Decision In Paradise

Decisions are influenced by many factors, involving personal life, geographical location, financial support, consumers and stakeholders and finding the problems or symptoms of problems are even more important. I am Nik and like every young individual I have many dreams. Some dreams have been replaced by reality and some are still transforming. I just graduated from college and with a help of a friend, I was offered a job with an international company on an island named Kava. My position is Executive Assistant to Alex. Chris is the founder of the company with a goal to help the people of Kava in establishing a greater presence in Kava. Our company is facing many different obstacles and my job is finding the problems and eliminating them in order to achieve our goal.

The first task that will help in finding a problem is getting information about the location, consumers and the current economic structure of the Kava. After reaching Kava, the dream of paradise was shattered after observing the horrible damage done by recent natural disasters. My introduction to Alex took place in a make-shift trailer and the initial interview revealed some important information, although many pieces still missing from the puzzle. I was, however, able to get somewhat of a picture of the Island of Kava and its people.

The geographic location of Kava is, unfortunately, in the path of many potential natural disasters that can threaten the infrastructure, and crops as well as its people. Such disasters as hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and even some epidemics like HIV and avian flu are serious problems that Kava can be faced with at any moment. According to research "Small island nations are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters since they can be affected over their entire area, and major infrastructure and economic activities may be crippled by a single event"(Vermeiren, 1989, Para. 9).

The infrastructure of Kava seems insufficient and futile for the type of condition the country is faced with at any moment. The population with more than 50% below the age of 15 is one of the biggest problems because of the condition affecting the people of Kava's educational, financial and professional growth. Diversity of different ethnic groups can also create some barriers due to its cultural differences. Language diversity in Kava can also be an obstacle since the languages spoken are English, Spanish and French and the percentage of each is unknown. Kava's economy consists of fruits and spices. Because of its geographical locations and potential natural disasters, crops can easily be destroyed, thereby affecting its economy and its people.

On an island such as Kava, developing a successful organization in an international marketplace can be extremely difficult. Chris's goal for "Learning to Teach" (LTT) is to achieve success and a greater presence on the Island while maintaining higher business values and hence, use these values to help the people of Kava.

After analyzing the current situation, this organization will have to undertake a multi-role in the process of rebuilding the basic infrastructure and the lives of its people. Our organization will especially need to provide education and training to the young adults of Kava. Basic education for the majority of population is very important, but with potential natural disasters and the current economic state, training in such trades as construction, emergency response is crucial. One of the important aspects for success is to create a liaison among different organizations already present in Kava.

Another solution to the problem will be getting the people of Kava to volunteer or provide services for a reasonable fee, with the potential of providing them with a permanent position once the Island has recovered. LTT will hopefully, be able to influence the government and community-based organizations to provide financial assistance. Working with other organizations on the Island will improve Kava's image and attract qualified training providers to LTT.

Additional factors troubling the current