Art and culture of Orissa Essay

Orissa boasts of a rich and vibrant cultural heritage naturally caused by a long history of different rulers of varied cultural and artistic inclinations. Further confluence of racial streams has also enriched the art, craft and culture of Orissa in no uncertain terms. Orissa is particularly famous for its brass work, silver work, terracotta art objects and appliquà © work, besides its unique handloom. The culture of Orissa, India, makes for an interesting study. Situated along the Bay of Bengal coast, Orissa is an Indian state that exemplifies the unique and commendable blend of ancient glory and modern initiative. Orissa is a place where nature unfurls her one of the most beauteous aspects. Unsullied beaches, rivers, gorgeous waterfalls and majestic hills all contribute in accentuating the appeal of the state as a popular tourist destination. The culture of Orissa also generates considerable interest among both the domestic and the foreign travelers. Orissa is largely rural and the traditional values that are still retained form an integral aspect of the Orissa culture. Orissa’s strategic geographical location has engendered the assimilation of the culture of the Aryans and the Dravidians. The culture of Orissa can very well be described as an Indo-cultural synthesis. Orissa art and craft constitutes a major portion of the culture of Orissa. The art of Orissa underwent myriad changes and is a product of a number of assimilations and imbibitions. Orissa is known for its sand arts, Patta Chitra, Palm Leaf Paintings, Jhoti, Chita and Muruja. The Orissan artists are unsurpassed in their skill. Orissa boasts of a glorious tradition of dance and music. The figurines of dancers and musicians gracing the walls of the quaint temples in Orissa speak volumes about the rich musical heritage of the state. Odissi music is the classical art that has imbibed the elements common to the Hindustani and Karnatik music. The Odissi dance, Chhau Dance, Mahari dance, the jatra, pala and Daskarhia comprise of an inextricable part of the culture of Orissa. The  sacred environs of Lord Jagannath temple, the eroticism of Konark’s Sun temple, the wondrous caves of Jainism, the mystical monasteries of Buddhism, the paintings of folklore and the weaver’s magic; all stand as meek evidences of an eloquent past and continuing golden present of Orissa. FAIRS AND FESTIVALS Besides celebrating the important festivals like Dusshera, Durga Puja, Diwali and Holi, Orissa also has its own share of numerous festivals celebrated with frolic and vivacity. The most prominent Puri festival comprises of Rath Yatra, Chandan Yatra and Devasnana purnima. While the Puri Beach festival is a fun lovers fest, the Konark Dance festival marks a befitting tribute to the magnificent Sun temple at Konark.

“Master Harold”…and the boys Essay

Essay on â€Å"Master Harold†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and the boys Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Master Harold†¦and the boys is a play written Athol Fugard in early 1982 depicting apartheid in South Africa. Fugard wrote a number of novels, short story, and plays featuring political upheavals and especially apartheid in South Africa. In the book, he introduced friendship between whites and blacks where Sam, Willie, the blacks and Harry, a white interacts together in close friendship. He contradicted it with how racism could spoil friendship among friends, a factor that contributed to propagation of apartheid. Racism is the major theme of the play where Harry’s parent shows discrimination against blacks. Her mother discriminated her servants, Sam and Willie telling Harry not to spend most time with them. His father has been found most of the time drinking in whites place. Although, Harry, Willie, and Sam were in good relationship, his racism that has been instilled by his parents is evident and mostly torn them apart. Harry being raised by a racist family and in environment full of racism, he developed racial discrimination character that was evidenced when interacting with his fiends Sam and Willie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harry developed discriminatory personality from the fact that he was raised by racist facility. Harry’s mother was depicted as a racist in the play where she employed blacks as servants. They were poorly paid since she believed that they did not deserve good remunerations and good job. She was found refraining her son, Harry from interacting with them because they were black. These actions resulted to development of racism character in Harry. He sometimes addresses them as the boss despite Sam and Willie being older than him. Willie calls him â€Å"Master Harold† and in some instances demand Sam who was like his father to call him the same name. He did this from what he experienced from his parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harry grew up in places where people were segregated in races with designated places for whites and blacks. In the book, the author wrote about different places that were marked for whites and blacks. Blacks were not allowed to interact with whites at certain areassince they were regarded as â€Å"whites only’† (Fugard 56). For example, when Sam made a kite for Harry, the author pointed out that he tied it to a seat labeled whites and since blacks not permitted to play there, they left Harry alone. In addition, when Harry’s father got drunks and was stack in white people pub, Harry had to seek permission in order for Sam to enter and pick his father. This was evidence that Harry grew up in a racism environment and thus ended up as a racism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of growing in a racism environments and with racists family was evident Harry broke an argument with same and spat on him. Harry lived with a drunkard father who was a racist. Since he grew up in this environment, he had developed a negative attitude about black. When Sam informed him about his father’s discharge from the hospital,â€Å"Harry spit on him† to release his anger of that fact that he did not want his father home (Fugard 56). He demanded to be called â€Å"Master Harold† by Sam because of his ego as white man. Although Sam had reacted on it, he was kept on toes by Willie who reminded him that Sam was just child who did not knew what he was doing. This evidenced that racial discrimination played a great role in creating enmity and violence during the apartheid era in South Africa. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Master Harold†¦and the boys was a play written by Fugard depicting how racism could be developed by down the family and interaction with the environments. Harry was brought up in a racist family and environments that advocated for racism. His mother refrained him interaction with Sam and Willie for their color backgrounds. Although Sam, Harry, and Willie grew up as friends for a long time despite their age differences, racial discrimination resulted in violence that was evidenced when Harry spat to Sam to relieve his anger of living with his father. This was a sign that Harry had developed racism from the environment he grew in. Hence, Fugard used literary work to address evils in the society, which can be explained by enactment of a number of legislation on apartheid after the play was published. References Fugard, Athol. â€Å"master Harold† and the Boys. New York: Vintage Books, 2009. Print. Source document

Butler Lumber Case Study Analysis Essay

Subject: Butler Lumber Company Problem: Whether Mr. Mark Butler should go ahead with financing from Northrop National Bank or should stay with Suburban National Bank. Options: 1) Enter into a loan agreement with Northrop National Bank for USD 465,000 (Assumption: The condition to sever the relationship with Suburban National Bank applies to Short Term Loan only) 2) Continue short term lending relationship with Suburban National Bank for USD 250,000 and secure the company’s loan with real property Recommendation: Given available data, Butler Lumber company should enter into a loan agreement with Northrop National Bank for USD 465,000 Analysis: Our recommendation to Mr. Mark Butler to enter into agreement with Northrop Bank for line credit of USD 465,000 is based on the following factors: External Financing Need We assessed the company’s external financing need in 1991 based on the following scenarios: a)The current quarter net sales of 1991 attributes 26% of annual sales of company in 1991, since first quarter sales of 1990 contributed 26% of total 1990 net sales and hence the total net sales projected for 1991 is USD 2.77 Mn. Balance Sheet and Income statement have been projected at percentage of sales (Please refer to exhibit no. 1). In this scenario, we assume company doesn’t opt to take discounts on its purchases b)Net Sales of USD 2.77Mn, company opts to take discounts on its purchases c)Net sales in 1991 of USD 3.6Mn as indicated by bank’s investigator in the case study Under both the above scenarios, company would need more financing than its current bank credit facility of USD 250,000. Under scenario (a), if the company decides not to take discounts, then it would need short term credit facility of USD 211,000 to meet its short term capital requirements, however company’s accounts payables would increase to USD 263,000 and its net profit will be USD 49,000. Hence as far company’s financing need is concerned it can continue its short term relationship with the existing bank. On the other hand, if the company decides to take discounts, then it would need short term loan of USD 407,000 to meets its working capital requirements and hence would have to go into agreement with the new bank. Under this scenario, company’s accounts payables would amount to USD 55,000 and net profit would be USD 61,000. Under scenario no (b), Butler Lumber total assets are projected to outpace total liabilities (excluding short term loan) by USD 628, 000, hence the existing loan will be far from fulfilling client’s working capital needs and the loan from Northrop Bank will be able to bridge USD 465,000 of the gap, however company would still be needing USD 162,000 under current mode of operation. We recommend that apart from getting new line of credit from Northrop Bank, company should reduce its days receivables period. Increase in Profitability Option 1: If the company remains with the existing bank loan, the total interest expenses are projected to increase by USD 7,000 in 1991 and resulting into after-tax net profit USD 49,000 with loan from existing bank. The effective rate of interest expense is 13.2% with existing loan. (Please refer to exhibit _____) Compared to 1990, ROA will remain the same at 5% and ROE will remain at 13%. Option 2: If the company replaces its short term line of credit from its existing bank to new bank, the total interest expenses are projected to increase by USD 11,000 in 1991, however company will be able to earn discounts of USD 27,000, resulting into after-tax net profit of USD 61,000 with new loan as compared to after-tax net profit of USD 49,000 with loan from existing bank. The effective rate of interest expense with new loan, after taking effect of discount income, is 5.0% compared to 13.2% with existing loan. (Please refer to exhibit _____) Compared to 1990, ROA will increase to 6% while ROE will increase to 17%. These profitability ratios indicate a better result by taking up the new loan than staying with the old bank. By Dupont analysis (Please see exhibit___), the main drivers for the higher ROE for new loan is due to higher profit margin which offset the lower equity multiplier. The effect of the discount income has driven the profitability, which in turn reflected also in the ROE and ROA ratios. Changes in Flexibility with the new loan Decreasing Flexibility in Managerial Decisions: The company becomes less flexible in its managerial decisions by taking up the new loan. It would be bounded by the negative covenants imposed by the new bank. These negative covenants place clear restrictions to Butler’s future managerial decisions, including investments in fixed assets and limited withdrawals of funds. Because of Butler’s conservative operating so far, he should be able to deal with these restrictions. Furthermore, Butler Lumber’s increased sales are shielded from the general economic downturn to some degree due to the relatively large proportion of its repair business. This will facilitate the maintenance of the net working capital even in a general economic downturn stage. As additional part of the covenants the bank placed importance on the net working capital. This could have positive impact to the firm’s future. As the firm is affected by liquidity problems, the covenants on net working  capital will make Butler to be more mindful about firm liquidity in midst of sales expansion. Thus, it could reduce the chance of Butler ending back with a situation of liquidity issues. Increasing Flexibility in Financial Opportunities: Because company’s business is seasonal, the financial opportunities by the new loan offer scope to balance seasonal variations. Another point is the now possible use of discounts provided by suppliers (see Increase in Profitability section). Ratios (please refer to exhibit ___) Option 1: If Butler Lumber stays with the old bank we can observe a constant value, from 1990 to 1991, for net working capital, current and quick ratio. At first glance, seems that the firm is able to cover current liabilities with current assets, but, without the inventory (which takes more time to convert into cash), the situation is completely different. The D/E increases from 1,68 to 1,72, while the interest coverage presents a value, that, even if lower, is acceptable. With regard to the profitability, the ROA and the ROE remain constant. The cash cycle increases from 64 to 72: this is due to an increase to both inventory and receivables period, even if we can observe an increase in the payable as well. Option 2: Taking the new loan lead to an increase in net working capital, mainly due to the reduction of current liabilities (in fact, despite the increase in notes payable, there is a drastic reduction in accounts payable, in order to get the discount). In this scenario both current and quick ratio improve, indicating an improvement in firm’s liquidity. The D/E decreases from 1,68 to 1,62 and the interest coverage presents an acceptable value as well. Unlike scenario (a), profitability improves in a consistent way: ROA increases to 6% and ROE increases to 16%. The cash cycle rises significantly due to the combined effect of increase in inventory and receivables period and decrease in payable. Appendices Exhibit 1: projected income statement and balance sheet Projected income statement 19901991 USD in millions, FYE 31-DecActual% of Sales Scenario a-1Scenario a-2Scenario b Net sales12,694100.00% 2,7712,7713,600 COGS Beginning Inventory326418418418 Purchases2,0422,0182,0182,746 2,3682,4362,4363,164 Ending Inventory241815.52%430430559 Total COGS21,95072.38%2,0062,0062,606 GROSS PROFIT744 765765994 Operating expenses365820.90%667667840 Interest expenses433N.A405151 Discounts 2742 NET INCOME BEFORE TAXES53 5874145 Provision for income taxes59101437 NET INCOME44 4961107 Projected balance sheet 19901991 USD in millions, FYE 31-DecActual% of Sales Scenario a-1Scenario a-2Scenario b Cash2411.52%424255 Account receivable, net231711.77%326326424 Inventory418430430559 CURRENT ASSETS776 7987981037 Property, net21575.83%161161210 TOTAL ASSETS933 9609601247 Notes payable (bank)6233N.A247407465 Notes payable (Mr. Stark)0N.A000 Notes payable, trade0N.A000 Accounts payable22569.50%2635575 Accrued expenses39N.A393939 L-t debt, current portion77N.A777 CURRENT LIABILITIES535 556508586 L-t debt750N.A434343 TOTAL LIABILITIES585 599551629 Net worth348N.A348348348 Retained earnings84961107 New Net Worth397409455 TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET WORTH933 9969601084 PLUG EFN -360162 Scenarios: -a-1 refers to projected sales of $2,771m in 1991 and a continuing relationship with Suburban National Bank -a-2 refers to projected sales of $2,771m in 1991 and a new relationship with Northrop National Bank -b refers to projected sales of $3,600m in 1991 and a new relationship with Northrop National Bank Notes: 1 Q1 1991 sales are $718m. Q1 1990 sales were 25.91% of FY 1990 sales. We assume this ratio to be constant in scenario a. In scenario b, we rely of Northrop National bank’s assumption of $3,600m sales in 1991. 2 Assumed to be percentage of sales. 3 Operating expenses includes Mr. Butler’s salary. Operating expenses are projected by decreasing operating expenses of 1990 by $95K (salary) and applying percentage of sales to the operating expenses without salary, then adding back $88K (annualised Q1 1991 salary) to get the operating expenses of 1991. 4 : As a corporation, Butler is taxed @15% on its first $50,000 sales, @25% on the next $25,000, and @34% on all additional income above $75,000.

