Philosophers Helping America Essay

The paper is about a particular philosopher whose ideas coincide with what is needed of the United States of America. Apparently, lack of common interest among the citizens is one of the problems experienced by the people. The ideas presented by Jean Jacques Rousseau particularly on the origin of inequality answers all the issues that surround lack of common interest among citizens of a country. The first part of the paper will be a discussion about the problem on lack of common interest among citizens of America. It will be followed by a discussion about Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his discourses which is composed of topics about his second essay and its application to the problem of lack of common interest among Americans. Thus, it is submitted that Lack of Common Interest among Citizens of America There are three major important matters that Americans must consider for economic and political progress and these are national security, economic development, and political power. National security is the capability of a country to ensure self-preservation and protection in its internal and external territory. Economic development is a process by which a country is able to remain economically-stable and independent. Political power revolves around the idea that a country must be able to remain politically-powerful in the world. The problem emerges when political leaders and citizens of the country do not have common interests regarding economic and political development. The American people do not hold the same sentiments with respect to national security. Recently, some people are happy when the Bush revolution in foreign policy no longer exists (Daalder & Lindsay 1). But there is a glaring truth that enemies were just lurking within the country. Research studies reported that concern of Americans on sensitive international laws and institutions in relation to war and terror can change the world (Daalder & Lindsay 1). Yet, it is not denied that America allowed alienated allies to be unbound and empowered enemies. As a result, Americans were divided shaking the political values of the country. In addition, Bush administration allowed the existence of overstretched military capabilities and multiplied threats to enemy states. The installation of powerful military operatives in Iraq is one example of overstretching military power. This political strategy however was questioned by so many people. Hence, we are reminded that the United States of America is not omnipotent despite its unmatched political power around the world. The common interest should be the move of American political leaders to work closely with other states and end the devastating war. With respect to economic development in America, the people experienced differences in interest especially on the issue of business outsourcing. Some American businessmen decided to conduct outsourcing with other countries with respect to customer services and other manpower- dominated labor. For these businessmen, outsourcing can give positive results for their business endeavors. Most of the providers of manpower coming from other countries are producing skilled, competitive, and reliable employees (â€Å"Outsourcing Effects on America’s Economy†). Despite the fact that these workers are skilled and competitive, they are amenable to any agreement involving low salary. American companies were able to lessen their company costs due to outsourcing strategy that provides cheap labor. On the other hand, others are questioning the outsourcing strategy of American businessmen because it caused the increase of unemployment rate in the country (â€Å"Outsourcing Effects on America’s Economy†). Some American workers lost their jobs due to the advent of outsourcing manpower resources. The common interest should be the prioritization of American workers in terms of employment in its own country. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and His Discourses The Famous Philosophical Writings of Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau is one of the most intelligent philosophers of his time. He was an influential thinker that his works gained attention from the people. He also gained influence on other people during the Enlightenment period in 18th century Europe (â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778†). In the year 1970, Rousseau won in an essay contests conducted by the Academy of Dijon by the work â€Å"A Discourse on the Sciences and Arts† (â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778†). The primary argument of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the said philosophical work is that virtue and morality are corrupted due to the progression of science and the arts (â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778†). The second work of Rousseau is entitled â€Å"The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality† which is famous for its extensive explanation of the first discourse. The second philosophical work of Rousseau did not earn him an award from the Academy of Dijon. Immanuel Kant’s writings on ethics were influenced by the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778†). Lastly, the political ideals of Rousseau were used by political leaders during the French Revolution. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality The Philosophical Idea of Jean-Jacques Rousseau The essay of Rousseau entitled â€Å"Discourse on the Origin of Inequality† answers the question on the origin of inequality of men. The four main parts of the essay are dedication to the Republic of Geneva, a brief preface, a primary part, and a secondary part. Rousseau believes that the presence of society is just an invention. He attempted to give an explanation on the nature of men by means of stripping all their unintended attributes brought about by socialization (â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778†). The said work of Rousseau is related to the work of Hobbes and Locke. Application to the Problem The reason why there is lack of common interest among citizens of the United States is the existence of the rich and the poor. Rich and influential individuals continue to decide on matters that satisfies only their personal interest. The least fortunate exert efforts to advance their needs in the society. Since, society is just an invention according to Rousseau, the absence of human needs out of socialization results to the equalization of common interests. Thus, there is a need to eradicate selfish motives in the society and political leaders must work on the common welfare of the people. Rousseau knows that a person is inherently good (Pousi 1). The will of a person to go along with what is needed in the society makes him bad. Money is the cause of all evil. Rousseau used historical explanation in this concept in order to understand the factors irrelevant to human nature (Puosi 1). During those times when money is not yet the most important need in every person, the behavior of mankind is good and there is a lower rate of criminality (Puosi 1). The concept of discrimination was invented when human nature was raised to the level of affluence and power. Basically, a person usually discriminates others if he belongs to a rich and powerful race. Therefore, the irrelevant needs of the people like extraneous power and influence must be eradicated. The need of extra money must not be the reason of service and work in the society. The problem of economic development can only be solved if American merchants will serve first the needs of other American workers before their own needs. In that way, higher rate of unemployment due to outsourcing labor can be solved. The political and economic development changes over time due to the existence of international competition over world power. The concept of terrorism was discovered when other countries wants to rule over the world like America does in terms of political and economic influence and power. The human nature which is kind-hearted and good was replaced by greed and violence when the will to rule the world consumes them. Rousseau is mindful of the abstraction of reason which was tainted by greediness of power over time (Puosi 1). Hence, what is needed is to make reasonable decisions consciously for general welfare and not for seeking selfish motives. Rousseau is also aware the good manners and right conduct, morality, justice, and love are the core values that are normal for a human being. Respect and loyalty towards other people existed many years ago. In fact, agreements between individuals without written contracts were used due to mutual promise to perform obligations. The situation changed when dishonesty and unethical business attitudes came into existence. Rousseau is trying to explain that there could never be a problem if the true essence of sound morals can be used as the guiding principles of men. The concept of morality still existed nowadays but was corrupted by the will to become wealthy and influential. For example, some businessmen no longer care for the moral uprightness of men when pornography was made available to them for reasons of business profits. Prostitution was developed in such a way that all people tend to destroy family relationships just to earn profits. Rousseau was thinking then that sound morals were replaced by the word money alone and none other. Justice is a very important concept that most people value. Justice propagates peace and harmony in the society. Justice is the remarkable instrument that makes people reacts positively to the laws enacted by political leaders. It is also the foundation of the peaceful interrelations of the component elements of society which makes us become civilly and economically progressive. And yet, when the ability to circumvent the law existed, justice is no longer the rule but the basis of every legal demand. Rousseau believes that justice breeds peace and harmony among human beings, but he also knew that it can be destroyed by personal motives and interests in the society. Let us consider the stretching of military power in Iraq via foreign policy of Bush administration. Several military personnel were sent to Iraq just to satisfy the need to advance foreign policy of the country. The untold casualties of war are shocking and unbelievable. The country may be powerful over Iraq but both suffered tremendously because of the war. But raising the concern of fighting against terrorist acts justifies the war in Iraq. The American people spend money out of governmental budget to support national defense and foreign policy thereby neglecting other important matters like education and healthcare. Rousseau must be correct when he said that historical events had unraveled and contaminated the good in human heart and soul by suppressing passions and instincts to the generalization of motive (Puosi 1). Thus, lack of common interest among the people can be treated by means of observing justice in all aspect of policy-making. The little siblings of selfish interest include the concepts of corruption, greed, thirst of power and violence (Puosi 1). Rousseau labeled all these devilish attitudes as products of a social make-up or structure shaped by historical events. These negative attitudes clued-up the alienation of those core values relevant and normal to human nature. Corruption is common in the society today. Thirst of power and violence remained the reasons why some Americans are imprisoned for such a long time. The overcrowding of prison cells is due to the inability of the government to prevent men from doing criminal acts over time. And the worst thing is, people tend to commit criminal acts due to poverty and worsening social condition. The cycle of social matters kept on moving toward the destruction of the people and we tend to ignore the reasons of our difficulties. This point of time, we take heed to the words of Rousseau, private property ownership is the source of all inequality. In the context of modern society, ownership of private property is acceptable as long as it is done justifiable and reasonably. The problem lies on the acquisition of private property through deceit and fraudulent machinations. The acquisition of private property is also the mother of discrimination as other people think that all things belong to them. Rousseau pointed out that the insatiable needs of men to own private property is the foundation of all evils (Puosi 1). The optimal reason for divisive acts and irregular decisions of government leaders is the desire to possess several private properties. Hence, the social and economic conditions of the people can be improved if unfair acquisition of private property is eradicated in the society. Conclusion The subject of the discussion is the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau about the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality. The said writing of Rousseau was used to analyze the three problem of society that breeds lack of common interest among the citizens of the United States of America. The three problems mentioned include the failure of the government to enrich and magnify national security, economic development, and political power in the perspective of human nature. According to Rousseau, men by nature are good and that justice, sound morality, and love are the core values of men. But the historical events of having a goal of private property acquisition tainted these values. Therefore, men should refrain from doing unfair deeds and unjustifiable acquisition of private property. Finally, the war in Iraq and other destructive military operations staged by America must be stopped. The social needs of education and health care must be prioritized. There is no problem if the people are protected from terrorist attacks, but it should be done in the right perspective by the government. Works Cited Daalder, Ivo & Lindsay, James. â€Å"Democracies of the World Unite†. 2009. The American Interest Website. February 24, 2009 < http://www. the-american-interest.com/ai2/article. cfm? Id=219&MId=6> â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)†. 2009. Niagara University. February 24, 2009 â€Å"Outsourcing Effects on America’s Economy†. 2009. Article Snatch. February 24, 2009 < http://www. articlesnatch. com/Article/Outsourcing-Effects-on-America—s-Economy/478092> Puosi, Emanuela. â€Å"Discourse on the Origin of Inequality†. 5 November 2008. Political Philosophy Website. February 24, 2009 .

