Developments

John Cadbury set up as a sole trader, selling groceries at 93 Bull Street, Birmingham in 1824. In 1831 he changed his business and rented a small factory in Crooked Lane to start the manufacture of cocoa and drinking chocolate. In those days cocoa and chocolate was a luxury, and affordable only by the wealthy. He thought that drinking chocolate was an alternative to alcohol, because he felt alcohol was the cause of poverty and social ills. This was the start of the Cadbury manufacturing business as it is known today.

In 1847, John created a partnership with his brother Benjamin Cadbury, and they rented a slightly larger factory in Bridge Street. Benjamin and John dissolved their partnership in 1860, and John retired in 1861, leaving his sons Richard and George to run the family business. The two brothers went to Holland and brought back a Van Houten press. This helped them to make a new kind of cocoa. This new cocoa was called Cadbury’s Cocoa Essence, which became very popular in England. The press also extracted more of the cocoa than the previous press.

In 1879, they relocated to Bournbrook, which they developed and renamed Bournville. This was unusual as most factories were in the cities, but this was in the country. It was known as ‘the factory in a garden’. Bournville is now a major suburb of Birmingham. The famous Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate was first made in 1905. This was the breakthrough of Cadbury’s, it was very popular and now they could produce more products related to the Dairy Milk. Also Cadbury’s could now start to compete with the Swiss chocolate companies. In 1919, Cadbury’s formed a merger with J.

S Fry & Sons, and this saw the integration of Fry’s Chocolate cream and Turkish Delight which are still sold today. In 1969 the Cadbury Group merged with Schweppes. Cadbury Schweppes Plc is a leader in confectionery and soft drinks both in the UK and overseas. With factories all over the world and a host of well known brand names it has become a household name in many countries. Contributing Factors Cadbury’s is a very successful company because of a number of reasons. Firstly, in 1866, when it was only a small business, The Cadbury brothers invested in new technology, in the form of the ‘Van Houten’ press.

They brought this back to England and this enabled Cadbury’s to make more eatable cocoa from the cocoa beans, so they could make better quality chocolate. Cadbury’s new cocoa essence was widely advertised, and it was the marketing of the new product that helped to turn the small business into the vastly known company it is today. The location of the factory was important too. It was situated on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, so the cocoa bean could come directly from Bristol docks.

To the east of the factory was the Birmingham wets suburban railway. On the southern edge was a country lane, which could be easily improved for road transport. There was a good water supply and plenty of room for expansion, so that the Cadburys brothers could fulfil their vision. Another major contributing factor was George’s ideas about how to treat the workforce. George Cadbury was the founder of the Bournville Trust. This was a community surrounding the Bournville factory, in which employees and non-employees lived in.

It had many facilities, such as medical and dental departments and even a pension scheme was launched with a capital gift from the company. He made sure that the workforces were treated well, so they would be motivated to work. Small rewards were given for punctuality and Cadbury was the first business to form the Saturday half-day holiday. The factory had extensive sports fields too. Sports facilities included cricket, football, hockey, tennis, squash courts and a bowling green. George also had ideas about quality of chocolate and how to package it so that it would be well recognised be customers.

He invented the Dairy Milk packaging, the famous two glasses of milk pouring out to form a bar of chocolate, which meant that in the chocolate bars there was a glass and a half of full cream in every half pound of chocolate. There were more types of chocolate being produced, in 1915 there was the introduction of the Cadbury’s milk tray, an assortment of flavours and shapes – made with Cadbury’s dairy milk. This product is still selling as well as it did then. Finally, there is the advertising that Cadbury’s have done on television. They have advertised on ITV’s Coronation Street since 1999.

Coronation Street is on of the most watched programmes on television, so this was a very good way for Cadburys of getting a good foothold in the advertising industry. The actual advertisements were a ‘chocolate Coronation Street’, with all the animated characters with a chocolate appearance, that was unique compared to all the other adverts at that time. Another question I asked was, “What is your favourite chocolate bar, that is not Cadbury’s”. Out of the 50 questionnaires, the most popular non-Cadburys chocolate bar was ‘Minstrels’ with 12 people putting it as their favourite.

Next most popular was ‘Galaxy Milk’ with 7 ticks, then ‘Mars’, ‘Smarties’ and ‘other’ all had 5 ticks. Twix was next most popular with 4 ticks. ‘Snicker’, ‘Maltesers’ and ‘Kit Kat’ all had 3 ticks, then, finally revels was least popular with only 1 person liking them the most. I discounted 2 questionnaires from the results because the results they showed were invalid, because on each one the person ticked more than 1 box. The graph below represents the results explained above. The next question I asked was, “What is your favourite Cadburys chocolate”.

The most popular Cadburys product was, the Cadburys ‘Cri?? me Egg’, as it had 17 ticks from the 50 people asked. Next most popular was the ‘Crunchie’ bar with 11 ticks and closely after this was the famous ‘Dairy Milk’ with 9 people ticking it as their favourite. 5 people put they liked ‘other’ Cadburys products, then with 3 ticks each was ‘Bournville’ and ‘Picnic’. Ultimately, the joint least popular Cadburys products were the ‘Double Decker’ and ‘Dairy Milk Nut’. These results are shown in the graph below The sixth question asked was, “Should Cadburys invest in new areas in confectionary?

” Of the 50 people asked, 46 said they would like to see Cadburys invest in new areas in confectionary, and only 6 said they would not like Cadburys to do this. This graph shows these results. The final question is linked to the previous question, and I will only analyse the 44 people that said ‘Cadburys should invest in new areas in confectionary’. The most common answer was that Cadburys should invest in producing ‘more chocolates’, as this answer had 19 ticks out of the 44 people asked. 10 people said they thought Cadburys should invest in fair trade chocolates and 9 thought they should invest in healthy areas of food.

There were 6 that though of other things Cadburys could invest in. examples of In appendix 2 you will see the latest business to be bought by Cadburys, Green ; Blacks. They also make chocolate, but it is organically made and is much more expensive than Cadburys bars and is more of a delicacy. The graph for the above results is shown here The 5th question I asked in my questionnaires was, “On average, how many Cadburys products do you consume during 1week? ” After analysing the questionnaires I have found out that 20/50 people asked said they consumed 1 Cadburys product per week.

Also 20/50 people put that they consumed 2-5 Cadburys products every week, and 10 out of the 50 asked put they consumed at least 5 Cadburys products per week. The graph below explains these results. Important Stakeholders A stakeholder is someone that would take an interest in a business. There can be many internal and external stakeholders. For instance internal stakeholders would be employees, shareholders and the directors. External stakeholders would be the customers, suppliers and the local community surrounding the business.