Paper on the Glass Castle, for communications class Essay

Paper on the Glass Castle, for communications class - Essay Example The author has made use of an autobiographical approach to reach out to the readers. As per my reading transition of the story, I noticed that the tone of the author is quiet straight, clear and less emotional. This means that it is entirely up to the reader to decide regarding the occurrence of the incidents that Walls family had undergone. The main purpose of the author to select such a tone in the book is to send out the message to readers regarding communication imperativeness in a family setting. It would not be incorrect to state that the author has been successful in this regard (Dunn). It should be noted that the author seemed to be a communication specialist as she has provided real-life instances and the experiences of the author with her family. As noted by Daniel Dunn in his book Communication that interpersonal communication often fails between the individuals because of the semantic errors (Dunn). Similar instances have been found in the book where author has experienced a closure to the communication with her parents because they did not understand her meanings behind subjects (Walls 129). Also to note is the fact that Danielle Dunn mentioned in his research that sometimes people have their perception settled in a firm manner which causes the communication gap. A person might talk convincingly but he will continue to fail to make a difference through his or her communication because of the perception being firm. The perception can be neutral, negative or positive with an effective, disconnected or balanced impact respectively. Similar instance can be noted in the book The Glass Castle where the author notes that sometimes she even felt helpless in elaborating her plans to the parents despite their increased level of education. This was merely because the perception that failed their interpersonal communication. In addition, non-verbal communication has a stronger impact on the receiver. In the case of Wall family it can be said that this was

Roman And Greek Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Roman And Greek Art - Essay Example Although, the Roman art borrowed a lot from the Greeks and Egyptians, I prefer Roman art for exactly this reason. In a way, Roman art combined the best of everything and blended it with its own ideas. It is true that the Romans valued Greek art; however, I prefer the less idealized and more diverse Roman approach to art. In addition, I admire the beauty of Roman architecture that is combined with its practical use. For example, I believe the Roman aqueducts to be not only beautiful, but also a very important feature. Aqueducts are a prime example of the fabulous Roman engineering and building skills. The Pont du Gard is probably the best proof for how remarkable the Roman artistic period was. Which image or images made the strongest impact on you and why? Even though I prefer the Roman artistic period, there were a couple of pictures from all periods mentioned that had a strong impact on me. From the Roman period, the picture of the Pont du Gard, made the strongest impression on me. As stated above, I admire the combination of beauty and usefulness. Moreover, I am fond of the amount, position and various sizes of arches in the Pont du Gare. With regard to the Greek artistic period, there are two images that impressed me. The first image is the image of the majestic Parthenon, due to the balance and symmetry of the building itself.

Managing Change - L.J Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Change - L.J - Essay Example Hayes explains that the major objective of change is to bring about a sustained efficiency in resource usage in achieving company objectives. Much of Hayes views of managing change are little more than an application of common sense and good management practice. He further states that if managers take a systematic approach to implement change, they can be more successful in taking colleagues with them and achieving their objectives. He identifies four factors for success when implementing change within one organization, which are: The senior management in an organization must demonstrate the need for change so as the line managers and junior employees can emulate. Commitment to change is very essential and must also be demonstrated by the top managers. Hayes feels that for this change to succeed and achieve the desired goals management should be consistent with what they aspire to achieve that is "they should walk and talk" but if the top leadership is not consistent with ideas, those who are supposed to implement the change will not be motivated. Since leadership is getting others to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. Pressure for change should be a driving force, the leadership must identify the need for change, make the decisions to proceed with change and... Hayes believes that for success in managing change regardless of where the original pressure for change came from, senior management commitment and drive for change is essential if momentum is to be maintained for effective implementation. The rest of the organization will need to be convinced of the need and the case for change. Everyone in an organization including the chairman, chief executive officer and other employees must be collectively behind the sought changes in the organization. The senior management must be seen to be fully supportive by what they do and say both privately and publicly. If, However, senior management "talk-the-talk" by failing to back up their statements with action and continuous commitment. Hayes believes that the progress towards the sought change will soon stall. In addition if the senior management fails to remain fully supportive of the project other conflicting or new priorities will emerge and the momentums can be lost. The senior management should be signed up to the change and communicate it to the other staff. The other staff should be given an opportunity to feed in their contribution and feel that they have joint ownership of the change being implemented. A Clear Shared Vision For change to be effective, it needs to be implemented at all levels and should be in the culture of the organization. The management must understand what motivates other employees in order to keep them together and motivated. Since change is a major cause of stress amongst the workforce and staff usually responds differently they need to be motivated to support the changes that are to be implemented. Staff, their managers and senior mangers are all

Entrepreneurship and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Entrepreneurship and Leadership - Essay Example I know that as a venture capitalist, you are not at all bothered with what I am going to present here. I know that because I am aware that even the most impractical ideas get the nod and the most amazing and lucrative ones don’t. I am selling myself here. It’s all about entrepreneurship. It’s about leadership. I know that all that matters to you is the numbers. I also know that you wouldn’t be handing over your money to a freak that would go and blow it all away on his crazy dream of creating another Facebook. So what is it that I have and others don’t? The answer is simple: I know how to execute. Yes, execution is what I possess. Many great ideas fail in their startup phase not because they didn’t have potential or all of a sudden weren’t profitable enough. They fail because they were executed improperly. They were leading in a completely different direction. I can assure you that what I’ll present here is what will happen in t he real world – that is if the economic conditions hold (CFA Institute). The truth is that there is no other Facebook. The times have changed. Social networking is a thing of the past. However, like every era this era, too, functions on the same ideology which is â€Å"to make disaster an opportunity.† As the world gears up for its next challenge, entrepreneurs and investors gear up to fill their pockets and that is what I am offering you. I am offering you to invest in the future. My idea is simple. I have in my possession the design of a machine that creates medicines for you. The idea is simple. This machine works just like an ATM. You take your blood sample to it. Your blood has your DNA and it analyzes what kind of chemical reaction the medicine should go through to be specifically modified for you. Sounds unreal? It sounded to me too, but believe me such a machine can be made. Look at the opportunity you have here. Can you even think of the possibilities I am ope ning you up to? I am effectively eliminating the manufacturing of medicines here. All you need is a formula that can be entered into this machine and it will create the medicine and modify it for the user. This means that a kid in India won’t have to die because s/he didn’t have the funds for buying medicine. That’s the other side. Medicine becomes cheaper. This might be an aspect for some investors you venture capitalists have to answer too. So let’s get to the real thing now – numbers. The cost of building this machine is going to be around $2.4 million. The cost is high because it’s just a prototype. When the prototype is approved by the medical bodies, we can begin mass production that will distribute the massive fixed costs of $2 million that we are incurring over thousands of machines. This cost includes the cost of the biotechnicians and doctors I will be using; it also includes the cost of the materials that will be used in making th is machine. The global biotech industry brings in revenues of up to $250 billion each year. When we build our machine, we predict to capture at least 3.7% of the market share in the initial 3 years. We will build 1,800 machines at a cost of $400,000 a machine. This brings the cost of machines to about 720 million dollars. The cost of buying and creating formulas for medicines is approximately $2.4 billion. If you

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 104

Assignment Example The core issue of a learning contract is to provide a guiding strategy for personal learning. What is needed in a learning contract is a clear declaration of the rationale of the contract. This may be provided as an aim, a predicament or a matter. The purpose must be suitable to the course or subject and be adequately challenging to merit inclusion in a bachelor level program (Anderson, Baud & Sampson 1998). Purpose of learning contracts can be indicated as transforming responsibility for the education process from the educator to the learner to enable students learn better with a clear focus. It is also to offer a motivation by insuring accomplishment under known conditions. Learning contract is a means for a student to have a prepared learning model to pursue. This structure must be specifically designed for individual student’s needs. It offers information and objectives the student has set for their individual

Diversity Management at BRIGGS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Diversity Management at BRIGGS - Essay Example This HRM policy will be based on the principles of equality and diversity at the workplace. It should also be noticed that the particular characteristics of the firm’s workforce have to be taken into account when designing and implementing the specific strategy. In accordance with the Public Employment Office of New South Wales Government â€Å"The concept of diversity is based on individual acceptance and respect. It is an understanding that individuals are unique and different. Diversity includes race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, culture, age, physical ability and religious, political and other beliefs† [1]. Moreover, it is made clear that a cultural diversity workplace could lead to the improvement of the firm’s performance or the increase of productivity on a national basis. In this context, it is supported that â€Å"a culturally diverse workplace promotes equity and enhances staff skills and agency success; agencies working with diversity have identified the significant benefits to of having a culturally diverse workplace† [1]. From a different point of view, in accordance with a definition given by the Civil Service (Cabinet Office) in UK, a proper diversity policy should be base d on the following criteria: â€Å"there must be no unfair discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, or (in Northern Ireland) community background, working pattern, employment status, gender identity (transgender), caring responsibility, trade union membership† [2]. The issue of diversity has been examined by several aspects; however in all definitions given there are common elements and characteristics. For this reason, in a definition of diversity given by the University of Oregon [3] it is noticed that diversity means â€Å"understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual

Write about a time you felt like a stranger in a village Essay

Write about a time you felt like a stranger in a village - Essay Example He had brought with him not only the exterior changes vis-Ã  -vis new dress style but also the baggage of modernity where technology was fast replacing the personal touch. My friend was now smartly dressed in branded jeans and shoes that had brought the envy of youngsters. Lifestyle changes within him were also reflected in his way of interacting with his elders and old friends who had remained in the village. He did not like to discuss the farming problems nor was interested in playing with his old mates. He found those activities subservient to his new status; he was now a respected scholar; he was destined for higher things in life and not for the mundane life of a villager. His laptop had become more important for him than talking with his parents, friends and village elders who were looking forward to his return. So it was not surprising that soon, the rest of the villagers started treated him as stranger and he indeed started feeling like a

