Beawolf is the destruction of peace and order in a community or nation

Violence, in the world of Beowulf, not only carries with it its inherent negative effects but also it helps to bring out good human qualities. The violence being described in the epic is the murder of inhabitants and the plundering of their possessions. The first negative effect of violence as depicted in Beowulf is the destruction of peace and order in a community or nation.In the epic, the key conflict is preventing or stopping evil monsters from causing violence to the hero’s land and those of neighboring shores. The two key enemies are Grendel and the Dragon.Grendel is a â€Å"grim monster†¦a descendent of Cain† who lives in a murky pond with his mother and with â€Å"elves and evil spirits† (Beowulf Book I). Cain is referred to in the Bible as a man who murdered his own brother so that as a punishment God cursed the ground for him and that he was sent out as a wanderer in the earth (â€Å"Genesis† 3). During times of great celebration in the grea t Hall built by King Hrothgar, King of Denmark, Grendel suddenly attacked the King’s guests. The attack brought terror and grief to the Danes and as a result the peace and joy they felt vanished.It is important to note that such merciless act was committed without any provocation from the Danes at all. One day Grendel just decided to come out of his lair and slaughtered his captives. The grief and terror felt by the Danes lasted for twelve long years as Grendel continued his cruelty (Beowulf Book I,II). The Dragon, on the other hand, was a monster â€Å" with a fire belching out of its mouth† who attacked Beowulf’s kingdom in his old age(Beowulf Book XXXII). He, too, was described as ruthless, strong and hard to be subdued.In a Christian context, a Dragon symbolizes evil and death (â€Å"Dragon† 2007). But unlike Grendel, the Dragon attacked upon provocation. His anger was roused when his treasures was stolen from a burial mound. Out of revenge he attack the Geats who at this time were enjoying fifty years of peace and serenity brought about by the wise rule of King Beowulf (Beowulf Book XXXI). Another negative effect of violence as depicted in the epic is the threat it caused to the survival and maintenance of civilization or nation. Grendel slaughtered his victims and carry off some prisoners to his abode.Book II describes his assault this way â€Å"unhallowed wight, grim and greedy, he grasped betimes, wrathful, reckless, from resting-places, thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushed fain of his fell spoil, faring homeward† (Beowulf Book II). Grendel is hard to be defeated because according to the epic no weapon can destroy him. The Dragon, on the other hand, would â€Å"burn homes with fire â€Å"(Beowulf Book XXXII). Both monsters would make their assault at night, a time when the people are supposed to be resting and therefore slightly defenseless.In the cover of darkness both fearsome creatures can carry on their sl aughter swiftly. The Dragon stood unopposed as the people could not get near him due to the flames from his mouth (Beowulf Book XXXII). In such a hopeless situation and without any intervention, the inhabitants will be eventually wiped out. Violence also breeds other violence. When Beowulf killed Grendel, Grendel’s mother was consumed with fury and tried to avenge his death. It does not matter to her if Grendel was the one at fault.In her screwed reasoning, Grendel was his son and therefore needs to be avenged. Prior to his death, Grendel’s mother was not in any way physically involved with the slaughter. However, upon his death, Grendel‘s mother became as ruthless as his son. Without any further delay, Grendel’s mother went out to the Hall hoping to kill the criminal who put his son to eternal sleep. However Beowulf was not around so that angrily she took a Danish nobleman and Grendel’s paw and carried them with her back to her home( Beowulf Book X IX ) .Upon hearing of this incident, Beowulf run after her and with a sword ended her life. In another sense we can say that the death of Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon at the hands of Beowulf was also a form of violence. However, upon careful analysis, such violence can be considered necessary to end the greater violence committed by the three aggressors. In the epic, violence only ended at the death of the three. If left alive, there is a big possibility that their violence will continue owing to their untamed evil natures.Although violence is a wicked thing to commit and should be avoided at all cost, but if present it helps to bring out the heroic trait of an individual. The hero is the man of the hour who stops and controls the spread of violence. While the enemy is described as evil and ruthless, the hero is describes a s a man possessing a good, companionate and courageous heart. Beowulf was such a man. He was a prince who possessed not only these good human traits but also endowed with great strength that equals, if not surpassed, the aggressors.Even long before he came to the aid of King Hrothgar, he had already proven his fighting prowess when he killed the sea-monsters that plied the sea he swam in on his way to help the Finns in getting rid of their enemies(Beowulf Book I).. He showed his compassionate heart when hearing of Grendel’s cruelty in Hrothgar’s kingdom; he sailed to Denmark without waiting any pleas of help from the Danish king ( Beowulf Book III). Unarmed and single-handedly he engaged Grendel in mortal combat (Beowulf Book XI).Grendel was surprised at the firm grip of Beowulf and according to him he had not yet ever encountered such a strong man in his lifetime. Beowulf managed to tear Grendel’s arm out of his shoulder. â€Å"The awful monster had lived to feel pain in his body, a huge wound in his shoulder was exposed, his sinews sprang apart, and his bone-locks broke). This wound had mortally wo unded Grendel so that he later died in his lair. The Dragon, o the other hand, was challenged by Beowulf in his den. The two struggled against each other until Beowulf killed him with the sword).Unfortunately Beowulf, old at this time, was also wounded and eventually died (Beowulf Book XXII). It is important to note that as a hero Beowulf fought against evil forces from his youth until his old age. The epic delivers a strong message that preventing and controlling violence is a never-ending struggle. When Grendel’s violence ended, another one arose in the hands of the Dragon. In the face of violence, the loyalty of an individual is exposed. During Beowulf’s fight with the Dragon, the struggle became fearful to watch so that Beowulf’s men flee in fright.Only Wiglaf remained to help his aging monarch. Even at the cost of his life, Wiglaf help Beowulf slay the fiery Dragon (Beowulf Book XXXVI). His loyalty and gallantry was later rewarded when before Beowulf died h e proclaimed Wiglaf as his successor to the throne of Geatland (Beowulf Book XXXVIII). This last gesture of Beowulf is a declaration that loyalty in the face of crisis is to be honored. It is possible that without Wiglaf, Beowulf, wounded and old as he was, would have failed to put an end to the Dragon’s life. The Dragon then will continue to terrorize the Geats.Wiglaf’s loyalty was crucial in attaining the victory of that climatic battle. Beowulf was assured that with Wiglaf the struggle against violence will be carried on long after his death. To the eyes of the Geats, Wiglaf is a source of hope for the survival and maintenance of Geatland. On the other hand, those who deserted Beowulf were reproached and reaped nothing but shame. WORKS CITED â€Å"Dragon. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006. â€Å"Genesis†. The Holy Bible. Korea: Thomas Nelson, Inc. , 1984.

Gay Marriage Essay

The issue of gay marriage remains controversial. Some people think that this trend has adverse effects on the society while others believe that it is seen as a natural trend and right for people to choose this type of marriage. My essay will discuss causes and effects of this problem. First, gay marriage is the result of psychological, legal, economic and biological effects. Medically speaking, if someone is born to be gay, the tendency is that he will not change his nature and want to live with people of the same sex. There are cases of men who marry the opposite sex and end up being unhappy till the day they decide to lead their own lives and stay with the same sex. Another reason is derived from economic drive. Despite not being inborn gay, several people, for sake of profit, opt for the solution to marry the similar sex. Besides, only after undergoing painful break-ups with so many people of the different sex do people lose their belief in love, and hence, choose to be by the side of the same sex. These people are believed to sympathize and care about them more. In addition, in such an open society where equality is recognized, it is inevitable that people can marry the one they love, despite the differences in age, race, family background and marriage notion. There are both positive and negative effects in this problem. As a result of recognizing the right of gay people in form of marriage, the society bestows upon these people the feeling of equity which makes them motivated to work as hard as other people. It is the acknowledgement of gay marriage that talented gay people continue contributing their best to social development, without bias. However, the fear is that no sooner has gay marriage become official than the society lacks the next generation since hardly could gay couples give birth. Another disadvantage is that children who are raised in gay families can rarely receive comprehensive education. Such purely male environment or female one is not enough for kids to develop normally, which might result in their mental disorders and sexual disorientation.

Tokyo Disneyland Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Tokyo Disneyland - Case Study Example 3. To recognize how the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the themes and features of the park. 4. To examine the visitor statistics of Tokyo Disneyland. 5. To know how Tokyo Disneyland maintain the Japanese culture in the park. Statement of the Problem The study intends to investigate the success of Tokyo Disneyland in terms of culture, compared to other Disneyland theme parks. Specifically the study intends to answer the following questions: 1. How does the management of Tokyo Disneyland promote the park to the Japanese market even if there is still a touch of American culture 2. What are the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the participation of staff 3. What are the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the themes and features of the park 4. How does Tokyo Disneyland maintain the Japanese culture in the park Conceptual Framework / Theoretical Framework This study will apply the input-process-output (IPO) framework. Originating form the Industrial Revolution, the IPO model has been applied to various fields-from manufacturing to communications to computer programming. (Harris & Taylor, 1997) The IPO model is a design of how different input, intermediate, and output variables form causal relationships in a system. (Walliman, 2001) In the IPO model, a process is viewed as a series of boxes (processing elements) connected by inputs and outputs. Information or material objects flow through a series of tasks or activities based on a set of rules or decision points. (Walliman, 2001) Flow charts and process diagrams are often used to represent the process. (Walliman, 2001) What goes in is the input;... With continuous effort and perseverance to make the study a success as well as the support of the people who have helped in the project, the research was completed. For the future researchers that will have to undergo a series of data collection methods, it should always be keep in mind the possibility of incidents and instances that will hinder the execution of the research. Be prepared for the worst scenarios that could happen during field work whether the case concerns the participants, the location, the time and the gatekeepers. It is easy to find common elements between Disneyland and Disney films in all parts of the park. For example, it is well known that Disney made only one gate to Disneyland, against advice from amusement park experts. To Disney, the entrance gate and the beginning part of a movie are the same. From the gate, visitors head toward the shopping mall, where each store is a three-story house with a facade, similar to those of a small American city in the late nineteenth century. These facades reduced in various degrees, detach visitors from outside reality and bring them into the world of nostalgia. As a similar scenography is also used on streets that stretch from the entrance to the central plaza, the scene inside the park is put in a frame, and the street is long enough for visitors to transform themselves into inhabitants of Disney’s world. The recommendation of this study is for Tokyo Disneyland to maintain representing the rich culture of Japan in Tokyo Disneyland since this i s what their market needs.