Technological advancement and the introduction of computer-driven technologies in the business landscape have influenced how business is managed today. Computer-driven technologies are making it possible to turn out small runs of increasingly customized goods aimed at niche markets. Smart companies are moving from the production of long runs of commodity products to short runs of “higher value added” products. Murphy (1998) described a new business model or paradigm that he calls alternatively an “internetworked (virtual) enterprise” or “extended enterprise.

” These new enterprises “encompass channel partners, remote workers, suppliers, distributors, and consumers through a secure Web-based global network. ” Infrastructure to support this new development is provided by the Internet. The Internet allows companies to become decentralized and operate within the digital environment. Companies can position themselves in the Web in various forms. The purpose of each varies. At a corporate level, alternatives for the Web can be categorized in order of increasing commitment as follows:

• information only;
• interactive communications tool;
• channel to market (e-Commerce);
• separate online business;
• integration with traditional business strategy;

Transformation of traditional business to the Web Structurally, a website can be classified as:  ‘bricks and mortar’ – traditional business model; the Web site is brochureware only;  ‘clicks and mortar’ – the company pursues online and offline marketing and transactions; ‘clicks only’ – the entire business model is online, with little or no physical presence (such companies are also known as ‘dotcoms’ or ‘pureplays’ ).

Some of the major trends associated with recent developments in e-business include web-based platforms, content, search engines and database management, integration and security. When the dot. com bubble bursts in the late 90’s, e-business practitioners became more cautious and vigilant regarding their business practices. Competition on cyberspace also tightened with more businesses joining the bandwagon. In the web-based platforms, several e-business server applications were introduced.

Application vendors like IBM, BEA, Sun, ATG and others focused on “core set of infrastructure services like session management, transaction management, user management, security, logging, auditing, scalability solutions and ways of encapsulating business services. ” Efficient management of content and web-based data is an imperative in successful e-business ventures. Various vendors offered e-business enterprises solutions to manage their database that are frequently accessed internally and externally.

Vendors like Interwoven, Vignette, Microsoft and IBM offered to organize and manage information including the processes involved in making information available and defined specific roles to enable e-businesses to access data from different channels. Since many e-businesses are modeled after the ‘click and mortar’ structure, integration of online and offline activities is important to make e-businesses work. Finally, most e-businesses had increased the security level of transactions online.

Infrastructures were established so payments made online would be secure. Privacy has become a prominent issue in e-business. With the introduction of introduction of smartcards, authentication devices and real-time fraud detection using sophisticated bank systems, security levels at online transactions increased. Alternative online payment like SSL and Paypal offered secure payment systems. E-Purchasing Developments and Trends E-purchasing offered an alternative and more efficient manner of purchasing for many businesses.

Some of the benefits offered by e-purchasing include “faster sourcing, new sources of supply, improved comparison shopping, lower overall operating costs, lower prices paid, more control over spending and inventory, and more efficient use of sourcing personnel. ” E-purchasing is comprised of two main divisions: e-procurement and e-sourcing. E-procurement allows users to requisition, authorize, order, issue receipts and provide payment processes for some products or services.

E-procurement offered the automation of the major activities involved in buying and selling goods. E-sourcing on the other hand is a relatively new development and required some specialization. In e-sourcing, the transactions involved are dependent on the decisions of the buyers. When using e-sourcing as a purchasing tool, the specialized buyer must have knowledge of specifications, authorized to request for quotations, negotiate and evaluate on behalf of the company and enter into a contract or agreement.

A major development in e-purchasing activities is the widespread use of the Internet to advertise and promote products and services. The Internet provides the necessary information for suppliers to discover which companies would be requiring their goods and services. Consequently, the Internet is also where most buyers gather information on the goods they wish to purchase. The implementation of procurement websites allowed potential contractors and suppliers to access information without having to go through the physical purchasing departments of the companies.

Listed on the websites are information pertaining to the product, services or requirements including procedures, bid price limits and other pertinent information. Several web-based procurement intermediaries took the responsibilities of the purchasing departments of companies like Commerce One, MySAP, Ariba or C@Content. These virtual companies provide catalogues, price comparisons and even payment processing on behalf of the companies that engage their services.

Direct purchasing is the emerging trend in procurement where it allowed buyers and sellers to transact directly on the web without having to go through the purchasing departments of the companies selling or buying goods and services. Digital order processing, tracking and delivery are also additional features in e-purchasing platforms that allow customers to keep track or trace the shipment of their purchases. Tracking systems supply the customers with information on the progress of their orders until they would receive the goods.

Bibliography

1. Aijo, T and Saarinen,K, “Business Models: Conceptual Analysis,” Telecom Business Research Center Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland (2001) ;
2. http://www. tbrc. fi/pubfilet/TBRC_10042. pdf ;(Accessed May 04, 2007) Brenner, Walter H. , Zarnekow, Rudiger ; Wilking, Georg, “Internet-based Purchasing: Trends and Current Developments” ;
3. http://www. touchbriefings. com/pdf/977/epurch13. pdf; (Accessed May 04, 2007) Bwired, “Trends in Online Product and Service Distribution” White Paper (2006) ;
4. web.bwired. com. au/index. php? action=filemanager;doc_form_name=download;folder_id=99;doc_id=656; (Accessed May 04, 2007)
5. Dennis, C. and Harris, L. Marketing the E-Business (London, Routledge, 2002) MindTree Consulting, “Current Trends in E-Business White Paper” (2005) ;
6. http://www. mindtree. com/mls/ebusiness-trends. pdf; (Accessed May 04, 2007) Toffler, Alvin. Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century. (New York, Bantam Books, 1990)

In South East Asia, in the centre of the Southeast Asian peninsula, lies the land-locked country Laos. The country that is now the Lao People”s Democratic Republic (LPDR, or Laos) has a slightly greater land area than Uganda and is bordered by several countries. On the north lies China, on the north-east Vietnam, on the south it is bordered by Cambodia, on the west by Thailand, and on the north-west by Burma. These neighbours have, to varying degrees, influenced Laotian historical, cultural, and political development. The recorded history of Laos began in the fourteenth century with Fa Ngum (reigned 1353-73), the first king of Lan Xang.

