In The Next Twenty Years, The World Will Have Solved The Major Problem

In the next twenty years, the world will have solved the major problems of transportation today. Global warming news will no longer be splashed over news screens nation wide. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past as some cars take to the air. In fact, traffic jams will be documented at the Smithsonian to ensure future generations have a sense of what traffic jams were. The next twenty years will see huge advancements in the area of transportation making life much more enjoyable for all. In numerous cities across the country, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter. Emissions from millions of vehicles on the road add up and cause the global warming problem talked of earlier. The solution is to have much more efficient vehicles that produce fewer emissions with every mile. This is why in twenty years the electric vehicle, or EV as most scientists refer to it, will see its nation wide introduction to roads everywhere. Electric vehicles are actually present in the world today. Unfortunately, the price of these EVs well exceeds the price of a normal car. In twenty years however, the price of these vehicles will have dropped dramatically with the new invention of the flying car swaying people's interest. Any normal middle class family would be able to afford at least two of these electrically powered vehicles. While the families will be benefiting from not having to buy gas every week, the environment will benefit by not taking in as much emissions as in the past. Electric vehicles or EVs, are vehicles that are powered by an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. EVs use electricity as the fuel instead of gasoline or some other combustible fuel. The power for the vehicle is stored in many large batteries in the bottom of the car, from there the power goes to a power regulator where it is changed from DC power to AC power. The engine only has one moving part, which send the power directly to the wheels. Therefore, it does all the primary functions of a gas engine with no emissions. The major auto manufacturers are producing high-performance electric vehicles now, such as General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and many foreign companies as well, in a wide range of style and sizes. They include passenger cars, mini-vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Also there are some EVs as small as bicycles and motor scooters and as large as busses. The EV is environmentally friendly. Electric vehicles are today's zero-emission vehicles. The EV releases no pollutant because it has no tailpipe making it safe for the environment. Instead of gas stations, EVs get their fuel from electric power stations. An electric powered engine has many has many benefits over a gas engine in the comfort department as well. EVs offer a quiet fume-free, smooth driving experience. Since the motor does not operate when the vehicle is at a stop, an EV has no idle noises. EVs provide fast acceleration by delivering power instantly to the wheels by providing high torque at low speeds, they give a feel of smooth and quick responsiveness. Well-designed EVs like those produced by major auto companies, travel at speeds equivalent to conventional vehicles and offer all the same safety and high-speed performance features. The EV also has low operating costs. The per-mile fuel cost of operating an EV can be less than one-third that of a gasoline-powered car. EV owners also say good-bye to many familiar maintenance costs, no more tune-ups, oil changes or muffler replacements. Another advantage of an EV is the convince of no gas stations. EV drivers like that refueling or reenergizing can be done overnight, easily and safely at home or at public locations like shopping centers, where electric charging units have been installed. Electric vehicles are very safe. The EVs produced by major companies meet all safety requirements. As the EV becomes more popular, the safety record is being monitored closely. To date, findings are positive and have shown that numerous EV vehicles maximize safety. For example EVs have a lower center of gravity that makes them less likely to roll over. EVs also have less potential for major fires or explosions. The body construction and durability of EVs enhance the vehicle safety in an accident. What is more truly amazing than the Ev? This question is simply answered in the M400 model flying car. At skypadtech.com, they are taking orders on the M400 model flying car. For a mere 899,000 thousand dollars, this flying car will take

Unity and Diversity in Spiritual Care free essay sample

Spiritual needs, and psychosocial needs are much less tangible than physical needs, because they are often abstract, complex and more difficult to measure. These more intangible needs have frequently been given a much lower priority than needs which are more obvious and more easily measurable. Spiritual needs, if expressed outside of a religious framework, are very likely to go unnoticed. So if we are to identify spiritual needs and provide spiritual care, its first necessary to have some understanding of the nature of spirituality and how it may be expressed by different individuals. In Australian society, and therefore in our health care setting, we encounter a diversity of cultures, philosophies and religious traditions, as well as individuals who have no clearly defined philosophy or belief system. Therefore its important that we develop some general definitions which can help us to recognise spiritual needs when we encounter them in our clients. We will write a custom essay sample on Unity and Diversity in Spiritual Care or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In recent years, a number of definitions have emerged which are helpful both for defining spirituality, and differentiating between spiritual needs and religious or psychosocial needs. Simsen defines spirituality by saying THE SPIRIT is that part of man which is concerned with the ultimate meaning of things and with a persons relationship to that which transcends the material. (Simsen, 1985:10) Moberg says it is The totality of mans inner resources, the ultimate concerns around which all other values are focussed, the central philosophy of life which influences all individual and social behaviour. (Moberg, 1979) SPIRITUAL NEED has been variously defined as, Any factor that is necessary (requisite, indispensable) to support the spiritual strengths of a person or to diminish the spiritual deficits. (Simsen, 1985:10). The lack of any factor or factors necessary to maintain a persons dynamic relationship with God/Deity (as defined by that person). (Stallwood, 1975: 1088), and That re quirement which touches the core of ones being where the search for personal meaning takes place. (Colliton, 1981: 492). I find all these definitions helpful because together they give a comprehensive (though not exhaustive) picture of what we are aiming to do in giving spiritual care. We need to realise however that spirituality may not always be expressed within a religious framework. Therefore we need to make a distinction between spirituality and religion. One definition of RELIGION is, a framework of spiritual beliefs, a code of ethics and a philosophy that governs a persons activity in pursuit of that which he holds as supreme, his God. In the book, Nursing and Spiritual Care, McGilloway says, Religion helps people answer basic questions about life and death and the unexplained happenings in the world around them. McGilloway, 1985: 23) As these definitions demonstrate, spirituality is not limited to religious affiliation and practices, but is a much broader concept. Another difficulty in identifying spiritual need is that we can fail to make the distinction between spiritual needs and psychosocial needs, since they are not always opposites, and may in fact overlap. A model I find helpful in clarifying this, is one that describes a person in terms of three di mensions. (1) The PHYSICAL or biological dimension which relates to the world around us through our five senses. 2) The PSYCHOSOCIAL dimension which relates to self and others, and involves our emotions, moral sense, intellect and will. (3) The SPIRITUAL dimension which transcends physical and psychosocial dimensions and has the capacity to relate to a higher being. (Stallwood, 1975: 1087) These three dimensions are distinct but overlapping. They cannot be sealed in separate compartments. A crisis or illness affecting our physical body will invariably affect the other dimensions as well. SPIRITUALITY IN NURSING TODAY How does nursing today view spiritual care? For a long time, nursing literature concerning spiritual care was directed towards belief systems and religious practices. If considered at all, it was largely defined in a very narrow way as relating to frankly religious functions and intervention limited (at least officially) to calling the hospital chaplain. Regardless of that, we were often confronted with spiritual need and recognised at least the more overt expressions of this. For example, statements such as God must be punishing me or questions like, Nurse, do you think there is anything after death? were recognised as indicating a spiritual concern. By the late 1960s and 1970s the nursing literature had begun to reveal a growing interest in the spiritual, as well as the psychosocial and emotional aspects of nursing care. Nursing theorists of this era saw the human person as an integrated whole with different dimensions or capabilities (as they put it) for discerning the world around and within. Their writings suggest that when they spoke of spirituality or spiritual need, they had in mind a much broader concept than just religious or denominational adherence and practice. In 1971, Joyce Travelbee declared, A nurse does not only seek to alleviate physical pain or render physical care she ministers to the whole person. The existence of suffering, whether physical, mental or spiritual is the proper concern of the nurse. 4 (Travelbee, 1971: 159). Here we see clear evidence of a return to the traditional focus of nursing, a concern for the whole person. This focus is even more evident today. The North American Diagnosis Association [NANDA] approved list of Nursing Diagnoses which is widely used in Australia, includes SPIRITUAL DISTRESS which is described as, Distress of the human spirit; disruption in the life principle that pervades a persons entire being and integrates and transcends ones biological and psychosocial nature. (Alfaro, 1990: 203) This classification, first approved in its present form in 1988, recognises that suffering extends beyond the physical, mental and emotional. Spiritual care can be a natural part of total care which fits easily into the nursing process of assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Placing spiritual need and spiritual care within this framework, has proved to be very helpful, for both philosophical and practical reasons. Firstly spiritual care can become more tangible as well as more assessable. And s econdly, the types of knowledge utilised by the Nursing Process practice wisdom, ethics of practice, and scientific knowledge (Ziegler et al, 1986:14-18) are all relevant to assessing piritual needs and planning spiritual care. It can also then be documented in nursing care plans, to ensure a continuity of care. Like all other areas of care, spiritual care should be a team effort. If spiritual needs are accurately assessed and documented, all staff will be encouraged to see that care is provided. Members of the team who for any reason, dont feel comfortable about providing that care themselves, w ill be able to use referral. The result will be a united approach to spiritual care which is seen as a natural part of nursing practice.

