Script Analysis of Oedipus the King Essay - 848 Words

Script Analysis of Oedipus Rex The complete fate of Oedipus Rex, is foreshadowed by Teiresias, the prophet in Scene II: But it will soon be shown that he is a Theban, A revelation that will fail to please. A blind man, Who has his eyes now; a penniless man, who is rich now; And he will go tapping the strange earth with his staff To the children with whom he lives now he will be Brother and father- the very same; to her Who bore him, son and husband- the very same Who came to his fathers bed, wet with his fathers blood. (42.75-88) This paper will discuss the elements of Scene II from Oedipus Rex, a play by Sophocles. The script analysis will include: a list of events from the development through to the climax of†¦show more content†¦Teiresias did not want to share his disturbing knowledge with Oedipus as revealed in Scene II: Oedipus: In Gods name, we all beg you- Teiresias: You are all ignorant. No; I will never tell you what I know, Now it is my misery; then it will be yours. (40.71-74) Oedipus in his thirst for knowledge sealed his own fate. The prophet was relentless as he dispelled the truth of the murder of Laios. In disbelief, Oedipus disputed the powers of Teirsias: Tell us: Has your mystic mummery ever approached the truth? When that hellcat the Sphinx was performing here, What help were you to these people? (41. 71-76) He revelled in his own glorious feat of the dispelling of the Sphinx: But I came by, Oedipus the simple man, who knows nothing I thought it out for myself, no birds helped me! And this man you think that you can destroy, (41.82-86) These quotes exemplify the dissention between Oedipus and Teiresias, as pride and conflict collide. It is of interest to note that, while Oedipus believes that he has power over the prophet. It is ironic that it is in reality the reverse. Teiresias held the power of knowledge over Oedipus. He had the power of introducing a poison in the conscience of Oedipus that would lead to his demise. The interaction of characters in this scene has proven to be an effective tool for revelation of character. The setting of theShow MoreRelatedThe Poetics of Oedipus and Dana Marschz1312 Words   |  6 Pages Creon, in Sophocles Oedipus the King, declares to Oedipus that his power ends; none of [his] power follows [him] through life. (Fagles, 652:1677-8) This edict communicates the transience of mortal abilities, and the hubris of those mortals. In the 2008 film Hamlet 2, Dana Marschz perceives himself as an excellent writer producing the work that will save Drama (Hamlet 2, 00:27:58-28:00), which the community loathes for its mediocrity rather than celebrates for its merits. Comparison of the twoRead MoreSophocles The King And Antigone Essay1566 Words   |  7 Pages Sophocles wrote about kings. Mythological, or at least long dead, the regal protagonists of fraction of Sophocles’ surviving work embody the political realities of the ancients’ time. By examining and analyzing the origins and nature of kingship in Sophocles, one can glean a sliver of insight into a civiliza tion that has all but disappeared. Sophocles’s kings were great human leaders, reaching their position through impressive deeds or standing in the community. Although they wielded great powerRead MoreScripting Stage Space in Oedipus the King and Hamlet2416 Words   |  10 Pageshave long been studying and teaching plays as if they were meant to be read rather than performed. A central part of a plays meaning is the way it was originally designed to work on stage. William Shakespeares Hamlet and Sophocles Oedipus the King have long been included on academic lists for scholarly study as literary texts. As someone who has studied both texts in just the manner Hornby mentions, I would suggest that what is lost when a scholar treats a play text as literature is preciselyRead MoreEssay on The Definition of Dramaturgy2075 Words   |  9 Pagesdefinition of what, I believe, is itself an actual field of drama and theatre studies. I initially intend to do this by referring to the teachings of such renowned dramaturgs as Adam Versà ©nyi and Gotthold Lessing. Dramaturgy also works as a form of analysis which explores the relationship between spectator, performer and even playwright; changing our preconceptions of what theatre should and could actually be. It is also important for dramaturgs to consider the social and cultural environment in whichRead MoreHamlet What Is the Appeal to the 21 Century Audience2236 Words   |  9 Pagesthroughout the text. It is easy to derive from Hamlet’s demeanour and words in Act I Scene II (â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind†) that he is resentful and, therefore, vengeful towards his uncle, the King. This is further corroborated in Hamlet’s soliloquy, in which he contrasts the King with his father (â€Å"My father’s brother: but no more like my father, Than I to Hercules†) and describes how the King’s marriage to his mother breaks his heart. However, as close attention is paid to the circumstancesRead MoreNarcissistic Personality Disorder Research Paper2024 Words   |  9 Pagesdefines the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. NPD is a personality disorder characterized by a deep obsession with adequacy and egocentricity. (Milton p.393) The disorder was first coined by Heinz Kohut in his book The Analysis of the Self: A Systematic Analysis of the Treatment of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder.(James) People with NPD often have trouble maintaining healthy relationships, cannot accept criticism constructively, and have a strong sense of entitlement. AccordingRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 PagesMonday, 26 October 2009 Preface This dissertation titled ART AS A RENDEZVOUS OF MYTH AND MIND: A PSYCHOANALYTIC AND MYTHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF O V VIJAYAN’S THE LEGENDS OF KHASAK explores how the judicious selection and use of literary theory can account for the universal appeal of The Legends of Khasak, a belated self translated rendering of a famous regional work in Malayalam, Khasakkinte Ithihasam authored by the eminent writer O V Vijayan, and thus assert its artistic value. Divided into fourRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagespoetry? Good questions! This web page provides a quick overview of poetry analysis. Please note that this handout discusses the basics of poetry; there is much more to know about it than there is room to discuss here. Laurence Perrine s book LITERATURE: STRUCTURE, SOUND, AND SENSE can provide more detailed information about poetry analysis. Until you can get a copy of the book, I hope this page helps you begin your poetry analysis work. What is poetry ? Poetry goes beyond the rhyming of words. TheRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagescomprehensive of the grimoires, or handbooks of magic. The attribution to the Andalusian mathematician al-Majriti (or al-Madjriti) (d. ca. 1004-7) is considered pseudo-epigraphic. The Latin translation dates to 1256 and the court of Alphonso the Wise, king of Castille, and exerted a considerable influence on Western magic thereafter. It is said that much of Ficino’s astrological magic derives from the Picatrix (see I.P.Couliano, Eros and Magic in the Renaissance, University of Chicago Press, 1987, pRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesLine 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Ca mp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial Characteristics

