More than a Lesbian Novel Essay

Anna Maria Moix is a Spanish novelist, journalist, essay writer, poet and a translator. â€Å"Julia† is her first novel which is an autobiographical novel. Many characters and incidents from this novel are influenced by her life. The novel â€Å"Julia† is a very beautiful and thought provoking novel by Moix. It is called as a lesbian novel. According to some critics, in Julia, the pedagogical scene of seduction is subverted by making it lesbian scene. Julia’s relationship with her teachers like Senorita Mabel and especially Eva is shown as lesbian type of relationship. While some critics oppose it by putting forward the opposite opinion. According to them the relationship between Eva and Julia is much more than a lesbian one. â€Å"The title character in this novel embarks on a relationship with Eva, her literature teacher. Though the novel suggests a sexual dimension to the relationship, it never makes the sexual dynamics patently clear, and Julia never becomes fully aware of her sexuality. For her, Eva represents mother, friend, and lover. † [1] Thus critically it is described as a lesbian novel. It is because of the inclination of the female protagonist towards Eva and some other women. Lesbian concept is not a new concept for the European writers. Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson and other many writers have written on lesbian theory. Winterson â€Å"Written on Body† in this case is such an unusual novel in which the readers never realize whether the narrator on whom the entire story is woven is male or female character. It might be perhaps because the female authors could not explain the lesbian theories openly due to the social constraints. Hence that she has indirectly put the theory of lesbianism Julia was published after a great scrutiny because writing on lesbianism or homosexuality was a taboo in the society. Now on such background the question arises whether the novel â€Å"Julia† is really lesbian or it is about something more. As per my observation, though it has the references of obsessive and intense relationship of the protagonist Julia with her literature professor, it cannot be concluded that it is entirely a lesbian novel. In Julia Anna Moix has unfolded the gloomy and devastated life of the protagonist right from her tender age to entire life. The author has given more focus on the mental and psychosomatic condition of the protagonist Julia which appeals more than her lesbian tendency. According to Katharina Wilson â€Å"it is a story of a â€Å"self destructive adolescent psyche of a teenager. †Ã¢â‚¬  She states, â€Å"Her first novel Julia (1970) though narrated in the third person is intensely subjective and intimate, drawing the reader immediately into the inner monologues of a tormented and self destructive adolescent psyche. † Katharina Wilson also writes, â€Å"In exploring the dark world of divided self, obsessed by a lost double from the past (the sixteen years old Julia), Moix also delicately alludes to the problem of sexual identity as it takes shape in the form of unconscious lesbianism. †[2] Though Julia was closely attached with many women in her life she is not entitled lesbian. The circumstance in which Julia grows has to be taken into account. These circumstances compel her to attract towards women. She loves women not out of any attraction but because she hates men. Her experience about the men was very sickening. At the very tender age of six she was raped by Victor who was their family friend. And this was the reason that the repugnance for men developed in her mind and a strong and striking need for a female grew in her mind. In short Moix is persistent about explaining the inner mind of Julia. â€Å"Julia,† the novel published in 1970, describes about typical teenager young college girl. Julia, who is in love with her literature professor Eva and decides to commit suicide out of the nervous breakdown when she comes to know that she cannot keep romantic relationship with her female partner due to social bondage and threats,. Eva for Julia is more than just a sexual partner. For her she is like a mother and in her loneliness she just wants Eva to be with her. â€Å"She only wanted to be close to Eva. She wanted her presence and nothing else. † [3] The story starts with the protagonist mental condition when she is there in the hospital lonely and totally broken hearted. Here the author has vividly depicted each and every facets of the complex mind of the protagonist. Why she has been called as a lesbian, just because she has intense love in her mind for a female figure? This is not the only reason. The subterranean â€Å"raison d’etre† is that she wants a female figure under whose shelter she can be safe and secure. She cannot find the security and safety in the arms of any man, because for her man is just like a wolf who has crunched into her body as well as mind. Her childhood was a like a nightmare for her because of the very unfortunate experience of the rape. This is the reason why Julia wanted to keep herself far away from the men. Her relationship with Eva is thus dignified by the author which according to her not unusual and wrong. Julia’s mother was never close to her and she wants to experience the real love of the mother and for that she has chosen Eva, who is her mother in her imaginations â€Å"Eva is for Julia a mother, a sister and a friend. There is an attempt to ‘explain away’ lesbianism not as desiring women, but as fear of men. † [3] Here I would like to refer the story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson, â€Å"The Little Match Girl,† who was shivering and almost dead because of hunger and cold. At that time for getting herself warm she lit a stick from her matchbox and the small and tiny light of the little stick gives her hundreds of beautiful dreams from which she doesn’t want to come out. Eva’s presence for Julia is like a warm in the deadly winter. Eva is like an Oasis in the deserted life of Julia. But Eva’s presence is nothing but a hallucination. Eva is like a lighthouse for the ship of Julia’s life. When she realizes that this lighthouse is collapsed she cannot survive herself and then she decides to end her life. â€Å"Over a course of a sleepless night the 20-year-old Julia recollects instances from her past as she lies in a hospital bed following a suicide attempt. Her intense physical aversion to men and recurrent obsession with a series of strong female figures would seem to stem from traumatic childhood experiences, including her rape at the age of 6 by a family friend and the emotional deprivation felt in the relationship with her mother. † [4] From Julia the author brings forward her opinion that the lesbians are not women who love women but who hate men. Rather than calling this novel as a lesbian novel we can say that it is the novel depicts the rebellious attitude of the women who have been for years and years tormented by the patriarchal and male dominated society. This novel is also called a novel of relationship. Rather the theme of relationship constantly remains dominant rather than the lesbianism. Moix reveals the different ridges of relationship in it. The author has outspread the different types of relationships of the protagonist right from her childhood, her relationship with her family members, the deteriorated relationship between her and her mother, the death of her beloved brother Rafael, her relationship with her older brother Ernesto, Every where we find the blemished relationship. In the crowd of the people the Julia seems to be alone and isolated. The failure in maintaining the relationship can cause the mental and psychological damage of the person. Anna Moix tries to show the complexities of the relationship as well as the lack of harmony among all the characters. The novel represents such society where the family system is collapsed. This novel is the symbol of the society which has lost the family values and morality. The characters are shown self centered and no one seems to bother about the rest of the members of the society. Relationship is lacking with every character. Julia is searching for the love in the female figures. She has to search it from the outside world because she is not finding it in her family members. The relationship of Julia with her mother which ought to be very close, and there aught to be a natural attachment and affection between mother and daughter is in reality very stained. Her mother is shown as a self centered who never tries to know what exactly her daughter expects, and what exactly her responsibility towards her daughter. We strongly feel it when we read the scene of rape done on Julia by the Victor. At that time she needs her Mama’s tender touch and her love and solace but she was abdicated ruthlessly by her mother. â€Å"She would escape from Victor and run to mama, who was talking and laughing nonstop, ignoring her. Little Julia would tap her on the arms, and Mama would ask: Do you want a coke? No. And she would keep on touching Mama until, irritated, she would yell at her or slap her, and little Julia burst into tears. Aurelia – Mama called – put her to bed, she is unbearable. † [5]She needs love, pampering from her mother which is her Psychological and quite natural need. But this basic need is also never fulfilled by her mother. She knows that she is a big burden for her mother and this feeling creates more and more insecurity in her mind. This pampering she is searching in another woman. In Julia the author also focuses on the growing materialism in the society. Everybody is involved in gaining the worldly pleasure. Everybody is careless and is not in position to think of the other. Julia’s brother is a homosexual. There is total miscommunication between the relationships of Julia’s parents. Everybody has chosen their own path life in which they don’t want to involve other family members. Under the roof of one house they are living like strangers. They don’t want to share their happiness, their sorrow with the others. Why life has become so difficult for the protagonist? Why does she want to escape from her present? Why can’t she accept the present bravely? Why does she prefer to stay in her past life? These are very important questions arise while the reading of the novel. Julia is not a novel which just propounds the theory of lesbianism but it is the psychological novel which focuses on the mental condition of the protagonist. The protagonist is caught by the split personality. Young Julia is not ready to accept the fact of her being young and she wants to be in the past. The incident of rape has been carved on her mind so intensely that she prefers to live the life of listlessness and detachment. She prefers to live an isolated life. â€Å"As her remembrances peel away the layers of her past, she reveals chilling details of a life filled with alienation and unhappiness. [6] This is the reason why she cannot face the relationship with the opposite sex. The horror experience becomes her inability to enter into the relationship with opposite sex. When Carol kisses her she feels it as a nightmare and it reminds r the incident of her violent rape. â€Å"a beach, rocks, a sea urchin, the paddle boat floating on the sea. † (Page 209, Julia) There is a constant conflict in her mind, the conflict of two different personalities, Julia and Julita. Julita is her past which is being more and more dominated. â€Å"Her schizophrenic experience eventually leads to an unsuccessful suicide attempt. According to German Bleiberg â€Å"The novel is relentless psychological whodunit, narrated as the interior monologue of the disturbed and intermittently suicidal young protagonist. † [7] The novel consists of the series of memory of Julia’s life right from her childhood to the present day. â€Å"These memories carry from her childhood to her present traumatic psychological stagnation. † [8] Julia has locked herself in deep pains. Her pains are like a web which the protagonist fails to break. Her story is necessarily thought from psychological point of view. When we start thinking from that perception we realize that this is not just a lesbian novel. It is a deep and thorough study of human psyche. And when we change the angle of our thoughts and starts thinking from the point of view of the protagonist, we start feeling sympathetic about the protagonist. The entire novel seems to be haunted by a weird silence. A voiceless ness is spread around the protagonist. She is completely fed up of all types of relationships and the people that she wants to stay alone. She rather feels safe in her loneliness. That is why when she arrives in the city she feels as if she is captured in the cage. â€Å"The noise, continuous movement of cars and buses, and the sight of so many people in the streets made her feel dizzy. † [9] Julia was blamed by the other school children for being silent and for not mixing with anybody. â€Å"She found herself forced to stay locked up in the classroom for four hours in the morning and three in the afternoon, sitting behind a desk, among twenty other girls. She didn’t talk to anybody. If they asked her something, she answered with a fewest possible words. After a week at School, they called her â€Å"the girl who doesn’t talk. †[10] Thus apparently it seems a lesbian novel but if we consider the other factors of this novel we realize that the story has a depth and it wants to tell us something else and lesbianism is just one of the parts of the novel. Thus this novel focuses many factors such as a world of chaos and anarchy, the broken frame of the family structure, the voiceless ness, materialism and self centered attitude of the modern society, lack of communication between the human beings, the physical and psychological exploitation of the women by the society and the spoiled human relationships. This novel also reveals the psychological problems which arise due to the loneliness insecurity and individualism. Being a typical feminist novel it throws the light on various above factors which are more dominating than the lesbian theme. Sources: [1] (Page 4, Spanish Literature, glbtq literature, http://www. glbtq. com/literature/spanish_lit,4. html) [2] (Page 853, â€Å"An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers,† by Katharina M. Wilson, Published by Tailor & Francis) [3] (Page 4, â€Å"Julia,† Anna Moix, Sandra Kingery , published by University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [3] (Page 287, â€Å"Who’s who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History†, By Robert Aldrich, Garry, Published by Routledge, 2001) [4] (Page 199, â€Å"A New History of Spanish Writing by Christopher Perriam†, published by Oxford University Press. ) [5](Page 41, Julia, Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [6](Page 140, â€Å"Dangerous Virtues†, By Ana Maria Moix, Margaret E. W. Jones, published by University of Nebraska Press, 1997) [7] (Page1107, â€Å"L-Z†, by German Bleiberg, published by Greenwood Publishing Group. ) [8] (Page 37, â€Å"Queer Transitions in Contemporary Spanish Culture,† By Gema Perez-Sanchez, published by Suny Press. ) [9] (Page93, â€Å"Julia† Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004) [10] (Page93, â€Å"Julia† Written by Anna Moix, translated by Sandra Kingery, University of Nebraska Press, 2004)