Trade Balances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trade Balances - Essay Example The treasury notes has also grown the economy of China through keeping the currency weaker, hence the products from China becomes cheaper. Also, selling debts to China have allowed the economy of U.S. to grow through funding the programs of the federal government. Other factors that have led to this increase in debt level include the China’s strategy of keeping its yaun lower in value so as to ensure its export prices are competitive. In case the dollar falls in value, the government of China buys Treasuries thus increases the dollar demands. These leads to more supply of dollars, hence increasing the debt. This debt level is significant to the United States economy in terms of its credit worthiness with other trading nations such as Canada and the European Union. It indicates the possibility of U.S trading with others comfortably showing that it pay its debt well as dictated by it financial rations such as current ratio, debt ratios among other profitability ratios. This debt level has an impact on the value of US dollar. The government takes advantage of the falling dollar value and buys more Treasuries which leads to more supply of dollars to the U.S. (Cavanaugh, 1996). A debt level significantly reduces the value of the dollar against the owed nation in the world

International student migration to the UK Essay Example for Free

International student migration to the UK Essay Since the policy of UKs government on immigration dramatically changed in 1997, a positive immigration policy was carried out by the UK government, especially towards temporary skilled immigration (Stam.A, 2006). Thus students migration increasingly became representative of this kind of migration. This students migration trend brings various effects to the UK student immigration pattern as well as the entire UK. Therefore, this essay aims to demonstrate the effect of students migration in China and European country, particularly, analyze the major cause of students migration , then compare the different causes in these two typical examples and evaluate the differences in my perspective. The similar significant effect of students migration in China and European country to the UK is the increasing number of students. According to the report from European Union (EU) after 2004, the A8 countries (from Eastern Europe who joined the EU in the largest single expansion since its creation in 1957) had a great number of increasing students inflow of A8 students to the UK annually (see figure 1). In the academic year of 2008/09 there were approximately 17,000 Higher education students who were domiciled in A8 countries. From this data, it is clear draws the conclusion that the annual students migration at A8 countries were increased. Over the long term, the effects of this immigration pause on the size of European community of education more small. In addition, Non-European country still send large students to the UK. Based on the statistics from UK Higher Education Statistics Agency, during the period of 1995 and 2003, overseas students increase in number from 206,000 to just over 300,000. It claims that overseas students represented over 13% of the entire UK Higher Education student population. (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2005). In part of Non-European countries student migration, the largest contribution comes from Asia (see figure 2). Figure 1 A8 student numbers in Higher Education institutions in England and Wales, 2001/02 2008/09 (Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2010) Figure 2 Nationality of foreign students entering the UK, 2004-2010 ( Source :Home Office, Control of Immigration :Statistics UK, 2010) However, in terms of the situation in China, the major effect of students migration is not only the increased number of students, but also the financial contribution to the UK government and some negative social effect. According to the survey during 2003-2004, the 43,000 international students from China contributed at least 300 million pounds and increased more 30% than the previous year. Furthermore, this trend still gives rise to the social issues. For instance, some wealthier students might has showed off their high level of consumption which may attract the increased robbery and bring the threat to their safety and even undoubtedly arise the crime rate in local community (Wei .S, 2005). From this case of Chinese students migration, it claims that the effects of student migration have both positive and negative sides. In spite of the effects that European country and China caused, the major reason which causes these effects should be pay more attention to analyze. Just as Mr. Willetts spoken at conference of University UK, Without international students, we could not be only poorer economically-we could also be more boring, more insular, and more ignorant of wider world.(BBC News, 2012). On the one hand, economy drive more Chinese students migration to the UK. After the opening-up Chinese economy reforms since 1970s, many Chinese migrants are chasing the better economic development and have significant migration inflows from China. So students migration becomes the main trend to meet requirements as a consequence of rapid development of economy requires more educated talent in work force. Thus,a great number of parents pull and push their children to study in the UK in order to acquire level of English, study at higher academic reputational university. In contrast, the cause in European country is different. The citizens from A8 country in European started to be implement the fewer restriction on their right entering the UK (Gillingham.E, 2010) and it has reflected on the area of students migration. Specifically, as a result of the more simple process of entering the UK, students are highly attractive source of skilled migration without an excess of limitations. Other causes of difference between China and European country involve issue of visa policy. Overview the Non-European country, the major cause of increase students migration is that student visas are not permanent, and they do not need provide a direct legal route to settlement. On the basic data of entering in the UK, 79% not stayed as British residents and another 6% remained as students who not tend to lead settlement (Achato et al.2010). There extension of visa statement can state that application of Tire 4 Student visas are rising up during the period of year from 2001 to 2010 (see figure 3). China is the largest group of students migration to the UK in Non-European country, so there is no doubt that the visa extension in Non-European country also reflects the same situation in China. Moreover, implementing entry procedures in flexible, provide available service lets students gain work experiences in the UK. This also a effective strategy to keep international intellectual stay in the UK (Wei Shen, 2005). In comparison, students who from European country have fewer limitation about visa. For example, the UK council for International Student Affairs clams that if a student from European Economic Area (EEA), the student could be entitled to the UK freely for up to three months without any demonstration about the right of free movement and do not have to register or apply for any documents in order to stay in the UK.(UKCISA) figure 3 Extension of visas, non-EEA students,2001-10 (Source :Home Office, Control of Immigration: Statistics UK, 2009) To summarize, according to the analysis of these two examples, it is not difficult to state all these students migration have similar effects but different causes of migration pattern. Although excessive student migration can cause some social issues, the similar effect of the increasing number of students immigration to the UK still exist in China and European country as the major impact of students migration. However, the different causes of this migration trend contribute as much as their similar effect. In China, students migration to other nation is to fulfill the developing countrys demand of skilled people to facilitate economy. I believe this cause could attract more students study abroad and so that streamling service of visas application to provide more convenience to students migration. While in European country, there are fewer restriction of visa policy and right entering to the UK than China. This can make the policy about students migration in European country change more to promote the development of it. Therefore, I argue that different causes about students migration in China and European country still cause similar result, and it will be profound to migration pattern in the future. List of References Achato, et al. (2010) The Migration Journey. Home Office Research Report 43.London: Home Office BBC News.(2012,September 13).Overseas students: Change to UK migration figures planned. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19579923 Blinder,S.(2011,December). Non-European Student Migration to the UK, The migration observatory, 1st Revision (Next update:12/12/2012). Available at: http://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/briefings/non-european-student-migration-uk Findlay,A.M.and Stam,A.(2006, March 16).International student migration to the UK:Training for the global economy or simply another form of Global talent recruitment? Institute for the Study of International Migration. Available at: http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/isim/Event%20Documents/Sloan%20Global%20Competition%20Meeting/Findlay-UK.pdf Gillingham,E. (2010, November). Understanding A8 migration to the UK since Accession, Office for National Statistics. Available at: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/migration-statistics-quarterly-report/novem ber-2010/understanding-a8-migration-to-the-uk-since-accession.pdf Higher Education Statistics Agency (2005). Students in Higher Education Institutions 2003/4.(also 1994/5-present) The Higher Education Academy (2007). The internalization of UK Higher Education: a review of selected material. Available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/the_internationalisation_of_uk_he UK council for International Student Affairs(no date). EEA and Swiss students. Available at: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/eea.php#register Wei Shen (2005). A study on Chinese student migration, Asia Europe Journal, 3(3). Available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/q8988416j37t6144/

