Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

Introduction To ensure success in a highly competitive world it is important that an organization puts emphasis on customer satisfaction. Findings indicate that it is much easier to retain an existing customer than attract a new one. That is why it is important for any business entity to understand the needs of its customers and ensure the production of quality brands.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Ensuring Customer Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ensuring satisfaction usually compels a customer to come again to buy the products or get the service. It is also vital in ensuring referrals, whereby the customers are able to refer other people to the same business entity or brand. The quality of products or services is critical in influencing the attitudes of the customers towards a given brand. Customer satisfaction influences the consumers to have a positive attitude towards the brand while dissati sfaction leads to negative attitude (Antonides 1999: 88). Customer satisfaction is vital in promoting a brand. Customer dissatisfaction on the other hand leads the consumers to present their complaints to the manufacturer or dealer of that particular product or even discourage other potential customers from using that product or service. To determine the quality of a product or service, it is quite important to determine the attitudes of the consumers towards that particular brand. This could be done by issuing them with questionnaires or directly interviewing them. This is crucial in spotting the needs of customers and improving that particular brand. For any corporate entity to succeed in an extremely competitive world it must be customer oriented and it should put measures in place to retain the existing customers and attract new ones. After obtaining findings about the customer needs, it is important to act on them so as to ensure customer satisfaction. It is quite important for an organization or business entity to determine the customer satisfaction levels at that particular time before putting any customer satisfaction measures. Improving quality is not enough to give an entity a competitive advantage over its competitors. It is therefore important that an organization puts less emphasis on internal structures and processes and focus on the market and customers (Baudrillard 1998: 432). Customer satisfaction The issue of satisfaction is particularly important tin the hospitality industry. Customer satisfaction can be termed as a feeling of pleasure or fulfillment that comes with the obtaining and using a product or service. Consumer Decision Making Process According to Smith, before any purchase is made, the consumer usually goes through a number of stages. It is important for any marketer to understand the whole process while marketing any given brand. There is a stage in the buying process whereby the marketer might not be in a position to change the d ecision of the buyer.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While doing the routinely purchases however, it is quite common for the customer to skip or in some cases reverse some of these stages. Someone who is hungry is likely to skip the information seeking and evaluation stages. While purchasing certain commodities however, there is need for significant thought and deliberation. The buying process is very important in such a case (Blythe 1997: 231). According to this model, before any purchase is made, the consumer recognizes a need like hunger, the need to purchase certain equipment or it might be in response to a given stimuli like a sweet aroma. The customer then goes a head to find the appropriate information. If the need is quite agent and there is a place to purchase the product/service, a decision is instantly made to acquire the same. If not then the quest to acquire t he information continues. Some of the information sources for the customer include; Personal sources which include; members of one’s family, friends or neighbors. Business sources like advertisements, sales people, packaging and displays, retailer as well as the retailers of that given product/service. Public sources, these include the media/press and consumer organizations. Experimental sources. They include the handling of the product, examining as well as using it. During the evaluation stage, the customer is faced with the option of choosing among the different brands, products or other service providers (Brown 2002:33). Information Use The customer uses the obtained information in determining the best brand in solving the apparent problem. An extensive evaluation is to be carried out if the purchasing is very much involving. High involvement purchases are those which either involve higher risks or are expensive. These might for instance be; the purchasing of a car, ho use or making an investment. Low involvement purchases on the other hand usually involve less evaluation as it is in the case of purchasing refreshments or purchasing foodstuff for preparing dinner. A marketer needs to provide the customer with the appropriate information in the various purchasing situations. In high involvement purchases for instance, the marketer needs to give the customer accurate information about the quality of the brand and its importance and advantages over the competitors. He/she might have to give free samples or offer trials to the customer so as to make a sale and establish customer loyalty. (Cave 2002:461).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Ensuring Customer Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Post-purchase Evaluation This is the final stage in the purchasing process. After purchasing, the customer might have concerns about that particular brand. This is usually done through cognitive dissonance. In the event that a consumer feels that an alternative product or service provider would have been better, he/she might not go for it immediately but might go for it next time he/she is in need. The person is less likely purchase the product or service that did not satisfy him/her. During the purchasing, the customer needs to be assured that the product or service would satisfy his/her need. Even after purchasing, the consumer has to be reassured that he/she made the right decision. Application in the Hospitality Industry This model is applicable in the hospitality industry although it has its own shortfalls. The aspect of decision making has not been an easy one in this industry given that it has been undergoing much complexity in the recent past. There are various factors that influence decision making in the hospitality industry some of which are socioeconomic. The aspects of the organizations image, its utility maximization as well as people’s knowl edge about the products and services are also influential in the whole process (Ford 2005:33). Decision Making The management of any hospitality company uses the knowledge of this model to make decisions concerning the branding and ensuring effective marketing strategies so as to retain the existing customers and attract new ones. The problem recognition stage in the hospitality industry is characterized by customers need for comfort and places of relaxation, refreshment, accommodation, transportation and places where they can get good food and other entertainment services. It is upon the retailer to provide these services to the customers and inform them of the products and services offered by that particular business entity (Gottdiener 2000:67). It is therefore important for the marketers to carry out some study on the customers needs so as to know the services they need and improve on the existing ones or eliminate those that are not relevant. It is important to understand the cu stomers and the attributes that influence their decision making. This is the only way that a hospitality firm can effectively deliver to its customers. With the aspects of post-modernism and globalization, today’s market has significantly changed. The customers are more sensitive to the prices and the focus is more on the psychological rather than physiological needs. A marketer needs to know the perception of the consumers concerning the alternative brands in the industry (Griffin 2002:55).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hospitality industry usually aims at ensuring customer satisfaction which translates to profit making. Marketing is particularly very important in the hospitality industry. The industry also depends on the travel industry for its marketing and operational activities. By understanding the decision making process, an organization is in a position to meet its organizational objectives by putting programs in place to ensure that the customers are satisfied which results in greater profitability. The hospitality industry must have the customer service culture. Much emphasis is put on customer service and satisfaction. The organizations culture is in such a way that the needs of the customers are given priority (Gronroos 2000:22) A business entity in the hospitality industry needs to be consistent in its service provision so as to avoid customer dissatisfaction. The entity should do follow up even after the customers purchase their products or services so as to determine their level o f satisfaction at the post-purchase stage. This helps in finding out whether the customers were satisfied or whether the product or service needs to be improved. This is crucial in minimizing dissatisfaction and establishing customer loyalty (Heath 2005:33). Challenges Globalization has resulted in market complexity. The hospitality industry is therefore encountering greater competition from firms across the globe. The industry is faced with the challenge of ensuring that high ethical standards are upheld and the players in the industry observe corporate social responsibility. The model has been found to be ineffective given that a lot of emphasis is put on the customers. The organizational structures and procedures of businesses are likely to be sidelined. In some cases, consumers might approve a brand as being of quality yet still go for the competitive brand. This is evidence that this model might not be absolutely effective in defining consumer behavior. Kotler’s The Buye r Behavior Model Consumer Markets and Their Buying Behavior A consumer’s buying behavior has to do with the individuals or households buying goods and services for their own consumption. A marketer has to be concerned about the customer’s reaction to the marketing efforts of the company. According to this model, the buyers are attracted to buy a certain commodity or a service due to a number of stimuli that they are exposed to. They could be the marketing stimuli like the cost of that product or service, the location of the product, the promotional activities. The other stimuli that influence the consumers buying behavior are the economic factors, the person’s cultural orientation, political factors and the aspects of technological advancement. All this factors help the consumer to decide on whether to buy a product or a service. The consumer is usually stimulated by these factors to go for a particular brand or product. It is therefore the responsibility of the marketer to determine what goes into the mind of the consumer as this would determine his/her response to that particular brand. The buyer’s characteristics have an influence on his/her perception of the stimuli while his/her response to those particular stimuli would determine the person’s buying behavior. According to this model, the customer’s decision to purchase a product or service is influenced by the family, peers, social group and the society in general. In the buyer’s mind, which is referred to as the back box in this model, his/her decision to go for a particular brand would be influence by the person’s attitude, knowledge, his or her personality, the persons lifestyle, motivations or perceptions. In the decision making process, the person goes through the stages of buying, that is, the realization that a need exists, the person then seeks the relevant knowledge, the customer then carries out the alternative evaluation where he/she migh t compare the brand with the other brands in terms of quality and the cost. The person then makes the purchasing decision. After buying the product or service, there is the post purchase stage where by the person looks at the performance of whatever he/she had purchased so as to approve or disapprove of its quality. The consumer then makes a decision to remain loyal to the brand or go for an alternative brand on the next buying. The marketing stimuli are mainly planned by the respective companies while the environmental factors are influenced by the prevailing economic, cultural and political circumstances. Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior Marketing Stimuli Marketing stimuli plays a very important role in determining the buying behavior of the consumer. A consumer will for instance go for a brand that has been well marketed, less costly, and easily accessible. The quality of the services, the value and the consumer’s future intentions has a correlation (Lashley 2000:222) . Image seems to play a very significant role in the choices that consumers make. The consumers are likely to go for a retailer with the best prices, good customer service and excellent delivery services. The attitude of a consumer towards a retailer is greatly influenced by the image of that particular retailer. The attitudes of such consumers greatly influence their intentions. This is also influenced by the subjective norms of the consumer. A good experience with a retailer in terms of satisfactory service delivery is most likely to result in the consumer’s loyalty. (Reisinger 2003:22). Cultural Stimuli According to this model, a buyer’s decision to purchase a product or service is greatly influenced by the person’s culture, sub culture or social class. A person might refuse to go for a particular brand if his/her culture prohibits the brand. Subjective norms are very likely to influence the intentions of a consumer to purchase. These are the factors that dic tate whether a person should purchase a particular product or not (Rosenblatt 1999:85) Social Factors Social factors play a very significant role in influencing the purchasing behavior of a shopper. Besides the need for variety and convenience a shopper is likely to be influenced by his/her relatives, peers, and the desire to be within a certain social class. Social sites like Facebook, MySpace and twitter are likely to influence a consumer to either purchase from a particular retailer or avoid that retailer. Whenever shoppers develop a positive attitude towards a particular retailer, they are likely to influence each other positively and hence go for the products and services of that particular retailer. On the other hand, if they have a negative attitude towards the retailer, they are likely to influence each other against that particular retailer. This calls for the retailer to make effort in ensuring effective service delivery and building trust with the consumers. Technological Stimuli Most companies and businesses in the hospitality industry have embraced the most current technologies in their service delivery. Some of them have introduced the touchscreen tables that enable the customers to make orders without having to speak to the waiters. This is important as fur as improving the quality of services is concerned although success solely relies on the consumers perceptions of such technologies. Younger consumers might for instance be motivated by such technologies and might develop loyalty to such brands. This might not necessarily be the case with the older generation. Satisfaction is very significant in enhancing brand loyalty among the first-time consumers as compared to the regular customers. A consumer’s efficiency in handling the current technological devices also plays a very important role in influencing the consumer to purchase a certain product/service or not. A customer that is technologically advanced and has a good knowledge of compu ter technology is more likely to embrace e-shopping than one who is not. While making a hotel reservation for instance, a person needs to know how the computer system works and how to use the credit card in making online payments. Most of the e-consumers have embraced the technology as it is easier and more efficient than the traditional mode of making business transactions. The method is perceived as being clear and easy to navigate, get the relevant information and make comparison. It is more interactive than the traditional mode of shopping (Schiffman 2004). Consumer Traits The shopping behavior is also greatly influenced by the consumer traits like a person’s age gender, education level, and income range. Men for instance tend to be quick buyers. Women on the other hand are known to be selective and keen observers when it comes to shopping. Well educated people tend to thoroughly seek the relevant information about a particular retailer before purchasing. Less educated pe ople on the other hand tend to depend on cues and do not look for much information before purchasing. It is coincidental that most of the wealthier people are educated as well. They therefore tend to collect all the relevant information about a product and a retailer before buying the same (Swarbrooke 1999:65). Considering the age factor, younger people are more likely to seek more information concerning a particular retailer than the elderly. This is because the elderly are characterized by loyalty to a particular brand while the younger people want to try out new things. Application in the Hospitality Industry Most customers of the hospitality industry look for places of relaxation where they can escape from the usual pressures of life or work. They therefore go forth to look for destinations where they can socialize and escape from the usual hustles and tussles of life. These are the factors that players in the hospitality industry should consider in order to ensure customer sati sfaction. Hospitality companies and businesses therefore ought to put structures that are consumer oriented in place so as to ensure consumer satisfaction which in the long run leads to loyalty. Players in the industry ought to be market oriented. A customer’s experience with a product or brand often has a psychological effect on him/her. The person is emotionally and psychologically attached to that particular brand or product as opposed to those who have not had an experience with that particular brand. The person is therefore well placed to influence the attitude of others towards that particular brand. Dissatisfaction towards a brand would mean that the customer had a negative experience with it and is likely to negatively influence potential consumers. The consumer would most likely develop resentment towards that brand. Having a positive experience with the brand would result in satisfaction which would result in the consumers positively influencing their colleges to go for the brand. It also results in the customers going for the brand in subsequent instances. Relationship marketing is quite important in building customer loyalty. Such loyalty can be boosted by a hospitality business ensuring personalized services, upgrading rooms and taking the customers’ problems seriously. Customers need to be provided with security and accurate information so as to build customer loyalty. Offering quality services is the only way for the firms or hospitality businesses to remain relevant and competitive in a post modern world (Lury 1996:44). Findings have shown that image is so significant in the hospitality industry. Quality services would automatically lead a consumer to come back for the same services or recommend the brand to others. Customer satisfaction is based on the attitudes of the customers towards a particular brand and that is why it is very important for any business entity to know the perceptions of the customers towards that particular brand. The success of any particular brand cannot solely be based on the frequency of purchase of that particular brand (Kotler 1999:33). The model has been characterized by a number of shortfalls. The model therefore fails to fully explain how these other factors affect consumer behavior. With the aspects of globalization and post modernism, the aspects of customer satisfaction have become a challenge hence the need to ensure quality services if customer satisfaction is to be achieved. E-Customers Findings have shown that the needs of e-customers and typical customers are similar. With the current technological advancement, the number of e-consumers in the hospitality industry has significantly increased. There are a number of factors influencing e-consumer behavior. Functionality seems to be the driving factor in the behavior of the online consumers. Most people are still very reluctant to embrace online purchase as it is a new phenomenon. E-consumers rely on their past experience with the brand to make decisions. In such cases much emphasis is put on the quality of services. Good services would definitely attract the e-consumer to purchase the goods and services in subsequent instances. Most businesses in the hospitality industry have embraced online services. Hotels have for instance made it possible for someone to make online bookings and reservations possible. People are able to make online payments for instance by using credit cards. This has been convenient to most consumers who do not have time to travel to that particular hotel or destination just to make a reservation. Those businesses that have embraced the current technologies in their service provision are therefore most likely to attract e-consumers and this plays a very significant role in improving their image among these consumers. Trust is very important in making the consumers to have confidence in any particular service provider. The consumers need to be assured of privacy, safety of their information and effectiveness in service delivery. Once confidence and trust is established, the consumers will become regular shoppers (Solomon 2002:11). Experiential factors of e-shopping E-shopping is not only about purchasing. Interactivity plays a very important role in this type of trade. A consumer would for instance be appealed by the ability to customize some of