Discuss how far you agree with this argument Essay

These all create tension but none of these are in fact the real dramatic climax of ‘The Crucible’. The real dramatic climax of ‘The Crucible’ is when Elizabeth says that Proctor did not commit lechery, which Proctor had already confessed but Elizabeth was un-aware of this. But the build up to this was what really made this scene such a strong climax. After Proctor had confessed, Abigail denied it so Danforth tested Proctor’s judgement when he said, â€Å"In her life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep- my wife cannot lie. I have paid so much to learn it, sir. † Tension is built up as proctor convinces Danforth that his wife cannot lie, what also creates tension was when Danforth ordered Proctor and Abigail to turn their backs so that when Elizabeth came in she could not look at her husband or Abigail’s face to get a clue of what she must say. When she does come into the room she is asked, â€Å"has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery! † and she replied â€Å"No, sir. † To save her husbands god name. She had lied to Danforth, which made Proctor seem as though he were lying, not only to the high court, but also to god. This was not acceptable in Puritan Salem. The final act of ‘The Crucible’, it is known as the falling point. This means that it is usually where the problems in the play are resolved. This act could be considered more dramatic than Act three, but this is not true. As Act three contains he dramatic climax that made John Proctor worse off than he was at the beginning. It could be argued that this act also has a dramatic climax, when John Proctor confessed to witchcraft. But this was not as dramatic as the climax in Act three because the protagonist was still convicted of witchcraft due to his actions, so this made little or no impact on the final outcome. It soon becomes quite clear that Act four is not about John Proctor being persuaded to confess, but about his close relationship with his dear wife, Elizabeth. With comparison to Act two when John Proctor and Elizabeth had the argument. This Act is much calmer and shows that the Proctor’s can talk in a civil way and are emotionally attracted to each other. In this act Proctor puts his children first when he confesses as he does not want them to have to grow up without a father figure in their life. But soon during the confession Danforth asks for too much when he asks John Proctor to sign the confession. Proctor soon gains his own opinion and realises that once he signs this confession he and his family will not be able to live properly; they will always be under suspicion. John Proctor wishes to die as a martyr and not live the rest of his life in shame so he tries to have his confession removed by testing the nerve of Danforth by taking away the confession and ripping it up. Danforth then tells the marshal to take Proctor away. Elizabeth comes running up to him and cries on his hand, but he says â€Å"Give them no tears! Tears pleasure them! Show honour, show a stony heart and sink them with it! † He then kisses her â€Å"passionately† and goes. Then Danforth says angrily â€Å"Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption! † Therefore, John Proctor dies as a hero, which ends the play very well, as it ends on a proud note. Because John Proctor dies with pride knowing that â€Å"Another judgement awaits us all! † In conclusion, Act three is the dramatic climax of the crucible, as all the tension built up in previous act is all released in this act, which creates a greater climax. Act four is not the dramatic climax because the peak at Act three which was the dramatic climax made sure that it was more dramatic than any other Act. In Act four it was just calming everything down after the climax, but Act four’s climax was minute compared to Act three. Act four ended the play superbly, as Proctor the protagonist did not finish as the enemy but the martyr, and Danforth ended as the enemy.

A Helicopter Parent

A helicopter parent may have good intentions, but his or her interference could make their child's life much more difficult in the long run. Today, there is an increase in the number of helicopter parents. The term â€Å"helicopter parent† defines the behavior of parents who seem just a tad too involved in their child's day-to-day life. We all understand that parents would do everything to keep their children out of harm's way, but sometimes, this desire can become an unhealthy obsession that can actually hurt their kids. At times I question myself, will the next generation of young people be able to actually think for themselves? Children of helicopter parents can become too dependent of their paternities. It is a very common factor in the Palauan society for parents to help their children with their bills, giving them money, babysitting, and even to the degree of buring their groceries and cleaning their homes. It is a very touchy subject to some as they feel pity for their children and want the best for them but at times it seems to get out hand. Those who constantly protect their children from any disappointment only decreases the child's chance of self-empowerment and growth as they mature. With helicopter parents, time may be more consumed with exaggerated observance and calming themselves down rather than helping their children to be self-reliant and independent. Allowing your children to fail and having them test their limits is the least a parent can do for their kids. In this way, a child can be more resourceful, productive, and become an independent learner, or acquires knowledge through his or her own efforts. Lack of confidence is also an effect of helicopter parenting. Parents who are overly involved and overly hovering around a child is a sign that the parents themselves are very anxious. Children can sense and pick up their parent's anxiety and become anxious themselves. When this happens, a child usually becomes instantly sad, isolated, or depressed. Either way, it brings a child to an unhappy place. Anxiety among your adults has significantly grown in recent years, some have turned depressed or even sick. Though this happens at home when the child lives with his or her parents, it occurs after they leave home as well. When parents guide their children in everything they do, they do not have the chance to show what they are capable of. As they mature, it will only make it difficult for them to make their own decisions as they are used to having someone around telling them what to do. They are also very much terrified of taking risks especially if it is something that is not common to them. Something as simple as, â€Å"You can do this† or â€Å"I'm so proud of you† can encourage a child and help them build their confidence. Believing in someone is simply letting them do what they know instead of being by their side the whole time telling them what to do and what not to do.

Aldosterone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aldosterone - Essay Example The scheme of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is shown at the Fig. 2. The renin is enzyme catalysing the reaction of the transformation of angiotensinogen into angiotensin I. Angiotensin I is converted into angiotensin II and the last one is partially converted into angiotensin III (Wehling, 1995). Both angiotensin II and III stimulate the synthesis of aldosterone by the adrenal glomerulosa layer . They bind to G-protein coupled receptors and stimulate the activity of phospholipase C and adenylate cyclase. This results in the increase of conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone and corticosterone to aldosterone (Horton, 1994; Fuller, 2006). Aldosterone controls electrolyte excretion and intravascular fluid volume. It acts on the mineralocorticoid receptors of the distal renal tubules and cortical collecting ducts of the kidneys. Aldosterone regulates such physiological mechanisms as resorption and excretion of the electrolytes, particularly its action increases sodium resorption and potassium excretion. Sodium and water reabsorption is regulated by opening Na+ channels in the apical membranes of the tubular epithelium (Fuller, 2006; Rosansky, 2006). Correspondingly, opening K+ channels leads to increased potassium conductance from the cell and potassium excretion. These processes are regulated by the Na+/K+-ATPase (see Fig. 3). Aldosterone receptors are localised intracellularly. Their stimulation leads to DNA-binding and to the changes in the transcription of genes (Fig. 4). Fig. 4 Mechanisms of aldosterone action. There is interestingly that aldosterone do not only participate in the regulation of blood pressure but it also influences on the function of mononuclear leukocytes (Chai, 2005; Wehling, 1995). Thus the role of aldosterone in the regulation of blood pressure is related to its ability to increase sodium level in the blood, and, respectively change the tonus of vasculature and by the increase of circulating volume of blood (Hamilton, 2006; Rosansky, 2006). Many pathological conditions can cause hyperaldosteronism (Horton, 1994), which is characterised by the hypertension. Thus primary aldosteronism can be caused by solitary aldosterone-producing adrenal adenoma or mono- or bilateral hyperplasia of the zona glomerulosa. The patients suffering with aldosteronism have hypertension and hypokalemic alkalosis whereas hypernatremia is not common. Aldosterone deficiency causes hyponatriemia, hypovolemia, and hyperkalemia (Horton, 1994). There are many diseases characterising with the decrease of aldosterone biosynthesis, e.g adrenoleukodystrophy, adrenal hypoplasia, infections and excessive haemorrhages. Nevertheless, the most frequent cause of hypoaldosteronism is adrenal insufficiency, i.e. both aldosterone and cortisol secretion are affected. Thus fulminating sepsis, autoimmunic disorders and haemorrhagic

Human Rights Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rights Paper - Essay Example 3) points out, Canada was the first country to adopt an official government policy on diversity. Its multicultural policy, which entered into legislature over thirty years ago, was "Canada's official legislative response to ethnic plurality for a multicultural society (Mahatani, 2002, p. 3). This does not mean, however, that there are no racial and ethnic tensions in Canada but only that the nation is comparatively more tolerant and accommodating of diversity than are many others. If Canada is to maintain relative ethnic and racial harmony it must diffuse the poisoned environment phenomenon which pervaded in the case of Clive Stevens and Robert Symister versus Lynx Industries. In 2005, two black Jamaicans were dismissed from Lynx Industries, allegedly for race-based reasons. The case was brought before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. The plaintiffs alleged that they had been subjected to racist treatment by Lynx Industries and its employees. The alleged racist treatment encompassed all of racial slurs, race motivated harassment and racist graffiti on the bathroom walls. The defendants denied all allegations but admitted to the graffiti incident. Their legal representative, however, cautioned that it had been a single, isolated incident. The Tribunal was unconvinced and found that the plaintiffs were not credible. The complaint was, therefore, dismissed. Even though the complaint... Interestingly, the Commission contends that "unlike harassment which requires repeated behaviour, a poisoned environment can be created by a single incident, if serious or substantial enough" ("Racial Harassment and Poisoned Environment," 2008, para 5). The creation of a poisoned environment is contrary to the Commission's Code. Importantly, employers are held responsible for either the prevention of the creation of poisoned environment or for taking immediate action against those responsible for it ("Racial Harassment and Poisoned Environment," 2008, paras 5-6). An environment which has been tainted by racism, even if it has assumed the form of a single incident, is considered poisoned because racial tolerance has been undermined, even violated. Indeed, poisoned environments may very well become intolerable for racial minorities, thereby forcing them to leave. While it is important to acknowledge the Tribunal's findings, the fact of the matter is that Lynx Industries did admit to the presence of racist graffiti on the bathroom wall. Certainly, it did caution that it was a single incident and there was no reoccurrence. The fact of the matter is, however, that it did occur and the Commission considers such occurrences a breach of its policies ("Racial Harassment and Poisoned Environment," 2008, paras 1-2). Within the context of the stated, the Commission's findings appear contradictory to its own guidelines. Indeed, even if one assumes that the defendants were truthful in claiming that the plaintiffs were not dismissed for racial reasons but for their on-the-job performance, it could very well be that the environment had been poisoned to the extent where Stevens and Symister could not perform their jobs to the best of their

