Geography. Have the various types of aid helped Indonesia recover Essay

Geography. Have the various types of aid helped Indonesia recover after the tsunami and what are the issues that still hinder sustainable developments - Essay Example This is mainly because countries who give bilateral aid want to get something in return for their help in the long-run. Additionally, in order to give the reader a clearer and better understanding of the various types of aid Indonesia has received from countries and organisations such as Germany or the World Bank. Included are Case Studies such as a Case Study from a chemical firm called BASF. The allocation of funds in each sector can be clearly identified through a table. It can record the data of how much each country donated; the cooperativeness between countries can clearly be deduced. While causing great damage to the country and its infrastructure, it can be argued, from an economic point of view, of course, that the tsunami also had some positive effects on the development of Indonesia because through the various types of aid whether it is financial aid or aid donated for their education. Indonesia has a better perspective of becoming sustainably developed now that the catastrophe occurred. Being that the aid could be put to good use for making the environment a better place to live. Later in the essay there will be highlights on the economic point of view. This extended essay deals with the Tsunami that happened in December 24, 2004 and affected the whole South Asian Region with destruction and misery. The essay focuses on Indonesia’s recovery from this natural disaster. After reading the essay, these questions can be answered: Have the various types of aid helped Indonesia recover after the tsunami and did the Tsunami cause major problems for Indonesia or help it to reach sustainable development? In this context, primarily the ‘industrial countries’ would be the main focus. The tsunami catastrophe happened on December 26, 2004, and can be regarded as one of the most devastating and deadliest natural events in world history. The recorded casualties were

Recruitment and Selection in Company Expansion

Recruitment and Selection in Company Expansion Khajurico Nepal is a family owned cottage industry based at Chapagaun, Lalitpur, Nepal. It was established in 1990 with a brand name of Khajuri foods and late in 2003 it was trademarked under Khajurico. Khajuri foods started its brand name by introducing bread and since 1994 it has been expanding widely with diversified products such as cookies and puff pastry. It is the only company where all the production employee is women from which we can see how Khajurico Nepal is promoting women empowerment. Today, Khajurico Nepal not only supplies its product at Nepal but also has opened its new factory in India named after Khajurico India Pvt. Ltd. and supplies its products to Australia, Tibet, Ghana, etc. (n.d.) Establishing a company in a foreign country is a risk. It isnt confirmed whether the company will work or not. There may or maynt be the market for the product that you are going to launch. Similarly, there might also be a problem with the tax, wages and law since the law of one country varies from another and the change in law can occur anytime. Likely, the cultural and language barrier also creates problem while launching a product as the company doesnt know what the local prefers. (Goodman 2015). Recruitment is the process where the organisation seeks for the new employee through the forms and cv that are applied by the candidates. Recruitment can either be internal or external. Internal recruitment takes place within an organisation whereas in external recruitment company brings new staffs by following up certain procedures such as job analysis, job description, job advertisement, etc. (Anon 2017). Selection is the process where right candidates are picked from the list of applicants through different methods such as: testing, gathering information and interview. A candidate is selected after he/she clears all the track races of the selection process. During the selection process, a person should neither be underqualified nor overqualified for the applied post. Hence, they will be placed a misfit for the post. While the selection process it is also important to review their past experience and references (Muhammad Umer Khalid Habib 07:20:48 UTC) Along with this the recruitment and selection process is also a crucial process as the company either needs to recruit their own staff or recruit the staff from the host country of from foreign country. All of these has its own advantages and disadvantages. PCN: Parent country Nationals HCN: Host country Nationals TCN: Third Country Nationals (Gomes 2012) Talking about the recruitment procedure of Khajurico Nepal Pvt. Ltd., currently in Nepal KNPL follows the strategic HR planning of NTBI (National Banking Training Institute) which adheres the following principle: Fair and Transparent Recruitment Competence knowledge, skills and attitude of the candidates Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) External and Internal sources The Recruitment procedure of KNPL: In order to recruit their staffs KNPL follows the following procedure; Sources of Recruitment So as to hire and fill the vacant position KNPL follows the following methods; Advertisement in a National daily newspaper. Advertisement in the Company web site / notice board. External job web sites Outsourcing. Through Talent Hunt and the Company data base (already collected CVs) Any vacant position shall also be full filled internally from the existing pool of staff without going for external vacancy announcement. However, this shall be done on a strong recommendation from the line manager based on the staff performance and upon approval from the Chairman / Chief Executive. In case of