Equal Rights free essay sample

Throughout history people have had their equal rights taken away; such as during the Holocaust when the Jews, mentally and physically disabled, gypsies, black people and children of mixed marriages, homosexuals, Jehovahs Witnesses, social misfits, and members of the political and religious opposition were taken to concentration camps. They had all their rights ripped away such as the right to religion, freedom of choice, and basic rights, like eating any type of food. People have been discriminated against due to their religion for many centuries. Just like the Jews during WWII that were put into concentration camps and killed because of their religion. Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor and tells his story to the world in the book Night. Everyone has the right to religion, no matter what religion they are. With our freedom of religion we can choose to be a Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc. Some people have changed religions because they have the right to do so or because their spouse is a different religion. We will write a custom essay sample on Equal Rights or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Freedom of choice, we all have the right to choose what we want to be, who we want to marry, what career we want and were we want to go to school. Our career choice can be anything from police officers to attorneys; we can even choose to be a nurse. The career we choose can also help us choose the school we wish to go to. To be a nurse we would choose a nursing school, an attorney would choose a 4 year type of college, and a police officer could choose a type of academy. People also have basic rights, such as eating what they choose. Some people want to be vegetarians, some will only eat white meat, and some choose to eat white and red meat. Some people will even hunt for their food to eat. Some will hunt deer, rabbit, or even birds so they can eat, its what they choose. Throughout the book Night Elie Wiesel tells us his story about how people have had their rights taken away. Everyone including those that are Jewish, mentally and physically disabled, gypsies, black people and children of mixed marriages, homosexuals, Jehovahs Witnesses, social misfits, and members of the political and religious opposition have equal rights to choose what they wish. It is said to see that even today people have their rights taken from them. We can only hope that we have actually learned from our mistakes in the past and make a better future. Equal Rights Essay By sbJblbdq65

Essay Writing - Academic Background Essay Sample

Essay Writing - Academic Background Essay SampleAn academic background essay sample can help your students to build their knowledge base. An essay should be taken as an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter or of one's own views and thoughts.The content of the essay can vary from one student to another. Some students may need more information, while others may require less. A good essay will take into account all the information given.The writer should then take into account the course outline, the syllabus, the class schedule, the text book, the syllabus, and the professor to make a logical sequence. He/she should also look at the structure of the class, group participation, and the faculty policies to make a proper sequence. A student may wish to go through the whole course sequence as a means of self-study or to acquire new information for his/her work.To decide which essays to use on a student's list, there are several factors to consider. Some stude nts might need more depth than others.The content of the essay should be of a specific topic. Many people feel that it is easier to use other subjects to add depth, but this is not always the case. For example, a subject like history is an extremely interesting one, but some people might prefer to look at texts such as poetry or art.Assignments should also be made to avoid repetitive work. By starting with an interesting topic and building from there, the assignment may not feel so dull. In fact, this type of writing could be an enjoyable experience.The academic background essay sample will come in handy if you are planning to write one. A good teacher or counselor can provide you with the necessary guidance and help you make the right choice for your course or assignment.

Likely Effects Of Biofuels On Biodiversity An Environmental Sciences Essay Example

Likely Effects Of Biofuels On Biodiversity An Environmental Sciences Essay 1st coevals biofuels, the feedstocks are besides used as nutrient harvests and are chiefly used to bring forth biodiesel and bioethanol. These biofuels are straight produced and processed easy from the biofuel harvests or workss such as rapeseed, sunflower, sugar cane, maize etc. The 2nd coevals biofuels are generated from works lignocellulosic stuff. Bioethanol is generated by treating the lignocellulosic works stuff. Many perennial grasses, poplar, willow, forestry, agricultural waste merchandises etc are besides used to bring forth this 2nd coevals biofuels. The 3rd coevals biofuels are produced from algae which might non vie with nutrient harvests, doing it really feasible and more promising to be used. But the 2nd coevals and largely the 3rd coevals is non yet commercially feasible as the engineering is good advance and it is still undergoing development ( Biemans et al. , 2008 ) . This essay will be looking at the likely effects or impact of biofuels on biodiversity viz. the impact on home ground, impact on C segregation, impact on H2O quality and measure, impact of increased chemical usage, and impact of forestry and agricultural waste on biodiversity. This essay will besides briefly expression at a instance survey of biofuel impact in Netherlands. 