Leadership and Knowledge

Introduction

In the present world, it is easy for people to gain knowledge and in almost every part of the world one can access knowledge. With the development of the latest technology, knowledge can be gained from various sources and the time has gone when people are only using books for the attainment of knowledge. Now, anyone can benefit by using different tools that modern technology has introduced and also by the usage of multimedia.  The most important factor is the clear understanding of knowledge, which is essential in this era of globalization and unified atmosphere, because knowledge is the main part of one’s life that can make the difference between civilized and uncivilized people. In this world, there are many examples of nations that have progressed by gaining knowledge (McDonald, 1997). Knowledge has a vital role in developing a great leader and there are several examples that knowledge created many leaders who changed the world.

Knowledge

Knowledge is related to the skills or the abilities of people about some specific thing, or it sometimes relates to the true beliefs that are associated with some concepts about a particular area. These skills or abilities have also their role in the exploration of the leadership qualities. There are different ways that can be used to gain knowledge. For example, one can gain knowledge by studying, practices and also from experiences. There are two types of knowledge. One of them is tacit knowledge while the second type is explicit knowledge. Both types of knowledge have their own unique importance for the effective leadership. Knowledge is also important in the business world because it can help business people to make worthy decisions (Dixon, 1994). Furthermore, by the usage of knowledge they can also build a trust among their customers and also increase customer numbers along with the expansion of their market share. This is because knowledge is important in almost every walk of life and this is the main reason that knowledge helps to understand market trends, the customer’s needs and to develop the plans and strategies that can contribute to the success of a company. These are all the benefits of knowledge that can contribute to the competitive advantage of the business in comparison with other competitors in the same area (Hansen, 1999). Although there is another side of knowledge that also leads to destruction. This is why we are still looking at how to get the benefits of knowledge and to use knowledge for a better leadership.

Tacit Knowledge

In Tacit knowledge, the knowledge is already present in someone’s brain and this knowledge comes from life experience, by studying or by having a deep understanding regarding a particular situation (Polanyi, 1966). This type of knowledge is tacit and it can be hard to express by explanation, words or data. This knowledge has an impact on a person’s life: how one has reacted in situations and what that person has gained from that experience. This is why this knowledge plays an important role in someone’s personality and also to the life of a leadership. Furthermore, this knowledge is only associated with the individuals and it is difficult to share with others. For example, a player has a lifetime that he has spent on a particular game and in this way he has learned a lot of lessons from the experiences that he had while playing. So by gaining knowledge from the experiences one can become the top player in a particular game, but on the other hand it is difficult to express all the experiences and the knowledge that have been gained in his life to become a better player. This is also a fact that some of the leaders are born leaders and this is mainly due to the tacit knowledge.

Explicit Knowledge

The second form of knowledge is a little bit easier to gain. With explicit knowledge, the knowledge can be gained by numbers, words or by using other types of information including images and videos and other similar data. In this way, one can have a deep understanding of a particular process or situation (Menon, 2003). One problem that exists in this type of knowledge is that the knowledge that is gained can take a long time to convert into the explicit form because in this form of knowledge one can gain knowledge from experiences and practices and then convert it into the explicit type of knowledge.

For example, a student gets a job in an industry. At this stage, the knowledge that the student has gained and learned from school is in a tacit form. When the student spends many years working and gaining experiences from the working process, he will have sufficient knowledge about how the process works and how he can work efficiently on a particular problem in accordance with the knowledge that he has gained along with the experience that he has from the past. This is the stage where he gets the explicit knowledge that he can use in the current situation and also in the future. This also applies to the leaders because by using their experiences and the situations in which they have survive, they become the best leaders through the explicit knowledge.

Ways of Knowledge

There are different ways of getting knowledge and there are also different factors that help to gain knowledge in both of the types that are described above. The key factor is to build knowledge and this is also known as the initial step that one can take to enter into this process of effective leadership. Furthermore, there are also different ways that can help to establish knowledge. Almost everyone has some knowledge about some situations according to the experiences that they have in life. There are different types of basic knowledge that include research, results that one gets from some particular situations and also from the outcomes (Huber, 1991). But this basic knowledge is only limited to the tacit form of knowledge and it is difficult to expand or to share this knowledge.