Prior to this, Laos was inhabited by Mongols. Under Fa Ngum, the territory of Lan Xang was extended and it remained in these approximate borders for another 300 years. In the 1690″s conflicts arose with Burma, Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, and the Khmer kingdom, and they continued in the eighteenth century ending in Siamese domination. Early in the nineteenth century, Siam held authority over much of the territory of contemporary Laos, which then consisted of the principalities of Louang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak.

Siam at the time sought to extend its influence in Indochina since it faced conflicts with France, which then had established a protectorate over Vietnam. By the end of the nineteenth century, France had replaced Siam as the dominant power on the South East Asian peninsula. In 1890, Laos was integrated into the French colonial empire of Indochina as a group of directly ruled provinces, except for Louang Phrabang, which was ruled as a protectorate. The French ruled indirectly through the king of Louang Phrabang and a hierarchy of royal officials, although the French resident supervisor always had the final word.

The French in 1946 signed an agreement with the king of Louang Phrabang that established him as king of a unified Laos within the French Union. The French granted internal rule over a united Laos in 1949 and most of the nationalist leaders, who had fled at the time of the French reoccupation, returned to the country. However, Laos remained part of the French union. In 1954, independence was recognised by the Geneva Conference. In the following years the Pathet Lao, a group of pro-Communist nationalists that was aided by North Vietnam, gained strength as a rival to the Royal Lao Government (RLG).

Coalition governments in 1957 and 1962 lasted only a very short time, and fighting intensified between the two sides. Meanwhile Laos became increasingly involved in the conflict between the United States and Communist forces (Vietminh) in Vietnam. In 1964, the United States began bombing Laos with the aim of stopping the flow of troops and supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which ran from North Vietnam through Laos to South Vietnam. The bombing continued for several years and caused immense damage. In 1973 a cease-fire was finally arranged in Laos and the following year a coalition government was formed.

In 1975, after the Communist victories in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Pathet Lao took control of government and in December the Lao People”s Democratic Republic was declared. After that the American aid was withdrawn, Laos formed special relationships with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Vietnam, which stationed many thousands of troops and advisers in the country. But by 1986 the state of the economy was so poor that the government introduced major reforms, including making the majority of public enterprises independent of state control.

One of the government”s aims was to decrease dependence on Vietnam, and in more recent years it has also established better relations with neighbouring Thailand, as well as other countries such as the United States, which has agreed to extend development aid in return for a crackdown on the drug trade. Laos is largely mountainous and forested, and only about 4 percent of its total land area is arable. With about 54 per cent covered with forests, the country is made up of a mountainous area extending north and south throughout most of the country and a small area of lowland on the southern and south-western borders.

The mountainous area covers about nine-tenths of the country and can be divided into a northern section and a southern section. The northern section has heavily forested mountain ranges and plateaux cut by deep, narrow valleys and gorges, and the south section contains more barren forested limestone terraces. The principal river of Laos, the Mekong, enters in the north-west from Thailand and flows south along the border between Thailand and Laos before entering Cambodia. The offshoots of the Mekong rise in the mountains and flow through deep valleys.

The climate of Laos is tropical, but there are wide variations in temperatures within different areas, mainly because of the variations in elevation. However, the principal climatic features are determined by the monsoons. The wet summer season takes place from about May to October, while the cool season lasts from about November to February. The remainder of the year is hot and humid. Laos has extensive forest resources, and although there has been a considerable deforestation in recent years, about half of the country is still covered with forests.

There exists a so-called slash-and-burn agriculture which means that forests are burned in order to create fields for growing crops. The consequence if this is that the soil fails to fertilise, the lands are therefore abandoned and even more trees are cut down in another location. Together with poor forest management, the slash-and-burn methods are the main reasons behind the deforestation. Another negative consequence of the reduced forest resources, together with the changes in cultivation, is the deterioration in Laos” abundant water resources.

Less than one-third of the rural population has access to safe drinking water. Recently, Laos has also had great environmental difficulties with its wildlife. About 70 percent of the wildlife habitat was lost during the 1980s, and a number of species of mammal, bird, and plant have been threatened with extinction. The population as of 1996 was estimated at approximately 4. 9 million people. The population growth rate is relatively high, it is estimated at about 2. 9 percent per year. However, child and infant mortality rates are also high, and life expectancy averages less than fifty-two years.

The population density of Laos is quite low, with more than 85 percent of the population being rural, living in small villages of less than 1,000 people. Rural life is dependant of the changing agricultural seasons, such as conditions of drought or flood. Those staying in urban areas mostly live in the Mekong River valley towns and those of its offshoots. Vientiane, the capital and largest city of Laos, is also the centre of a very limited industrial sector. The effects of recent economic reforms have been rather limited and mainly concentrated to the Vientiane plain.

There is a great lack of recent statistics of Laos and many of them are not very reliable. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a gross national product (GNP) estimated to range from US$295 to US$350 per inhabitant and a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$206 per capita. The Laotian economy is heavily influenced by the weather since it is mainly based on agriculture, which employs most of the population. The main crop is rice but corn, vegetables, tobacco, coffee, and other foods are also grown.

It has been said that Laos has a largely unskilled work force and that it needs development. Advancements such as these are particularly important for two areas with potentially high foreign exchange earnings; agro-forestry and hydropower. Forestry has been a source of economic benefit despite the lack of a modern transportation network. Laos” other many resources include gypsum, tin, gold, and iron ore, but the potential for the exportation of these resources has not yet been realised. However, the government is attempting to expand industrial activities.

By far, imports surpass exports. The country has to import manufactured goods, medicine, and machinery. Laos exports electricity from its hydroelectric power stations, wood products, textiles, coffee, and tin, but these commodities are all very limited. Laos is also a major producer of opium. The economy depends heavily on foreign aid which comes mostly from Western nations. Some of the aid that the government receives is used to stop the drug trade. Today the literacy rate of Laos is approximately 57 percent.

The education and social services of the country are primitive, although some improvements have been made lately. The LPDR has made a commitment to five years of universal primary education, but limited financial resources and a lack of trained teachers and teaching materials have restricted educational opportunities. Enrolments have increased, however. Western health care is largely restricted to the more “urban” areas, due to the difficulties of transportation. Similarly, improvements in health care are constrained by finances and the limited numbers of trained health care workers.

About 85 per cent of the Lao are Theravada Buddhist and many Lao, especially the highland mountain peoples, practice animism. Buddhism has long been a strong force in Lao culture and remains a major influence in everyday life, despite a Communist government. Even top officials worship in the Buddhist tradition. Each Lao village has its own temple, called a wat, which is the centre of festivities and rituals. The Laotian culture is closely knitted with its religion. Buddhist temples in every village serve as intellectual centres.