2. Biofuel likely effects on biodiversity We will write a custom essay sample on Likely Effects Of Biofuels On Biodiversity An Environmental Sciences specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Likely Effects Of Biofuels On Biodiversity An Environmental Sciences specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Likely Effects Of Biofuels On Biodiversity An Environmental Sciences specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The addition in biofuel demand and usage has lead to several environmental impacts that might ensue in either negative or positive impacts on biodiversity. Biofuels can positively impact as a sustainable renewable beginning of energy, depending on its production technique, and can besides hold a negative impact, depending on the sustainability of its development. Bioefuel has a positive potency for cleaner fuels, and greater possibility for economic growing for rural communities and for husbandmans ( Pimentel and Patzek, 2007 ) . The major impact of biofuel on biodiversity is land-use alteration ( Koh, 2007 ) , and in state of affairs where biofuel will supply major part of planetary energy, this will countervail the possible extenuation of clime alteration due to decrease in green house gas emanation, by infringing extra lands to bring forth biofuel. Biofuel feedstocks picks, cultivation patterns, and the type of land that it is grown on, will find the positive or negative impact on biodiversity ( UNEP, 2008 ) . Impact on Habitat Crops grown in deforested country or degraded lands with decreased dirt cultivated land and agricultural inputs to supply feedstock for biofuel production could potentially impact biodiversity positively by reconstructing home ground and ecosystem map ( Cook and Beyea, 2000 ) . Turning perennial species for biofuel feedstocks besides have positive biodiversity impact than one-year monoculture planting, as some works or harvest rotary motion for biofuel feedstock can be good for some works species, butterfly, birds and some beings etc ( Cook and Beyea, 2000 ) . The most important cause for negative biodiversity impact globally is Habitat loss ( MEA, 2005 ) , and this could happen as a consequence of biofuel feedstocks production replacing other land utilizations, making negative impact on biodiversity. The addition in feedstock production could be affected indirectly taking to extension usage of land, this is seen in the instance where addition in maize monetary values for illustration in US has lead to husbandmans exchanging more land area of land from other harvest land usage to the cultivation of more maize ( Pimentel et al. , 2009 ) or direct extensions of cultivated countries which further additions habitat loss. For illustration, forested countries, peatlands, grasslands and wetland can be encroached for biofuel feedstock production. This can be seen in South-East Asia, where addition in demand for palm oil for the production of biodiesel has lead to a monolithic and extended deforestation, seting force per unit area on designated preservation countries ( Koh, 2007 ) . Besides in Brazil, demands for addition in the production of soy bean and sugar cane for biofuel has lead to monolithic loss of biodiversity in Cerrado and the Amazon rain forest ( Costa et al. , 2007 ) . Impact on Carbon Sequestration Land-use alteration due to biofuel feedstock harvest can besides act upon C dioxide emanation ( Searchinger et al. , 2008 ) . For illustration feedstock plantation for bioenergy on debauched land could increase the segregation of C, extenuating the planetary heating impact due to climate alteration ( Tilman et al. , 2006 ) . However, where big root of the perennial feedstock species for biofuel still remains in the dirt after crop, the sum of C in the dirt might be increased as a consequence of excess C being released from the roots to the dirt. The usage of sustainable agricultural patterns and high diverseness harvest rotary motion systems on debauched land can besides increase C segregation as a consequence of increasing dirt organic affair ( Tilman et al. , 2006 ) . Similarly, biofuels generated from waste and residues merchandises could hold no negative important impact on biodiversity and clime alteration as land usage alteration is non required for the production of the feedstock ( Searchinger et al. , 2008 ) . Biofuel feedstock plantation established on C rich dirt or forested land will greatly negate and out weigh the cleaner fuel from biofuel generated utilizing sustainable production by let go ofing monolithic nursery gases breathing as a consequence of land-use alteration and feedstock production. Procedures affecting drainage of peatlands, wetlands and glade of lands by fire for biofuel feedstock plantation can be destructive with respect to air quality and nursery gas emanations ( Righelato and Spracklen, 2007 ) . For illustration in south-east Asia, due to high demand in palm oil production, peatlands has besides been drained to run into the mark and as a consequence, it has been estimated that up to 100 metric tons of carbon-dioxide are releases in a twelvemonth per hectare and firing the peatlands doubles or three-base hits this value ( Righelato and Spracklen, 2007 ) , negatively impacting both below-ground and above biodiversity. In south-east Asia, United States and Brazil, it has been found through surveies that change overing peatlands, rain forests and grasslands for the plantation of crop-based biofuel feedstocks ( 1st coevals feedstocks ) table.1, creates carbon debt by bring forthing carbon-dioxide 17- 420 times more than the nursery gas one-year decreases derived by replacing dodo fuel usage with biofuels ( Fargione et al, 2008 ) . Water Quality and Quantity Impact Bioenergy harvest productions besides have impacts on H2O quality and handiness. Surveies have shown that biofuel feedstock production most particularly harvest feedstocks or first coevals biofuel feedstocks ( table.1 ) impact H2O resources negatively ( Berndes, 2002 ) . For illustration biofuel harvests like sugar cane, oil thenar, maize etc requires big sum of H2O for its productiveness and other biofuel feedstock harvests with greater water-use productiveness such as coconut and sugar Beta vulgaris can set force per unit area on the H2O tabular array ( Shepard, 2006 ) . There are besides instances of terrible H2O pollution, destructing aquatic life due to increases cultivation and production of biofuel feedstock. In 2007, the planetary nature fund named the Pantanal in Brazil the A ; acirc ; ˆ?threatened lake of the twelvemonth 2007 A ; acirc ; ˆA? due to H2O run outing from soya bean Fieldss, cultivated at the catchments of this lake as a consequence of increased demand and cultivation of biofuel feedstock ( Global Nature Fund, 2007 ) In Malaysia every bit good, Palm Oil Mill Effluent ( POME ) , residue of biofuel processing from palm oil is the major pollutant discharge into the Malayan rivers ( Ahmad et al. , 2006 ) . On the positive note, some of the biofuel feedstock harvests