Elizabeth Visits GPC’s French Subsidiary Essay

Background: The case ‘Elizabeth Visits GPC’s French Subsidiary’ is about Elizabeth Moreno who is a key specialist within GPC. She is travelling from the subsidiary in the Philippines to visit another located in France. The text is about the cultural differences between different countries and people and shows how companies deal with it. GPC has subsidiaries around the world. Despite all technological advances, face-to-face meetings and on site consolations are used widely. France in particular have regular visits from GPC execs and scientists. The case study highlights the challenges that Elizabeth Moreno got communicating with the French subsidiary manager. To prepare dealing with cross-cultural issues, the company’s human research management department gives courses to prepare for foreign assignments. For Elizabeth this contrast is even bigger as she just leaved the Philippines. The text shows that the different language is not the only thing to worry about. There ar e different challenges in every country. Also miscommunication is much more likely to occur among people from different countries or backgrounds than among those from similar backgrounds. Even in the communication style differences can be found. Question 1: Drawing from your understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication patterns from this chapter, explain what Elizabeth Moreno can do to establish her position in front of French managers. How can she get them to help her accomplish her assignment in five days? French managers work quite different than others. They regard authority as residing in the person, so employees respect the position and not the person. French managers have a different relation to their superiors and they do not value the same working ability in a company. In fact they do not even try to learn something about their employees personal lives and their real personality, they even want to be less personal in their working environment. In difference to America French do not try to create a relationship to each other at their workplace. They differentiate between work and private live and do not want to mix it together. In order to establish her position in front of the French managers and with her knowledge about their culture Elizabeth has to adopt her managing strategy to be really efficient. She has to think in the French way. In contrast to America it is not very useful to try to become friends with the French managers and employees. They have to respect her position and not her as a person. In order to get authority she has to act like the superior. Question 2: What should Elizabeth know about high-context versus low-context cultures in Europe? How can this knowledge help her be successful there? Elizabeth needs to know the differences between high-context and low-context cultures when dealing with European countries. It shows the communication between different working and thinking styles. Low-context culture means that everything that is need to understand has to be said. When talking to a low-context cultural you have to speak and write as clearly as possible. The communication needs to be much more explicit and straight to the point whereas a high-context culture is a culture where words and word choices are very important because they can communicate a very specific and complex message. The knowledge about these two very different communication styles can be very useful in doing business or communicating with people from different cultures. For Elizabeth it might be easy to communicate with the French managers as they are both from a low-context country. (International Management, Pearson, Seventh Edition, p. 136) However, Elizabeth should be very careful when addressing to French employees. Too much information leads people to feel they are being talked down; too much little information can mystify them or make them feel left out. She has to use right words by thinking about what they could interpret what she is saying. Because after all, these two are different countries with a different cultural background, even though they are both low-context countries. Question 3: What should Elizabeth include in her report, and what should be the manner in which it is communicated, so that future executives and scientists avoid communications pitfalls? Elizabeth should include in her report how to deal with French employees explaining how they view authority and they have only a business relation. French managers are also very proud of their thinking ability, they think they got a higher knowledge and deal in a different way with problems. In their eyes they solve them by using their brainpower and not their education. She also has to mention that France is a low-context culture, which is similar to America. When explained the main differences between the two business cultures she should focus on explaining the do’s and don’ts in communicating and acting with the French employees. Question 4: How can technical language differ from everyday language in corporate communications? Explain. Technical language is very different from the every day language and might in some cases be more effective, because it is more precise and easier to understand as there are no two ways in interpreting. For companies communication problems might be very expensive and that’s why they try to be as effective in their language as possible. An universal language is easier to understand around the world so most companies concentrate on a very technical language especially when dealing with people from another country or another culture.

Equus Performance Commentary

On paper, Peter Shaffer's Equus is extraordinarily vivid piece of literature. Onstage, it is a visually engaging masterpiece, where the complexity of breathing life into characters and settings by the perfected interplay between actors and the stage is an enthralling and emotional experience for all those involved. Like all theatric successes, Equus has endured various convoluted productions of the magnificent original, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing, to poke and prod the audience into thinking-questioning- imagining. A handful of directors have fallen prey to the vicious desire present within all of us: to turn a play into real life; to make it relatable to surroundings we are so familiar with. Those who do- fail; fail to understand the concepts that Equus strives to imbibe in its readers. Equus is not a pretty fairy tale dressed in the tattered rags of disillusionment, Equus is macabre and bare, miserly in its pity for a naive audience that likes to think itself jaded. In Shaffer's words, â€Å"Upstage, forming a backdrop to the whole, are tiers of seats in the fashion of a dissecting theatre†¦ In these] sit the audience†. If one allows their imagination to roam as it will (and definitely as Shaffer wished it to be) the audience will form a rather imposing backdrop, hundreds of eyes that look down upon the tormented actors and silently, quietly, judge. Eyes are an important recurring motif in Equus: those of Equus, Alan's jealous God, that perpetually watch Alan are emulated by the h orse-actors and the audience that view the stage from above and the sides. Not only is the judging audience meant to be a sort of stand-in for God, but they also represent the masses; the forever judging, cruel, intransigent and sentient being that is society. The stage that the audience looks down is sparse, and movable. This allows the â€Å"square of wood set on a circle of wood† to be rotated, to mimic the various settings as needed: Alan's house, the stable, Dysart's office, and the field where Alan performs ecstatic and ritualistic worship. Shaffer describes the rail that surrounds the wooden square as â€Å"[resembling] a railed boxing ring†. This boxing ring has been interpreted in many different ways, one critic compares Alan and Dysart as competitors of a sort, â€Å"the boxing ring [fits in with] the intimate contest in which psychiatrist and patient are locked†. In a play whose protagonist strives for freedom, the boxing ring may also represent the inevitable battle against society and the â€Å"reality principle† that Alan's worship will lose, a â€Å"ritualized public combat†. The rails represent bondage, chains, turmoil, and signify to the audience the tension, conflict and the unsatisfactory conclusion to Equus. Simply seeing them onstage is enough to subliminally communicate to the viewers the angst and epic struggle between right and wrong within the play. The benches that seat the other actors in Equus: the horses, Alan's parents, the nurse, Dalton, Jill, are significant in the fact that the actors never leave them- unless they are called upon stage. They sit and watch the play along with the audience, and play the role of society in Alan's life. They too, judge Alan, they judge his worship, and they condemn it. The horse masks that are hung behind the stage once again provide the images of eyes, the eyes of God, that watch and mark Alan as one of their own. The actors that play the horses, when not in character, join the crowd that watch on in distaste as Alan passionately, ecstatically, communes with his God. Different directors have taken Alan's â€Å"God† to skyrocketing and plunging levels of meaning simply by dressing the horses differently. The initial production of Equus (directed by John Dexter) had the horses dressed in â€Å"tracksuits of chestnut velvet†, with â€Å"light strutted hooves, about four inches high†. The hooves (or â€Å"hoofs† as Dexter called them) have been a staple in all versions of Equus, but directors have taken liberties with the tracksuits and gloves of chestnut velvet that Shaffer prescribes. Some productions have well muscled, bare-chested men portraying the horses, with â€Å"strapping to suggest bridles†, whereas in others, the actors playing the horses were completely nude, adhering to Alan's notion that â€Å"The horse isn't dressed. It's the most naked thing you ever saw! † The nudity of the horses also creates an atmosphere of homoeroticism and homosexuality, which some critics have interpreted as the true source of conflict in Alan's life instead of religion. Peter Shaffer was deliberately trying to create imposing, menacing figures when he created the horses, not â€Å"the cozy familiarity of a domesticated animal†. The actors, he wrote, â€Å"must never crouch on all fours, or even bend forward† He insisted that all the motions of a horse must be created â€Å"mimetically†, through movements of various body parts. The actors who play the horses undergo vast amounts of training, and most commonly comprise of dancers, used to swaying movements and odd body contortions. Not only did Shaffer decide to distance his horses (who may even be called gods) from animals by having the actors playing them stand upright, but also by not giving them paper Mache horsey-jokey heads. The horse masks used in Equus are â€Å"tough masks made of alternating bands of silver wire and leather†. These huge, regal and god-like caricatures of horse heads enable the actors to toss and turn them with equine ease. Created by Dexter, they were deemed â€Å"risky† by Shaffer as they projected a double image: the horses head, and the clearly seen actor's head underneath it. Shaffer was eventually convinced by Dexter, who argued that Shaffer's Equus was about a double image and then horse masks would simply be a physical manifestation of it. As with the horses, directors have indulged themselves in taking liberties with the lighting of the play, although the instructions are not as rigorous for the lighting as it is for the horses. Some directors have used colored lighting to evoke a rich, captivating scene for Alan's memories, and bleak, white lighting for the scenes which take place in Dysart's office. Shaffer himself describes the lighting for Jill and Alan in the stables as â€Å"anti-erotic†, it is meant to be a dissection of a troubled mind, not an excitingly pornographic remembrance. The lighting is used to its best effect when Alan blinds the horses, the â€Å"cones† of light that surround the â€Å"archetypal† the horses out of a nightmare, creates an eerie, haunting image of light flashing on the flowing masks, an image truly out of a nightmare. Most interesting of all though, is the actual dissection of Alan and the tantalizingly concealed hints that clue the audience in too late: that Equus is a story told by Dysart. He is the only actor to ever address the audience, and the odd flashbacks and strange time lapses make sense†¦ f one were to consider them happening in Dysart's memory. The fact that we are seeing Alan through Dysart's eyes changes the way we view Alan. We grow to pity him, feel empathy for him, and even envy him. This is not because Alan is a genuinely compelling character (his story told from the viewpoint of Dysart's associates, perhaps, would cause the audience to turn against him), but because Dysart envies him and admire s him and views Alan positively, as something good, something worthy of sympathy. The story being told from Dysart's point of view also makes it seem more like a psychological detective story, complete with a crime, clues, and a whydunnit conclusion. Peter Shaffer's dramatic psychological thriller, Equus, is definitely the sum of all of its parts. A glorious mix of suspense, drama and pure controversy, Equus comes alive to the audience in a provokingly tangible way as a shimmering, stomping, tossing deity.