Hypertension And Blood Pressure

Hypertension And Blood Pressure Hypertension is a common and major cause of stroke and other cardiovascular disease. There are many causes of hypertension, including defined hormonal and genetic syndromes, renal disease and multifactorial racial and familial factors. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world and will increase in worldwide importance as a public health problem by 2020 (Murray and Lopez 1997). Blood pressure (BP) is defined as the amount of pressure exerted, when heart contract against the resistance on the arterial walls of the blood vessels. In a clinical term high BP is known as hypertension. Hypertension is defined as sustained diastolic BP greater than 90 mmHg or sustained systolic BP greater than 140 mmHg. The maximum arterial pressure during contraction of the left ventricle of the heart is called systolic BP and minimum arterial pressure during relaxation and dilation of the ventricle of the heart when the ventricles fill with blood is known as diastolic BP (Guyton and Hall 2006). Hypertension is commonly divided into two categories of primary and secondary hypertension. In primary hypertension, often called essential hypertension is characterised by chronic elevation in blood pressure that occurs without the elevation of BP pressure results from some other disorder, such as kidney disease. Essential hypertension is a heterogeneous disorder, with different patients having different causal factors that lead to high BP. Essential hypertension needs to be separated into various syndromes because the causes of high BP in most patients presently classified as having essential hypertension can be recognized (Carretero and Oparil 2000). Approximately 95% of the hypertensive patients have essential hypertension. Although only about 5 to 10% of hypertension cases are thought to result from secondary causes, hypertension is so common that secondary hypertension probably will be encountered frequently by the primary care practitioner (Beevers and MacGregor 1995). In normal mechanism when the arterial BP raises it stretches baroceptors, (that are located in the carotid sinuses, aortic arch and large artery of neck and thorax) which send a rapid impulse to the vasomotor centre that resulting vasodilatation of arterioles and veins which contribute in reducing BP (Guyton and Hall 2006). Most of the book suggested that there is a debate regarding the pathophysiology of hypertension. A number of predisposing factors which contributes to increase the BP are obesity, insulin resistance, high alcohol intake, high salt intake, aging and perhaps sedentary lifestyle, stress, low potassium intake and low calcium intake. Furthermore, many of these factors are additive, such as obesity and alcohol intake (Sever and Poulter 1989). The pathophysiology of hypertension is categorised mainly into cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistant, renin- angiotensin system, autonomic nervous system and others factors. Normal BP is determined and maintained the balance between cardiac output and peripheral resistant. Considering the essential hypertension, peripheral resistant will rise in normal cardiac output because the peripheral resistant is depend upon the thickness of wall of the artery and capillaries and contraction of smooth muscles cells which is responsible for increasing intracellular calcium concentration (Kaplan 1998). In renin-angiotensin mechanism endocrine system plays important role in maintain blood pressure; especially the juxtaglomerular cells of the kidney secrete renin in order to response glomerular hypo-perfusion. And also renin is released by the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system which is later convert to angiotensin I then again it converts to angiotensin II in the lungs by the effect of angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE). Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor and also it released aldosterone from the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland which is responsible for sodium and water retention. In this way, renin-angiotensin system increases the BP (Beevers et al 2001). Similarly, in autonomic nervous system sympathetic nervous system play a role in pathophysiology of hypertension and key to maintaining the normal BP as it constricts and dilates arteriolar. Autonomic nervous system considers as an important in short term changes in BP in response to stress and physical exercise. This system works together with renin-angiotensin system including circulating sodium volume. Although adrenaline and nor-adrenaline doesnt play an important role in causes of hypertension, the drugs used for the treatment of hypertension block the sympathetic nervous system which had played proper therapeutic role (Beevers et al 2001). Others pathophysiology includes many vaso active substance which are responsible for maintaining normal BP. They are enothelin bradikinin, endothelial derived relaxant factor; atrial natriuretic peptide and hypercoagulability of blood are all responsible in some way to maintain the BP (Lip G YH 2003). The seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC-VII) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure defines some important goals for the evaluation of the patient with elevated BP which are detection and confirmation of hypertension; detection of target organ disease (e.g. renal damage, congestive heart failure); identification of other risk factors for cardiovascular disorders (e.g. diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia) and detection of secondary causes of hypertension (Chobanian et al 2003). Most hypertensive patients remain asymptomatic until complications arise. Potential complications include stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, aortic aneurysm and dissection, renal damage and retinopathy (Zamani et al 2007).The drug selection for the pharmacologic treatment of hypertension would depend on the individual degree of elevation of BP and contradictions. Treatment of non-pharmacologic hypertension includes life-style, weight reduction, exercise, sodium, potassium, stop smoking and alcohol, relaxation therapy and dietary improvements, followed by pharmacology therapy. Commonly used antihypertensive drugs include thiazide diuretics, ÃŽ ²-blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, direct vasodilators and ÃŽ ±-receptor antagonists which are shown in the following table. Diuretics have been used for decades to treat hypertension and recommended as first-line therapy by JNC-VII guidelines after antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment to prevent heart attack trail (ALLHAT) success. They reduce circulatory volume, cardiac output and mean arterial pressure and are most effective in patients with mild-to- moderate hypertension who have normal renal function. Thiazide diuretics (e.g. hydrochlorothiazide) and potassium sparing diuretics (e.g. spironolactone) promote Na+ and Cl- excretion in the nephrone. Loop diuretics (e.g. furosemide) are generally too potent and their actions too short-lived, however, they are useful in lowering blood pressure in patients with renal insufficiency, who often does not respond to other diuretics. Diuretics may result in adverse metabolic side effects, including elevation of creatinine; glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, hypokalemia, hyperuricemia and decreased sexual function are potential side effects. The be st BP lowering response is seen from low doses of Thiazide diuretics (Kaplan 1998). Î’-blocker such as propranolol are believed to lower BP through several mechanisms, including reducing cardiac output through a decrease heart rate and a mild decrease in contractility and decreasing the secretion of renin, which lead to a decrease in total peripheral resistant. Adverse effects of b-blockers include bronchospam, fatigue, impotence, and hyperglycemia and alter lipid metabolism (Zamani et al 2007). Centrally acting ÃŽ ±2-adrenergic agonists such as methyldopa and clonidine reduce sympathetic outflow to the heart, blood vessels and kidneys. Methyldopa is safe to use during pregnancy. Side effect includes dry mouth, sedation, drowsiness is common; and in 20% of patients methyldopa causes a positive antiglobulin test, rarely haemolytic anaemia and clonidine causes rebound hypertension if the drug is suddenly withdrawn (Neal M J 2009). Systemic a1-antagonists such as prazosin, terazosin and doxazosin cause a decrease in total peripheral resistance through relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. Calcium channel blockers (CCB) reduce the influx of Ca++ responsible for cardiac and smooth muscle contraction, thus reducing cardiac contractility and total peripheral resistant. Thus long-acting members of this group are frequently used to treat hypertension. There are two classes of CCB dihyropyridines and non- dihyropyridines. The main side effect of CCB is ankle oedema, but this can sometimes be offset by combining with ÃŽ ²-blockers (Lip G YH 2003). Direct vasodilators such as Hydralazine and minoxidil lower BP by directly relaxing vascular smooth muscle of precapillary resistance vessels. However, this action can result in a reflex increase heart rate, so that combined ÃŽ ²-blocker therapy is frequently necessary (Neal M J 2009). ACE inhibitors works by blocking the renin-angiotensin system thereby inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. ACE inhibitors may be most useful for treating patients with heart failure, as well as hypertensive patients who have diabetes. Using ACE inhibitors can lead to increased levels of bradikinin, which has the side effect of cough and the rare, but severe, complication of angioedema. Recent study demonstrated that captopril was as effective as traditional thaizides and ÃŽ ²-blockers in preventing adverse outcomes in hypertension (Lip G YH 2003). Angiotensin II antagonists act on the renin-angiotensin system and they block the action of angiotensin II at its peripheral receptors. They are well tolerated and very rarely cause any significant side-effects (Zamani et al 2007). Another helpful principle of antihypertensive drug therapy concerns the use of multiple drugs. The effects of one drug, acting at one physiologic control point, can be defeated by natural compensatory mechanism (e.g. diuretic decrease oedema occurring secondary to treatment with a CCB). By using two drugs with different mechanisms of action, it is more likely that BP and its complication are controlled and with the low dose range of combined drugs also help to reduce the side-effects as well (Frank 2008) . The following two-drug combinations have been found to be effective and well tolerated which are diuretic and ÃŽ ²-blocker; diuretic and ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist; CCB (dihydropyridine) and ÃŽ ²-blocker; CCB and ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist; CCB and b-diuretic; ÃŽ ±-blocker and ÃŽ ²-blocker and other combinations (e.g. with central agents, including ÃŽ ±2-adrenoreceptor agonists and imidazoline- I2 receptor modulators, or between ACE inhib itors and angiotensin receptor antagonists) can be used (ESH and ESC 2003). If necessary, three or four drugs may be required in many cases for the treatment. The use of a single drug will lower the BP satisfactorily in up to 80% of patients with hypertension but combining two types of drugs will lower BP about 90%. If the diastolic pressure is above 130 mmHg then the hypertensive emergency is occurred. Although it is desirable to reduce the diastolic pressure below 120 mmHg within 24 hours in accelerated hypertension, it is usually unnecessary to reduce it more rapidly and indeed it may be dangerous to do so. This is because the mechanisms that maintain cerebral blood flow at a constant level independent of peripheral BP are impaired in hypertension. However, it is important to reduce the BP quickly by giving the intravenous drugs but caution should be taken to avoid cerebrovascular pressure inducing cerebral ischemia (Grahame-Smith and Aronson 2002). In conclusion, hypertension emerges as an extremely important clinical problem because of its prevalence and potentially devastating consequences. The major classes of antihypertensive drugs: diuretics, ÃŽ ²-blockers, CCB, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor antagonists, are suitable for the initiation and maintenance of antihypertensive therapy which helps in reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The Development of Education Policy in Malaysia

The Development of Education Policy in Malaysia Towards the end of British colonialism era, a movement was created by the society including several group of educated Malay in restoring our colonial education system. The first Minister of Education and the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak led a special committee to make some recommendations. This comprehensive proposal was known as Razaks Report 1956 that was to create a national education system to uphold the cultural, social, economic and political development such as make the Malay language to be the national language and primary mode of instruction in the system. To establish Education Ordinance 1957, the idea of the Razaks Report became the basic feature. Besides, the government of Malaysia started to create several progressive changes especially of the curriculum in order to endeavour the Malaysian outlook. In 1960, a new special committee was recruited to create the Rahman Talibs report in order to review and analyze the education policy which then became the basic feature in the establishment of the Education Act 1961. The national language was made compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools and in all training institutions by the Education Act 1961. This act also provide that a satisfactory grade must be achieved by the students in order to receive the certificate for public education examination particularly for the lower and upper secondary levels. Mahathirs Report which was chaired by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, who was the Education Minister at that time (later become the Prime Minister since 1981) was provided in 1979 by a sp ecial committee which after a six-year study, was then finalized. This report achieves national unity in a multiethnic society, enhancing the patriotic spirit, and generates skilled manpower for the development of nation in order to inspire a balance in every single aspects of education between rural and urban areas. In recent years, the guidelines in reforming the education system has been based on this report. Major changes in Education Policy of Malaysia As mentioned in the 46th ICE country report these regulatory frameworks were formulated and revised in line with the government policy of democratization of education. Five of the acts, namely The Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996, The National Council on Higher Education Act 1996, The National Accreditation Board Act 1996, The Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Act, 1996 and The National Higher education Fund Board Act 1997. The education Act 1996 has some major changes in its regulation for the primary and secondary education has been reviewed for amendment by the Ministry of Education. The implementation of compulsory education at primary school level is the main purpose of reviewing this act. The Education Act 1996 was amended again in 2002 and 2003. This policy makes sure that every child in Malaysia beginning at age 6, regardless of sex, social and economic background, and residential locality has the right to primary education. For example, the delivery of mathematics and science subjects has always been in the National Language (Malay) called MBMMBI (Policy for Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening the Command of English) in Malaysia. However, English language was made the medium of instruction for both of these subjects in 2002. Based on the rationale, a good command of English would enable students to access the internet and read articles published in English. However, the teaching and learning of science and mathematics which reverts to Malay language in national schools will become effective soon. The implementation of this latest policy of using teaching the two  subjects in Malay language in  Year One and Year Four in the primary school and Form one and Form Four in the secondary school shall start in 2012. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, also the Education Minister said these two subjects in Chinese and Tamil national-type schools would be carried out in mother tongue respe ctively. Then, the cabinet today approved by empowering the Malay language and strengthening the teaching and learning of the English language at all levels of schooling. However, this change would not affect Form Six and matriculation students. Furthermore, another policy comes out with history will be a must- pass subject in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination from 2013 along with the Bahasa Malaysia subject to enlighten the understanding of Constitution on nation- building process of our country. The Development of Education Policy in the United Kingdom In the year of 1870, elementary education fully paid by the government was introduced in England. After the elementary education stage, 80% of the students left school, which after 1918 finished at 14. Free secondary education was introduced in the 1944 Education Act. From here we can see that the UK education policy maker has a different aim. The main overall principle approach was pursuance of equality. Non-selective or comprehensive schools were introduced progressively. However, in 1960, the comprehensive education became the policy of the government. These comprehensive educations can help to improve the prospects of children of average ability by reducing the discrimination or disadvantage on the basis of class. With the idea of equality and opportunity, the selective system becomes more dependable. Comparing to students that go to comprehensive schools, the working class students that went to grammar schools did much better in their education. Market Reforms In the 1980s and 1990s, successive Conservative governments increased the pace of reform and introduced so called market mechanisms. This mechanism in the UK education system can force schools to raise their standards. The 1988 Education Reform Act notices about a quasi-market in education which introduced the market reforms and also the National Curriculum described in Section 3. Thus, there were widespread fear about poor and falling standard in education of UK about the concerns on widening access and educational in equality in 1980s since too many individuals leaving school too early with little basic skills. The aim of the package of market-oriented reforms is increasing parental choice and improving the accountability of state funded schools. Parents could choose which school their child attended. Regard to student enrolment numbers to give schools the incentive to attract and admit more students, school funding became more closely to be linked. Some schools could take control of their own budgets or directly from central government which is opposed to being under local government control. Curriculum Reform UK introduced two other significant national policies to tackle the problem of poor literacy and numeracy. Firstly, in the late 1980s a standardized national curriculum was introduced for pupils aged between 7 and 16. The aim was to raise standards by ensuring that all students study a prescribed set of subjects up to a minimum level until the age of 16. The second policy reform, in 1998, was e National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies that involve all primary schools to allocate part of the daily curriculum to literacy so the pupils basic skills are developed. For the attempts to raise participation in post-compulsory schooling in the UK, there are two major policies. The first is the perennial (and often ineffectual) attempts at qualification reform, which enhances the attractiveness and labour market value of vocational qualifications. Moreover, the second policy was Education Maintenance Allowance, which paid a small means-tested allowance to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds since they stayed on in full time education beyond the age of 16. As school leavers went on to undertake part-time high quality vocational training, so it resulted in well-respected qualifications with high value in the labour market. Conclusion Almost every day, education is a subject that is often discussed by people almost that it can affect the life of a wide range of population. People of the age ranging from 4 to 80 are said to be obtaining education at anywhere and anytime. Therefore, education policy plays a vital role in providing a good teaching and learning environment to these people. The education policies mentioned above has been changed leads to the existence of E-learning such as the Malaysia Smart School (SSP) project, which is an important flagship in Malaysias multimedia Super Corridor ICT Application and encourages the development of teaching and learning process. The Ministry of Education intended to make ICT to enhance teaching and learning, distance learning, video conferencing and Internet-links leading the government to pay extra attention on the maintenance or improvement of the standard in education.

