Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Don Quixote

Don Quixote is about an old, retired man named Alonso Quixano. He spends most of his time reading chivalrous tales-so much so that he hardly eats or sleeps, causing people to think he has lost his mind. One day, he decides to become a knight and go out in search of adventure. He renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, and his horse Rocinate. He enlists Sancho Panza, a neighbor, to be his squire, promising him governorship of an island. The two sneak off in the early dawn, and the adventures begin The first example of idealism vs. ragmatism was in the opening scene. A young Alonso is shown outside in a field playing and talking to himself, pretending to slay some enemies. His fantasy is shattered and he is brought back to the real world when his mother calls him inside to go to bed. The next example comes when Alonso is talking to his friends, who happen to be workers. He is optimistic that all of their lives could turn around and that there is an even bigger world full of opportuni ty out there just waiting to be discovered.All of his friends are realistic and tell him that they are going to be working for their entire lives. Next, Alonso Quixano wanted to be a knight. The barber was over at his house to give him a shave, and everyone was in the room. He started talking about his dreams of being a knight, and everyone laughed at him, telling him to just let the barber shave him. He ignored them, though. He ran outside and made his plans with Sancho Panza to escape and find an island to govern. This brings us to our next example of idealism vs. pragmatism.Alonso and Sancha take off on their horse and donkey, respectively. Remember, they are in search of an island. They will not be able to get to an island on their animals. After this, Don Quixote de la Mancha thought he would bring glory to himself and Sancha Panzo by killing the â€Å"giant monsters† that they ran into on their way to an island, when in reality the monsters were just windmills. He also thought a bleating flock of sheep were an army of singing soldiers. As you can easily tell, idealism and pragmatism are both extremely strong and important facets of Don Quixote.

Fast food is something that every American knows about Essay

Most likely you, the person reading this has had fast food before, and probably enjoyed it. Whether it may be Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, KFC, etc. There is nothing as cheap, quick to get, and tasty as fast food. With the ever-growing population of obese Americans, people are looking for a reason and for most that reason is fast food. Now according to the CDC (centers for disease control) the definition of overweight is having a BMI (body mass index) of 25-29.9 and the BMI for an obese person is 30 or higher. Could it be that fast food is causing 78 million Americans 20 years or older to be obese, or that 17% of all children and teens in the US are over weight because of it? I think not. Sure, fast food may not be the healthiest choice for you, but seriously, no one is forcing you to eat that cheeseburger and no one is forcing you to drink that soda. You see fast food is not the problem, the decision making of the obese American population is. Now just so weâ €™re clear I have nothing against obese people and there is a big difference between a little chunky, which is okay and obese. Now just so your aware of the obesity problem here in America, here’s some cold hard facts about obesity. Here in the US more than 35% of adults are considered obese, that’s more than 78 million people across the country that are obese. Seventeen percent of children and young adults are obese, which is triple the rate of a generation ago. Studies have shown that obesity gives you a greater chance of getting type2 diabetes and even cancer. If you are wondering why there are so many obese people in America today just ask your self a few simple questions. Would you rather go for a nice evening jog or stay home and watch your favorite TV show? Would you rather eat a salad or something not as healthy like a burger or pizza? And finally would you rather go to the gym or hang out with friends? If I had to guess I’d say most of you would rather hang out with friends, eat junk food, and watch your favorite TV show. You see most people have the time to work out and eat right they just choose not to and just like every choice made in life it comes with it’s benefits and consequences. You don’t have to pay for a gym member ship just walk up some steps or play catch with your kids or take a walk at the park, anything is obviously better than nothing. Now researchers will argue against my claims, and that’s understandable. They’ll mention that 33 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. consume fast food on a typical day; they’ll also state that on average adolescents will visit a fast food restaurant twice a week. Well all I have to say to that is whose fault is that? How are these kids buying the fast food? With their parent’s money of course. Why can’t the parents make them something healthy and control what there kids eat instead of giving them money to eat fast food? It’s the parent’s fault that the kids are eating fast food so often. Fast food isn’t going to make you obese unless you eat it most of the time. If you eat it occasionally but you also eat your fruits and vegetables you’ll be fine. It is crazy to know that in the U.S. 49% of money spent on food is spent away from home. Which means people are choosing to buy food from restaurants and other place s rather than go to the grocery store and cook at home. That percentage is always increasing due to the fact that people now a days are looking for more convenient ways of getting there food. If your wondering just how much money is being spent on quick service restaurants, in 2011 quick service restaurants were expected to gain 168 billion dollars, 3% more than 2010. If people would just spend half the amount of money that they usually spend on fast food and cook a nice healthy meal instead there would be no problem with fast food. Once again the decisions of the American people are to blame. Hit the gym and help yourself get slim. Studies have shown that physical activity plays a big role in loosing weight but of course you knew that, its common sense. But what many people don’t know is that according to the CDC (center for disease control) fewer than 2 out of 10 Americans and less than 30 percent of adults get the recommended level of exercise. Also that more than 25% of U.S. adults do not devote any time to physical activity, the worst states being Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It is very intriguing that correlations have shown that those states with the least amount of exercise have the most health problems. Type2 diabetes is mostly triggered by obesity, and in 1980 5.5 million adults had it; now approximately 25.6 million adults have type2 diabetes. The ever so increasing percentage of obesity and decreasing percentage in physical activity is definitely to blame. An interesting fact is that by loosing weight and getting from overweight to normal you can save on average $1400 a year on medication. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, there are a few tips that can help you get fit. First don’t drink soda; on average if you drink a soda can a day you’ll gain 15 pounds in a year, that is if you don’t work out of course. Take the stairs or walk around the block, a few extra steps could be the difference in burning some extra calories, and finally anything is better than nothing, curl some soup cans or do some crunches while watching TV. Any of those things can help you with your obesity, then you wont have to blame it on fast food. Fast food companies are now making a bigger push to serve healthier items in their stores, but it is up to the customers to get them otherwise it is all for nothing. McDonalds is taking the biggest step with there new items like the all fruit smoothies, apple slices, salads, and there brochures that show you there below 400,300,200, and 100 calorie items. Jack in the box is jumping on board as well with their 3 choices of salads, and serving grilled chicken instead of fried in there sandwiches. These fast food chains are realizing that healthy is the new way to go but yet the majority of people in America aren’t. We need to watch what we eat, eat healthier brown rice or bread instead of white, more fruits and veggies and less burgers, next time you go to mcdonalds get a salad instead of a Big Mac it might change your life. In conclusion the fast food industry is not to blame for Obesity in the United States of America. They’re taking steps in the right direction and the people of America should too. We need to start exercising more and getting active because that is the true reason for the increasing obesity. Make better decisions in your life style, choose a healthy one and like I said get a salad next time you go to McDonalds. – http://www.getamericafit.org/statistics-obesity-in-america.html – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/obesity-rate-by-state_n_1774356.html –

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Federal Law Enforcement Agencies â€Å"There are many important Federal Law Enforcement Agencies in the U. S. but I decided to write about the ones that mostly caught my attention. † * American Correctional Association: The American Correctional Association, also known as ACA, is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. It serves all disciplines within the corrections profession and is dedicated to excellence in every aspect of the field.From professional development and certification to standards and accreditation, ACA is your resource and the world-wide authority in corrections. * Central Intelligence Agency: The function of the Central Intelligence Agency is to assist the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in carrying out the responsibilities. The CIA engages in research, development, and deployment of high-leverage technology for intelligence purposes. As a separate agency, CIA serves as an indepe ndent source of analysis on topics of concern and also works closely with the other organizations in the Intelligence Community to ensure that the intelligence consumer. Department of Justice: The Department of Justice enforces the law. This federal agency defends the interests of the United States according to the law. It ensures public safety against threats foreign and domestic; it provides federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; it seeks just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and it ensures fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. * Homeland Security: The department of Homeland Security is focused on smart and effective enforcement of U. S. immigration laws streamlining and facilitating the legal immigration process.The department has fundamentally reformed immigration enforcement. It gives priority to the identification and removal of criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety and targeting employers who knowingly a nd repeatedly break the law. * Drug Enforcement Administration: The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States. Those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances ppearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States will have their consequences. It recommends and supports non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. References * http://post. ca. gov/federal-law-enforcement-agencies. aspx * https://www. cia. gov/ * http://www. aca. org/ * http://www. justice. gov/about/about. html * http://www. dhs. gov/prevent-terrorism-and-enhance-security * http://www. justice. gov/dea/agency/mission. htm

Case study group project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group project - Case Study Example This paper evaluates the communication issues and communication effectiveness of Mr. Porter, Mr. Weigand, and the disgruntled teacher, where they all made communication mistakes because leaders did not establish strong relationships with their subordinates, while subordinates reacted with inadequate critical thinking. The first section of the paper assesses the e-mail communications of Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand, which both manifested a lack of responsiveness to one of the crucial roles of leadership, the role of building relationships, which could have helped them become more perceptive of the current workload of teachers and their feelings regarding additional class requirements. Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand did not effectively communicate the importance of the new performance objectives because they did not understand the workload of their teachers and how they would respond to the new class requirement that they have to submit in a month. First, Mr. Porter did not consult with his principals and teachers regarding the new performance objectives. ... Second, Mr. Weigand should know more about the teachers’ situation, but instead, he merely forwarded an unsympathetic e-mail to his teachers. Apart from not expressing empathy, he did not have sufficient perception of his role as someone who could have at least tried to communicate with the teachers first regarding how they felt about the performance objectives (Lunenburg, 2010, p.5). As the principal, he should have been more aware of the potential impact of the performance objectives on his teachers because he should know more about the teachers’ everyday activities. Instead, he acted as if he was another Mr. Porter. Third, if I would put myself in the position of these teachers, I would also be surprised and frustrated after getting the e-mail. The e-mail had a demanding tone and unrealistic perception of teachers’ workload. It would certain get angry responses because it did not consider its effects on teachers, who already had regular tasks and activities. T hus, Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand failed to build a strong relationship with their teachers that could have given them the inkling that setting performance requirements could not be done in such a rushed manner. The second section of the paper discusses how Mr. Weigand should respond to the angry teacher, where he should reply with empathy and openness to further discussion. In his e-mail response, Mr. Weigand must sound concerned by saying that he understood her frustration and that he would open the topic for further discussion with other teachers. He must be open to suggestions too on how the relevance of the performance objectives could be better explored and highlighted to his teachers (Lunenburg, 2010, p.7). Furthermore, I could have