might be used in one of the bioremediation methods or phyto-remediation of contaminated H2O undertakings ( Berndes, 2002 ) . Increase Chemical use Impact on Biodiversity Expansion of lands for the production of biofuel feedstocks with homogenous cropping has lead to the increased usage of chemical applications like pesticides to command plague and besides most particularly more fertilisers to increase the dirt food and feedstock outputs has resulted in the increased emanation of N from dirt which is the major emanation beginning of azotic oxide universe broad ( MEA, 2005 ) . This azotic oxide has really high planetary heating potencies greater than that of carbon-dioxide. The addition usage of fertiliser, if sustainable patterns are non maintained to forestall leaching and eutrophicating foods emanation, can ensue in the increased eutrophication of aquatic and tellurian ecosystem and thereby ensuing to loss of biodiversity ( MEA, 2005 ) . Consequently, utilizing trees and perennial or 2nd coevals biofuel feedstock harvests ( table.1 ) , reduces the application of agrochemicals and as a consequence impacts the environment and biodiversity positively. Invasive Speciess Impact There is besides concern for invasive species debut to the ecosystem due to biofuel feedstock production ( Raghu et al, 2006 ) . Some of the 2nd coevals biofuel feedstock productions such as woody species and grasses ( table.1 ) have invasive species traits which include long canopy period, rapid growing and high H2O usage productiveness. It is feared that these biofuel feedstock harvests if introduced will non merely occupy but will besides displace some autochthonal species ensuing in lessening or loss of biodiversity ( Ragh et al, 2006 ) . For illustration in United States, biofuel feedstock harvests such as Johnson grass ( Sorghum halepense ) , Reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea ) and Giant reed ( Arundo donax ) are already known to be invasive. Impact of Forestry and Agricultural Waste Feedstock on Biodiversity Waste is the 2nd chief beginning of 2nd coevals biofuel feedstock ( table.1 ) . Woody waste feedstock coevals can be harvested straight from forest or sawing Millss. Low C segregation and large-scale biodiversity losingss in woods is due to the remotion of deceasing and dead trees from the wood, as many woodland species live and feed on these waste ( Paul and Ernsting, 2007 ) . For illustration nonvascular plants, Fungis, invertebrates, lichens, beetling etc provender and live on forest dead forests depending on the dead wood volume assortment and grades of decomposition nowadays ( Jonsson et al. , 2005 ; Jonsell et al. , 2007 ) . Dead wood facilitates tremendous assortment of arthropods which attracts higher degrees of many species such as birds. Extraction and glade of this waste will diminish the home grounds of these species and might emphasize the productiveness of the wood. Similarly, remotion of the forestry waste merchandises for biofuel production can impact biodiversity positively by cut downing the hazard of forest fires. The impact of agricultural waste on biodiversity either positive or negative depends on the home ground they are generated from and the waste merchandise. Grass film editings remotion helps protect the profusion of species aided by unfastened home grounds and besides semi-natural grasslands are conserved from natural sequence. Removal of agricultural waste besides prevents the grass land from losing its aesthetic values and assorted ecosystems. Removal of grass or works litters or waste helps diminish the dirt food or organic affair and this enhances the profusion of species in diverse grassland home grounds ( Hansson and Fogelfors, 2000 ) . Consequently, remotion of agricultural waste for illustration straw, leftover from barley and wheat, which is used to increase the dirt organic affair can impact biodiversity negatively as dirt beings will be reduced and this might connote in the addition usage of nitrate fertilisers which has inauspicious consequence or impact on the fresh water and land ecosystem and besides on biodiversity every bit good ( Paul and Ernsting, 2007 ) . 3. Case Study: impact of biofuel production from wood french friess on biodiversity in Netherlands. The Son Heathland and the New Heathland are nature modesty countries in Netherlands with several pools, heathlands and forest dunes covering about 600 hectares ( Biemans et al. , 2008 ) . The municipality of these heathlands uses waste merchandises from these heathlands to bring forth biofuels in order to protect and conserve the heathland ecosystem from turning into a wood ( Biemans et al. , 2008 ) . The heathland ecosystem and its species profusion are sustained by guaranting care of unfastened infinite, as the heathland ecosystem might be taken over by forest if trees were non cut and cleared and used for the processing and coevals of biofuel. Not droping and cutting the trees might do a negative impact on biodiversity as rare species found in the heathland might free their home ground and the necessary ecosystem services needed for their endurances. Similarly, cutting the trees around the heathland ecosystem helps in the natural regeneration of the trees which provides chances for the safety of animate beings and workss. Normally, forestry waste is non removed in some ecosystem to conserve specific species and the ecosystem, but in these sites the Son Heathland and the New Heathland, it is removed for the production of biofuel, which helps to heighten and conserve the heathland ecosystem thereby impacting biodiversity both negatively and positively. 4. Decision The potency for biofuel to function as an energy security to protect and replace dodo fuel due to uninterrupted depletion of the dodo fuel minerals resource and besides its possible to extenuate green house gasses is great. But if sustainable direction ( e.g. for land usage and feedstock picks ) , policies and criterions are non set and implemented for the production of biofuels or bioenergy, the unsustainable practise in the production will do serious negative impact on biodiversity by destructing assorted ecosystem and home grounds. Besides societal impacts can non be ignored every bit good, as biofuel production might and will vie with nutrient harvests production in future, if attention is non taken to sustainable balance its production and will thereby impact the multitudes.