The life of the Lao peasant is organised around religion, and most activities are directed by the Buddhist calendar. Louang Phrabang and Vientiane are known as “Cities of a Thousand Temples” and have many examples of traditional Buddhist art and architecture. There are various reasons for the poor economic state and welfare position of Laos. The main reasons are three: political, economical, and geographical. The location of Laos has often made it a buffer between more powerful neighbouring states, as well as a crossroads for trade and communication.

Migration and international conflict have contributed to the present ethnic composition of the country and to the geographic distribution of its ethnic groups. On the other hand, this position has also often meant that the country has been a target for conflicts and considerable pressure. Its neighbours, such as Thailand (Siam) and Vietnam, have tried to influence and exploit Laos” weak position for their own interests, which in turn has been of great detriment for the country. As in most other underdeveloped countries, Laos has not had the capacity to exploit successfully its human and natural resources.

The educational level of the population has stayed relatively low, and its rich natural wealth has not been developed in an appropriate manner. The weak political leadership has resulted in a mismanagement of the economy and of the potential possibilities of its population. Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia, and this naturally faces the country with great problems. Its natural resources are mostly unexploited or unsurveyed. Because of its mountainous topography, Laos has few reliable transportation routes.

This inaccessibility has historically limited the ability of any government to maintain a presence in areas distant from the national or provincial capitals. It has also limited interchange and communication among villages and ethnic groups. The Mekong and Nam Ou rivers are the only natural channels suitable for large-draft boat transportation; furthermore, from December through May low water limits the size of the craft that may be used over many routes. The Khong falls at the southern end of the country also prevent access to the sea.

Despite all the negative aspects of the Laotian political and economical environment that has been described above, many experts predict a relatively happy future for the country in the longer perspective. The country is today in peace and harmony, at least in comparison with the conditions ten or twenty years ago. There is no open threat from its neighbours, and no open rebellion from forces within the nation. The expectations from the donors community have grown, and many observers have great hopes that the economic development will go for the better in the coming years, partly as a consequence of the for relaxed conditions in Laos.

The organization that I have selected to make this report is British Airways. I would be discussing many things in this report; however more emphasis would be laid down on the impact of external and internal factors on the organization followed by the evaluation of British Airways.

Introduction of British Airways

British Airways is a worldwide airline service that offers airline services all year round ensuring low fares and has a vast flying network. It is one of United Kingdom’s largest global airline, flies over 550 destinations at appropriate timings and on the best located airports around the world. It provides the best services to its customers whether they are on ground or in the air. The British Airways group consists of British Airways Plc and other subsidiary companies including British Airways Holidays Limited .The Company has registered office at Waterside, Harmondsworth and has a registered office in England and is also a member of IATA & AEA. (British Airways n.d.).

Primary internal influences

The primary influences basically revolve around the performance of British Airways and the features that contribute to the success of British Airways, etc.

British Airways performance and growth strategy: problems and opportunities

The business strategy that is adopted by British Airways is directly linked to its growth plan. This would justify the financial position of British Airways. Although there is a threat of the increase in prices of the fuel, however British Airways also has opportunities that can enable the organization to compete with the market.

Problems of communication within organizations

Communication between managers and workers at work is essential for the growth of British Airways. The industrial relationships, leadership roles, employee motivation, flexible working, organisational change and its impacts on psychological contracts should be considered by British Airways. (Clawson & Conner 2004)

Intercultural Issues

British Airways placed a ban on its employees from wearing religious symbols and this was done due to their uniform policy.
Marketing Mix and Value Chain analysis of British Airways
The value of British Airways should be examined and Porter’s value chain analysis should be conducted. The 4 P’s are the key marketing concepts that are described as academic literature related to relationship marketing is reviewed and applied to the practices of British Airways. (Kevin ; Kotler 2008)

Read also: PESTLE Analysis for Hotel IndustryExecutive compensation analysis at British Airways

The salaries of the executives at British Airways are pre determined according to the main theoretical principles for executive compensation that is explained and it also provides a short overview on the current operation activities of British Airways. Furthermore, the compensation package of the executives should be worked on and suggestion for its enhancement should be proposed.
Importance HRM Practices in Organization Strategy
For this, British Airways should identify the growth of their performance. Furthermore the factors related to Human Resource Management practices such as to study the factors that affect the workforce of British Airways. Other than this, they should also think about ways in order to make their workforce effective.

Strategic management

Due to the emergence of new low cost carriers in the aviation market, the major market share of this industry has risen due to which many coalitions have occurred.
Budget Planning: Airline Industry and British Airways
British Airways has to do proper budgeting as budget planning explores the risks and uncertainties that can be faced by the company or by the whole industry.

Environmental Scan

British Airways in one of the most well known airlines and provides the customers with all kinds of airline services worldwide and they have their operations in 75 countries covering the entire globe from Europe, North America, and South America to Asia. (British Airways n.d.).
Strategic Tourism Management: Factual Strategies from British Airways Plc
This evaluates how the British Airways evaluates its strategies, however these strategies are factual. Other than this, the resources and capabilities, the competitive structure of the tourism industry, cultural or behavioral consideration, and exploring how globalization has impacted the strategy and structure of the organization and examine the ethical basis of a global strategy of the organization have to be looked upon by British Airways.

PEST Analysis

British Airways provides all kinds of airline services to the customers and operates in around 75 countries across Europe, North America, South America and Asia. PEST Analysis assists in carrying out an environmental scan of British Airways in order to highlight a specific factor or trend that might affect the organization.

Services Marketing

This refers to the strategy that British Airways would adopt to differentiate by offering high quality services. Furthermore, it involves the theoretical marketing concepts such as the 7P’s of services marketing mix, the flower of services, the positioning map and customer relationship management, etc.
Primary external influences

The primary influences basically revolve around the competition from low budget airlines and the company’s pressures and future perspectives, etc.

Globalization

One of the most external factors that influence British Airways is globalization. It affects the performance of British Airways and further pressurizes British Airways to adapt to the changes and introduce new ways for organisational planning and strategic management. British Airways has make changes according to the growing trend in the airline industry and focus more on the impact it has on the stakeholders, PEST factors and the policies of the European Union.