all hires within the Chairmans authority, this will be formally notified to the board for information and ratification. Usually, during the selection of candidate the head of HRD submits the evaluation sheet to the CEO which indicates the names of candidates, marks obtained by them in both written and interview and the total score. And through that sheet the CEO makes further appointment. If any of the recommended candidate is unavailable for the appointment, then the next candidate will be appointed. However, it is upon the CEO on how to select the candidate for vacant position. Hence, the appointment will be disqualified and will not be appointed in the institute if; If he/she is below 18 years of age. If he/she is medically unfit. If he/she has had previous employment terminated on grounds of lack of integrity, honesty, misuse of funds and pilferage. If he/she is convicted by a competent court on criminal charge, involving imprisonment of more than six months. If he/she is a foreign national except on conditions approved by the Board with permission of the Labour Department of Government of Nepal. Achieving high performance from the new employees Whether the company is established at home country or a host country it is obvious that they expect high performance from their staffs individually. And in order to achieve a good performance certain steps should be taken which are explained below; Induction/orientation: Induction/orientation is the process of letting the new employees to get adapted towards their new working place. In this phase, the new recruited employees are introduced to their workplace, their work colleagues and their role in that organisation. Usually, every company does an induction/ orientation programme since every candidate has their own prospective (Anon 2016c). In every organisation the induction usually take place in the first day where all the information regarding the company and business code of conduct are provided to the employees. Training: Training is the process of providing extra knowledge, skills, attitudes or social behaviour to the staffs so as to perform the job more efficiently, effectively and skilfully as per the trend and technological change in the market. Since, training takes lots of effort and time, it is very important for an organisation to think regarding the need and objective while providing training to their staffs since high qualified professionals are used.(Anon 2016a) Coaching: Coaching is a technique where the managers act as a coach and guides its sub-ordinated through their experience and knowledge. (Anon 2016b). Coaching can also be defined as a facility that is given by the higher level to their subordinates so as to help them to achieve their goals, develop their own personal strategy and improve their efficiency of doing the work (SEGERS et al. 2011). Hence, it is the way of achieving through daily feedbacks and communication of the staffs. Performance Review: Performance review helps keep track of all the activities and achievements of the employees, thus helping employees stay motivated. Periodic performance review helps employees know how they are doing in terms of their performance and motivates them to do better. It also helps them understand their weakness and how they should improve them. Thus, performance review helps in achieving high performance. Hence, performance = employee ability, motivation and opportunity to participate. (Boselie et al. 2005) Rewards: Rewards are the benefits that an employee deserves after his/her excellent performance in an organisation. Rewards can either be financially or non-financially, financial reward includes salary increment, bonus, allowance, etc. whereas non-financial reward includes accommodation, insurance, etc. Every employee joins an organisation with an expectation of getting reward as per their performance(2017).However, these include linkages with performance expectations in: Positive terms (merit review) Neutral consequences (lateral reassignment to improve person/job match) Negative outcomes such as progressively stronger counselling sessions Succession Planning: It is an implication that identifies the problems, reviews it and works on the problems along with their best employees so as to meet performance expectations for a job different from the one she/he currently holds with greater responsibility. It helps to boosts its employee morale by providing them the position as their performance. Hence, succession planning is done so as to fill the vacant position. (Anon 2016d) Career Development Programs: Career Development Program is carried out by every organisations so as to develop individual capability so as to achieve their future goal and career. Since it fulfils the requirement of both employee and organisation it has been an important need for both of the parties.(Anon 2015) An effective Career Development Program: Is critical for the retention of superior performers. Builds internal bench strength, reduces costs associated with outside hires, and maintains continuity in overall performance of the organization. Today, as per the change in the economic, cultural, environmental and political status, it is a challenging thing for any organisation to establish as well as maintain a goal to achieve an affective commitment from their new employees. According to Sayeed (1989) the personal character, role related factors and structural factors are the board antecedents of organisations commitment. Allen et al. (1990) says that organisational commitment is either affective or emotional attachment towards the organisation. (Kumari Afroz 2013) In this technological era, it has brought up many changes in the working environment of the people. People not only seek good working condition but also seek higher income, benefits, commitment, etc. So as to get achieve a commitment