Friday, November 29, 2019

Psychoanalysis of Medea free essay sample

The movement of the unconscious of Medea has been highlighted. Her libido transforms into ego when her libido object is taken from her. She loses the ability to judge right from wrong. This perspective of Medea brings out the unique dramatic art of â€Å"Euripides† in the ancient Greece. Ahmad Aqeel Sarwar Professor Ayesha Classical Drama 31st March’2012 Libido: Medea’s Real Force Medea is a domestic tragedy by Euripides depicting the psychological implications because of grief that inflate the misery of a barbarian woman Medea. A close study of the mind of Medea shows that there are certain psychological constraints which play a vital role in all of her actions. The extremist actions of Medea are not driven by her rage and grief but by her libido. Freud explains libido as: â€Å"libido is a term used in the theory of instincts for describing the dynamic manifestations of sexuality. It is difficult to say anything of the behavior of Libido in thee id and super-ego. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychoanalysis of Medea or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Everything that we know about it relates to the ego, in which the whole available amount of libido is at first stored up. Libido participates in every instinctual manifestation, but not everything in that manifestation is libido. † (Freud, Dictionary of Psychoanalysis) It shows that libido is related to ego and its manifestation is instinctual. A strong libido can be observed in the character of Medea which manifests itself in her actions driven by her extreme ego. In order to get a true picture of Medea, the myth of Medea should be examined. Ovid has given a picture of Medea in his Metamorphoses. Patricia B. Salzman Mitchell describes the psychology of Medea, as portrayed in Ovids Metamorphoses: When her story begins in Book 7, she is no more than a girl, but a girl who promptly falls in love and would give it all to gain her beloved. Her desire springs from an image of Jason. The text first describes how she became passionate for the hero (concipit interea validos Aeetias ignes/ â€Å"In the meantime, the daughter of King Aeetes was ignited by the overpowering fire of love,† (Met. 7. 9); shortly thereafter we realize that she has just seen him: â€Å"cur, quem modo denique vidi,/ ne pereat timeo? /† Why am I afraid that he whom I have only just seen may die? † (Met. 7. 15-16). The visual impression proceeds in a double edged-way. Medea Struggling with her own emotions between duty and desire, states: sed trahit invitam nova vis, aliudque cupido, mens aliud suadet: video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor â€Å"But a new force derives me against my will. Desire persu ades me one way, my mind another. I see the better course and I approve of it, but I follow the worse. † (Met. 7. 19-21) These formulae utterances have profound inter textual echoes, serve as a defining trace of Medeas character, and hint at womans libido and inability to do the right thing. At a surface level, video meliora seems to refer to Medeas knowledge of the right path to follow. Her previous comment that she has just seen Jason bears the hidden sense that what is melora may well be Jason, in her eyes. In addition, the monologue presents a key problem in the story: why does Medea burn for a foreigner? (Met. . 21-22). Medeas barbarism and the problems of treason against ones own land have been widely explored and they remain central in the issues of movement and immobility that are here discussed. Medea knows that her proper role is to stay on land and safeguard her family, but love is more powerful. As Carole Newlands points out __ though perhaps stretching Medeas transformation too far__ the heroine undergoes a change from dutiful daughter and innocent girl to rebellious woman, and finally mon ster. Patricia) This transformation in the person of Medea occurs because she is in danger of losing her libido object. She can go to all extremes to preserve this new feeling which she relishes now. Medeas actions are now derived by this new force and she is unable to act reasonably. She is ready to make the unwomanly move to kill her brother in order to get a safe passage for Jason and her. She acts unreasonably and unwomanly because she is unable to control the newly felt feeling of libido. This strange force of libido resides in her unconscious and inspires her actions. According to Freud â€Å" it (libido) manifests itself in irresistible attractions exerted by one sex upon the other and that its aim is sexual union or at least such actions as would lead to that union. † (Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud) It is no doubt her overpowering libido which takes control of her consciousness and she acts as her libido dictates her. It is worth noting that all of her actions are violent now. This is explained by Freud as,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ the libido is regularly and lawfully of a masculine nature, whether in the man or in the woman. (Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud) Its instinctual manifestation is quite clear. Here we come across a young woman, Medea, who can do anything to get hold of her libido object and her force lies in her libido. Let us now examine Medea when the drama starts. The violent Medea burning in the fire of love is not to be seen now. Her lover has married a royal woman Glauce. She is very much upset by this act of her lover. She is in a state of melancholy lamenting the deceit of Jason. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Melancholia as: â€Å"a mental condition and especially a maniac-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions. †(Merriam-Webster) Medea is suffering from this very condition. She is unable to think reasonably because of her depression. This situation has been portrayed by Euripides, â€Å"Medea (within). O misery! The things I have suffered cause enough for deep lamentations! † (Euripides) Her condition can be further explored psychologically. Ilit Ferber explains Freudian concept of mourner and melancholy, â€Å"Both Freud’s mourner and melancholic begin with a basic denial of their loss and an unwillingness to recognize it. But soon enough, the mourner, who is reacting in a non-pathological manner, recognizes and responds to the call of reality, to let go of the lost-loved object and liberate libidinal desire. This is the point of divergence with the melancholic who remains sunken in his loss, unable to acknowledge and accept the need to cleave and in a self-destructive loyalty to the lost object, internalizes it into his ego, hus furthermore circumscribing the conflict related to the loss. † (Ferber) This concept of Freud is fully synonymous with the condition of Medea presented by Euripides. She is unwilling to accept the reality; in fact she wants to mould reality by violence. Her object of libido has been taken away and this has made her depressed and she acts as a maniac. The deprivation of libido-obje ct has resulted in the repression of libido. The repression of libido disturbs the unconscious and the conscious life of Medea. The pain of separation from libido-object is in the unconscious of her mind. She herself, perhaps, does not know the real problem with her. The excessive repression of libido results in her mental stress beyond her capacity. She becomes a patient of psycho-neuroses. Freud describes psycho-neuroses as: â€Å"it (paranoia, psychoneuroses) regularly controls some portion of the social behavior (of the patient). The transformation of love into hatred, tenderness into hostility, which is characteristic of a large number of neurotic cases and apparently of all cases of paranoia, takes place by means of union of cruelty with libido. (Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud) The same is the case with Medea now. Her extreme love for Jason now transforms into extreme hate. Her tenderness, as a lover and mother, changes into her cruelty. She does not care for anything now, not even for her children. She is now ready to break the conventions of society to satisfy her mind which has been disturbed by the pain inflicted upon her by her lover. Here again, she is unable to judge right from wrong. The barbarian Medea is again in action. The repressed libido here shows itself in the form of ego. The ego of Medea, which was not observed at the time of her elopement, now begins to take shape. The relation between ego and libido is explained by Freud in these lines, â€Å"we infer that under normal conditions ego-libido can transform itself into object-libido without difficulty and that this can again subsequently be absorbed into ego. † (Freud, A General Introduction to Psycho-analysis) The libido of Medea here transforms into her ego. The overwhelming libido gives birth to overwhelming ego. She can do anything for the sake of her ego as she did for the satisfaction and preservation of her libido. Freud further says in the same essay, â€Å"A man may be absolutely egoistic and yet have strong libidinal attachments to objects, in so far as libidinal satisfaction is an object is a need of his ego: his egoism will then see to it that his desires towards the object involve no injury to his ego. † (Freud, A General Introduction to Psycho-analysis) It follows from this that if the object goes out of reach the person considers it an injury to his/her ego. The ego of Medea now comes to play. She does not lament for the loss of her lover now but talks about the deceit of Jason. She says, â€Å"Great Zeus and Lady Themis, see you how I am treated, for all the strong oaths with which I bound my cursed husband. † (Euripides, Medea) She begins to think in the same manner as she did in her homeland when she experienced the fear of separation from Jason. She finally thinks of taking her revenge and inflicting the same pain on Jason which she herself suffers from. She has suffered psychologically and she wants Jason to feel the same psychological agony. She does not think of killing Jason but she plans to take away his libido-object by killing Glauce. To attain success in her motive she does not act madly but tactfully. She requests Creon to give her one day to go away from the country. In this time she architects a plan to kill Glauce. Her libido has now absorbed in her ego as we have noted earlier. The intensity of libido results in the intensified ego. Her ego now drives all her actions. She plans to kill her children as well because she does not want her enemies to inflict pains on her children. She also thinks that if she leaves her children behind, her enemies will laugh at her. She is fully aware of the horror and cruelty involved in her plan. She says, â€Å"My misery overwhelms me. O I do realize how terrible is the crime I am about, but passion over rules my resolutions, passion that causes most of the misery in the world. † (Euripides, Medea) This passion is not inspired only by her ego but also by her libido because she has in her mind the violent way she followed at the time of her elopement and it is perhaps towards this misery she refers in the cited lines. She decides to kill her children and the reason behind her action is, â€Å"I can delay no longer, my children will fall into the murderous hands of those that love them less than I do. In any case they must die. And if they must, I shall slay them, who gave them birth. † (Euripides, Medea) This also implies that Medea’s love is not complacent_ it is quite violent. She lives on extremes. Her love is extreme and her hate is extreme. This situation of her mind again refers to lack of balance common in patients suffering from psychoneuroses. She loses sense of choosing the right way and sense of guilt is never seen in her. Her final dialogue with Jason is worth noting. Here she fully claims what she has done and her real motive. She says, â€Å"You could not hope, nor your princess either, to scorn my love, make a fool of me and live happily ever after. (Euripides, Medea) She has deprived Jason of his libido object and she is now satisfied because she has served her ego properly and has inflicted the same psychological stress as she suffered herself. She now feels herself victorious. She further says, â€Å"Call me tigress if you like, or Scylla that haunts the Tuscan coast. I don t mind now I have got properly under your skin. † (Euripides,Medea) Her ego now served she has no worries. She even does not care now what society says about her. She has taken her revenge. This psychoanalysis of the character of Medea shows that her overpowering libido is behind all her actions. The help she offered to Jason during the campaign, her elopement with Jason, the murder of her brother, the painful death inflicted upon Glauce __ all these actions were carried out for the satisfaction of her libido and then her libido transforms into ego. The repression of libido results in the formation of ego with greater intensity. Her heightened ego results in the murder of her own children. She even denies them burial. This not only disrupts the natural order but also intensifies the misery of Jason. The killing of blood relations is revolting in terms of Aristotle. She kills her blood relations twice and this shows that her mind is not balanced. The problem behind her psychological imbalance is not that she is unable to control her libido. It is because her libido is overwhelming and it is beyond her power to control it. The intensive libido is quite obvious in the unconscious of Medea forcing her to take steps that disrupt the natural order. Works Cited Euripides. Ten Plays by Euripides. Trans. Moses and McLean,John Hades. New York: Bantam Books, 2006. Ferber, Ilit. E-rea. 15 June 2006. 30 March 2012 lt;http://erea. revues. org/413gt;. Freud, Sigmund.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Mr Bowditch essays

