In Pride and Prejudice, who is to be blamed for Lydia’s behaviour? Essay

In ‘Pride and Prejudice’, there are a number of people who can be blamed for Lydia’s behaviour. Lydia develops into a selfish, egocentric, thoughtless and superficial girl through the influence of others and a lack of discipline and boundaries. Primarily, Mrs. Bennet is to blame. Lydia and her mother are ‘two of a kind’ – silly, vain, snobbish, pretentious and flirtatious. Mrs. Bennet has indulged and cosseted Lydia and favours her above her sisters. Instead of preventing Lydia from making an embarrassment of herself and disgracing the family by flirting with the officers when she is too young to socialise, Mrs. Bennet encourages her behaviour in the hope of getting at least daughter married off. Both Mrs. Bennet and Lydia seem to have a fondness of men in uniform, and are unfortunately crude enough to show it. In fact, Mrs Bennet says, † I do remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well – and indeed so I do still at my heart. â€Å" From this we can see that Lydia has inherited her foolishness from her mother. Mrs. Bennet is a social climber and very interested in marrying well, but upon hearing of Lydia’s elopement with the discreditable Mr. Wickham, instead of being angry is excited, and thinks only of the wedding clothes. Yet if her daughters Elizabeth or Jane had eloped and were marrying a man with little money and many debts, Mrs. Bennet may not have been so thrilled. Mr. Bennet also has a reasonable input into Lydia’s behaviour, but in a totally different way from his wife. Lydia’s father isolates himself in his library, burying himself behind books and a wall of sarcasm, allowing his wife to take responsibility for his daughters’ upbringings, with the knowledge that she wasn’t fully capable of doing it satisfactorily. When Lizzy warns him against letting Lydia go to Brighton, Mr. Bennet does not take heed, and allows Lydia to go anyway. This is because he thinks that Lydia may be brought back down to earth and shown that she is not so important in Brighton, and that she would be in the safe hands of Colonel Forster’s wife. Mr. Bennet also knows that if he did not, then Lydia would emotionally blackmail him by nagging and crying, as would his wife until he granted permission. Instead of disallowing her, Mr. Bennet is weak and gives in, as he thinks it will be easier for him. Little does he know that Lydia will elope with an officer and disgrace the whole family. However, at the end of the book, he realises his mistakes, and blames himself for Lydia’s behaviour. He says: â€Å"You may well warn me against such an evil. Human nature is so prone to fall into it! No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression.† Another person partly to blame is Mr. Wickham. It is not entirely Lydia’s fault that she cannot resist his charms, as after all, he deceived her older and far wiser sister too. However, his intentions were not honourable and he did not seem to have any intention of marrying Lydia. Had Mr. Darcy not intervened and bribed Wickham, Lydia could possibly have gone home disgraced, with no possibility of marriage in the future. In addition, Elizabeth herself might feel partly, if not wholly to blame for Lydia’s behaviour; she knew what Wickham was capable of, having heard Darcy’s account about his past behaviour. She could see what Lydia was doing and could have potentially prevented her sister from being subjected to scandalous gossip and also stopped Lydia from making a fool of herself by letting people know what Mr. Wickham was like. In considering the role that various characters have to play in Lydia’s behaviour, we tend to forget that everyone has a responsibility for themselves, and their actions, including Lydia. After all, she has older sisters who turn out to be respectable young women who have happy, loving marriages to wealthy men. Maybe Lydia has more input into her own behaviour than we should ignore.

Dreams In Of Mice and Men Essay

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was written by John Steinbeck in 1937. He wrote many other books such as Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony, East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row and The Pearl. His most famous was the Grapes of Wrath. At the time Steinbeck wrote the novel, men were the main workers on farms and ranches but during the 1930’s machinery began to take over and by 1938 Combines harvested half of America’s grain. George and Lennie, the two main characters in the story, are examples of migrant workers who farmed 800 miles across the state planes. All ranch workers travelled around America looking for jobs. They worked in very poor conditions and were paid two to three dollars a day plus very basic food. Everyone had their own dream but many people came from other countries to live the â€Å"American Dream† all believing that through hard work they would have the opportunity to live a comfortable life. It is possible that Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experience as he used to work on a ranch. He knew what these workers had to go through and had the desire and belief to show other people what was actually happening at the time. It could be argued that Steinbeck focused on ranch life for a storyline as he lived near a ranch and he recognised the loneliness and pain of the workers and what they had to do to keep themselves occupied. Steinbeck uses an arrangement of techniques to form a feeling of reality for the reader by using similes e.g. † A water snake slipped along the pool, its head held up like a little periscope†. This is a good example as it shows Steinbeck’s imagery that he uses to describe the scenery and surroundings. This particular simile is symbolic for the reality of life for animals and humans. The snake is on the look out for food whilst at the same time being wary of any potential attackers. George and Lennie’s life is a constant battle for survival, the same as the snake. Steinbeck structured the novel like a play so that the reader isn’t distracted by other things happening around in that particular scene. The story is spread over about three to four days during which George and Lennie travel to the new ranch until the ending in which George kills Lennie. This helps us to focus on the various aspects of the book where we are able to concentrate on one character at a time or an event at a time. Steinbeck can describe more thoroughly the event or character instead of telling a long story. This is a very effective method of writing and keeps the readers interest who is able to build a clear image of the character. At the start of chapter six Steinbeck’s description is almost poetic â€Å"The deep green pool of Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun. But by the pool among the mottled sycamores, a pleasant shade had fallen†. This is an intense description of the setting that the characters are in and enables the reader to develop a clear image of the surroundings. It is an example of Steinbeck’s imagery. Steinbeck uses a lot of Colloquial language and dialogue as the ranchmen speak a lot during the story and it is often grammatically incorrect with slang or swearing. This adds vividness and colour to the description. There is a lot of characterisation through dialogue as each character speaks differently. Steinbeck also uses dialogue to inject humour e.g. â€Å"His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, he looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse. It’s brighter’n a bitch outside†. Steinbeck also uses intense descriptions in the novel, for example â€Å"The Dream†, Lennie and George’s dream of a small farm, a little bit of land and independence, is the same for all the ranch workers. The â€Å"American Dream† can be seen to be interwoven and the hope of being free and being themselves. We should realise that Steinbeck is trying to illustrate a universal truth and that most people wish to have better lives which gives them freedom, rights and personal fulfillment. Similes and Metaphors are used very often and they are usually describing nature. The book is rich in unusual imagery as Steinbeck describes very thoroughly. As well as Similes and Metaphors, Onomatopoeia is used e.g. â€Å"The red light dimmed on the coals. Up the hill a coyote yammered, and a dog answered from the other side of the stream. The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze†. The best example of a metaphor is â€Å"On the Sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as gray, sculptured stones†. Emphasising again animals constant waryness of all around it Animal imagery is used to describe Lennie e.g. â€Å"Lennie dabbled his paw in the water and wiggled his fingers†. This shows us Lennie’s build and the way his body moves as bears have paws and they move steadily with slow large movements. Lennie always talks about rabbits and this relates back to Lennie being described as an animal. Steinbeck uses sound well in his descriptions adding a further level of imagery for the reader. † Clang of horseshoes in yard, far off shouts of Lennie’s pursuers† help us to feel that we are witnessing events not just reading them. Light is also used effectively in descriptive passages and the light on the Gabilan Mountains is a recurrent image to give the idea of vastness and timelessness. Every ranch worker has his own dream but most are very similar as they want to have freedom and to be an individual. Lennie’s dream is to† Live off the fatta the lan an hav rabbits† These dreams are part of the â€Å"American Dream† and ranch workers think that that some day it might come true. The phrase â€Å"The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft aglay.† is from the poem by Robert Burns and this is the moral of the story. This is translated into modern English as â€Å"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry† meaning in George and Lennie’s case that no matter how hard they try to plan ahead and work for their dream something can always go wrong and in this case, it does. In the novel Steinbeck writes about many different issues that still exist today, one of which is racial prejudice. This is illustrated in Crooks as he is denied human companionship because of the colour of his skin and this is part of the larger theme of loneliness. Another issue is Ageism. This is illustrated by Candy who has outlived his usefulness. This is also a part of loneliness and is emphasised by his relationship with his dog and the way in which he is upset when it is shot. The final and main issue is loneliness. George and Lennie are able to get away from loneliness with their relationship but there are many people who cannot fend it off such as Crooks and Candy as they become cynical and bitter. It ends up killing Curley’s wife as she cannot stand being on her own any longer. Steinbeck uses imagery to illustrate many reasons such as realism to symbolise deeper meanings and to portray society. He portrays loneliness as a human condition that we either succumb to or fight. Steinbeck doesn’t state a way of fighting loneliness but just illustrates the problem as we begin to realise that we may never find a solution.