The Antisocial Urbanism of Le Corbusier

The Antisocial Urbanism of Le Corbusier Antisocialism in Social Cities 002.png"/>Outline Social versus Antisocial CitiesIntroductionWhat is Socializing?Assorted types of SocializingPhases of Socializing by Richard Moreland and John LevineLe Corbusier vision toward metropoliss and unfavorable judgmentBodyCharles Fourier and Le Corbusier vision by Peter SerenyiArgument of Charles FourierFourier program in â€Å"The Social Destiny of Man†Worlds as Social BeingsCartesian method Vs. John LockeGeorg Simmel: Individuality and Social signifiersBlaise Pascal and Le Corbusier: pointless human relation shipsAntisocial aspiration and criminalismAlbert Camus: Public and private forceDecisionAntisocial City consequence on people lifeLewis Mumford: political and cultural association as chief subjects in the metropolisJane Jacobs: â€Å"people need other people†Sociable metropolis and its citizens: How could a metropolis survive with antisocial symptoms?Social versus Antisocial Cities Socialization is the process through which a individual acquires to bond to an assembly or civilization and act in a manner accepted and recognized by this group or society. Mentioning to most societal experts, socialisation fundamentally expresses the full method of civilization during the life sequence and is a chief inspiration on the public presentation, positions, civilization and activities of all ages. ( Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014 ) Richard Moreland and John Levine ( 1982 ) , proposed a typical method of an assembly socialisation which rely on the statement that people every bit good as groups modify their positions, appraisals and behaviour when interacting through clip. Moreland and Levine propose that an expected classification of stages which arises to let for an single to alter when being portion of a group. They differentiated five stairss of socialisation which indicate this alteration which are: enquiry, socialisation, preservation, resocialization, and memory. Pass ing by each degree, people assess each other through which an development or decrease in confidence to socialisation can be reached. Why metropoliss need socialisation while being a positive thing? Why do we follow it as a good construct through which people are involved in urban diverseness and chances? Is it indispensable for citizens to mix in their metropolis? These questions normally examined explicate the fact that people are non certain about the presence of socialisation in their metropolis. Additionally, people can non deny the negative impact on metropoliss that have an unorganised societal life that should be escaped. By analyzing the chief visual image of Le Corbusier toward the metropolis, these inquiries will be more elucidated. In his Plan Voisin from 1925, his vision involved the proposition of pulverizing the centre of Paris and replace it by towers following a certain grid without taking into consideration the bing surrounding and its historical importance in that country of the metropolis. This image is considered a utopic vision shaped to unite adult male with a well-organized environment follo wing certain regulations and guidelines. However, by making so, he isolated prosaic flow and paths from the roads and streets by overestimating the car as chief tool of motion in the metropolis. This vision is no more prefering the societal contact between the metropolis users who are losing the construct of socialisation by concentrating more on the uniformities of the modern metropolis more than the common bonds and their bounds. Seventy old ages of restated unfavorable judgment of Le Corbusier has been revealed refering socialising since he forgot that metropoliss occur to heighten this procedure. Le Corbusier was considered as a negligent and huffy individual as described by some newsmans. Charles Fourier, the nineteenth-century ideal philosopher was considered besides as an highly hopeless, individual, vagabond individual while being compared to Le Corbusier by Peter Serenyi. As a effect, they both detested human society. Actually, the chief statement presented by Charles Fourier is that societal interaction favor the aggressive behaviour among people since they are motivated by their antisocial passions so if they are obliged to populate together they tend to float apart ( Serenyi, 1967 ) . Fourier suggested in his bookâ€Å"The Social Destiny of Man†( 1808 ) , to divide the society into parts that encompass 16 hundred occupants per piece where each one live in studios, while populating a big house that he named a â€Å"phalanstery.† The result of each piece is monitored by a specialised director that he named the â€Å"areopagus, † who is besides responsible for the societal dealingss among the inmates. Subsequently, people will get down to kill each other after the inmates be isolated to new phalansteries. Serenyi claims that this manner of be aftering a society as the program of Fourier’s and the urban designs of Le Corbusier is decidedly a huffy manner of believing about society ( Serenyi, 1967 ) Zooming in into the architectural graduated table, what qualities shall an single possess in order to be a existent homo being? The dominant answer to this enquiry is that worlds are ab initio societal existences that behave consequently in a societal life in order to carry through their demands. Bing portion of this position, the personality is unsolidified and alterations when combined with human senses and common mechanisms as societal, cultural, and lingual where everyone articulation ( Richard, 2007 ) this manner of believing contradicts that of Descartes if we are to detect theDiscourse on Method( 1637 ) andMeditations on First Philosophy( 1641 ) , since societal engagement is removed from the procedure of happening truth. For Descartes, our motive to achieve opposite positions is the consequence of undependability that we found in when trusting on our senses. The chief intent of this manner of thought is to take people from what they acquired and experienced as old information in order to be able to specify precisely the truth that is behind each one of us. This purpose is sort of impossible since a individual can non deny the old history and behaviour scene that he used to and that are barricading his ability to acknowledge the kingdom. The most trustingly truth is found within each one of us and non following certain regulations and ordinances to make it. ( Richard, 2007 ) In contrast to Maslow pyramid where an indispensable degree in human being life is the belonging demand because people has a fright of purdah, they need to hold this sense that makes them more safe and secured. A human being ever brush alterations and procedure throughout his life that is interchangeable harmonizing to the society and clip factor and non a fixed entity. If a individual does non take part within his society, he or she won’t be able to be a to the full single. For Locke, socialisation is an indispensable procedure to go through through in each phase or one’s life. ( Locke, 1988 ) The German sociologist Georg Simmel, argues that sociableness is independent from a individual development. For him, an person is unable to make a cultural background unless he is involved in his society. ( Simmel, 1968 ) he stated that through being portion of a big group in the society helps developing the individualism of each individual since people within these groups hunt for common evidences between each other in order to collaborate and incorporate more by making meshing relationships. The chief purpose is clear: every bit long as a individual involves and interacts socially with his milieus and society, he or she discovers more about himself and develop more his individualism which would be besides reflected in the scenes of the metropolis. For Simmel, the border nowadays between individualism and collectivity is non a stable: a individual is neither an single animal nor a corporate 1. ( Simmel, 1968 ) hence, a impression has been ever used which is more complex, disordered, rich a society is the more it is able to supply its single with rich experience that is indispensable for the edifice of their ain development and strength. This methodological analysis indicates the importance of the procedure of socialisation in the advancement of a society. However this construct was non applied by everyone and some others found the demand to travel into and antisocial society. ( Richard, 2007 ) A metropolis theoretician would back up the thought of socialisation in the metropolis every bit long as he or she regards it as a positive mean for the metropolis. In contrast to Le Corbusier, who didn’t take into consideration this method. A protagonist of Le Corbusier manner of thought is Pascal’sPenseesin 1670. For Pascal, populating within a group and being attached to the society, people will be making tonss of activities that will deviate them from looking their ain truth and individualism. The lone account of one’s interaction with others is for this individual ain satisfaction and demands. Pascal provinces that relationships between persons are useless and meaningless. Since human qualities and behaviours change through clip therefore, single shall non blow their clip in understanding and cognizing more about others qualities and common evidences. Through purdah, a individual is able to analyse his or her ain ego without pass oning with others that would be obstructions for our true ego. Therefore, Pascal tries to convert to non trust on other people and go devoted to them. Le Corbusier denoted the manner of thought of Pascal when he was inspired about the societal life that he predicted in his programs for the metropolis of Paris. For him, remainder is when a individual spends more clip in his room in his purdah analysing his ain ego. He intended to coerce people to pass more clip in their room more than disbursement it with other people in other topographic points ( Richard, 2007 ) . The manner of thought of Le Corbusier indicates his vision of segregating people each one on his ain by prefering the clip they spend with their purdah. He had multilevel where the autos transit meets the prosaic to cut down common interaction between people. Other inside informations were thought of in order to perfectualize his vision such as making one floor that hosts a large kitchen that has the map of functioning all the suites, no public eatin g houses are available. Sound proofing walls are adding to cut down any noise coming from neighbouring cells. The proposed towers have a cross form to cut down ocular interaction between people. The lone positions to the exterior is nature as sky and verdure. As a drumhead, Le Corbusier insists on the fact that a individual should his ain infinite bubble where he is free to make whatever he desire without being disturbed from other interfering in his ain ego and purdah. However, this sort of individualism is insulating the metropolis from its users where the group construct is removed hence a metropolis would ne'er germinate and come on since each one is populating on its ain with no demand of others. However a group is able to act upon the metropolis and authorities determinations toward the metropolis users. As illustration the purposes to do a main road base on balls through users edifices in Mar Michael el nahr, Beirut, people started attesting against it and making runs to act upon the authorities determinations, individualism can ne'er work out such issues. However, Le Corbusier was non cognizant of these antisocial aspirations, neither their chief menace which is criminalism. Similarly an observation was done by Albert Camus to research the rate the grade of association of the antisocial manner of thought and public presentation of people while linking it with criminalism. â€Å"Every ethic conceived in purdah, implies the exercising of power† Camus provinces inTheJohnny reb( 1951 ) . There are different types of offenses as offense of passion, offense of logic that an antisocial individual detect. The chief thought of Camus was believing that rebellion is an indispensable component of life even if this rebellion might be reflected into force whether in ideas, in society or in individualism, this can non deny its importance. For him, revolution is sincere, every bit long as it does non transform the idea into act, nevertheless by making so, it is considered as a fixed action. Therefore, the rebellion must hold a manner that coexist along the boundary line half off from isolation and society. This shows how Le Corbusier was unable to hold on the menaces that a constructed antisocial metropolis would host. He is considered as more than an first-class designer at the architectural graduated table but when he started to believe on the urban graduated table, this is where the calamities started with him. Presents, metropoliss are valued and measured, without inquiry, depending on the grade of societal activity that they host par excellence. Therefore, holding an thought of making an antisocial metropolis, as a proposal by an urban contriver, is considered an foreign thought to the current ways of thought and behaving. That’s why the thoughts of modern theoretician and utopic manner of thought should be dismissed and replaced by the demands of the metropolis and its users ( Richard, 2007 ) . During the first half of the 20th century, Le Corbusier stressed on believing about metropoliss, nevertheless, in her bookThe Death and Life of Great American Cities( 1961 ) , Jane Jacobs, an urban economic expert who opposes wholly the antisocial vision of Le Corbusier, discussed that â€Å"real people are alone, they invest old ages of their lives in important relationships with other alone people, and are non interchangeable in the least. Severed from their relationships, they are destroyed as effectual societal existences — sometimes for a small piece, sometimes forever.† In other footings, being engaged in a condensed cyberspace of accountable societal interaction, people will be able to get characters and individualities. While observing an assembly of rambunctious kids in a communal undertaking, Jacobs stated that â€Å"these were anon. kids, and the individualities behind them were an unknown. . . . Impersonal metropolis streets make anon. people†¦ I think that people need other people.† One might see that merely in small towns, people demand other people and need to populate closely. However, the chief statement of Jacobs is that populating in metropoliss deliver a diverseness in relationships and interaction among people, this could go on merely if antisocial urban contrivers are out to picture the metropolis streets as â€Å"detached† and their users as â€Å"unidentified.† ( Richard, 2007 ) A relevant illustration could be mentioned is the local Lebanese purposes of devaluating the usage of autos in topographic points in the metropolis, such as the â€Å"Beirut By Bike† activity launched to prefer a more eco-friendly and human motions in the metropolis, a merriment chilling bike drive around Beirut.These activities serve as urban tools to promote societal inclusions, interaction and usage of the metropolis streets by the metropolis users. These activities are besides manifested in Tripoli where a biking event was initiated with a defined motorcycle flight from Maarad Rashid Karami as get downing point traveling to the waterfront and valance. A metropolis without its streets and a street without the metropolis users can non work. Similarly to the instance of Gemayzeh, Beirut, chief additive narrow street, it is a heavy strip in the metropolis and really active during the twenty-four hours and dark. What a metropolis needs is ever a human graduated table bed meshin g with its map, grid, substructure and other beds. The metropolis needs its users and frailty versa and the streets are the chief topographic points lying between the two where the extreme human societal activities should happen to do the metropolis map. Even though societal metropoliss has negative impacts on the users as prefering jobs, confronting more troubles and increasing complications, but its negative impact is able to be grasped more than that of the antisocial metropolis. That’s why making an antisocial metropolis is non a solution for the jobs encountered in a societal metropolis but a manner to increase its complications more. MentionsChief article:Richard, S. ( 2007 ) . The Antisocial Urbanism of Le Corbusier,TheUrban Reinventors, volume 13, issue ( 1 ) , pp. 50-56Jacobs, J. I2007 ) . What Makes A City? Planing for Quality of Space,IOS Press: Dutch capitalBeecher, J. & A ; Bienvenu, R. ( 1971 ) . The Utopian Vision of Charles Fourier, BeaconImperativeness: BostonCamus, A. ( 1978 ) . The Rebel An Essay on Man Revolt, Alfred A. Knopf: New YorkRichards, S. ( 2003 ) . Le Corbusier and The Concept of Self, Yale University Press: NewHaven and LondonSimmel, G. ( 1968 ) . Conflict and the Web of Group Affiliations, THE FREE PRESS:New YorkSerenyi, P. ( 1967 ) . Le Corbusier, Fourier, and the Monastery of Ema,Art Bulletin49.4,pp. 277 – 92.Locke, J. ( 1988 ) .Two Treatises of Government, erectile dysfunction. Peter Laslett ( 1690 ; Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, pp. 269 – 78, 283 – 302, 318 – 53.Pascal, B. ( 1670 )Pensees, trans. A. J. Krailsheimer, London: Penguin, 40,42, 43, 59, 275.