Regression and Forecast of M&A Transactions in the UK Essay

Regression and Forecast of M&A Transactions in the UK - Essay Example 111). Despite the many benefits that accrue to acquisition as a growth strategy, the is significant diversity in the rate of acquisitions between different countries and different regions from across the world. The consequent disparity in the world’s acquisitions has necessitated the investigation into the predictors of this variable in this study, and hence its choice as the dependent variable. Beckeinsten examined the acquisition of firms based on the micro-economic factors that influence acquisition behaviors (26). In his study, economic indicators such as GDP growth, interest rates and stock market index were tested through a series methodology. His findings were that acquisition activity inversely correlate with economic growth. In view of the findings from different empirical studies with respect to the potential predictors of acquisitions, it is crystal clear that the relationship between acquisition activities and the tested economic indicators is not only mixed but al so unpredictable. The complexity, therefore, behind prediction of acquisition activities inspired the researcher of this study to investigate it further. . Figure 1: Rate of acquisition growth (1970-2012): the dependent variable. (Data obtained from U.K office of national statistics) Figure 1 shows the graph of acquisition growth rate from 1970 to 2012. ... The wave of acquisitions is characterized by ups and downs, a pattern that can be associated with economic cyclical patterns. If we can attribute this patter to economic cyclical patterns, then it seems there were major recessions in 1975, 1992 and 2010 and major expansions during 1973, 1978, 1988, 1994, 1999 and 2005. During an economic expansion, the rate of growth of acquisitions seems to increase significantly while the opposite happens during economic recessions. To link these economic cycles to the earlier discussed macroeconomic variables; that is, stock price, market price and GDP, it can be argued that all the three variables move in a positive direction with economic expansion as well as in a positive direction with economic recession. During the time of economic expansion, the wealth of the shareholders tends to grow hence stimulating acquisitions. Increased level of economic activities is also expected to boost GDP growth rate, which sends positive signal to companies enc ouraging them to merge. Furthermore, changes in stock prices affect the financial abilities of companies hence encouraging or discouraging them to merge. During the late 1980s the acquisitions seem to have flourished significantly due to the possible economic boom and a surge in the stock market. Nevertheless, the patterns exhibited in this graph are highly unpredictable and it would be of interest for economist to examine if there is a possibility of negatively linking these waves to important financial activities, which can raise concern over the negative impacts of acquisitions on the economy. Part II Equation: Acquisition_growth = growth_of_market_value + growth_of_ordinary_share price + growth_of_gdp + c Discussion of the model Gross

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit Essay

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit - Essay Example Item rate contracts Sources of profit specific to item rate contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of each executed item from tender. Contractors try to reduce low-margin items and increase high-margin items. 2. Profit from sub-contractors. 3. Profit from administrative reimbursable expenses borne by client. 4. Profit from delays caused due to client, or design changes. Cost plus fee or Cost plus percentage contracts Sources of profit in cost plus fee contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of expenditure. Higher the project cost, higher the profit. 2. Profit from efficient material purchase. Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. Labour contracts 1. Profit from labour. 2. Profit from administration, site office and other reimbursable expenses. Design-Build Contracts. Sources of profit in Design-build contracts: 1. Profit on design services. 2. Ability to maximise profit through influencing the design process. 3. Reduction in costs through better coordination and streamlining of execution. 4. Control of costs through easy and efficient tracking of changes and adaptability to change. PFI (Private Finance Initiative) or BOT (Build Operate Transfer) contracts: The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are...Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are those that are built into the contract, and indirect are those profits that accrue due to an efficient and well managed project team.

The Case for Clean Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Case for Clean Technology - Essay Example Investing on clean or green energy can make a major impact on environmental problems such as pollution and other issues that emerge as a consequence (i.e. climate change). My position is, of course, in support of clean technology. The current interest in this field must be supported by the policy networks, specifically, by providing favorable environment in which this new commercial activities must flourish. Sources Case Study: Shane Eten An important source for this paper is a case study published by Babson College on Shane Eten and his efforts to launch a business venture. What is significant in this case study is the nature of Eten's venture. His project is the FEED Resource, which aims to build an anaerobic digester. The idea is to establish a company called Biospan and build a large anaerobic digester, a facility that would collect food waste from restaurants, grocery stores and even homes to feed the digester and produce compost and biogas. Eten, would, in effect, be taking was te and producing a usable byproduct in the process. The case provided in-depth insights on two important aspects. The first is that the study was able to identify the manner by which entrepreneurs and investors are scrambling to hitch on the clean technology bandwagon, which supposedly started in the year 2007. It cited specific cases such as the investments of Google and Wal-Mart on clean technologies. Secondly, there is the process involved in clean technology entrepreneurship. From research, business development, and management - these were explained and specified according to the clean technology case. These factors show why Eten's initiative will be a success story because it is supported by the goodwill of the public and the serious interest of the private sector. Chialin Chen: Green Product Development A more specific insight on green technology has been provided by Chialin Chen when he investigated the concept of "green product development". This is helpful for this paper be cause the study explained green product design and innovation in the context of consumer demand; the supply side and producer's decision-making; and, the regulatory environment, emphasizing the existing regulatory frameworks and standards. This study was also able to establish the business case for clean technologies by explaining that: 1) consumers are starting to be more inclined to green products; and, 2) the regulatory environment and the policy-networks are increasingly becoming strict on its environmental regulations and supportive of green technologies. This paper cited important cases that are useful to the objectives of this paper. For instance, there is the case of the automobile industry, designing and building cars with green technology specifications. Chevrolet and Ford's example show that as early as 1998, they were manufacturing green or hybrid automobiles successfully sold in the American market. Then there is also the case about the new emission limits for cars and industries as introduced in statutes that

Paperwork Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paperwork - Research Paper Example The analysis attempts to understand systematic data flow and how humans input, transform and store data and access information in an organization’s context. The process of defining the components, architecture, modules, data and interfaces for a system to meet specified needs comprises systems design (Ulrich & Eppinger, 2000). Installing systems without proper plans results in dissatisfied users, and the system is often abandoned after short usage. Together, systems analysis and design work in an overlap to lend structure to information systems and determine what changes need to be applied or how a new one may be implemented (Ulrich & Eppinger, 2000). Databases Databases are structured and designed to collect data while offering organized machinery for managing, storing, analyzing and retrieving information (Connolly & Begg, 2002). This is achieved by using tables prearranged to model appropriate aspects of the project being undertaken in a manner supporting the processes usin g this information. The role of databases in projects is compiling, categorizing and interpreting data. All information used by the project managers, including the researches they conduct, is centrally stored in the database for ease of access by users and developers. Databases also play a key role in identifying international trends (Connolly & Begg, 2002). Programming Programming entails the designing, documenting, trying, debugging as well as maintaining source codes for computer programs (Meyer, 2000). A reliable process of programming aims to produce a software solution that is efficient and can be developed when the project dictates the need. It should be usable, portable, easily maintained and able to anticipate errors occurring from inappropriate, corrupt or incorrect data. The role of programming in projects is to create sets of instructions for use by computers to carry out specified instructions and display desired behaviors. Programming also saves the efforts of other te ams in the project by automating the processes which would otherwise have been conducted manually (Meyer, 2000). Networking Networking is the linking and interconnecting of groups of computers and hardware through communication channels thus allowing users to share information, files and resources such as printers (Tanenbaum, 2006). Within the network, relevant files may be selected for sharing between concerned users and departments. In a project, networking merges different departments and even office buildings. The needless distinction of common tools that collect, process, store or transmit information is eliminated when networks are deployed. Barriers to information held on separate computers and systems are also overcome, creating a borderless information and communication environment (Tanenbaum, 2006). It is only through networking that all the other aspects of running a project are held together. The project also benefits by saving costs that would have been used to equip ea ch department with its own resources, which duplicates purchases. The Web The World Wide Web is an application that runs on the internet (Stallings, 2004). It is a system made up of interlinked internet servers supporting hypertext documents and is accessed through the

Potential Impacts of Public Anger on Politics, Government, and Public Essay

Potential Impacts of Public Anger on Politics, Government, and Public Policy - Essay Example The killing of Gifford in Arizona is also examined to predict the public’s attitudes in the future governments. In order to clearly understand this topic, the former major instances of public anger towards the United States’ government are discussed by focusing on their causes, long and short time impacts. This paper examines the origins, level of impact, and examples of the present and former public’s anger and attitudes towards the government, politics and public policies. As part of this paper, the influence of internet invention as a tool for gathering information on the public’s attitude and anger towards the government is also discussed. Potential Impacts of Public Anger on Politics, Government, and Public Policy In the current report published by PRC on 18th April, it is reported that, â€Å"By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days† (Veith, Wilson &Fischer, 2009). The latest re port also confirmed that the deteriorating economy that affected millions of citizens fueled distrust and lack of confidence in the congress and elected officials who betrayed them. The general public opts for a reformed government not an activist government but both the Democrats and the Republicans still draw anger. Other than the Viet Nam War, there has been growing anger in America presently more than any other time. Those who lived during the Viet Nam War witnessed street rioting that almost tore the country apart. The government did not bother to establish what the ire was directed to. Presently the Americans are angry again. They may have good reasons to be, but some may be as a result of their own actions. The normal American citizen was sold to a bill of goods that assured them of achieving the â€Å"American Dream†, but unfortunately they became the culprits of their own and corporate greed (Veith, Wilson &Fischer, 2009). Crash of the Wall Streets In the last two ye ars, Americans have lost their dreams, savings and retirement. Presently, the high unemployment rates appear to be the worst cause of public anger towards the government. The accompanying domino effects and the shaking wall streets that have destabilized the economy, have caused the urge to realize the â€Å"American Dream† among the Americans to gradually diminish. Seemingly, the government is mainly interested in the Wall Streets more than the Main streets. The American administration appears to be detached from President Obama. Congress is at a stalemate. The formulation of the best solution to solve the unemployment problem is taking points among the respective political parties for their campaigns (Woolf, 2003). The once assured prosperous future now seems to be doomed and the general result of this is public’s anger towards all institution, specifically the government. Every American of sound mind should realize that the bill of goods that they were sold to was a fool’s gold. They bought the full package by putting their savings and hopes in the hands of corrupt investors and individuals, who promised them success in the Wall Streets. It should be made known that the 401K was not to replace peoples’ retirements but it was made to be part of the retirement (Woolf, 2003). Its main motive was to lure Americans that Wall Street was a good investment that would make more profit so as to drain you bank savings. Just like RPO predicted, its crash

Investigating the Sources and Use of Financial Information in the Essay

Investigating the Sources and Use of Financial Information in the Management of Prison - Essay Example The research proposal is set to investigate the sources and use of financial information in the management of the prison service in England and Wales. Justification There are various sources and uses of financial information in the management of an organization. However, these sources and uses differ from one organization to the other. Financial information is significant to an organization because it assists in rating the performance of the organization. The information also assists in improving financial auditing and management of the organization. Proper management is the key element to the success of any organization. The research is of great importance because it will help the prisons and the government to conduct duties efficiently. Thus, knowing the sources and uses of the financial information will help the government and the prison department in better management of the prison services in England and Wales. Review of Literature The main purpose of the Prison Service in Engla nd and Wales is to offer services to the public by keeping in custody those who have committed crimes; looking after these individuals humanely; and assisting them to lead useful and law-abiding lives during custody and after release. In order to support this purpose, the Prison Service has four objectives: to securely hold the prisoners, to minimize the possibility of prisoner re-offending, to offer well-ordered and safe establishments in which to treat the prisoners decently, lawfully, and humanely, and to offer an effective escort and custody service to criminal courts (Cope 2010, pix). Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) runs 127 prisons and training centres throughout Wales and England. In a number of key areas, all the 127 prisons run independently with no centralized oversight and operations. The prison service lacks a shared system for the management of procurement, human resources, and finances (Hp 2009, p1). Each of the prison maintains its own exclusive financial s ystem. Data tracking, software, and the staff responsible for handling finances and inputting data vary at each location. Thus, HMPS does not have access to the organization wide view of the finances. Therefore, the prison service has found it difficult to measure its performance, enhance financial auditing, and target areas to minimize costs (Hp 2009, p2). In the past few years, HMPS installed an Oracle-based financial system to centralize its financial reporting and accounting, and also to offer a wide and encompassing image of the financial activities of the prison service. This ensures that the personnel from various facilities and departments are conscious of the financial impacts when making decisions. Higher quality data management and improved transparency and a devoted focus of the finance resources on exceptional financial issues have led to the realization of the mentioned benefits (Hp 2009, p7). Improved financial transparency and accessibility of timely and meaningful f inancial data or information across the organization has enhanced decision-making thus, has led to better operational performance (Oracle 2009, p2). The United Kingdom (UK) sector has undergone significant changes in risk management. The UK criminological research on the prisons has not explored the manner in which the general corporate governance and the financial management at various levels of the prison sector, have been

