivals in his high school days.

Ron used to play Ultimate Frisbee, which is a bit like aerial soccer, for his school – Staple High School, Connecticut. When he went to Europe he began organising Frisbee tournaments and festivals there as well which were a huge success.

Ron’s organisational role and his high voltage performance in the commentary box led him to his first corporate seminar at American Express and this eventually led to his becoming a specialist in Adult Educational Design or Instructional design.

In 1990, the Singapore government invited him to help establish a service culture across the different government departments. Ron went for a week’s programme, but he liked the place so much that he stayed on in Singapore. He went on to become the Project Manager for curriculum design and later master trainer.

Singapore has also proved to be a good launch pad for doing programmes in the Middle East and he’s been spending a lot of time in Dubai conducting public as well as in-house programmes. His recent visit to Dubai was to launch the Training College, in partnership with Right Selection, Dubai.

So how does Ron integrate his message and ‘up his service’ in personal life?

“It’s not easy,” Ron says. “I have to mention something which I learned from a gentleman whom I admire a lot. I don’t have a commitment to live a balanced life. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire and appreciate balance in my life. It is just not my top priority. I do have a commitment to living an incredibly passionate life. So when I am with my daughter, Brighten, for example, I really want to be with her.

“Whenever I’m in Singapore we have what is called dad and daughter dinner. So she’ll be with me every weekend (as I have got divorced and my daughter lives with her Mum, just two blocks away from my home in Singapore). It’s not easy but every time she has a vacation, I stop working and we take off on camping trips together.

“At 11, Brighten is a very mature kid. And part of the reason why she’s mature is because she’s been travelling with me since she was five weeks old.”

Ron is keen to design a curriculum for kids that teaches them fundamental principles of service at a really young age. “I’d like to share with kids how we need to leave this place better than we found it. That could mean cleaning someone’s dish off the table that you know wasn’t yours; it could be in a larger sense what you do with your life.”

The secret of Ron’s unbounded energy, he says, is several big glasses of mocktails of celery, zucchini, tomato, carrot, cucumber and ginger. Naturally, Ron benchmarks the hotels on how well they serve up his recipe. Happily, Dubai makes it to ‘Desired’.



Humberto

Michael Dyno asked:


With the buzz over the recent presidential election and the current financial crisis looming over the heads of Americans and American Corporations, the US transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) seems to be placed on the back burner for the time being.  The old proverb “accounting is always changing” will hold true once again, as the United States and the rest of the world prepare for the seemingly substantial transition.  What some corporations may not realize is there may be another financial hurdle staring them in the face from a distance.

                        Many questions are still left unanswered as to exactly how IFRS will affect the US.  However, one thing can be held certain when implementing new accounting standards: costs. Accounting firms are beginning to predict overwhelming internal costs in the areas of employee training, IT conversions, and general ledger software.  As of November 17th, 2008, the SEC has reported that the average U.S corporation will spend nearly $32 million in IFRS adoption costs.     

            Rest assured, prior to convergence, is preparation and training for the transition into new IFRS principles.  Fortunately, some training efforts have already begun by the “Big Four” looking not only to train their employees, but also their clients.  “What’s underestimated is the educational effort it will require in the heartland, the bread basket of the U.S., including banks and other customers. It will certainly impact them all,” says Bob Dohrer, partner and practice leader of McGladrey & Pullen’s International Assurance Services Group.  Companies will also face important trade-offs with training issues due to the increased indirect costs of employees training during regular working hours.  If all goes as planned, the “Big Four” will be responsible for a substantial portion of the IFRS training of other US accounting firms and companies.  However, plan to expect training efforts from third party companies looking to cash in on the transition.  UK companies recorded an average of £625,000 for IFRS convergence training in 2005.  “From 20 to 25 percent of finance staff will need the in-depth, full-immersion courses.  I’d figure the cost in the neighborhood of $1,000 per day, per participant,” says Doher.

            Another escalading cost of IFRS convergence is that of IT conversions.  Along with new principles in costing, revenues, and expenses, comes the burdensome cost of updating companies IT software to comply.    A recent publication by KPMG states that tax payers and U.S. accounting firms will see increasing costs in tax software, due to the new book methods of IFRS. The author predicts that a fair amount of errors will take place in tax departments because of the implementation of new standards, software, and possible lack of proper training.