the features on the retailer’s website. Interactivity plays a big role in influencing the attitude of the customer towards the retailer which significantly affects the aspects of trust. An interesting website that allows for easy compatibility and interactivity is preferable to that which lacks such features. These aspects can be exploited by players in the hospitality industry in ensuring that their websites are very much interactive. They should use attractive features like music, videos and 3D in ensuring that their customers and potential consumers are attracted to the website. This is crucial because a person’s first encounter with a website would determine whether the person will visit the site again or not. The features of a given website portray the image of the respective e-retailer, hence the need to develop a highly interactive website that ensures consumer satisfaction (Stalnaker 2002:22). Conclusion Consumer behavior is influenced by a number of factors. According to Smith, consumer behavior is characterized by a number of interrelated stages. It is therefore important for the marketer to know the stage at which the consumer is so as to try to influence his/her decision to go for that given brand. Even after purchasing, it is important for the marketer to follow up and know the opinion of the customer concerning that brand and even convince the person that she/he made the right decision by selecting the brand. According to the Black Box model, it is quite important for a retailer to ensure effective marketing so as to positively influence the consumer to develop loy alty towards that particular brand (Taylor 2004:87). According to this model, brand image is perceived to be a very significant factor that influences customer behavior. A good image results in brand loyalty while a negative image leads to disloyalty. It is therefore the responsibility of the retailer to develop a positive image of the brand. The image of a brand does not just affect the consumers alone. This is because the consumer has the ability to influence other potential customers to try out the brand or avoid it. List of References Antonides, G., and Van Raaij, W. (1999) Cases in consumer behaviour. New York: Wiley. Baudrillard, J. (1998) The consumer society: myths and structures. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Blythe, J. (1997) The essence of consumer behaviour. London: FT Publishing. Brown, S. (2002) Free gift inside: forget the customer: develop market ease 2,(4) 33 Cave, S. (2002) Consumer behaviour in a week. London:Hodder and Stoughton. Ford, K. (2005) Brands laid b are: using market research for evidenced-based brand  management. New Jersey, Wiley and Sons. Gottdiener, M. (Ed.) (2000) New forms of consumption: consumers, culture and  commodification. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield. Griffin, J, (2002) Consumer Loyalty: How to earn it How to keep it. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass. Gronroos, C. (2000) Service management and marketing: a customer relationship  management approach. 2nd Ed., New York:Wiley. Heath, J., and Potter, A. (2005) The Rebel Sell: how the counterculture became  consumer culture. Chichester: Capstone Publishing. Kotler, P., Bowen, J., and Makens, J. (1999) Marketing for hospitality and tourism. 2nd Ed., London: Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd. Lashley, C., and Morrison, A. (2000) In search of hospitality: theoretical perspectives  and debates. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Lury, C. (1996) Consumer culture. Rutgers: Rutgers University Press. Reisinger, Y., and Turner, L. (2003) Cross-cultural behaviour in tourism: concepts and  analysis. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Rosenblatt, R. (1999) Consumer desires. New York: Island Press. Schiffman, L. G., and Kanuk, L. L. (2004) Consumer Behaviour. 8nd Ed., New Jersey: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., and Askegaard, S. (2002) Consumer behaviour: a  European perspective. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Stalnaker, S. (2002) Hub Culture: the next wave of urban consumers. Singapore:Wiley and Sons. Swarbrooke and Horner (1999) Consumer behaviour in tourism. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Taylor, D. (2004) Brand stretch: why 1 in 2 extensions fail, and how to beat the odds. New Jersey: Wiley and Sons. This report on Ensuring Customer Satisfaction was written and submitted by user Desmond Q. to help you with your own studies. 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How to Cite a Book in MHRA Referencing

How to Cite a Book in MHRA Referencing How to Cite a Book in MHRA Referencing MHRA referencing is a citation style set out by the Modern Humanities Research Association. It is used in humanities subjects, such as English language and literature. And in this post, we’re looking at how to cite a book in a college paper using this system. Footnote Citations MHRA uses footnote citations, indicated via superscript numbers in the main text. You will usually give these numbers at the end of a sentence: We put footnotes after final punctuation, like this.1 You will then need to provide full publication information for the source in a footnote at the bottom of the page. For a book, in MHRA referencing, this means using the following format: n. Author Name(s), Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number(s). The part at the end here is the exact page or pages you are citing. In practice, then, a footnote citation for a book would look like this: 1. Simone Weil, Waiting on God (Glasgow: Fount Paperbacks, 1951), p. 65. Your reader will then be able to find the relevant passage. Repeat Citations in MHRA Referencing There’s no need to repeat the full source information in footnotes if you cite the same source more than once. In these cases, simply give the author’s surname and a page number: 1. Simone Weil, Waiting on God (Glasgow: Fount Paperbacks, 1951), p. 65. 2. Weil, p. 100. If you cite more than one book by the same author, give a shortened version of the title as well: 1. Simone Weil, Intimations of Christianity Among the Ancient Greeks (London: Routledge, 1957), p. 84. 2. Simone Weil, Waiting on God (Glasgow: Fount Paperbacks, 1951), pp. 59–60. 3. Weil, Intimations of Christianity, p. 112. This will ensure that your reader knows which book you’re citing each time. Books in an MHRA Bibliography As well as giving source information in footnotes, you will need to list sources in a bibliography at the end of your document. With MHRA referencing, this includes every book you used during your research, even if you did not cite them in the finished essay. The format for a book here is: Surname, First Name, Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year) For example, we would list the book Waiting on God by Simone Weil as follows in an MHRA bibliography: Weil, Simone, Waiting on God (Glasgow: Fount Paperbacks, 1951) Note that, unlike in footnotes, you do not need page numbers or end punctuation here. And don’t forget that you can have your work proofread if you want to be sure your referencing is correct.

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Most staff cant be forced to retire because of age except: * judges and magistrates must retire at 70 * Australian Defence Force personnel must retire at 65. The average retirement age is likely to increase as we have an ageing population. More workers will move into retirement age and fewer will enter the labour market. As a result, there will be a shortage of workers. Governments and many employers are already trying to encourage workers to stay on longer by offering assistance to older staff and options like  phased retirement. You can retain your staff past retirement age by offering  phased retirement or flexible working conditions. http://www. eoc. sa. gov. au/eo-business/employers/staffing/dismissing-retrenching-and-retiring-staff/retiring-staff/when-do-staf The likelihood of being retired increased with age. For those aged 45-49 years, just 5% were retired, compared to 16% of 55-59 year olds, 68% of 65-69 year olds and 87% of those aged 70 years and over. In 2010-11, 63% of men aged 45 years and over were in the labour force, 33% had retired, and 3% were not in the labour force but had not yet retired. In contrast, 50% of women aged 45 years and over were in the labour force, 39% had retired and the remaining 5% were not in the labour force but had not yet retired. The average age at retirement from the labour force for people aged 45 years and over in 2010-11 was 53. years (57. 9 years for men and 49. 6 years for women). Of the 1. 4 million men who had retired from the labour force: 27% had retired aged less than 55 years; 53% had retired aged 55-64 years; and 20% had retired aged 65 years and over. The 1. 8 million women who had retired from the labour force had retired on average at a younger age than men. The ages at which women retirees had retired from the labour force were as foll ows: 57% had retired aged less than 55 years; 35% had retired aged 55-64 years; and % had retired aged 65 years and over. Of the 2. 2 million retired people who had worked in the last 20 years, 94% had held a full-time job at some stage. For nearly three-quarters (72%) of those who held a full-time job, their last job held prior to retirement was full-time. The remainder worked part-time before retiring. http://www. abs. gov. au/ausstats/[emailprotected] nsf/Latestproducts/6238. 0Main%20Features1July%202010%20to%20June%202011? opendocument;amp;tabname=Summary;amp;prodno=6238. 0;amp;issue=July%202010%20to%20June%202011;amp;num=;amp;view= ttp://jobsearch. about. com/b/2013/03/08/too-old-to-get-hired. htm In advanced and developing economies, ageing populations and low birth rates are emphasising the need for retaining and sustaining competent older workers. This paper examines human resource and governmental policy and practice implications from the contradictory accounts directed tow ards those workers aged over 44 years, who are usually classi? ed as ‘older workers’. It focuses on a key and paradoxical impediment in the workforce retention of these workers. Using Australia as a case study, this paper argues that policies and practices to retain and sustain workers aged 45 or more need to de-emphasise the term ‘older workers’ and reconsider how human resource management and government policies, as well as practices by workers themselves, might pursue longer and more productive working lives for employees aged over 45. It seeks to elaborate the paradox of the (under)valuing of older workers’ contributions and provides direction for retaining and supporting the ongoing employability of these workers. It concludes by proposing that government, industry bodies and sector councils that seek to change employer attitudes will likely require a dual process comprising both engagement with older workers and a balanced appraisal of their worth. Alone, subsidies and/or mandation may well serve to entrench age bias without measures to redress that bias through a systematic appraisal of their current and potential contributions. In addition, to support this transformation of bias and sustain their employability, older workers will likely need to exercise greater agency in their work and learning. Quite consistently across international and national surveys, a pattern emerges of employers and managers holding older workers in low esteem which appears quite entrenched. Indeed, managers’ assessments of older workers are consistently negative, seemingly irrespective of appraisals of their actual performance (Rosen and Jerdee 1988). The evidence from studies across Europe and North America commonly report that employers are far more likely to fund the training of the young and well educated, rather than older workers (Brunello 2001; Brunello and Medio 2001; Giraud 2002). Truly, some northern European countries adopt more positive attitudes towards and claim a strong sense of obligation to older workers as exercised through a set of national policies and practices (Bishop 1997; Smith and Billett 2003). Yet, it is noteworthy that elsewhere the ways in which employers distribute and fund developmental opportunities for their employees, is resistant to legislated (Giraud 2002) and mandated measures (Bishop 1997). Instead, the privileging of youth (and perhaps never more so than when they become a scarce commodity within ageing populations) is that which shapes employers’ decisionmaking about the distribution of sponsored workplace-based opportunities for learning. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 1251This suggests that government intervention by pressing or subsidising employers to employ older workers will not be suf? cient, unless the attitude of employers can in some way be transformed. Australian studies of attitudes towards older workers report similar ? ndings to those reported elsewhere. One study concluded that ‘regardless of the perceived more positive qualities of older workers , employers appear to prefer to recruit employees in the younger age groups for most employee categories’ with ‘minimal interest in recruiting anyone over 45 years for any job and no preference for anyone 56 years or older’ (Steinberg, Donald, Najman and Skerman 1996, p. 157). Despite the increasing recognition of the looming labour shortage at that time and following it, such attitudes appear to have been slow to change. Yet, such attitudes are quite potent. Taylor and Walker (1998, p. 44) concluded that ‘workplace perceptions about older workers (and different groups of older workers) may directly in? uence not only their prospects for gaining employment but also their prospects for development and advancement within an organisation’. A 2003 guide by the Business Council of Australia (BCA) identi? ed numerous ‘readily accepted negative stereot ypes of mature-age workers’, including their lacking motivation and enthusiasm, being close-minded, more susceptible to injury and illness, having outdated skills, less capable, unwilling to take on new training or challenges, risk averse and having less potential for development (p. 2). Yet, the issues raised by the BCA (2003) pose dif? culties in generalising about employer attitudes and practices. In a telephone survey of some 1000 enterprises in the business services sector, which included computer, legal, accounting and employment services, Bittman, Flick and Rice (2001) found no clear pattern of negative attitudes towards employing older workers. They claimed (p. vii) that ‘despite [employers’] reputation for favouring younger, risk-taking innovators, the study revealed a preference for a diverse workforce of intelligent, reliable, team workers with industry rather than computing experience’. However, Gringart, Helmes and Speelman (2005) claim the methodology used in that study did not allow respondents to systematically stereotype workers on the basis of age. Moreover, the business service sector may well be one of those better disposed to employing and supporting older workers than many others, as its work may be more age tolerant than others. Across a range of industries, a survey of 8000 Australian employers found the most proactive recruitment for mature age workers was in the ? ance sector (47% of ? rms), compared with only 32% in information technologies and 24% in telecommunications (Deare 2006). This kind of difference indicates that employer attitudes are not uniform in their application or intensity, across industry sectors. For instance, in their 2001 study, Gringart and Helmes found that older female jobseekers were discriminated against more than males. Yet, 4 years later, the researchers (Gringart et al. 2005) found no signi? cant gender difference. They concluded rather baldly that the sample of 128 ‘hiring decision makers’ in businesses of up to 50 employees was generally unlikely to hire older workers. These studies indicate that employer attitude is central not only to recruiting and retaining older workers, but also in advancing support for maintaining their employability through opportunities to further develop and apply more widely the knowledge they have learnt. Indeed, Howell, Buttigieg and Webber (2006, p. ) concluded that senior management’s support for diversity and effective utilisation of older workers as part of the retail workforce resulted in age-positive practices by those managers who supervise older workers. Nonetheless, in its own way, this kind of endorsement indicates, ? rstly, the importance of attitudes being premised on the basis of informed accounts of performance and not age bias and, secondly, that these attitudes can change. 1252 S. Billett et al. Such change in attitudes would n eed to be broadly applied across decision-making in businesses. For instance, the BCA (2003, p. 8) claimed that voluntary retirement is often seen as a workforce management tool, but that such policies are often based on age alone, and that consideration is not given to the employees’ skill and experience pro? les. The depth and pervasiveness of the employer discrimination against older workers are illustrated further in the BCA’s (2003, p. 11) ? ndings which suggest that recruitment agencies may actually practise ‘ageism’ when shortlisting applicants for their clients, a claim denied by the agencies (Hovenden 2004). Certainly, some of these agencies promote mature age employment through their websites. One of them commissioned a report on the implications of the ageing population in the Australian workforce that described ageism as ‘a particularly insidious form of discrimination’ (Jorgensen 2004, p. 13). Recommending that employers needed to confront their own prejudices, Jorgensen also suggested (p. 13) that ‘policy approaches that deal with ageism also need to be carefully framed so as not to stigmatise older workers, isolate younger workers or impose obligations on older workers who simply do not have the health or desire to continue in full time or part time employment’. It follows from here that in the current social and ? nancial environments, speci? c and targeted policies and sustained initiatives are likely to be required to change attitudes about older workers’ occupational capacities and employability across their working lives. However, these initiatives will need to overcome a range of societal and workplace barriers for the maximum retention of and full utilisation of these workers’ capacities. Key barriers here include a societal preference of privileging youth over age across countries with advanced industrial economies. This preference manifests itself in workplace practices of not only favouring the employment of younger workers, but also directing far more resources towards their development than older workers, among other groups (Brunello 2001; Brunello and Medio 2001). These preferences seem powerful and enduring. Even evidence suggesting that older workers are as capable as other workers and have the very attributes employers claim to value, seemingly fail to change management’s views, i. e. f those who employ and make decisions about workers’ advancement and access to development opportunities. Some might argue that this preference will change as older workers become an increasingly common element of the workforce and a necessity for employers. Countering such a claim is the prospect that a scarcity of younger people may well lead to greater enterprise competition for and sponsorship of younger and well-educated workers and more intense resourcing of these workers and away from o lder workers. Moreover, despite the growing presence of older workers in the Australian workforce over the last 20 years, little appears to have changed in terms of employer preference or workplace responses to their growing participation. Salient here is the comparison of older workers with women workers. Despite their increasing participation in the workforce, women workers across a range of national workforces have struggled to secure worthwhile work conditions, despite legislative arrangements associated with equal opportunity (Cavanagh 2008). Therefore, unless signi? ant changes occur in both the attitudes towards and Australian employers’ practices, older workers may well increasingly struggle to secure worthwhile work, and opportunities for the development and advancement required to retain them in socially and economically vital work and improve their effectiveness in that work. Indeed, there are potentially strong negative consequences here. Consequences of negative employer attitu des and practices There are both personal and societal costs of employer attitudes and practices that discriminate unreasonably against older workers. These costs include the limits in range of The International Journal of Human Resource Management 1253employment options for these workers and dif? culties becoming employed. Indeed, a consequence of policies designed to promote a deregulated and ? exible labour market is the growing distinction between ‘core sector jobs’ (‘good’ jobs that require high skills, offer decent wages and provide bene? ts such as support for training and development) and ‘peripheral sector jobs’ (‘dead end’ jobs that require few skills, offer poor wages and few bene? s, as well as little in the way of job security) (Kossen and Pedersen 2008, p. 5). Given such a bifurcation, the great risk is that older workers will be seen as only being employable in the peripheral sectors. This may well be particularly true for the range of options that are available for many older workers. Challenging the notion of meritocracy in the labour market, Kossen and Pedersen ( 2008, p. 6) cite research indicating that older workers who have been excluded from employment ‘experience far greater dif? culty in rejoining the core orkforce’. The point here is that older workers may have greater dif? culty securing worthwhile work when they re-enter the workforce. Indeed, the negative attitudes that older workers experience may well contribute to the widespread ‘culture’ of early retirement in Australia (Encel 2003) in which workforce participation by those over 55 is considerably lower than in many other OECD countries (ABS 2007) as these workers fail to ? nd meaningful employment, and withdraw from the labour market. A recruiting agency (Adage, n. d. 1) concluded that mature age workers are more likely to ‘experience the compounding effect of