Private Equity Deals Essay Example for Free

Private Equity Deals Essay Private equity can be described as investing in a company through a negotiated process. Investment entails transformational, value-added and active management strategy. Private Equity investments can be undertaken following three categories. These are venture capital, Buy-out and special situation investment. Venture capital can be described as an investment to create a new company or expand a smaller company that is presently undeveloped. Buy-out investment involves acquisition of a significant portion of investment in a mature company so as to gain control or ownership of the company. Special situation investment involves changing government regulations or industry trends on investment due to availability of opportunity (Robinson and Cottrell, 2007). This paper will broadly analyze buy out investment in detail, discussing its history, growth, merits and failures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity firms accrue interest on investment through any of the three ways. These include an IPO, sale or merger and recapitalisation. Private equity firms sell unlisted securities directly to investors through private offering or private equity fund which attracts different sources of contributions from small investors who prefer to invest directly to investors due to the risks associated with private equity funds. Private equity fund require a large amount of money to allow entry which cannot be afforded by most private equity firms. Moreover Private equity firms prefer to invest in firms or investors where the firm can accrue returns after a short duration unlike private equity funds which can take up to twelve years to accrue interests. Private equity firms evaluate availability of opportunity to avoid investing in a failing company which, led to heavy capital losses by the firm. The risk has been noted to be higher in venture capital funds (Lasen, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity industry was begun in 1946 by the American Research and Development Corporation (ARD) to encourage private institutions provides funding to soldiers who returned from World War II. ARD aimed to provide skills and funding to the management and this would stimulate success of the companies accrue profits. The success of the industry led to permeation of few wealthy families into the industry in 1970s. The industry focussed more on debt financed leveraged buy-outs (LBOs)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Leveraged buy-out (LBO) occurs when a financial sponsor gains control of a majority of a target company’s stock ownership through the use of borrowed money or debt (Lasen, 2006). A Leveraged buy-out is a widely used strategy where a company acquires another company through significant amount of borrowed money. In most cases, the assets of the acquiring company and the company being acquired are used as security for the loans. Leveraged buyouts allow companies to make acquisitions without committing a lot of capital. In an LBO 70% debt to 30% equity ration is allowed though the debt can amount 90% top 95% of target Company total capitalisation. Private equity firm prefer to sue leveraged buyouts for two reasons. Use of debt that is widely used in US increased financial return to the private equity sponsor. Debts are exempted from taxation and hence the returns from debt are greater that from cash (Lasen, 2006; Robinson and Cottrell, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many countries for example Germany have introduced new tax laws with an aim of discouraging leveraged buyouts through reduction of tax shield effectiveness. The performance of private equity firms that used LBO as their main source of financing went into bankruptcy in 1980s and 1980s.   The insolvency was largely contributed by excessive debt financing amounting up to 97%. This led to higher interest payment that exceeded the company’s operating cash flow. Most companies were taken over by other companies and government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the recent past private equity industry has experienced a boom as noted in Great Britain as well as USA. Most pension scheme companies have invested in private equity firms and in particular LBOs. The size of private equity pool increased by 37% in 1994 in Great Britain. There is great disparity between foreign private equity pool and United States which present possibility of future growth. The rapid growth in the private equity industry has led to poor returns on capital invested. The returns from public equity deals are higher and this challenges the stability of private equity industry in using LBOs as way of financing (Clark and Whiteside, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PED projects were initially known to have positive impact in paediatrics industry. The PED projects however are on the decline. This can be attributed to poor management and appointment of nationals who have worked in public service to oversee them yet they have little experience or knowledge that is needed. The PED has encountered pressure from fear of disappointing former and future employees and this has in most cases resulted in failure or problem in implementation of the projects (Saylor, Swenson, Reynolds and Taylor, 1999). References Clark, G. L., Whiteside, N. (2003) Pension Security in the 21st Century: Redrawing the Public-Private Debate. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Robinson, M. J., Cottrell, T. J â€Å"Investment Patterns of Informal Investors in the Alberta Private Equity Market† Journal of Small Business Management, 45, (2007):11-89. Larsen, D. L. â€Å"Challenges to the Private Equity Industry† Journal of Accountancy, 202, (2006):112-156. Saylor, C. F., Swenson, C., Reynolds, S., and Taylor, M â€Å"The Paediatric Emotional Distress Scale: a Brief Screening Measure for Young Children Exposed to Traumatic Events.† Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 28.1. (1999): 34-70.

A study on pathological gambling as an addiction

A study on pathological gambling as an addiction It has been found that between 70 to ninety percent of adults gamble at some point in their life. (Ladoucer, 1991). These figures are from Canada but can be genralised to most developed civilisations. According to the DSM criteria pathological gambling is am impulse control disorder, which is displayed by a persistent and uncontrolled gambling, failure to stop gambling, feeling withdrawal symptoms and uneasiness when not aloud to take part in a gambling activity and finally increased gambling. (ref). The increased availability of gambling opportunities often makes this a hard condition to recover from, as well as increasing the amount of people suffering from pathological gambling(ref). Pathological gambling causes the obvious financial problems (ref), but like any other addiction it causes social problems as well (ref). Along with this pathological gambling has been linked in some cases to higher rates of suicide attempts (ref). Pathological gambling is classified as a behavioural addiction, rather than a chemical addiction. Although seemingly different these both manifest in the same way, that is the enduring engagement in uncontrolled self-destructive behaviour, despite its negative consequences (ref). There are many different theories of behavioural addiction, in particular pathological gambling and how it should be treated, which will be critically reviewed and considered. It would seem that in the seemingly distant past psychodynamic approaches such as those put forward by Freud and Bergler were prevalent. Since then many approaches and theories to the causes of pathological gambling have been found, these models include; the medical model, some behavioural models, psychological models, cognitive behavioural approaches and of coarse biological, physiological and models of personality. Some of these models are reviewed and considered in greater depth. To start with psychodynamic approaches will be looked at. As is commonly known amongst academic community, these approaches are relatively old, mostly carried out in the early 1900s. Due to the age of these theories and the pace at which theories are changed these psychodynamic approaches may seem quite irrelevant. It is important to gain an understanding of this area as some theories take a basis from psychodynamic approaches. According to the psychodynamic approach, gambling is a way of expressing feelings connected with the pre-genital psychosexual stages (Greenson). In true psychodynamic style pathological gamblers often feel that they have been denied the attention and love they deserved from their parents and as a result need erotic satisfaction, which in tern seems to create a need for excitement and pleasure, as well as a promise of gain. According to psychodynamic theories gambling caters for these needs (Simmel 1920). So in a nut shell gambling is a substitute for feelings of subconscious sexual conflicts. Arguably the founder of psychodynamics, Freud (1928), reported that gamblers do not play to win money, quite the opposite. In fact Freud states that gamblers gamble to loose in order to provide a self-inflicted punishment for the guilt carried with an over compulsion to masturbate, which can be related to an Oedipal conflict. This idea put forward by Freud seems quite masochistic, in the way that that the gambler is actually taking part to loose and there for punish themselves. Bergler (1967) agreed with Freud in the respect that a gambler unconsciously desires to lose. Bergler had a different opinion on why compulsive gamblers get addicted. This is that in their unconscious they dislike authority figures, who during childhood, made them consider the reality pleasure instead of the pleasure principle. These could be parental figures or teachers. This unconscious feeling causes them to try and almost rebel against the people who support the reality p rinciple as well as he principle its self, this in turn causes a need to punish themselves as a bi-product of having too much built up unconscious aggression. So far only the very surface of the psychodynamic approach towards pathological gambling has been looked at. In summary according to the psychodynamic approach there seems to be three ideas to explain pathological gambling an unconscious substitute for pre-genital libidinal and aggressive outlets associated with Oedipal conflicts, a desire for punishment in reaction to the guilt, and a means for recurrent re-enactments, but not resolutions, of the conflict (Allcock, 1986, p. 262). So these being the main ideas a treatment plan can be called upon. Treatments of pathological gamblers offered by the psychodynamic approach are concerned with the narcissistic personality and the related characteristics. Psychoanalysis has been used in an attempt to try and help pathological gamblers, but in most cases have failed. Berglers (1957) study is one of the more classic studies and showed a 75% rate of success. This though was only based on 30% of the overall group looking for treatment, meaning that it was in fact a lot lower than 75%. Another issue is the lack of follow up treatment given, with no information given about possible relapses. This is not the only study where this is the case. In a review Greenberg (1980) stated Effectiveness rates of gamblers treated psychoanalytically have ranked from poor to guarded optimism. This simply means that results are not very good or are shadowed by other factors, such as selection bias and lack of follow ups. It would seem that a lot of the studies and journals available to view for the psycho dynamic approach deal with small sample sizes and do not have important experimental factors, such as control groups. This causes problems with generalisability and also shows why the psychodynamic approach was disregarded as a treatment for behavioural conditions, this coupled with their lack of consideration for social factors. The next theory that will be looked at is the disease or medical model. This is often seen as a very black and white model (Blume, 1987), meaning that its ether on or off, someone either has a condition or they dont, there is no in-between. Every condition is viewed as a disease. So in terms of pathological gambling, the gambler is pathological or quite simply is not. The disease model, as the name suggests, views pathological gambling as a disease and so the cause is physiological, and pathological gamblers are often predisposed. According to Blume, being a disease, addictive conditions, such as gambling, manifests through stages of development, has signs characteristic to the condition and has symptoms, much like a disease. This is all out of the persons conscious control, not so different to the psychodynamic ideas. This concept of a disease suggest that the condition worsens, which will eventually require treatment in order to prevent worsening. It is thought that the physiological underpinning means that there is no out right cure and that it is irreversible. This means that according to the disease model that the most appropriate treatment is abstinence, similar to that of alcohol (ref). This seems like an odd treatment, as it would suggests that there is in fact no real way of recovering, just a treatment. This model is not used so much now(refbig paper), but is more of a halfway house with other theories, such as the biological explanations of pathological gambling. The biological approach to pathological gambling is, in relative terms a rather new theory. It is made up of many components to try and explain different aspects of pathological gambling. These all make the same assumption that a physiological cause is behind addiction, much like both the psychodynamic and the disease model. The first aspect with in the biological approach to be considered is that of hemispheric dysregulation (Goldstein et al, 1985). By comparing EEG patterns of recovered pathological gamblers, Goldstein observe that pathological gamblers EEG readings where similar to those of patients suffering with ADHD (Carlton and Goldstein, 1987). This means that they had a shorter attention span, frontal lobe lesions. This is also very similar to findings of alcoholism which have also led to more reported symptoms of ADHD symptoms with in the population of problem gamblers (Rugle and Melamed, 1993). This all seems very convincing, but the original 1985 study by Goldstein was only carried out on eight participants, such a small study provides problems with generalisability. Other suggestions are that it is connected to faults in the neurotransmitter systems (Blanco et al, 2000). This includes the Serotoneric system, which as the name suggests holds the function of serotonin release. If this is not functioning, to a healthy level, then psychiatric syndromes, such as impaired impulse control, can become present. This has been linked with pathological gambling (Blanco et al, 1996). Later research by Berg et al (1997) failed to support these findings, stating in the following wel used quote, risk-taking does not have a unitary neurochemical correlate. If risk-taking is a form of loss of control over impulse, it follows that impulse control is not merely a simple function of the neural serotonin systems. (p.475). Links have also be found in DNA, supporting the biological idea Perez de Castro (1999). According to Brunner et al (1993) these is a link between genetic deficit coding and impulsivity, possibly providing a good explanation. The increased release of Dopamine has also been linked to pathological gambling (Berg et al 2007), this is much like a positive reinforcement. It can though also be linked to a negative inforcment, with more gambling causing a withdrawal, which creates the release of more dopamine, not unlike that of an opiate withdrawal (Berg, 1997). The evidence for the biological approach seems quite strong. There is a few outstanding issues that need to be looked at. For example almost all of the above studies use male participants. This creates an issue as whether they can be used with women. The samples are also very small in most cases. The main problem that can be observed in all the studies in this area is whether the biological processes cause the addiction of the addiction its self, causes these biological processes. So as can be seen the medical/disease model and the biological model are both very similar but can be separated in the way that the biological model believes that pathological gambling can be treated with certain drugs. So far all models, with the exception of psychodynamic, have been based on biological internal processes. The cognitive social learning and behavioural theories are based on external and behavioural processes. The learning theories suggest that gambling is a learned behaviour that has resulted from both operant and classical conditioning. According to the behavioural view point there are a mixture of different positive reinforcement these are, the amount of money that is won (Moran, 1979), excitement gained (Brown, 1986). Obviously there are also negative reinforcement, namely the escapism that gambling can produce (Diskin, 1997). Some how though theses models dont seem complete. They can not explain punishments, like the cost of gambling, as discouraging to the gambler, which using a classic behavioural model it would be. Despite this, studies into using behavioural theories of addiction as treatment have been very successful. Behavioral treatment studies have, however, provided some of the most comprehensive treatment literature on PG. Treatments based on learning principles (i.e., behavior modification) have involved aversion therapy using physical or imaginal stimuli (Barker; Barker and Goorney), controlled gambling/behavioral counseling (Dickerson Weeks, 1979), positive reinforcement of gambling abstinence, paradoxical intention (Victor Krug, 1967), covert sensitization (Bannister and Cotler), and imaginal desensitization (McConaghy, Armstrong, Blaszczynski, Allcock, 1983). These have been administered singularly or in combination. However, due to methodological shortcomings in such studies, it is difficult to assess how effective these treatments are. Most of these treatment studies have small sample sizes and limited follow-up periods. They have unspecified or poorly operationalized dependent variables/criteria for successful outcome or treatment objectives (Allcock, 1986). Also, there is usually a lack of controlled comparisons of one treatment with another or with a placebo procedure, or combinations of several techniques are used concurrently so that identification of the active component is impossible (Blaszczynski Silove, 1995).