These five techniques will transform your technical writing - Emphasis

These five techniques will transform your technical writing These five techniques will transform your technical writing Here is the gist of a conversation I had with a scientist a few years ago. I was teaching a one-day technical-writing course that she was (reluctantly) attending. ‘What do you write?’ ‘Mainly records of experiments and field trials.’ ‘And do you enjoy writing?’ ‘No, I absolutely loathe it.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because it’s just going to sit in a dusty folder somewhere and no one will ever read it.’ My first thought was that it was going to be a long, hard day. Happily, I was wrong. In this short post, I wont go through the protocols and conventions unique to technical writing, as thats not necessary to get results (although you may find this article on  how to write a paper useful). No, the key is to approach it from first principles – the disciplines every writer, technical or otherwise, should be aware of and practise. 1. Be clear and logical I usually enjoy training scientists. They have one essential quality that’s gold dust for a writer – they’re trained to think logically and clearly. While their PhD may be in low-temperature physics or fluvial dynamics, they bring a rigorous way of thinking thats incredibly helpful when it comes to writing up their work. Refreshingly, they’re also often among the most enthusiastic and intelligent students. When I’m training, the one thing I want people to take away is the power and importance of writing. It obviously helps if you have a love and respect for language as well, but that’s a personal thing. If I could instil in the scientist a sense of pride in her writing, at least, I thought, that would be a start. 2. Focus on the audience For some 15 years, I was the lead writer for Jaguar. I wrote the launches of their cars and all the company’s major conferences and speeches, some of which were highly technical. But the first question any writer has to ask, regardless of the material, is always the same – who is going to read this? Or, if it’s a speech, who is going to listen to it? An automotive engineer, for example, will have a clear understanding of terms such as ‘horsepower’ and ‘torque’ and how they influence a car’s performance. They will also be familiar with the host of abbreviations and acronyms that are common parlance in the engineering community. (Is there a sector that doesn’t have its own jargon or buzzwords?) If a piece of writing is peer to peer, it’s generally fine to use these terms without explanation (but sparingly, please). An engine’s performance may simply be expressed in measurements, graphs and charts – if the information is simply and clearly presented, the knowledgeable reader will be able to extract what they want and interpret it. The writing will have served its primary function, which is to communicate. 3. Consider every word Most drivers, however, would struggle to explain ‘horsepower’ and ‘torque’, let alone the difference between them. Unless they’re fully paid-up petrolheads, all they may know is that a powerful car will have a lot of both. Car manufacturers know this, of course, and that’s when (supposedly sexy) language starts creeping into the writing. ‘Effortless’ and ‘refined power’, for example, are words Jaguar often use to describe torque delivery for the layman. (I fought long and hard to suppress the truly awful ‘waftability’, but it seems to have crept into the marketing.) The point is that you use the appropriate language for the audience. The engineer writing the technical report isn’t selling the car, so they don’t need to use adjectives and adverbs (modifying words) to communicate performance – they can let the stats do the talking. In fact, if they submit their findings to scientific journals, they’ll find that most editors delete modifiers anyway, because at best they’re subjective, and at worst vague and confusing, especially for an international audience. Editors encourage authors to ‘unpackage’ concepts – to present them in simple, clear sentences. 4. Keep it brief Most people have a lot of things they could be doing rather than wading through 50 pages of turgid, unfocused waffle. Know your reader, know what you want to say and know why you’re saying it. Is it relevant to your reader? If not, why are you making them read it? And although you may have spent ages writing something, be aware of ‘Mr Skippy’ – the person who will just skim through the text. He may only read the sub-heads, so make sure they tell the story clearly. 5. Be active and engaging Get people into your writing. The passive voice (‘the trials were conducted †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) may be the default in most technical writing, but the active voice is more direct (‘we conducted the trials †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢). You dont have to do it all the time: a balance between passive and active is best. But we’re people and we like to read about ourselves, even if it’s just a humble pronoun (‘we’). Incidentally, a surprising number of journals recommend the active voice in their instructions for authors, including Nature. And the reluctant scientist on my course? I saw her for a follow-up class a couple of months later and her writing had improved immeasurably, largely because she was now thinking clearly and writing short, clear sentences. Most importantly, she was taking pride in her writing and even starting to think of publishing her work. It had been a day well spent. Jack can help you improve your team’s technical writing. Call us on  +44 (0)1273 732 888 for a chat to explore how.