In the next step, knowledge can be gained from the explicit form and this includes accumulating, embedding or even remembering. In this sort of knowledge people usually analyze and organize their tacit knowledge to explore it more so that they have a better understanding about the practical situations that occur in life. This relates to the first step in which the knowledge was in tacit form and now in the second stage they practically use this knowledge to gain more experience. The next step in the process of knowledge is known as pooling knowledge. In this stage, leaders can easily access, retrieve and coordinate knowledge. In the last step, the knowledge can be applied to get the desired results. This is the main factor that most of the top leaders of the world uses to deal with a particular situation.

There is also the competitive advantage of knowledge that can be used for business purposes and also for the effective leadership. This sometimes also leads to different practices of knowledge management that are helpful for business purposes. For better business and especially in major corporations there is a need to have knowledge in accordance with the market (Levitt, 1988). For this purpose a clear understanding about knowledge related to market trends is required along with market behaviors. This knowledge is must for a company to succeed in business or even compete with the other players that are in the same niche. There are further stages of knowledge that include the development and the research process. This is the higher level of knowledge, but it requires more effort and time on this stage because in the higher level working environment it is hard to focus and gain knowledge.

Furthermore, knowledge can influence business and can also make the difference between success and failure of a business. In addition, there are many ways that one can use to gain knowledge and with the development of the latest technology, it is now easier to gain knowledge in a better environment than it ever was before. There are now many policies and regulations that have been made by different governments in order to facilitate knowledge and to offer the best opportunities so that anyone can easily gain knowledge and contribute to the society for a better future (Earl, 2001).

Conclusion

Knowledge is the most important asset in the world that one should gain at any cost. Knowledge can make or break the leaders. In the history most of the successful leaders had the ability to utilize knowledge. Knowledge is also a field that is vast and so huge that it takes lifetimes to cover this, but even then one cannot cover all the aspects of knowledge. This is also essential for every single individual to gain knowledge and there are different forms of knowledge that can also lead to business knowledge as well. Knowledge also explores the qualities of leadership in a person. If one is in a sufficient environment to gain knowledge, then it can be helpful to avoid the unnecessary faults that come in the way. Knowledge also helps to give your best work performance. There are many sources that one can use to gain knowledge, but there should be credible sources that one can use to avoid any hurdle that leads to the wrong direction (Nonaka, 1994). This also helps to analyze and leads to a better way that can further provide more specific experiences for the practical life in which knowledge can be used to deal with situations.

Forecasting Methods for Volatile Factors in Budgeting – An Empirical Analysis of Large Austrian Companies

1.        Objective of the Paper

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the forecasting behavior of the large Austrian companies along with the variation that has occurred because of the increase of VUCA in comparison with the pre-crisis situation of the forecast methods that play an integral role in the budgeting of large Austrian companies. The forecasting behavior of the companies has its effect on the progress of the company and also in the growth and expansion. In the financial crises situation that has happened in the year of 2011 and back in 2008, VUCA has decreased the forecasting proficiencies of the companies. This is one of the major challenges that has affected the sustainable corporate management that has a deep relation with the budgeting problems. For this reason, the budget process has been amended on the basis of the quantitative and qualitative forecast methods and this has happened because of the changing trends in the planning factors. These factors have increased the importance of study along with the objectives of the paper. For the better enlightenment of the objectives of the paper, a quantitative online survey has been conducted and in that survey 106 questionnaires were involved for the better evaluation. In this way, the companies that have been surveyed have shown that the financial crises of 2008 have affected them. This is why the large Austrian companies are now using qualitative forecasting methods. The key factors related to the forecasting methods are accuracy of method and flexibility and this paper provides a comprehensive analysis on these factors.