Hamlets Procrastination :: William Shakespeare Hamlet

"To be or not to be", is Hamlet's most famous quotation. Hamlet is the protagonist of Shakespeare's. His father, king Hamlet, killed by his own brother, Claudius, then Claudius marries king Hamlet's wife, Gertrude, and won the kingship. Prince Hamlet who suffers from Oedipal Complex, felling in love with his own mother and considering father as a rival to his love, can't make his mind whether to kill his uncle and take his father's revenge or not. And ask this question from himself, because in one hand he knows that if he kill Claudius, his companions will kill him, in other hand his father's ghost appears to him and ask him to kill Claudius. He was in a dilemma. Hamlet's tragic flaw is his procrastination, Hamlet procrastinated only because of his fear of intimacy with his mother, he knows that Claudius was the only person separating him and Gertrude. Now this question would come to our mind that why does Shakespeare give so much prominence to the delay without clearly presenting th e reason for it? James k. Lowers in his Tragic Heroes argues that "Shakespeare's tragedy is a work of surpassing interest and genius, and the tragic hero is universally attractive and fascinating" (12). We must keep two things in mind. First, Shakespeare makes it clear that Hamlet is acutely aware of a delay. Second, Shakespeare also makes it clear that Hamlet himself is not sure why he delays. At the end of the eighteenth century, Goethe in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship proposed that Shakespeare means, in Hamlet, to "represent the effects of a great action laid upon a soul unfit for the performance of it"(152). Hamlet is not sure about ghost?s says, he wants to reveal the fact, and prove his father's innocence, because his ghost said to him that Claudius kill him to gain king ship and his queen. From the religious point of view we can consider him as a religious man, we can disgust that he put off taking revenge, because in Christianity taking revenge is forbidden. He put off killing his uncle 3times as Jesus was put off 3times for crucifixion. At the beginning of the twentieth century, A. C. Bradley proposed another reason for the delay in his Shakespearean Tragedy Bradley argued that ?Hamlet's delay is the result of a melancholic state of mind, brought on by the death of his father and the hasty remarriage of his mother.

Collectivist Anarchism :: Papers

Collectivist Anarchism The philosophical roots of Collectivist Anarchism lie in socialism rather than liberalism. Collectivists believe that human beings are social animals better suited to working together for the common good, than for individual interests. When people are linked together by a common humanity they have no need to be controlled or regulated by a government. As Michael Bakunin proclaimed, 'social solidarity is the first human law, freedom is the second law'. Collectivist anarchists are sometimes criticised for holding a naÃÆ' ¯ve and hopelessly optimistic view of human nature. Human beings will be greedy if they are brought up in an unjust society, they will be caring if they are brought up in a society where justice and equality reign. This helps us to understand just why anarchists are so interested in education. Anarchism and Marxism - what's the difference? A number of parallels exist between Collectivist Anarchism and Marxismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ÃÆ' ¼ Both see capitalism as a system of class exploitation ÃÆ' ¼ Human beings have the ultimate ability to order their own affairs without the controlling hand of state intervening. But Collectivists and Marxists do come into conflict over a couple of thingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * Firstly Anarchists criticise Marxism's deterministic character, taking destiny out of the hands of the people, and making it an economic certainty. * Marxists view the proletariat as the only truly revolutionary class, whereas anarchists view everyone from peasants, to students, to the ethnic minorities, as victims of repression. * The ideologies also differ in the need for a 'vanguard party', with the specific purpose of leading the oppressed to utopia. Anarchists have always rejected traditional political means, and that only a spontaneous uprising of the masses can lead to true anarchism, and so avoid aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ * à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'Dictatorship of the Proletariat', an idea crucial to defending the progression from capitalist to socialist, according to Marx, and one abhorred by anarchists, who view the state not as a symbol of class rule, but as an independent oppressive body.

An Explication of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Essay

An Explication of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night In this poem Thomas makes a very personal appeal to his father as the latter approaches death. He pleads with him not just to surrender to death but to fight death as long as possible. His plea also becomes universal as Thomas addresses also all other people approaching death, not to accept death as inevitable, but rather to fight against dying. Whether men have been strong or weak throughout their lives, they should still make a stand at the end. Different men approach death in different ways, but no matter what their approach, they should fight against loss itself. Stanza analysis Stanza 1 Line 1 is a repetition of the title of the poem - a line which is repeated four times in the poem. The repetition is functional as it emphasises the theme of the poem: not to accept death without fighting it as long as possible. In stanza 1 three different phrases are used to denote the idea of death namely good night; close of day and dying of light. The poet is very defiant: he emphasises the fact that man must fight. In this stanza the emphasis is on elderly people, " Old age" (line 2). Even elderly people, his father in particular, must not just accept the coming of death gently, but they should still fight it. Also note the contrast between "night" and "light", the rhyme words in stanza 1. Man is entering the night and leaving the light. Stanza 2 In this stanza the emphasis is on " wise men" (line4). Wise people as they approach death, they realise death is something that cannot be avoided: "know dark is right" (line 4).They regret death because they feel their words have not been good enough to light up the lives of others; their opportunity to m... ...ven a hint of what might have been. This is no more than a fleeting glimpse, just as a meteor that shines for a moment and then is gone." Blinding sight" is an example of oxymoron which is a combination of contradictory words placed side by side but which intensifies rather than detracts from the point to be made. Also note the contradiction in the simile " Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay". Stanza 6 In this stanza the emphasis is on the poet's father. It is important to him that his own father resists death with all the strength available to him. "sad height" refers to his old age. His father is asked to shed " fierce tears" in order to give himself a chance of a few more days/ months/ years of life. The theme of the poem lies in the final two lines: " Do not go gentle into that good night Rage, rage against the dying of light."