from their employee an organisation needs to fulfil every employee needs. However, a company can achieve an affective commitment through its employee by their employees psychological state such as; (Anon n.d.) (Jaaron 2009) Affective Commitment Continuance Commitment Normative Commitment Affective commitment: It is the emotional attachment of an employee towards its organisation. Here, he/she doesnt fear of any losses but strictly follows the company rules and regulations and states the organisations goals and objective. Continuance Commitment: Some employee fears that by leaving the job they might face problems such as low salary, pension, low allowance, working environment, etc. due to which they get stuck to their job thinking that their change in job might create trouble in their life. Hence, these type of commitment is more seen in higher level staff as they are already established in the particular company and fear to lose the position. Normative Commitment: It is a thinking of the employee that he must work in the organisation. Here, he/she feels that it is their responsibility to work in that organisation. There might be several reasons of an employee to have such commitment such as the company might reward them by paying their education or it might be their own perception to do so. However, it is very much important for an organisation to gain the commitment from their employees so as to increase their level of quality and performance. Culture is the characteristic of particular group of people that belongs to certain part of religion, place and language (Zimmermann et al. 2015). A culture may vary from the people of same or different country. For an organisation, it is a must to understand the culture of the host country and should be sociable with the consumers. They should be updated regarding the potentialÂÂ   business challenges to overcome the competitive market. Following can be the issues on cross cultural management; (PGPExecutive 2015) Ambiguity: People have their own way of thinking, doing, talking or seeing. A word can have several meanings, for example a person can utter a word that might be the same language as of the another but the other person might take it differently which increases misunderstanding between the people. Likely, every culture has its own unique value, and might be reluctant in adapting new culture in the host country. Hence, ambiguity creates an incorrect perspective within an information that one wants to deliver to the listener. Inflexible attitude: There are some people who go to the host country and hesitate to participate in their culture which gives an impression that they are not comfortable with the environment that the host country is providing. Showing this kind of behaviour will hamper the person rather than the host because he/she is the one to lose the team and destroy the relationship of the business with the host country. Ethnocentrism: It is the perception of the people where they think that their own culture is correct. Even though these kinds of people are sent to the host country they dont try to accept the new culture. Rather, they start judging the host countries culture on the basis of their own culture. However, these issues can be corrected by following: By understanding the communication style of host culture By understanding the cultural values By developing the right competencies It is obvious that an organisation faces challenges during their working period. There are several challenges that Khajurico Nepal Pvt. Ltd. should follow up; Customer demography: Customer demography denotes the age, sex, gender, income, race, status, etc. which helps the organisation to target their customer. KNPL should not only understand the demography of the customers but also needs to understand what exactly the company needs to do inorder to maintain relation with their potential customer (Staff 2017) Working culture: The working culture of an organisation may vary from its host country. Working culture is the surrounding of the company on how the company treats their employees and how their employee follows the principles and guidelines of the organisation. An organisation having a good working culture directly influences the staffs to work well with their colleagues. (Anon n.d.) Political Issue: The political issues can both be internal and external. External issues include the following; (Contributor 2015) Governments tax policy which can fluctuate at any given time affecting the companys targeted profit, goals and objectives. Corruption Effects of pressure groups leading to change in governments policy which might affect the production. Trade control Hence, if such issues occurs KNPL should either ask for compensation with the host country or purchase political risk insurance ( it doesnt guarantee that the company will get its compensation through insurance as soon as the event occurs) (Phung 2006). The internal issues occur within the organisation. It might include the following; Strike by trade unions for not meeting their demands Autocracy Disregarding employee performance because of the fear of being replaced by top leaders. Hence, if the internal issue occurs KNPL should organise frequent meeting between the staffs and the management, equal opportunities should be given as per their level of performance and the management should have a flexible approach towards the employees feedback.

The Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest Essay -- Exposit