Labor Unions in 1900 essays

Labor Unions in 1900 essays Would you have joined a Labor Union in 1900? I believe that in 1900 I would have been torn over whether or not to join a labor union. Prior to 1900, people had organized together, but they really had no clout. Even though they stood up for what they believed, in the end, the federal government always stepped in on the side of business. Oftentimes, many people were killed during the process. For example, in 1877 when the four largest railroad companies got together and decided to cut their employees salaries by ten percent, the workers struck back in defense. However, President Hayes called in federal troops. After a few weeks, the battle between the workers and the soldiers ended, but over 100 people were killed. There were also strikes by steelworkers and silver miners in 1892, in which federal troops were called in, and several people ended up dying in these incidents as well. Employers could bribe politicians, as well as hire scabs to replace the striking workers. After President Garfield was killed, politicians were forced into reforming the spoils system-giving appointed positions to loyal members of the party in power. This placed many politicians in the position of looking elsewhere for money. Therefore, they turned to where the money was-the big corporations. With campaign money coming from the big corporations, they could bribe politicians into doing what they wanted because they were donating so much money. Employers could also force workers to sign a yellow dog contract stating they would not join a union as a requirement for employment. Then, if a worker joined a union after signing this contract, the employee could be blacklisted and no other business would hire him. Many workers lived in company housing and shopped at company-owned stores. Therefore, the corporations had the upper hand. The employee had not much of a choice but to bow down to the employers demand ...

Treaty Of Versailles essays

Treaty Of Versailles essays On June 28 1914, the war had started with the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. On 28 June 1919, exactly five years and about 9 million dead soldiers later, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by defeated Germany. Germanys nose was in the dirt and the allies meant to keep it there. At the treaty of Versailles, Germany and the other Central powers agreed to repay every cent of damage caused by the war. This was known as the reparations and the final amount was fixed at the huge some 30 billion gold marks (at least two zeros more for todays value) plus interest payable over thirty years. The Peace Treaty of Versailles wasnt a real success. The Versailles Treaty left many questions unanswered and did not fully settle the questions. The pact couldnt reverse the tendency initiated by World War I. Generally the Allies attempted to create a status when it all began, which lead to instability and created the Second Great War in Europe. The unsympathetic settlement with Germany left it weak and opened the door for military opportunists, like Adolf Hitler. The Allied nations wanted to keep Germany at the bottom level; most of the leaders were determined to crush Germany and her possessions. Thus, the Versailles Treaty had altered its articles, according to the widespread hatred towards Germany. Consequently, Germany was blamed as the instigator of WWI. The outstanding figures in the negotiations leading to the treaty were Woodrow Wilson for the United States, Georges Clemenceau for France, David Lloyd George for England, and Vittorio Emmanuelle Orlando for Italy-the so-called Big Four. U.S President Woodrow Wilson insisted that Germany should be treated fairly with justice and honor so that they would not want to get revenge in the future. In fact the United States had suffered only few casualties compared to other allied countries. President Wilson also suggested that a Le...

Logistics systems development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Logistics systems development - Research Paper Example It focuses on material handling, waste management, packaging and transport.† (Rodrigue, Comtois & Slack, 2009). Pollution has become a major issue of concern in regard to logistics, as logistics firms are opting for heavy goods vehicles, which emit airborne pollutants such as particulate matter and gaseous toxins. If nothing is done regarding this, Co2 emissions will rise to extreme levels. It is important that the issues of green logistics must be taken seriously and solutions must be sought. The biggest challenge that logistics systems are currently facing is the creation of a sustainable society with minimum negative impact on environment. This paper discusses the problems in the development of a green logistics system, giving a detailed description of the paradoxes in green logistics, while offering a ‘blueprint’ for the implementation of green logistics, concluding upon a recommended solution. Cost: Reduction of costs are perhaps the most important aspect of a logistics system from the perspective of a distributor, which may be implemented through the improvement in the packaging and efficient reduction of wastes. This will benefit the distributor as well as the consumer, but presents the problem that the environmental costs are often externalized. (Geroliminis & Daganzo, n. d). Time: The management of time mainly rests upon the integration of the supply chain, which can be most beneficial in physical distribution of products. Through integrated supply chains, it would also become more practical to provide flexibility in the system. However the paradox of this option would be that in the process of extending production, the number of retailing structures using energy options would have to be increased, resulting in increased production of emissions. Reliability: On-time distribution or reliable distribution of freight would greatly benefit the producer as it

City of Dreams Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

City of Dreams Summary - Essay Example Within the new policy they see new opportunities for people like themselves to develop personal ambitions and later, an entire China. They are happy to feel less control from Communists Party. Though they are aware of strained social situation, they believe it’s necessary for country to live out the period and form a middle class with a view of future prosperity, and the best they can do is to help middle class formation by personal example. At the same time a huge part of citizens appeared to be not fitted for the new economic policy. Within four years period a lot of fabric in Shanghai was closed, and about 24 million of fabric workers appeared to be unemployed (â€Å"China Rises – City of Dreams†). Most of them have poor education and cannot manage to find a new job. To get an education is not an option too, because education system is commercial. Therefore nowadays they are trying their best to survive and provide their families and children even with basic living standards, but gaps between poor and middle class and the richest ones are huge. This causes a lot of social problems. Another thing that causes Shanghai social problems is its fast built-up development. In order to build a new houses and offices an old dwelling houses are ruined. Yet dwellers of those houses (often they are the same unemployed workers) are treated unfairly by new building investors, and government stand for the building investors, because new projects increase Shanghai economic development. To resist the suppression without jobs and homes, and also without appropriate governmental support for these people is almost impossible. Lawyers say such cases are doomed to fail. There’s too huge corruption in Shanghai governmental institutions. To my mind, country’s government cannot negotiate rights of its citizens under any circumstances. To suppress one class in order to form another

HUNTING THE NIGHTMARE BACTERIA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HUNTING THE NIGHTMARE BACTERIA - Essay Example Bacterial infections long before the discovery of penicillin used to result in deaths from simple infected wounds. As times progressed, scientific intervention relieved people from the fatality of sepsis. However resistant genes and bacteria seem to have brought back such infections. In the case of Addie Rerecich, a MRSA infection from a single scrape wound resulted, which aggravated upon further treatment and multiplied due to medical intervention, exacerbating her debility to the point where doctors deemed it untreatable, yet bought her some time with surgical intervention. Similarly David Ricci introduced NMD-1 into the United States, leaving doctors who had never treated a patient for such a bacteria; no choice but to quarantine him. Likewise, the alarming outbreak of KPC in New York threatened patient admission in the NIH, leaving the doctors baffled with the inability to control the spread of such a bacteria. The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has thus posed problems for the doctors, pharmacists, microbiologists and researchers time after time due to the fact that medical resources are finite and the invading organisms are gaining strength in their pathogenicity. As a result, medicines no longer prevent their spread as efficiently as they used to. There are many possible reasons that may have fueled the growth of resistant bacteria beyond the control of health specialists. Firstly, the antibiotics are often prescribed for ailments that do not require them, which results in bacteria becoming resistant to a specific class of anti-microbial drugs. Secondly, it is due to the silent spread of these bacteria across individuals who often do not exhibit symptoms unless it is too late and the bacteria have spread. Unlike humans, the bacteria can transmit mutated genes across contaminated water and grow resistant to antibiotic medication even before they have entered their hosts. Moreover, it may also result

Personal Development Plan Template Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Development Plan Template - Essay Example I felt that I wanted to be the one who organizes and plans for the department, who thinks of ways on how to improve the service we provide, who devises programs for the personnel, the patients, and the public. I wanted to be the head of the hospital’s respiratory department. But of course, David Beckham did not reach his status in football by just scoring goals. For certain, it required a lot of hardships and training. And though I have already undergone some of my own, there are still skills that I need to develop to reach my goal, especially because I want to also manage the budget distribution of the department. In football, one does not just have a ball being played by his two feet; he has the ball that makes all the others follow, go where they can support the goal he has in mind—the same goal of the whole team. And this is a characteristic of a football player that I have to develop, my leadership and management skills. Although I am very fond of reading management materials, I know that this is not going to be enough to be the head of the respiratory department. So for that, I have made some plans to meet and, hopefully, exceed the expectations of the hospital administration. As I read once in a Reader’s Digest, â€Å"Education is the cure for all insecurities.† After I receive my master’s degree, I plan to take leadership seminars and management seminars here in Australia, which will include proper budget allocation. However, aside from the knowledge and skills I intend to acquire and/or develop, I realize that becoming the head of a hospital department is a great responsibility. And as any football or any other sports legend has done just to achieve their goals, something or some things need to be sacrificed; mine, is putting off being with a woman I will be with all my life. Some things are just worth sacrificing for and some things worth putting off. However, in football, the reality is that not all kicks,

Capitalism is destroying the planet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capitalism is destroying the planet - Essay Example Therefore, in line of with endeavors of capitalists to maximize their profits by intensive and extensive exploration of the natural environment, this paper shows that capitalists’ production is the root cause of environmental pollution that is posing serious dangers to survival of biodiversity, which for this case includes humanity. The driving force of capitalism has remained to be profit maximization. Serving social demands such as food, shelter, clothing and social amenities is just but a by the way. In their primary bid to maximize profits, in which none of them can shy away from being part and parcel, capitalists are driven to further accumulate wealth in any means that would give them a comparative advantage over competitors. Since their production is limited to exploring natural environment for their gains, hundreds of thousands of industries have been established. Examples include food processing, motor vehicle, and utilities that generate energy that is the driving fo rce of any economy (Sweezy 2). A capitalistic set-up is very vibrant in the sense that it has several players each pursuing their own economic goals. Such a place is characterized by closely packed business entities each engaged in some economic activity. For instance, in producing goods and services for the masses, the number of factories that have been established are increasingly occupying more space on the surface of the earth. This has the implication that more fossil fuels is being consumed to keep these factories running. Understandably, these fuels, example of which include coal, produces carbon (IV) oxide that leads to global warming. In another scenario, capitalism has encouraged unsustainable economic competition for different players in the market. For example, in the process of maximizing profits in the fish industry, capitalists have built up large fishing vessels that process fish immediately they are fished. This has the implication that the rate at which fish are be ing processed is faster that even the rate of their reproduction. The same case applies to forested areas where trees are being fell rapidly than they are planted. The unsustainable utilization of natural resources is what has raised eyebrows regarding the negative effects of capitalism. The wide spread destruction of the world’s tree population for the use of manufacturing goods for large scale corporations is just the tip of the iceberg. We have developed a culture that is largely in an â€Å"amnesic† state if you will. We are taught to consume and build a relationship with these products to where they are accepted in every part of our lives. These same products are increasing the CO2 emissions in the earth’s atmosphere to a recent all-time high of 400.03 ppm. This large increase is due to multiple things including globalized use of fossil fuels and the industrialization of production (Kempf 4). Capitalism has significantly increased the exploration of natural resources which in time increases manufacturing. This domino effect ends with increase in Carbon (IV) Oxide concentration which destroys the ozone layer by causing global warming. Increased temperature have caused melting of the ice carps thus increasing the water levels in the seas and oceans. In the event of a natural disaster such as tsunami, for example the one that hit the coastline of Indonesia in 2004, the effects are

