Analysis of J.M Barrie's novel Peter Pan Research Paper

Analysis of J.M Barrie's novel Peter Pan - Research Paper Example Peter-Pan to all of us represents a boy who simply refuses to grow-up thereby causing him to face dire consequences. In fact, there is a little â€Å"Peter-Pan â€Å"inside of adults which can easily relate to the challenges faced by the protagonist. It is for this reason that the story itself can be analyzed using a psychological approach in relation with â€Å"Peter Pan Syndrome†. Although this syndrome is not yet recognized as a personality disorder or a psychological problem, a professor of of the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the University of Granada and an expert in emotional disorders- Humbelina Robles Ortega argues that there is a probability that parents who are overprotective of their children can produce this syndrome in their children ( ScienceDaily, 2007). Ortega characterized the disorder by: â€Å" inability of individuals to take on responsibilities, to commit themselves or to keep promises, excessive care about the way they look and personal well-being and their lack of self-confidence, even though they don’t seem to show it and actually come across as exactly the opposite† ( Science Daily, 2007). It can be inferred then from the given symptoms that person who has these characteristics are immature since they haven’t developed the emotional stability to discipline themselves. In view of this, the paper analyzes the elements of the famous fairytale by J.M. Barrie which uses conflicting concepts such as aging and youthfulness, enchantment and reality, as well as the eternal struggle between good and evil to present the theme of immaturity. In the story Peter Pan, Peter is granted eternal youth as he resides in Neverland. He is given this ability by â€Å"forgetting his adventures and what he learns about the real world†. Peter may not be able to age physically while living in Neverland but the time of his existence still lingers on. He still has yet to lose his baby

College Degree Essay Example for Free

College Degree Essay When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to dissolve the bands which has connected him to a low paying career with little hope for advancement, and to assume that the powers that be will not offer him the promotions and recognition that he feels he deserves to which the laws of nature and natures God entitles him, a decent respect to the hope he has for his future requires that he should declare the steps which he will take to achieve the goals which he has set for himself. . I have many goals which I hope to achieve through the attainment of my degrees. For the purpose of this recourse I will delve into three of them. The first goal I have is to attain a higher paying job. The second goal that I have is to work my way into a position of leadership. Finally, neither my father, mother nor brother has gone to college therefore it is my desire to be the first of our family to attain a degree. In the job market today high paying jobs are at a premium. I believe I heard a statistic once that said the average income for a single income home is around fifty-thousand dollars. I have lived in this income bracket and know how difficult it can be to maintain a household on that income. With a house payment and two car payments and everything else that goes into maintaining a home that can quickly drain a families finances. I recently took a higher paying job, in the upper sixties and just that small increase in salary has done wonders for my families cash flow. I hope to attain a position which pays in the nineties to low one-hundreds and beyond. Most jobs which pay high salary require as a requisite that the person in that position has a high level of education. Typically, the higher the level of education the higher the level of pay. I have always had many leadership qualities and I enjoy working with others to help them succeed. Leadership offers a unique opportunity to guide others and help them along their paths of success. I do not measure my personal success on how high of a leadership position that I can attain but rather the number of people that I can help to achieve the goals which they have set for themselves. Whether it be helping others increase knowledge or accomplish goals or just help them along their journey, I know that from a position of leadership I can help others in this way. That is why I wish to be a leader. Many positions of leadership require that you have degrees to go with your experience, so that is how I am hoping that a college degree will help me. Finally, I have a personal goal of being the first in my family to earn a college degree. Being a parent I know now that the old adage is true, parents always want their kids to do better in life than they have done. I know this is true of my parents. They have always hoped that I would do better than them and have always encouraged and supported me along that path. When I look back upon my college career it will be with a sense of pride knowing that this is something that my parents wanted for me just as much as I have desired it. I also know that my parents have a great hope and expectation that I provide a good life for their grandson and while money and recognition are not everything they certainly take some of the burden of raising a child off of you. In summation, all of my goals of earning degrees revolve around my son. When my son was born I immediately knew that I had to return to school. I had been floundering for too long in lower paying positions with little hope for advancement. My father provided a stable home as I was growing up, we never had to worry about money or food. My hope is that I will provide that and more for my family. By attaining a college degree I put my self into a much better position to attain a position which pays higher salaries. Additionally, it will allow me to help others by being in a position of leadership. Finally, the pride that I will have in myself and the pride that I know my parents and family will have in me will make the whole journey that much sweeter.

The Importance of the Ghost in Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare Hamlet

Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found. (Essay on Criticism, ll.309-310) Any investigation of Shakespeare's Hamlet that wishes to harvest "fruit of sense" must begin with the ghost. Dover Wilson is right in terming Hamlet's visitor the "linchpin," but the history of critical opinion regarding its origin has been diverse and conflicting. Generally, critics have opted for a Purgatorial ghost: Bradley speaks of "...a soul come from Purgatory," (1) Lily Campbell believes "Shakespeare has pictured a ghost from Purgatory according to all the tests possible," but adds, "Shakespeare chose rather to throw out suggestions which might satisfy those members of his audience who followed any one of the three schools of thought on the subject." (2). G. Wilson Knight fuses Purgatorial origin with ambiguity: "With exquisite aptness the poet has placed him, not in heaven or hell, but purgatory," adding "It is neither 'good' nor bad', True its effects are mostly evil." (3) In another work he notes, "The ghost may or may not have,., been a 'goblin damned': it cer tainly was no 'spirit of health,' (4) Wilson terms his 'linchpin' as Catholic: "...the Ghost is Catholic: he comes from Purgatory."(5) A flurry of critical opinion began, however, in 1951 when Roy Battenhouse argued, "The ghost, then, does not come from a Catholic Purgatory, but from an afterward exactly suited to fascinate the imagination and understanding of the humanist intellectual of the Renaissance." By that he meant, "...the purgatory of the Ancients, or their hell...since all are Hell from a Christian point of view: an inhabitant of any one of them is a "damned" spirit...(6... ...et: Pagan or Christian?" The Month. 9 (1953), pp. 233-234. (8) Robert West. "King Hamlet's Ambiguous Ghost:" PMLA. 70 (1955), p. 1116. (9) Harry Levin. The Queftion of Hamlet. New York: Oxford Books, 1970), p. 43. (10) Sister Mariam Joseph. "Discerning the Ghost in Hamlet." PMLA 76 (1961), p. 502 (11) Eleanor Prosser. Hamlet and Revenge. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1091, p. 252. (12) Stephen Greenblatt. Hamlet in Purgatory. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001. (13) K.R. Eissler. Discourse on Hamlet and Hamlet: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry. New York: International Universities, Press, 1971, p. 68. (14) Harold Boom. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998. Hamlet and Falstaff is treated throughout the book as touchstones for all other characters. Chapter 23 discusses Hamlet specifically.