Love symbol Essay

1.1. Background of the Study Most people say love is a gift something beautiful from God. Love is a symbol about the feeling each individual. Deal with their couple, deal with their family, their children, and their friend. In the most stories, a man who falls in love with a woman will sacrifice everything he can, also with a woman, when a woman falls in love with a man will sacrifice everything she can. Not only about relationship between woman and man need sacrifice for a love, but also in family’s relationship needed. For example love and care of parents to her or his kids is always all the way. Based on my opinion that love is like a knife with two eyes, the right side can make a happiness, and the left side can make a sadness. The happiness moment of love is when two people allied in marriages. Two people with different personality become a one. The sadness moment is when two people in marriage decide to divorce, it makes very hurt, not only for two people who had, but it hurt to her and his kids. Those problems might come from external factors, such as the couple’s disagreement over some things, personal jealously, anxiety, distrust, etc. Sometimes, a person even has to sacrifice his or her own happiness for his or her lovers. This shows that love can be such a powerful of wonderful love, and can make painful, most people called it love. Based on the statement above love can also be found in one of Nicholas Sparks novel, the title is The Last Song. The Story tells about starts with Ronnie. She is a rebellious child who has taken the company of wrong kind of friends. It is because she has never been able to come out of her parent’s divorce and have bitter feelings about it. Her life has never been the same. After her parents divorced and her father moved to North Carolina, Ronnie distanced herself from her father and gave up music. Music was the thing that she had grown up learning from her father but now it was another source of stirring up bad memories. Three years later, on her father’s request, Ronnie and her brother, Jonah is sent to North Carolina to spend the summer with their father. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects her father’s attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer’s end. It is during this summer that Ronnie meets Will and Blaze and Marcus. After a disgusting episode with Marcus and Blaze, things starts changing in  her life for the good. She finds herself falling for Will, opening herself up to the greatest happiness – and pain – that she has ever known. Her strained relationship with her father starts healing slowly and gradually the bond is restored. All the characters seem real and are well defined. As Ronnie’s life changes, the readers can feel the way she matures from a rebellious teenager to a young woman of substance. Jona, He is intelligent, adorable and a witty child and the way he cares for his father and sister is simp ly moving. Steve, too as a father does his best to spend meaningful time with his children. His unconditional love for his children, patience with Ronnie and his belief in her and finally his love for music is remarkable. Forgiveness is the key to happiness. Life is too short to hold grudges against others. So, forgive and forget and move forward in life. Based on the website of Nicholas Sparks this story is told about love and family. As we know that the Nicholas Sparks’s works always tell about romantic and love. Nicholas Sparks was born on December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1998. He lives in North Carolina with his wife who accompanies him for 13 years. Nicholas Sparks graduated in 1984 as a valedictorian from Bella Vista High school. The first work of Nicholas Sparks is The Notebook, the novel was published in October 1996 and made the New York Times best seller list. With the success of his first novel he wrote several international bestsellers, one of is The Last Song, it was published on 2010. The Last Song is interesting to analyze particularly from intrinsic factors and the elements of conflict on the main character’s life. T he conflict starts from when Ronnie’s parents decide to divorce. Firstly Ronnie love playing music, after her parents divorce Ronnie dislike to play music, and he hate her father so much. One day, in summer Ronnie and her brother visit to her father’s house. She ignored her father. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the last person she thought she’d never be attracted to, and finds herself falling for him, opening her self up to the greatest happiness and pain that she has ever known. New Criticism theory is appropriate to use in this study to analyze Love and Song influence in Ronnie’s life. 1.2. Statement of the Problems Based on the background of the study above, there are several research questions have to discussed in this thesis, which are: a. How are Love and Song influence of Ronnie’s life in this novel ? b. How are Love and Song created conflict on the plot of the story in this novel? 1.3. Objective of the Study Based on the statements of the problem above, the writer’s purpose are analysis to clear out about: a. The effect of song and love in Ronnie’s life can changes her opinion b. love and song through conflicts elements in this novel 1.4. Significance of the Study In the English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Airlangga University, Surabaya, especially who are studying in literature class got some theory to write on thesis writing. Some theory are pschoanalytic criticism, marxist criticism, feminist criticism, new criticism, structuralist criticism, and etc. In this thesis writing the writer use and focused in New Criticism theory application. New Criticism theory application is about analysis of words, figures of speech and dictions. Intrinsic elements such as characterization, plot, and setting. In this thesis the writer analysis about the conflict of the plot in this story. How love and song influence the main character’s life. The Last Song give us about the effect on the power of love and song can changes the personality of the main character. As we know that the Nicholas Spark’s works, mostly genre about romantic (love). 1.5. Scope and Limitation The novel is analyzed from the text it self, which include the analysis on conflict of plot and elements particularly of the main character it self. This analysis does not discuss about other elements, or anything out from this novel. 1.6. Theoretical Background This thesis has a aim to analyze the love and song can give effect to Ronnie in The Last Song. The writer analyzes the conflict of the plot and the elements character in this novel, the writer uses New Criticism theory to get the more understanding about the problem of the analysis. It is a method of analyzing a text, in this case, a novel, based on the text itself without  adaption any other outside theories. All of elements found in a text are from the main idea represented by the text. New Criticism Theory itself talks about a theory which concerns on text only, without seeing who is the writer’s background of the text, as Tyson (2006) said that â€Å"some of its most important concepts concerning the nature and importance of textual evidence -the use of concrete, specific examples from the text itself to validate our interpretations- have been incorporated into the way most literary critics today, regardless of their theoretical persuasion, support their readings of lit erature.† Secondly, close reading is used to interpret or analyse the text, it means that New Criticism Theory has a new critic to analyse the text itself by using â€Å"close reading† as a point. Thirdly, New Criticism Theory as an imaginative literature in analysing a literary text which called an aesthetic experience is about something that can lead us as a reader to be the truth, as Bressler (2007) said that â€Å"Aesthetic Experience talks about (i.e., the effects produced on an individual when contemplating a work of art) that can lead the truth.† Fourthly, New Criticism Theory is about the author’s intention to make its interpret, as Tyson said that â€Å"New Criticism Theory knows on author’s intention which called ‘intentional fallacy’ to refer to the mistaken belief that the author’s intention is the same as the text’s meaning. Besides intentional fallacy, there is also affective fallacy means that it focuses on the text with its effects.† Fifthly, New Criticism Theory has formal elements or figurative language in analysing a literary text after â€Å"closely read,† there are images, symbol, metaphors, rhyme, meter, point of view, setting, characterization, and plot. Besides formal elements, literary language also one of formal elements, as Tyson (2006) said that â€Å"Literary Language, in contrast, depends on connotation: on the implication, association, suggestion, and evocation of meanings and of shades of meaning, in addition, literary language is expressive: it communicates tone, attitude, and feeling.† Sixthly, New Criticism Theory is also as â€Å"a play on words† which means that the words that exist on literary texts have multiple meanings. As Tyson said that â€Å"new criticism, the complexity of a text is created by the multiple and often conflicting meanings woven th rough it, and these meanings are primarily of four kinds of linguistic devices: (1) Paradox is thus responsible for much of the complexity of human experience and of the literature that portrays  it. (2) Irony means that a statement or event undermined by the context in which it occurs. (3) Ambiguity occurs when a word or event generates two or more different meanings. (4) Tension is created by the integration of the abstract and the concrete, of general ideas embodied in specific images.† 1.7. Method of the Study Write this thesis, firstly the writer reads the novel title The Last Song on a long times. The first time when read this novel, the writer get a general imagination of the all cintent of the novel. After the writer read the novel until finished, the writer get a technique to analyze the novel. She chosen base theory, that is New Criticism. The writer focuses analyze about the conflict in every plot’s the main character. The writer analyze about the influence love and song give effeect in the main character’s life. The writer also searching on the google to get more information about the novel and the New Criticism theory. She also consult with her lecture, and visit on the library books to get more information and collect the theory of New Crticism to doing her thesis analyze The Last Song. 1.8. Definition of Key Term Love: love is like a knife with two eyes, the right side can make a happiness,and the left side can make a sadness Effect: the impact of some happening in our life Song: Music can represented how people falls, which is her or his sad or happy CHAPTER II LITERARY REVIEW The theory that will be used in analyzing the text is New Criticism. As stated by Tyson, New Criticism’s purpose in an analysis is to reveal the true meaning of the text itself. Since this theory is based on the text itself, New Criticism’s main focus is toward the formal elements of the text which forms the organic unity of the text (Tyson 136). 2.1 New Criticism New criticism is one of literary approaches which is commonly used to interpret the meaning of a literary work. New criticism begin in the 1940s  through 1960s, in that era, this method of analysis became popular in the most high school and college literature classes. This approach concerns with close reading, a technique that focus on the elements of a literary work. In a literary work, the elements can be tone, point of view, and any other poetic device that will help the reader understand the overall meaning of a literary work. Formal elements determine what a text contains, since text or literary works uses language in order to express its meaning. In literary work, the language that the author uses in explaining the story of a poem or play is different from the language that people found in their everyday life. In everyday life, we often found scientific language which means that the language is easy to understand and to the point of what it means. On the other hand, literary work use figurative language since a one word can have more than one meaning. As an important part of formal elements, figurative language carries images, symbols, metaphor and similes. This is where figurative language becomes an important part of formal elements because it carries images, symbols, metaphor, and similes in its language (Tyson 141). 2.2 Setting Setting is a physical details of the place, the time, and the social context that influence the actions of the characters in a literary work. Often setting also evokes a mood or atmosphere, foreshadowing event to come. Setting is the time and place of a story. Vivid settings give a story reality; they give readers a sense of being there. Playwrights build themes into their plays through the development and interrelationship of all elements of drama, most of which are the same as for fiction. Three methods of developing theme, however, are particularly noteworthy: repetitions, symbols, and contrasts. All three lend themselves well to drama (Griffith 71): Repetitions can take many forms- a character’s performing the same gesture over and over again, repeating the same phrase stating the same idea, or appearing at regular intervals. Symbolism can enrich setting; but, in fact, symbolism bears on both characterization and theme as well. Then contrast is a device for developing not just theme but characterization and plot as well, and contrast usually bears on all three. 2.3 Plot Plot gives an order to the events that the character in the text faces and focuses on conflicts. Events require the interaction between a character’s oneself or an interaction with another character. The conflicts itself are what the characters must face in a story and need to be resolved. There are elements that make the plot become interesting: introduction (where the character and the story are introduced), rising action, conflict (the struggle that grows out of the of the interplay of two opposing forces in a plot), climax (the highest point of interest in the story or the point which readers learn how the conflict is resolved), falling action, and denouement (the ending of the story). There are many types of plot, such as dramatic plot, episodic plot, parallel plot, and cumulative plot. 2.4 Character Character is a person in a narrative works such as novel, play or drama, and film. Characters in a drama can be different from each other, it means that each character has its own characterization. Characterization is a process of how a character is depicted in a literary work, the aspect of characterization need to be taken in account to illustrate the characters of a story, for example how characters behave or how they act in a certain situation they are in. There are some types of the characters in a drama, such as protagonist (the best actor who got the principal part), euteragonist (the second best actor), antagonist (the character who rivals with other character, mostly involve in a conflict), and the last one is stereotype or stock character (a character who reappears in various forms in many plays). CHAPTER III ANALYSIS Love and song through conflicts Fristly the writer explain about love. Love is a symbol about the feeling each individual. Deal with their couple, deal with their family, their children, and their friend. In the most stories, a man who falls in love with a woman will sacrifice everything he can, also with a woman, when a woman falls in love with a man will sacrifice everything she can. Not only about relationship between woman and man need sacrifice for a love, in family’s relationship needed too. For example love and care of parents to her or his kids is always all the way. Based on my opinion that love is  like a knife with two eyes, the right side can make a happiness, and the left side can make a sadness. The happiness moment of love is when two people allied in marriages. Two people with different personality become a one. The sadness moment is when two people in marriage decide to divorce, it makes very hurt, not only for two people who had, but it hurt to her and his kids. Those problems might come from external factors, such as the couple’s disagreement over some things, personal jealously, anxiety, distrust, etc. Sometimes, a person even has to sacrifice his or her own happiness for his or her lovers. This shows that love can be such a powerful of wonderful love, and can make painful, most people called it love. Song is one of expression about somebody who want to show that her or his feeling. In this novel Ronnie’s father like playing piano to show his feeling about his condition. Before divorce, he always played music with Ronnie, but after divorce he play music without Ronnie, because Ronnie now hate play music. Even Ronnie didn’t play piano, in deepest her feeling, she want to play piano. Ronnie Miller, portrays a rebellious teenager who lives in New York City and is forced to move in with her father for the summer in Tybee Island, Georgia. She hates him after her parents’ divorce and hasn’t talked to him for th ree years. Her father taught her how to play the piano and she loved it. Ever since the divorce, she refuses to play. Ronnie was accepted to Juliard School for the fall, but she refuses to attend. Before she arrived to Georgia, she was miserable, hostile, and defensive towards everyone around her. Ronnie has a serious attitude and she was not being nice to her father. The conflict is when Ronnie’s parents divorce, she hate her father. She always ignore her father. The statement that she hate her father. â€Å" I don’t ant to see and talk to him.† Ronnie said. (the last song 11) The conversation is when her mother talk to Ronnie, that Ronnie and her brother will spend the summer holiday in her father house. The main conflict why Ronnie hate her father is when her grandfather passed away is changes her father. Ronnie’s father quit his position at Juilliard, and year after that he’d decided to try his luck as a concert pianist. Then three years ago her father and her mother decided to divorce, and his father moved back to his home town. Before her parrents divorce, Ro nnie like playing piano, but after her parents divorce she stop playing piano. â€Å"Ronnie hated the piano and swore she’d never play again a decision even some of her  oldest friends thought was strange, since it had been a major part of her life for as long as she’d known them.† (the last song 12) Love changes Ronnie’s Character The first day at her father’s house, Ronnie met Will Blakelee. She crashed into him at his volleyball game and he accidentally spilled her milkshake all over her. Ronnie ignores him even though he was handsome, rich, and popular. The writer assumed that of this text is to think that no matter what happens, you will always end up with your true love in the end. Despite the arguments and different values one may share, it is the thought of first love that will bring you together and help that irresistible bond last forever. The text encourages us all to believe that in every hard time in our lives, we will be rescued by a gorgeous, strong, wealthy man who has nothing less in his heart but the idea to sweep you off your feet at every moment. It is giving every young woman the idea that they don’t have to go out and work hard to find the perfect man because at some point he is going to bump right into you at the beach and you will be in love from then on. The values and cha racteristics, besides the ones on the outside, don’t matter to Ronnie and Will. They are infatuated with each other after spending one summer together. The oppositional reading refuses to explain the unrealistic hopes and expectations it sends out to the viewers. The two young lovers jump right into love within seconds of meeting each other. The first meeting was completely unrealistic because it was just an event based on being in the right place at the right time. They have major class differences and many issues that they didn’t deal with together. The idea that Will was able to change Ronnie from a rebel to a saint in two days could not have been done so easily. In this novel, Ronnie’s father tells Will â€Å"I would be able to help you if I understood the mind of a woman†. It is hard to believe that an 18 year-old boy would be able to understand a woman, but an older, wiser, divorced adult does not. We can not mindlessly accept the idea that your perfect partner is cosmically predestined, so nothing/nobody can ultimately separate you be cause there are many events that can separate a couple. When Ronnie stay at her father’s house, firstly Ronnie ignore her father, but after Ronnie meet someone who makes Ronnie fall in love, step by step she changes her mind preseption to her father. Would Ronnie have been interested in Will if he was shorter, poorer, weaker, and younger than her? Wills rescue of Ronnie was based on his strength and his ability to love her. What would Will have offered to Ronnie if he didn’t have the characteristics of being rich, older, stronger, and taller? Also, do you really think it is realistic for Will to be able to change Ronnie’s rebellious ways instantly? She went from being a rebellious, angry teen who was caught for shoplifting back at home in New York City and â€Å"hated† her father, to a beautiful, respectful young woman who loved her father and only does good things. This is something that can’t be changed within days of meeting a good-looking man.