The Ideas of the Classical Theorists, Particularly

The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashion and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organization today. Is this really the case? The classical theory is the earliest form of management that perceived that a set of universal principles would apply to all the organizations in all situations to achieve efficiency and organization's goals. co.uk/nursing-scientific-management-and-frederick-taylor/">Scientific management and bureaucratic theory were one of the several components of the classical school of organization.Important pioneers among them are Frederick Taylor and Max Weber. The classical theories have been contested of little relevance to work and organization today simply because today’s organizations have moved from industrial revolution to the information age due to the fast-paced change in technology (Toffler, 1984). Although bureaucracy has been synonymous to red tape and has negatives effects such as â€Å"rigidity, alienation and low commitment† (Adler, 1999, p. 7) and dehumanizing people (Grey, 2009), the characteristics of bureaucracy such as specialization, hierarchy of authority, system of rules and impersonality (Stewart, 1986) as well as evidence of ongoing existence of this management method, bureaucracy is proved to remain noteworthy. This essay will examine the situation presented in organization today, and determine whether bureaucracy and scientific management can be considered as old fashioned, out of date and of little relevance to work and organization today.With the broad set of powerful economic, social and technological changes – greater competition, globalization of production, rising demand for innovation, new forms of information technology and wide change in customer preferences have concluded that the days of stable structures of bureaucratic models are over. According to Warren, he concluded tha t there was no longer the stable business environment which bureaucracy exists, resulting in the rigid and formal rules of bureaucracy to be obsolete (Knights and Willmott, 2006). Like dinosaurs, mechanistic organizations are doomed and the days of post-bureaucracies have arrived† (Du Gay, 2005). With an increasing growth in knowledge-intensive sectors, for example consultancy companies, law and accounting firms, advertising agencies, research-and-development and IT companies, the need for flexibility and capacities for creative action has become more important than narrow efficiency (Karreman, Sveningsson and Alvesson, 2002).These knowledge-intensive firms are performing tasks that are more complex than before, making it more challenging to convert them into standardized work procedures and regulations, which make bureaucracy model become less relevant to work today. Supported by Mr Paul, who was the Vice-Chairman of Wipro from 1999 to 200, â€Å"IT service companies need a fundamental redesign. The bureaucracy is killing customer satisfaction† (Narasimhan, 2011). At the same time, it suggests employees demand for more flexibility and autonomy, rather than simply following orders and rules.However, studies show that knowledge-intensive companies are becoming more bureaucratic in their operations. In the case of Beta Consulting Company, â€Å"authority is seen practiced through hierarchy, work methodology is standardized and work procedures are fine-tuned towards predictability of outputs† (Karreman, Sveningsson and Alvesson, 2002). Since the 1970s, there is also an alleged shift from â€Å"industrial† to â€Å"post industrial† era, from mass production of standard products to short products for the niche markets.For example, the Apple IPhone demonstrates a shorter production run such as a new version of the IPhone is released every year (Smith, 2011). Post-bureaucracy is proposed as a new organizational model which is more ap propriate to today’s business environment in a sense that it is based on trust, empowerment, personal treatment and shared responsibility. A flatter and organic structure of post-bureaucracy is fundamental to allow employees to be more creative and capable of adapting themselves to the variety of new problems faced in today’s competitive environment.There is also a reduction in the level of hierarchy to allow employees to take greater responsibility, which in return increases job satisfaction (du Gay, 2005). On the contrary, greater responsibility can actually cause greater stress for employees, as they now no longer have the same level of protection that bureaucracies can provide. Nevertheless, the idea-type of post-bureaucracy also imposes problems such as lost of control, risk and unfairness (Knights and Willmott, 2006). The claims of the death of bureaucracy and the emergence of Post-Bureaucracy are further debated.Evidence of bureaucracy model is shown in George R itzer’s McDonaldization. Ritzer defines McDonaldization as, â€Å"the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 4). The fast-food industry is the paradigm of McDonaldization and reflects on the instrumental rationality that Weber identified. In this case, the success of McDonald’s restaurants has been noticeable up till today and is because it offers consumers, workers and managers â€Å"efficiency, calculability, predictability and control† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 6). It provides convenience for the customer in today’s fast-paced environment and customers are ensured similar taste, quantity and quality to whichever restaurant they go. McDonald’s has also shown great evidence of the continuing use of Taylorism techniques for measuring, timing and evaluating work. One of the main aspects of scientific management that McDonald’s have implemented into their business is the Fordist management style where everyone works according to an assembly line. Fordism has been called â€Å"Taylorism plus the assembly line† (Rosenberg, 1969).During the days of Ford Motors, Henry Ford implemented the fordist model in the car-manufacturing firm, and McDonald’s have distinctly adapted this idea into their corporate culture. For example, the company has designed all of its food chain branches in such a style that employees do not have to take more than two steps to complete their task. Further evidence suggesting that Taylor’s ideas have been implemented would be for example, the importance of creating the best worker for the job, through the division of tasks and specialization among workers.The method in which McDonald’s for example, create their hamburger is a form of deskilling and division of task, by simplification of a task; first grilling the burger, putting in other ingredients, adding sauce, placing them onto bread roll and then wrapping it up. From this, a break down of job task and having each individual to do specific steps improves efficiency. Other aspects such as cooking times, drinks dispensers and french fries machines are used to limit the time needed to complete a task, hence showing aspects of scientific management (Jozzo1000, 2007).Without this management style, McDonald’s probably would not be in such dominant and efficient position in the market. However, the McDonaldization system has been heavily criticized. Despite the effect of Taylor’s scientific management on the workplace has increased productivity while replacing skilled craftsman with unskilled workers, it reduces workers to automatons. Individuals equipped with advanced skills are limited to highly simplified tasks and hence restricting them from living up to their human potential. It also assumes workers are satisfied by money alone.Frederick Herzbergâ⠂¬â„¢s two-factor theory has successfully supported this view. Herzberg developed a theory that contradicted Taylor’s ideas as he developed â€Å"job enrichment†. Herzberg stated that there are two factors that could motivate an individual, Hygiene and Motivator. Hygiene factors once fulfilled will remove job dissatisfaction but will not motivate. In order to motivate, the motivation factors must be fulfilled. This goes against Taylor’s ideas of workers are motivated primarily by salary as Herzberg’s analysis proved that money is not a motivating factor (Brooks, 2009).More criticisms such as in McDonald’s, tasks are repetitive and boring and hence employees are not motivated to do their job enthusiastically. Under those circumstances, it ignores the social and psychological needs of the employees, which in fact exert powerful influences workers behaviours. However, comments drawn from employees working experiences in McDonalds stated otherwise. A c rew member, Michaela said, â€Å"Doing work experience at McDonald’s made a big difference to how I approached things outside of work as well. Working on the till I learnt to make eye contact with people and speak clearly and with confidence; invaluable skills. And it can be further argued that employees do feel motivated working at McDonald’s. â€Å"Working at McDonald’s changed my outlook and made me a more motivated person†, said Umair, a crew trainer (McDonald’s Corporation, 2011). The McDonaldized system is not only seen within the fast-food industry, but also fast growing in call centres, an indication of the relevant bureaucracy model which is also known as â€Å"customer-oriented bureaucracy† (Du Gay, 2005, p. 98). One of the features of call centres is the focus on the standardization of the service encounter.A script is provided for call handlers to follow when talking on the phones. Supervisors regularly check on call centre staf f, listen in on calls to monitor the accuracy and general performance of the call handlers which managers are in fact keeping them under control. Taylor’s idea of payment method have also been successfully implemented such as call centre staffs are given a basic wage and then commission for every sale and if they meet their daily or weekly targets, they are given additional bonuses (Health ; Safety Executive, 2003).The technology offered today had in fact gradually made organizations become more bureaucratic and rationalized. For instance, Amazon had significantly shown to be a highly structured and highly rationalized organization in today’s competitive world. According to Valdez, â€Å"every item is scanned and logged on computers at every stage – knows who touches what† (Barkham, 2011). Staff working in the warehouse is in point of fact being controlled by the technology used today, which aid to the control of managers over workers.Furthermore, the war ehouse processes are simplified to prevent any human error. In short, aspects of scientific management are seen in its day-to-day warehouse operations with the aid of technology. According to Weber, bureaucracy is the most rational form of management. Despite the advantages bureaucracy offers such as efficiency and predictability, beneath the rational system lays the irrationality of rationality. People are dehumanized as they are being treated as machine like â€Å"cogs in a well-oiled machine† (Kast and Rosenzweig, 1979).In addition, â€Å"Instead of remaining efficient, bureaucracies can become increasingly inefficient† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 29). For example the case of IKEA, in terms of efficiency, it offers one-stop furniture shopping with a wide range of products. Furniture sold is unassembled, and customers are required to reassemble the parts themselves when they get home. Yet there are a variety of irrationalities associated with the rationality of IKEA, most nota bly the poor quality of most of its products. Although furniture is supposedly easy to assemble, many are more likely to think of it as impossible-to-assemble† (Ritzer, 2009). Besides the issue about irrationality of rational system, the â€Å"iron cage† of rationality is drawn into further concern. Weber views bureaucracy as a cage, in a sense that people are trapped in them without their basic humanity. The fear for that bureaucracy would grow more and more rational and will dominate an increasing number of sectors of society which â€Å"society would eventually become nothing more than a seamless web of rationalized structures; there would be no escape† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 30).A good example will be a 30 days Europe package tour. Bus travels through only the major cities in Europe, allowing tourists to view and take pictures of sights in the time allowed and then hop on to the next city. With the rationalization of even their recreational activities, people are in fact seen to be living in the iron cage of rationality, treating themselves like machines (Ritzer, 2009). Lastly, it is argued that bureaucracy ignores the substantive rationality and do not care about ethics and moral, they are about getting the task done as quickly as possible.The Holocaust case illustrates a good example that the bureaucratic practice made the Holocaust instrumentally rational while, not being substantively rational. Almost everyone will agree that the Holocaust practice of the massacre of a race of people is irrational, yet the fact that instrumentally rational methods could be applied to it, it exhibits the moral blindness of bureaucracy (Knights and Willmott, 2006). However, Du Gay argued otherwise. Bureaucracy do embodies an important ethic that is fairness.Such as bureaucracy does not care about employees’ gender or culture background but only cares about the basis of experience and qualifications since this is what will be most efficient. It is sa id to safeguard against discrimination. Given these points, bureaucracy embodies rather than ignore the moral and ethics (Du Gay, 2005). Indeed, bureaucracy like any other styles of management, inherently has both negative and positive effects, however some major aspects of bureaucracy and scientific management are still currently being successfully implemented in work and organizations today.Especially to those characterized by large-scale size, routine tasks and to those performance of which is essentially and vitally relies on high degree of hierarchy and formalization of bureaucratic form. Furthermore, the advancement in technology aid in the aspects of using scientific management in organizations today. Good examples will the fast-food industry and manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, in today’s highly competitive business industry, organizations need to increase their level of effectiveness through innovation and motivation of its employees at all levels.In order to ha ndle the growing market demand for constant innovation, a reduction of management structure might be necessary. Yet the core features of bureaucracy such as formalization, hierarchy, rules, staff expertise, conformance and clear accountability remain without doubt essential for organizations to deal with increasing competition. Therefore, to conclude, the classical school has withstood the test of time as it is still relevant to work and organization today. (2200 words) References Adler, Paul S. (1999) Building Better Bureaucracies. Academy of Management Executive, 13(4), pp. 6-49. Barkham, Patrick (2011) Amazon warehouse gears up for Christmas rush on Cyber Monday. The Guardian, [online] 1 December. Available at: ;http://www. guardian. co. uk/technology/2011/dec/01/amazon-warehouse-christmas-cyber-monday/print; [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Brooks, Ian (2009) Organisational Behaviour. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. du Gay, Paul (2005) The Values of Bureaucracy. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Grey, Chris (2009) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations. 2nd ed.London: Sage Publications Ltd. Health ; Safety Executive (2003) Psychosocial risk factors in call centres: An evaluation of work design and well-being. [pdf] Sudbury: Health ; Safety Executive. Available at: ; www. hse. gov. uk/research/rrpdf/rr169. pdf ; [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Jozzo1000 (2007) McDonald’s Big Mac making. Available at: ;http://www. youtube. com/user/jozzo1000#p/a/u/1/eUvI2wE2YZk; [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Karreman, Dan. , Sveningsson, Stefan and Alvesson, Mats (2002) The Return of the Machine Bureaucracy?International Studies of Management ; Organisation, 32(2), pp. 70-92. Kast, Fremont Ellsworth and Rosenzweig, James Erwin (1979) Organisation and Management. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Knights, David and Willmott, Hugh (2006) Introducing Organizational Behaviour ; Management. London: Thomas Learning. Mc Donald’s Corporation (2011) 2010/2011 Prospectus. [online] Available at: ;http://www. mcdonalds. co. uk/people/meet-our-people/meet-our-people. shtml; [Accessed 01 December 2011].Narasimhan, Balaji (2011) Bureaucracy hurting customer satisfaction, says Vivek Paul. The Hindu Business Line, [online] 11 November. Available at: ;http://www. thehindubusinessline. com/todays-paper/tp-info-tech/article2616005. ece; [Accessed 03 December 2011]. Smith, Josh (2011) iPhone 5 Release Date: What We Know and Potential Timeline. [online] Available at: ;http://www. gottabemobile. com/2011/08/23/iphone-5-release-date-what-we-know-and-potential-timeline/;[Accessed 03 December 2011]. Stewart, Rosemary (1986) The Reality of Management. 2nd ed. London: Pan Books.