Mr Bowditch essays Sphere is about a futuristic sphere that gives a group of scientists a special and unusual power- the power of being able to turn fantasy into reality. The group of scientists are kept in total wonder as to why they were being sent to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The scientists consisted of Norman Johnson, a psychologist; Beth Halpern, a zoologist and biochemist; Harry Adams, a mathematician; and Ted Fielding, an astrophysicist. Each scientist played an important role- Norman was to watch the team because no one had ever seen an alien and they didn't know how people would react. Beth was to assess any life form that the team might come across. Harry was there because math is the universal language and Ted was there to determine where in the universe the aliens came from. The story begins as Norman is being transported in a Sea Knight. After Norman arrives at the site, he is directly escorted to his quarters until Captain Barnes came and retrieved him. On their way to the submersible, he explained to everyone in the group what was going on. He told them that there was a titanium fin found 1,000 feet under the ocean and that it is over 1/2 mi. long. He also informed them that the spacecraft had been in that location for almost 300 years (they could date the time because of the coral growth- coral grows at 1 in. a year). When they all arrived at the underwater habitat, they were sent to a compression chamber to bring them to the right pressure. The reason for the habitat is that it has the weight of air plus the weight of water pushing down on it. If the habitat had the same pressure as the surface, it would implode. After compression, the team was sent to their quarters for some rest before they set out to the spacecraft. When the crew was all rested and refreshed, they suited up into insulated suits and jumped into the water. They then proceeded to the airlock. After passing through the airlock and into...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets - Essay Example Many scholars and poets consider Walt Whitman as one of the most influential American poets who sought to use transcend traditional epics and eschew normal aesthetic form to define the nature of the American experience and its democracy. On the other hand, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet born in 1886 in America. Notably, the two poets had unique writing styles although they were both American. Many people consider them as the founders of modern American poetry. Indeed, modern poets borrow from their works although the prowess of the two poets stands out. A careful consideration of their works shows numerous differences in terms of writing styles. From the physical inspection, Emily Dickinson’s poems are short and seemingly simple while Walt Whitman’s poems are long and seemingly complex to read and understand. The poems, â€Å"To a stranger† by Walt Whitman and the poem, â€Å"I am alive-I guess† by Emily Dickinson confirms this assertion. Indeed, Walt Whitman’s poems use extensive descriptions to elongate his ideas. This portrays him as an outgoing, social, and talkative poet. For example in the poem â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,† each line and word insinuates a picture in our minds and the poem goes on for a long time (Lehman 131-136). On the other hand, Emily Dickinson uses compact and concise words and lines to describe her works. Indeed, we can derive so much meaning from just a few words in her short poems. The short lines and phrases in her works allow the audience to derive their ow n meaning from her poems. It is thus clear that she uses few words to create diverse meaning. The poem, â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense† uses the terms â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense-to a discerning eye-Much sense-the starkest madness-Tis’ the majority† to derive a deeper and diverse meaning. Nevertheless, although their writing styles are different, the two poets

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Globalization Questionnaire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization Questionnaire - Research Paper Example Because of globalization, international market or global market came into existence. International or global market then is composed of different countries trading products and services with each other. Companies have been going out of their home countries and starting to build their names in other countries. This is basically the reason why we see imported products being displayed in supermarkets and department stores such as wines from Italy, gadgets and cellular phones from Asia, and shoes from Germany. Some of the international trade theories that support globalization are mercantilism, free trade, comparative advantage, absolute advantage, Heckscher-Ohlin theory, the product life-cycle theory, new trade theory, and Porter’s theory or the national competitive advantage. Rugman (2009) argued that globalization has four major drivers: market, government, competition, and cost. Market globalization drivers are factors that usually affect the demand for a specific product or service such as consumers’ common preferences, increasing consumers from different countries, and global market distribution. Governments had taken the initiative to take off international trade and investment barriers and establish free trade. They also reduced trade tariffs and eliminated restrictions in the quantity of products and services to be imported or exported. Globalization is greatly influenced by competition. For instance, a company might consider establishing a satellite office in another country to deliver their products to foreign consumers. Because of this act, other competitors would also want to go global and promote their companies to diverse markets. Other examples of competitive drivers are increasing number of alliances between multinational companies and increasing globally-centered companies. Almost all companies would want to maximize profit thereby minimizing their costs. There are countries where production and

Monday, November 18, 2019

English literature Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English literature - Term Paper Example In the 18th century American literature, the autobiography as a literary genre has attained immense popularity which is illustrated by the notable 18th-century autobiographies in English such as Edward Gibbon’s autobiography and Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. During this period, a more intimate form of autobiography which explores the subject’s emotions came to being, due mainly to the influence of Romanticism, which greatly emphasized the role and the nature of the individual, and Rousseau’s Confessions. From the writer’s perspective, an autobiography is the best means to express one’s individuality in all its components and it helps one in establishing one’s ideas and concepts explicitly to the readers without any mediocrity. The â€Å"self-life-writing† qualifies of an autobiography offer great scope for the writer’s role in literary activity and these qualifies also bring out the advantages and disadvantages of th e autobiography genre. Thus, from the writer’s perspective, autobiographies offer the writer the scope to include anything from human geography to reproach, leave out anything they wish, etc and they can turn their books into a litany, a confession, an apology, a cathartic act, an anthology of anecdotes or gossip, or a space to wash polluted laundry. From the reader’s perspective, the autobiography is an important literary genre which offers the possibility of realizing the inner aspects of a writer without confusion and it helps the readers understand the concepts and ideas that the author emphasizes in his writing. Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography offers one of the best illustrations of the meaning, characteristics, purpose, advantages and disadvantages of the autobiography as a literary genre and this paper makes a reflective analysis of the autobiography. Autobiography as a literary genre has been a popular means to express one’s emotions and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Project Time Management Of Burj Khalifa Economics Essay