Compare and contrast Blake and Wordsworth’s view of London Essay

The poets Blake and Wordsworth both wrote poems about England’s capital city, London. The poets themselves each came from different backgrounds which may have influenced their view of London. Wordsworth was born and brought up in the Lake District and spent the majority of his life there, which may have led him to concentrate on the natural features of London. In contrast Blake was more aware of the industry and poverty of the capital City. He had lived all his life in London, receiving little formal schooling and even witnessing the death of his brother from consumption. Wordsworth’s poem â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge† presents a calm and relaxed view looking across the water and the city. He writes about what he sees and views London as a majestic royal palace. Wordsworth reflects upon his subject with deep felt emotion, seeing it as a spiritual place of peace. â€Å"Dull would be the soul who could pass by, a sight so touching in its majesty†. He describes a special morning when the city seems to be asleep and is in awe of the tranquillity â€Å"never saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!†. Wordsworth is therefore commenting on the natural beauty that he sees rather than the daily life behind this scene. In contrast Blake’s poem is entitled â€Å"London†. Talking directly about the city itself it is the account of a person walking down the street saying what he sees. He is more concerned with the people who make up the City. Instead of seeing beauty he sees pain in the emotions of the people he meets. â€Å"In every cry of every man†. Blake concentrates on the oppression and poverty of the city. He blames the Church and authorities for their lack of attention and care for the people of London. â€Å"Every blackening Church appals†. The tone of the poem shows a lack of awareness; some safe inside while pain goes on outside, â€Å"and the hapless soldier’s sigh runs in blood down Palace walls†. In keeping with this pessimistic view, Blake’s poem is structured in a methodical and measured tone. It is written to a steady beat in four stanzas. This has the feel of a walking pace as he wanders around the city viewing its misery. Blake uses repetition to emphasise his point â€Å"in every cry, in every voice†. It is a formal bleak approach giving the bare facts as he sees them. Wordsworth’s poem is altogether more flamboyant. As a ‘romantic’ poet he writes this poem in the form of a sonnet. This style is mainly used in ‘love’ poetry. This structure emphasises the way Wordsworth concentrates on the physical aspects Wordsworth views around him. One line flows into another in an informal way. It is descriptive and reflective but does not attempt to look beyond the outward appearance â€Å"all bright and glittering in the smokeless air†. Wordsworth as a rich man, the son of a lawyer, views London on face value. He looks down upon the city from his lofty position unaware of the poverty below. His tone is full of grandeur â€Å"earth has not anything to show more fair†. He feels moved in his spirit and in harmony with his environment. Wordsworth’s tone is full of wonder, focusing on the magnificent buildings and seeing the city itself as a living being full of emotion. Blake expresses his feelings of frustration and sadness. He describes â€Å"chartered† streets and â€Å"chartered† Thames, which emphasises how everything has been taken over and oppressed. He comes from a lower middle class background; the son of a hosier and the tone of this poem expresses his awareness of the poverty around him â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woes†. This sadness turns to aggression as the poem proceeds, criticising the Church and even the corruption of marriage. â€Å"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse†. There is a hopelessness and desperation expressed within this poem. Blake refers to â€Å"mind-forged manacles†, the metaphorical chains in which the people’s minds are held. This is typical of the negative images used throughout. The one beat rhythm and child-like tone emphasises the steady march towards an inescapable fate. This language underlines the lack of control which people have, their lives grinding out a pre-set pattern. Everything is â€Å"owned† – each chartered street. Even the Church is â€Å"blackening†, sinful, cruel, with a lack of purity and care. The oxymoron â€Å"marriage hearse† shows the conflict within society – the hypocrisy of marriage whilst poverty encourages prostitution to flourish â€Å"the youthful harlot’s curse†. The words are stark and shocking, exaggerating the problem to gain our attention â€Å"blasts the new-born infant’s tear†. The language used by Wordsworth is full of splendour â€Å"never did the sun more beautifully steep†. He paints pictures with his words, using the images of the â€Å"shining sun†, the â€Å"gliding river† the â€Å"beauty of the morning†. He extends a simile of the city by personifying it as clothed in sleep. â€Å"The city now doth like a garment where the beauty of the morning, silent, bare†. Wordsworth creates a feeling of awe and wonder at the beauty of creation. He uses the metaphor of the city like a â€Å"mighty heart lying still†. The sounds evoked by Wordsworth poem are very peaceful and calm â€Å"the river glideth†, â€Å"the morning silent†. In contrast Blake uses sharp sounds which are onomatopoeic in nature – â€Å"blasts†, â€Å"curse†, â€Å"cry†. He uses a strong heavy rhythm emotive of the oppression felt with repetitive force â€Å"and mark in every face I meet, marks of weakness, marks of woe†. The tone of Wordsworth’s poem is soft and lilting â€Å"a sight so touching†, â€Å"a calm so deep†. This is set against the harsh cry of Blake’s London. The approach used by these two writers promotes a different response from the reader. Wordsworth’s flowery imagery encourages a warm view of London. He is optimistic in his approach, concentrating as he does upon the immediate sights and sounds of a peaceful morning scene. Blake however conjures up a feeling of misery for the plight of the people of London locked in a prison of poverty which he blames on the â€Å"establishment† who have no care for their situation. Blake concentrates on social injustice, perhaps borne out of his own upbringing, whilst Wordsworth seems unaware of anything but the natural beauty of the environment and not its inhabitants. Two seemingly different views of one city seen from varying perspectives.

Ludwig Von Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony Essay

Ludwig Von Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony - Essay Example Despite these abhorrent forms of child abuse, Beethoven developed a sensitivity and vision for music. In 1789, after his mother’s death, Beethoven was forced to into manhood. He went determined, to his fathers employer and demanded - and got – half of his fathers salary so that he could take care of his brothers and one year old sister. In 1792 his father, much to Beethoven’s relief died. In 1801 Beethoven confessed to his friends at Bonn his worry of becoming deaf. In 1802, he wrote a famous text which expressed his distress at his perceived unfairness of his life. He could not reconcile himself with the idea of a loving music and that his most important sense, his hearing, was dissipating. Desolate, he did not want to live through the process of becoming deaf. Beethovens career as a virtuoso pianist was brought to an end when he began to experience his first symptoms of deafness. In a letter written to his friend Karl Ameda on 1 July 1801, he admitted he was e xperiencing signs of deafness. It is perhaps this resolute refusal to cave in to his deafness that allowed him to continue his marvelous works. Indeed, it can be said that Beethoven continued in his compositions in spite of his deafness. In 1802 his doctor sent him to Heiligenstadt, a village outside Vienna, in the hope that its rural peace would rest in his hearing. The new surroundings reawakened in Beethoven a love of nature and the countryside, and hope and optimism returned. By autumn however, Beethoven felt so low both physically and mentally that he feared he would not survive the winter.

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Discussion Questions - Essay Example A good practice in team settings is giving different members a chance to be team leaders. Attitudes influence the behavior of people when they work together. I once worked in a company that had morale issues. Everyone was down because the company was having financial troubles that were affecting the entire staff. The employees were getting paid a week or two late every payroll. The attitude of the employees was horrendous. People would come to work late and leave early. Nobody respected the managerial staff because they were doing nothing to ensure they employees got paid. It was one excuse after the other. The lack of commitment by managers led to an organizational chaos. There are generational differences that affect the way an organization operates. The younger employees are not as committed to a company as the older employees because younger employees have more options. They expect a company to help them in their professional development. If a company does not provide its younger employees opportunity for growth the most likely scenario is that they won’t be able to retain the employee. Older employees value job security and a stable working environment. A way to get the younger employees and older workers to participate with each other is to formulate work teams made up of both young and experienced workers. Managers are not the only workers that can lead a company. There are many informal leaders in organizations. These people are able to motivate the rest of their colleagues to perform work at a higher level. Sometimes these leaders are silent leaders that influence the behavior of others through example. For instance a person at a manufacturing line can motivate others to improve their performance by producing more units per day than anybody else. When another worker sees that it is possible to produce more the worker starts believing that greater production is possible. I understand what you are going through working in that inefficient

Business Communication - how to become more effective within the Essay - 1

Business Communication - how to become more effective within the organization - Essay Example in today’s business environment ushered in by technology and globalization, which is characterized by dispersed work groups that operate away from the home office. The current vogue in such a flexible working arrangement has added to the difficulty of getting business communication right. As it is, there are already enough sociological and psychological factors that prevent business communication from going around the organization in the sense that it was intended. This paper thus discussed all the perceived shortcomings in communication practices that have made businesses falter, and subsequently explored the methods by which business communication can be made more effective for the immediate and long-term benefit of the organization. People in organizations spend over 75 percent of their time in an interpersonal situation (Van Acker, online). Thus, it is no surprise to find that at the root of a large number of organizational problems is poor communications. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success whether it is at the interpersonal, inter-group, intra-group, organizational or external levels (How-to Books, online). For human communication to be high in quality or effective, it must take into account not only the choice of language but also the movement of vocal cords, the reception of sound and its translation into neural signals, syntactic and phonological processing (Hauser, 1996). Even facial expressions and gestures influence the quality and outcome of communication (How-to Books). As for the communication message, social psychologists give it three components: content, context and treatment. Content is the essence of what one person desires to communicate to another, whil e context is the way the communicator presents the content of his message to his audience. As for treatment, it is how communication is arranged and conducted by the speaker, which supports the content and context of the message. In a business