2.        Advanced Techniques and Methods Used in the Computations

In the computations, there are more advanced techniques and methods that are used in these days as compared to the past. There is also another reason that the business environment has changed and now the business trends are changing and more and more large companies are using latest technologies, shifting demographics and working in accordance with the challenges that they have. In the past few years, the whole scenario has changed and this is mostly due to the financial crises that have increased the uncertainty in the business world. The financial crises of 2008 and 2011 have affected the finance markets, procurement and also the variations in the sales. So in order to deal with the modern challenges there are more advanced techniques that are developed today along with the methods that are used in the computations. The companies have also organized their systems in accordance with the latest trends and techniques. VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) is the main factor in the modern business environment that can change the outcomes and results of a business. By using the advanced techniques and methods along with the huge planning resources companies have still some issues in the budgeting process and here the main problem is the forecasting that is affecting the business conditions. This is because the forecast is the integral part of the budgeting process, but the forecast functionality depends on the internal and external planning factors. This is why the large Austrian companies are working on the internal and external planning factors for the better future and business. Advanced Techniques and methods used in the computations have their role in the changing directions of the business. This is why by using the forecast methods the external and internal planning factors should be briefly described by using the forecast methods. This is essential before the expansion of the business and also while making a business plan for the future. There are many principles that can be used to develop the strong forecast methodologies. There is a huge change in the practices of the forecast management in the last two decades. This study provides a detailed analysis of these factors by conducting a survey that can examine the forecast techniques, accuracy of forecast and its usage, methods, systems and the level of satisfaction. There is a lack of expertise in the forecasting techniques and, for this reason, this paper focuses on the forecasting methods of the large Austrian companies.

3.        Results and Conclusion Described in the Paper

The main objective of this paper was to study and analyze whether the VUCA and the financial crises has changed the forecast method. The next thing was to develop a quantitative research design and a comprehensive review has been discussed.  In this way focusing on the research objectives, the survey has been conducted and a large number of Austrian companies have participated. The results have been analyzed in accordance with the literature review. The forecast methods in the Austrian companies have also been discussed and analyzed. The results have showed the unsuccessful forecast is due to the inefficient resourcing, lack of advanced techniques and methods used in the computations (IT) and unsuitable forecast methods. Most of the large Austrian companies uses qualitative forecasting methods and even opinions of single experts that are unsuitable according to the nature of the business. There is a need to use the quantitative method and the results in the report shows that the usage of flexible forecasting methods along with the accuracy of method are the best tools that can prove to be more efficient. In this report the forecast methods of SMEs have also been analyzed with a detailed picture of the forecasting methods in the Austrian companies and this study also focuses on the uncertainty and the increasing volatility that has affected the forecasting behavior in comparison with the pre-crises time.

Competition and Business Unit Strategy

Emirates Airlines & Etihad Airways

Emirates and Etihad are two major companies in the airline industry. Emirates is a global company and it is one of the main competitors for many companies worldwide. Emirates is one of the airlines that have the independent business unit strategy. On the other hand, Etihad is the leading airline when it comes to the UAE. The main difference between Emirates and Etihad is that Emirates has its operations worldwide while Etihad’s main focus is the UAE. Etihad has opted a cost leadership strategy and due to this it is considered to be the national airline of the country. In the commercial aviation, Etihad is the fastest growing airline. Due to the business strategy that the Etihad has, it was awarded the “Best Marketing Strategy” award in 2009 (Etihad Trumps its Competitors, 2010). Etihad has 91% time performance stated by the company officials.

On the other hand, the strategy of differentiation of Emirates has showed the growth in the business performance of this company. This has not only expanded the business of the company but on the other hand it has affected the business of other companies that are working in the airline industry. One of the main factors is the strategy that this company has opted and due to the growth in the business. The differentiation strategy on which this company is working has forced the Etihad airline to reposition the company and to focus on the other international destinations so that it can also work efficiently in other parts of the world in which Emirates is working. Emirates has an efficient strategic decision process which can create a difference in the business of this company (Emirates tops airline service quality survey, 2013). Emirates works on the people in different regions and these includes people from one part of the world to another part of the world. This makes difficult for the Etihad to compete with the Emirates and its strategies. Emirates has not only efficient business strategy, but it also offers the low-cost travel options that makes it unique and difficult to compete with this company. To become one of the top company, Emirates has focused on more professionalism and deferential plans in accordance with its competitors.

