Explain in detail how a risk manager can make optimal use of insurance Essay

Explain in detail how a risk manager can make optimal use of insurance as part of an overall risk management strategy - Essay Example A considerable number of companies have lost equipment, buildings, and materials to natural disasters. In addition, many companies have lost human resources, as well as revenues as they could no longer manufacture goods and services. The four leading strategies for risk management include risk financing, loss reduction, loss prevention, and risk avoidance (Iverson 2013, p. 2). Even though some businesses can assume, reduce, or even avoid certain risks, few business organizations can fully protect themselves without purchasing insurance. Overall, a risk manager can effectively make use of insurance as part of a general risk management strategy to ensure sustainability and profitability of the business. Most companies greatly benefit from taking their risks into consideration when they are performing extremely well, as well as when markets are rapidly growing. Accordingly, the companies can sustain growth and profitability (Andersen 2010, p. 1). A risk manager plays a vital role in predicting and enacting measures that would help prevent or control losses within the company. The process of risk management involves identifying various exposures to potential losses, measuring the exposures, and making an informed decision about the most suitable approach to protect the company from losses or harm, considering the nature of the risks and the goals and resources of the company (Andersen 2010, p. 1). Some risks are more important than others. Therefore, the risk manager must determine the importance as well as ability of each risk while identifying and evaluating exposures. The goals and resources of a company are vital to selecting the best method for preventing or controlling risks. However, the risk manager must monitor the method already selected and implemented to ensure that it generates or produce the projected outcomes. In general, company risks fall under five broad categories

Exchange Shopping Centre Essay Example for Free

Exchange Shopping Centre Essay Running Bare is an active gear store for women. It first opened its first concept store in Putney in July of 2004. It gained reputation as the leading women’s activewear, footwear and swimwear specialist and store in the next few years. This led to the expansion of the store to include the opening of branches in Temple Fortune North London and Tunbridge Wells and the most recent, Australia. With a mission to provide quality sportswear and accessories for women on the lookout for excellent performance gears and wears with a fashion sense. The working philosophy of Running Bare hails from the confidence, success-driven and positive energy that women on the go possess. With an excellent inventory of sports shoe brands such as Asics, Running Bare also uniquely offers technical advice and foot assessment in their stores. Running bare products are expertly designed to augment balance, vitality and strength to the women who war them, giving the much needed support for the type of activities they perform, allowing them to excel. Since women are at the heart of Running Bare, its driving goal is to preserve sophistication and style in each of their product yet providing an exquisite partner for every active woman out there. Running Bare products range from tops, pants/bottoms, fliptops, footwear, accessories, swimwear, trainers and a line of beauty products. Products are also categorized according to activities such as running, fitness, yoga and pilates, swimwear, courts ports and netball. Running Bare stores are located at The Exchange Shopping Centre? High Street Putney,? London SW15 1TW? with contact number, 0208 788 8875 and ? Email:[emailprotected] co. uk? They open from ? 9am 6pm Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday? 9am 7pm Thursday? 11am 5pm – Sunday. To get to this store, you can board the following? BUS ROUTES? 74, 14, 22, 265, 85, 93, 37, 430, 424, 39, 337, 220. The Running Bare Temple Fortune is located at? 7 Hallswelle Parade,? Finchley Road? London NW11 0DL. You can contact them at tel. 0208 458 9375? and Email:[emailprotected] uk. They open from 9. 30am 5. 30pm Monday to Saturday? CLOSED Sunday. If you are taking the tube, you can disembark at Golders Green and then 15min walk or take buses 102 (towards Edmonton), 82 or 460 (towards North Finchley) Runningbare Tunbridge Wells? is located at 201 Royal Victoria Place Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 2SS. Their contact number is 01892 617 338 and email: [emailprotected] co. uk. They open from 9am 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9am 8pm – Thursday and 10. 30am 4. 30pm – Sunday.

Dasein in Being There :: Essays Papers

Dasein in Being There Though I'm sure I didn't realize it back then, I spent a lot of time in my childhood mulling over the classic "nature vs. nurture" debate. Specifically, I wondered what would happen to a child separated from civilization at birth. If a person were locked in a room, never taught anything, and interacted with only by machines that delivered it food, then released into society at a certain age, how much would it know? How much would it be able to figure out? Could it survive? Some years after I'd abandoned this line of thinking, resigned to the fact that the experiment could probably never be carried out in an ethically acceptable way, a college professor encouraged me to read Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There. In this novel's main character, Chance, I found, after a fashion, an approximation of the very project I'd been dreaming about all those years: a human being raised in a static and unexciting environment, with very few other human influences. The question of whether human beings have any intrinsic characteristics, or of what they may be, has been contemplated throughout the history of modern philosophy by thinkers such as Descartes and Locke. I believe, however, that it is the work and thought of Martin Heidegger to which a careful consideration of Being There will be most particularly relevant. Heidegger's concept of a human being is as an instance of that entity he calls "Dasein," a German term most literally translated into English as "there-being." Not only is this phrase reminiscent of the novel's title, it also describes rather appropriately the primary activity (if it can be called that) with which Chance's life is occupied. Chance's origins lie in obscurity, as much to himself as to the reader. He was orphaned at an age too young for him to have any memory of his biological parents. His sole custodian is the figure he knows only as "the Old Man," who has provided for him all his life. Chance takes care of the Old Man's garden, but rarely interacts with the man himself. His meals are prepared by one of the other servants in the Old Man's employ. Aside from working in the garden, eating, and sleeping, Chance's only pastime is watching television. It is TV alone that has given him whatever perception or understanding of culture and the normal commerce of society he may have.

Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis

Case Analysis: Optical Fiber Corporation Introduction Optical Fiber Corporation (OFC) is a financially successful, albeit relatively small manufacturer of multimode optical fibers. The company was founded in 1990. The founders were able to enter the market largely on the basis of acquiring patent licenses from larger optical fiber firms. These licenses restricted competition between the entities and provided OFC with instant access to optical fiber technology. In return, OFC’s customer base is limited by the license agreements and royalties of 7% on sales of licensed products (recently renegotiated to 9%) are paid to the licensors.Despite these handicaps the firm has grown in size and profitability. OFC makes several types of multimode optical fiber including specialty niche products they have developed outside of any license agreements. All customers are cable manufacturers that convert the fibers to optical fiber cable. Three such firms account for over 70% of OFC’s r evenues. Focusing on customer service, quality and product design and process improvements has proved a winning business model to date. OFC now faces a variety of challenges including the expiration of many of the patents that afford most of its profits.This raises the real possibility of new competitors in the market. Further, while in the past multimode and single mode optical fibers have generally been used for data communications and telecommunications respectively and as such were not in direct competition with each other, the advent of cheaper manufacturing processes for single mode fibers coupled with their inherent ability to transmit data more efficiently over longer distances may make them a more appealing choice for some of the uses that historically have favored multimode fibers.OFC is at now at a crossroads where they must decide if they are to stay in the multimode fiber business only, begin producing single mode fibers as well, or even enter the cabling business with a forward integration strategy. Competition in the Optical Fiber Industry The optical fiber industry is perhaps best considered as two industries that are closely related, the multimode fiber and the single mode fiber industries. The multimode industry in which OFC specializes is very competitive. The United States’ 2001 total optical fiber market was approximately 3. 5 million kilometers only 330 thousand of which was multimode.The value of the multimode market was $65 million that year, only a fifth that of the single mode market. Within the multimode market and a number of fiber manufacturers. The main rivals for OFC are the two licensors to whom they pay royalties. These firms are considerably larger and have greater resources with which to compete. Further, they have a competitive advantage in that they are the recipients of royalty payments rather than the firm making those payments. Also they are in a position to control the extent of OFC’s market penetration at least with respect to their licensed products.OFC has responded by creating high quality products and providing exceptional customer service. In addition, OFC has made improvements to the basic design of some of the licensed fibers making them, in a real sense new products. The R and D department at OFC has also been successful at developing new and less expensive manufacturing processes, which has helped to offset the added overhead of the royalty payments. Finally, OFC has developed specialty fibers with medical, aircraft, aerospace and extreme environment applications.These new fibers will not be subject to royalty payments, competition from new entrants until patents expire years in the future, and generally afford higher profit margins than other optical fiber products. New entrants to the market are a threat to OFC and all other fiber producers. New firms must contend with the high capitalization costs of this technologically demanding and exacting industry. One of the costs of optical fiber production is the R and D required to bring successful products to market. Between 1999 and 2007 the patents for many of the basic fibers produced by OFC and its licensors will expire.New firms entering the market will be free to produce the products once protected under those patents without having incurred any R and D costs. These firms will also be free from royalty payments to licensors or any restrictive covenants such as those under which OFC operates. The industry in general, and OFC in particular, must contend with the purchasing power of its buyers. Optical fiber is converted into optical fiber cable. In the United States there are twenty companies that perform this function. OFC sells over 70% of their fiber to just three.The loss of any of these accounts could be devastating for OFC and places them in a weak position when negotiating prices, at least when the products are those which are readily available from other multimode fiber producers. It is doubtf ul that switching costs would be high for buyers. Favoring OFC and the optical fiber market are the projections for increased demand for multimode optical fibers at least through the mid 2000’s. Sources of increased demand for multimode fiber are anticipated to include: cable TV, undersea cables, local area networks (LAN) as well as general data communications growth such as computer uses.As noted the single mode optical fiber market is much larger than the multimode market. It too, is expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Single mode fibers have the advantage of efficiently transmitting data over long distances, faster transmission rates and other desirable optical properties but until recently have been more expensive to produce. The advent of cheaper production methods will allow single mode fibers to enter markets that were once dominated by multimode fibers.Production of these fibers requires expensive specialized manufacturing equipment and a s ignificant commitment to R and D. The industry includes one of the OFC licensors. Substitute products for single mode fibers include microwaves, and satellites for telecommunications. Impact seems limited. Copper wire can be used as a substitute for the fiber-to-home and fiber-to-curb applications of either multimode or single mode fibers but by the mid 2000’s the lowered cost of production of single mode fibers will likely make this the preferred choice for these functions.Finally, it should be noted that suppliers are unlikely to exert competitive forces on the fiber optics markets. The materials used in the production of fibers are commodities of low value such as glass, certain gases and oxide particles. OFC Strengths OFC has many strengths. The firm is financially strong with record sales and earnings for the last year as well as increased manufacturing capacity. Furthermore, there was a $20 million backlog for optical fibers in the last year and orders are increasing. T here was net income of $6. 1million on revenue of $48. million in 2002. The Quick Ratio, a measure of a firm’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations (Current Assets – Inventories)/Current Liabilities = ($31. 0m – $6. 6m)/$12. 5 = 2. 0 is very solid. Return on equity (Net Income/Equity) = $6. 1m/$44. 0m = 13. 9% is also very impressive. OFC has developed new specialty products for medical, military, commercial aircraft, aerospace and severe environment uses. These are likely to receive patents and will not require royalty payments and will be protected from competitors for years to come.The firm has a variety of options to confront the challenges of the changing market place. OFC has patent licenses to produce optical cables that would allow for forward integration if they chose to move in that direction. Engineers at OFC have been able to find new ways to produce old products more efficiently reducing production costs. They have also developed adaptations of existing products to create new and unique demands for those products. OFC is in an industry that is expected to enjoy strong growth for at least the next several years.That demand will come from a variety of industries adding stability to the market. The equipment needed to produce optical fiber is expensive and the expertise demanding creating, a relative barrier to entry. Copper wire as a substitute is relatively expensive and as technological advances decrease the cost of optical fibers copper will become a non-entity. Perhaps most importantly, OFC has a strong reputation for quality, service and competitive pricing. OFC Weaknesses OFC is a small company. They were only able to enter the market by virtue of other firms’ products and license agreements.Those licenses have protected OFC from competition but have also limited the scope of its customer base and added significant fixed costs in royalty payments. Royalties will now increase to 9% (after paying a one time $3 million fee) on 85% of sales. Furthermore, while OFC is paying royalties to use these patents new entrants may soon be competing as patents expire. These firms will have essentially no R and D expense and of course no royalty payments potentially allowing them to produce at costs below those of OFC.OFC must also contend with a limited number of buyers. Over 70% of sales are to just three cable producers. The ability of OFC to increase prices to these large purchasers is doubtful. If even one of these customers were lost to an alternative fiber optic producer the effect on OFC could be dramatic. OFC operates in a competitive industry that will become more so with time. Copper wire manufacturers will turn to optical cable production to stay relevant. Overseas producers, already sources of competition to OFC, are likely to play a larger role in the future.Finally, OFC’s success has been built on quality, service and innovation. One or more competitor can potentially offer all of these. OFC’s Core Competencies OFC manufactures multimode, high quality optical fiber for cabling companies that convert that fiber into cable for a variety of data communications uses. The firm has a reputation for low prices and excellent customer service. Much of their success can be attributed to their R and D program, which has developed cost saving production technologies as well as product innovations.More recently, OFC has shown itself to be an innovator, developing entirely new multimode optical fiber products that fill a variety of unique niche functions. To continue producing and selling multimode optical fiber successfully, OFC needs to prepare for increased competition as patent protections expire. As new entrants begin producing many of the higher volume OFC products, likely at lower cost given their lack of R and D and royalty expenses, OFC will need to spend additional resources on developing decreased costs of production if they are to continue selling those products profitably.They will need to maintain their focus on quality and customer service. In part that will require continued product testing. They may wish to explore, however, if testing 100% of products as is current policy is necessary or if testing samples from each batch would serve as well and save money. OFC will need to continue to support R and D to develop new products and patentable improvements on existing ones. Options Available for Growth Pursuit of Niche Markets OFC has already demonstrated an ability to develop marketable niche multimode fibers. Previously created are fibers able to withstand high radiation nvironments for nuclear reactor and military applications, a fiber that can tolerate deep underwater submersion and a third tolerant of high heat conditions. They have also successfully experimented with a fiber capable of transmitting UV light and another with unique medical and scientific uses. To continue their development program for specialty fibers will require annual R and D spending increases of $400,000 and an additional annual expenditure for three new staff totaling $325,000. Outside firms can be hired to handle sales for 10% commissions.When sales volumes are adequate, salaried OFC employees can be used instead. The calculation as to when this makes financial sense for the firm is simple; when 10% of sales exceed the salary and benefit expenses of the needed in-house sales force then sales should become an OFC operation. The advantage of niche products is the lack of competition and relatively higher margins. Develop Single Mode Fiber Capacity OFC could choose to enter the much larger single mode fiber market. It is estimated that this will require a capital investment of $4 million for new plant and equipment.It will take a year for the new facilities to be operational. There will also be a reported one time R and D expense of $2. 5 million. This is a first year expense so it cannot be capitalized. It can reasonably be assum ed that there will be additional R and D expenses going forward although presumably these would be considerably lower than the initial expense. Entering the single mode market places OFC in competition with larger firms than it currently faces with greater resources to sell products with thinner margins and would divert OFC resources from their core business functions.Forward Integration A third option for OFC is to produce optical cable. The required patent licenses are available. Two options for this forward integration strategy exist. OFC can commit $5 million in capital investments and plan on spending an additional $500,000 annually for R and D or they can simply purchase a cabling company for an estimated $10 – 15 million in capital expenditure. There is currently an excess supply of cable and cabling firms and several are in danger of bankruptcy and so an acquisition should be feasible. Forward integration raises several concerns.Regardless of the approach taken, enter ing the fiber optic cable business will be expensive for OFC. This is a market that is already experiencing an excess of capacity so it can be assumed that at least for some time to come profits in the cabling industry will be squeezed. This is not a core business function of OFC but to pursue cable production will be so expensive as to necessarily draw resources away from some of the firm’s core activities, activities that are likely to be more profitable and entail less financial risk. Finally, one needs to consider that all of OFC’s customers are cable producers.If OFC enters this market they will become a competitor of their customers. It seems highly probable that at least some of these optical fiber buyers will respond in a retaliatory manner and switch to alternate suppliers. Most of OFC’s products are not unique and can be supplied by their licensors. The three large buyers would seem in a particularly strong position to adversely respond to any entry in to the cabling market by OFC. OFC Policy Statement In choosing a direction for the future growth of OFC several considerations should be kept in mind. First, OFC has been successful in large part because of its focus on quality.Any efforts at growth should not come at the expense of producing high quality products. Second, the firm must continue to provide a high level of customer service. This should include responsiveness to customers’ needs for new products and product features when those offerings are commensurate with the firm’s vision, available or attainable expertise and when economically viable. Finally, the firm should continue to fund R and D efforts to allow for a continuous pipeline of new products and improvements to existing ones in an effort to maintain a unique competitive position in the market.OFC has been successful in competing against larger firms by avoiding head to head competition. Initially this was accomplished through license agreements alon e. Later, the firm was able to create unique improvements to existing products and processes that gave it an advantage. Most recently OFC has created unique patentable products. These represent three different ways of avoiding direct competition. Despite their growth, OFC remains a relatively small firm in the optical fiber space and should continue to eschew direct competition when possible, realizing that the market is dominated by larger and better-funded firms.Recommendations OFC should stay out of the cable producing business. This market is the least profitable, most expensive to enter and likely to have the lowest return on investment. It is also likely to result in retaliation by current customers and reduced sales. The single mode market is much larger than the multimode market but as a consequence will bring OFC in contact with larger firms that already have the equipment and knowledge base to produce these products. A small firm with limited resources should not leave its core competencies behind to take on firms that are already in place.OFC needs to continue to make niche products whether they are improvements on old multimode fibers or new fibers with unique properties and functions. This firm will never be a big player in the highly competitive optical fiber industry, they arrived too late and don’t have the capital to displace the dominant firms. Given that projections are for most of the increased demand for optical fibers to occur through the mid to late 2000’s OFC may want to watch for an opportune time to sell to one of these larger entities, perhaps a single mode fiber producer to whom the OFC product line would prove complimentary.