Achievement Motive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Achievement Motive - Essay Example With the specific focus on whether or not knowledge of achievement motive would be of any value to expatriate managers in Madruga’s Singapore subsidiary, the report will argue that even though it is of value, the said value can only be realized if pre-existing achievement motive knowledge is adjusting to correspond with the culture in question. Worker motivation can be either internal, brought about by the personal interactions with his own set of beliefs about what will satisfy his needs, or external, brought about by interactions with one's environment. Motivation can result from something as complex and volatile as how a person's attitudes were formed in the womb and in the crib, to how a supervisor uses language and the meanings of words in describing tasks and providing feedback (Sullivan, 1988). In reality, it appears that the dynamics that move a worker toward particular activities come from a constant interaction between both internal stimuli and external stimuli. Concurring, Vroom (1964) indicates that managers must understand the principles of motivation, and, in fact, must create the right kind of motivational environment, in order to ensure that employee activities result in preferred organizational outcomes. This fits very well with Maslow's suggestion (1954) that in order to determine human needs and identity, it is necessary to set up special conditions that foster expression of these needs and capacities. Issac, Zerbe, and Pitt (2001) agree, suggesting that organizational leaders must determine their follower's interests, aspirations, and goals of both a short and long-term nature and creativity frame the organizational vision in such a way that the follower perceives congruency between personal and organizational ends. Gellerman (1963) goes so far as to describe managements "great task" as shaping the environment into a stimulus instead of a suppressor.  

Reflective of future thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reflective of future thinking - Essay Example However, there are a myriad of factors to be considered before developing innovations in a company, including the sustainability aspect of new products and technology. Overall, there are many changes in the world, as well as in the business world. These have mainly been realized because of the advanced changes in technology, which in turn influence the economy of a country and the global economy as well. Various industries today also exhibit great changes in their practice and products, compared to past decades. In this presentation, the main focus is on the car industry, which has not been left behind, with regard to technology. In the world of technology today, new inventions are developed to increase efficiency. Similarly, in the car industry, major new technologies are unveiled on a regular basis. These might be concerned with improving safety of cars, usefulness of cars, cars’ entertainment and luxury aspects, or for purely innovative reasons. Most of the new car innovati ons are exciting and have improved efficiency in various aspects of cars. The first car was invented in the year 1769. Today, this first car cannot be compared to the present supercars, in terms of technology and efficiency. As a result of increased technological advances in cars, today’s cars are more safe and reliable than they were in past years. In the car industry, technological advancement is key, therefore, it is expected that this industry will produce more technologically advanced cars in the future (Christidis, Hildalgo & Soria 2003). However, different factors will influence the extent to which technology is adopted in the car industry in future. These include the availability of fuel and level of pollution by cars. With regard to fuel, the car industry, compared to the pat years, has increased the number of cars that it manufactures, and reduced the cost of cars, thus making cars to be affordable to many people. This therefore, has led to high consumption of fuel, and it is feared that in future, fuel might become scarce, since it is being exhausted today at a high rate. Additionally, the car industry is regarded as one of the top industries that highly contribute to global warming. Most cars today use petroleum, which emits Carbon dioxide gas on combustion. Therefore, in future, the car industry might consider fuel economy and reducing global warming, when it develops new car models, as these factors will promote sustainability (Macrel & Cooper 2011). In order to analyze the future of cars with regard to technological improvement, this paper will employ different tools and techniques of foresight. The initial thinking about the future holds that there is so much unpredictability in the future. It is therefore, not possible for people to perfectly figure out what the future holds, since a myriad of factors, which are beyond human control, influence the events of the future. Human beings have different expectations about the future. Although no human being can peer into the future, these use their minds and imagination to create a picture of the future, which might be unrealistic. Overall, people expect positive things to happen in the future. However, these expectations might not be in line with what the future really holds. This

Classical and Operant Conditioning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Classical and Operant Conditioning - Assignment Example For instance, wearing a pullover or a jacket for me would be a cultural response in a place that would be colder than the place I belong to. My religious beliefs too would be influenced by the place that I belong to and thus, plays a large part in determining my identity as a human being. The eating habits of a culture would refer to the manner of eating food and what it consist of. 2. Define, compare, and contrast race and ethnicity. Discuss the origin and history of each term, and discuss its social implications today. Where the word race originated from is unclear; however, there are speculations that it may have its roots in the term ‘razza’, an old Italian word that refers to the lineage of a person (American Heritage Dictionary). It is used today to distinguish between people who have similar gene pools and have certain physical features in common. Ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to the place of a person’s origin and is derived from the Greek word †˜ethnikos’, a word that means ‘people’ or ‘nation’ (The Free Dictionary). It therefore refers to a collective that is created as a result of political motives. Even today, the word is used to refer to the origins of a person. People belonging to the same ethnicity may thus, differ racially. Race is however, a biological grouping and may constitute a single ethnicity. 3. - Compare and contrast the three modes of food production strategies. Discuss the relationship between the natural environment and food production strategies. The agricultural mode of food production is the most common mode of producing food in the world. Hunting is another form, while gathering food can be another. While the agricultural mode of food production is reliable and ensures a constant supply of food, the same cannot be said about other forms of food production strategies. Hunting and gathering are modes of producing food that are largely dependent upon chance. Agricultura l forms of the production of food enable women to take a part in work outside the homes while the others, in most cultures, do not. All these strategies have the common factor of the natural environment from which food id procured. The amount of game that is present and the fertility of the soil of a particular place decide the strategy employed there. 4. Compare arranged marriages to love marriages. What purpose does each serve in a culture? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Illustrate your discussions with specific examples. Arranged marriages refer to marriages that are conducted according to the will of the parents of the couple, while love marriages are conducted according to the will of the persons who get married. Arranged marriages are a means of procreation for a line without the person involved having to make any effort on his or her own. Love marriages, on the other hand, require effort on the part of both members of a couple. Love marriages are often use d as a means of joining two large fortunes to create an even larger fortune. Love marriages often defy the conventional arrangement of the society and the divisions of class and ethnicity. While arranged marriages ensure the survival of the line, love marriages ensure that the two people involved are comfortable with each other. 5. Define the concept of sustainability and discuss its importance in today's global economy. Use specific examples to illustrate your dis

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

HRM - Essay Example For the human capital and other organizational changes to be effective, the HR system will require business credibility and the capacity to work in coordination with other business leaders. HR Business Partners will ensure that strategies to ensure these are incorporated in business decisions. Thorough functional and theoretical knowledge in diverse aspects of HR is expected in the implementation of such changes. However, with frequent developments in the area of HR and other organizational aspects, it is difficult for individual business leaders to constantly acquire the required knowledge. Here the International HR Business Partners have an important role in supplementing the required functional knowledge. Their role is spread across the areas of organizational design, change management, cultural diversity and human system alignment (Jamieson, 2007). A very important role of Business Partners is to integrate the business decisions with that of other leaders so that there are positi ve strategic implications in terms of the rapid changes. They design, engage and maintain the human capital to be ready to face the challenges of the open global market. In general the area of HR has undergone a lot of changes in the last two decades. It has gained more strategic importance. There had been continuous changes in the theoretical modeling and increased concentration on training and certifications. More importantly, the process of outsourcing gained importance through the time (Ulrich & Brockbank, 2005). This development gave rise to the concept of becoming a business partner. This concept has gained momentum especially in the last 15 years. This was increasingly engaged at least partly by businesses to have simultaneously handle strategies and all other HR operations. The scope of HR was initially limited to managing the

Supply Chain Management and Quality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Supply Chain Management and Quality - Term Paper Example The market is customer-driven and therefore neither product nor service alone is the significant matters, but, the perceived value to the customer of the entire relationship with an organization is extremely important. Many companies attempt to measure the quality of their product or service from the internal quality assurance to external customer satisfaction and from that to the ‘customer value’ issue (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky and Simchi-Levi, 2004, p. 187). Â   Â   Â   Â   Â  Generally, ‘Quality’ refers to providing of outstanding goods and services including its attractiveness, perfectness with no manufacturing defects and long term dependability and reliability (Bateman and Snell, 2003, p. 12). When it comes to the Oil and Gas operator, customers demand increased value and high quality when they buy oil or gas. Customers may perceive that these should be easily available or should be using various purposes like household, vehicles and for operating some machines. Customers basically ay not satisfy with its oil and gas if the company fails to deliver such qualities and facilities as well. Â   Â   Â   Â   Â  Quality and the concept of Total Quality Management play significant roles in strategic planning and strategic management. Strategy, as detailed above, is an attempt to achieve competitive advantage by being different. It is the application of available resources of the firm to pursue the specific aims of the policy. Strategic thinking and conversion of the vision in to into plans in order to achieve its realization are the very basic two elements involved in ‘strategy’ (Sower, 2010, p. 26). Modern management requires incorporating quality and continuous improvement as strategic objectives of the organization in a way that these strategic objectives will be turned an integral part of the business. To be more specific, the present day management scenario shows that achieving ‘quality’ in all the functional areas that business is related with is critical to the success, because, the market that it operates in is customer-driven and thus ‘quality’ gains a significant role in the objectives of the firm.