Now coming towards the Etihad, it is the leading company in the UAE and also working at a cost leadership strategy that creates a challenge for its competitors to compete with it. In the analysis of the Etihad strategy, the main point is the threat of substitute products. Due to the global recession, Etihad has worked in accordance with the conditions and offers its services on a low cost that has proved to be effective for the business of this company. This is also proved to be positive for the business of the company. The main strategy that has caused the competition between Etihad and Emirates airline is the threat of rivalry. This is the competition of the market share on which both airlines are competing. Both companies have worked on the market penetration strategy to increase the market share (Rotemberg, Saloner, 1994). For this purpose both of the companies have worked on the fleet every single day and they are increasing this with every single passing day. This has made the competition tougher and even tenser for the companies to work on strategies.

Both companies are using different competitive strategies and to some extent this has worked for both of the companies, but Emirate has an upper edge on this. Although there are some factors in which Etihad is working more efficiently. Emirates is working on the strategy of differentiation, which has helped in the growth of the business of this company. While Etihad has opted the cost leadership strategy, which has helped the Etihad to work more efficiently especially in the UAE, but due to the lack of the focus on the expansion, there is a need to work more specifically so that it can compete with the Emirates on the global level. Both of the strategies that Etihad and Emirates have chosen are appropriate for them because of the strong competition and by working on the capabilities and competencies that are essential for the two business units to take the lead in the airline industry.

International Mergers Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

Microsoft & Skype

An acquisition or merger is known as the combination of the two companies. In this way, one company is absorbed into the other company completely. In the process of the acquisition the identity of one company loses and it becomes the part of other company. The less important company is merged into the important company or organization, which keeps its identity (Marks, 2002). International Mergers Acquisitions are different from the consolidation because in the process of consolidation both of the companies loses their identities and then there emerges a new company with a new and unique identity. In the process of International Mergers Acquisitions, the laws that are state or federal regulates the process. In the past few years, it has been observed that cross-border mergers are increasing and becoming more popular. It has also been observed that there are a few success examples while most of the process leads to failures.

In the cross-border merger, acquisition or joint venture the merger ends the competition with the company in which it is merging. This has been increased and now in the U.S there is a law that enables to purchase the companies or even some specific departments or parts of the companies or organizations (Marks, 2002). There are many social benefits if this process. In the modern time, the merger can have the better management options because of the company in which it is merging that can prove to be an asset to the company. In the cross-border merger, acquisition or joint venture there are many benefits. For example, one can have better production opportunities, improve and more advanced quality at less cost and moreover the increased output. This leads to a better business and in this way if the companies have a solid strategic planning then they can have better results in their business. This is also beneficial because a merge can get the most advanced skills and techniques from the company in which it is merging. This can also lead the business owner or the company which has purchased the new firm to work more professionally and to take that company to the position in which it can benefit both the companies. The cross-border merger, acquisition or joint venture also leads to the fewer risks in the competition, which enables to work on the specific tasks that can lead to the improvement in the business and profits (Marks, 2002).

The merger of Skype and Microsoft, in 2011, was a big breakthrough in the merger acquisitions and joint ventures. Both companies had a huge volume of users as well as a great business output. This acquisition increased not only the convenience of real-time audio-video communications, but also brought benefits to enterprise users, consumers and company itself. It generated vital new businesses and revenue opportunities for the company (Singh, Maan and Khanapuri, 2012).

Different governments have worked on the laws and the regulations to empower this process of cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures for the better economy. When we analyze the economy of U.S then it is obvious that this process has proved to be effective for the economy of the U.S and this is more beneficial when considered in the telecommunication industry in the recent years. There are different reasons for this success along with the proper strategy. Another major example that can be seen in the context of the cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures is the merging of the CBS, ABC and NBC into one corporation (Ginsburg and Levin, 1992). These were the major contributors in the news and were working independently at that time. This merging process had a deep impact on the industry at that time. After the merging process, they have not only worked in a new way but proved to be more successful in the business and as an industry also. They have become the dominant power in the news industry. Similar is the case with the Microsoft.