Discuss the extent to which the Youth Justice system addresses the Essay

Discuss the extent to which the Youth Justice system addresses the problem of Youth Crime - Essay Example In US, property crimes are the most frequently committed crimes (Mungatana, 2001). Violent crimes happen when an individual threatens to harm, conspire to harm or attempts to harm someone (Finkelhor and Ormrod, 2001). Violent crimes involve the threat of force and include homicide, robbery or rape. The differences between crime and deviance are (a) crime is a violation of laws pertaining the land whereas deviance is a breach of social norms, (b) agents that control crime are judiciary and police whereas agents controlling deviance are fear of God and societal pressure, (c) society lack coercive power to control deviance while crime is checked using instruments of governments, (d) crime is criminal in nature while deviance can be non criminal or criminal, (e), most behaviors that initially were crimes are currently deviant behaviors, (f) infringement of law makes deviance behavior a crime and (d) deviance is not regarded as serious as a crime. Criminological theories that explain crime and deviance include psychological, biological and sociological perspectives. Biological perspective is a key approach when conducting psychological research and focuses on the notion that behaviors have a biological basis (wise GEEK. 2013). Sociological perspective is abroad way of viewing phenomena. The sociological perspective helps in understanding the individual’s behavior and provides insights about the surrounding world. Psychological perspective postulates that human behavior is the result of an individual’s experiences and ideas. This paper is a discussion on the extent to, which the youth justice system addresses the problem of youth crime. To aid in examination of the issues, various criminological perspective theories will be used and an in-depth evaluation of the historical process of youth justice system. The paper sides with biological perspective, which states that children are born criminals. Historically,