Effect of Media on Eating Habits Essay Example for Free

Effect of Media on Eating Habits Essay Currently this is a serious and growing concern for public health officials, registered dietitians, and families interested in living their day to day lives in a healthy manner. Youth are at the highest risk. According to the National Health Examination Survey, children ages 11-13 have highest rate of daily television viewing (Brown, 2008, p. 316). In a 2007 study, children were more likely to be overweight when they watched more television (Gable, Chang Krull, 2007). Currently, the second leading cause of actual death according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is poor diet and physical inactivity (Schneider, 2006, p. 270). Trends that lead to poor diet and physical inactivity, eventually obesity in adults and children alike, stem from habits that form early on in childhood. This creates an endless cycle that perpetuates from generation to generation. Obesity is currently an issue that threatens the majority of Americans and its prevalence has increased substantially in the last three decades (Schneider, 2006, p. 72). It’s caused by a number of different factors including genetics, physical inactivity, and poor eating habits. Two of the three factors noted can be strongly associated with television media. A study conducted at the University of Minnesota in 2009 found an increased incidence of eating in front of the television was primarily due to advertising and reduced metabolic rate in adolescence (Barr-Anderson, Larson Nelson, 2009). Reduced metabolic rate decreases one’s need for calories. Individuals of this demographic typically don’t take this fact into consideration and eat as much as before their exposure to television was such a significant part of their daily routine. This tendency leads to unwanted and unnecessary weight gain. Increased weight has shown to elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and most kinds of cancer not to mention obesity (Schneider, 2006, p. 270). A less commonly recognized phenomena related to this issue is that people don’t know what healthy choices are and in turn, they are more likely to fall victim to any temptations set before them. These enticements are provided most commonly by television media advertising directed at less educated, more easily influenced audiences. For example, inexpensive fast food that is a particularly popular type of advertising might seem like a logical source of food for some families that do not have access to, or know anything better. Environment There are many problems that make up this complex and layered situation. Many social, cultural and economic factors contribute to these dietary patterns and eating habits that develop over a lifetime (Schneider, 2006, p. 77). The amount of time children spend with different sources of media from: television, film, video games, and computer or online media is exceedingly taking up the greater part of their time. With the average five and a half hours children spend using media on a daily basis, the only thing they spend more time doing is sleeping (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004). From age two to twenty, only eighteen years, that adds up to over 29,900 hours spent with media and 1. 8 times more than the 16,000 hours spent in school grades k-12 (Grossberg, 2006, p. 93). That equals out to approximately 20 hours per week according to a study done in 2006 (Francis Birch, 2006). Not only in the time spent exposed to media is a risk factor for children, but the way in which the media is consumed is also a major contributor to this situation. In the home, if there is a lack of parental control monitoring children’s media exposure, children are then at a higher risk of being influenced. Children heavily influenced by the media have the ability to manipulate how money is spent and savvy companies see them as the consumers to be targeted (Peregrin, 2001, p. 6). Children sometimes even spend their own money on the products they see repeatedly reinforced around them. Advertisers use this well known fact to target children because they know the powerful influence children can have on their parents purchasing decisions (Peregrin, 2001, p. 56). In an article written in 2001, Registered Dietitian, Adrienne Dorf expressed her opinion about educating childr en who are exposed to excessive media. She emphasized the need to explain the difference between television programs and commercials to children who may not be able to differentiate the two. Dorf urged parents to explain the idea of sales and the fact that the food advertised via commercials may not be the best for our bodies. Dietary habits form over a lifetime and are greatly influenced by the social environment and family setting as well as the media (Schneider, 2006, p. 277). From time to time parents struggle with taking their children into the supermarket for groceries just because they don’t want to fight about what the new craze is in sugary cereal or what unhealthy snack crackers are showing more commercials on television or the latest cartoon characters face on their box. It is a common to see a mother or father who gives in to please their child when he or she throws a tantrum in the middle of the aisle to get something they want. This repeated action can be a detrimental in the long run if it persists and continues. Impact Food industries have a goal to sell as much of their product to the public as possible. They will do anything they can to encourage American’s to eat and spend more money on any of their products. Most food advertised is high in fat, sugar, and salt leading to children in the grocery store begging their parents for candy and unhealthy snack foods (Borzekowski Robinson, 2001). Foods advertised taste â€Å"good† resulting in advertisements publicizing foods with high amounts of sugar, fat, and salt towards younger generations. For example, fast foods and high sugar cereals are two of the most commonly publicized items during children’s programming. Studies have shown that children under the age of 6 years of age cannot distinguish between television programming as opposed to commercial advertising (Borzekowski Robinson, 2001). The primary problem is that children who spend excessive amounts of time exposed to television media are more likely to be overweight. According to the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience, Youth Cohort (NLSY) a strong dose-response relationship was found between television viewing and the prevalence of overweight (Brown, 2008, p. 316). Adolescents from 10 to 15 years old who reported watching more than 5 hours of television per day had greater odds of having a BMI in the 85th percentile (Brown, 2008, p. 316).