Injury Prevention Essay

Abstract On this paper we will review the formation of injury prevention coalition in Lincoln state. We will look at the ideal size, effects and impacts, member recruiting process, expectations, advantages and disadvantages of decision making, evaluation, resource management, leadership and organization of Lincoln State Injury Coalition (LSIC). A coalition should be formed in Lincoln state to successfully tackle mortality rates attributed to injury, which is the fourth leading cause of death of Lincoln resident before age 65 (Turnock, 2009). The focus of LSIC should include primary functions like service delivery, planning and policy development, surveillance and assessment, and education and outreach in the community structures and program. LSIC should have a diverse group of participants with different skills set e.g. planning, project management, grant writing, decision making, communication etc; each member can contribute their particular expertise or resources to facilitate activities. LSIC can address community health hazard concerns while empowering or developing capacities. LSIC can also solve or improve the problem of high mortality rates attributed to injury by focusing on the risk groups and they can better coordinate services and improve working relationship among organizations. LSIC success is based on its members, recruiting the right member and their retention can make or break the coalition. Members also have to be active participants, communicate effectively amongst the group, mutually agree upon and recognized governance system, ability to recognize and deal with conflicts (Brownson, Baker & Novick, 1999). LSIC may also experience potential drawbacks like, a â€Å"slow, consensus-building process for decision making resulting in a weakened position on some issues and differences among the organizations that comprise the coalition may prevent it from taking strong stands on particular matters or moving as quickly as desired (http://www.cwru.edu, 1999). The LSIC and the State Health Department can further decrease mortality rates attributed to motor-vehicle  crashes in Lincoln by setting goals and measuring its long term effects in order to measure success. They should also set and regulate standards for motor vehicles and highways (Turnock, 2009). LSIC is operating on a $100,000 budget, since human labor is the most budget consuming we would have to work with a small group. We might also try recruiting volunteers and compliment them with small incentives. We could also have the health department fund staffing, if the resources are available, which would save the coalition money and in turn create more resources. The media, law enforcement agency, diverse religious organizations, healthcare professionals, substance abuse program organizations, volunteer groups, government agencies, and schools would be invited to the meeting. Recruiting members who have access to bringing in additional funds, individuals who share the same vision and want to institute change, individuals from various cultures and various social classes would also prove beneficial. Each member must have a defined role, rights and responsibility; these individuals or organizations must also be residents of Lincoln state. The members can represent organizations and individual leadership as long as each individual is assigned role and responsibility (http://www.wch.uhs.wisc.edu). Business organizations or individuals who try to promote their businesses for self gain would probably be avoided. Once the structure of the coalition has been established a committee or board advisory should be elected from the coalition members to take charge. A director or coordinator may also be hired to facilitate the process, this individual should have experience with grassroots community development and posses the ability to motive and inspire its members, demonstrate initiative and drive, possesses knowledge and enthusiasm, good communicator and good organizer. The Lincoln State Department of Public Health (LSDPH) would be encouraged to be involved due to their expertise and available resources (Brownson, Baker & Novick, 1999). Access to available resource either financial or informational proves vital, so LSDPH should also serve as coalition members. The involvement of the LSDPH may also make the coalition more attractive and credible thereby increasing interest of its members. Clearly stating each members role is crucial, a decision making body should be chosen and these members should make formal decisions relating to injury preventive intervention. Members of the coalition should voice their concerns and issues during meeting. The  decision body can then make decisions on mandatory safety seats for adults (passengers and drivers) and baby passengers and alcohol impairment. Once these decisions have been made the committees can then vote and pass their vote onto the LSDPH. The decision making process could be time consuming and potentially drawback the coalition’s success. Better decisions are made using this style of decision making process and therefore increase the morale of the group ultimately leading to success. The location of the coalition meeting should be easily accessible and close to the LSDPH which lies in the heart of the city. The coalition can be evaluated by using self assessment tools e.g. surveys, for its members. They can evaluate their leaders, committee members, staff, decision process and implementations. References Brownson, Ross C., Baker, Elizabeth A., Novick, Lloyd F. (1999) Community-based prevention: programs that work Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen Publishers. Turnock, Bernard J. (2009). Public Health: What It Is and How It Works. Public Heath Spotlight on Injury Prevention (pp. 401-411) Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. â€Å"ORGANIZING A COMMUNITY HEALTH ADVOCACY COALITION.† Oct. 1999. 9 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Coalition Building.† Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources. 9 Nov. 2012. .