Environmental Changes in Global Airline Industry

This factor creates an impact on the global economic processes in the airline industry around the world and it further involves the accomplishment of PEST and Porter’s five forces analysis of the changes that occur in the environment of the airline industry. The future trends in competitive strategic patterns have to be looked upon by British Airways.
Analysis of the competitive environment
British Airways has to face the most important issues in the competitive and macro environments. For this a PESTLE analysis can be done that would help British Airways in identifying the macro factors that are impacting the airline industry. The PESTLE analysis done by the British Airways will highlight the social factors e.g. any kind of changes in demographics. This is done to increase the demand of the passengers and also highlights that the improving trend in the technology has creates lots of opportunities.

Analysis of British Airways

This examines both the internal and external problems faced by British Airways. Other than that it conducts Porter’s value chain analysis of British Airways and further discusses the PEST and HRM factors that are likely to affect the performance of British Airways after which the company’s strategies are assessed in the competitive environment of the industry.
Structure and Culture Analysis
British Airways is the second largest airline in the world and here, we will examine the organizational structure of British Airways, furthermore, the assessment of the value and the organizational culture being adopted, the cultural values and their impact on the behavior of the employee.

The changing competitive environment

Although British Airways is UK’s largest global airline and it meets all the travelling needs of the customers, along with the facility of online booking, this fact still cannot be forgotten that there are many competitors of British Airways and like other companies, even British Airways has to make sure that they beat the competitors on every way so that they receive maximum market share.

Following are the competitors of British Airways i.e. the UK Airlines.

1. Air 2000 is a UK charter airline, charges low prices to its customers and serves Europe. (UK Superweb n.d.).  Other than this, they can also make online reservations of flights as the system allows them to check the availability of flights online.
2. Air Southwest also charges low prices for the South West of England.
3. Astraeus is one of the UK’s charter airlines that is independent and it flies to destinations all over Europe. Other than Europe, it also flies to other places such as Asia, the Middle East, North America and Africa. (UK Superweb n.d.).
4. Britannia Airways is now known as Thomsonfly and offers flights to Europe and many other places around the world.
5. British Mediterranean Airways was formed in 1994 and two years later, they agreed with a joint franchise partnership with British Airways.
6. British NorthWest Airlines is an airline basically for the business travellers, commuters, and the tourists, it charges economical prices and the customers can fully enjoy the professional, caring services available for them by the airline.
7. City Star Airlines is an executive airline.
8. Eastern Airways basically provides services for domestic flights in the UK. It has 17 airports in UK and it carries on its operations from many airports across the UK and in Europe.
9. Easy Jet operates all over UK and Europe and charges low prices.
10. Emerald Airways operates both freight and passenger airplane all over UK and Europe.
11. Excel Airways also offers charter flights with lower prices along with cheap hotel services and offers flights from all  the major UK airports like Spain, Egypt, Greece, etc.

These are some of the competitors of British Airways in United Kingdom. Other than these, there are also many other competitors around the world with which British Airways has to compete. One thing noticed in all competitors is that they are offering low prices. Therefore, to stay in the competition British Airways also has to offer their services with reasonable prices if not lower than these. However, the competitive edge that British Airways can develop is by providing high class services both on ground and in the air.

British Airways is already a well known airline company but the emergence of the existing and up coming airlines companies can always be a threat to British Airways and can pull away the customers. As I mentioned above about a lower pricing strategy being adopted by the other airline companies, British Airways should either lower their prices as well or continue providing with excellent services to the customers. Nowadays, people have started thinking more economically and they tend to save more and more of their money and for this they may even sacrifice the quality of services. This however is not true in all cases as there are always some customers who do not want to compromise on quality of services they receive at any cost.

How it influences policies and decision-making

The strategic management at British Airways includes the description of their background, critically appraising their current competitive environment, identifying the stakeholders and the national policies that have influence over British Airways , conducting PESL analysis, and outlining the challenges faced by the company. (Butteriss 1998). Strategic options are suggested in order to assist the organisation in meeting these challenges.

British Airways should looks for a strong academic record when assessing the application of employees to cope up with the changing competitive environment. Past experience shows that academic skills are seldom sufficient to be a successful professional within a company as challenging, dynamic, diverse and global as British Airways. Therefore, British Airways has identified four skills and qualities as being essential to performing to the high standards that they expect from their employees. Capacity, achievement, relationships and technicality are these skills identified by Shell. Capacity is the diagnostic ability to put problems in an extensive but in a relevant view. Achievement is the ability to get things done. Relationships refer to the ability to work efficiently with others in a team and technicality is the ability to understand and approach technical issues coupled with an enthusiasm for technical challenge. The HR management refers to these qualities throughout their assessment and selection process, looking for candidates who can show them to a greater degree than their contemporaries.

To give their candidates the best value they can get from the organization, British Airways should make sure that it provides the job that the person wants. If the employee is more flexible about their preferred job and location, the more likely British Airways will be able to give what the employee want.

Training and development facilities should be provided by British Airways to cope up with the growing competition. Training usually refers to teaching lower level employees how to perform their present jobs, while development involves teaching managers and professional employees broader skills needed for their present and future jobs. (Leat 2001)

British Airways should provide training programs to their employee that is important for the employees who are new to their jobs. British Airways should focus on its performance and for this it should provide training to the employees needed to improve their performance. It is at the peak because of its employees and their skills. British Airways should develop its employees’ skills according to company’s needs.

British Airways should invest in training to enhance individual performance and organizational productivity. It should focus on developing management and developmental skills and supervisory skills, technical skills and communication skills. It should also provide training to the lower-level employees who are new to the company for their better performance to get good results.

British Airways should use MBO to achieve a set of goals that is clear, specific and reachable, and when managers want to empower employees to adapt heir behavior as they deem necessary in order to achieve desired results. The standard of performance at British Airways should be based on job analysis after which performance standards are notified to its employees. Management by objectives i.e. MBO is a course of action in which objective set by a subordinate and manager must be reached within a given time period. This is another name given to “Results appraisal.”

With the growing competition in the airline industry it is essential for British Airways not just to hire employees but to retain them as well and for this certain provisions and set of benefits should be given to the employees. They should also provide job security to their employees. Employees should be invited to join the valuable benefits programs run by British Airways that should include pension/retirement plans and healthcare coverage. (Lewis 2003)

At the time of retirement they should provide their employees a sufficient amount of money so they can use this money after the job. In case of any accident, if the employee loses his life, the company provides money to the family of the employee in order to help them.

