Micro & Macro Economic Analysis - Electronic Arts Coursework

Micro & Macro Economic Analysis - Electronic Arts - Coursework Example Similarly if one variable falls, the other is destined too as well. Today In the modern world, the theory of demand and supply seizes more emphases of business analysts in decision making. Demand and Supply theory in the modern world of fierce competition enfolds a great deal of attention for strategic planning to achieve competitive advantage over rivals. The phrase â€Å"Demand and Supply† was first used by James Denham-Steuart in his book named â€Å"Inquiry into the Political Economy† which was published in 1767 (Steuart Denham et al, 1966). The theory discussed above is supplemented by the characteristics of the market in which the company exits. Conventionally there are four basic types of market structures. Perfect competition: such markets have many buyers and sellers, none being able to influence prices. Oligopoly: several large sellers who have some control over the prices. Monopoly: single seller with considerable control over supply and prices. Monopsony: single buyer with considerable control over demand and prices. The company with its gaming products operates in the Oligopolistic environment. Where there are several large producers but have a tendency to dominate major markets across the globe and influence some change in prices (Sloman, 2010). The concept of elasticity comes into play here. Elasticity is the measurement of how changing one economic variable affects the other. Elasticity of demand can be of three basic types; Price elasticity of demand – measuring the dynamics of the quantity demanded by the change in price. Income elasticity of demand – measures the dynamics of quantity demanded by changes in consumer income. Cross elasticity of demand – measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded by changes in price of another good. The concept in itself is a complete strategy. When ascertaining price of a product these elasticity’s should be kept in mind (Sloman, 2010). A detailed analysis of the Micro and Macroeconomic environment of Electronic Arts Inc is conducted below in detail, to explain the subject without obstruction. MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS The demand and Supply theory as discussed above are amongst issues one needs to cater before planning product launch, indulging in price war s and budgeting for marketing. As the demand and supply curve has serious implications on the pricing strategies being adopted, there should be reasonable understanding of the subject matter before decisions are made. For the purpose of explaining the subject effortlessly, let’s consider the example of the world’s largest video game developer Electronic Arts, Inc. Electronic Arts (the company) is America’s largest developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. The company has a well diversified portfolio of products and geographical presence all over the globe. Under such circumstances the demand and supply implications are more severe for planning purposes as different conditions will be faced by the business analyst across geographical horizons. (Electronic Arts, 2011) Demand and supply has remained unchanged and unchallenged till date. There has always been a gap in the demand and su

AMEX vs NASDAQ - Similarities and Differences Assignment

AMEX vs NASDAQ - Similarities and Differences - Assignment Example To start off both Amex and NASDAQ are companies that are based on the stock market. Both handle major clients and conduct transactions with many different exchanges. Both also deal with the buying and selling of stocks. As regards to the popularity, each is widely known and capitalizes on their investors.While similarities exist, both corporations do have obvious differences. The major point of difference is that Amex uses floor exchange methodology; a specialist system with a centralized limit order book while NASDAQ employs an electronic listing of competing dealer quotes. This difference leads on to other differences such as transaction processing time (slower in the case of Amex) and efficiency.As mentioned earlier the AMEX is an order-driven continuous auction market, the foundation stone of which are the market makers or â€Å"specialists†. The work of the specialists is to facilitate continuous trading by posting quotes for their own account or by offering the best quot es on their limit order book, which represent a centralized depository for limit orders to buy or sell stocks at specified rates or better. Limit orders provide immediate liquidity and their importance on the AMEX can be judged by the fact that nearly 88% of the volume on AMEX arises from trades in which the specialists do not participate for their own account. But specialists in the AMEX are not allowed to trade ahead of limit orders at the same prices so their quotes usually reflect the limit order book. The result is temporarily stale limit prices (in the initial stages) after public announcements. This slow updating of limit orders can delay revisions in the best bid and ask quotes.