Learning Notes Essay

|STAGE 1 | |CONTENT STANDARD: The learner understand the different types and forms of drama, the features ,elements and conventions which distinguish | |them from narratives thereby leading him/her to produced a reaction paper. | |PERFORMANCE STANDARD: The learner writes a meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | |ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING: The learner exhibits understanding and appreciation of drama by making sense of and reacting to the different issues| |presented in it.. | |ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How does one show appreciation of Philippine Drama? | |Learners will know: | |Types of Drama | |Forms of drama | |Drama conventions | |Expressions showing agreement and disagreement | | | |Learners will be able to: | |Explain types of drama | |Distinguish various forms of drama. | |Apply various graphic organizers to illustrate key concepts in a drama. | |Perform an array of reading techniques to concretize and unlock drama concept. | |Respond in various ways to express understanding of drama. | |Relate how drama mirrors real life. | |Deduce authentic experiences that can be incorporated in a drama. | |Analyze descriptions, dialogs and actions to discover, articulate, and justify characters in a drama. | |Draw insights on main and sub issues presented in a drama. | | | |STAGE 2 | |Product Performance Task: A meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | | | |Evidence at the level of understanding: The learners should be able to demonstrate understanding by covering the six (6) facets of | |understanding. | |Explanation-Explain how the playwright justifies the actions, feelings, and attitudes of the character. | |Describe characters, and situation to show how drama reflects culture. | | Interpretation- interpret the series of connected events in a drama plot. Using events line | |Application-Apply role playing strategies in delivering dialogs between the protagonist and antagonist in the play | |Perspective- Develop perspective by evaluating a drama presentation. | |Empathy-assume role in Critiquing a drama presentation. | |Self-knowledge- self-assess one’s strengths and weaknesses in presenting assessment of a drama presentation. | |Evidence at the level of performance: Performance assessment of an original extended dialog for drama presentation based on the following | |criteria: | |1. Focus/Theme | |2. Accuracy | |3. Language | |4. Unity | |5. Coherence | |6. Style | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |A. EXPLORE- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Make the learners aware of the desired result that is, for him/her to demonstrate understanding of understanding of the different types and | |forms of Philippine drama as well as the features, elements, and conventions which distinguish them from narratives | |Introduce the Essential Question (EQ), â€Å"How does one show appreciation of Philippine drama? † with the learners. Make them answer the questions| |as exhaustively as possible and cue them into the big ideas by activating their prior knowledge or past experiences. | |Use non-formative assessment procedure to check/evaluate learners’ readiness and competence on the prerequisite skills to the tasks at hand. | |Inform the learners of how they will be assessed. Their major output after the lesson is a meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | |Likewise explain the rubrics. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Life is a drama TG. P. 4 |Types of Drama listed on a manila |August 15,2011 | | | |paper. | | | |2. Illustrate it TG. P. 4 |1. Manila paper |August 16,2011 | | | |2. Pentel pen/ pencil | | | | |3. crayons | | | |Note: | |1. Pre-test is given to students. To test their prior knowledge. | |2. Ask the EQ-essential Question | |3. Clarify expectation | |4. Hook and engage interest. | |5. Give the essential understanding. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |B. FIRM UP- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Make the learners enhance their knowledge of the different types and forms of Philippine drama, as well as the features, elements and | |conventions which distinguishes them from narratives. | |Highlight the grammar item by providing sufficient examples of word/phrase showing agreement or disagreement. | |Provide the learners with activities that are motivating and challenging | |Maximize learners’ participation in various tasks from controlled practice to free association phase of learning | |Provide feedback to check for understanding. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Which one are you TG. P. 6 |1. A copy of the words â€Å"JOLOGs and | | | | |â€Å"CONOS† | | | |2. A day for a play TG. P6 | | | | |- Read and write words in the play |2. A photocopy of the Drama- â€Å"Call | | | |that shows AGREEMENT and |Me Flory† by Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero | | | |DISAGREEMENT. | | | | |3. Lexicon TG. P6 | | | | |- Write the meaning of the phrases. |3. Manila Paper with the Phrases | | | | |taken from the play. | | | |4. Simple Recall TG. P7 | | | | |- Comprehension Questions |4. Manila paper with the | | | | |comprehension questions. | | | |5. Agree or Disagree TG. P9 | | | | |- Expressing agreement and |5. Manila Paper with two column A | | | |Disagreement |and B Agreement and Disagreement. | | | | | | | | |6. In my opinion TG. P10. |6. Various topics written on a | | | |- Choose one topic then write an |Manila paper. | | | |opinion paragraph stressing their | | | | |greatest argument for agreeing or | | | | |disagreeing. | | | | | | | | | |Note: Discuss and explain | | | | |expressions on agreement and |Outline of the topic | | | |disagreement. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |C. DEEPEN- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Provide learners with thought – provoking questions that will make them reflect, revisit, rethink, and revise earlier assumptions about the | |types and forms of Philippine drama, the features, elements, and conventions that distinguish them from narrative. | |Enable learners to apply the grammar items learned by giving them activities within the confines of higher order thinking skills. | |Address the learners’ uniqueness, their strengths and weaknesses by providing them with differentiated instruction as needed. | |Provide them with meaningful and challenging activities that will reinforce what they have learned. | |Engage them in meaningful self-evaluation. | |Give feedback. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Curtailed Freedom TG. P. 11 | 1. Topic on specific reality or | | | |- Have them agree or disagree†¦ |game show. | | | | | | | | |2. Mock Election TG. P11 | | | | |-Write and express their ideas | | | | | |2. â€Å"Written issue on a manila | | | | |paper- â€Å"Are you in favor of using | | | |3. Drama Inventory TG. P12 |the Filipino language during | | | |- Complete the table after |English time? † | | | |watching/listening to various drama| | | | |media. |3. Written CHART on a manila paper | | | | |as guide to the activity. | | | |4. Airing Feedback TG. P12. | | | | |- Role play any situation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |4. Rubrics | | | |Notes: | | | |1. Discuss the Elements of Drama | |2. types of drama | |3. drama conventions | | | | | | | | | | | |D. TRANSFER- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Have the learners make independent application of the various processes (drama review, play reaction paper production, critiquing an original | |extended drama script, ect) they have learned. | |Make them do independent performance or project using varied and complex assessment procedure. | |Harness the learners’ growing proficiency by letting them establish the interface among the activities they have performed. | |Have them see the connections between tasks and the world. | | | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Drama Review TG. P13 | 1.evaluation Chart | | | |- Complete the evaluation chart | | | | |after watching a scene in a drama | | | | |or play. | | | | | | | | | |2. DRP (Drama Reaction Paper) TG. | | | | |P13 | | | | |- evaluate the strength and |2. List of criteria written on a | | | |weaknesses of a play or drama. |manila paper | | | | | | | | | | | | | |References: | | | | |Laarni- A Dream by Loreto | | | | |Paras-Sulit | | | | | | | | | |Call Me Flory, by Wilfrido Ma. | | | | |Guerrero | | | | |The World is an Apple | | | | | | | | | | |Prepared by | | | |FERDINAND A. SANGAO | |Subject Teacher Noted: | |NORA D. DALAPNAS | |Head Teacher In Charge | | | | | | |

Raymond Carver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Raymond Carver - Essay Example When the family moved to California, Carver became interested in writing and took a course from John Gardner, which had a profound effect on him. He continued his studies at Chico State University, Humboldt State College, and the University of Iowa. He earned a BA in 1963. He became a textbook editor at Science Research Associates, Palo Alto, but was fired in 1970. He went on to teach at universities throughout the United States and from 1980-1983 was a professor of English at Syracuse University. While Carver was at Humboldt, he wrote his first story, "Pastoral," as well as his first poem, "The Brass Ring." Although his biography states he started his writing career as a poet, he confessed he was never a "born" poet (Liukkonen) and although he eventually had his poetry published, it never received the acclaim of his short stories. His story "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please" was written in 1967 and with the editing expertise of Gordon Lish, he published a collection of stories of the same name set in Eureka, California in 1976 (Boddy). During the ensuing years, alcohol was a problem for him and drinking became a full-time pursuit. In fact, alcohol became a subject in several of his stories. On June 2, 1977, Carver stopped drinking and became active in Alcoholics Anonymous. He begin seeing poet Tess Gallagher and divorced his wife MaryAnn in 1982. He lived with Gallagher and married her two months before he died from lung cancer in 1988 (Liukkonen). Carver has said that everything we write is, in some way, autobiographical. In a New York Times article he said he considered the short story a vehicle for transforming the commonplace and said, "it is possible to write a line of seemingly innocuous dialogue and have it send a chill along the reader's spine" (Carver par. 9). His writing style is muted and anticlimactic but creates a tense atmosphere. His life is basically divided into two sections, one before he gave up drinking and met Tess and one after. "Cathedral," a short story contained in a collection by the same name, gives him the chance to write in retrospect, utilizing his life experiences in the first section of his life as part of his writing within the second part of his life. His father's alcoholism possibly led to Carver's addiction to alcohol since an addictive personality can be and often is passed down. "Cathedral" was published in 1983, after Carver had joined AA, but the characters in the story spend a great dea l of time in intervals of drinking and smoking marijuana. There are three characters in the story-the narrator, his wife, and a blind man. The narrator, who would appear to be based on Carver himself, distances himself from the story by being an observer rather than a participant-at least at first. As the story progresses, he unobtrusively fixes himself drinks, and although it is never evident or brought out, the excess drinking throughout the story labels him as an alcoholic, albeit a recovering alcoholic.. He refers to his wife's friend as "this blind man," and it is clear he is dismissing any personal interest in the man's forthcoming visit. "I wasn't enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew" (Carver "Cathedral" 1). Even so, he offers the reader background on the

Compare and contrast two pieces of art Research Paper

Compare and contrast two pieces of art - Research Paper Example It was painted between the years 1829-32 and is one of the most renowned pieces of work by Hokusai. The painting shows a picture of a huge wave intimidating boats all around it, close to the Kanagawa or Japanese prefecture. Most of the times, people mistake the wave to be a part of the tsunami since the disaster is a very common phenomenon near Japan and the Japanese islands. However, it is a wave of the open sea, a commonality in the region of the water body there. Mount Fuji can also be seen in the background of the picture. The dormant volcano has formed a very important part of Japanese paintings and art because of its significance in the environment around the waves. It is also sometimes painted in order to depict the kind of warning the volcano is supposed to show to its audience through a picture portrayal. The picture is also a part of the Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji and is the first of the series. (Katsushika Hokusai and Japanese Art) â€Å"Washington Crossing the Delawa re† was made in 1851 by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. ... his crew helps him cross the Delaware River however many say that the American flag shown in the picture is a symbol of anarchism and does not show American unity. The painting had to undergo restoration after it had been destroyed in a fire and then further again, in a bombing. Other pieces of creative art like poems and sonnets have also been made on the basis of the picture portrayed in the painting, which is one of the best forms of art alive for the depiction of the important event that took place in American history. (Washington Crossing the Delaware) Both paintings have been made with a great amount of detail in their own ways; however the technique used in their creation is very different from each other. The Jap-Asian painting made by Hokusai has been made with the Ukiyo-e technique; this is used for making single brush strokes onto silk or even on paper. It is very easy to make very thin lines and use colour very well with this kind of painting. It helps to give a portrayal of a very simple sketch with deep detailing. The waves in the picture have very extensive detail and the lighting has been worked on fantastically with a cloudy background helping to make the same even more sinister in its own way. The fierceness of the waves has been shown wonderfully, especially with the volcano in the backdrop of the painting. In contrast to the same, the painting by Leutze is more realistic in its approach. It has a very artistic touch and composition to it with excellent lighting and Washington’s face looking at the bright sky and sun, revealing an image along the likes of emerging victorious. The picture according to the painting takes place at dawn with very dark tones all along the sky and the sun rising along the horizon. (Leutze, Emanuel) There are different