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen - Research Paper Example Consequently, it is via these events where people while mingling embrace their effective roles based on genders evident in the play. In this play, the author significantly explores the aspect of feminism in the society with intention of creating senses of social equality in regards to both genders. In this play, act as recipients of both oppression and unfair treatment that makes them appear as men’s play objects. Ibsen illustrates an aspect of mistreatment of women through one of the character Nora, where the male individual oppresses the female especially at the family level (Ibsen 24). Henrik exemplifies oppression on women in the society quite evident at various social, economic and political avenues. However, his focus is at family level where the male gender seems to assumes the top rank whereas are subjects almost close to the children they have given birth. Oppression against the female gender is also evident globally whereby despite the level of development of that given region women end up not receiving economic support. As a result, they have no mediums to air the grievances that can help them to demand liberation or champion the colleagues to embrace liberation. The play thus reveals oppression against women by illustrating the societal perception of women. For instance, the society perceives women as the secondary citizen according to the play, as she depends mostly on a man for her survival and existence. According to the play, a woman should be inferior to a man, and her actions should not override the males’ decisions and actions. Parents play an important role in establishing the inferiority complex in the female’s childhood exposure. Nora’s father is an essential initiator of Nora’s perception of the male superiority since her childhood, thus she grew up with the knowledge that the female has to be a male’s subject (Ibsen 104).  Ã‚  

20 multiple choice questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

20 multiple choice questions - Assignment Example Because this warmer air is less dense, it glides up along the slope and generates a Valley breeze. 11. Thunderstorms are caused by the upward movement of warm, moist, unstable air. They are associated with cumulonimbus clouds that generate heavy rainfall, lightning, thunder, and occasionally hail and tornadoes. 15. Although cP air masses are not normally associated with heavy precipitation, those that cross the Great lakes in late autumn and winter sometimes bring snow to the leeward shores. These are known as lake effect snows, and they make Buffalo and Rochester, New York, among the snowiest cities in the United States. 17. Whereas a tornado watch is designed to alert people to the possibility of tornadoes, a tornado warning is issued by local offices of the National Weather Service when a tornado has actually been sighted in an area or is indicated by weather

Philosophy of Economics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of Economics Assignment - Essay Example spect Theory is the value function which is "normally concave for gains, commonly convex for losses, and is generally steeper for losses than for gains (p. 263)† (Kahneman, 2002). According to Prospect theory, decision weights sometimes systematically differ from actual probabilities (Kahneman, 2002). For instance, there is always overweighing of very low probabilities thereby gambling on a rather unlikely event may become an attractive option. Prospect Theory uses empirical data to prove its argument (Kahneman, 2002). In trying to make the predictions, Kahneman and Tversky undertook a survey. They presented the data where a clear majority-taking consideration of two choices between two hypothetical prospects-preferred a predicted alternative even in times when strict economic rationality would clear favor the other (Kahneman, 2002). For instance, the two proponents of Prospects Theory asked their subjects to between these two economic choices. The neoclassical economics generally focuses on the choices that individuals make for purposes of consumption of goods and services (Kleinaltenkamp, & Ehret, 2006). Neoclassical focuses on the individual choices, preferences, and beliefs as well as the allocation that individual place on alternative choices (Kahneman, 2002). Through demand and supply, neoclassical economics have a standard approach to individual’s rationality in his or her ability to maximize utility or/and profit. The basis of neoclassical economics approaches are guided by three assumptions: As much as neoclassical and Prospects Theory are both economic theory and concepts, they have some different arguments (Kahneman, 2002). Neoclassical economics argues that preferences between two commodities do not depend on the consumer’s current entitlements. This behavioral concept forms the difference between these two theories (Kahneman, 2002). The neoclassic argue that Individuals maximize utility of the goods and services they consume while firms on the

Arabic Pop Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arabic Pop Music - Essay Example â€Å"The music of the Arab world is diverse; and includes several types of genres ranging from the classical tradition to the pop culture and from the sacred to the secular. While Arab music is an independent style of music with a distinct sound, it has a long history of interaction with different styles and genres of music† (Michigan Arab Orchestra, 2013). Pop music is extremely popular in Arab world at present. In fact, Arabs were able to develop a unique genre; Arabic Pop Music. Arabic pop music is popular in the Arab world since it is composed in Arabic language. Moreover, the composers of Arabic pop music consider the Arab cultural traits while composing it. Thus, Arabic pop music is more enjoyable to Arab people than other types of pop music since it is composed in their own language. This paper analyses various dimensions of Arabic Pop music. Definition of Arabic Pop Music Arabic Pop music is the form of pop music in the Arab World. It includes several genres and style s of music ranging from pop music to classical music. It contains secular as well as sacred music themes. â€Å"Arabic music, while independent and very alive, has a long history of interaction with many other regional musical styles and genres†(Arabic music, 2013). Such interactions with other music styles caused the evolution of different music styles in the Arab world. The interactions with the pop music helped the Arab world to formulate Arab form of pop music which is known as Arabic Pop Music now. Arabic pop singers The latter part of twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty first century have witnessed many changes in the Arabic Pop Music. Plenty of unique styles and rhythms were used in Arabic Pop Music during this period. Some of the prominent musicians and singers who contributed heavily to the development of Arabic Pop Music in recent times are; Sabah, Warda Al-Jazairia, Magida El Roumi, Nawal El Kuwaiti, Latifa, Samira Said, Angham, Asalah Nasri, Thekra, Kadhem Al Saher, Amr Diab, Diana Haddad, Najwa Karam, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Ehab Tawfik, Hisham Abbas, Wael Kfoury, Amal Hijazi, Elissa, Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbe, Maria Tekdep, Aldo (musician) and Natacha Atlas(Arabic Music Overview, 2010). Origin and Development of Arabic Pop Music In the 20th century, Egypt was the first in a series of Arab countries to experience a sudden emergence of nationalism, as it became independent after 2000 years of foreign rule. Turkish music, popular during the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the region, wa s replaced by national music. Cairo became a center for musical innovation (Arabic Music Overview, 2010). The 2000 years of foreign rule helped Egypt to get proper awareness about foreign culture. In other words, the life styles, cultural traits and the behaviors of the foreigners have caused huge changes in traditional Egyptian life styles. It should be noted that pop music was one of the favorite musical forms for the foreigners, while they were ruling Egypt. As a result of that locals in Egypt got plenty of awareness about the pop music composing and they started to blend pop music with their local music. The outcome was the evolution of a new music form in Arab world; Arabic Pop Music. Unlike traditional Arabic music, Arabic pop music composers started to compose music in a secular manner. The major theme of all traditional Arabic music was religion, customs and beliefs. However, the entry of pop music forced Arabic musicians to change the traditional norms of

Controls for Outflows Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Controls for Outflows - Essay Example This will ensure that the employees are paid according to the amount of work done and will prevent payment for hours not worked for. The employees must sign the time card every day and a supervisor must subsequently approve the card. After approving the time card, the supervisor should then forward the records to the payroll department for preparation of the salaries. Secondly, the Apollo limited must ensure that their personnel department records all the information regarding the new employees, removal of names of employees whose contracts have been terminated, and adjustment of all variations in the employee pay rate. A supervisor must also approve these changes before the information is taken to the payroll department. Third, the payroll department must maintain all deductions that are made on employees’ remuneration for example loan repayment, taxation and any other deductions that are made. A different employee must be give the mandate to recomputed the deductions and make any corrections or anomalies. The employees should the sign the payroll form for all the deductions made on their salaries. After all the deductions are calculated, the payroll department prepares a multicopy payroll register with information from the time card and information on payroll record where all deductions are indicated on employees pay (Romney & Steinbart, 2006). Another form is then prepared indicating gross pay, all deduction, net pay, and the employees take this form home as pay slip. A different employee then recomputes the gross pay and deductions to make any correction reacquired before the employees are paid. The payroll department sends the payroll register to the accounts payable department where a voucher is prepared on each pay slip received. The department then prepares the required cheques, which are sent to the