Challenges to Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention

Challenges to Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention What are some of the key challenges to understanding the nature and extent of domestic violence? This paper will explore the nature and the extent of domestic violence, In order to understand domestic violence and how still today this type of abuse is still perpetrated against women we need to look at the history of how women was treated before and what has changed now. Then will continue by exploring of what is domestic violence by looking at the definition from the government and other organisations. We will look that who is affected by domestic violence how this affects the victims and are they protected by law. Domestic violence â€Å"exists in many cultures throughout the world and it was socially accepted until recently in the 20th century, especially in places that with male are dominants†. (Heise, 1995) Historically, women and in particular married women have had no protection in law against violence at home. Until the end of nineteenth century, the legal position in England with regards of violence against women was not whether a man had beaten his wife, but how severe that beating was. A man could legally beat his wife providing he used a stick that is no thicker than his thumb (Abbot and Wallace, 1997) It was not until the late 1960s that this type of violence began to be a matter of an open debate, as until 1940s was still accepted that many man would hit their wives. Not only this violence wasn’t condemn by law but women were expected to suffer in silence and had no resources to law, as only men could institute divorce proceedings. (Abbot and Wallace, 1997) Hence, the feminists were challenged throughout the history for trying to bring this problem out in the open as this was regarded as a private matter. (Heise, 1995) EU-Wide Survey defined the problem of violence against women, as a fundamental rights abuse although the violence against women has always existed it is only in the last two decades that the international community has highlighted the problem and it is increasingly addressed as â€Å"gender-based violence†. (Violence against women: an EU-Wide Survey, p-9) A definition, used by the UK government for domestic violence, is: â€Å"any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (physical, psychological, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been in a relationship together, or between family members, regardless of gender or sexuality†. (Home Office 2013) Home office also explained the meaning of coercive control, where controlling is recognised as an behaviour to make a person subordinate, dependant by means of isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain and regulating their everyday behaviour. And Coercive behaviour is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish or frighten their victim. (Home Office 2013) Considering that domestic violence it is still a ‘hidden’ issue in our society Home Office has widened their definition of do mestic violence and included the young adults as well, where in the past years the 2011-12 Crime Survey found that young people aged 16-19 are more likely to suffer domestic violence than any other age range and was found that they are more likely to hide this form of behaviour than adults. Young adults are more resistant to disclosure of this behaviour as NSPCC report suggests that they feel that adults do not take them seriously also they can underestimate abuse or minimise the effects of emotional abuse due to the lack of visible harm. (Home Office 2013) Where domestic violence is often equated with physical force that leaves some obvious marks or injury on the person. (McKie, 2006) A wider recognition by researches that domestic violence is about Perpetrators power and control over women and involves not only physical and sexual violence, but can include a number of behaviours such as intimidation and threats, isolation and humiliation, behaviour often named as psychological coe rcion violence. (Henrs, Hill, 2008) Women’s Aid included verbal abuse, coercion, isolation, threats and intimidation. Women’s Aid view on domestic violence is physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. Women’s Aid have made a poster of what one can go through domestic violence, where they listed some of the facts that have been or one might go through. The poster †Imagine† ‘we know what the bully is’ Women ‘s Aid Federation of England (2002) The abusers desire for power and control over the family members and partners it is mainly the cause, the Crime statistics show that domestic violence is gender-specific such as most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men, regardless of race, ethnicity or religious group, class disability or lifestyle. (Women’s Aid, 2005) Most cases of domestic violence involve female victims but some cases involve men too and it can occur in a range of relationships. However, whilst both women and man can experience domestic violence, women are more likely to be repetitive victims and sustain psychological or emotional impact or physical injuries or even death. (Women’s Aid, 2005) The figures show that one in four women and one in six men will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. (Council of Europe 2002). Where around 750,000 children in UK witnesses domestic violence (Department of Health 2002: 16) and the majority of children happen to be either in the same room or next room where the incident happens. (Hughes 1992: 9-11). The extend of domestic violence Researches show that despite the attempts to estimate its true extent this issue goes under-reported and under-prosecuted. Coercive and control abuse is seem to be far more â€Å"damaging form of abuse† (Nate, Women’s Aid) Especially when it comes to reporting an incident, as when reporting an incident there needs to be some sort of evidence to prove that domestic violence is present, but proving that, one is being coerced or controlled it is almost impossible to do so. (Nate, Women’s Aid) A person can be isolated from her family and friends and being emotionally or financially abused, they can be deceived and brainwashed by her partner, and it will take long until the victim discloses this kind of abuse and difficult to prove it. Further more, it takes time until they realize that they are being abused as the perpetrator makes sure that the victim believes them what ever they say its true, they isolate them by limiting their acces s to resources for help, or threatening them. (Nate, Woman’s Aid, Karen McVeigh, 2014) Victims of this kind of abuse tend not to report the incident, as they fear that the Police wouldn’t believe them and not be able to prove until they had physical injury. (Nate, Women’s Aid) Therefore, as the case of Abby Horne where she sought the help of police twice, but the experience of reporting to the police about her partner allegedly assaulting one of her children was so poor it stopped her from reporting the incidents when he assaulted her’. She was told: †you are just a middle-class housewife. You need your heads banging together†. (Karen McVeigh, 2014) an experience like Abby Horn’s puts many other victims off to seek for help. In order to prevent someone being at risk of domestic violence, a disclosure scheme has been implemented since March 2014 across England and Wales. This scheme includes ‘the right to ask’ and ‘the right to know’ such as if one needs to ask the Police about their existing or new partners past regarding domestic violence, they have a right to do so. The police will disclose the information if the records show that an individual might be at risk of domestic violence, a disclosure can be made if its legal, proportionate and necessary to do so. (Home Office 2013) In many cases the dominance over the victim develops and escalates over the years until the perpetrator has complete control’, and the abuse continues long after the victim escapes the perpetrator. (May, Alan Travis, The Guardian, 2014) Home office has created an action plan in order to prevent violence; this plan contributes to change the attitudes, behaviours and practises towards violence. Also to increase the public understanding of the violence by looking at the causes, hidden nature and economic cost society. The prime risk indicator was found, is being ‘female’ but not excluding age, ethnicity disability, religion, and sexual orientation and also the social culture plays role. The economy also plays a vital part in contributing towards Domestic violence where women in household with an income of less that  £10.000 were three and a half times more likely to suffer Domestic Violence more than those living in household income over  £20.000. In 2003 the gov ernments strategy to address domestic violence was to prevent the DV from happening, bring the perpetrators to justice and support the victim, providing adequate housing and financial support to help the victims and their families to rebuild their lives. (Home Office 2003:58) Domestic violence can cause physical and mental injuries, and many further impacts on the lives of victims. Women are more likely to be a repeat victimisation when it comes to domestic violence and are subject to multiple incidents of the same type of event. They also are more likely to be a victim of the repeat victimisation by the same perpetrator of the same incident where as men were not subject to more than one occurrence 89% of all those who suffered four or more incident were women. (Home Office 2003:58) The extent of the violence it depends on the nature of the violent action, frequency, gender of the perpetrator and victim, the effects can be very damaging and have wider repercussions. These injuries are reported as the worst experienced and women are more likely than men to sustain some form of physical or mental injuries. (Home office, Walby, Allen, 2004) According Home office reports in 2013-14 the prosecution for domestic violence has improved and risen in volumes, such as the police reports rose to 103,569, which mean that a rise of 15,459 cases from 2012-12 and 70.4% of these referrals were charged. Women’s Aid found that 88% of the victims said that criminal justice system did not take psychological harm into account. (Karen McVeigh, 2014) Recently domestic violence has been on the headline with the changes that were made to the law as announced by the government that the domestic abuse covers coercive and controlling behaviour as well as physical harm, but at the same time the there has been reports of how Police fail in handling cases to the closure of specialist refuges because of the cuts that has been made for private family law cases. (Mary O’Hara, 2014) Statistics show that Police in the UK receive a call a minute from the public or victims of domestic violence or 1.300 calls every day and two women are killed by her partner or ex-partner every week. (Karen McVeigh, 2014) By cutting legal aid budget it is making difficult for domestic abuse victims to survive and putting them at a greater risk, domestic violence was named as an exception to be founded by the legal aid, but only under specific circumstance such as strict ‘evidential’ eligibility. By putting these conditions on the legal aid an d making it tougher to get access to it, it means that fewer experts for victims to turn to. (Mary O’Hara, 2014) Another challenge for the victims of domestic violence is that the evidence that they need to produce ‘ evidence’ that they have been domestically abused, such as a letter from the GP, time spent at a refuge place, a verification that her partner has a conviction or is on bail. (Caplen, Mary O’Hara, 2014) This restriction, points out that due to the toughness on the evidential requirements, the victims fail to get access to legal aid; as most victims fail to have this evidence as most of the time they do not report their incidents due to shame or fear. According to Women’s Aid report 43% of the victims do not have the required evidence to apply for legal aid and also almost impossible to get psychological abuse evidence. (Mary O’Hara, 2014) Another obstacle is that they must prove to meet the criteria that they have a condition or injuries of a domestic violence victim within 24 months of making a legal aid application. (Women’s Aid) As result of these conditions put on the legal aid, most ‘women are staying in the abusive relationship’. Where 46% of the cases took no actions, as they weren’t able to have apply for legal aid and 25% represented themselves to the court and some either paid out of their money or borrowed money. (Mary O’Hara, 2014) After all the obstacles that they have to go through to get the legal aid in order to prosecute the domestic abuser, there is a risk that Judiciary might undervalue the impact of the domestic violence on women and this leads to the perpetrator being under prosecuted. (Jamie Doward, The Observer, 2014) In some cases the judge tends to be more lenient to domestic abusers, such as Moorhouse’s sentencing history that rose â€Å"an issue of misconduct through neglect of duty† and that Judge Moorhouse â€Å"wholly disregarded sentencing guidelines on domestic violence† as result of this, the crime commissioner claims that Judge Moorhouse â€Å"failed to deliver justice for the public†. (Jamie Doward, The Observer, 2014) If judges fail to follow the guidelines of sentencing on domestic abuse even after determining that there was a pattern of abuse, it results on an imbalanced prosecution as Harry Fletcher added, â€Å"the sentencing of domestic violence cases is a postcode lottery.† (Jamie Doward, The Observer, 2014) Looking at the problem of Violence Against Women other crimes related to gender specific where the majority of the victims are women, such as honour crimes, FGM, forced marriage, ‘death by culture’ Home Office Guidelines specifically recognize forced marriage as an example of gender-specific persecution, and acknowledge that the fact that violence against women is common.., does not mean that protection on an individual basis is inappropriate.† Despite the promulgation of gender guidelines, there continues to be a regular failure by decision-makers to take a gender sensitive approach to refugee law interpretation. This may also contribute on Domestic Violence as many women may be subjet to imigration and their status depends on perpetrator. (Burman Chantier, 2004) To improve the accuracy for the unsuccessful outcomes the recording of the reasons were changed, where previously reasons may have been recorded as ’essential legal element missing’ or ‘unreliable witness’. Also the reason for ‘evidence of victim does not support the case’ has fallen from 14.5 against a rise on victim retraction and victim non-attendance. By these changes it is hoped that the outcome may accurately reflect the issues to be addressed, as on of the main issues is that the victim retracts for the reason of a close intimate relationship between the victim and the defendant. In this case the majority of the defendant are men 92% of the defendant in 2013-14 were men and the majority of the victims are women, the number of the victims has risen to 84% in 2013-14. (Home Office, 2004) Conclusion All in all, it is shocking, in the true sense of the expression, that the abuse of the human rights on women continues today in the UK. The work of the government in the last two decades and particularly since 2007 has helped to reduce the abuse, however, there is yet more to be done. The non-exhaustive list of actions which need to be taken should be required reading by all those interested in eradicating this abhorrent and heinous practice. Nevertheless, in the UK, the courts have to come to the rescue of many such individuals who have been abused within their family home or realtionaships of any nature and granted them legal protection by way of recognising Domestic violence as a form of abuse. by deferring a criminal status to domestic violence it should widened the scope of protection to individuals. References S. Burman and K. Chantier. Culture as a barrier to service provision and delivery: domestic violence services for minoritized women. (Critical Social Policy 24, 2004). 345, 348. Family Law Act 1996, Part IV, c 27 A. Sabbe, M. Temmerman, E. Brems, E. Leye. Forced marriage: an analysis of legislation and political measures in Europe. (Crime, Law and Social Change, 62(2), 2014). 171-189. E. B. Council, T. Hulse. Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. (Image, 2014). 2-8. Retrieved from: http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/documents/detail.htm?pk_document=25350.accesses on 07 February 2015 A. Shachar. The Paradox of Multicultural Vulnerability in C. Joppke and S. Lukes (eds), Multi-cultural Questions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999). 88-95 A. Gill, A. Engeland. Criminalization or ‘multiculturalism without culture’? Comparing British and French approaches to tackling forced marriage. (Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 36(3), 2014). 241-259. A. Sabbe, M. Temmerman, E. Brems, E. Leye. Forced marriage: an analysis of legislation and political measures in Europe. (Crime, Law and Social Change, 62(2), 2014). 171-189. Legal Responses to Domestic Violence Mandy Burton http://0-lib.myilibrary.com.emu.londonmet.ac.uk/Open.aspx?id=139452 accessed on 20 February 2015 Abigail Sterne and Liz Poole (2010) with Donna Cadwick, Ctherine Lawer and Lynda W Dodd. Domestic Violence and Children http://0-lib.myilibrary.com.emu.londonmet.ac.uk/Open.aspx?id=231611 accessed on 20 February 2015 CPS (2014) Violence Against Women and Girls http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/equality/vaw/index.html accessed on 18 February 2015 Family Law Act 1996 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/27/pdfs/ukpga_19960027_en.pdf accessed on 15 February 2015 Women’s Aid, The Survivers Handbook http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-survivors-handbook.asp?section=000100010008000100310003 accessed on 15 February 2015 Domestic Violence, Parliament www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06337.pdf accessed on 17 February 2015 Home office, March 2013 https://www.gov.uk/domestic-violence-and-abuse accessed on 23February 2015