Project Time Management Of Burj Khalifa Economics Essay Burj Khalifa, a single place where tourism, hospitality, professionalism and leisure come together. Home to more than 1000 residences, Burj Khalifa accommodates a hotel, an observation deck, a restaurant, fitness and recreation club and also 37 floors of corporate offices. It brings in a concept of a vertical city with all the luxurious amenities made available on the top of the world. For the tourists and visitors coming to see this marvel, it is a long and a memorable journey of a lifetime (www.burjkhalifa.ae). Burj in Arabic means Tower and Khalifa stands for the name of the President of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, his highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al- Nahyan. The initial name given to this tower was Burj Dubai but was changed to Burj Khalifa in the honour of the President for bailing out $10 billion during Dubais financial crisis. The completion of this tower has broken numerous world records. At over 828 meters (2716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa ho lds the following records: Tallest Building in the world Tallest free standing structure in the world Highest number of stories in the world Highest occupied floor in the world Highest outdoor observation deck in the world Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world Tallest service elevator in the world (www.burjkhalifa.ae) Fig 4.2 and 4.3 showing Burj Khalifa from different angles and shades of natural day light. Emaar Properties have developed this project of Burj Khalifa. Skidmore, Owings and Merril (SOM) have designed this beautiful structure and Samsung Engineering and Construction along with BeSix and Arabtec gave out the final product by constructing this tower. Turner Construction of the United States of America was responsible for the project management of this whole undertaking. This project estimated a cost of $1.5 billion for completion. At the staggering height of 2717 feet (easily more than two Empire State Buildings), this shimmering, spiralling mixed- use tower inevitably raises the question: When is big too big? (Kamin, 2010 p.78). The design of this building has been adapted from the Islamic architecture and has been inspired from a regional desert flower, the Hymenocallis. Adrian Smith was the sculptor for this design heading this project on behalf of SOM. Constructing the Burj Khalifa required more than 22 million man hours from about 12,000 professionals and skilled workers, and more than 60 consultants and contracting companies from around the world (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011 p.23). In a true sense this project was a global venture to showcase the feat of ultimate engineering and the technological advancement which the human beings have achieved through dedication and hard work all these years. Burj Khalifa was truly an international collaboration between more than 30 on- site- contracting companies from nations around the world. At the peak of construction, over 12,000 workers and contractors were on site every day, representing more than 100 nationalities (www.burjkhalifa.ae). Project time Management of Burj Khalifa: There is no doubt that the time management of this project might have been one of the most challenging tasks that the team must have faced during its construction. The size and scope of this project was on such a large scale that some problems were inevitable, irrespective of any measures taken. First we shall have a look at the construction timeline which will be analysed further. Also we will discuss the problems that the project management team had to go through and how well they were able to deal with it controlling the schedule of this project with minimum delays. Fig 4.3 Burj Khalifa Construction Timeline: January 2004 Excavation started February 2004 Piling started March 2005 Superstructure started June 2006 Level 50 reached January 2007 Level 100 reached March 2007 Level 110 reached April 2007 Level 120 reached May 2007 Level 130 reached July 2007 Level 141 reached worlds tallest building September 2007 Level 150 reached worlds tallest free standing structure April 2008 Level 160 reached worlds tallest man-made structure January 2009 Completion of Spire Burj Khalifa tops out September 2009 Exterior cladding completed January 2010 Official launch ceremony Source: www.burjkhalifa.ae The total time taken for the construction of this building was 2,192 days with the average height built per day was 37 centimetres or 1 feet and 2.88 inches (www.theatlanticcities.com). If we carefully interpret the construction timeline as shown in figure 4.3, we can understand that the work was speeding up when the project started. There was a steady growth during 2005-06 till level 50 was reached. Since then it took a long time to construct another 50 levels as the building was rising higher and the crew might be dealing with challenges arising due to it. From January 07 to July 07 the construction again picked up some speed as they were nearly building 10 floors every month. This was remarkable as the construction was reaching the heights where any construction worker might not have gotten. The construction was again slowed down in September 07 when level 150 was reached. After that it took 7 months to complete the top most floor of the building. The average height built per day might look small but considering the construction at 838 meters above ground is an achievement. Let us now move on to the actual problems faced by the project management while erecting the worlds highest structure. Issues affecting the Project Time Management of Burj Khalifa: Listed below are some of the complications that had an adverse effect on the Project Time Management of Burj Khalifa. Emaar properties had plans to throw open this building in December 2008. Chairman of the Emaar Group Mohammed Alabbar announced the delay of about nine months scheduling the opening ceremony in August or September 2009 (www.arabianbusiness.com, 2008). However the opening was further delayed and this mega structure was finally released on 4th of January 2010. The project took 5 years and 4 months for completion. There were several problems during the course of construction of this building which lead to a delay of more than a year in delivering the project. Some of them were Pumping the concrete: According to the officials pumping the concrete to the record height of 828 meters was the toughest part of constructing this tower. Two of the worlds largest pumps manufactured by Putzmeister, were used to supply concrete for the construction of this building. These pumps unified with 150 mm pipeline could supply a massive 350 bars of concrete pressure. Above level 127 of the tower, a modified mix of concrete was used to account for changing pressure requirements due to height (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011). In addition to that the climatic condition of Dubai was also a factor that delayed the construction process. Work at Burj Dubai is carried out in three shifts. Due to high day time temperatures up to 50 ° Celsius the concrete works are usually carried out during the slightly cooler night time hours(www.pmw.co.in, 2007). The effects of Dubais fluctuating seasonal temperatures made it a challenge to properly pump, pour and set concrete (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011). This could cause considerable delays as no concrete work was carried out during the day time. Fig. 4.4 showing the massive pipelines of the concrete pump and Fig 4.5 showing the councrete pouring process. Fig 4.4 Fig 4.5 Source: www.pmw.co.in Labour Strikes: Workers constructing the Burj Khalifa went twice on strike during the whole span of its construction. In March 2006, 2500 workers rioted at the Burj Khalifa site, demanding a raise in their pay (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). The labourers complained of being paid as low as $4 per day and were asked to work 12 hours a day and for 6 days a week. Riots broke out and the workers vandalized various offices, cars, construction several machineries and equipment. Construction of what is expected to be the worlds tallest building was halted after 2500 workers in Dubai rioted over pay and conditions, causing damage estimated to  £ 500,000 (www.guardian.co.uk, 2006). The protest was also sympathised by the workers at the construction site of Dubais New International Airport laying aside their tools. The second protest was held in November of 2007. This protest was for their demands of pay rise as well as to provide better living conditions for the workers. The latrines are so filthy we canno t use them, we are so disgusted. The roads are full of garbage and waterlogged. Living and moving around is a great problem, an occupant reported (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). At both the instances the government threatened the workers to return back to work or face the consequences of mass deportations. This lead to unrest and the labourers were not satisfied which directly or indirectly have affected the construction. Yet the sources claimed that this protest had no effect on the construction of Burj Khalifa. This can be considered as one of the biggest issue which might have contributed to the delays in the construction. Fig 4.6 showing the riots in 2006 and Fig 4.7 where labourers are on strike in 2007 Source: www.bbc.co.uk Dubai Economic Crisis: In the year 2009, Dubai saw a downturn in its ever booming economy. People lost massive amounts of money as they saw the economy and the glittering real estate market go down. No doubt it was a tough situation for everyone. But it was even tougher for the building projects going on at that time. One of them was the all famous and glamorous dream project of Burj Khalifa. Half of the UAEs construction projects, totalling $582bn ( £400bn), either have been put on hold or cancelled, leaving a trail of half-built towers on the outskirts of the city stretching into the desert(www.guardian.co.uk, 2009). Not just in the case of investors and developers, the credit crunch had affected the construction workers lives too. As the projects were postponed or delayed, the workers were sacked leaving them no choice but to