The Adams-Onis Treaty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Adams-Onis Treaty - Research Paper Example A key point to note is that the treaty's signing was conducted in Washington in 1819. Additionally, the ratification by Spain followed in 1820 and consequently enforced in 1821. The treaty renounced the prior claims by the United States regarding Texas. Additionally, the treaty settled the boundary3. The Louisiana Purchase covered the source of the Sabine River, the west and south banks, and the direct link to the north of the Red River4. The Adams-Onion treaty was terminated in 1903 following the introduction of a new treaty in 1902. Some of the key elements in the Adams–Onis Treaty included the idea of the United States acquiring Florida, as well as the idea of establishing a boundary between the territory of the United States and Spain. Notably, the then foremost international debate concentrated in the then American- Spain border. In the larger continent of Europe, Spain encountered serious problems that were internally generated, and the out west colonies almost faced rev olution at that time. Spain realized that its hold on the colonial empire was gradually escaping. Through Jackson’s attack, Spain authorities realized that they were weak when compared to the United States. The relationship between the U.S. and Spain was strained due to suspicions of the United States supporting the struggles for independence amongst the Spanish colonies in American5. Additionally, the phenomenon emerged crucial following the seizing of the Pensacola’s Spanish forts by Gen. Andrew Jackson. In 1818, St. Marks approved raid of Seminoles as he escaped the then slaves that seemed a significant Georgia’s threat. Andrew Jackson approved the execution of two citizens from Britain over the accusations of incitement upon runways and Indians6. There was a serious contemplation by the government of President Monroe towards the denouncing of the actions of Jackson7. However, Adams defended Andrew Jackson as he cited the significance of restraining the India ns as well as escaping slaves. Additionally, Adams sensed that Andrew’s Seminole campaign proves his popularity amongst Americans; this attribute strengthened the diplomatic contribution with Spain. After the 1803’s Louisiana Purchase, the then America’s President Jefferson presented an argument that the region of Florida was incorporated in Louisiana. Consequently, between 1810 and 1812, America annexed some western sections of Florida. President Thomas Jefferson sought more territory when John Quincy Adams served as the State’s Secretary. Between 1817 and 1818, the then US President James Monroe and Adams resumed plans of acquiring Florida as well as a boundary to the west, to be incorporated in the Louisiana Purchase. Following the negotiations that spent a few months, the treaty was signed 18198. Following the spread of the United States in Appalachians, there was an increased need for the Mississippi River to assist in the production of America's Wes t. This section is sometimes known as the section between the Mississippi and Appalachians. The Louisiana territory belonged to Spain since 1762, including 828,000 miles. There was friction between the United States and Spain regarding the right of navigating the Mississippi as well as the right for U.S people to transfer goods to vessels at New Orleans. However, the friction was settled through the Pickney Treaty in 1795. Following the introduction of the

Black Genocide Essay Example for Free

Black Genocide Essay â€Å"Black Genocide in the 21st century† also called â€Å"Maafa† is an anti-abortionist documentary made in 2009 that speaks about the relevance of birth control, White America and Black America, Planned Parenthood and how it was established, also, the conspiracy behind abortion. The movie also deeply discusses the argument between abortion being genocide and it specifically targeting African Americans. Black Genocide was a very intriguing and interesting piece of material that filled my knowledge with much more than I had intended it doing. Before watching this video, I knew a little about abortion but not about the black genocide part. You see, I knew that abortion was a way for the government to obtain legal rights to abort children who weren’t able to be cared for but I didn’t know the government was using abortion as a way to limit the black population. I also knew that African Americans were having a lot of abortions and there were, and still is a lot of abortion facilities but never put together the idea of how they were getting access to this information, furthermore, the connection between eugenics and genocide. During the film, I learned so much information that is disgusted me and changed many of my views toward abortion and other things. I learned that in the early 1800’s, Americans feared retribution and resurrection because slavery was supposed to have ended. Intermarriage also lead to the loss of international purity and for that, they had a plan of colonization. Colonization was an affect that took place, and caused African Americans to be sent back to Africa. After the colonization, the new philosophy was established and was called â€Å"eugenics†, the perfect solution to what was known as â€Å"negro dilemma.† I also learned that Eugenics believed that Africans were inferior and without guidance, they couldn’t make it. Margaret Sanger was the founder of the â€Å"American birth control league† and was successful for promoting abortion and birth control. After watching the 21st century of black genocide, I wanted to know more about the situation with the NAACP and why the government still hasn’t publicly announced the conflict between the protesters and there undercover targets. I’d also like to know more about the positive and negative eugenics and why White America was considered positive eugenics when it was used to try and dominate the black parts of America and used as a companion to exterminate African Americans. I’d also like to know more about Planned Parenthood and to see if the facilities were still being targeted in minority places. I’d also like to know more about White America and the Planned Parenthood meetings, and also if Planned Parenthood groups still targeted low poverty neighborhoods of different race, such as Caucasians.