A Comparison of Evil in Richard III, Titus, and Romeo and Juliet :: comparison compare contrast essays

Evil Within and Evil External in Richard III, Titus, and Romeo and Juliet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Shakespeare's villains seem to fall into one of two categories: those who are villainous of heart (inherently and genuinely evil or Machiavellian) and those who are circumstantially turned antagonists. Richard III's carefully plotted plans to usurp the throne contrast heavily against Aaron's (of Titus Andronicus) rambling which contrasts with Aaron's lack of action. The motivations of these two characters are different however. Richard seizes the opportunity to take over the throne by Machiavellian means when presented with the opportunity. Aaron represents the evil presumed of a "godless moor," his character being a symbol as much as his skin colour particularly to an audience familiar with the conquests.    Tamora is truly more evil than Aaron. She is the one who commands her sons to rape and cut up Lavinia leaving her dishonoured, with two bloody stumps for hands and no tongue with which to tell the tale. Aaron suggests that he tutored the sons in their behaviour (Act V Scene I Lines 99-111): Indeed I was their tutor to instruct them. That coddling spirit had they from their mother, As sure as a card as ever won the set; That bloody mind I think they learn'd of me, As true a dog as ever fought at head. Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth: I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole, Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay; I wrote the letter that thy father found, And hid the gold that within that letter mentioned, Confederate with the queen and two sons; The audience never witnesses Aaron's supposed teachings however, nor is it likely that if he were to continue living as before that he would commit the acts he pledges himself to as he is to be hanged (Act V Scene I Lines 125-144). Aaron talks of evil and trickery, while Tamora lives its epitome, marrying herself into the queen-ship of the conquering tribe. When presented with his child Aaron does care for it, and only agrees to speak upon the condition that it shall be saved. This insight into his character makes him seem almost a worthier person than Titus who murders his own sons. The villain shows more care for his kin than the hero does for his. This serves to make Aaron a more realistic villain by making him more human. A Comparison of Evil in Richard III, Titus, and Romeo and Juliet :: comparison compare contrast essays Evil Within and Evil External in Richard III, Titus, and Romeo and Juliet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Shakespeare's villains seem to fall into one of two categories: those who are villainous of heart (inherently and genuinely evil or Machiavellian) and those who are circumstantially turned antagonists. Richard III's carefully plotted plans to usurp the throne contrast heavily against Aaron's (of Titus Andronicus) rambling which contrasts with Aaron's lack of action. The motivations of these two characters are different however. Richard seizes the opportunity to take over the throne by Machiavellian means when presented with the opportunity. Aaron represents the evil presumed of a "godless moor," his character being a symbol as much as his skin colour particularly to an audience familiar with the conquests.    Tamora is truly more evil than Aaron. She is the one who commands her sons to rape and cut up Lavinia leaving her dishonoured, with two bloody stumps for hands and no tongue with which to tell the tale. Aaron suggests that he tutored the sons in their behaviour (Act V Scene I Lines 99-111): Indeed I was their tutor to instruct them. That coddling spirit had they from their mother, As sure as a card as ever won the set; That bloody mind I think they learn'd of me, As true a dog as ever fought at head. Well, let my deeds be witness of my worth: I train'd thy brethren to that guileful hole, Where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay; I wrote the letter that thy father found, And hid the gold that within that letter mentioned, Confederate with the queen and two sons; The audience never witnesses Aaron's supposed teachings however, nor is it likely that if he were to continue living as before that he would commit the acts he pledges himself to as he is to be hanged (Act V Scene I Lines 125-144). Aaron talks of evil and trickery, while Tamora lives its epitome, marrying herself into the queen-ship of the conquering tribe. When presented with his child Aaron does care for it, and only agrees to speak upon the condition that it shall be saved. This insight into his character makes him seem almost a worthier person than Titus who murders his own sons. The villain shows more care for his kin than the hero does for his. This serves to make Aaron a more realistic villain by making him more human.

Human Companionship in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein :: Mary Shelly, Frankenstein

Human companionship is one of the most basic needs of humans that can be seen in the Creation story. It is tricky for any human to find the perfect companion especially if one is one of a kind. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein two characters exemplify this need. Dr. Victor Frankenstein and The Creature are in search of companionship, and they will go to great lengths to achieve it. The classic theme of perversion of family is a major component in Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein comes from a good family but in his adult life he longs for a new companion this is mainly found in the Creature and Elizabeth. The development for the need for the Creature starts when he falls in love with knowledge and is furthered when he leaves to study. In his child hood he has â€Å"Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to stat those facts which led to my predilection for that science†(Shelley 36). This passion develops into his obsession in his adult life when he gains more accesses to knowledge and equipment. Then it climaxes with start of the creation of the Creature because his accesses to bodies and tools. (quote Intro) â€Å"I read with ardour those works, so full of genius and discrimination†¦ it easily conceived that my progress was rapid†(48). His description of the creation makes it seem like he is mothering a child into birth. He distorts the sanity of child birth by creating a human in a lab. This also makes him the mother and father of the Creature. (quote intro) â€Å"When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it†¦ my first success to permit me doubt of my ability to give live†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (51). This illustrates his power that he has that was never meant to be any humans. With the successful test my can create life, strengthens his bond with this impending birth of Creature, who embodies all of his scientific achievement. (quote Intro) â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to from?† (55). Frankenstein shuns his own creation, whom he should be the loving parents of. The culmination of all of Frankenstein’s education led to creation his own companionship; he can not bear to see his hideous creation.

Lab #3 Report. Isolation of bacteria from environment

LAB Report #3 Introduction: In this lab we have focus on Isolation of bacteria from environment. Microorganisms are found throughout the environment: in the air and water; on the surface of any object such as clothes, walls, furniture; in soil and dust; and on and in our own bodies (skin and mucous membranes). In order to demonstrate the ubiquity and diversity of microbes in the environment, samples from immediate areas of the environment and/or from your body will be obtained and cultured. Materials: 4 sterile cotton swab, sterile water in test tube, 4 agar plates and 2 blood agar plates, wax pencil and labels.Procedure: Appropriately label the cover of each plate as indicated in lab. 1. Determine 2 sampling sources, one from your body and one from the surrounding environment. 2. For the first agar plate, for sampling from air, remove the lids from the plate and allow it to sit uncovered for 15 minutes. 1. For second agar plate, open the â€Å"stick† end of the sterile cotton swabs to avoid contamination of the swab. Deep the swab in to the sterile water and collect a dust form the corner of the table by swab and rub the swab over the entire surface of the Petri dish without going back over areas you have already swabbed. . For the third agar plate, divide the plate in two different parts like washed and unwashed finger tip and swipe on each side of plate, see the difference between them. 4. For the forth agar plate, divide it into the four equal part and tested four different place for bacterial grow. In first part, remove the sterile cotton swab from the package and immerse it in the sterile water and take the bacteria from forearm and swipe the swab on first part.For second part, again take the sterile cotton swab and immerse it in sterile water, and take the bacteria from back of ear and rub on the second part. For third part, again take the sterile cotton swab and immerse it in sterile water, and take the bacteria from handle of microscope and swip e on the third part. For last part, again take the sterile cotton swab and deep in to the sterile water, and take the bacteria from toilet sit and swipe on the forth part. 5. For the fifth slide, we take blood agar plate and drawing line in central part of the plate.For one part used for kiss on that part and second part used for licked on that part for bacteria grow. 6. For last, we take another blood agar plate and we had to cough on this agar plate. Leave all agar plates in the incubator for 1 week to grow bacteria. Discussion: After one week, I was able to observe my Petri plates, which were filled with bacteria. The first plate had few yellow color colonies. That shows bacterial growth. Air was contaminant. For second plate, it had huge yellowish and few brownish color colonies and clear halos around them.Dust also had bactria. For third plate, on unwashed part had more yellowish color tiny spots and on washed part had few whitish color tiny spot. Washed had few bacteria that m ay be from the water while unwashed hand had more bacterial contamination. For forth agar plate, first part had more yellowish color spots, second part had more brownish color spot, third part had no bacterial colonies and forth part had only three yellowish color colonies. That show microscope handle is not bacterial contaminant while all other object is contaminant with bacteria.For the first blood agar plate, for the side that was kissed had huge brownish color spot and there were clear halos around it, and on other side that was licked had brownish color line. Bacteria also present in both sample. For the second blood agar plate, there is no discoloration in the plate so I think there have not bacterial growth in the Petri dish. Conclusion: In this lab we have focus on mainly â€Å" Isolation of bacteria from environment â€Å" and to observe the growth of bacteria in favorable condition and observation of the color and shape of the bacterial colony.Bacteria are found in a wid e variety of environments—in or on animals and plants, in water, in soil, in air, or on rock. Generally, they are contributors to the environment, decaying nutrients and recycling the minerals (for use by plants and other organisms). Bacteria are both metabolically diverse as well as structurally diverse. As I have learned we carry bacteria when we are in perfect health as well when we are sick. From this lab we have learned that bacteria are present everywhere but we can achieve healthy life by hygiene.