Personal Reflection on the Loss of my Aunt

I have been very lucky in that I have not suffered the loss of an immediate family member or significant other; however, I have suffered the loss of a family member that was incredibly important to me during my childhood and with whom I was particularly close: my aunt. In this paper, I discuss this loss and my own process of grief.I present this process more-or-less chronologically, bringing up relevant theories of loss along the way. When I was young, my family lived a short distance away from my aunt and her family. Her son, my cousin, was about the same age as me, and we spent a lot of time together.During the summers, I was at their house every day, and we took extended vacations together every summer. During the school year, weekends were spent at her house, and it was often she who picked me up from school. Because we spent so much time together, we developed quite a close relationship. Later on, my family moved, but I called my aunt at least once a week, and I spent as much ti me as possible with her. In addition to being my godmother, she easily became my confidant, someone who I could talk to about anything, and I loved being able to spend time with her.The bad news about her diagnosis with cancer (a rare form of leukaemia) came when I was 13. The entire family rallied behind her. When she tried a macrobiotic diet, we all joined her. When doctors suggested a bone marrow transplant, everyone who was eligible got tested to see if they were a match. When she needed frequent blood transfusions, we all got our blood tested to see if our blood would be better for her than the supply in the blood bank. Throughout this whole process, the thought that my aunt could die never crossed my mind.I never even considered it as a possibility: even when she lost all her hair from chemotherapy, even when she lost too much weight, even when she was incredibly pale from anaemia. It is quite possible that my uncle, her primary caregiver, suffered from anticipatory grief, or grief suffered in anticipation of death. Mallon (2008) remarked that this type of grief can be experienced by the person who is dying as well as their family. When I moved away from home, I still talked to my aunt frequently. Every time I talked to her, she sounded in such good health.The last time I talked to her, she was being very active and had taken up playing tennis. I called her for her birthday, but she wasn’t home, so I left her a message on her answering machine wishing her happy birthday and saying that I would call her back. My life was very hectic at that time, and I didn’t get a chance to call her for a couple of days. Three days after her birthday, my mom called me and told me that my aunt was in the hospital with internal bleeding. She told me that it was serious and that I should try to come home to see my aunt. I got off the phone and bought a plane ticket for the next day.I called my mom back to tell her when I would arrive, and as I was talking to h er, she received the news that my aunt had died. I was in complete shock. I could not understand how this could have happened. I was on the phone with my mom, and I couldn’t say anything. One of my first reactions was feeling guilt. I felt so guilty for thinking that all my little stresses were so important that I couldn’t take five minutes to call my aunt and wish her a happy birthday. I wondered if my aunt knew how much I loved her and how much she meant to me. My mom stayed on the phone with me as long as she could, but she had other phone calls to make.I was geographically distanced from my family, and all I wanted to do was be with people who had known my aunt, who understood what a wonderful person she was, and who knew how much she meant to me. I called some friends, and they came over to keep me company. I am very grateful that they were there for me, but at the time, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be with my family. The next day, I flew to my aunt’s home town for the funeral. The whole extended family was there as were about a hundred of the people who knew her well. Because she was cremated, there was no visitation.While I respect this decision for cremation, I would have very much appreciated the chance to see my aunt one last time. At the church, in place of the coffin, there was a framed picture of my aunt in front of the urn carrying her ashes. The service was very personalized. Even if I had not considered the fact that my aunt might die, she and my uncle had put a lot of thought into her memorial service. They had chosen music that had meaning for them, including the song they first danced to at their wedding. This personalized service falls in line with a characteristic of modern-day Western memorials cited by Valentine (2006).The author mentions qualitative research that has shown that these memorials are â€Å"often creative and highly idiosynchratic [sic], reflecting the tastes and the emotions of the family involved† (Bradbury, 2001, p. 221; cited in Valentine, 2006). During the service, I noticed a lot of different grieving styles. Some, like myself, cried a lot. Others, like my grandmother, made a concerted effort not to cry (or at least not to let anyone see them cry). My grandmother actually wore sunglasses in the church so that no one could see her tears. At the time, I wondered why she did not want anyone to witness her sorrow.After all losing a child (even one who is grown up) must be one of the greatest losses one could experience. Immediately after the service, there was a reception at the church. All of my aunt’s friends and colleagues from her work came and introduced themselves to the family and spoke about how wonderful a person my aunt was. At the time, I found this ritual to be a bit strange. I wanted to go back to her house and be with my family. Looking back on this experience, however, I see that these people wanted us to know how influential a pe rson my aunt was outside of the context in which we best knew her.They also wanted to be there to support us in our time of sorrow. Now, I am very appreciative of their kind thoughts. When we returned to my aunt’s house, I noticed a huge collection of butterflies flying around her front porch. This was such an odd occurrence that I now always associate butterflies with my aunt. Whenever I see a butterfly, I think of my aunt and imagine that she is watching over me. This association came later in the grieving process and is an example of what has been termed continuing bonds. At the house, someone had laid out plates and plates of food.There was even more food (including seven hams) in the refrigerator and freezer. At the time, the last thing any of us could think about was eating, and I thought how bizarre it is that when someone dies, friends and neighbours rush over with casseroles and hams. After reflecting upon this experience, it seems that this is their way of showing t hey care. While they cannot really do anything to ease our suffering, they can at least ensure that the family has all of their material needs so that they can focus their attention on the grieving process.The family gathered around albums of photos. We told stories about my aunt. This reminiscing meant a lot to me. At last, I had a chance to talk to people who knew my aunt. We told stories about all of the great summer vacations, about all of the times my aunt caught us kids doing things we weren’t supposed to be doing, about all of her volunteer work, about all of the kids she had mentored, about what she was like as a young girl, about how she met my uncle, and about how she and my mom became best friends. All of these stories were very therapeutic for me.They gave me further knowledge about my aunt and solidified my conception of her as being a defining influence on my life. Although I wasn’t quite ready to accept the fact that she was gone, I was beginning to real ize that she would never really be gone because her existence had marked me as a person. How I lived my life was a reflection of her. Without her, I would not be who I am now. The way in which I look at this is another example of a continuing bond, though this one is more intangible than the butterflies mentioned above.Now that I am fully able to embrace this idea, I feel that I have moved through the grieving process, at least for the primary loss of my aunt. I still have not, however, fully dealt with the secondary loss. After my aunt’s death, my uncle (my godfather) distanced himself from our family. Perhaps we remind him too much of his wife. Perhaps he feels that he has no connection to us without her as she was our blood relative. I, however, will always consider him to be part of my family, and I am a bit angry that he doesn’t want to continue having a relationship with me.Valentine (2006) remarks that bereavement has been traditionally marginalized and that the primary goal of grief counselling has been the severing of ties and attachments with the deceased. This is the type of thought that underlies many of the different â€Å"stages of grief† theories. One example of a â€Å"stages of grief theory† is that of Kubler-Ross. Kubler-Ross (1997) developed a five-stage model for the grief process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Another example is Parkes’s three phases of grief, modelled on the four-phase model of Bowlby.Each of these theories seems to conceive of grief as a linear process: there are stages that an individual must pass through on the way to accepting, or adjusting to, their loss. For me at least, these theories do not describe my own experience of dealing with grief. For example, I never passed through the denial, anger, and bargaining phases of Kubler-Ross’s model. One model that resonates well with my own experiences is Bowlby’s four stages of grief (1980). In an ear lier work, Bowlby outlined his theory of attachment, whereby individuals develop emotional bonds with others.Death disrupts this attachment bond, and the bereaved then passes through four phases: numbness and disbelief, yearning and searching, disorganization and despair, and reorganization (Bowbly, 1980). In my experience, I had definitely developed an attachment bond with my aunt. When my mom first told me that my aunt had died, I was in disbelief. I began to pass through the second stage immediately after the funeral. At first I was not able to sit still, I simultaneously wanted to be in my aunt’s home with my family and to walk in the woods around her house alone.All of the reminiscing my family did gave me an outlet for my preoccupations with thoughts of my aunt. Once I returned home, her death really hit me (stage three). I was once again geographically distanced from my family, and I was beginning to realize that I would never have the chance to talk to my aunt again, to ask for advice, and to go for walks on the beach. Eventually, I was able to get to stage four through the acknowledgment of continuing bonds. Klass, Silverman, and Nickman (1996) presented the idea of continuing bonds.This model contrasts traditional notions of bereavement in that it does not emphasize completely detaching oneself from the deceased. By creating continuing bonds, the bereaved can continue to have a sort of relationship with their loved one after death. For me, I have developed two continuing bonds with my aunt. The first is whenever I see a butterfly, I think of my aunt and imagine her looking out for me. These moments allow me to reflect, at least briefly, on the course of my life and question whether I am holding to the ethical and moral principles she instilled in me.The second continuing bond is related to the first. I acknowledge the fact that part of who I am is a result of her influence. I know the kind of person she was, and I turned to her so many times f or advice, that I can still hear her voice inside my head and I know what she would say to me. Both of these continuing bonds illustrate Klass, Silverman, and Nickman’s (1996) concept of continuing bonds as active relationships, as opposed to static memories. In conclusion, grieving is a complex process that every individual will experience differently.An individual’s process will be determined by their relationship with the deceased, the support of family and friends, cultural and societal factors, and how they are able to re-interpret their relationship with the deceased. Scholars from many different fields have developed different models for the grieving process. For me, the model that fit the best was Bowlby’s attachment theory and four phases of grief. Continuing bonds, as described by Klass, Silverman, and Nickman, was essential for me to move through the grieving process.ReferencesBowlby, J. (1980). Loss: Sadness & Depression. London: Hogarth Press. Hooym an, N. R. & Kramer, B. J. (2006).Living through Loss: Interventions across the Life Span. New York: Columbia University Press. Klass, D. , Silverman, P. R. , & Nickman, S. Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief. London: Taylor & Francis. Kubler-Ross, E. (1997).On Death and Dying. New York: Scribner. Mallon, B. (2008).Dying, Death and Grief. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Valentine, C. (2006).Academic constructions of bereavement. Mortality, 1 (11), 57-78.

America and the World

The American power has been well-recognized in all parts of the world. The series of war that are participated by America –namely: World War II and the Cold War – have given the image of a country which has power over other countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has been the sole superpower in the world. Since then, America has been part of almost all international gatherings and endeavors to promote the concept of globalization – making the world a single place for all the citizens of the world.During these times, America has been able to prove that their superpower is not only premised on their political capabilities but also on supreme economic status. Being one of the First World Countries, America is really an economically well-off country. And it has proven its economic supremacy in the global economy. In effect, most countries, especially those that are developing and underdeveloped countries, are seeking support from the American government to pursue their own economic progress. In addition, the rise of the American culture has also become one of the most controversial international issues in the current global scenario.People from around the world are trying to be like their Hollywood idols. The McDonalds and the Coca-Cola â€Å"syndrome† are also affecting the people from all over the world. In fact, the two are always present in almost all nation-states in the world (Sloan). These are just few of the things that promote the American culture. The popularity that America has since then and up to the present is undeniably a sign of how great its power is. However, other countries perceive this thing as a tactic or strategy of America to dominate the world.There are countries that do not patronize America. Therefore not all countries or people have faith in American influence or power. They view the acts of America as ways to Americanize the world. They claim that America only wanted to expand and amp lify its power all over the world such that it has been very active in particular international issues (Sloan). Nevertheless, as Alkman Granitsas said in his column in YaleGlobal Online, America has been, in fact, tuning out the world. This implies that America has been trying to move away from the global village.Instead America has just wanted to focus its dwellings on its domestic affairs. The first reason that is raised by Granitsas is that America has become conceited by the fact that almost one-third of the world’s population wants to get in their country. Secondly, America has realized that if almost all people in the world want to be in America, and more countries look upon America for economic assistance and other political purposes, then what is there in the outside of America that the Americans should pursue? If all wants to be in America then why should they leave and go to other places in the world?As presented in the column of Granitsas, American schools, college s, and university have a high rate of decline in terms of students who take up foreign languages courses. The record shows that Americans have started to become disinterested in going outside America. The perceived attitude of the Americans are indeed logical in the sense that why should they aspire to make themselves proficient in foreign languages when in fact most of the people in the world want to be expert in speaking English? In addition, significant changes have been reported which demonstrate how America has started to decrease their interest in global issues.Their newspapers have minimized the inclusion of international or global news. Before, the front page of the American newspapers had 27 percent of international news. But as shown in the report, there is only 21 percent of international news that are being included in the front page of the American newspaper (Granitsas). It was only when the September 11 bombing that the American had faced once again the global village (Granitsas). Since then, the American government has been trying to fight against terrorism that tends to inflict disturbance in America and its people.It is now acting for the sake of its government and people and not for the whole world. It is doing its job for the sake of its government subsistence and for the safety of its people and not really to dominate the world. America, labeled as the New World, does not really want the world to kneel down before it. It does not really want to conquer the whole of the world. Its recent actions and policies are not really to gain more power and to rule the world but only to protect the interest of the state and its people.The dilemma in this topic is directed towards the perceived dominance of the America over the last centuries in the international scene and the more current attitude of America of closing its idea on global participation. Either the latter is true or the former is true is not confirmed yet. But it is true that both could m ake the global order complicated. Works Cited: Granitsas, Alkman. â€Å"Americans are Tuning Out the World. † 24 November 2005. YaleGlobal Online. 10 October 2007 . Sloan, Kim. A New World: England's First View of America. The University of North Carolina Press , 2007.