Whales in Captivity Free Essays

Killer Whales Deserve Freedom Kimberly Hall COM 155 November 27, 2011 Mara Galvez Killer Whales Deserve Freedom Orcas are complex social creatures deserving freedom and respect, not captivity in theme parks under the guise of public education and entertainment. Aquarium staffs say captive whales are priceless educational tools. However, people can educate their children by bringing them to the wild instead of bringing the wild to them at the expense of the Orcas health and well-being. We will write a custom essay sample on Whales in Captivity or any similar topic only for you Order Now The price of a family admission ticket is what continues to drive this cruel spectacle,† according to Michael O’ Sullivan, the Executive Director of The Humane Society of Canada (Whales in Captivity, 2010, Para. 3). Orcas suffer in many ways in captivity, and are subject to many stressful situations they would never encounter in the wild. Captivity changes not only their mental state but also their physical appearance. One of the most salient physical effects of captivity is dorsal fin disfiguration. In the captive population, almost every male has a flopped dorsal fin, and most females have at least some bend to their dorsal. In the wild, male dorsal fins can exceed heights of six feet straight up. The best theory is that the dorsal fin flops from the force of gravity. Dorsal fins are made of cartilage, not bone. Orcas are one of the fastest mammals in the sea; they can reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour. Orcas can dive underwater to depths of close to 200 feet. When diving, the animal’s heart rate slows from 60 beats per minute to 30 beats per minute. Meanwhile, oxygen-carrying blood diverts away from the extremities, and then navigates toward the heart, lungs, and brain, where there is more oxygen needed. These biological changes permit the animal to conserve oxygen while submerged for longer periods of time (About Orcas – Physical Characteristics, 2005). In the wild Orcas have support from the water, keeping their dorsal erect. In captivity, Orcas are at the surface constantly for feeding, training, and petting purposes, and swim only in circles so there is very little dorsal support, thus causing the dorsal to flop [ (Bohn, 2011) ]. Orcas in captivity suffer from more than just physical imperfections. Dosed with drugs to help the killer whales deal with stress, they suffer terribly in marine parks. Animals and humans share the same immune system. Just as stress reduces our immune system, it does the same to the killer whale. Therefore, stress has been an indirect cause of death in captive killer whales. Killer whales in captivity experiencing stress tend to beat their head against the walls of their tanks until it bleeds. At least three captive whales have killed themselves with this repetitive motion brought on by stress. Have you ever heard of this happening in the wild? Not only does it not happen, an Orca in the wild would never bring bodily harm upon itself. Denial of their right to live in their true habitat where they belong causes the killer whales much stress, frustration, anxiety, and sadly aggression. In the wild Orcas, do not attack humans as they have in marine parks. As Barry (2010, Para, 12) explained, â€Å"Isolation among marine animals is highly stressful, which leads to abnormal behavior. † Marine parks such as Sea World have what they call petting pods, where the children can pet and feed the Orcas. Orcas are given tranquilizers to help them deal with the stress and anxiety of human contact. People might not be so eager to pet these wild mammals if they knew everything the Orca had to go through just so they could pet them for a minute or two. (Smith, 2010) Along with the stress of living in a marine park, Orcas suffer extreme stress being away from their family members. In the wild Orcas travel with their family (pods) that range anywhere from five to 25 family members (Orcas). Orcas families are very close knit. They mostly travel in pods that include their parents, grandparents, children, etc. Taking the Orca away from their family causes them much stress, anxiety, and depression. In the wild, their offspring stay with them and travel with them. Orcas, related by blood, remain together for the duration of their lives. In captivity, the aquarium staff removes their offspring (calves) from them at a very young age. For Orcas, known to be the one mammal that is closest to the human race as far as family, feelings, and social behaviors, it would be equivalent to a human being removed from their family to never see them again, to never speak to them again. Smith, 2010) In the wild, Orcas have constant communication with their pods (family). To communicate with their pods (family) in the wild Orcas use echolocation. Mandell (2010) describes echolocation as, â€Å"The process of moving air between the sinuses in their heads to make high-pitched sound (p. 2). The vibrations travel underwater until they encounter objects and then rebound back creating audible tones the whales use for navigation. Their sound waves go so far that they never come back to the Orca who sent it. What comes back is the voice (sound waves) of another Orca (family member). In captivity, these high-pitched sounds can only travel to the wall of the tank and bounce back. Thus, causing the sound (the Orcas own voice) to bounce back and forth repeatedly which in time can drive a killer whale insane. It would be equivalent to keeping a human in a room, in solitary, who is constantly hearing voices. Being isolated in a small tank (approximately the size of two Orcas), splashing spectators with your tail, and doing tricks several times a day for years would make any species go crazy. I agree that watching magnificent Orcas performing tricks with a human trainer is not educational. Unfortunately, watching one snap and kill a trainer is educational, but only if the lesson changes the minds and actions of its captors. Orcas are complex social creatures deserving of freedom and respect. There are currently 42 killer whales in captivity worldwide. Out of the 194 killer whales in captivity since 1964, two-thirds died within 10 years, and less than 30 survived longer than 20 years in captivity [ (Mandell, 2010) ]. To keep them in captivity disguised under education and entertainment is nothing more than cruel and unusual treatment. They suffer physically, socially and mentally. Captivity is more detrimental to the welfare of the Orca than the wild could ever be. Watching Orcas in their natural habitat is far more educational than watching them perform tricks in a marine park. [ (Santich, 2010) ] OR [ (Orlando, 2011) ] YOU DECIDE References About Orcas – Physical Characteristics. (2005). Retrieved December 7, 2011, from orca-zone: http://www. orca-zone. com/aboutorcas/index. html Barry, J. (2010, August 26). Killer is prized, feared, stressed: Life won’t change much for Tilikum, the orca that drowned a trainer at Seaworld. St Petersburg Times . St Petersburg, FL, United States. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/docview/264384772/1338068E48F8B67489/1? accountid=35812 Bohn, G. (2011, November 28). Killer whales and captivity; What threat, if any, does life in the aquarium bubble pose to the health of these giant sea mammals. The Edmonton Journal . Edmonton, Alta, Canada. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/docview/251763683/133805C5287EFA914D/1? accountid=35812 Mandell, M. (2010, June 29). Short history on killer whales. Bergen County, N. J, United States. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/365980652? accountid=35812 Orlando, S. W. Orca Collapsed Dorsal Fin. (picture). Captive orcas. Sea World Orlando, Orlando. Retrieved from http://pediaview. com/openpedia/Captive_orcas Santich, K. Free Willy? Conservationists say this is how orcas should live — in the wild. SeaWorld tragedy — a reminder of why orcas should swim free? Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. (picture) Retrieved from http://blogs. orlandosentinel. om/changetheworld/2010/02/a-tragic-reminder-of-why-killer-whales-should-not-live-at-marine-parks. html/orcinus_orca_5 Smith, J. (2010, June 11). Captive Killer Whales. The Ecologist . United Kingdom. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/docview/234920905/1338063BFFA6E62ABF8/1? accountid=35812 Whales in Captivity – Spectacularly Cruel – says Humane Society of Canada. (2010, July 1) . The Canada Newswire . Ottawa, British Columbia, Canada. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/docview/455947023/133806FC22464623DC8/6? accountid=35812 How to cite Whales in Captivity, Essay examples