Other than this, different ways of advertising should be used and campaigns should be run. Online campaigns can be run in many different ways. (Meyerson ; Scarborough 2007). They can run randomly, daily, weekly or monthly and all this depends on the type of business. There are many techniques that can be used to encourage repeat visits of the customers to the websites and this would then lead to an increase in sales made by the customers. For this, British Airways can use many brand promoting schemes for their websites. (Brown 2006)

Evaluation of  the effectiveness of British Airways

Organizational Development is necessary to assure the success of British Airways and is vital for a company to form a hierarchal reporting system. Accountability is set for the employees and it clearly defines who is accountable for what and to whom is he responsible. They also consult the company’s management team to make sure they recognize what the company’s core business is and the culture being followed.

The training that British Airways gives its employees should include certain steps. First, British Airways should conduct analyses to discover the jobs, employees and departments that require training. Employees’ performance can be measured due to this. Not just this but British Airways should also plan out the training program for its employees and objectives of this program after which decisions about the training methods are taken. They should provide on-the-job training to the employees. They should use certain methods for that purpose, like lectures, role playing, case discussions, conferences, and job rotation. Finally, British Airways should evaluate the programs effectiveness in terms of employee reactions, learning, and behavior transferred to the job, and bottom line results. (Evans 2003)

Nowadays the trend of customer relationship management is increasing day by day. More and more companies are becoming aware of the fact how important customer relationship management is. As the customer is getting aware about the products, they also have complaints about them that have to be handled carefully and patiently by the customer relationship officers. Therefore, even British Airways should focus on this.

The types of methodologies that help a company to maintain customer relationships in an organized way is called customer relationship management. Its not always that customer might have any complaints but they might also have some suggestions for further improvement or there can also be prospective customers who would want to know more about the company.

Areas for improvement

It is the duty of the leader to make innovation an expectation. The leaders are the ones who should encourage their juniors to suggest ideas that could lead to creativity and innovation. The employees should be rewarded, supported and proper amalgamation should be provided for the processes.

Fund learning should be encouraged. This can be done by prioritizing it into budgets and work plans and to of course make it accessible to the employees or it would be of no use.

Trust and respect should be placed on all the levels of the organization. Free communication and personalization should be allowed.

The leader should set up an example for the others so that he can lead them properly. He should regularly update his staff if any changes have occurred in the company policies. He should always be compromising and should always try to learn new things even if he is not an expert in that particular field. Every organization has many people who can be from different cultures and backgrounds and so it is the duty of the leaders to introduce diversified teaching and learning methods. More focus should be laid on risk taking activities than to run away from the losses.

Staff should always be rewarded for their efforts. Constant training or at least monthly or yearly training programs should be held for all the staff to keep on learning new things.

The return on investment should be taken care of. The employees should know how much they are contributing to the company.

Questions to Ask

• What’s the history of multi-directional communication in your organization? Have there been repercussions for contributions in the past?
• Where we are and what have we gained? (Instead of, “What have we lost?”)
• What needs to change in the organizational policies, systems and structures to encourage and support learning and innovation?
• What needs to change in my leadership style to foster more of a learning culture? When and where should I practice being a learner?

Things to Consider

• Hierarchy is not inherently a problem.
• Technical hierarchy not social hierarchy.
• Acknowledge power ; power dynamics. The more open this is, the less it will be a subtext of interaction.
• Be in the role of teacher, when the authority in a particular skill or situation, and of learner when not.
• Trust, trust, trust. Trying to control everything accomplishes the opposite.
• Communication. Encourage interaction among different organizational functions.
• Documentation. Document learning in one area or project such that it can be shared with other areas and projects.

Summary of the Main Findings

The British Airways is an international airline with a diversified workforce and provides excellent airline services. However, the competition prevailing in the airline industry is intense due to the eruption of many airlines.

To cope up with the existing competition and the competition that British Airways would have to face in the future has to be taken into consideration and some steps should be taken in order to reduce it and to gain a competitive edge over other airline companies in the airline industry.

Therefore, British Airways needs a proper human resource department in order to carry out their functions well. This report begins with a short introduction of British Airways after which it highlights the impact of external and internal factors on the organization followed by the evaluation of British Airways.

Then we have talked about the changing competitive environment in the airline industry and how British Airways will have to cope up with the competition. Furthermore, the reports consist of the areas for improvement, how the competition influences policies and decision-making and the evaluation of the effectiveness of British Airways.

References:

1. British Airways., n.d., About British Airways. Viewed September 22, 2008.;http://www.britishairways.com/travel/aboutba/public/en_us;
2. Butteriss,M., 1998, Re-inventing HR- Changing Roles to Create the High Performance Organization, Wiley..
3. Brown, B.C., 2006, How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or  Website with Little or No Money. Atlantic Publishing Company.
4. Clawson, J.G. ; Conner, M.L., 2004, Creating a Learning Culture: Strategy, Technology, and Practice, Cambridge University Press.
5. Evans,C., 2003, Managing for Knowledge – HR’s Strategic Role Butterworth-Heinemann, 1st edn.Butterworth-Heinemann.
6. Kevin,K.& Kotler,P., 2008, Marketing Management. 13th Edn. Prentice Hall.
7. Leat,M., 2001, Exploring Employee Relations, Butterworth-Heinemann.
8. Lewis,P., 2003, Employee Relations: Understanding The Employment Relationship,Financial Times Management.
9. Meyerson, M & Scarborough, M.E., 2007, Mastering Online Marketing. 1st Edn.Entrepreneur Press.

The potential for urban underground development remains mostly unexploited and underestimated in urban areas. Several reasons account to this, including a lack of knowledge of the urban underground. Additionally, multiple uses of the underground are still out of the practice.

Since underground infrastructures have no surface expression, the underground lacks opportunities for building architecture, and consequently it suffers from a poor public perception; most people do not like to go underground. The result of this poor perception of the underground by public and professionals is that it remains mostly dedicated to utilities such as transportation, underground car parks or for storage.

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS

The subterranean environment is often perceived as a site of unforeseen threat, secrecy, and risk. The vision of solid ground beneath our feet is thought of an inter-tangled network of cavernous tubes, abandoned subway tunnels, graves, and infrastructural cavities that fills us with ambivalence and fear.

One of the important potential hindering factors for underground space utilization is psychological aspects, and generally negative perception of these spaces. Many realized underground projects, namely subways, resulted in poor satisfaction of these psychological aspects
Many of the problems associated with living in underground habitats are not only technological ones, but rather are related to the degree of social acceptance of the concept and to the individual’s perception of the underground space.