High Employee Turnover in the Retail Industry

High Employee Turnover in the Retail Industry Executive Summary This dissertation has been written to determine why the employee turnover in the retail industry is so high. The reason for this is that managers are not following the basic human resource principles such as offering employees competitive wages, opportunities of promotion or challenging work in order to keep employees motivated. As individuals are not motivated at work, they look elsewhere for better paid jobs where they can develop themselves further so they can progress with their careers. The researcher has also recognised that employees want flexibility at work. This is due to many of the participants of the survey having personal priorities that are more important to them such as children or studying while working. There are clear recommendations for employers stating what can be done with the intention of reducing the employee turnover rate. The most vital are that managers find out specifically why employees are leaving, this can be done by using exit interviews. Once this is determined, they will be able to pinpoint the causes for employees leaving them so that they can then make the necessary changes to keep staff attracted to the job. The study has also shown that it is of vast importance for employers to offer more flexibility in the workplace in order to be able to cater for the employees requirements. The estimated basic turnover cost for a retail assistant is  £1,425 per individual. (Taylor, S 2002:47) This total only includes the expenses of the employee leaving i.e. the paper work and the recruitment process to replace the individual. The total does not account for overtime being paid out to the individuals colleagues or temporary staffs who may be hired to fill the vacancy on a short-term basis. The employee turnover rate for people working in retail is considerably high at 31.3%; retail has the highest employee turnover rate throughout all sectors. (CBI Labour and Absence Survey 2004) The researcher has been working in sales for almost four years now and it is of great interest to the individual as to why staff turnover is so high and what can be done to prevent it and how the company can benefit from retaining staffs. To the researcher, it seems more practical to retain staffs rather then recruit new employees. If employers invested money into staffs, they may find that this will save a lot of money in recruiting and training new staffs. Aims The aims of the dissertation are to: Identify the cause of high employee turnover rates within the retail sector Find out what employees in this sector want from an organisation Establish what can be done by employers to retain people in this particular segment of the labour market. Rationale This dissertation seeks to inform businesses of how high employee turnover can be costly and time consuming which is why the well-known idiom can be used to express the basis of the dissertation: â€Å"prevention is better then cure.† In the business context, this relates to investing more in staff in order to retain them rather then recruiting, selecting and training new staff. High staff turnovers can influence a businesses performance as it is the employees who are in direct contact with the customers and if they are not satisfied with their jobs, they will not be providing the best service possible to the customers. Limitation: This dissertation is concerned with the retail sector as motivation and retention methods vary in different environments. The proposal does not focus on a particular company but on the retail segment as a whole in order to establish the factors, which account for retention within the sector. The study will be based in London; and will focus on individuals who have had experience of working within the retail sector. Literature Review 7.1 Definition of Employee Turnover When employees leave an organisation, several factors need to be considered which all lead to expenses on behalf of the organisation. The organisation will need somebody to cover the workload of the employee that has left the company and the process of recruiting will need to take place in order to fill the vacancy. The higher the employee turnover rate is of a business, the higher the costs will be to replace these workers which is why it is so important for businesses to calculate. To evaluate the labour turnover, the following calculation can be used: (CIPD 2004) â€Å"Crude Wastage Method† ___Number of leavers in a set period_____ x100 Average number employed in the same period Once labour turnover rates have been identified, it will then be possible for the organisation to recognise the extent that staff turnover can affect them by. Reducing labour turnover will mean that less people are leaving the organisation therefore; there will be less wastage of employees so that money can be saved, as less people will need to be recruited. However, not all organisations calculate the cost of employee wastage. In fact, over 50% of organisations believe that this information is not relevant and 31% believe that it takes up too much time and is not worth the effort. (Recruitment, retention and turnover Survey, CIPD, 2004:33) If organisations do not calculate the employee turnover rate, it will be difficult for them to distinguish its affect and recognise the benefits of reducing it. 7.2 The Effect of Employee Turnover on Staff When an individual leaves a job, either a temporary replacement is hired or the workload is split between the individuals colleagues until a suitable replacement is found. Hiring temporary staff can be expensive while at the same time, giving the individuals colleagues, an increased workload will cause them further stress. If this was to happen consistently, it could be another cause for people leaving the organisation. The graph shows how employee turnover can have a knock on effect because of the impact it has on staffs. (Employee retention report, Reed, 2003:4) The employer must ensure that people are replaced as soon as possible to prevent other staffs from being put under additional stress and pressure. However, if employers tried harder to retain staffs then they would have to put less time and resources into replacing the workforce. 7.3 The Effect of Employee Turnover on the Organisation The impact of employees leaving organisations is that it leads to expenses. Replacing staffs takes up time and money, which are both valuable resources that should be saved wherever possible in order to achieve a more efficiently operated business. When a position is vacant, the amount of paid overtime can rise up to 25%, which accounts for the usual workload that is to be completed by less staffs. (Employee retention report, Reed, 2003:4) The graph shows the adverse affects that happen because of employee turnover. Reducing employee turnover will decrease expenses as the company will not have to spend as much money to hire temporary staffs, recruit new staffs or pay so for so much overtime. 7.4 The Importance of Retention from the Recruitment Stage It is important in an organisation to recruit the right person with the right skills and qualifications for the job. â€Å"People who represent the best ‘match in terms of their personality attributes, skills and experience are those who are likely to perform best in the job against a range of criteria. They are also the people who are most likely to remain employed for some time and the least likely to take the first available opportunity to leave.† (Taylor, S 2002:171) This is essential as recruiting a person whom is inadequate to do the job would be pointless as they would not be able to complete the tasks of the job to meet the expectations of the company. Therefore, recruiting a person who is not right for the job would be a waste of time and money as the right person for the job will still need to be found for the long-term. 7.5 The Importance of Inductions Once a suitable candidate is found and hired, they will require preliminary training, which is known as an induction. This is where the employee is introduced to the company, its culture and procedures. This will help to familiarise the employee with the company and the job requirements. As a result, the employees will learn the various procedures of how the company wants to operate. Inductions are used to welcome the new employee into the organisation and ensure that they feel comfortable in performing their job role successfully. â€Å"Labour turnover is frequently highest amongst those who have recently joined an organisation. The term ‘induction crisis is used to describe the critical period when new starters are most likely to leave. A well planned induction course can help to decrease labour turnover by ensuring that new starters settle quickly in their jobs and reach an efficient standard of performance as soon as possible.† (Kenney, J and Reid, M 1990:241) The induction is a very significant part of training as if it is not carried out it can lead to the new employee feeling pressured and may lead to feeling that the job difficult to undertake. Poor or even no induction training can be the result of an employee leaving the company within the first few days or weeks of the start date. 7.6 Affects of a Quality Induction Programme Clarks is a well-established shoemaker company that has developed a valuable induction programme to ensure that its store employees are capable of achieving the companys targets. Just over 40% of the companys retail staff has already taken part in the training scheme called Shine. The programme is significantly recognised as it won a UK National Training Award. The scheme is part of a strategic plan to improve performance, productivity and employee retention. New starters receive Shine on the first day off work as on-the-job training. The new trainees are given a workbook which is similar to an employee handbook as it covers safety, the job, pay, hours, rules, selling steps, finding stock and equipment knowledge of products, shoe-care, deliveries, credit cards, cheques and refunds. The programme encourages teamwork and helps the new employees to bond together. It is clear that Clarks has recognised the importance in induction training in order to retain employees which is why the com pany has devised such a satisfactory training scheme. (â€Å"Shoe shop staffs shine! In training† 2004:91) 7.7 Retention Plan In order to retain employees, the company must first find out what is causing them to leave. As there can be a wide variety of reasons for people leaving a company, the plan is broken down into key factors: Pay and benefits: the company must be able to offer a competitive rate of pay. This is essential as if an employee can perform the same job and be paid more elsewhere then they will most probably leave the company. The company must be able to keep compete with the pay and benefits offered by rival companies. These benefits can consist of; share options, pension schemes, retention bonuses and flexible benefits Recruitment and selection: when recruiting employees it is crucial to ensure that the employees skills and abilities match what is required of the post in the company. If this is not done then the employee will have problems in carrying out the job role successfully. It is also vital to produce a truthful image of the job as if it is made to sound more glamorous or exciting then it actually is, the employees expectations will not be met therefore they will not be fulfilled in the new job thus causing them to look for a better job elsewhere. Training and development: a good induction process is imperative. Employees also need to have the chance to progress through promotion so that they will not feel like they have to be trapped in the same job. Job design: the work may be too boring or undemanding therefore the position may need redesigning or a new approach such as teamwork. This makes it easier for job-share therefore employees will be able to work when it suits them better as the job will be flexible. Management: ensure that managers and supervisors have the skills and ability to manage effectively and fairly. (Bevan, S. 1997) These are the key features, which the organisation has the control to change. The company has no control over circumstances such as people wanting to move to a different location or ill health therefore these factors cannot be influenced in order to retain employees. Motivation With the intention of retaining employees, keeping individuals motivated is another way to prevent them from leaving the organisation and to ensure that the employer is getting the best from each individual. â€Å"Boredom and frustration at work is often the result of an employees lack of involvement with the companys goals and feelings that their ideas are not wanted or listened to. Companies that involve their employees in achieving company goals are able to motivate employees.† (Chapman, M 1997) For individuals to fulfil their full potential this must be motivated thus The harder an employee works, the more / bigger reward(s) they should gain which will keep them motivated to continue working hard. Motivated staffs lead to a more productive workplace therefore; it will be more profitable. (Maslows Hierarchy 1954) states that people first needed to fulfil there basic needs before they can progress to achieve self-actualisation. This is best shown in a pyramid, each person first starts from the bottom and through work, the individual fulfil each stage and works his or her way up. (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 1954) Physiological needs: food, water, air, rest Safety needs: security, job security Social needs: affection, love and friendship Esteem: recognition, achievement and status Self-actualisation: personal growth and self-fulfilment. The hierarchy of needs shows that: Employees need money to pay for necessities such as food, rent etc. This is the basis of satisfaction Employees need to know that their job is safe so that they do not have to worry about looking for a new job. It is best to work in teams to encourage socialising between employees as individuals can learn from one another and share knowledge. Employees will be motivated to work harder if they know there is a possibility of promotion. This is the hardest to achieve, as most people want to be the boss. This will take a lot of time and very hard work to achieve. Maslows theory explains how individuals have needs and by employers meeting these needs, they are able to motivate them to keep on progressing. It is vital for the needs of individuals to be met as if they are not it will lead to individuals feeling unfulfilled thus leading them to look elsewhere for another job. (Herzbergs Two Factor Theory 1968) This consists of satisfiers and hygiene factors. A satisfier is what motivates an employee, e.g. achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, personal growth and the actual work itself. Hygiene factors are elements that do not motivate people e.g. pay and conditions, status in the organisation, job security and benefits. The theory expresses that employees will be motivated by good wages, promotion and other benefits etc. Employees are not motivated by poor wages, poor working conditions, no job security etc. Ultimately, employers need to offer staff satisfiers to motivate them to work hard. As long as individuals are happy and fulfilled in their jobs and feel that they are progressing, they will continue to work hard and stay within the organisation. 