How does Steinbeck prepare us for the tragic ending in ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

Steinbeck prepares us for the tragic ending in ‘of mice and men’ right the way through the book. Lenny is the focus of all bad things to come and is a central character in the novel. First up there was the incident in ‘Weed’ where Lenny ‘stroked a woman’s red dress’ and she accused Lenny of raping her. This shows they make a habit of running away from places and people when Lenny often gets into trouble. ‘an you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you did in weed neither’. ‘they run us outta weed’. Those things show situations for the future and also show the dire situation they are in at the present, they are fugitives with Lenny committing the crimes and George helping him to get away because of their solid companionship in which both are each others only companions. The situation in weed also shows that Lenny likes stroking anything and anyone that is soft and once he has hold of someone or an it he can’t let go. This is also shown with the mice where Lenny ‘pets’ them too hard. ‘uh-uh jus a dead mouse’. He doesn’t seem to fully understand the value of life nor regret his murders. This is not because he is malicious but because he is in fact ‘mentally ill’. His strength is beyond his control and this can create very dangerous situations for him and others around him, maybe even for-seeing murder here. The pup’s yet another example, this animal is also part of Lenny’s worrying fetish, here it is shown that he is too dangerous for even bigger animals in chapter five where he kills a pup. Lenny shows violence here towards the pups which he seems to love and have affection for, he thinks if the pup had not died (through no fault of it’s own) then George would’ve let him tend the rabbits and everything would be smiley again. All Lenny cares about is the rabbits and this predicts that maybe Lenny will do something destructive with the rabbits welfare In mind because he cares about them that much. ‘I’ll break their (anyone) god damn necks if they touch the rabbits he says defensively showing aggression. The bad mood Lenny is in sets him up to be calmed down by someone/something. Unfortunately this somebody/something appears to be Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is another central character in the preparation of an ‘all tears’ ending, she messes things for everybody and everything, ‘I knew she’d do us in the end’ George says resignedly after her death. She doesn’t show any sign of stopping when she on her role of misery-making and it all leads up to a climax of some sort, and ending maybe to all the pain and suffering each and everybody is going through, putting their minds at rest. Curley’s wife flirts as a meaning of talking to normal people, this is because she has not talked to other females and has not obtained any other skill so far in her short life, the men don’t like her and thinks shes a tart because of this but still find her attractive and Lenny is no different in this respect, ‘she’s purty’ (pretty) he says with delight while looking at her body up and down, listening to her tender voice and looking at her silky hair, instantly she becomes an obvious unintentional target for Lenny’s animals like affections and the antics what go with this along with her ‘red dress’ and ‘red mule feathers’ which also attracts Lenny. When Curley’s wife soothes Lenny and calms him down she doesn’t know what she’s letting herself in for, she thinks he’s a harmless ‘dum-dum’. She talks to him in the first place because she is lonely and in return for listening to her Curley’s wife lets Lenny stroke her hair which in turn triggers Lenny’s ‘can’t let go approach’ and he eventually kills her. We almost knew this was going to happen before it did because it resembles the weed incident too closely. Lenny had done a ‘really bad thing’ George says. A mistake of the highest degree. The death of a human being had occurred. After this George doesn’t even consider them going on the run together, here Steinbeck spells out the end of Lenny’s life indefinitely. George knows that Lenny can’t get away with it and says ‘we can’t let him get away with it this time’ showing what’s coming up next. Lenny’s death is now inevitable, George doesn’t want Lenny to get hunted down and ‘lynched’ like a wild animal but wants Lenny to die painlessly and dignified. This calls for Gorge to take control as anyway Lenny’s death is inevitable George decides to kill Lenny himself, humanely. Candy’s dog also showed signs of what happened to people who had no use in the ranch-place of work and it got shot just like Lenny would later be. If anything was learnt by the shooting of Lenny’s dog then it would have to be not to let a stranger kill someone who you care about. George deliberately took Carlson’s Luger as he set out of to kill Lenny himself. Steinbeck also uses the scenery to prepare us for the death of Lenny, the surrounding are beautiful, day turns to dusk and everything is moving along swiftly. The wind picks up in the background and a heron takes off this signifies an event is about to take place. The reader always knew that Lenny would die at the brush because that’s the place where he would go when he got in trouble and that’s how George would find him. George sensed it was going to be needed early on in the novel again preparing us for the ending. In the end the cards mapped out the future in a sad way, while George was playing ‘solitaire’ which again signifies their loneliness playing a one man game, Lenny picks up a card and asks why the card looks the same both ways up. George replies ‘that’s jus the way they make em’. He is saying that you can’t change what is inevitable just like Lenny’s impending doom. It is ironic that Lenny asks this question and George gives the answer because that is exactly what happens in the end.

Challenges of Life

Some of Life’s Challenges Education has always played one of the most challenging parts of my life. It has become even more of a struggle with the other priorities in my life such as work and my hockey club team. I always try my best to get around to these events while at the same time, try to avoid the worst possibilities-like not having a source of transportation or falling behind schedule with another event. These issues of rides and time can occur often but I do learn to work with what my sources are, which is hardly anything, and somehow manage to be okay at the end of the day.To begin with, working is a huge responsibility and sometimes can be a bigger priority than school. I work all morning shifts which keeps me from having any classes in the daytime. In addition, the morning time at the Galleria Mall is slow but the regulars are always there early, sometimes before the mall even opens, and it becomes frustrating when trying to concentrate on my work with a customer wa lking in every other minute.This causes me to lose my train of thought, which you all know can be very thwarting. Last, but worst part is that when I get off work, I have class right after! I come to class grumpy, hungry, and hardly without a desire to learn anything. For quite some time now, cars have been a huge hobby as well as a passion of mine. Not too long ago my mom and I began to share cars because she had returned hers due to the end of her lease.Furthermore, this has become a serious problem in which one of our schedules becomes ruined and in most cases I am the one that makes the sacrifice of skipping a hockey game, being late to work, or having to be dropped off at class an hour and a half early. Lastly, I have developed the habit of having to ask for rides from friends or family. This becomes very nerve wrecking which makes me feel terrible for always having to ask and sometimes I don’t even manage to find a ride because my family and friends have their own thing s to get†¦