Some of the issues facing humans above ground can be extrapolated and expected to have an impact, albeit to a higher degree of severity, while living underground. To name a few, claustrophobia, light sensitivity, general fatigue, eye fatigue, disturbance of circadian rhythms, insomnia, headaches, etc. These are just some of the potential ailments and stressors for which very little is known due to lack of experimental or real data.

Functional aspects are the functional requirements for an underground, internal connections of the spaces and efficiency of movement. Psychological aspects are all aspects that are related to the user’s experience of a space beginning with public safety on one side and comfort on the other side. In this sense, one can talk about soft building qualities.

Structural aspects include the overall quality of the construction including its flexibility and possibility to change. In other words, the main technical requirement of a structure is sustainability. A sustainable structure is a construction that allows greater spatial flexibility over a longer period of time and its infill is recyclable and reusable in the long run. For example, having an infill separable from the support structure increases the spatial flexibility by providing an option to place different functions.

Principles Of Development

1. Early foundations are critical.
2. Role of maturation and learning.
3. Follows definite and predictable pattern.
4. All individuals are different.
5. Each phase has characteristic behaviour.
6. Each phase of development has hazards.
7. Development is aided by simulation.
8. devt: is affected by cultural changes.
9. Social expectations in every stage.
10. Traditional beliefs about people of all ages.

Stages in life Span

1. Pre-natal period – conception – birth
2. Infancy -birth- end of 2w
3. Babyhood – 2w- 2y
4. Early childhood -2-6
5. Late childhood -6-12
6. Puberty -10/11 -13/14
7. Adolescence -13/14 – 18
8. Early adulthood -18-40
9. Middle age -40-50 ma / 50-60
10. Old age -60 -death

10 lunar months basic body structure and organs form rapid physical growth vulnerability to environmental influence is great

• Heredity endowment
• Heredity potentials influenced strongly by envt.
• Fixing up of sex
• High rate of growth(1cell to 20 inches length)
• Period of hazards
• Attitude of significant people

Developmental irregularities

• Period of Foetus
• miscarriage,
• Pre-maturity,
• delivery complications,
• developmental

Irregularities

Factors influence development

• Age of mother,
• Illness and infections
• Blood RH factor
• Birth complications
• Drugs, x-rays, envtl.
• Hazards.

Paternal factors

• smoke, alcohol, radiations , pesticide
• Maternal emotions
• Diet and physical condition of the mother
• Hormones.

Infancy- neonate.

• Extreme helplessness
• Shortest period
• Radical adjustment
• Loss of weight
• Disorganized behaviour
• High mortality
• Physical devt.
• Increase height& weight, muscles
• Bones and skeleton transformed
• Brain cells grows
• Breast feeding starts
• Reflex of new born
• Sex determination

Nature –Nurture influence

• physical- obesity,
• aging cognitive-IQ
• psycho-social- Personality
• reacting to situations, extrovert, depression, leadership, nail biting, sleepwalking, other emotions & disorders like schizophrenia, infantile autism, alcoholism.

Sensory capacity increases

• Touch is the earliest sense
• Smell- can distinguish different odour
• Taste sense well developed

Hearing is least developed

• Vision- half of the adult- color vision is absent or minimal
• SIDS-sudden infant death syndrome-crib death

Motor development

1. Head control
2. Hand control
3. Locomotion
4. Grasping
5. Rolling over
6. Sitting up
7. Crawling
8. Standing

Common problems

1. Unfavorable parental environment
2. Multiple birth
3. Complicated birth
4. Post maturity- pre-maturity
5. Infant mortality

Psychological –traditional beliefs

• Helplessness ,
• developmental lag,
• plateau,
• lack of stimulation,
• new parent blue,
• unfavorable attitude.

Babyhood

• True foundation,
• Age of rapid growth
• Decreasing dependency
• Increased individuality
• Beginning of socialization
• Sex role typing
• Appealing age
• Age of creativity.

“The concept is simple; provide quality and affordable accommodations for the working community in Qatar, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and throughout the world,” says Michael Murphy, CEO, Daruna Development. “In 2013, at the request of the former US Ambassador to Qatar, I arrived to Doha, and with the permission of the board of my American Company, Global Building Solutions (GBS), we founded Daruna in partnership with H.E. Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al Thani, a member of the ruling family of Qatar.”

Founded in 2005, Global Building Solutions, or GBS, is a master developer that works with strategic partners around the world to provide ‘built-in- America’ quality at competitive prices. GBS is a privately held United States company with multiple wholly owned and joint-owned foreign subsidiaries. GBS has extensive experience in international real estate development, manufacturing and construction. In addition, GBS partnering with internationally renowned groups has allowed the organization to grow its business in the GCC, establishing several sites in . “With these local partners, a new direction in development has expanded GBS into an owner/developer of several projects in the region,” adds Murphy.

As for the need for Daruna within Qatar, Murphy notes what its Chairman H.E. Sheikh Nasser Al Thani stated at a conference in 2015: “Like Qatar is trying to be an icon in sports, medicine, and education, Daruna will be a starting point and standard for working accommodations in the region and the world.” Murphy underlines how the Chairman’s message was simple, as Qatar has a large expatriate workforce who is implementing the country’s National Vision 2030. “That National Vision is clear, the rights and needs of the workforce are a priority and necessity for the State,” Murphy explains. “Given that the Qatari government has embarked on a fundamental shift in the region for the treatment of its workforce, Daruna has accepted the challenge to provide delivery of this promise to the market.”

At present, Qatar is hosting more than one million blue-collar workers, and the total population according to World Bank in 2013 was 2.1 million inhabitants; therefore the need for Daruna is acute. “The Qatari government has a bold plan to implement, and Daruna is one of the companies implementing that plan.” Murphy says his is made up of professionals from thirteen countries that are all united in a common goal. Their strategic team is led by Chairman H.E. Sheikh Nasser Al Thani, and Vice Chairman and former US Ambassador to Qatar, Joseph LeBaron. “We have assembled a team of dedicated professionals who have fused the Qatari vision and leadership with the expatriate ability and know how,” Murphy says. “This has created a unified vision to make Daruna the solution of choice in Qatar and the Middle East.”

Unquestionably, Murphy notes that there is a pent-up demand for blue-collar housing in the country that meets international, and now Qatari regulatory standards. “What is missing in the market is our unique offering: a approach that is coupled with an unshakable commitment to meeting Qatari and international standards. Daruna, using its unique approach and Qatari developed standards as the blue print for its guest worker villages, will help meet that pent-up demand.”