An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay Essays

An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay Essays An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay Essay An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay Essay TUI a prima international leisure travel group which has over 200 different touristry trade names around the universe. The concern activities of the TUI Group were attributed to the touristry, logistics and the former industry divisions. Objective of this study is to analyze the strategic place of TUI by using assorted tools such as PESTLE, Five forces model, SWOT and analyse and predict the future deductions of its strategic capablenesss utilizing Generic scheme and Ansoff s matrix to the instance survey. Restrictions of the tool applied are discussed with the analysis. 2.0 BACKGROUND TUI group earlier known as Hapag Touristik Union of Preussag launched itself in touristry market at the terminal of 1997 with the purchase of Hapag-Lloyd AG. TUI expended its concern utilizing the enlargement scheme through acquisition, amalgamations, and investing through joint ventures all over Europe. TUI AG was spread in three sectors TUI Travel ( tour operating, air hoses and incoming bureaus ) , A TUI Hotels A ; ResortsA and the sail ship concern form the World of TUI. TUI AG holds, in add-on, a fiscal investing in the container transportation industry. TUI in 2005 was the tour leaders with 3500 travel bureaus in 17 states with 37 incoming bureaus. TUI owned more than 100 aircrafts and was the largest Hotelier in Europe with 285 hotels ( Case survey ) . Presently, the group owns 43,3 per centum interest in Hapag-Lloyd AG. InA the 2008 fiscal yearA TUI AG returned a gross of a‚Â ¬24.9 billion with entire net incomes ( underlying EBITA ) of a‚Â ¬759 million. As at 31 December 2008 the Group had 70,200 employees ( TUI group, company profile ) . 3.0 ENVIRONEMNTAL Analysis: To understand and use the Environmental analysis on TUI it is indispensable to execute an internal and an external analysis. External analysis on an industry is farther sub-divided in two environment macro-environment and micro-environment. In order to understand the likely impact of these environments on the touristry industry PESTEL analysis and Porter s five forces is under taken for possible impacts on the industry competitory strength and advantage over rivals. 3.1 PESTLE ANALYSIS 3.1 ( a ) POLITICAL Political factors have a moderate impact on the public presentation and the growing on touristry industry. Where Political instability generates negative promotion and the hazard perceptual experience influences the tourers determinations which consequences in an ineluctable lessening in tourer reachings ( Hall and O Sullivan, 1996 ) . On the other side Terrorism has led serious touristry crisis, and has been impacting the fiscal status significantly in recent periods ( Sonmez et al 1999 ) . Terrorist onslaughts, the Iraq war has reflected a diminution of about 6.6 % in TUI s touristry turnover from the first six months of 2002 to the first six months of 2003 ( excepting turnover contributed by Nouvelles Frontiers, which we acquired subsequently in 2002 ) . Health Crisis like SARS in 2003 has besides had a traumatic consequence on international travel ( Case survey ) . 3.1 ( B ) ECONOMICAL Tourism is one of the turning industries, fuelling the growing and employment and has become a critical constituent of the universe of economic system. Due to Recession, a downward impulse was seen because most of the touristry operators were handicapped by the high degree of fixed assets and less able to pull off their air hoses and hotel industry ( instance survey ) . Fluctuations in fuel costs, Exchange rates and currency fluctuations, The Growth of low cost air hoses has lead to economic hazard in touristry industry. 3.1 ( degree Celsius ) SOCIO-CULTURE: Change in life style has changed the demands of consumer ; they have become more monetary value medium and has increased its demand for new experiences. Consumer has developed a new attitude of WAIT AND SEE ATTITUDE ( Reisinger 2009 ) facilitated by last infinitesimal purchase ensuing in late engagements. As touristry involve motion of people to different locations which calls for cultural clangs. Tourism has besides Led to commercialisation of local civilization, standardisation of finishs and version to tourist demands ( coastlearn.org ) 3.1 ( vitamin D ) Technology Use of information engineering gave a encouragement to touristry concern for reserves and administrative operations. With the coming of the cyberspace, circuit operators can now distribute out their activities and do available appropriate information, suppressing new clients ( Wyner, 2000 ) . With launch of touropa.com in Germany, TUI captured a top place in European market in 2005 with a turnover of 2.6bn euro ( Case survey ) . Similarly in Island locations hi-tech locale networking was adopted to pull new visitants and to pass on to tourers ( The Daily Business Buzz, Nov. 2/09 ) 3.1 ( degree Fahrenheit ) LEGAL Air Travel Organizer s License ATOL Regulations were imposed on any individual who advertises or sells air-inclusive vacations in the United Kingdom, granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. A figure of TUI s concerns runing in the United Kingdom, including Thomson Holidays and Lunn Poly, clasp ATOLs. There were many European and national limitations on air hose ownership which could loss of air hose operating and path licences and do other inauspicious effects on touristry concern. TUI s hotels and finish bureaus are capable to a assortment of Torahs and ordinances in the states in which they operate and, on a periodic footing, must obtain assorted licences and licenses. They are capable to a wide scope of labor, environmental and wellness and safety ordinances in each legal power in which they operate ( Listing Memorandum, TUI group ) . 3.1 ( g ) ENVIRONMENTAL: International touristry can play the function of both victim and scoundrel when it comes to climate alteration ( Holmes 2007 BBC intelligence ) . To achieve sustainability TUI is continuously bettering on environmental public presentation, TUI focuses on ISO 14001 environmental criterions. Hence TUI strongly supports the environmental protection policies like, species protection, nature protection and landscape protection. TUI s chief country of concern is the efficient usage of energy and clime protection. ( TUI Group, environment direction ) 3.2 PORTER S FIVE FORCES Model: A house needs to neutralize every bit many as possible of the five forcers in order to make competitory advantage. ( Porter 1998 ) Porter defines five forces impacting a house s competitiveness- menace of replacements, menace of new entrants in the industry, dickering power of providers, dickering power of clients, and the strength of competition within the industry. Understanding the nature of each of these forces gives organisations the necessary penetrations to enable them to make the appropriateA strategiesA to be successful in their market ( Thurlby, 1998 ) . 3.2 ( a ) Menace of New Entrants ( Medium ) For a new company to establish itself in the touristry industry needs a high investing and advanced thoughts to prolong its presence in the extremely competitory touristry market. The bing company have the capablenesss of supplying trim trades on inexpensive monetary values because of their established trade names and long ironss of circuit operator. TUI being the market leaders of touristry industry does non hold much consequence of menaces developed by new entrants. 3.2 ( B ) Bargaining Power of Buyers ( High ) A A A A A A A A A A A Tourism industry fluctuates with the purchasers altering demands. With addition in competition, purchasers have a wider scope of services to take from hence the touristry industry are forced to follow with altering demands and demands of clients. As the shift cost is non excessively high Brand trueness is low and with addition in buying power of a purchaser the likeliness of going besides increases. Buyers even eliminate the circuit operators and prefer do a direct sale from providers ( hotels, air hoses ect ) . 3.3 ( degree Celsius ) Bargaining Power of Suppliers ( Low ) A A A A A A A A A A A TUI uses backward integrating which means it has its ain providers ; in fact TUI itself acts as its ain providers. 3.3 ( vitamin D ) Menace of Substitutes ( High ) A A A A A A A A A A A With the turning universe of touristry there is a demand for strategic distinction. Customers are looking for new experiences, diversified attractive forces around the universe. The broad spread of TUI in Europe increases the menace of replacement due to growing of touristry industry in other parts of universe. 3.3 ( vitamin E ) Competitive Rivalry ( medium ) Tourism industry involves many rivals with an attack of executing better than the other. The competition degree additions because of distribution of market based on the regional operators, in private owned, extremely fragmented, and geographically marketed. Even though there was a moderate degree of service distinction, TUI has sustained the competition because of its trade name and leading in market 4.0 TUI S CURRENT POSITION AND STRATEGY: TUI s strategic end is to make superior stockholder value by being a planetary prima leisure travel group supplying clients with a broad pick of differentiated and flexible travel experiences to run into their altering demands. TUI s five strategic precedences for sustainable development are Embedding, Climate Change, Destinations, Our Peoples and Our Customers ( TUI Travel PLC, Strategy ) . Since 1998 to 2005 chief focal point of TUI was on accomplishing cost control and distinguishing its merchandise in market. This was achieved by following Hybrid scheme which is a combination of distinction, monetary value and cost control ( Campbell 2002 ) refer to Appendix ( A ) . TUI creates heightening border quality through merchandise distinction by making alone travel experiences for its clients which helps them achieve trade name trueness and competitory advantage. With controlled distribution procedure the cost of acquisition can be reduced and flexibleness is achieved. The five cardinal elements of TUI scheme: Expand our core touristry concern Exploit synergisms and cost efficiencies across our markets and merchandises Leverage the benefits of our vertically incorporate touristry theoretical account and our broad distribution web Identify new tendencies and exploit developments in the touristry industry Continue to turn our container transportation concern Over the old ages TUI has maintained its place as the market leaders of touristry industry by covering all the phases of touristry value concatenation by having its ain travel bureaus, hotels, incoming bureaus, air hoses and sails ( Business hebdomad 2009 ) . It has positioned itself to be its ain supplies, purchasers and travel services and had become a strong illustration of perpendicular integrating. Vertical growing can be accomplished by forward and backward integrating. Though the perpendicular integrating does non give 100 per centum success warrant in complete value concatenation, TUI has successfully build its concern with choice of travel bureaus in European market by holding Thomas cook air hoses with 100 aircrafts and having more than 3000 travel bureaus ( instance survey ) . Vertical integrating besides helps in pulling more clients, distinguish its merchandise and derive more power in market and addition economic systems of graduated table by cut downing the coordinatio n cost and cut downing the net income borders of mediators ( Enz 2009 ) . Other advantages and disadvantages can be referred in Appendix ( B ) . Major strengths on which TUI had built its leading and its failings which empowered them to get the better of and keep its place. 4.1 Strength: TUI s greatest strength is its trade name acknowledgment and to the full incorporate concern theoretical account with broad spread distribution web to supply operational advantages. TUI s assurance is based on ( I ) ability to retrieve additions in input costs, ( two ) flexible concern theoretical account, ( three ) bringing of amalgamation synergisms, and ( four ) diverseness of the Group s concerns ( TUI Travel Plc, 3rd one-fourth study ) . Appropriate strategic picks with the diverse work force and economic of graduated table in competitory selling and efficient distribution has proved to be its core competency. TUI s planetary presence provides broad assortment of vacation services and has successful container transportation concern. 4.2WEAKNESS TUI Travel s bing stockholder loan sums to about ?900 million is the major drawback for TUI ( fiscal times 2009 ) . The consumers are progressively keeping off on booking vacations in order to salvage money in recession. Whereas limited engagements transparence ( turning tendency toward short-run travel engagements ; unsure net incomes public presentation ) has besides effected the gross growing of TUI. Another factor is the impact of seasonality on sustained growing and public presentation of nature based touristry. 5.0 CHANGING TRENDS AND TUI s FUTURE: 5.1 Key Drivers of alteration Beside PESTLE ( Appendix ( C ) ) it is of import to place the figure of cardinal drivers of alterations which are forces likely to impact the construction of a concern ( Johnson et al 2005 ) . To understand the drivers of alterations in touristry industry it is required to analyze the alteration in consumer s behavior, life style and precedences. In old ages to come the demographic displacements ( ageing population ) , engineering incursion, alterations in work form, clip force per unit area and altering manners of ingestion ( farther finishs, greater outlooks, more specialisation ) will do heavy impact on travel and touristry industry ( Lockwood and Medlik 2002 ) . Harmonizing to Peter Long, main executive of TUI Travel ( sustainable development study 2008 ) , Sustainability is one of the four key drivers for growing in TUI, the four chief drivers for a sustainability programme for TUI Travel: Aviation and clime alteration Protecting finishs from the impact of clime alteration Protecting finishs from the impact of touristry Switching demographics and consumer tendencies These facets will analyze advancement of TUI which is made towards supplying vacations that cause minimum environmental impact, respect the civilization and people of finishs, and offer existent economic benefit to local communities. 