Inclusive Education and Training for Angelides -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theInclusive Education and Training for Panyotis Angelides. Answer: Introduction Panyotis Angelides is an important scholar known for his contributions in the field of inclusive education. He is currently the professor and rector of University of Nicosia and has authored numerous books on the themes of inclusive and intercultural education. Angelides has discussed on the political history and political climate of Greece to make the understanding on education and inclusive policies in schools a more insightful and engaging discussion. Greece has maintained a balance between being Euro-centric and ethno-centric. He argues that the issues of citizenship and geo-politics influence the subjects to be taught at school, school curriculum and the pedagogical canon. The project of modern education is largely white, westernized, promotes the values of nationalism and Euro-centrism rather than adhering to multi-cultural values (Angelides, 2005). Therefore, the knowledge that is imparted to the students caters to the interests of the mainstream population and excludes the et hnic minorities. Drawing on the arguments of Ainscow et al., (2006), the paper commences with the connotations of inclusive education and follows it up with the documentation of Angelides work on collaborative artmaking. It is found that this technique has significance in reducing the effects of marginalization faced by children. The next section of the paper discusses on the different literature of Angelides on interculturalism, exclusion and inclusion, education system in Cyprus and the efforts of the state, teachers, peer-groups and the concerned students in response to marginalization and exclusion. What is inclusive education? The term inclusion has two different connotations. The descriptive connotation of inclusion indicates that the ways in which inclusion is used in our everyday life. On the other hand, the prescriptive connotation of inclusion indicates the ways concepts are used. The term inclusiveness has different implications for different countries. This philosophy is not limited to the placement or positioning of children with special needs in the special schools. It is also concerned with the effective and sustainable education of children under the special education programs. Special education is understood as the ways in which schools respond to the students as autonomous individuals who possess the right to education. According to Ainscow et al., (2006), inclusion embodies a set of values that emboldens all the learners to overcome the barriers experienced in the attainment of education. These barriers and hurdles include underachievement, marginalization and exclusion. They are of the view that traditionally literature on inclusion has a myopic understanding of the concept and are solely concerned with the special needs of children. However, in the present understanding of inclusion it has taken on a broader dimension as it addresses the aspects of nationality, language, ethnicity, gender, class composition and race to elucidate on inclusion. Experiences of marginalization can also emerge when children of one school do not wish to socialize with children of another school. Angelides in his paper with Michaelidou, (2009), conducted an interesting study on school children to understand the role of art in neutralizing the effects of marginalization. The universe of study was a multicultural school in Cyprus that comprised of 20 per cent of non-Greek speaking students. The authors found that art has a cathartic value when it comes to alleviating the effects of childrens exclusion in school. The study found that drawings created by children can reveal many unspoken aspects of their lives and help them to release them their experiences of pain. The use of collaborative art-making in the pre-primary school teaching techniques can reduce the impact of marginalization. It also has the capacity to promote participation of children from different cultures. The outcome of this is the access of children to full curriculum, a feeling of being accepted and included within the classroom and the empowerment that comes from decision-making. Collaborative artmaking makes children equal partners alongside their peers. Therefore, collaborative art-making combined with different kinds of innovative teaching techniques can reduce the experience of marginalization for the students from the marginal group. This method brings the students closer to one another, disintegrates the power structures and helps them see the problems of the others. In other words, collaborative artmaking is a step in the direction of empathetic education. The authors believe that this technique has cross-cultural value and can be replicated in other schools across the globe. This technique has the potential to make the outsiders feel as part of the group without ruining the core values of the classroom. Intercultural and inclusive education: Role of state, teachers and students Despite the popular view that the school are egalitarian spaces, studies have shown that the school space, pedagogy and the curriculum design can be replete with discrimination and exclusion. Cyprus has a special law. According to the provisions of this law, children with special needs should be provided with special education. The authors have explored the different ways in which the multiple stakeholders treat the children in special unit. Many governments all over the world have been involved in intensifying the efforts for integrating children who have special needs in the context of the neighbourhood schools. In Cyprus, the government has shown a proactive approach in integrating special children with the mainstream society. This can be manifested in the Education Act for children who have special needs that outline the statutory framework for the educational needs of children with special needs. Children with special needs have special unit which is a class that exists in a mai nstream school. These special needs cater to the special requirements of the children with special needs. The children for whom the program has been devised and implemented are children with serious problems (Angelides, 2012). Numbers of students who are part of these special units are five per class. The special units in the classroom address the following issues. The ways in which special unit function their programmes, children and staff of the organization, the degree to which their function is in consonance with the ethos of inclusive education and the way in which children feel about their environment. Inclusion is often conflated with the term integration. The term integration refers to the efforts of the able-bodied people for the disabled people according to their standards and the conditions. On the other hand, the term inclusion refers to bringing a marginalized group or individual to the mainstream section of the society (Angelides, Aravi, 2007). It further refers to a collective endeavour to bring an end to discrimination and provide equal opportunities for all the students. The objective of inclusive schools is to establish a system that includes all the students and ensure that everyones needs are met. Scholars have argued that inclusion and exclusion are part of participation and marginalization in the context of race, gender, sexuality, class, unemployment and poverty along with the traditional roles played by the school. Schools help children to attain education and tame their deviant behaviour. In Cyrus, the education system is completely centralized. The Ministry of Education is entrusted with the responsibility of designing, managing and controlling the curriculum, the resources and textbooks that are to be distributed. The Ministry in association with the inspectorate directly exert their control on the school. Teachers are also included in the framework of supervising the special schools (Angelides, Charalambous, Vrasidas, 2004). The p rovision for special school in Cyprus was implemented by in the year 1979. One of the features of this law is that it provisioned that disabled children should be taught in separate schools. However, this law has come under criticism for solely pertaining to the needs of special children. Over the past few years, the government in Cyprus has promoted the spirit of special education. The authors argue that the pervasion of special units and the pattern in which it functions poses challenges for the students (Hajisoteriou Angelides, 2013). Special classes that are targeted for the special children not only keeps them away from socializing in the mainstream society but there is another problem. It leaves room for subjective judgement as well as the possibility of high-handedness. To deal with such situations, the authors propose that the curriculum should be designed that is in conjunction with the curriculum of the mainstream schools. In the Cypriot society, the ideological and the p hilosophical pillars of the new curriculum were published in the year December 2008. According to Angelidas and Hajisoteriou (2013), an educator should listen to the children. Children are important actors and their subjectivity should be tapped in the designing of a curriculum. Studies have shown that children have the potential to act as catalysts in transforming their life chances. Paying attention to the articulations of the children would be helpful in recognizing the factors that pose constraints in the path of inclusion. Research on students understanding of racism will be helpful in understanding the impact of racism on the self-esteem of children. The voices and articulations of children should be taken into account for looking into the school policies and practises for intercultural education. In his study of the intercultural pedagogical practises among the immigrant children in Cyprus, Angelides examines the education policy in the Cyprian context. Angelides contends that interculturalism emphasize on the nature of cultures that represents the duality of commonality and difference in cultures. Interculturalism is premised on the principle of eliminating oppression through empathetic education, promotion of moral consciousness and understanding the experiences of discrimination from the viewpoints of the victims. The MEC (Ministry of Education and Culture) in Cyprus spearheaded ZEP (Zones of Education Policy) with the objective of dealing with functional illiteracy, marginalization present in the school curriculum and the failure of the school in integrating students of the migrant population. The MEC strived to eliminate the monocultural and ethnocentric elements that are present in the Cyprian education. The Ministry was also committed in promoting intercultural ideology that would connect the traditional values of Cyprus with the knowledge from other cultures. It is determined with to eliminate stereotypes from the textbooks and encourage schools to be conducive to the success of students irrespective of the educational background . The aim of schools would be to promote education that upholds the principle of human dignity. A school should be a be a bastion that do not exclude children from the pursuit of education based on their cultural identities. Coming over to the agentic role played by children in the sphere of classroom, children define intercultural classroom spaces as those that promote collaborative learning, learning of different languages and a classroom that is culturally responsive to the diverse population. Immigrant children in Cyprus believe that classroom becomes an important space for spreading awareness about the different identities along with the sharing of intercultural knowledge. The children believed that classroom spaces that celebrates the cultural differences and have porous boundaries would definitely promote interculturalism. The role of the teachers becomes important in promoting the spirit of interculturalism. Teachers in the schools of Cyprus take the upper hand to ease the cultural tensions that may emerge during the interaction between the native students and the immigrant students (Angelides, Stylianou Leigh, 2004). Students sometimes felt alienated in expressing themselves to their peers and such students expect the teachers to play the role of a mediator and help them with the situation. Studying and participating in culturally heterogeneous environment becomes a fodder for better communication nad problem solving. Collaborative learning encourages the native students to understand their immigrant counterparts better and help them with their everyday problems. However, language barrier can pose as a major constraint and therefore, it is important to revise and reformulate policies pertaining to multiculturalism. However, the present intercultural policies have been empowering for the immigrant st udents as they felt they were not mere receivers of knowledge but also had a more substantial role. Angelides argue that teachers should collect feedback from students and listen to their experiences of acculturation. These knowledge would enable the teachers for seeking better ways to promote intercultural education and upheld the principle of inclusion (Hajisoteriou Angelides, 2015). To promote inclusion, children should be placed in groups based on their ethnicity, language, style of interaction and different set of skills possessed by them. Collaborative techniques would reduce prejudice about foreign students and at the same time foster mutually responsive tasks. Teacher should take account of the suggestions of students and promote teamwork. Continuing the discussions on the role of teachers, Angelides, (2014) in his study of the role of teachers found that teachers, who are part of schools that comprises of disabled children, have to exert extra efforts. It is argued by the author, that the government needs to be more supportive in terms of resources for these teachers. Teachers in order to provide quality education should be given adequate support (Angelides, Stylianou Gibbs, 2006). Instead of allocating all responsibilities on a single teacher, more teachers should be appointed to make the task less cumbersome. Teachers should be provided with escort assistants who would cater to the requirements of the special children. The Ministry of Education needs to adopt community-oriented approach that would aid the teachers in providing education to the children with special needs. Learning is a participatory and collaborative process and the role of teachers is quite instrumental in facilitating this mode of education (Ange lides Ainscow, 2000). Multidimensional learning and group-oriented learning would be useful transforming the contemporary nature of education. Angelides and Gibbs, (2006), have found that there is efficiency when teachers work with vignettes. The term vignettes refer to the hypothetical person who comprises of all the characteristics of a real student the teacher would deal with in the future teacher-student interaction. The methodological advantage off using vignettes is that is characterized by communal enquiry and collaborative understanding. It attempts to integrate the various stakeholders in imparting of education like the school, policy makers, academicians and researchers. This method allows the teachers to reflect on their mode of teaching and continuously improvise on it (Evagorou, et al., 2014). Another advantage of using the vignette method by the teachers is that it enables to make a sense of the complexities of the school communities. And engage in better practises th at would develop the organization of the school. Hajisoteriou, Neophytou and Angelides (2015), in their study of the high-level officers attitude towards intercultural education in Cyprus found that they believe in the essence of equality, mutual respect and justice forming the crux of intercultural education. They believe intercultural education upholds the values of human spirit and democracy. Curriculum is understood to be a cultural and social construction. Curriculum designing is representative of the design of spaces of learning. The human agency that is involved in the construction of the curriculum is important to achieve the objectives of the curriculum. The design of the curriculum reveals the politics and social location of the people in charge of the tasks. The authors are of the opinion that autonomy of the teachers should not be the goal of the curriculum but rendering students the autonomy to participate in the decision-making should be the greater objective. There is an imperative to adopt the curriculum as a praxis approach. This approach would question the existing curriculum structure and promote a more ethical and inclusive curriculum structure. Not just countries like Greece but the leading powers of the world like united Kingdom have similar problems in schools. For example, gender, ethnic and class stratification are key issues that plague schools in UK (Angelides, Vrasidas Charalambous, 2007). It is ironical keeping in mind the diverse population of UK and the financial support it receives to improve its education system. It has been identified that the garb of neoliberal policies in United Kingdom exacerbates the exclusion of the ethnic minorities. There is a relationship between the educational attainment of minority children and the factors that impede their educational attainment. The Black students face several kinds of disadvantages and so as the Muslim minorities in UK. Family, lineage of the family, peer group and teachers together play an important role in the educational attainment of the child. Similarly, Muslims are the most vulnerable when it comes to the discrimination and exclusion in education (Faas, Haj isoteriou Angelides, 2014). Right wing and conservative leaders exploit this fear of the citizens and entrench their vote banks. In the wake of the Muslim students who have to bear the burden. They are either looked upon with suspicion due to their distinctive identity or they have to maintain the image of a victim in crisis. cartoon crisis in Denmark, growing fear of terrorism and the islamophobia, it is the minority. According Stalker, (2002), the working class, marginalized immigrant Muslim boys are represented as economic burden to the developed nations and at the same time encroaching on the employment opportunities of the citizens. Therefore, they are perpetually viewed as outsiders who are infringing on the interests of the country. Attempts at making hijab an unacceptable dresscode in schools are some of the attempts to otherize the Muslims and exclude them from the educational sphere. In this light, Irelands stand on hijab in schools underlines an inclusive policy by adopt ing a liberal framework. Studies have shown that peer group support plays a significant role in reducing the effects of exclusion or eliminating exclusion. Tracking system in primary school education and early streaming have been recognized as contributing towards exclusion. Conclusion The above discussion focuses on important issues of inclusive education, interculturalism and marginalization. Inclusive education can be achieved by understanding the dimensions and nuances of the term. The issue of marginalization faced by children is not limited to the context of Cyprus but is also evident in countries like UK and France. Marginalization can lead to a feeling of insecurity, alienation and exclusion from the space of classroom. To reduce the effects of marginalization, inclusive education policy should be the goal. For this, teachers, students, school authority and academicians all need to participate in a collaborative process. There is a need to understand the problems faced by the marginalized students from their perspectives and include them in transforming their condition. It s found that teachers play a crucial role in reducing the implications of marginalization and therefore, they should be sensitized to deal with the situation. Listening to the experiences of the marginalized students and engaging in collaborative artmaking can be important steps in promoting interculturalism and inclusiveness in the educational sphere. References Ainscow, M., Booth, T., Dyson, A. (2006).Improving schools, developing inclusion. Routledge. Angelides, P., Ainscow, M. (2000). Making sense of the role of culture in school improvement.School effectiveness and school improvement,11(2), 145-163. Angelides*, P., Charalambous, C., Vrasidas, C. (2004). Reflections on policy and practice of inclusive education in pre?primary schools in Cyprus.European Journal of Special Needs Education,19(2), 211-223. Angelides, P., Stylianou, T., Leigh, J. (2004). Reflections on Policy and Practice in Multicultural Education in Cyprus.International Journal of Educational Policy, Research, and Practice: Reconceptualizing Childhood Studies,5(2), 61-85. Angelides, P. (2005). The Missing Piece of the Puzzle Called.International Journal of Special Education,20(2), 32-35. Angelides, P., Stylianou, T., Gibbs, P. (2006). Preparing teachers for inclusive education in Cyprus.Teaching and teacher education,22(4), 513-522. Angelides, P., Gibbs, P. (2006). Supporting the continued professional development of teachers through the use of vignettes.Teacher Education Quarterly,33(4), 111-121. Angelides, P., Vrasidas, C., Charalambous, C. (2007). Teachers' Practice as a Marginalization Factor in the Process for Inclusive Education in Cyprus.Journal of the International Association of Special Education,8(1). Angelides, P., Aravi, C. (2007). The development of inclusive practices as a result of the process of integrating deaf/hard of hearing students.European Journal of Special Needs Education,22(1), 63-74. Angelides, P., Michaelidou, A. (2009). Collaborative artmaking for reducing marginalization.Studies in Art Education,51(1), 36-49. Angelides, P. (2012). Forms of leadership that promote inclusive education in Cypriot schools.Educational Management Administration Leadership,40(1), 21-36. Evagorou, M., Albe, V., Angelides, P., Couso, D., Chirlesan, G., Evans, R. H., ... Nielsen, J. A. (2014). Preparing pre-service science teachers to teach socio-scientific (SSI) argumentation.Science Teacher Education,69(39-48). Faas, D., Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2014). Intercultural education in Europe: Policies, practices and trends.British Educational Research Journal,40(2), 300-318. Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2013). The politics of intercultural education in Cyprus: Policy-making and challenges.Education Inquiry,4(1), 103-123. Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2015). Listening to childrens voices on intercultural education policy and practice.International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,28(1), 112-130. Stalker, P. (2002). Migration trends and migration policy in Europe.International migration,40(5), 151-179.