return back to their countries. Many of these workers were from South Asia belonging to countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. Burj Khalifa was one of the mo st expensive projects in the history of the UAE. Undoubtedly it had a lot to do with this financial crisis. The worlds tallest building, the Burj Dubai, officially opens its doors, leaving a colossal reminder of the hubris that brought the emirate crashing in November (www.guardian.co.uk, 2010). Analysis: The project of constructing Burj Khalifa was awarded to a team of experienced construction companies. The principal developer of this project Emaar Properties is a very popular Joint Stock Company developing projects all across the world in countries like United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, China, Canada, etc. and also some joint ventures in North America, Europe, Pan-Asia, North Africa and the Middle East (www.emaar.com). Giving shape to many projects in UAE, Emaar has a major contribution in Dubais Infrastructure development. It has developed much of downtown Dubai. Construction of the world biggest mall (Dubai Mall) and the worlds tallest tower (Burj Khalifa) is associated with this company. The company is led by its president Mohamed Ali Alabbar who was also in-charge of the decision making process of the Burj Khalifa. The company follows a decentralised structure of its organisation resulting to which the decisions were made customer oriented a nd quicker. The authority was delegated to the managers of each department which made it easier to save time. This project was directly under the supervision of the ruler of Dubai, his highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum and had a lot of expectations of the people across the world. Turner Constructions was responsible for the project management of the Burj Khalifa. This company is also a renowned name in the industry based in the United States of America. This organisation was constantly monitoring the progress of this project to ensure practice of good standards of project management to deliver efficient and satisfactory project outcome. Skidmore, Owing and Merrill were designing and Samsung Engineering and Construction and BeSix were constructing the project. Arabtec was involved in supplying man power to this project. The assignment was in the hands of well-known experienced professionals as they strived to achieve a dream to build the highest building in the world. In spite of having a team of best people at work, there were some problems which were hard to prevent. Some of the issues related to the delay in the construction of this project are discussed above. Unfortunately it was found that all these problems were unavoidable. The time consumption of pumping the concrete high above the ground was very much anticipated and accounted for. But in the end it took a bit more time than it was expected to finish. The fluctuating temperatures in Dubai made it much more difficult for the workers to finish the task. The problems of Labour Strikes and the Economy prices came as a surprise to the initial planning of this project. But indeed the matter was way much serious than what was just reported. There have been speculations of workers dying during the construction of this building but the whole issue was suppressed and there have been no confirmed reports for the same. In a country like UAE, which is a kingdom ruled by the kings, there is very much little of what is known as democracy. Human Rights Watch reported numerous exploitations that construction workers suffer in the UAE, including unpaid or very low wages, many years of monetary obligations to the recruitment agencies for fees, seizing of employees passport and dangerous working conditions that result in apparently high mortality rates and injuries (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). As a result of these conditions, strikes and protests were obvious. Formation of Labour unions is also prohibited in UAE but the labour ministry promised to set a minimum wage rate on the basis of which the strikes were withdrawn and work resumed. Fig 4.8 Dangerous Work being done at the Burj Khalifa Source: www.gulfnews.com The construction was getting back to normal and shortly after couple of years of this incident, Dubai experienced major financial crisis. Once again the smooth going construction was affected and delayed the project in return. The consolidated efforts of the companies involved tried their level best to continue the work and not let the schedule be affected but it was not possible until the President of UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi helped them bail out the indebt city of Dubai. The whole process of constructing this tower was complex and painstaking. But Emaar properties and all other companies did a very good job in the end to complete this unique project in mere less than five and a half years time and setting many world records. Undoubtedly it was a great effort from each and every individual involved which made it possible to fulfil this dream and deliver a marvel of its kind. Fig 4.9 a picture of some of the team members involved in the construction of this project put up in the building as an appreciation for their contribution. Source: Self 4.2 Delhi Metro: Delhi, a capital city of a country ranked second in the worlds total population. Along with its population, the country is also going through a lot of economic, social, political and technological developments. Various plans and projects are been chalked out for the future to meet the needs of the ever growing population of this country and compete with other nations of the world to provide exquisite facilities. Work is in progress in few metropolitan cities which have been undergoing through a pressure of urbanisation. Delhi is one of them. According to the census of 2011, Delhi has a registered population of 16.7 million people and a growth rate of 20.96% as compared to the previous decade (www.cencus2011.co.in). With a remarkable growth in population and with limited space to accommodate, it is necessary to provide an equally capable infrastructure system which can ease the problems of its citizens. These infrastructure developments include convenient transportation facilities. Fig4.10 displaying phase I and II of Delhi Metro Project National Capital Territory of Delhi covers an area of 1486 square kilometres and is a Union Territory with all powers of State Government (www.delhimetrorail.com). The city limits are extending to fit in the size of population. It necessitates a robust transit system to transfer people from one place to another.The need to travel is a consequent need i.e. people do not travel just for the sake of it but do so only when the necessity to transfer exists. The necessity to move is dictated by peoples requirements like work, study, leisure, medical, etc. In the background of inadequate urban capacity, global warming, increasing salaries and resulting motorization, it is commonly agreed among urban planners and city building professionals that safe and efficient public transport is the best way for the future to make cities more sustainable. With these intentions in mind, the Delhi Metro was foreseen in the city of New Delhi and started its operations in 2002. Fig. 4.11 Representation of the Traffic Congestion in Delhi (Source: www.ndtv.com) Fig. 4.12 Funny but true, a crowded bus in Delhi (Source: www.ibnlive.com) The original planning for a rail based transport system in Delhi started in 1970s when the government projected that a similar system would be required for mass public transportation in the future. Since then government appointed various committees to study the scope of development of mass rapid transport system (MRTS). At that time Delhi was perhaps the only city in the world, with such a huge size of its population depended on the over-crowded and insufficient bus services as the only public transport alternative. This situation has led to the proliferation of personalised vehicles, so much so that Delhi has more registered vehicles than total number of vehicles in Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai put together (www.delhigovt.nic.in). Similar to the present situation in Mumbai, Delhi was also tackling with problems like traffic congestion, environmental pollution, rising number of road accidents, fuel wastage, etc. Kolkata introduced a Metro railway system in the 1980s but the project e xceeded its budget and completion schedule, seriously undermining the confidence of the Government and the people in Metro systems (Sreedharan, 2008 p.57). During that period when the countrys development was sluggish, it was a gamble to once again trust a system that had failed miserably in the last attempt. Calcutta (now renamed to Kolkata) was a 17 kilometre long metro line which took 22 years for completion and the budget was overrun 14 times than what was initially planned (Sreedharan, 2008 p.3). It was a tough decision to make especially when the available technology was inadequate and the time was running out. In such circumstances, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was established in the year 1995 which was a joint venture of Government of India and Government of Delhi. Soon after its formation, the team began planning for one of the biggest projects in India. They had a tough task ahead. The DMRC received majority of its funding from Japan Bank for International Co-operation. Th e rest of the funds were raised by the State Government of Delhi and the Central Government of India. Fig 4.13 DMRCs Profile Picture (Source: www.dmrc.com) One name that is prominently associated with DMRC and Delhi Metro is Dr. Elattuvalapil Sreedharan. Famous for his contribution as a CMD of Konkan Railway project along the western coast of India, this 760 kilometre long railway line joins three states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka through criss-crossing rivers, plunging valleys and mountains that soar in to the clouds (www.konkanrailway.com). This challenging project marked the beginning of infrastructure development in India from 1990 onwards. Dr. E. Sreedharan took over as a Managing Director of DMRC in 1997. DMRC is responsible to develop and maintain