Global business managers should consider and deal with the knowledge Essay

Global business managers should consider and deal with the knowledge management challenges in a holistic manner taking into a - Essay Example â€Å"There are various ways used in gathering and dispensing of information and this is done in various departments† (Adas 2010, p. 30). They include human resource department, marketing department or information technology department. Data can be gathered from secondary and primary sources. There are many research secondary sources that provide information needed by a company. Trade magazines, newspapers articles, libraries, government agencies and the internet can be used as secondary sources. Primary sources involve collection of information through ways such as observation, networking, interviewing, focus groups or experimentation. Questionnaires are also used for collecting data. Observation is the simplest method. Networking is a more of an informal method to gather primary data from experts (Anderson 2006, p. 35). Business managers use knowledge for organization objectives like sharing intelligence, improving the performance of a company, for competition or innovation. Knowledge transfer is either through training, peer discussions and mentoring programs. For example, a company solves the problem of culture barrier by teaching different cultures of people to its employees. Learning different cultures of people help in understanding them well and hence avoid work conflicts (Anderson 2009, p. 56). Offering training to employees is important because it improves working efficiency. Dealing with Knowledge Management Challenges Global business managers should deal with the knowledge management challenges in a holistic manner in order to achieve their business goals. There are various knowledge management challenges that need to be solved in order to achieve goals. Information collected is sometimes not accurate and this affects decision making in a company. Global business managers should deal with this problem of data inaccuracy by validating the information presented to them. There is another problem of data misinterpretation (Allen 2011, p.98) Infor mation gathered should be interpreted the way it is. Data biasness results in making the wrong conclusion. Data collectors and researchers in a company should be very careful in recording the information given (Bartlett 2002, p. 34). They are not supposed to record mistakes or include information that is not provided by the respondent. Another transnational strategy of managing information is by having a good system of storing information. FedEx is a company known to have a good paperless system of storing data of its employees. They have programs called PRISM HIRS which records any information pertaining to a worker. This programs record jobs posting, applicants and training information (Birkinshaw 2001, p. 23). It is important to maintain this strategy because information can never be lost. Information stored in files is mostly misplaced. The information stored in this system can be accessed any time. Importance of International Knowledge Management International knowledge managem ent is important for global business managers because they will get and share knowledge concerning global markets. This is explained in the Theory & practice of knowledge management. There will be sharing of explicit knowledge from the international world. This is the transnational strategy used by global firms. This is important because the global environment is complex and need to be studied well. There are

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 60

Essay Example Under the function of talent acquisition, engagement, and retention it was noted that Candlelight handles this function well expect that its incentive plan is not very realistic, which could hamper future retention levels. The evaluation also assessed talent leadership management in Candlelight Company and it was noted that in this regard the company does not give a lot of emphasis to this function since the aggregate score was an average rating. Secondly, the task of decreasing turnover also received an aggregate rating of average, and this perhaps explains why employee morale, training, and development also received less focus, since they also had an aggregate rating of an average. This is to say that by handling issues of employee morale, training, and development in an ‘average’ manner then it means that retention or decreasing of employee turnover is not greatly emphasized on by Candlelight Company (Berger and Berger, 58). This confirms that Candlelight’s strategic talent management needs a re-evaluation. Leadership is an integral function within any organisation and it determines the level of success of any business organisation. Equally, talent management is also under the leadership of certain managers within an organisation and in most cases this leadership is usually a specialty of the human resource manager, however, in other organisations the leadership of talent management is a shared task among various managers (Berger and Berger, 112). From the evaluation carried out on Candlelight it was evident that the leadership of talent management within the organisation received an aggregate score of ‘average’ and this explains why the other functions also received an aggregate score of average. Therefore, it is recommended that Candlelight should train its leaders on talent management practices to ensure that they fully optimize on talent management functions and thereby ensure that the organisation gets

Historical and Theoretical Perspectives in Teaching Reading Research Paper

Historical and Theoretical Perspectives in Teaching Reading - Research Paper Example The learner has to be taught visual identification, so that meaningful recognition can occur. Prodded to the habit of reading, the learner gains ease in perceiving meaning, relationships and messages of the printed word.   In the Traditional Theory, the reader is a passive receiver of information, and so the bottoms-up view approach to teaching reading is adopted and this consists in giving prime importance to building pre-cognitive skills which lead to the end processes of construction of meaning or comprehension (Dole et al. (1991).  The second Cognitive Theory is the psycho-logistic model which recognizes the fact that the   heart of the reading process is the reader, not the text. Under this theory, the learner of reading is introduced to the sampling of   the text, making   guesses or a series of hypothesis about the meaning of the text, and proceeding   with the process of fusion, interpretation and comprehension.   The cognitive experts highlight the importance o f observation, data judgment, recall, imagination, problem recognition, and analysis in teaching reading.   They also train learners to identify levels of comprehension namely: literal, interpretative, applied and evaluative (Nunan, 1991). .   Thirdly, the Metacognitive Theory centers on training the reader to have control in executing his ability to interpret and comprehend the text.   In this theory,   meta-reading is   characterized by self-awareness, careful reading and greater retention.... Yes, there had been schooling in reading especially so among ancient civilizations, but these were most rudimentary and confined to the more precocious in knowledge and love of the written word. Only since the 1980s can there be claimed theoretical perspectives in teaching and their benefits still have to be widely and deeply felt by modern learners. Theoretical perspective There are three main theories in the turns and trends in scientific approaches to teaching reading. The first Traditional Theory has been practiced for ages. This theory is founded on the neuro-physiological process which gives importance to the textual material . The learner has to be taught visual identification, so that meaningful recognition can occur. Prodded to the habit of reading, the learner gains ease in perceiving meaning, relationships and messages of the printed word. In the Traditional Theory, the reader is a passive receiver of information, and so the bottoms-up view approach to teaching reading is adopted and this consists in giving prime importance to building pre-cognitive skills which lead to the end processes of construction of meaning or comprehension (Dole et al. (1991). The second Cognitive Theory is the psycho-logistic model which recognizes the fact that the heart of the reading process is the reader, not the text. Under this theory, the learner of reading is introduced to the sampling of the text, making guesses or a series of hypothesis about the meaning of the text, and proceeding with the process of fusion, interpretation and comprehension. The cognitive experts highlight the importance of observation, data judgment, recall, imagination, problem