Shc 31

SHC 31: Promote communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings. Understand why effective communication is important in the work setting. 1. 1: Identify the different reasons people communicate. We all communicate for many different reasons; it allows us to fully participate in society. Below is a spider diagram to show the key reasons to why we communicate: How these reasons relate to child care: We communicate to express our feelings, what we need and what we want. Without being able to do this at any age can make us frustrated. For younger children this frustration can lead to them also feeling isolated, so it is important that we try to understand what young children are trying to communicate and give them plenty of opportunities to do so. Sharing Information within any childcare setting is very important. Parents should be able to share information about their children’s likes, dislikes and any important information that a setting needs to know, regarding any known special needs, cultural beliefs, dietary requirements etc. Sharing this information with colleagues and other professionals will make sure that children are fully supported and allow the setting to work at its full potential. Children’s parents will also want to know how well their children are doing at the setting and if they are having any problems. Building and maintaining relationships are the underpinning factor in any childcare setting. Building relationships with parents, their children and colleagues ensure that the setting can run smoothly. Maintaining these relationships will account for much of our language and communication used throughout the day. As human beings we are creative and have our own thoughts and ideas that we need to share with others. Young children will often just come out with things that they are thinking, as they have not yet built up a thought process, where as adults generally tell their thoughts when they need to. Sharing thoughts and ideas about the setting you are in can be beneficial. Speaking up if you think something could be done in a different way or if you are not happy about something can be resolved. Not speaking out can cause tension. People like to be acknowledged, especially when you are speaking to them. Reassuring people that you are paying attention and listening to what they are saying can be as simple as giving them eye contact. With children and young people they may need a little more, praising them and taking an interest in what they are doing will reassure them that they are being heard and that they are important. The reassurance and acknowledgement of colleagues will also create an effective work setting. 1. 2 Explain how communication affects relationships in the work setting. Good working relationships are a crucial factor in any working environment Communication is a vital relationship-building skill. In childcare settings, it is essential to establish and maintain good relationships with children, their families and colleagues as well as other professionals that may be involved in the children’s care. Practitioners who have superior communication skills are more likely to have good relationships with everyone involved in the setting. Working relationships are influenced by the body language, tone of voice and the words that we use. For example good open body posture, calm facial expressions and a calm steady tone of voice will show that you are approachable, willing to help and open to communication. Crossed arms, stiff face and leaning against the wall will show that you are not open for communication and in turn may cause tension. Good communicators should also have good listening skills as people like to know that they are being heard, this can be shown through eye-contact, positioning of the body and a reassuring facial expression. Lack of communication skills can cause problems in the work place as it limits your ability to connect with people on any level. This can lead to tension and conflict. Below is a diagram of some of the ways working relationships are fundamental in child care. Being able to communicate well and form good working relationships is a massive part of the role of a child care practitioner. From the first moment a child steps into a setting on their first day, they are experiencing many different emotions due to the transition from being at home with parents or carers to starting a Pre-school or going from Primary to Secondary School. Children will feel apprehensive, scared and out of place. This can be made easier when the adults involved have good relationships with each other and share information effectively. Gaining information regarding the child like their full name and a little bit about them will make them feel more relaxed. Finding a way to communicate and build a relationship with the child will help them to settle in and feel comfortable with you and their surroundings. This also counts for the parents, they too will feel apprehensive about leaving their children unless they have trust that their child is in good hands. Building a good relationship with parents will ease their minds, in turn their children will settle in faster than if the parents and children are all worried. These relationships have to be maintained throughout the time the children are in the setting. This is to ensure that the children are able to reach their full potential. If they are happy and relaxed they are able to play and learn more effectively. Good communication from the adults around them will allow them to develop and build on vocabulary, develop concepts and express ideas. If you can communicate well and maintain working relationships you will become a valued member of staff and the children in your care will be able to reach their full potential as individuals learning form you and with your support. Here is a diagram of

Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen English Literature Essay Essays

Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen English Literature Essay Essays Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen English Literature Essay Paper Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen English Literature Essay Paper and her oldest sister Jane, because of the manner she see merely the good in others. Elizabeth get in love with Mr. Darcy, a handsome, tall, and intelligent, but instead antisocial individual, he is a good known work forces who belongs to a high societal category. The lone thing that she does nt wish about him is his inordinate pride, and that is why their relationship gets into many problems doing each character to see the other one differences during the novel and seeking to work out them so they can eventually remain together. Jane Bennet is the oldest of the Bennet sister, she is non the most cagey but she is considered the most beautiful and reasonable of all the sisters that is why she is favored by Mrs. Bennet ( her female parent, who is frivolous and her chief aspiration in life is to get married her girls off good ) .Jane gets in love with Mr. Bingley, a rich adult male who late moved to Hertfordshire, Mrs. Bennet accept the relationship merely because he is a work forces with a batch of money, but Mr. Darcy who is Mr. Bingley best friend, ever seek to protect feels their love is non equal and he does nt desire to see Bingley acquire hurt that is why he seek to divide them, but thanks to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy realises his error and brings back Bingley who so marries Jane. The secret plan of the narrative occurs on how the relationship of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy changes, it is finally distinct when Darcy overcomes his pride, and Elizabeth overcomes her bias and they both overcome their differences and judgements to fall in love with each other. The ambiance of the novel is really interesting because it is non a typical romantic narrative, and the people really had a different manner to act on that clip. Like the manner the adult females s in that period where really interested on the money, so they can hold a good life style. Another point is that it is non so deadening because the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy has a really interesting alteration, because of the pride of him and the bias of she, destiny makes a struggle with the features of each one, and merely by work outing their jobs, they can eventually acquire in love. At the beginning of the narrative is when Mr. Bingley moves to England and met the Bennet s household, there is where he talks for the first clip with Jane Bennet, and experience a connexion between them, evidently Mrs. Bennet is interested in that relationships, because she wants a good life style for her girls and that is why she make everything to fall in them, but she does nt believe in the sentiment of Mr. Bingley s best friend named Mr. Darcy who ever take attention about him. Mr. Darcy feel and think that the relation between Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley is non love, and that she is merely interested in the money she will hold by get marrieding with him. And that is why he started to judge the Bennet household with a bad construct, and seek to divide Mr. Bingley of Jane Bennet, even though they are truly in both, and she is non interested in his money. During the development Mr. Darcy, ever do a bad justice of this household, but when he met Elizabeth, he started to alter his head, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are forced to be in each other s company, in different state of affairss, and there is where he get down to acquire in love with her. But Elizabeth does non experience the same at him, that is because he is seeking to divide her sisters love of her, and she start to experience hatred to him, at last she changes Mr. Darcy s head and convince him that her sister Jane will be a good married woman for Mr. Bingley, and that she is non like her female parent, that means that she is non interested in his money, because he genuinely love him. Mr. Darcy changes his head and accepts the relation between his friend and Jane Bennet, so they eventually stay together. And between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, they eventually solve the jobs and get the better of their differences and judgements, so Elizabeth sentiment of him alteration and they can eventually fall in love with each other. I think the strengths of this book is that possibly it is non a normal romantic narrative like other novels are based on, and the failings, could be that possibly non everyone is interested on reading romantic novels. This book truly keep my interested, because of the manner it is explained, and the state of affairss that happen during the narrative, I can non state it impact me, because I do non truly experience the narrative moved me, it can be because, the struggle in the novel, is non truly possible to go on to me, and the manner the people behave on that clip is non the manner the people behave now a yearss. My sentiment of this book, is that it is a truly interesting romantic novel, that can explicate how times have changed, and how people behaved many old ages ago, at the same clip that it speak about the differences that exist between the pride and bias of two people, that by work outing their differences they both get in love. I do urge this novel for people that judge people before cognizing them, and the 1s that have a batch of pride!