Against The Odds - Documented Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Against The Odds - Documented Argument - Essay Example Further, my above average intelligence greatly tilts the statistical output towards my getting high academic grades. Consequently, I will fall within the Shapiro et al research findings’ possible 15 % of students who can complete their four year college degree within six long fruitful years (Shapiro et al. 9). My intelligence will lead to my being among the 42 percent of students who are able to complete their college degrees without need to transfer to another institution (Shapiro et al. 4). The statistics espouse the responsible students can pass all college requirements. Furthermore, my allocating enough time to studying my class lessons contributes to my being one of the few successful college graduates. Consequently, my being part of the 51 percent mixed students enrolled in the average college program will help me gain much needed support from diverse student friends. The mixed student group is composed of both full time and part time student enrollees (Shapiro et al. 18). Moreover, my long list of easily retrievable relevant academic resources ensures I can submit high quality academic papers on time. Consequently, I can finish my college course within six or less years. My close kinship with the college library staff and other intelligent classmates will assure my falling within the statistical finding’s less than 35 percent student population who will receive a college diploma within six years (Radford et al. 13). The statistics affirm that the effective and efficient students will graduate from college. In addition, an interview with one my close associate affirms I will successfully grab my college diploma. The interviewee shared statistics to back up the college claim (U.S Census Bureau 1). The statistics state that there is an overall 30 increase in the number of college graduates from 1965 to 2010. Specifically,

Speech Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speech Evaluation - Essay Example The presentation I chose is that of Neurolife speech, the reason why I chose this speech is because of the position it which is first runners up. This presentation is both a persuasive and informative speech whereby the presenter uses techniques to make this audience to become interested in his message and also to prove his idea. The writer starts his speech with a small narrative and example of his ideas, by this he makes his presentation more interesting and this also helps in making the audience to be attentive.The use of statistics in his speech makes his idea more realistic and interesting to his viewers, through these the presenter is able to present his idea, the problem involved and the solution to the problem.At the end of your speech, return to the topic sentence and revise it. Ask for their assistance by challenging them to do something, summarizing the important points, and indicating your own intention to do something. Close with a strong appeal for action.The main aim o f this presentation is to persuade and at the same time inform the audience, the presenter directly conveys this method by presenting his case to his audience using statistics and at the same time facts of the idea.the presentation was organised in a logical manner whereby there was an introduction, followed by the problem statement, possible solutions and then the best solution and finally the recommendations, after this the presenter asked questions to be forwarded to him, the presenter uses an ascending order of points whereby he starts with an introduction and lastly finishes with the question part. The presenter motivates his audience by analysing the possible benefits and solutions to his idea, through this he motivates his audience to do exactly what he prefers to be done. Speech delivery: the presenter is good in presenting this speech in that he is not shy and is confident enough in that he presents his speech in the best way, he talks in a confident voice and the audience to not struggle to hear what he has to say because he talks in an audible volume level, the presenter also does not read his presentation from a source he rather reads out only the topic and then discusses the tropic without referring or reading from an other source, this shows that the presenter is confident. The presenter also has eye to eye contact with the audience and this is very help full as it motivates them to pay attention and also shows how much confident the presenter is with his idea. The standing posture is also very important in presentation, the presenter stands upright, moves from one position to another and he talks in a clear and confident voice taking necessarily breaks to avoid the change in tone or talk strains. The length of the speech is of good time period, the presenter does not take long to finish his presentation as very long speeches tend to be tiring and boring to the audience, therefore he adheres to time and presents his speech in the time provided.Conclusion: The presenter summarises his main points in his speech at the end, the presenter afterwards concludes is objective to the speech and asks for any question that the audience may have, he later thanks his audience and exits. This speech therefore is an example of a good speech whereby the presenter properly and logically brings out his main points and finally concludes having convinced his audience. the use of body language and direct eye to eye contact with the audience is a clear indication of confidence in the presenter and also with the idea he presents, he uses humour and questions in order to keep his audience to

Challenges Caused by the Knowledge Economy