7.9 How to find out why Employees are Leaving The organisation needs to find out why its staffs are leaving so they can then devise a plan to try to prevent this from reoccurring in the future. The methods of finding out why employees are leaving can consist of: Exit interviews: these interviews are normally held soon after the employee has resigned. The interviewer can take the opportunity to find out why the employee is leaving, the conditions under which they would have stayed and improvements the company can make in the future. Leaver questionnaires: these are either completed during the interview or sent to people once they have left the company and normally consist of closed questions to make it easier to analyse. (Leavers questionnaire are also known as Attitude Surveys) â€Å"The exit interview is an increasingly common procedure when an employee leaves an organisation. Ostensibly these are conducted to gain information about the reasons for the employees departure, information which can then be used to improve human resource management.† (Furnham, A 2001) Once the reasons for employees leaving has been established, they can be put into separate categories so the organisation can see what the most popular reasons are for people leaving. They can then go on to make relevant changes in order to help retain workers. 7.10 Conclusion of literature Overall, it seems that in order for the retail industry to grow, organisations must improve their retention methods to ensure they have enough employees to cope with the increase in productivity. It is the sales assistants that have the majority of contact with customers which is why it is so vital to ensure that they receive sufficient training in order to serve customers effectively and efficiently while at the same time providing a service to encourage them to come back. A key way to reduce employee turnover is to keep staffs motivated, so the industry will be investigated to find out how this is done and how successful current methods are. The employee turnover rate is so high within the industry so there must be something that is going wrong to cause such a high turnover rate. Exit interviews seem to be the most crucial method of finding out why people are leaving the industry. It is vital to find out why people are leaving so that action can be taken to prevent staffs to from leaving for the same reasons in the future. Therefore, it will be important to find out if retail organisations carry out exit interviews; and if they do not, then why not? 8. Methodology 8.1 Introduction There are varieties of methods that can be put into practice to assist the researcher to seek out relevant information in order to find out the answer to the research question. Examples of such methods are; observations, case studies, interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. If would be difficult to make observations to find out why people are leaving their retail jobs as people resigning can happen randomly so its not guaranteed to happen when the researcher has scheduled to make an observation. Case studies will not be used as the dissertation is based on the retail industry as a whole, not on specific shops or department stores. Interviews will not be used either as although they lead to a large amount of information being uncovered, they take up quite a lot of time of so the amount of people being interviewed will be limited. A broad selection of peoples opinions need to be taken into consideration therefore, the researcher has chosen to use focus groups and questionnaires in order to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information. As the study is based on the whole retail industry, a wide variety of people who have worked or still work in retail need to be targeted to find out the main causes of employee turnover within the sector. The study will be based on primary research, which will be put into practise to find out peoples viewpoints of the topic. 8.2 Primary Research It will be ideal to use questionnaires to find out information, as it seems to be the most efficient way to use a large sample so a wide amount of information can be collected. Another advantage of using questionnaires is that they are not very time-consuming therefore; more people are likely to respond to them. In addition, they are relatively cheap to produce so the researcher will not need to worry too much about the costs. The questionnaires will be anonymous so people will not feel obliged to answer in a specific manner; hence, they will be able to express their own opinions without feeling obligated. An additional feature of a questionnaire is that people can randomly be asked to fill one out as long as they have had a job in retail. This means that no appointments need to be arranged and that the survey can be conducted at any time or place. However, there are some disadvantages with questionnaires such as the structure of the questionnaire needs to be simple and easy to understand so that people do not get confused. This could ruin the results of the questionnaire as if people misunderstand the questions or the layout they will not answer or complete it properly. If people have literacy problems, it may make it difficult for them to complete the survey accurately. Some people may leave out some of the questions, which could cause a problem when recording the data. This could also lead to the wrong conclusions being drawn to as if people skip questions the results will differ. Consequently, this will need to be taken into consideration when recording the results of the survey. Another possible problem is that the response rate is not guaranteed to be one hundred per cent so some questionnaires maybe wasted. The questionnaire will need to be short and straight to the point, if there are too many long questions it may disc ourage people from completing it as they may feel that it will take up too much of their time. One more problem with questionnaires is that they are limited so people will only be able to give feedback on what they have been asked so a different perspective may be overlooked. With the intention of preventing any issues being overlooked, two focus groups will be instigated before the questionnaires are created. This will be done with the intention to stimulate the topic and look at it from a variety of angles. The focus groups will allow for the upward and downwards approach to be put into use, as the information gathered from the focus groups will then be used to develop the questionnaire. One focus group will be made up of university students whom have worked or still work in retail; therefore, the viewpoint of part-time retail workers whom have other commitments can be established. The other focus group will consist of full time retail workers so that their perception of the issues raised can be distinguished. These group members may have responsibilities such as children, another job, a mortgage etc that is why the researcher feels it is relevant to use two focus groups. Each focus group will have between four to six group members. The focus group will be started by introducing everybody to each other, followed by a summary of the topic. A Dictaphone will be used to record the discussion so that all the information can be recorded so that nothing is left out. The following questions have been prepared to ensure that the discussion is kept on track; Q1) Where does everybody work? / Where has everybody worked? Q2) How long have you all been at these jobs? Q3) Do/did you enjoy it? Q4) What do you like best about it? Q5) What do you hate about it? Q6) Do you feel that your organisation seems to constantly be recruiting new people? Q7) Do you feel that this affects you? i.e. do you have to help train them? Are you often left with a bigger workload? How does this make you feel? Q8) When you have left a job did u receive and exit interview? Q9) Do you think this procedure would help the organisation to find out why they are loosing staffs? Q10) If you were the manager, what would you do to retain staffs? A copy of the minutes of the meeting is available in appendix A. The problems associated with focus groups are that some of the members may feel uncomfortable, as they do not know each other so they may keep their opinions to themselves. However, the researcher will introduce all the members to each other and start the conversation off in a relaxed way to help everyone feel more at ease. Another problem is that it may be difficult to get all the members together at the same time as some people maybe working or have other responsibilities like studying or children. 8.3 Pilot Study When the focus groups have been carried out, the information will be used as the foundation for the first draft questionnaire. This will then be tested in order to get feedback on it for improvements. This process will continue until all feedback has been taken into account and all the necessary changes have been made. When this is all completed, the questionnaire will go through a pilot study of about ten people to ensure that all the questions run smoothly and are not misunderstood. The final version of the questionnaire is available in appendix B. 8.4 The Survey After the required changes if any have been edited, the survey will be carried out at Charing Cross train station on a sample of one hundred people whom work or have worked in retail as a sales assistant. The people completing the survey must meet the specific criteria, which are that everybody who takes part must work or have worked in retail. The location was chosen as it is very busy and it should be easy to find a variety of people that meet the criteria that could spare five to ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire while waiting for their train. 8.5 Analysis of Data Once the survey has been carried out, the data gathered would be entered into an Excel spreadsheet where the data will be put together to analyse it and to find out what are the main reasons for employee turnover within the industry and what can be done by employers to reduce the amount of employee wastage. The data will then be evaluated in order to identify if there are any trends or relationships that can be established. This information will then be examined to find out what the industrys employees require so that employee turnover can be reduced. 8.6 Limitations It was too difficult to get a group of full time workers from different retail segments together at the same time to hold the second focus group. Some people refused to be part of it and others who said they would participate were not able to agree to a specific time where they would all be free. Therefore, only one focus group of university students could be conducted. The survey will be carried out on one hundred people whom have worked in the retail industry. In addition, the survey will be based in central London, if the survey was carried out around the whole of England, the results could differ. 8.7 Secondary research The dissertation focuses on primary research carried out by the researcher however, secondary data in the form of academic books, reports, articles and CIPD studies have been used to look at the existing trends in the labour market. Information has been gathered from various human resource textbooks to look at employees behaviours more closely and to define what factors motivate individuals within the working environment. The Internet was used to find out reliable facts and statistics about the retail industry in order to examine it closer and determine what has already been established so the researcher could identify if these trends were also shown in their research. 9. Analysis and Findings 9.1 Introduction From the information found out through the focus group, the researcher decided to use open-ended questions in the questionnaire as a means to find out what people really thought. Peoples opinions have then been categorised so that relationships can be identified more easily. One hundred questionnaires were handed out and fifty-four were handed back fully completed thus the response rate for the survey is 54%. 9.2 Demographics The results from the survey show that out of the fifty-four respondents, only 22% were male. In 2003, the retail workforce was made up of 63% females and only 37% males. (Learning and skills, research report, 2004:8) According to the survey, just over a third of the industry was made up of men meaning that women dominated the workforce. These results are not biased, as the researchers sample resembles the trends in the industry, as just over three-quarters of the sample are female. Therefore, although the gender is not evenly split, it will not affect the findings of the survey. The results of the survey also showed that the majority (fifty per cent) of the sample fell between the twenty-one to thirty age-range. However, the sample did consist of a variety of ages as shown in the graph below: This graph clearly shows that women dominate the sample and that no men over the age of forty-one took part in the survey. In fact, only seven per cent of the sample are over the age of forty-one. The under twenty category is the only age range which shows there is an even gender split; nine per cent are male and eleven per cent are female. Overall, the survey was completed by respondents with a variety of ages to ensure that different generations of workers could give their viewpoints on employee turnover within the sector. The majority of participants have no children under the age of fourteen: only seventeen per cent have children; forty-four per cent are male and fifty-six per cent are female. Out of these candidates, fifty-six per cent are married, twenty-two per cent are single and twenty-two per cent are divorced. Forty-four per cent have left the industry due to having children while twenty-two per cent are working full time and thirty-four per cent are working part-time. The thirty-four per cent that are working part-time consist of the individual that are single or divorced. These candidates have to work part-time as they are single parents and they have their children to care for. 9.3 The length of time people have worked in the industry and the amount of different retail jobs they have experienced Almost a third of the participants have worked in retail for between three to five years and only four per cent of participants have worked in the industry for ten years or more. This is a very small amount considering that the most amounts of jobs undertaken in retail by a participant were twelve. This was by only one person who worked in the industry for between five to seven years. Seventy-six per cent of respondents have had between one to four retail jobs which seems to be fairly high considering the fact that over a quarter have worked in retail for a year or less. Out of the whole sample of respondents, only eighteen per cent are still in the retail industry, which means that just over two thirds of the sample have actually left the sector and changed careers. 