Metros in Delhi. The Delhi Metro Project is designed to cover 400 kilometres across the city in four phases by the year 2021 (Sreedharan, 2008). The time plan of the project is as follows: Fig. 4.14 Table showing the project outline of Delhi Metro Phase Initiation Date Length covered (in kms) Expected End Date Actual End Date Status Phase I 1998 65 2008 2006 Fully Operational Phase II 2007 128 2012 2011 Fully Operational Phase III 2011 112 2015 On-going Phase IV 108 2021 Queued Source: adapted from DMRC website and Sreedharan, 2008 The table itself is enough to tell a tale of successful project management and an impeccable feat of construction carried out by the entire team of DMRC. Dr. Sreedharan shot to fame overnight, being the first Indian to carry out such a difficult task with ease. Various Management Institutes and professionals wanted to know the secrets of his flawless management techniques which enabled him to deliver the project proficiently. Certainly this journey would not have been easy, but Dr. Sreedharan has set up a model of an efficient mass rapid transit system and at the age of 72 years and is wanted by every transportation authority board. The Delhi Metro Project instigated similar metro railway projects in different metropolitan cities across the country. His time and cost management skills grab everyones attention. Further in the study we shall focus on time management aspects and try to analyse two main questions: What were the problems in getting this project done on time? What did he do that no one else could? Issues that could have affected Project Time Management of Delhi Metro: The Delhi Metro project was efficiently delivered on time. We look in to some of the problems which the project management team had to overcome to give out the best results. The below mentioned problems are commonly seen in Mumbai Metro Project too. There are not many differences in context of factors as both are government projects undertaken by the authorities to build an advanced commuting system. The only difference is that of the organisations building it and their management skills and structures. This single difference makes them stand apart. Following are some of the problems which the Project Management team at DMRC had to go through during the course of construction of Delhi Metro: Technology: During the early years of 1990s, India had just begun taking steps towards technological advancements. After its economic reforms in 1991, India adopted three main policies of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. In effect of these policies, trade regime and the regulatory framework was liberalised. Some of the industries were privatised and the country also hailed foreign investment in its economy (Sarvanakumar Kim, 2012). India has been an agro-based country and during these economic reforms there was not much technological advancement happening. India had to import all the technical know-how needed for the Metro Project. In such circumstances, building such a big project was a huge risk. All credit to Dr. Sreedharan and his team for acquiring quality engineers and building such a magnificent project. The engineering team brought in many new technologies to this project like better telecommunication, automatic fare collection, advanced signalling, etc. Initially the ma terials were imported from foreign countries as per requirement but are now assembled in the country itself and have encouraged many local vendors to absorb these new technologies. A showcase of the latest in railway technology, the Delhi Metro trains run on ballast less tracks on the elevated viaduct and the underground corridor, thus minimising the need of tract maintenance and also reducing the running dimensions on the structure (Sreedharan, 2008 p.59). Moreover, these tracks have proven to be safer and provide a smooth ride to its commuters. Tunnelling: This procedure was necessary to construct the underground passage of the Delhi Metro. Tunnelling below the historic old Delhi area posed a major challenge, as the buildings there have weak foundations. It was therefore, decided to construct a tunnel at a depth of more than 20 meters (Sreedharan, 2008 p.58). With the available technology it was a big challenge to build a tunnel this deep. Vehicle and Pedestrian traffic also posed as an obstacle in the tunnelling process. It was also a risk factor for the management team as mishaps could easily occur at a place with an extensive public access. There were also difficulties in tunnelling at some sections because of hard rock. For this purpose the project had obtained special cutter heads for their tunnel boring machines (Sreedharan, 2008). The team put in tremendous efforts to resolve the oncoming problems by finding and implementing solutions without any delays. Fig. 4.15 4.16 Pictures of Tunnelling for Delhi Metro Source: www.hindu.com Substandard quality of work/ materials: This is one of the most shocking revelations of the Delhi Metro Project. Poor quality of work, no regulations for standards of safety and substandard material used to build one of the finest projects which is going to be useful in the future for at least a century. What is more shocking is that these were not just one or two incidents which happened unfortunately. These are series of accidents which were taking place one after the other in recent past. Following table shows the accidents in detail: Fig. 4.17 List of Incidents occurred at the construction site of Delhi Metro Date Incident No. of people killed/ injured 28.08.2007 A crane driver died as a concrete block fell on him due to technical failure 1 killed 21.01.2008 A construction worker died while carrying out burrowing work 1 killed 18.07.2008 A malfunctioning crane dropped 4 tonne iron beam on a passing car 2 injured 19.10.2008 An under construction flyover collapsed due to mechanical failure 2 killed and 30 injured 12.07.2009 Portion of under construction bridge collapsed as its launching girder lost balance while being erected 6 killed and 15 injured 13.07.2009 Three cranes toppled while lifting the entangled launcher under the debris of the collapsed bridge 4 injured (Source: Mid-day, 2009 The Times of India, 2009) After all these mishaps which killed 10 people in all and injured around 50, the chief project manager and managing director of DMRC, Dr. Sreedharan sent his resignation from the post which shuddered all the concerned authorities related to this project. He said, I take full moral responsibility for the accident. As head of the organisation, I have to take the responsibility (www.ndtv.com, 2009). The investigation revealed that the accident occurred on 12th of July 2009 was a design flaw in the pillar holding the structure (www.indianexpress.com, 2009). The honourable chief minister of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dixit inspected the site after the accident and immediately rejected Dr. E. Sreedharans resignation. She said We respect his sentiments. But we also know that the Delhi Metro and the country need him. Not only has he done good work for Delhi but also for the country (www.ndtv.com, 2009). Following this incident there has not been any other such incidents which exhibit the influence a nd power Dr. Sreedharan has on his team of members involved in the project. Mumbai is nothing different in comparison with Delhi in context of quality of work carried out. In fact the organisation, MMRDA carrying out the work on Mumbai Metro was not wise enough to learn from the mistakes of Delhi Metro. Recently, a 50 feet long concrete slab collapsed from the Metro Railways under construction fly over. This incident killed 1 person and injured 16 more (The Times of India, 2012). This cannot be considered a mistake as it was a matter of sheer negligence by the authorities. Such incidents not only cost financial losses but also result in loss of valuable time. Considering the importance of time management factor it is necessary to deploy personnel to ensure that all the safety standards are maintained at the construction site so as to prevent mishaps happening and also save a lot of time. Moving ahead we analyse the decision making of Dr. Sreedharan and its impact it had on the construction of Delhi Metro. Fig. 4.18 4.19 showing the disaster of 12th of July. Source: www.indianexpress.com Fig 4.20 toppled cranes amongst the tangled debris was the scene on 13th of July Source: www.zeenews.india.com Analysis: Every major project has to through a series of difficulties. No one has a plan of how to deal with them. Because no one knows what kind of problem they might be dealing with. But an effective project manager has the capability of solving the problems with ease and importantly, he delivers the project within its scope. Delhi Metro too had to go through numerous obstacles in each phase of its construction. Some of them are mentioned above. But it was for the project management team who took up the initiative to keep the project within its planned time and cost. In the case of Delhi Metro, it was not just a single factor that led to a certain problem. There were events which summed up to become a bigger problem. For example tunnelling was not a big issue as many transport systems these days use this method. But adding to the outdated technology present in the country it became difficult to get the process done. Similarly the amount of population in Delhi is so much in excess that restri cting public access was not possible. Therefore it became even more difficult to excavate during tunnelling and also maintain safety which resulted into many unfortunate mishaps. Undoubtedly this was the first massive project of its kind in India. Therefore this can provide a lot of valuable learning both positive and negative, to the project managers of the future. Fig. 4.21 The Metro Man of India in action. Source: www.ibnlive.in.com By the end of Phase I of this project Dr. Sreedharan was an idol and inspirational leader to many management professionals and students. Everyone wanted to know what his secret behind his flawless management techniques was. He discusses the corporate values of Delhi Metro during one of his speeches at a management institute to the aspiring management professionals. Punctuality, Integrity, Transpar