John Cabot Essays - Age Of Discovery, John Cabot, Navigators

John Cabot John Cabot, an Italian mariner, was born in Genoa, Italy around the year 1450. He worked as a trader in what is now called the Middle East. He moved to England in 1484 with his three sons, Ludovico, Sebastiano, and Sancto and gained experience as a seaman. On his commercial journeys, which took him to the shores of Arabia, he heard of the countries rich in spices that lay to the Far East and wanted to find a better route to the Orient. John Cabot set out to get patents from the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to obtain support for his voyage. However, both turned him down. Finally, King Henry VII granted Cabot and his three sons the right to seek islands and countries of the West, with a small ship named Matthew and a crew of 18 men. So he set sail from Bristol, England in May 2, 1497. Cabot never got to China by sea. Almost two months later, John Cabot discovered the island of Newfoundland on June 24, 1497. This was the first documented voyage to Newfoundland. Many people believe he landed at Cape Bonavista. He thought he had reached a small island off the coast of Asia. On June 26th, Cabot began his return voyage because of bad weather and no food. He returned without any spices or treasure but he received a warm welcome regardless. He did return with mapped out details of the North American coast. He was granted another patent on February 3, 1498, and this allowed him to embark on a second expedition. This was made up of five ships and three hundred men, and set sail some time before July 25, 1498. King Henry VII only granted him one ship but 4 merchants hoping to cash in on a new route to Orient provided the other 4 ships. They first went north, apparently as far as possible; drifting ice forced them to turn. They sailed along the east coast of North America past Newfoundland, which Cabot named Bacallaos, and as far as Cape Hatteras. John Cabot also may have reached the Hudson Bay on his expedition to the North West Passage. Later he also explored the Rio de la Plata region of Brazil for the Spanish. In 15448 he became governor of a joint stock company in England with he negotiated a commercial treaty with Russia. This company, later called The Muscovy Company, was the first major English joint-stock trading company and financed trading expeditions to Russia and Asia. Cabot was paid cash for discovering Newfoundland. He was also given a pension. He only collected that pension once. It is believed he drowned at sea. Nevertheless, his discoveries guarantee John Cabot a place among the greatest discoverers. In fact, they are still celebrating his discoveries. The Cabot Tower was built on Signal Hill in St. John's in 1897. It was built to mark the 400th anniversary of Cabot's discovery.

Battle of Paulus Hook in the American Revolution

Battle of Paulus Hook in the American Revolution Battle of Paulus Hook - Conflict Date: The Battle of Paulus Hook took place on August 19, 1779, during the American Revolution (1775-1783).   Armies Commanders United States Major Henry Light Horse Harry Lee300 men Great Britain Major William Sutherland250 men Battle of Paulus Hook - Background: In the spring of 1776, Brigadier General William Alexander, Lord Stirling directed that a series of fortifications be built along the west bank of the Hudson River opposite New York City.   Among those that were constructed was a fort on Paulus Hook (present-day Jersey City).   That summer, the garrison at Paulus Hook engaged British warships as they arrived to commence General Sir William Howes campaign against New York City.   After General George Washingtons Continental Army suffered a reverse at the Battle of Long Island in August and Howe captured the city in September, American forces withdrew from Paulus Hook.   A short time later, British troops landed to occupy the post.    Situated to control access to northern New Jersey, Paulus Hook sat on a spit of land with water on two sides.   On the landward side, it was protected by a series of salt marshes that flooded at high tide and could only be crossed via a single causeway.   Upon the hook itself, the British built a series of redoubts and earthworks which were centered on an oval casemate containing six guns and a powder magazine.   By 1779, the garrison at Paulus Hook consisted of around 400 men led by  Colonel Abraham Van Buskirk.   Additional support for the posts defense could be summoned from New York through the use of a variety of signals.            Ã‚   Battle of Paulus Hook - Lees Plan: In July 1779, Washington directed Brigadier General Anthony Wayne to mount a raid against the British garrison at Stony Point.   Attacking on night of July 16, Waynes men achieved a stunning success and captured the post.   Taking inspiration from this operation, Major Henry Light Horse Harry Lee approached Washington about making a similar effort against Paulus Hook.   Though initially reluctant due to the posts proximity to New York City, the American commander elected to authorize the attack.   Lees plan called for his force to overwhelm Paulus Hooks garrison at night and then destroy the fortifications before withdrawing at dawn.   To accomplish the mission, he assembled a force of 400 men consisting of 300 from the 16th Virginia under Major John Clark, two companies from Maryland overseen by Captain Levin Handy, and a troop of dismounted dragoons drawn from Captain Allen McLeans rangers.                Battle of Paulus Hook - Moving Out: Departing from New Bridge (River Edge) on the evening of August 18, Lee moved south with the goal of attacking around midnight.   As the strike force covered the fourteen miles to Paulus Hook, problems ensued as a local guide attached to Handys command became lost in the woods delaying the column for three hours.   Additionally, a portion of the Virginians found themselves separated from Lee.   In a stroke of luck, the Americans avoided a column of 130 men led by Van Buskirk that had sortied from the fortifications.   Reaching Paulus Hook after 3:00 AM, Lee ordered Lieutenant Guy Rudolph to reconnoiter for a path across the salt marshes.   Once one was located, he divided his command into two columns for the assault. Battle of Paulus Hook - Bayonet Attack: Moving through the marshes and a canal undetected, the Americans found that their powder and ammunition had become wet.   Ordering his troops to fix bayonets, Lee directed one column to break through the abatis and storm Paulus Hooks outer entrenchments.   Surging forward, his men gained a brief advantage as the sentries initially believed the approaching men were Van Buskirks troops returning.   Swarming into the fortress, the Americans overwhelmed the garrison and forced Major William Sutherland, commanding in the colonels absence, to retreat with a small force of Hessians to a small redoubt.   Having secured the remainder of Paulus Hook, Lee began to assess the situation as dawn was rapidly approaching. Lacking forces to storm the redoubt, Lee planned to burn the fortress barracks.   He quickly abandoned this plan when it was found that they were filled with sick men, women, and children.   Having captured 159 enemy soldiers and achieved a victory, Lee elected to begin withdrawing before British reinforcements arrived from New York.   The plan for this phase of the operation called for his troops to move to Douws Ferry where they would cross the Hackensack River to safety.   Arriving at the ferry, Lee was alarmed to find that required boats were absent.   Lacking other options, he men began marching north over a route similar that used earlier in the night. Battle of Paulus Hook - Withdrawal Aftermath: Reaching Three Pigeons Tavern, Lee reconnected with 50 of the Virginians who had become separated during the movement south.   Possessing dry powder, they were quickly deployed as flankers to protect the column.   Pressing on, Lee soon connected with 200 reinforcements sent south by Stirling.   These men aided in repelling an assault by Van Buskirk a short time later.   Though pursued by Sutherland and reinforcements from New York, Lee and his force safely arrived back at New Bridge around 1:00 PM.   In the attack at Paulus Hook, Lees command suffered 2 killed, 3 wounded, and 7 captured while the British incurred over 30 killed and wounded as well as 159 captured.   Though not large-scale victories, the American successes at Stony Point and Paulus Hook helped convince the British commander in New York, General Sir Henry Clinton, that a decisive triumph could not be obtained in the region.   As a result, he began planning a campaign in the southern colonies for the following year.   In recognition of his achievement, Lee received a gold medal from Congress.   He would later serve with distinction in the South and was the father of noted Confederate commander Robert E. Lee. Selected Sources HistoryNet: Battle of Paulus Hook2nd Virginia Regiment: Battle of Paulus Hook Revolutionary New Jersey: Battle of Paulus Hook

Duramold - Fairchild - Howard Hughes and the Spruce Goose

Duramold - Fairchild - Howard Hughes and the Spruce Goose In the late 1930s, aircraft of composite materials began to appear made of plastic-impregnated wood materials called duramold. The most famous and largest aircraft of duramold construction was the eight-engine Howard Hughes flying boat dubbed the Spruce Goose. Sherman Mills Fairchild According to the Fairchild Corporation, In the mid-1930s, Fairchild pioneered the application of composite structures to airframe design and production - duramold. The adhesive bonding processes and techniques are still followed in the manufacture of composite structures today. Fairchild also developed the first nine-lens mapping camera for the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1936. Duramold Aircraft Spruce Goose The Spruce Goose was not the first airplane to use duramold material. Many small planes had been built using duramold during the early thirties by the Fairchild Aviation. The Spruce Goose was originally conceived by Henry J. Kaiser, a steel maker and builder of Liberty ships. The aircraft was designed, constructed, and engineered by Howard Hughes and his staff. The Spruce Gooses exterior was created with material using the duramold process of laminating plywood and it was the largest plane ever to fly. In 1947, Millionaire Howard Hughes became the first person to pilot the Spruce Goose. Spruce Goose Howard Hughes Becomes The First Person To Fly The Spruce Goose In 1905, Howard Hughes was born in Houston, Texas. Hughes inherited the patent rights to an oil tool drill made by the Hughes Tool Company. A millionaire, Howard Hughes both inherited and made his own money. An adventurous soul, he formed the Hughes Aircraft Corporation and loved to pilot planes and break aviation records. After flying across America, Howard Hughes turned to movie making and formed his own motion picture studio.