The Causes of Deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Amazon Rain Forest crosses several national boundaries in South America, although the majority of it is located in Brazil. It covers over 3,562,000 acres, making it the largest in the world. But globally, over 138,600 acres of rain forest are lost each year to deforestation, 50,000 of those in Brazil alone (Holdsforth), and the world's rain forests are quickly disappearing. Deforestation in the Amazon occurs primarily for three reasons: clear-cutting, fragmentation, and edge effects.       The term "deforestation" refers to the clear-cutting of large sections of primary or original-growth forest, which causes the loss of native species of plant and animal life. This clearing of land is mainly due to agricultural needs, such as farming and cattle ranching, but also occurs to support logging and mining companies. The effect of the loss of forest is most obvious in the loss of native species. Eugene Ng, of the Hong Kong Technical Institute, explains that the "destruction of habitat forces species out of areas, or causes them to die." Other factors, according to Ng, "further restrict their range, exposing them to disease and predators."       Deforestation does not occur neatly. "Fragmentation" also weakens the rain forest. As large sections of rain forest are cut down by farmers, ranchers, and loggers, those plant and animal species are left to die. If all deforestation occurred along the outside boundaries of the forest, then some of the species could move deeper into the Amazon to survive. But as Mason Skold and Bill Myer explain, fragmentation produces "areas of less than 100 square kilometers which are surrounded by d... ...in Forest and to protect the species who live there must take into account how deforestation occurs.       Sources Cited    Center for Planetary Studies. "Deforestation Isn't the Real Problem in the Amazon." June 1996. http://www.ctr_planets/Amazon.html (7 June 2003).    Holdsforth, J. R. "Deforestation Estimates for Eight National Biozone Regions and Implications." 1990. http://www.biozone_project.html (7 June 2003).    Johns, Lucia and Freida Simms. "Deforestation: Global Problems, Programs, and Agreements." Environmental Policy Division,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Congressional Research Service. March 1997.   Ã‚   http://www.cnie.org/nle/for-4.html  Ã‚  Ã‚   (14 June 2003).    Ng, Eugene. "Deforestation Affects Diversity." Hong Kong Technical Institute. 1991.  Ã‚   http://www.hktech.edu/forests_diversity.html  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (12 June 2003)

Constitutional Reform of 1997 in United Kingdom

The UK constitution has a modaretely successful history, it is highly tradition and has stood the test of time and, based on the fact that Britain has never suffered a violent revolution unlike France, we can therefore assume that the UK constitution has many beneficial and enduring strengths. Our constitution ensures that Parliament, and therefore Government, can act quickly and decisively as they are unrestricted by excessive constitutional constraints. It is flexible and adaptable which clearly shows thorugh after the 2010 general elections. However, the lack of restraints on the powers of Government and Parliament may be dangerous especially to minority and invidual rights. There have also been many doubts about this traditional constitution and many questions have been raised to do with the Monarchy and outdated institutions such as the FPTP system. The lack of separation of powers between Government and Parliament means that Government tends to dominate which in many eyes is seen as undemocratic. The first constitutional reform was to do with devolution; Scotland Act of 1998, Wales Act of 199 and the Belfast Agreement of 1998. The original nature of this reform was so that considerable powers were transferred to the devolved representative bodies and executives. Labour wanted to bring about this change due to the fact that they were hugely popular in Wales and Scotland and so the Acts were a means of thanking them for their support. This reform has been believed to be long overdue and has been very beneficial and have given each body the right to have more control over their region however it has caused a bigger rift of the UK and therefore has separated Britain even more. The second reform was the Human Rights Act of 1998. This reform has been extremely beneficial for minority and invididual rights, which has been reflected most recently in the Abu Qatada case where a man who had made terrorist plans has been saved from deportation to Jordan, where he would have most likely been prosecuted for his actions. The European Convention on Human Rights made this Act binding on all public bodies but the UK Parliament due to Parliament being sovereign. Although this act has been beneficial, it would have had more impact should it have been binding on Parliament. Another reform was the House of Lords ; the House Of Lords Act of 1999. Most of the hereditary peers lost their voting rights and there was a major cut down in the number of hereditary peers as it was lowered down to just 92. There was also a decision to separate the Judges from the Lords ( Constitutional Reform Act of 2005) and move them into a seperate building across the road. It is believed to be a moderate decision which has limited the powers of the Lords as many believed there should not be any hereditary peers. In fact a proposal has been put forward for a whole new house to be created. There were 3 other major changes introduced : Greater London Authority Act 1999, Local Government Act 1999 and Freedom Of Information Act 2000. The first established an elected mayor in London with an elected assembly to which s/he is accountable for, the second allowed for local communities to elect a mayor if approved by a local referendum and the third gave the citizens the right to view documents and records of public bodies. Each of these has helped to reinforce democracy within the UK and helped to protect the rights of each citizen by ensuring they are more politically involved and have the right to appoint and elect candidates for powerful positions.