The Birth of Jazz

Jazz is a mixture of European and African music. The harmony is mostly European, the rhythm is mostly African and the melody is a blend of both. The pilgrims brought with them to the New World the folk songs and church hymns they have sung since childhood. Negro slaves from Africa brought their highly developed sense of rhythm which showed itself in their singing, dancing and drumming (Stearn 14). When the two traditions began to merge, a new music was born. The Negro slaves had no money and little opportunity to buy instruments or study music.So, they made their own instruments from animal bones, sticks, bamboo reeds and wooden boxes. The boxes became banjos and the all-important drums. The blending of the music was given a boost when white people and Negroes began to sing hymns together during the religious revival that took place in 1750. Each learned each other’s style of music. Then came the spiritualists when some Christian hymns were transformed by Negro rhythm and feel ing. Spiritualists were a great and immediate success in America and abroad. However, jazz got its big start only around 1870 in New Orleans.New Orleans was built on a curve of the Mississippi River which made it a major port and a hub of commerce and was settled by the French and Spaniards. In the days of slavery, the French and the Spanish had isolated plantations there, and they let the slaves do as they pleased on holidays (Stearns 19). Many slaves had adopted elements of the Catholic religion and mixed them with their own beliefs. Sometimes, they used Catholic holidays to celebrate their African gods. For instance, on Saint Patrick’s Day they played the drum rhythms of Damballa, a snake god, because they had seen pictures of Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland.In this way, many African rhythms survived in New Orleans and contributed to the beginnings of jazz. New Orleans was a brass band town. It had many marching bands modeled after the famous ones Napoleon had set up. In 1871, thirteen Negro organizations sent their own bands to the funeral ceremonies for President Garfield. Negro bands like these began to use their own ideas about rhythm and improvised melody so that the European music they played began to swing. This was the start of Dixieland jazz. Work Cited Stearns, Marshall W. The Story of Jazz. London: Oxford University Press, 1970.

Concept of Managerial Escalator Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Concept of Managerial Escalator - Coursework Example In addition to the skills, the inner personality of the individual seeking or playing the role of the manager also plays a vital contributory role in determining his success as a manager. It is commonly misunderstood among the business studies and circles that management is the responsibility of few people who are at the leading positions in the organization. The reality is the management functions are spread through all the levels of the organization and every other individual is involved in one or other type of management activity. As the organization has several functions and the individuals serving in various departments have specialized skills in the function they are performing, it is quite logical that the managers of that very area also have the specialized skills. It happens that the people with increased expertise in their specialized skills are supposed to perform better than the one who has comparatively less experience. With the passage of time, they assume or are assigned the supervisory role, helping and guiding the other junior members about how the activity is to be planned and carried out. They also benefit others with the skills and tips they have self-learned in that field with the virtue of their experience. Gradually they achieve higher positions and formal supervisory roles. A stage comes where they design the standard operating procedures of the function in which they are expert and the organization tends to consider them an authority in that function. This gradual progression towards the managerial positions in the organization by acquiring enhanced expertise in their specialized field is called managerial escalator (Rees & Porter, 2008). As per the authors, the managerial escalation is directly related to the level of specialized skills in one’s field.  

Financial Research Report Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Financial Report - Research Paper Example Apple, Inc. is the second-largest information technology corporation in the world by revenue after Samsung Electronics and also the third-largest mobile phone maker in the world (Ximà ©nez, & Sanz, 2014) As the financial manager, I have made the decision to recommend to my investor that he/she invest heavily in the stock of the Apple Inc. There are a number of reasons behind my decision for the investor to consider investing in Apple. First, Apple is the best investment option owing to the fact that by the end of 2012, according to Bernstein analyst, Toni Sacconaghi (2012), the company alone was responsible for 17% of the gains of the whole Standard and Poor’s Five hundred. Secondly, Apple’s long-term performance over the last ten years has been outstanding. Since 2002, the company’s stock soared 7,800% compared to S&P Five hundred (Birger, 2013). In my opinion, this performance/strength over the past ten years proves that the stock of Apple Inc. is a reliable investment at present and in the future. Additionally, while in the previous periods Apple has been considered specifically as the growth stock company, presently I would consider Apple as not only the gro wth stock company but also the value play company. The reason behind my consideration is that according to Birger (2013), the company experienced â€Å"66% growth in earnings in the past four quarters, a 1.8% dividend yield as well as a price/earnings ratio of 13.3 , which is lower than S&P 500’s 16 P/E† in 2012. All of the aforementioned reasons indicate that even though the company’s stock has significantly dropped by almost 33% since the company’s historic high of $ 700 (September 18th, 2012), Apple is still a strong investment option for the investor (Rich, 2013). Additionally, in August 2013, Carl Icahn (American businessman) invested quite a large amount shares in Apple saying that he thinks the shares are extremely undervalued. Lastly, Apple is famous for its excellent innovation. For

Young people who sexually offend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Young people who sexually offend - Essay Example This particular group of young people is particularly challenging to deal with (Calder, 2009; Patricelli, 2009; and Rich, 2009). In order to identify and treat youth who sexually offend, certain actions must be carried out. There are approaches, techniques, research, and a theoretical overview that must be followed. The following must be taken into consideration: Furthermore, a comprehensive overview will include quite a bit of work on the part of those affected. This includes surveying literature on recidivism, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, theoretical issues, characteristics, comparing male offenders against female offenders using an etiological model, assessing sexually abusive youth, using a multidimensional framework to treat subtypes after differentiating youth who sexually abuse, risk assessment, emerging strategies, treatment, working with parents, cognitive-behavioral treatment, an integrated experiential approach to treatment, multi-family group therapy, residential therapy and current practices therein, effectiveness of treatment, recidivism, resilience, and investigating successfully treated youth sexual offenders (Franey, 2009). â€Å"Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling. Among others Albert Bandura is considered the leading proponent of this theory.† (Ormrod, 1999). There are certain general principles that social learning theory follows, and these are: Cognitive factors in social learning include learning without performance, learning while processing cognitively, expectations about the consequences of certain actions, reciprocal causation, and modeling. Social learning theory offers a vast array of implications for its use. â€Å"Students often learn a great deal simply by observing other people.