Ethics and the ASCE Report Card for Americas Infrastructure Assignment

Ethics and the ASCE Report Card for Americas Infrastructure - Assignment Example This is compounded with infringement into the local cultures while executing construction projects (McAnally 75). Another critical ethical concern is failure of imported technology to conform to socio-economic policies of the local industries. This pertains particularly to international regulations on patents which suppress the progressive socio-economic strategy of developing economies. Competitive strategies of civil engineering firms to adopt common language and use the same in foreign assignments have a significant ethical drawback. This has to do with foreign engineering using their language which may not be effective to the locals and the consequence is skewed decision making. For instance, Civil engineers from firms that use English as common language are likely to dominate project evaluation and monitoring process and make the locals to shy aware hence limiting participatory decision making as far as the interests of the local community is concerned. This has led to environme ntal degradation, disregard of cultural norms which amounts to unethical consequences of globalization in civil engineering. ASCE maintains transparency and accountability of the engineers in various locations of their assignments. Since one of the ethical codes is to serve humanity, involvement of the local community in foreign assignment is facilitated through use of interpreters and participatory decision making which must incorporate input of local community. Another approach towards remedying this problem by ASCE code of ethics emphasizes involvement of the local engineers to link the foreigners with the host community (McAnally 77). However, it is worth to note that ASCE code of ethics has standardized rules on projects execution procedures which at times clash with the local legal framework. United States is considered the powerhouse of ultra-modern technology and offers the best civil engineering

Unknown Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unknown - Thesis Example This interesting because in 1692, witchcraft was considered a crime in the United States and anybody who is tried for the crime will be denied legal counsel. US legal system was also flawed at that time and could even be considered worst than the most fatalistic government today. During that time, anybody can be convicted by just an accusation that a person was seen in a dream committing the crime (spectral evidence) where gossips and hearsays were used as evidence (Linder, 2009). An accused is also tried on the basis of either he or she is with God or against God (McGill, 1981) where evidences were based on religion instead of facts (Eugen, 1959). And yes, America hanged their convicts too especially when it involves witchcraft. This piece of America’s history is not that popular because it ran counter to cherished value that we now enjoy. Yet at some point, America was like her critic that would make this research an interesting excursion into America’s dark

Fitness Club System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fitness Club System - Essay Example The basis of this system is to manage effectively the available resources involved in The Fitness Center namely the members, fitness consultants and the higher management of the company involved in strategic decisions. The first section details out the primary purpose to come up with an IT solution for the company and the advantages to the stakeholders of the company. It follows with the roles of the people involved in this project. The Information system deployed here will help the company and its members in identifying their individual goal and contribute to the overall objective of the company to create a competitive edge over others in the similar business. Enveloping an information system, which happens to be quite a erode of time, effort and money, would put the company in the digital world to manage all its business processes, may how small or big it be, effectively creating a record of the activities and covering all the deficiencies of the manual system. Members: The current and prospective members would use the system to feed in their personal data and reason as to which they have joined the Fitness center. The members may have various objectives while joining the center. Some are for simple fitness programs while others have different objective. The system would take care of all those and keep the latest details about performance and other measures such as future interests. Solution: This system provides with user inputs to a large variety of questions to analyze their needs and future goals to get them the best they desire. Constant monitoring is a very important activity. They form a major part of the system and handle a lot of tasks relating to the members activities and alignment to several other programs and future interests. They interface with the management giving valuable information regarding members and their

HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS - Essay Example After 1960, European cinema took itself to a new level by addressing to new and better class audiences. It also started deviating from the paradigm set by Hollywood regarding classical narrative cinemas. Melodrama first appeared in Hollywood during the era of pre- Hollywood silent cinema. During those times, it was equated with the subcategory of ‘woman’s film’ which invited female criticism on women’s ‘subaltern’ status. During the decade from 1970- 1980, European cinematic discourse took a different turn. It paved the way for â€Å"revalorization of the affective†. Through her works, Linda Williams led the way. This new way required placing of emotions in a broad category. She is also credited for taking the melodramatic genre beyond family melodramas or women – centric stories. As compared to European movies, the melodramatic movies of Hollywood contained â€Å"semiotic, psychoanalytic or ideological structures†. Melodra matic movies, in opinion of (LANDY, 1991, p. 19- 20) carried different interpretations. Groups supporting different film movements differ in opinions. In most parts of the Western Europe, as well as in Hollywood, realist melodramatic movie gained popularity. Society and social issues were the chief subjects of these movies. Melodrama, as a theatrical genre of Hollywood emphasizes more on subjectivity of emotions over social commentary. Everything related to emotions is externalized and presented in form of gestures (Deleuze and the cinemas of performance: powers of affection, 2008, p. 71). Music has played one of the most important roles when it comes to theatrical melodramas of nineteenth century. This tradition has remained unchanged even in twenty -first century. Thus, present day melodramatic movies bear subtle impression of traditional functions and conventions of music (Reay, 2004, p. 6). Conventions of Hollywood melodrama In European movies Since 1920, European cinema has set for an enterprise to have an individual identity and disassociate itself from Hollywood. Though the goal was achieved to a certain degree by countries like Germany, France and Italy, European cinema could never come out fully from Hollywood domains (Dyer and Vincendeau, 1992, p. 8). Chief notions of melodramas in Hollywood are- art is primarily used for criticism, domestic tragedy is a sub- genre of melodrama, virtuous characters suffer throughout the discourse it s worth noticing that, degree or possibility of suffering does not depend on person’s nature. Also, absolute happiness portrayed through characters are not practical in certain cases as in real life sufferings are inevitable. Lastly, the main character represents the entire population having similar problem. He or she stands for a whole mass seeking to change the course of actions or an entire system. Before ceasing its existence, melodrama in European film was deeply influenced by generic iconographies of Hollywoo d. General subject matters, perceived from a broader point of view were considered for producing melodramas. Hollywood’s influence could then be felt in European cinemas as the producers and directors made use of conventional Hollywood devices like â€Å"peplum files, historical swashbucklers, biblical epics and exotic adventure. All these were modifies and conditioned according to

Immigration personal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Immigration personal letter - Essay Example I didn't have many savings, and I didn't even have a checking account in an American bank! I had to get an apartment for my first few months here. Every week I would buy groceries, and I had a hard time just keeping afloat. Actually, it was only a few weeks after I got to America that I found a decent job working as a System Admin with an electronics company that needed someone to oversee their software department. Basically I was making sure that everything operated smoothly. If there was a problem on my job, people would usually come see me about it because I was the computer expert. "Saurabh, what's the matter with this program Saurabh, why won't this window close Saurabh, how do I do this How do I do that" As you can see, this was a very demanding job. But I had to work hard in order so that I could send some money back to India until I could afford to bring the rest of my family over here while I was on my work visa. Finally, when I had saved up about ten-thousand dollars, I brought my wife Padma to the United States with our baby girl Dharti. Airfare from India costs quite a bit, so I had to save up for that, as well as the expenses we would have here in the U.S. after Padma and Dharti came over. In order to earn that ten-thousand dollars I had to work overtime at my job for weeks on end. But I did it because I loved my family and I really wanted them to be with me here in the United States. James Madison, one of the founding fathers of the United States, once was quoted. He said that "America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity."1 This is partially the truth, because, America is not only responsible for my success. I am also partially responsible for the success of America. Now... For awhile I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it in the United States. When I first came to the U.S., I had little money, was without my nuclear family, and didn't really speak English as well as I would have liked. Actually, it was only a few weeks after I got to America that I found a decent job working as a System Admin with an electronics company that needed someone to oversee their software department. Basically I was making sure that everything operated smoothly. If there was a problem on my job, people would usually come see me about it because I was the computer expert. "Saurabh, what's the matter with this program Saurabh, why won't this window close Saurabh, how do I do this How do I do that" As you can see, this was a very demanding job. But I had to work hard in order so that I could send some money back to India until I could afford to bring the rest of my family over here while I was on my work visa. Finally, when I had saved up about ten-thousand dollars, I brought my wife Padma to the United States with our baby girl Dharti. Airfare from India costs quite a bit, so I had to save up for that, as well as the expenses we would have here in the U.S. after Padma and Dharti came over. Now I have an even better job since I got my Master's degree, and work as a consultant with an