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

life :: essays research papers

Through out history man has always tried to find ways to explain the ways of life. Were do we come from, why are we here, are we alone, so may different questions but yet we still have no answers. Is there there a reason why we do not know?, can we truly comprehend the real answers of life? No one really knows. Some people try to find there answers buy relaying on mans creations. They look to science for answers and believe that there is a reason hidden behind everything and that all things come about by chance. Many other look towards religion to find there answers in hoping that they can gain accurate knowledge of the universe and believe that all things DON’T come about by chance but happen because there were pre-determined and could not be any other way. In order to understand life we must be willing to give up life in order to obtain it because the only real way to understand it would take thousands of years. What is life? Is it something that just happens to be or something that should be? Many people view life as something that is easy to obtain and take it away, to others life is as precious to them as there 1st born. How is it that we can question life itself? Man has tried for so long to figure out how to control it. Scientist spends years and years calculating formulas and equations trying to harness what they can never achieve.Many come to believe that they are higher then god himself. â€Å"The universe must have had a beginning†, Dr.Gish from the institute for creations says. According to the bible god created the earth in seven days but according to scientist the earth and all other things in our universe were created with a huge explosion (Big Bang Theory). To some people the bibles taking of this makes more sense to them but many modern day people are beginning to accept the more scientific approach when it comes to the creation of the universe. Why is this? One reason is because man has become very self-absorbed and believes that they can find a solution for anything. Another reason is because people just don’t believe that god created the universe and that the universe has always been and always will be. So how then do you know?

Monday, November 11, 2019

Physical Development and Health in Middle Childhood

Physical Development and Health in Middle Childhood Rosibel CastroPhysical Development in Middle Childhood The hidden changes in children's bodies that enable the movements so familiar to us-riding bikes, climbing, jumping, skipping (p.289). Between the ages of 6 and 12, children grow 2 to 3 inches and add about 6 pounds each year. Girls age range are head of boys. Girls also have more body fat and less muscle tissue than boys (p.290). Bones mature in such a regular and predictable way that physicians use bone age as the best single measure of a child's physical maturation. The process of bone development gives us a powerful argument in favor of increased exercise or physical activity for children. The endocrine system strongly influences physical growth and development. During the middle school years, the glands of the endocrine system change gradually in ways to prepare the body for the momentous changes that will occur during sexual maturation, or puberty. A muscle mass increases in middle childhood, so does strength. Boys and girls differ in strength in two ways:Boys outperform girls on measures of strength, including tasks that involve using the muscles to apply pressure to a device used to measure muscle force.The ratio of strength to body size is greater amongst boys, thus boys require less effort to move their bodies through space than girls do. Both boys and girls become stronger during middle childhood.Children's capacity for extended physical activity (stamina) rises steeply across the middle childhood years as well. (Gabbard,2008). If we observe children at the playgrounds, we will notice that preschoolers display short bursts of physical activity followed by periods of rest. Changes in stamina are linked to growth of the heart and lungs, which is evident during later years of middle childhood. These changes enable children bodies to take in more oxygen and to distribute it throughout the body more efficiently. Two major growth spurts happen in the brain during middle childhood. (Spreen, Risser, ; Edgell, 1995). In most healthy children, the first takes place between the ages 6 and 8, the second between the ages 10 and 12. Both spurts involve development of new synapses as well as increase in the thickness of the cortex. Some of the first motor skills infants use are eye movements, and slowly this expands to movement of the arms, legs, and hands (even though they're uncoordinated). Eventually, the child begins crawling and walking. Gross motor skills involve activities like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking. These allow the child to gain new perspectives from which to evaluate their surrounding environment, enabling them to begin learning social skills and rules. Fine motor skills involve more intricate tasks like touching, grabbing, and manipulating objects, enabling learning about the details of different objects and people. Advances in both gross and fine motor skills interact to allow children to develop sports skills such as hitting a baseball. About one-quarter to one-third of children in the united states suffer from allergies, immune reactions to substances called allergens. Children who have respiratory allergies experience sneezing, stuffy noses, and more frequent sinus infections. Food allergies can affect the respiratory system as well. The most frequent cause of school absences is asthma. Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which individuals experience sudden, potentially fatal attacks of breathing difficulty. An acute illness has the following characteristics:Onset is usually abrupt and from a single causeDevelops quickly and worsens rapidly, such as an infection, trauma or injuryUsually isolated to one bodily areaCan be diagnosed and responds to treatmentAcute pain stops when the illness is healedMay heal by itself or can be treated and returned to normal within a few days or up to three monthsIf it lasts longer than three months, it may be the start of a chronic illnessThe following are generally descriptive of chronic illnesses:Onset is commonly gradualDuration is lengthy and indefiniteCause is usually multiple and can be a combination of genetic and environmental factorsDiagnosis is often uncertain; getting an accurate diagnosis can be a long, difficult processThere is no cure and requires management over time In my opinion, we do most of the learning about our bodies during middle childhood, the reason I say this is because, we learn about ourselves, the environment around us, this i s the time when we are truly exposed to everything out there. Children are aware that they have allergies, they know they need their asthma pumps if they start having trouble breathing. During this time children know what kind of sports they want to play and they know what limits to push their bodies too. If a child is obese he will not want to join any sports not only because he might be â€Å"fat shamed† but also because he knows his body is not prepare to be put into the sports routine.ReferencesThe Growing Child, Denise Boyd, Helen Bee 2009.https://study.com/academy/lesson/perceptual-motor-development-definition-components.html https://www.navicenthealth.org/service-center/health-associates-general/acute-and-chronic-illnesses