History of Fire Sprinklers Essay Example for Free

History of Fire Sprinklers Essay Rome, 64 A. D. Emperor Nero watched in horror as the great city of Rome burned for six days and seven nights. Afterwards 70% of the city was left in smoldering ruins and devastation. (The Burning of Rome, 64 AD 1) Why the exact cause of the fire is unknown, we wonder if an effective sprinkler system could have prevented this incident and others like it. A city that was well known for their magnificent construction, architecture, and irrigation systems was almost completely destroyed by one incident. Many codes do not require a specific type of Automatic Sprinkler System. While the most common type found is the Wet Pipe System; Dry Pipe, Preaction, and Deluge Systems can be found in many different occupancy types. The two main purposes of automatic sprinkler systems are to extinguish fires and control the fire until appropriate personnel arrive to extinguish the fire. Automatic sprinkler systems are expected in all occupancy types, except residential, unless the hazard is not compatible with water. For these hazards there are several other types of suppression systems that can be installed to manage the incident. By installing an automatic sprinkler system, you increase life safety and property protection. What is the standard of sprinkler systems? The goal is to increase life safety and decrease property damage. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has been the leader in mandating standards and requirements when it comes to sprinkler systems. They have developed many standards that address the installation, inspection, and maintenance of sprinklers. Wet pipe systems are closed water systems attached to a piping system containing pressurized water at all times. This type of automatic sprinkler system is the most common type, and can be found in all most all occupancy types. Unless the potential of freezing pipes or other special conditions apply, this type of system will be encountered most frequently. The operation of this sprinkler system is very simple. The wet-pipe system consists of sprinkler heads attached to sprinkler supply lines that interlace the occupancy. When a fire first starts there is minimum heat generated. As the fire grows and the thermal layer is disturbed, heat rises to the targeted sprinkler heads. Depending on the rated temperature of the sprinkler head, a fusible disc or link melts from the heat and initiates the flow of water. While most fires are controlled by one or two sprinkler heads, in the case of fast moving fires more may be needed to control the fire. When water is flowed from the system, typically other things may happen. In all most all wet-pipe systems, there is some type of audible alarm activated at the standpipe. This will trigger other alarms in the building, and most of the time notifies an agency that will then notify the Fire Department of a water flow alarm or others like it. Dry pipe systems use air or nitrogen to keep the supply line pressurized at all times. This type of automatic sprinkler system is commonly found in the colder areas where the possibilities of freezing pipes are encountered. Dry-pipe systems provide the same adequate protection similar to wet-pipe systems. The piping is charged with air or nitrogen, and when a sprinkler head is activated the drop in the pressure opens a valve at the standpipe that allows water to flow into the systems. (Bahme 25) Just like the wet-pipe system, normally one or two sprinkler heads are needed to control the fire. There will also be an alarm that is activated notifying the appropriate agency to contact the Fire Department. At lest once a week the system should be tested to make sure that the air pressure within the piping is maintained. The third type of automatic sprinkler system is the Pre-action System. This type of system is a closed piping system that contains air, which may or may not be under pressure. When a fire occurs the fire detecting device signals the control valve to open charging the system. This type of system is usually used where the possibility of broken pipes and sprinkler heads may result. The most common places found include electrical rooms, computer rooms, and other areas that may house expensive equipment. There can be several types of pre-action system including a recycling system. This system is capable of charging the piping, discharging water, then cutting itself off. In the event that the fire rekindles, it can discharge again. It then has the ability to recycle the water. Deluge systems are much like Pre-action systems except that the sprinkler heads are open and the system is not charged. Similar to that of the pre-action systems, a fire detection device, usually a heat sensor, activates the discharge valve on the system. The difference is that the entire sprinkler component of the system is open; therefore the area that is activated is deluged in water. These types of automatic sprinkler system can be found where a high hazard of flammable liquid may be encountered. The most common place is aircraft hangars. Caution should be taken though; in confined spaces the oxygen level can be deficient when these systems are activated due to the copious amounts of water. Combined Dry-Pipe and Pre-action systems are composed of both the systems mentioned above. These systems have the dry pipe features with the pre-action features in the event the dry pipe portion fails. These systems are used when an area is too large to be covered by a dry pipe system. On the same note though, combined systems were originally developed for protection during cold climates. Long lines would be subject to freezing. These systems are commonly found when dealing with long piers. (Bahme 30) It is important to note this type of system is considered two independent systems. Testing requires individual standards for both type; consisting of the dry pipe system and the pre-action system. Limited water supply systems are those where supply water cannot be properly supplied to the occupancy. These systems consist of many wide range types and can be used as outside sprinklers and confined space sprinklers. Some research obtained shows that one type of limited water sprinkler type could be the antifreeze sprinkler system. This type of system is very uncommon and is normally not accepted and used in recent automatic sprinkler systems. In conclusion, there are several types of water sprinklers used in today’s management to help increase life safety and decrease property damage. By including detection devices and the correct sprinkler heads, these systems can mean the difference between life and death. The occupancy should have the correct automatic sprinkler system that will properly suppress the material relevant in that occupancy regardless of the type. The preferred automatic sprinkler system should all be able to notify the occupants, summon the correct agency to suppress the fire, sound alarms, supervise fire control, and initiated a wide variety of auxiliary functions involving environmental, utility, and process controls. (IFSTA 559)