Assignment on Business Strategy Essay Example for Free

Assignment on Business Strategy Essay Assignment on Business Strategy 1 . Evaluate a company of your choices Mission statement in the light of the 3 components of any Mission Statement. Also use the Abel framework to evaluate the business definition that this mission statement drives. Ans. ) While a business must continually adapt to its competitive environment, there are certain core ideals that remain relatively steady and provides guidance in the process of strategic decision making. These unchanging ideals from the business vision and are expresses in the company mission statement. The mission statement communicates the firms core deology and visionary goals, generally consisting of the following three components: a. Core values to which the firm is committed b. Core purpose of the firm c. Visionary goals the firm will pursue The firms core values and purpose constitutes its core ideology and remain relatively constant. They are independent of industry structure and the product life cycle. The core ideology is not created in the mission statement; rather, the mission statement is simply an expression of what already exists. The specific phrasing of the ideology may change with the times, but the underlying ideology remains constant. Here is the Coca-Cola Companys mission statement for Stakeholders which is published in Jeffrey Abrahams new book, 101 Mission Statements From Top Companies . The Coca-Cola Promise: The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches. The basic proposition of our business is simple, solid, and timeless. When we bring refreshment, value, Joy and fun to our stakeholders, then we successfully nurture and protect our brands, particularly Coca-Cola. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business. The audience for this mission is specifically for the stakeholder. The values here are stated explicitly: refreshment, value, Joy, fun, and attractive returns. These words were obviously carefully chosen by those who crafted this mission statement. The ultimate obligation of attractive returns is a powerful way to state the companys vision and keeps the values stated in context. A separate mission statement is published on The Coca-Cola Companys website for access by the general public: Everything we do is inspired by our enduring mission: * To Refresh the World in body, mind, and spirit. * To Inspire Moments of Optimism hrough our brands and our actions. * To Create Value and Make a Difference everywhere we engage. These values are consistent with the stakeholder version of the mission: refreshment and value are echoed in addition to inspiration. 2. What does a Business model intend to achieve, and how? Evaluate any company of your choices Business Model in the light of the same. Ans. ) Business Models are simulations of actual business functioning. They act as ideal real life examples, and help participants actively discuss the pros and cons of the situation given. A business Model gives a Full Account of any particular Business Scenario. One has to SWOT analyze the Business Model based on different how it makes money or delivers value, and what it does and does not do. A business model can change throughout the life of business or can be applied to a specific product, or to a nonprofit. It is a more general and concise statement than the business plan, but is still often used to explain the business and its activities to investors, banks or employees. Standard business models are often referred to in shorthand, such as subscription or low-cost leader. As we know a business model is the mechanism by which a business intends to pecify a market offering. It is a summary of how a company plans to serve its customers and specifies its product offering. It mentions both the strategy and methods of implementation. As Amazon. com was being established, the delivery of information, goods, or services to end customers employed one strong business model called the Online Retailers of Physical Goods. This business model takes title to the newly manufactured products that they sell and often rely on third party providers. Like Amazon. com, it needed third party providers, such as Borders and Barnes Noble, to maintain its product supply. When Amazon. om was first launched, Amazon. om was heralded for its feel-friendly culture that drew talented young people to apply for work there and employed smart hiring strategy by hiring the brightest, most intelligent and versatile people. Jeff Bezos wanted people who could share his vision and were willing to work to achieve it. He tried to establish a sense of community due to sharing both hard work and fun with his employees. Although pay was less than market salaries, attractive ownership options were offered. Amazons three operational strategies are 1 . Cost-Leadership Amazon places itself as leader based only on the pricing. It offers the same product quality for lesser price. 2. Customer Differentiation Amazon uses design, quality and convenience as a differentiator which set it apart from its close competitors. 3. Focus Strategies Customer service is the major focus while realizing that each market has its own quirks. Amazon. coms values and philosophy are at the center of the organization. These often determines the success and failure of the enterprise . The other important factors Amazon focuses on are customer satisfaction and operational frugality. These two values complement Amazon. oms operational trategies in achieving and maintaining an effective competitive advantage. Growth Drivers There are four primary drivers for growth: 1. Product focus 2. Customer focus 3. Technology focus 4. Distribution focus Using the above stated strategies, Amazon has managed to place itself in a position of power and success. 3. Use the 5 forces model to analyze and interpret the opportunities and threats that t he industry within which a company operates (of your choice), throws up. Explain how the company plans to capitalise on the opportunities and tackle the threats understanding where power lies in a business situation. It also helps to understand both the strength of a firms current competitive position, and the strength of a position a company is looking to move into. Despite the fact that the Five Force framework focuses on business concerns rather than public policy, it also emphasizes extended competition for value rather than Just competition among existing rivals, and the simpleness of its application inspired numerous companies as well as business schools to adopt its use (Wheelen and Hunger, 1998). * Chez Airlinbe company is not an isolated unit in the world and performs within a market full of other competitors. To be able to evaluate their position on market and to act accordingly they themed the Porters Five Forces Model. This model helped to define and realize their business and its surroundings and identify threats and opportunities to focthem on. They review this model periodically to obtain up-to-date data in this global and turbulent environment. The Porter Model consists of 5 elements which together comprises the environment business operate in. These elements are: suppliers, customers, new entrants, existing competition and the product itself. By assessing every one of these elements they get the whole picture of heir company within the market and the rating helps them target the key areas. They theme the scale of 0-5 to evaluate the policies of each element where O means no policies and 5 very high policies (reffering to the number in the brackets). * 1) Policies of Suppliers As they operate in the areas of services there are no critical commodities having large influence of their everyday service delivery. Therefore this area is not of critical policies in a short run. However, they should not underestimate this element as they wouldnt be able to continue the business in long run without suppliers. f their supply (3) This is a threat in case of the aircraft machines. There are not many reputable airplanes (and airplanes parts) producers and therefore they could have strong policies to control the air travel industry. As for the catering, gift services and other indirect materials there are many fragmented choice and therefore their policies is of almost no significance as they could be replaced quickly. There are no substitutes for the particular input (5) There are no substitutes for planes (in case they want to continue providing air transportation instead of ground routes) and herefore the policies of this element is very high business critical. They could reduce this policies by handling cargo theming the earth services but this might decrease service level they provide to their customers. * The suppliers customers are fragmented, so their bar gaining policies is low (4) There are more than 200 airlines all over the world and despite some alliance organizations (such as IATA) they are all potential competitors. The policies of this element is relatively high as the suppliers could afford losing one customers but the customers cant afford loosing the critical supplier (e. g. Boeing). The switching costs from one supplier to another are high (3) Switching costs in air transport industry are mainly related to the fact of limited airplanes producers and to the machine a company already owns. They theme planes form 3 producers: Airbthem, Boeing and ATR.