The Importance Of Export Diversification

The Importance Of Export Diversification Earlier a countrys economic development was based either on the degree of specialization or diversification of a countrys production and trade structure. Based on Adam Smiths concept towards division of labour and specialization for economic growth and development to Heckscher-Ohlin Samuelson (HOS) model of international trade, countries should specialize in producing and specializing in the goods in which they have a comparative advantage. However, after the Second World War, the idea was that economic growth and development may be achieved by export diversification (not specialization). There were active efforts by the government to promote industrialization and economic growth. Export diversification is often the primary objective of many developed countries. Export diversification is also equally important for many developing countries. Some of the developing countries are dependent on relatively small range of products, generally agricultural commodities. In other words, primary products constitute a large percentage of their overall export earnings. Some economists such as Prebisch have even suggested that there is a long term tendency for primary product prices to decline vis-à  -vis those for manufactured goods. Countries that are commodity dependent or have a narrow export basket usually faces export instability which arises from inelastic and unstable global demand. This can consequently have a significant adverse impact on the macro economy of least developed economies in terms of investment and employment. Thus export diversification is one means to alleviate these constraints. Export diversification refers to the move from traditional to non trad itional exports. Developing countries should diversify their exports since this can; for example, help them to overcome export instability. Diversifying the export portfolio could intensify and accelerate the economic growth. Export instability could discourage necessary investments in the economy by risk-averse firms, increase macroeconomic uncertainty and be damaging to longer term economic growth. Export diversification could therefore help to stabilize export earnings in the longer run (Ghosh and Ostry, 1994; Bleaney and Greenaway, 2001). Countries with the slightest level of export diversification are those which face instability in export earnings. Some examples of countries which have instability in export earnings due to very heavy reliance on exports of one or two commodities are Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands. Reasons for export diversification Export diversification may be an important issue for developing countries for several reasons. First, a diversified bundle of export products provides a hedge towards price variations and shocks in specific product markets (Bertinelli et al., 2006; Levchenko and di Giovanni, 2006). Second, the type of products exported might affect economic growth and the potential for structural change (Hausmann et al., 2007; Hausmann and Klinger, 2006; Whang, 2006). Third, export diversification in the direction of more sophisticated products may be beneficial for economic development. Given these potential benefits of export diversification, an important policy question is what a country can do to diversify its exports. For poor countries to grow rich, it is important for them to modify the composition of their exports which will enable them to look more like that of rich countries. For over 50 years, economic and export diversification has been given high importance on the list of priorities for development policy. The argument was based on the observation that dependence on primary commodity production and exportation by developing countries expose them to commodity shocks, price fluctuations and declining terms of trade. As a result, a countrys foreign exchange reserves and the ability to have funds for imported inputs become subject to instability and uncertainty. The debates about the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis (1959) and the need for industrialization gave priority to diversify economies away from primary commodities because of unfavorable and declining terms of trade, slow productivity growth, and relatively low value added. There are several reasons for developing countries to have export diversification. Firstly, diversifying their bundle of exports will protect them from the risk of unpredictable declining trend in international prices of primary exportable commodities that, in turn, lead to unstable export earnings. Export diversification could therefore help out to stabilize export earnings in the longer run (Ostry, 1994; Greenaway, 2001). FAO (2004) maintains that due to the absence of export diversification in developing countries, decline and fluctuations in export earnings have negatively influenced income, investment and employment. Diversification provides the opportunities to extend investment risks over a wider portfolio of economic sector which eventually increase income (Acemoglu and Zilibotti 1997). Romer (1990) believes that diversification can be seen as an input factor that has an effect of increasing the productivity of other factors of production. Through exports it is also possible to build an environment that creates competition and as a result acquire new skills. Overall economic growth and acquisition of human capital may be slow if there is the absence of pressure from outside competitive forces (Husted and Melvin, 2007). Diversification helps countries to hedge against adverse terms of trade shocks by stabilizing export revenues. It enables them to direct positive terms of trade shocks into growth, knowledge spillovers and increasing returns to scale. Other industries in the country can also gain as export diversification can lead to knowledge spillovers from new techniques of production, management or marketing practices (AminGutierrez de Pineresand Ferrantino, 2000). Furthermore economic growth and structural change depends upon the type of products that is being traded (Hausmann et al., 2007; Hausmann and Klinger, 2006; Whang, 2006). Thus through export diversification, an economy can progress towards the production and exportation of sophisticated products which may highly contributes towards economic development. Export diversification allows the government of an economy to achieve some of its macroeconomic objectives namely sustainable economic growth, satisfactory balance of payment situation, employment and redistribution of income. Strategies to promote export diversification As we see there are potential benefits of export diversification, but the question remains that what a country can do to diversify its exports. Potential determinants of export diversification, such as country size and level of development, trade costs, international distance, and the costs of domestic entry are all potentially associated with larger diversification. What can encourage export diversification? All successful high growth economies have had strategies to promote export diversification. These strategies include: 1. Financial sector development and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Harding and Javorcik (2007) consider financial sector development and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can be helpful in promoting diversification. FDI can encourage exports of host countries by boosting domestic capital for exports, serving to transfer technology and new products for exports, making access to new and large foreign markets easy and improving technical and management skills. 2. Reduce Costs The main debate is associated to cost as export diversification is rather sensitive to costs. Kehoe and Ruhl (2003) with episodes of trade liberalization across 18 countries found variable trade costs to be related with extensive growth margin. Lower cost means that there are fewer obstacles for domestic firm when exporting. The World Bank Doing Business survey through its Trading Across Borders section has included information on the number of procedures required for importing and exporting, as well as the time taken to comply with them. It also included trade costs such as document costs, inland transport costs, customs costs, ports costs, administrative costs and so on. In broad terms, for the promotion of export diversification there must be incentive to make improvement on trade facilitation, i.e. set policy measures to reduce costs. Such policy measures include lowering domestic barriers to entry; facilitate company registration by reducing number of procedures and applying a f ixed registration fee, and removing the need for pre-tax payments. 3. Lowering barriers Lower barriers to firm entry and lower international trade costs, constitutes an important way in which developing countries can help diversify their export baskets. Export margin can be affected by changes in tariff rates and preferences (Debaere and Mostashari, 2005). In policy terms, one efficient way for developing countries to promote export diversification is to center regulatory reform efforts on making entry procedures simpler and less expensive, as well as on trade facilitation measures. 4. Learning-by-doing The endogenous growth model states that exports can be more diversified through learning-by-doing and learning-by-exporting and by adopting practices of developed countries (Pineres and Ferrantino, 1997) 5. Role of Government The government of an economy should play a leading role in the promotion of export. Investment should be directed into various sectors of industry. In so doing, the Government can make sure that investment is not being undertaken on more than just one specific sector so that a diverse industrial base can be built. The Government should provide a favorable environment to attracting new investment in the country. There may also be provision for favorable tax treatment to firms, tax holidays for export oriented undertakings, input used in the production of exports can also be exempted from value-added tax. Subsidies play an important role in promoting exports. Government can introduce cash incentive scheme which may benefit firms such as providing them with subsidies which will consequently encourage trade.. 6. Research and Development Efforts can be put into the RD activities to upgrade the level of industry. This can be done by the help of fiscal and financial incentives which will stimulate RD and technological innovation activities. Besides the Government, the banking system and other financial authorities should offer services to diversify and strengthen a countrys export. The banking system can facilitate diversification by its loan patterns. Schemes to diversify and promote exports need to be complemented by a suitable combination of fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies in order to be successful. 7. Variation in the structure of demand Imbs and Wacziarg (2003) proposed that a growing demand for a range of goods followed by an increase in a countrys income may lead to diversification. In other word, variation in the structure of demand leads to change in a countrys production pattern. Constraints to export diversification In spite of the liberalization in the export sector, there are still the presence of certain issues which limit export diversification especially in least developed countries. Klinger and Lederman put together on Hausmann and Rodrik (2003) to investigate a causal relationship from market failures to inadequate diversification. There may be clash with other national policies in an attempt to promote exports. Export diversification at times may be hindered by a number of factors: Low income elasticities of Demand Some developing countries are failing to export primary products due to the low income elasticities of demand for their primary products. Furthermore, prospects for developing countries to provide manufactured exports are poor because of the competition faced with the industrialized countries. Lack of finance Lack of adequate export finance is identified as a major constraint. Small and medium exporters tend to be more severely affected by this constraint. A fundamental problem of export diversification is the lack of adequate investment in the country, both domestic and foreign. Exporters may face the problem of acquiring export finance. High rate of interest on bank capital is also a constraint since it discourages them to take loan. In other words, exports are being restricted due deficiency in financing of trade by the countrys banking system. Lack of Adequate Infrastructure Efficient infrastructure is the pre-condition for good export performance. Inadequate functioning of infrastructure may adversely affect enterprises in many ways. There may be difficulty in the transportation of goods due to limitations in infrastructure. It obstructs production activities, delays movement of goods and passengers, leading to delay in the delivery of goods. It adds to business uncertainty and risk and imposes additional costs. Bureaucracy and market access Government rules and regulations relating to exports are complicated and too much paper work is needed. Considerable time is spent and officers should be appointed for sorting out matters with the government and agencies. Market access issues are complex. The major market access problems relate to i) non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, ii) stringent quality and standard requirements, iii) stringent rules of origin, iv) labour and environmental standards. Environmental conditionalities are a kind of new protectionism which can hamper market access. Tariff and non-tariff barriers also obstruct market access. Lack of strength in the public institutions The World Bank noted that the lack of strength in the public institutions hinder private sector activities. There is the weakening of sound policy-making and public management, frustration of private entrepreneurship, prevention of competition and rising of corruption due to heavy regulatory and judicial systems and loss-making state-owned enterprise. Private investment can be deterred due because of poorly regulated and undercapitalized commercial banks, problem of telecommunications, infrastructure and law and order problem. Dearth of Skilled Manpower Other constraints include domestic resource scarcity, shortage of skilled labour, and lack of professionalism. There may be lack of skilled manpower in some sectors. Lack of skilled manpower has resulted in under utilization of potential export of services through manpower export as they are catering to only unskilled and semi-skilled needs. Economic growth Economic growth is a long run concept. It is usually defined as an increase in real gross domestic product (GDP), that is, GDP adjusted for inflation. In other words, it is as an increase in the real value of goods and services produced in the economy. For comparing one countrys economic growth to another, GDP or GNP per capita should be used as these take into account population differences between countries. Economic growth can be shown by an outward shift of the Production Possibility Curve (PPC). Economists see dissimilarity between potential and actual growth rates. Potential economic growth represents maximum efficiency with resources. It is determined by the factors of production that a country has as its command. However, actual growth represents resource utilization in practice and shows the result. This is determined by how effectively factors of production available to a nation are developed and combined. There are many factors which determine economic growth in a country. Determinants of economic growth Natural Resources Countries which are gifted with natural resources are expected to have rapid economic growth, assuming that these resources are