Although there are some views that the cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures are not so effective because in this process the part of competition loses and also the prices are controlled by one large organization which before were fluctuating due to the competition among the companies. But there are also some factors that need to consider when analyzing the cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures (Ginsburg and Levin, 1992). The market and the market share is the main factor that forces the cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. This is why it is being happening in almost all of the industries and companies. This has a relation with the future because it has helped the economies to strengthen and move towards growth.

Governance, Stakeholder Mapping & CSR

Majid Al-Futtaim

Al-Futtaim is one of the largest group working in the UAE and it was established in 1930. At this time, this group has over 40 companies that are working in many sectors of the UAE and also in the Gulf Area (Al-Futtaim, 2009). The main motive of this group is to understand the client and customer’s needs and then provide a quick solution to them and furthermore this also satisfies the shareholders of this group. The goal of the management is to protect the atmosphere, serve the community and to enhance their performance in order to fulfil the social needs and to take the social responsibility (Garriga and Melé, 2004). This group has a strong organizational structure and key people that are efficient to manage it. Al-Futtaim was created on a commitment to fulfil the economic and social development needs in the Middle East. This group has showed the prosperity with the services that it has provided and its role in the communities.

The region in which Al-Futtaim is working is facing a huge social change and this is why there is a need to drive growth socially and economically. This is one of the main reason that this group has focused on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is also the reason behind the success of this group and it can also lead to the future success also. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiate the strategy in any organization and it also provides better results. When it comes to the Al-Futtaim group then the CSR strategy has proved to be a success in the business performance of this group and also in the achievement of the targets and goals of this company. This has been implemented in the year of 2010, before that the company was working using informal initiatives that has also played their role in making a difference (Al-Futtaim, 2009). But in the year of 2010, this group has focused on the CSR and now it is the part of the company structure. For this purpose, the Head of CSR has engaged the stakeholders of the group in the CSR program and the strategy has been implemented in all the segments and areas of the business and group. For more efficient working a CSR, governance structure has been enabled that can recognize the effective progress makers and reward them for their contribution. This has also helped the company to understand the complexities, achieving the targets and in the data collection process, so that the performance can be boosted up.

Although there are also some challenges that need to be addressed. Health and safety is a challenge in the region in which this group is working. Due to the main stakeholder’s interest in the organization and their ability to influence strategic decisions, there is a need to work more efficiently. This is important because the standards are low as compared to the best practices in the other developed countries. This is one of the main reason that the Al-Futtaim is still struggling to create a top level standards according to the best practices. But still this group is working hard to meet the set targets and to achieve the goals that they have set for the future. There is a commitment that has been shown in the attitude of the company that they can improve the results and the outcomes according to their targets and their needs. There are many steps that have been taken in this regard and in these steps there is also a role of the stakeholders in the strategic decisions that are committed to contribute (Brammer, Jackson and Matten, 2012). For this purpose, safety and health training are offered and different seminars have been conducted.

In the future, it obvious that every single individual can work according to the principles of the CSR and furthermore they have a deep understanding of the CSR role (Brammer, Jackson and Matten, 2012). This group has also focused on the internal training programs that can also help to speed up the performance and to provide the better results. There are different targets that are still to be achieved by this group and they are working on the implementation of the CSR data and how it can be more useful for the business.

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the part of our society. Almost all over the world thousands of people become the victim of this criminal activity. Every country in the world is affected by this crime and eventually, this has now become a criminal industry. There are many social factors that help this activity to increase, for instance, poverty, social norms and commercial sex are the main reasons that the human traffickers use (Peters, 1999). However, the time has gone when the world was considered a safe place to travel to other countries for work or business purpose because now there are many regions which are considered to be dangerous to travel. People who are making the policies, laws and regulations for human trafficking believe that this is a serious problem and the human trafficking has become an industry today, however, some serious steps have been taken by different countries to conquer this evil (Benjamin, 2008).. According to Haken (2011), the estimated revenue from the human trafficking is more than $32 billion per year. There are also evidences that the direct loss and the consequences that the victims face in their lives are more than these described tribute in the incfigures. This realizes us that the human trafficking is a serious crime that is destroying our society, it has many impacts along with the physiological effects. This paper determines the human trafficking, covers all the aspects that are related to it and how it can be tackled to save the nations and to make this world a safe place to live. There are different aspects that should be considered for the prevention of this problem including psychology, economical factor, criminal justice, social problems and international law.