Analysis of the Indo Nepal Mahakali Treaty

Analysis of the Indo Nepal Mahakali Treaty CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Humans beings depend a lot on the natural resources provided by the nature for their survival. The recent period of human history differs with the earlier period in its strikingly high rate of resource utilisation. In the present environment, apart from energy the other important focus of any nation is in garnishing fresh water, one of the most precious natural resource. Water is required for the domestic use, industrial purpose and agriculture. With the increasing human population and depleting natural resources, as perceived by most, water is likely to be a source of major conflict in the near future. As per analysis, with the impact of global warming and population boom, by the year 2025 our world would be suffering from dramatic effects of hydrologic poverty. There would be great disputes and even war over water. For a country, water is brought by two ways, either as precipitation over her national territory or as inflow from upstream countries in the same river basin. The use and misuse of water in the upstream countries affects its quality and usage in the downstream country. South Asia is a region for both water abundance as well as water scarcity. The Hindukush Himalayan region together with the ancillary mountains is one of the largest store houses of fresh water in the world with most of the nations of this sub continent depending on the same in one way or the other. However, water problem in Asia is already severe, with a large population not having access to safe drinking water. Both India and Nepal share one of the largest geo hydrological region called the Ganga Brahmaputra basin. Most of the major rivers of the sub basin of Ganges river originates from Nepal and thus are trans boundary in nature. Nepal occupies 13 percent of the total drainage of Ganges basin and in terms of annual water flow; it contributes up to 45 percent. In dry seasons, Nepals contribution to the total run off is almost 70 percent[1]. The hydrological features bind both India and Nepal geographically as far as water resource is concerned. There is considerable scope for joint endeavour between both the nations on issues pertaining to water resource development and water management. However various issues relating to the same has not been smooth .The geopolitical influence, big small country syndrome, failure to understand each others sensitiveness and negative approach has led to a situation which may become a source of future conflict and a major issue in shaping the eventualities between both the countries. METHODOLOGY Statement of Problem This dissertation attempts to analyse the genesis of the problem with regard to the Indo Nepal Mahakali treaty and suggest measures to resolve the deepening divide. Hypothesis The Mahakali treaty is formally operational. However, there is a disagreement over interpretation of the provisions. A negotiation based on equitable sharing, i.e. having equal rights on utilisation of the water resource and related benefits depending on each riparian states economic and social need can resolve the deepening divide. Justification of the Study Water insecurity is omnipresent in the region, visible in conflicts and tensions erupting within and across countries. As water is becoming a scanty and critical resource with every passing day, sharing and management of trans-boundary water continues to be a bone of contention in any attempts to build a common understanding, stability, peace and cooperation in the region. Though there are a numerous treaties as far as sharing of trans- boundary river is concerned, however in many places the bilateral treaties signed by different countries and India themselves have become sites of conflict. For a fast developing economy and for a nation like India which believes in the principles of peaceful co existence, there arises a need to address issues which are of concern. As regards to the region is concerned, water governance specifically and ecological governance at large has never been as strong, nor as urgent as now with the growing impact of global warming and depleting fresh water bodies. There has always been the big versus small nation syndrome on many such issues. The need to resolve issues pertaining to trans boundary water is very much essential for peace and cooperation in South Asia. Therefore there arises a need to institute a framework for water governance that is fair, equitable and environmentally sound and resolve such issues which when addressed appropriately could go a long way in the development of the region as a whole. Scope This study concentrates on the Mahakali Integrated Development Treaty under the backdrop of various principles of international law governing international rivers and thereafter advocates some suggestions to resolve the conflict. Although various other joint water resource development treaties currently in place between the two countries are inextricably linked with the subject, the same debate has been excluded from the subject. Method of Data Collection Information for this dissertation was obtained from documentary and non- documentary sources. Cyber media was adequately accessed to obtain the latest views on the subject. A bibliography is appended at the end of the text. Organisation of the Dissertation It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- Chapter II: Background of the Treaty. This chapter tries to examine the various issues and treaties pertaining to water sharing between the two countries which had a direct impact on the course of the Mahakali water treaty. Chapter III: The Provisions of the Treaty This chapter deals with the twelve mutually accepted articles of the Mahakali water treaty concerning the integrated development of the Mahakali barrage between the erstwhile His Majestys government of Nepal and the government of India. Chapter IV: Issues of Conflict Though the treaty is formally operational, however the implementation of the provisions has been slow due to disagreement over interpretation of the provisions. This chapter tries to analyse the differences that had emerged between both India and Nepal on various issues pertaining to the treaty. Chapter V : Principles of International Law Governing International Rivers In this chapter the four basic theories with regard to the water rights of various riparian states are dwelled upon. Chapter VI : Possible Measures to Mitigate the Conflict. Though steps have been initiated to resolve the conflict still there are differences over the treaty. In this chapter an endeavour has been made to study various methods to mitigate the deepening divide. CHAPTER II BACKGROUND OF THE TREATY Both India and Nepal share many rivers such as Kosi, Gandaki, Karnali and Mahakali. In order to harness the benefits of the Mahakali river between India and Nepal, a multipurpose project was planned. The Mahakali treaty though provides for a construction of a project on the Mahakali river however it has its background to various historical events, which led to the conclusion of these agreements. As regard to the Indo Nepal water treaty, the water resource development dates back to 1920 when the British Indian government decided to build the Sarda barrage to irrigate the United Province. As per the treaty, Nepal government agreed to transfer 4093.88 acres of her land on the eastern banks of Mahakali river to build a barrage. In exchange Nepal received an equal amount of forest land from the British Indian government to the east[2]. In addition the British Indian government also agreed to give 50,000 rupees, a supply of 4.25 cubic meters per sec (cumsecs) out of an annual flow of 650 cumsecs during dry season and 13 cumsecs of water in the wet season which could be further increased to 28.34 cumsecs if water was available[3]. The project was undertaken by the British Indian government for its own benefit and at her own cost in addition to an equitable transfer of land with some benefits as regard to sharing of water is concerned, being provided to the Nepal government. In 1954 India and Nepal signed the Kosi agreement which entailed