Use of paramedics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Use of paramedics - Essay Example provide Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid treatment before or during the transport to the hospital as there are some cases where the medical care given during the transport to the hospital is at most crucial in saving a life. People who provide paramedic care are usually called â€Å"Ambulance Paramedic† or â€Å"Ambulance Officers†. Although there is no institutionalized education attainment required to be a paramedic officer, paramedic schools prefer to accept those with University degrees (What is A Paramedic, n.d.). Today, the roles of Paramedics are continuously being redefined especially because of the increasing demand for their services. Reportedly, there has been a higher incident count of those who suffer cardiovascular and mental illnesses that require paramedic care. Also with the aging population that is usually involved in medical conditions that need immediate care, nurses are slowly being replaced by paramedics to respond to community needs (What is A Paramedic, n.d.). There are a lot of reasons why paramedics are slowly taking the roles of nurses today. One of which would be the shortage of nurses in some communities due to the educational requirement that a lot of people are not able to complete (Paramedics fill in for ICU nurses, n.d.). Aside from that, there is a high percentage of medical cases today that need immediate medical care as patients learn about their illness only after experiencing an attack and needing cure already rather than being able to practice prevention. This says a lot of about our current lifestyle where people are surrounded with stress, busy schedule, inactive routine, and a lot of fast food alternatives which are unhealthy. With this said, helicopter emergency services is now being integrated in emergency rescue process. Helicopter emergency services are used to improve the efficiency of patient transport and increase mortality rate among severely injured patients especially those that are in inaccessible places

White on white and color in minimalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

White on white and color in minimalism - Essay Example The essay "White on white and color in minimalism" analyzes the abstract art and compares white on white art and color art in minimalism. All artists concentrated on expressive art that showed emotion and universal themes. They were influenced by surrealism that changed into a new style that existed in the post-war era and mood of trauma, anxiety, fear and death. Abstract expressionism was not easy to define and understand. Some artists preferred to use action painting while others preferred American type painting. The artists who chose to express their artistic work through the movement showed their subconscious through their art and shared an interest in Jung’s ideas on myth memory and ritual. Minimal art developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States of America. Minimalist sculptures and paintings consist of geometric shapes and other simple forms that occur in a series of arranged unit. The movement was also called systematic painting, serial art or ABC p ainting. This movement grew in opposition of the earlier abstract expressionism movement. Minimal art movement was interested in logical systems and physical principles that occurred universally. They favored the straight and hard lines of design and rejected handcraftsmanship. White on white paintings or sculptures is objective and representational. They limit artists to develop things that exist in the real world situation. A viewer must be able to understand the piece of the work in the perspective of the artist. This piece of art does not allow artists to develop new things from their imagination that cannot be representative of the existence. In addition, the artists are limited to white color paintings and sculptures. They cannot use other colors except white colors when developing their work. The white color must be the background of any artwork. White on white paintings or sculptures represents the ultimate minimalism. It is neutral. In fact, it is not considered as a color. It is usually used in the background of the artwork. White on white paintings or sculptures signify and show purity, cleanliness and light (Foster, 2000, 45). White paintings are made up of white oil and exhaustic wax that softens its texture. White on white paintings has white encaustic burnt substance that contributes to the dimension of white on white painting in space. At the start of the white on white art, muted earth tones were incorporated into the white to come up with simple designs. The muted color was reduced later (Foster, 2000, 98). White paintings and sculpture present art in the simplest way possible by eliminating things that can complicate or add other dimensions on a piece of art. It brings art clearly from its background showing every detail. Minimalism is about creating clarity and avoiding ambiguity. White on white paintings and sculptures eliminate aspects of ambiguity in art works by putting the piece of art against a clear background that highlights each de tail that the artist wants to display. Tara Donovan is an American artist who was born in 1969 in new York. She has a Master of Fine Art degree in Sculpture (Lewis & Lewis, 2008, 62). She is an inventive sculptor who works elicit wonder and imagination using some of the common objects in everyday life. Her sculptural works show a transformation of ordinary materials shaped into intriguing and amazing physical and visual artworks.

The Past, Present, and Future of Los Angeles Research Paper

The Past, Present, and Future of Los Angeles - Research Paper Example Even though oil was discovered well before the beginning of twentieth century, significant oil production started in Los Angeles only in the beginning of the twentieth century. In the 1920’s Los Angeles was able to produce one quarter of the world's total oil supply. Wilmington oil field in Los Angeles is still one of the largest oil fields in the world. With the exception of Wilmington oil field, all of the large oil fields in the Los Angeles area were discovered between 1920 and 1930. These include Huntington Beach in 1920, Long Beach and Santa Fe Springs in 1921, and Dominguez in 1923. Another important discovery during the decade was Kettleman Hills oil field in Kings County in 1928. The development of these fields caused a flood of oil to reach the market, reducing the price (Oil And Gas Production: History in California, p.6). The oil revenue helped Los Angeles to develop rapidly which is evident from the fact that it hosted 1932 summer Olympics. The stadiums built for t his Olympics had around 100000 seating capacity, which are still used for conducting various sports events. Because of the rapid developments in Los Angeles in 1920’s and 30’s, people from all over the world started to migrate to California in general and Los Angeles in particular. â€Å"By 1920 southern California’s population had surpassed that of northern California, and in the next several years Los Angeles experienced â€Å"the largest internal migration in the history of the American people†(Los Angeles). The development of industry in general and automobile industry in particular took place during this period in Los Angeles. Even though migration caused huge diversity in Los Angeles population in 20’s and 30’s, whites were the dominant community still. Racism and discrimination were visible in Los Angeles’s social life during this period. The Great Depression caused huge problems in Los Angeles in 1930’s. Unemployment r ate was grown significantly during this period. However, Los Angeles was able to conduct the 1932 Olympics successfully amidst huge economic problems. Being the second largest city in America, present face of Los Angeles is entirely different from that in 1920’s and 30’s. In 1920’s, population size in Los Angeles was around 600000 whereas at present it is around 4000000. Even though automobile industry was one of the prominent employment sectors until recent times, 2007 global recession caused problems in this sector and many of the prominent automobile manufacturers forced to close down their units. Even though unemployment rate was dropping until 2007, it again started to increase from 2007 onwards because of recession. It should be noted that unemployment rate in Los Angeles was in between 6 to 7% at the beginning of 2000 whereas at present it is around 11 to 12%. â€Å"Once the whitest city in America, Los Angeles is now the most multicultural city in the h istory of the world†(Los Angeles Now). The ethnic face of Los Angeles has changed a lot in the past. As mentioned earlier, Los Angeles was a White dominated city in the past whereas at present it is a Latino dominated or Black dominated city. â€Å"According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 46 percent of the city’s population identifies as white, 46 percent as Latino, 11 percent as African American and 10 percent as Asian. (Total percentages add up to more than 100 because many people identify as being multiracial)† (Los Angeles: A century of Change). The above statistics clearly

Three in American life Essay Example for Free

Three in American life Essay Throughout the time period that we have studied, I believe that there were three events that had the most significant impact on American life. Progressivism was the most important outcome from these years. Another major outcome is the Birth Control Movement. The Freedmans Bureau is the last major result from this time period. Between 1865 and early 1920s, the country changed from a rural nation to an urban one. Progressivism is the reform movement of the 1900s. It dealt with people from the middle class who werent immigrants who wanted to cure social problems. Women got involved in this because it was the only acceptable way for them to influence politics. There were many issues that had to be dealt with. The workplace safety was one of them. Workers worked more than 54 hours per week and the accident rate was very high. The solutions made for there problems changed the way American people worked and how long they had to. Now, there was an 8-hour work day, there was a law for minimum wage, there were safer working conditions, and there was an end to child labor. The Progressives believed that you could use science and technology to solve problems. They also believed that schools were to prepare students to function in society. The Birth Control Movement was another significant change in American life. In 1873, the Comstock Law was passed. This law made it illegal to use the Postal Service system for any article or pamphlet intended for contraceptive information or abortion. Then, in the early 1900s, Margaret Sanger began the Birth Control movement. In 1912, there was a column in the newspaper that was named, What Every Girl Should Know. In 1913, this column was outlawed. Then Sanger was convicted for distributing literature under the Comstock law. Soon, right after World War I, birth control was more widely accepted. This changed the lives of many people, especially people who were married but never planned to have kids. This also got people more aware of STDs and other diseases. The Freedmans Bureau was established in the War Department on March 3, 1865. The Bureau supervised all relief and aid for millions of Southerners left homeless and hungry by the war. It distributed food, clothing, served as an employment agency, set up hospitals and operated schools. It played a major  role in providing education for African Americans. It also helped settle contract disputes between African American laborers and White planters. The time period between 1865 and the early 1920s was very important to Americans. It changed America from a rural to an urban nation. There were three events that had the most impact on American life. They were Progressivism, the Birth Control Movement, and the Freedmens Bureau.