Deciphering Quotes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Deciphering Quotes - Assignment Example This eternal failure depresses people. The whole area of morality and justice involves official laws and courts, which can constrain people with more and more detailed prohibitions. Perhaps officialdom brings out the worst in people, and laws which are intended to be helpful are often used as weapons for people to humiliate and punish each other in public, rather than sorting out their differences in an informal discussion. The last statement about industry and profit is a very good one for our present times because it highlights the danger that comes when people build up huge amounts of wealth and possessions. This enrages people who are poor, and encourages them to steal from the rich, because the gap between rich and poor is so extreme. It seems that Lao-tzu recommends a quiet and modest life, in which each person lives by his or her own conscience, looking after self and others in a gentle way, rather than chasing after high ideals or great wealth which do not make people happy. 2 Plato: â€Å"The prison house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows.† In this quotation Plato explains the true meaning of his famous allegory of the cave. He has just been describing a â€Å"prison house† which is a cave in which human being are chained facing one wall, unable to see each other, or look in any other direction except at the wall in front of them. This makes me think of the way that many people have very fixed ideas about things, and can only see one perspective. In this allegory, however, the intention is not to point out the error of one particular way of thinking, but instead Plato wants us to think about the limitations of human understanding in general. The prisoners can only see shadows which are ref lected on the wall, because they are physically constrained to do so. This is an analogy for the way that human beings are forced to apprehend the world through their physical senses. They see some of the attributes of things in the world around them, but they cannot see others, for example the naked eye cannot see microscopic creatures or distant planets, but these objects do exist. The notion of the â€Å"ascent of the soul into the intellectual world†, which Plato represents as a journey out of the cave and its shadows into the full light and space of the world outside, shows the huge benefit that people gain when they use their mental faculties to complement the partial understanding that they gain from their senses. In a way this journey of the soul is a definition of philosophy, and an encouragement for students of Plato to step outside the purely physical dimension and think about higher things. 3 Aristotle: â€Å"The study of humankind requires awareness of peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s differences of background, education, habit, temperament, and other similar factors.† Aristotle is making a very important point about human nature, which is the great diversity that exists in society. It may be that Aristotle is arguing against the kind of philosophy that generalizes about human beings, as if they were all the same, or as if there is one model of

Stare Decisis and the Principle of Precedent Coursework

Stare Decisis and the Principle of Precedent - Coursework Example Gur-Arie highlights that though judicial independence was originally intended in order to have courts and judges who settle disputes impartially regardless of potential, proffers, and real favors. In addition, the judges are expected to uphold democratic accountability. However, the United States provisions promote the judiciary’s democratic control on one hand while promoting judicial independence on the other. This is evident in the present procedures for judicial budgeting that leaves the courts and judges under the oversight and slight control from the executive and the legislature. One best instance is that of executive branch influencing judicial funding levels through its propositions to Congress on fiscal policy. Furthermore, the Congress determines the extent of funding for the judicial branch. Conversely, the Legislators utilize their power on funding to reveal the approval or disapproval of how the judges manage the courts, and though rare, the legislators use their positions to reveal their approval or disapproval of decisions by the judiciary. In addition, Congress utilizes other control means to regulate the effects of judicial decision making and the threats of other decisions in the future. In this case, the fact that it is the president who appoints federal judges with the consent and advice of the Senate leaves the judiciary under the influence of political forces as the legislature and the executive seek to achieve their ambitions.

American Airlines and US Airway’s Merger Essay Example for Free

American Airlines and US Airway’s Merger Essay Abstract American Airlines has suffered tremendous profit losses over the last few years. The losses have been so great that the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The news for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection was a shock to many, considering the fact that they had enough money to operate and cover their losses through the following year. The merger indeed was great decision on behalf of American Airlines. The merger itself was questionable. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against regarding concerns that it could raise prices for consumers. A settlement was reached and the world largest airline has been formed. American Airlines has been suffering for many years. The company has suffered more losses than profits. Jobs have been cut; benefits have been scaled back, and the pilots of American Airlines are paid a lot lower salaries than their competitors. Many of them have been furloughed. All of these and many other factors have contributed to American deciding to create the world largest airlines with US Airways. In this essay I will discuss the circumstances that resulted in the merger, assess the significant positive (or negative) effects of the merger, and examine the organizational structure that has resulted from the merger. American Airlines filed for bankruptcy in November 2011. According to an interview with Richard Quest of CNN, Thomas Horton the new CEO of American Airlines stated that the company was forced into bankruptcy because of the cost disadvantages it faced compared to it’s competitors that had already gone through a bankruptcy. The news came as a shock to many. The company had enough money  to sustain the losses that it may incur through the next year. Although the company had the money to operate, the company still decided to go through with filing for bankruptcy (Isidore Ellis, 2011). At one time American was the world largest carrier, it had dropped to third in the recent years. The company has reported only one quarter where a profit was made since 2007, and lost 4.8 billion over those three and a half years. The company was projected to continue to suffer losses. Now that the merger has been approved, American will be able to get themselves out of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (Isidore Ellis, 2011). Now that the merger is complete, the new American Airlines has ordered over 600 new aircrafts that are updated and more modern. The new aircrafts will allow them to compete with their competitors. In the past they have lost a great deal of money from their business class travelers due to their lack of the amenities that their competitors carry on their aircrafts (American, US Airways reach merger deal., 2013). The two jo ining airlines will offer over 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries. The merger will not distress any of the hubs presently served by American Airlines and US Airways. American Airlines has been in bankruptcy for a little over a year, and the merger will be effected pursuant to a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11. The combination of American and US Airways brings together two highly complementary networks with access to the best destinations around the globe and gives us a strong platform to provide our customers the most connected, comfortable travel experience available, Horton said The operational and financial strength of the combined airline is expected to enable continued investment in new products and technologies and will create exciting new opportunities for our people, even as we deliver strong cash flow and sustainable profitability. (American, US Airways reach merger deal., 2013). The merger with Us Airways allowed American Airlines to come out of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December. Being able to do so was the first time that a ma jor airline has been able to satisfy a bankruptcy with a return on equity for its shareholders. By deciding to partner with a smaller, but stable US Airways, the company was able to raise the value of the combine stock. Pursuant to the plan of reorganization, so-called double-dip, single-dip, and intercompany claims were settled through a delivery process which distributed the proceeds of America Airlines estate based on the  trading price of the new companys common shares. This quick fix solution lessens the opportunity of appraisal disputes by guaranteeing creditors got a current market value. When it was all said and done, American Airlines creditors, including its unsecured creditors were given payment in full. For the first time in a major airline reformation, shareholders were able to accept a return on their equity. The approved stock exchange merger left American Airlines shareholders with 72% of the new company and the US Airway investors with the lingering 28%.US Airways decided to do what most company who are going through a merger wouldn’t. They negotiated with American Airlines unions before finalizing the merger. This established a foundation of a cooperative negotiating agreement for the new company, so that labor disagreements would not disrupt or lengthen the merger development. Following numerous noteworthy airline merges it was predictable that the formation of one of the worlds largest carriers would raise some anti-trust hurd les. The first curtailed from the US government. The airline seized a proactive tactic, agreeing to surrender some of it apertures at airports around the US, leading to court approval of the merger (Thomas, 2014). Although the two companies have merged and are legally one entity, they have both agreed to operate separately until they can integrate both systems successfully. As with any merger, both sides will suffer losses of their employees. Majority of the top leadership positions will be held by US Airways top executives in the new American Airlines. US Airways CEO Doug Parker will head the merged carrier. Of the top eight executive positions, five of those positions come from the US Airways side. American CEO Tom Horton will be the chairman of the board, and will continue on through until the first meeting of the new board next year. Parker will keep the executives that he is more familiar with. The new leadership team includes US Airways President Scott Kirby and others who have worked alongside Parker for several years (American and US Airways name merged airline leadership, 2013). American Airlines has suffered tremendously over the last few years. Us Airway which is a smaller company, was in a better position financially than American. Although Us Airway was more stable, they didn’t have access to many of the locations that American Airlines did. The merger was a great idea for both. American was able to get out of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier than anticipated. They have switched over from the Star  Alliance and move to One world global alliance. The new company now has over a 100,000 employees worldwide. Nothing but positive results seems to be coming from the merger of the two. In the beginning, the merger was questionable, and the Justice Department along with six other states filed a lawsuit against the company. The reason for the lawsuit is that they were in fear of the creation of the world largest airline raising prices on travelers. The slight raise in ticket sales, fees for flight changes, check bags, would be detrimental to consumers. American Airlines and US Airways were able to settle the suit and bring everyone to ease. In summary, the merger has run smoothly thus so far and according to plan. Currently both companies are operating individually although they are legally identified as one entity. The companies are working to collaborate their systems together as well. At the point in time, they are honoring each other’s flier miles and plan. Some of them have been eliminated to coincide with the polices of the company. American Airlines decided to merge with Us Airways to regain its place as the world largest airline. The reason for the merger has been negative on American’s side, but will benefit their company in the long run. In my essay, I have attempted to explain In the circumstances that resulted in the merger, assess the significant positive (or negative) effects of the merger, and examine the organizational structure that has resulted from the merger.