construction of a dam on the Kosi river for the use of the river water. The Kosi river is one of the major rivers of Nepal. One of the peculiarities of the river being that it shifts its course frequently and used to flood the plains of Bihar. The Kosi project agreement was signed with the aim of preventing floods in Bihar, diverting the confined water for irrigation and hydropower generation (20,000 KW)[4]. The 1.15 km barrage was completed in 1962. The barrage was entirely in Nepal with the eastern main canal in India[5]. the project was seriously criticised at all levels in Nepal, the complaint being that it was a sell out of national property for Indias benefits and that nothing had been obtained for Nepal in return for a huge expenditure of resources. Subsequently on Nepals insistence, talks were held to revise the agreement in 1966. Later in 1982 the western main canal was completed of which 35 km stretch of the c anal passed through Nepal which was designed to irrigate 356000 hectares of land as far as Darbhanga in India towards the west and 11000 hectares of land in Nepal[6]. Though the project was completed; however there arose a discontented feeling in Nepal. Nepals concerns were that the project gave limited benefit to her compared to India. Though India adjusted to the concerns of Nepal, the agreement created a rift in the relations between the two countries and Nepal became cautious for initiation of any new agreement. In 1959 India and Nepal signed the Gandak Irrigation and Power Project Agreement. As per the agreement, Nepal government allowed India to construct a barrage at her own cost. The barrage was designed to irrigate 920,000 hectares of land in the state of Bihar and 37,000 hectares in western Nepal from the eastern main canal and similarly 930,000 hectares in Uttar Pradesh and 20,000 hectares in Nepal from the western main canal[7]. The barrage was constructed on the Indo Nepal Border. The agreement met similar criticism as had the Kosi project. The discontented feelings arising from the Kosi and the Gandak irrigation project were the reasons which inhibited any progress on the projects to include the Pancheswar and Saptakosi to name a few later on. Furthermore a constitutional amendment made Parliamentary ratification necessary by two third majorities for any treaty or agreement relating to natural resources which affect the country in a pervasively grave manner or on a long term basis. In the meantime, in 1983, India began constructing the Tanakpur Project. The project was started unilaterally on the land which was transferred to India under the Sarda agreement[8]. Problems started on the eastern afflux bund that required tying the barrage to the high ground on the left bank in Nepal. India needed about 2.9 hectares of Nepalese land to construct an embankment to prevent back water effects due to the barrage. In lieu Indian agreed to provide 25,000 cusecs of water as well as supply 25 MW of electricity. Nepal however demanded 50 and 59 percent share in water and electricity respectively. Nepals public stand was that India never consulted or brought to notice any prior information on the issue. The project arrived at a political stale mate. In December 1991 during the visit of Nepalese Prime Minister to India, it was concluded that Nepal government would allow construction of the 577 meters left afflux bund in its territory so as to prevent a recurrence and to ensure poundage of water at the dam site. In return India agreed to provide 1000 cusecs of water annually with 10 million units of electricity. However the issue led to a political turmoil in Nepal. The opposition in Nepal wanted the Tanakpur project understanding to be treated as a treaty and thus requiring ratification. In October 1992 under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), India agreed to provide 20 million units of electricity against the previous figure of 10 million units to Nepal[9]. The Supreme Court of Nepal affirmed its verdict on a petition filed on the issue that the MoU between the governments was indeed a treaty but left it to the government of Nepal to decide whether a simple majority or a two-third majority would be required for its ratification[10]. The political turbulence on the issue led to the Prime Minister of Nepal dissolving the parliament and in the fresh polls in 1994 none of the party received clear majority to form a government. Subsequently a new government under Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist (CPN UML) was formed being in majority. Under the new government renegotiations were sought on the Tanakpur project. The Nepalese government demanded increase in quantum of electricity as well as water and construction of a storage high dam at Pancheswar upstream of Tanakpur site on the Mahakali river[11]. The Mahakali Treaty The flow of the Mahakali river is through the districts Danchula, Baitadi and Dadeldh in the hills and subsequently the river flows through the Kanchanpur district in the plains. After the river arrives into the plains it turns into a border between both the countries. The river joins the Ghagra river in the Indian territory. In 1971, Nepal began her Mahakali Irrigation project. Under the 1920 Sarda agreement, Nepal was permitted to utilise its share of river water. For the project, World Bank provided the assistance[12]. In 1977 both India and Nepal agreed to jointly investigate the possibilities of harnessing the Mahakali river further between the two countries. It was the fourth major water treaty being considered between the two countries. The treaty concerned the development of Mahakali river for the benefit of both the countries. The treaty was signed between India and Nepal in 1996. The treaty was signed under the back drop of previous treaties which had led to a feeling of mistrust as far as water agreements were concerned and to a great extent shaped the outcome of the Mahakali treaty. The treaty tried to bring within its fold other treaties and tried to arrive with principle of cost benefit sharing. The treaty provides for the construction of and use of a giant, multipurpose project on the Mahakali river called as the Pancheswar project. In January 1996 the Mahakali treaty was ratified in Nepalese parliament by more than two third majorities. However prior to ratification, the Nepalese parliament unanimously passed a stricture on the treaty which redefined the water rights. The features of strictures were as under[13]:- The electricity generated by Nepal would be sold to India as per the avoided cost principal. Constitution of Mahakali Commission on agreement with the main opposition party in the parliament as well as with the recognised national parties. Equal entitlement in the usage of the waters of the Mahakali river. The saying that Mahakali is a boundary river on major stretches between the two countries implies that it is basically a border river. CHAPTER III THE PROVISIONS OF THE MAHAKALI INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT TREATY The treaty came into existence in 1996 and is called as the Mahakali Integrated Development Treaty. The treaty is designed by India with the aim of mutual sharing of the river as well as the electricity generated therein. The treaty comprises three projects as under:- The Pancheswar Multi Project[14] It is a major project entailing construction of a 315 m high dam across the Mahakali river between Pithoragarh and the Baitadi district of Nepal. This project contains the most important content of the treaty. It proposes a joint indo Nepal hydroelectric project on the river on the basis of 50 percent cost benefit split. The Tanakpur Hydropower Project[15] As per the treaty, Nepal to continue to have sovereignty over the 2.9 hectare which was needed to build the eastern afflux bund, as well as a hectare of pondage area. In return India would provide 1000 cusecs of water in the wet season and 300 cusecs of water in the dry season. Also India would provide 70 million units of electricity to Nepal and construct an all weather road to connect Tanakpur barrage to Nepals East West highway. The Sarda Barrage[16] As per the treaty Nepal has a right to supply 1000 cusecs of water from the