One of the main point that the human trafficking is increasing is that there are no such laws that cover all the aspects of the human trafficking and can work internationally. This is because the laws and regulations that have been made in the past focus on one factor related to the human trafficking rather than cover all the problems from every possible factor that can contribute to the increase of human trafficking. Human trafficking has two level one is local while the second one is the international level. United Nations has developed a Trafficking Protocol which focus on the transitional implications that the human trafficking has internationally. This protocol is an international agreement which was implemented in 2003. In the last 50 years, it is the first trafficking protocol that is developed globally. This is one of the most important steps that has been taken to defeat the human trafficking globally. The main motive behind the development of this protocol is to create an international cooperation in the process of the prosecution and investigation of the human trafficking. Another important part of this protocol is to establish the rights of the victims and to provide the assistance to the victims of the human trafficking for the future because thousands of people all around the world are forced into human trafficking and this trafficking protocol can assist them according to their rights. 

Human trafficking is also a form of slavery that exists today. The general perception about the slavery is that it existed in the ancient the times, but human trafficking, a novel shape of slavery, is increasing day by day, and it has become so dangerous that it can snatch the innocence from the children (Keomanivong, 2008). The main drawback of the human trafficking is that the victims of human trafficking experiences slavery that is the most crucial incident in any one’s life because in the human trafficking the victims are tortured, beaten and sometimes even killed. This is a global problem and almost all the countries in the world are facing this problem, yet it is a fact that the human trafficking go unnoticed. This is usually the information about the human trafficking or the incidents that are caused by this issue is not shred to the public. The only way we can prevent this problem and the incidents caused by this, is by providing the awareness to the people so that they can be careful about this problem because mostly it happens that the human traffickers trap the people by offering them a better future (job) in a foreign country.

There are many types of human trafficking that can be seen today and there are several factors that increase the human trafficking like poverty, economical factors and commercial sex. For the prevention of the human trafficking issue there is a need to understand the causes of human trafficking and then take some direct actions that can prevent the causes of human trafficking and offer the prospective solutions (Skinner, 2008). There are also economic, political and sociological matters that should be considered for the prevention of this problem because this is now considered to be a criminal industry. The human trafficking crime profits almost $7 billion dollars to the criminal industry and in this way over 4 million trafficking incidents happens each year (Kanics, 2003). This is why there is a need that the complete understanding regarding this criminal industry from every single aspect should be considered because this can help to prevent the crime and to offer the better solution. Human trafficking is a complex issue that is affecting the economies of the world so it needs more restraint for the prevention (Gramengna, 2003). Although there have been many strategies that are made to control the human trafficking but due to the lack of the complete prevention process and system there is no success. This is because the concern authorities and different countries have focused on one factor of the human trafficking, but there are different aspects just as criminal justice, social problems and international assistant because it is the illegal trade of people that occur globally and they can be used for the prostitution, forced labor, slavery, services and even the worst side is the removal of organs.

Commercial sex trafficking is one of the most crucial factors that is increasing massively. In other words, it is also known as the prostitution and this is the widely known type of human trafficking today. Mostly this can be done globally and girls and woman from one part of the world can be trafficked to the other part of the world. This is considered to be the cruel crime that is directly related to the basic human rights of people. Involuntary servitude is another form of human trafficking which is related to the labor. This has affected the lives of thousands of people all over the world especially in the underdeveloped countries. Usually in this form of human trafficking, the people are forced to work due to the trafficking and there are several conditions in which the victim would have to work. There is also debt bondage human trafficking in which the victim offers the services due to the debt that it has to pay and the services cannot be taken into the consideration of debts. There are evidences in which people work all their life in this type of human trafficking. There are different studies that have been conducted on the human trafficking and they have proved that all the types of human trafficking are considered to be in one line when it comes to the law. The studies have further provided recommendations that there is a need that all types of human trafficking should be considered separately and there should be different law and punishment depending on the offence that the human traffickers commit.