Hotels and the Environment

HOTEL INDUSTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT By VASUNDHARA TANWAR LITERATURE REVIEW When we talk of hotels we never think that something like that could have an impact on the environment and people would spend millions of rupees and infinite number of hours to deal with this so called impact. However this is absolutely the case. The seemingly small problem is literally taking the world by storm. So much so that national governments, hotels and even the UN are taking steps in order to find solutions to this problem.Extensive research has been done in the recent years by economists and scientists etc to come up with the most sustainable ways to run hotels since the degradation of the environment is a major concern worldwide. Papers like â€Å"An analysis of environmental management, organizational context and performance of Spanish hotels† by M. J. Alvarez which addresses the factors that determine the deployment of environmental management practices and its effects on firms’ finan cial performance have been published.Results find support for the notion that age of facilities, size, chain affiliation, stakeholder environmental pressures, and their use of operations management techniques exert a lasting influence on the degree of implementation of environmental management practices by hotel firms. Moreover, findings show a positive relationship between environmental management practices and firms’ financial performance. Various other economists in different countries have drawn similar conclusions. The United Nations environment programme also published a guide â€Å"how the hotel and tourism industry can protect the ozone layer†.Environmental Good Practice in Hotels, published by UNEP IE and the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), presents 15 case studies selected from the IH&RA annual Environmental Award. The case studies document environmental programmes initiated by independent hotels and international chains across the globe – in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Action areas include environmental policy, design and construction, water, energy, waste, emissions, purchasing, staff training, and guest communication. The range of environmental initiatives featured is extensive, from simple recycling easures to water conservation using the latest technology, and from resorts built to strict environmental guidelines, to small hotels where the personal commitment of the general manager drives environmental activities. All case studies highlight the environmental and economic benefits gained by the actions taken. Also included are examples of environmental initiatives taken by national hotel associations, and a list of sources on environmental management publications and programmes in the hotel industry. These are just some examples of what is being said and done by organizations that observe what is going on.The actual participants, the hotels, are also not far behind. Many hotels hav e come up with various innovative ways to contribute to the betterment of the environment. Some of them have won various awards for this very purpose. Hotels now days strive to achieve the ECOTEL ® certification which is primarily the hallmark for environmentally sensitive hotels. One of the pioneers in such activities would be the orchid group of hotels. However, there are others that strive to achieve excellence in this cause and some have been quite successful too. INTRODUCTION Most countries rely heavily on the services sector for its growth.A major part of this sector is tourism. Tourism is one of the leading growth sectors of the economy and brings in billions of dollars for developing countries. When we talk about tourism we can hardly isolate it from talk of hotels. Hotels in a sense are synonymous with tourism and one cannot be talked about without reference to the other. The growth of the tourism industry has greatly increased the amount of stress on the environment. Now each individual has varying degrees of impact on the environment which largely depends on the personal choices made by individuals and is scattered world over. The same is true for hotels.They have an effect on the biodiversity right from its conception. This makes it imperative for us to study exactly how and where do hotels affect our environment, what can be done to reduce this impact and how aware is the current generation of hotels regarding this issue. Taking the example of India we see that as a result of increasing tourism in Goa, developers built several hotels. The hotels soon drew up to 66,000 gallons of water per day from wells and other local sources. Many of the wells and rivers the community had relied on went dry. This is a common problem in many areas where tourism runs into the limits of natural resources.With various such instances in several parts of the world today, ECOTOURISM—tourism that is nature-oriented and environmentally focused—is growing rapidly. This represents a growing market for environmentally friendly options in the tourism industry. Ecotourism aside, many in the hotel industry have recognized the negative impact their business activities have on the environment and have taken action to alleviate those impacts. Environmentally responsible business practices dovetail well with the newfound popularity of ecotourism. They harmonize tourism and environmental sustainability.This awareness has given rise to what can be called the â€Å"GREEN HOTELS†. The term â€Å"green hotels† describes hotels that strive to be more environment friendly through the efficient use of energy, water, and materials while providing quality services. Green hotels conserve and preserve by saving water, reducing energy use, and reducing solid waste. They have seen benefits such as reduced costs and liabilities, high return and low-risk investments, increased profits, and positive cash flows. Identifying these benefits and inc entives has allowed the popularity of green hotels to grow. Hotels are consistently becoming greener.The most costly and wasteful use of resources in hotels are usually in the consumption of nonrenewable energy, excessive water use, and the generation of waste. Through this paper we would try to point out the complex nature of the impact that hotels have on our environment and the steps that can be taken in order to minimize this impact as much as possible. We would also like to shed light on the work that has already been done in this field by various hotels and organizations. Many organizations have done commendable work in trying to reduce their ecological footprint and have, in some sense, become pioneers and inspiration for others.For