Friday, November 8, 2019

Cleveland Clinic Strategies Analysis Essay

Cleveland Clinic Strategies Analysis Essay Cleveland Clinic Strategies Analysis Essay Example Cleveland Clinic Strategies Analysis Essay Example Internal Weaknesses and Strengths Cleveland Clinic is a multi-specialty academic organization that combines hospital and clinical care with education and research. The Clinic was founded in 1921 by doctors who used to work in the military. Their experience had taught them that, when physicians work together as a unit, they could increase the chances of improving the care given to the patients. The Clinic is non-profit one; in other words, its primary objective is to provide care to clients. This paper focuses on the analysis of the Clinics’ internal and external environments in order to understand its strategies and how they relate to the components identified in the evaluation. A SWOT analysis of Cleveland Clinic has revealed that planning is the entity’s greatest weakness. Planning Planning determines activities that are vital for the achievement of Clinic’s goals (Allen, 2014). Cleveland Clinic has a planning process that distinguishes appropriate actions that are likely to result in desirable outcomes. A part of the organization’s corporate strategy is forming joint alliances with the Community Health Systems, which is a profit-making chain of hospitals. These alliances aim to share the good practices developed at Cleveland Clinic in order to improve healthcare in other hospitals. The venture provides an avenue for Cleveland Clinic to grow. The organization’s plans include building outpatient facilities; it is an effective response to the trends in the industry. The outpatient facilities that are working to promote care after treatment are on the rise. Despite the existence of the planning process, some flaws in it limit the organization’s ability to respond to the external threats such as increased competition, for example. A weak ness in the planning process is evident in the decision to focus on heterogeneous clients. The Clinic serves people from all walks of life and treats every illness. The scope denies the Clinic a chance to increase its competencies in specific services. The Clinic’s functional strategy depends on the standardization of processes. A shortcoming of this plan is the fact that there are other healthcare providers that provide specialized services. These corporations have decided to focus on the specialty treatment because they have identified the weakness in such providers as Cleveland Clinic. When a firm specializes in a process or activity, it achieves the learning scale in the field of specialization (Burke, 2010). Consequently, such an establishment can offer better services in its market segment than a competitor that serves various segments. A part of the long-term plans is to focus on increasing the use of technology with the aim to enhance service delivery. An electronic platform is very comprehensive and span across all the aspects of the Clinic’s operations. Although the aim of a holistic integration of technology is to increase efficiency, it may erode intended gains. For instance, the integration reduces the need for online customers to visit healthcare facilities if they can solve their problems virtually. Patients catered for in the in-house settings receive a better high-touch care than online customers. Since the customer perception is an integral part of the quality evaluation system, the gap between the virtual and physical services may cause dissatisfaction and, consequently, lower quality. When a competitor comes with better ways to promote the quality of care, Cleveland Clinic may not have the flexibility to respond appropriately because of the scope of the technological use in its entire system. So me of the technological innovations that have originated from Cleveland Clinic have been spun off to become independent entities. The spinning off may allow companies to have leeway in the security of technologies they create. Since Cleveland Clinic is not a profit-oriented organization, it has managed to ensure that technologies it uses meet all appropriate requirements that would assure clients of their medical records’ privacy. The span off firms may prioritize profits at the expense of privacy issues. Any leakage of medical records would lead to legal suits that may taint Cleveland Clinic’s reputation and cause a market share loss. Cleveland Clinic has undertaken several changes in its plans and strategies in the recent past. An organization has changed its operational plans by shifting physicians’ focus from the volume-based to value-based outcomes. A result of these changes has been the adoption of physician integration, which involves engaging physicians in decision-making that concerns the quality of care. The change entails restructuring of the work processes, and it is very expensive. A considerable drawback of the plan is that, while the costs are high, the results are rather uncertain. When the Clinic undertakes such a venture with uncertain benefits, it incapacitates its response to the emerging economic conditions. For instance, the Clinic is facing reduced reimbursement from the government. Previously, the government provided funding to healthcare providers that had instituted the quality reporting to motivate them to continue with the good practice. However, political decisions by the governm ent in the recent past have made the quality reporting a requirement for all providers. As a result, there is no need to provide financial incentives for the quality reporting. Financial ramifications of such organizations as Cleveland Clinic are enormous. Consequently, Cleveland Clinic may not afford an investment in the environmental sustainability. Numerous firms around the world are focusing on sustainability measures in order to reduce their impact on the environment (Kondalkar, 2010). Sustainability requires financial resources, which are currently scarce due to the prioritization of risky processes. The implication of a weak environmental conservation policy includes reduced funding from charitable institutions that form a part of Cleveland Clinic’s financiers. Moreover, the failure to address sustainability adequately can lead to the loss of clients because customers are currently supporting corporations with a conservation agenda. A planning process should reduce spending on high-risk activities with the aim to cover the cash shortfall resulting from the economic changes. Leading The leading function of Cleveland Clinic has been a strength that supports its strategy implementation. The Clinic’s leadership has been exemplary and has contributed to its reputation. The CEO, Delos Cosgrove, has played a critical role in the organization’s care measurement since he took over leadership in 2004. His communication skills have assisted him in implementing his vision concerning care measurement in the whole corporation. Since the man is a medical doctor, he possesses skills that empower him to understand effects of his strategies on each aspect of Cleveland Clinic. A part of his strategy is publishing the care measurement plan for the public to see. The move has motivated employees to improve their performance because they do not want to face shame because of underperforming. His participation in the U.S. Air Force as a doctor is ideal for understanding Cleveland Clinic, which was founded by the war veterans. He has a powerful Chief Human Resource Office r (CHRO) with experience in cultural and organizational change and quality systems management. The CHRO has been vital in preparing employees and designing job descriptions that align with the change. Controlling The controlling function is a strength that has empowered Cleveland Clinic by maintaining the quality, curtailing financial wastage, and ensuring practices align with the strategies and objectives. The employee performance appraisals rely on the quality of care instead of the volume of patients served. Making the quality outcomes measurements public allows underperformers to make adjustments and high achievers in order to set new goals and either improve or maintain its productivity. The publicity also appreciates the top performers so that they can remain motivated to sustain the quality standards. The internal financial controls include a certification of controls by the management (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2015). The management ascertains on a quarterly basis that there are internal mechanisms that ensure the best practices in financial auditing and reporting. Its information technology is the best in the market because Cleveland is the market leader in healthcare-related tech nologies. Organization The organizing function of the management is a supporting pillar that reflects the strength of Cleveland Clinic. The Clinic uses a matrix organizational design because of the complexity of its operations. The design reflects functions, products, and geographical dispersion of operations. The jobs are designed to align with the institutes, which are the multi-disciplinary systems for collaboration. The Clinic has organized institutes according to organ systems and related diseases. The employees in each institute provide a flawless service to patients through collaboration with the aim to cover every aspect of the illness. Through these institutes, the Clinic enhances the quality of care and reduces readmission. The workers receive salaries and enjoy other benefits, which correlate with their performance on the quality metrics. Cultural inclusion of minorities and diverse people provides the Clinic with a pool of talents that has varied problem-solving skills (Browaeys Price, 2011). Additionally, a diverse workforce helps in the care delivery for the clients because employees understand cultural aspects of patients. Understanding how to manage a diverse workforce increases Cleveland’s flexibility to venture into foreign markets by leveraging the experience. External Opportunities and Threats Porter’s Five Forces Today, new entrants’ threat is low in the healthcare industry. Existing organizations have gained economies of scale that allows them to offer competitive prices that new entrants cannot afford. Secondly, current operators have exclusive access to distribution channels, which lock out new players. Additionally, the entry is capital intensive; thus, few new competitors can raise the amount required. Therefore, the low threat of new entrants is an opportunity for Cleveland to gain an extra market share. The bargaining power of suppliers in the healthcare industry can be divided into physicians and other professionals. Physicians are suppliers because they refer clients to various hospitals, and their power is high. Material suppliers are numerous; thus, they have a low bargaining power. The high power of physicians is a threat to Cleveland Clinic because they can take away its clients and refer them elsewhere. Material suppliers represent an opportunity because the organization can negotiate for low prices and high-quality products. The rivalry among competitors is intensive because they are numerous and have access to vital resources (Swayne, Duncan, Ginter, 2012). Competitors are threats to Cleveland Clinic because they can reduce its market share and profitability. Despite the need to respond to the competition, the Clinic may not succeed because of the gap in the quality that exists between its online customers and in-house clients. An organization-wide application of technology has made flexibility difficult to respond to such a gap. Many competitors offering similar products and services create powerful substitutes. Substitutes threaten Cleveland Clinic’s products and services because they can serve the same purpose (Lutchman, 2011). The entity’s only advantage is high switching costs, which would curtail its current customers from seeking competitors’ services. The bargaining power of customers is high because they have a variety of products and services, from which to choose. On the one hand, affluent customers pose a threat to the Clinic because they can always choose other providers. On the other hand, poor clients represent an opportunity to Cleveland Clinic because they have limited options as services of the majority of competitors are too expensive for them. Macro-Environment Forces Global forces represent issues arising from the world markets that affect the performance of an organization. One of the global forces is globalization, which has increased interconnectivity of the markets (MacLennan, 2011). Globalization is an opportunity for Cleveland Clinic because it offers possibilities for the growth in foreign markets. Demographic forces refer to different characteristics of a population such as religion, ethnicity, and nationality. In the American society, demographic forces present an opportunity for Cleveland Clinic. The American society is increasingly diversifying in terms of ethnicity, religion, and origins (Reiss, 2012). Consequently, Cleveland Clinic can build its inclusion program by taking advantage of the talent from around the world, which can empower its workforce. Political and legal forces are a result of the decisions made by governments concerning policies and regulations governing business operations. Some of the recent forces include the requirement for all healthcare providers to report on the quality. Such a requirement has eliminated the reimbursement that Cleveland used to get from the government as an incentive to continue reporting on the quality. Such a requirement is a threat to Cleveland Clinic because it reduces its financial resources. Ethical requirements are potential threats to the Clinic because any violation may lead to negative consequences. For instance, the increased use of electronic records requires ethical considerations to protect the privacy of clients. However, such activities as hacking can threaten the organization by exposing sensitive information to unauthorized personnel. Fulfilling environmental sustainability requirements can create a positive image for Cleveland Clinic, which can attract donors. Since the Clinic is a non-profit entity, it strongly depends on well-wishers. Therefore, it is an opportunity for the organization. However, the scarcity of money due to planning problems may hinder the exploitation of this chance. Technological changes and forces represent opportunities for Cleveland Clinic because it is the current leader in the medical technologies. It can leverage its expertise in order to develop a cutting-edge technology, which can become its competitive advantage. Social changes include such aspects as the lifestyle (Yuxiang Qinghua, 2014). These changes have resulted in the lifestyle diseases. For Cleveland Clinic, such changes are opportunities to provide its excellent quality services and treatments and make a difference in people’s lives. Evaluating the SWOT Analysis According to the SWOT analysis, Cleveland Clinic can gain a competitive advantage by making minor changes in its planning process. The organization’s ability to achieve competitiveness results from the opportunities available in the market and the nature of threats that are facing it. The main obstacle towards achieving a competitive advantage is the Clinic’s inability to address the competition in the market and the substitute products. Competitors have identified a quality gap in Cleveland Clinic’s services caused by the differences in the care of its online and in-house clients. Most market competitors offer specialized care, which makes delivery of the quality care easy. Although Cleveland serves people from different market segments, it can leverage its institutes’ settings in order to ensure that the quality of care is at par with that of competitors. Such a move can reduce the negative effects of competition and the substitutes they offer in the mar ket. Some minor changes in the technology plans can involve the collaboration between Cleveland Clinic, its online clients, and affiliate clinics that are located near customers’ locations to improve the quality of services. Other threats from Porter’s five forces analysis and the macro-environment are not unique to Cleveland Clinic and affect all the other competitors in the market. The current matrix organizational structure is perfect because of multiple affiliates and alliance partners involved. Control systems can be replicated in other geographical regions, to which the company may decide to expand. They have ensured that the company has retained its edge in the quality and financial reporting despite its increase in size. Corporate level strategies include activities such as building outpatient facilities and forming alliances and joint ventures with the aim to expand. The strategies fit the situation as explored by the SWOT analysis because there are numerous opportu nities to be exploited using these corporate strategies. The business level strategy that is remarkable and capable of providing a competitive edge is the formation of institutes and the care they offer to patients. The physician integration taking place at Cleveland Clinic is unprecedented, and once the process is functional full, other competitors may need a while before replicating the competency. Meanwhile, Cleveland Clinic, therefore, can enjoy the first mover advantage before imitators can create any similar institutes. The primary weakness facing Cleveland Clinic is the planning process. All the other management functions represent strengths that the corporation can use to gain a competitive advantage. The aspects of Porter’s five forces analysis that are opportunities for Cleveland Clinic include the threat of new entrants, the power of material suppliers, and the power of poor clients. On the other hand, substitutes, physician suppliers, competition, and rich customers are threats to Cleveland Clinic. In turn, global forces, environmental requirements, technological, demographic, and social changes are promising opportunities. Political and ethical changes threaten the operations of Cleveland Clinic. The company can gain a competitive edge by utilizing its strengths and making few changes in its planning process.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Authorship in Cinema essays