Impact of Congestion Growth in Muscat

Impact of Congestion Growth in Muscat CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW Statement of the problem Most of the countries experienced significant increases in car ownership over the past two decades, resulting in rapid increases in total travel on the roads, and declining absolute market shares for public transport. Bonsall (2000) notes that, in the UK, car ownership rose from 30% of households in 1960 to 70% in 1995. In the US, by 2000, car ownership had exceeded an average of one car per licensed driver in many urban areas. Similar patterns are evident in many other countries around the world. With this burgeoning of car ownership has come the obvious consequence-escalating road congestion. As a result, policy makers have become increasingly focused on the idea of reducing congestion (Stradling, 2000). The mechanisms for reducing congestion are several. Included among these are increasing ride sharing (a mainstay of Transportation Demand Management policies in the US, for example), increasing the use of public transport, providing high occupancy vehicle lanes on various roadways, etc. Initially, Singapore, and then several cities in Norway experimented with introducing congestion charges for central cities. Most recently, London has introduced congestion charging for the central area, in an effort to reduce central Londons congestion levels. Following on the heels of that, many other cities around the world are now seriously considering similar congestion. Therefore, Muscat as the capital of Sultanate of Oman, the increasing of car ownership is one of the higher growths per household. In 1999 the passenger cars estimated 174 per 1000 people by comparing Muscat with wealthy Asian cities car ownership 123 per 1000 people (Nicholas Low and Brendan Gleeson,2003). 42 percent more than Asian wealthy cities, in the same time the population of Muscat is much lower than any of Asian cities. Therefore, Muscat is one of the cities, which suffering from congestion in this world. Current traffic situation Past trends Many factors influence the travel behaviour and cause disturbances through unexpected external effects, such as oil prices, economic recession etc. (Known as explanatory variables). Thus if one understands these factors, one can forecast future behaviour on the basis of projections of these variables. However, it is conventional to base travel forecasts on past trends described by time series data over a period of years. In Muscat, the principal weakness is a lack of reliable traffic flow data to identify trends in past growth. It is reasonable to assume therefore, that increases in population and economic activity will result in increased road traffic and land use development. Land use development relates to the need to house population increases and to new employment opportunities created by economic growth. Analysis of available data from 1980 to the present showed that: The population of Oman has increased at an average rate of about 10 per cent per annum. The national economy has grown at rates varying between -3 and + 17 per cent per annum. The national vehicle stock has increased at an average rate of 12 per cent per annum (the national car stock has grown even faster, at an average rate of 15 per cent per annum). Current conditions and characteristics Local conditions need to be thoroughly examined before any remedial measures can be taken. The study has observed and identified many problems and characteristics concerning the traffic and road network conditions. It has been estimated that the total AM peak. hour flow over the whole of the network is about 35000 vehicles, out of which 8000 vehicles on Sultan Qaboos street alone (two way flow) which constitute 23% of the total network flow. Comparing this with the car ownership (estimated to be 11 0 per 1000 population) implies that there is significant travel. demand on the network. The Stage I identified the following characteristics and problems, all of which will be exacerbated by future traffic growth: The road network in Muscat modern but depends, to a great extend, on the satisfactory operation of a single main road: Sultan Qaboos Street. The demonstrably high (but unqualified) traffic growth rates of recent years mean that this spine route is reaching its operational limits at times of peak demand. Peak period delays are occurring at important junctions (Such as Al Khuwair, Al Ghubra Roundabout etc..) and on the highway. There are no alternative routes at present, until express way open, which be expecting in the end of 2010. Traffic signal equipment in the important commercial centre of Ruwi is not exploiting the full potential of the existing road system. All parking is free of charge and demand in the CBD is reaching levels that are creating supply problems. The operation of the road system is adversely affected by on-street (verge) parking in a number of locations. Public transport services (buses) are provided by the Oman National Transport Company. It is understood that the scheduled ONTC services are subsidised by profitable charter services. The overall financial performance of ONTC, which is a state owned company, is just profitable. This performance is forcing modernisation of the bus fleet not to take place hence, reducing its appeal to potential customers. The average age of the bus fleet is increasing thus reducing the attraction of public transport. Bus services are supplemented by minibus and taxi services. Public transport is rarely used in preference to a private car. This applies particularly to scheduled bus services. The future role, ownership and organisation of ONTC were supposed to be the subject of a separate study. Coordination between the development of land use and transport policies at a local level is limited and could be improved. Operational road safety and traffic control are the responsibility of ROP. Traffic control is to an acceptable standard although the manual control of some important signalised junctions in Ruwi should be reviewed. As in all countries, there is scope for improved standards of road safety through established driver education programmes. The economic cost to the community of road accidents is not systematically quantified in Oman. In countries where such costs are quantified, they are found to be large and are used to justify traffic and safety management investment programmes often concerned with junction improvements to reduce accident risk. Purpose of the study In scientific research the purpose statement indicates why you want to do the study and what you intend to accomplish (Locke, Spirduso, and Silverman, 2000). According to this; The purpose of this sequential, mixed methods study is to first explore the impact of congestion growth in Muscat city as well as determining the percentage growth over the last ten year. Then based on the experiences and needs defined, the second phase will be to develop a solution that suits and match the requirement of transport provision needs based on the previous information as well as information collected in this phase; namely observation of both modern and professional ways of improving traffic demand management Potential significance This research study are important to different sectors. Because, the congestion is not only effecting the road users, but also society, economic, environment, and human. However, its important to consider externalities from congestion by implementing traffic demand management and improve public transport as one of the holistic solution in Muscat city. Statements and rationale for mixing methods This research is intended to follow a mixed methods research design. According to this, the aim of this section is to define and give a rationale for using this specific research design for this specific study. Mixed methods research design is defined as the collection or analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study in which the data are collected concurrently or sequentially, are given a priority, and involve integration of the data at one or more stages in the process of the research (Creswell, 2003). Historically mixed research method is relatively not a new idea. It probably originated in 1959, when Campbell and Fiske used multiple methods to study validity of psychological traits. Their encouragement to others to use their multimethod matrix prompted others to examine using mixed methods in their enquiry (Creswell, 2003). Recognizing that all research methods have limitations, researchers felt that biases inherent in any single method could neutralizes or cancel the biases of other methods another advantage of using mixed research methods design is that it allows researchers to simultaneously generalize results from a sample to a population and to gain deeper understanding of the phenomenon of interest (Hanson, Creswell, Creswell, Plano Clark, Petska 2005). In this respect, this study will mix different research methods, for the purpose of being able to generalize research results that will be obtained, from a representative sample, but at the same time give insights and understanding of issues tackled through quantitative techniques. This will ultimately be achieved through the use and integration of data in the various research stages namely; data collection, data analysis and discussion and reporting of findings. One rationale is that, in order to generalize weather road congestion in Muscat city have implications to the road users and public transport, a quantitative tool need to be used and applied. At the same time, the in depth of such suffering needs to be qualitatively addressed. As well as describing the processes of managing congestion by local authority. Another rationale for using mixed methods research is to convey the needs of supportive bus services and thus this research is intending to explore their issues, which are related to road congestion Although there are many challenges in using mixed methods research design, such as; the researcher should be familiar with both quantitative and qualitative research methods, also the need for extensive data collection (Creswell, 2003). But the growth and the developments of using this method proved the successful and the advantages of using this specific design, as stated earlier. In conclusion, for the purpose of this study a mixed methods research design will be used in order to achieve its stated purpose. Research questions This research will attempt to answer the following questions: What are the challenges faced by road authority in Muscat? What coping strategies for congestion growth? Is there any improvement in public transport in regard to coping congestion? What type of traffic demand management and technique used in Muscat? Is there a clear vision of improving public transport? Literature review Sustainable transport systems A sustainable transport system is one in which fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, safety, congestion and local and economics access are of such levels that they can be sustained into the indefinite future without causing great or irreparable harm to future generation of people around the world Richardson(1999). To achieve sustainable transport system, it should balance socio-economic and environmental consideration in recognition of the following: Economic: A sustainable transport system is one that is affordable, operates fairly and efficiently, offers a choice of transport mode, supports a competitive economy, as well as balanced regional development; Environmental: A sustainable transport system limits emissions and waste within the planets ability to absorb them, uses renewable resources at or below the rates of generation, and uses non-renewable resources at or below the of development of renewable substitutes, while minimizing the impact on the use of land and the generation of noise; and Social: A sustainable transport system allows the basic access and development needs of individuals, companies, and society to be met safety and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, promotes equity within between successive generations. Transportation facilities and activities can have significant Environmental issues Surface transport accounts for approximately 25% of all C02 emissions globally, and transport is the only sector where emissions are increasing. While there are significant advances being made in reducing C02 emissions from other sectors such as industry and construction, technology has so far failed to find a solution for transport. Any technological advances in reducing C02 emissions have been more or less cancelled out by the increasing number of trips we are making. There is a fairly simple correlation between increasing GDP and higher trip levels. At the same time, developing countries are fast adopting the private car as their preferred mode of choice, and this is impacting on global C02 levels. This is set to increase with the introduction of the ultra low cost cars, such as the Nano car from Tata Motors in India, which has a price of about $3800. In addition to C02 issues, there are also issues related to noise and air pollution. Increasing traffic levels lead to increased visual intrusion, noise, and polluted air. Monitoring stations are already set up in many world cities to measure the impact of traffic on noise and air. However, these issues are not solely related to the private car. There are also significant environmental issues related to freight, whether this is by road or by sea. Traffic alone is responsible for breaching air quality standards in Muscat City The hot climate is very important influence of travel behaviour Key sensitive environmental areas are in close proximity to Muscat City (wetlands) Globally, there have been several important decision making meetings set to resolve global warming, which have included discussions on the role of-transport. The Kyoto Protocol was agreed in December 1997, and was in operation by February 2005. The Protocol requires industrialised countries to reduce their total emissions of greenhouse gases by about five per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2012. Each country that signed the protocol agreed to their own specific target. Developing countries were not required to meet quantitative emission goals. The world is now working towards a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, but one that can be agreed by all countries. Economic issues In Europe time wasted while delayed on traffic congested roads costs close to 1 % of the European Unions GDP. This high cost explains the desire to improve European transport networks, and reduce reliance on road based vehicles. The Middle East is increasingly experiencing similar. issues to Europe in terms of traffic congestion, and this is expected to result in a similar impact on GDP. With the rapidly growing economies of the Middle East, China, India, and Russia, there is an ever increasing demand for transport, and much of this is being planned for by road. However, for these counties and regions to realise their full potential, there is a need for fast and reliable transport links that are not subject to congestion or delay. These links are required between their raw material suppliers and manufacturers, and ultimately to their customers, i.e. a national, regional, and worldwide network. An efficient transport system will be vital to achieving Plan 2020 economic goals Need to effectively involve private and public sector provision Governments and developers understand