Murphy believes that by doing so, Daruna is contributing directly towards the fulfillment of the Qatari National Vision. “I should also point out that Qatar is leading the effort to change, first by promulgating the , then by providing land and tendering opportunities to build to that standard and, finally and certainly most important, enforcing that standard relentlessly in the private sector.”

Related:

According to Murphy, Qatar’s blue-collar workforce has grown dramatically in the past six years, and is responsible for the majority of the country’s population growth. The Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS) data show that 60% of Qatar’s population is living in labor camps. MDPS figures show that between 2010 and 2015, the number of residents living in labor camps increased by more than half a million (525,000) people to 1.44 million. “That means nearly three out of every four people who moved to Qatar over the last five years are living in high-density shared housing like labor camps,” Murphy says. “We anticipate that this number will stabilize and then gradually decrease, as Qatar is successful with the delivery of the World Cup in 2022.”

However, Daruna is engaged in building permanent worker facilities for Qatar that will last well past the achievement of the National Vision 2030, in order to accommodate the operators and maintainers of the venues built by Qatar. “Daruna is both the short-term and the long-term solution to the accommodation need,” he says. At present, Daruna, and its strategic partners are currently delivering a 4,000-guest village in Umm Salal. This village will be ready for occupancy in mid-2017.

In addition, in the fourth quarter of this year, Daruna will be breaking ground on a worker community of 30,000 guests in Al Khor. “In our pipeline, we are finalizing a strategic partnership for the development of 30,000 guests near the Al Wakra area. Additionally, several groups inside Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have contacted us about creating turn-key communities,” says Murphy. The Daruna Worker Communities are designed to create living environments for guest workers, which enhance primordially their .

As a result, the communities embody fundamental spatial and organization elements, which can be found in urban settlements around the world. The traditional village model is the underlying ideal of the Daruna community concept. In addition, the familiarity of the village model creates a , and the feeling of a home away from home. “As such, our communities are broken into neighborhoods of 800 guests, villages of 4,000 guests, and communities of 30,000 guests,” Murphy explains. “Each level of population has a core service element that allows for each guest to have all of his basic needs within walking distance.”

Moreover, Murphy highlights how the right of privacy is a fundamental principle of human dignity. For instance, in a communal living space each guest should be able to dress and undress, without having to be observed by others. “Each of our guests is provided with six square meters of personal space, including lockable storage, shelving, personal lighting and an electrical outlet,” he explains. “We have place for a maximum of four guests in each room with privacy walls separating each bed. In a change from the current market, we have created a shared bathroom for each three rooms, rather than a communal bathroom for multiple blocks. Additionally, we have a shared community living room for each three rooms to share.”

In reference to the approximate cost to build the workers accommodation, it varies from site to site. “We are currently in partnerships building multiple facilities in Qatar with occupancy sizes ranging from 4,000 guests in one location to 30,000 guests in two other locations,” Murphy says. “We have financing commitments in the area of four billion Qatari riyals to complete these projects.” Nonetheless, Daruna is committed to providing the most cost-effective solution for the products and services it offers. For instance, in its current development, Daruna is in partnership with the State of Qatar, therefore, the lease prices, will have to be approved by the regulatory authorities giving contracts in Qatar, such as the Supreme Committee, Qatar Foundation, MME, , and QRail to name a few.

Related:

In most cases, these entities are outlining guidelines for contractors and subcontractors on what to budget for worker accommodations in the contract. “We come under these budgetary numbers in terms of cost,” Murphy notes. “However, we prefer less to think of the cost of our services and more about the value they provide our . We believe our customers need to consider the health and safety of their workforce, and the reputational risk they take on the international stage if they do not comply with regulations (and the press is watching).”

Murphy further adds the need to consider the they face for non-compliance from Qatar authorities or, in some cases, from the legal entities in their individual managers’ countries of record. There is also the possibility of losing or not being able to bid on contracts due to non-compliance. “Our costs are trivial compared to the value that our guaranteed solutions bring to our customers’ peace of mind.” Once the village is leased, property and facility management is performed onsite by Daruna management, it focuses on direct contact with their tenants. In other words, all of Daruna’s contracts are inclusive of all utilities and core services.

“In addition, we work with our tenant human resources departments to ensure compliance and reporting to all relevant Qatari agencies regarding the guests and their status in Qatar.” In the coming months, with increased scrutiny from the , this service will be critical to Daruna’s customer tenants and their ability to bid on new contracts or receive new worker visas, and to maintain their status on contracts that have been awarded. “Qatar is serious about compliance with its regulations, many of which have been recently enacted and are now enforced. Daruna’s turnkey services are the most reliable way to ensure that the workers under the care and sponsorship of our customer tenants are in full compliance with those regulations.”

Daruna’s partners in the financial field include one of the largest Qatari Investment banks, which engage in investment and solutions in accordance with Islamic Shariah principles. “To ensure on-time and on-budget delivery we are working with the 14th largest construction company in the world, backed by the second largest bank by market capitalization in the world. In operations, we have formed an integrated team of individuals and strategic partners who represent decades of experience in , facilities management, operations, personnel management and culinary arts,” says Murphy.

Among the challenges Daruna Development encountered was finding land, which was legal to build on for workers accommodations. However, this problem was quickly resolved when the government of Qatar began an aggressive program to provide housing for blue-collar workers. “With this, we were able to find the proper lands we needed to start our accommodations. So much of the international press has focused on the problems in Qatar associated with the blue-collar and migrant work force. Very few have reported on the visionary plan of the Qatar government to fix these problems on a permanent basis.”

Conversely, he adds how Daruna is working closely to implement these plans and suggests that all who are critical of Qatar and its progress should take a look at the progressive measures it is taking in the recruitment, accommodation and wage sectors, as it is unprecedented in the region and impressive. “Change in any system takes time, Qatar has fully committed to the change. Building supply to enforce the change also takes time; Daruna is committed to the creation of the supply, as fast as is physically possible.” On the whole, Daruna’s vision is to work closely with the government and private sector in order to implement a universal standard of rights and services for the working community. “That celebrates the basic fact that a worker who is properly housed, fed and paid is a better productive employee for the accomplishment of corporate goals and the National Vision.”

Realizing A Vision

Worker Welfare Is Enshrined In The Qatar National Vision 2030

As mentioned in the First Pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030: “Recruitment of the right mix of expatriate labor, protecting their rights, securing their safety, and retaining those who are outstanding among them is a principal goal of the Nation.”