Teaching science to children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teaching science to children - Essay Example As such, it is important that students are taught how to view the world with a scientifically accurate eye, which is why the implementation of science projects in a school’s curriculum is important for the expansion of a student’s knowledge. Different learning tools created in the way of lesson plans have been designed to help students understand some of the natural phenomena around them. These lessons involved the understanding of the spread of bacteria and germs, as well as the fermentation of yeast and its uses in food production and in other industry businesses. The students were able to observe and experiment first-hand how many of these processes are undergone. The results of these experiments not only benefitted the knowledge of the students by allowing them to witness scientific phenomena, but it also allows us to grasp the best ways that students can be taught these methods. 1. Introduction: Science teaches an understanding of the world around us by stimulating a child’s prediction and analysis of natural phenomena. Teaching science involves conducting methods of Investigation to encourage creative thought and to demonstrate how science can have an immense impact on our future and to achieve advanced medical biotechnology, genetic engineering food production and safety, agricultural biotechnology, and treatment of environmental waste. Teaching science also aims to improve children’s verbal and writing skills to become more scientifically literate (N.A. 2009). Effective teaching style requires the adaptation of successful principles and methods by teachers that were used as an assistant for efficient delivery to take place. Prior to setting up teaching methods, the children’s background knowledge and environment should be considered. Teachers should be aware that students have different learning abilities, and as such different learning techniques should be used during lessons to match their different abilities. A less on plan can then be designed. These plans state the specific learning goals of each lesson for teachers to follow in a form that can be carried out in several ways: whole class discussions, explaining, experimentation, demonstration, group work, and assessment of pupils’ work. It also helps learners to achieve deep understanding of the material and to become fascinated and keen to acquire more knowledge about scientific phenomena (Fredericks 2005). The science curriculum is a statement about the selected elements of science for teaching from a wide range of possibilities. National curriculum requires that teaching that includes scientific investigation is required to be delivered through contexts obtained from life processes and living things, â€Å"which involves the statement that micro-organisms are living organisms that are often too small to be seen, and that they may be beneficial [in the breakdown of waste or in making bread] or harmful [in causing disease or in causi ng food to go mouldy] (Stubbs 1999).† Bringing science into school projects was a task that needed to be able to be carried out in schools. The aim of teaching science in schools is to give an overview of the microbial world and to develop children’s skills and knowledge to better understand the micro-organisms subject of science and how it can be modelled in industrial processes. The aim of teaching science expands to raise students’ awareness of the fundamental uses of micro-organisms and their irregular nature, which

Public International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Public International Law - Essay Example Jus cogens symbolizes principles of international law that are considered to be so fundamental that no nation can ignore them. In particular, where international crimes are alleged to have been committed by a former head of State, it is even more important that justice is not executed by local authorities but by the application of the principles of international law, which can ensure that justice is done through the application of impartial principles that are universally valid. In the context of the trail against Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity, the Iraqi ruler was guilty of crimes against humanity, which by application of the principle of jus cogens would involve the fundamental application of international criminal law. According to Michael Sharf, the Saddam Hussein trial can be classed as one of the most important cases in international law because (a) the scale of atrocities was high (b) Hussein was a top ranking leader (c) interest of the international community due to the coalition led against Iraq (d) sets a legal precedent for international crimes and (e) effect of the trial and whether it was perceived as fair.

The Purpose Criminal Justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

The Purpose Criminal Justice - Assignment Example Without criminal law, people will be unsafe with powerful exploiting the less powerful. Without laws of the constitution, citizens may not exercise their basic rights. Therefore, the community requires laws in order to maintain fairness as well as avoid the victimization of innocent persons. Criminal law or penal law: A body of rules which describe the type of and punishments for public nature offenses or wrongs that are done to the community or the state.Civil law governs the correlations among and between businesses, individuals, and state agencies, as well as other organizations. This means that it governs the relationships between parties. Administrative law: Body of regulations which the state uses to control the individuals, industry, and business activities. Case law comprises of the accumulated trial wisdom and appellate courts in civil, criminal, and administrative laws over the years. While the substantive criminal laws define crimes and prescribe punishments, the procedura l law describes the techniques to be utilized in enforcing the law. Four broad categories of defenses: Alibi: Is a statement by a person charged with a crime that she or he was far when the crime occurred or was involved in other activities thus his or her participation in the crime is not possible. Justification is a legal defense where the defendant confesses to carrying out the act in question yet he or she argues that it was necessary to prevent some greater damage.  The excuse is where the defendant posits that a certain personal condition at the time of the act is what made him or she commit the offense and needs to be held responsible under the criminal law.  

Education leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education leadership - Essay Example ?s model relies on the personal responsibility of the individual participants within the system to administer the policies that ensure a safe environment to all involved. The first and primary goal is to focus on the end that leads to the maximalization of utility for the learning process. As such, the ways in which strategic goals and plans are implemented are entirely concentric around this. Rather than getting caught up in the minutia that many other educational approaches are so oftentimes ensnared, Clark’s approach seeks to focus on the end goal as a means of attempting to gain both educator and student buy in for the strategic goals and changes that will be pursued. This model helps to keep both parties focused on the true goal rather than becoming distracted by minutia. What is unique about Clark’s approach is the fact that many of the positions that may be required at a traditional school such as substitute teachers are not a requirement for his model. Rather, it is beholden upon the other staff members to shift their schedules and classes so that the subject matter can be covered with the class regardless (Clark 2011). Again, this focuses on the personal responsibility framework and encourages educators to not miss a single day of class for any reason other than a legitimate one. What is unique about Ron Clark’s approach to education is that he fully embraces corporate sponsors in attempting to recruit the raw capital that is required to perform the educational experimentation and development that his model encompasses. Although many forms of education have actively sought to separate themselves from such â€Å"corporate† sponsorship, Clark has embraced this due to the fact that it is highly likely that many of the students that he serves to educate will at least at some point in their life be employed by such a sponsoring entity. In this way Clark does not see that such sponsorship dilutes the educational process; rather, it is a form of

Statistics 401 Mod 5 Case - Multiple Regression Analysis Coursework

Statistics 401 Mod 5 Case - Multiple Regression Analysis - Coursework Example In the normal regression analysis, we usually use regression to establish the relationship between a variable and another variable. In such a case, it is establish whether or not the changes in one of the variables affect the other variable. The one which is affected is the dependent variable because it depends on the changes of the other so as to have its changed value. The one which is being depended upon to change is the independent variable because it changes on its own. This is for instance in the case where harvest from a corn field is being tested to establish whether or not it has a relationship with the amount of rainfall in the year. The harvest is the dependent variable while the rainfall amount is the independent variable. In the case of multiple regression analysis, the independent variables are more than one. ... In this analysis where in this case assignment we were looking at housing starts again, this time we added another variable to the equation.   The historical values above give interest rates, lumber prices (dollars per board-foot) and number of starts.  Ã‚  We computed a  multiple regression equation  using these variables, with starts as the DV.   Interest and price are the IVs.  Ã‚   From the computation of the regression analysis, I obtained the results shown above using the excel multiple regression. The regression analysis involved using the Housing stats as the Y variables in the excel regression file, and both the interest rate and the Price per board foot as the X variables. Based on the results of the regression as shown in the excel except above, the regression formula that I computed is of the form Y = a1*X1 + a2*X2 + b Where Y = number of housing starts X1 = interest rates a1 = regression coefficient of interest rates X2 = lumber prices a2 = regression coeffic ient of lumber prices b = constant. The values of a1 and a2 correspond to the values on the Regression coefficients table shown above. The value of a1 is that on the interest rates coefficients which is -1203318. Likewise, the value of a2 is that on the price per board foot coefficient which is -17836.8. The value of the constant b is also found on the coefficients table. It is the value of the sample estimate of the standard deviation of the error In this case it has the value 155138.1. X1 and X2 are of course variables that correspond to the interest rates and the price per board foot respectively. In turn, the formula thus becomes:- Y = -1203318*X1 + -17836.8*X2 + 155138.1 Using this formula, it is now much easy to do