being out of the workforce resulting in being seen as less employable’. Another agency reported that nearly three-quarters of 2000 baby boomers surveyed believed that it is nearly i mpossible to get a job after age 45 (Brinsden 2007). The studies cited above, along with a range of other research ? ndings (see OECD 2006a, 2006b; Syed 2006; Kossen and Pedersen 2008) con? rm that age prejudice is alive and well in Australian workplaces, and likely play out most heavily on those who are currently out of employment. Consequently, a priority for policy is to ? nd ways of supporting unemployed older workers’ re-employment, and in worthwhile work, and ? nding ways of praising their worth that can transform the attitudes of their employers. Yet, others suggest that factors other than age alone play key roles in decision-making, particularly that such decisions are based on a business case, not on ageism. In an Equal Opportunity Commission seminar, Ranzijn (2005, p. 1) argued that ‘in general, age discrimination is not a function of a negative attitude towards older workers, but based on an implicit cost/bene? analysis’. The OECD (2006a, 2006b, p. 10) also noted that a dif? culty for employers with older workers is ‘wages and non-wage labour costs that rise more steeply with age than productivity’ and also that there are ‘shorter expected pay-back periods on investments in the training of older workers as well as their lower average educational attainmentâ€℠¢. Perhaps, because of such imperatives, Encel (2003, p. 4) warned that age discrimination is ‘commonly covert and evasive and easily masked’. Similarly, Bittman et al. (2001, p. 6) reported to an Australian House of Representatives inquiry into older workers’ unemployment that the latter were consistently advised that they were ‘over quali? ed for lower positions and under quali? ed for higher positions’. Whatever the reasons advanced by employers for not retaining or employing mature age workers, Ranzijn (2005, p. 8) pointed out that the changing demographics of the workforce will inevitably mean that employers will have to resort to older workers in order to maintain productivity, a point also made by the OECD (2006b) based on a multi-nation survey. However, such a pragmatic and expedient premise may not be the best one to proceed with. Despite becoming increasingly essential for the production of goods and services, older workers will continue to be seen as ‘last resort workers’: at the bottom of employers’ preferred kind of workers (Quintrell 2000). Employees categorised in this way will often be a low priority for employer-sponsored development opportunities and support in the 1254 S. Billett et al. workplace (Billett and Smith 2003) of the kinds required to retain them and further develop their capacities. Hence, even if the government supports the re-employment of older workers, it is likely that within the workplaces the opportunities are still likely to be shaped by a cultural preference where youth is championed and privileged, and where age is seen as a natural decline (Giddens 1997). Therefore, older workers cannot be con? dent of being afforded the kinds of employer support required to maintain their workplace competence and successfully negotiate work transitions. Moreover, given the privileging of youth, it is unlikely that older workers will make demands for employer-funded training, lest they reinforce the sentiment of being a liability. Analogously, Church (2004) refers to disabled workers who have particular needs for support, yet are strategic and cautious in their demands for workplace support, including that from their co-workers, lest they be seen as liabilities in cost-conscious work environments. Nevertheless, the widely held view among employers that older workers are less able and in? xible, and offer limited return on developmental opportunities is questioned by data arising from informants with direct experience of these workers. McIntosh (2001), for instance, notes that enterprises actually employing older workers value their contributions in quite distinct ways: survey responses of nearly 400 American employers and human resource development managers characterised older workers as: (a) being ? exible and open to change, (b) ha ving up-to-date skills, (c) interested in learning new tasks and (d) willing to take on challenging tasks. Furthermore, 68% of the respondents concluded that training older workers costs less or the same as training their younger counterparts; 57% reported that age does not affect the amount of time required to train an employee (14% disagreed) and 49% believed that older workers grasp new concepts as well as younger workers (18% disagreed). In all, this survey portrays older workers as ideal employees, which confounds the sentiment behind practices that distribute employer-funded support away from these workers. The exercise of this sentiment may also re? ect the contradictory and confusing discourse that many older workers experience and try to understand in the workplace: they are essential to maintain the production of goods and services, yet discriminated against in terms of the opportunities afforded them. Despite the suggestion in the survey reported by McIntosh (2001), few studies effectively describe the reaction and role of older workers to the changing nature of work processes. Indeed, McNair, Flynn, Owen, Humphreys and Wood? ld (2004) claim their surveys indicate that most workers reported not being given assistance to negotiate new work roles and new work as their work life transforms. Hence, this reinforces not only the lack of support, but also the need for and apparent success of these workers being able to independently develop their capacities. Consequently, policies and practices by government, industry bodies and industry sector interests may have to interweave both suppor t for older workers’ re-employment or continuing employment, with processes that also attempt to transform the views and perspectives of employers. Yet, sitting in here also is the need to develop and support these workers’ capacities to be agentic learners, i. e. in line with their own interests and intentions (Billett and vanWoerkom 2006). Direct subsidies may well indeed reinforce the perspective that positions older workers as being de? cient and worthy of societally incurred subsidies, and places employers as being only able to employ and promote the interests of these workers when such subsidies are available. It would then seem that policies and practices are needed to both engage employers with older workers and promote their worth to employers in a way which incrementally in? ences their decision-making. It is these kinds of engagement and development that will be required to both overcome and transform well-entrenched preferences. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 1255All of the above points to the importance of identifying what has to be done to effectively retain older workers and develop their employability. Added here is the prospect that the fewer available younger workers will be in high demand and, as such, are unlikely to select low-status occupations such as aged care. Hence, and as noted, a key consideration for approaches to improving policy and practice for older workers is shifting employer attitudes towards a more positive accounting of the capabilities and potentialities of these workers. Policy reform is needed to respond to engage and inform to secure such a shift. Therefore, it is helpful to identify what has been done to bring about such changes, policy wise. References Adage (n. d), ‘Why Adage Targets Mature Professionals,’ www. adage. com. au Ainsworth, S. (2001), ‘The Discursive Construction of the Older Worker Identity: A Re? ction on Process and Methods,’ Tamara: The Journal of Critical Postmodern Science, 1, 4, 29–46. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004), ‘Paid Work: Mature Age Workers,’ Australian Social Trends, series, catalogue no. 4102. 0, June 15, Canberra, ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007), ‘Skilling Mature Age Australians for Work,’ Year Book Australia, ca talogue no. 1301. 0, February 7, Canberra, ABS. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008), ‘Population Projections – a Tool for Examining Population Ageing,’ Australian Social Trends series, catalogue no. 4102. 0, June 15, Canberra, ABS. Australian National Training Authority (2004), Increasing the Vocational Education and Training Participation and Achievement of Older Workers: Ideas for Action, Brisbane: ANTA. Billett, S. (2010), Promoting and Supporting Lifelong Employability for Singapore’s Workers Aged 45 and Over, Singapore: Institute for Adult Learning. Billett, S. , and Smith, A. (2003), ‘Compliance, Engagement and Commitment: Increasing Employer Expenditure in Training,’ Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 53, 3, 251–269. Billett, S. , and vanWoerkom, M. (2006), ‘Older Workers and Learning Through Work: The Need for Agency and Critical Re? ction,’ in Promoting Lifelong Learning for Older Workers – an International Overview, eds. T. Tikkanen and B. Nyhan, Cedefop Reference Series 65. Luxembourg: EUR-OP, pp. 177–189. Bishop, J. H. (1997), ‘What We know About Employer Provided Training: A Review of the Literature,’ Research in Labour E conomics, 16, 19–87. Bittman, M. , Flick, M. , and Rice, J. (2001), ‘The Recruitment of Older Australian Workers: A Survey of Employers in a High Growth Industry,’ UNSW, Report for Department of Family and Community Services, Social Policy Research Centre, Sydney. Brinsden, C. 2007), ‘Mature-age Workers Pessimistic Over Future,’ The Australian, 9 July, online. Brunello, G. (2001), ‘On the Complementarity Between Education and Training in Europe,’ IZA discussion paper 309, Forschungsinstituit zur Zukunft der Arbeit- IZA, Institute for the Study of Labour, Zurich. Brunello, G. , and Medio, A. (2001), ‘An Explanation of International Differences in Education and Workplace Training,’ European Economic Review, 45, 2, 307–322. Business Council of Australia (2003), Age Can Work: A Business Guide for Supporting Older Workers, Melbourne: BCA. Cavanagh, J. (2008), ‘Women Auxiliary Workers’ Learning and Discovering â€Å"Self† Through Work,’ in Emerging Perspectives of Learning Through Work, eds. S. Billett, C. Harties and A. Etela? pelto, Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishing, BV, pp. 67–82. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 1259Church, K. (2004), ‘Dancing Lessons: A Choreography of Disability in Corporate Culture,’ Paper presented at the WALL Annual Meeting, Toronto. Colebatch, T. (2009), ‘Retirement by 70 a Fading Hope for Many,’ The Age, 25 February, online. Deare, S. (2006), ‘IT and Telecomms Inactive on Mature Workers,’ ZDNet Australia. www. zdnet. com. au/news/business/soa/IT-and-telecomms-inactive-on-mature-workers/0,139023166, 139251015,00. htm Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2008), ‘Outcome 8: Workforce Participation,’ DEEWR Budget Statements – Outcomes and Performance. www. deewr. gov. au/ deewr/Publications/Budget Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (2005), Workforce Tomorrow, Canberra: DEWR. Dymock, D. , Billett, S. , Martin, G. , and Johnson, G. 2009), ‘Retaining and Sustaining the Competence of Older Workers: An Australian Perspective,’ Paper presented at the conference, Lifelong learning revisited: What next? June 24–26, Stirling University, Scotland. Encel, S. (2003), ‘Age Can Work: The Case for Older Australians Staying in the Workforce,’ A report to the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Business Council of A ustralia, Sydney. Giddens, A. (1997), Sociology (3rd ed. ), Cambridge: Polity Press. Giraud, O. (2002), â€Å"Firms† Further Training Practices and Social Exclusion: Can Industrial Relations Systems Provide Greater Equality? Theoretical and Empirical Evidence from Germany and France,’ in Education, Training and Employment Dynamics: Transitional Labour Markets in the European Union, eds. K. Schoman and P. J. Connell, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 300–303. Gringart, E. , Helmes, E. , and Speelman, C. (2005), ‘Exploring Attitudes Toward Older Workers Among Australian Employers: An Empirical Study,’ Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 17, 3, 85–103. Hovenden, D. (2004), ‘Fishy Memories on Ageing Workforce Crisis,’ Human Resources Magazine. www. humanresourcesmagazine. com. au/articles/15/0c019a15. asp Howell, S. Buttigieg, D. , and Webber, W. (2006), ‘Management Attitudes to Older Workers in the Retail Sector,’ Monash Business Review, 2, 3, 1–10. Jorgensen, B. (2004), The Ageing Population: Implications for the Australian Workforce, Sydney: Hudson Global Resources and Human Capital Solutions. Kossen, C. , and Pedersen, C. (2008), ‘Older Workers in Australia: The Myths, the Realities and the Battle over Workforce â€Å"Flexibility†,’ Journal of Management and Organization, 14, 1, 73–84. McIntosh, B. (2001),An Employer’s Guide to Older Workers: How to Win Them Back and Convince Them to Stay. ww. doleta. gov/Seniors/other_docs/EmplGuide. pdf McNair, S. , Flynn, M. , Owen, L. , Humphreys, C. , and Wood? eld, S. (2004),Changing Work in Later Life: A Study of Job Transitions, London: University of Surrey, Centre for Research into the Older Workforce. Naegele, G. , and Walker, A. (2006), A Guide to Good Practice in Age Management, Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Naughtin, G. (2008), ‘Social Inclusion and Older People,’ in Social Inclusion Down Under: Symposium Proceedings, Brotherhood of St. Laurence. www. sl. org. au/naughtin_symposium_ paper_26Jun08. pdf Neville, I. (2008), ‘The Australian Labour Market: Challenges and Resp onses,’ Seminar presentation, Canberra, Labour Supply and Skills Branch, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. www. gemspl. com. au/bipartite2008/Proceedings/ Ivan%20Neville%20Presp. pdf NSW Labor (2008), ‘Supporting Older Workers,’ 9 July, NSW Labor. www. nswalp. com/blog/358/ supporting-older-workers Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2006a), ‘Live Longer, Work Longer: A Synthesis Report,’ Summary. Paris: OECD. www. oecd. org/els/employment/olderworkers. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2006b), Live Longer, Work Longer: A Synthesis Report, Paris: OECD. Price, R. , and Colley, L. (2007), ‘Assessing HR Strategies for Retaining an Aging Workforce,’ in 15th International Employment Relations Association Conference: Working Lives, Working Choices, July, 9–13, Canterbury, England. Queensland Government (2008), Experience Pays Pack, Brisbane: Department of Employment and Industrial Relations. 260 S. Billett et al. Quintrell, M. (2000), ‘Older and Wiser; or Just at the End of the Line? ’ Westminster Studies in Education, 23, 19–31. Ranzijn, R. (2005), ‘Discrimination Against the Older Worker: Psychology and Economics,’ Paper presented at seminar, ‘Of Working Age,’ May, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Sydney. Rolland, L. (2007), ‘Ageing and Work in 2030: In or Out of Our Hands? ’ Paper prepared for forum, ‘Ageing 2030 – Creating the future,’ Sydney, NSW Government. Rosen, B. , and Jerdee, T. H. 1988), ‘Managing Older Workers’ Careers,’Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 6, 37–74. Smith, A. , and Billett, S. (2003), Enhancing Employers’ Expenditure on Training, Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Steinberg, M. , Donald, K. , Najman, J. , and Skerman, H. (1996), ‘Attitudes of Employees and Employers Towards Older Workers in a Climate of Anti-Discrimination,’Australian Journal on Ageing, 15, 4, 154–158. Syed, J. (2006), ‘Older Workers in Australia: A Policy Perspective,’ Journal of Economic and Social Policy, 1, 11, 21–43. Taylor, P. , and Walker, A. (1998), ‘Employers and Older Workers: Attitudes and Employment Practices,’ Ageing and society, 18, 641–658. The Treasury (2010), ‘Australia to 2050: Future Challenges,’ (Intergenerational Report), Canberra, Australian Government. Tikkanen, T. (1997, May), ‘Consequences of Unemployment on Professional Competency,’ Paper presented at the Nordic Conference on Adult Education, Trondheim, Norway. Tikkanen, T. , Lahn, L. , Ward, P. , and Lyng, K. (2002), Working Life Changes and Training of Older Workers, Trondheim: Vox. an Dijk, T. A. (2008), Discourse and Power, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Victorian Government (2005), ‘The Ageing Workforce,’ The State of Working Victoria Project, Information Paper No. 4, Melbourne. Weller, S. (2007), ‘Discrimination, Labour Markets and the Labour Market Prospects of Older Workers: What Can a Legal Case Teach Us? ’ Work, Employment and Society, 21, 417â⠂¬â€œ437. Wooden, M. , VandenHeuvel, A. , and Cully, M. (2001), Barriers to Training for Older Workers and Possible Policy Solutions, Adelaide: DETYA/NILS, Flinders University The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 22, No. 6, March 2011, 1248–1261 Employees. Theyre the one thing that businesses everywhere have a need for. And not just employees, but employees who are honest, responsible, dependable, loyal, focused, organized and mature. Is this too much to ask? U. S. employers spends millions of man hours each year placing ads, prescreening and interviewing candidates, and hiring and training workers, only to find that many of the employees they hire work for them for just a ew months only to decide they dont want to just be a clerk anymore or feel something betters come along as they work their way up the corporate ladder. So where can businesses find a dependable, steady workforce that has no plans to move up and out? A workforce dedicated to the job at hand and that takes pride in its work? Who will cost them less to hire, train and maintain? The answer? Older workers. Below are twelve reasons why hiring older workers can he lp you maintain a reliable, dedicated workforce and provide a significant cost savings for both the short and long term. . Dedicated  workers produce higher quality work, which can result in a significant cost savings for you. Stories abound of highly committed older workers finding others potentially costly mistakes regarding everything from misspelling of client names to pricing errors and accounting mistakes. 2. Punctuality  seems to be a given for older workers. Most of them look forward to going to work each day, so theyre likely to arrive on time and be ready to work. 3. Honesty  is common among older workers, whose values as a group include personal integrity and a devotion to the truth. 4. Detail-oriented, focused and attentive  workers add an intangible value that rubs off on all employees and can save your business thousands of dollars. One business owner I know once told me that one of his older workers saved his company more than $50,000 on one large mailing job. The 75-year-old clerical worker recognized that all the ZIP codes were off by one digit. Neither the owners mailing house nor his degreed and highly paid marketing manager had noticed it. 5. Good listeners  make great employees because theyre easier to trainolder employees only have to be told once what to do. 6. Pride in a job well done  has become an increasingly rare commodity among younger employees. Younger workers want to put in their time at work and leave, while older employees are more willingly to stay later to get a job done because of their sense of pride in the final product. 7. Organizational skills  among older workers mean employers who hire them are less likely to be a part of this startling statistic: More than a million man hours are lost each year simply due to workplace disorganization. 8. Efficiency and the confidence  to share their recommendations and ideas make older workers ideal employees. Their years of experience in the workplace give them a superior understanding of how jobs can be done more efficiently, which saves companies money. Their confidence, built up through the years, means they wont hesitate to share their ideas with management. 9. Maturity  comes from years of life and work experience and makes for workers who get less rattled when problems occur. 10. Setting an example  for other employees is an intangible value many business owners appreciate. Older workers make excellent mentors and role models, which makes training other employees less difficult. 11. Communication skillsknowing when and how to communicateevolve through years of experience. Older workers understand workplace politics and know how to diplomatically convey their ideas to the boss. 12. Reduced labor costs  are a huge benefit when hiring older workers. Most already have insurance plans from prior employers or have an additional source of income and are willing to take a little less to get the job they want. They understand that working for a company can be about much more than just collecting a paycheck. Any business owner whos hesitant to hire an older worker should consider these twelve benefits. Older workers unique skills and valuesand the potential savings to your company in time and moneymake hiring them a simple matter of rethinking the costs of high turnover in a more youthful workforce vs. the benefits of experience and mature standards older workers bring to the mix. You simply do not have the time or resources to deal with high employee turnover. The next time you need to make a hiring decision, you should seriously consider older workers: Their contribution to your company could positively impact your bottom line for years to come. Stephen Bastien isa business consultant and an expert on leadership and managing employees. Hes the author of  Yes, One Person Can Make a Difference  and  Born to Be. Having started several successful businesses, his current venture, Bastien Financial Publications, provides businesses with the latest developments on fast-growing and distressed companies nationwide through his daily newsletters. Visit his site  for more information on his financial publications, books or consulting services. Read more:  http://www. entrepreneur. com/article/167500#ixzz2QXXcMEQO

Computers and Firefighting :: Firefighters Computers Technology Essays