instance, the orchid group of hotels is pretty known for the kind of work it does. IMPACTS Tourism has a fairly large environmental footprint. Hotels, being at the heart of it, shoulder the responsibility for this. The following table shows that h otels are responsible for 21% of total emissions generated by tourism industry. These just constitute one part of their impact which in reality has many layers and levels to it. The hotels have an impact on the biodiversity at each stage of its life cycle, right from planning to its closure.These impacts could be summarized as follows: At the planning stage, the most important issue in determining the level of impact that a hotel will have relates to choices about its location and design. Even the most sustainably operated hotel will have major impacts if it is built in a biodiversity-sensitive area. Choices about the materials that will be used to construct the hotel, where those materials will come from and the total physical footprint of the hotel will also influence how significant its impacts will be in the operational stage.At the construction stage, impact is determined by the size and location of the area cleared for development and where construction activities are taking p lace, the choice of construction methods, the sources and amount and type of materials, water and energy used to build the hotel, the location of temporary camps for construction workers, inadequate storage facilities for construction materials, the amount of construction waste that has to be disposed of, and other types of damage such as surface soil erosion or compaction caused by construction activities or disruption of natural water flows and drainage patterns.In the operational stage, a hotel's impact comes mainly from the energy, water, food and other resources that are consumed in running the hotel, by the solid and liquid wastes it produces, by the way its grounds are managed, and by the direct impacts of its guests. In addition, regular renovation and replacement of furniture, appliances and facilities can cause impacts through purchasing choices and increased waste generation.Using energy and water more efficiently, using organic and sustainably produced food, reducing, tr eating and disposing of waste appropriately, making sustainable purchasing decisions and managing gardens with natural-style plantings can all help a hotel to reduce its adverse impacts on biodiversity. Similarly, a hotel's relationship with host communities not only affects the sustainable operations of the hotel but also the use of environmental resources by communities themselves. At the closure stage, a hotel's impacts come from the disposal of materials removed from the hotel to refurbish it, convert it for other uses, or demolish it, nd from the work involved in these activities. It may be possible to reuse and recycle some materials, but there may also be some toxic materials, particularly from older buildings, which will require careful handling and management. A responsible hotel operator should also foresee supporting activities of ecological restoration as required. Responsible siting and design, the effective management of energy and water consumption, and the proper dis posal of wastewater and solid waste are important challenges for any hotel hoping to improve the sustainability of its operations.Now even though a hotel has environmental impact through different stages of its lifecycle the most easily cited and the longest running impact that they have is at their operational stage since once a hotel has been built, it stays in the business for very many years under normal circumstances. The day to day running has impacts which are a lot times ignored in the overall picture. This mostly becomes the case because individually, hotels do not have a significant impact on the environment. Collectively however, they can be very wasteful and use huge amount of resources.It has been estimated that seventy-five percent of hotels’ environmental impacts can be directly related to excessive consumption. This is wasteful in terms of resources and creates unnecessary operational costs. The three key areas of environmental impact are energy, water, and wa ste. Energy – Excessive energy use is extremely costly and with minor adjustments, it can lead to massive cost savings. According to Gossling et. al. (2005), â€Å"the average energy consumption per bed per night in hotels might be in the order of 130 Mega joules.Hotels generally use more energy per visitor that local residents, as they have energy intense facilities, such as bars, restaurants, and pools, and have more spacious rooms. Studies have determined that a hotel emits an average 20. 6 kg of carbon dioxide per night. Waste – A study conducted by Bohdanowicz(2005) also indentified that hotels are not only resource intensive and that waste generation is on e of the most visible effects on the environment. One estimate identified that â€Å"an average hotel produces in excess of one kilogram of waste per guest per day†.Approximately thirty percent of waste in hotels can be diverted through reuse and recycling. Water  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Tourists and residents alike require a clean and dependable supply of water for survival including drinking, cooking and cleansing. However, water is integral to the amenities usually expected by tourists, such as swimming pools, landscaped gardens, and golf courses. Water also supports industries such as agriculture that support the tourism industry (Pigram, 1995). Thus, tourists demand more water than local resident s on a per capita basis (Essex, Kent ; Newnham, 2004).It has been estimated by Salen (1995) that 15,000 cubic meters of water would typically supply 100 rural farmers for three years and 100 urban families for two years, yet only supply 100 luxury hotel guests for less than two months (Holden, 2000). In dryer regions, tourists' water consumption can amount to 440 liters a day per tourist, which is almost double the average amount of water used by residents in Spain (UNEP, 2008). In destinations that do not have the required infrastructure and systems to manage these impacts, severe degradation of the environment can occur.The following table summarizes the environmental impact of the day to day workings of any hotel Service/Activity| Description| Main Environmental Impacts| Administration| Hotel management Reception of clients| Energy, water and materials (mainly paper) Generation of waste and hazardous waste (toner cartridges)| Technical Services| Equipment for producing hot water and heating Air conditioning Lighting Swimming pools Green areas Mice and insect