Most Important Issues Facing British Society

Most Important Issues Facing British Society Ever since the 1880, immigrants came to Britain to flee from various reasons such as poverty, religious persecution, and other different social reasons. Britain was the worlds largest market for transportation of human lives. Now, Britain offers LGBT rights, Black rights, and other minority rights that most countries lack. Moreover, it also offers health care benefit for anyone living inside Britain. Lastly, it is a safe haven for refugees to seek for asylum. As a result, Britain has received more immigrants and asylum seekers than any other countries in the European Union. There immigrants come from countries in many different parts of the world including Afghanistan, Poland, and even Ireland. However, in the recent years, there have complaints by the British natives that there have been way too many immigrants. In the past 10 years, there are about 1.5 million people immigrated into the UK. Over two-third of them came from the continents of Asia and Africa. In 2006, the United Kingdoms population was 61 million. If immigration continues at this current rate, the total population in the UK in 2031 will be 70 million according to the government actuary department. Currently, the people born outside of the UK account for 10% of the UKs population compare that to just 6% in 1981 and 8% in 2001. This has made Britain a very ethnically diverse nation. However, there have been major clashes between cultures in the United Kingdom. Native British people believe in tradition rather than fairness and value community rather than individualism. Most indigenous British residents complained that the government allow too many immigrants to enter inside Britain and felt that the British culture has been diminished by these newly immigrants. Most of these complaints are from the London region, where most of the immigrants resided. With the large wave of immigrants, British people felt their tradition was being harmed. With the freedom of mobility in the European Union, people from countries inside the EU can visit and stay in the United Kingdom. Many of them would just stay and not return to its formal countries. There is an estimate that there could be 35000 people from outside of the European Union who come on a visitors visa and then never leave. When these immigrants arrive, they for m their own community and transforming the once British community into their own. This frustrates a lot of indigenous British citizens as they see their old community getting converted into a foreign community. For example, the largest immigrant group to Britain is Polish. Currently, Polish represents 1/60 of the population in Britain. These polish immigrants dont fully integrated into the British society and still continue their lives as if they are in Poland. They form their own community in Britain and keep themselves separated from traditional English community. Furthermore, many indigenous British citizens are concerned that their jobs might be taken away from these newly immigrants. Most of the immigrants who came into Britain are usually from poorer nations. They would work hard and would be satisfied with getting paid minimal wages. Many indigenous underclass British people have seen their jobs taken away by new immigrants. Moreover, indigenous British complain that these immigrants have received more benefits from Britain such as health care benefit than they have contributed to the system. British people argued that they see the quality of their social service decline as immigrants are drying up the social fund. According to governments latest Citizenship survey, over 77% of the population thinks that immigration should be cut. Therefore, in the UKs election in may, both the Labour and the Conservative party are considering putting a limit on immigration. They also want to increase security to prevent illegal immigration and will have stricter criteria for refugees to join, making sure that refugees genuinely need help in order to survive . Race Relation: Ethnic minority in the United Kingdom complained that they dont receive the same rights or opportunity as native white British citizens. A lot of ethnic minorities find it hard to find jobs in Politics or to take on an executive position in a company compared to white British citizens. For instance, Yasmin Aili Brown said she was the only minority in her News Paper company in the United Kingdom. The British public had been very hostile/racist against her, sending her hate mails and saying that the real Britain is for White people. A lot of ethnic minorities especially the Muslim group shares the same experience as her when it comes to discrimination. Immigrants complained that there were stereotypical and derogatory jokes towards them. For example, Black is often characterized as uneducated and uncivilized outlaws. Muslim would often have characterized as wearing Hijab, turbane all the time and their refusal of alcohol. One example our speaker Adrian gave us was an example of a Musli m who immigrated into UK 10 years ago had to change his name from Mohammad to John in order to fit in with the British Society more. He always doesnt get invited to social events or get promoted. Lastly, many ethnic minorities / immigrants dislike the fact that most British people would classify them either as Black or Asian. People from India, China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Japan would all be considered Asian and People from Hispanic countries, Caribbean island are all be considered as Black. Thus, this is causing a lot of minorities feel as if they dont belonged in Britain as they have lost their identity. Therefore, the clash between the indigenous and newly immigrants is currently a serious issue facing Britain. Security: Due to the recent waves of immigrants into Britain, there is a fear of the Muslim community with Islamic religion. In 2006, 3% of the working age populations are immigrants born in the Middle East. People feel like security being jeopardized because of the concern for terrorist attack. In recent years, many terrorist