Football Attendance Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Football Attendance - Research Proposal Example When it comes to data analysis, the casual design of the research will begin with checking for the accuracy of the obtained primary data from interviews before it can be fed into the computer. The data will then be inferred to describing the important points that where obtained from the interviews to achieve the objectives and the aim of the research. Ethical issues will be emphasised in the researched through referencing of sources of information in the bibliography. The term foot ball is applied differently all over the world in terms of the sport, for example in the US it refers to the sport that involves running and kicking the ball in a competition between two teams in their attempt to score a goal. However, to its generality in the UK and other English speaking nations, foot ball also known as soccer is a sport like any other that involves manoeuvring a ball with ones foot with the aim of making goal. The game is characterised by two competing teams that comprises of eleven players. The players are usually males but with the course of time, it has seen females engage into the game. The players are restricted to a field of play where certain rules that govern the game are employed through its monitoring by a referee. The game usually lasts for ninety minutes with a half time break of fifteen minutes. However, in some instances the game can go beyond ninety minutes in what is referred to as extra time and this is usually influenced by time th at is wasted due to injuries or substitutions during the course of the match that prompts the referee to halt the game for a while. This causes the referee to compensate the wasted time by extending the length of time of the game. Foot ball's origin dates back to the times of the Ancient Greeks and Romans in medieval Europe who are considered to be the inventors of this game that has seen its popularization because of the large numbers of fanatics all over the world. This game was initially associated with peasants of the time who played it as a form of leisure. It was not governed by any rules or guidelines. Many people would engage in the game at the same time making it be referred to at one time as mob football. The game would be played by teams of people against other towns which would see a chaotic game that resembled a struggle. At the time there where no goal scoring posts and would be characterized by an attempt by the players to move the ball to a certain geographical location of their opponents. The game further developed in other regions as indigenous people adopted different versions of the game such as playing it on ice or other surfaces or introducing tools that they would use

Managerial Accounting and Business Analysis Essay

Managerial Accounting and Business Analysis - Essay Example 220.65 Over draft Bank Balance &cash 100 354.01 1701.67 Total current assets 100 133.05 65.96 Total fixed assets 100 377.74 187.27 Total assets 100 56,91 66.17 Account payables 100 117.67 0.32 Retained income 100 216.71 130.16 Total liabilities and equity 100 156.68 188.85 Income Report for Bell way Plc Figures in million of pounds 2003 000 000 2004 2005 Turnover 954,197 1,092,571 1,178,063 Gross Income 739,479 829,598 280,402 Trading income 172,762 213,277 229,448 Interest received 1,427 1,361 2,267 Earnings before interest and tax 169,251 205,530 218,163 Interest paid 5,811 10,477 13,474 Taxation 50,687 61,700 65,400 Earnings after tax 169,251 205,530 152,763 Dividends 24,166 29,864 37,137 Retained income for the year 94,398 113,971 115,620 Balance sheet for Bell way Plc. 2003 2004 2005 Assets 16,200 16,673 16,203 Stock 478,935 587,635 Over draft Bank Balance &cash 3,468 4,926 703,048 Total current assets 482,327 590,246 697,649 Total fixed assets 16,200 16,200 697,649 Total assets 482,327 590,246 681,446 Account payables Retained income 94,398 113,971 115,626 Total liabilities and equity 482,327 590,246 697,649 If the above results are converted into indexed values form the following results can be obtained. 2003 2004 2005 Assets 100 102.47 109.26 Stock 100 119.56 145.27 Account receivables 100 100100 Over draft Bank Balance &cash 100 135.83... Recommendation according to horizontal analysis: Though the investment decision cannot be taken only on comparison it can serve as one of the criteria. In case of two companies the profits and turnover had shown a trend of increasing. The total current assets of the Telford was not showing consistent trend when compared to Bell way Plc. The account payables in the 2006 were less for Telford and thus it maintained a increase trend in profit. But the decrease in account payables may show affect in the coming year and the increase trend may not be this much stronger. In contrast to Telford the Bell way was increasing the current assets along with account payables done and still maintaining the increasing trend of profit. This tells us about the good marketing, payment, asset increasing and profit retaining strategies and according to comparison it is advisable to invest in Bell Way According to vertical analysis the items in the income account were calculated as the percentage of turnover. This tells us about the healthy and unhealthy trends of profit making, the company is experiencing. In vertical analysis it can be observed that the bank balance, current assets were not following a healthy trend in case of Telford Plc. The liquidation of assets was maintained as cash in telford.

Supernatural literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Supernatural literature - Essay Example The author of the fantastic literature of subversion, Rosemary Jackson, depicts and explores the use of the transcendentalist approach, theoretical perspectives, and assumptions as the basis of supernatural literature (Marcus, 2006). Supernatural literature involves the tracing of the hidden truths, the unsaid and the unseen of culture that lie unnoticed by the law, and the dominant value system. The reversal of this perspective exposes a situation whereby there is a sudden change in the dominant value system. The marginalized groups take the center stage in the dominant value system, with whatever that was central to the dominant system thrust aside. Supernatural texts tend to reveal the contents of the dominant system and its values, in the perspective of the marginalized (Friesen, 2010). Supernatural literature involves a comprehensive account of debates on the Marxist aesthetics, and proposes that Marxism is the lone major sociological tradition, and that sociology has failed to theorize the phenomenon of art. This argues out on the purpose of Marxism, and the perception on socialism and capitalism. Rosemary explores on the casual connection between the real world and the theories. There is the question of realism, in the perception of knowledge and the scientific inquiry in the real world. Fantasy is both theoretical and descriptive, i.e. comprehensive and scholarly, account of the literature of the literature of the fantastic, and a polemic calling for its recognition as a potentially subversive literature (Zipes, 2011). Supernatural literature explores the characteristic themes of fantasy, i.e. transformations or changes, invisibility, doubles and disappearances. Rosemary Jackson’s Fantasy: The literature of subversion explores questions and interrogates the relationships between reality and unreality, self or not self and conscious and unconscious. This is on the basis of the reversed perspective. The silenced in a

College Writing II Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

College Writing II - Coursework Example In some countries, nearly ninety percent or more than women are working women while in some countries, the ratio of working women is very negligible. The research on this topic will be a great help for people who deny the importance of women. Moreover, this topic will also facilitate towards knowing about the real part that working women play in the lives of their family. Some people regard working women as neglecting their children and family for their own interest while others regard the working women as supportive and helpful for their family. The research will inform in detail about the role of working women, the problems that they face in performing their role and how men look towards the role of working women in a society. The target audiences of this paper are my class fellows, teachers and other people who want to know about the real role of women in any society. Women have to face many problems in their workplaces but they cope up with the difficulties they face in order to support their family. Also, if the male member of the family is unable to earn on the basis of some problem like physically disability or unemployment, the working woman is always there to let its family fulfill their basic needs. The paper will start with an introduction in which, working women and their role will be introduced in terms of different professions in which, women can be found. The introduction will also introduce my basic theme that I want to discuss in my research paper that is the beneficent role of working women. The introduction will give an overview of the whole topic. After introduction, a literature review will be added to the research paper that will contain an argument by means of authorial writings of writers who have written on the topic of working women. The literature review will be the major part of the research as with the help of

Diversification of Portfolios in the Global Financial Market Essay

Diversification of Portfolios in the Global Financial Market - Essay Example The problem of domestic surplus also has its solution in the global market. With a greater number of buyers, investors will be able to sell what no one in their country will be willing to buy. Simply put, with more buyers and sellers now more interlinked with each other, globalization has given the financial market a global scope. With a greater scope arise complexities and more risks and seemingly ironic instances. As countries have become more interlinked, they begin to share similar reactions to economic shocks. While similar reactions may make it easier for market analysts to determine how the world will react to different economic shocks, the presence of varying political and economic systems in the global financial market make external and internal economic forces more unpredictable. Greater unpredictability simply means greater risks. Again, the simple solution to this risk is the placing of eggs into different baskets. One could argue that it is pointless to diversify portfol ios in a financial market where countries almost always react in similar ways. However, as Bordo (2000) explains, emerging markets are more susceptible to fluctuations, â€Å"bust and booms† he calls them, as the result of â€Å"open capital markets.† This implies that while one emerging economy may offer huge returns in a couple of days or weeks, investors still need to diversify their investments because it is difficult to determine how emerging economies will do in the longer runs. The disadvantages of portfolio diversification.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 68

Leadership - Essay Example The style of leadership chosen by an individual is reflective of their nature. Douglas McGregor pointed out that leadership is dominated by human nature, which can be explained using the X and Y theories. While theory X portrays the average person as lazy, lacking in ambition, and always waiting to be directed, theory Y perceives human beings as active, ambitious, and ready to take responsibilities (Stewart, 2010). Accordingly, although most people would want to identify with theory Y, the truth is that a majority of people are not that self-motivated and need to be prompted into action. This observation makes theory X more realistic than theory Y in the relationship between leaders and followers. Transformational leadership is a leadership model advanced by Kouze & Posner (2010), who in their first two chapters provide real life examples of managers whose personalities transformed their organizations. Essentially, Kouze & Posner (2010) perceive leadership as a relationship rather than a position by stating that leadership is not only measured by being in charge of others, but also by being credible. Transformational leadership encourages the leader to create away that will stimulate a common vision, challenge daily undertakings, motivate others to act, and even inspire them (Kouze & Posner, 2010). Considering that it took 20 years of intensive research in real organizations to come up with this model, the transformational leadership model is very important in understanding the concept of good leadership. The only problem with the transformational leadership theory is that it may give too much power to narcissistic individuals who might end up abusing such