Computers and Firefighting It seems that the advances of today are moving far more rapidly than people have ever thought about. The only question is that how much farther can we go in the advancement of computer technology to support people. One of the ways to support people is in the area of Firefighting. In this field the firemen with help of computers is allowed to help civilians when they are in need. The job of now is becoming a little safer to do because of newly advances by computers in the firefighting field. Three important ways computers have contributed is in the ways firemen can refine their own personal knowledge of the job, personal protective equipment (PPE), and one of the tools invented to locate people. The topic for computer advancement, is of a field that is one of the most critical services given to people. Why? It is one of most demanding jobs because of what the fireman actually does. In most senses his or her job is not to only fight fires, but also to search out for life within the fire, administer aid if needed, along with the searching for clues to what might have been the cause for the accident or blaze. The Fireman combines the work ethic of not only his or her job, but along with knowledge of a nurse and police officer. True, he or she does not always play a role on the other areas besides fighting fires, but they have to be able to pick-up where ever they are needed in whatever role. In order to broaden the knowledge of the firemen, it is most commonly done through new types of studying and training. A firemen can take lessons of a CD with help of a computer, and run simulations on their own to refine and expand their own personal abilities as a fireman. Now all the y have to do it go to a computer and learn what they need to know, at times even through interactive lessons, instead of using the old method of reading textbooks, magazines, journals, or where ever else the information lies for them to find. In the area of the firemen ¡Ã‚ ¦s own personal protective equipment, it too has be advanced because of computers. Twenty-five years ago, the turnout gear worn by firefighters was used to keep the firefighter from getting wet mainly then with the introduction of Nomex, which was a self-extinguishing man-made material, then came Gortex and PBI.

Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan

J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard. If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. In troduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety.In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of family earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them. In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country.In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and in jured on our roads. Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor.Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004). In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995).The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008 ). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997). In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives.In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004). In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and motorcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. 0 (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal.More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family m embers are the primary source of income. So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society.In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997). Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes.Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999). Majority of road users including motorists and pedestrians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country.Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while drivi ng, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Data Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained dri vers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads is responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percen t Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 6. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 27 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 2. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 28% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% resp onse that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9.Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing the road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants. Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10.Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the mai n causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness about rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules.Government may create awareness in public by offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers. These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters.These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand. These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy.So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A. Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23 -29. Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey of Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C.Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. V. , (1997), Low utilization of formal medical services by injured persons in a developing nation: health service data underestimate the importance of trauma. Journal of Trauma. 42:504–513. ? Murray, CJL, Lopez A. D. , (1997), Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet . 349:1498504. Nantulya, V. M. , and Reich M. R. , (2003), Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle-income countries: Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:13–20. ? Neumann, W. L. , (1997), Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyss and Bacon, USA. ? Peden M, McGee K, and Sharma G, (2002), The injury chart book: a graphical overview of the global burden of injuries. Geneva, World Health Organization. ? Peden, M. , Scurfield, R. , et al (2004), World Report on Traffic Injuries Prevention; Geneva, WHO ? Soderlund N, Zwi A. B. (1995), Traffic related mortality in industrialized and less developed countries. BuU World Health Organ. 73:175-82. ? Stutts, Hunter. , (1999), Motor Vehicle and Roadway factors in pedestrians and Bicyclist injuries. Accd Aral Prev. 31:505-514. ? Suriyanwongpai sal, P. , and Kanchanasut S, (2003), Road traffic injuries in Thailand: trends, selected underlying determinants and status of intervention. Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:95–104. ? Yang, B. M. , and Kim J. , (2003), Road traffic accidents and policy interventions in Korea. Injury control and Safety Promotion. 0:89–93. ? www. makeroadssafe. org ? www. prb. org/Articles/2006/RoadTrafficAccidentsIncreaseDramaticallyWorldwide. aspx ? www. asiaone. com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080719-77661. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. dailymailnews. com/200802/13/news/dmboxitem2. html ? www. dawn. com/2008/04/27/nat16. htm ? www. statpak. gov. pkJ. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Causes of Road Accidents in Pakistan By Abdul Manan Khan1 and Ansa Tehreem2 Abstract Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users, specially the poor. Main causes which are found behind these road accidents are lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phone during driving, use of intoxicants, over loading and poor performance of government in this regard.If these issues are tackled in a manner way then it can positively affect the social and economic conditions of the residents of developing countries. Key Words: Public Health, Road Accidents, Traffic Accidents 1. Introduction and Literature Review The growth and development of a nation depends, largely, upon the capacity of its transport system to move persons and goods to desired locations safety. In Pakistani society, nuclear family system is very common. Here, it is like a trend that one or two members of famil y earn the money and other family members heavily depend on them.In developing countries, like Pakistan, roads often carry a wide range of users – from heavy goods-vehicles to bicycles and pedestrians without any separation. Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a significant, cause of any disability, death and economic loss in developing countries like Pakistan. Among the pedestrians, the most vulnerable are those young people who play an important part in the socio-economic growth of the country. In Pakistan, male proportion play dominant role to run their families economically, so they have to face more problems like injuries and disability. Every day many people are killed and injured on our roads.Men, women, children, biking or riding to school or work, playing in the streets or setting out on long trips, will never return home, leaving behind shattered families and communities. Road traffic injuries are a growing public health issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable g roups of road users, specially the poor. Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Worldwide, the number of people killed in road traffic crashes each year is estimated at almost 1. 2 million, while the number injured could be as high as 50 million (WHO, 2004).In economic terms, the cost of road crash injuries is projected at roughly 1% of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries, 1. 5% in middle-income countries and 2% in high-income countries (Soderlund,1995). The economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be over Rs100 billion for Pakistan (Ahmad, 2008). 1 Graduate, Department of Sociology,University of Gujrat, Gujrat. 2 Graduate, University of the Punjab, Lahore 23 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Lower socio-economic groups have limited access to post-crash emergency health care (Mock, etal1997).In Pakistan also, a large portion of population has also limited access to post-crash emergency health care which causes a precious loss of lives. In many developing countries, the costs of prolonged medical care, the loss of the family breadwinner, the cost of a funeral, and the loss of income due to disability can push families into poverty (Hijar etal 2003). In developing countries, the population groups exposed to the highest risks of injury and death from road crashes, pedestrians and users of motorized two-wheelers – are from lower socioeconomic groups (Nantulya, 2003 and Ghaffar A, 2004).In Mexico, the second commonest cause of children being orphaned is traffic crashes (Hijar etal, 2003). Pakistan is also a developing country where a large number of people die every because of the road-side accidents. Especially death proportion of pedestrians and motorcyclists are very high which mostly belong to lower socio-economic groups of society. Recent studies have shown that pedestrians and mot orcyclists have the highest rates of injury in Asia (Yang,etal 2003 and Suriyanwongpaisal etal 2003). In Pakistan Incidence of road traffic injuries was 15. (including minor injuries) per 1,000 persons per year (Ghaffar etal 2004). If we use this rate in 2008 it will be in millions. The burden of injury is unequal. More boys are injured than girls, and children from poorer families have higher rates of injury. In 2002, males accounted for 73% of all road traffic deaths, with an overall rate almost three times that for females: 27. 