Whole Foods Market Case Analysis

Whole Foods Market has received recognition as recent as January 27th 2011 when CNBC aired Supermarkets Inc: Inside a 500 Billion Money Machine. â€Å"Whole Foods is arguably the most influential, and by some measures, the most successful supermarket chain in the world. The specialty gourmet store has grown into a Fortune-300 company offering specialty foods and locally grown organic produce. † CNBC goes on to state that even â€Å"Established brands like Safeway, Giant Eagle and Kroger are cultural icons as familiar as our own street names, but they are under constant attack from brilliant upstarts like Whole Foods†¦1† From the general supermarket industry Whole Foods Market breaks down into even a smaller specific industry which is the natural and organic foods industry. This industry focused on proving customers with natural foods which is defined as â€Å"foods that are minimally processed, largely or complexly free of artificial ingredients, preservatives and other non natural occurring ingredients; and near to their whole, natural state as possible. 7. † Also â€Å"organic foods were a special subset of the natural foods category; to be labeled as organic, foods had to be grown and processed without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, synthetic chemicals, artificial fertilizers, preservatives, dyes or additives or generic engenerring. † Also from the text book CEO John Mackey believes Whole Foods Market has been highly selective for finding the highest quality, least processed, most favorable and naturally preserved foods available. Whole Foods Market is an industry leader in natural and organic food retailing. The five forces model of competition, in written form, is provided as a key analytical tool to better understand the overall attractiveness of the industry. Rivalry among competing sellers is certainly strong and is expected to become stronger as more grocery retailers compete for loyal customers who desire the healthiest foods. The threat of substitute’s products is very high from other grocery retailers. For example, Publix has branded its own natural/organics products line named Green Wise and even a few stores that have a majority of its products natural/ organic. The restaurant industry should be considered but it is a very low threat because there are very few restaurants that are only dedicated to natural/organic products. The threat of new entrants entering the industry is fairly low. This is simply because grocery retailers have already got into the market to insure they would get their share. The bargaining power of suppliers is a medium level threat to the industry because industry members are competing for products to put on their shelves from the same suppliers. The bargaining power of buyers is definitely low because conventional retailers set the price consumers must pay to obtain the goods they want. Because of these threat levels the overall attractiveness of the industry high. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the foods they are eating and will continue buying natural and organic foods. There have been many main events and performance indicators that have occurred with Whole Foods Market recently, as stated in the Epilogue to January 2009 â€Å" Whole Foods Market planned on opening 15 stores , have annual sales of about 8. 3 billion, have capital expenditures of $400 to $450 million, and incur annual interest costs of $35 to $40 million. † The main elements of Whole Foods Market strategy are providing customers with the highest quality natural/organic products. Whole Foods Market has a strong growth strategy because they have 66 store in the stages of development and have future plan of acquiring more stores to expand their company further down the road. This growth strategy has helped them achieve their financial goals. Whole Foods Market can be assessed by using a simple SWOT analysis. This assessment will begin by examining the internal strengths and weaknesses. Internal strengths Whole Foods Market has two narrow markets that it serves, organic differentiation is the key-stone of whole foods mission, this means Whole Foods Market uses a focus differentiation strategy, highest quality brand reputation, dedication to the social ethics of organics, industry best customer service strong supply chain, and developing a private label of organics. Whole Foods Market has had experience in the natural/organic retailing industry since 1980. For the past 30+ years they have built over 300 large customized stores in North America and also in the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market is known to provide the highest quality of products. Weaknesses of Whole Foods Market include the high prices for their products; this is a direct result of the company’s focus on their availability of the finest products. The majority of Whole Foods Market inventory consists of perishable items. This can sometimes pose problems because, produce, milk, eggs have a short shelf life, Produce especially needs constant maintenance to be graded as well as pulling the damaged or bruised produce off the sales floor. Working as a roduce clerk for several years I know the importance decreasing the cost of throw away products. It hurts the company’s sales especially when you are dealing with pricy high quality natural and organic foods. Another weakness the Whole Foods Market faces is the high costs associated with expanding into different locations. The third part of SWOT is external opportunities that WFM faces in the industry. Over the past couple of decades more consumers have been becoming more health conscious and eating right. WFM can take advantage of this new outlook on the health food industry by acquiring new customers. Also, Whole Foods Market should spend more money on advertising to attract these health conscious customers. The final part of the SWOT analysis is the external threats that Whole Foods Market has to face. One of these threats is the increasing competition of already established grocery retailers. It’s very easy for these competitors to add natural and organic foods into their inventory. Another threat to Whole Foods Market is that their growth relies on building new stores and acquisitions of existing favorable buildings. If Whole Foods Market does not succeed in acquiring these store then the dominating grocery retailers will take more market share and slow the company’s growth. Evaluating Whole Foods Market using (S. W. O. T. ) analysis internally and externally helps you to develop an overall assessment of the company’s current competitive situation. Whole Foods Market is in good standings with the competition they seem to have a business model that is working for them and may need to emphasis a bit more on advertising and attracting more health conscious people with pamphlets at gyms. The Internally the company looks great with not to much to worry about but externally they must act now before the Wal-Mart starts taking their profits as well as other grocery retailers. One of the Key Success Factors (KSFs) of Whole Foods Markets is that it has a strong brand name because the company is well known reputation and far superior up against its main competitors. When a consumer shops at Whole Foods Market they know they will be getting the best quality possible. Another thing that gives them a competitive advantage, is the strong network of suppliers. This KSF has been a focus of Whole Foods Market to purchase their products grown locally to their stores. Information from wholefoodsmarket. com shows that each store has their own definition of â€Å"local† but the consumer just need to check with their particular store to find out where their quality goods are coming from. Another KSF is the access to locations rich in the target market. Whole Food Market has strived to establish stores in most metropolitan areas attracting more people. The Final KSF has been the company’s effective marketing communication. There are many Key Success factors (KSF) when stacking Whole Foods Market up to the competition. It seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available, maintains the strictest quality standards in the industry, has an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture, and the excitement and fun they bring to shopping for groceries, Whole Foods Market is permanently committed to buying from local farmers whose produce meet quality standards, particularly those who farm organically and are themselves dedicated to environmentally friendly, sustainable agriculture. Whole Foods Market is greatly increasing their efforts in this regard by further empowering their individual store and regional buyers to seek out locally grown produce. From Investor relations Whole Foods Market states â€Å"Our success reaches far beyond the company by contributing to a higher quality of life. By offering the highest quality food available, we are helping to transform the diet of America, helping people live longer, healthier, more pleasurable lives while responding positively to the challenge of environmental sustainability. † In Conclusion, Whole Foods Market is the leader in this niche market of natural/organic foods industry and is facing strong competition from the big superstores such as Wal-Mart, Costco and many other grocery retail chains. The company is in a position to change people lives forever and future generations as well. As many companies are doing now is finding their consumers and keeping those customers for life. Not just what they just spend at the register each time but what they may spend over each person’s life span and if you are eating healthier you will definitely live longer in return spending more money with Whole Foods Market. Works Cited http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/locally-grown/ http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/values/green-mission.php

“Is Reengineering and Strategy Implementation Just Another Management Fad or Does It Offer Something of Lasting Value?”