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy Essay

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy - Essay Example This system also seems unfair, as it imposes different tax rates on people in the same society. The successful high-income earners in society might feel prejudiced. Monopoly is mainly caused by the presence of many barriers in the market, which prevent other business players from gaining entrance into the market. Additionally, when there is no other substitute for specific products in the market, monopoly is likely to occur. In some countries, the government may also give powers to specific companies to monopolize the market legally. Finally, the ownership of patents and copyright protection results in monopoly power for some businesses. In order to increase competition, governments should provide incentives such as subsidies to companies. In addition, small companies should be exempted from meeting the standards of the bigger companies, as these lack the facilities and financial resources to meet the high standards. Breaking down bids and making them smaller is advantageous to smaller firms, as these are comfortable with smaller contracts. If these among others are observed, more new companies will be attracted into the market. Regulation of markets is important for consumers. This involves laid down standards by the regulatory body to ensure an acceptable business practice in the supply of goods and services. This helps in price control, and controlling natural monopolies, especially in the electricity supply industries and the telecommunications sector. This benefits individual companies too, as regulation encourages fair competition in companies, while protecting the consumers. The idea of capture was developed by George Stigler and argues that, if industries capture their regulatory agencies, they can benefit from regulation. They can do this by making the regulatory agencies depend on their technology and political influence. On the other hand, public-interest theory applies in market failures, when

Networking assignnment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking assignnment - Essay Example The CEO sets the budget for the company and allocates the funds. Such responsibility requires analytical and business skills related to marketing and business management (Trammell par. 2). Enough business experience is important because it helps the CEO analyze both the business environment and another market aspect for the company. The CEO needs experience to understand the market and investment characteristics. Investment experience and knowledge are crucial especially when making decisions on investment opportunities for the company. Management experience is also critical. Experience on managing a company is important because the CEO has responsibility not only for the success of the company in the market but also in handling personnel. As noted earlier in this paper, the CEO is responsible for the companys major functional components. Educational experience in marketing and global business will help the CEO understand market trends on a global perspective that are central to the success of the company. Though the CEO often delegates departmental duties to various senior managers, he/ she requires educational background on communication, management and human resource. Knowledge on communication will help strengthen the relationship between the CEO and other personnel in the company. However, the most vital educational experience is the management because the overall duty of the CEO is to manage every component of the company. My desire to go for this type of job is driven by the fact that I have certain characteristics that qualify me for this career. For a start, I can start by managing a small company because I have prior business experience working for such a company. My business experience stems from the fact that I did an internship and attachment for a couple of months at a business company. I learned a lot regarding management of the company plus its personnel. My strong interest in the business area is the motivation to follow the path

Sexual Exploitation of Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sexual Exploitation of Women - Essay Example Moreover, the nuisance in the society can be regulated but not at the expense of the safety, health and lives of individuals. Sale of sex for cash is not hampered by the constitution. However, the harm on the laws should not exceed the objectives of the federal government adopting it. When the court advised the government through the parliament to revise the laws on sex trade, the federal government argued that sex workers chose to affirmatively embrace risks that emanate from the dangerous trade (John, 2014). One of the dangers is violence on women by their clients. On the screens of reality, most prostitutes who resort to the trade are not usually driven by their own accord but other factors. Therefore, this paper seeks to elaborate conceptions about prostitutions by incorporating feminism (Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2015).Prostitution has become a social challenge due to the dynamics of the society despite its negative implication especially on women. Some of the prohibited activities are: prostitutes are not allowed to offer their services outdoors or even outside their homes; living on avails of prostitution aimed at another individual benefiting from another’s prostitution; and offering of services in public. The prohibition of not offering services outdoors is aimed at deterring the community from disruption and that concerning living on avails of sex trade is aimed at the eradication of pimps. On the other hand, prohibiting prostitutes from offering services publicly is channeled towards eradicating sex work out of the public view hence minimizing nuisance. However, there are several feminists with varied opinions on the issue in discussion (John, 2014). Other feminists perceive prostitution to be bad and retrogressive towards the steps taken towards female equality while some have a contrary opinion. They vindicate their views that prostitution is illegal

INTERNATION FINANCIAL MARKETS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

INTERNATION FINANCIAL MARKETS - Essay Example nternational financial markets would lead to improvement in the economies of developing, less developed countries, and it would automatically enhance stability among developed countries. The major benefit accruing from international financial markets is more financial interconnection among different nations of world. It can also lead to a deeper integration of developing economies with the international financial markets. Especially the developing economies would be able to revamp and develop their financial system with the introduction of more complete, deeper, stable and better-regulated domestic financial markets because of their affiliation to international financial markets. Levine, (2001) suggests a better functioning financial system with more credit is likely to lead to faster economic growth. Apart from direct growth benefits, development of international financial markets is likely to result in other collateral benefits like promotion of the development of domestic financial sector and imposing disciplines on the macroeconomic policies of the governments. It also leads to generation of more efficiency by encouraging competition and results in enhanced corporate governance and functioning of better governments. Since these benefits occur over a longer period, it is usual that the costs of globalization are detected more easily. The collateral long-term benefits of international financial markets can be traced through equity inflow and increased foreign direct investments into the domestic financial markets. However, it is difficult to identify the benefits of international financial markets, which enhance the productivity through empirical studies. An analysis of structural, institutional and macroeconomic policies across the country leading to growth of GDP or productiv ity would prove the benefits resulting from international financial markets. At the micro level, the positive impact of international financial markets can be felt in the capital account

Strategic Management (Marks & Spancer Case) Essay

Strategic Management (Marks & Spancer Case) - Essay Example It is able to source quality products from centralized buying office and later transfers the same to its stores. In each and every store, analogues procedures are being followed and hence, the independence of managers was constrained. In the past, various CEOs concentrated on quality of merchandise, supplier control and layout of stores. During the 11-year tenure of Sir Richard Greenbury as Chairman cum CEO, M&S enjoyed twice the market share as compared to any other retailers in the industry and witnessed the growth successively as they were no major changes to its style of operations or functioning. However, in 1998, M&S strategy met a great disaster as it performance was far below than normal for many successive years. Its lost its major chunk of customer’s base due to its competitors ability to source very competitive merchandises from low-cost nations and there had been cut-throat competition from retailers like Gap, Oasis, Next, Matalam and Asda. Due to poor performance, Sir Richard Greenbury was shown exit doors in 1999. In 2000, Luc Van de Velde appointed himself as Chairman cum CEO, and he earnestly attempted to turnaround the M&S Plc in his short span tenure that prolonged up to 2004. With aim of focusing on UK market, Velde appointed a head for UK retail and segmented the customers of the company employing the store within a store perception. He successfully entered into a joint venture with designer George Davies. In 2003, he introduced the Simply food notion and started to open stand alone food stores in 2003 in UK. Velde era made a turnaround of M&S Plc between 2000 and 2004 but also M&S encountered successive takeover attempts by the Arcadia Group. Another innovation that Luc Van de Velde brought was the introduction loyalty cards which gave the customers reward points that can be used during their future purchases at M&S stores. However, in the year 2004, M&S witnessed a deep decline in their sales, lost major of its market share to its c ompetitors, mainly due to over-emphasis on Per Una. Rose Stuart succeeded Luc Van de Velde in 2004, and he followed a strategy of under promising but excess delivering in terms of targets set. In 2008, Rose was re-designated as Chairman cum CEO when UK was facing utter economic crisis. Since then, the scenery did not improve in 2009 also, Rose and his marketing director were to forego ? 1 million package bonus of M&S shares and in 2010, Rose relinquished his position as chairman and functioned as CEO of the company. Introduce the theory or concept to be used in analysing the assignment This paper tries to explore about competitive strategy on which M&S might accomplish competitive advantage in the market. As per Michael Porter, an organisation could achieve the competitive advantage by adhering to three various generic strategies like focus, overall cost leadership and differentiation. As per Cliff Bowman and Richard D’ Aveni, market-facing generic strategies are having compe titive advantages, which is accomplished by offering customers with what they exactly need or want more efficiently and effectively than its competitors. (Cousins & Coskett 2007:275) In UK, M&S was the number-one retailer, but it failed to comprehend or to recognise the transforming social fashions and tastes in the