Authorship in Cinema essays Flannery O'Connor's short story collection A Good Man is Hard to Find has many elements of a southern gothic work. Images of ancient castles with sliding panels create suspicious themes and settings that lead the readers into the dark and gloomy world of the southern United States. With all of the violence, horror, and dismal surroundings presented in O'Connor's stories there is too a moral message given. Later gothic work did not always explain horror like this, holding little moral value to contrast their grotesque images (notes, November 1). O'Connor's stories do include a strong moral element, frequently in the form of religious explanations. The characters within A Good Man is Hard to Find are usually ignorant and self-satisfying people, who come across "the grotesque" and are shocked into self-realization, no longer self-satisfied. These grotesque elements are usually the divine in disguise forcing the characters into introspection. In a letter Flannery O'Connor wrote sh e stated: "You have found Christ when you are concerned with other people's suffering and not your own." In this quotation we can see the moral message O'Connor was attempting to convey in her stories, and through further analysis of the work this fact can be more clearly illustrated. In the first story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, O'Connor's moral message is clearly presented. The grandmother protagonist in the story is very self-serving. She demands constant attention (although rarely getting it) and stubborn in the fact that her wishes must be carried out. She only wants to go to Tennessee to see old connections (O'Connor, pg. 1). The grandmother cannot move away from past and is at the same time confused by accuracy of past events. On the trip a road stop seems very suggestive of a hellish place: barbecue fires, Red Sammy, etc (O'Connor, pg. 6). The grandmother's lack of character judging is pointed out in this scene. She believes that R...

Monday, November 4, 2019

A history of the orchestra and the development of the symphony Essay

A history of the orchestra and the development of the symphony - Essay Example For the music lovers, the orchestra has become one of the most noted sources of enjoyment. An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. Even if the orchestra is classical, this has transcends the passage of time for until now, people are still enjoying the orchestra.The word orchestra originally signified the section in ancient Greek theaters between the stage and the audience that was used by dancers and instrumentalists, between the stage and the audience that was used by dancers and instrumentalists. Orchestra can also refer to various specialized ensembles, such as a balalaika orchestra, a jazz orchestra, or a gamelan (Indonesian tuned-percussion orchestra). In a modern theater the part of the auditorium reserved for musicians is called the orchestra pit, and the term orchestra often also designates the part of the ground floor used for audience seating.Opera and ballet orchestras share with symphony orchestras on the size and structure but they differ i n their ancestry and function. The symphony orchestra performs symphonies, concerti, and other concert music and is normally placed on a stage. Opera and ballet orchestras are part of theatrical performances and are seated in the orchestra pit of a theater. Orchestra can be classified into two, with which the basis of classification is the number of staff and/or musicians. A full size orchestra, also known as the "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra usually have over eighty musicians on its staff, in some cases over a hundred, but the number of musicians used in a performance varies according to the work being played. A leading chamber orchestra, on the other hand, might have forty or fifty members; some are much smaller than that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestra, 2006). Meanwhile there are also different sections in an orchestra. The string section, which forms the backbone of orchestral sound, is divided into four parts, much like a vocal choir: first violins, second violins, violas, and cellos and double basses. The woodwind and brass sections, unlike the strings, normally have only one player per part. Until the late 19th century, the woodwind section consisted of two oboes, two flutes, two bassoons, and two clarinets; the two members of each pair played different musical parts. By the late 19th century three of each instrument was common, with the third player sometimes switching to a related instrument. The brass section typically consists of two trumpets, four horns, three trombones, and a tuba. These are sometimes augmented by other brass instruments, such as the bass trombone or the Wagner tuba designed by the German composer Richard Wagner and used in his scores. The percussion section employs one or. The basic percussion group consists of a pair of timpani, a side drum, a bass drum, cymbals, and a triangle (http://www.mti.dmu.ac.uk/ahugill/manual/intro.html, 2006). History of Orchestra Orchestral playing started in Italy and Germany on 15th and 16th centuries when the households of nobles had musicians to provide music for dancing and the court, however with the emergence of the theatre, particularly opera, in the early 17th century, music was increasingly written for groups of players in combination. Dresden, Munich and Hamburg successively built opera houses. When the 17th century came, opera flourished in England under Henry Purcell, and in France under Lully, who with the collaboration of Molire also greatly raised the status of the entertainments known as ballets, interspersed with instrumental and vocal music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestra, 2006). As nobility began to build retreats from towns, they began to hire standing bodies of musicians. Composers such as the young Joseph Haydn then fixed body of instrumentalists to work with. At the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Spss statistical analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spss statistical analysis - Term Paper Example The quality of a lecture is measured on the ordinal scale from 1 to 100. The t-test is used for repeated measurements (Field 2009). There are two pairs of no aids-few aids and few aids-many aids and the paired t-test is performed on both of them. With the significant values of 0.006 and 0.000, both are smaller the cut off value of 0.05 the paired t-test showed that two all samples can be considered to have identical mean. In addition, lecture with few visual aids and many visual aids demonstrated significant correlation. The paired t-test revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean value of lecture quality depending on the amount of visual aids. It indicated that for all three cases an identical mean can be considered. The post hoc Tukey HSD indicates significant difference between groups of people training 6 and 12 weeks and between 6 weeks and 24 weeks. The 12 and 24 weeks groups did not show significant differences. The between-subject variable is the main sport of the participant which is defined in the first column. There are many ways to perform analysis of sport related statistical data (Williams & Wragg, 2004). This dataset contains two possible sport disciplines represented in this dataset. Independent samples test is an adequate research tool for this