Report on Organizational Structure and finance of British Airways

Report on Organizational Structure and finance of British Airways This report aims to give an analysis of the organisation of the British Airways Airline. It will discuss the organisational structure of British Airways and its sources of finance; that is where it gets its money from, how it is used and whether a profit or a loss is being made. The market the organisation operates in and its management type will also be discussed. The quality of the good or service provided will also be highlighted and an analysis of the supply chain that is showing the forms of distribution will be given. In conclusion, the report will summarise the information on the organisation and a view of its trading in the last five years followed by recommendations on how I feel the business may proceed in the current economic climate. The report was compiled by drawing literature from the British Airways website, lecture notes and relevant Business Organisation books. History: The British Airways, an organisation that operates in the Travel Market is the largest operating airline in the United Kingdom. It has its base at Heathrow Airport in London. Although the airline has been operational since 1919, developments over the years saw the merging of the British Airways Corp. (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA) in 1974 leading to the establishment of the current British Airways,(Corke, 1986). The organisation operates both domestic and international flights to about 600 destinations around the world. This is the reason why it is one of the worlds leading airlines. The British Airline is a Public Limited Company (PLC). It was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1987. Following its privatisation, the airline expanded its operations and managed to take over some competitors such as British Caledonian within the same year and Dan-Air in 1992. During the late 1990s, British Airlines established the One World alliance as it became more competitive to win more customers and had themselves high profit margins during the millennium labelling the airline a major full-service carrier, (Corke 1986). Organisational Structure: Mintzeberg et al, (1979) defines a business as an organisational entity that is legally set up to provide goods and services to customers in a country. He further states that an organisation consists of a large number of people bringing together ideas to achieve common goals using a variety of tactics to come up with short-term and long-term strategies for a businesss future success. Since British Airways is a public limited company (PLC), its type of business organisation is the private sector. Being a Public Limited Company, British Airways is owned by shareholders who buy shares from the stock exchange market and have separate legal identity from the business. If the business goes into debt each shareholder will only lose the amount of share capital they invested and not their personal possessions. Due to the airline being a private limited company, the government is not involved in its running. Its aims and objectives are to maximise profit in the long-term by focusing on improvi ng and maintaining outstanding customer service and becoming the worlds leading premium airline. An organisational structure is important because it determines how the organisation will be run in order to meet its aims and objectives, (Cunnee, 2008). He defines an organisational structure as the number of ways used in a business to set up division and specialization of labour focusing on maintaining co-ordination to achieve the same targets. British Airways has a flat structure meaning it has a small number of management levels but a wide span of control. The airline has adopted a divisional structure mainly because of the nature of its business which is customer focused. The advantages of this method are that it gives clear identification of job roles, less time consumed in decision making and easy supervision for managers between departments. This increases efficiency as different people are given the opportunities to effectively utilise their different skills, but it can also be in efficient because the managers have a large number of subordinates reporting to them therefore increasing their workload. On the other hand, employees may not feel secure about their jobs as they are being strictly watched over and may be de-motivated to work effectively. Another shortfall of this method is that each department may focus on its own objectives which may conflict with other departments, (Martin, 2010). Sources of Finance: British Airways is financed by issuing shares to the general public on the stock exchange market and from convertible bond issues. The bonds which have low interest rates could be used as a long-term fund which can be changed into share capital of the company during times of bankruptcy, (Rutterford, 2007). In 2009, the Market Watch reported that British Airways got a boost of  £600 million through the issuance of convertible bond and an agreement with its pension fund to release bank guarantees back to the airline. Of this amount  £300 million worth of convertible bonds due to mature in 2014 and will be convertible into 15% to 20% of its share capital. The other  £300 million which will only be accessible in the case of bankruptcy will allow British Airways access to bank funding of  £3330 million up June 2012, (Market Watch, 2009). Like most public companies, British Airways aims and objectives are to maximise profit. In 2008, British Airways made a profit of  £726m while its 2009 Income Statement shows a loss of  £358m. Part of the loss is due to the effects of the recession that affected a large number of United Kingdoms businesses and the whole world. Because of the recession, there was a high increase in fuel prices due to limited resources. This left British Airways with no choice but to buy the fuel regardless of the price as it is important for its business. Fewer consumers were able to afford travelling expenses due to high costs. The wage bill of the company also had a great impact during such hard times. The employees demanded high wages for them to be able to afford their own personal needs as well. The differences between the airlines management and the employees led to strikes that also contributed to the loss of profits by the company. The strikes led to a destruction of many consumers travel plans that has also led to bad public image causing a negative influence on the airlines market. The conflict of objectives between the airlines management and its employees still remains unresolved. In 2009, most of the expenditure expenses were made up of fuel and oil costs and employee costs of  £2969(m) and  £2139 (m) respectively. The loss made in 2009 was carried forward through to 2010 of which a loss of  £425(m) was made. Marketing Management Marketing is the identification and provision of customers needs at the same time ensuring that the organisation makes a profit. Marketing management is essential for a business such as British Airways as it allows for flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of the market. In this strategy, the organisation is always assessing the needs of its customers in order to design products of better value. There are many different strategies a business could adopt for better marketing management and this could be done through the marketing mix. Marketing mix is the identification of the 4/7Ps. In this report I am only going to talk about the four main Ps. The 4Ps are the product being made, the place it is going to be provided, promotional strategies put in place and the price to be paid by consumers, (Kotler et al, 2009). The nature of the business of British Airways is to provide flight services to consumers across various places around the world. The airlines product strategy includes f light services that are offered in various packages for example, the differentiation between the business, first and economic classes. This is done to satisfy each consumer as the airline has considered and provided for different classes of the economy. Promotion is the extra cost of a business to differentiate itself from competitors and try to win consumers attention by persuading them to choose them over their competitors. British Airways has branded itself as an airline that provides a luxury, safety, reliable and convenient service that transfers people to different destinations which is why one would want to go out and travel with them. Price is the value placed on the exchange of goods or services during the marketing process. Customers pay up money in return to satisfy their needs, (Smith, 2007). The price should be based on the quality of the product, taking into account customers expectations. However, charging a low price to a product worth more may not be beneficial to the company as that would lead to a loss in potential profit (Kotler et al 2009) while on the other hand; charging a high price for a product not worth it will cause a reduction in demand and bad public image. British Airways pricing policy entitles one to get what they paid for with the freedom of choice in the payment package for the type of flight service they would like. The airlines pricing strategy is based on three class seats provided by the airline. These are premium, medium-value and economy strategies. With the premium strategy, business and executive consumers are given a high quality service being charged a high price for it. British Airways competitors in this service are other giant airlines such as Virgin and American Airlines. The medium-value strategy consists of a standard charge with quality less than the premium strategy but more than of the economy strategy. The economy strategy provides just the basic services with extra benefits like entertainment and free food and drinks adding to the quality and advantage of British Airways brand image, (Kotler et al, 2007). However, the airline has revised its pricing policy to competitive based pricing meaning it charges fares at the same level as competitors or lower. The airline wants to compete with rival low-cost airlines on short-haul European flights. Free food will still be offered alth ough a fuel surcharge of  £8 per single journey ( £16 return) has to be paid by customers on top of their regular payments, (British Airways,). Another advantage of British Airways pricing strategy is that low-cost airline ticket prices a cheap when you book them well in advance but as it gets towards travelling dates they become very expensive, even much more expensive than British Airways. With British Airways the price will relatively still be the same until the week one travels. Quality Quality is a word which is defined differently by different people. From the different meanings, quality is the sum of all the features of a product or service that ensure that the customers needs are met appropriately. The products or services should be at least worth the price charged on them likewise, the quality of employees could be based on their performance with regards to the given tasks, (Mauch, 2010). British Airways adopted a high quality service approach although it eventually came to conflict with cost-cutting measurements that had to be put in place due to increased competition. The service provided by British Airways is flights from one destination to another and its brand core is Quality flights for all people meaning it tries to satisfy and accommodate all different kinds of consumers. As a consumer you get the feel of being a business man and executive traveller and the airline has the glamour any traveller would dream of. Being a fast mode of transport, less time i s consumed for people in a hurry, you are assured of being at your destination at the estimated time shown when purchasing you ticket. Most people who fly with British Airways are the business man as suggested by its brand, although all different cultures are welcome on board. Marketing wise, the airline offers luxury travel with safety and comfort whilst flying. Despite increased competition and cost-cutting, the airline still remains one of the best airlines because low-cost airlines such as Easy-Jet and Raynair do not offer extras or as much comfort and security like British Airways. This is for example, Low-cost airlines only provide cheaper fares but they do not offer luxury comfort like TV entertainment or free food and drinks on flights and business seats compared to British Airways. Supply Chain A supply chain consists of a link between different channels of distribution that is, from the raw materials to the final customer. Supply Chain Management includes five key areas that are transportation, suppliers, warehousing, meeting orders and retailers; (Chopra et al, 2010). British Airways operates in the final product that is providing the service to customers. This makes the supply chain shorter and more effective due to the provision of direct services and saves time on any occurring problems as they can be dealt with quickly. The airline operates from many different locations with its major base at Londons Heathrow Airport. The customers have the strength of buying that can be divided into two main parts that are price sensitivity and relative bargaining power. The price sensitive buyers will look at an alternative option and compare prices charged to similar products and choose the one which is more beneficial. Therefore holiday packages have been introduced to overcome bi g volume products and for the airline to gain control over its supply chain and strengthen its brand. British Airways tries to satisfy all its customers with various needs from the different classes it provides for. Value is added in its supply chain process by providing different lounges and on board food and wine menus for the first class seats. Also the regular customers of the business class seats get blue, silver or gold cards and executive lounge at all main airports. Overall, the airline provides a good service for all fliers that is giving them free food and drinks, different types of entertainment including two in flight magazines, movie collections, radio channels and TV programs, British Airways target market is both domestic and global. Although the airline welcomes customers from all walks of life, it has made a lot of effort in maintaining its business and first class sections where it maximises its profits and increases its competitiveness at the same time customers who use these two sections get real value for their money. Conclusion Due to increasing competition in the flying industry, consumers expect a reduction in the prices charged which would cause the companies to reduce the quality service provided. Although Easy-Jet and Raynair seem to have succeeded, they have had to compromise the quality of the service by making it basic with nothing much to offer apart from the reduced fare. Because of its outstanding service the British Airways has remained competitive in the current economic climate. In the three of the last five years that are 2006, 2007 and 2008 British Airways made profits of  £451(m),  £304(m) and  £726(m) respectively, however in the other two years, 2009 and 2010 it made losses of  £358(m) and  £425(m). This is mainly due to the effects of the recession that started towards the end of 2008. The airline has managed to survive the recession despite having made profit losses. I believe it has the potential to recover from its financial crisis and maintain its position as one of the leading airlines worldwide. The management and employee issues need to be addressed sooner than later in order to avoid strikes that will further increase the financial crisis of the company and also negatively affect its image in the market.