            Along with IT costs, come the costs of new general ledger software to comply with IFRS.  Most software companies are taking a somewhat dual approach to the conversion until they can fully develop software based on IFRS.  Several software companies such as SAP, Oracle, and Coda, have stated that they are taking a trial and error approach to IFRS compliance.  So far, most software companies are creating general ledger software that can comply with both GAAP and IFRS principles, until they can further evaluate their software based on how U.S corporations take to IFRS.  For the time being, software companies are mainly changing U.S. company’s general ledger software through an update process, which has proven to be much more cost friendly toward U.S. corporations.  Software companies have stated that as time goes on and IFRS software continues to develop, U.S companies will most definitely see cost increases in the price of software due to IFRS compliance.  However, many software companies plan to cut out some costs for U.S companies by providing software training directly to the consumers.  This plan will help eliminate extra training costs from third party training companies, which are sure to be very costly.

            As the transition to IFRS continues to draw closer and closer, US companies can be sure to expect higher internal costs in upcoming years.  IFRS implementations and principles may be vague for the time being, but US companies must certainly begin to prepare for the seemingly costly transition, which is sure to include higher costs in the areas of training and software compliance. 

Sources:

    

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2034318/bill-mounts-cost-ifrs

http://www.coda.com/Art?AID=1663

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/12625195?f=home_featured

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111804087.html

http://www.cpa2biz.com/Content/media/PRODUCER_CONTENT/Newsletters/Articles_2008/CPA/Oct/Conversion.jsp

http://www.taxgovernanceinstitute.com/documents/TGI/414200894736IFRS%20Tax%20Methods%20T.pdf



Nichole

Peri Witny asked:


The cricket team of Pakistan is on the tour to Sri Lanka. On its tour the team is going to play a number of matches. Pakistan has played its three test matches against the host country and has lost the test match series to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka played very well and has beaten the Pakistani team on the grounds of their country. Now from Thursday, 30th July, 2009 both the teams will start the one day match series. On Thursday the teams of Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play their first one day international match against each other in Dambulla. The match will start at 5:30 according to the local time.

Both the teams are really looking forward to this one day international series and are putting in a lot of efforts in their net practice. The team of Pakistan will be lucky again to have Shahid Afridi back in the team. He is a glittering and a brilliant all rounder. His participation in any of the Pakistani match really brings in positive impression in the team. The over all spirit of the team is boosted with his presence in the team. He was unable to join his team in the test match series. His participation in one day matches will really matter.

The team players of Pakistan and Sri Lanka are doing their practice with full spirit and are taking care of their health and fitness, so that they can take part in this match with full energy and can contribute their role in order to win the match. Sangakara, the captain of Sri Lankan team is very efficient and has all the abilities to keep his team united. The team under his leadership has grown to a great extent. The performance of his team has been polished to a visible extent and the team has been showing consistent performance in their past matches. There are brilliant players playing in the host team. Players like Jayasuria, Murlidharan, Dilshan and a number of other fantastic cricketers have always played with full positive spirit and contributed their due role in taking their team to the victory post.

On the other hand the Pakistani team players are no less in their performances than the Sri Lankan team players. The team of Pakistan, under the captaincy of Younis Khan, has really been improved and has been playing like a united team. Pakistani cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Umer Gul, Abdur Razzak, Kamaran Akmal and a number of other brilliant and fantastic players have always proved themselves in all the matches played by the Pakistani team. Now the fans of both the teams are hoping to see their favorite team winning this first one day international. The cricket match results will be displayed on internet. You can take the updates of cricket live scores online. These live cricket scores will keep the cricket lovers in touch with the match.



Billie

Valery Satterwhite asked:


Copyright (c) 2009 Valery Satterwhite

Is your life full of lemons or lemonade?

Expressing your Inner Wizard is about seeing lemonade instead of lemons rather than making lemonade out of lemons. If you believe that your self, your environment and the world is made up of lemons then most of what you see will be – lemons! Your mind will be constantly on the look-out for lemons to prove your internal, unconscious, belief system – your Inner Critic – is RIGHT. The world is full of lemons and lemons are what you expect to get! If, however, your mindset is programmed to look out for lemonade then that’s the lens through which you will view your selves, your environment and your world. This is the view of your Inner Wizard.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Max Planck, Nobel Prize-winning physicist

Have you ever decided to buy a car? You’ve selected the exact make, model and color of the car you wish to purchase. Seemingly all of a sudden you start to see the same make, model and color of car everywhere. Until you selected that particular car you saw only a handful of them on the streets. Once you clearly identified what it is that you wanted your mind became programmed to look out for it and attract it. Just as you programmed your mind to look for a specific car, your mind is programmed on the belief system you adopted for yourself when you were very young.

Examples of ‘lemon’ Inner Critic beliefs include:

- I’m not smart enough.

- Rich people are jerks.

- I’m not worthy.

- The world is a dangerous place.

- Salespeople just want to rip you off.

- I’m a failure.