activities were conducted by the Muslims who were born inside Britain. For instance, there was a coordinated suicide attacks in London subway station on July 7th, 2005. The bombings were carried out by four British Muslim men, three of Pakistani and one of Jamaican descent, who were motivated by Britains involvement in the Iraq War. Furthermore, there was an attempt bombing attack by a British African this year. Many of members of these terrorist organizations were 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants, meaning they were born in Britain. This is a serious issue currently for Britain because it cant prevent internal terrorist attacks from its own citizens. Economic recovery: Due to the recent financial crisis, Britain is currently facing serious issues in terms of cutting its unemployment rate and reducing its national debt. In 2008, the United Kingdom had to bail out its financial banks such as RBS from bankrupting because a large part of the UKs economy was financial based. As a result, the United Kingdom has piled itself with debt after many stimulus packages to revitalize the economy. Now, the United Kingdom faces the problem of fixing its financial system and the need of reducing its national debt. The UKs government has to cut public spending and raise taxes. This is a serious issue because Britains social welfare budget and government spending has already been very low due to the poor economy. It would be difficult to continue to cut spending in the public sector when there is a very high unemployment rate. Cutting spending in social welfare program would mean there will be less benefit for the UKs citizens and the homeless people who need it on t he street. Moreover, raising taxes in a country that already has a very high VAT of 20% wont be good for the economy as people will have less disposable income to spend. In order to reduce deficit, the labour party said that there will be a tax increase of 60% to only the top% of earners. The conservative party proposed to start cut spending immediately in 2010 to eliminate the UKs structural deficit within the next five years. Therefore, both parties consider the large UK deficit as a serious issue facing the UK. However, cutting spending and raising taxes would ultimately slow down the UKs recovery and would be an issue for the public as no one likes paying high taxes. UK economy is too weak for sharp spending cuts. Currently, both Tory and labor party tried to avoid taking about spending cut because the public usually isnt very supportive of it. The government faces the issue of reducing the unemployment rate at the same time because there would be social unrest. Britain certainl y doesnt want its economy to be like its economy in the 1970s when there was a very high unemployment rate. The government is currently proposing to provide training for unemployed workers in the UK for more than six months in order to solve the unemployment issue. Relationship with the Europe Union Britain has lost its once dominance as an empirical power in the world. However, it stills wants to exert influence in the world. Ever since the end of WWII, Britain is losing its once close relationship with Australia and Canada as they are continuing becoming more independent. It is hard for Britain to maintain its relationship with the commonwealth countries due to geographic reason. In 1973, Britain joined the European Union to receive funding from the EUs central budget in order to salvage its poor economy. Moreover, it joined to give Britain an more importance role in world affairs. Currently, with the rise of emerging markets such as China and India, Britain has found itself falling behind in terms of influencing the world and need to develop a closer tie with the European Union. Now, it faces the issue of whether to further integrate into the European Union or not. Currently, the European Union wants to further integrate economically and politically. However, Britain dislike the idea of political integration in Europe and still wants to keep independency/sovereignty as an imperial state. Britain refuses to adopt Euro as its official currency and refuses to contribute to its part of the share into the Common Agricultural Policy. Britain is against most of the policy proposed to the European Union such as enlargement of the EU. Thereby, most European nations consider Britain as a hindrance rather than a helper for the European progress. This is really harming the relationship between Britain and the European Union. According to the Suns poll, the majority of British citizens prefer the European Economic Community rather than the European Union, where Britain will only receive trading benefit for the EU rather than political benefit. It is not taking an advantage of its relationship with the European Union in terms of trading because most of the UKs businesses are service based. Many citizens proposed that Britain should withdraw from the EUs political uni on as they dont want a centralize government to make the decision for the British. British people want a British government, in which the British can enjoy the basic democratic free right and the ability to throw out a Government they dont like. Leaving the European Union would severely harm the relationship between the United Kingdom and Europe. Therefore, developing a good relationship with the European Union while maintaining Britains sovereignty is one of the major issues Britain is facing today. Conclusion: Britain is a rapidly transforming nation that still wants to retain its traditional customs and imperial status. However, current issues such as immigration, internal ethnic relationship, internal security, economic recovery, and Britains relationship with the EU act as major blocks to the progress of the British society. Whatever the next British government may be, these are the issues that party has to address and solve. The modern British society has to find ways to deal with these crucial issues in order to move towards a brighter future. Citations: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/01/immigrationpolicy.immigrationandpublicservices1