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Brass in Ammonia

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Brass in Ammonia Six samples of brass were taken, stamped to induce residual stress, were then exposed ammonia and ammoniacal copper sulphate solutions of different concentrations and composition for a period of 4 days to study the corrosion characteristics of brass in ammonia. Five samples were immersed in the solution and one of the samples was suspended above solution. On visual examination of the samples revealed some corrosion products with stress corrosion cracking on the surface of brass. Microscopy analysis showed that the non-suspended sample which was exposed to ammonia vapour in presence of moisture and oxygen produced high susceptibility to SCC than immersion samples in aqueous ammonia. The cupric ion present in the solution appears as an oxidant that provides a cathodic reaction and induces stress corrosion cracking of brass in ammonia and ammoniacal solutions. INTRODUCTION: There are three factors under which stress corrosion cracking is possible a) corrosive medium/environment b) material and c) tensile stress. The corrosive medium to induce stress corrosion cracking depends on the potential, pH and temperature. The stress can be applied stress or residual stress. Stress corrosion cracking can occur in lower stress also hence it is the environment which plays a major role. Many studies carried out revealed that failures of brass occur mainly in moist conditions where ammonia, water and oxygen are present. Time of cracking depends on the pH of the solution. Dezincification of copper alloy is possible when the zinc content present is sufficient enough. The aim of this experimental work was to investigate the corrosion behaviour of brass in ammonia. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE: Six brass samples and five test solutions were used in the experiment to study the stress-corrosion cracking of brass. The brass samples were labelled A, B, C, D, E, and F following the residual stress given to them by stamping these letters into their surfaces using drill bits. The stamp was done at one end of the samples while the unstressed part served as the control for the experiment. The solutions serving as the test environments were also labelled using the letters 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F and their compositions are shown below. Compositions and colours of test solution observed before immersion Solution Label Composition Colour observed before sample immersion A Ammonium Sulphate with copper (II): 0.5M (NH4)SO4 + 0.05M CuSO4 Pale blue B Ammonia solution with copper (II): 2.5M NH4OH + 0.05M CuSO4 Dark blue C Mattsons solution at pH of 7.2 Medium blue D Modified Mattsons solution containing 5% by volume of 0.1M NaCl Medium blue E 1M Ammonia solution Colourless The labelled samples were placed in the glass jar provided and five of the test samples were filled with enough test solution (10mm) to ensure complete immersion of the sample. Excessive alteration of the concentration of the NH3 solution was avoided by covering the top of the containers. The sixth sample was suspended above solution E (1M NH3 solution) in a glass jar (4F) by means of a surgical nylon string. After sufficient exposure of the samples to the solutions for a period of four days, the samples were removed. The samples were visually examined first upon removal from the test solutions. The colours of the test solutions and corrosion products were recorded before the test samples were cleaned. The test samples were cleaned and rinsed in the pickling solution of 1M sulphuric acid solution in order to remove corrosion products formed on the surface of brass followed by rinsing with deionised water. Finally the samples were dried with tissues before being examined under an optical microscope for stress-corrosion cracking. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: Sample observation after exposure of 4 days to test solutions: Test Label Test Observation from visual examination and optical microscopy Reason 1 Brass sample immersed in solution A Solution remained pale blue. No cracks were seen.corrrosion products found. Localized Corrosion damage at the stressed area observed back of the sample Stress-corrosion cracking may occur with further exposure to the solution. 2 Brass sample immersed in solution B for 4 days Solution was darker compared to the original solution. Brass sample in tarnish condition (dark brown colouration). Crack at the stressed end. Stress-corrosion cracking of the sample. 3 Brass sample immersed in solution C No significant change in solution colour. No cracks were seen.corrrosion products found. Sample shows low possibilities to SCC 4 Brass sample immersed in solution D Dark brown corrosion products. Localized corrosion damage at the stressed end. No cracks seen. Stress-corrosion cracking may occur with further exposure to the solution. 5 Brass sample immersed in solution E Solution changed from colourless to light pale blue. Cracks seen. Colour change is likely due to formation of cupric ion, Cu2+. Stress-corrosion cracking at the stressed end. 6 Brass sample suspended above solution E Solution remained colourless. Tarnish film covering almost the entire surface. Cracks seen at stressed region Stress-corrosion cracking of the sample at the stressed end. Tarnish film likely to be cuprous oxide, Cu2O. Sample A:- A-1 A-2 Fig 1: Sample A immersed for 4 days in solution Ammonium Sulphate with copper (II): 0.5M (NH4)SO4 + 0.05M CuSO4 OBSERVATION: No stress corrosion cracking observed at the stressed end of the sample Fig A-1.some corrosion product was noticed on the back side of the sample Fig A-2. Sample B:- B-1 B-2 Fig 2: Sample B immersed for 4 days in solution Ammonia solution with copper (II): 2.5M NH4OH + 0.05M CuSO4 OBSERVATION: Stress corrosion cracking observed at the stress end and near the unstressed region just near to the stressed end Fig B-1.Dark corrosion product observed on the backside of the sample Fig B-2. Nature of cracks: Intergranular Sample C:- C-1 C-2 Fig 3: Sample C immersed for 4 days in Mattsons solution at pH of 7.2 OBSERVATION: No cracking or any other significant changes observed in this sample after even 4 days of exposure. Only dark corrosion products were observed on the sample. Sample D:- D-1 Fig 4: Sample D immersed for 4 days in Modified Mattsons solution containing 5% by volume of 0.1M NaCl OBSERVATION: No cracking or any other significant changes observed in this sample after even 4 days of exposure. Only dark corrosion products were observed on the sample. Sample E:- Fig: E-1 Fig: E-2 Fig 5: Sample D immersed for 4 days in 1M ammonia solution. OBSERVATION: Stress corrosion cracking observed at the stress end extending to the edges and Dark corrosion product observed on the backside of the sample Fig E-1 and E-2. Nature of cracks: Intergranular Sample F:- Fig: F-1 Fig: F-2 Fig 5: Sample D suspended above in 1M ammonia solution for 4 days. OBSERVATION: Stress corrosion cracking observed at the stress end extending to the edges and Dark corrosion product observed on the backside of the sample Fig F-1 and F-2. Nature of cracks: Intergranular. From Optical microscopy analysis it is evident that sample B (Fig 2 B1B2) immersed in a test solution containing Ammonia solution with copper (II):2.5M NH4OH + 0.05M CuSO4 , Sample E (Fig5-E1E2) suspended above the test solution of 1M Ammonia solution and Sample F (Fig6 F1F2) suspended above the test solution of 1M Ammonia solution had under gone stress corrosion cracking and shows that only in some particular environment SCC occurs. Apart from stress corrosion cracking dark tarnish corrosion product was observed which could possibly be oxide layer of copper. Rest of the three samples A (Fig1 A1 A2) immersed in a test solution containing Ammonium Sulphate with copper (II): 0.5M (NH4)SO4 + 0.05M CuSO4 , C (Fig 3 C1C2) immersed in a test solution of Mattssons solution at pH 7.2 and D (Fig 4 D) immersed in a test solution of Modified Mattsons solution containing 5% by Volume of 0.1M NaCl did not show any cracking but had tarnish corrosion product. These samples suffered localized corrosion at the stressed edges which can be seen in back side of the above 3 samples (Fig A2 C2). The electrochemical reactions of brass in ammonia environment are as follows: Copper free aqueous ammonia is oxygen reduction and primary oxidation reaction is oxidation of copper to form cuprous complex ions. Cu + 2NH3 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Cu (NH3)2+ + e- The cuprous complex ions formed further reacts with oxygen forming cupric complex ions 2Cu (NH3)2+ + 1/2 O2 + H2O + 4NH3 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2Cu (NH3)42+ + 2OHà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Cuprous complex ion cupric complex ion The formation of cupric complex ions leads to stress corrosion cracking of brass in ammonia solutions. The process does not proceeds indefinitely since the attack of cupric complex ion (oxide layer) occurs at critical copper ion content which leads to decrease in corrosion rate but the cracking continues with the copper ion concentration. It is also evident from the black dark coloured product formed (Tarnish colour) on the surface that the cracks are intergranular in nature.The pores on the surface of the corrosion product were the sites for localized attack, likely to survive at the grain boundaries. In general the stress corrosion cracking in ÃŽÂ ± brass has considered being intergranular. On absence of the black coloured corrosion product it is believed that the cracks to be transgranular nature of crack. CONCLUSION: It is evident from the discussion carried out above that brass is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in ammonia. Stress corrosion cracking was observed in the regions where residual stresses were generated leaving behind the rest of the areas which were not induced to stress. Formation of cupric complex ions leads to stress corrosion cracking of brass in ammonia solutions. The cracks formed on the brass surface can be further studied under SEM to provide detailed information on the nature of the crack formed. In order to overcome the above problem of stress corrosion cracking the following options can be opted Eliminating any one of the primary factor (Environment, material and stress) will mitigate stress corrosion cracking. Use of more cracking resistance alloys such as Cu-10Ni instead of Cu-Zn