Immigration and America :: Immigrants Emigration Essays

Immigration and America Many modern textbooks state that Christopher Columbus â€Å"found† America in 1492. Taken literally, this statement is obviously false. Many geologists will concur that the lands of the world have been in existence for billions of years. More pertinent to the discussion of American history, learned researchers will concur that there is proven fact that humans lived on the land now called America for thousands of years before the name Columbus reached the Western world. Over 37 million people from Europe, 6 million from Asia, and 10 million from the rest of the world have immigrated to the United States since 1820.[1] In essence almost all â€Å"Americans† are descended in some part from immigrants to the New World. The tossed salad that is America is made great because of the variety of ideas from foreign lands. Immigration is crucial to American success because of the extreme scope of thought contained within America and the acceptance of the world as a whole immigration brings. The success of America is based largely on the wide variety of thought brought to the New World. Multiple accounts describe the trials of immigrants attempting to gain a new lifestyle within America for one or more of a host of reasons. Many of these accounts detail a case in which the immigrant is able to become successful within a self-owned business or create a new idea for the good of the country and the world. Examples of this set of circumstances are plentiful. One such case is Samuel Slater.[2] His careful study of European mills proved very useful upon entrance in America. After building his own mill, America rose to become one of the world’s top producers of manufactured goods. Another valuable example is Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel Corporation. Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, came to America and first found work as a bookkeeper. He then progressed up the ranks of multiple companies and eventually started a steel business in Pennsylvania, later to become one of the most lucrative businesses in American history. Carnegie’s drive and determination after coming to the New World were outstanding and were voiced within his Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. â€Å"There was scarcely a minute in which I could not learn something or find out how much there was to learn and how little I knew.

Bacteria Growth and Glucose Percentages

Bacteria’s Growth Affected by Various Glucose Percentages This lab tested whether or not different glucose levels activated bacteria growth. My lab group and I wanted to figure out, if more glucose was spread on the bacteria plates, would there be more bacteria growth in the agar plate. My group predicted that with 25% glucose (the highest percentage of glucose), the bacteria growth would be the greatest. In order to conduct this experiment, my group had 3 ager plates. One plate had 0% glucose, the next plate had 5% glucose and the third plate had 25% glucose in it.Once we received all the plates, we light an alcohol burner. We then used a pipet to sterile collect bacteria from the culture tubes. We then opened the first ager plate (0% glucose) and transferred 10 drops of bacteria culture onto the plate. Then we did the same for the next 2 plates (5% and 25% glucose). Next, we sterilized the spreader by waving it in the flame (alcohol burner) for 15 seconds. Then, we let the s preader cool for 10 seconds, and then opened the first agar plate and spread the bacteria around the plate by quickly and slightly sliding the spreader back and forth across the plate for 5 seconds.Then we closed the plate and did the same thing for the next 2 plates. Next, we sealed each plate with a strip of Para film and then placed the plates with bacteria on the side of the room until the following week. After waiting a week, we received our group’s ager plates back. We noticed that with our experiment, the most amount of bacteria growth had no glucose in it. Our results were the following: with no glucose, there was 25% bacteria growth, with 5% glucose added to the ager plates, there was only 15% bacteria growth, and with 25% glucose added to the ager plates, only 1% of bacteria growth was present.The least amount of bacteria growth contained the largest percentage of glucose. Based off of our group’s results, we can reject our hypothesis. We realized that our pr ediction was not what our results showed us. Our prediction was that 25% glucose would have the most amount of bacteria growth, however we can now conclude that bacteria growth does not need any glucose to reproduce. In fact, the more glucose there is, the least amount of bacteria growth occurs. If glucose is present in the bacteria, it is possible for bacteria to reproduce; however bacteria will reproduce the greatest when no glucose is present at all.

University Store Case

FIFO or LIFO In the case, the university Store provided plenty of goods and services with various costs. They frequently have their costs, selling prices and discounted prices changed. This process would contain a large amount of work since the Store kept large number of books. Although the Store has planned to record data by establishing a new software system, they used the retail method easing and simplifying inventory tracking. Comparing the FIFO or the LIFO method, the retail method would be the better to value Inventory with two major reasons. One reason is that GAP would accept the report under the retail method.While applying the FIFO or LIFO method, the Store would calculate historical percentages to estimate ending Inventory cost. However, they would use the â€Å"current cost-to-retail† ratios, which are more acceptable and reliable for GAP financial report. The other is that the Store could be easy to record inventory. The Store could record numbers including the to tal cost and purchase retail value, costs and retail prices, and total sales in a period. Also, the Store sometimes marks up the original sale prices, which should be marked down before calculating ending Inventory.By acquiring same Information, cost-to-retail percentage in FIFO or LIFO method are able to be calculated with omitting beginning inventory or only using beginning inventory respectively. Causes and Procedures for Inventory Obsolescence The Store realized that they needed to consider the inventory obsolescence problem. They have found the large volume of â€Å"inactive† books, which could re-adopt in the next semester or could not be returned to publishers. The major causes of this problem could be divided Into four parts. Firstly. E turnover rate of returns manager was significantly high in the recent years, causing difficulties to clear the unneeded textbooks before the new edition published. If the textbooks became obsolete and unable to be returned to publisher s, they would be stored in the bookstore or the warehouse, making losses in the financial report. The first procedure to improve the problem could be to find the reasons of high turnover rate like large workload, high-pressure environment or unexpected salary. Then, the Store should address the problem with different strategies depending on the reasons. Secondly, the Store distributed little employees to work on arranging the inactive textbooks since total employees were insufficient. This problem caused the obsolete books would stored increasingly making financial losses. To solve the problem, the Store could recruit more employees in order to pay more attention on the Inactive textbooks If the Store has ability to hire more. Moreover, the Store tried to actively pay back the used books In order to lower costs. TLS caused the Store would possibly obtain the unneeded books, which professors would stop using next semester.These textbooks would be unable to return to the publishers an d would become losses for financial reporting. The procedure solving the problem could be firstly asking professors or teachers whether the used textbooks would be continually used in the future. Next, the Store would be able to decide which book should pay back depending on their requirements and recommendations. Last but not least, the would lower sales of textbooks recently. If the Store obtained the same number of a specific textbook with decreasing usage, the books would become inactive causing financial losses.In order to solve the problem, the Store could establish a survey about the decreasing demands or possible cancellations of the books. After that, they could estimate the future inventory of fewer books with low demands. Inventory Practices Cause Misstatement Risk of Inventory While calculating the inventory value, some practices would possibly increase the risk of misstatement. At first, errors would appear in recording different costs, selling prices and price changes in sale while organizing hundreds of products.The Store should arrange at least two employees to check the values are correct although they eve already faced the problem of insufficient employees, which would cause individual workload increases. Secondly, the part-time workers with insufficient training and frequent turnover rate would create calculating mistakes. Although heavy reliance of part-time employees could lower the operating cost, it would increase the risk of inventory misstatement. To detect this possible misstatement, the Store should hire more full-time employees or provide a position to monitor the process of switching different part-time employees.Also, the revisions of college extols were published more frequently, which increase the risk of inventory misstatement. The Store needs to obtain the information about the time the revision would be published in the future and content comparison with old version. Likewise, the textbook demand is hard to determine or estim ate since currently students are able to purchase cheaper from different sources like friends or online. The Store can provide some promotion or sale to attract the students. It can obtain small volume of inventory, and then decide to purchase more depending on the demand.

The Client essays

The Client essays 1. I enjoyed reading this interesting book. It talks about eleven years old Mark Sway and his younger They were sharing cigarette when by chance a suicidal lawyer left Mark knowing a bloody and explosive secret: whereabouts of the senators dead body. 2. The main idea of the book is the struggle between the legal system trying to find the truth and the Mafia who will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. Mark is caught between them and his only ally is a woman called Reggie Love, who has been a lawyer. Reggie will do anything to protect her client-even take a last desperate gamble that could win Mark his freedom... ...

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategy - Essay Example ..13 Conclusion........................................................14 References........................................................15 Introduction Tesco is a multinational organisation with its headquarters located in the United Kingdom. Tesco has been in operation for over half a century and it is currently the biggest UK supermarket chain (Sadler, 2003). Tesco currently operates in markets around the world with 14 divisions around the globe spread over five continents. This paper examines the strategy of Tesco. It analyses the elements of strategic management employed by Tesco to attain and maintain competitive advantage and optimise resources. It evaluates the history, corporate structure, internal competencies, the micro environment, competitors as well as the globalised and British macro environment within which Tesco operates. History of Tesco’s Strategy Sir Jack Cohen founded Tesco after the Second World War with the belief that the higher the volume of goods s old, the lower the prices for the seller and the consumer. So Sir Cohen started as a retailer focusing on bulk sales and increasing the number of outlets (TescoPLC.com) By the 1980s, Tesco had chains of supermarkets across the UK. However, in the late 1980s, Sainsbury and Waitrose were preferred retail merchants in Britain. Investors complained Tesco had lost touch with customers. So according to Sadler (2003), Tesco embarked on a large scale market survey and incorporated four things in its strategy: 1. Lower prices 2. Better and improved customer service 3. Give customer diversity through differentiation 4. Focus on non-food products In the 1990s, Tesco built more superstores with the aim of avoiding queues, deploying a sales team that will give customers a personal touch in their operation, include financial products in its array of services and also sell through the use of e-commerce. In 1996, Tesco beat Sainsbury as leader in UK retail. In 2001, Tesco hit the ?1 billion mark in its annual sales and increased earnings per share. In 2002, Tesco had 37% of its shops located overseas. Non-UK sales was about ?3 billion. Tesco now operates internationally with the slogan, ‘think global, act local’. (References about Tesco’s historical facts made from TescoPLC.com (Our History Page) and Sadler, 2003 pp 236 – 243) Tesco is a great competitor in the field of retail in the UK and beyond because of several reasons. In 2010, it made a group sales of ?62.5 billion and out of this, 53% was from international sales. (Tesco PLC Website, Annual Report Page). The Annual Report also indicates that the profit before tax for Tesco for 2010 was ?3.4 billion. In 2010 also, Tesco had a total of 4,811 stores around the world. Strategic Management of Tesco Tesco is run by a Board of Directors and a Team of Managers. The Board of Directors is made up of 8 Executive Directors and 7 Independent Non-Executive Directors. The management team is led by a CEO an d 14 other CEOs drawn from the fourteen units and branches around the globe. Together, these two teams are tasked with the strategic management of the Tesco Group. Organogram of Tesco PLC Website (Executive Committee) â€Å"Strategic management is the art and science of formulating, implementing and evaluating cross functional decisions that enable an organisation to achieve its objectives† (David, 2003) Strategic management entails a set of decisions that affect the overall functioning of an organisation over a long period of time. It is the task of top-level