Market analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Market analysis - Essay Example In general, soft drinks manufacturers have adapted to the new ways of living by responding to the demand for healthier products. This has helped add value to their products and generate growth. In 2004, total consumption of fruit/ vegetable juice increased by 7% and by 2009, the overall market conditions are projected to remain highly favourable for the fruit/ vegetable juice sector. 100% juice is expected reach volume growth of 43% and volume sales of 221 million litres or 384 million euros by 2009. (Euromonitor 2005) This supports the entry of Fruitness into the growing juice sector. Major players in the industry such as Coca-Cola, Spadel, Sunco (bottler and distributor of PepsiCo), Danone, Unilever, Nestle, Materne-Confilux, Wesergold, Melitta (Granini) and Looza (Tropicana) have manufacturing plants and distribution networks all over UK. As Fruitness will target companies in London only, our manufacturing facility will be located in or in close proximity to London. While the sector shows positive growth for the next three years, juice and nectar producers are already looking for new ways of keeping sales growing. As such, product innovation as well as packaging and pack sizes are very important in the juice/ vegetable juice industry. Orange is the most popular flavour with 17% share of the sector volume sales, grapefruit is second with 11% and tomato is third with 9%. As orange is still the leader, Fruitness is focusing on pure orange and orange based juices. Once established, Fruitness will invest in additional equipment in order to expand its existing product range and cater for customer's growing interest in other flavours. 100% juices dominate fruit/ vegetable juice products and the leading performance among the fruit/ vegetable juice sector is taken by 100% juice. The popularity of this subsector is due to the increasingly active and sporty British consumer lifestyle and interest in healthier diet. Nectars and juice drinks are less popular among the British consumers. Promotional activities and the presentation of a variety of fresh 100% juices by companies such as Looza and Melitta, have created a significant consumer awareness of the health benefits of these products and as a result, there have subsequently been consumer shifts towards these. In addition, there has been a slight shift from long-life products to chilled/ short-life products in 2003 and 2004. Industry sources also expect stronger forecast period growth for chilled/ short-life products due to the fact that the majority of British consumers are against concentrates and prefer more natural, fresh products. To summarize, the main trends in the juice industry are differentiation including the incorporation of new flavours, new packaging formats and more targeted marketing as well as the reduction in calories and sugar and inclusion of vitamins C, E, minerals, selenium and phytosterols. In addition carbonated beverage manufacturers have already started to develop healthier products, such as juice with calcium, especially for women, and

Does the rotation of auditors improve the quality of auditing Essay - 4

Does the rotation of auditors improve the quality of auditing - Essay Example It is worth mentioning that the role of audit rotation in improving the standards and the efficiencies of audit is duly considered as one of the major determinants of audit quality. It is strongly believed that longer tenure of an auditor links with lower quality of audit and in this context, it can be affirmed that the rotation of auditors require to be taken into concern in order to enhance audit quality on the whole. In this present day context, misrepresentations and frauds have emerged considerably that eventually imposes extensive impacts upon audit quality. The misrepresentations along with the frauds have been arguably caused owing to the augmenting interests of the stakeholders and also the owners belonging to various business organisations. ... Discussing the Principle Need for Rotation of Auditors Impact on Auditor’s Independence It is quite evident that the periodic rotation of auditors plays a decisive role in enhancing the auditing quality of the client company by a considerable extent. It can be apparently observed that the rotation of auditors can be conducted both internally and externally. The auditor’s rotation in both of these forms is duly considered to be one of the chief determinants of enhancing audit quality. This is owing to the reasons of preventing the auditor’s depending relation with the management team of the client organisations and differentiating between the auditing process conducted by non-capital market and capital market oriented corporations. In order to determine the impact of auditor’s rotation on the independence of the auditors, it can be affirmed that the sovereignty of the auditors remains much limited in the context of auditing due to the existence of a special trust affiliation prevailing between them and the management team of the client organisations. Thus, with this concern, it can be affirmed that the independence of the auditors largely rely upon the interrelation, which prevail between the auditors and the management team. Specially mentioning, the principle need for rotation of auditors impose considerable impact on auditor’s performances, making them perform both auditing along with consulting services and preserving the auditing process ethically, irrespective of having close interrelation with the management team of diverse organisations (Velte & Stiglbauer, 2012). Mitigation of Conflict of Interests Apart from depicting the principle need for rotation of auditors in limiting the independency of the auditors, it can also be affirmed that

Experience economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Experience economy - Essay Example Commerce includes all those activities, which are connected with trade and auxiliaries to trade such as transport, warehousing, insurance and banking and finance. Trade involves buying and selling of goods and its purpose is to bridge the gap between persons, i.e. the producers and the consumers can concentrate on their own occupations and at the same time buy goods to satisfy their consumption needs. The farmers can both enjoy each other's products with the help of traders. For example there are different types of cotton; jute, hides and skins are supplies to the producers of cotton textiles, gunny bags and shoes respectively. At the same time manufactured goods, which have been produced with the raw materials, are supplied to the consumers. Producers buy raw materials, machinery and equipment as well as stores and spare parts for machinery fro trading agencies and consumers buy practically all articles required for their daily use from traders. Goods are produced on a large scale in anticipation of demand. The markets for products are now spread over the length and breadth of the country and even extended to countries across the international borders. Hence direct sale of goods by the producers to the consumers is not possible. Without the help of traders and merchants engaged in trade it would be impossible for the system of large-scale production to continue. The trader involved in the actual operation of purchasing goods from producers and selling them to consumers. Traders and consumers are interdependent. Importance of trade Trade is of great significance for production as well as consumption of goods. It is through trade that goods produced at particular places are equitably distributed among users. With the help of trade goods are made available to consumers at the time of their need. It removes the hindrance of persons by bringing together producers and consumers who are widely scattered. Advantages of trade Advantages of trade are outlined below: It enables the producers to concentrate on their production activities; otherwise they would have to go in search of consumers for goods they produce. Trade makes goods available to consumers who can concentrate on their own occupations It results in specialization and large-scale production as the markets are now spread over wide territories. Sale of goods from one country and purchase of goods form other countries. It provides avenues of employment to various persons. It increases the standard of living of people as they can avail of goods of various kinds produces by different producers. Distinction between Home trade and foreign trade a. Home trade is concerned with trade between people of the same country while foreign trade is concerned with trade between people of two different countries. b. In home trade the buyer has to pay for the goods in home currency while in foreign trade buyer ha to make payment in foreign currency. c. Payment in home trade is simpler and less time consuming while in foreign trade, payment is not a simple process and hence is more time consuming. d. Home trade is not subject to restrictions, which exist in case of foreign trade such as tariffs, quotas, etc. e. Transport costs are relatively much less in home trade than in foreign trade. Development in different sectors like Information Technology, Steel industry, etc., has resulted a sharp rise in the usage of harmful substances.

I Have a Dream Essay Example for Free

I Have a Dream Essay Martin Luther King was a symbolic leader of American blacks who was the youngest man to receive a nobel peace prize. He was a worker for civil rights for people of his race. On August 28, 1963 in Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D. C. , he delivered the informative and persuasive speech, I have a dream. There was enthusiasm in his introduction which indicates victory, for the speech was an expression of his utmost joy for what he said as the ‘greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation’ (King, 1963) from the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was the freeing of the American Slaves, issued by Abraham Lincoln. He pointed out the forgotten promise of America to all her citizens, meaning the black and the white with proper and just right, and that he dreams that these proper and just rights be given to all, regardless of the color. He was hopeful in his last words in the speech, which gave the audience the strength they needed at that time. He presented his words as if they were one reach away. And he thanked God Almighty after mentioning different religions, which I believe indicates unity despite each and everyone present there’s diversity. Martin Luther King was undoubtedly a great speaker. He talked slowly but clearly. There was a serious aura and strong emotion in his voice. Although he had limited body language, he was able to get the attention of 250, 000 audiences that day whom he informed, persuaded, and inspired through his eye contact once in a while even though he read his speech. It was obvious in the cheering of the crowd that they were interested and that they were getting something from the speech. He had clear organization of the speech, with a strong introduction, a substantial body where he was able to say what he wanted to happen, and a conclusion that left a hope and will to continue fighting to his audiences. However, in my opinion, I would rather make the speech a little shorter and more direct. King used a lot of descriptive words to further explain what he was trying to say. He also used metaphors to present analogies. Maybe these were helpful, but as for me, I would like to believe that the listeners would’ve understood the speech more if he was concise and simple with his choice of words. References: I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from Youtube Web site: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=PbUtL_0vAJk Martin Luther King Biography. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from Nobelprize. org Web site: http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio. html

Discrimination and Single Equality Scheme Essay Example for Free

Discrimination and Single Equality Scheme Essay Ann Gravells states the importance of keeping uptodate with legislation and codes of practise in Preparing to Teach in the LifeLong Learning Sector. According to Gravells it is important to do so â€Å"to ensure you are remaining current with your knowledge and practise, and any changes or updates that have taken place.† I comply with various generic legislation and codes of practise which relate to my role as a teacher and some that are specific to the subjects I teach i. e. assessor and verifier awards, management, helath socialcare (adults and children) and some specific to my organisation. As a teacher I need to be aware of and comply with the following: †¢ Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. †¢ shall be the duty of every employee while at work— †¢ (a)to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and †¢ (b)as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to co-operate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with †¢ Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. †¢ Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA). †¢ Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (designed to bring education within the remit of the DDA through the addition of Part 4 DDA 1995). †¢ Equality Act 2010. the Act is to consolidate the complicated and numerous array of Acts and Regulations, which formed the basis of anti-discrimination law in Great Britain. This was, primarily, the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and three major statutory instruments protecting discrimination in employment on grounds of religion or belief, sexual orientation and ageIt requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. In the case of gender, there are special protections for pregnant women. In the case of disability, employers an d service providers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their workplaces to overcome barriers experienced by disabled people. †¢ Data Protection Act 1998. †¢ Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003). †¢ IfL Code of Practice for Teachers (2008) covers the activities of teachers in Lifelong learning sector. Gravells, a the code is based on seven behaviours, namely: professional integrity, respect, reasonable care, professiponal practise, criminal defense disclosure, responsibility during institute investigations, responsibility. †¢ Safer practice, safer learning (2007) – responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults in the learning and skills sector – published by NIACE and DES. The LSC Single Equality Scheme 2007-10: Our Strategy for Equality and Diversity (LSC, 2007) identifies their strategy for ensuring legal requirements are met and is relevant to all organisations funded by the LSC (Learning and Skills Council), link http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-singleequalityscheme-30apr07.pdf [pic] Although mainly relevant for teachers working with learners under 19 or vulnerable adults under 25 years of age, you should also look at: †¢ Protection of Children Act 1999. †¢ Every Child Matters Every Child Matters (ECM) is a UK government initiative for England and Wales, that was launched in 2003, at least partly in response to the death of Victoria Climbià © Its main aims are for every child, whatever their background or circumstances, to have the support they need to: †¢ Be healthy †¢ Stay safe †¢ Enjoy and achieve †¢ Make a positive contribution †¢ Achieve economic well-being Biblography: Gravells, Ann: Preparing tpo Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector : fourth Edition. †¢ Safer practice, safer learning (2007) Responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults in the learning and skills sector, NIACE and DES. †¢ LSC (2007) Single Equality Scheme: Our Strategy for Equality and Diversity Online: http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-singleequalityscheme-30apr07.pdf [pic] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/section/7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equality_Act_2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Child_Matters