miscarriages of justice Essays -- essays research papers

The statement "It is better that 10 guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" summarises and highlights the mistakes and injustices in the criminal justice system. In a just society, the innocent would never be charged, nor convicted, and the guilty would always be caught and punished. Unfortunately, it seems this would be impossible to achieve due to the society in which we live. Therefore, miscarriages of justice occur in the criminal justice system more frequently than is publicised or known to the public at large. They are routine and would have to be considered as a serious problem in our society. The law is what most people respect and abide by, if society cannot trust the law that governs them, then there will be serious consequences including the possible breakdown of that society. In order to have a fair and just society, miscarriages of justice must not only become exceptional but ideally cease to occur altogether. A miscarriage of justice is basically "a failure to attain the desired end result of justice". In our society, every person should be treated equally and fairly as "our legal institutions are premised on the idea that our legal system is both neutral and impartial, and that all persons are equal in the eyes of the law". The country in which we were born, the language we speak, the colour of our skin and our gender should be of no relevance in deciding the outcome of justice. All these notions are part of "due process" and if this occurs in our society, why are there still miscarriages of justice? Our legal system is based on the fact that everyone deserves a fair hearing. In theory this is ideal, but due to human nature mistakes will always occur. The introduction of DNA into the courtroom ( which can free innocent people wrongfully convicted of a crime twenty years ago) and Anderson's view on allowing juries to ask questions and participate more in tria ls (by stating the evidence on which they base their convictions), on the surface appear beneficial to the outcome of justice, and in some cases this will be the result. However, justice will always be hindered by humans and their corrupt side. Unfortunately, this is part of human nature and even the people in high positions are not immune. When a person is accused of being "guilty", society must assume the person is innocen... ...ct that in less serious crimes the defendant will plead guilty in order to receive a better deal. The theories of Anderson, Hogg,Walker and Wilson are justified opinions and could be advantageous to the criminal justice system. However, even if these theories are implemented into our society, corruption will still always occur. Unfortunately, it is just part of human nature. It is futile to establish new methods of judgement without considering the fact that corruption occurs throughout all levels of society. Juries, police, and lawyers can all be persuaded and succumb to corruption if it suits their needs to do so. Likewise, DNA samples can be tampered with or plagued by human error. It is a vicious circle and until human beings change, miscarriages will continue to occur. Miscarriages of justice are definitely not exceptional and occur much more frequently than most people realise. They place a great burden on our society as a whole and cause injustices and hardships to many people. Just because we do not hear about them, does not mean they don't exist. As Walker states "s ince justice is applied by fallible, prejudiced human beings, miscarriages are inevitable".