Value of Pop Culture Essay Example for Free

Value of Pop Culture Essay Jim and Pam got married, Ke$ha brushes her teeth with whiskey, and Lady Gaga ponders if we are actually born predisposed to be weird. No matter where you look, we are surrounded by pop culture. Popular culture is a sub-culture that is often mocked and scrutinized as not being meaningful or significant, pop culture is seen as what is considered â€Å"cool† at the moment in time, and carries no long-term effects on society or culture as a whole. Emile Durkheim once said â€Å"For Sociology really to be a science of things, the generality of phenomena must be taken as the criterion of their normality. In the same book, He argues for the functions of crime in society, I believe that these functions are the same functions that popular culture has in society. In brief, these functions are to produce social norms, establish social boundaries, create rituals that generate social solidarity, generate innovation, and pave the way for social change. It is important to identify what â€Å"pop culture† is identified as, seeing as how it can be used in several different ways. When I refer to pop culture, I mean so in the commercial culture sense. Commercial culture produces a product in order to generate a profit. Allow us first to examine the way popular culture produces social norms. In the book The Dominant Ideology Thesis, the authors argue that mass media is the key by which ideas of the dominant class is spread to the rest of society. I believe this view is crucial to understanding how popular culture produces social norms. For example, let’s use what we wear as a way to show how social norms are produce. The fashion industry tells us what to wear in magazines and advertisements, these norms are reinforced over and over again by television, actors, film, musicians, and celebrities who embrace the fashion trends. Stores begin to only sell a certain type of clothing, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to not conform to the fashion norm. Popular culture is not limited only to the fashion world in terms of the norms it produces, it is impossible to go through a checkout at the store and not be bombarded by magazines that share what type of sexual practices are not acceptable, what type of music is on the rise, and even what type of foods we should eat. Even children are being conditioned to behave a certain way thanks to programming such as Sesame Street and Barney. In addition to producing social norms, popular culture also helps us establish social boundaries. The music we listen to, along with the clothes we wear and the television we watch not only helps to shape our identities but also helps us find those people more like ourselves. It is because of the rise in popular culture that we are able to embrace certain musical tastes and reject others, allowing us to find others who share the same likes and dislikes as ourselves. People who listen to Metallica probably don’t have much in common with those people who listen to Miley Cyrus. Pop culture offers us a unique system to identify those who are like us, this is seen more obviously in the pornography business. The internet has normalized amateur pornography to the point where there is an unjustifiable amount of naked people on the internet, most of whom clearly (and I mean clearly! ) do so for non-profit. Perhaps the easiest aspect of popular culture to observe is the rituals that it creates. Teenagers are brought together through dance clubs, college students come together to view television events, comic book fans wait in line hours to see a new movie. All these rituals produce feelings of belonging, bonding with members of society over a common interest. The super bowl for example is a multibillion dollar affair because of the fact that millions of people from all demographics will sit down and watch the game for three hours. Going to a concert gives you a since of social solidarity, singing along to a song in unison with fifteen-thousand other people creates close social bonds†¦ even if you hardly know anyone else at the concert. They share a sense of meaning in their identity; this shared meaning is the basis of group solidarity. According to Durkheim, it is solidarity that is the basic building block of social cohesion. Popular Culture has also helped to generate innovations that have no only progressed itself, but all of culture. Obviously the most important area that popular culture has helped progress is clearly the internet. The World Wide Web has progressed and is driven by what could be considered the largest are of pop culture, pornography. I suspect that pornography hasn’t exactly helped the advancement of civilization, but it has helped the advancement of technology greatly. The development of broadband internet, streaming videos online, high definition quality pictures, all came to be as a result of the pornography business. Of course innovation isn’t held strictly by the adult entertainment business; another huge industry spurred by pop culture is the music industry, specifically the way we listen and buy music. Before 1999, and the invention of Napster, the internet was not a medium that many in the music industry embraced†¦ and it wasn’t until Napster exploited the lack of regulation over the internet that big music corporations saw the advantages of using the internet as a means to spread their product to a whole new audience. Before, the customer had to venture to a record store and sort through hundreds of albums in order to find a new type of music or band to listen too, now it can be accomplished with a quick Google search. The film industry has also been touched by the advancement that pop culture has allowed. With companies such as Netflix set up to combine movies with the internet, and the invention of the DVD, thousands of films are at our disposal and all with crystal clear clarity. Arguably the most important function that popular culture serves in our society is that it paves the road to social change, numerous times it is actually the driving force behind social change. This can be seen all the way back to 1906 when Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle helped lead to a revolution of the food industry in America. We can see this clearly most recently with the sudden involvement of celebrities who got involved in the 2008 presidential election, primarily in Barack Obama’s campaign. Robert DeNiro, Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Chris Rock, Scarlett Johansson, Ron Howard, Magic Johnson, and John Mayer are just a few of the actors/athletes/comedians/musicians that are linked with Obama. It is no surprise that Obama won the 2008 presidential election in a landslide. Companies have long known the effect that celebrities have on America and have used them to push products. We are seeing this again with the involvement of such celebrities as Lady Gaga in the Gay Rights movement. Rap music is a great example of a group inside of pop culture which constantly challenges the social norms and the power structure of the white majority. It is clear that popular culture serves many functions in society, many of which are shared by crime. These functions include producing social norms, establishing social boundaries, creating rituals that generate social solidarity, generating innovation, and paving the way for social change. We cannot simply push pop culture off to the side as low-brow culture and has no significance.