5.2 Ansoff s Matrix Harmonizing to Johnson et Al. ( 2008 ) Ansoff Product/market growing can be used to analyze the deductions of corporate scheme applied to look for the chances open to the industry. This matrix consists of four quarter-circles which are used to measure four types of strategic determination ( Appendix ( D ) ) . It allows sellers to see ways to develop the concern via bing and/or new merchandises, in bing and/or new markets. With an initial start in touristry concern from terminal of 1997 to 1999 TUI saw a existent range of incursion of its concern in German market with its bing merchandises and purpose to increase its market portion. With a vision of new chances TUI expanded its skylines by stepping into European market in 2000 with complete laterality and strong market portion with bing merchandises in new markets by taking over Thomson travel group, Nouvelles Frontieres ( France ) and Fritidsresor ( Scandinavia ) developing its market. With clip TUI focused on Product development and introduced low-priced travel air hoses in 2003, puting up TUI China and so increased its hard currency flow by subscribing joint ventures in Russia. In 2005 with launch of a practical circuit operator, TUI captured the top place in touristry industry and was able to develop a successful trade name Image. In 2005 TUI penetrated in most of the Europe, touristry division was subdivided into the five sectors Central Europe, N orthern Europe, Western Europe, finishs and other touristry activities. TUI was diversifying geographically and that has helped to counterbalance the ups and downs of single states, which can be due to any macroeconomic factor. TUI has diversified geographically in Europe, India and China. They have besides diversified in their concern sections in logistics of container transportation section in order to accomplish economic systems of graduated table. TUI opted consolidation for long term growing and planetary trade name development to guarantee hard currency flow from developed market in economic downswing hence TUI considered consolidation has one of their merchandise and market scheme suggested by Johnson et Al. ( 2008 ) . 5.3 EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS OPPOURTUNITES Changes in emerging and disconnected markets provide greater chance for growing in TUI, acquisition and joint ventures can supply a platform to construct stronger merchandise portfolio. Bettering TUI s local concern, bettering in selling, gross revenues and distribution can back up turning demands for specializer vacations. Tour operators still have scope for consolidation by easing geopolitical tensenesss. Mention to Appendix ( E ) for more information about the chances and TUI s attack towards it. Menace Protracted economic downswing has been a major menace to the touristry industry. Geopolitical uncertainnesss ( terrorist onslaughts and natural catastrophes ) , operators comparatively high debts, limited gaining transparence of some companies and seasonal-led volatile net incomes public presentations are some other reverses for touristry industry. Less attending towards environment and planetary heating may do a annihilating impact on travel concern. 6.0 LIMITATIONS OF TOOLS 6.1 PESTEL FACTORS PESTLE analysis is done to simplify the determination doing procedure while following a scheme. PESTLE factors helps in placing the past tendency of an administration on which future tendencies are identified. Practically PESTLE analysis makes it hard for a company to analyze the full macro-economic factor as it can be really clip consuming and dearly-won. In this fast changing environment, capturing equal informations might be hard and capturing excessively much of informations can do Paralysis by analysis this predicted information might non be accurate. Stamp does non assist is happening out the degree of uncertainness in an administration. For effectual consequences this procedure needs to be undertaken on regular footing. ( Cipd, 2008 ) . 6.2 PORTER S FIVE FORCE Porter s five forces theoretical account works on comparatively inactive market construction because of which it can non explicate or analyse today s dynamic alterations ( Recklies 2001 ) . This theoretical account every bit connote to all the rivals in an industry and this theoretical account can non be applied in isolation where porter accepted that result by using his model were merely relevant while the macro environment remained changeless ( Campbell et al. , 2002 ) . Five force analyses takes into consideration industry as a whole but it does non segregate different sections. The single analysis of each of the section can be of much aid than industry as a whole. It even assumes that relationships with rivals, purchasers and providers are adversarial. It oversimplifies industry value ironss ( Grundy, 2006 ) and It ignores the human resource facet of the scheme 6.3 SWOT The SWOT analysis gives an overview of the topic but does nt assist to acquire the inside informations. The classification of some facets as strengths or failings, or as chances and menaces is to some extent subjective. From the instance survey legion strength and failings were identified, but those all were a snapshot of the success and failure on TUI over all concern public presentation. Harmonizing to Mintzberg ( 1990 ) the appraisal of strengths and failings may be undependable, being bound up with aspirations, prejudices and hopes. Furthermore, Frost ( 2003 ) describes SWOT s downsides from a director s point of position as it would be hard for a director to place strengths than things they see as incorrect with the organisation and directors tend to depict an consequence as a failing and make non acquire to the causes. ( Zarkos et al. , 2007 ) provinces, an chance can besides be a menace for a company ; therefore the same job appears in the differentiation of strengths and fail ings. 6.4 ANSOFF S MATRIX Ansoff s matrix is merely focussed on growing of a company it focuses on the touchable facets of merchandises and services and really small attending is paid to intangible facet like trade name. Another failing of the Ansoff Matrix attack is that it does nt truly turn to the issue of trade name snap as a portion of the strategic decision-making procedure. ( pringle and field, 2008 ) . the usage of Ansoff matrix as a selling tool may non be truly utile as the matrix is critical for analyzing the strategic way that the trade name may be following, and does non basically place selling options ( Macmillan et al. , 2000 ) . 7.0 Decision In this study the strategic analysis is carried out on TUI touristry industry utilizing assorted tools. First, macro-environment was analysed to understand the possible impacts on the industry competitory strength and advantage over rivals and develop an appropriate scheme. On a corporate degree intercrossed scheme and perpendicular integrating was discussed in support to TUI s success. Following section of internal analysis described TUI s nucleus competencies and focussed on future tendencies of TUI. The analysis of this instance survey concluded high degree of sustainable development which is inimitable. 8.0 REFERENCE LIST Campbell, D. , Stonehouse, G. and Houston, B. ( 2002 ) , Business Scheme: an debut , 2nd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann publication, Oxford, UK. Enz, A. C. , ( 2009 ) , Hospitality Strategic Management: Concept and Cases , 2nd Edition, A Haboken, New Jersey. Frost, A. ( 2003 ) , The Use of Strategic Tools by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: an Australasian survey , Strategic Change, Volume. 12, Page: 49-62. Grundy, T. ( 2006 ) , Rethinking and reinventing Michael Porter s five forces theoretical account , Strategic Change, Volume. 15, Page: 213-229. Hall, C. And OSullivan, V. ( 1996 ) , Tourism political stableness and force in Wahab, S. and Christopher P. C. , ( 2001 ) , Tourism in the age of globalisation , pp-234, Routledge. Samuel johnsons, G. , Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. ( 2005 ) , Researching Corporate Strategy , 7th Edition, Prentice Hall, UK. Samuel johnsons, G. , Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. ( 2008 ) , Researching Corporate Strategy , 8th Edition, Prentice Hall, UK. Lockwood, A. and Medlik, S. , ( 2002 ) , Tourism and Hospitality in the twenty-first Century , Butterworth Heinemann Macmillan, H. and Tampoe, M. ( 2000 ) , Strategic Management , Oxford University Press. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.coursework4you.co.uk/ansoff.htm, Access on: 21st Oct 2009, 17.23pm. Mintzberg, H. ( 1990 ) , The Design School: Reconsidering the Basic Premises of Strategic Management , Strategic Management Journal, Volume. 11, Page: 171-195. Porter, M. E, . ( 1985 ) , Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance . The Free Imperativeness Pringle, H. And Field, P. , ( 2008 ) , Brand immorality how trade names can populate long and prosper , Kogan page, IPA Recklies, D. ( 2001 ) , Five Competitive Force ( porter ) , Available at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.12manage.com/methods_porter_five_forces.html, Assessed on: 28th Oct 2009, 8.45pm. Reisinger, Y. , ( 2009 ) , International Tourism: Cultures and Behaviour Elsevire Ltd. Sonmez, F. S. , Tarlow, P. , ( 1999 ) Tourism in Crisis: Pull offing the Effects of Terrorism Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 38, No. 1, 13-18 Thurlby, B. , ( 1998 ) , Competitive forces are besides capable to alter , Management Decision London Zarkos, S. , Morgan, R. E. and Kouropalatis, Y. ( 2007 ) , Real Options and Real Strategies , Strategic Change, Volume: 16, Page: 315-325. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cipd.co.uk, ( 2008 ) , PESTLE analysis , CIPD, Accessed on 3rd Nov 2009 at 15.56pm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tui-group.com/uuid/68045be7dc26a80404db1d381be42f4b TUI Group Listing Memorandum, Accessed on 1st Nov 2009 at 19.24pm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scribd.com/doc/17015152/TUI-Environmental-ReportTUI TUI Group Environmental study, Accessed on 5th Nov 2009 at 12.03am hypertext transfer protocol: //investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot_article.asp? ric=TUIGn.DE Business hebdomad 2009, TUI AG ( Consumer Directory sector, hotels eating houses and leisure ) Accessed on 8th Nov 2009 at 13.33pm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dailybusinessbuzz.ca/2009/11/02/pe-cutting-edge-technology-to-boost-tourism/ Daily concern bombilation, Cuting -edge engineering to hike touristry 8th Nov 2009 at 22.54pm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.coastlearn.org/tourism/why_socioimpacts.html Coast learn, Sustainable Tourism: Socio-Culture Impact, Accessed on 6th Nov 2009 at 16.22 autopsy hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tui-group.com/en/sustainability/env_management TUI Group, Environment direction and ecological sustainability, Accessed on 29th Oct 2009 at 16.16pm hypertext transfer protocol: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7094559.stm Holmes, S. , 2007 How to do touristry greener, BBC intelligence, Accessed on 8th Nov 2009 at 23.08pm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tui-group.com/en/company/profile TUI Group, company profile Accessed on 30th Oct 2009 at 09.52am www.tuitravelplc.com/tui/uploads/ /TUITravelQ3Results.pdf TUI Travel Plc, 3rd one-fourth study 2008, Accessed on 25th Nov 2009 at 11.52am hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ft.com/cms/s/0/258da2ca-acd0-11de-91dc-00144feabdc0.html Yuk, K. P. , 2009 TUI Travel takes stairss to refinance loan, Accessed on 7th Nov 2009 at 22.14pm hypertext transfer protocol: //sd2008.tuitravelplc.com/tui-sd/pages/aboutthisreport/datamaterialityTUI Group, sustainability study 2008, Accessed on 28th Oct 2009 at 20.22pm 9.0 Appendixs: APPENDIX ( A ) Market monetary value reactivity Price insensitiveness Price sensitiveness Cost-based Strategy Differentiation Scheme Stuck in the in-between scheme Hybrid schemes Appropriate strategic attack Adopted signifier David Campbell, George Stonehouse andBill Houuston, Business Strategy ( 2000 ) , 2nd edition. APPENDIX ( B ) Advantages and Disadvantages of perpendicular Integration Advantages Disadvantages Can extinguish stairss and cut down duplicate 1 ) demand for operating expenses to organize perpendicular integrating Avoid clip devouring undertakings and negotiate contracts Burden of extra capacity if non at all end product is used. Improve selling or technological intelligence Obsolete procedure may be penetrated Can make distinction through coordination procedure Reduce strategic flexibleness due to being locked in a concern Provide superior control of houses market environment May nexus to an unprofitable adjacent concern Offers an increased ability to make credibleness for new merchandises. May non be possible for synergism Adopted from Enz, A. C. , ( 2009 ) , Hospitality Strategic Management: Concept and Cases , 2nd Edition. Appendix ( C ) Factor Reason POLITICAL/LEGAL Political instability of developing states Government ordinances and regulative reforms. High revenue enhancement policies of developed states. labor, environmental and wellness and safety ordinances ECONOMICAL Rise in disposable income in developing states Currency fluctuation. Rise in fuel cost Emerging market. SOCIAL Changing precedences of consumers Health and safety concerns Urbanization. Disposal income in consumer degree Technology Use of information engineerings systems for reserves Use of cyberspace Execution of new gross revenues and distribution channels Enhanced flexibleness Environment Natural catastrophes Global warming restriction on C emanation Appendix D STRATEGIC DIRECTION ANSOFF MATRIX Existing Product New Product A Market Penetration Consolidation Bacillus Merchandise Development C Market Development Calciferol Diversification Existing Market New Market Adapted from H. Ansoff, Corporate Strategy, Penguin, 1988, Chapter 6 Appendix ( E ) Opportunity Our end Implanting into our nucleus concern Ensure our concern determinations take into history sustainable development rules Operational impacts Minimise the negative sustainability impacts ( peculiarly on clime alteration ) of our daily operations Supply concatenation direction Support our supply concatenation in pull offing their sustainability impacts Choice redacting Edit out the vacation options that do non run into our minimal sustainability criterions Choice influencing Make it easy for clients to take a more sustainable vacation Awareness raising Aid clients appreciate the sustainability impacts of touristry, driving demand for more sustainable vacations Changing behaviourA Encourage clients to alter their actions in a manner that maximises the positive and minimises the negative impacts of their vacation Invention and merchandise developmentA Develop new, more sustainable experiences in response to demandA Collaborating with our industryA Share best pattern with others in the touristry industry where our fight is non affectedA AdvocacyA Use our influence responsibly and in line with our committedness to sustainable developmentA Puting something backA Put something back into the environment or community wherever we can non avoid a negative impactA hypertext transfer protocol: //sd2008.tuitravelplc.com/tui-sd/pages/ourapproach/ourstrategy? whoareyou=add A ; student=true A ; submit=Submit Menace of new Entrant Advanced thoughts Wide scope of vacation bundles Menace of replacement Worldwide touristry attractive forces