The Material And Process Requirements For Driving Shaft Engineering Essay

The Material And Process Requirements For Driving Shaft Engineering Essay Based on my research, a drive shaft, driving shaft or propeller shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation that usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them. Besides that, drive shafts carrying an important role as carrier of torque in driveline application. They are subject to torsion and shear stress, equivalent to the difference between the input torque and the load. Therefore, they must be strong enough to bear the stress, whilst avoiding too much additional weight as that would in turn increase their inertia. Drive shafts frequently incorporate one or more universal joints or jaw couplings, and sometimes a splinted join or prismatic join to allow for variations in the alignment and distance between the driving and driven components Based on the functions that has been discussed in previous, I know that the material of drive shaft must be strong enough to bear the stress, light weight which able to reduce the overall automobile weight and thus, increase their inertia at the same time. For the mechanical properties that required for drive shaft including the ability to minimize the losses in transmission, high tensile strength material, high torsional strength and light weight. Therefore, I would like to suggest that polymer matrix composite is more suitable as a chosen material that can be apply in driveline application. 1.1 Design Factors In the progress of my research in driveline application, I found out that marketing considerations are paramount in the motor car industry. There are two factors make this particular application attractive to the industry. On the one hand, vehicles are solid in the market place on claims of increased comfort, luxury and smoothness of operation. On the other hand, the manufacturer is also seeking to provide the maximum performance with the minimum fuel usage at the same time. Thus, usually these two requirements are conflicting. For example, a decrease in body panel thickness reduces mass and so increases performance and fuel efficiency, but this change also increases internal noise. Therefore, some automobile industry has spend much modal in doing research and recently, they have an idea which using carbon fiber (polymer matrix composite) in drive shafts which able to contributes to achieving both aims simultaneously. The factors to be optimized in a shaft after meeting the basic operating requirements just outlined is mass, smoothness of ride and cost. This is because reducing mass is important: To improve performance of vehicle and reduce fuel consumption. To reduce un-sprung mass and so improve vehicle handling and ride. To reduce the residual out of balance forces from rotating parts and so further improve smoothness in use. 2.0 Material Selection Based on the research of different type of material of drive shaft or propeller shaft in driveline application, I have chosen polymer matrix composite as the material selection in driveline application. 2.1 Introduction to Polymer Matrix Composite Polymer Matrix Composite is the material consisting of polymer matrix combined with a fibrous reinforcing dispersed phase. Polymer matrix composites are very popular due to their low cost and simple fabrication methods. Use of non-reinforced polymers as structure materials is limited by low level of their mechanical properties such as tensile strength of one of the strongest polymers (epoxy resin) is 20000 psi (140 Mpa). In addition to relatively low strength, polymer materials posses low impact resistance as well. Besides that, the reinforcement tends to be stiffer and stronger than the matrix providing stiffness and strength. Reinforcement is laid in a particular direction, within the matrix, so that the resulting material will have different properties in different directions. As example, composites have anisotropic properties. This characteristic is exploited to optimize the design and provide high mechanical performance where it is needed. 2.2 Design of a Composites Shaft According to A.W. Thompson from Bristol Composite Materials Engineering Ltd, He has mentioned the two typical shafts side by side, one made in steel and the other in composites as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Composite Drive Shaft (Upper) with Steel Shaft The illustration shows the simplicity of the design made possible by carbon fiber. The combination of high stiffness and low density in the composite enables a longer shaft to be made without reaching a critical whirling speed. The whirling speed of a rotating shaft is the speed at which it becomes unstable and defluxions occurs normal to the axis of rotation. The advantage in whirling speed is such as to enable most two piece steel shaft to be replaced with a single composite part. Besides that, weight and cost are reduced by dispensing with the central universal joint and the associated bearing. Moreover, N.V.H (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) factors are improved by the consequent isolation of the passenger compartment from drive line vibration following deletion of the centre bearing from underneath the drivers seat. Further reductions in N.V.H are possible by modification to the orientations of the fibres in the properller shaft tube, which effect longitudinal and radial stiffness. 2.3 Reason Selecting Polymer Matrix Composite as Material in Driveline Application The basic attraction of polymer matrix composite materials for driveshaft application is that they make it possible to increase the shaft length, which is otherwise constrained by bending resonance. For many vehicles, a one piece composite shaft may replace a two piece steel shaft which simplifies both the shaft and installation in the vehicle. Besides that, by using fibre reinforced composites, it is possible to arrange the fibre orientations in the tube so that the bending modulus has a high value (above 100Gpa) whilst the specific gravity is low (below 1.6). This leads to a favourable specific bending modulus and an enhanced critical speed as well. Figure 2 Critical Speeds for Automotive Propshaft According to A.W. Thompson from Bristol Composite Materials Engineering Ltd, the relationship between shaft length and critical speed for tubes suitable for automotive propshaft is illustrated in Figure 2. The graph shows that, for a particular application where a critical speed of 8000 rev/min is acceptable, the longest shaft possible out of steel is 1250 mm whereas a composite shaft of 1650 mm could be achieved. Thus, the maximum length for either shaft is reduced depending on the compliance of the end connections. For acceptable NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), there must also be an adequate margin between vibration drivers and bending resonance of the shaft. Nevertheless, it is generally true that a composite shaft can be made longer than a steel shaft and that for automotive platforms where a two-piece steel shaft with centre support bearing is specified a one-piece composite shaft may be acceptable. This fundamental material property advantage is a powerful technical driver for composite shafts, and substantial weight savings can be achieved. One-piece shafts also simplify the design and engineering of the vehicle floor pan. Therefore, based on explanation above, it is obviously that I have chosen carbon fiber composite (one type of the polymer matrix composite) as the material for drive shaft and further material properties will be discuss in detail later as well. 2.3.1 Material Property of Carbon Fiber Composite (Polymer Matrix Composite) According to Core Composites, Division of ROM Development Corporations research, the material properties of Carbon Fiber Composite are as below: Features Benefits Extremely High Stiffness With a variety of modulus available from standard 33 msi to ultra high modulus pitch over 125 msi carbon fiber has the highest specific modulus of all the commercial reinforcing fibers. High Tensile Strength The strongest of all commercial reinforcing fibers in tension. Especially good for the tension skin on composite laminates. Excellent Corrosion Resistance Used in reinforcing concrete, carbon has good alkaline resistance as well as resistance to salt water and many other chemical environments. Excellent Fatigue Properties Used as a primary reinforcement for fatigue prone products such as helicopter and wind turbine blades as well as offshore power and driveline application. Excellent Compression Properties Proper fiber sizing for the resin matrix selected can yield impressive compressive properties but this quality can be quite difficult to measure with standard ASTM test methods and careful test specimen preparation is critical to achieve accurate result. Low Coefficient of Linear Expansion Carbon is a good tooling reinforcement for molds that will see temperature and where parts need tight dimensional stability. 2.3.2 Composite Shaft Performance According to the research that done by Tetsuyuki Kyono, Composites Development Center, Toray Composites (America), Inc. about the carbon fiber composites applications for auto industries, they have mentioned about carbon fiber composite drive shaft having crush worthiness. Crash load generated during head collision can be absorbed by newly developed joining technology with no adhesive between carbon fiber composite tube and steel adapter. This technology can add safety value to passenger cars in addition such as weight and noise reductions. Therefore, the performance data of the composite shaft should be take consideration as one of the main section in choosing the best material to apply in driveline application. Thus, they have evaluated torque carrying capability as index of shaft performance. One of typical data has been shown in Figure 3. It is noted composite drive shaft performed as expected up to 150à ¢- ¦C at static torsional test and showed much better fatigue resistance than steel system shown as target. Figure 3 Torsional Strength of Drive Shaft for 2000 Nm Class In Figure 4, residual torque carrying capabilities after exposure to various environments are shown in percentage compare with control data. As shown below has shown the reduction in performance of composite drive shaft is very minimal. Figure 4 Residual Torsional Strength (%) after Environmental Testing 2.3.3 Proving Test After the obvious laboratory tests above to show static strength and stiffness, fatigues tests are important as well. Carbon fibre has an excellent performance in fatigue and glass fibre is as good as most metals. A composite shaft has withstood 106 cycles of maximum torque as compared with the 104 cycles typically required of a steel shaft. Shafts were fitted to cars to gain road experience and demonstrate satisfactory operations. Such testing demonstrates that the component really works and meets all the criteria required. In this application, for instance, road use showed that: Temperature resistance to underbody environment was satisfactory Corrosion resistance (example: to salt spray was not a problem) Creep loading resistance was adequate Resistance to flying stone damage was not a problem End attachment strength was adequate Shock load capability was adequate Based on the proving test that has been done by A.W.Thompson, we knew that polymer matrix composites is suitable to be taken as material in driveline application such as making drive shaft or propeller shaft as well due to its attractive material properties and more affordable cost as well if compare with others material such as steel. 2.3.4 Crash Performance of Composite Propshafts According to Dr Andrew Pollard, GKN Technology, Wolverhampton, UK, he stat that increasing public interest in safe vehicles is encouraging car manufacturers and their suppliers to design components and systems that will perform well in a crash (2). The propeller shaft in rear- and fourwheel- drive cars is good example of this. Figure 5 Behaviour of Propeller Shafts in Frontal Crash In a frontal crash, the propeller shaft transmits forces from the engine/gearbox unit to the rear axle. Many vehicles today have a two-piece propeller shaft that can buckle at the centre bearing in any direction, depending on the joint position at impact. It is therefore virtually impossible to predict the axial force and the energy absorbed by the shaft in a crash. This is illustrated in Figure 5, contrasted with the behavior of a propeller shaft with a defined axial collapse mode. The target for crash-optimized propeller shafts is to achieve a defined behavior of axial force and displacement during an impact and consequently controlled energy absorption as shown in Figure 5. 3.0 Manufacturing Process of Carbon Fiber The process for making carbon fibers is part chemical and part mechanical. The precursor is drawn into long strands or fibers and then heated to a very high temperature with-out allowing it to come in contact with oxygen. Without oxygen, the fiber cannot burn. Instead, the high temperature causes the atoms in the fiber to vibrate violently until most of the non-carbon atoms are expelled. This process is called carbonization and leaves a fiber composed of long, and tightly. The fibers are coated to protect them from damage during winding or weaving. The coated fibers are wound onto cylinders called bobbins. The fibers are coated to protect them from damage during winding or weaving. The coated fibers are wound onto cylinders called bobbins. Moreover, the inter-locked chains of carbon atoms with only a few non-carbon atoms remaining. Here is a typical sequence of operations used to form carbon fibers from polyacrylonitrile. 3.1 Spinning First: Acrylonitrile plastic powder is mixed with another plastic, like methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate, and is reacted with a catalyst in a conventional suspension or solution polymerization process to form a polyacrylonitrile plastic. Second: The plastic is then spun into fibers using one of several different methods. In some methods, the plastic is mixed with certain chemicals and pumped through tiny jets into a chemical bath or quench chamber where the plastic coagulates and solidifies into fibers. This is similar to the process used to form polyacrylic textile fibers. In other methods, the plastic mixture is heated and pumped through tiny jets into a chamber where the solvents evaporate, leaving a solid fiber. The spinning step is important because the internal atomic structure of the fiber is formed during this process. Third: The fibers are then washed and stretched to the desired fiber diameter. The stretching helps align the molecules within the fiber and provide the basis for the formation of the tightly bonded carbon crystals after carbonization. 