BMW: Marketing Process Analysis

BMW: Marketing Process Analysis Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain they need and want through creation and exchanging products and values with others (Kotler et al. 2005). This definition incorporates both societal and organisation involvement in the realisation of the needs and wants of consumers through delivering products that is evaluated in terms of value created for the creator as well as the consumer rather than just offering a product. According to Groucutt (2005), marketing is all about symbols, brands, and choosing of products and services which are focused and related to the customer. This definition indicates the symbolic meaning of products as socio-economic symbols to alter the ego state of the target consumer. Marketing is a process for defining markets, assessing quantitatively the need of the consumer segments within the markets, allocating value propositions to cater to the needs, conveying the value propositions within the responsible zones of the organisations in relation to the output, communicating with respect to the delivery of the value propositions, and finally monitoring the delivery of the values (McDonald 2007). This definition point out the very calculated movement from the organizations part in utilising its resources to suitably target the right markets through properly defining the market and thereby providing the right product attached with the right value. The feedback from the related market is also a part of the marketing process to ensure the commercial viability also. BMW- Marketing process (LO 1.1) : Marketing process lays down the pathway to fulfill the unfilled needs of the customers by introducing products and services in the market to satisfy growing needs of the customers. The marketing process of BMW is modeled in sequence of steps which includes situational analysis, defining marketing strategy and appropriate marketing mix which promotes products sale (Kotler 2006). One of the key advantages of marketing process of BMW lies in the fact that its marketing approach is based on the situational analysis which catches the attention of the target audience, who are the segment A of the society (BMW 2010). Situational analysis as part of marketing planning process of BMW serves as a powerful tool to capture Australian luxury market by satisfying the changing consumer trends in the market. The advantages from the elements of marketing process are discussed in the following paragraphs. the benefits and costs of a marketing orientation (LO 1.2) : Cost Benefit 1. The two recently launched models X3 and X5 of BMW are a result of the market research conducted to serve the target audience. The cost spent on the research and development activities was enormous. Besides cost, lot of time was spent to conduct analysis on the target market and to find out the requirement of the customers. These Sport car models are the result of the in-depth market research to satisfy the customer demands. 2. The cost incurred on the marketing activities including the promotion, press conference, press release to target the audience was skyrocketing high. 1. Increased customer satisfaction as many people were craving for these new models of BMW. 2. The increase in sales and profits helped the company to attain competitive advantage in the age of growing competition. Micro and Macro Factors affecting Decision Making SOWT (LO 2.1) : The success of BMW lies in the STP strategy which is based on segmentation, target audience and positioning strategy to capture the targeted population (www.bmw.co.au). By means of segmentation, BMW identifies specific buying characteristics of the target audience. BMW segments the society on the basis of geography, demography, socioeconomic and behavior characteristics of the society (Drummond and Ensor 2001). Geographically, European countries and North America serve as the main markets for BMW automobiles as these areas are most industrialized nations and the local residents are financially well off to buy high priced cars due to the increased per capita income. In respect to demographics, the men and women both aged 30-50 years are the main users of M3 and M5 models. Behaviorally, these audiences have a clear image about the company and its products. They believe in superiority, performance and excellence before making a purchase. BMW has excelled in its performance as its produc ts are high in quality and also technologically superior. BMW has been able to create a good brand image in the minds of the people by means of innovative advertising campaigns. BMW due to its strategic positioning is known for age old tradition of quality. BMW M series is among one of those luxury cars which can be recognized by the crowd at a distance due to its successful marketing strategy based on positioning, targeting and segmentation. SWOT Analysis Strengths: BMW Automobiles is consistent in delivery quality projects. The firm comprises of robust workforce for effective product delivery. The firm makes use of latest technology, owns world class equipment and all the modern facilities in the designing and development of car models. Weakness: BMW is a global leader but still faces some shortcomings which are its incapability to work on small scale projects. BMW is known for its large seated cars and its inability to target the smaller segment is the only weakness. Opportunity: BMW automobile is rapidly expanding in different parts of the world. BMW makes use of latest technology to develop best of cars and operate effectively in international markets. Threat: The survey shows that the target market for BMW car model is looking for more value in the product which serves as a serious threat to the company. Marketing Mix and Marketing Process-4ps (LO 2.2) : While considering marketing process, marketing mix of BMW cannot be kept in isolation. The marketing mix forms an important part of the decision making process. The first P is the product which provides customer with the description about the product and how it meets the customer requirement. Example BMW X3, BMW X5 models, offered by BMW go through product life cycle which determines the age and maturity of the product in the market. The products developed ensure constant income and the company also develops replacement products on consistent basis for a fair settlement. The prices of BMW cars varies depending upon model customer has asked for like sports car which are priced high, the engine size also determines the price of the product and many more. The pricing for BMW X3 is competition oriented and same for similar brands as the market is large and creating large profits is not as important as it will be for a small car. The place and location for BMW cars follows a distribution chain network comprising of manufacturer, dealer and consumer. The organization is in tie ups with the superior dealers across the world and they are further responsible to offer the product to the customers across the globe at strategic locations. To promote the BMW models X3 and X5, a broad range of advertising campaigns including print and television media are used for product launch, color supplements etc. the slogans used for BMW are smart choice, the ultimate driving machine designed for peace of mind have been used to create competitive edge in the market, change the perception of people, mould their behavior towards car consumption and differentiate their products from competitors. Target Strategy ( LO 2.3 ) BMW follows a differentiated strategy catering to people with specific segmentation (David 2006). An example, BMW M series is a super sports vehicle and refers to specific target audience. BMW made changes in its car models when introduced in India as compared to its American version. There was higher ground clearance so as to make the cars compatible to Indian road surface, high resistance to dust in Indian market, horns located on the steering and not lever were some of the changes introduced to make it suitable for Indian market. Buyer Behavior and Marketing Activities ( LO 2.4 ) Consumer buying behavior is a blend of mental and emotional process and involves elements from sociology and psychology which affects consumer behavior while making purchase. In case of exclusive products like BMW M series the consumer purchase behavior is triggered by psychological factors, status symbol which influences customers attitude and behavior to make a purchase. Product Positioning ( LO 2.5 ) BMW M series, X3 and X5 are synonymous with performance and advanced technology used in driving. Drivers can now connect sports vehicle to the roads with high performance. The sport seats provide supportive front, back and thigh comfort. There are powerful headrests for drivers comfort with leather steering wheel with the horn placed at the lever comes to the ease of the driver. The motronic engine is powerful on all road surfaces and provides smooth drive in all season (www.bmw.co.au). Sustainable Catchment Management: Principles and Practice Sustainable Catchment Management: Principles and Practice What is meant by the world water crisis? Critically assess the contribution of River Basin Management in addressing this crisis The worlds freshwater is commonly discussed in the literature as being a finite resource under increasing pressure from the greater demands being placed upon it globally (Postel 2000, Hamdey et al 2003, Oki and Kanae 2006, UNEP 2007). It has consequently become a highly contentious resource, and in recent years the focus of much debate on how best to manage it; with the latest favoured paradigm (particularly in developed countries) being that of holistic sustainability achieved using the best practice of basin-wide management (Biswas 2004, Watson et al 2007). Such an approach is particularly emphasised in key policies such as Agenda 21 and the Water Framework Directive, with the latter enforcing the creation of River Basin Management Plans by law for all EU member states. This paper will discuss whether there really is a world water crisis, and if so to what extent river basin management (RBM) can help to address this using case examples such as the Murray-Darling basin to discuss t his in context. According to the research of Oki and Kanae (2006 pp1068) the global consumption of renewable freshwater resources is well below its Malthusian limits, with only 10% of the maximum available blue water and 30% of green water being presently used. However, because its distribution both in quantity and quality for purpose is spatially and temporally uneven as shown in figure 1 water stresses exist through a demand and supply imbalance. Gleick 1998, Hamdey et al 2003, and UNEP 2007 amongst others cite figures such as already 80 countries with 40% of the world population suffer serious water shortages (Hamdey et al 2003 pp3) and more than a billion people in the developing world lack access to safe drinking water (Gleick 1998 pp487), which suggests that water stress is a major issue (as reflected in the Millennium Development Goals); and with population growth/demographics (figure 2), economic, standard of living, and climatic factors set to change, such stresses are expected to worsen on the whole through increasing the imbalance. This is especially true for developing countries since an estimated 90% of the 3 billion people expected to add to the global population by 2050 are expected to reside in such countries with many of which already experiencing high water stress (UN 2007 cited UNESCO 2009). At what point down the line an actual absolute crisis at a nation scale is reached is still yet to occur; although given the social and economic value attached to water, and its three-dimensional effect upon food supply, ecosystem health, and standard of living for example, it may already indicate a crisis is underway (Newson et al 1999 cited Newson 2000). This is especially true if freshwater access is considered as a basic human right (Gleick 1998). Assuming this, RBM is often discussed in the literature as being a viable management option to address the crisis, since its approach is holistic and all-encompassing. Its current favour comes from the fact that unlike the traditional response to water shortages assessed through developing more supplies often via unsustainable sources and hard engineering practices such as damming rivers (Hamdey et al 2003) it tries to achieve long term sustainability through encompassing land-use planning, environmental management, and agricultural policy into the management of all surface and subsurface water within a catchment. This theoretically allows for all of the direct and indirect natural and anthropogenic demands placed upon the resource to be addressed and met under a best-practice regime to achieve an optimal relevant management outcome. A classic example of where such a policy has been successful is in the Murray-Darling basin, southeast Australia. The RBM regime here is a highly evolved form of institutional arrangements first started in 1917, and consequently modified, to meet the desired outcomes and changing pressures on the 1 million Km2 five jurisdictional state catchment. At its heart the scheme seeks to promote and coordinate effective management planning for equitable, efficient and sustainable use of water, land and other resources (Pigram 1999 pp108), which it achieves through a hydraulic approach using top-down policy making and bottom-up implementation, coordinated through the central Murray-Darling Commission (Shar et al 2005). In doing this it allows for all of the key stakeholders within each state to meet and discuss how best to manage the water resources to maximise the resultant biophysical, economic and social interests not only within each state (and its respective water share), but for the whol e catchment. Theoretically this coordinates the upstream-downstream interests and encourages more productive/efficient use of water through improved technology such as crop per drop (Postel 2000), which in turn allows all of the water demands to be attained equitably. And, combined with the top-down governance system setting standards which need to be reached by every state regarding water quality and quality, ecological requirements and permitted degradation levels through land use policies, it ensures that management is not static and behind the changing catchment pressures upon the water resource. This is not to say however the system is perfect since its effectiveness depends on the cooperation of each state government, and as of yet no true full sustainability has been achieved (Pigram 1999). However, with regards to the world water crisis it is clear to see that in this instance, along with many others, RBM is having a positive impact. This is because it is encouraging through laws and other means the more efficient and equitable use of water (Postel 2000), whilst regarding the whole basin and its long term demands and pressures such as climate change. In doing so it may lessen the effect of future crises/pressures through being proactive. Similar RBM regimes also exist under other political systems such as throughout the whole of the European Union (due to Water Framework Directive legislation) and South Africa (since 1998). In the latter Gregersen et al (2007) states that although the regime is working it is not yet sustainable, since such management systems take several years to develop and offer no ready made solutions. Therefore at its national level it is not fully able to address the water crisis, although it seemingly is on the way to try to do so through using a management system which looks to achieving this from the outset. It must be said however that most of the successful RBM regimes are in developed formalised society countries where the fundamental water stresses are often far lower in the first instance (see figure 1). Such systems cannot be directly transferred between political institutions easily due to the context in which the regime was fundamentally formed to meet within the founding country regarding the hydraulic and climatic conditions, demographics, socio-economic conditions and the structure of the water sector (Barrow 1998, Hunt 1999, Shar et al 2005). For example Hu (1999), Malanu et al (1999) (cited Shar et al 2005) and Hunt (1999) each found that the Murray-Darling RBM system could not be successfully transferred to the Chinese, Vietnamese and Solomon Island contexts because of such issues; with Shar et al (2005 pp46) arguing that transferring RBM regimes between developed and developing countries is particularly problematic since the problems developing country find critical have e ither remained unresolved or irrelevant in developed country river basins such as ground water exploitation. Thus in regard to the world water crisis it provides little use in this sense, especially since the greatest stresses/crises are expected to occur here. Hunt (1999) therefore argues that the contextual fit between policy development and application is key to managing the water resource successfully. In setting the correct framework to set play and play in provides an effective environment to address the water crisis in, whether through RBM or not. In some cases I would also argue that to address the current water crisis RBM can only be used as part of the solution, due to the interconnectivity of the water resource with standard of living (relating back to the Millennium Development Goals) and economic development. If full RBM sustainability is strived for under the current conditions, inclusive of the environmental requirement, it may only serve to worsen the current crisis such as in Jordan which withdraws some of its supply unsustainably from non-renewable aquifers (Macoun and El Naser 1999). The same is true for other basins globally such as in the Colorado, Tennessee and Yangtze river basins, since in order to meet their past a nd current demands, supply had to be increased through building dams for instance. This could be seen in some cases as being unsustainable due to the impact it has on the basin, and even though the two former river basins are now managed under RBM regimes (Newson 2009) they are operating under modified conditions. RBM still has value however in promoting more efficient water use (Postel 2000) and sustainable ethical management, so should not be completely ignored in management. The contextual fit of countries as a whole is important in determining the best approach to address the world water crisis. RBM may also fail in addressing the world water crisis too if it fails to be effective itself in the first instance. For instance since RBM seeks to achieve equitable sustainability (Barrow 1998), unequal power sharing may result in such a failure. To exemplify this if a dam was allowed to hold back more water for power generation it would put increasing pressure on the quantity of flow for the ecological needs and irrigative agriculture uses amongst others. Similarly if a factory was allowed higher pollution levels then the changes in the water quality could draw a system closer experiencing a water crisis (assuming it was already highly stressed). This is especially true if a non-integrated RBM regime is used, since the different interests of each RBM stakeholder groups, such as land owners, farmers, developers and conservationists would prioritise their needs over others. This consequently may be ineffective due to the differing overall outcomes, needing some coordination and comp romising to a certain degree to be effective in terms of long-term holistic management. A similar failing may occur within international river basins also if a common-goal transboundary management agreement cannot be established in practice even if it is agreed upon politically. This is the case today between Israel and Palestine despite the fact of the road to recovery (common goal) plan. Israel in 2003 abstracted 95% of the water from the diverted Lower Jordan to meet its own abstraction needs and left Palestine with only 5%. Consequently Palestine is in a water crisis since it cannot meet its own water needs (Frederiksen 2003). To be effective therefore in the first instance RBM plans need to be authoritative, equitable, coordinated and true to RBMs initial purpose. Only then can it help in addressing the world water crisis. In conclusion therefore it can be successfully argued that RBM is a worthwhile management option to pursue in relation to addressing the world water crisis. Where such regimes are well established and operational, such as in the Murray-Darling catchment, its sustainability approach to management allows for all of the demands and threats/pressures to the freshwater resource (such as excessive nutrient runoff from poorly managed land) to be identified and dealt with equitably and accordingly within the basins long-term carrying capacity. But, given the contextual fit of each country with regards to its current resource base, water pressures, and demands/needs, it may mean that in the grand scheme of things RBM may not be the most suitable management option to address the crisis with on its own. Interestingly RBM is according to Shar et al 2005 harder to implement in developing countries due to its developed background, but it is such countries where the water stresses are already at hi gh stress levels and expected to worsen from most through the predicted population growth and climate change pressures (UNESCO 2009). Only time will tell how useful and politically favoured RBM is in addressing the crisis, and whether it is continued to be used alone or alongside other water management concepts cuch as international virtual water sharing.