6 per 100 000 population and 10. 4 per 100 000 population, respectively (WHO, 2004). Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where most of the time male family members are the primary source of income.So, the higher rate of road traffic deaths among men, can even more severely affect the socio-economic status of the family as well as the whole social structure of the society. In Pakistan, among males of the economically active age group accidental death rate is very high, and also according to the study, motor vehicle injuries are the third most important cause of death in developing countries. (Soderlund 1995). It is projected that RTA will be the second most common cause of disability-adjusted life years in developing countries in the year 2020 (Murray, 1997).Road traffic crashes can place a heavy burden on the family and friends of the injured person. According to WHO estimates for 2002, there were 180500 children killed as the result of road crashes. Some 97% of these child road deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (WHO, 2004). There are many factors which cause the accidents. The motorized traffic on these roads is capable of high acceleration and speed, both key factors in the causes of road crash injury. Most of the factors of traffic accidents are the driver, the highway and motor vehicles (Aaron ,1990, Balogun etal,1992; Luby etal,1997 and Mock etal,1999).Majority of road users including motorists and pedestr ians lack road sense, leading to frequent road accidents and continued traffic jams across the country. Some other research evidence also indicates that the human element is responsible for 80 to 85% of all traffic accidents. Traffic violations, driving while intoxicated and lack of driving courtesy are the results of human actions. Unsafe highway and road conditions cause about 10% of all traffic accidents while mechanical deficiencies are responsible for nearly 5% of all traffic problems (Aaron,1990; Collier, 1983; American Automobile Association, 1988; Mc Glade, 1980).Traffic violations like signal crossing, driving without license, wrong parking, usage of mobile phones while driving, wrong overtaking, disregard of zebra crossing, riding motorbikes without lights and helmets, 24 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X over-speeding, change of lane sans using indicators are so common in Pakistan which are the major cause of accident in our society. 2. Dat a Collection and Methodology This study is based on primary data which is collected from people belongs to transportation system and drivers of LTV, HTV, motorcyclist and pedestrians.For this purpose 100 cases were selected from the universe as described by Neumann (1997). Data is collected via discussion and questionnaire on causes of road accidents and its aspects from each side. 3. Data Analysis On the basis of primary data, when we ask to respondents about the main reason behind road accidents then 40% of the respondents answer that ignorance of traffic rules is the main reason of road accidents. While 32% respondents answer that rash driving and 28% of the view that untrained drivers are the cause of road accidents.This whole issue is shown in table 1. Table 1. Reasons of Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Ignorance of traffic rules 40. 0 40. 0 Rash driving 32. 0 72. 0 Untrained drivers 28. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 When we put the question that is poor conditions of roads i s responsible for accidents then 44% of the respondents answer that to some extent poor conditions of roads cause accidents and 32% people response that yes, poor condition of roads is responsible and all is shown in table 2. Table 2. Is Poor Condition of Roads Responsible for Accidents PercentCumulative Percent Yes 32. 0 32. 0 No 24. 0 56. 0 To some extent 44. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 25 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Our next question highlight another burning issue that 68% of the road accidents occur due to untrained/ unskilled drivers while only 12% of the respondents view that unskilled drivers are not responsible, which is shown in table 3. Table 3. Accidents Occur Due to Unskilled Drivers Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 68. 0 68. 0 No 12. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0In most of the parts of the country, one wheeling occurs by young people on roads and 76% of the respondents view that this cause road accidents while only 4% of the respondents answer that one wheeling is not a cause of accidents. Table 4 shows detailed data on this issue. Table 4. Is One Wheeling Causes Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 76. 0 76. 0 No 4. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Use of cell phones during driving cause road accidents and government take measures to avoid cell phone and there is some penalty.The 52% of the respondents answers that use of cell phone during driving cause accidents while 40% answer to some extent it cause, only 8% view that cell phone is not the cause of road accidents. This is shown in detail in table 5. Table 5. Is Use of Cell Phone Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 52. 0 52. 0 No 8. 0 60. 0 To some extent 40. 0 100. 0 26 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Total 100. 0 Another issue was raised when we ask a question from respondents that are use of drugs during driving cause road accidents.The answer was astonished us that only 4% of the respondents view that drugs is not a cause of accidents while 72% and 24% response yes and to some extent, respectively. As shown in table 6 below. Table 6. Use of Drugs during Driving Cause Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 4. 0 76. 0 To some extent 24. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Overloading is another cause of road accidents and respondents answer that overloading is the cause of road accidents as shown in table 7. Table 7. Is Overloading Causes Road Accidents Percent Cumulative PercentYes 40. 0 40. 0 No 4. 0 44. 0 To some extent 56. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The literacy rate in Pakistan is low which relates with road accidents because most of the drivers are illiterate and can’t read anything even helping booklet/ safety guides on roads. The 72% of the respondents answer that lack of awareness about driving rules and other safety measures is the cause of road accidents. Only 8% of the respondents view that it is not a cause of road accidents and all this is shown in table 8. Table 8. Is Lack of Awareness Causes Road Accidents 7 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Percent Cumulative Percent Yes 72. 0 72. 0 No 8. 0 80. 0 To some extent 20. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Above all information explains the causes of road accidents but now we have collected some information about the role of different administrative institutes in overcoming these issues. When we ask about role of government in reducing the ratio of accidents then 40% of the respondents are of the view that government is playing poor role and there is need to improve its role. 8% respondents answer that its role is satisfactory while only 8% response that government is playing excellent role, detail about this is given in table 9. Table 9. Role of Govt. in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 8. 0 8. 0 Very good 24. 0 32. 0 Satisfactory 28. 0 60. 0 Poor 40. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 The role of traffic police in reducing t he road accidents is better and 52% of the respondents show satisfactory role of traffic police while 24% answers very good. So the overall role of traffic police is good but the problem exists when we make a comparison between roads and number of police servants.Only 8% of the respondents answer that traffic police is playing poor role, which is shown in table 10. Table 10. Role of Traffic Police in Reducing Traffic Accidents Percent Cumulative Percent Excellent 16. 0 16. 0 Very good 24. 0 40. 0 Satisfactory 52. 0 92. 0 28 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X Poor 8. 0 100. 0 Total 100. 0 Conclusion The main objective of this paper is to highlight the main causes of road accidents in Pakistan. On the basis of primary data we conclude the paper as following. The main reason of traffic accidents is due to lack of awareness bout rules and regulation, so there is need of institutes for awareness about these rules. Government may create awareness in public b y offering different courses in educational institutes and also distribute some material for drivers and for general public also. Government needs to make some core courses/ training before the provision of license and traffic police should keep strong check and balance in this regard. Another problem which causes road accidents is overloading, use of cell phone during driving and drugs addiction by majority of the drivers.These all issues can be solved by creating awareness and by applying some penalty to defaulters. These are not serious issues and easily solved by the strong system of check and balance by any administrative authority. By overcoming on these causes we can save a lot of benefits in the shape of monetary and non-monetary terms. In a nut shell, we say that road accidents are playing prominent role in the families of victims of traffic accidents which is the loss of property on one side while death of humanity is on the other hand.These both can through a family into a vicious circle of poverty and then it impacts on the overall economy. So need of the day is to take some encouraging steps by public side and individuals side also. References ? A Resource Curriculum in Driver and Traffic Safety Education, (1990), Washington D. C. Automative Safety Foundation. ? Aaron, J. E. and Strasser, M. K. , (1990), Driver and Traffic Safety Education, London: The Macmillan Company. ? Ahmad, B. , (2006), Country Report on Road Network in Pakistan, Ministry of Communications, Islambad. ? Balogun, J. , A.Abereoje, (1992), Pattern of Road Traffic Accidents cases in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital between: 1987 and 1990, Journal of Tropical Medicine 95: 23-29. ? Collier, J. P, (1983), Automotive Safety Education London, Macmillan Publishers. 29 J. Asian Dev. Stud, Vol. 1, Issue 1, (March 2012). ISSN 2304-375X ? Ghaffar, A. , Hyder A. A. and Masud, T. I. , (2004), The burden of road traffic injuries in developing countries: the 1st National Injury Survey o f Pakistan Public Health. ? Hijar, M. , Vazquez-Vela, E, Arreola-Risa, (2003), Pedestrian traffic injuries in Mexico: a country update.Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 10:37–43 ? McGlade, F, (1980), Adjustive Behaviour and Safety Performance Sringfield, Illinois: Carl of C. Thomas Publisher. ? Mock, C. , Amegashie J. and Darteh, K, (1999), Role of Commercial Drivers in motor vehicle related injuries in Ghana. Inj. Prev 5: 268-271 ? Mock, C. N. , nii-Amon-Kotei D. , and Maier, R. 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