3.2 Stabilizing Forth: Before the fibers are carbonized, they need to be chemically altered to convert their linear atomic bonding to a more thermally stable ladder bonding. This is accomplished by heating the fibers in air to about 390-590 ° F (200-300 ° C) for 30-120 minutes. This causes the fibers to pick up oxygen molecules from the air and rearrange their atomic bonding pattern. The stabilizing chemical reactions are complex and involve several steps, some of which occur simultaneously. They also generate their own heat, which must be controlled to avoid overheating the fibers. Commercially, the stabilization process uses a variety of equipment and techniques. In some processes, the fibers are drawn through a series of heated chambers. In others, the fibers pass over hot rollers and through beds of loose materials held in suspension by a flow of hot air. Some processes use heated air mixed with certain gases that chemically accelerate the stabilization. 3.3 Carbonizing Fifth: Once the fibers are stabilized, they are heated to a temperature of about 1,830-5,500 ° F (1,000-3,000 ° C) for several minutes in a furnace filled with a gas mixture that does not contain oxygen. The lack of oxygen prevents the fibers from burning in the very high temperatures. The gas pressure inside the furnace is kept higher than the outside air pressure and the points where the fibers enter and exit the furnace are sealed to keep oxygen from entering. As the fibers are heated, they begin to lose their non-carbon atoms, plus a few carbon atoms, in the form of various gases including water vapor, ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and others. As the non-carbon atoms are expelled, the remaining carbon atoms form tightly bonded carbon crystals that are aligned more or less parallel to the long axis of the fiber. In some processes, two furnaces operating at two different temperatures are used to better control the rate de heating during carboniza tion. 3.4 Treating the Surface Sixth: After carbonizing, the fibers have a surface that does not bond well with the epoxies and other materials used in composite materials. To give the fibers better bonding properties, their surface is slightly oxidized. The addition of oxygen atoms to the surface provides better chemical bonding properties and also etches and roughens the surface for better mechanical bonding properties. Oxidation can be achieved by immersing the fibers in various gases such as air, carbon dioxide, or ozone; or in various liquids such as sodium hypochlorite or nitric acid. The fibers can also be coated electrolytically by making the fibers the positive terminal in a bath filled with various electrically conductive materials. The surface treatment process must be carefully controlled to avoid forming tiny surface defects, such as pits, which could cause fiber failure. 3.5 Sizing Seventh: After the surface treatment, the fibers are coated to protect them from damage during winding or weaving. This process is called sizing. Coating materials are chosen to be compatible with the adhesive used to form composite materials. Typical coating materials include epoxy, polyester, nylon, urethane, and others. Eight: The coated fibers are wound onto cylinders called bobbins. The bobbins are loaded into a spinning machine and the fibers are twisted into yarns of various sizes. 3.6 Quality Control The very small size of carbon fibers does not allow visual inspection as a quality control method. Instead, producing consistent precursor fibers and closely controlling the manufacturing process used to turn them into carbon fibers controls the quality. Process variables such as time, temperature, gas flow, and chemical composition are closely monitored during each stage of the production. The carbon fibers, as well as the finished composite materials, are also subject to rigorous testing. Common fiber tests include density, strength, amount of sizing, and others. In 1990, the Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association established standards for carbon fiber testing methods, which are now used throughout the industry. 3.7 Health and Safety Concerns There are three areas of concern in the production and handling of carbon fibers: dust inhalation, skin irritation, and the effect of fibers on electrical equipment. During processing, pieces of carbon fibers can break off and circulate in the air in the form of a fine dust. Industrial health studies have shown that, unlike some asbestos fibers, carbon fibers are too large to be a health hazard when inhaled. They can be an irritant, however, and people working in the area should wear protective masks. The carbon fibers can also cause skin irritation, especially on the back of hands and wrists. Protective clothing or the use of barrier skin creams is recommended for people in an area where carbon fiber dust is present. The sizing materials used to coat the fibers often contain chemicals that can cause severe skin reactions, which also requires protection. In addition to being strong, carbon fibers are also good conductors of electricity. As a result, carbon fiber dust can cause arcing and shorts in electrical equipment. If electrical equipment cannot be relocated from the area where carbon dust is present, the equipment is sealed in a cabinet or other enclosure. 4.0 Fabrication Process of Driveshaft by using Polymer Matrix Composite According to the project research that done by Alex Santiago from Texas AM University Kingsville, he has discussed the fabrication process of drive shaft by using polymer matrix composite which is carbon fiber as main material. As reference, the fabrication process by Alex has been taken for me to understand the hand make drive shaft by using carbon fiber in real life. Thus, the following fabrication process is belonging to Alex from Texas University which is worth to be taken as references in this topic discussion. There are several things to consider when picking a fabrication method. Time is a major consideration. There is little time for fabrication, so the fabrication process has to be quick. The fiber has to be laid at specific angles to give the shaft certain characteristics. The weave patterns have to be tight and compact. Resin has to be applied evenly. The shaft has to be wound in a way such that the yokes can be easily attached. The easiest fabrication method for creating a hollow tube is filament winding. Filament winding is an automated process in which a filamentary yarn in the form of tow is wetted by resin and uniformly and regularly wound about a rotating mandrel. The filament winder can be programmed to create specific and tightly wound patterns. To create a composite part on the winder, a winding pattern is needed, along with a mandrel, mold release, fiber, resin and hardener, a way to apply even pressure to the part and a curing procedure. The wind patterns were determined by using Laminate Design software created by Dr. Larry Peel. After entering mechanical properties for the resin and tow, different wind angles and layers were tried in the Laminate Design software until the driveshaft had the desired characteristics. Table 1 gives the wind angle and its purpose. The tow, resin and hardener, and adhesive are the most critical elements of the shaft. Each structural component must be carefully selected so that the shaft has good mechanical properties. The tow which was used in the Laminate Design Software calculations was chosen because it is strong, light weight, and aerospace quality carbon fiber. Fiber used by the aerospace, although expensive, is rigorously quality controlled. It was decided that this fiber would be uniform, therefore giving the driveshaft uniform properties. The resin and hardener were chosen for several reasons. First, the resin is tough. The resin also has a high viscosity. High viscosity is desired because, with the wet winding process, is easier to control the amount of resin being applied to the tow. Wet winding will be discussed further in the process section. Another reason for choosing this resin is its elongation at break. At 6% elongation at break, it is known that the resin will not be too brittle and that the wound shaft will have some flex for absorbing the shock between shifting gears. Finally this resin was chosen because of its high pot life. After mixing the resin and hardener, there is a little over two hours before it begins to gel. This is enough time to wind the entire shaft before the resin sets up. The adhesive was chosen for a few reasons. Foremost, the adhesive also met the criteria for high tensile lap shear strength at room and elevated temperatures. At room temperature the adhesive has lap shear strength of 4,200 psi. At 250 F the lap shear strength is 2,300 psi. Also, the adhesive is aerospace grade, ensuring high quality. Table 1 Wind Angles 4.1 Mandrels In order to produce the mandrel of a driveshaft, several derivations should have gone through. Mandrels made of cardboard tubing and solid shafts were considered. These ideas were never fabricated because it would be hard to remove the mandrel from the wound tube. The resin would cause the cardboard mandrel to stick to the shaft making it impossible to remove. A solid shaft of steel or aluminum would be heavy, and expensive to create. 4.1.1 Mandrel 1 Firstly, it was decided to create a mandrel made of steel muffler tubing which was split with a plasma cutter into four parts along its length. The idea was to wind the shaft, let it cure, then dismantle the mandrel and remove the tube. Next, two pieces machined out of steel were created and attached to the muffler tubing which allows the mandrel to be spun in the filament winder. One end is chucked into the winder the other end has a live center which spins on a center point. This mandrel did not work because the mandrel pieces could not be bolted to the machined ends in a way that they were square. This was due to the fact that the muffler tubing is cold rolled which means it is pre-stressed. Once the tubing was split into four pieces, each piece bowed. 4.1.2 Mandrel 2 A second mandrel was created using muffler tubing which was split into two pieces. This mandrel was square when bolted into place. To keep the tension of the fiber from pulling the gap in the mandrel closed, three round, wooden pucks were evenly spaced through the center of the mandrel. The second mandrel was used to create a practice drive shaft. The pucks were evenly spaced through the center of the mandrel. Shrink wrap tape, which shrinks and applies pressure when heated, is wrapped around the mandrel over the areas where the pucks are. The tape applies pressure and keeps the pucks in an upright position as shown in Figure 6. Once the pucks were set in place, a few dry runs were made with no resin. One pass of each fiber angle was wound. Figure 6: Wooden Puck in Mandrel Once the winding began, it became obvious that there was not enough turn around room. When winding a composite part, there are four defined areas on the part. The entire part consists of the head, the turn around, the useable shaft, and the tail. The winding layout is shown in Figure 6. The wind angle is the angle the fiber makes with the center line of the mandrel. The 45 degree and 15 degree wind angles did not have enough friction to stick to the mandrel in the turnaround areas. The fiber began to slip and bunch up, causing misalignment in the pattern. Figure 6: Winding Layout This created a new problem. To keep the fiber from slipping, the turnaround area needed to be lengthened. The mandrel at its current length just fits in the curing oven, making it impossible to lengthen the mandrel. To alleviate this problem, two pieces of pipe, about one foot long each, were threaded into the ends of the machined pieces as shown in Figure 7. Adding the extensions made more turn around area. These threaded pieces can be removed once the shaft is wound and the resin sets up. When the extensions are removed the mandrel can easily be placed in the oven to finish curing. Figure 7 Mandrel Extensions The wind patterns were tested again with the extended turn around room. The extensions and the change in diameter kept the fiber from slipping, and allowed for full uniform coverage by the fiber. The test patterns were removed, and resin and hardener were mixed and poured into the resin bath to start a practice shaft. The resin bath applies resin to the fiber before it is wound about the mandrel. The resin bath can be seen in Figure 8. A practice shaft was wound using the setup shown in Table 2. A practice shaft was wound for a few reasons. The practice shaft allowed testing of the wind patterns with the resin and the fiber together. Curing temperature and time could be observed. Dismantling the shaft can be attempted, and the shaft can be inspected for proper resin wet out, roundness, and overall strength. Table 2 Practice Shaft Wind Pattern Setup Figure 8 Resin Bath This was a very difficult process. First, the material that wrapped over the end caps had to be cut back in order to expose the bolts holding it to the mandrel. Once this was accomplished we began removing the bolts. Resin had seeped into the threads of some of the bolts causing them to stick. The head of one bolt was twisted off trying to get it out. This bolt was machined out. Once the caps were removed the shaft did not collapse as expected. The gap were the mandrel had been split had filled in with resin. A tubing cutter was used to cut the shaft into sections and then it was split in half with a band saw. A 2 foot piece was spared and slid off the shaft. The ridge left inside the shaft was 0.125 inches deep. This created a stress riser that severely reduced the integrity of the shaft. It was obvious that this mandrel was not going to work. 4.1.3 Mandrels 3 Improving upon the mistakes on the previous mandrels, a new, one piece, mandrel was made from aluminum tubing. The tubing maintained a 2.75 inch OD and was readily available. A 16 gauge 2.75 OD tube was purchased. The tubing is normally made for turbo charger inlet ducting. A test piece was cut from the tube to be used for testing. The test piece was wet sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper. A silicone mold release compound was applied to the test shaft. 90 ° test patterns were wound onto the piece and cured at 250 °F for 15 hours. We used a higher curing temperature in order to expand the aluminum mandrel while compacting the fiber. After curing was complete, we then placed the test mandrel in the deep freeze that was Ãâ€" ¾20 °F in order to shrink the aluminum tube. The test mandrel was removed from the freezer. The tube was impacted onto a block of wood while holding the fiber. The mandrel came out with no difficulty. This test was successful. The third mandrel was fitted to the end caps. The end caps were then bolted to the mandrel. Figure 9 shows the final mandrel. Figure 9 Final Mandrel of Driveshaft 5.0 Conclusion As conclusion, the potential for carbon fibre composites (one type of polymer matrix composite) in automotive drive shafts as a means of achieving substantial weight reduction has long been recognized and has been demonstrated in small volume since 1988. Finally, I think that polymer matrix composites is the most suitable materials which can applied in driveline application and engineers should find cost effective applications on it to bring this applications to fruitful use in future.