Realism in Romantic poetry Essay Example for Free

Realism in Romantic poetry Essay Reality is abstract, as it depends on every individual’s own perspective. When Wordsworth says, â€Å"world is too much with us†, it depends on us how we look at the world, as every being has a world of his own. We acknowledge the events around us with whom we can relate, but ignore many other changes considerable for others. Most of the times, Romantics are considered escapist, and are alleged that their writings reflect an Imaginary world far from the reality surrounding us. But going through various poems of Wordsworth and Coleridge, I find it vice versa. â€Å"All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill; Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! The very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! † [Westminster Bridge; Wordsworth; Sept 3,1802] The allegation that Wordsworth moved from the harsh realities of the cities brought about by the industrial revolution initiated in 1765. This allegation was made relatively stronger by placing Wordsworth vis-a-vis Victorian realism. In my view such an allegation is a product of superficial readings of his poems. The poem composed upon ‘Westminster Bridge’ illustrates keen sense of socio-economy of the then London. It describes the urban landscape departing from his stock theme based on rural landscape. It talks about the landscape of the city which has been divested to its negative qualities. Like the smoke of the industries, the busy crowd, insensitive to its fellow man and the incessant desire in man to control nature. The term smokeless air is for him a matter to rejoice a state of the city distilled of the harmful effects of industrialization. The line, â€Å"the river glideth at his own sweet will† encapsulates the entire project of Wordsworth vis-a-vis the new call given by the middle class to conquer and exploit nature. In this sense his realism is much more pronounced and subtle than it is taken into account of. Citing from historical context, one can notice the involvement of the likes of Coleridge, Wordsworth and Lamb during French revolution. In 1798, the year ‘Lyrical Ballads’, a joint effort by Wordsworth and Coleridge, came out, was a turbulent period in England’s history. Hostilities had broken out between Her and France in 1793 (and was to last with unremarkable intermission for over twenty years), and by 1798, she was faring badly in the war. Wordsworth had, of course, visited France in 1791-92, and had been in Paris at perhaps the most critical of all the great moments of the French Revolution that began with the destruction of the notorious prison of the Bastille in July 1789. (Coleridge’s poem, An Ode on the Destruction of the Bastille). The political tussle between the Girondins and the Jacobins were at a height, and Wordsworth saw clearly the slow rise of the Jacobins under Robespierre. He felt a deep concern for the Girondin leaders whom he felt were the genuine revolutionaries. He believed in the â€Å"reasonableness† of human nature and also believed passionately that men were â€Å"worthy of liberty†. Wordsworth’s early republicanism, his concern for France and the Revolution is described memorably in his long and autobiographical Prelude: Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very Heaven! O times, In which the meager, stale, forbidding ways Of custom, law and statute, took at once The attraction of a country in romance! The prelude testifies to the shock that Wordsworth felt in his â€Å"moral nature† when he saw the Revolution that was to redeem mankind, turn to dust. For many, Tom Paine, William Godwin, Coleridge and Wordsworth, the French Revolution was not simply as struggle of a people to be free- it was mankind’s struggle to achieve something better- a new age for the entire human race- when aristocracy and class privilege would give to democracy and â€Å"Reason† would destroy the fetters of superstition and tyranny. Coleridge, like Wordsworth, had been swayed by the ideals of the Revolution, but the savagery and unrestrained mob frenzy under the Terror disillusioned him as did the rise of Napoleon and France’s aggressive conquests of other European nations. In France, An Ode and Fears in Solitude, Coleridge describe his feelings with candour: O France, that mockest Heaven, adulterous, blind, And patriot only in pernicious toils! Are these thy boasts, Champion of humankind? To mix with kings in low lust of sway, Yell in the hunt, and share the murderous prey; To insult the Shrine of Liberty with spoils From freemen torn; to tempt and to betray? [France, An Ode] British sympathizers of the French Revolution like Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey were lampooned in the conservative press. Coleridge was so much influenced by William Godwin’s idea (Political Justice, 1793) of rejection of authority, abolition of private property, creation of a just state that along with Robert Southey, he was ready to set sail for America to establish a perfect state along the lines charted by Godwin. The political ideas of Wordsworth and Coleridge was also strengthened by pursuing the ideological goals of Unitarianism (which verged on radical deism) and drew heavily on the ideas of English â€Å"Commonwealthman† of the seventeenth century. Side by side to these intellectual debates between the conservatives and the liberals, the economic and the human cost of the war proving to be enormous. In the country, rural poverty was becoming acute and the number of beggars, starving children, gypsies, wounded soldiers roaming the country lanes could be seen from early poetry. Wordsworth’s poetic capability to recreate the sorrows and hardships of these homeless, starving populace is one of his lasting achievement as a poet. The Old Cumberland Beggar in poem of the same name, the traveler of Guilt and Sorrow, the blind London beggar in The Prelude are all powerful figures of forsaken humanity who become permanent symbols of the human condition. The effect of industrialization was viewed by both Wordsworth and Coleridge with a mixture of excitement and distrust. The new industrial cities- Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, by 1815, contained a large population that had come from the country to look for work, and both Wordsworth and Coleridge were increasingly worried about the rising number of poor. Against the expanding complexities of men living in an industrial wasteland, the destruction of old livelihoods and an increasing impossibility to believe in a benign Providence, harmony with Nature offered the Romantic poets another way of life. The disruptive force of the French Revolution added the impetus to romanticism. There are individual differences among the great romantic poets concerning the conception of nature. But all of them share a common objection to the mechanistic universe of the eighteenth century- even though Wordsworth admires Newton and accepts him, at least in the orthodox interpretation. All romantic poets conceived of nature as an organic whole, on the analogue of man rather than a concourse of atoms- a nature that is not divorced from aesthetic values, which are just as real (or rather more real) than the abstractions of science. My conclusion concerning the romantic poets may be unorthodox and even unconventional. On the whole political criteria seem grossly overrated as a basis for judging a man. References Blake, Wordsworth and Coleridge [Edited by Debjan Sengupta and Shernaz Cama; Worldview Critical Editions] The Prelude by William Wordsworth An Ode on the Destruction of the Bastille by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Education in Freedom Writers