the importance of transport as a catalyst for regeneration, improving productivity, and creating profit, but are reluctant to invest the high infrastructure costs, particularly when delivery of this is likely to be in the long term. Roads are often seen as a lower cost solution, but this is only related to construction and maintenance. The cost to the environment and to the social well being of the people is rarely included. New economic solutions to investing in new schemes are also being devised, particularly for high cost infrastructure schemes such as new rail lines. These are developed to maximise the success of implementing a new scheme. One solution gaining favour is a property transport levy, whereby affected businesses, residents, and developers pay a lump sum for new transport infrastructure on the basis that property values and rents will increase as a result of the new transport scheme. An example of this is the Crossrail scheme in London, which is partly funded by contributions from private businesses in the financial districts. Social Issues We have already noted that on a global scale, car use is increasing, while public transport, walking, and cycling are in decline. It is becoming common place for children to be driven to school rather than walk, cycle or use public transport. Workers are increasingly using the private car for their commuting trip, and short leisure and shopping trips are driven rather than walked. For example, in suburban London it has been recorded that 32% of car trips are less than one mile. There is also strong evidence of worsening global health in the form of increasing levels of obesity, childhood diabetes, and heart disease. If healthier options for travelling were introduced globally, and people were encouraged out of their cars, this could provide a strong boost to health worldwide. Walking 20 minutes a day is one way to incorporate exercise into a daily routine to maintain a minimum level of fitness, but if there is no infrastructure to allow this, then car use will be preferred, even for the shortest trips. Road traffic accident rates in Muscat amongst the highest in the world Pedestrian accidents (at 40% of total) are a particular concern Muscats city road network leads to major severance issues Road network is very pedestrian and cycle unfriendly Unique social mix makes provision of public transport more challenging For a country to maximise its economic performance, it is important that its citizens have access to jobs, services, and goods. For a fully functioning global world class economy, this access should not be restricted to only those who are able to afford access to a car. Access for all is promoted in many countries around the world, with the provision of public transport. infrastructure, and walking and cycling routes. Countries without this level of access tend to find they have disconnected communities, with reduced opportunities to break the cycle of poverty. The other movement issue related to transport is the severance effect of building new transport corridors, whether these are road or rail based. Given their longitudinal nature, they tend to split and divide communities, where only selected crossing points are provided for pedestrians and cyclists. Linked to the risk of overcoming transport barriers is the connection between vehicular movements and road traffic accidents. These are either vehicle vehicle accidents or vehicle  ­pedestrian I cyclist accidents. One of the reasons for road traffic accidents is the provision of corridors which encourage speeding, through the creation of what is known as a canyon effect. This is when drivers feel separated from their environment, through the incorporation of pedestrian barriers and banning of the other users. This lead driver to have little regard for other more vulnerable users. In contrast, the safest streets tend to be those which either have limited or no access to private car. Effects of congestion The current literature is very limited especially with respect to Arab countries. Therefore, I will use literature from Europe and state as well as some of the experience of development countries. The first problem with congested traffic conditions is that these conditions are inherently unstable. That is, vehicles may flow quite well at speeds that are only modestly reduced from free-flow speeds, but flow may also easily break down, with the formation of queues, stop-and-go conditions, and average speeds that are very low. This instability produces one of the negatives of congestion- travel time unreliability. A second negative of congestion, is that extra time is required under these conditions, time that may be considered to be non-productive time. For those who are caught in congested conditions and who are driving outside normal working hours, it is questionable as to whether the time losses from congested conditions have an economic impact. Redmond and Mokhtarian, (2001) show that many commuters do not perceive congestion as necessarily an evil of their daily commute. Based on their study, Nasser (2002) notes that, in these modern times, many people can find complete pri vacy in only two places-the car or the toilet. For many, there is actually peace and relaxation commuting alone. For many, its the only time they have to read (by listening to books on tape), enjoy music they like, catch up on the news, smoke without being chastised or make personal phone calls in total privacy (Nasser, 2002). Such attitudes do not bode well for carpooling, which is often seen as one of the alternatives to reduce congestion. New road to reduce congestion Anthony Downs (1992), argues that building our way out of existing traffic congestion problems doesnt work because of triple convergence.; When a road is widened to reduce traffic congestion, three responses occur over time to reduce the benefit of increased capacity. First, drivers who previously used alternate routes will switch to the newly expanded facility. Second, drivers who previously traveled on the congested facility during off-peak hours will switch to the peak period. Third, many people who car pooled or used public transit to avoid the hassle of stop-and-go traffic during the peak period will choose the convenience of driving alone on the newly uncongested link in the transportation system. The cumulative effect of the three types of individual behavioral responses to increased capacity ends up forcing equilibrium traffic flow on the expanded facility back toward its initial congested state. This scenario exactly happening in Muscat, government continuously focusing to improve road infrastructure to solve a congestion problem, but within certain of time traffic volume build up by moving road users from congested routes to the new road and encouraging people to use their own private transport. Recent studies show that building or widening highways induces more traffic, called induced travel. Shortly after the lanes or road is opened traffic will increase to 10 to 50% of the new roadway capacity as public transit or carpool riders switch to driving, or motorists decide to take more or longer trips or switch routes. This is short-term induced travel. In the longer term (three years or more), as the new roadway capacity stimulates more sprawl and motorists move farther from work and shopping, the total induced travel rises to 50 to 100% of the roadway ¹s new capacity. This extra traffic clogs local streets at both ends of the highway travel. The following table summarizes these studies. Accessibility and mobility Accessibility can be defined as the ease of reaching destinations (Levine and Garb, 2002), whereas mobility may be defined as the ease of movement. While these two concepts are clearly related, they are not the same thing. If a person lives in an area where there are many possible destinations close by, accessibility may be very high, even though mobility might be constrained, as in a CBD. On the other hand, if a person lives in a relatively remote area, accessibility may be poor because considerable travel time and cost is required to reach any destination, although mobility may be high. In 1960, world inhabitants travelled an average of 1820 km by car, bus, railway or aircraft. Three decades later, the annual distance travelled had increased to 4390 km. In light of a 75% world population growth, absolute motorised mobility rose by a factor greater than four( Schafer, 1998). As Levine and Garb (2002) point out, mobility and accessibility are measured in different ways. Mobility is measured as a generalised cost of travel (time plus money) per kilometre; accessibility is measured as the generalized cost of travel per destination. Generally, mobility is closely related to the level of service provided on the transport system. Higher levels of service represent lower costs per kilometre of travel. Thus, increases in capacity of the system will almost always lead to an increase in mobility, at least in the short term. Accessibility, however, is related to destinations, and therefore, requires attention both to land use patterns and to the quality of destinations. Miller, (1999). Increasing congestion is likely to produce decreases in both mobility and accessibility. Longer travel times and increased monetary costs of travel, as a result of congestion, obviously increase the travel cost per kilometre. At the same time, these increased travel times may also result in reduced accessibility, by making potential destinations more expensive to reach. However, different methods for tackling congestion will be likely to have quite different effects on each of mobility and accessibility, as is discussed subsequently in this paper Increasing public transport use Public transport has an important role to play within most urban areas. There still remain significant groups of the population who either cannot afford to own and operate a car, or who make a conscious choice to avoid the car. There are also specific movements within the urban area to which public transport is better suited than the car, under virtually any circumstances. This is particularly the case for work trips going to the central business districts of many cities. It is also an important means of travel for the elderly who can no longer drive or no longer wish to, and for young people who are not yet old enough to hold a drivers license, or who cannot yet afford a car. In modern history, and perhaps in all of transport history, there has never been success in shifting people into public transport at the rate that is called for in many contemporaneous policy statements. This alone, however, does not mean to say that such shifts into public transport are not possible. It may just be that no one has come up with the appropriate policy mix (carrots and sticks) to produce these sorts of market shifts. It is also possible that there has not existed previously the political courage to implement what must be done if such large shifts in public transport markets are to occur. It is, however, important to look at the magnitude of what is required. Demand Management Toolbox Demand management is playing important factor to solve traffic growth. There is a broad range of TDM measures, including: Transportation Management Associations: leverage public and private funds to increase the use of ridesharing and other commuting options that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality Including or improving pedestrian-oriented design elements, such as short pedestrian crossings, wide sidewalks and street trees. Requiring users of parking to pay the costs directly, as opposed to sharing the costs indirectly with others through increased rents and tax subsidies. Including and improving public transportation infrastructure, such as subway entrances, bus stops and routes. Subsidizing transit costs for employees or residents. Bicycle-friendly facilities and environments, including secure bike storage areas and showers. See Bicycle transportation engineering Providing active transportation (AT) facilities including bike lanes and multi-use trails. Flex-time work schedules with employers to reduce congestion at peak times Congestion pricing tolls during peak hours. Road space rationing by restricting travel based on license plate number, at certain times and places. Workplace travel plans Road space reallocation, aiming to re-balance provision between private cars which often predominate due to high spatial allocations for roadside parking, and for sustainable modes. Time, Distance and Place (TDP) Road Pricing, where road users are charged based on when, where and how much they drive. Some transportation experts believe TDP pricing is an integral part of the next generation in transportation demand management Sustainable Mobility The common strategy of sustainable mobility should contain the impact on the environment, while allowing transport to continue to fulfill its economic and social function, particularly in the context of the single market, and thus ensure the long term development of transport in the community. It should also contribute to social and economic cohesion in the community and to the new opportunities for the peripheral regions (Banister,2000) Our sustainable strategy in Muscat focusing on economic issues only. However, we will end up by heavily a congestion road, and we cant be coping with the economic growth. Unless we prepare green transport strategy, which provide better integration of land use and transport, and taking serious consideration of social and environment as well as economic concern. The Intuitional Issues Urban Policies and Development The institutional issue refers to how the country, society and private agencies define and implement transport -related public policies. Several public policies influence socio-spatial organization, including urban development, land use, housing, transport and traffic. For my research topic three main areas are relevant: Urban planning; Transport planning; and Traffic management These are associated with three objectives: land, circulation of structure and means, and circulation patterns. The urban planning and transport planning are considered to be most important public action. Traffic management is often considered to be secondary importance, related more technical, simple objectives that should be dealt with engineers. While urban planning is mainly concerned with land use provision of public services, transport planning involves of definition of circulation infrastructure and means. Urban planning The Higher Committee for Town Planning government body responsible for implementing plans of economic and social development in the Sultanate in the fields of physical and spatial, and through the preparation of detailed plans at the regional and urban areas. Has been formally established by Royal Decree No. 27/85, dated the twenty-fourth of February 1985, was rebuilt more than once on the requirements of the public interest. The main tasks of the Commission: policy-making of urban planning at all levels of in accordance with economic considerations, social and environmental development strategy of urban development so as to achieve overall development goals and sustainable development in all provinces and regions of the Sultanate approvals planning the allocation of land for various purposes in establishing controls and propose the necessary legislation to regulate and direct the work of the establishment of the Urban Planning an integrated system for geographic information includes databases and maps for