A Brief Timeline of Black Civil Rights in America Essay -- African-Amer

A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The struggle for equality has been a battle fought for hundreds of years. Documents such as The Declaration of Independence, dating back to 1776, state that all men are created equal, and among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surely we know that in fact all men were not seen as equal because issues such as slavery and white superiority existed as well as discrimination issues that still exist to some extent today. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1865, The 13th Amendment was established which abolished slavery, but did not grant blacks equality. D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Government was still extremely biased when meeting to make Amendments. They were quoted as saying â€Å"We hold this to be a government of white people†¦to benefit white people†¦and no Africans can be a U.S. citizen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though slavery was abolished with the 13th Amendment, issues such as Black Codes and the struggles of the Freedmens Bureau were definitely pres...

Merger and Acquisition †Proposal Essay

Chapter -I Introduction Merger, corporate combination of two or more independent business corporations into a single enterprise, usually the absorption of one or more firms by a dominant one. A merger may be accomplished by one firm purchasing the other’s assets with cash or its securities or by purchasing the other’s shares or stock or by issuing its stock to the other firm’s stockholders in exchange for their shares in the acquired firm (thus acquiring the other company’s assets and liabilities). In a merger, institutions combine to form another different institution, which becomes a legal entity in its own right and therefore mergers are not instant events, they are processes .A merger cannot be considered as truly successful unless it also achieves employee satisfaction. This is vital to an organization as a whole. Employee satisfaction is very important and necessary in order to gauge the success of the company. Employee satisfaction reflects the degree to which individual‘s needs and desire are met and the extent to which this is perceived by other employees. Employee satisfaction is generally perceived as the scope of the work and all the positive attitudes regarding the work environment. In this, there are several words which have been describe the impact of merger in staff- †¢ Traumatic  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Disruptive †¢ Distressing †¢ Painful †¢ Uncertainty †¢ Loss in commitment †¢ Dampening on work motivation †¢ Shock †¢ Anger †¢ Disbelief †¢ Depression †¢ Anxiety †¢ Disappointment †¢ Disillusionment †¢ Withdrawal Thus Mergers have become a key part of many corporate growth strategies, with diversification being the primary reason for merging. Banks seek to diversify in order to reduce risks and increase returns, and geographic diversification, that is expanding operations into multiple locations, is used to obtain greater market power. Banks merge with other banks that have branch locations in multiple states in order to reach a larger customer base. The anticipated benefits are less competition and increased profits for the resultant bank. The corporate diversification strategy has led to an increase in bank Merger. The mainly purpose to conduct this study on merger and acquisition of banks and its effect on employee job satisfaction because there has been seen a big change in shape of merger activities after the big financial crises that effects the whole world business strategies in different mode so many employees getting jobless. Every segment of work or business and individuals of the nation is affected by the financial crisis due to the cycle of collecting deposits and lending money chain broken. Peoples do not have the power to save the money in the banks because of less profitability and more expenses that reduced the profitability of the banks too and let them to merge and acquisition themselves with another well-established bank that bear their costs and their existence too. During merger and acquisition activities lots of employees victimize in different terms. They suffer from the stiffed phase of their job. Most of the employee’s job satisfaction level goes ultimate down as they think they will be getting fired or jobless as new management would be come up with new teams of professionals and new procedure of working conditions in this way their morale level affected. Statement of the Problem Whether the banks are public or private the main thing is the success of their business and that depends upon its employees. If the employees are not satisfied from their job, working conditions, work culture, management they can never make the customers satisfied with better quality services. The purpose of this research is