9.4 The reasons for employee turnover Seven per cent of the survey is still in their first retail job, of which, eighty-five per cent have only been in the first job for one year or less. These candidates are all under twenty, therefore the reason they may still be in their first retail job is that they are so young and are just coming to terms with working life. The research has shown that older candidates are likely to have had more jobs in retail as High Employee Turnover in the Retail Industry High Employee Turnover in the Retail Industry Executive Summary This dissertation has been written to determine why the employee turnover in the retail industry is so high. The reason for this is that managers are not following the basic human resource principles such as offering employees competitive wages, opportunities of promotion or challenging work in order to keep employees motivated. As individuals are not motivated at work, they look elsewhere for better paid jobs where they can develop themselves further so they can progress with their careers. The researcher has also recognised that employees want flexibility at work. This is due to many of the participants of the survey having personal priorities that are more important to them such as children or studying while working. There are clear recommendations for employers stating what can be done with the intention of reducing the employee turnover rate. The most vital are that managers find out specifically why employees are leaving, this can be done by using exit interviews. Once this is determined, they will be able to pinpoint the causes for employees leaving them so that they can then make the necessary changes to keep staff attracted to the job. The study has also shown that it is of vast importance for employers to offer more flexibility in the workplace in order to be able to cater for the employees requirements. The estimated basic turnover cost for a retail assistant is  £1,425 per individual. (Taylor, S 2002:47) This total only includes the expenses of the employee leaving i.e. the paper work and the recruitment process to replace the individual. The total does not account for overtime being paid out to the individuals colleagues or temporary staffs who may be hired to fill the vacancy on a short-term basis. The employee turnover rate for people working in retail is considerably high at 31.3%; retail has the highest employee turnover rate throughout all sectors. (CBI Labour and Absence Survey 2004) The researcher has been working in sales for almost four years now and it is of great interest to the individual as to why staff turnover is so high and what can be done to prevent it and how the company can benefit from retaining staffs. To the researcher, it seems more practical to retain staffs rather then recruit new employees. If employers invested money into staffs, they may find that this will save a lot of money in recruiting and training new staffs. Aims The aims of the dissertation are to: Identify the cause of high employee turnover rates within the retail sector Find out what employees in this sector want from an organisation Establish what can be done by employers to retain people in this particular segment of the labour market. Rationale This dissertation seeks to inform businesses of how high employee turnover can be costly and time consuming which is why the well-known idiom can be used to express the basis of the dissertation: â€Å"prevention is better then cure.† In the business context, this relates to investing more in staff in order to retain them rather then recruiting, selecting and training new staff. High staff turnovers can influence a businesses performance as it is the employees who are in direct contact with the customers and if they are not satisfied with their jobs, they will not be providing the best service possible to the customers. Limitation: This dissertation is concerned with the retail sector as motivation and retention methods vary in different environments. The proposal does not focus on a particular company but on the retail segment as a whole in order to establish the factors, which account for retention within the sector. The study will be based in London; and will focus on individuals who have had experience of working within the retail sector. Literature Review 7.1 Definition of Employee Turnover When employees leave an organisation, several factors need to be considered which all lead to expenses on behalf of the organisation. The organisation will need somebody to cover the workload of the employee that has left the company and the process of recruiting will need to take place in order to fill the vacancy. The higher the employee turnover rate is of a business, the higher the costs will be to replace these workers which is why it is so important for businesses to calculate. To evaluate the labour turnover, the following calculation can be used: (CIPD 2004) â€Å"Crude Wastage Method† ___Number of leavers in a set period_____ x100 Average number employed in the same period Once labour turnover rates have been identified, it will then be possible for the organisation to recognise the extent that staff turnover can affect them by. Reducing labour turnover will mean that less people are leaving the organisation therefore; there will be less wastage of employees so that money can be saved, as less people will need to be recruited. However, not all organisations calculate the cost of employee wastage. In fact, over 50% of organisations believe that this information is not relevant and 31% believe that it takes up too much time and is not worth the effort. (Recruitment, retention and turnover Survey, CIPD, 2004:33) If organisations do not calculate the employee turnover rate, it will be difficult for them to distinguish its affect and recognise the benefits of reducing it. 7.2 The Effect of Employee Turnover on Staff When an individual leaves a job, either a temporary replacement is hired or the workload is split between the individuals colleagues until a suitable replacement is found. Hiring temporary staff can be expensive while at the same time, giving the individuals colleagues, an increased workload will cause them further stress. If this was to happen consistently, it could be another cause for people leaving the organisation. The graph shows how employee turnover can have a knock on effect because of the impact it has on staffs. (Employee retention report, Reed, 2003:4) The employer must ensure that people are replaced as soon as possible to prevent other staffs from being put under additional stress and pressure. However, if employers tried harder to retain staffs then they would have to put less time and resources into replacing the workforce. 7.3 The Effect of Employee Turnover on the Organisation The impact of employees leaving organisations is that it leads to expenses. Replacing staffs takes up time and money, which are both valuable resources that should be saved wherever possible in order to achieve a more efficiently operated business. When a position is vacant, the amount of paid overtime can rise up to 25%, which accounts for the usual workload that is to be completed by less staffs. (Employee retention report, Reed, 2003:4) The graph shows the adverse affects that happen because of employee turnover. Reducing employee turnover will decrease expenses as the company will not have to spend as much money to hire temporary staffs, recruit new staffs or pay so for so much overtime. 7.4 The Importance of Retention from the Recruitment Stage It is important in an organisation to recruit the right person with the right skills and qualifications for the job. â€Å"People who represent the best ‘match in terms of their personality attributes, skills and experience are those who are likely to perform best in the job against a range of criteria. They are also the people who are most likely to remain employed for some time and the least likely to take the first available opportunity to leave.† (Taylor, S 2002:171) This is essential as recruiting a person whom is inadequate to do the job would be pointless as they would not be able to complete the tasks of the job to meet the expectations of the company. Therefore, recruiting a person who is not right for the job would be a waste of time and money as the right person for the job will still need to be found for the long-term. 7.5 The Importance of Inductions Once a suitable candidate is found and hired, they will require preliminary training, which is known as an induction. This is where the employee is introduced to the company, its culture and procedures. This will help to familiarise the employee with the company and the job requirements. As a result, the employees will learn the various procedures of how the company wants to operate. Inductions are used to welcome the new employee into the organisation and ensure that they feel comfortable in performing their job role successfully. â€Å"Labour turnover is frequently highest amongst those who have recently joined an organisation. The term ‘induction crisis is used to describe the critical period when new starters are most likely to leave. A well planned induction course can help to decrease labour turnover by ensuring that new starters settle quickly in their jobs and reach an efficient standard of performance as soon as possible.† (Kenney, J and Reid, M 1990:241) The induction is a very significant part of training as if it is not carried out it can lead to the new employee feeling pressured and may lead to feeling that the job difficult to undertake. Poor or even no induction training can be the result of an employee leaving the company within the first few days or weeks of the start date. 7.6 Affects of a Quality Induction Programme Clarks is a well-established shoemaker company that has developed a valuable induction programme to ensure that its store employees are capable of achieving the companys targets. Just over 40% of the companys retail staff has already taken part in the training scheme called Shine. The programme is significantly recognised as it won a UK National Training Award. The scheme is part of a strategic plan to improve performance, productivity and employee retention. New starters receive Shine on the first day off work as on-the-job training. The new trainees are given a workbook which is similar to an employee handbook as it covers safety, the job, pay, hours, rules, selling steps, finding stock and equipment knowledge of products, shoe-care, deliveries, credit cards, cheques and refunds. The programme encourages teamwork and helps the new employees to bond together. It is clear that Clarks has recognised the importance in induction training in order to retain employees which is why the com pany has devised such a satisfactory training scheme. (â€Å"Shoe shop staffs shine! In training† 2004:91) 7.7 Retention Plan In order to retain employees, the company must first find out what is causing them to leave. As there can be a wide variety of reasons for people leaving a company, the plan is broken down into key factors: Pay and benefits: the company must be able to offer a competitive rate of pay. This is essential as if an employee can perform the same job and be paid more elsewhere then they will most probably leave the company. The company must be able to keep compete with the pay and benefits offered by rival companies. These benefits can consist of; share options, pension schemes, retention bonuses and flexible benefits Recruitment and selection: when recruiting employees it is crucial to ensure that the employees skills and abilities match what is required of the post in the company. If this is not done then the employee will have problems in carrying out the job role successfully. It is also vital to produce a truthful image of the job as if it is made to sound more glamorous or exciting then it actually is, the employees expectations will not be met therefore they will not be fulfilled in the new job thus causing them to look for a better job elsewhere. Training and development: a good induction process is imperative. Employees also need to have the chance to progress through promotion so that they will not feel like they have to be trapped in the same job. Job design: the work may be too boring or undemanding therefore the position may need redesigning or a new approach such as teamwork. This makes it easier for job-share therefore employees will be able to work when it suits them better as the job will be flexible. Management: ensure that managers and supervisors have the skills and ability to manage effectively and fairly. (Bevan, S. 1997) These are the key features, which the organisation has the control to change. The company has no control over circumstances such as people wanting to move to a different location or ill health therefore these factors cannot be influenced in order to retain employees. Motivation With the intention of retaining employees, keeping individuals motivated is another way to prevent them from leaving the organisation and to ensure that the employer is getting the best from each individual. â€Å"Boredom and frustration at work is often the result of an employees lack of involvement with the companys goals and feelings that their ideas are not wanted or listened to. Companies that involve their employees in achieving company goals are able to motivate employees.† (Chapman, M 1997) For individuals to fulfil their full potential this must be motivated thus The harder an employee works, the more / bigger reward(s) they should gain which will keep them motivated to continue working hard. Motivated staffs lead to a more productive workplace therefore; it will be more profitable. (Maslows Hierarchy 1954) states that people first needed to fulfil there basic needs before they can progress to achieve self-actualisation. This is best shown in a pyramid, each person first starts from the bottom and through work, the individual fulfil each stage and works his or her way up. (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 1954) Physiological needs: food, water, air, rest Safety needs: security, job security Social needs: affection, love and friendship Esteem: recognition, achievement and status Self-actualisation: personal growth and self-fulfilment. The hierarchy of needs shows that: Employees need money to pay for necessities such as food, rent etc. This is the basis of satisfaction Employees need to know that their job is safe so that they do not have to worry about looking for a new job. It is best to work in teams to encourage socialising between employees as individuals can learn from one another and share knowledge. Employees will be motivated to work harder if they know there is a possibility of promotion. This is the hardest to achieve, as most people want to be the boss. This will take a lot of time and very hard work to achieve. Maslows theory explains how individuals have needs and by employers meeting these needs, they are able to motivate them to keep on progressing. It is vital for the needs of individuals to be met as if they are not it will lead to individuals feeling unfulfilled thus leading them to look elsewhere for another job. (Herzbergs Two Factor Theory 1968) This consists of satisfiers and hygiene factors. A satisfier is what motivates an employee, e.g. achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, personal growth and the actual work itself. Hygiene factors are elements that do not motivate people e.g. pay and conditions, status in the organisation, job security and benefits. The theory expresses that employees will be motivated by good wages, promotion and other benefits etc. Employees are not motivated by poor wages, poor working conditions, no job security etc. Ultimately, employers need to offer staff satisfiers to motivate them to work hard. As long as individuals are happy and fulfilled in their jobs and feel that they are progressing, they will continue to work hard and stay within the organisation. 