employed for the production of goods and services. However a large amount of natural resources is not adequate to guarantee economic growth. There are a number of less-developed countries which have high natural resources, but still due to various reasons, they have not been successful in exploiting them. To benefit from economic growth, these natural resources must be converted to useful forms, which will need people to be equipped with appropriate skills. Human Capital Human capital and education are considered to be necessary conditions for economic growth. Lucas (1988) focused on the impact of human capital on long-run growth. The rise in productivity needed for economic growth can be achieved by increasing domestic human resources through education and training. Skills acquisition and the ability to keep on learning throughout the lifecycle are needed to develop individuals. Developing human resources through education and training is considered to be a long term process which will upgrade the innovative capacity of an economy. Apart from affecting factor of production, education and human capital can also have impact on factors such as physical capital and natural resources (Bravo-Ortega and De Gregorio 2002. Azariadis and Drazen (1990) proposed that an economy can experience long-run economic growth if the government designs policies toward the promotion of education and human capital. Lucas (1993) pointed out, the accumulation of human capita l specially, knowledge is a key factor in explaining the growth experiences of countries. Capital Accumulation Capital accumulation refers to buildings, machinery, infrastructure and the amount of tools available to the economy. A necessary prerequisite for economic growth is a large capital stock. Developed countries do spend a significant amount on capital formation. For example, in UK in the year 1998 and 1999, 12% of annual GDP was spent on fixed capital. Capital is a major factor affecting growth. The more an economy has as capital, the more it can produce and the higher will be real income. If there are few machines available, a nation will be able to make fewer goods and services. More machines will mean more income can be generated. Therefore, the larger the capital stock, the larger is the potential income. In short, we can say that investment in capital should increase the productive potential of an economy. Young (1994) found that Asian tigers success resulted from rapid accumulation of capital (through high investment). The Solow model predicts that investment rate is a key determ inant of whether a country is rich or poor. Fingleton (1999) found capital accumulation as being the determinant of European region productivity growth. Technology The most important determinant for an economy to grow is associated to its pace of technological progress. This is because with technology, we can obtain more output from same amount of input as before. Neoclassical economists regarded technological progress as a critical source of economic growth. Romer (1990), Aghion and Howitt (1992), Grossman and Helpman (1994) and Basu and Weil (1998), among others, concentrated on the role of innovation and technological progress on long-run growth. Economies must invest in knowledge just as they must invest in fixed capital. The productivity of capital can be increased if machinery is updated so that firms use the latest technologies available. Technological advances are encouraged when there is investment in research and development. De Long and Summers (1993) has shown that the only variable that have a significant positive effect on growth of less-developed economies is the investment in equipment Technological progress, along with accumula tion of human and capital, is essential in determining a nations rate of growth. For example, the large growth in the U.S. economy during the introduction of the Internet and the technology that it brought to U.S. industry as a whole. The Solow-Swan Growth Model which entailed a series of equations shows the concept of growth as an increased stock of capital goods. According to this view, the role of technological change became crucial, even more important than the accumulation of capital. (e) Openness Openness to international trade accelerates productivity and promotes export as well as economic growth. Romer (1989) stressed on the issue that growth in the volume of trade is positively correlated with the growth of output for a country. Edwards (1993) and Rodriguez and Rodrik (2001) also carried an extensive review of the empirical literature on the growth effects of openness. Increasing importance is being attributed to the opening up of the world economy. Globalization is seen to be good for the Worlds economy. Detailed studies suggest that there is a positive correlation between trade liberalization and an increase in per capita income. In other words, the more an economy is open, the higher is rate of growth. Development in Eastern Europe and the World Trade Organization highlight that during the last twenty years, more and more areas of the world economy have been brought into the competitive market-place. Such openness to trade, investment and competition are clearly import ant determinants to productivity growth. For example until 1858 Japan was inaccessible to world trade. The Japanese Government banished the trade restrictions which allowed trading with the rest of the world. Consequently this had lead to a 65% rise in real national income (Huber, 1971; Husted and Melvin, 2007). FDI Inflow There are various channels through which FDI can positively affect economic growth: technological transfer, capital accumulation, access to international markets, managerial and marketing practices and employment (Lall [2000], Te Velde [2001], Borensztein [1998]). FDI can increase competition which will eventually make domestic companies more efficient and encourage diversification. FDI benefits economic growth at large as it contributes to the domestic accumulation of resources. Many studies have been carried out which demonstrated a positive link between FDI an economic growth. Campos and Kinoshita (2002) examined the effects of FDI on growth for 25 Central and Eastern European and former Soviet Union economies and found a positive relationship between them. However there are certain studies which are undertaken that do show any influence of FDI on economic growth for example, Carkovic and Levine (2002), Bacha (1974), Saltz (1992) and Alfaro et al. (2002). Inflation There are many evidence which suggest that sustained high rate of inflation can be detrimental to real economic growth even in the long run. Fisher (1993) found negative links between inflation and growth in pooled cross-section, time series regressions for a large set of countries. Investors may face uncertainty about future profitability of investment projects. Barro (1995) put forward that inflation diminishes the propensity to investment which eventually decreases growth. Inflation may also have a negative impact on the balance of payments as it reduces a countrys international competitiveness by making export dearer. Inflation can affect growth by altering borrowing and lending decisions. However whether inflation is good or bad for economic growth depends on its degree. That is, at lower rates of inflation, the relationship is not significant or even positive; but at higher rates, inflation has a significantly negative effect on growth. In their analysis, Bruno and Easterly (19 98) showed that some countries did not go through adverse consequences even if they were experiencing sustained inflations of 20% to 30%. On the other hand, once the rate of inflation go beyond certain critical level (which Bruno and Easterly estimated to be about 40 %), this causes negative effect to growth. However besides the factors mention above, there are also other factors that affect growth. Non-economic factors such as political and social factors too play an important role. The geographic location of a country may also affect economic growth. Government also can adopt both demand and supply-side measures in order to stimulate economic growth. Factors such as population growth, rapid growth of manufactured exports, stable macroeconomic and institutional environment creating confidence in policy makers, exchange rate, and labour force can affect growth in an economy. Link between economic growth and export diversification Policy-makers have tended to emphasize the potential benefits that export diversification can bring to the host economy. One of the main advantages which has been put forward by economists is that export diversification tends to increase economic growth in the host economy. There has been little empirical research on the relationships between export diversification and economic growth. There are two essential questions that the literature on this matter has tried to answer: Does export diversification affect long run economic growth? Can a country improve its economic performance by exporting different types of goods? (Gutià ©rrez-de-Pià ±eres and Ferrantino, 2000). The primary questions are why do countries diversify their exports and does it always benefit countries economic growth? Export instability can adversely affect growth in an economy. Countries which are dependent on a limited amount of commodities may suffer from export concentration. This is because commodity products are often subject to volatility in market prices leading to swings in foreign exchange revenues. Volatility and instability can thus discourage investment in an economy by risk adverse firms, reduce import capacity, increase macroeconomic uncertainty and thus be detrimental to longer-economic growth. There are several channels through which diversification may influence growth. It is therefore essential to make a difference between horizontal and vertical diversification. Both of them are positively related to economic growth. Horizontal diversification means the alteration of the primary export mix in order to neutralize the volatility of global commodity prices. Horizontal export diversification benefits an economy in such a way that it diminishes dependence on a narrow range of commodities that are subject to major price and volume fluctuations. Dawe 1996, Bleaney Greenaway (2001) discovered that horizontal export diversification may present considerable development benefits as this may lead to well-directed economic planning and also contribute towards investment. Vertical export diversification on the other hand refers to contrive further uses of existing and new innovative commodities using value-added venture such as processing and marketing. The Prebish-Singer thesis is o f the view that a tendency towards declining terms of trade of primary products (Athukurola 2000) may make vertical diversification into manufactures more useful. By highlighting the role of increasing returns to scale and dynamic spillover effects (Amin Gutià ©rrez de Pià ±eres and Ferrantino 2000), the endogenous growth theory suggested that it can be assumed that export diversification affects long-run growth. Export may benefit economic growth through generating positive externalities on non-exports (Feder, 1982), increased scale economies, improved allocative efficiency and better ability to produce dynamic comparative advantage (Sharma and Panagiotidis, 2004). Esfahani (1991) concluded that export enables developing countries to alleviate the import shortage they may face up to. Speaking differently, revenue from exports can fill the foreign exchange gap which is identified as barrier to growth. A number of empirical studies have shown that export diversification is contributing to higher per capita income growth. The main theory is that, compared to nations with concentrated export structures, those countries with more diverse economic structures have greater possibilities to sustain periods of high economic growth. Love (1986) suggest that a country should avoid heavy dependence on limited products as it diminishes a countrys potential of partially offsetting fluctuations in some export sectors with sectors in which stability prevails. In his study, Al-Marhubi (2000) put forward that market investment becomes riskier because instability in export earnings is a main cause of economic uncertainty in many commodity-exporting nations. In other words, this may adversely affect investments and in turn negatively impact economic growth. Using a cross-country sample of 91 countries for the period of 1961-88, Al Marhubi concluded that there is a positive and strong relationship bet ween export diversification and economic growth. His regression was undertaken by adding different variables affecting export concentration to the basic growth equation. Regressions on cross-sections of countries (Sachs and Warner 1995, or more recently Gylfason 2004) and panels (de Ferranti et al. 2002) proposed that export concentration is certainly statistically related with slow growth, mostly when export concentration reflects the high proportion of primary products. A broad literature review on export diversification and economic growth was offered by Hesse (2008), where he estimated a simple augmented Solow growth model to examine the connection between export diversification and income per capita growth. There was strong support in Hesses findings that export concentration, measured by a Herfindahl index, is harmful to economic growth in developing countries. The relationship between a countrys productivity and sectoral export variety was studied by Feenstra and Kee (2004). From an estimation of a translog GDP function system for a sample of 34 countries going from 1984 to 1997, they found that a 10 percent boost in export variety of all industries leads to a 1.3 percent increase a countrys productivity. Moreover another model of export diversification and economic growth was developed by Agosin (2007) where countries which lack technology, expand their comparative advantage by learning from and adapting to existing products. The cross-sectional regression of Agosin (2007) found that export diversification strongly affect economic growth. In addition, models in the product life cycle literature (Vernon, 1966; Krugman, 1979; Grossman and Helpman, 1991) gained variety of export products by advancement made by the North and consequently the South adopting and exporting the products from countries where labour cost are low. In his cross-country panel model, Lederman and Maloney (2007) concluded that one cause of diminution in growth prospects is the concentrations in export earnings. The advantages of export diversification for economic growth have been examined both empirically and theoretically in a new literature by Hausmann and Rodrik (2003), Hausmann, Hwang, and Rodrik (2006), and H ausmann and Klinger (2006). Their studies demonstrated that comparative advantage do not lead to economic growth. Instead, growth is achieved when countries diversify their investments into new or a range of activities. The model of Hausmann and Rodrik (2003) explained that there are various uncertainties related to cost in the production of new goods. They believed that the government should help in industrial growth and structural transformation by encouraging entrepreneurship and providing incentives to motivate entrepreneurs to invest in a new range of activities. Hausmann, Hwang, and Rodrik (2006) developed an indicator (EXPY) that determines the productivity level related with a countrys export basket. This measure is significantly affecting economic growth. Faster growth is achieved by countries that produce high-productivity goods than countries with poorer productivity growth. Economic growth is experienced when a country shift its resources from lower-productivity to highe r productivity goods with elastic demand of these goo