Free Essays on How African American Were Treated

How Blacks were treated in the North & South in the 1940’s The blacks were treated poorly in the south they were falsely accused of things they hardly ever did. In the north they were treated better; They were given better medical care and were allowed to have churches, but they where still poorly treated. In the 1940’s blacks were not considered equal to whites in the North or the South. They had to enter through the back door’s of establishments & they could not go into the same store as whites. Blacks had to say â€Å"yes sir† & â€Å"no sir†. Blacks also had to do what a white man had asked /demanded him to do. All Blacks were treated the same as other blacks they had their own school, church and stores. White people who owned a store didn’t have to let them into the store or sell them food. White people thought that they were at the top of the â€Å"race list† when really they had the stupid the idea that the blacks treated their own race and other races better than whites did. Some whites thought that just because you were nice to black people they were worse than a black person themselves. Also if a white girl even one who never had company had even tried to have anything to do with a black man then they where below pond scum. The black children where teased and mocked, and if they where a mixed child then they where pitied and at the same time they where criticized and picked on by both races. Blacks had no hope in the town where they lived. No hope of getting a good education, which meant a bad job that meant they had a worse life for their kids and family. In 1948 Harry Truman passed a law â€Å"that provided for equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." This was suppose to keep segregation out of the military. But after World War 1 some southerners thought that the blacks needed beat down even thought they wore the same un... Free Essays on How African American Were Treated Free Essays on How African American Were Treated How Blacks were treated in the North & South in the 1940’s The blacks were treated poorly in the south they were falsely accused of things they hardly ever did. In the north they were treated better; They were given better medical care and were allowed to have churches, but they where still poorly treated. In the 1940’s blacks were not considered equal to whites in the North or the South. They had to enter through the back door’s of establishments & they could not go into the same store as whites. Blacks had to say â€Å"yes sir† & â€Å"no sir†. Blacks also had to do what a white man had asked /demanded him to do. All Blacks were treated the same as other blacks they had their own school, church and stores. White people who owned a store didn’t have to let them into the store or sell them food. White people thought that they were at the top of the â€Å"race list† when really they had the stupid the idea that the blacks treated their own race and other races better than whites did. Some whites thought that just because you were nice to black people they were worse than a black person themselves. Also if a white girl even one who never had company had even tried to have anything to do with a black man then they where below pond scum. The black children where teased and mocked, and if they where a mixed child then they where pitied and at the same time they where criticized and picked on by both races. Blacks had no hope in the town where they lived. No hope of getting a good education, which meant a bad job that meant they had a worse life for their kids and family. In 1948 Harry Truman passed a law â€Å"that provided for equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." This was suppose to keep segregation out of the military. But after World War 1 some southerners thought that the blacks needed beat down even thought they wore the same un...

Fortune Magazine Says LinkedIn is Rocking!

Fortune Magazine Says LinkedIn is Rocking! On July 15, in an interview by Margaret Larkin on WCKG Chicago’s Geoff Pinkus Show, I was asked what main mistakes people are making on LinkedIn. My response was that the biggest mistake people make is not being on LinkedIn in the first place – or not taking it seriously if they are. This sentiment was echoed in a July 2013 Fortune Magazine article entitled, â€Å"LinkedIn: How It’s Changing Business (And How to Make it Work for You).† Journalist Jessi Hempel asserts, â€Å"In the past year LinkedIn has emerged as one of the most powerful business tools on the planet.† She reports that according to ComScore, the number of users who log on at least once a month has jumped 37% over last year, to 141 million worldwide. Furthermore, 88 of the Fortune 100 use LinkedIn’s licensed recruiting software to search for job candidates; the software obviates the need to pay a headhunter. As a job seeker or business person, why would you not want to jump on the LinkedIn bandwagon with full enthusiasm? LinkedIn is largely conceived as a job seeking hot spot. It might be telling that students represent LinkedIn’s fastest-growing member group, ostensibly because they are cognizant that it is essential to have a positive presence on LinkedIn when entering the job market. What students and other professionals might not realize, as described in the article, is that LinkedIn is not just a tool for job seekers. Large corporations such as Citigroup, NetSuite and Dell are using the power of this business network to target markets, conduct surveys, and conduct creative marketing activities. Also not obvious to most of us is that LinkedIn is working on collecting information that will likely provide some of the most accurate and valuable information about the job market and business throughout the world. CEO Jeff Weiner envisions that â€Å"LinkedIn will provide a real-time measure of where jobs exist, where customers aren’t being served, and where people need training.† One use of the site, for example, would be to identify what colleges are best for obtaining certain jobs after college. After all, LinkedIn has accurate information on where all its members went to college and what types of jobs they’re in now. Watch out U.S. News World Report – LinkedIn is coming! People are paying attention to LinkedIn. The author of the Fortune article related that she updated her LinkedIn profile as part of writing the story; and her colleagues noticed. They jumped to the conclusion that maybe she was thinking of looking for a new job- a common perception when someone updates a profile. But the reality is that updating a profile is a good idea for everyone, not just job seekers. It is a way to â€Å"touch† your network and gain visibility. Maybe you’ll get a lunch meeting out of it, or an interesting information exchange. Perhaps the most interesting point of this article to me personally is that LinkedIn has a vested interest in having its members improve their profiles; if the site is to become competitive in the sales industry, it must provide companies with robust information on social networks. It is odd, therefore, that LinkedIn’s platform is confusing to many, and also, as Ms. Hempel points out, that LinkedIn has not commissioned any â€Å"How to† books about using its site. How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile is cited as one of the premier books on the subject, a mention which makes me proud. Hempel observes that LinkedIn has been extremely persistent in its vision, making it â€Å"the single biggest repository of career data† and positioning the site to be a force in how business is done worldwide. This observation brings me back to my radio interview and my point that the biggest mistake you can make on LinkedIn is not to be on the site or not to take it seriously. How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile I’m doing everything I can to support LinkedIn members in creating effective profiles (and to keep up with the rapid changes LinkedIn is making to its functionality). If you haven’t yet read How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, I encourage you to do so; you can get a free excerpt by signing up for my e-list at https://forms.aweber.com/form/58/584588858.htm. If you want the full version, including FREE lifetime updates, order the pdf for just $9.97 from The Essay Expert. And as always, your questions are welcome. If you have a comment or question please enter it in the comments and you might just see an answer in a future blog!