Project Risk Management – Holyrood Project

Project Risk Management| M3N313401-12-B| Group report    Jenna McCall : S1O21235 Adelle Kelly : S1023858 Angela Mitchell : S1034517 Luciano Farias : S1306729 Iaponaira de Abreu : S1306726| | | 5103 words Contents 1. Introduction 2. 1 Executive summary 2. Case study . What is project management 4. 2 Successful project management 4. 3 Risk management in projects 4. Project Scope 5. 4 Cost management 5. 5 Time management 5. 6 Project management tools 5. Stakeholder management 6. Conclusion 7. Recommendations 8. References 1. Introduction After the identification of the requirements of the Holyrood parliament building, responsibility for the construction of the project was handed over to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in June 1999 which took place over the course of 5 years.A project goes through many phases throughout its lifecycle and can be deemed successful if implemented efficiently against initial objectives. This includes cost effective, quality management and co mpletion within the required time scale with the overall aim being to meet stakeholder’s objectives. A project that fails is said to be one that lacks quality, control and management. In order for project management to be effective, both strategic and operational strategies must be incorporated. 1. 1 Executive SummaryProject risk management is a systematic process concerned with reducing the risks and uncertainties involved in business activities, essential if a project is to achieve its objectives which typically include scope, time and cost. It is based on managing people so that a project can be actively managed reducing the risks that could occur. After the objectives have been defined, in order for appropriate risk management to be exercised, a traditional SWOT analysis should be conducted to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in the project.This report discusses the foundations of project management and indentifies the Political, Economic al, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal drivers that can influence project management. In order for the project team to achieve successful completion of the project against delivery time and budget they should follow four steps- identifying the objectives, the projects deliverables, and the schedule and supporting plans. Overall project risk management forms the basis of any successful project. It is used to identify the challenges that the project is particularly vulnerable to in order to ensure impact is minimised.It is vital that the project team makes effective use of risk management in order to manage unforeseen complication which could arise. The biggest challenge that projects face is the inadequate management of planning. Failed projects tend to be ones which over stretch budget, schedule and do not accomplish its desired purpose. 2. Case study The construction of the ‘Holyrood Parliament Building’ first began in June 1999, and the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the building on 7th September 2004. The official opening of the new building was on 9th October 2004 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth.From when construction began in 1999 until the opening of the parliament building in 2004, the committee rooms and the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament were forced to hold their meetings in the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland. Office and administrative accommodation which were supporting the Parliament were located in buildings leased from the City of Edinburgh Council. However, the new Scottish Parliament Building allowed the different sectors within the Parliament to amalgamate into the one parliament building. According to The BBC (2004), in the initial planning stages the predicted ? 0 million was set aside by the government to fund the project. This amount remained fixed until additional uncontrolled construction costs resulted in the project cost to increase to ? 109 million in June 1999 to a total cost of ? 414. 4 million which in turn resulted in a 20 month delay to the initial schedule. The BBC (2004) also suggested that the main cause of the delay in the project finalisation was due to the â€Å"production of detailed designed variations and the late supply of information during the construction process†. The deadlines which the project manager provided for the construction of the parliament building were very tight.The BBC (2004) argues that these deadlines did not reflect the complexity of the building which resulted in both architects and trade contractors failing to deliver critical foundations of the project therefore meaning the project timescale overrun. The project manager failed to realise the unlikelihood of the targets set being achievable and therefore failed to alter the timeline to reflect this. Also the project manager should have completed steps which would allow the realisation of the key problems which were in turn causing the negative eff ect on the project’s performance in both cost and time.The project manager should have never relied on assumptions when producing construction programmes which would have resulted in the estimations of cost and time to have been realistic and therefore would have prevented the project running over time and budget. 3. What is project management Project management â€Å"provides an integrated framework for project organisation, planning and control which is designed to: ensure the timely and cost effective production of all end products†. (Project Smart, 2013) It should be delivered within the defined scope, time, and budget.Overall, â€Å"at its most fundamental, project management is about people getting things done† (Barnes, APM President, 2013). The project management lifecycle goes through various stages before it is completed where each phase is measured against checklists to ensure operations are running according to plan. The initiation phase is the beginn ing of a projects lifecycle. This is a vital stage where ideas are explored and plans elaborated, allowing feasibility and resource requirements to be examined. This stage also allocates who will take charge of the process.This involves entrusting the entire project with the project manager where they will â€Å"cultivate the  people skills  needed to develop trust and communication among all of a project's stakeholders†. (PMI, 2013), coordinating the task against budget and delivery time. Once the project plan has been reviewed and approved by sponsors, the project enters the second stage: definition. This involves the identification of the expected outcome of the complete project. Typically, the execution phase is when resources are applied to the task.A list of requirements is drafted; suppliers and contractors are brought in alongside a schedule detailing the materials and resources needed. Followed by the monitoring and control process which involves the construction of the task measured against plans. The final stage in closing the project involves carrying out an evaluation which is vital as it â€Å"compares what has been accomplished (evidence) with what should have been accomplished (criteria) and then makes a judgment about how well it was done. † C. L. Taylor (1998). 4. Successful project management Successful projects are typically ones which are executed within the required time scale and do not exceed allocated resources. Therefore, a project will be deemed successful if it: delivers the outcome within required time and quality, remaining within cost of resources. There are 5 stages that contribute to project success: 1. Objectives 2. Stages 3. Organisation 4. Planning ; Control 5. Leadership ; Management Objectives – They truly define a project and make it something concrete rather than abstract.Stages – Projects step through different phases, such as the research and exploration phase, a decision phase, a planni ng and organising phase, an implementation phase, and then a closure phase. Organisation – Since projects naturally operate outside of normal hierarchy, perhaps even crossing boundaries, it is the Project Manager’s duty to set organizational foundations for it, or rather, a â€Å"chain of command†. Planning and control – No matter the project, whether a new building or a cultural change project, are always moving into uncertain regions through uncertain paths.Leadership and management – Required for a project to reach successful team development, by allowing negotiations and influences to occur. Successful project execution is also based largely on the role that the parties involved play in the management of operations. The relationship between the project team manager and how information is communicated, both internally and externally, to stakeholders is vital to its success including team members, sponsors and senior management.There is a great d eal of risk associated with the management of any project, organisations will often gain from the benefits when the project is completed. Increased risk management as risks will be defined and identified which can â€Å"promote an uninterrupted progression of the activities within the project and, by implementing the appropriate measures, remove any interruptions as quickly as possible†. (Well-Stam, 2004) 3. 2 Risk management in projects The bigger the project, the more complex it becomes to manage, accompanied with increased risk.Project risk management â€Å"is a structured process that allows individual risk events and overall project risk to be understood and managed proactively optimising project success by minimising threats and maximising opportunities. † (APM Body of Knowledge, 5th edition section 2. 5) To be fully effective, risk management in projects requires an understanding of how risk is managed as â€Å"the need to manage uncertainty is inherent in most projects that require formal project management. † (Chapman, et al. , 2003)It is essential to conduct a swot analysis 4. Project scope â€Å"A projects scope is the sum of the work content of a project† (Murray-Webster. R, and Simon. P, 2007). This suggests all the necessary elements which have to be completed in order to achieve the projects time, cost and quality objectives and success criteria. It is crucial that a project manager has a clear understanding of the projects initial scope. They would also be required to communicate this to the organisations team and all of their stakeholders.Any consequential changes can be managed which will allow the avoidance of ‘scope creep’. According to Cupe (2010), scope creep is when continuous growth occurs in a projects scope. This is initiated when project management fails to control changes in their necessary elements. Scope Management Scope management involves the identification and defining of all of the elem ents of the project scope and to ensure that the scope is continuously up-to-date. In turn this will help manage scope creep in a project.It is a project manager’s responsibility to protect scope and prevent the occurrence of scope creep. For effective scope management, project managers must control what is and what is not in the scope of the project (Project Smart, 2013). After a review of the project scope and in the event that it is no longer effective, a project manager may decide to implement changes into the process using a â€Å"change control process† (Murray-Webster. R, and Simon. P, 2007). 4. 1 Cost management â€Å"Cost management is the process by which companies control and plan the costs of doing business.Individual projects should have customised cost management plans, and companies as a whole also integrate cost management into their overall business model†. (wiseGeek, 2013). If applied correctly, cost management reduces costs of production for p roducts and services, as well as delivering products with increased value to the customer. For a project's management to be effective in general, cost management needs to be a prime feature. For instance, in the initial stages of a project, the predicted costs need to be identified and measured.It is imperative that these expenses are then approved before any purchasing occurs. Throughout the completion of a project, all incurred costs should be made note of and kept in record, thus ensuring that costs are under control and maintained in line with initial expectations, to the extent that this may be feasible. The major challenges involved in the Holyrood project arose from the failure to identify the scope of the project when initial plans were undertaken, ensued by scope creep in cost.The earliest cost estimates for the Scottish Parliament building, in 1997, initially stated that â€Å"Overall the capital costs of establishing the Scottish Parliament – purchasing and refitt ing the New Parliament House and other buildings – are estimated to be between ? 24. 5 and ? 34 million. † (White Paper on Scottish Devolution, April 1997. Section 11. 6) This amount remained static until June 1999 when it increased to ? 109 million due to additional uncontrolled construction costs, which escalated again in April 2000 to ? 97 million with the impact of inflation. In 2003, the cost had crept again to ? 359 million and to ? 414. 4million in 2004 resulting in a 20 month delay in schedule In May 2003, after the costs had skyrocketed and the public opinion of the project was very low, Jack McConnell, the First Minister, announced a public inquiry into the handling of the building project. He mentioned how he was â€Å"astonished that year after year the ministers who were in charge were kept so much in the dark over the increases in cost estimates. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005).He also stated that â€Å"a Parliament building of sufficient sc ale could never have been built for less than ? 50m, and was ‘amazed’ that the belief that it could be was perpetuated for so long. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005). Furthermore, â€Å"? 150m of the final cost was wasted as a result of design delays, over-optimistic programming and uncertain authority. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005) According to (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005), by early 2004, close to its inauguration, the estimated cost of the project was around ? 30 million. This generated great controversy, as one would expect, concerning possible waste of public money. The building was audited, following its completion, after which it was stated that â€Å"the main reasons for construction cost increases after 2000 were design development and delay in the construction process. The design development was entirely related to realising the detail of the building and aspects such as the quality of finish and the palette of materials that were used, in accordance with the client’s requirements. (The Auditor General Report June 2004, paragraph 10) One of the main conclusions found in the Holyrood Inquiry was that â€Å"whenever there was a conflict between quality and cost, quality was preferred. † (The Holyrood Project, p240). The project showcased what lack of proper project management and control will achieve. On the same audit as above, it was stated that â€Å"Although it is likely that a high quality building is being delivered, the time and cost objectives have not been met. The same quality could have been achieved for less if the whole design and construction process had been better executed. (The Auditor General Report June 2004, paragraph 10) The Scottish Office decided to â€Å"procure the construction work under a ‘construction management contract', rather than under a Private Finance Initiative, in order to speed construction, but without properly evaluating the financial risks of doing so, and – in a decision that Fraser stated ‘beggars belief' – without asking Ministers to approve it. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005). This was one of the two most flawed decisions which the report singled out.The other was the insistence on a rigid programme: officials decided that rapid delivery of the new building was to be the priority, but that quality should be maintained. It was therefore inevitable that the cost would suffer. â€Å"In the Holyrood project the general approach was to accept cost increases and include them in the forecasts as the risks materialised. Since there was no agreed planned budget after June 2001, there was little evidence that forceful action was taken to prevent or reduce the increases in cost.Project management could have taken more action at an earlier stage to control expenditure on consultants. † (Audit Scotland, 2004). Before having consultants appointed, management of the project could have explore d alternative fee arrangements more carefully including financial incentives linked to delivering value for money. There was a limit placed on increases in consultants’ fees in 2003, but this was very late in the programme, after the fees had increased significantly. The agreement to the fee capping at this late stage in the project did not provide a timely incentive to onsultants to control costs and programme. Prior to fee capping in July and August 2003, there was no regular reporting of the significant expenditure on the Holyrood project. 4. 