Biography of Vincent van Gogh and Igor Stravinsky

Biography of Vincent van Gogh and Igor Stravinsky Free Online Research Papers â€Å"One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul and yet no one ever comes to sit by it. Passerby see only a wisp of smoke rising from the chimney and continue on their way.† Vincent van Gogh Vincent van Gogh (March 30, 1853-July 29, 1890) second child to Anna Cornelia Carbentus and Theodorus van Gogh would be plagued by mental instability for the greater part of his life. Vincent was one of seven children born to the van Goghs†. The first child also called Vincent and oddly enough, born on the exact same day one year prior, was stillborn. After Vincent, came five other children, two boys and three girls, but only felt the great connection to his brother Theo. During his 37 years, Vincent exchanged over 600 letters with his brother. Unlike Vincent, who saved very few of Theo’s letters, Theo has preserved most, if not all, the letters he received from Vincent. These letters can be read on http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/. Early in his life, Vincent displayed an irritable, restless, disposition that was to thwart his every pursuit. It is unknown if one specific condition affected him or a combination of a few. If you were to ask today’s experts they may tell you he could have suffered from Epilepsy, Bipolar Disease, malnutrition, or a combination of the three. Which ever condition he was inflicted with caused him many years of pain and suffering. As a young man, Vincent felt drawn to love and wanted to help mankind. Unfortunately Vincent found it very hard to carry on relationships with other individuals. As a youngster knowing he shared a name and birth date with his older brother, may have led to his feelings of powerlessness and inadequacies. When he was eleven years old, his father thought he was getting out of hand, and he was sent away to a boarding school in Zevenberger. Leaving his family at such a young age could not have been easy on the boy. While away at school he learned three languages; but, due to financial reasons, he was unable to complete his schooling and returned home. When Vincent turned 16, his Uncle Vincent, nicknamed Uncle Cent, hired him to work as a clerk at Goupil and Co. Vincent learned to be an art dealer and became interested in the new styles in painting. He was soon transferred to the London office where life seemed to change for him. Once in London he rented a room in the home of a clergyman’s widow, Mrs. Loyer. While there he fell in love with her daughter Eu?ene. When he finally mustered up the courage to tell her his feelings for her she rejected him. Sadly this would be the first of many rejections he would have to endure throughout his life. Upon her rejection, he left the quarters at Mrs. Loyer’s house and lived alone for a period of time until his Uncle Cent arranged for him to be relocated to the Paris office in hopes that his spirit would be lifted. Upon making this change van Gogh lost all of his desire to be an art dealer. He decided instead, that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a preacher. Against his parents’ better wishes they agreed to pay for his education. He decided to abandon his training in Amsterdam, and enrolled in a training school for lay preachers. Graduates of this school were not full-fledged ministers, but learned enough to spread the Gospel among the poor. He went to preach at the coal mines in southern Belgium. He went deep underground, to watch the miners work. He tended to accident victims of cave-ins and fires. He started a bible school and preached at a dance hall. During this time he was able to identify with the miners, their lifestyles, and their families. The interaction he had with the peasants and the working class becomes evident later on in his works depicting peasant life. While in the coal mines Vincent decided he wanted to become a serious artist. It was through his artwork that he could finally open up and express his feelings. He wrote Theo hundreds of letters discussing the new techniques he was practicing along with the interaction he had with the locals. In 1881, at the age of 27, Vincent went back home to his parents. Once he was back at home he set out to teach himself how to draw. He painstakingly tested a variety of different styles of drawing using different subject matters to experiment with. After a few months of staying with his parents, Vincent had another life shattering event. His first cousin, Kee Vos and her four year old son, came to live with the van Gogh family. Vincent fell in love with Kee, and to express his feelings to her, he spoiled her son. She mistook these actions as being a caring eccentric relative but when he expressed his love for her, she rejected him and parted soon after. He couldn’t bear the rejection of another woman and went out to locate a prostitute for some companionship. This is how he came to befriend Sien. Sien was a prostitute who had an 11 year old daughter and pregnant with another child. She was the subject of many of his drawings to include, Sorrow 1882. At one point had and he considered marrying her. When Vincent contracted gonorrhea from her and found himself in the hospital with a lengthy recuperation it put a strain on the relationship. He became irritable and moody and decided his artwork was more important than the bond with her. Eventually, their relationship crumbled and she ultimately moved out. From the start of van Gogh’s artistic career he wanted to draw and paint people. There are drawings that show how he mastered weathered hands as well as other body features. He wanted to create a multiple figure piece to show the artistic community that he had talent. In 1885 he created The Potato Eater. This piece seemed very dark and the attempts to paint figures look distorted. He felt that since this piece was a failure he should have some formal training in technique. This painting is considered to be his first masterpiece, which he did not come to realize while he was still alive. Later that year he entered Antwerp Academy. It was at this time that van Gogh started to study how light and color reflected on his subjects. In letters he wrote to his brother Theo, he went into great detail about all the different methods he used to try to achieve the perfect balance. By early 1886 Vincent moved to Paris and moved in with Theo. He stopped using the dark colors that he selected in The Potato Eaters, realizing they were out of date and started using brighter colors. He developed an interest in the Japanese style and met several artists of that time including Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Emile Bernard. He wanted to open his own art school and asked his new friends to join him. He was convinced that using his new vibrant color combinations would contribute to modern art. Toward the end of 1888, van Gogh started exhibiting more signs of mental illness. He suffered from epileptic seizures, shifting from extreme happiness to manic depression, and delusions. Even his brother Theo wrote in a letter to his family that van Gogh â€Å"appears as if there are two different beings in him, the one marvelously gifted, fine and delicate, and the other selfish and heartless†. Van Gogh decided to move to Arles France where he rented four rooms. This house was more than a place to sleep and paint in, it became symbolic for him. He referred to it as the house of light. He was hoping to use this house to open a new artists’ commune. Other artists would come and live there with him and share his expenses and work together. But when all was said and done only one artist, Paul Gauguin, came to live at the yellow house. In the beginning van Gogh was very happy to have Gauguin there; he had great hopes of having a successful artist community. But it was apparent early on that there was a great difference in the two men’s personalities. When Gauguin arrived he found the house to be in disarray as well as van Gogh. Assessing the financial needs for such an endeavor, Gauguin attempted to put the household on a budget. By early December the tension between the two men was evident. Vincent wrote to his brother expressing his feelings about whether Gauguin was going to stay or move out. Gauguin too was unsure whether he should stay or not; he even wrote to Theo expressing his feelings about leaving, then would write again about staying. There were episodes that Gauguin would awaken to Vincent standing over him; who knows what would have happened if he failed to wake up in time. I believe this indecisiveness on Gauguin’s part led to a psychotic incident with Vincent. On Christmas Eve, while taking a walk after dinner, Gauguin recounts an episode where he heard familiar footsteps coming up quickly behind him. When he turned he saw an enraged Vincent rushing toward him with a razor in his hand. Looking at Gauguin, Vincent realized what he was doing turned, and ran the other way. Gauguin went to the local hotel and fell asleep. Vincent did not return home. That night he went back to the yellow house and used the razor to slice off his earlobe. He then wrapped the lobe in newspaper, went to the local brothel, and gave the package to one of the prostitutes, Rachel. He returned to his house and was found the next morning near death from bleeding and lack of good health. After the recovery of his attack, he returned to the yellow house and began painting again. He had joked about the incident and was not even concerned about his missing earlobe. This recovery did not last long, he found himself in and out of the hospital suffering from more attacks and delusions. Vincent traveled to Saint-Rà ©my-de-Provence where he committed himself to an asylum. Although suffering from attacks, he was unable to draw for months at a time; he managed to paint Starry Night 1888 which has been labeled one of the most influential pieces in history. All in all, while in the asylum, it is said that Vincent did some of his best work ever. It is important to note that over the years there has been much speculation as to the cause or reasons behind van Gogh’s attacks. In a conversation with the son of Theo, Vincent Willem van Gogh, Vincent’s attacks seemed to be timed with certain news of the day. For example van Gogh started having trouble with Gauguin when Theo announced his engagement to Johanna Bonger. Then there were other incidences when Theo and Johanna married, the announcement of Johanna being pregnant, and the actual birth of their baby. There is no mention in Vincent’s letters to Theo about these events. It is speculated that Vincent was afraid he was going to be cut off from his allowance that Theo had been sending him most of his adult life. What was mentioned in a letter to Theo, from Vincent, is his animosity toward art dealers and the fact that a dead artist was valued more than a living one. Some feel that he contemplated suicide as a way to pay Theo back for all of his support. On July 27, Vincent went out to paint, took a revolver with him and shot himself in the abdomen. He was found the next day, weaken from blood loss. His friend (and doctor) Dr. Gachet was summoned with Theo to his bedside. Vincent died the next day, on July 29, after spending the day smoking his pipe and talking to his brother. He would no longer be a burden on his brother. Unfortunately, his brother did not fair so well after his death. He tried without luck to find a gallery to display Vincent’s artwork. He had troubles with his employer, quit his job, and eventually turned hostile. He was hospitalized just as his brother had been. Upon his recovery, Johanna took him to Holland, where he succumbed to a weighty depression. Six months after the death of Vincent van Gogh, Vincent’s brother Theo died as well. The doctor on duty noted that Theo suffered from â€Å"overstrain and sorrow.† I believe he died of a broken heart at the loss of his cherished brother. Although Vincent van Gogh’s life was short, he was able to do something that no other artist before him achieved. He introduced real life and feelings to modern art instead of just painting what you see. It is evident that he didn’t follow a prescribed path. He used his drawings to perfect his talents and he used his paintings to reflect his feelings. He idolized other painters of his day, never imagining that he too was, a great painter. He took the techniques of the time and turned them into his own creations. When he realized that his color palette in The Potato Eaters was to dark he used brighter colors. When he was not pleased with his attempts to draw figures he studied anatomy. By changing brush stroke patterns and paint textures Vincent was able to create masterpieces. But as evident in Starry Night’s swirling colors and turbulent skies; one may conclude that Vincent experienced those same emotions in his head. Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971), Russian-American composer was considered by some to be the most important composer of the 20th century. Born in a village on the Gulf of Finland, he was one of four boys. He did not seem to have very fond memories of his parents or his brothers. When he talked about his childhood he seemed lonely and unhappy, but when asked why, he was unable to offer exact reasons for the unhappiness. It may have had something to do with his father’s quick temper or his mother’s expression of distaste for his music. He did not talk much about his brothers. Roman, eight years older than him, died while Igor was still a boy. Yury, three years older than Igor, who went on to be a structural engineer, died in 1941. But Igor’s younger brother Gury, who was also musically gifted, had a special place in Igor’s heart. Unfortunately, Igor grieved the death of his brother Gury who died in 1917 of typhus while serving i n a Red Cross Unit during World War I. The only other relative that Igor had any affection for was his Uncle Alexander Yelachich, who was a passionate musical amateur (Igor Stravinsky, pg 14). It hurt Stravinsky that his parents did not acknowledge his musical talent since both of them were musicians. His father, Fyodor Stravinsky, bass singer at the Marlinsky Theater, forbade him to study music, as he had a law education in mind for his son. He wanted his son to become a lawyer. But by age 20 Stravinsky had decided to go into music and studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov who was the leading Russian composer at that time. Stravinsky made a student effort at composing Artifices de feu (Fireworks). This got the attention of Sergei Diaghilev who hired Stravinsky to do some orchestrations, and then a full-length ballet score, L’ Oiseau de feu (The Firebird). In 1910 Stravinsky left Russia to travel to Paris. Once he was in Paris, he composed two more works Petrushka(1911) and Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) (1913). The Rite of Spring caused quite a controversy. When the music began to play with complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites, drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance. Stravinsky was so upset that he fled the theater in mid-scene, reportedly crying. Much like van Gogh, Stravinsky was driven to learn and explore. He was interested in art, literature and life. He took this desire and collaborated with composers, poets, filmmakers and artists. Stravinsky married his first cousin, Katerina Nossenko. Katerina was a close confidant to Igor and their marriage lasted 33 years, until her death in 1939. However he was living a double life with the love of his life Vera de Bosset who he carried on an affair with from 1921 until Katerina’s death in 1939. Upon Katerina’s death he married Vera. Stravinsky’s career fell into three different stylistic periods. The Russian period consisted of three ballets, L’ Oiseau de feu, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. He composed these for Diaghilev. They are scored for very large orchestras using Russian folk themes. They are reminiscent of Rimsky-Korsakov’s scoring style. The next period for Stravinsky’s style was the Neo-Classical period starting in 1930. This period abandons the great orchestras turning to wind instruments, the piano, and choral works. The Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Symphony of Psalms are among the best ever created for wind instruments. Stravinsky goes on to write a few other great works but by 1951 he never wrote another neo-classic work. The last and final style for Stravinsky, and probably his best work, is the Serial period. This is when he started to use the dodecaphony technique. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale are sounded as often as one another in a piece of music. All 12 notes are thus given more or less equal importance, and the music avoids being in a key (Wikpedia.com). He experimented with this technique in smaller vocal pieces such as Cantata (1952), Three Songs from Shakespeare (1953) and In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954). Probably the most important period for Stravinsky was when he returned to the ballet with Agon, a work for twelve dancers that combined the tonality of the neo-classic period with Stravinsky’s own unique take on the Serial method. Vincent van Gogh, like Igor Stravinsky, were both born during the nineteenth century. Both van Gogh and Stravinsky had a need to try new techniques with strong opinions on how to perfect their craft and they each followed a path not yet traveled by others. They lived in several different cities including Paris. And, were both constantly evolving, utilizing different styles and techniques. They differ in the fact that van Gogh was emotionally troubled the majority of his life. He found it increasingly difficult to handle even the smallest rejections. He was unable to find the one true love he longed for and died at his own hand at the age of 37. Igor Stravinsky outlived his family, married once for closeness and companionship and the second for love. Both of these artists are considered to leave behind legacies of their talent and hey have been copied by others who followed them. Stravinsky had the opportunity to see the fruition of his labors but van Gogh did not. â€Å"To continue in one path, is to go backwards.† Igor Stravinsky Bibliography Vincent van Gogh Robert Wallace and the Editors of Time-Life Books, The World of Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Time Life Library of Art Linda Whiteley, Van Gogh Life and Works, Source Books Inc. Enrica Crispino, Masters of Art Van Gogh, Peter Bedrick Books http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_House_(Arles) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Van_Gogh Igor Stravinsky Michael Oliver, Igor Stravinsky, Phaidon Press Limited The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001-05 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_stravinsky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_Spring Research Papers on Biography of Vincent van Gogh and Igor StravinskyThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UsePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenTrailblazing by Eric AndersonCapital PunishmentHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