Effectiveness Of E-Learning Tools In Organisations Dissertation

Effectiveness Of E-Learning Tools In Organisations - Dissertation Example The purpose of the study is not to examine the psychological factors pertaining to a like/dislike of technology that would be present on a personal level among employees of any industry. It is to examine the particulars of the implementation of e-learning management which may be addressed through a change in strategy, approach, and program design, to provide further motivation for employees to avail of e-learning facilities in companies that most require them. The methodology involves survey by questionnaire and a case study illustrating the successful implementation of an e-learning initiative, and why employees would find certain methods and approaches preferably. Results show that despite the preference for digital communications, learners would prefer face-to-face communications rather than written, and are optimistic about the eventual results of their participation in e-learning programs. The greatest barrier to e-learning remains the resistance of the employees where it still exists, but this does not seem to be prevalent. The case study provides a successful example of e-learning application in an open network where the exchange of information through workplace learning appears highly effective. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 7 1.1 Chapter Overview 7 1.2Background of the Problem 7 1.3 Statement of the Problem 8 1.4Research questions 8 1.5 Significance of the research problem 9 1.6 Scope and delimitation of the study 9 Chapter 2: Literature Review 10 2.1 Chapter Overview 10 2.2 Definition and taxonomy 10 2.3 Impact of e-learning in organisations 11 2.4 Internal marketing: How the e-learning is communicated & promoted within organisations 13 2.5 Theoretical framework 17 2.6 Synthesis and relation of literature review to the research study 18 Chapter 3: Methodology 20 3.1Chapter Overview 20 3.2Research strategy 20 3.3 Research design 21 3.4 Data description 21 3.5Population and sampling method 22 3.6Data gathering instrument 22 3.7 An alysis 23 3.8 Ethical considerations 25 Chapter 4: Discussion 26 4.1 Chapter Overview 26 4.2. Respondent Profile 26 4.2.1 According to age 26 4.2.2 According to gender 27 4.2.3 According to highest educational attainment 29 4.2.4 According to length of service 30 4.3 Factors affecting e-learning 31 4.3.1 Respondents from BPO firms 32 4.3.2 Respondents from IT firms 33 4.4 Contribution of internal communications to e-learning effectiveness 34 4.4.1 Respondents from BPO firms 34 4.4.2 Respondents from IT firms 35 4.5 Impact of e-learning 36 4.5.1 Respondents from BPO firms 37 4.5.2 Respondents from IT firms 38 4.6 Barriers to effective e-learning 39 4.6.1 Respondents from BPO firms 40 4.6.2 Respondents from IT firms 41 4.7 T-test results 42 4.7.1 Factors affecting e-learning 43 4.7.2 Contribution of internal communications to e-learning 44 4.7.3 Impact of e-learning 44 4.7.4 Barriers to e-learning 45 4.7.5 Case study of a strategic application in an actual case involving an IT company 45 Chapter 5: Conclusion 51 5.1 Summary of findings 51 5.1.1 Factors that contribute most to the successful implementation of e-learning in the organization.

Health and safety risk assessment in civil engineering projects Essay

Health and safety risk assessment in civil engineering projects - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the welfare of people operating or working within the confines of any manufacturing or engineering environment is of main importance. Every worker should expect to be capable of carrying out their task in a safe manner that has no negative effect on their health and wellbeing. In fact, many organizations not only reduce risks and make improvements to the working environment but try to make their own working environment superior to others, making it a competitive aspect when recruiting staff. Health and safety in the field are about measures designed to protect the health and safety of workers, visitors and the general public who may be affected by workplace activities. Safety measures about controlling and reducing risks to anyone who might be affected by these activities. Health and safety are controlled largely by legislation and regulations and the law is continually being revised and updated. It is important that organizations are aware of these changes and keep up to date with developments. This unit provides an understanding of hazards and risks associated with health, safety, and welfare in an engineering workplace. Learners will develop an understanding of the requirements of health, safety and welfare legislation and regulations and of their roles in complying with the related legal obligations. Ideally, this unit would form a key component of the program, as the content is applicable to many engineering situations. Learners will be required to undertake full risk assessments and to appreciate the significant risks encountered in the workplace and the measures taken to deal with them (Melchers, 2002). They will also study the principles of reporting and recording accidents and incidents, again within a legal context. The main aim in civil engineering is to manage risk, eliminating or reducing it to acceptable levels (Melchers, 2002). Risk is the combination of the possibility of a failure event, and the risks resulting from the failure. For example, the extent of a particular failure may result in risks fatalities, injuries, property damage, or nothing more than annoyance. It may be regular, occasional, or rare happenings. The acceptability of the failure depends on the combination of the two. Probability is often more difficult to predict than severity due to the many things that could cause a failure, such as mechanical failure, environmental effects, and operator error. Any specialist in the field should be able to assess and comprehensively report on any environmental principle, from aquatic to marine science, air, soil, geology, geo-hydrology, archaeology, ecology, rehabilitation, or any such science connected to the environment. Safety engineering tries to lower the occurrence of failures, and make sure that when failures do happen, the results are not life-threatening. For instance, bridges are designed to carry loads well in excess of the heaviest truck likely to use them. This reduces the possibility of being overloaded. Most bridges are designed with back up load paths, so that if any one structural member fails, the structure will remain standing. This reduces the severity if the bridge happens to be overloaded. Safety should starts during the early design of a system. Engineers should consider what bad events can happen under what conditions, and predict the related accident risk. They should propose safety mitigation requirements in specifications at the start of development or changes to existing designs to make a system safer. These may be done by fully getting rid of any type of hazards or by lowering accident risk. More often, instead of engineers influencing the design, they should prove that an existing, completed design is safe. If the engineer discovers significant safety problems late in the development process, correcting them can be very costly (Great Britain, 2003). This type of error has the potential to waste large sums of money and likely more important, human

Middle School Advisory Program Evaluation A Program Evaluation Essay

Middle School Advisory Program Evaluation A Program Evaluation ProposalSelf Reporting can be problematic Disconnect between Likert Scale Responses and Free Responses Low Response Rate on Staff Survey - Essay Example To use of likert scale on such population would not provide accurate result considering that the views of the teachers in the Pacific Cascade Middle School were varied. This means that the scale would not be able to measure the honest attitude of the teachers. Further, this method of collecting data was must have presented the respondents with the opportunity to be influenced by the previous questions. There was tendency that the respondents were leaning towards one side of the scale just to avoid being extreme. Moreover, it was difficult to test whether the respondent were lying, even though the tools were tested for their reliability, it was still difficult to deal with the error that may have accompanied the responses. The law response rate by the respondents particularly on the free response was a major setback to verify the findings that the teachers had provided. This highly reduced the sample size that could have been very significant in obtaining facts. Mugenda & Mugenda (2010) reveals that in a population of 30, accuracy would be yielded with a turnout of over 90%. In this study, only 17 teachers returned their questionnaires. The law of research has not been able to discern how to deal with the problem with the self-reporting. This make such problems part of research. This study was affected by self-reporting that present issues like lie. Though the study attempted to place validity measures, controlling a huge number of students in shaping their attitudes towards the research was a hard