Challenges Caused by the Knowledge Economy With reference to the concept of the corporate curriculum, how far do you consider an organisation with which you are familiar to be meeting the challenges presented by the knowledge economy? Introduction: With the emergence of the new knowledge-based economy, organisations are slowly starting to see a new need to apply knowledge management practices and principles to their corporate curriculum. In todays competitive landscape, organisations must develop different capabilities and strategies in order to meet the demands of the knowledge economy. In order to do this, firms must be able to effectively deploy, utilize and manage knowledge. Knowledge management can be harnessed to foster learning in the organisation. It is also important to identify and use knowledge through strategic capabilities, knowledge productivity, and corporate curriculum. Managers of today should think critically about the use of learning and knowledge processes in order to be successful. Increasing globalization, continuous improvements in technology and growing competitiveness of the different industries around the world are just some of the pressures which are forcing some organisations to streamline their business processes and utilize not only their traditional and competitive resources but also their collective knowledge. Every organisation survives in an atmosphere that conditions the way the organisation carries out its business. There are business drivers that have influenced how organisations behave towards knowledge management. The airline industry as a member of the professional services sector recognizes knowledge as a product, people as primary source, mobile workforce and mergers are some of its key business drivers (Abel and Oxbrow, 2001). Learning and Knowledge Management There are many ways to define knowledge management as much as there are a lot of approaches to implementing it and using it. In the context of learning, Alavi and Leidner (2001) describe knowledge management as a dynamic and continuous organisational phenomenon that involves distinct but interdependent processes of knowledge creation, knowledge retrieval, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application. Ponniah (2001, p. 54) defines knowledge management as a systematic process for capturing, integrating, organizing, and communicating knowledge accumulated by employees. He further describes it as a vehicle to share corporate knowledge so that employees may be more effective and be productive in their work. In every organisation, innovation or learning occurs as a result of the flow and transformation of knowledge and other intellectual assets. Accordingly, innovation, whether reorientation or variation, is a reflection of the internal organisational positioning of the firms innovative unit, the character of technological interdependencies in a particular innovation, and the character of knowledge and technological interdependencies (Goodman and Lawless, p. 240). According to Andreu and Sieber (2001, p. 61), differences in knowledge led to differences in learning. For organisations, it is important to have a clear idea about what types of knowledge are present in individuals within the organisation. It is also important for organisations to incorporate relevant knowledge from the environment so that they are capable of offering to potential clients whatever becomes standard in the marketplace. Nonaka (1991) says there is another way to think about knowledge and its role in business orga nisations. He cites as examples some Japanese companies like Honda, Canon, and Sharp. He says that managers of these firms tap on the tacit and often highly subjective insights of employees which often results to a spiral of knowledge at continuing higher levels and it is not simply the processing of factual information. As organisations grow, the level of learning and the quality of knowledge becomes more important and critical to the business inputs and processes. Andreu and Sieber (2001) support this fact by saying that it is the interaction of individuals in a group and therefore the collective character of work in organisations that gave rise to the concept of organisational learning. It is also through organisational learning that organisations are beginning to see the impact of using intellectual assets as another means to fight their way out of the doldrums. Challenges of the Knowledge Economy The information age is marked by the rise of mass customization, dynamic processes, virtual organisations, and a whole set of new practices and administrative structures enabled by global communications and information systems (Meadows et al, p. 38). The essential resources to consider in todays knowledge economy therefore are knowledge, labor, and organisational capabilities (Meadows et al). In an economy that is becoming increasingly driven by new shifts in technology and competition, it is no longer possible for traditional organisations and industries of today to concentrate on their static assets. They must constantly move their resources and adjust to certain communications structures, management practices, personnel development, and sales and marketing strategies. The increasing rates of change, increasing global competition, a more diverse workforce, a more demanding and satisfaction-conscious customers are just some of the challenges that organisations are facing today as they make a transformation from an industrial organisation to a knowledge-based organisation. The greater challenge however lies on how to use knowledge in order to bring out innovative ideas and create more value for the organisation and trigger product and services differentiation. The Corporate Curriculum For an organisation to meet the challenges presented by the knowledge economy, learning and development should be incorporated in the overall corporate plan and business process. The organisation must adopt a corporate culture which integrates the transformation of the organisation using the available intellectual and the internal and external knowledge assets with the corporate development process. Formalized training programs should include a corporate curriculum plan match with the prevailing job and managerial skills of individual members of the organisation to the needs of the entire organisation. It should also provide an avenue for knowledge and the entire learning processes to flourish and help the organisation sustain its competitive edge. There should be programs for enhancing the strategic communication which would guide managers and employees on the how to communicate the mission-vision and the corporate strategy to different levels and departments of the organisation. It should also be able to skillfully impart its mission-vision and guiding principles to its members and clients as well. Programs should also showcase the effective management skills which come with the recruitment and selection process of employees, encouraging motivation, giving due and just compensation, providing coaching and training programs, and enhancing the performance management. Using human resources and learning methods for knowledge management purposes include knowledge management awareness and development of a knowledge sharing attitude and skills as part of a corporate curriculum (Efimova and Swaak). Leadership and personal development should be able to help define the dynamic character of a leader and enhance leadership styles and approaches suitable for the organisation and its environment. It should also help enhance team building activities and help and empower members of the organisation to take charge of their own career