Holyrood Project Case Study

Holyrood Project Case Study ABSTRACT: The need to adequately implement a project successfully with the required Project Management indices has ensured that project managers are continuously seeking ways of ensuring that projects meet and satisfies customers cravings. A project is said to be successful if it is implemented with an efficient and effective cost, quality and time management approach thereby meeting customers expectation; it is a failure when it fails to met these set objectives. The Holyrood -Scotland Parliamentary Building project management approach is critically analysed in a post mortem approach in this paper with a view to discussing how each of the stages in the project lifecycle culminated in the failure of the project to meeting certain criteria of an effective project. INTRODUCTION The Holyrood: A project of the Scottish government which was undertaken to provide a magnificent structure for the use of the Scottish Parliament. The advent of the Devolution proposal in 1979 gave rise initially to the project, however, the project became main-stream in 1998. The project became a key issue for the stakeholders due to key project management controls. A successful project is judged to be efficient, cost effective, quality, on time, and meet customers satisfaction. An appraisal of the Holyrood project indicated that some of these indices were not achieved especially in terms of cost and duration, hence the need to evaluate and analyse the entire project life cycle from initiation to closure to ascertain what went wrong and what could have been done. This paper aims to diagnose the indices of a successful project with respect to the Holyrood project, and critically evaluates how the project deviated from the expected project management indices. It identifies the problems of project management associated with each stage of the Holyrood project life cycle using project management theories of the like of P. Gardiner 2005 and J. Westland 2006 to define each stage of project life cycle Initiation Definition; Planning Development; Execution Control and Closure and analyse it to the Holyrood project. The first section reviews the background of the Holyrood Parliament building project. Section two identifies the problems associated with each stage of the project Initiation and definition; Planning and development; Execution and control and Closure. Section three analyses the problems that are most significant to cost increase and schedule slippage using the Auditor General report as well as other authors. Section four will evaluate the problems identified in section 3 and relate it to PM writers (Cimil J.K 1997), (Pinto 1998), (OGC, 2005) to identify why project fails; section five is a summary of findings and conclusion. Chapter 1 1.0 Background of the Holyrood Parliament Building Project The devolution proposals of 1979 may have given room for the incoming labour administration in 1997, to implement the proposal which included the building of the Scottish parliament. The Scottish parliament was and is still an important symbol for Scotland. It is expected that the parliament building should possess the best of quality, durability as well as represent civil importance. The Holyrood project from the initiation process faced enormous challenges starting from the quest for early completion and the high expectation in terms of quality. The major hindrance started with first, the cultural difficulties in the joint venture which did not allow them to work effectively. Secondly, the construction management approach of the project adopted, and the selection criteria for design procurement. Harnessing the ideas of different project team was a major concern for the project, as virtually all teams had different ideas indicating no clear direction, leadership, and project stage c ontrol. This ensued that there were lot of scope creep during the implementation of the project. A major creep was the cost creep: the initial capital cost was estimated at  £40million in 1997, which rose to  £90 million and from then rose to  £195 million. By April 2001 the cost had crept again to  £359 in June 2003 and the  £414.4million by 2004 resulting to a 20month delay. Lord Fraser report and the Auditors Generals report have scrutinized what must have gone wrong with the project. Chapter 2 2.0 Problems with the stages of the Project For a proper evaluation of what went wrong with the Holyrood Project, it is important to understand what really makes up a project life cycle. According to Paul D.Gardner (2005) the project life cycle indicates the phases a project has to go through from beginning to completion in an orderly from ensuring that the successful completion of one stage leads to the beginning of another, till the end of the project. It is imminent to state here that a well structured project phase of a project help in proper controlling and monitoring of the project, and ensure that timely corrective actions are implemented when deviation from plans are observed. 2.1 Initiation and Definition stage This stage kick starts the lifecycle of the project and establishes the ‘sum of the products and services to be provided by the project (PMI 2000). The business justification for the project is firmly established at this stage. The sponsors strategic plan is investigated by conducting a feasibility study which includes the project assessment in terms of its cost and benefits. For the Holyrood project whose objective was to provide a home fit for the Scottish parliament indicated a right step as a business case was made to justify such a proposal. However, the project encountered political problems which included the selection of an appropriate site to house the parliament, the PM drawing a time table to fulfill the political objective of early completion. It is of note mention that given the proposed cost estimate of the project one would have concluded that a poor feasibility study was conducted which drew a budget that can never have been a realistic estimate for anything other than a basic building for the new parliament. It also showed that adequate risk assessment was not carried out as the time frame approach for the completion of the building indicated. Overall impression for the initiation stage indicated that the project scope was not well defined, which would have indicated where the priority should be laid on , either on cost, quality, or early completion of the building . The project did not put into consideration the evolve of the clients need which does not fit into Cimil success criteria. 2.2 Planning and Development stage In this phase of the project three elements are important and they are; the creation of all the required plans to support the project (the scope management plan, the work plan, timeline, risk management plan and quality management plan), the mobilization and organization of all resources required for the project and infrastructure to support the resource as well as ensuring effective communication across the network of project stakeholders. The project lacked a sense of appreciation of plan, which made the project budget under estimated. A key setback for the planning stage was the disparity in choosing the proper design procurement approach. The selection criteria for the chosen procurement approach designer competition showed that the entire process lacked clarity; as a systematic approach was not adopted towards the handling of PQQs. This attributed to the lack of coordination from personnel undertaking visits in verifying the applicants/Competitors informations thereby leading to unfairness in choosing the appropriate candidate. This singular act ensured that all applicants including the joint venture partners presented drawings that extended outside the required size in the brief- a major signal of a possible project scope creep. Secondly in a project of this magnitude the choice of a project sponsor a very vital role to the success of a project should not be guided by political undertone as it appears in the choice of Mrs Doig who lacks expertise in matters of projects and construction. This to a large extent gave room for a lot of poor decisions which is evident in the choice of adopting construction management as the building option. Another problem at this stage in the project was that the project initiator, Mr. Dewar was too attached to the project. This often made him opt for unpopular choices like the choice of opting for a designer competition as against a design competition as specified by the RIAS team. Moreover, the competition process was conducted in an unprofessional manner that lacked finesse and proper coordination. For a project of this nature with very high risk content the lack of a contingency risk plan is inexcusable. The critical path of the project was not mentioned. The project lacked proper communication and coordination at this stage, sight of the terms of the brief was lost 2.3 Execution and Control stage (Westland Jason 2006) described this phase as the longest phase of a project. This is the stage were the deliverables are physically built and presented to the customer for acceptance. (Paul D. Gardiner 2005) described it as the phase where new information from other phases can lead to change, and a good project manger should know that some changes are inevitable, therefore there is need to maintain control over these changes to the project plan. Change Management for this project was out of control as most changes done in execution stage of the Holyrood project was not agreed by the parties involved. This exhibited the lack of good leadership, control and good management associated with the project. The reporting system did not encourage effective communication as well as flow of information between the teams which lead to the resignation of the 1st PM (Mr Armstrong) and subsequent managers. This lack of control saw the cost of the project skyrocketing with a lot of changes done in the design plan. 2.4 Closure stage Closure is the last phase of the project life cycle; it represents the end of a project. Money is no more paid out, all documentation and administration of the project is closed and opportunity for evaluation and performance review. The finished product is transferred to the care, custody and control of the owner (Paul D Gardnier 2005). In the Holyrood project, there were delays in the project handover as conflict between the contracted parties remains unresolved till the end of the project. The project closure and handing over lack some merits as potential risk elements were ignored in the final documentation. Some examples are 45,000 defects were discovered after handover and issues regarding the infrastructure. Chapter 3 3.0 Problems with the most significant cost increase and schedule slippage 3.1 Significant Cost Increases The project from inception has suffered successive increases in its cost forecast, but the most significant is in the construction stage (Execution and Control phase). Increase in construction cost was (caused by) as a result of design development and delay in construction process as the project progressed. The construction cost increases fall into three main areas Design development  £68m Prolongation, disruption and delay  £73m Inflation and Risk certainty  £19m Most of this cost was incurred from the year 2000, though this increase was as a result of poor planning, control and management attributed at the planning and development stage. 3.2 Significant Schedule Slippage The rush for early delivery of such huge project resulted to lot of schedule slippage. The complexities in the design variation as well as the late communication/supply of information during the construction phase were the most significant cause of the 20 months delay of the project. This delay started in 2000 and this still fall under the Execution and control phase. Apart from the complexity and late supply of information, other factors also attributed to the schedule spillage are 19-24 weeks delay in the Foyer roof, Glazing and assembling of the windows 15 Months each for the debating chamber and Canon Gate There was no contingency plan for spillage in the initial timetable. Chapter 4 4.0 Evaluation of the Project Management Problems Corresponding to those Identified in the Literature This section brings us back to the question why do project fail? And the writer is going to relate some of this failure to the problem associated with the Holyrood project. Writers like (OGC, 2005), (Cicmil 1997), (Carlos 2005) theory of why project fail will be used to evaluate the Literature. OGC, 2005 gave eight reasons why project fails and some of the reasons are lack of clear senior management and ministerial ownership and leadership. In the literature it was seen that was no clear direction, control as well as leadership among the different civil servants groups that handled the project. The project manager had no single point of authoritative command and could not use his authority and influence to control the project. In the literature decisions were made without communicating them to the stakeholders, this shows lack of effective engagement with stakeholders. Also there was lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management. The project sponsor knew very little about construction and this showed when no further inquiry was done on the construction management choice which has much risk on the client was not appreciated by the sponsor because of her incompetence. Risk was never incorporated in any of her decisions. (Cicmil 1997) also researched on principal sources of project failure where he talked about poor understanding and identification of client need. The joint venture never understood the clients need that was why from the beginning they never adhered to the clients brief, which would have minimised the risk that exists in undertaking a project with tight time frame. (Cicmil 1997) talked about organizational behaviour factors. The organisation of Holyrood project d id not provide the necessary clear direction and leadership and this led to lack of control, communication and poor management that existed in the project. The project was conceptualized as one without any provision for change. Such deficiency highlights the lack of (Cicmil 1997) bounded rationality approach to project management. The literature is rife with instances where proper procedures were not adhered to. Examples include the architects (Snr Miralles) reluctance to fit his designs into the project brief even when he was informed to. (Carlos 2005) talked about why project fails and most of it boils down to what existed in the Holyrood project which was lack of teamwork, cultural differences, communication, politics, control and poor management. This inevitably led to cost increase, and delays seen in the project. 4.1. RECOMMENDATIONS (Gardiner 2005) Valuation should have been applied to all the stages of the Project life cycle by PM The important key positions should not have been handled by Civil Servants Plan for contingency risk should have been made. The implementation of multi perspective framework on projects. In my opinion if this had been used issues like the choice of construction management would not have been made the content context and organisational character would have been analysed and a more suitable method like PFI/PPP would have been selected 5.0 Conclusion The Holyrood Project in the long run became a huge success, however most critics believed that the time and cost slippage would have been avoided if proper project management indices were followed. The author has been able to diagnose this key indices and is of the opinion that the success of every project is dependent on the effectiveness of the project manager , a major problem of the Holyrood Project .It is also worth mentioning that my recent visit to the Parliament Building afforded me the opportunity to have my personal take on the building and it is indeed a magnificent piece and so despite the many problems encountered it met the clients expectations of quality, â€Å"Past Glory of Scotland flowing within the present into the future† PRIMARY SOURCE Lord Fraser, Holyrood Inquiry, Blackwell Bookshop, (2004) Reid G., The Scottish parliament: Holyrood project closure (2007) Books Andersen E.S, Grude K.V, Haug T, Goal directed project management: effective techniques and strategies Kogan Page 3rd edition (2004) Gardiner P.D, Project Management: A strategic planning approach Palgrave Macmillian (2005) Kerzner H. Project Management, a systems approach to planning scheduling and controlling (John Wiley and sons Inc) (2006) page 66 Leech D.J, Turner B.,Project Management for profit, Ellis Horwood publishing (1990) Lockyer K.and Gordon J, Project management and project Network Techniques (6th Edition Pitman Publishing), (1996) Page 3 Lock D, Project Management Gower publishing limited, Pg 6, 12-14 Maylor H, Project Management (Pitman Publishing ) (1996) Page 25 Nickson D Siddons S, Project management disasters: And how to survive them, Kogan Page Limited, (2006) Page 25-74 Westland J., Project Management lifecycle: A complete step by step methodology For initiating, planning, executing and closing the project successfully, Kogan Page (2006) Articles Cicmil S.K , Critical Factors of effective project management the TQM magazine Volume 9 Number 6 1997,390-396 INTERNET SOURCES Architecture week, http://www.architectureweek.com/2005/1019/news_1-3.html ( Last visited on 20th July 2009)   BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4343690.stm ( Last visited on 25th July 2009) Project Management, http://www.pmhut.com/project-phases (Last visited on 20th July 2009) The Scottish Parliament, ,http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/spcb/publications/docs/Holyrood_closeout_report.pdf http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/audit/or-04/au04-1402.htm (Last visited on 20th July 2009)