1. 0 Introduction Implementation is the challenge that comes at the end of all new (and old) methods for improving organizations. Strategic planning, architecture development, change management, total quality management, new information systems technologies, and re-engineering, are some of the concepts that are being advocated to effect a radical improvement organizational performance. Advocates of each concept, however, struggle when questioned about successful implementation (Deshpande and Parasuraman, 1986). Strategic planning literature abounds on how to develop a plan, but there is comparatively little said about how to implement a strategic plan once it is developed. Reengineering is a radical rethinking of an organization and its cross-functional, end-to-end processes (Hammer, 1993). After it’s introduction reengineering had taken corporations by storm. In a survey of over 500 chief information officers (CIOs), the average CIO is involved in 4. 4 re-engineering projects (Moad, 1993). Walmart (example 1) is seen as one of the successful executers of reengineering. Despite the excitement over reengineering, however, the rate of failure for re-engineered projects is over 50 per cent (Stewart, 1993). Hammer and Champy (1993) estimate as much as a 70 per cent failure rate. Luthfansa AG (example 2) is one such company. Such is the position that reengineering is labelled as a â€Å"management fad†. This paper looks to explore the facets of strategy implementation, reegineering that and analyze the label of â€Å"fad† is a worthy one or does the two offer a lasting value. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. The evolution of reengineering The concept of reengineering was first presented in two articles published simultaneously by Hammer (1990) and Davenport and Short (1990). Reengineering is a totally new approach with regard to the ideas and models used for improving business Hammer and Champy (1993). The reengineering approach is a result of the combination of concepts from different schools, including strategic IT systems, quality, systems thin king, industrial engineering, and technological innovation. The increasing power of ustomers, competitors and today’s constantly changing business environment, forced many organisations to recognise the need to move away from focusing on individual tasks and functions to focusing on more communicated, integrated and co-ordinated ways of work by looking at operations in terms of business processes (Davenport, 1993). 2. 2 Defining reengineering Several researchers and practitioners have defined reengineering in different ways with different emphases. The following are some of those definitions: the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service and speed (Hammer and Champy, 1993, p. 32). †¦ a methodical process that uses information technology to radically overhaul business process and thereby attain major business goals (Alter, 1990, p. 32) . The fundamental rethinking and redesign of operating processes and organisational structure, focused on the organisation’s core competencies, to achieve dramatic improvements in organisational performance (Lowenthal, 1994, p. 2). During the last decade, many authors have produced ideas regarding what reengineering really is. And thus, to conclude that there is only a single theoretical proposition underpinning reengineering remains debatable. The following table shows that there are three recognisable perspectives to reengineering as suggested by Tinnila (1995), i. e. strategic, operational and organisational perspectives. [pic] Figure 1: Summary of definition of reengineering (Khong and Richardson, 2003) Despite the differences in definitions, and terminology, the emphasis in all hese definitions and in the reengineering -related literature, is on redesigning business processes using a radical IT-enabled approach to organisational change. 2. 3 The need for reengineering Re engineering is motivated by external drivers, internal drivers, or both. External drivers are related mainly to the increased level of competition, the changes in customers’ needs, IT changes, and changes in regulations (Grover etal. , 1993). Internal drivers are mainly related to changes in both organisational strategies and structures. External drivers The increasing level of competition in the global market has emphasised the need for organisational innovation to cope with global standards of products and services. reengineering is approached as a tool to improve dramatically business performance and provide competitive position (Schnitt, 1993). First National Bank of Chicago (example 3), reengineered in order to keep up with the stiff global competition Davenport (1993a), also believe that re-engineering is driven by the never-ending needs of customers to look for better services and products. IBM Credit Corp (example 4) reengineered primarily for satisfying the customer or providing superior customer service. Owing to the unsettled changes in the global business environment, social life, technological and organisational practices, and economical situations, new rules and regulations are introduced to reflect these changes (Plowman, 1995). Yellow Freight (example 5) decided to reengineer because of external factors related to governmental or political pressure. Internal drivers Many organisational strategic and structural changes are centred on IT-enabled reengineering (Venkatraman, 1993). Parcel Service (example 6), found that they had to improve their technology in order to survive in the competitive shipping business. Changes in organisational strategy may involve some reengineering efforts to bring about the new business desires (Keen, 1991). The desire to reduce cost was one major reason that led First National Bank of Chicago (example 7) to reengineer. Changes of capability in terms of processes, methods, skills competencies, attitudes and behaviours can also be considered as internal drivers (Plowman, 1995). Arco Chemical (example 8) is one such company who reengineered to achieve dramatic company-wide improvements, increase organizational efficiencies, and reduce throughput time. Plowman (1995) views business transformation as a journey driven by a strategy that links short-term changes to capability in terms of processes, skills and style, with long-term changes to position the business among its competitors and customers. Ryder System Inc (example 9). reengineering efforts began with a rethink of its view of the market and a readjustment of the company‘s strategic focus. The following is a figure showing the result of survey (example 10) on the factors that trigger reengineering in the UK [pic] Figure 2: Factors driving reengineering (Tennant and Yi-Chieh, 2005) The following is a figure showing the result of survey (example 11) on the goal and objectives meant to be achieved through reengineering in the UK [pic] Figure 3: Goals and objectives of reengineering (Tennant and Yi-Chieh, 2005) 2. 4 What characterises reengineering Focus on business processes Reengineering focuses on the core concept of business process rather than on function, product or service. As business processes are the manner in which work gets done within an organisation, they are a distinguishing characteristic among organisations (Venkatraman, 1994), and thus a significant factor leading to competitive edge (Hinterhuber, 1995). In addition, the elimination of functional bias can only be best done by adopting process orientation to gain substantial business improvement (Andreu etal. , 1997). By focusing on core activities, Singapore Airlines (example 12) reengineered efforts are expected to help Singapore grow 8-10 er cent per year until the end of the decade. Notion of radicalness Reengineering involves radical and fundamental changes, and it evolves from the need to recognise that long-established ways emphasising on control and cost cutting are being replaced by organisational focus towards improving quality, the customer, and innovation, rather than (Hammer, 1990). Honeywell Inc (example 13) in order to keep up with the global competition reenginerined their proc ess from being focused on efficiency to being focued on quality Use of IT Hammer (1990) considers IT as a major tool and a fundamental enabler of reengineering efforts and emphasises the need to use modern IT to support for its implementation. IT reshapes and creates new effective business processes in that it has the potential to facilitate the flow of information between globally-distributed processes, and ensures the availability of instantaneous and consistent information across the business (Tapscott and Caston, 1993). Western Provident (example 14) is a company which is spotted for extensive of technology. Need for organisational change Reengineering results in change, and successful reengineering implementation requires fundamental organisational change in terms of organisational structure, culture and management processes (Davenport, 1993a). CIGNA Technology (example 15) Services went through a cultural change, from a focus on technology to one on processes and business performance. Change management is a tool used to manage such a change. 2. 5 Reengineering approaches, methodologies, techniques and tools Reengineering approaches Reengineering approaches can be viewed based on the different focuses that reengineering efforts may emphasise: IT, strategy, quality management, operations, and human resources (Edwards and Peppard, 1994a). According to Klein (1994), Reengineering is contextual and believes that having a structured approach to it is impossible. Reengineering methodologies Caterpillar (example 16) tied much of its cost saving success to its reengineering methodology (Paper and Dickinson, 1997). Its methodology is systematic as it provides a disciplined problem-solving approach and acts as a rallying point for everyone involved along the process path. Many structure-based methodologies have been proposed for reengineering implementation. However, most have common elements and view reengineering efforts as a top-down implementation project (Earl and Khan, 1994). Figure 4 summarises the major stages of eight representative reengineering methodologies. Figure 4: Reengineering methodologies [pic] (Kettinger et al. , 1997) Despite the differences among these methodologies, they all confirm that some essential components must exist, such as: †¢ strategies and goals setting; feasibility analysis of a reengineering project; †¢ process analysis and visioning; †¢ top management commitment and sponsorship; †¢ understanding of customer requirements and performance measurement; †¢ integration with TQM and benchmarking; †¢ recognition of IT capabilities; †¢ cross-functional teams and communication; †¢ prototyping and process mapping techniques; and †¢ organisational change to re-engineer management s ystems and organisation. Reengineering techniques Kettinger etal. (1997) show that at least 72 techniques are used to carry out ctivities related to reengineering projects. These techniques were almost all developed in other contexts and imported to the reengineering field. Each technique is mapped to their associated stages in the reengineering framework. and describe some as representative of each stage in the framework. [pic] Figure 5: Framework for Reengineering (Kettinger et al. , 1997) Kettinger etal. (1997) also suggest an approach of selecting techniques for a specific reengineering project. This approach, however, presumes that a customised methodology has been developed in advance. Based on the objective of their application, he identify 11 groups under which a number of techniques are identified. [pic] Figure 6: Groups of reengineering technique (Kettinger et al. , 1997) 2. 6 Strategy implementation Bartlett and Ghoshal (1987, p. 12) noted that in all the companies they studied â€Å"the issue was not a poor understanding of environmental forces or inappropriate strategic intent. Without exception, they knew what they had to do; their difficulties lay in how to achieve the necessary changes†. Supporting this, Miller (2002) reports that organizations fail to implement more than 70 percent of their new strategic initiatives. Given the significance of this area, the focus in the field of strategic management has now shifted from the formulation of strategy to its implementation (Hussey, 1998). There is no agreed-upon and dominant framework in strategy implementation. Concerning this, Alexander (1991, p. 74) has stated that: One key reason why implementation fails is that practicing executives, managers and supervisors do not have practical, yet theoretically sound, models to guide their actions during implementation. Without adequate models, they try to implement strategies without a good understanding of the multiple factors that must be addressed, often simultaneously, to make implementation work. Warid Telecom (example 17) precisely fail to their process for this reason when they started operation in Bangladesh According to Alexander (1985), the ten most frequently occurring strategy implementation problems include underestimating the time needed for implementation and major problems surfacing that had not been anticipated, in addition uncontrollable factors in the external environment had an adverse impact. Beer and Eisenstat, (2000) states that top-down/laissez-faire senior management style; unclear strategic intentions and conflicting priorities; an ineffective senior management team; poor vertical communication; weak co-ordination across functions, businesses or borders; and inadequate down-the-line leadership skills development are also important reasons for implementation failure . It is recognised that such change requires a shared vision and consensus and â€Å"failures of strategy implementation are inevitable† if competence, coordination and commitment are lacking (Eisenstat, 1993). Biman Bangladesh Airlines (example 18) has been in totters for the last decade due to its poor strategy implementation which can be credited to the above reasons. Noble (1999b, p. 132) has further noted that: There is a significant need for detailed and comprehensive conceptual models related to strategy implementation. To date, implementation research has been fairly fragmented due to a lack of clear models on which to build. There are important similarities between the previous frameworks in terms of the key factors forwarded and the assumptions made. Similarities between frameworks that previous researchers have grouped the implementation factors into a number of categories as follows: †¢ context, process and outcomes (Bryson and Bromiley, 1993); †¢ planning and design (Hrebiniak and Joyce, 1984); †¢ realizers and enablers (Miller, 1997); †¢ content, context and operation (Dawson, 1994); †¢ content, context, process and outcome (Pettigrew, 1987; Okumus, 2001); †¢ framework and process components (Skivington and Daft, 1991); †¢ context and process (Schmelzer and Olsen, 1994); †¢ contextual, system and action levers (Miller and Dess, 1996). Four areas of groupings emerge from an analysis of the above categories. Considering the role and characteristics of each implementation factor, those 11 implementation factors identified earlier can further be grouped into four categories: strategic content, strategic context, process and outcome. †¢ Strategic content includes the development of strategy. †¢ Strategic context is further divided into external and internal context. The former includes environmental uncertainty and the internal context includes organizational structure, culture and leadership. Operational process includes operational planning, resource allocation, people, communication and control. †¢ Outcome includes results of the implementation process. [pic] Figure 7: Framework for strategy implementation (Okumus, 2001) 2. 7 Factors related to implementing reengineering The following analyses the reengineering implementation process by reviewing the relevant literature on reengineering efforts. They are categorised into a number of subgroups representing various dimensions of change related to reengineering implementation. These dimensions are: Factors relating to change management systems and culture Change management, which involves all human- and social-related changes and cultural adjustment techniques needed by management to facilitate the insertion of newly-designed processes and structures into working practice and to deal effectively with resistance, is considered by many researchers to be a crucial component of any reengineering efforts (Carr, 1993). Effective communication throughout the change process at all levels and for all audiences, is considered a major key to successful reengineering -related change efforts (Davenport, 1993). Discontinues in leadership, and lack of communication contributed the reengineering failure at Teleco (Example 19) As reengineering results in decisions being pushed down to lower levels, empowerment of staff and teams to establish a culture in which staff at all levels feel more responsible and accountable and it promotes a self-management and collaborative teamwork culture is critical for successful reengineering (Mumford, 1995). Empowerment was at the heart of reengineering Honeywell (example 20) when they reengineered. Training and education in reengineering -related concept, skills, and techniques as well as interpersonal and IT skills, are an important component of successful reengineering implementation (Zairi and Sinclair, 1995). FixCo (example 21) carried out a number of workshops for training the staff about their reengineering process. Factors relating to management competence Sound management processes ensure that reengineering efforts will be implemented in the most effective manner (Bashein et al. , 1994). The most oticeable managerial practices that directly influence the success of reengineering implementation are top management support and commitment, championship and sponsorship, and effective management of risks. Organisational culture influences the organisation’s ability to adapt to change (Hammer and Champy, 1993). It helps in understanding and conforming to the new values, management processes, and the communication styles (Bruss and Roos, 1993).. Corporation ABC (example 22) needed to create an organizational culture ready to change as they had to redesign their quality systems. Commitment and leadership in the upper echelons of management are often cited as the most important factors of a successful reengineering project (Rastogi, 1994). Sufficient authority and knowledge, and proper communication with all parts in the change process, are important in dealing with organisational resistance during reengineering implementation (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Top level commitment was the key for successful implementation of reengineering in Blue Shield California (example 23) Factors relating to organisational structure As reengineering creates new processes that define jobs and responsibilities across the existing organisational functions (Davenport and Short, 1990), there is a clear need to create a new organisational structure which determines how reengineering teams are going to look, how human resources are integrated, and how the new jobs and responsibilities are going to be formalised. Mobil Oil (example 24) had a rethink of there organizational structure in their reengineering. Cross-functional reengineering teams are a critical component of successful reengineering implementation (Johansson et al. , 1993). Teams should be adequately composed (Hagel, 1993). Team members should be experienced in variety of techniques (Carr and Johansson, 1995). Teams should be made up of people from both inside and outside the organisation (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Liberty Mutual (Example 25) used cross-functional teams and loss prevention expert to implement the reengineering process Factors related to reengineering project management Successful reengineering implementation is highly dependent on an effective reengineering programme management which includes adequate strategic alignment, effective planning and project management techniques, identification of performance measures, adequate resources, appropriate use of methodology, external orientation and learning, effective use of consultants, building process vision, effective process redesign, integrating reengineering with other improvement techniques (Zairi and Sinclair, 1995), and adequate identification of the reengineering value (Guha et al. 1993). Honeywell (example 26) would be a prime example in their execution of redesigning their quality measures. As corporate strategy determines objectives and guidance on how organisational capabilities can be best utilised to gain competitive position, reengineering strategy (Hammer, 1990). Therefore, a consideration of the strategic context of growth and expansion (Bashein et al. 1994), creating a top-level strateg y to guide change (Carr, 1993), and careful alignment of corporate strategy with reengineering strategy (Jackson, 1997) are crucial to the success of reengineering efforts. Mitsibushi Electric Corp (example 27) took immense heed in this factor. Factors related to IT infrastructure Factors related to IT infrastructure have been increasingly considered by many researchers and practitioners as a vital component of successful reengineering efforts (Brancheau et al. 1996). Effective alignment of IT infrastructure and reengineering strategy, building an effective IT infrastructure, adequate IT infrastructure investment decision, adequate measurement of IT infrastructure effectiveness, proper IS integration, effective re-engineering of legacy IS, increasing IT function competency, and effective use of software tools are the most important factors that contribute to the success of reengineering projects. Connecticut Mutual Life (example 28), reengineered their complete IT infrastructure in order to increase productivity. Figure 8: Factors related to the implementation of reengineering (Al-Mashari and Mohamed, 1999) 2. 