Education in Freedom Writers Foundations of Education Film Critique – Freedom Writers Historically, concepts such as curriculum, syllabus, lesson plan, educational objectives have been all-important words in education. These concepts do not exist in a vacuum. Teaching and learning are often affected by social, political, economic, and historical factors that are not accounted for in the formal curriculum. The film Freedom Writers explores some of these factors from the vantage point of Ms. Gruwell, an inexperienced middle class Caucasian female teacher at an integrated school, Woodrow Wilson Classical High School inLong Beach, California. The film is set in the racially charged atmosphere of 1994, less than two years after the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of the Caucasian officers who were caught on camera brutalizing Rodney King, an African American. Her group of racially diverse at risk students are unflatteringly labeled â€Å"unteachables†. Before she can teach basic concepts in poetry, however, Ms. Gruwell has to contend with and overcome the racial stereotypes, low teacher and student expectations, poor discipline, socioeconomic restraints, and myopic bureaucratic policy that have resulted in her students’ negative attitude to their teachers, school, the educational system, and life in general. They believe that their educational boundaries are limited, that their teachers are not invested in them, and that school is merely another prison to which they are assigned during the day to fight the undeclared war. Both teachers and students believe that the students are hopeless and that attempts to teach them using the formal curriculum is an exercise in futility. This paper explores how certain factors external to the educational institutions—racial stereotypes, low teacher and student expectation, poor discipline, socioeconomic and historical restraints, and myopic political policy—affect the educational process as portrayed in Freedom Writers. Initially, Ms. Gruell tried an ineffective teacher dominated, teacher centered approach to educating her students. Try as she might, however, she could not get the students interested in her lessons. The students regarded her as an outsider and that she had to gain their respect before they would give them hers and allow her to teach them. Ms. G was forced to revise her teaching style and strategies to reach her students. Eventually she expelled the curriculum and simply listened to her students. Her wisdom was in recognizing that she had to connect with them and to understand that they had needs that had to be acknowledged and barriers that had to be demolished before they would be taught. She assigned materials about minorities and discrimination that they could relate to including The Diary of Anne Frankand Elie Wiesel’sNight. She empowered them with words by giving them diaries in which they could write their own stories. She devised activities and field trips to help them learn respect and tolerance of one another. The student listened to guest speakers, and conducted a field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum so they could experience racism, intolerance, death and injustice in a new context. She was even able to raise funds for class projects and outings. Once she had gotten their interest, Ms. G relentlessly built on themes that which was familiar her students. In so doing, she achieves what thus far had been seemingly impossible: getting her students interested in reading education. Ms. Gruwell’s pedagogical style evolved to resemble the Inquiry Approach. Inquiry is a student-centered pedagogical model which is based on the idea that teaching and learning are enhanced when students are active agents in the teaching and learning process. Teaching is most effective when students are not just passively digesting arbitrary information, but are engaged in the actual construction of diverse, relevant, and real world knowledge. Thus, the very nature of the Inquiry Approach means that it is highly effective framework for catering to students’ different learning styles and for facilitating the management of challenging curricula. The learning sequence is based on concepts that facilitate effective learning rather than arbitrary classroom activities: tackling real-world questions, issues and controversies, developing questioning, research and communication skills, and solving problems or creating solutions. Schema activation, articulating novel methods of pr ocessing ideas, drawing ideas and generating new ideas from experiences, conducting independent research are important to Inquiry. Inquiry is authentic: lessons and content are focused on authentic, relevant ideas that students are actually interested in. This is the ultimate genius of the Inquiry Approach: the deep understanding of self-generated content in an authentic context which extends beyond the classroom. While Ms. G might have opted simply to teach the established curriculum, she instead opted to teach the students in the way they needed to be taught. One of the important themes of Freedom Writers is that teaching and learning do not take place in a vacuum. Rather, the classroom is a microcosm of the larger society where a host of social, historical, political and economic factors converge in the classroom and directly impinge on the education process. This plethora of factors influence the educational process and how effectively a teacher can teach. Political agents included the school administration and the Board of Education; all cogs in a system designed to suppress the advancement of minorities. The callous label of â€Å"unteachable† placed on the students only exacerbates the sense of oppression these disenfranchised minority students feel. The school serves as microcosm of the larger society where oppression was even more pervasive and detrimental. Instead of serving as a springboard for the students to self-actualize and escape the bonds of the â€Å"matrix of domination† by challenging them to achieve high standards, it instead institutionalized the same oppression the prevented the students from self-actualizing in the first place. A simple example is the reading list for class. Instead of allowing the students to interact with high quality, challenging reading material such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, they students were expected to read a condensed version of the play which was below the re ading standard for their grade. Even worse, the main concern of the head of department, Ms. Margaret Campbell, was that the students would damage the books instead of reading them. She was not concerned with challenging students to reach for high academic accomplishments. She simply fed into the machinery of the â€Å"matrix† where â€Å"unteachable† students continue to perform much more poorly than their Caucasian counterparts. What she fails to realize is that this attitude simply perpetuates the very issue that she complains about. According to Carborne II in Race, Class, and Oppression: Solutions for Active Learning and Literacy in the Classroom. The disadvantage perpetuated by this oppression can influence a student’s motivation to succeed in school, and has been shown to negatively impact academic performance and levels of self-esteem. In many urban school settings, the racial impact of socio-economic status is reflected in the academic performance of minority students in those schools as well as in the sense of hopelessness that often accompanies it. The influence of historical factors and the influence on attitudes to education is clear in Freedom Writers. The film is set in 1994 soon after the 1992 race riots in Los Angeles which were prompted by the televised police brutality of Rodney King. With the single exception of a male Caucasian student, Erin Gruwell’s students are minorities: African-American, Latino, Asian, and Mexican. Traditionally, undereducated, underprivileged and marginalized, these students grew up with a long history of racial, economic, educational, and social inequity. They come from neighborhoods that are traditionally controlled by crime lords, drug kingpins; neighborhoods where drugs, broken families, gang-life and violence are a way of life. Survival dominates their thinking, and most are confident that the will not reach their 18th birthday. The hate the system that warehouses them in integrated school and forgets that they exist. Their primary goal in school is to survive the day. Learning is of secondary importance particularly if the education comes from a Caucasian, the representation of the system that they hate so much. Initially, Ms. G’s students resisted her attempts to educate them, because they had been socialized to think of Caucasians as â€Å"them†: racially oppressive forces that historically have undermine and disenfranchised minority races. The students refuse to or cannot respect her as a teacher or even as a human being because she is one of â€Å"them. They fail to acknowledge the possible positive ramifications of being educated by her. The most damning aspect of this kind of oppressive system is that it is self-perpetuating. Over generations, the oppression has become firmly engrained in the lives of minorities to the point where they internalize and manifest the stereotypes even as they resist them. For example, while Ms. G was genuinely interested in her students, but after years of discrimination and ill treatment, her interest came across as sympathy, or worse pity. Her positive attitude was not accepted at face value. Instead her display of what the students interpreted as what Freire terms â€Å"false charity† was yet another bit of proof that the system was stacked against them. The fact is that she â€Å"needed† to show â€Å"charity† because of the system—her system—put minorities at an unfair economic disadvantage. Economics play a major role in Room 203. Researchers such as Jonathan Kozol (2008) and Berliner (2006) record startling correlations between the achievement gap and which are directly linked to economic prosperity. According to a Trends in Mathematics and Science Study TIMMS (2003), â€Å"American schools with the most wealth possess the highest test scores†. Conversely, American schools with the highest levels of poverty achieve the lowest test scores. Hodgkinson (2008) reports even more startling statistics: the United States has the largest total number of children living below the poverty line. In this demographic, 33% is African while only 14% is Caucasian. Hodgkinson asserts that long term investment from government and non-governmental agencies would be the best way to alleviate the problem of student performance in underperforming schools. Investment like this would have a ripple effect in the larger society by breaking the cycle of poverty. However, the issue is far t oo complex to be solved by a simple injection of financial capital into poor performing schools. A collaborative effort is needed where students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and teachers converge as a single entity to combat this issue. Initially, Ms. G’s students resisted her attempts to educate them, because they had been socialized to think of Caucasians as â€Å"them†: racially oppressive forces that historically have undermine and disenfranchised minority races. Their attitude toward her was based on their previous experiences with â€Å"white teachers† and other privileged members of a racially oppressive system, who do not understand the struggle that they had experienced as minorities: poverty, discrimination, crime, drugs, racism, and death. In fact, for these oppressed students, these individuals are actually part of the machinery designed to perpetually oppress minorities. With her constant smile, her high minded ideals, and her feeble, misguided attempts to save the minority students from their own lives, she fit perfectly the stereotype of â€Å"white privilege†. The author of â€Å"Race, Class, and Oppression: Solutions for Active Learning and Literacy in the Classroom† explains this in terms of a â€Å"matrix of domination† where the achievement gap between minority students and their Caucasian counterparts has led to the marginalization of many students by social class and race†. The students refuse to or cannot respect her as a teacher or even as a human being because she is one of â€Å"them. They fail to acknowledge the possible positive ramifications of being educated by her. The movie provides an in-depth exploration of the complex dynamics of expectations. Historically, low expectations were routinely assigned to lower class or minority populations by teachers and the students themselves. The academic downgrade of Woodrow Wilson High School after integration â€Å"proved† that minorities are not as academically capable as students from other privileged backgrounds. The poor performance was further exacerbated by the students’ lack of discipline which in turn confirmed teachers’ negative attitude and low expectations. Perhaps the worst consequence so such attitudes is that they creates a sense of inferiority in these students who now internalize these low expectations of others now manifest them as low expectations of themselves. Clearly, expectations are a double edged sword. Positive expectations are a major contributor to student success, while negative expectations have the opposite effect. Over the last several decades a number of researchers have shown that irrespective of whether the teacher or students have high or low academic expectations, self-fulfilling prophecies assure that those expectations will be met. The results of a study of 30,000 minority students by Harvard University economist and researcher Ronald F. Ferguson discovered â€Å"the distinct importance of teacher encouragement as a source of motivation of non-White students†. Both Mr. Gelford and Ms. Campbell, and the rest of the staff, had low expectations of the â€Å"unteachables† in Room 203. From the onset, Ms. Campbell indicated that Ms. G’s objectives in her lesson plan were pitched above the students’ ability and advised her to simplify them. She also dismissed the idea that the student should be provi ded with rich, stimulating material. Mr. Gelford refused to entertain the idea that the students would be able to appreciate the novel The Diary of Anne Frank and sneered at the idea that they had the intellectual sophistication to draw parallels between their lives and Anne’s life. Ms. G’s kids were not expected to achieve as much as the students in Mr. Gelford’s advanced class so they were held to a different, albeit lower, standard. The solution for counteracting the damaging effects of low expectations is not merely to dispel low expectations or to declare a belief in high expectation. Teachers must believe that students have to potential for unlimited success. Rosenthal and Jacobson’s 1968 experiment indicated that students showed remarkable academic success simple because their teachers thought they would. Had Erin attended to the advice about the achievement potential of the students in 203 would never have achieved their remarkable academic performance. What drove them to achieve was her simple belief that they were just as capable of the levels of achievement as their Caucasian counterparts. Despite all odds, Ms. G was able to achieve what the two teachers before her had been unable to. She was able to get the students in Room 203 to take an active interest in their own education. Despite all odds, and with great personal sacrifice, she showed the students what it really meant to have an education in an oppressive world. She gave them hope for the future. Once she shifted the focus from her teaching to the students learning, she was able to recognize that the racial stereotypes, low teacher and student expectation, poor discipline, socioeconomic and historical restraints, and limited bureaucratic policy are real restraints that compromise the educational process. The film Freedom Writers inspires me as a teacher. Students today are much more difficult to manage, but as the film shows, management difficulties are rooted in social, economic, political, and historical factors that the students internalize and consciously manifest in ways that compromise them. It takes enormous dedication, patience, and conviction to help students break through whatever constraints the students are struggling with. Ms. Gruwell’s experiences remind me of my first days as a teacher with typed lesson plans and a thousand misconceptions about how students should be taught. Ultimately, we have to understand out roles as facilitators of learning, and more broadly, life. Our jobs—vocation—as teachers is not merely to broadcast facts. Rather it is to educate students in the sense of helping them to gather and construct relevant information that will help them to evolve as creative individual thinkers. Teachers need to find catalysts that generate the fire for learning in their students. We need to strive daily to find creative and revolutionary means to get students to achieve way beyond their wildest expectations. If Ms. G, inexperienced and idealistic as she was, inspired 150 at risk students to persevere and graduate, then so can any teacher. She truly is an inspiration for us all. References Carbone II, S. A. (2010). Race, Class, and Oppression: Solutions for Active Learning and Literacy in the Classroom.Student Pulse,2(01). Retrieved fromhttp://www.studentpulse.com/a?id=113 Laurier. J. (2007). â€Å"Freedom Writers: Truly no child left behind† Retrieved from http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2007/01/free-j27.html O’Hara, M. (2009). â€Å"Freedom Writers: Their Story Their Words. A Study Guide†. Retrieved from http://www.metromagazine.com.au/freedom/downloads/freedomwriters_sg.pdf Teach for America. (2011). â€Å"Diversity, Community and Achievement†. Retrieved from http://www.teachingasleadership.org/sites/default/files/Related-Readings/DCA_2011.pdf