The History of Mobile Homes

The History of Mobile Homes A  mobile home is a  prefabricated  structure built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to a  site (either by being towed or on a trailer). Used as permanent  homes or for holiday and temporary accommodation, they are usually left permanently or semi-permanently in one place. However, they can be moved since property may be required to relocate from time to time for legal reasons. Mobile  homes  share the same historic origins as  travel trailers. Today the two are very different in size and furnishings, with travel trailers being used primarily as temporary or vacation homes. Behind the cosmetic work fitted at installation to hide the base, there are strong trailer frames, axles, wheels, and tow-hitches. The Earliest Moveable Homes The first examples of mobile homes can be traced back to the roaming bands of gypsies  who traveled with their horse-drawn mobile homes as far back as the 1500s. In America, the first mobile homes were built in the 1870s. These were movable beach-front properties  built in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. The homes were moved by teams of horses. Mobile homes as we know them today came about in 1926 with automobile-pulled trailers or Trailer Coaches. These were designed as a home away from home during camping trips. The trailers later evolved into mobile homes that were brought into demand after World War II ended. Veterans came home needing housing and found dwellings to be in short supply. Mobile homes provided cheap and quickly built housing for the veterans and their families (the beginning of the baby boom) and being mobile allowed the families to travel where the jobs were. Mobile Homes Get Bigger In 1943, trailers averaged a width of eight  feet and were more than 20 feet in length. They had up to three to four separate sleeping sections, but no bathrooms. But by 1948, lengths had gone up to 30 feet and bathrooms were introduced. Mobile homes continued to grow in length and widths such as doublewide. In June of 1976, the United States Congress passed the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Act (42 U.S.C.), which assured that all homes were built to tough national standards. From Mobile Home to Manufactured Housing In 1980, congress approved changing the term mobile home to manufactured home. Manufactured homes are built in a factory and must conform to a federal building code. A  tornado might cause minor damage to a site-built home, but it could do significant damage to a factory-built home, especially an older model or one that is not properly secured. Seventy mile-per-hour winds can destroy a mobile home in a matter of minutes. Many brands offer optional hurricane straps, which can be used to tie the home to anchors embedded in the ground. Mobile Home Parks Mobile homes are often situated in land-lease communities known as  trailer parks. These communities allow homeowners to rent space on which to place a home. In addition to providing space, the site often provides basic utilities such as water, sewer, electricity, natural gas and other amenities such as mowing, garbage removal, community rooms, pools, and playgrounds. There are thousands of trailer parks in the United States. Although most parks appeal to meeting basic housing needs, some communities specialize towards certain segments of the market such as senior citizens.

Amazon vs. Borders Books Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Amazon vs. Borders Books - Essay Example Having seen the huge growths of Borders, Kmart acquired it in 1992 and renamed the company name as Border Group. It started international expansion during the latter periods of 1990’s and started its first international office in Singapore in 1997. Subsequently the company was expanded to many other overseas countries and was in good shape till 2004. However, it started to face many problems from 2004 onwards and currently one the verge of destruction. It filed bankruptcy suit for closing its 200 stores in 2011. Comparison of the management approaches each company took to Internet marketing and sales Amazon formulated many strategies to keep the visitors for longer periods in its website. They were aware of the fact that spending more time by surfers in their website may definitely increase their sales. They did everything possible to tie up the visitors in their website. Since majority of the internet surfers are teenagers, Amazon focused more in catering the needs of the tee nagers while they visit Amazon’s website. In short, Amazon’s internet marketing strategies were primarily based on the teenage community. Advertising, E-retailing, Channeling, ,  Affiliation, Franchising, Subscription etc were some of the internet marketing approaches developed and implemented by Amazon management for exploiting the market opportunities. On the other hand, Borders committed so many strategic blunders which brought many challenges to the existence of the company. For example, â€Å"Borders made a major strategic error in 2001 when it handed off its online business to Amazon†(Wahba, 2011). Instead of exploiting the opportunities in online business, Borders tried to stay away from it. They thought... The essay "Amazon vs. Borders Books" talks about the activity and competition of two largest booksellers in the world. The paper analyzes why in different situations one of them was successful and the other one was a failure. Amazon.com is currently one of the topmost online booksellers in the world. It was started in the mid-1990s and was not profitable in the first few years. However, with innovative business strategies, it overcame the initial challenges and became the leader in online bookselling. On the other hand, Borders Books was the second largest bookseller in America. It was started in 1971. Until 2004, Borders faced little problems and was running profitable. However, after 2004, it started to face many management and business problems which forced them to file for Chapter 11 in 2011. The management of Amazon adapted wonderfully to the changing market conditions whereas Borders failed to do so. While Amazon was quick to realize the opportunities in online business, Borders failed to recognize it. Amazon has introduced customer friendly websites to attract the online customers whereas Borders relied heavily on the abilities of sales staff in selling their books from its store. Amazon produced innovative websites with the help of modern technologies to communicate effectively with the customers. Interactive components were some of the facilities available in amazon websites. Borders stayed completely away from its online customers and it was a major blunder committed by the company.