George B. McClellan: The Disposable Patriot :: essays research papers

There were really no very interesting characters in this book. I was never one to be interested in history. There were some interesting parts though, for instance, the chapter about the railroad man was pretty good, and it was kind of cool that he got promoted to vice-president of the railroad he work on within a year after he started the job. Some of the wars he was in were ok as well. It sometimes amazes me that there were so many unnamed heroes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you know, the book talks about his life, the wars he was in and a little behind the scenes. Mr. McClellan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December third, eighteen twenty-six. His ancestors were from Scotland and came to the American colonies in the seventeen hundreds. When Mr. McClellan graduated from college, he graduated with a degree in medicine and was a respected surgeon. He married Elizabeth Brinton in eighteen twenty at the local Presbyterian Church where they were members. Skipping ahead, we get to â€Å"a nice little war in Mexico.† Here it explains McClellan’s commission and when he was sent to West Point to train troops bound for Mexico. After this time McClellan contracted malaria and dysentery and was confined to a hospital bed for almost one month while being nursed back to health by one of his friends named Jimmy Stuart. The one consolation for Mr. McClellan was that his unit was idle during his period of illness. The mala ria that McClellan experienced in Mexico, however, would stay with him for the rest of his life. He would often refer to this problem as his â€Å"Mexican disease† when it flared up from time to time. Early in eighteen eighty-five, he had two articles published in the century magazine as a part of their â€Å"battles and leaders of war† series. Mac Was asked to write about his experiences as a commander during the Peninsula and Maryland campaigns. In October eighteen eight-five, Mac began to experience severe chest pain that was later diagnosed as angina pectoris. His doctor prescribed different treatments and rest. Within a week or two his condition began to improve and the doctor believed Mac would make a complete recovery. However, on the evening of October twenty-eight, while finishing an article for the century, Mac began to experience severe chest pains once again. His condition quickly deteriorated throughout the night, and at three o’clock in the morning he turned and looked at his wife and said to the physician, â€Å"Tell her I am better now.

Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

Pride and Prejudice: Is it possible?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice,† written by Jane Austen during the nineteenth century, describes the trials and tribulations of five sisters of marrying age. The story is based in England around the turn of the century, and upon careful review, we find that many of the events do not reflect the time period. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, and the Lydia-Wickham affair, are not realistic. Despite the fact that the novel is fiction, it is questionable that such events could take place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Darcy first lays eyes on Elizabeth after she is pointed out to him by Bingley, his statement is not that of love, nor of fondness, rather it is one of complete disgust. â€Å"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies slighted by other men.† From Darcy’s reaction, we can only imagine what he really thinks of Elizabeth, but we are given a very good idea. This is not love at first sight, there is no attraction between the two, there is nothing at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elizabeth has an equal reaction to Darcy. When she overhears the comments he has made about her, she is anything but drawn to the man. â€Å"Mr. Darcy walked off; and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings towards him.(pg.12)† The two seem destined to become worst enemies, in fact they seem to become anything but a couple in love, which is exactly what they end up to be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon after their original meeting at the ball, Elizabeth and Darcy’s paths cross again. This time it is at the home of the Bingleys where Darcy is staying, and where Elizabeth comes to visit Jane, her ill sister. When Darcy see her this time, his reaction to her is quite different: â€Å"he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.(pg.22)† I find it hard to believe that his impression of Elizabeth could change so drastically within a matter of days. Elizabeth, on the other hand, has a more reasonable reaction. She made no notice of Darcy’s reaction. â€Å"perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who had made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Foreign and English Translations and Versions o

Foreign and English Translations and Versions of Beowulf   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From 1805 until the present there have been introduced an abundance of paraphrases, translations, adaptations, summaries, versions and illustrations of Beowulf in modern English and in foreign languages due mostly to two reasons: the desire to make the poem accessible, and the desire to read the exotic (Osborn 341). It is the purpose of this essay to present a brief history of this development of the popularity of the poem and then compare some of the translations with respect to some more difficult passages in the poem Beowulf.    In 1805 Sharon Turner included some passages from Beowulf in his The History of the Anglo-Saxons; he increased the text in later editions. In 1815 Grimur Johsson Thorkelin published the complete, though inaccurate, translation of the poem Beowulf. Thorkelin thought that the poem was a translation made in the court of King Alfred. These two citations show how Beowulf got its start towards fame in the modern era.    In more recent years more contemporary Beowulf enthusiasts are publishing a version in Hungarian (by Gyorgy in1994); doing photographic representations of the poem (Swearer, etc. in 1990, etc.); doing a meditative translation (Hudson in 1990); doing an Augustinian translation (Huppe in 1994); a translation based on syllabic meter (Greenfield in 1982); writing a novel, Eaters of the Dead, based on th epoem (Crichton in 1978); retelling the poem as a rock musical (Wylie in 1974); and the list is endless. Each approach strives to reinterpret Beowulf in the local and contemporary idiom (Osborn 341). Regarding the translation of Beowulf into English and foreign languages, both verse and prose, in 1815 a Latin... ...hor Books, 1977.    Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. Beowulf The Fight at Finnsburh, edited by Heather O’Donoghue. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.    Donaldson, E. Talbot, trans. Beowulf The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co., 1975.    Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf, A New Verse Translation. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000.    Osborn, Marijane. â€Å"Translations, Versions, Illustrations.† In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.    Rebsamen, Frederick. Beowulf A Verse Translation. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1991.    Shippey, T.A.. â€Å"The World of the Poem.† In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987..                  