Operations Management for Market Leadership

Operations Management for Market Leadership Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1: Overview Operations management is deemed to be an integral part of the day-to-day business process and services delivery of organizations irrespective of the industry in which they are operating as argued by Slack et al (2005)[1]. This makes it clear that the effective use of the resources and technology in order to ensure prompt delivery of the promised services to the customers is not only elemental for the sustainability of the business but also the core deliverable that can be achieved only through effective operations management (Slack et al, 2006[2]). Tourism in the global market has seen tremendous growth with the increase in the affordability and the demand for new destinations in the market from all levels of the market (Yu, 1997[3]). The increase in the level of package tours and the number of holidaymakers visiting places abroad since the dawn of the twenty-first century justifies the aforementioned (Dempsey and Gesell, 2007[4]). It is further evident from the arguments of Dempsey and Gesell (2007) that the increase in the tourism industry is mainly influenced by the level of affordability and convenience provided through flight services across the globe mainly in the form of economy flights. This makes it clear that effective operations management in the tourism industry especially in the airways business segment of the industry is a key element that has a direct impact on the tourism industry in a given geographical location (Barnes, 2007[5]). The growth of economy and low fare flight services to a variety of destinations across the European Union and across the Atlantic further makes it clear that a airline operator cannot achieve market leadership through pricing strategies but only through distinguishing itself from others through quality of service offered. In this report a critical analysis on the use of effective operations management practises to achieve competitive advantage through improving business operations at British Airways Plc is presented t o the reader. 1.2 Aim and Objectives Aim – The aim of this report is to present a critical analysis on the use of operations management concepts to achieve sustainable market leadership and growth at British Airways in the Tourism Industry. Objectives The above aim is accomplished through focusing the report on the following research objectives To present a literature review on the key concepts associated with the operations management in the tourism industry focusing on the airlines business. To present a company profile on British Airways and the company’s operations management. To present a discussion on the areas of development for British Airways and the implementation of the Operations Management concepts presented in the literature review. 1.3: Research Scope and Methodology The scope of the research is restricted to the airlines business segment of the tourism industry as opposed to the airways operations as a industry in itself. This is due to the fact that the case of former involves the operations management from a quality of service perspective whilst the latter also involves the industry standards and regulatory aspects of the business. The research methodology is qualitative in nature as the application of the operations management concepts at British Airways to actually test its viability and the results of the implementation requires higher level of commitment from the company which is unavailable for this academic research. The research hence uses secondary research resources to deliver the research on the chosen topic. 1.4 Chapter Overview Chapter 1 – Introduction This is the current chapter that presents the research aim and objectives alongside a brief introduction on the nature of the research being conducted. Chapter 2 – Literature Review This chapter presents the key concepts of Operations management and their role in the tourism industry focusing on the airlines business segment. The purpose of this chapter is to present an insight on the Operations Management concepts at a theoretical level prior to conducting the company profile of British Airways in chapter 3. Chapter 3 – Case Study This chapter commences with a company profile on British Airways (BA) Plc followed by a detailed analysis of its business operations and the current operations management strategies deployed. The aim of this chapter to present a critical analysis on the issues faced by the operator in the UK and the global market in terms of effective operations management to deliver quality service to its customers. Chapter 4 – Discussion This chapter presents a discussion on the theories and the research presented in the chapters 2 and 3. The discussion presented aims to justify whether the theory discussed in the literature review can be accomplished in case of BA. This chapter also aims to present a discussion on the benefits that can be realised through the implementation of the operations management concepts as part of the BA business operations’ management. Chapter 5 – Conclusion and Recommendation This chapter presents a review of the objectives initially to assess the relevance of the research conducted in relation to the set objectives. This is followed by the conclusions drawn on the research and recommendations for both the intended audience and for further research. Chapter 2 – Literature Review 2.1: Introduction Operations management in the tourism industry is a major aspect that is not only integral to the business of the organizations in the industry but also the core element that dictates the mere existence of the competing organization (Barnes, 2007). This is naturally because of the fact that the operations management forms majority of the service management strategies of any organizations (Barnes, 2007). The prompt and effective delivery of the services promised to the customers is deemed to be the key for achieving competitive advantage in the tourism industry as well as t he hospitality industry as a whole (Fenn, 2008[6]). This makes it clear that the operations management in the strategies of the organizations in the tourism industry where travel by both the holiday makers and professionals are fused together, is critical for successful delivery of the products and services. Unlike retail/wholesale manufacturing industries, operations management in the tourism industry does not have a physical product for delivery through the use of logistics mechanisms but actually depends on the logistics and transportation strategies for customising the products and services to the intended customer (Fenn, 2008). This is naturally because of the fact that the tourism industry is integral to the transportation and logistics management for both the travellers/tourists and baggage handling as argued by Baxter (2007)[7]. This makes it clear that the operations management in the tourism industry mainly in the air-travel business segment is dependant on the application of the logistics and transportation management concepts from a services delivery perspective as opposed to merely delivering the products using a Just-in-Time or similar delivery strategy (Fenn, 2008). Core concepts of Operations management Clark and Johnston (2005)[8] argue that the overall operations management in a given organization predominantly revolve around the following core concepts Product and Service Management Quality Management Inventory Management Logistics and Transportation Management Facilities Management Configuration Management These are discussed in the subsequent sections of this chapter in the light of operations management in the airlines industry. 2.2: Product and Service Management The product and service management in the world of operations management is mainly concerned with the configuration and delivery of the services post purchase by the customer (Wild et al, 2005). This makes it clear that the product management in the case of operations management is the actual process of defining the timelines associated, costs and the service level agreements associated for the delivery of the product as an operations’ service to the customers by a given business organization. For instance, in a online retail scenario where the delivery of the goods purchased by the customers over the Internet is delivered using a logistics service provider by the retailer, the service level agreement of the retailer with the supplier must ensure that the guarantee to the customer is achievable under typical operational conditions of the business (Baxter, 2007). In case of the airline industry the major aspect associated with the delivery of the aforementioned products/services is that the product sold is in itself is realised as a service rendered to the buyer/customer. This makes it clear that the effective management of the operations by the airline operator is critical to ensure that the services purchased by the customers are delivered effectively. For example, a ticket or package tour purchased by a customer as a product is also the service experienced by the customer during the course of the journey. This further makes it evident that the operations management is not merely prompt delivery of the product but actually its appropriate planning and implementation in case of the airline operations in the tourism industry. The product and services management in the operations management of any organization involves three major aspects as discussed below: Definition – The definition of the product or service intended to sell to the customer is the first and most critical element associated with the product and service management as argued by Slack et al (2006)[9]. The product definition in the tourism industry involves the definition of the scope of the product and its intended value addition for the customer or the buyer as argued by Fenn (2008). The product definition also involves the process of ensuring that the requirements of the customers are met with by the service provider in case of the tourism industry. This is because of the fact that the services offered are measured by the customer who directly experiences them as part of the delivery of the product or service as argued by Fenn (2008). This first-hand response element of the customer feedback and their perception associated with the tourism industry is the major element that attributes to the need for a stable product definition. The airline operations in particular is one of the business segments where the first-hand response of the customer is not only part of the services offered but also in terms of the delivery of the service and associated tasks like the baggage handling, check-in and in-flight services including food and beverages offered as argued by Baxter (2006)[10]. Yet another element associated with the operations management in the airline industry as part of the product definition is the extent to which the service provider is prompt in the delivery of the services defined as part of the product. In case of the airline industry this is a critical aspect owing to the fact that the tourists and other travellers using the airline service depend entirely on the effectiveness of the operator in handling the safety and security of the passengers as well as their belongings in terms of checked-in baggage, hand baggage etc. As the traveller on holiday using the airline service to reach the destination will require his/her checked-in baggage in order to continue with their vacation without hindrance, the aforementioned justifies the need for a stable product definition. Another critical aspect associated with the product definition in the tourism industry is the need to ensure that the customer requirements are not only catered for but also to ensure that the services delivered as part of the business process is managed effectively at the operational level as argued by Baxter (2007). As mentioned before the case of tourism industry in general mainly involves the customer experiencing the services delivered first-hand. In other words the operations management in the tourism industry is not a behind-the-screen process but performed in front of the customer itself (Baxter, 2007). Design – The design phase of the product or service involved in the airline industry of the tourism business is a key aspect that involves a variety of long-term, short-term and day-to-day operational decisions as argued by Clark and Johnston (2005). The design phase of the product or the service is deemed as the actual planning involved with the scoping and delivery of the product or service defined at the product definition. In the case of airline operations business, the key elements that influence the design include from long-terms aspects like infrastructure, location, facilities up to day-to-day operational activities like the provision of food and facilities in-flight as well as the handling of baggage at the airport terminals both at departure and arrival ends of the journey as argued by Baxter (2007). The long-term decisions in the operations management of the airline operations involve Location – The location of the airport and the associated infrastructure to ensure the flight handling on a day-to-day basis without affecting the domestic life of the general public is the critical element associated with the product design for the airline operators on a long-term basis. This is evident from the case of many airlines managing the infrastructure and operations of the international airports of key destinations. Lufthansa’s role in managing the Frankfurt Airport in Germany, the management of Dubai International Airport by Emirates and responsibility of managing key international airports in the UK by British Airways including London Heathrow airport are classical examples for the aforementioned. Infrastructure – The infrastructure associated with the setting-up and the continuous maintenance of the airport is the second long-term element that influences the effectiveness of the tourism operations management by any airline operator in a given location. The infrastructure maintenance includes the installation of the security, baggage handling, staffing and mainly the handling of flight take-off and landing at airport terminals to ensure the smooth transfer of passengers from or into the aircraft as applicable (Dempsey and Gesell, 2007). Apart from the aforementioned, the key long-term element associated with the product design is the ability to improve and accommodate to changes in the external business environment in order to cater for the demands from the customers (or travellers) in the target market. The increase in the prominence of cheap flight services for the trans-Atlantic and European Union destinations for tourism is an example that justifies the aforementioned. With the increase in cheap flight services, the density of air-travellers in the western nations to various foreign destinations for vacation has increased tremendously (Baxter, 2007). This increase in the passenger density through airports which is also due to the growth in the affordability and the rising economic growth across the globe as a result of out-sourcing is one of the key long-term elements that influenced the construction of Terminal 5 at the London Heathrow airport. The opening of the Terminal 5 at the Heathrow airport has provided the British Airways flight operator the opportunity to utilise the infrastructure to consolidate the operations of all BA flights (long and short-haul) from a single Terminal at the Heathrow airport thus establishing the company’s brand identity effectively in the UK and global commercial aviation market. Delivery – The delivery of the services in the airline operations industry is the final and the most critical element in the case of the product and service management as argued by Slack et al (2006). Apart from the fact that the customer experiences the operations management strategy first-hand as part of the journey travelled, the delivery element also accompanies the services and facilities offered to the customers as part of the operations and their ability to meet the customer requirements (Slack et al, 2005). Footnotes [1] Slack, N.; Chambers, C.; and Johnston, A.B.R (2005), Operations Process Management: Principles and Practice for Strategic Impact, Prentice Hall [2] Slack et al (2006), Operations Management, Prentice Hall Ltd [3] Yu, G (1997), Operations Research in the Airline Industry (International Series in Operations Research Management Science), Kluwer Academic Publishers [4] Dempsey and Gesell (2007), Airline Management: Strategies for the 21st Century – 2nd Edition, Coast Aire Pubns [5] Barnes (2007), Operations Management, Cengage Learning [6] Fenn, D (2008), Travel Tourism Market – Market Review 2008, Key Note Ltd [7] Baxter, J. (2007), Travel Tourism Market – Market Review 2007, Key Note Ltd [8] Clark, G; and Johnston, R (2005), Service Operations Management: Improving Service Delivery, Prentice Hall [9] Slack, N.; Chambers, C.; and Johnston, R.; (2006), Operations Management, Prentice Hall [10] Baxter, J. (2006), Travel and Tourism Market – Market Review 2006, Key Note Ltd