barrage during the wet season i.e. between May 15 to October 15 and 150 cusecs in the dry season from October 16 to May 15. Also India is bound to maintain a flow of minimum 350 cusecs of water to preserve the river ecosystem. The project tries to develop a principle of sharing cost benefit. It recognises Mahakali as a border river on major stretches between the two countries. The agreement also covers flood management and irrigation aspect apart from power generation. The treaty was signed on 12 February 1996 by the Prime Ministers of India and Nepal at Kathmandu. The treaty comprises twelve articles excluding the preamble as given in succeeding paragraphs[17]. Article 1 As per the Article 1, Nepal would have the right to a supply of 28.35 cu m/s (1000 cusecs) of water from the Sarda barrage in the wet season (i.e. from May 15 to October 15) and 4.25 cu m/s (150 cusecs) in the dry season (i.e. from October 16 to May 14). Also India has to maintain a flow of not less than 10 cu m/s (350 cusecs) downstream of the Sarda barrage in the Mahakali river to maintain and preserve the river eco system. Moreover in case the Sarda barrage became non functional due to any cause, the following would be adhered:- Nepal shall have the right to a supply of water as mentioned above by using head regulators as mentioned in Article 2. The water that is supplied would be in addition to the water to be supplied as mentioned in that paragraph. India shall maintain 350 cusecs of water flow from Tanakpur Power Station downstream of Sarda barrage. Article 2 As per the joint communiquà © of 21 October 1992, for the construction of the eastern afflux bund on the Tanakpur barrage, at Jimuwa and subsequently tying it up at EL 250 m in Nepal, Nepal gave consent to about 577 m i.e. 2.9 hectares of land. However Nepal proposed to have her sovereign control on the land including the pond age area which falls in Nepalese territory and thus free to exercise all attendant rights thereto. Also in return to the land for construction of the eastern afflux bund, Nepal would have the right to the following:-: A supply of 1000 cusecs of water in the wet season and 300 cusecs during the dry season from the date of agreement and for which India would construct the head regulator(s) near the Tanakpur barrage along with the waterways of the required capacity up to the border which would be operated jointly. India would construct a 132 kV transmission line up to the Nepal-India border from the Tanakpur Power Station so as to supply 70 million kwh (unit) of energy on annual basis free of cost from the day the treaty is in force. In case of any development of any storage project(s) including Pancheswar Multipurpose Project, the under mentioned arrangements would be made at the Tanakpur Barrage: Additional water ways and head regulators would be constructed to supply additional water to Nepal up to the Indo-Nepal border which would be operated jointly. Nepal shall have additional energy which would be equal to half of the incremental energy generated from the Tanakpur Power Station, on a continuous basis from the date of augmentation of the flow of the Mahakali river and shall bear half of the additional capital cost at the Tanakpur Power Station for the generation of such incremental energy. Article 3 As per Article 3, Pancheswar Multipurpose Project would be constructed on a stretch of the Mahakali river where it forms the boundary between the two countries thereby both the nations would have an equal entitlement in the utilization of the water of the river without prejudicing to their respective existing consumptive use of the waters of the river. The countries would agree to implement the project on the Mahakali river in accordance with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being jointly prepared by them. The project would be designed and implemented on the basis of the following principles: The project would be designed to produce the maximum benefit. All benefits accruing to both the countries would be assessed accordingly. The project shall be implemented in a way to include power stations of equal capacity on each side of the Mahakali river. Both the power stations shall be operated in an integrated manner and the net energy generated shall be equally shared. The cost of the project shall be borne proportionately by both the countries in terms of the benefits accruing to them. Both the countries shall endeavour to mobilize the finance required for the implementation of the project. A portion of Nepals share of energy shall be sold to India and the quantum and cost of the energy would be as mutually agreed. Article 4 India shall supply 350 cusecs of water for irrigation of Dodhara -Chandani area of the Nepalese Territory. The technical and other details would be mutually worked out. Article 5 The water requirement of Nepal would be given prime consideration in the utilization of the waters of the Mahakali River. Both the countries would be entitled to draw their share of water of the river from the Tanakpur Barrage and/or other mutually agreed points as provided for in the treaty and any subsequent agreement between the countries. Article 6 Any project, other than those mentioned in these articles, to be developed on the Mahakali river, where it is a boundary river, shall be designed and implemented by an agreement between the countries on the principles established by this treaty. Article 7 As per Article 7, to maintain the flow and desired level of the water of the Mahakali river, each country undertook not to use, obstruct or divert the water of the river which might adversely affect the natural flow and level except by an agreement between the countries. However, this would not preclude the use of the waters of the Mahakali river by the local communities living along both the sides of the river, not exceeding five percent of the average annual flow of the river at Pancheswar. Article 8 Article 8 stipulates that this treaty should not preclude planning, survey, development and operation of any work on the tributaries of the Mahakali river, to be carried out independently by either of the country in their own country without adversely affecting the provision of Article 7. Article 9 As per Article 9, there shall be a Mahakali river Commission guided by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and no harm to either of the country. The Commission would be composed of equal number of representatives from both the countries. The functions of the Commission would be as under:- To seek information, inspect all structures included in the treaty and make recommendations to take steps for implementation of the provision of the treaty. To make recommendations to both the countries for the conservation and utilization of the Mahakali river as envisaged and provided for in the treaty. To provide expert evaluation of projects and recommendations. To co-ordinate and monitor plans of actions arising out of the implementation of the treaty. To examine any differences arising between the nations concerning the interpretation and application of the treaty. The expenses of the Commission would be borne equally by both the countries. The Commission once constituted would submit the rules of procedure as drafted to both the countries for their concurrence and both the nations shall reserve their rights to directly deal with each other on matters, which may be in the competence of the Commission. Article 10 Under Article 10, both the countries could form project specific joint entities for the development, execution and operation of new projects including Pancheswar Multipurpose Project on the Mahakali river for mutual benefit. Article 11 Article 11 states that if the Commission fails under Article 9 of the treaty to recommend its opinion on any dispute relating to the matter within a span of three months or if either of the countries disagrees with the recommendations of the Commission, then it would be deemed that the dispute has arisen and would be submitted to arbitration for decision. In such a case also the country going for such a stand would give a minimum of three months notice to the other. Arbitration would be conducted by a tribunal