Report on Telstra Marketing Strategies Essay

AbstractMarketing strategies are the main drives for promoting a company’s products to increase its sales and to build its brand. With regards to competition, a company needs to strengthen their marketing strategies to stay competitive. With the intense competition in the telecommunication industry, marketing is an important element in Telstra to build its presence in the community. This report seeks to analyse Telstra’s marketing strategies and identify critiques help to point out the areas of development for Telstra. IntroductionFormed in 1901, Telstra is Australia’s oldest and largest telecommunication service provider, with a market share of 74.5%. Telstra was partially privatized by the Commonwealth Government in two public offerings in 1997 and 1999. Due to government deregulations September 2002, Telstra has begun to open itself to more competition and the company’s business has turned to be more transparent. Its current principle activities include a wide array of telecommunication and information products and services. As Telstra services a wide demographic of customers, their products are segmented according to different target markets. Market SegmentationUnder the management of its new CEO, Sol Trujillo, Telstra is aimed towards understanding and satisfying its customer needs (Shanahan 2006). New market research is to be conducted to satisfy different customer segments who had demonstrated different needs from the broader telecommunications industry. He mentions that, ‘when the market research had been completed, Telstra would have interviewed over 90,000 consumer customers and created a small business ‘panel’ of 16,000 businesses’. This thorough market research is being conducted as it was shown that there is a reducing market in the mobile segment (Corner, 2006). Marketing Strategy AnalysisAs Telstra is involved in the telecommunications and information services industry, the marketing strategies will be divided and analysed according to their respective industries. Telecommunication IndustryProductTelstra provides various products and services in the telecommunications industry. Among them are landlines, mobile phones and the internet. LandlinesTelstra owns and manages most public switched telephone network (PSTN) services. Most of Telstra’s revenues are generated from fixed-line services. However, its revenue from its fixed-line services has been declining due to the reduced number of local calls made. Among the fixed line products and services offered by Telstra are the business line plans, fixed and rental phones. Mobile PhonesTelstra has two core services in mobile phone communication – post-paid and pre-paid mobile phone plans. The company provides products such as mobile phones. As these mobile phone sales are a relatively small part of the total revenue these phones are to be viewed as a means to sell more plans. As Telstra emphasises on providing the latest technology in the industry, it has recently introduced its Next G network, which claims to be the largest, fastest mobile broadband network. Their mobile phone plans work as a base for beneficial segmentation. The casual plan allows for more flexibility for change, while the phone plans offers the added benefit of including a handset. InternetTelstra has a wide variety of Internet services, which is offered to a wide demographic of customers. Among the products offered are: dial-up, cable internet, ADSL, wireless, and satellite. Telstra brands its Internet service as Bigpond. With Bigpond Broadband, the internet is provided at a blisteringly fast speed. For more traditional Internet services, Telstra also offers dial-up and ISDN services. With these services, Telstra has segmented each service through pre-paid and business group plans. Its ISDN service is targeted to people with limited broadband availability. CritiquesTelstra seeks to increase its customer experience and satisfaction through reward programs and product bundling. Telstra has designed telecommunication plans that offer more options, value and control to meet the customer’s needs. One such example is that it offers the latest fixed phones that take some of the best features from mobile phones, such as address book and caller ID. Through product bundling, Telstra is able to package a combination of these services into one large offering and single bill service, which makes its mobile products more attractive for consumers. Although Telstra boasts on having a stable and reliable internet connection, its internet speed has been observed to perform poorly. According to ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel, â€Å"Telstra’s competitors have been offering ADSL2+ since 2005, but until now Telstra’s fastest DSL offering was a mere 1.5 megabits per second (mbps)†. It’s reluctance to switch to ADSL2+ has been based on the fear that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would â€Å"declare† it, thereby giving competitors access to ADSL2+ at controlled prices (Barker, 2006). Telstra does not use much of traditional advertising for fixed-line products and services such as billboards, banners and digital banners, but rather it spends most of its advertising on new products and services such as BigPond Broadband and the Next G network. This is made possible as Telstra monopolizes the landlines in Australia, and people would still use its fixed-line products and services. Telstra should continue doing this and to continue to spend more in marketing its new products and services to meet the demand of the emerging market. Given this, Telstra is gaining the demands for both its fixed-line and new products and services. PriceTelstra is focused on product line pricing, where products within the same product range are priced differently, depending on its features and benefits. This price discrimination is to assist Telstra in maximising their turnover and profit. LandlinesBusiness line plans are priced at $99.90 per month (including monthly Line Rental), where the customer can get unlimited local and STD calls and valued rates on calls to mobiles. For fixed home phones, the price ranges from $60 to $500. The average pricing for rental phones includes the provisioning fee of $20 plus $3.00 per month for rental. Mobile PhonesTelstra’s mobile services are priced according to mobile phone plans, with the model of the phone being the main determinant of their price, where the greater the features of the phone, the dearer the price. As Telstra is by large a service oriented company, they emphasise on communicating more on the benefits of their services, such as covering most parts of Australia and its supplementary services and network stability. InternetThe Bigpond Internet is priced according to the type of infrastructure used. For example, it’s prepaid dial-up lines have a fee range of $2 to $19.95 for a validity of up to 45 days, while their wireless service price ranges from $29.95 to $199.95 on a 12 month contract. CritiquesA comparison of the pricing component of Telstra’s marketing strategy with offerings from competitors such as Virgin and Optus reveals that Telstra does not always have the lowest rates. For example, Optus offers a cable connection of 20GB for $79.95, where as Telstra offers it for $99.95. Comparing the plans Optus has a better price in almost every internet product than Telstra. In addition to that, Optus provides free initial time for one or two months on a variety of their internet connections which lacks in Telstra. Telstra also has a slow internet speed compared to Optus. From Telstra’s mobile plans, its 24 month long phone plans provide the lowest call rates out of Telstra’s offerings while the two shorter member- and casual plans have more expensive call rates. Due to its wide network coverage, Telstra emphasizes on this feature, rather than pushing their price as their primary selling point. On the other hand, the company is trying to attract price conscious consumers with its money back promotion for pre-paid mobile plans. In mid-July 2005, Telstra launched a major advertising campaign, where they promote the benefit of gaining credit for doing nothing but talk. Customers can gain up to an extra $50 in call credit each month, 5 cent extra for each incoming minute and 1 cent extra for every outgoing minute. This promotion campaigns are created to outdo the competition from Optus and Vodafone. They engaged in price war in order to offer the best options. Here, customers are  benefiting from lower prices, but unfortunately it is not likewise for these companies. Here, the government’s implementation of the ceiling and floor price for telecommunications regulation is significant to avoid further price war. PlaceTelstra’s telecommunications products and services are widely available throughout Australia. Telstra has 115 owned Telstra branded stores and 153 licensed shops, with two of its largest licensors being the mobile phone chain Crazy John’s and Australia Post. In addition, the company also has a compelling web presence with a complete online shop for the purchasing of mobile phone plans, pre-paid refills, handsets and supplementary services such as ring tones and games. Telstra boasts of a strong internet presence, with its network covering almost 98% of the population, providing internet service to even the remotest area in Australia. CritiquesTelstra shops and dealers are strategically located across Australia. It attends to the need of the people in their respective area. Apart from its own dealers and shops, it also has Crazy John as its exclusive mobile phone dealers which are very reputable and successful dealers. Telstra definitely has the edge over its competitors in terms of numbers and locations. PromotionTelstra promotes its products through media, out-of home billboards and also through their in-store value-added product offerings. For example, the promotion of the Bigpond is done in variety of ways, such as using humor and celebrities through their advertisements and electronic billboards in train stations, advertisements on trams, and also on their website. Telstra also promotes their products and services through providing value-added components to attract customers and promote customer loyalty. For example, Telstra uses loyalty programs such as ‘Telstra Rewards’ for landlines. This loyalty program entitles eligible customers to receive a 5% or 10% discount off eligible calls and charges. It is also observed that product bundling is commonly used in Telstra as a means of attracting customers to sign up for their products and services at a cheaper price. For example, product bundling is targeted to families, where families are given the option of combining their Telstra bills at a cheaper price. Telstra also provides discounted Bluetooth headsets with selected fixed phones in its product offering. Telstra promotes heavily on its mobile phone offering through service improvements, such as covering 96 percent of Australia with its GSM network and 98 percent with its CDMA network. CritiquesTelstra is one of the country’s largest investor in out-of-home advertising, spending more than $A9 million during the first six months of 2005. Despite being one of the largest spenders on advertising, Telstra has to be wary of Optus, its close competitor in fixed-line service. Although revenue from its fixed-line services have been declining due to the increased dependence of mobile phones and the internet, little has been done to promote Telstra’s fixed line services. Again this is because more emphasize is being put into promoting its new products and services, and also the fact that fixed-line is declining in demand. Telstra billboards were located in the heart of the cities and traffic for people’s easy access. PeoplePeople are greatest asset for Telstra. In selling and marketing, Telstra aims to attract the best people by keeping them contented and encouraging them to grow and improve. Telstra develops their staff through a sophisticated development framework, including online development courses, frontline manager and leadership programs, and a comprehensive range of options that develop technical and interpersonal skills. Telstra strives to build a culture that respects and harnesses the individual differences that all people bring to an organization. Through the Telstra Business Principles and the Code of Conduct standards of appropriate business and ethical behaviors are valued and expected from all employees. CritiquesThrough mystery shopping and observation, the sales staffs are good at communicating. They are knowledgeable about the products and services featured. Telstra has a diversity of staff consisting from various non-English speaking backgrounds. This portrays Telstra’s success in maintaining its image as a company that values diverse workforce in order to  meet the customers’ needs. ProcessThe process of applying for Telstra’s telecommunication products and services are relatively easy, where customers can go through Telstra shops and dealers and also through the Internet. The process involves interacting with Telstra’s sales team and providing relevant documents when applying for their products. However, the mystery shopping revealed that the processes of the new users’ application for the latest technology next G network took a longer time to be completed which is due to unfamiliarity with the new product. Physical EvidenceProducts such as telephones, mobile phones and Internet hardware such as modems and routers are provided by Telstra. These products are often offered as value-added components to their service for customers when signing up with Telstra. Being a large establishment in this industry, Telstra has a strong 24 hour customer support, which provides assurance to consumers that Telstra are reliable. 2.Information servicesBeing a telecommunications provider, Telstra complements this service with a directory service, through Yellow Pages, White Pages and the Trading Post. Due to the increasing dependence on the internet, Telstra has designed Sensis as a search engine to bring together listed businesses in the directory under one umbrella. Product/ServiceTelstra’s information services operate under the brand name Sensis. Sensis is designed as a search engine for Australians, bringing together businesses listed in the Yellow Pages, White Pages and Trading Post under one search engine. It acts as a platform that brings together businesses and customers. Sensis has a large network partner, which includes some of Australia’s more popular websites, such as CitySearch and Whereis. CritiquesSensis should be commended on trying to build a reliable circle of trust through their partner networks. With these alliances, Sensis is able to build up its brand through popular websites and establish a high standard  of reliability. PriceSensis has its own unique pricing strategy, with BidSmart, which acts as a method that determines the priority of each business listed in a particular search. A company/business with a higher bid for listing in sensis.com.au will appear first compared to other businesses that have a lower bid with the same search phrase. At the end of the month, the price paid by each business is determined according to the number of ‘hits’ the websites get from search traffics. CritiquesThis pricing strategy is suitable for Sensis. Being a pioneer in providing directory services through the Internet, Sensis is able to create value for its advertisers, by allowing them to pay according to the number of ‘hits’ obtained. This is a good establishment for Sensis as it is able to attract more businesses to advertise with them without burdening the businesses with a fixed price as they continue to build the Sensis brand to attract more searches. PlaceSensis is available on the internet and is linked with their network partners. Recent collaborations with carshowroom.com.au are aimed to increase its recognition and customer traffic through the website. CritiquesTransferring Yellow Pages and White Pages to the internet under Sensis is a good move as people are now depending on the internet for faster information. In addition to that, people are not burdened with the hassle of the printed version of these two directories which are bulky and time-consuming when searching for information. PromotionSensis promotes itself by collaborating with websites such as carshowroom.com.au to increase its presence in the marketplace. Sensis’ public relations have also helped gain recognition through press releases and conferences. In addition, Sensis has published a book, Small Business, Big Opportunity and a new website for small businesses to aid Australian businesses to optimize their marketing and advertising skills. CritiquesAlthough Sensis does not focus on marketing through billboards and media advertisements, their logo can be found on Telstra websites and also on their partner network websites that aims to provide a level of interaction between their partners and Sensis. PeopleSensis is recognized as one of Australia’s leading employers, who strongly encourage an environment of learning, innovation and enjoyable. Behind these employees is a strong support system – its board of directors and executive team leaders who overlook the direction of the business. CritiquesThrough a phone interview enquiring Sensis’ service, the customer service staff was knowledgeable regarding the processes required to sign up for their services and was also friendly and helpful in providing advice on how to advertise on Sensis. ProcessThe process of signing up to advertise on Sensis is relatively straightforward with a step-by-step process. Businesses/advertisers would need to register with Sensis before submitting their advertisement to the Sensis search engine. These clients are given the option of choosing among 3 advertising packages to aid in their advertisement presentation. Other websites can form partnerships with Sensis through inserting a Sensis link onto their website. This can be done by downloading a program which integrates the link onto the website. CritiquesThis strategy is good as it provides a level of flexibility and control for clients. With the three types of packages, Sensis is able to attract a wider demographic of businesses to advertise with them as they will be able to address different business needs. Physical EvidenceSensis is available on the Internet, with approximately 100,000 searches per day. According to statistics, Sensis serves almost 13 million users every month and about 150,000 online advertising customers advertise with Sensis. CritiquesAlthough Telstra aims to make Sensis one of Australia’s premier  search engine, many people are unaware of the existence of Sensis as it has only been advertised through the Telstra website and their partner network search engines. Consumers are not aware of the significance of the Sensis logo on these websites, hence decreasing internet hits. Market research shows that Sensis is the 5th visited local search engine in Australia, with 0.39% market share. Although launched in 2004, Sensis has yet to make a big impact in the Australian internet scene. Due to the transition of White Pages onto Sensis, search engine results have been quite inaccurate, affecting its reliability and popularity (Jones, 2006). ConclusionAs the report progresses with the information about Telstra’s main products and services under two main industries; 1) Telecommunication industry and 2) Information services, Telstra’s marketing strategies are being critiqued using the marketing tool, the 7 P’s framework. In the telecommunication industry, Telstra’s marketing is more on media, billboards and value-added components. Also, it engages more in promoting its new products and services to capture the emerging market. Also, Sensis has helped Telstra to increase customer usage of the directory, thus the Telstra website which leads to a comprehensive information. In essence, the marketing strategies in its telecommunication industry is currently in good practice but its information service needs further promotion to create more reliability and data accurateness. References Barker G. 2006, Telco finally gets on ADSL2+ bandwagon, The Age, viewed 11 December 2006, Corner S. 2006, Telstra’s grand plan to know and serve its customers, ITWIRE, viewed 13 January 2007, Jones M. 2006, Sensis revs engine but Google still rules, Australian Financial Review, viewed 2 January 2007, Government Introduces Laws to Boost Telstra Competition, The Age.com.au, 26 September 2002, viewed on 20 December 2006,Optus, viewed 9 January 2007 Shanahan J. 2006, Consumer-centricity: An idea whose Time Has Come, Australian Marketing Institute, viewed on 5 December 2006, Sensis, viewed 10 January 2007, Telstra, viewed 9 January 2007