The Process of Adoption and the Need for Change Essay -- Exploratory E

"I am a 31 yr. old adoptee, I was adopted at birth it was prearranged prior to my birth, my sister who is 3 yrs younger also a prearranged adoption at birth...actually we were picked up by our adopted parents around six to nine weeks but my understanding is I was never with my birth mother I was either in the hospital or at the agency until they came to get us" ("Open Adoption"). Adoption is the process by which people take a child who was not born to them and raise them as a member of their family (Fanshel). Adoption is sometimes used as an easy way to get out of a pregnancy or raising a child. It is a very emotional process that people sometimes spend their whole lives trying to figure more information about the event. Other times it can be used to help the parents who would love to have kids, but are not able. In many cases, this does happen, but doesn't the adoption process need to be a little more difficult? When putting up a child for adoption, there is paper work and money issues and same with adopting a child. Money and paperwork should not be the reason why we have so many children in foster homes, and so many parents who aren't approved to adopt. When putting a child up for adoption, the parent must go through extensive requirement checks that prove to the adoption agencies that the mother can not handle the baby and need to look into adoption ("Wha t is Adoption?"). When adopting a baby, the parents need to be approved, but why are there charges for wanting to take in a kid that would otherwise be forced to live in a foster home? In simpler terms, the process of adoption should be reversed, putting up a baby for adoption and adopting a child. Adoption is a very scary process that many people at all ages might g... ...he World Book Encyclopedia. 1986. Volume 1 Gloria Hochman and Anna Huston "Open Adoption."1993. Adopt. 18 Mar. 2004<http://wwwadopting. org/open1.html>. "Open Adoption". Adoption Forums.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://forums.adoption.com/t95498.html>. Pertman, Adam. Adoption Nation. United States-Basic Books, 2000. Stone, Helen. "Foster Parent." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1986. Volume 7 "What is adoption?" Adoption Services. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://wwangelfire.com/mb2/niicca/home/ adoption_services.html>. "What is adoption?". Adoption Story.. 18 Mar. 2004 <http://www.5rocks.com/Adopting/thestory01_what.htm>. "What is adoption?" Family Help Tree.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://www.familyhelptree.com/pages/family/family-adoption.htm>. "What is going on with China?" Rainbow Kids.com. 8 Apr. 2004 <http://www.rainbowkids.com/china1196.html>.

Essays --

Animal Testing According to the Foundation for Biomedical Research, â€Å"animal research has had a huge role in almost every major medical related discovery of the past century†. (Jarrett) I believe scientific testing on animals should remain legal, both for human and veterinary health. From blood transfusions to anitbiotics, from chemotherapy to vaccinations, and joint replacement to bypass surgery basically every current day emergency for prevention, treatment, control of disease, pain, and even cure is even based on knowledge achieved through research with lab animals. I believe it should remain legal because, the information we learn from the testing is very helpful, it has helped advancement in products that are used in our everyday lives. â€Å"Animal research and testing has played a part in almost every medical breakthrough of the last century. It has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide...† (Ryan) In a survey it has said that 99% of the physicians in the United States, agree that animal research has highly progressed medical research. In fact, almost 97% of those p...

Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social care Essay

1. Define the following types of abuse: a. Physical abuse Physical abuse can include: hitting, slapping, pushing, pinching, force feeding, kicking, burning, scalding, misuse of medication or restraint, catheterisation for the convenience of staff, inappropriate sanctions, a carer causing illness or injury to someone in order to gain attention for themselves ( this might be associated with a condition called fabricated and induced illness ). see more:explain how a clear complaints procedure reduces the likelihood of abuse b. Sexual abuse Sexual abuse includes: rape and sexual assault, masturbation, indecent exposure, penetration or attempted penetration of intimate areas, sexual harassment, involving a vulnerable adult in pornography, enforced witnessing of sexual acts or sexual media, participation in sexual acts to which the vulnerable adult has not consented or could not consent or was pressured into consenting. c. Emotional / psychological abuse The emotional and psychological abuse includes: bullying, threats of harm or abandonment, ignoring, shouting, swearing, deprivation of contact with others, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, deprivation of privacy or dignity, lack of mental stimulation. d. Financial abuse Financial abuse can include: theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits. e. Institutional abuse The key factor in identifying institutional abuse is that the abuse is accepted or ignored by the organisation, or that it happens because an  organisation has systems and processes that are designed for its own benefit and not those of the people using the service. For example: People in residential settings are not given choice over day-to-day decisions such as mealtimes or bedtimes. Freedom to go out is limited by the institution Privacy and dignity are not respected Personal correspondence is opened by staff The setting is run for the convenience of the staff Excessive or inappropriate doses of sedation / medication are given Access to advice and advocacy is restricted or not allowed Complaints procedures are deliberately made unavailable f. Self neglect Self neglect is different from abuse by others, but it is still a situation that can place people at risk of harm and, potentially, place them in danger. People neglect their own care for a range of reasons of which the most common are: Increasing infirmity Physical illness or disability Memory and concentration problems Sensory loss or difficulty Mental illness and mental health problems Learning difficulties / disabilities Alcohol and drug misuse problems A different set of priorities and perspectives g. Neglect by others Neglect by others occurs when either a support worker or a family or friend carer fails to meet someone’s support needs. Neglecting someone you are supposed to be supporting can result from failing to undertake support services. Neglect and failure to care includes: Ignoring medical or physical care needs Failure to provide access to appropriate health, social care or educational services Withholding the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate  nutrition and heating. 2. Identify the signs and / or symptoms associated with each type of abuse Physical abuse: bruising or finger marks, fractures, scratches or cuts, pressure ulcers or sores from wet bedding or clothing, black eyes or bruised ears, withdrawal or mood changes, reluctance by the vulnerable adult to be alone with the alleged abuser Sexual abuse: scratches, abrasions or persistent infections in the anal / genital regions, pregnancy, blood or marks on underwear, abdominal pain with no diagnosable cause, provocative sexual behaviour, promiscuity, prostitution, sexual abuse of others, aggression, anxiety, tearfulness, refusal to undress for activities such as swimming / bathing. Emotional / psychological abuse: cared for person fearful of raised voices, distressed if they feel they may be â€Å"in trouble†, cared for person being treated like a child, referring to the cared for person in a derogatory way. Financial abuse: someone is not allowed to manage own financial affairs, person nort made aware of financial matters, very few or no personal possessions, unexplained shortage of money, unexplained disappearance of personal possessions or property, sudden change of a will. Institutional abuse: excessive conformity in daily routines by people using the service such as everybody waking up at around the same time, going to bed at around the same time, having too many similar activities and having meals at the same time. Neglect: medical condition deteriorating unexpectedly or not improving as expected, hypothermia or person cold or dressed inadequately, unexplained loss of weight, clothes or body dirty and smelly, delays in seeking medical attention 3. Describe factors that may contribute to an individual being more vulnerable to abuse Individuals can be more vulnerable to abuse because of an infirmity, mental health issues, memory problems, learning difficulties, advanced age, financial problems or lack of knowledge about their rights. Outcome 2Know how to respond to suspected or alleged abuse 1. Explain the actions to take if there are suspicions that an individual is being abused There are four key priorities in responding to concerns about  abuse: Priority 1: Protect The most important concern is to ensure that the abused person is safe and protected from any further possibility of abuse. Make sure that any necessary medical treatment is provided, and give reassurance and comfort so that the person knows that they are safe. Priority 2: Report Any abusive situation must be reported to the line manager, or the named person in the workplace procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults. There may be formal reporting procedures in place in the organisation, or you may simply make an initial verbal referral. However, it is essential that you make a full, written report as soon as you can after the event. Priority 3:Ppreserve Preserve any evidence. If this is a potential crime scene, you must be very careful not to destroy any potential evidence. Priority 4: Record an refer Any information you have whether it is simply concerns, hard evidence or an allegation, must be carefully recorded. The evidence should be written down because verbal information can be altered and can have its meaning changed very easily when it is passed on. 2. Explain the actions to take if an individual alleges that they are being abused. The priorities in this case are the same as in the case of suspicion. However the first and most important response is that you must believe what you are told. One of the biggest fears of those being abused is that no one will believe them. Confidentiality cannot be always kept in these cases. You must always be clear, when someone alleges abuse, that you cannot promise to keep what they tell you confidential. 3. Identify ways to ensure that evidence of abuse is preserved. In case of physical or sexual abuse there is likely to be forensic evidence. These must be preserved by the following actions: Do not clear up Do not wash or clean any part of the room or area in which the alleged abuse took place Do not remove bedding Do not remove any clothes the abused person is wearing Do not allow the person to wash, shower, bathe, brush hair or clean teeth Keep other people out of the room or area If financial abuse is alleged or suspected, ensure that you have not thrown away any papers or documents that could be useful as evidence. Neglect generally speaks for itself, but it is important to preserve living conditions as they were found until they can be recorded and photographed. This does not include the person concerned, any treatment and medical attention needed must be provided. Outcome 3Understand the national and local context of safeguarding and protection from abuse 1. Identify national policies and local systems that relate to safeguarding and protection from abuse There are a number of national policies designed to protect vulnerable adults from abuse: Criminal Justice Act 1998 Civil action by the victim Care Standards Act 2000 Sexual Offences Act 2003 Family Law Act 1996 Offences Against the Person Act 1861 No Secrets ( England ) , In Safe Hands ( Wales ) Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 ( England and Wales ) Protection of Vulnerable Groups Act 2007 ( Scotland ) ASPA 2007 ( Scotland ) Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme Mental Capacity Act 2005 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Mental Health Act 1983 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Theft Act 1968 National Assistance Act 1984 Fraud Act 2006 Office of the Public Guardian 2. Explain the roles of different agencies in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse Both nationally and locally, the protection of vulnerable adults forms part of the Safeguarding Adults agenda. Local authorities now have Safeguarding Adults Boards. The local boards are responsible for delivering a multi-agency response to safeguarding adults and to ensure that all partner agencies are recognising and acting on safeguarding issues at a strategic and individual level. The Care Quality Commission regulates and inspects health and social care services including domiciliary and protect the rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The Care Quality Commission has a role in identifying situations which give rise of concern that a person or person(s) using a regulated service is or has been at risk of harm, or may receive and allegation or a complaint about a service which could indicate risk of harm. The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was a non-departmental public body, that existed until 1 December 2012, when it merged with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to form the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The DBS enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involve children or vulnerable adults, and provides wider access to criminal record information through its disclosure service for England and Wales. 3. Identify reports into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse There are a number of ‘failures in care’, in the examples bellow in which it is highlited what can happen when a service, or organization fails to protect the persons under their care. The Bichard inquiry into the deaths of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. www.bichardinquiry.org.uk You can access information on this case from the above link, which will inform you of the outline of the case, the reason for the failure of care, and the enquiry details. This would be adequate to use as an example of ‘failures of care’. Other points of reference: Ofsted Baby P report Amy Howson Report Alfie Goddard Report 4. Identify sources of information and advice about own role in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse Your employer will have their own policies relating to abuse, whistle blowing, etc. These policies are you’re ‘working documents’, as they inform your practice on how to meet your responsibilities whilst performing your role. However there are local and national policies relating to abuse, which also have to be considered. Outcome 4Understand ways to reduce the likelihood of abuse 1. Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by: a. Working with person centred values Person-centred planning is a process of constant review, learning and listening. Person-centred planning focuses on the immediate and the future, taking into account the needs, thoughts, concerns and opinions of the individual, and consulting their family and friends and others within their ‘personal network’. This person-centred approach helps individuals identify their aspirations, and mobilises those concerned – including their personal network, service agents, non-specialist and non- service sources – to help people pursue their own personal ambitions. Services should, in theory, become more flexible and encouraging active participation. b. Encouraging active participation There are a few steps that can be taken to ensure active participation. These are: FACILITATE: Make contributing easier. Use tasks. Give preparation. INVESTIGATE: Find out why people are not contributing, what would make it easier for them to contribute. Encourage the use of visual aids. CLARIFY: Clarify expectations and objectives. DEMONSTRATE: Show how experience-based learning works. CHANGE: Change the dynamics. Create smaller groups. Silence louder group members. Use temporary rules and gimmicks. CONSULT: Consult the group. Give responsibility. Ask the group to come up with solutions. Be open. Use transparent training. c. Promoting choice and rights This gives the service user the choice to speak out and talk about abuse etc. 2. Explain the importance of an accessible complaints procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse. By having an accessible complaints procedure, you are encouraging the individuals in your care to ‘speak up’, about any issues they may have. They will not feel threatened, inadequate, or guilty, about making a complaint, with no fear of repercussions if they do complain. If the complaints procedure is easily accessible, the individual will be aware of what to do in the event of a complaint, who to complain to, and what will happen next. Outcome 5Know how to recognise and report unsafe practices 1. Describe unsafe practices that may affect the well-being of individuals Unsafe practices that may affect the well being and safety of your service users could include: Poor working practices: This could include not having proper policies to protect the service users, not have correct equipment to perform their role (hoists, ppe, etc). Not working to the current standards, therefore putting service users at risk. Resource difficulties: This could be that staffs are not trained correctly to perform the tasks their role involves. It could be that the ‘home’ is understaffed, as the budget is not there to employ more staff. The staff group may use agency staff, due to sickness, vacancies etc, and the agency staff are not aware of the needs of the individuals. Necessary facilities/equipment is not purchased due to lack of funds, (wheelchairs, disposable gloves, and correct diet for healthy living, utilities (heating and lighting restricted). Operational difficulties: This could be because of staff shortages, so recommended ratio of staff to service users, are not maintained. The staff group may not work as a team, therefore a continuous service is not maintained, and the service delivery suffers. Inexperienced staff ‘acting up’, in a senior role, that may not have the knowledge to perform the role. 2. Explain actions to take if unsafe practices have been identified It is your responsibility to report any unsafe practices, straight away, to your line manager. To â€Å"Blow the Whistle† on somebody or something means to report somebody for doing something wrong or illegal, especially within an organization. Your organization may have a â€Å"Whistle Blowing† policy, which will protect you and your employment if you report your concerns. Ask your manager or supervisor, if unsure, but follow your organizations policies regarding ‘reporting’ different concerns. You can seek advice from the Adult Protection Co- ordinator or lead person for Safeguarding Adults based at your local Authority/Council. All concerns should be reported accurately. If your concerns are not taken seriously, you must try another route. You must ask for help if you feel â€Å"out of your depth† with a particular individual or issue.

Marcionism & God Essay

Marcionism is a dual belief system that originated from Marcion of Sinope in Rome teachings in the year 144. It affirmed that Jesus was a savior who was sent by God and Paul was his principal apostle but Marcion himself rejected Yahweh and the Hebrew Bible. It was referred to as heresy by those who opposed it and wrote a five book treatise against it. Marcionism teachings affirmed that Christianity was different from and opposition Judaism. It opposed the whole of the Hebrew Bible, and declared Hebrews Bible God was a minor demiurge, who created the earth and was the source of evil. The principles of Marcionism are that many teachings of Jesus Christ are incompatible with those of the god of the Jewish Religion. Referring to Pauline traditions in the Gospel, Marcionism believed that the Gospel, opposed to teachings from the old testament that were believed to be misleading from the truth. Paul’s arguments in respect to the gospel and law, grace and wrath, faith and works, spirit and flesh, righteousness and sin, life and death were the base of religious truth. Marcionites holds maltheistic perception of the God of Hebrew Bible as (Yaltabaoth) inconsistent, wrathful, jealous and genocidal, and created a defective world, a site of suffering and term such a God as a malicious demiurge whom they refer to as Yaltabaoth. Montanus was the founder of Montanism, an early Christian sector founded in the mid 2nd century AD in Phrygia region and its followers are referred to as Cataphrygians. Tertullian was the most widely known Montanist. Montanus claimed to have received a number of revelations from the Holy Ghost beside and strolled in the settlement in Asia where he preached what he claimed to be the Words of God but those who opposed him especially the Orthodox claimed his teaching as but those who opposed him especially the Orthodox claimed his teaching as hearsay. He traveled along with two women who claimed to have received some revelations too, and they urged their follower to pray and fast so that they could receive revelations too. The teachings of Montanism spread from Phrygia, to Africa, Gaul and the rest of the world. Christians also agree with the some teachings of Marcionism like the opposition of murder and genocide that were employed in the Old Testament. Marcionism imposed a high degree of morality to its followers and those who were immoral were some times persecuted. The early encouraged the positive teachings of Montanism and Marcionism; however there existed clear differences in the teachings between different sects Donatism was an unorthodox sect of the early Christianity that was founded by Donatus Magnus and believed that holiness was a mandatory for church members and essential in administration of sacraments. Donatists lived originally in Roman Africa and attained their biggest number in the 4th to 5th centuries. One of the central issues in the Donatists controversy is that at some levels, the church is normally called into the communion with God and that is not breakable from human being point of view given by the grace of God in Christ therefore, leaving the church is like leaving grace and questioning Gods power and adding a semi Pelagian realization of the salvation. The Council of Arles in the A. D. 314 criticized the Donatists although the Donatists flourished. The Donatists and Orthodox Catholics in Africa were against each other as a result in 393 A. D, St. Augustine codified the Catholic teachings concerning baptism founded on controversy between Orthodox Catholics and Donatists. His diplomatic efforts and teachings didn’t terminate the fighting and bickering, the government powers were called upon and in 411 A. D. an imperial commission banned Donatism by making its practices illegal (Robert E. Van Voorst (Readings in Christianity, US, Wadsworth/Thomson publishers, 2000) p 136-136. Constantine’s conversion to Christianity lead to the Edict of Milan and Christianity became legalized; he became a committed member of the church and set precedence for the post of the Christian Emperors in the Church that would be pursued for centuries. This was a turning point for Christianity because he supported the church with all available resources and that marked the beginning of Christendom Diocletian was one of the four documents of Constantine that brought to an end may decades of anarchy and crisis when Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus became the Roman emperor in 284, other documents include licinius, Maxentius and Maximianus Herculius. Arius beliefs that became part of Arianism included the fact that he believed that god was not the father all the time and gods words were not eternal but were merely made out of nothing, he also believed that god made all the creatures including himself hence he was also susceptible to change like other creatures he had created and there was the belief that the Son was created on other creatures accounts and does not understand his nature and could other creature not have been created, the son would not have been created too. the result of the Nicaea- Constantinople council was that the, after reading of several Arius documents, they were termed as blasphemous and the end result was that Arius were sent to exile along with some of his followers. ( Jane M. McCabe, The Single Story of Divine Prophecy to Abraham, (US, Xlibris,2001Corporation publishers, 2001) p182-211) REFERENCES Robert E. Van Voorst, Readings in Christianity, US, Wadsworth/Thomson publishers, 2000 Jane M. McCabe, The Single Story of Divine Prophecy to Abraham, US, Xlibris,2001Corporation publishers, 2001