Finance for manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance for manager - Essay Example In the initial three (3) year period the market will be restricted to only a few suppliers but this will change thereafter as the market will be opened to other suppliers. This means that care should be taken to ensure that the company does not invest in too large a capacity which may not be necessary later. There are two options available to Steelbeam. The company can either choose option 1 – which involves investing in capital with a limited capacity to produce a maximum of 1,000 units (small capacity) or option 2 with the capacity to produce a maximum of 4,000 units (large capacity). These alternatives have different variable cost per unit with the large capacity project having the lowest variable cost per unit and the small capacity project the highest variable cost. In assessing the two options the company has to pay attention to the contribution that both projects make to fixed cost as well as the break even point in units. Additionally, every capital budgeting decision requires the use of capital budgeting techniques in order to make a determination of which option is more advantageous to the company. The techniques available to your company include: ENPV is calculated using the figures obtained from the pessimistic, most likely and optimistic market forecast while applying the formula used in project evaluation and review technique (PERT). This technique assumes that the estimates of sales and demand activity follow a probability distribution (See Heizer and Render 2006). The expected sales and demand are found through the application of weights to the three estimates in each case – of demand and sales, as follows: The information arrived at from the computations suggests that the expected annual demand is 6,333 units and the expected selling price per unit - Â £12,167. These figures can be used to determine which option is better for Steelbeam PLC. Each option will be assessed to determine its

The Marketing Strategy Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

The Marketing Strategy Project - Research Paper Example This is a feasibility report for the establishment of nightclubs in the United Kingdom. An organization that is currently operating some nightclubs in the United States seeks to expand into the European market and is interested in targeting its preliminary efforts in the U.K. This country has a vibrant history of active nightclub life with the latest record labels and new artists being introduced here. The New York nightclub that has opened several facilities across the United States using the same principles of urban music, designer food and dà ©cor and good food and music and the organization has experienced some degree of success and is in a   healthy position to consider expansion into the European market. The U.K. scenario: The selection of the U.K. offers several advantages. Next, to the United States, it has the highest proportions of nightclub traffic. The common language of English used in the UK reduces barriers that may be created by communication difficulties.   New York City laws on smoking and noise control have resulted in the loss of some business for the nightclub and this is aggravated by the fact that the customers are not loyal to one club but are constantly on the lookout for the latest hot spot (Crains, 2004). However, in contrast, the UK offers the facility of a new Licensing Act that provides for a 24 hour, composite license to open and operate a nightclub, provide drinks, refreshment and entertainment. Several of the trendy new pop artists who are gaining popularity is from the U.K., as are film and media personalities including the famous Rowling. Consumers in the UK are young, savvy, trendy and contributing significantly to the success of nightclub-related ventures and new record labels. Therefore the UK offers an exciting new market for the U.S. Company to consider. On the negative side, a research study conducted by the Mintel group(2004) shows that nightclubs in the U.K. have been struggling for the past two years due to increased competition from other leisure time activities, including summer music festivals.

Write a summary of No Place to Hide (only pg 170-209) by Glenn Essay

Write a summary of No Place to Hide (only pg 170-209) by Glenn Greenwald OR paraphrasing my friends summary (I will give the attachment) - Essay Example reenwald’s view that the government has violated the fourth amendment about â€Å"the right of people to be secure in their person, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3). Greenwald tries to enlighten the people that power is currently being misused so as to fully control them. Through the use of the Internet, the government is relentlessly putting effort aimed at convincing its citizens to devalue their privacy. As stated in the book, the government has taken our â€Å"Internet freedom-the ability to use the network without institutional constraints, social or state control†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (6). Furthermore, privacy has been lost through spying our emails, hacking password, looking through online chat, and using the video cameras. According to the author, each and every individual is entitled to his or her own privacy. Unfortunately, the mass surveillance is oblivious of this fact and is ignorant. The government is really cautious to hide their action from the citizen (Greenwald 171). He also explains how people are self-cautious of their every move and are afraid of taking initiatives or acting in a way that deviates from their normal routine. Their quality of life is minimized due to the lack of privacy. In the end, the government is limiting the individuals and preventing them from utilizing their freedoms actively. In fact, the individuals also show the signs to â€Å"avoid shame and condemnation† (173). When people are being monitored, they usually â€Å"avoid action that might be seen as deviant or abnormal† (173). As a result, the citizens forget what it is like to live fully due to restricted actions. This also leads to lack of creativeness and innovations in a country because individuals are afraid of exploration â€Å"[they] can act, think, speak, write, experience, and choose how to be, away from judgmental eyes of others† (172). Greenwald explains that the use of mass technology surveillance by the NSA is not really aimed at