Beowulf - Profile Of An Epic Hero Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

There are stories told all over the world handed down from generation to generation. Some remember these stories by memory, but are lost in time, and some write them down to be remembered forever as a part of history. Beowulf is one such story that has been mysteriously remembered for many centuries. I’ve very much enjoyed reading Beowulf. However, since this story has been around for so long many people have added, reduced, or omitted bits and pieces of the story. In other words, it has become an almost epic legend, never knowing if it was real or if it is rumor. And like any rumor being told to others, the story gets better and better over time like a fine wine. Since this poem has been around for many centuries, it is clear in much of the readings that Christianity is highly incorporated, even though the poem is composed of a Scandinavian hero that is pagan and the poem gives us an overview of what Anglo-Saxon culture would have been like. Most scholars are sure that this p oem was composed in England and that it was written sometime between the 8th and 11th century. We read in many books that during the 6th and 7th century, England was converting to Christianity. In view of the fact that most of the sayings in Beowulf are Germanic paganistic sayings I believe that since the narrator was Christian, he incorporated many of the sayings to be in beatitude form and that it seems clear that he only referred to one god instead of many which is the ideal way of Paganism. When w...

Comentary On Line Training Essay -- Training Job Workforce Essays

Comentary On Line Training Constant training, retraining, job-hopping, and even career-hopping, will become the norm, predict Mary O'Hara-Devereaux and Robert Johansen (qtd. in Pritchett 45). This makes the trainer's position all the more valuable in the work place. The demand for training will continue to increase as employees move more frequently from job to job. It is important that trainers realize and act upon this fact. Training programs will need to fit the changing needs of the work force. Many of the employees will enter a new position with prior experience and need to be brought up to speed quickly. Optimization of resources, in this case the resources each new employee brings to the company, will be important. The implementation and use of training programs within companies is many times a vital resource that assists in the overall success of the company. "Industrial leaders have made it clear that one important factor for attaining economic competitiveness is adequate levels of knowledge and skills in the work force" (Gordon 2). Training departments strive to prepare employees to optimize their potential for success within the company. At the same time, these training programs should be optimizing the potential of their department. In order to do this, training departments need to reassess their training programs. There are numerous opportunities available through multimedia such as the Internet, online training programs, CD-ROM training, and many more. Trainers need to continually to be aware of their surrounding and the environment they work within. Many facets of the corporate world impact the workplace environment, and these facets continue to change at ever-increasing rates. As part of the Informa... ...f the training experience. Works Cited Bunn, Bill E. "Multimedia Scripting." Intercom April 2000: 14-18. Chu, Francis. "Don't Train in Vain." PC Week April 2000: 1,20,22. Coleman, Mary Ellen and Carol Bahruth. "Animation." Intercom March 2000: 6-8. Gordon, Sallie E. Systematic Training Program Design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: P T R Prentice Hall Mason, 1994. Mason, Robin and Anthony Kaye, ed. Mindweave: Communication, Computers and Distance Learning. Oxford: Pergamon P, 1989. O'Hara-Devereaux, Mary and Robert Johansen. "Global Work: Bridging Distance, Culture, and Time." Pritchett, Price. "New Work Habits for a Radically Changing World." Dallas, TX: Pritchett, n.d. Rosenberg, Nils A. "Communication for the World". Intercom May 2000: 6-9. Webb, Wendy. A Trainer's Guide to the World Wide Web and Intranets. Minneapolis: Lakewood Books, 1996.

The Horse Dealer?s Daughter :: essays research papers

In D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,† Mabel â€Å"did not share the same life as her brothers †(195). Mabel Pervin was not close to her brothers, because there were personal and physical separations. Mabel was a plain, uninteresting woman. She seldom showed emotion on her face. In fact her face usually remained impassive and unchanged. Her brothers could be described as three handsome and well-spoken men. Mabel was independent, having taken care of the house for ten years without a servant. Even though they depended upon her, they seemed to have control over her. The Pervin brothers â€Å"did not care about anything† (195). They were poised and felt secure about themselves. Her brothers felt superior to her. â€Å"They had talked at her and round her for so many years, that she hardly heard them at all† (196). She would either give a neutral response to her brothers, or remain quiet when they talked to her. Instead of giving her encouragement, they teased her. This treatment could have led to her insecurity. They would tease her about becoming a maid or about her â€Å"bulldog† face. Her brothers were full of energy and very talkative. Mabel also seemed to be alone in the world. Unlike her brothers who had many companions, she had had no friends of her own sex. Sometimes it seemed that Mabel wanted to escape her life. One place Mabel felt secure and immune from the world was at her mother’s grave. â€Å"There she always felt secure, as if no one could see her† (200). Mabel was extremely devoted to her deceased parents, especially her mother. She was mindless and persistent. At the graveside, she had many different feelings. She seemed to be coming nearer to her own glorification. Also she would become remote and intent. She seemed to feel contact with the world that mother had lived.