development. Sales and Marketing courses should help improve the negotiating and selling skills and market analysis and planning skills as well. Service Excellence should be able to make changes to certain strategies in order to improve customer satisfaction and allow room for a creative problem solving strategy. In this paper, Singapore Airlines (SIA) was chosen as the organisation of choice because the company operates in an emerging economy of Asia which offers an ideal situation in which to discuss the challenges encountered in an evolving knowledge economy. The company is also recognized as an innovation-based organisation that places strong emphasis on value creation through knowledge (Goh, 2005). Strategic Communication Large organisations like SIA take into account the importance of having good communication strategies in order to bring their messages across their members located in different cities and subsidiaries around the world. Kaufman says that SIA publishes a variety of newsletters and company-wide magazines on top of having regular dialogue sessions between management and staff. New suggestions are constantly heard and put forward in different business meetings which was then called Staff ideas in Action (Kaufman). This scheme ensures that feedback from front-line workers was taken into consideration when improving the delivery of services and products. Internal staff communication and information dissemination with employees is also encouraged through a variety of regular departmental meetings (Goh, 2005). These meetings provide the forum for further evaluation of sales, yields and customer satisfaction levels. Goh (2005) adds that over the years, SIAs technology strategy has involved hug e investments in many state-of-the-art technologies In order to strengthen its knowledge networks for predicting the demand and supply of airline seats. SIA deemed it important to use networked knowledge resource as a vital asset in optimizing the allocation of airline seats more effectively. If this networked knowledge is well managed, they are a good influence for pursuing further innovation based on superior performance. Knowledge is therefore best viewed as the catalyst for exploring innovative ideas which occur between and within organisations at knowledge exchanges due to stepped up transfer between knowledge communities. Nonaka (1991) therefore says that managing the knowledge-creating company requires the building of overlapping company information, business activities, and managerial responsibilities which encourages further communication and helps create a common ground for the transfer of open knowledge. In order to innovate effectively, organisations like SIA should also adopt knowledge management practices based on a collaborative knowledge strategy through symbiotic relationships by knowledge sharing. Todays knowledge-based environments require the assimilation of knowledge from diverse disciplines which can be drawn from a variety of fields of expertise. This often results to superior innovative products and practices. In a highly competitive environment such as the airline industry, success generally means that the provision of products and services before ticket purchase and after passenger arrival must be taken seriously. If we are to consider how SIA innovates on its strategic communication process, it is worth noting that SIA management greatly understands the value of constant feedback and the establishment of open communication channels with customers at all times, in any place, and in any situation as the best way to improve on its corporate competitiveness. SIA makes an intensive effort to stay in touch with customers by listening to hidden wants and needs and ensure rapid response to customer complaints. Effective Management Skills SIA is constantly challenged from almost all fronts. Even though its business model is often an envy of other industry players, theres still a lot of room for improvement. In here, SIA must respond by continuously creating new value for the market it serves. It has recently moved from resource allocation of physical assets towards the pursuit of knowledge innovation. This move has enhanced corporate competitiveness by using knowledge together with scientific, technological, organisational, and managerial assets. Managing knowledge is basically managing people (Goh, 2005). It must be made clear however that people-centered priorities are most crucial in a successful knowledge-based enterprise. Machines and technology are often proficient in gathering and performing information tasks. People are more involved in knowledge tasks. It is said that people are the real intelligent agents in knowledge management solutions regardless of how powerful and advanced the technology may be. People are the ones who can identify, assess, analyse, and act upon opportunities for learning brought about by the acquisition of new knowledge in order to help sustain the organisation. Kaufman says that training and other educational programs at SIA are not one-time affairs. SIA recognizes the changing customer expectations and the complexity in handling daily customer contacts can be an exhausting experience. One of SIAs competitive advantages has been its total commitment to talent. SIAs consistency in its training programs allows it to surge ahead in service quality (even during economic slumps) when its competitors are cutting back on training costs. It also demonstrates to all its members that continuous learning and improvement are essential principles for success, and not just for add-ons. Compared to the current industry standards, SIA goes to extraordinary lengths to attract, develop, and retain the best people by recognizing that only people who are trained with the right technological tools can intelligently assemble, interpret, and utilize knowledge for the purpose of servicing the advancement of the organisations innovation goals. Kleiman (1999) contends that training practices and skills development illustrates the commitment of management to constantly improve the skills of its personnel. By investing and incorporating these programs within the overall corporate curriculum, employees do not only get to have an avenue for career development and improve their skills and knowledge. They also bring in different forms of information and expertise (and knowledge) which can be potent weapons by the company in maintaining its competitive advantage. People are motivated to grow for a lot of reasons. First, it augments a persons human capital and labor market position. Second, it aligns the growth with deeper personal intrinsic motives (Wijnhoven, p.303). According to Wheatley (2000, p. 6), human