Role of Human Resources (HR) in Organisational Effectiveness

Role of Human Resources (HR) in Organisational Effectiveness XXX is a leading International Healthcare Group with the purpose to help people lead longer, healthier and happier lives. The organisation does that by providing a broad range of healthcare services, support and advice to people throughout their lives. With no shareholders and its global presence in 190 countires, the organisation is said to be a industry leader. XXX is a 60 years old organisation providing services like Health insurance and Wellbeing, Healthcare provision, Healthcare Analytics and Care Services. The organisations vision to be world leader in the health care sector has been supported by the following objectives: Listen to its customers, act quickly and professionally. Living and Breathing organisations values monitored by HR on regular basis. Make a difference in peoples lives by offering all high quality and value added healthcare Creating diverse and mix work force of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees and invest in their development within the company via organised HR function. This report has been commissioned by the CEO of XXX. FINDINGS Forces shaping the HR agenda Our purpose is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives and the 52,000 people we employ are at the heart of making this a reality. HR Director It is essential to have a strong and distinctive identity that clearly separates XXX from others in the field. Everyone has a part to play in this and hence thats where the HR plays a important role. Examples of External Forces that have shaped the HR agenda are Competition, Markets, Economic trends and the changing face of the Health Industry. Increasing expectations of the customers and more competitors offering similar services at lower rates, made XXX to look more further into its products and services, which resulted in hiring more talented people skilled in their sector to provide the best service to the customers and partners. To make sure that the right number of people are available and are able to effectively deliver the required results, HR department works in partnership with the management. HR provided the right environment for the people to learn, grow and develop them through Innovative Learning Approach and by recognising people for their contribution to the organisations success. By investing in its human capital, XXXs objective was to provide the best customer service through all channels to its members. HR proposed to offer its employees both an open environment and an informal culture, encouraging fresh ideas and helping employees realise their true potential. 3.2 HRs contribution to Organisational Effectiveness Creating competitive advantage through people. Group HR Management works in partnership with the Management. To reflect their different business needs, all the business units work exclusively to provide a direct, informed and tailored service to meet its unique needs. All business units individual HR heads reports to the HR Director. This is done so all the departments on its own are delivering higher levels of performance to the benefit of our customers and the bottom line. Individual HR in all these units perform common bundle of processes which impacts on organisational performance. Recruitment of talent that matches XXXs values. Leadership and management practices/ competencies Performance management Succession planning Recognition Organisational climate and workplace environment Facilitating effective change management Management development and training Career development 360 feedback tools 3.3 HRs roles and functions in management structures XXX HR Map Administration Training Departments are in each business units and have individual Change Management Teams IS HR Organisational Development HR Director HR UK Membership International HR Group HR Management Development Care Services Information Systems HR Training Development Group HR Functions Reward Recognition Business Technology Training IS Resource Management Group Resource Management Pensions Benefits HR Systems XXX One Life HR within XXX works as a strategic partner, hence plays a very important role in finance, operations and other business departments within the organisation. The main objective is to provide high returns on the businesss investment in its people. XXX does not follow any set models of HR but do closely relate with the Harvard model. It sees employees as resources. It emphasises on issues like involving people in decision making and developing an organisational culture based on trust and teamwork. It has shared goals for coordination and control and a flat structure to minimise status culture. It employs the multiple stakeholder model in which employees are seen as having interests along with other stakeholders, management, unions and government. The HR outlines four main policy areas which are Human Resource flows: HR manages the flow of people within XXXs individual business units through recruitment and selection, through the organisation by placement, appraisal and promotion and lastly through out of the organisation by termination. It also makes sure at right number of people are available at all the times according to the business needs. Reward Systems: Even though each business unit has separate Reward System in place, it serves a common purpose to attract, motivate and keep employees happy within the organisation. Employee Influence: People being the heart of the organisation, their views and concerns are given equal importance as of stakeholders and customers. Work Systems: With the ever changing business needs and the medical climate, XXX makes sure that the information and technology used within the organisation provides the best outcomes. The individual HR function currently concentrates on achieving the four Cs of the model i.e. Commitment, Congruence, Competence, Cost Effectiveness. The XXXs hr structure also somehow resembles the Ulrichs hr model as all the business units do individually have their own separate departments to deal with change, strategies and administration. 3.4 Business Ethics and Accountability XXX follows a code of professional ethics which are based on the principles that determine the way employees behave and Brand personality that describes the way employees are suppose to perceive. Brand Values : Caring, Respectful, Ethical, Enabling, Dedicated and Accountable Brand Personality : Warm Human Caring Understanding Approachable Health Care Expert Global Outlook BUPA Employee Individual Business units do have their own code of conducts in line with the group values. For example, the training and development department in all units have professional code of conduct from the Institute of Management Consultants which covers ethics as Integrity, Independence, Objectivity and Responsbility to the profession. All the core values and ethics are explained on the XXXs intranet which is available for all the employees across the organisation. It clearly mentions how employees are expected to act in relation to the various policies like Treating Customers Fairly, Health and Safety at work, Data Matters, Security Matters Policy and Data Protection Policy As a global healthcare company, XXX deals with the personal details, medical data and financial records of millions of people around the world. Protecting that information is essential is a key responsibility for all of us. XXX Chief Executive XXX as a major healthcare services provider, plays a very important role in designing and delivering medical procedures and policies. It works closely with NHS and makes sure that all the treatments offered to the members in their centres are within the medical guidelines applied by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). XXX has its media policy, Risk Management and Fraud Protection policies. XXX has its own Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Policy under which healthcare expertise is used in the way that is good for business and communities. It covers many areas including employee giving support and volunteering, community health and wellness partnerships, addressing and minimising our impact on environment and affiliations with like-minded businesses and organisations (e.g Nuffield Health Centres, Life Education, etc.). The Group HR provides support, encouragement and motivation to its employees to participate in various activities conducted to fulfil its corporate responsibility. 4.1 HRs role in strategy formulation and interpretation All organisations will at some point need to focus on the activities and actions that it will undertake to meet its long term aims and objectives. XXXs vision taking care of the lives in our hands is at the heart of all strategies that are planned and practiced within the organisation. The two main objectives helping HR to form strategies within the organisation are Management capability : Through validated processes and development, this objective is met by XXX recruiting, retaining and developing managers to meet the business challenges of today and future. It involves different strategies designed around Recruitment, Core competencies, Performance Management, Succession Planning, XXX One Life, Climate Surveys, Change Management, Management Development, Career Development, 360 feedback tools and Customisable Questionnaire. Enabling systems and processes : This objective is met by developing and maintaining a performance-oriented culture. It includes Induction and Measures of Success. Business priorities are cascaded through the different levels of the organisation through a process whereby they become increasingly more detailed and focused. They trigger departmental objectives which are translated into team objectives and in turn provide the foundation for personal objectives which are based on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound) targets that are to be met on consistent basis. These objectives are discussed, set and measured as part of the performance management plan of all employees depending on their roles and business units. XXX does not fit into any particular model of relationship between the HRM and the Business Strategies but it does work on the theories based within these models. In the best fit model (Schuler and Jackson example), employees are seen as key in the implementation of the declared organisational strategy and the HR strategy is designed to fit with this. XXXs individual departments propose strategies to be implemented via management surrounding functions, systems and processes within the department which enable the functional strategy to be achieved. This is then responded by the HR by defining the strategy to meet organisational needs. In the Resource based approach, the focus is to sustain competitive advantage through development of human capital rather than aligning human resources to current strategic goals. XXX invests in regular development of its employees within the organisation to make sure that they are updated with all the knowledge required to perform their job well and so to add value to the company. 4.2 Business and HR Strategies Each business within XXX evaluates its current position, its market and competitor environment and identifies its key strategies and plans in its annual 3 Strategic Year Plan (explained in 5.3). They work together in order to achieve common objectives of the organisation. Two of these most important objectives to be achieved in XXX are Cost Control : To utilise the resources in the most productive and effective way. To recruit and retain effective and skilled staff More training and development options to the existing employees to perform various roles Flexible working patterns according to the business needs Authorising treatments that are medically appropriate and within clinical guidelines only, leaving a small room for exceptional cases Competition : to regularly update the products and services offered within the health and care sector. To provide best customer service on levels of the business To design and offer most flexible and tailored policies to the members. HRs role in meeting these objectives has been analysed through SWOT which looks at the internal strengths and weaknesses and the external oppurtunities and threats. SWOT Analysis Strenghts : No Shareholders : this enables all the profits to be utilised to provide better customer service and products to the members. People : highly skilled and mix work force which knowledge of various sectors and products. Team of qualified health care consultants and providers. Customer-focus work culture Technology : Most advanced technology in the health care sector relating to the processes and procedures for medical treatments. Guidance on health issues online and on the phone. Operations : Working with various organisations and health groups to provide the best health care to everyone. Weeknesses : No Shareholders : If profits margins not gained, not enough money to invest back into the business People : mix work force and long-serving staff who are resistant to change. People lacking knowledge of all the departments as specialising in one specific area. Operations : because of the high turn-over of the staff, no standard operating procedures. Regular changes to keep up with the changing demands of the business. Cost-control : Staff redundancies in many business units resulting in low moral within the organisation and heavy work load on the rest of the workforce. Oppurtunities : Partnership with various organisations within the healthcare sector. As a lead health care service provider, had access to higher numbers of consultants and medically trained people Works closely with NHS, hence very influential when it comes to decisions relating medical treatments and funding for certain experimental treatments International presence to make sure private healthcare is available and provided to people around the world. Threats : Competition from other insurance providers who offer private health insurances on lower rates. Outsourcing of many business units which lacks communication and information transformation in a quick and appropriate manner. Higher medical costs which makes the premiums of the policies go higher every year. Increased customer demands to cover more experimental treatments and drugs because of globalisation. 4.3 Vertical and Horizontal Integration XXX works with NHS and other health-care providers to provide better health care services. The Vertical Integration is practiced within XXX as many of the services are offered via other providers who specialises in Travel, Home Care and Conservative treatment. This does serves the purpose to achieve the organisation to provide more treatment options to its customers which results in more appropriate and affordable policies been given to its customers. The option of been treated via NHS or Privately is always available for the customers leaving room for them to choose the most appropriate and time-saving option. The horizontal integration is defined within XXX as all the HR functions are inter-related and inter-connected to each-other. This is achieved by a business units specially looking for skilled employees in customer service, information technology, nursing and administration sector which leads to internal recruitment or resourcing, further leading to development, performance management, rewards and recognition and employee relations. 5.1 HRs role in Business Planning The Global expansion of XXX has resulted in fine-tuning of the policies and functions throughout the organisation to ensure that required support is provided to drive XXX forward. This has created a demanding and fast changing environment to work in. XXX expect high standards from every one of its team members and in return offer the opportunity to enhance their career with one of the biggest and most successful brands in private healthcare. HR being the part of the Organisation Development team within the Group functions, has a very wide role to play to achieve the organisations one common goal. It works to make sure that all business units within XXX had right level of people with right level of skills are available to effectively deliver results to its customers at all times. Introduction to flexible working hours, change in employment contracts, inter-departmental transfers to suit the business needs, more systems and procedures to work with resulted in introduction to the change management team within HR of all business units. The things that caused XXX to go through change are Challenges of growth within global market i.e increasing cost of medical treatments and more experimental treatments introduced within UK market Technological changes i.e different technologies to work with to make sure that all processes and procedures are up to date according to the changing demands of the business Customer Pressure i.e. customers looking for more options and better services at lower costs The HRs involvement in various aspects of change was identified as Restructuring the recruitment and resourcing policies Advising team managers in skills available within the organisation, career development and transfer opportunities. Assessing the impact of change in one department on another part of the organisation. Making sure that the communication is clear and consistent within all departments of all business units within the organisations. Helping its to cope with change , performance management and motivation. 5.2 Environmental Planning It is very important for XXX to scan through the environment and consider all the present and future forces affecting the direction and goals of the organisation. Environment Planning involves external factors like trends and markets and internal factors like infrastructure and personnel. The STEEPLE analysis for XXX shows all the forces affecting organisational change Social Technology Economic Environment Political Legal Ethical Lifestyle changes of the customers involved with the company Energy costs and usage Inflation rates Natural resrouces Regulations related to private healthcare Employment Laws Reputation Living conditions of its employees and customers related to the business Changes in IT new systems and processes Consumer confidence within the companys products and services Strong Environmental policy Safety regulations Consumer Protection Business Ethics Income distribution within the community New inventions and software developments Medical costs Recycling Trade policies/ globalisation Trade Unions Client Confidentiality 5.3 Measures of Effectiveness What gets measured, gets attention and gets done. Tom Peters XXX has its own business priorities. To keep them accountable and focused on their key objectives, all businesses in XXX go through an annual process of setting their major priorities for the coming year. These are agreed in annual meetings, together with the key financial targets and from the basis of what the business will be measured on the following year. This is a similar process as Performance Management in employees. The organisation has The 3 year Strategic Plan which describes the direction the Group as a whole and the individual business units will take over the next 3 years. This plan is completed every year and is an important part of XXXs strategy processes. The context of each business is then evaluated on the basis of three important management tools. The Annual Operating Plan : It sets the detailed financial targets for the year for each individual department including HR. (sets targets for sales, costs, profits, etc) The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each individual in each business units. These are set of key operational, customer, strategic and people performance metrics. The Business priorities: The change acceptance rate of all individuals within the organisation. Performances of the employees are measured with the Brand values and behaviours been achieved, delivered and maintained. These are maintained within the organisation as Performance Review, which along with the Development Plans are sent to HRs administration department.They work closely with the training and development team to provide immediate attention to key issues. This process of measuring the human capital and oraganisations data provides a clearer picture within the working culture of the organisation. So, in this way, management, training and development team and HR administration works together to manage people and policies to achieve set business objectives.