Doctor Faustus as a Play Essay

1. Characters The main characters are the Faustus, the protagonist, Mphistophilis, the villain. Apart from this we have Wagner, Good angel, evil angle, Lucifer as major characters. Chorus, Pope, The Emperor of Germany, Raymond king of Hungary, Duke of Saxony, Bruno, Duke of Vanholt, Duchess of Vanholt, Martino, Frederic, Benvolio, Valdes, Cornelius, Clown, Rogin, Dick, Vintner, Horse-course, Carter, Old Man, Scholar, Cardinals, Archbishop of Rheims, Bishops, Monks, Friars, Soldiers, Belzibub, The seven deadly sins, Devils, Spirits in the shapes of Alexander The great, of his Paramour, of Darius, and of Helen in the list of minor characters. 2. Dialogue The play was written well ahead 1830, so the colloquial prose is automatically eliminated. The dialogue in the play, Dr Faustus, is more of the thoughts of the characters instead of their actual words. For example, Faustus says, â€Å"Faustus, begin thine incantations, And try if devils will obey thy hest, Seeing thou hast pray’d and sacrific’d to them.† Here, he is alone on stage, and is talking to himself. Usually we don’t see people talking to themselves while they’re alone. However, Marlowe uses this so time of solitude as a time to tell us what Faustus is doing, which keeps up informed. Those words seems to be less natural because they sound like Faustus’ thoughts instead of his actual dialogue. An example of stage direction within the dialogue is when Mephistophilis says, ‘Faustus, thou shatl: then kneel down presently, Whilst on thy head I lay my hand, And charm thee with this magic wand.’ 3. Plot The play, Doctor Faustus, is all about Faustus, an erudite man in medicine and other knowledge known to man. However, disgruntled Faustus, not knowing where his life is heading, calls upon Lucifer and his accomplice, Mephistophilis, to instruct him the ways of magic. But they agree to be his mentors only if Faustus would sell his soul to Lucifer and be his after 24 years. Faustus agrees. He goes through trying times while he is unsure of his decision and considers repenting. But then he’s persuaded over and over again to the magic powers of the devil that were far more satisfying than the powers of heaven. 4. Conflict The conflict in Doctor Faustus is within Faustus himself, who is personified in two angles – good and evil – each trying to pull Faustus in their opposite paths. Hence, we often see that Faustus repents following the good advice of the good angle. However, the evil angle again scores its victory by infusing fear into Faustus’s heart. In the penultimate scene, Faustus is tested to give into the temptations of the seven deadly sins. We find him deceived by ‘lust’, one of the deadly sins, as he yields to the beauty of Helen, despite the advice of the old man. Even in the last scene, Faustus is spooked by the power of evil than the trust in God. His so called ‘repentance’ is the mere voice of fear than a firm prayer to God. Thus we find the prevalence of free-will and willful submission to the fears of his mind. 5. Settings Doctor Faustus stand on the verge of two eras – the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Some aspects of the setting are distinctly medieval. For example, the world of Doctor Faustus includes heaven and hell, as did the religious dramas of the medieval period. The play, is often, lined up with supernatural characters – angels and demons, who might have stepped onstage right out of a cathedral. Like in the plays of Middle Ages, few of the background characters are in fiery pursuit of salvation. But, the setting of Doctor Faustus is also a Renaissance period – the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world – that gave rise to a cultural rebirth through the 14th to the middle of the 17th centuries. The atmosphere of the play is speculative. People are often asking question never dreamed of in the Middle Ages. For example, people are asking, ‘Is ther a hell?’ Faustus himself is seized by worldly ambitions. He is far more concerned about luxurious silk gowns and powerful war-machines than saving his soul. Was there a dividing line between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance ? The answer is there wasn’t. Both old and new ways of thinking existed side by side as people lived through a long period of transition. Transition is the key to the setting of the play. 6. Stage Direction Most of the stage direction are written within the dialogue of the script. Only few stage directions in parenthetical are the entrances, exits. â€Å"Damn’d be his soul for ever for this deed! [Exeunt all except Faustus  and Mephistopheles† Occasionally, especially during the scene involving the Pope, we find the occasional â€Å"I pledge your grace. [Snatches the cup.]†. and â€Å"Nay, then, take that. [Strikes the POPE.]† Each of these types of stage direction helps us to better understand of the action of the play. If the stage direction is in the direction, the audience not only hears what the action is about but they also get to see it. Likewise, if the stage direction is in parenthetical, then the director knows what Marlowe wants the scene to look like. 7. Scenes Allowances must be made for the shattered form in which Doctor Faustus survives. Originally, the play may have had the loose five-act structure suggested by the 1616 text. Or it may simply have been a collection of scenes or movements, as in the shorter version of 1604. In fact, the act divisions in ‘Doctor Faustus’ are the additions of later editors. Scholars have made their own decisions about the play’s probable cut-off points. That’s why no two editions of Doctor Faustus have identical act and scene numbers. 8. Theme A study in ambition, Dr. Faustus is someone who is an ‘overreacher’, a man who strives against human limitations. Faustus tries to do more than is humanly possible. He seeks to know, possess, and experience everything under the sun. There are two ways to read Doctor Faustus: First, the play glorifies ambition. Though Faustus is finally undone, his dreams emerge larger than the forces that defeat him. Second, the play criticizes ambition. Faustus falls to great depths from lofty heights. What’s more, his larger-than-life dreams are cut down to size by the pointed ironies of Mephistophilis. Thus we can say that Doctor Faustus is a great play of all the times.

Expectations about own work role Essay

(2 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards? The expectation of my work role is to understand my job description 100% in order to carry out the best care for service users this will show my competence to the job role not only that i understand how to do the job but understanding why i do it and the theory side of the job . To be able to know how to do my job correctly it is important that i read the standards of my work place which are the National Minimum Standards,the National Occupational Standards, policies and procedures and the staff hand book. These will explain the standard of work i need to do in order to work effectively and provide the best care for the individual needs of the service users. This will also show competence to my job role showing that i am taking time to read and understand how to do the job be for i put it to practice. OUTCOME 2 (1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided? Reflective practice is important when improving the quality of the service provided because nothing ever stays the same things change all the time. Change is a very big thing and new standards reflect the changes in our profession. It is important to continuously review and reflect on practises used in order to improve or change approaches to strategies and actions that can benefit the service user and the service provider to improve the service to the best standard possible. This can be done in a positive organised approach which is why there are regular supervision with the line manager, staff meetings or house meetings where if it is a private small care home service users are involved to discuss things that may have gone well or not so well, things that could have be done differently so we can work as a team to improve the situation or what could be done in the future to ma ke things better and maybe see things from a different perspective so as to understand how the service user may perceive situations. Keeping up to date with records and reviews because it will help to reflect back on what needed to be done to what has been done since the last record , review to what needs to be done next. Also completing personal development plans and risk assessments which i can  reflect back on to improve the quality or service for the needs of the service user. Keeping up to date with new developments and information is important when using reflective practice it is my job to regularly check the work setting standards just in case of new standers and to keep attending training courses and information centres to keep up to date. I can also find new information through the media like radio, television, newspapers and magazines, also the Internet can provide new information and any changes to the care sector. Any new information obtained is best discussed with manger as it may not apply to the work place. It is important to reflect on work activities and development of knowledge, skills and practise because it allows you to assess what you are doing well, identify areas where you might like or maybe need more training or guidance in to make sure you are doing your job correctly, and are meeting all standards and expectations within the care setting and following policies and procedures. It helps you think about what you are doing in the setting and to always be aware of how I work with the service users and colleagues. Reflecting on my own practice can enhance and improve my confidence and self-esteem because I can look at what I am doing well, and what I have learnt and achieved. It can also make me feel good about myself especially if I have done something with ease that I used to find difficult, if I have done something I never did well in or something that I have never tried before, this then gives me confidence to continue working. (3 Describe how own values, belief systems and e xperiences may affect working practises? We all have our own values, beliefs and experiences which makes us who we are. As a result having our own values, beliefs and experiences can affect our working practises in many ways because you may not agree with another persons values and beliefs or the other way round which can cause negative feelings with each other which will affect the way you work with each other. this can also affect the working practises because you may work more closely with the people who share similar values and beliefs as you that the people who dint, this shouldn’t be the case you should provide the same quality of care/ support for all people in the care setting, this can be more difficult that you think because most people naturally will work with people who share the same beliefs and values and not think twice about it which can result in bad practice. In a care setting it is my job to make sure that service users  understand that I accept them for who they are and what they believe in. This means that I should show an interest in their the service users lifestyle and accept them as an individual even if I don’t share their beliefs and lifestyles. For example service users with different religions and beliefs should have the right to practise their faith and celebrate their religious festivals because it may be very important to the service users. OUTCOME 3 (1 Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards? In order to evaluate my own knowledge, performance and understanding i need to be aware of my strengths and weaknesses in my work, identifying major factors that influence the way i develop and the way they affect the way i work and relate to others in the work place, this can come under reflective practice where i evaluate the way in which i work and do things. when i have pin pointed my strengths and weaknesses i don’t take the weaknesses as a negative i take them on board and find ways i can improve them to improve my performance at work. As i want to grow in my career it means i need to be up to date with all care standards of the work place and knowledge which means i will put myself forward for any training courses and do on line training courses to keep my knowledge up to date as i develop and also my understanding of where i am at, what i need to do and time scale of which to achieve t his. There are three main factors to consider when taking an approach to professional development and they are what are my goals, what do i want to achieve, how am i going to achieve it and how will i know when i have achieved it. in order to know these things i need to right a record of what i have done, what i would like to do and how long to do it in, this is setting myself goals which will help me progress in my career. it will also help me to evaluate each stage of my development. OUTCOME 4 (1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development? Sources of support for planning and reviewing my own development is having supervisions with my manger to reflect on what has happened since the last supervision, for example things that i have struggled with or things that i need to improve on. Its a time to acknowledge the strengths and weakness that me or my manager has identified and discuss how i can improve them. It  also can be a time where my manager will discuss up coming courses i may like to attend. Also my manager does a yearly appraisal which will show my achievements throughout the year my strengths, weaknesses and what i intend on achieving in the following year, also it gives my manager to write comments on how i have progressed and things i need to improve on. Also my manager and work colleagues are have expressed they they are open to offer advice if i need it and support me through any situations i find difficult to deal with. OUTCOME 5 (1 Evaluate how learning activities have affected practice? Learning is a part of everyday life we learn something new everyday or learn how to do things better. learning can affect the way we practice because if things don’t go the way we planed then we reflect on things that went wrong and do an over all evaluation of the positives and negatives of the activity and find ways we can improve it. People have different way they like to learn and being able to point out and understand the way we learn is helpful for the learning process. There is a theory called the Kolb cycle which consists of the: â ¦  Concrete experience – which can be something you do everyday or something unusual that happens because of what has happened to you or what you have done. â ¦  Reflective observation- where you reflect back and think about the situation that has happened. â ¦  Abstract conceptualisation- where you realise that there is a consistent pattern or theory that fits which you already know about and being able to work out rules about the situation. â ¦  Active experimentation- where you put in place the rules you work out if next time the same situation happens or a similar situation. This means you can evaluate both situations the one from be for and the new one with the new rules which means you will have different factors to think about and think about different thing to learn. also both situation will provide different experiences which should affect your practice in a positive way. this will also mean that the cycle should continue. In my experience i have came across a few situations that i have dealt with differently as i think about the situation and things that i could of done better. For example a service user has an eating disorder so the service user can only cope with eating certain things and certain amount of food consumption in a day. I reflected on this situation by thinking  about things i didn’t try or could try in the future. I read through the service users care plane which shows me what the serv ice user like to eat or doesn’t like to eat. I then put some meal ideas together and talked about it to the service user and have also got the service user to try new things by offering them to taste or share which has help because the service user eats allot better now than when i first started at Ty Connie.