Sleep disorders Essay -- essays research papers fc

Sleep Disorders Child Sleep Disorders: Is Your Child at Risk? Recent research has proven that children just are not getting the sleep they need these days. Kids today seem to be doing poorer in school and have less attention spans. Most parents are not aware of a common problem effecting thousands of children in this country: sleep disorders. Parents often fail to follow there children's sleeping patterns which can result in some serious side effects if that child has a sleep disorder. A study done at Tulane University in New Orleans studied about 300 first graders that preformed poorly in school. They found that 18 per cent showed signs of a sleeping problem. The percentage of children with bad grades found to have sleeping problems was six to nine times higher than found in a previous study done over all of the childhood population. (The Toronto Star). Most people believe that sleep disorders only affect adults but in reality 30% of all children have some sort of sleep disorder. (Burcum). Sleep disorders are defined as a group of syndromes characterized by disturbance in the patient's amount of sleep, quality or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep. To qualify for a diagnosis of sleep disorder, the condition must be a persistent problem, cause the patient significant emotional distress, and interfere with his or her social or occupational functioning. (Frey p265). Some sleep disorders can effect children of all ages. The sleep disorder that children are subject to often depends on their age and development. Sleep disorders change most frequent in the middle-school years. Children often experience more anxiety at this time. (Burcum). The source of the certain sleep disorder cannot normally be pin pointed in every case. Many factors come in to play when dealing with the cause of a sleep disruption. Parental characteristics, personality, psychosocial influences, education, parenting skills, stress, trauma, school, culture and personal health can all bring about sleeping disorders in young to middle-aged children. Some parents find that there children sleep to much, while others don't sleep enough. Some fall asleep at the wrong times while others cant ever even get to sleep. There are about 100 different sleep disorders being researched currently. Although sleep is a basic behavior in animals as well as hu... ...nd Psychiatry. (1992). 12 Sept 2001. http://www.Ilboro.ac.uk/departments/hu/groups/sleep.com Klein, Hanne. "Troubled Nights". The Dallas Morning News. 1 March 1999. 19 Sept 2001. http://www.elibrary.com/s/edumark/getdoc.com Kryger, Meir. "Childhood Sleep Apnea". Online Posting. 24 Mar 1999. 19 Sept 2001. http://www.stanford.edu Kryger, Meir. "Children and Sleepwalking". Online Posting. 15 April 1998. 19 Sept 2001. http://www.standford.edu/slpwalking.html Kryger, Meir. "Night Terrors in Children". Online Posting. 10 Sept 1998. 12 Sept 2001. http://www.standford.edu/terrors.html "Night Terrors". The Sleep Tight Video for Sleepless Parents. Excerp. 12 Sept 2001. http://www.sleeptight.com/EncyMaster/N/night.html "Sleep Disorder Affects on Children". The Toronto Star. 11 Sept 1998. 19 Sept 2001. http://www.elibrary.com/s/edumark/getdoc.com "Sleep Problems". Online Posting care of Keep Kids Healty.com. 20 Apr 2000. 12 Sept 2001. http://www.keepkidshealty.com/schoolageproblems/sleep.html "Tipsheet: Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Sleep Walking". 1997. 12 Sept 2001. http://www.aca.ninemsn.com

Dantes Divine Comedy - Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? Dante begins the opening of Canto XXVIII with a rhetorical question. Virgil and he have just arrived in the Ninth Abyss of the Eighth Circle of hell. In this pouch the Sowers of Discord and Schism are continually wounded by a demon with a sword. Dante poses a question to the reader: Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? (Lines 1-3) The rhetorical question draws the reader into the passage because we know by this point in the Divine Comedy that Dante is a great poet. What is it that Dante sees before him on the brink of the Ninth Abyss that is so ineffable that he, as a poet, feels he cannot handle? In the following lines Dante expands on this rhetorical position. He elaborates on why it is important for any man to offer a good description of what he sees. No poet can ach ieve this description: â€Å"Each tongue that tried would certainly fall short...† (L. 4) It is not just poetic talent that is at stake; poets do not have the background to give them the poetic power for such description. His reasoning is "the shallowness of both our speech and intellect cannot contain so much." (Lines 5-6) Once again the reader is intrigued; how could a man of Dante's stature criticize language which is the very tool he uses to create the epic work of La Commedia ? If we cannot take Dante seriously with these opening statements, we must pose the question of what Dante is trying to do by teasing us with this artificial beginning to Canto XVIII? Dante will now contradict himself and try to describe what he says is impossible. But, if he were to go right into a description of the Ninth Abyss, it would deflate his rhetorical position. Instead, Dante first sets up a quite lengthy comparison of the sights he has just witnessed with examples of bloodshed throughout human history. Were you to reassemble all the men who once, within Apulia1's fateful land, had mourned their blood, shed at the Trojans' hands, as well as those who fell Dante's Divine Comedy - Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? Dante begins the opening of Canto XXVIII with a rhetorical question. Virgil and he have just arrived in the Ninth Abyss of the Eighth Circle of hell. In this pouch the Sowers of Discord and Schism are continually wounded by a demon with a sword. Dante poses a question to the reader: Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? (Lines 1-3) The rhetorical question draws the reader into the passage because we know by this point in the Divine Comedy that Dante is a great poet. What is it that Dante sees before him on the brink of the Ninth Abyss that is so ineffable that he, as a poet, feels he cannot handle? In the following lines Dante expands on this rhetorical position. He elaborates on why it is important for any man to offer a good description of what he sees. No poet can ach ieve this description: â€Å"Each tongue that tried would certainly fall short...† (L. 4) It is not just poetic talent that is at stake; poets do not have the background to give them the poetic power for such description. His reasoning is "the shallowness of both our speech and intellect cannot contain so much." (Lines 5-6) Once again the reader is intrigued; how could a man of Dante's stature criticize language which is the very tool he uses to create the epic work of La Commedia ? If we cannot take Dante seriously with these opening statements, we must pose the question of what Dante is trying to do by teasing us with this artificial beginning to Canto XVIII? Dante will now contradict himself and try to describe what he says is impossible. But, if he were to go right into a description of the Ninth Abyss, it would deflate his rhetorical position. Instead, Dante first sets up a quite lengthy comparison of the sights he has just witnessed with examples of bloodshed throughout human history. Were you to reassemble all the men who once, within Apulia1's fateful land, had mourned their blood, shed at the Trojans' hands, as well as those who fell

Anne Bradstreet’s Prolougue and Contemplation

Thomas Dudley, took great importance in seeing that she received superior education to that of most women as he would befit It. As such, one can Infer that Anne Broadsheet had some type of grudge to the male dominant society she grew on. Her writing malignant hidden meaning In which casual readers would see the surface intentions of her poems and not offend any male readers.However, inside her humble lyrics one can objectify flowing amounts of sarcasm, irony and active intensity towards male to female prejudice. This humble yet sarcastic tone can be seen in the poem as an indirect attack pointed towards the male world. These ironic intentions can be seen In the first stanza of Anne Breadbasket's' â€Å"The Prologue† where she states that her work Is simple and that she leaves historical recordings to others who have more skill, â€Å"To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings / Of cities founded, commonwealths begun For my mean pen are to superior things.. 1-3). Nevertheless, Madam Broadsheet would compare her supposed unrefined style as a toe with artist like Gallinule Barras which she enjoyed reading as described in the second stanza of â€Å"The Prologue†: But when my wondering eyes and envious heart Great Barras sugared lines do but read offer, Fool I do grudge the Muses did not part ‘Twixt him and me that over fluent store; A barras can do what a Barras will But simple I according to my skill. † (7-12) In the first ten stanzas of â€Å"Contemplations† Anne Broadsheet shows her mastery of poetic language and stylistic devices. Mrs..Broadsheet praises the glory of God's work; Ewing nature, life and the place that man occupies. In the fourth stanza of Mrs.. Breadbasket's â€Å"Contemplation† one can notice such praise of the elements of the natural world, â€Å"Then higher on the glistening sun I gazed, / whose beams was shaded by the leafy tree; / The more I looked, the more I grew amazed, And softly said, â€Å"Wha t glory's like to thee? † †¦ (22-25). Therefore, whether Anne Broadsheet did or did not write poems like â€Å"The Prologue† or â€Å"Contemplation† to please her father; such point does not change how we read her poetry.Anne Broadsheet mastery of titlists techniques, multiple meanings and language use in poetry streamline the way readers can Indulge oneself In her lyrical work. Such complex style of poetry Is a testament of Anne Broadsheet skill as an artist to be viewed with the likes of Gallinule Barras, Wayne Franklin, among others. Work Cited Broadsheet, Anne. â€Å"Contemplation† The Norton Anthology: American Literature shorter 7th edition. De. Julia Redhead. New York: W. W Norton & Company, Inc. , 2008. 99-106. Print. De. Julia Redhead. New York: W. W Norton & Company, Inc. , 2008. 98-99. Print.