In this regard, United Nations has taken some immediate measures for the anticipation of the human trafficking worldwide. For this purpose, the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) assisted many organizations that are non-government to fight against this evil. There are several cases that have been resolved by this effort of the United Nations. One such example is the case of Lebanon. In 2006, more than .3 million domestic workers of Philippines, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka that were the target of the human traffickers and also jobless led to a campaign based on emergency information. This campaign was raised by the Caritas Migrant NGO to increase the awareness regarding human trafficking. There are also many reports that have been issued in this regard that has helped to understand the seriousness of the issue and to provide more specific and important information on human trafficking. Trafficking in Persons is a report that was published in April 2006. This has helped to understand the situation. In this report, there were 127 countries of origin that were identified to be important for the human trafficking. In addition, there were also 137 destination countries that were mentioned for the human trafficking. We can understand the importance of this report by the fact that it is the second most UNODC report that has been frequently downloaded. This describes the seriousness of the problem that human trafficking has caused in the world and different societies. Different initiatives have been taken by the UNODC to prevent this issue and to fight against it. In 2007, the community vigilance project has been started by the UNODC. This project was based on the border of Nepal and India. This program has also the subsidy to raise the human trafficking campaigns by NGO in Herzegovina, Croatia and Bosnia. There are also some steps that have been taken to increase the effectiveness in the program like the public awareness and public service announcement about the human trafficking which has proved to be effective to combat the human trafficking.  In addition, there are several steps that has been taken for the awareness and theses acts of awareness has helped a lot because UNDOC has been providing access to the information that is based on the human trafficking and also guiding the people to protect their families from this evil.

Human trafficking has been the main concern of the underdeveloped nations. Poverty is one of the main factors that is a serious problem for the concern authorities, but it is helpful for the traffickers to trap the people. In this way, the main target of the human traffickers is the woman and children; several reports show the facts about this worst situation. In the United States, almost 18,000 foreigners are trafficked and those which lives in the United States, their number is much higher than this (Peters, 1999). This also leads to the HIV and AIDS diseases and most of the governments are beginning to resolve this issue from the society. This is just one side of this problem that shows that how crucial this has become for the world. This has a direct effect on the economic condition of the countries. Because they have to spend more on the medical facilities and also on the rehabilitation of the victims of the human trafficking (Malarek, 2007). This is related to the sociology and we have to focus on the sociology factor related to the human trafficking. Sociology can help to analyze the factors behind the human trafficking and also provide the solutions that are needed to overcome this problem (Rose, 1974). Sociology has its role in the social change which allows to observe the human trafficking (paola, 2005). There are different facts that in the human trafficking, there are gangs and mafias are involved. There are cases of the human trafficking that have showed that the people that are organizing this crime usually may not be the mafia or gangs, but they are general people of the society.

One of the biggest issues is that there is a need to create more laws, regulations and policies that can focus on the problem more specifically and to deal with the problems are in the political structure. A recent article published by the Times, stated that normally the human traffickers have relations with the higher authorities or with the law enforcement agencies. This is due to the money that is involved in this business and the states that are less developed are more involved in this. In addition, the less developed countries have less focus on the education and mostly woman and children have no education. This is why they cannot get any job due to the lack of the skills and education. This is why the mafia and gangs take the advantage of this situation. They often trap the woman by offering an attractive job with a better future, but then they become a victim of the human trafficking (David, 2004). In the human trafficking, there are many physiological consequences that the victim faces and this includes both short-term and long-term consequences. Based on the types of human trafficking they have a deep impact on the mind of the victims (Laczko, 2003). The most serious effects are in the sex trafficking in which there are long term effects on the victims that are forced to sell their self to others for the commercial sex. In the sex trafficking, the victim is also beaten and tortured and in this way it has the deepest effect. There are many economic aspects that include the resources that the people use in a society and the effect of the money, land and labor in the society (Herman, 2007). There are different cases, for example in Vietnam most of the women that are affected by human trafficking earn a living in this way. Another drawback of this situation is that the families or the parents that sell their children or women can just make enough money to spend their next month (Penh, 2007).