to know the effects of Merger on employee satisfaction. Recently, Machhapuchhre Bank Limited merged with Standard Finance and Himchuli Bikas Bank merged with Birgunj Finance, I believe that these institutions are perfect to understand the effects of merger on employee’s satisfaction. Identified Problems * To what extent does change impact on employee movement? * How satisfied are employees of these two banks with their current working environment? * What are the factors that affect employee satisfaction level during a merger phase? Research Objective Based on the above identified problems, the goals of this study are * To identify factors that affect employee satisfaction during a merger phase. * To measure the satisfaction level of employee after merger of bank. * To establish the extent to which employees are satisfied with their current working conditions. Chapter II Literature Review A number of researchers and theorists have been paying attention to know the satisfaction level of employee after merger of bank and institution. Many higher and further education institutions in South Africa are struggling to survive in a context of financial stringency, declining student enrolments and increasing competition, therefore for some of these institutions merging with other institutions in the near future is becoming a strong likelihood (Hay, Fourie & Hay, 2001:100). In an attempt to survive, institutions are reducing costs by cutting down on the number of faculties, redeploying staff and placing a moratorium on overtime pay, conference attendance, new appointments and new capital projects (Bott, quoted by Hay, Fourie & Hay, 2001:100). Hay, Fourie and Hay (2001:100) state that perceptions of employees who will be directly affected by the merging process seem to be very important, as knowledge and understanding of those perceptions will empower decision– makers and ensure that effective management of the merging process can be accomplished; therefore careful consideration needs to be given to particularly personal factors, and employee fears will have to be addressed in the process to ensure effective merging. According to Smit & Cronje (1995:307) when an organisation employs people, it is the manager’s task to diagnose the needs of its employees and formulate strategies to promote personal goal attainment. If workers are able to achieve their personal goals in the work situation, they will be prepared to render outputs that lead to the attainment of the organisation’s goal; therefore it follows that if the individual’s outputs are satisfactory, the organisation will reward him and this, in turn, will satisfy him. Strydom (2005) (as quoted in the Centre for Quality Management journal, S.a.), states that the level of satisfaction that a staff member feels will directly affect his work performance and attitudes, impacting on the company’s success. Strydom (2005) believes that an organisation’s primary objective is to determine the needs of its employees and the ways in which these can be satisfied, therefore research emphasizes the importance of the role that employee satisfaction plays in the success of an organisation. Strydom (2005) further states that organisations need to provide good recruitment strategies and induction processes, strong leadership, personal development opportunities, a positive work environment, recognition of a job well done and good communication to ensure that employees’ needs are met. Phillips Consulting (2005) points out that tackling issues such as employee challenges, motivation, career advancement, performance management and cultural issues are key to the success of any transformation exercise. The employee drives the process and strategy, not the other way round. Researchers have attributed the less than stellar record of M&A outcomes, in part, to how the integration of the participating firms affected the employees of the acquired company (Range, 2006; Schreyogg, 2006; Van Dick, Wagner, & Lemmer, 2004). Furthermore, research has shown that M&As can be a traumatic event in the lives of the individuals and organizations involved in the change. Many employees experience feelings of loss, resentment, and a decline in job satisfaction, and their reactions can lead to the failure of the M&A (Appelbaum et al., 2007; Cartwright & Schoenberg, 2006; Sperduto, 2007). Appelbaum et al. concluded that such human resources (HR) difficulties may add costs to the integration process and undermine the ability of a firm to achieve synergy, and thereby offset the hoped-for benefits of merging. Hunt and Downing (2006) concluded that, in the majority of successful mergers, the purchasers predicted that personnel problems would arise and acted quickly when such problems surfaced. Thus, understanding the job facets that lead to positive job satisfaction may help other business leaders deploy strategies that could increase their chances for achieving successful mergers.