A Passing of the Torch; Europe from 1500-1800

A Passing of the Torch; Europe from 1500-1800 When you step back and observe history from afar you’re missing part of the story. Observing the rise of Europe, you cannot simply take into account it happened. To understand the past you need to look into past, in documents and first-hand accounts to observe the underlining issues. To best explain the major shift in energy from the Indian Ocean Basin to the North Atlantic in 1500 to 1800 you have to observe the world and the people in context. Europe is an underdog to rise to the top.Having just experiencing the worst of the Black Death wiping out a majority of its populations, a tragedy in all senses, turned into a blessing. It sparked the scientific revolution; inspiring the Europeans to shift their views towards knowledge and discovery (Reilly, 434) . Sprinting ahead, Europe took the world by surprise. With their footing in a ‘new world’ the opportunities were endless. Exhausting their colonies at its full potenti al, with the cash crop, sugar they were able to revolutionize commerce into a representative model of modern trade.The Europeans weren’t the only ones making radical changes in the era. The Confucian Scholars were forcing Chinese to push inward and were eliminating commerce (Kristof, 551). Shifting of energy from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean; Europe gained power in the era through two main triggers, the scientific revolution and the developments of the sugar plantations in the new world. To better understand what’s happening with Europe in the 1500’s and later you need to also look back at the past and see where they have been and the events leading up to the beginning of a new era in European success and discovery.When you examine Europe today they are one of the world’s leaders, less than a thousand years ago the now prominent country was spiraling down, on the brink of demise. In the mid-fourteenth century the Bubonic Plague, also known as th e Black Death, originated somewhere in Asia and progressively spread though out Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Without doubt it became the greatest health disaster to date; mass graves were being dug to compensate for the dead. The Plague spread like wildfire wiping out an estimated one-fourth to one-third of the population (Reilly, 436).With no known source of treatment available or why the disease was spreading the Europeans turned to what they knew best, Religion. The Christian consensus was that God had bestowed the plague as a devastating judgment with the meaning of punishing the inflicted for his sins. People tried anything to avoid their seeming inevitable deaths, from walking around with incense to mask the wreaking stench of death, fleeing from their homes to find unaffiliated areas, or most commonly turning to God. The priest with the duty of serving the people, considered holy and without sin, were the main care takers of the stricken.Unsurprisingly, they too ne eded to be cared for, for they as well, contracted the disease joining their following to the death beds. We know today that the Black Death was not a punishment from god, but at the time, they had only to believe what the church told them (Reilly, 460). As priest died alongside the commoners their belief system was shattered. It was common of the time to believe what the church had told them and take it as true. For instance the church stated that the earth was the center of the universe, and it was heresy to state otherwise.With the church being proven wrong, people began to look outward for new knowledge. â€Å"Without visiting a deep ravine, one cannot understand how deep the earth is†¦ ,† just like Emperor Taizong said Europe began looking at the world to discover the truths; what is now known as the Scientific Revolution and the beginning of their restoration. Today, it is impossible to think about Modern Times and the way we live without thinking about science. We have pushed the scientific front to our limits, and now reap the benefits, from cars, phones, to healthcare. The scientific revolution truly lives up to its name.It truly was revolutionary, the standard of knowledge in the Modern world. The revolution can be traced back to Europe in a dispirit search for new understanding. Looking outward for answers from other countries such as the Muslim world and China, who already had beginnings of scientific thought, a sense of discovery and development; inspired the Europeans. In the year 1492, sailing in search of new discovery, specifically a new trade route to China, Columbus had stumbled on a seemingly endless supply of natural resources, land, and opportunity. It was called America.Entirely changing the way the ancient Greeks had depicted the world, helping enlighten the people that common knowledge was wrong (Goldstone 715-716). The Scientific Revolution and the desire to reach for new understanding that came with it pushed the European s. Now doubting all they had been taught before tested the fabrics of their society, the discovery of America was the most significant aspect of the shift of energy into the Atlantic Ocean. This was exactly what Europe needed. Now having the mass amounts of resources, to utilize the discovery they required manpower.Slaves were the perfect tool for procuring the workforces they required. Where better to look than Africa? Packed with able bodied men, the African tribes lacking in the ability to retaliate, found their freedom relinquished; crammed into unsanitary, overcrowded slave ships (Mintz, 47). Martinique, a sugar plantation located on the island Lesser Antilles located in the Caribbean Sea, is an example of where they could have landed (Martinique, 628). In the drawing, Field Gang, you can see the sugar plantation, a large field being worked by a multitude of black workers and one controlling master watching over them, the multitude of slaves.To compensate for the disparity in t he work force, the plantation owners had revolutionized the process in which they operated their plantations. Specialized tasks were given to each worker to increase efficiency. This specialization resembled the earliest forms of assembly line. However, instead of the machines we have today, they had an agro energy focus. This means that the plantations shifted toward the use of human energy over the use of machinery (In Class).Unknowingly the systems used on plantations translated directly to the factories which began to pop up in the urban cities. At the end of the Black Death, Europe was a country in chaotic state. They were looking for a change and this desire paved the way. With a lack of populous, the lords of the current system, serfdom collapsed with little to no one to work the fields. Unlike their competitors Europe moved into the cities in search of opportunity (In Class). Drawing from their experiences in the sugar plantation, and the slave trade the Europeans became the frontier in production.Springing up in the industrial cities, factories played a large part of the shifting of energy to Europe, with them, goods and services could be provided with a significantly lower cost and at more efficient rates. This without a doubt gave them an edge over the competition. With the coming times, Europe in the sense of the world scope began to break into the picture. The Transatlantic Trade, shipping of goods between Europe and its colonies, set the stage for the shift of energy to the Atlantic Ocean. Allowed access to the resources in the ‘New World’ causality benefited the colonizers with the cheapest production of desirables.It also set for a sense of manifest destiny for the country (In Class). In conclusion this marked the beginnings of modern society developing. The question of the era is why Europe? A country stricken by plague, the collapse of feudalism, and lacking in internal stability in the form of natural resources or people; happen s to be the perfect candidate. The desire for knowledge and their desire to look outward fit the bill perfectly. To make the circumstances even more perfect China lost its edge in the commerce propelling Europe ahead.David Christian writes in his essay World History in Context â€Å"One of the aims of world history is to see the history of human beings as a single, coherent story, rather than as a collection of the particular stories of different communities. † When looking at the rise of Europe as a superpower in the world, you can’t focus on the singular efforts and happenings of Europe. The rest of the world had an influence on the future. The shift in energy wasn’t only accountable to the success of Europe, notably looking at China you can see the ties between the two. For Centuries China had been a leader in commerce and trade.They assembled the largest fleet known to date consisting of over 3500 ships which had the capabilities to sail across the Pacific e nabling the most secure and cost efficient form of trade. The Merchants of this era were prospering but all good things have to come to an end. After the death of the Yongle Empire in 1424, a struggle for power out broke internally. Under suspicious circumstances the successor to the empire who was selected to rule the country died. The Confusion Scholars ceased control of the country introducing new policy and deep-rooted idealisms of their ancestors.Trying to turn the focus of the country inward by 1500 they dissembled the entire fleet, destroyed the records, and made it illegal for any ship to be constructed with more than two masts. By 1525 any ocean going ship had to be destroyed. Along with the disappearance of a great Chinese fleet the ports in India, it marked one of history’s biggest lost opportunities. Without the ability of merchants to export their goods, they fell from their former glory. To add burden to this the Scholars viewed them as â€Å"necessary evils at best† (Kristoff, 555-556).Also their country already vastly spread out over thousands of miles of land, contained almost all the necessary natural resources to self-sustain itself and found no need to search elsewhere for goods. Europe on the other hand, lacked in many natural resources, which cause the need for colonization and expansion of their limits. China’s unwillingness to become a global market, unlike Europe, hurt their chances of being at the top of the era (In Class). Instigating the shift in power during the era in question, the scientific revolution and developments made in the New World, lead to a drastic change in history.Imagine if Europe had not been affected by the Bubonic Plague. We might never have explored outwards to the Americas leaving the Native population to expand. It serves evidence to the fact that changing parts of the past would alter the future. If it wasn’t for the fact that Europe had rose to power. It is not irrational to assum e many of the discoveries made in this time would differ. We live in the world we do today, because the shift in energy brought about from the scientific revolution and the developments with the sugar plantations, lead to the passing of the torch from China to Europe.