extermination Repairs and maintenance| Energy and water consumption Consumption and generation of a wide range of hazardous products Air and soil emissionsGeneration of waste water Pesticides use| Restaurant/bar| Breakfast, lunch, dinner Beverages and snacks| Energy, water and raw materials consumption Packaging waste Organic waste| Kitchen| Food conservation Food preparation Dish washing| Consumption of energy and water Packaging waste Oil waste Organic waste Generation of odours| Room Use| Use by guests Products fo r guests' use Housekeeping| Energy, water and raw materials consumption Use of hazardous products Generation of waste packaging Generation of waste water| Laundry| Washing and ironing of guest clothesWashing and ironing of hotel linens| Consumption of energy and water Use of hazardous cleaning products Generation of waste water  | (Graci, 2009) This gives us a clear enough picture of the ecological impacts of hotels. Thus it becomes imperative that each hotel recognizes them and takes initiative to curb these impacts. With the growth of the tourism sector all over the world and with more and more hotels coming up each day these small things become issues of epic proportions when looked at collectively. In a time when our environment is in a very fragile condition one can’t ignore such a situation.The sooner hotels realize this the better it would be. However, these issues were not even brought to light till very recently. The annual hospitality consultants’ conferenc e in 2007 did not even mention any of the environmental issues that plagued hotels in their top 10 problems of the industry. BEST PRACTICES There are many green practices that hotels can implement and they also help save unnecessary costs. There can be many ways in which a hotel can reduce its footprint. Some of them can be: * Not discharging waste in water bodies – prevents pollution. * Recycling Use of compact fluorescent lights – saves energy. * Reuse of linens – saves water, detergent, energy and greenhouse gases. * Low-flow shower systems – saves water and energy. * Local products – save transportation costs. * Installation of green roofs – saves energy. * Installation of solar heaters or other renewable energy source – saves energy. These points are just a brief outline to what can really be done in order to go green. The possibilities as such are endless. There are some more sophisticated and cost heavy methods that can also be undertaken. BENEFITS OF GOING GREENCost benefits Financial savings are one of the most significant factors that influence the implementation of environmental initiatives in a hotel. This is especially evident for hotel businesses that operate in a highly competitive market and where the cost of energy, water and waste disposal are high. Hotel operators that can maximize their efficiency and reduce waste will be more cost-effective than their competitors. Hotels also use large amounts of energy to keep guests cool in hot temperatures, and equally large amounts of energy to keep them warm during the winter.In some destinations, hotels place an additional, sometimes unsustainable demand on local water resources and generate large quantities of food and packaging waste. Despite the setup costs and the possible lengthy return on investment associated with environmental initiatives, the economic benefits usually outweigh the cost of implementation. Starting with projects that are less ca pital intensive – such as retrofitting light bulbs, energy metering, and training staff to be conscious of energy use – can lead to substantial cost savings. Competitive advantageGreen programs can provide a competitive advantage to leaders as long as green activities continue to be voluntary. Over time, however, green practices in the hospitality industry will become a baseline requirement, particularly as the cost of non-renewable energy continues to rise, regulatory pressure increases, and consumers become more demanding. Therefore, hotels with business models that revolve around green practices will have the strongest opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage by being ahead of the emerging sustainability curve. Employee retentionEmployees are identified as one of the greatest benefits of going green. Employees, like hotel guests, are increasingly sophisticated and â€Å"tuned† into current thinking in society and are far more likely to identify with an employer whose principles and practices are aligned with their values. Environmental programs have proved to be an effective means of generating enthusiasm and motivating staff to work as a team to achieve a common purpose. Many hotel companies use environmental programs as a staff incentive – the financial savings earned are translated into cash or other rewards such as in-house events or trips.Employee turnover rate in the hotel sector is relatively high therefore increasing the retention rate will also save the business money in training of new staff. Customer loyalty There has been a shift in the expectations and demands of consumers. The typical hotel guest of today is more sophisticated and to varying degrees is likely to be concerned about environmental issues such as recycling bottles, cans and paper at home as well as making greener lifestyle choices, such as organic food or fuel-efficient vehicles.Many guests however, make their decision to stay at a hotel facility based on location, amenities, and service. The implementation of environmental initiatives may play a smaller role in a guest's choice of a property. The influence from customers however occurs when their level of awareness increases and they come to expect environmental practices such as recycling. Despite first-time guests basing their decisions on location, amenities and service, customer loyalty may increase once they have experienced a hotel which has demonstrated a level of environmental commitment.Regulatory compliance Hotels must anticipate future regulatory changes and implement initiatives to mitigate the possible costly effects of emerging regulation. Savvy businesses are aware that regulations do not have to be a negative restraint on their daily operations – in fact, they can offer opportunities to gain an advantage over competitors. Some environmental regulations are good for economic competition as they stimulate innovation that can offset the cost of complianc e. By implementing measures in the face of societal and egulatory pressures, unexpected, but substantial cost savings as well as potential new areas of profit may be found. The hotel industry worldwide is increasingly being regulated for waste, water, energy use and greenhouse gas emission. Being aware