Marketing Managerment Project Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Managerment Project - Research Paper Example The case cites an example of Kellogg’s in Asia-Pacific region especially in India. This case is a classic example of concerted marketing efforts going haywire to produce reverse results. When a multinational giant organization such as Kellogg’s launches into an unknown region and area it needs to do the homework and establishes itself. The case highlights on the turnaround strategies used by the company to control the damage and survive. Today Kellogg’s is a household name in most Indian families and also the most preferred breakfast cereal, irrespective of that Kellogg’s needs to be alert in the volatile market. In an upcoming and third world market the options available are many for the consumers as the competition keeps offering one product after the other, which eventually widens the choice for the average consumer. Hence to not only to survive, but also sustain profitably, Kellogg’s has to innovate and in product as well marketing strategies. T his paper also suggests a few such strategies with its implications and challenges. No organization can capture a market and be complacent, because capturing a market may be a onetime effort but retaining the market with profitability requires new challenges to be taken and met with competence, effort and good marketing. Kellogg’s – The Indian Story We all love breakfast cereals and the crackling sound they make early morning. They give us an idea about how fresh and beautiful each day is going to be after a healthy breakfast. We are now going to look into a healthy breakfast story of none other than the breakfast giant Kellogg’s in India. Kellogg’s so far in western market has always maintained its upper hand. It was introduced in the Indian market in the year 2005 and was an absolute flophouse. From there on the company looked into various perspectives to make the product a success and has continued to grow in the market steadily. Today even if it has n ot captured the so called breakfast market share it has managed to survive and even run profitably and smoothly in India. We are going to study the turnaround of Kellogg’s in India in this assignment. Kellogg’s started its way in 1906 and today is the leader of corn flakes and breakfast cereals. Its worldwide expansion program goes as back as 1914. Kellogg’s expanded in England and Australia. By the year 1958 Kellogg’s settled in America making it the most popular breakfast frosty cereals and corn flakes. Over the years Kellogg’s has acquired Worthington Foods, Kashi Company and Keebler Foods. They also have a marketing tie up with Disney. Today Kellogg’s is manufactured in 17 countries and marketed over 180 countries worldwide. It has multiple products such as corn flakes, nutrition bars, ice cream cones, pies, and waffles etc. Today it is a company with billions of dollars of turnover world over. With this strength, history and backing Kel logg’s launched with many trumpets in Indian market. It started with its basic product - cornflakes. SWOT Analysis of Kellogg’s: Strengths: 1. Kellogg’s is a multi-billion dollar company having presence worldwide. 2. The product quality that is offered is uniform across the markets world over. 3. It has an excellent brand name and enjoys a healthy brand image. 4. Through various acquisitions it has acquired a range of products starting from breakfast cereals to nutrition bars and diet cereals. 5. Its primary strength lies in baking and innovative products it keeps coming

Talent Management Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Talent Management Strategy - Research Paper Example The paper also identifies how an organization must tailor its talent management strategy over time to respond to the dynamics of a business environment and also to the changing organizational structural and strategic requirements. The organization under this paper’s consideration is hypothetical small service driven company, with a total of 200 employees out of which 20 are leaders. The company provides business consultancy services to organizations, and is hypothetically named as ABC consultants. Discussion Talent management is the core function of Human Resource Planning and Execution (Henry, 1995). It is a process of designing strategy for identifying an organization’s human capital requirements in pursue of business goals and objectives in the long run. Since human capital is the most fickle resource that an organization possesses, therefore, an organization faces a scarcity of talent in the market which gives birth to talent competition and rivalry (Price, 2007). T alent management transcends beyond the borders of human resource function to a holistic integration of framework for organizational values and cultural fit, competency and capability fit, and structural system fit. In order to formulate a talent management strategy for ABC Company in a manner that it serves as a competitive edge, it is crucial to first uncover the logic behind. Research has shown that for the past years the business organizations have witnessed and have embraced the fact that organizational talent has been the key driver of business value to the organization. There are two reasons for this, first is that the technological advancement has enabled and equipped businesses to acquire and replicate any and every organizational resource edge, systems, processes, marketing mix, technology etc; but only the human resource has been the vital intangible asset that cannot be replicated or acquired by the industry rivals. Secondly, human resource has been deemed as the ultimate deliverers of value to the customers and the only key sources for execution of strategies as planned and conceived by the business objectives. Thus especially for organizations which are operating globally, it’s crucial for them to sustain a consistent human resource body in diverse talent environment and manage it locally and internationally (Salaman, Storey, and Billsberry, 2005). Therefore, the power has eventually been shifted from organizations to employees and this has mandated organizations to link and integrate talent strategy with business processes, systems, technology and objectives. For designing an integrated TMS, the ABC firm must align its objectives and talent; it involves matching the organizational competencies with individual capabilities. Determination of organization’s current and future competencies along the side of organizational talent help identifies the need for fresh talent or development of existing talent to alleviate potential. This crea tes a company-wide mindset for developing talent focused strategies that internalize social, market and organizational changes (Ford, Harding, and Stoyanova, 2010). Once a match has been established between talent and organizational objectives, the nest step in TM process is to develop a retention strategy for retaining the most promising experienced and knowledgeable talent leaders. At ABC firm 10% of the total work force is leading talent personnel which are prime targets of ABC’s succession management, development programs and retention strategy. But ABC must determine the leadership potential amongst the rest by assessing their engagement in organizational affairs, current performance,

Unethical Desion in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unethical Desion in business - Essay Example what Alan Greenspan called the â€Å"increasingly complex financial instruments† that were supposed to have built â€Å"a far more efficient, flexible and resilient financial system† were actually tools designed to circumvent the banking regulatory system meant to ensure safety and prudence in the first place (Lewis et al., 2010:79). The bankers behind them were not motivated by any desire other than greed for profits, and their greed cost hundreds of thousands of people worldwide their homes, jobs, and the security of their families. In earlier times and even today in many cultures, the image of a businessman connotes shrewd selfishness that will not hesitate to pry the last dollar from an unwitting customer’s fingers. In many instances, the impression is well-justified, prompted by the oft-used phrase: â€Å"It’s only business† in explaining why the hapless customer should find himself short-changed. The multi-million dollar golden parachutes CEOs of the failed banks awarded themselves with before abandoning the ship of drowning investors are perfectly legal, they argue: it’s just business, as if that were sufficient excuse to avoid the norms of ethical behaviour. It is often thought that unethical behaviour in business is caused by the lack of time to ponder the repercussions of a decision that must be made in haste. That is not so, according to a recent study. Zhong, et al. (2010) found just the opposite, that the greater the time for deliberation, the less ethical the decision tends to be. This appears to contradict all known earlier philosophies that the time to reason ensures ethical choices. The experiment performed in the study, however, seems to suggest that when given the freedom to consult their consciences before acting, instead of simply following the rules, one is persuaded to rationalize his actions, to provide some â€Å"good† to explain why an unethical decision (usually more beneficial to himself) could be made. In simple words, the

Armed Conflict and International Humanitarianism Essay

Armed Conflict and International Humanitarianism - Essay Example The intervention works with or without the use of force, with or without support from the local population and even with or without legal ambiguities. However, it is my firm belief that without a cultural understanding of conflict and the culture of the people involved in the conflict, no intervention or humanitarian action can be completely successful. Since the age of traditional war as history has known it to be has more or less ended with the devastating terrorist attacks of 9/11, the war against terrorism has also created situations where humanitarian aid may be required after both the terrorists and the alliance forces have left the region (Akhavi, 2003). The case of Afghanistan is a prime example where humanitarian aid is desperately required after the country has seen both the ravages of the Taliban and the carpet bombers from America. However, the area still remains a conflict zone and must be treated as such. This also means that conflict must be understood in a cultural context since the reaction, acceptance and acts performed in a conflict zone certainly change from culture to culture (Ehrenreich, 1998). A generation of Afghanis has grown up without knowing a place to call home and have lived with conflict as a part of their lives (Akhavi, 2003). On the other hand, a humanitarian aid worker from Denmark may have a completely different view about both war and humanitarian aid. It has been accepted by both active soldiers and humanitarian workers that an understanding of culture is essential for conducting any operation in a given environment. However, the need for understanding culture and how the conflict is viewed in a cultural context is even more pressing when the humanitarian work has to be done in an area which is considered to be a combat zone. Moreover, the nature of humanitarian work has broadened enough to the point where the battle for ‘hearts and minds’ does not have to be fought by those wearing red

Unethical Desion in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unethical Desion in business - Essay Example what Alan Greenspan called the â€Å"increasingly complex financial instruments† that were supposed to have built â€Å"a far more efficient, flexible and resilient financial system† were actually tools designed to circumvent the banking regulatory system meant to ensure safety and prudence in the first place (Lewis et al., 2010:79). The bankers behind them were not motivated by any desire other than greed for profits, and their greed cost hundreds of thousands of people worldwide their homes, jobs, and the security of their families. In earlier times and even today in many cultures, the image of a businessman connotes shrewd selfishness that will not hesitate to pry the last dollar from an unwitting customer’s fingers. In many instances, the impression is well-justified, prompted by the oft-used phrase: â€Å"It’s only business† in explaining why the hapless customer should find himself short-changed. The multi-million dollar golden parachutes CEOs of the failed banks awarded themselves with before abandoning the ship of drowning investors are perfectly legal, they argue: it’s just business, as if that were sufficient excuse to avoid the norms of ethical behaviour. It is often thought that unethical behaviour in business is caused by the lack of time to ponder the repercussions of a decision that must be made in haste. That is not so, according to a recent study. Zhong, et al. (2010) found just the opposite, that the greater the time for deliberation, the less ethical the decision tends to be. This appears to contradict all known earlier philosophies that the time to reason ensures ethical choices. The experiment performed in the study, however, seems to suggest that when given the freedom to consult their consciences before acting, instead of simply following the rules, one is persuaded to rationalize his actions, to provide some â€Å"good† to explain why an unethical decision (usually more beneficial to himself) could be made. In simple words, the