Funny Games Movie Analysis

The preferred reading from director Michael Haneke gives a lot of insight to why the audience felt the way they did. Haneke’s intended message of the film was irony. â€Å"All the rules that usually make the viewer go home happy and contented are broken in my film,† (Haneke). This is why the film makes audiences so uncomfortable; it takes them out of their standard beliefs of what a film should have in it. Haneke breaks these rules several times to give the audience increased feelings of anxiousness. â€Å"There’s this unspoken rule that you can’t harm animals. What do I do? I kill the dog first thing. The same thing with the boy. You’re not supposed to break the illusion. What do I do? I break the illusion. It’s the principle of the whole film. It’s a very ironic film,† (Haneke) Haneke also displays the irony through the music, â€Å"Just like the film is a parody of a classical thriller, John Zorn is a parody of classical heavy metal. The classical music is not a soundtrack in this movie. All my music is not meant as a soundtrack—is part of the action, part of the story. The other music, the John Zorn music, is under the titles, and it’s the ironic colon. OK, now we go to a thriller,† (Haneke) Haneke’s second message is manipulation, â€Å"I wanted to show the audience how much they can be manipulated,† (Haneke). He purposefully toys with the audience, bringing them to unfamiliar territory. â€Å"First they think it’s all an illusion, just a film, then I do this rewinding and suddenly you go back. I look at the viewer directly, I talk to him, I wink at him. I do this again and again to show how much one can manipulate. In view of this overriding illusion in movies, it’s a good idea to create a little bit of mistrust in the verite, in the truth of moving pictures. † As for Peter and Paul being gay that interpretation was not intended. â€Å"We heard it before, but I’m very surprised actually. First of all, the actors aren’t gay, but that would be beside the point. I don’t know why people think that—because they are handsome, or have white clothes on, I don’t know,† (Haneke). Overall Haneke wanted the audience to feel a, â€Å"Slap in the face,† and it definitely worked. The negotiated reading for Funny Games describes the movie as, â€Å"Horror that really scared, devastated, and stayed with me long after the final scene was over,† (Galina 1). I feel that this is close to what I was thinking after the film and also to many others in the class. The nonchalant nature of Paul and Peter really sticks to you and the infamous George, â€Å"Why are you doing this to us? † Paul, â€Å"Why not? † is absolutely chilling. This is scary to most people because the audience is used to a killer that has a direct motive and a back story. Funny Games leaves you with none of that and because this is very uncommon our lack of gap-fill is shocking. â€Å"I can't easily recall another movie that made me go through the same emotions as the innocent victims in the movie did, to feel the same helplessness, hopelessness, despair, humiliation, and horror,† (Galina 1). All of these emotions build up to a realization that the good guys won’t win. Most of the time movies punish evil and let the good prevail but when this doesn’t happen audiences are shocked because our gap-fill between good and evil comforted us that there was a chance for the good. After the awareness that evil has won a sense of â€Å"They are among us, they are nice and polite, well read, shy and ironic, they have the names from the new Testament, Paul and Peter, they talk with the soft refined voices but they are monsters nevertheless who have no regard for a human life and who want to play their sadistic funny games to the extreme,† sets in (Galina 1). This reception of the movie Funny Games is what I feel most viewers felt.

Born Global Firm

.- What are some of the managerial characteristics of a Born Global firm? How are distinguishable from those of a traditional firm that seek to expand with a more traditional evolutionary process? The Born Global firm phenomenon refers to those special firms that adopt an international approach right from their birth The general characteristics of Born Global firms differentiate themselves from other multinationals in their growth stages. Born Global firms typically operate in a narrowly defined market niche, which makes it harder to grow in a small home market. A high degree of specialization requires internationalization if the firm wants to achieve substantial growth. Born Global firms often possess unique resources and capabilities such as entrepreneurial orientation of the founders, innovation behind products and technology, accumulated knowledge of the founders and managers from previous work experience, and networking capabilities. Managers with a previous background of international strong activity will give to the company a more sure address to its business expansion, for this reason a high level of entrepreneurial orientation supports the firm? ability to recognize and create opportunities at an early stage. It can be argued that Born Global firms are typically found in niche business areas where products are unique, and require high amount of research and development like the high tech business area. It is very important to invest in products with a short life cycle and high technology sectors are characterized by this necessity o f a continued innovation which can protect those firms and products from any imitation. As for geographic locations of these Born Global firms, their headquarters can be found in various countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland†¦ Rich and large countries give birth to Born Global firms, as these countries have potential demand for unique products, plenty marketing professionals and financial support. Foreign demands for unique products then often pull these firms to globalize quickly.

Reflective Understanding Of Prince2 Principles In A Project Environment

our site – REFLECTIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE – CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING Introduction PRINCE is a project management method for controlled environments.I found the training comprehensive and the method a little overwhelming, but overall the course provided me with a clear understanding of how the system can help businesses execute successful projects. I obtained information using the slides provided by London South Bank University (2016), and online search of articles and publications about the application of PRINCE, and the different elements of the system.Murray (2011) states that the main reason why PRINCE was upgraded in 2006 the constantly changing nature of project management methods and new challenges of project managers, and PRINCE2 is today’s â€Å"best practice† standard, qualification program, and project management framework that has a detailed project process model. The Seven Principles of PRINCE2 According to the Oracle White Paper (Oracle, 2011), the management processes designed by the framework are based on seven principles: a. continued business justification In my understanding, is necessary to monitor the plan and compare it with the actual performance, to ensure that the original project is still suitable for delivering the objectives. This helps companies monitor the health and feasibility of projects. b. learn from experience The research and review previous projects, use existing effective templates, and apply knowledge obtained from them. c. defined roles and responsibilities The creation of project and activity teams is necessary for the success, and the effective allocation of the roles (Marsh, 1996). d. manage by stages It is important to create control points in the project to separate stages, phases, and identify main events. e. manage by exception Workbenches, such as the Manager Workbench and Review Program Workbench should be implemented in order to manage exceptions and implement automated change control, when exceptions occur. f. focus on products The Deliverables section of the plan should be detailing product expectations, including quality assurance guidelines. g. tailor to suit the project environment Templates provide flexible control for project managers, to change the levels and types of controls to be implemented. PRINCE2 Themes The main themes of PRINCE2 are business case, organisation, risk, change, quality, and plan. The Business Case theme addresses why the project is created, what the options are, outlines the costs, timescales, expected outcomes, and risks. The Project Organisation determines who is the owner of the project, identifies the roles of team members, and authorities. It also highlights the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team a:he Project Board consists of an executive, senior user, and senior supplier. To manage and identify risks, a risk register is created, with each risk having a unique identifier. All users should have access to the risk register. The PRINCE2 Method The method of PRINCE involves controls and breakpoints. TThere are five process groups in the PRINCE2 method: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The method covers ten different knowledge areas and integrates them in a way that they all contribute towards the successful execution of the plans. The above information is available in the 2009 TSO document (TSO, 2009b). Project Plans and Levels As it has been stated previously, PRINCE2 has an organisational theme that needs to be discussed in detail, in relation with the levels and responsibilities related to each level. The main levels are: programme management, directing, managing, and delivering (TSO, 2009a). The Quality Theme The quality theme features managing expectations and projected outcomes, designing quality assurance and interventions. According to a recent publication by CIPFA (2012), the quality approach allows the planning of systematic activities leading to the identification of the company’s products, the project’s products, and the tracking of the quality methods. Customers’ expectations are analysed, an acceptance criteria is created, and this leads to the detailed project product description. The next task is to generate a project response, and a quality register. Quality, according to the definition of PRINCE2, is â€Å"The total amount of features or characteristics of a product, such that it meets expectations and satisfies the stated needs. Saying that all features of the product have to work as expected for a given amount of time† (London South Bank University, 2016). Simply put, the main purpose of the quality theme is to ensure that all the products are f it for their purpose. This approach signifies that if the quality of the products is compromised, the outcomes of the project will be negatively affected, as well. Before implementing the PRINCE2 project, it is necessary to agree on the acceptance criteria and quality expectations. For quality planning, the MoSCoW method of prioritisation should be used: must have, should have, could have, and won’t have for now. This information is detailed in the CIPFA (2012) publication. Risk Theme The risk management and monitoring features implemented in PRINCE2 are as follows: identifying risk, assessing it, planning (to avoid, exploit, reject, etc.) the risk, implementation of actions by risk owners, and communication through checkpoints, highlights, and reports, according to the PowerPoint lecture of London South Bank University (2016). The identification of risk is followed by their qualitative assessment: high, medium, or low risk categories, and the assessment of each risk’s potential impact. Risk responses can be avoidance, exploitation, enhancement, reduction, or sharing. Change Theme Ferguson (2011) describes this theme as the ability to identify and control baselines, changes, and approve or reject them. The online article talks about the applicability of PRINCE on smaller scale projects. Change management should be based on aligning the objectives of the project with the current changes, and making adjustments in order to meet the expectations of the project owners and the customers. For example, the implementation of a change might change the projected outcomes, therefore, changes need to be made. Progress Theme The Progress theme can be described as providing periodic snapshots of the level of completion and performance towards the objectives (Oracle, 2011). Under this theme, the calculations of Earned Value and Earned Value Projection are completed, and this allows project owners and directors to see the value of work completed against the resources used. Thresholds are also important in this bench-marking process. Conclusion Based on the above review, the main benefits of PRINCE2 for companies can be highlighted as: real time input and monitoring, risk management, performance and quality control abilities, and clear definition of objectives. The main benefit of the PRINCE2 method is that it provides a standard and common language for project management professionals. I believe that adapting the management approach can improve the success rate of small- and large-scale projects alike. Bibliography CIPFA. 2012. PRINCE2 Quick Reference Guide. Ferguson, C. 2011. PRINCE2 for Small-scale Projects. Novare Consulting. London South Bank University. 2016. PRINCE2 Presentations and Lectures. Marsh, D., 1996. Project management and PRINCE. Health Informatics, 2(1), pp.21-27. Murray, A. 2010. White-paper: PRINCE2 AND Governance. Outperform. Document Number: 1042-01-01 Version Number: 1v0 Oracle. 2011. PeopleSoft Projects (ESA) Support for PRINCE2. An Oracle White Paper June 2011 TSO. 2009a. Managing and Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2. The Stationary Office. TSO. 2009. The Executive Guide to Directing Projects: within a PRINCE2â„ ¢ and MSP ® Environment, TSO 2009