In the US, there has been a way to categorize the countries that are working efficiently for the decrease of the human trafficking and also a category in which the countries that are not playing their role (T.K. Logan, 2009). This has been categorized by the US department of state (Conference Panels, 2009). This is a serious problem because it has affected the millions of people all around the world so there should be a proper way and a system to deal with the problem (Bales, 1999).

After evaluating all the factors, we can tell that there is also a need to develop a program that can help the victims. Furthermore, there is need of the system that can work efficiently to work on the causes that lead to human trafficking. The facts describes lead us to realize that there are responsibilities of the government and the concern authorities to stop this crime and to save the lives of the people that are still living in the slavery even in this modern time.

Summary Information of Border Surveillance Systems

	Product Name/ Technology	System Description	Objectives	Limitations
Thales Border Surveillance System		·         Thales introduces wide-ranging border surveillance systems such as: ·         Standalone equipment ·         Sensors ·         Logistic support ·         Training tools and services	·         Tailoring the operations ·         Secure IT line ·         Modern and complete turnkey ·         Integrated Border Management System	·         Assumption-based ·         Neighboring countries ·         Thicker and denser areas may be impenetrable ·         Hindering operations ·         Re-routing Problems
OptaSense Border Security		·         OptaSense is offering: ·         Cost-effectiveness ·         Matured software technology ·         Secured monitor access routes	·         Elimination of existing fibers ·         Cover extra area	·         Difficult to learn ·         Unreliable alarms
Airbus Defense		·         Demand-based Blue and Green security solutions ·         Artificial intelligence system ·         Mobile command systems	·         Border sensitive networks ·         Secure and encrypted end-to-end communication	·         Not for landlocked countries
Borderline Surveillance		·         It has a strong EU back by EUROSUR	·         Smart border fund for artificial intelligence.	·         Prone to errors ·         Just for EU
Westminister Surveillance		·         Penetrable security solutions ·         High-quality services. ·         Curb human trafficking.	·         Mechanisms to beat technological flaws ·         Cover both sea and land. ·         Environment tolerant drones	·         Accuracy issue ·         Border sensitive areas only
Dolphin Surveillance		·         Decision-making ·         Diplomatic resolution ·         Governed by EUROSUR ·         EU waterways	·         Cross-border crimes ·         Drug trafficking ·         Death tolls of immigrants	·         Difficult to cover whole sea way ·         For EU only
Flir Defense System		·         Portability & Cost effectiveness ·         Ubiquitous technology	·         Latest technology ·         360 surveillance system	·         Capital intensive ·         False alarm
Army Surveillance System		·         Deploying pan or tilts ·         Short-range surveillance ·         Complex project solution ·         Reliable-Impressive quality ·         Borders and airports ·         Mobile multi-sensor systems	·         SAMBA technology ·         Unwanted encroachment ·         Stationary, Pan/tilts ·         Monitoring vehicles ·         Short range surveillance	·         Czech Republic only ·         Can have erroneous
Radiobarrier Security System		·         Governed by Akademgorodok ·         Rapidly installable perimeters ·         Critical infrastructure security ·         POLUS- ST	·         solutions to unresolved glitches ·         Better pipeline ·         Perimeter security. ·         Ready for an urgency	·         For Russia only
Global Border Security		·         Department of Homeland Security ·         Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS). ·         Drone-powered monitoring ·         Remote video surveillance (RVS) ·         Most impenetrable parts	·         Advanced remote video surveillance ·         Physical sensors ·         Underground sensors ·         Seismic waves principle ·         Migration cover in the target areas ·         Seismic powered sensors	·         Proximity limitations ·         Manual tweaking for cameras and sensors