7.9 How to find out why Employees are Leaving The organisation needs to find out why its staffs are leaving so they can then devise a plan to try to prevent this from reoccurring in the future. The methods of finding out why employees are leaving can consist of: Exit interviews: these interviews are normally held soon after the employee has resigned. The interviewer can take the opportunity to find out why the employee is leaving, the conditions under which they would have stayed and improvements the company can make in the future. Leaver questionnaires: these are either completed during the interview or sent to people once they have left the company and normally consist of closed questions to make it easier to analyse. (Leavers questionnaire are also known as Attitude Surveys) â€Å"The exit interview is an increasingly common procedure when an employee leaves an organisation. Ostensibly these are conducted to gain information about the reasons for the employees departure, information which can then be used to improve human resource management.† (Furnham, A 2001) Once the reasons for employees leaving has been established, they can be put into separate categories so the organisation can see what the most popular reasons are for people leaving. They can then go on to make relevant changes in order to help retain workers. 7.10 Conclusion of literature Overall, it seems that in order for the retail industry to grow, organisations must improve their retention methods to ensure they have enough employees to cope with the increase in productivity. It is the sales assistants that have the majority of contact with customers which is why it is so vital to ensure that they receive sufficient training in order to serve customers effectively and efficiently while at the same time providing a service to encourage them to come back. A key way to reduce employee turnover is to keep staffs motivated, so the industry will be investigated to find out how this is done and how successful current methods are. The employee turnover rate is so high within the industry so there must be something that is going wrong to cause such a high turnover rate. Exit interviews seem to be the most crucial method of finding out why people are leaving the industry. It is vital to find out why people are leaving so that action can be taken to prevent staffs to from leaving for the same reasons in the future. Therefore, it will be important to find out if retail organisations carry out exit interviews; and if they do not, then why not? 8. Methodology 8.1 Introduction There are varieties of methods that can be put into practice to assist the researcher to seek out relevant information in order to find out the answer to the research question. Examples of such methods are; observations, case studies, interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. If would be difficult to make observations to find out why people are leaving their retail jobs as people resigning can happen randomly so its not guaranteed to happen when the researcher has scheduled to make an observation. Case studies will not be used as the dissertation is based on the retail industry as a whole, not on specific shops or department stores. Interviews will not be used either as although they lead to a large amount of information being uncovered, they take up quite a lot of time of so the amount of people being interviewed will be limited. A broad selection of peoples opinions need to be taken into consideration therefore, the researcher has chosen to use focus groups and questionnaires in order to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information. As the study is based on the whole retail industry, a wide variety of people who have worked or still work in retail need to be targeted to find out the main causes of employee turnover within the sector. The study will be based on primary research, which will be put into practise to find out peoples viewpoints of the topic. 8.2 Primary Research It will be ideal to use questionnaires to find out information, as it seems to be the most efficient way to use a large sample so a wide amount of information can be collected. Another advantage of using questionnaires is that they are not very time-consuming therefore; more people are likely to respond to them. In addition, they are relatively cheap to produce so the researcher will not need to worry too much about the costs. The questionnaires will be anonymous so people will not feel obliged to answer in a specific manner; hence, they will be able to express their own opinions without feeling obligated. An additional feature of a questionnaire is that people can randomly be asked to fill one out as long as they have had a job in retail. This means that no appointments need to be arranged and that the survey can be conducted at any time or place. However, there are some disadvantages with questionnaires such as the structure of the questionnaire needs to be simple and easy to understand so that people do not get confused. This could ruin the results of the questionnaire as if people misunderstand the questions or the layout they will not answer or complete it properly. If people have literacy problems, it may make it difficult for them to complete the survey accurately. Some people may leave out some of the questions, which could cause a problem when recording the data. This could also lead to the wrong conclusions being drawn to as if people skip questions the results will differ. Consequently, this will need to be taken into consideration when recording the results of the survey. Another possible problem is that the response rate is not guaranteed to be one hundred per cent so some questionnaires maybe wasted. The questionnaire will need to be short and straight to the point, if there are too many long questions it may disc ourage people from completing it as they may feel that it will take up too much of their time. One more problem with questionnaires is that they are limited so people will only be able to give feedback on what they have been asked so a different perspective may be overlooked. With the intention of preventing any issues being overlooked, two focus groups will be instigated before the questionnaires are created. This will be done with the intention to stimulate the topic and look at it from a variety of angles. The focus groups will allow for the upward and downwards approach to be put into use, as the information gathered from the focus groups will then be used to develop the questionnaire. One focus group will be made up of university students whom have worked or still work in retail; therefore, the viewpoint of part-time retail workers whom have other commitments can be established. The other focus group will consist of full time retail workers so that their perception of the issues raised can be distinguished. These group members may have responsibilities such as children, another job, a mortgage etc that is why the researcher feels it is relevant to use two focus groups. Each focus group will have between four to six group members. The focus group will be started by introducing everybody to each other, followed by a summary of the topic. A Dictaphone will be used to record the discussion so that all the information can be recorded so that nothing is left out. The following questions have been prepared to ensure that the discussion is kept on track; Q1) Where does everybody work? / Where has everybody worked? Q2) How long have you all been at these jobs? Q3) Do/did you enjoy it? Q4) What do you like best about it? Q5) What do you hate about it? Q6) Do you feel that your organisation seems to constantly be recruiting new people? Q7) Do you feel that this affects you? i.e. do you have to help train them? Are you often left with a bigger workload? How does this make you feel? Q8) When you have left a job did u receive and exit interview? Q9) Do you think this procedure would help the organisation to find out why they are loosing staffs? Q10) If you were the manager, what would you do to retain staffs? A copy of the minutes of the meeting is available in appendix A. The problems associated with focus groups are that some of the members may feel uncomfortable, as they do not know each other so they may keep their opinions to themselves. However, the researcher will introduce all the members to each other and start the conversation off in a relaxed way to help everyone feel more at ease. Another problem is that it may be difficult to get all the members together at the same time as some people maybe working or have other responsibilities like studying or children. 8.3 Pilot Study When the focus groups have been carried out, the information will be used as the foundation for the first draft questionnaire. This will then be tested in order to get feedback on it for improvements. This process will continue until all feedback has been taken into account and all the necessary changes have been made. When this is all completed, the questionnaire will go through a pilot study of about ten people to ensure that all the questions run smoothly and are not misunderstood. The final version of the questionnaire is available in appendix B. 8.4 The Survey After the required changes if any have been edited, the survey will be carried out at Charing Cross train station on a sample of one hundred people whom work or have worked in retail as a sales assistant. The people completing the survey must meet the specific criteria, which are that everybody who takes part must work or have worked in retail. The location was chosen as it is very busy and it should be easy to find a variety of people that meet the criteria that could spare five to ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire while waiting for their train. 8.5 Analysis of Data Once the survey has been carried out, the data gathered would be entered into an Excel spreadsheet where the data will be put together to analyse it and to find out what are the main reasons for employee turnover within the industry and what can be done by employers to reduce the amount of employee wastage. The data will then be evaluated in order to identify if there are any trends or relationships that can be established. This information will then be examined to find out what the industrys employees require so that employee turnover can be reduced. 8.6 Limitations It was too difficult to get a group of full time workers from different retail segments together at the same time to hold the second focus group. Some people refused to be part of it and others who said they would participate were not able to agree to a specific time where they would all be free. Therefore, only one focus group of university students could be conducted. The survey will be carried out on one hundred people whom have worked in the retail industry. In addition, the survey will be based in central London, if the survey was carried out around the whole of England, the results could differ. 8.7 Secondary research The dissertation focuses on primary research carried out by the researcher however, secondary data in the form of academic books, reports, articles and CIPD studies have been used to look at the existing trends in the labour market. Information has been gathered from various human resource textbooks to look at employees behaviours more closely and to define what factors motivate individuals within the working environment. The Internet was used to find out reliable facts and statistics about the retail industry in order to examine it closer and determine what has already been established so the researcher could identify if these trends were also shown in their research. 9. Analysis and Findings 9.1 Introduction From the information found out through the focus group, the researcher decided to use open-ended questions in the questionnaire as a means to find out what people really thought. Peoples opinions have then been categorised so that relationships can be identified more easily. One hundred questionnaires were handed out and fifty-four were handed back fully completed thus the response rate for the survey is 54%. 9.2 Demographics The results from the survey show that out of the fifty-four respondents, only 22% were male. In 2003, the retail workforce was made up of 63% females and only 37% males. (Learning and skills, research report, 2004:8) According to the survey, just over a third of the industry was made up of men meaning that women dominated the workforce. These results are not biased, as the researchers sample resembles the trends in the industry, as just over three-quarters of the sample are female. Therefore, although the gender is not evenly split, it will not affect the findings of the survey. The results of the survey also showed that the majority (fifty per cent) of the sample fell between the twenty-one to thirty age-range. However, the sample did consist of a variety of ages as shown in the graph below: This graph clearly shows that women dominate the sample and that no men over the age of forty-one took part in the survey. In fact, only seven per cent of the sample are over the age of forty-one. The under twenty category is the only age range which shows there is an even gender split; nine per cent are male and eleven per cent are female. Overall, the survey was completed by respondents with a variety of ages to ensure that different generations of workers could give their viewpoints on employee turnover within the sector. The majority of participants have no children under the age of fourteen: only seventeen per cent have children; forty-four per cent are male and fifty-six per cent are female. Out of these candidates, fifty-six per cent are married, twenty-two per cent are single and twenty-two per cent are divorced. Forty-four per cent have left the industry due to having children while twenty-two per cent are working full time and thirty-four per cent are working part-time. The thirty-four per cent that are working part-time consist of the individual that are single or divorced. These candidates have to work part-time as they are single parents and they have their children to care for. 9.3 The length of time people have worked in the industry and the amount of different retail jobs they have experienced Almost a third of the participants have worked in retail for between three to five years and only four per cent of participants have worked in the industry for ten years or more. This is a very small amount considering that the most amounts of jobs undertaken in retail by a participant were twelve. This was by only one person who worked in the industry for between five to seven years. Seventy-six per cent of respondents have had between one to four retail jobs which seems to be fairly high considering the fact that over a quarter have worked in retail for a year or less. Out of the whole sample of respondents, only eighteen per cent are still in the retail industry, which means that just over two thirds of the sample have actually left the sector and changed careers. 9.4 The reasons for employee turnover Seven per cent of the survey is still in their first retail job, of which, eighty-five per cent have only been in the first job for one year or less. These candidates are all under twenty, therefore the reason they may still be in their first retail job is that they are so young and are just coming to terms with working life. The research has shown that older candidates are likely to have had more jobs in retail as