Enterprise Resource Planning Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Enterprise Resource Planning - Article Example While there has been detailed analysis and interpretation in the forth coming sections, a few basic definitions have also been added to facilitate the study here. It is important that companies have an absolutely clear understanding regarding what is enterprise resource planning before contemplating on its implementation as the urgency to acquire results in a limited time frame most often defeat the very purpose of investing in ERP. While we are aware ERP accelerates results and speed is one of the key drivers, the faster it is implemented the quicker and better are the advantages and delivery in terms of results, however this early process has a huge hindrance, the returns are sought at a shorter period which may blind the companies to foresee long term effects. This deviation from the conventional practice is being largely implemented as far as many companies are concerned. Business process reengineering played a vital role with respect to its implementation. One needs to know the components of Enterprise resource planning beyond the definition to further the interest of ERP . The most natural outcome of this effort lead to development of gaps between the actual results and the one derived during the process of foreseeing or at planning stage. Customizing ERP without a thought through analysis, merely at the slightest requirement of various stakeholders in the organization, molding of practices followed in the company would inevitably drag the assessment of results beyond the time limits permitted to evaluate its success. Let alone the huge monetarily impact, it also damages basic customer's trust. It is also necessary to understand that mere ERP planning does not guarantee the benefit of ERP. It has to be implemented as planned project after understanding the components of enterprise resource planning. In spite of having improved the implementation issues what remains static is the manner in which companies go ahead with ERP implementation. The objectives regarding why ERP, need to be very clear to any firm that is planning to implement it. The key ones are listed in the diagram below with enhanced customer service at the top of it as increased customer service is directly proportional to additional business and growth in revenue. Why ERP 2. Enterprise Resource Planning Approach The section above briefly explains the key drivers an organization need to consider prior to using the ERP approach. It can be increasingly difficult to manage and measure effectiveness and success of the approach if it is implemented as a need of the times exercise, just for name sake without following systematic procedures. It is important to

Pre-1914 literature Arthur Conan Doyle Essay Example for Free

Pre-1914 literature Arthur Conan Doyle Essay The previous pair of quotes significantly carries the Victorian assumption of evil and mysterious foreigners. Victorians associated drugs with the Far East: As I entered, a swallow of Malay attendant, and the rascally Lascar who runs it has sworn to have vengeance upon me. Both these quotes suggest similar nature in the Victorian attitude to others of different origins. The drugs and alcohol is unfairly associated with Malaysia being a Far Eastern country, this unfairly creates unnecessary judgements about the atmosphere of the country. Lascar was a Victorian term used to label an East Indian (Pakistani) sailor army servant. The Lascar in The Man with the Twisted Lip was described as rascally Lascar, although this indicates that the den runner is Asian but also the description creates an image of a mischievous person. We have seen how Arthur Conan Doyle has used stereotypical thoughts in his work to satisfy the aristocracy. The Victorians feared that the culture and customs of non British people, they felt threatened by foreigners; Sherlock Holmes was a method of reassurance in which the Victorian culture and values were still respected. During the Victorian era there were three sets of class between people. The highest class were called the Aristocracy, the middle class were called the Merchants, and the lowest class were known as the poor. The aristocracy lived a life of luxury and had huge amounts of materialistic wealth and possessions. The aristocracy were all educated and had a high status amongst all people. The merchants could have possibly been literate, but they were not as highly renowned compared to the aristocracy, but they were better off compared to the poor. The merchant class would do a certain job for a living. Lastly, the poor were very uneducated and lived in awful conditions. They were detested by the aristocracy because of their lack of hygiene and also because of their class. The aristocracy at the time of the Victorian era were seen as the most intelligent, in The Speckled Band we are clearly shown that Holmes is of the upper class: Very soon to knock you up Watson; he uses upper class speech. Holmes in The Speckled Band also shows his intelligence No, but I observe the second half of a return ticket; this quote shows the wise and intelligent remarks Holmes uses. The upper class were also shown to be very respective and polite, in A study in Scarlet, Holmes shows his upper class etiquettes: His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed, as it to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination. The upper class would help and always relate to each other, in The Noble Batchelor: I presume they were hardly from the same class of society, No I am descending, My last client of the sort was a king. Holmes tells a client that he has worked for a King. In another Sherlock Holmes novel The Adventure of Black Peter: he frequently refused his help to the powerful and wealthy where the problem made no appeal to his sympathies. These quotes show how Holmes who is of the upper class helps the upper class only if the problem is actualy a valid one for him to have nay interest in. In the customs of Victorian culture Victorian gentlemen were intelligent and rational thinkers and also family leaders and role models. If a man of the upper class fails to acquire these fundamental aspects of a well character gentleman they would be known as a fallen gentleman. In The Speckled Band Dr Roylott is a perfect example of a fallen gentleman: he beat his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a capital sentence, he shut himself up in his house and seldom came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania. Dr Roylott is a fallen gentleman, some aspects which make him one is that he is a murderer and has a violent nature. Another perfect example of a fallen gentleman can be found in The Man with the Twisted Lip, the character Mr St. Clair displays clear characteristics of a fallen gentleman: to my relief, that instead of being identified as Mr Neville St. Clair, I was arrested as his murderer. Mr St. Clair has been caught acting as a beggar to earn money when he seemed to be a of the higher class standards. Doing such things was an obvious big offence to the Victorian customs. The aristocracy thought of themselves as supreme and pure, they never did any physical work that could discolour their skin: a pale face (From The Man with the Twisted Lip). The aristocracy tend to have very pale skin, indicating that they do not work, because work can causes skin discolouring. Hygiene was a very important aspect of everyday aristocracy life, in The Speckled Band, it is very unusual that Holmes packs a toothbrush when he is off to investigate an incident: That and a toothbrush are, I think, all that we need. As well as hygiene, appearance was obviously a very important item addressed in everyday upper class life. From The Man with the Twisted Lip we are shown: such as he had started to town in, he has on neither collar nor necktie. This quote reveals to us how important this was to the upper class. This is demonstrating that a man of high class would never be seen without a tie around his neck. The merchant class were not as intelligent and as respected as the aristocracy. The middleclass were not better than the upper class. As justified by the following quote from The Scandal in Bohemia, it displays a very basic outline in what Holmes does: he was still, as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied his immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in following out those clues and clearing up these mysteries, which had been abandoned as hopeless by the official police. Not only does this quote demonstrate the powers and qualities of Holmes, but in meaning it also shows us that the police who are the working class are being outsmarted by Holmes who is of the upper class, which suggests that the upper class is better than the merchant or working class. The aristocracy also control the middleclass: if you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up on the other hand, if you convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against you (From The Man with the Twisted Lip). This quote shows us the Victorian thinking that a person belonging to the aristocracy will always have power and manipulation over the lower classes. The poor were hated by the upper classes. The higher class hated them for many reasons, one being there appearance, and extract from The Man with the Twisted Lip: He was, as the inspector said extremely dirty, but the grime which covered his face could not conceal its repulsive ugliness. This reveals that the Victorian upper class thought the poor as being very ugly, disgusting and dirty, this was the stereotype that all poor people were ugly and dirty. The lower class were seen as the worst of all people; the gypsies were hated just because they lived in a different way. In The Speckled Band, the Ms Stoner states: sometimes it may have referred to some band of people, perhaps to these very gypsies in the plantation might have suggested the strange adjective she used. This demonstrated the class differences, Ms Stoner feels superior to the gypsies, also revealing that the Victorian aristocracy though themselves as being superior to all other classes. Victorian assumption to crime mysteries is that if there was a person out of the upper class or the poor they were the criminals. From The Man with the Twisted Lip, this attitude is clearly shown: wash his hands, and his face is as black as a tinkers. Well once his case is settled he will have a regular prison bath. This quotes significance is that the poor people were always the assumed of committing crimes, because that is the only way they can survive. When someone decides to change their class it is seen as the worst possible thing that could happen in the view of Victorians. The poor cannot be changed to the aristocracy because of their past and their low status. The same way a man of the aristocracy cannot become lower than his usual class, if this does happen then this is seen as the most shameful situation. Prime examples are Dr Roylott from The Speckled Band and Mr St. Clair from The Man with the Twisted Lip. From analysing mainly the two novels; The Speckled Band and The Man with the Twisted Lip that were both written by Arthur Conan Doyle, the Victorian attitudes towards gender, ethnicity and class are revealed. In terms of gender these points have been discussed and proven; Men were fare more intelligent and rational than women. Women were over emotional; they also had authority over domestic matters. However, men were in control over all aspects of Victorian life. Points concerning ethnicity were; Victorians felt threatened and also hated foreigners (Xenophobia). Victorian saw foreigners and animals as dangerous and mischievous. Victorian towards class was that the Aristocracy were very wealthy, the working class worked for their wealth and the lower class was just poor. Someone transferring classes was not acceptable in Victorian society, the Victorians held a strong belief that someone should stick to their status and class. From the previous Victorian assumption we can conclude that the Victorian morals, values and thinking were much contrasting than what the present views on society are, and things have changed in a positive way.   Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Crusades From the 11th to 13th Century