Edinburghs Urban Structure

Edinburghs Urban Structure Edinburgh and its urban structure: About 8% of Scotland’s population resides in its capital city Edinburgh. In the recent years, Edinburgh has been seen to be a flourishing city with a perky labor and housing markets and a stable economic growth.[1] For working adults, it has an employment rate that is near the UK average of 74.7%.[2] The financial sector of Edinburgh is exceedingly developed and this has proven to be beneficial to its economy. Another factor that has given benefit to its economy is the fact that the government administration is concentrated in the city and recently the Scottish Parliament was established there. Moreover the Edinburgh Festival, in particular, attracts tourists from around the world. Despite these facts, there are some areas in the city which are poverty stricken that are condensed in council housing estates. However, comparatively this is on a small scale. An additional downside is that manual workers are facing declining opportunities. Important Statistics: The population of Edinburgh rose considerably by 7.1% to 444,624 between 1991 till 2001 and this growth rate is more than any other city in Scotland. It has a high proportion of young adults who are working (47%) and a low percentage of children that are dependent (16%).In 1991 a survey was conducted regarding the population which showed that 97.6% of the population was White which later decreased to 95.9%. Before this census it was noted that one sixth of households moved in Edinburgh and more than half of the population lived in flats or tenements. Out of three only one household had a single adult. In 2001 the economic activity rate was 67% and Glasgow was at 60% while then unemployment was at 4.3%. The jobs in Edinburgh are seen to move away from the manufacturing sector and in 2001 only 7.5% of the workforce was in the manufacturing sector. The professionals form about more than one sixth of the total working population and it was observed that about 12% of the working age popul ation was involved in full time studies. 12.3% of the people have no central heating in the houses and about 40% do not possess a car. The health problem is great with 39.8% informing that they have a long term illness. However this is still lower than Scotland and Lothian as a whole at 57.4% and 49.3% respectively[3] The Council’s Housing Needs Assessment 2000 showed that there is an overall similarity between Edinburgh and Scotland. The housing market has divided the population between areas. Pensioners are concentrated in the South West, North West and South East areas whereas lone parent households are mostly in the South East area only. The Central area houses a high proportion of single adult households (50%) and 54% of the population is between the age group 18 to 34 years. Younger adults are found to be in the Outer Central where 38% belongs to the age group of 18 to 34 years. The Waterfront area has a similar high proportion of people that belong to this age group. The city average of non-White people in Central area is at 6.1% as compared to 3.3%[4] The Edinburgh Economy Population According to the population estimate that has been conducted recently (2002), it is known that Edinburgh’s population has reached 448,000 and this has put Edinburgh up at second in the largest and fastest growing cities of Scotland. This increase of population was a rise by 3% since 1991 i.e. there was an increase of 12,000 residents in contrast to the total decline in the population of Scotland by 0.4%. This increase in growth in the population of Edinburgh was part of a growth trend there. Recent statistics (2003) show that 311,000 people are employed in different organizations and businesses. This figure represents the 14% of all employment in Scotland. Knowing the fact that Edinburgh accounts for a minor part of the whole population of Scotland at 8%, the city provides employment to people beyond its boundaries. Employment rate has been increasing in Edinburgh and especially in areas like Midlothian and West Lothian. Although the number of jobs increased in Midlothian and West Lothian was greater than in Edinburgh as a whole, the jobs at Edinburgh increased approximately by 30,000. In the last 20 years, Edinburgh has emerged out to become one of the most flourishing cities in the United Kingdom. It was observed in 2001 that the GDP in Edinburgh was over a third greater than the GDP of entire Scotland[5] . The same holds true for the average gross weekly earnings of employees working full-time. That figure is greater for the people in Edinburgh as compared to Scotland as a whole. According to an analysis made in April 2002, this was 112.6% of the Scottish rate thus being at  £480.60. Unemployment rates are low in Edinburgh being at 2.2% in 2002 (6,737 people), which was the lowest level and was greatly lower that the Scottish average[6]. Thus Edinburgh has high employment rates as compared to Scotland as a whole and in 2001 it was observed that the service sector gave most of the employment opportunities at 87.6% [7] of all the jobs in Edinburgh. Table 1 explains in detail the employment structure in the city as well as the region by the Industrial sector. Finance and business service sectors are of vital importance to local employment and this is seen to be evident as it has been acting like pillars of strength of the economy of the city and have been potentially growing within the national economy. Table 1 Employment structure, 2003 Edinburgh City Region Scotland Primary Production and construction 8% 12% 16% Distribution, hotels catering 22% 23% 24% Transport and communications 4% 5% 5% Business and finance 343% 28% 18% Public and other services 32% 32% 35% All Sectors 100% 100% 100% Employee jobs (000s) 312 433 2,299 Source: Annual Business Inquiry  ©crown copyright (NOMIS) The increase in the population of Edinburgh is not due to excess birthrates, although the number of births has been known to exceed the death rate, but the increase is mainly because of people migrating to the city. This shows the strength of the economy of the city. The study of the demographic trends in the housing market in Edinburgh is of significant importance. West Lothian and Midlothian have undergone a population increase while East Lothian and West Lothian have also been exposed to a high in-migration. Thus the population of the entire city has been increasing due to both the factors i.e. natural increase and in-migration. Recently conducted estimates (mid-2002) regarding the number of households in the city of Edinburgh show that there are 207,080 households. The period from 1991 till 2002 has witnessed and increase in the number of households that is three times greater than the actual increase in the population of Edinburgh. This holds to evidence as to the social and eco nomic changes that have caused in the formation of smaller households. Projected Population and Household Change, 2002-2016 Analysts have come to a conclusion that these trends would continue in the future. It is estimated that the population of Edinburgh will increase at a rate of 0.4% per year i.e. an increase of 54,700 residents. On the other hand, Scotland as a whole would experience a decline by 0.1% per annum. There are only 11 local authorities in Scotland that are expected an increase in population and Edinburgh is one of them. It is also estimated that the period stretching till 2016 will witness an increase in individual households in Edinburgh would be greater as compared to the population as a whole. Table 2 Population change, 1991-2002 1991 2002 change %change City of Edinburgh 436,320 448,080 11,760 3% East Lothian 84,440 90,750 6,310 7% Midlothian 79,530 80,500 970 1% West Lothian 145,040 159,960 14,920 10% City Region 745,330 779,290 33,960 5% Scotland 5,083,330 5,054,800 -28,530 -1% Source: GROS mid year estimates Table 3 Employment change by industry, 1998-2003 Edinburgh City Region Scotland Production and construction -33% -29% -22% Distribution, hotels catering 22% 27% 7% Transport and communications -7% 5% 7% Business and finance 34% 32% 24% Public and other services 8% 14% 19% All Sectors 11% 12% 6% Source: Annual business inquiry  ©crown copyright (NOMIS) Employment forecasts, 2003-2007 In Table 3 the rate of change in employment by sector in Edinburgh and its region is compared to Scotland. Finance and business services have been the fastest growing sector at the national level. This sector has been growing at a higher rate as compared to other areas in Scotland. The pattern as observed reflects the degree to which Edinburgh is a center for high level functions. The employment rate has increased greatly in the headquarters as compared to the branches spread out. Due to an increase in tourism spending and leisure, Edinburgh has greatly benefited from the increase in employments in Catering, Hotels and Distribution. However, in the ‘employment shedding’ manufacturing sectors, the city has relatively few jobs. There is an expected rise in the employment in Edinburgh by 4% over a period stretching from 2003 to 2007. This shows an increase of 13,000 jobs. Similar steady rates are expected in West Lothian and Midlothian. The pattern of growth however is expe cted to change from the recent past and the increase would mainly be in Distribution, Hotels, Catering and public services. Employment in business services and finance is forecasted to grow but at a relatively lower rate than what was observed in the past. Table 4 gives the data on average earning in Edinburgh. The data is recorded in terms of place of residence as well as place of work of the people in the survey. In 2003 the average earning of people in the city region was  £453 per week i.e.  £23,500 approximately in a year. Comparing this to Scotland, it was found that the average earning of the people in the city region was slightly greater. People who lived in Edinburgh city earned  £481 per week. This was at an increase of about 10% to the Scottish average. An important point to note is that these earnings are given at an average and ground realities show a great variation in the earnings of the residents of Edinburgh. For example, in 2003 it was observed that 10% of all the residents of Edinburgh earned  £220 or less per week as compared to the top 10% who earned more than  £828 per week. People whose workplaces were within Edinburgh were rated to be the second highest average earning in all of Scotland in 2003. These figures make it an obvious point to note that the higher paid jobs were filled in by the people who lived in Edinburgh while the lower ones were occupied by those outside the city commuting to work. The Census data exhibit that (in 2001) the net inflow of people commuting to work in Edinburgh from outside was around 60,000. Table 4 Average gross weekly earnings, 2003  £/week % of Scotland Work-basedresidence-based Work-based residence-based Edinburgh  £467  £481 107% 110% City Region  £454  £453 104% 104% Scotland  £437  £437 100% 100% Source: New Earnings Survey Unemployment rates in Edinburgh are lower as compared to the Scottish average. In 2004 it was recorded that the proportion of the population that were of the working age and were receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance was 2.2% as compared to the Scottish average of 2.7%. If a wider measure is adopted to study this deeply then striking differences are noted. Table 5 exhibits that the proportion of the working age population dependant or receiving state benefits of Edinburgh was much lower as compared to the rest of Scotland. However it is also interesting to note that the proportion of working age population in employment in Edinburgh was lower than the rest of Scotland. This difference is because of the large female population that are of working age but are neither working not claiming any benefits from the state. Table 5 Economic Activity and Benefits Edinburgh Scotland % of working age population unemployed, on Compulsory New Deal or 9.8 13.8 in receipt of incapacity/Disablement Benefits (2002) % of adults and children living in households in receipt of key income 11.8 15.0 benefits/credits (2002) % of working age adults in employment (2003) 66.7 76.6 Source: Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, 2004 An inclusive set of indicators of deprivation in small areas throughout Scotland is brought together in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (SIMD04). Various dimensions of factors such as economic and social deprivation, including incomes, health, housing, accessibility, employment and health are included in the index. Information for each data zone in Scotland is collected and each area according to its level of deprivation is ranked. It is seen that Edinburgh has areas of high deprivation however the proportion of the population in these areas is much lower than the Scottish average. 20% of Edinburgh’s population would be living in data zones which would rank in the most deprived 20% in Scotland if Edinburgh had been under similar conditions as the rest of Scotland. As this is not so, only 13% of Edinburgh’s population is found to live in these areas that fall in the most deprived 20% in Scotland. Summary Edinburgh has been experiencing a growth in its population due to the growth in its economic sector. It is also seen that the incomes in Edinburgh are higher as compared to the rest of Scotland. The unemployment rate is lower and the percentage of people dependant on benefits from the state is also low in this city. This city has people traveling into it for work from other regions and thus can be considered as an employment center. Although the business and finance sectors would grow in the future, their rate of growth would be less. However increasing growth will be observed in distribution, hotels and catering due to increased tourism. The economy as a whole seems to be stable and will in the future generate more employment opportunities. Housing Supply and Demand Edinburgh’s housing system differs from the rest of Scotland and has some distinctive features to it. Private rending and owner occupation is high as compared to the Scottish average with a small rented sector. There are a higher proportion of flats as compared to the proportion of houses which is relatively low. Housing issues are complex in Edinburgh due to the fact that while the city is prosperous, there are areas of deprivation. Limited affordable housing with a high demand in housing, coupled with deprivation give rise to complex housing issues. Owner occupation It is seen that 69% of the homes are occupied by the owners out of which 40% are bought with a mortgage and 27% are owned outright. Moreover it is observed that owner occupation as a whole and houses that are owned outright are higher as compared to Scotland. The reason for the high percentage of outright ownership would be accounted for the in-migration of relatively wealthy people as compared to the in-migration in other cities of Scotland. Moreover the presence of people earning high income who would prefer not to purchase through mortgage could also account for this fact. Regardless of the existence of flats and small houses, the prices are high as compared to the rest of Scotland. The average price of a house in Edinburgh in the first half of 2004 was  £165,000. At  £354,000 were the prices for newly built properties in the Rural West part of Edinburgh. This was seen to be the highest mean price. Health needs It is important to use a variety of information to study and analyze the social issues and health needs in a city. High level ‘administrative’ data like that of the Census shows the operation of city partners within. Differences found in health amongst the various groups in a society are known as health inequalities. There are many inequalities in Scotland and JHIP aims to address these issues and eliminate inequalities which are caused by reasons that â€Å"are complex and interacting†[8]. Some of these factors include the physical factors like exposure to poor housing, socio-economic factors, behavioral factors (smoking or drinking) and psychological factors which would include exposure to adverse life events. These aspects are expressed clearly in the data on health provided in the Vision For Edinburgh monitoring reports, ‘Measuring Edinburgh’s Performance’ July 2002 and 2003[9]. One such factor is the low birth weight which is related to ma ny immediate and long-term health risks. In Edinburgh’s community planning process, this is regarded as the key health indicator. This factor is prevalent in areas of social disadvantages rather than in Edinburgh as a whole. In a period ranging from 1991 to 2000, it was seen that the number of teenage pregnancies, who gave birth to a child rather than aborting it, has been four times greater in the Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) areas than in Edinburgh as a whole. Socio-economic factors, life circumstances, genetic factors, lifestyles and factors of place are some of the important factors which affect the death rate. In the same period from 1991 to 2000 the death rate for under 65’s in the SIP areas was higher as compared to the city as a whole. This gap widened more in the period ranging from 1997 to 2000. In 2001 the figures saw a reversal in the trend as there was a reduction in the death rate for under 65’s in SIP areas but the gap still exists. Self-harm and self-poisoning have also been at a high and in the period of 1991 to 2000, this occurred at a higher rate in the SIP areas as compared to Edinburgh as a whole. It should be noted that the occurrence of such events and the gap between the SIP areas and Edinburgh as a whole has been decreasing. The credit for this would be given to the establishment of the assessment unit at the Royal Infirmary which dedicates itself to reduce the number of repeat incidents of self-harm. I t should also be noted that health inequality is not solely linked to the existence of social disadvantage and poverty and it was seen that the flatted accommodation in Edinburgh adversely affected those with reduced mobility.[10] Homelessness applications in Scotland come from all the cities and Edinburgh ranks second in it. However this is about less than a third of the presentations recorded in Glasgow (Scottish Executive, 1999). Voluntary agencies are providing a range of services including hostels, and other facilities for the young people who are homeless and comparatively this is less extensive than the one present in Glasgow and the largest hostel in Edinburgh is Council with 70 bed spaces. The RSI has funded a ‘single access point’ for the homeless people but there is still a shortfall in hostel accommodation, emergency accommodation in particular. A change will come about though after the projects of RSI become functional fully. A ‘Homelessness Liaison Officer’ has been appointed by Lothian and Borders Police for Edinburgh. There was street culture in Edinburgh to a certain extent as well. However, homelessness services in Edinburgh have been enhanced significantly and impro vements are expected in the future. Conclusion: Edinburgh is a thoroughly urban city with all the usual urban problems including unemployment, homelessness and health inequalities. However concrete steps have been taken to counter these problems especially the problem of homelessness that has been afflicting the city’s economic resources. Serious steps need to be taken on city as well as regional level to introduce better housing facilities and to absorb more jobless people into city’s various business sectors. References Bailey, N., Turok, I. and Docherty, I. (1999) Edinburgh and Glasgow: Contrasts in Competitiveness and Cohesion. Glasgow: Department of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow Office for National Statistics (1999) Labour Force Survey Quarterly Supplement, November 1999. London: Office for National Statistics. A. OSullivan. (2002) Urban Economics. McGraw-Hill UK. Footnotes [1] Bailey et al, 1999 [2] ONS, 1999 [3] www.edinburgh.gov.uk -census 2001 information [4] Housing Needs Assessment 2000, The City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Homes, 2002. [5] Source Capital Review, issue 1 summer 2002 [6] Source Capital Review, issue 1 summer 2002 [7] Capital Review, issue 1 summer 2002. [8] McIntyre in â€Å"Social Justice – a Scotland Where Everyone Matters. Annual Report 2001†: Scottish Executive 2001 [9] â€Å"Measuring Edinburgh’s Performance†: Edinburgh Partnership, 2002 and 2003 [10] Figures reported in CEC Housing Needs Assessment 2000.