Significance of Pericles Death Essay -- Ancient Greece Greek History

Significance of Pericles' Death The death of Pericles was a significant event in the course of the Peloponnesian War; however, even without Pericles' leadership the Athenian Assembly had countless opportunities to prevent their loss and chose not to take them. The fickleness and inefficiency of democracy ('the mob') allowed the Athenians to be easily influenced and therefore electing populists such as Cleon, Lysicles and Hyperbolus into dominant leadership roles. Election, via democratic means, of such populists, meant that the Athenians would take a much more aggressive approach to the war and therefore abandon the policies that Pericles had previously established. So in turn, democracy the institution for which the Athenians fought tirelessly to protect, rather than the death of Pericles, ironically became the dominant factor influencing the final outcome of this Ancient Greek civil war. As can be expected from pioneer governmental institutions, Athenian democracy was not perfect. In fact it was far from it. It resulted in the establishment of poor policies by aggressive populists who sought "...private ambition and private profit...which were bad both for the Athenians themselves and their allies." (Thucydides). These self interested populist leaders with personal gain in mind established extensive internal political instability "...by quarrelling among themselves [and] began to bring confusion into the policy of the state." (Thucydides). Repeated opportunities to accept terms of peace after the battles of Pylos (425), Arginusae (406) and Aegospotami (405) were ignored by the inefficient Athenian demos eventually resulting in the devastation of the once dominant city-state. Internal political strife can also be attribu... ...ericles had lived, he may have actually hindered Athenian attempts to find some way out of the stalemated war." (http://www.warhorsesim.com/epw_hist.html). Pericles' death was significant. The Athenians had lost one of their greatest leaders. But even if the policies of Pericles had not been abandoned by the feeble Athenian democracy, the cost of the war would have proved too great and thus Athenian defeat was inevitable. It was a series of consequential events, spurred on by democratic failure, not one key turning point, that resulted in the decisive defeat of the Athenians by the Peloponnesians, with the aid of Persia. Because of democratic fickleness, with or without Pericles the Athenians were doomed for defeat, and therefore the death of Pericles was not the key turning point, rather it was only a factor which determined the length of the Peloponnesian War.

Fathers Attitude of Love Towards Sinners. Essay -- Religion Religious

Fathers Attitude of Love Towards Sinners The Parable of the Prodigal Son reveals both Gods love for those who are ready to accept it, which in this case is the prodigal son who returns to his father, and his rejection of the self-centered righteousness. Repentance and forgiveness are essential to everyday life. In the book of Luke, the parable of the prodigal son is told. The father in the parable represents God. The prodigal son is symbolic of one who is living in sin, repents, and returns to fellowship with God. The prodigal son decided he had enough under his father and wanted to be on his own. Not only did he want to leave, but he also wanted to take his share of the inheritance that he was not supposed to get until his fathers death. The father granted his sons request. Though he gives a portion of his money to his son, the father still is wealthy. The father was not really concerned about what he gave his son, but concerned with his sons personal safety and return to the family. God does not lose anything by our decis ion to live in rebellion. Humans are the only ones who lose everything. The son left for a far off country and threw away his inheritance with wild living. The sons careless behavior was simply a symptom of the deep desire to be his own master, to live independently, to do as he pleased. The spiritual meaning behind the parable shows mans rebellion against God. God does not oppose ones choice in choosing how to live. We as humans use all that God has granted us not for serving Him in obedience, but against His will. According to the teachings in the Bible, God allows humans the freedom to make decisions in life. Some choices or decisions will lead either to true peace and freedom or to destruction. Many peo... ...o matter how badly one screws up, God is always there waiting to forgive. We as humans need to make the decision to repent and ask for forgiveness with a meek spirit. We all at one point in our lives are the prodigal son. Works Cited 1. Kennedy, X.J., Gioia, Dana. The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Literature: An Introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. New York: Longman, 2002. 232-33. 2. Kennedy, X.J., Gioia, Dana. Prodigal Son. Literature: An Introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. New York: Longman, 2002. 1361-66. 3. Jeremias, Joachim. The parable of the Prodigal Son. The Parables of Jesus. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1963. 4. Hunter, Archibald. Prodigal Son. Interpreting the Parables. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960. 5. Buttrick, George. Luke 15:11-32. The Interpreters Bible. New York: Abingdon=Cokesbury Press, 1952.