8 Definition of fad Management fads are defined as â€Å"managerial interventions which appear to be innovative, rational, and functional and are aimed at encouraging better organizational performance. † 2. 9 Characteristics of fads Cost/benefit analysis: One moderator of fad evolution is the cost/benefit of the intervention, although these two variables may significantly differ depending upon whether the organization adopts a short-term or a long-term perspective (Laverty, 1996) as with a long-term perspective may be more likely to sustain and give a fad sufficient time to reap positive benefits, propelling it to trend or collective wisdom status. But short-term gains should also be evident to encourage the resilience needed for long-term rewards to be realized (Chaudron, 1996). Degree of difficulty in implementation: Differences between expected ease of implementation and actual ease of implementation will contribute to an organization’s desire to persist in the courses of action required by the fad. If a fad’s implementation process is no more difficult than expected, it is more likely to evolve into a trend. Effectiveness of the fad: Effectiveness is measured in terms of realized improvement in operational performance. Following adoption of a fad, firms may find themselves â€Å"incapable†, â€Å"effective†, â€Å"efficient†, â€Å"best-in-class†, or â€Å"world class†. Fads which assist organizations in moving upward on this continuum will likely become institutionalized and mature into a trend or collective wisdom. 2. 10 Life cycle of a fad A significant predictor of whether firms will likely adopt fads is the stage at which the intervention is located in the life-cycle of fads. Fads typically progress through an established life-cycle (Ettorre, 1997), although the length of time required for progression to each of these stages varies (Crainer, 1996). offers significant benefits, in terms of both number and strength; †¢ is adaptable to the specific needs of an organization; †¢ addresses the underlying cause of a problem rather than a symptom; †¢ fits with other common interventions and programs in place (for example 29, TQM and MBO programs are antithetical in that their basic tenets are contradictory); and †¢ is supported by key users and proponents, as well as by objective assessments of effectiveness 3. 0 Strategy implementa tion and reengineering in practice The case of Honeywell’s TotalPlantTM paradigm† 3. 1 TotalPlantTM at Honeywell The Honeywell industrial automation and control (IAC) plant designs world-class systems that enable process-control capability. In 1999, senior management decided to implement a solid ISO 9000-certified quality program in order to unify business and control information to enable global customer satisfaction. This program was named TotalPlantTM. Four critical principles The TotalPlantTM paradigm is based on four critical principles of success: (1) Process mapping. Process mapping is crucial for employees to see the â€Å"big picture† as opposed to focusing solely on their role within the procedure. It also creates a common language for dealing with changes to business processes. (2) Fail-safing. While process mapping diagrams the entire flow of a business process, fail-safing is done to diagnose a defect within the process. (3) Teamwork. Teamwork does not occur naturally. Honeywell encouraged teaming through special workshops, by creating a manufacturing vision that fostered teamwork and by endorsing cross-training. 4) Effective communication skills. Communication of the TotalPlantTM vision is paramount to success. Honeywell provided conflict resolution training to teams to help them deal with conflict in a positive way. (Paper et. al, 2001) 3. 2 Application of literature Honeywell learned a number of lessons as a result of their TotalPlantTM program, all of which have implications for any future initiatives. They discovered that: †¢ people are the key enablers of change; †¢ you must question everything; †¢ people need a systematic methodology to map processes; †¢ creating eam ownership and a culture of dissatisfaction ensures more employee involvement; †¢ management attitude and behavior can squash projects; †¢ bottom-up or empowered implementation is most effective; †¢ reengineering must be business-driven and continuous; †¢ setting stretch goals can facilitate greater employee effort; †¢ implementation is the real difference between success and failure. Change is a fundamental aspect of reengineering. Top management needs to communicate to its people why the change is necessary and how it will impact everyone’s current job and future with the company. Sufficient time and resources is dedicated to ensuring that the organization as a whole understood, wanted and supported change. 4. 0 Conclusion and recommendation Implying the term â€Å"fad† with reengineering is apparently a disputable issue. If taken into context of the definition and characteristics a fad has, reengineering does hold a number of features that creates an aura which surrounds a fad. Its pledge of being strategy which improves performance by improving productivity and efficiency and its disguised nature of the ease of implementation does engender staggering semblance to that of a fad. Moreover, there are issues where reengineering would probably fall short when it comes to its exploitation as a trend. Reengineering normally wouldn’t fit into an organization culture, in contrary the management is forced to create new culture where in order to adopt reengineering. Conversely, reengineering does also contain features that are a requisite for being a trend or wisdom. If implemented aptly, reengineering does provide significant benefits that simply can’t be ignored. Its association with improvement in efficiency, productivity, and quality of product or service, is an asset that any company would desire to attain. Furthermore, reengineering does address the underlying cause of the problem and with the support and commitment of top management in its implementation process it can provide a lasting value to a business. Hallmarks, Hewlett-Packard (example 30) are to name a couple of companies who have benefited from reengineering. What really made the difference is proper implementation. As far as strategy implementation, then it has to be said that without strategy implementation a company wouldn’t be moving forward. What is pivotal is a framework that allows proper execution. Unilever Bangladesh (example 31) would be a ideal illustration of successful strategy implementation as for almost half a decade in an unstable economy where constant changes are required. Bibliography 1. Ackere, A. , Larsen, E. , Morecroft, J. (1993), â€Å"Systems thinking and business process redesign: an application to the beer game†, European Management Journal, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 412-23 2. Alter, A. (1990), â€Å"The corporate make-over†, CIO, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 32-42. 3. Al-Mashari, Majed and Zairi, Mohamed (1999). BPR implementation process: an analysis of key success and failure factors†, Business Process Management Journal; Volume: 5 Issue: 1. 4. Andreu, R. , Ricart, J. , Valor, J. (1997), â€Å"Process innovation: changing boxes or revolutionizing organizations? â€Å", Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 114-25. 5. Arendt, C. , Landis, R. , Meister, T. (1995), â€Å"The human side of change – part 4†, IIE Solutions, pp. 2 2-7. 6. Alexander, L. D. (1985), â€Å"Successfully implementing strategic decisions†, Long Range Planning, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 91-7 7. Alexander, L. D. 1991), â€Å"Strategy implementation: nature of the problem†, in Hussey, D. (Eds),International Review of Strategic Management, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester/New York, NY, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 73-96. 8. Bartlett, C. A. , Ghoshal, S. (1987), â€Å"Managing across borders: new strategic requirements†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 7-17. 9. Barrett, J. (1994), â€Å"Process visulization: getting the vision right is key†, Information Systems Management, pp. 14-23. 10. Bashein, B. , Markus, M. , Riley, P. (1994), â€Å"Precondition for BPR success and how to prevent failures†, Information Systems Management, pp. 7-13.. 11. Bhattacharya, A. , Gibbons, A. (1996), â€Å"Strategy formulation: focusing on core competencies and processes†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 47-55. 12. Bruss, L. , Roos, H. (1993), â€Å"Operations, readiness and culture: don’t reengineer without considering them†, Inform, pp. 57-64 13. Bryson, J. , Bromiley, P. (1993), â€Å"Critical factors affecting the planning and implementation of major projects†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 319-37. 14. Carr, D. , Johansson (1995), Best Practices in Re-engineering: What Works and What Doesn’t in the Re-engineering Process, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 15. Chaudron, D. (1996), â€Å"The battle of buzzwords†, HRFocus, pp. 13-14. 16. Chu, W. , Lin, W. , Le, V. , Weicher, M. , Yu, D. (1996), â€Å"Business process re-engineering analysis and recommendations†, Business Researcher’s Interests (BRINT), BPR Papers, [http://www. netlib. com/bpr1. htm#isit] 17. Crainer, S. (1996), â€Å"The rise of guru skepticism†, Management Today, pp. 48-53. 18. Davenport, T. (1993), Process Innovation: Re-engineering Work through Information Technology, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA 19. Davenport, T. (1993), â€Å"Need radical innovation and continuous improvement? Integrated process re-engineering and TQM†, Planning Review, pp. 6-12 20. Davenport, T. (1994), â€Å"The business change and re-engineering interview†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 2-6 21. Davenport, T. (1995), â€Å"Business process reengineeering: where it’s been, where it’s going†, in Grover, V, Kettinger, W. (Eds),Business Process Change: Re-engineering Concepts, Methods and Technologies, Idea Group Publishing, London, pp. 1-13 22. Davenport, T. , Short, J. (1990), â€Å"The new industrial engineering: information technology and business process redesign†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 11-27 23. Dawson, P. (1994), Organizational Change, A Processual Approach, Sage Publications, London 24. Deshpande, R. , Parasuraman, A. (1986), â€Å"Linking Corporate Culture to Strategic Planning†, Business Horizons, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 28-37 25. Dickinson, B. (1997), â€Å"Knowing that the project clothes have no emperor†, Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 261-7 26. Earl, M. , Khan, B. (1994), â€Å"How new is business process redesign? â€Å", European Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 20-30.. 27. Edwards, C. , Peppard, J. (1994), â€Å"Business process redesign: hype, ope or hypocrisy? â€Å", Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 9 pp. 251-66 28. Edwards, C. , Peppard, J. (1994), â€Å"Forging a link between business strategy and business re-engineering†, European Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 407 16 29. Ettorre, B. (1997), â€Å"What’s the next business buzzword? â€Å", Management Review, pp. 33-5 30. Grover, V. , Teng, J. , Fiedler, K. (1993), â€Å"Information technology enabled business process redesign: an integrated planning framework†, Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 433-47. 31. Guha, S. , Kettinger, W. , Teng, T. 1993), â€Å"Business process re-engineering: building a comprehensive methodology†, Information Systems Management, pp. 13-22 32. Hagel, J. (1993), â€Å"Core process redesign: keeping CPR on track†, The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 1, pp. 59-72 33. Hall, J. , Rosenthal, J. , Wade, J. (1993), â€Å"How to make re-engineering really work†, Harvard Business Review, pp. 119-31. 34. Hammer, M. (1990), â€Å"Re-engineering work: Don’t automate, obliterate†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68 No. 4, pp. 104-12. 35. Hammer, M. , Champy, J. (1993), Re-engineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, Harper Business, New York, NY 36. Hammer, M. (1993), â€Å"Re-engineering†, Retail Business Review, Vol. 61 No. 3, pp. 10-19. 37. Hammer, M. , Stanton, S. (1995), The Re-engineering Revolution, Harper Collins, New York, NY 38. Harrington, H. (1991), Business Process Improvement, McGraw-Hill, London 39. Harrison, D. , Pratt, M. (1993), â€Å"A methodology for re-engineering businesses†, Planning Review, pp. 6-11 40. Harvey, D. (1995), Re-engineering: The Critical Success Factors, Management Today/Business Intelligence, London 41. Hinterhuber, H. (1995), â€Å"Business process management: the European approach†, Business Change & Re-engineering, Vol. No. 4, pp. 63-73 42. Hrebiniak, L. , Joyce, W. (1984), Implementing Strategy, Macmillan, New York, NY, . 43. Hussey, D. (1998), â€Å"Strategic management: past experiences and future directions†, in Hussey, D. (Eds),The Strategic Decision Challenge, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester/New York, NY, pp. 1-28 44. Jackson, N. (1997)), â€Å"Business pr ocess re-engineering ’96†, Management Services, pp. 34-6 45. Johansson, H. , McHugh, P. , Pendlebury, J. , Wheeler, W. (1993), Business Process Re-engineering: Break Point Strategies for Market Dominance, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester 46. Laverty, K. J. (1996), â€Å"Economic ‘short-termism’: the debate, the unresolved issues, and the implications for management practice and research†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 825-60. 47. Khong, Kok Wei and Richardson, Stanley (2003). â€Å"Business peocess reengineering in Malaysian banks and finance companies. † Managing Service Quality. Volume. 13, Number. 1, pp. 54 – 71. 48. Keen, P. (1991), Shaping the Future: Business Design through Information Technology, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. 49. Kettinger, W. , Teng, J. , Guha, S. 1997), â€Å"Business process change: a study of methodologies, techniques, and tools†, MIS Quarterly, pp. 55-80. 50. Klein, M. (1994), â€Å"Re-engineering methodologies and tools: a prescription for enhancing success†, Information Systems Management, pp. 30-5 51. Letscher, M. G. (1994), â€Å"How to tell fads from trends†, American Demographics, Vol. 16 No. 12, pp. 38-45 52. Miller, A. , Dess, G. (1996), Strategic Management, International ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 53. Miller, D. (2002), â€Å"Successful change leaders: what makes them? What do they do that is different? â€Å", Journal of Change Management, Vol. No. 4, pp. 359-68 54. Moad, J. (1993), â€Å"Does Re-engineering Really Work? â€Å", Datamation, Vol. 39 No. 15, pp. 22-8. 55. Mumford, E. (1995), â€Å"Creative chaos or constructive change: business process re-engineering versus socio-technical design†, in Burke, G. , Peppard, J. (Eds),Examining Business Process Re-engineering: Current Perspectives and Research Directions, Kogan Page, New York, NY, pp. 192-216.. 56. Okumus, F. (2001), â€Å"Towards a strategy implementation framework†, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 13 No. 7, pp. 327-38 57. Paper, David J. , Rodger, James A. and Pendharkar, Parag C. (2001). â€Å"A BPR case study at Honeywell† Business Process Mana gement Journal. Volume: 7 Number: 2, pp: 85-99. 58. Pettigrew, A. M. (1987), â€Å"Context and action in the transformation of the firm†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 649-70. 59. Plowman, B. (1995), â€Å"Corporate transformation means re-engineering plus†, The Strategic Planning Society NEWS, pp. 8-10. 60. Rastogi, P (1994), â€Å"Nature, significance and rationale of business process reengineering†, Productivity, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 467-76 61. Schnitt, D. (1993), â€Å"Re-engineering the organisation using information echnology†, Journal of Systems Management, pp. 14-20, 41-2 62. Schmelzer, C. , Olsen, M. (1994), â€Å"A data-based strategy-implementing framework for companies in the restaurant industry†, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 347-59 63. Stewart, T. A. (1993), â€Å"Reengineering: The Hot New Managing Tool†, Fortune, Vol. 128 No. 4, pp. 32-7. 64. Skivington, E. J. , Daft, L. R. (1991), â€Å"A study of organizational framework and process modalities for the implementation of business level strategic decisions†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 45-68 65. Tennant, Charles and Wu, Yi-Chieh (2005), â€Å"RESEARCH AND CONCEPTS :The application of business process reengineering in the UK†. The TQM Magazine. Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 537-545 66. Venkatraman, N. (1993), â€Å"IT-induced business reconfiguration†, in Scott-Morton, M. (Eds),The Corporation of the 1990s: Information Technology and Organisational Transformation, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, pp. 122-58. 67. Venkatraman, N. (1994), â€Å"IT-enabled business transformation: from automation to business scope redefinition†, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 73-87. 68. Wendel, C. B. , Svensson, E. (1995), Business Buzzwords, Amacom, New York, NY. , . 69. Zairi, M. (1992), Competitive Benchmarking: An Executive Guide, Technical Communications (Publi shing), 70. Zairi, M. , â€Å"1995†, Business Process Re-engineering & Management Journal, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 3-9. 71. Zairi, M. , Sinclair, D. (1995), â€Å"Business process re-engineering and process management: a survey of current practice and future trends in integrated management†, Management Decision, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 3-16.