of pending rule changes will allow you to adopt measures in advance, and avoid potentially higher future costs which may be associated with compliance. Risk management Risk minimization is now viewed as increasingly intertwined with good corporate social responsibility and governance.Managing risk is as much about minimizing the potential damage from decisions and actions taken from within a company as it is about managing external exposure. Traditionally, a hotel's risk management strategy has been focused on health and safety concerns around food and water, pest infestation, fire or water damage, outbreaks of disease, and guest security and safety. In recent years however, environme ntal and social issues are emerging as a key risk issue for the lodging sector. Environmental risks include: * Water and land contamination. * Air and noise pollution. Supply chain environmental practices. * Waste management. Environmental risks also have an impact on the cost of capital for businesses of various types and sizes, and may affect the value of a company over the long term. In addition, the investment community is increasingly regarding excellence in environmental management and performance as an indication of the quality and aptitude of management in general. Some insurance companies and lenders are beginning to selectively adjust their rates based on environmental criteria stipulated by ethical funds.Companies that integrate the environment into their business decisions and reduce their environmental risk and potential liabilities are in a better position to secure investment and reduce their financial and reputational market exposure (Graci and Dodds, 2009). Cause it 's the right thing to do! Beyond regulation and compliance, many environmental and social initiatives are voluntary. Whether driven by cost savings or a principled strategy, the hotel industry is recognizing the environment, the community and their human capital as a valuable resource to be protected.Long-term business sustainability will depend on this. Many hotels have implemented social initiatives and corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their regular day-to-day practices. Corporate social responsibility in the hotel industry ideally exists in human resources management, the local community, and through promoting and practicing environmental initiatives and is heavily influenced by internal and external forces. CSR has been widely expanding throughout the hotel industry, mainly to prove that corporate unethical behavior is no longer a problem.Thus, hotels are embarking on being ethical through social initiatives by protecting and supporting communities, their human resourc es, and by implementing environmental initiatives. Many international and local hotels are becoming involved in corporate social responsibility in order to extend their brand knowledge to different types of audiences, to gain employee retention and improved competitive advantage, and lastly because it is â€Å"the right thing to do†. Sixty-five percent of the top 100 companies in the world employ some sort of corporate social responsibility statement featured on their websites.Several multinational companies have gained a very negative brand reputation based on their past unethical practices. Larger companies have been criticized as being the main culprit in releasing excess greenhouse emissions, climate change, environmental devastation, and unfair treatment of employees. Due to such criticisms and negative publicity, many businesses have increased the focus on corporate social responsibility. HIGH ACHIEVERS When it comes to hotels that are environmentally sustainable the fi rst name that comes to mind is the Orchid group of hotels.The Orchid  became Asia's first Five Star hotel to win the ECOTEL ® certification shortly after opening in May of 1997 and today (January 2011) is the only Hotel in the World to win over  80  international / national awards in 13 years from inception. Under the management of  The Orchid  Owner Vithal Kamat, the hotel has earned more environmental accolades than any other hotel in the world. With this latest achievement,  The Orchid  becomes one of only six hotels in the world to maintain top-level, â€Å"five-globe,† ECOTEL ®-Certification. Though orchid group is a pioneer in environmentally friendly hotels, others ave also done substantial work. The fern group of hotels in India being one of them. The Uppal in New Delhi, Seasons in Pune etc are other ecotel hotels. Various international hotels are also actively involved in such projects that put environmental sustainability at its fore. In conclusion it can be said that though environmental sustainability is big problem that is plaguing the hospitality industry, it’s still not too late to correct the situation. References * www. uneptie. org * http://www. concepthospitality. com * Accor 2010, ‘Child Protection'.Retrieved February 04, 2010 from  http://www. accor. com/en/sustainable-development/ego-priorities/child-protection. html * Alexander, S 2002, Green Hotels: Opportunities and Resources for Success. Portland: Zero Waste Alliance. * Bohdanowicz, P 2005, ‘European Hoteliers' Environmental Attitudes: Greening the Business, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 188-204. * Bohdanowicz, P 2006, ‘Environmental Awareness and Initiatives in the Swedish and Polish Hotel Industries – Survey Results' International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 662-668. * Bohdanowicz, P. and Zientara, P. 2008, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in Hospit ality: Issues and Implications. A Case Study of Scandic' Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 271-293. * Brebbia, C. A. and Pineda, F. D. 2004, Sustainable Tourism. WIT Press, Boston. * Claver- Cortes, E. , Molina-Azorin, J. F. Pereira-Moliner, J. , Lopez-Gamero, M. D. 2007, ‘Environmental Strategies and Their Impact on Hotel Performance' Journal of Sustainable Tourism. , vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 663-679. * Dodds, R. 005, Barriers to the Implementation of Sustainable Tourism Policy in Destinations. University of Surrey School of Management, Surrey. * Essex, S. , Kent, M. , ; Newnham, R. 2004, ‘Tourism development in Mallorca: Is water supply a constraint? ‘ Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol 12, no. 1, pp. 4-28. * Fairmont Hotel and Resorts 2001, The Green Partnership Guide. A Practical Guide to Greening your Hotel, 2nd edition, Toronto * Fairmont Hotels and Resorts 2008, Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved February 04, 2010, fromhttp://w ww. fairmont. com/EN_FA/AboutFairmont/enviroment/Awards/CorporateEn