More often than not you’re not even aware of these internal beliefs, yet they run your life! For example, if you listen to your Inner Critic and believe that rich people are jerks then you will never become, or stay, wealthy because you certainly don’t want to be a jerk!

A simple belief about yourself guides a large part of your life and you probably don’t even know it. This belief permeates how you view your experiences and the choices you make. The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It is your mindset that stops you from already being, doing and having what you want in life.

Ok, so how did you establish your internal programming, your mindset, to begin with?

At a very young age you saw, heard or felt something and gave it a meaning. More often than not you misinterpreted what you saw, heard or felt. After all, you were very young.

Think about it. I’ve often asked parents if they ever said or did something that their child completely misinterpreted. They all say, “Yes! Every day!”

Guess what you did as a kid! You misinterpreted a lot of what you saw and heard and made up a belief – empowered your Inner Critic – based on what you think you saw or heard.

For example, a parent or teacher could have said, “Look how smart your sister is, she got an A on her test.” Your young ears hear this and take on the belief, “If I get anything less than A’s I’m not smart.” Unless you’re a straight-A student, you go through your life thinking you’re not smart.” You question your judgment. You think you’re not smart enough to accomplish your goals. Since your unconscious belief system is always looking to be right, you unconsciously constantly look for evidence that proves “You’re not smart”. You ignore, or simply do not see, any evidence that proves you are smart. So, you either block yourself from even going after certain goals because you believe that you are not smart enough to achieve them or you set yourself up for failure to prove, once again, that you are not smart enough!

By the way, your parents and teachers did not get up in the morning and deliberately figure out ways they could mess up your life. They were simply doing the best that they can. They have Inner Critics too, complete with their own set of unsupportive beliefs about themselves, their environment and the world. The choices they make are based on their own internal programming – and whether they’ve given their personal power over to their Inner Critic or Inner Wizard.

Many people use affirmations to reverse such Inner Critic beliefs as “I am not smart’ within their thought pattern. They may look in the mirror daily and tell themselves that they are, indeed, smart. Trouble is, unless they believe that they truly are smart enough at their deepest level the “I am not smart” Inner Critic viewpoint will continue to run them.

If your conscious thoughts are not in alignment with your unconscious beliefs, your mindset, the unconscious beliefs will prevail. You bring into your life what you are wanting, your dreams and aspirations. When your conscious and unconscious beliefs are the same – in alignment – and your personal power is restored to your Inner Wizard, life becomes easy and magical. Those serendipitous and fortunate ‘co-incidences’ and ‘out of the blue’ opportunities happen frequently. Life flows smoothly – even around the bumps and twists along the way.

The good news is your internal programming can be changed. Change your thoughts to change your life. Life transformation is about seeing things in a new way. As your Guide, my job is to shine a light on how you think and make decisions, reveal your unconscious Inner Critic, work with you to remove its power and re-connect with your Inner Wizard. Returning your personal power to your Inner Wizard will create an internal belief system that will support you as you turn your dreams into reality.

“We always attract into our lives whatever we think about most, believe most, expect on the deepest level, and imagine most vividly.” – Shakti Gawain ©2008 Valery Satterwhite. International Association for Inner Wizards? All Rights Reserved.



Mara

Vikas S asked:


A school council is formed by a group of students, elected for proper representation of students’ viewpoint in order to improve the quality of school standard and mutual relationship of teachers, students, and guardians. Student forums and youth parliaments are also part of the student council.

Although there are many school councils which are only formal in their existence and hardly contribute any input for the betterment of school and student welfare, there are a few school councils that work efficiently to improve the school ambience and ensure cleanliness of the school campus.

Some of the remarkable performance of school councils are campaigning to local council to get their toilets sorted out, redesigning of school cafeteria and planning for new and improved lunch menu, introducing new hot line for registering complain against college/school ragging, change in school uniform making a reasonable fusion between convention and convenience (for example, from blazer to comfortable and trendy sweatshirts), and designing and promoting some attractive folders *** school diaries for maintaining school records. Some school councils have also worked effectively in the collection of fund raising for social and moral support in case of some national or international calamity.

Often the school councils do not get success in their working schedule because of the lack of coordination and proper knowledge of handling an intricate issue by the member students. In this situation, different websites for school councils of different schools can provide them some concrete idea about the yearly performance of other school councils. In case of success stories, it is possible to share their experience and problems in order to apply the same in handling a similar problem by another school council. In fact, the website solutions, if consulted, work as readymade suggestion-resource for running the administration of local student councils.

In case of a national issue, the student councils can contact each other by means of websites and form a forum to ascertain their viewpoint for the disaster, thereby working together to fight the crisis.



Junior