needs and motivation lead us naturally to create knowledge. Studies confirm that people want their work to provide growth, recognition, meaning, and good relationships. We want our lives to mean something, we want to make contributions to society and to other people, and we want to continually learn and improve our skills. Inducing people to work in new ways for quality and innovation may also involve overcoming past habits, values, beliefs, and identity (Michela and Warner Burke, p. 234). Skyrme (2000, p.78) discovers that many companies do not reward people for sharing information. Management consultancies now include peoples contribution to their knowledge bases as part of their performance and salary review. At SIA, excellent staff performance is rewarded with increased pay and position. Individual innovation on how to respond to unique customer situations with exceptionally positive, innovative, or selfless acts of service is added knowledge to the company and is also aptly rewarded with increased pay and position. By empowering their employees and supporting decentralization of decision making and broader workforce participation, employees are usually given prominent roles in running the business. It also encourages greater responsibility for individual and group actions on decisions they make. Leadership and Personal Development Management suggests custodianship, control and a concentration on managing resources that already exist. According to Skyrme (2000), a better term for knowledge management is knowledge leadership. It is more about constant development and innovation of information resources and of knowledge and learning networks. It embraces both the sharing of what is known, and innovation which are the two thrusts of a knowledge-enhanced strategy. Successful knowledge innovations are not characterized by instruction-centered production tasks, and corporate leaders should reduce top-down structures that hinder productive knowledge processes (Goh, 2005). The traditional hierarchy structure and style of management is often seen as detrimental to a knowledge generating culture. In SIAs management hierarchy, managers always have time to listen to employee feedbacks and these feedbacks are valued at every level of the hierarchy. In the concept of a knowledge-based economy, everybody is considered a knowledge worker (Wheatley, 2000). If everybody is assumed to be creating knowledge, then the organisation has a responsibility to provide open access to information to everyone. It is therefore assumed that knowledge will be found everywhere in the organisation, not just in a few places or levels of the organisation. At SIA, the staff is regularly evaluated for performance and potential (Kaufman). Senior managers are frequently rotated within the top positions of the company. The management team is described as having a shared understanding of the big picture due to the great breadth and depth of their experience and reach within the company. Collaboration and team building is closely evidenced by the fact that SIAs products, services, and solutions are heavily invested in order to foster a strong knowledge-sharing culture (Goh, 2005). The introduction of web-based technologies and a company-wide focus on developing team-based competencies to improve the companys capabilities in knowledge collaboration also support the personal development of the organisation. Sales and Marketing According to Kaufman, SIA keeps track of their competitors progress closely while keeping an open eye for new ways to improve and grow. Whenever other service industries (like hotels, banks, and restaurants) take steps forward in their amenities and comfort, SIA takes the initiative to analyse and study innovative ways in which it can leverage and adopt these existing opportunities for their customers satisfaction. To address customer demands, SIA developed a quarterly Service Performance Index that provides a consolidation of statistics relating to customer service (Goh, 2005). This index is closely monitored globally and benchmarked against the service standards of leading airline competitors in the Asian region. SIA also undertakes an environmental scan on consumer trends of competitors and other similar services. Service Excellence In a new knowledge-based economy, clients are more informed and more perceptive and sensitive of their needs and wants. To ensure that these clients new needs are met, knowledge-based organisations should be more customer-centric. At SIA, its strategic centerpiece is on ensuring that customer get the best deal and value on every deal that it makes with its stakeholders. Conclusion: The success of knowledge innovation depends on members of the organisation who utilized the knowledge and not the knowledge itself. In order for an organisation to succeed and sustain its competitive advantage, organisations should have a formal and knowledge-friendly environment where it can promote and cultivate a knowledge-oriented culture and knowledge-driven management and personnel programs. Singapore Airlines is known as one of the best airlines in the world in terms of customer satisfaction and ability to weather the onslaught of new competitors. In general, SIA is faring much better than its competitors because it has consistently aligned its strategic goals and innovation investments with a collaborative knowledge strategy. SIAs technology strategy involved modern technology to strengthen its knowledge network. It has a people-centered philosophy by training and developing its people in order to have knowledge workers in their ranks. SIAs hierarchical management style is st ructured to encourage and value feedback from different levels of the organisation. To meet the challenges of knowledge economy, SIAs corporate curriculum offer a wide range of inspiring and demanding educational programs that continually motivate, upgrade, and improve their employees and managers performance. The main reason why SIA has continually flown on both wings on the sky is that it has found good ways and means of using an intangible asset in the form of knowledge to fuel their drive towards customer service perfection. Bibliography Abel, A and OxBrow, N (2001), Competing with Knowledge, Library Association Publishing, London. Garvey, B and Williamson, B (2002), Beyond Knowledge Management: Dialogue, Creativity, and the Corporate Curriculum, Pearson Education, Harlo, UK. Goodman, R and Lawless, M (1994), Technology and Strategy: Conceptual Models and Diagnostics, Oxford University Press, New York. Kleiman, L (1999), Human Resource Management: A Managerial Tool for Competitive Advantage, 2nd edn. 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