2 Time management Time management is also known as project planning and scheduling. Haugan (2002) defines this term as the planed date for performing activities, organized chronologically according to the phases of the project and with start and completion date established. He also states that it is not possible to control costs if the schedule is not met, which was a serious problem in the Holyrood project.According to BBC (2004) the initial estimative of cost and time for the construction of the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh took place in 1997 with delivery estimate for 2001, even without a project or defined location. However, in 1998 the Holyrood site was chosen to be the actual location and a designer competition was opened based on the criteria of quality, time and cost, after which the Spanish architect Enric Miralles in conjunction with the Scottish company RMJM were chosen to design the parliament. With the delay in such definition, the time factor had become an even greater limitation for the execution of the project.According to White & Sidhu (2005) the president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), Mr George Wren, even wrote to the Prime Minister Donald Dewar calling attention to this issue and the consequences of this reduction in availability of design time and in the final product quality, besides the need for faster methods of construction. He also suggested the extensi on of the deadline to complete the building and later, RIAS published a note considering that the process was being quite rushed.Also in 1998, Mr. Armstrong, project manager at this time, established the project schedule, where the construction of the building would start in July 1999 and the initial deadline at autumn 2001 was kept (Lord Fraser, 2004). Lord Fraser, responsible for the inquiry, also commented in his report that it was ironic that factors such as sufficient time for the phases of planning and design were not included in the timeline because of political objectives to meet the deadline.Besides, he also highlighted, in a workshop of risk management conducted by the company Davis, Langdon and Everest (DLE), that the design of the parliament was considered affordable despite of its complexity. Such issues, along the differences between Enric Miralles and the RMJM and the archaeology work at the location were the main causes of delay in progress of the project at its begi nning. Therewith, Mr. Armstrong resigned from his position and a construction management company was hired in his place.White & Sidhu (2005) described that in 1999, after controversies concerning the project and its handover by the former Scottish Office to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), it was decided by the parliament that the current project would continue, increasing costs and maintaining the deadline for autumn 2001. Although at that point it had been suggested to pursue the project more slowly due to time constraints, it was alleged by Donald Dewar that delays of around two months could raise the cost of construction in about ? 2 to ? 3 million yet this deadline remained the same.Thus, the construction started in July 1999 and after this, many design changes were required in that year, which further delayed the progress of the project. In 2000, finally, as Lord Fraser (2004) mentioned, after a lot of reports pointing to the necessity of a new estimate of cos ts and time, an amendment presented by Gordon Jackson MSP was accepted by the parliament and the delivery of the building was rescheduled to the end of 2002. However, other factors slowed the work even more in that year, such as the illness and subsequent death of the architect Enric Miralles and then Donald Dewar.In the end of that year, the Audit Committee published a report, where it was highlighted that the building could only be occupied in April 2003, extrapolating the deadline again. As published in the newspaper Scotsman (2004), the year of 2001 was marked by problems in construction, and security issues delayed the progress, hence the delivery of the parliament in May, 2003 became a priority over costs and the construction was accelerated. However in 2002, the deadline was extended again to September 2003 due to further delays, among the causes were cited bomb proofing measures and even the Inquiry of Lord Fraser.Later on, because of problems in the construction of the inte rior and the most complex parts of the project, the deadline was changed to August 2004. The building was eventually delivered in October 2004, with a time span of three years from the initial deadline. On that note, considering the time management in this project, it is possible to highlight that the main problems were the non-inclusion of enough time to design and plan in the first schedules. This was due to the rush to deliver the building for political reasons and the insistence on keeping the deadline even with the problems faced.The failure to analyse the very high degree of complexity of the chosen design therefore resulted in the project running over schedule. Such factors are mentioned in the Holyrood Inquiry as well. 4. 3 Project management tools Project management tools assist in keeping track of all components of a project, ensuring each stage runs smoothly and is completed on time. As well as the smooth running and time keeping of a project, management tools also help m onitor the projects progress against planned budget. Every project is unique, encompassing all the stakeholders and the internal and external influences.Effective project management should include elements of PESTLE analysis including, Political, economic, sociological, technological and environmental, as a method of identifying potential pitfalls in the process. A SWOT analysis is typically completed in the primary stages of a project. This would be carried out during the planning phase and revisited when any complications arise in a project such as; budget or time management. In turn this would allow the project manager to ensure the project is being completed effectively.A SWOT analysis takes into account the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These are then used to control areas of planning and risk management in a project. A SWOT analysis may also be used to highlight particular areas within the project which could be maximised to result in a benefit to either th e project as a whole, or certain areas of the project. A project manager could implement a SWOT analysis to evaluate certain activities within their project to analyse their progress or determine if they could improve such activities to expand their potential.A SWOT analysis may also be used to evaluate any risks in a project or particular areas of a project and therefore define the most appropriate and effective way of controlling and mitigating any risk which may negatively affect the project’s completion (Project Smart, 2013). Henry Laurence Gantt was an American mechanical engineer, recognised for the development of the Gantt chart in 1017. A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart showing the starting and finishing dates of the different stages of a project. They are a method of tracking tasks across time and also show the elationship between the different stages. Haughey, D. (2013) describes Gantt charts as, â€Å"an important project management tool used for showing the ph ases, tasks, milestones and resources needed as part of a project. † Gantt charts have become an industry standard since their first use in the Hoover Dam project of 1931. They can be useful in planning a time frame of a project and help by categorising events and organising them into an order in which they have to be completed. They also work by showing the tasks which are to be completed on the vertical axis, with the time scale on the horizontal axis.Each task then has a bar showing the time required for each task and a percentage of how complete each task is. Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is a project management technique similar to Gantt charts in the way that it lays out the activities needed to complete a task, the time it will take to complete each activity and the relationship between these activities. CPA is a planning and managing tool, its purpose is to help predict whether or not a project can be completed on time. It is a way of managing a project and ensuring the project timing is on track and that things are completed on time.Santiago, J. and Magallon, D. (2009) state that, â€Å"The Critical Method or Critical Path Analysis, is a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. † And, â€Å"is an important tool for effective project management. † Therefore this would be a necessary tool to use in project management as it allows activities to be planned so that the job can be completed in the shortest time and allows project managers to see if remedial action is necessary to place a project back on course. Another tool used in project management is the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT).Haughey, D. (2013) describes this as, â€Å"a method for analysing the tasks involved in completing a given project, especially the time needed to complete each task and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project. † Pert charts are usually used alongside Gantt charts. However, Rouse, M. (2007) argues that, â€Å"The PERT chart is sometimes preferred over the Gantt chart, because it clearly illustrates task dependencies. On the other hand, the PERT chart can be much more difficult to interpret, especially on complex projects.Frequently, project managers use both techniques. † Therefore, by using a wide range of tools such as PERT charts, Critical Path Analysis and Gantt charts a project can be better monitored ensuring that all activities are running smoothly, according to schedule. 5. Stakeholder management Stakeholders are the individuals who are involved in a project and are affected by its activities. Essentially, stakeholders cover everyone: project sponsors, project managers, the project team, support staff, customers, users and even suppliers and opponents to the project.Understanding the needs of each of these stakeholders is vital; each of the stakeholders have different needs and expectations which have to be met. In order to do this, nee ds and expectations must firstly be identified. Exceeding these needs involves balancing competing demands to ensure the smooth running of a project. Stakeholder management is a process by which a positive relationship is created between the stakeholders and project managers of a project, through the appropriate management of expectations and agreed objectives. Kangas, P. 2011) states that: â€Å"Stakeholder management begins by identifying individuals and groups the project affects. To identify a comprehensive list of stakeholders, the project team should evaluate individuals or groups who contribute to or receive value from the project. The team should assess stakeholders for their influence, the extent to which they are affected and their attitudes toward the project. † Therefore it is clear that for a project to run smoothly a good stakeholder relationship is vital. Thompson, R. (2012) refers to stakeholder management as being, â€Å"critical to the success of every proj ect in every organisation. Before the establishment of any project, one of the most important starting points is to have full commitment of all management and stakeholders as these are the people who will benefit from the completed project. If there is not full commitment, this increases the probability of project failure. Lawlor, J. (2010) states that for the completion of an effective project, an organisation must: â€Å"Have a strong sponsor, someone who is sufficiently high up in the organisation to sustain commitment to the project and who will fight for it at senior management level.It is not enough simply to gain management and stakeholder commitment at the start of a project, they must work to sustain it throughout. † This can be achieved by keeping the sponsor firmly in the communication loop and continuously update them on all major developments, successes and all potential issues and risks that may be faced in any upcoming projects. Due to stakeholders including ev eryone involved in the project such as suppliers, sub-contractors and other external resources this introduces further risks.To overcome the majority of these risks, organisations must clearly communicate to the stakeholder exactly what is expected of them. Clear instructions should be set out along with an expected time scale that these activities should be completed by. Lawlor, J. (2010) suggests that to avoid certain risks an organisation should, â€Å"Base agreements with suppliers and other external parties on clearly specified requirements that identify the performance standards expected and the products or systems to be designed, developed, and delivered. Regular meetings with these suppliers and sub-contractors are an essential part to the on-going project, for project managers to ensure stakeholders are performing as expected. When looking at the construction of the Holyrood building, it is clear that problems occurred. A possible reason for this was the vast amount of dif ferent stakeholders who were involved in the construction of the project. Due to the numbers of different contractors and subcontractors, communication and coordination was one of the main issues which added to problems associated with the time issues.Fraser (2004) reported, â€Å"there was a lack of communication, coordination and understanding between stakeholders, for example, resolution of many design issues was delayed due to misunderstanding and lack of communication between RMJM & EMBT. † Therefore, delays occurred in the project from bad stakeholder relationships and poor communication. 6. Conclusion With an unrealistic estimated budget, the Holyrood project was destined to fail from the beginning. Despite this, and the many challenges the team faced, it can be argued that the completion of the building has been a major success.Therefore, it is evident that there are many factors that contribute to the success of a project. Undoubtedly, this depends on how efficiently the given task was managed, measured against time and budget. Failure to meet any pre-determined deadlines or budgets would indicate significant problems in the management and structure of initial plans. Achievement of projects strategic objectives is crucial to its success. This should be supported by a realistic plan that identifies critical success factors.An effective project risk management strategy should be embedded in the project lifecycle and provide a degree of certainty to all stakeholders involved. The effectiveness of this strategy should be regularly monitored alongside the other elements of the project in order to ensure total control. The grounds of project failure have been identified as running over budget, over schedule or lack of engagement with stakeholders to meet desired goal. Unrealistic timescales, poor leadership and poor communication also lead to project failure, which highlights the value that efficient project management has on the running of a project . . Recommendations The following recommendations should be considered by senior management when seeking to improve the effectiveness of project management. * Set realistic objectives, including a clearly defined scope, time and budgetary requirements * Consider the complexity and constraints of the project before implementation * Incorporate appropriate time management, allocating time for disruption * Ensuring effective communication between stakeholders at all times * Make appropriate use of all management tools in the planning and development stage 8. ReferencesAPM. 2013. Association for Project Management: What is risk management [online] Available at: http://www. apm. org. uk/WhatIsPM [Accessed 9 March 2013] Audit Scotland, 2004. Management of the Holyrood building project [pdf] Available at: http://www. audit-scotland. gov. uk/docs/central/2004/nr_040629_holyrood_project. pdf> [Accessed 3 March 2013] BBC News. Timeline. ,2004. Holyrood. news. bbc. co. uk. [online] Available a t : http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/scotland/3210729. stm [Accessed on 10th March 2013] Fraser, R. H. L. , 2004. Construction Management. Available at: http://www. cottish. parliament. uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-07. htm [Accessed 13th March 2013] Haugan, Gregory T. , 2002. Project Planning and Scheduling. Vienna: Management Concepts. [online] Available at: http://books. google. co. uk/books? id=evSThe6mUkMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=project+planning&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GMQ_UbbzCsqb0QW-4YDQDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQ6AEwAw [Accessed on 1 March 2013] Haughey, D. , 2013. Project Management Tools [online] Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/project-management-tools. html . [Accessed 13th March 2013] HSE, 2013.Health and Safety Executive: Five steps to risk assessment [online] Available at: http://www. hse. gov. uk/risk/fivesteps. htm [Accessed 9 March 2013] Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005. Building the Scottish Parliament, The Holyrood Project [pdf] Available at: < http://www. parliament. uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03357. pdf> [Accessed 27 February 2013] John J. Lawlor. , 2010. Successful Project Management: Eight Simple Steps to Follow. Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/successful-project-management-eight-simple-steps-to-follow. html. Accessed 12 March 2013] Lord Fraser. ,2004. Holyrood Inquiry. [online]. Available at: http://www. holyroodinquiry. org/FINAL_report/report. htm [Accessed on 11 March 2013] Philip J. Kangas. , 2011. Back To Basics Stakeholder Management. [online] Available at: http://asq. org/quality-progress/2011/03/back-to-basics/stakeholder-management-101. html [Accessed 13 March 2013] Project Smart. 2013. Swot Analysis in Project Management [online] Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/swot-analysis-in-project-management. html [Accessed 10 March 2013] Thompson, R. 2012.Stakeholder Management Planning Stakeholder Communication. Available at: http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newPPM_08. htm . [Accessed 12 Marc h 2013] Rouse, M . 2007. PERT chart (Program Evaluation Review Technique) Available at: http://searchsoftwarequality. techtarget. com/definition/PERT-chart. [Accessed 13 March 2013] Santiago, J. , Magallon, D. 2009. Critical Path Method. [online] Available at: http://www. stanford. edu/class/cee320/CEE320B/CPM. pdf. [Accessed 13 March 2013] Scotsman. 2004. Holyrood timeline. news. scotsman. com. [online]. Available at: http://www. cotsman. com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/holyrood-timeline-1-464525 [Accessed on 10th March 2013] Well-Stam, D. , Lindenaar, F. , Van Kindere, F. ,2004. Pg3-4 Project Risk Management: An Essential Tool For Managing And Controlling Project. s. White, Isobel and Sidhu, Iqwinder. , 2005. House of Commons Research Paper – Building the Scottish Parliament, The Holyrood Project. House of Commons Library, 2005-01-12. Retrieved 2006-10-29. [online]. Available from: http://www. parliament. uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03357. pdf [Accessed on 10 March 2013]