Balance-of-Power theory in World War I & II Research Paper

Balance-of-Power theory in World War I & II - Research Paper Example While WWI was more re suit of growing tension and competition, WWI was caused by direct aggression (Russel 130). The swelling of nationalist pride that began in the 19th century and endured into the 20th induced both wars at least partly. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the conflict between on Serbia and Austria, for example, was a result of Serbian nationalism and was fueled by a longing for self-determination. World War II was also begun by nationalism, especially that of the Germans. It was this German nationalism and desire for sell‘-determination that fueled Hitler's campaigns to take over Europe. Both wars were sparked by the upset of the delicate balance of power in Europe. In WWI, tension between the big powers of the time- Germany Britain Russia and France- upset this balance, likewise the balance was tipped ones again when Hitler’s campaign began and the German ‘Reich’ began to expand. While WWI began with a conflict between small countrie s, which then branched out through the tangled alliances of Europe to other larger countries. WWII began with the big powers. WWI can be traced back to the rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Over time, large powers such as Russia and Germany stepped in to defend their allies and this enraged oven more countries. The inception of WWI was therefore like a 'ripple' effect beginning quite small, and then expanding. WWII was quite the opposite, beginning with the brutal campaigns and expansion of revisionist powers Germany and Japan. If WWI began with a ripple, WWII began with explosion. Large European powers got involved in WW1 because they wanted to protect their allies, not because of direct acts of aggression against them. WWII was marked by such acts daggrassim as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the invasion of Poland, and the Rape of Hackling. While WWI began largely because of tension between countries that had been caused by competition over reign markets and colonies (Paul et al 112). Largely Fascism and a thirst for revenge began WWII. Hitler’s attacks on Europe and the transformation of Germany into a dictatorship was made possible because the German people were vulnerable and scarred by the previous war. These wars could be considered one continual conflict that was not properly resolved in the interim. The nationalism, alliances, and aggression that led to both wars points out that their roots were quite similar. The lesson learned is that the resolutions or lack of it has therefore shaped the way we make peace today. Both World War I and II were preceded by large armament buildups. In WWI, in Europe they were of a long-standing nature and in response to balance-of-power exigencies which usually placed a two to four times greater per capita burden on the populace than in the United States Germany‘s per capita burden was 7.65 times more than that of the US. There was no doubt that it was a nation poised for war. There was little suppo rt for a contrary opinion in both world wars; eminent expenses grew beyond the security needs of the nations. Rates immediately prior to both wars were of such a magnitude as to strongly suggest the imminence of war. In both these cases, inhibitory controls on armaments could have prevented wars of the sizes that occurred. For example, Treaty of versatile prohibitions on Germany and the League of Nations treaties vetoed by Great Britain in the 1923-25 period. What distinguished the occurrence of WWI and WWII entailed the dependence on the military, and the inhibitory controls. The choices made were military ones: balance of power and Maginot Lincoln neither ease did these methods perform, as intended, to prevent war. In terms of the present model in the WWI-WWII interim period, German DT was not

An eclectic slant towards a functional education Essay

An eclectic slant towards a functional education - Essay Example Viewed on a micro level, there seems to be nothing wrong with it; however, when it is seen on a much larger scale, many problems begin to surface out. Although it might be a sweeping generalization to claim that most high schools in the United States exist in order to prepare their students for higher education, it still remains a fact that the existing curricula in the Unites States are mainly geared towards making them smart â€Å"test takers.† According to sociologists, educators definitely have their own reasons for designing their respective programs of study; and undeniably, each state or even district has its own set of curricula. Nevertheless, it still cannot be categorically denied that most high schools in the United States exist in order to prepare their students for tertiary education. This can be clearly seen in the curricula of most public and private learning institutions wherein math, science, and humanities take up a large chunk of their learning time. What do es this tell us? Simple. They are being molded to the kind of citizens they expect them to be without thoroughly considering the existing needs and demands of the society. The bandwagon still wins. Medicine, law, business management, banking and finance, and other related courses still rank (and perhaps perceived) as the most desirable fields of endeavor. As a result, high school graduates dream of becoming one; and they cannot be blamed for aiming to become one due to the glamour, prestige and financial rewards that such professions provide. However, for the society to function well, it needs to have different kinds of people with different skills and discipline that can help towards the realization of its goal: dynamic growth and development.

Power & Privilege - Fashioning a plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Power & Privilege - Fashioning a plan - Essay Example The paper "Power & Privilege - Fashioning a plan" is a personal expression of my own belief system along with a strategy for affecting change. I found the articles by these two writers, as well as those of Johnson, to be interesting; but I find myself somewhat critical of their bias. I agree with Peters that â€Å"[s]ystems and institutions that regulate class location are much more powerful than individuals† (Peters 1). There are certainly individuals who work hard and try to improve their lives and situations and are prevented from achieving complete success due to the resistance of the powerful; and social change efforts should be made to address those inequities. I can’t accept, however, that â€Å"everyone deserves what you have; you just happen to have it† or her idea that â€Å"empowered people enrich themselves by leaving exploitative, dehumanizing work to others†. This position implies too much intentionality to what often is random placement with in the socio-economic spectrum or the result of individual choice. As James and Robinson point out, â€Å"there are necessarily differences between people. We all perceive these differences and make judgments about others based on them...† (xv), and this is exactly what Peters does; she makes judgments about those employed in menial jobs from her perspective of upper-middle class privilege. She would never be happy bagging groceries; ergo, no one else can be either. That’s just a little too simplistic. As for Alperovitz, putting his political partisanship aside.... As Schultz notes, "social reformers and activists would be better served by reconsidering how much hope was placed upon working through the courts versus investing more time to win critical victories thorough the political process" (9). The legal system certainly has its place in addressing the suppression of classes of individuals, but the political system is a better tool for social policy. It also has the benefit of being the voice of the people, rather than that of an activist judiciary or single governmental branch. What I have learned. From this course, I have come to a fresh understanding of power and privilege generally, the impact of the misuse of those concepts on the radically disenfranchised, as well as my own place within the dynamic. I don't believe that the positions taken by authors on either extreme are realistic. An individual's plight is not solely the result of his or her own choices, but neither is it necessarily the intentional infliction of harm by a bad system. Certainly, many individuals must shoulder the burden of their own choices and it is far too easy to blame the system for their condition. On the other hand, there really are those people who are neither powerful nor privileged as a result of systemic oppression or neglect. As I look at my own standing in society and the privileges I enjoy, I am aware of those who have more and those who have less. I think that everyone is both privileged and disenfranchised on some level. The distinction for me lies within the individua l circumstances under consideration. The middle-class college student has more inherited privilege than the impoverished gang member, naturally. I am

An eclectic slant towards a functional education Essay

An eclectic slant towards a functional education - Essay Example Viewed on a micro level, there seems to be nothing wrong with it; however, when it is seen on a much larger scale, many problems begin to surface out. Although it might be a sweeping generalization to claim that most high schools in the United States exist in order to prepare their students for higher education, it still remains a fact that the existing curricula in the Unites States are mainly geared towards making them smart â€Å"test takers.† According to sociologists, educators definitely have their own reasons for designing their respective programs of study; and undeniably, each state or even district has its own set of curricula. Nevertheless, it still cannot be categorically denied that most high schools in the United States exist in order to prepare their students for tertiary education. This can be clearly seen in the curricula of most public and private learning institutions wherein math, science, and humanities take up a large chunk of their learning time. What do es this tell us? Simple. They are being molded to the kind of citizens they expect them to be without thoroughly considering the existing needs and demands of the society. The bandwagon still wins. Medicine, law, business management, banking and finance, and other related courses still rank (and perhaps perceived) as the most desirable fields of endeavor. As a result, high school graduates dream of becoming one; and they cannot be blamed for aiming to become one due to the glamour, prestige and financial rewards that such professions provide. However, for the society to function well, it needs to have different kinds of people with different skills and discipline that can help towards the realization of its goal: dynamic growth and development.

History of Japanese Internment Camps Research Paper

History of Japanese Internment Camps - Research Paper Example They had to stay within one of the ten â€Å"relocation camps† just because their ethnic heritage was Japanese, because Japan had attacked the United States and because Americans were frightened. After such an intense effort to deny how Hitler was systematically obliterating the Jews, the United States did the exact same thing to Japanese Americans. Of course, they stopped short of the gas chambers, but otherwise, the Japanese internment camps were very close to Nazi concentration camps. Even before Pearl Harbor, Americans did not trust Asians, regardless of their ethnicity. In the 1882 the Chinese immigration exclusion bill became law, but most Americans did not differentiate between Asian ethnicities. Many harbored hate for anyone who looked Asian. This feeling was strongest in California perhaps because many Asians began coming to the United States around the time of the California Gold Rush in 1849, and they ended up on the West Coast, many in California. All Asians were e xploited for cheap labor, but white Americans began to see Chinese immigrants as the main competition for jobs. The 1882 law stopped the immigration of people from China, but other Asians came to the United States, and they endured the blatant racism that existed. â€Å"The experiences of Chinese immigrants foreshadowed those of Japanese immigrants, who began arriving about the same time the Chinese exclusion bill was passed. Japanese immigrants were called Issei, from the combination of the Japanese words for ‘one’ and ‘generation;’ their children, the American-born second generation, are Nisei, and the third generation are Sansei. . . .The Issei mostly came from the Japanese countryside, and they generally arrived, either in Hawaii or the mainland West Coast, with very little money. Approximately half became farmers, while others went to the coastal urban centers and worked in small commercial establishments, usually for themselves or for other Isseiâ₠¬  (Burton, Farrell, Lord, & Lord, 2001). This was the population breakdown of Japanese Americans at the time of their forced internment. Some were Issei but most were Nisei or Sansei. Many Japanese Americans were well-respected members of the community, involved in their communities and politically connected. But that did not make a difference when U.S. government officials decided to prevent any sort of internal conspiracy. â€Å"Despite many Japanese American elites’ sincere support for the American government, high-ranking federal government officials and military brass removed and interned all West Coast Japanese, basing their decision on several factors. Their considerations involved both strategic military, diplomatic, and political elements, a complex web reflected in the assigning of the removal task to the War Department, and internment to the Justice Department and the WRA. Their decision and implementation took place in stages, beginning with the impounding of a ssets, then individual removal and internment, voluntary relocation, and, finally, coerced, mass removal and internment† (Hayashi, 2004, p. 76). These â€Å"steps† to â€Å"voluntary imprisonment† mirrored the same steps that another country, Germany, took when placing another ethnic group, Jews, in their internment camps, which is ironic because that was one of the reasons the United States entered the war. Not specifically because of what was being done to the Jews, no. Previous to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Americans