U.S. Foreign Policys Effects on Modern Turkey Essay -- Politics Polit

U.S. Foreign Policy's Effects on Modern Turkey Turkey has managed to be halfway in and halfway out across most of the burning subjects of the past century. Tod Lindberg, The Washington Times (Lindberg) This statement best describes the relationship today between the United States and modern Turkey. It is a nation that plays a crucial role in U.S. foreign policy because of its strategic location and its democratic government. However, Turkey often is overlooked in the larger picture of U.S. foreign policy. Because of this, Turkey has managed to only be partially involved in major international affairs. To put it bluntly, America uses Turkey when it needs it, but other than that, Turkey is not a major priority of U.S. foreign policy. The problem with this situation is that Turkey often suffers. It can be noted that U.S. foreign policy has aided modern Turkey in several ways. However, for the most part, U.S. foreign policy has slowed the growth and development of modern Turkey. The Gulf War of 1991 left Turkey crippled, but it gained a strong relationship with the United States. Turkey played a crucial role in the first Gulf War and in post-Gulf War activities. During the 1991 Gulf War, Turkey allowed U.S. troops to operate on its soil and allowed its border to be used to wage a northern attack on Iraq (Ciarrocca). After the war was over, U.S. fighter jets used the Turkish air base, Incirlik, to patrol the UN-mandated northern "no fly" zone in Iraq (Hedges). Without Turkey's cooperation in these international affairs the campaigns would not have been as successful as they were. However, Turkey did suffer because of its cooperation with U.S. foreign policy. Because of Turkey's role in the first Gulf war, it ... ...nd Turkey. 14 December 2003.? Greimel, Hans. (2003). ?World wary of more attacks, determined not to give in.? Associated Press (21 November). Found in Lexis-Nexis, keyword: ?U.S. Foreign Policy? and Turkey. 15 December 2003. Hedges, Stephen. (2003). ?Turkey thrust into vital gulf role; Nation leery of regionwide backlash?. Chicago Tribune (21 January). Found at Global Security 16 December 2003. http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030121-turk01.htm. Lindberg, Tod. (2003). ?The odd man out; Turkey forgotten in U.S. foreign policy.? The Washington Times (17 June). Found in Lexis-Nexis, keyword: ?U.S. Foreign Policy? and Turkey. 15 December 2003. Parris, Mark. (2003). ?Turkey?s Future Direction and U.S.-Turkey Relations.? Federal News Service (1 October).? Found in Lexis-Nexis, keyword: ?U.S. Foreign Policy? and Turkey. 15 December 2003.

Forensic Scientists Essay -- Criminal Investigative Laboratories, DNA

â€Å"Even with the reliability of DNA examinations, forensic scientists need additional safeguards to ensure the significance of their findings are not over- or under-interpreted† (Willis, 2011, p77). While laboratory techniques for DNA recovery and profiling are well established in criminal investigative laboratories (Bond, et al, 2007, p129), it can be argued that a possible weakness of the use of national databases are understaffing and/or under training of investigators and laboratory staff. Standardization of testing, analysis, evaluation and result presentation to the courts such as that the jury may understand how many people in the population are possible to match the particular DNA profile. This allows the jury to decide on all information presented to direct judgment (Lincoln, 1997, p26). Walsh et al. derived â€Å"an inferential model for DNA database performance using data from major national DNA database programs in 2010 using the parameters that optimizes desirable database outputs as matches† (Walsh et al., 2010, p1556). Research has taken â€Å"important steps toward identifying measures of performance for forensic DNA database operations† (Walsh et al., 2010, p1556). With the expansion of the national DNA database, hit â€Å"rates will continue to increase as approximately 25,000 to 35,000 new arrestee and convicted offender DNA profiles are entered† monthly (Gabriel et al., 2009, p408). Proper use of national DNA databases will strengthen both laboratory and policy efforts with â€Å"standards that guard against bias and error† (NAS, 2009, p111). Regardless of methods, automation or legislation laboratories and criminal investigators involved in forensic sciences must maintain integrity and professional training to expect credibility... ...f how a sample is deemed suitable for entry into the National DNA Database. For example the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service Division (Wide Area Network) recognizes entry into the NDIS of a forensic profile requires a DNA profile to contain ten or more specific CODIS core loci (FBI, 2011). As of 2010, England maintains authority at a National level under Home Office and National DNA Database Strategy Board (FSS, 2010) to regulate NDNAD entries under seven of 10 core loci requirement. These regulations can often change as technology advances such as that in England new PCR kits allow for testing of 15 loci, and as such if DNA samples are capable of being individualized by an increased number of loci authorities will have to address the possibility of enhanced core loci regulations for entry into national databases, while other countries advance accordingly.