The Proposed Visiting Centre At Elkhorn Slough Environmental Sciences Essay

The Proposed Visiting Centre At Elkhorn Slough Environmental Sciences Essay Elkhorn Slough has a visitors centre that focuses on the conservation of natural resources and biological history of the area. The Strategic Plan for 2006-10 (Elkhorn Slough Foundation [ESF], 2006) has an objective to increase membership and numbers of visitors but laments the limited capacity of the existing centre. It is therefore necessary to build a new centre to cater for the increased membership and visitors. Global Information Systems [GIS] analysis methods were employed to analyse the environmental sensitivity issues of the Slough area and subsequently locate a proposed visitors centre. The new Visitors Centre will complement the existing one, but focus on stimulating visitors interests in the terrain (physical geography) of the Slough area. The new visiting centre will be located north of Empire Road. Keywords: Boolean maps, Environmental sensitivity, GIS, Suitability, Visitors centre Introduction: Located 1.29x 103 m south of Watsonville [approximately 36Â ° 20 18.72N, 121Â ° 31 17.17W], Elkhorn Slough is the drainage delta for Salinas River and its tributaries in the surrounding farmlands (Cartier, 2009). Its watershed is an impressive 1.23108 m2 and is part of a larger network of estuaries. Waters from Gabilan and Moro Cojo watersheds drain into the Elkhorn Slough through the Old Salinas River Channel at Moss Landing South Harbour (EFS, 2010).Totalling an area of 4x 10 m2, the estuary is a tidal, coastal salt marsh. The estuary is home to 780 species of birds, a variety of plants, including several that are slowly becoming extinct (EFS, 2010). Elkhorn Slough consists of 1.09x107m2 of unique habitat types. (ESNERR, unpublished data) and has 2.83 x 107 m2 designated protected lands. The Elkhorn Slough has a visitors centre that concentrates on the natural history of the slough area. Activities at the centre include show-casing the unique plant and animal life, birds as well as marine life of the watershed. It has an educational theme which focuses on the conservation of the resources and natural history of the slough area. The Strategic Plan for 2006-10 (Elkhorn Slough Foundation [ESF], 2006) set out to increase membership and numbers of visitors to Elkhorn Slough area. However, the document noted the limited capacity of the existing centre to cater for increased numbers of visitors to the area. As a compliment to the existing centre, it is proposed that the establishment of a second visiting site would be appropriate in trying to achieve the objective of increasing membership at the foundation thus boosting the number of visitors to the area. The concept for the new centre will focus on physical surroundings of the estuary and stimulate the local community and visitors interests in the historical and contemporary geography (terrain) of the Slough area. The centre will include an environment or conservation theme that will hopefully stimulate sustainable use of natural resources in the area, especially for the local community. GIS techniques will be employed to site the location of the proposed second visitors centre at Elkhorn Slough. Literature Review: 2.1 Location and History of Elkhorn Slough Located at the midpoint of Monterey Bay, on the west cost of America, Elkhorn Slough is a large tidal salt marsh estuary in central California. Figure 1 below shows the location of Elkhorn Slough. Figure 1: Location of Elkhorn Slough (ESF, 2010) The estuary is referred to as a coastal embayment and consists of deepwater habitats with intertidal wetlands. It is the remnant of an ancient river flooded at the last sea level rise (EPA, 2010) that has been filled with sediment from the surrounding area. An artificial opening to the Monterey Bay was constructed in 1947 exposing the Elkhorn Slough estuary to increased tidal exchange (ESF, 2010). The marshlands were also artificially drained to make way for the farmlands (ESF, 2010). This has vastly altered the natural flow of the estuary and changed the physical properties of the slough. 2.2 Environmental Sensitivity The changes to the physical properties of the area have raised several environmental issues. The most important issues in the estuary are pollution [water quality degradation]; invasive plant species and hydrology alterations (Cartier, 2009). Brackish water habitats have been lost due to the redirection of water from the Salinas into the farmlands. Channel bank erosion rates ranging from 310-1 to 6.110-1 m per year and interior marsh dieback rates of at least 1.22x 104 m2 per year have led to marsh and habitat loss (ESF, 2010). These changes have affected the estuarys animals and plants habitat, as well as public access sites and railroad and road infrastructure. There are 2.83107 m2 of protected lands in the Elkhorn Slough watershed. The estuary is also an important fish (recreational and commercial) nursery and prime stopover for migratory birds (ESF, 2010). The Moss Landing Power Plant at the mouth of the slough at bay end also lends to the sensitivity of the area (ESF, 2010). As a measure to conserve the area, the ESF was established in 1982 by the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve [ESNERR]. In 2006, the Foundation noted that the capacity of the visitors centre to meet the needs of increased number of members was limited. As such, one of the strategic objectives for 2006-10 was to increase membership and numbers of visitors to the area. It is against this background that a new visitors centre is proposed to cater for increased membership and to stimulate interests in physical geography, encouraging sustainable use of estuarine resources. Methodology and Data Processing According to Sahoo et al (2000), GIS provides ample opportunity for reasoned land evaluation. GIS are quick methods and tools used by decision-makers to address and cope with uncertainty in decision-making where there are environmental sensitivity concerns. GIS data processing and spatial analysis are used to define the location of a proposed development. This method along with modern decision analysis techniques can be used to improve habitat suitability evaluation over large areas (Store and Kangas, 2000). Analysis methods included investigations into accessibility, location, environmental sensitivity of the area as well as location-specific hazards. In environmental studies, several factors are taken into account when deciding where to locate a new development. One of the most common approaches for locating new developments is Multi-Criteria Analysis [MCA] (Sahoo et al, 2000). Employing the MCA technique, a mask is created and used as the extent of analysis. Raster calculations can be used to create Boolean maps (graphic representation of binary equation whereby 0 = no data, 1 = data present) that simplify the data to the specified criteria. Threshold values are then employed to simplify the decision making process into whether certain feature data can be included or excluded from the final choice of location. Areas are included or excluded based on environmental sensitivity. For example, the United Kingdoms [UK] Environment Agency recommends that protected areas remain free of development (Environment Agency, 2010). According to the UKs Highways Agency no development shall take place within, on average; 300 m of a busy road (rank-1). This is to create a buffer for noise pollution given that heavy goods vehicles can be very noisy at close proximity (Environment Agency, 2010). Similarly, distance of settlements from roads is important for easy accessibility reasons. A further factor to exclude from the model is areas that contain vegetation because some areas sink due to diking and draining (ESF, 2010). Woodlands and marshlands lend diversity to the habitat and therefore have conservational importance. They are thus unsuitable for building/development. Similarly, surface water areas are unsuitable for development due to likelihood to cause pollution in areas such as the estuary (ESF, 2010). Based on exclusion of environmentally sensitive areas, raster calculations are performed using the Boolean logic. Therefore, the remaining area is the potential location of the proposed development. 4 Data Analysis Data used was originally obtained from the Elkhorn Slough website and the projection is UTM Zone 10N, WGS84 datum. In addition to the GIS data supplied, a digital elevation model [DEM] data of the area was obtained from the SRTM data on Google Earth [GE]. The data was re-projected with Global Mapper to overlay the two data sets in ArcGIS. The DEM was used to visualise the terrain of the area and guide decision-making on the suitability of the terrain for the proposed development. Other sources of data included available maps and literature on the area in question. The data used is illustrated in Figure 2 below. Figure 2: Original data used (ESF, 2010) ArcGIS 9.3 was used for data processing. All data was adjusted to cell size 50, with each pixel on the resultant Boolean maps being 50 m long. 5 Findings As outlined in section 4 above, environmental organisations, such as the UKs Environment Agency, Figure 3 below shows the raster of the protected area that is excluded in the final calculation. Figure 3: Protected Area Using data on the road network of the Elkhorn Slough area, Figure 4 below shows the buffer created around the busy roads [rank-1] which are unsuitable for locating the new visitors centre. The light-shaded areas are, theoretically, suitable for locating the centre. Figure 4: Buffer Zone around Rank-1 Roads Taking into consideration data on the vegetation in the Elkhorn Slough area which requires exclusion from the analysis due to diking and draining for cultivation, Figure 5 below shows that the new visitors centre can be located in the light-shaded areas. The dark-shaded areas have conservational importance for the wood and marshland species. Figure 5: Vegetation areas Surface water areas are also excluded from possible location of the new development due to likelihood of water pollution, as shown in Figure 6 below. Figure 6: Water Areas The wetlands area was also excluded from the possible location of the centre because these areas are known for their ecological diversity. Vast numbers of birds and plants as well as micro-organisms (mud species) would be in this area. Figure 7 below shows the wetlands areas of the Elkhorn Slough which was also excluded as potential areas for locating the new visitors centre. Figure 7: Wetland areas An elevation of 40 to 195m was chosen as the optimal height above sea level for the development. The elevation is considered suitable to facilitate transport logistics of building materials. The elevation also takes into consideration the tidal nature of the area to ensure that the new visitors centre is protected from any possible tidal effects. Applying the necessary measurements and raster calculations leaves the areas that are potentially suitable for siting the new centre as illustrated in Figure 8 below. Figure 8: Optimal Elevation for New Development Another important consideration was the distance to roads for ease of accessibility to the new centre by visitors. This is illustrated in Figure 9 below. Figure 9: Distances to roads Figure10 below shows the final results excluding environmental sensitive features and measurements. Figure 10: Location of Visitors Centre Corroborating the Boolean logic with Google Earth, the second visitors centre can theoretically be sited at a location north of Empire Road. Limitations Three areas with data on the resultant Boolean map match the criteria defined. Potentially, these are the locations for the new visitors centre. However on closer inspection by overlaying with data on the road network, an area between Elkhorn and Dolan rank 1 roads [close to Empire Road] remains after further scrutiny using GE. Using this database imagery, the proposed site is just outside a forested area. Crucial information is missing from the analysis above. For example, information was missing on the location of current buildings on which the proposed site cannot be located. Information was also missing on the heaviness of traffic at different times to better estimate the buffering distance of the rank-1 roads (assuming they are asphalt). Other information missing was on tidal range and volume of the coastal zone with the attendant high flood risk. Therefore, given that the data available for this analysis was not entirely straight forward rendering the proposed location of the new visitors centre tentative. Digital Terrain Models (DTM) by using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology to obtain more complete and accurate surface data. Had data been more complete and accurate, the positioning of the centre would be more conclusive; without the need to use a further data source. This analysis shows that although data processing and software can sometimes be expensive, GIS methods can conclusively be used in defining areas for development, and are quicker than traditional methods of exploration of new areas. (Store and Kangas, 2000). Conclusion and Recommendations Available data shows that the proposed location of the new visitors centre is close to Empire Road. Due to incomplete data, the proposed location of the second visitors centre is tentative. The evaluation has highlighted the need to have a more conclusive data set to avoid the need for re-projection from other sources, which may cause inaccuracies in positioning.