Crusades From the 11th to 13th Century Account for enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th to the 13th century. The following will discuss, evaluate, and account for the enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th through to the 13th century. Crusading was the name given to the attempts of Western European Christians to regain the lands and the territories in the Middle East lost due to the advance of Islamic forces. The lands, which the varying crusading forces, were primarily interested in regaining from Islamic control were those territories within the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem. All these territories had formally been under Christian control as part of the Byzantine Empire, which had once dominated the Middle East. At the start of the 11th century the Byzantine Empire still remained the dominant power in the Balkans and other parts of Eastern Europe. The Byzantine Empire had not been able to halt the advance of Islamic forces from the late 7th century and had not received any military or naval assistance that had halted the Islamic incursions from Western Europe. Although politically divid ed Western Europe was overwhelming Christian in religious terms with the papacy holding a great deal of influence over religious beliefs even if it could not exercise political power? As will be discussed below the original motivations for launching the crusades were primarily religious and those motivations continued from the 11th century through to the 13th century. The religious beliefs and views of the Western Europeans had a strong upon their enthusiasm for crusading and their subsequent behaviour towards both Muslims and the Orthodox Christians they came in to contact with. For the papacy and indeed for many of the Christians within Western Europe the occupation of the Holy Land by Muslims was an intolerable situation which needed to be reversed so that those territories would once again come under Christian control, as they had been part of the Byzantine Empire. Although the Muslims allowed Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy Land and permitted freedom of worship to the Christians and the Jews who still lived there, that did not lower Western European enthusiasm for taking the Holy Land out of Muslim hands. The way in which the crusades were conducted provided ample proof that the religious fervour of the Roman Catholic church which did the most to stimulate support for the crusades was highly intolerant of Islam and Eastern Orthodox Christianity alike. The actual fact Muslims had control of these lands was bitterly resented by the Christians of Western Europe in general, and the Papacy in particular. There was a prevailing sense that this situation w as unacceptable and only a temporary sign of weakness within Christianity was a continuous source of enthusiasm for crusading (Roberts, 1996, p. 158). Whilst the Muslims still controlled part or all of the Holy Land then enthusiasm for starting and then continuing the crusades was always likely to remain strong. The strong religious beliefs and dare it be said, prejudices were deeply held within Western Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries, with the result that the crusades remained popular as did the urge to carry on crusading. The first crusade would provide enough momentum to inspire a further three crusades in the period as well as the establishment of crusader kingdoms in the Holy Land. The crusades would heighten the conflict between Western Christianity; it also soured its relationship with the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox churches, culminating in the disastrous fourth crusade and the sack of Constantinople (Angold, 1997, p.10). The Papacy started the enthusiasm for crusading experienced in Western Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries. The first crusade was directly inspired by Pope Urban II who asked for those Western Christians that were capable of going to the Middle East to assist the Byzantine Empire against the expansion of Islamic power in that region should do so (Norwich, 1997, p.256). Urban II’s appeal for people to join the first crusade gained recruits from right across Western Europe. The crusading urge meant that people from states that were rivals or even enemies joined together to fight the Muslims that controlled the Holy Land. The first crusade was truly a multinational fighting force, as were the next three crusades (Connell, 2001, p.8). Urban II’s message that all future crusaders were doing God’s bidding was an astute means of developing and maintaining an enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries. It was a message that both the Papacy and se cular authorities were more than happy to convey throughout this period (Norwich, 1997 p. 256). The Papacy contended that the crusaders would not only be assured of heavenly treasures during their own after life, the crusaders would be rewarded with earthly treasures as well in their lives before death. For some of those individuals that took part in the crusades the opportunity to gain treasures and their own lands as a result of participation in the crusading campaigns was a greater cause for strong enthusiasm than any other form of motivation. Greed was therefore a strong and virtually continuous factor in the development and the continuing of enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries. That greed made those that joined the crusades just as dangerous to the Eastern Orthodox Christians of the Middle East as they were to the Muslims who lived in the region (Norwich, 1997 p.257). Indeed, when the crusaders did manage to take land away from the Muslims within the Middle East, the victorious crusaders would set up their own separate kingdoms. The crusader kingdo ms were demonstrations of the greed and the pretensions of the crusaders themselves, the territories that they took control of should have been restored to the Byzantine Empire. If the crusaders had genuinely wished to contain Islamic power within the Middle East region, and aimed to keep the Holy Land under Christian control they would restored Byzantine power in these areas. Arguably a Byzantine Empire that had its Middle East territories restored as a result of the crusades would have been in a better position to keep the Holy Land in Christian hands. It is highly doubtful though if returning all regained territories to the control of the Byzantine Empire would have generated so much enthusiasm for crusading between the 11th and 13th centuries (Roberts, 1996 p. 158). The military and territorial successes of the first crusade was a strong factor in the development and the subsequent maintenance of widespread popular enthusiasm for crusading campaigns between the 11th century through to the 13th century. The forces of the first crusade were able to take possession of Jerusalem away from Muslim control, alongside the Lebanon, and much of Syria. The brutality of the Western European crusader armies during the first crusade made a lasting impression upon the Islamic populations within the Middle East. The onset of the crusades only increased the desire of the Muslim powers within the Middle East region to regain and maintain control of the Holy Land as well as all the other territories lost to the crusaders (Lenman, 2004 p. 214). The crusader kingdoms that were established after the apparent success of the first crusade kept the concept of crusading to the fore front of Western European thought, mainly as a means of recruiting knights and soldiers th at were needed to defend the crusader kingdoms. Knights and soldiers were needed to garrison the forts and to resist the Muslim forces that were relentlessly advancing into the crusaders territory Norwich, 1997 p. 257). The crusader kingdoms did not have enough financial resources and, enough soldiers to maintain their resistance to increasingly powerful and well led Muslim forces for prolonged periods of time. The basic Muslim military strategy was to pick off the crusader kingdoms one by one. The crusader kingdoms were not as well supported from Western Europe as strongly as they would have liked. That lack of substantial levels of support from the crusaders Western European supporters made it easier for the Muslim forces within the Middle East to conquer the territories which they had lost as a result of the first crusade (Roberts, 1996 p. 158). Ironically enough, it was the failure of the crusader kingdoms to survive the successful counter attacks of the Muslim forces within the Middle East region that prompted renewed enthusiasm for crusading. That enthusiasm resulted in the second, third, and fourth crusades throughout the remainder of the period between the 11th and the 13th century. Over all the recruitment drives to persuade people to participate in the crusades were successful, whilst the crusades themselves were military failures as they ultimately failed to restore Christian control over the Holy Land. However the launch of these crusades was a success in terms of ensuring that those crusading remained able to be highly enthusiastic about playing a role in the subsequent conflicts between the crusaders and the Muslim forces. The majority of people in Western Europe had generally held a great deal of confidence in the second crusade being every bit as successful as the first crusade had been. The popular enthusiasm f or crusading during the 11th century and through to the 13th century was assisted by the high levels of confidence that people had in the ability of the crusaders to achieve their objectives (Angold, 1997 p.194). Potentially, at least the third crusade was a campaign that would finally end Muslim control of the Holy Land once and for all. The crusaders were certainly confident of success. The third crusade could also be used to argue that there were significant levels of enthusiasm for crusading as it offered prospects for crusaders to become famous as well as rich. Going on a crusade could allow the individual crusaders the opportunity to enhance their reputations for being brave, being a good military commander, or being a devout defender of the Christian faith. For these reasons, kings, prince’s, and knights were frequent participants in the crusades. In the case of the third crusade, the most notable individual taking part was the English king Richard I, who earned the ni ckname of Richard the Lion heart (Angold, 1997 p. 178). By the time of the fourth crusade in 1204, popular enthusiasm for the practice of crusading still seemed to be very strong. However, the fourth crusade also clearly demonstrated that crusading was more concerned with greed and an increasing dislike of the Eastern Orthodox churches as it was about gaining control of the Holy Land. Instead of improving the position of the Byzantine Empire, the fourth crusade actually reduced it as a consequence of the sacking of Constantinople. The sack of Constantinople was ample demonstration that greed and prejudice were factors that created, developed, and maintained enthusiasm for crusading, as much as religious beliefs and a unmistakable belief of superiority over other religious faiths. There would be further less sustained and much smaller crusades that proved just as incapable as the four main crusades of removing Muslim control of the Holy Land. Ironically enough Jerusalem was briefly regained for Christianity in 1229 by the forces of the Hol y Roman Emperor Frederick II. His personal crusade had been launched to persuade the Papacy to remove the excommunication order against him. The Christian control of Jerusalem was only a short-term success; it was lost to Muslim forces in 1244 (Roberts, 1996 p. 159). Therefore, to conclude there were various factors that explain how and why there was a great deal of enthusiasm for crusading from the 11th century, right through to the end of the 13th century in the countries of Western Europe. The primary inspiration for starting the crusading process had been religious, and religious fervour was a constant reason for maintaining enthusiasm for crusading campaigns throughout the period. The divisions within Christianity has previously allowed the Muslims to gain control not only of the Holy Land, but the bulk of the Middle East, with the Byzantine Empire showing increasing signs of weakness. It was the Papacy under the guidance of Urban II that developed the concept of the crusades as a means of regaining control of the Holy Land and slowing down the decline of the Byzantine Empire. Enthusiasm was bases on the combination of religious fervour, the search for personal fame and fortune, factors that easily maintained popular support for crusading th roughout this period. Greed and religious prejudices were also strong influences in the brutal behaviour of the crusaders who excused their actions by arguing that restoring the Holy Land to Christian control merited earthly as well as heavenly rewards. Bibliography Angold M, (1997) The Byzantine Empire, 1025 – 1204, Longman, London Connell E S, (2001) Deus Lo Volt, a chronicle of the crusades, Pimlico, London Lenman, (2004) Chamber’s Dictionary of World History, Chambers, Edinburgh Norwich J, (1997) A Short History of Byzantium, Viking, London Roberts J.M, (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin, London and New York