Recrystallization and Melting Point Determination

Consider what happens when a solid material is placed in a solvent in which it has a low solubility. Not much! A small fraction of the solid will dissolve, but the rest will just sit there. (Actually, it doesn't just ‘sit there' since an equilibrium is in effect, with solid molecules going into solution, and an equivalent number of dissolved molecules reforming solid, but we see the same amount of undissolved material). How can we get the entire solid to dissolve? One way is to heat the solution — most materials are more soluble in hot solvent than in cold. Suppose we heat to the boiling temperature of the solvent (the highest temperature which is practical), and the entire solid goes into solution. If we now let the solution cool, what will happen? Obviously, at some temperature, the concentration of solute will exceed its solubility, and the solid will start to come back out of solution – it will crystallize. By the time we return to the initial temperature, nearly all of the original material has formed crystals, which can be removed from the solvent by filtration. Now, suppose that the original solid contained small amounts of impurities. These would go into solution as well, but since the impurities are present only in small amounts, they remain soluble when the temperature is lowered again. Thus, the crystals, which come out of solution, are more pure than the original sample. This is the essence of purification by recrystallization (Fig. 1). [pic] Figure 1: An impure solid in: (A) cold solvent in which it has low solubility, (B) solvent that has been warmed up to dissolve all of the solid, and (C) solvent that has cooled down to the original temperature. The crystallized solid is now pure, while the impurities remain in solution. Recrystallization Recrystallization is the preferred method for purification of organic solids. The technique can be used for large or small quantities of materials, and is usually very effective and efficient. The most important aspect of the recrystallization technique is the selection of the solvent. A large number of solvents are commonly used for recrystallization of organic compounds. Among these are water, ethanol, ethyl ether, and hexane to name just a few. A solvent, which works beautifully for one recrystallization, may be totally unsuitable for purification of a different compound – the choice for recrystallization solvent is made on a case-by-case basis. This is because of the variation of solubility of different organic compounds in these solvents. We can identify a set of characteristics which are desirable for a recrystallization solvent: 1. The substance to be purified must have a high solubility in the solvent at its boiling point, and a significantly diminished solubility at lower temperatures (limited only by the freezing temperature of the solvent). Obviously, the first part is necessary so that you can get the material into solution, and the second part is required so that the purified compound will come back out of solution. 2. The solvent should dissolve the impurities at all temperatures. Actually, its OK if the impurity dissolves readily or doesn't dissolve at all, as we'll see. The important point here is that purification will be accomplished only if the impurities remain in solution as the mixture is cooled. This isn't too hard to accomplish if the amount of impurity is small. Obviously, it's a bit more difficult if a large amount of an impurity is present, but if the solubility characteristics of the desired substance are sufficiently different from the impurity, as is often the case, a suitable solvent can usually be found. 3. The solvent must not react with the substance to be purified. It's hard to get your compound to come back out of solution when it is consumed by a reaction. 4. A reasonably volatile solvent is preferred. This consideration is dictated by the need to ultimately remove traces of solvent from the crystals, and this is most easily accomplished by evaporation, either at room temperature or in an oven. Even with an oven to aid in the drying, only moderate temperatures can be used, since you should stay below the melting temperature of the solid, and definitely below temperatures where the material will decompose. Generally speaking, solvents with boiling temperatures below ~150 °C are OK. 5. Ideally, the solvent should be inexpensive, non-toxic, and non-flammable. These are not absolutely required, but desirable characteristics, which can help to determine the choice of a solvent. Obviously, water is an ideal choice based on these criteria, and is the preferred solvent if it satisfies conditions 1-4. How does one go about choosing the proper solvent? If you are dealing with a known compound, it makes sense to use solvents that have been used before. You can go to the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (printed or online), and frequently a solvent suitable for recrystallization will be indicated. This may show up in two places: First, in the column headed â€Å"color, crystalline form† is often listed the solvent used to obtain the crystals in question. Otherwise, you can move to the columns near the right-hand side of the page, which deal with solubility. The CRC has changed its presentation of solubility data over the years. For this purpose, the older editions (before 1980) are significantly better than the recent ones. Whereas the new editions simply list solvents in which the compound is soluble, the older ones provide more information, which can be useful in selecting a crystallization solvent. Qualitative indicators for solubility in various solvents range from i (insoluble), d (slightly), s (soluble), to v (very). Especially useful is the fact that some solvents are given two listings, one for hot solvent, the other for cold. What if you are working with a brand-new compound, which is often the case? Here, the only thing to do is try different solvents. The choice of solvents is often more art than science – everybody has their personal favorites based on their own experience, but those mentioned above are typical solvents to try. A small amount of the solid is placed in a test-tube and a few drops of cold solvent are added. If the solid dissolves, you can forget this solvent – you need low solubility at low temperature. If the solid remains, so far, so good, but this is only the beginning. Now the sample is warmed to the boiling point. If the solid dissolves, things look good. The next test is to let this solution cool, and to see if nice crystals actually form. If they do, you're in luck. Further tests with this solvent on larger samples of material can then determine whether the desired degree if purification is achieved, and if the loss of material is acceptable. Sometimes, though, no crystals form. This may be a problem with the rate of crystal nucleation – that event where the first few molecules get together to form the growing crystal. A trick which often works in this case is to take a glass rod and rub vigorously the wall of the test-tube just below the solvent surface. Often, this will stimulate crystal formation, presumably because some of the microscopic scratches serve as nucleation sites. Alternatively, the solution can be ‘seeded' with a few tiny crystals of the substance (if these are available), and then to allow the solution to stand undisturbed until crystal formation is complete. If no crystals form, you must consider the possibility that the substance is too soluble in this solvent, and the fact that it did not dissolve at first may simply be because it dissolves very slowly. If this is the case, it's back to the drawing board with a new solvent. A not-uncommon result is for the solute to separate from solution as an oil which will not crystallize. This annoying situation arises particularly for low-melting solids and frequently results when the solution becomes saturated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the solute. A remedy which is often effective is to ensure that separation does not occur until the solution has cooled below this melting temperature, either by using more solvent or by switching to a different solvent. Once this is settled, scratching and/or seeding are often helpful for obtaining crystalline product. Quite often, a single solvent which gives suitable results cannot be identified. In such cases, the use of mixed solvents (solvent pair) is often successful. Two solvents are chosen, one which dissolves the substance readily, and another in which the solute is only sparingly soluble. Note that the two solvents must be completely miscible. The usual procedure is to dissolve the crude solid in the better solvent at its boiling point, and to add the weaker solvent dropwise until a faint cloudiness persists, indicating that the solute is starting to come out of solution. A few drops more of the better solvent are then added to put the solute back into solution, and the mixture is allowed to cool to effect crystallization. Typical solvent pairs are water and ethanol, or hexane and benzene, where the ‘weaker' solvent is listed first. These mixed solvent systems are interesting — it seems that the solubility characteristics of the better solvent dominate at higher temperatures, while the mixture behaves more like the weaker solvent at lower temperatures. Once the crystallization solvent is chosen, consideration can be given to other features of the crystallization process. The idea is to maximize the recovery of purified compound. Enough solvent must be used to keep the impurities in solution, but if an excessive amount of solvent is used, a large part of the desired compound will remain in solution, and the recovery will be low. For this reason, the minimum amount of hot solvent which will dissolve the desired compound should be used. It is possible to further improve the recovery of material by harvesting a ‘second crop' of crystals. After the purified crystals have been separated by filtration, the filtrate (called the ‘mother liquor') is concentrated by evaporation of ~1/2 – 2/3 of the solvent. On cooling, more of the compound will crystallize, and this can be isolated by filtration. The purity of these crystals is generally not as good as the original crop, since the concentration of the contaminants in the mother liquor is always increasing. The proper apparatus for recrystallization is the Erlenmeyer flask. A beaker is not appropriate. The shape of the Erlenmeyer flask allows swirling of the mixture without sloshing, and the conical walls tend to condense and return refluxing solvent. The flask should not be overfilled – about 60% of the listed capacity is the maximum, and so the flask volume should be chosen accordingly. Decolorizing a Solution and Hot Filtration Special problems are posed by insoluble impurities and highly colored, resinous contaminants. The best way to remove insoluble material is to filter the hot mixture, while the desired material is dissolved. Insoluble debris will be trapped on the filter paper. The colored, resinous impurities are usually large, relatively polar organic molecules which have a strong tendency to be adsorbed on surfaces. Crystals grown from solutions containing such resins are often discolored by surface contamination by these materials, and it is therefore desirable to also remove them from the solution before recrystallization. They can be taken care of by addition of a small amount of powdered, activated charcoal (Norit ® or Darco ®, also decolorizing carbon) to the hot solution before filtering. Decolorizing carbon has a huge surface area, and readily absorbs the colored impurities. The hot filtration then removes the charcoal; the filtrate, now free of this contamination, is allowed to cool and deposit crystals. The decolorizing/hot filtration procedure requires some care. First, the addition of the powdered charcoal to hot solvent can cause a vigorous foaming which may result in loss of some of the solution. This can be avoided if the hot solution is allowed to cool for 15-20 seconds, and the charcoal is added cautiously. Only a small amount of charcoal is required — add too much and significant amounts of the desired compound will also be absorbed, and low recovery will result. After addition of the charcoal, the mixture should be heated to a gentle boil for a few minutes, to ensure that any compound which might have precipitated during cooling is brought back into solution. Filtration of the hot mixture must be done rapidly to avoid crystallization of material on the filter paper or in the funnel. The setup depicted in Figure 2 shows how the filter can be kept hot during filtration. The speed of filtration is enhanced by the use of a ‘fluted' filter paper and a stemless funnel. ‘Fluting' a filter paper is organic chemistry origami and the process is best demonstrated in person. A fluted paper uses the entire surface area of the filter paper, and therefore filters more rapidly than the conventional conical fold. The stem of a funnel is susceptible to clogging by formation of crystals, so a stemless funnel is used. To minimize crystallization in the filter paper it is common to place a small amount of solvent in the receiving flask, and to heat this to boiling during the filtration. The hot vapors help to keep the filter warm. In addition, it is prudent to use about 10% more than the minimum amount of solvent, to account for evaporation during the heating, and to allow for the small amount of cooling which will occur. Finally, the mixture should be poured onto the filter in small portions which will filter within about 30 s, so that excessive cooling does not occur. The [pic] remainder of the mixture is kept heated until it can be poured on the filter. When all of the solvent has been filtered, it is a good idea to rinse the flask and filter with a small portion of fresh, hot solvent (~5 – 10% of the volume already used). This will help to dissolve and pass through the filter any material which has crystallized. The filtrate should be collected in an appropriately sized Erlenmeyer flask. Some crystals may have formed in the flask by the end of the filtration, but these are often very small and not well formed. They should be dissolved by warming the filtrate. The best crystals are obtained by slow cooling without agitation of the solution. Therefore, the filtrate should be placed in a spot where it can remain undisturbed as it cools. The mouth of the flask may be loosely stoppered, but this is normally not necessary. Crystal growth is normally well along by the time the mixture reaches room temperature. Further cooling in an ice-water bath will cause additional crystallization. Crystals come in a variety of shapes and sizes: long needles, blocky prisms, and flat plates are common. Slow crystal growth not only gives the most pleasing display; the product is generally purer. Too-rapid crystallization generally leads to smaller, more poorly formed (and less pure) crystals. pic] Vacuum Filtration Once crystal formation is complete, the product is isolated by vacuum filtration. This technique permits fast and efficient removal of the mother liquor. A special flat-bottomed funnel (a Buchner funnel) is used in conjunction with a heavy-walled Erlenmeyer flask with a sidearm called a filtering flask. The apparatus is illustrated below (Figure 3). A circle of filter paper, small enough to lie completely flat on the perforated base of the Buchner funnel, but large enough to cover all of the holes, is placed in the funnel, and moistened with a small amount of solvent to hold it in place. With the vacuum on, the cold crystallization mixture is poured as rapidly as possible onto the filter paper. It helps to swirl the flask a few times to loosen the crystals, and with a little bit of skill the entire mixture can be deposited on the filter, with only a few stray crystals adhering to the walls of the flask. The mother liquors are rapidly drawn into the filter flask by suction, and the crystals are squeezed dry of solvent by pressing with a clean cork while drawing air through them. Now, this procedure does not remove all of the mother liquor. Invariably, there is a film of solvent coating the surface of the crystals. Since the mother liquor contains impurities, this must be washed away with fresh solvent. The crystals are washed as follows: the suction is stopped and enough fresh, cold (why? ) solvent is added to just cover the crystals in the funnel (this solvent can be used to rinse the last few crystals out of the crystallization flask). The crystals should be stirred gently with a glass rod or a spatula so that all come in contact with the wash liquid, then the vacuum is restarted and the crystals sucked and pressed dry as before. In some cases, it may be necessary to repeat the wash a 2nd time. Air is drawn through the crystals until they are as dry as possible, at which time they are spread on a watch glass for further drying in the air or in an oven. The steps in recrystallization can be summarized: 1. Dissolve the crude material in a minimum amount of hot solvent. 2. Treat with decolorizing charcoal. 3. Filter hot solution to remove charcoal and other insoluble impurities. 4. Cool to effect crystallization 5. Filter crystals, wash to remove adhering mother liquor. 6. Dry crystals to remove last traces of solvent. Melting Point Determination Once we have purified a solid, how do we establish that the product is, in fact, pure? Undoubtedly, the simplest criterion for purity is determination of the melting point, or more accurately, the melting range. Strictly speaking, the melting point is defined as the single temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid phase of a compound is equal to the vapor pressure of the solid phase, and so the liquid and solid are in equilibrium. These values are actually rather difficult to measure. Much simpler is the determination of the capillary melting range, which, as the name implies, is the temperature interval over which the compound is found to melt. Since, during the melting process, the system is not at equilibrium, this is not identical to the true melting point, but the values are normally very similar. In fact, most of the ‘melting points' in the literature are actually capillary melting point ranges. An important distinction is that the latter is always presented as a range of two temperature readings, from the temperature where melting is first observable to that where melting is complete. For pure compounds, complete melting normally occurs over a very narrow range, often