Prison makes bad people worse Essay Example for Free

Prison makes bad people worse Essay In the year 2002, there were just over 68,000 persons in prison in England and Wales, 6,000 in Scotland and 1,200 in Northern Ireland. In the case of England and Wales, this is a few thousand more than in 1999, but at this time the plateau stood in marked comparison to the trend up to 1997-8 and it was by no means certain that this could be maintained, (Morgan, 2002). These findings serve to highlight the progressive increase in rising prison numbers in the UK the causes of which are continually in debate and beg the question; what happens when there is no more room left in our prisons? For the purpose of this essay, this author assumes that the statement â€Å"prison makes bad people worse† infers that an offender, who serves a custodial sentence, is more likely to re-offend upon release. Before evaluating this statement and reaching a conclusion, this author will introduce a brief history of the prison system in an attempt to offer an understanding of how imprisonment has become the most severe penalty imposed on offenders in the UK today. Prisons all over the world have existed for many years for the purpose of confining those in society who have committed a crime serious enough to warrant such a sentence. The purpose of prison is now not only to inflict a punishment but also to attempt to rehabilitate offenders contrasting with the early days of imprisonment where little rehabilitative work was done. A custodial sentence is now the most severe penalty that an offender can be sentenced to in the UK following the abolition of the death penalty in 1965. Imprisonment is intended to punish offenders through restricting freedom and liberty as well as unfavourable living conditions in the name of ‘less eligibility’, (Morgan, 2002). This in no way is intended to suggest that conditions in prisons are inhumane although reports exist from previous investigations that would suggest otherwise. Punishment for offenders was served in a very different manner prior to the nineteenth century. Punishments at this time in the main consisted of physical punishment which would often involve torture, public humiliation and even execution. After decades of this type of punishment being administered, the torture and public humiliation elements ceased. The infliction of physical pain was replaced by the principle that the loss of rights and wealth would serve as an adequate deterrent for further offending. Although this altered form of punishment apparently focused on the mind of the individual, it could still be argued that custodial sentences still impose an element of physical torture indirectly by food rationing, sexual deprivation and solitary confinement. These aspects of punishments are still relevant within the penal system today, (Flynn, 1998). Many different explanations exist for why this change from physical punishment to imprisonment came about, one of which argues that the reason for the shift was due to humanitarianism and reform which would offer a more humane and civilised alternative to the methods of previous years, (Wilson, Ellis, Mikulski, Nash, 2003). An opposing argument suggested that this was not the case and that the defining of a new age and more effective punishment by focusing on the reform of offenders into the ‘disciplined subject’ were the main reasons for this shift in operation, (Foucault, 1977). Despite this argument, one of the most influential factors associated with how prisons operate in the UK today is the concept of human rights. The 1998 Human Rights Act governs these rights. Along with this, the Prisons Inspectorate introduced guidelines on what factors should constitute a healthy custodial environment based on international human rights principles. Arising from the World Health Organisation’s influence, four tests are used to identify whether a healthy custodial environment is present. Firstly, prisoners must be held in safety. Secondly, they must be treated with respect and dignity as human beings. Thirdly, they must be able to engage in purposeful activity, and lastly, prisoners must be prepared for resettlement into the community prior to release, (Owers, 2003). Because of the unpleasantness of imprisonment it is necessary for this type of punishment to be justified. Prison can be very unpleasant for many offenders as their liberty is severely reduced, their contact with family and friends is minimised, and it can infer many social disadvantages that may lead to offenders becoming socially excluded upon their release from custody. In order to justify imprisonment as a viable punishment, numerous theories or arguments have been introduced in an attempt to support this sentencing option. One argument that attempts to justify imprisonment is the concept of Reductionism. This argument suggests that custodial sentences reduce the number of crimes committed. Those in agreement with this theory also argue that the number of crimes committed will be less if someone is punished in this manner, than there would be if no punishment were imposed at all, (Cavadino Dignan, 1997). This theory also suggests that society as a whole, has a greater influence than the individual and therefore an offender would be powerless to justify not going to prison if he/she had committed a crime that endangered public safety, (Abercrombie, Hill, Turner, 1988). However, it could be argued that this theory suggests that crimes are only committed by those who are in prison ignoring the concept that there are many in society committing crimes that have never been caught. Deterrence is another theory used to justify imprisonment as an appropriate punishment by arguing that people will not offend because they are too fearful of the consequences should they be caught as the punishment is seen as too severe. There are two elements to this theory, firstly there is individual deterrence which suggests that an offender will not re-offend because the punishment they received last time was so severe that it has deterred them from doing it again. Secondly, there is general deterrence which argues that a punishment imposed on one offender for a crime will deter others from offending, as they know exactly what the consequences are. At first glance, deterrence theory appears to hold validity, but in reality research findings have indicated that sentencing offenders to custodial sentences has a more influential effect. Once an offender has been in prison they may find themselves labelled by the rest of society and categorised into a stereotype with unfavourable connotations. This may hinder their attempts to live lawful lives for example; problems getting a job and even psychological effects, which may become apparent in their behaviour, (Cavadino Dignan, 1997). This evidence could be used to support the argument that prison does make people worse. Rehabilitation theory suggests that some forms of punishment can actually reduce the likelihood of re-offending and alter an offender’s behaviour and attitude. Together the prison service and the probation service are heavily involved with rehabilitation as well as the treatment and training of offenders, (Wilson et al, 2003). As a main aim of the prison service to assist in the rehabilitation of offenders, the provision of accredited programmes such as PASRO (Prisons Addressing Substance Related Offending) and ETS (Enhanced Thinking Skills) attempt to address prisoners’ offending behaviour whilst in prison. However, a report by the Social Exclusion Unit found that the prison experience causes such damage to an offenders’ rehabilitation that it outweighs the effectiveness of the programmes, (Solomon, 2003). Another criticism of the penal system is that many offenders are sentenced to such short periods of custody that they are unable to gain access to any rehabilitative interventions. This evidence could also suggest that prison can make bad people worse. The theory of incapacitation implies more emphasis on public protection rather than the behaviour of offenders which coincidently is another main remit of the probation service. Quite simply, this theory argues that if an offender is in custody they are unable to commit crime and therefore ensuring public safety for the duration of the sentence giving piece of mind to members of society, (Ainsworth, 2000). It could be argued that this theory fails to recognise that crime often occurs within prisons including violence, bullying and drug offences. Another criticism of this theory is that as mentioned earlier, the public will only be protected in this manner for the duration of a sentence. Lastly, retribution theory holds that punishment is imposed on an offender to redress the balance between offenders and their victims in making sure that the offender suffers for their crime. Ainsworth (2000), recognises that seeing an offender incarcerated may make the victims feel that justice has been done. However, this is often not the case as many offenders receive sentences that the victim may feel does not reflect the harm that has been caused to them as a result of the offence. Now that some of the justifications for imprisonment have been discussed, it is now possible to explore conformity within prisons which may assist in reaching a conclusion on whether the statement â€Å"prison makes bad people worse† can be justified. Conformity, a theory closely linked with labelling theory, suggests that an individual may conform to social rules or may even assume a social role because it is recognised as the norm in their environment. Heavily influenced by the levels of power, social roles exist predominantly in the prison environment especially between prison officers and offenders. One study that attempted to explore power dynamics and how easy it is to assume a role was conducted in August 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo and was named the Stanford Prison Experiment. Twenty-five male volunteers took part in the experiment and were taken to a mock prison where each person was assigned a role of either prisoner or guard. The guards had the authority to dictate 24 hour a day rules to the prisoners the results of which were shocking and are still referred to today. A number of prisoners had to be released due to mental health illnesses arising from the trauma of the situation. The experiment, which was intended to last for two weeks, was terminated after six days due to the pathological reactions of the prisoners who ironically had been selected for their normality. The findings were that the environment transformed the participants and after a few days, the role dominated the person, (Alexander, 2001). This experiment highlighted social power as the being the major factor in the participant’s behaviour as all the guards at some point displayed abuse, authoritarian attitudes, and appeared to enjoy being in control. Zimbardo argued that this abnormal behaviour is a product of transactions within an environment that supports this behaviour. The labels placed upon the participants became valid in this environment and pathological behaviour was the outcome, (Wilson et al, 2003). This experiment still has implications for the prison system today in that Zimbardo argued that the current prison system is guaranteed to cause severe pathological reactions within prisoners causing a debasement of their humanity, low self esteem and making it difficult to integrate into society outside of prison, (Wilson et al, 2003). This would suggest that labelling and conformity theories are a case for prison making bad people worse. Whilst in prison an offender may assume a role that could be continued upon their release. Zimbardos’ experiment provides an adequate basis for discussing the sociological theory of a prison subculture sometimes referred to as the inmate code. The prison society exists apart from the rest of society and therefore it is understandable that norms and values are very different between the two. Sykes (1958) found that the inmate code is something that may give a prisoner an identity and help them to cope with the effects of imprisonment. The code is thought to include certain rules such as not fraternising with staff, acquiring a position in the inmate ‘pecking order’, and giving the impression of toughness in emotion and physical appearance. Clemmer (1940) argued this to be part of the prisonisation process which arguably reinforces criminal behaviour as prisoners become used to opposing authority which is likely to continue in the outside world, (Cited in Morgan, 2002). Therefore, attempts at rehabilitation may be hindered by this and could be used to argue that prison makes bad people worse. So what statistical evidence is there to support the statement â€Å"prisons make bad people worse†? Reports into the subject have found that prisons have a poor record in reducing re-offending and that 59% of offenders are reconvicted within two years of release. For male youths under the age of twenty-one, the reconviction rate is 74% over the same period of time. Research findings from the Social Exclusion Unit have indicated that re-offending by ex-prisoners costs society approximately ? 11 billion each year and that they are responsible for one in five recorded crimes, (Solomon, 2003). This evidence would appear to suggest that people who have served custodial sentences have been made worse by the experience and that imprisonment is not an effective punishment. Contributing to this argument is the theory that these statistics are only obtained from recorded crime suggesting that the figures may in reality be significantly higher as many crimes are not recorded. In conclusion it would appear that there is much evidence to support the claim that prison makes bad people worse such as the statistical evidence revealing reconviction rates. On the other hand, there are also arguments for prison as an effective punishment such as the justifications for imprisonment including rehabilitation and deterrence theories. It would appear that prison does indeed have an influence on some prisoners re-offending but it would be difficult to assume that this is the case for all offenders who have served a custodial sentence. This would suggest that for some offenders prison is effective and for others it is not. Having said this, it is important to recognise that prison does ensure public safety from offenders who pose danger to society, but only for the period they are in custody unless they emerge from prison rehabilitated. For those offenders who could be dealt with in another manner, community penalties offer the versatility in sentencing options necessary to provide effective punishment without contributing to the growing problem of increasing prison numbers. It is therefore vital that the most appropriate punishment is imposed individually taking the crime and the offenders’ circumstances into account when sentencing.