composed of three arbitrators. One arbitrator shall be nominated by Nepal, one by India and the third jointly by both the countries. However neither of the arbitrator should be a national of either of the country. The third arbitrator would preside over the tribunal. In case both the countries fail to agree upon the third arbitrator, then, in a time period of three months after receipt of a proposal, either of the nations can request the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague to appoint such arbitrator who should not be a national of either country. The procedures of the arbitration would be determined by the arbitration tribunal and the decision of a majority of the arbitrators would be assumed as the decision of the tribunal and would be accepted as final and binding. For the provision for the venue of arbitration, the administrative support and the remuneration and expenses of its arbitrators would be as agreed upon by exchange of notes between the nations and in that, both the countries can decide on alternative procedures for settling differences which would have aroused in the treaty. Article 12 Following the conclusion of the treaty, the earlier understanding arrived at by both the countries concerning the utilization of the waters of the Mahakali river from the Sarda and the Tanakpur barrage, which had been incorporated in the treaty was to be deemed to have replaced by this treaty. The treaty would be subject to ratification and would enter into force on the date of exchange of instruments of ratification and would remain valid for seventy five years from the date of its entry into force. The treaty would be reviewed after every ten years or earlier as required by either of the country and make amendments if required. CHAPTER IV ISSUES OF CONFLICT The treaty came into existence on 12 February 1996. The articles lacked specificity which led to ambiguity over the interpretation of the treaty. The differences which emerged out after the treaty came into existence are given in succeeding paragraphs. The Issue of Border River and Prospect of Equal Sharing[18] As far as border river is concerned, the river acts as boundary river on major stretches (refer Appendix P put sketch as per pg laid water of hope). Nepal argues that the river is a border river where both the countries differ as far as the interpretation of treaty is concerned. As far as equal sharing is concerned, Nepal argues that as the river belongs to both the countries therefore each country owns 50 percent water. The river flows as a boundary river between Pancheswar and Banbassa. As Nepal has interpreted the issue of equal entitlement, it claims half of the share of the river water between the locations. However Indias stand is that equal sharing implies that the river per se does not belong to either of the country and can be used by either as per the requirement. Upper riparian country cannot own any water and subsequently sell it to lower riparian country where the lower riparian country as such would receive the water due to natural flow. For India, equal sharing implies that both the countries equally share the incremental benefit and cost that is attached to the Pancheswar project. Existing Consumptive Use[19] Another major difference that exists is regarding the protection of consumptive use. Nepals concern is that in the treaty, only Nepals existing consumptive usage has been quantified and not of India. Furthermore as per the treaty (Article 3), the sharing of the capital cost of the Pancheswar project would be proportionate to the relative incremental benefit which have to be considered after protecting existing consumptive use of water of the river. Nepals concern is that the 2 mha land irrigated from lower Sarda barrage is outside the scope of the agreement as it is mostly dependent on the water from Ghagra or Karnali river for most part of the year and is dependent on the Mahakali river only from July to October. However Indias stand on this issue is that the system is very much under the treaty. The Kalapani Issue Kalapani as experts feel is a disputed area. It is roughly a 35 sq km area at the junction of India, Nepal and China[20]. Indian troops have been stationed there since 1962. There is though no relation between the boundary issue at Kalapani and the Pancheswar project but one of the strictures passed along on Mahakali in Nepalese Parliament states Mahakali as well as the location of its sources basically as a border river[21]. A Parliamentary committee took up studies to clarify the status of the Mahakali river and the issue of Kalapani emerged. As per the 1816 Segauli Treaty between Nepal and British India, Mahakali river would mark as the border between India and Nepal. The issue of contention is as to which of the stream actually constitutes as the source of the river. Nepals stand is that the Lipu Gad rivulet should mark as the border which implies that the area of Kalapani which is to further east should be part of Nepalese territory, however Indian experts fee l that the Mahakali river beings much downstream where the stream from Kalapani spring and Lipu Gad meet. India however reiterates that the issue should be settled based on old records, documents and survey reports. Site for Re regulating Structure.[22] A site was needed below the main dam to store and subsequently make controlled release of water passing through the Pancheswar dam and then meet the irrigation requirements further downstream. There were two locations which rose for discussion for construction of re regulating structure. First was at Rupaligad which Nepal preferred during the negotiation of the treaty. A re regulating structure at Rupaligad would generate about 240 MW of electricity owing to low height, of about 60 m. Also due to the low height, it would have limited storage capacity. For India, the site did not offer much benefit owing to lower production of energy and offers little of her irrigation demand. Indian experts feel that the site further downstream at Poornagiri would enable construction of a re regulating structure of 180 m height which would produce up to 1000 MW of energy as well as provide adequate storage. Nepals concern on this issue is that a dam at this site would inundate 2, 50,000 hectares of agricultural land and also displace 56,000 people from Nepal hills. Nepal looks at the proposal as a project designed by India to irrigate vast tracts of agricultural land in Uttar Pradesh. The Question of Power Tariff With the project in place a maximum of 6480 MW of electricity can be derived. As per Article 3 of the treaty, the power stations of equal capacity should be constructed on eithe

A Successful Business Depends

A Successful Business Depends A successful business depends on the skills and market knowledge of its management team. It is important to have the right managers in place to drive the services. The management team needs strong project management and customer-focused skills to oversee all aspects of the service including sales and marketing, procurement, operational issues, finance and personal matters. To be successful management team needs to understand the importance of customer service. They also need to understand the requirements of businesses in the area and how services could be delivered. In a larger business, there should also have team leaders who are responsible for managing smaller groups of people and overseeing team budgets. It is important to develop their skills and understand the problems they face to make sure business runs smoothly. (Businesslink.gov.uk, 2011) In the Care Home total quality management application is essential not just assuring service quality but it is also a way of managing people and business processes to ensure complete customer satisfaction, internally and externally. It also combined with effective leadership and management which results in an organisation doing the right things right, first time. (businessballs.com, 2009) Management and leadership style have an important impact on quality improvement initiatives. Culture change may be required to facilitate improvement, especially if staff, Service Users and family members have different interpretations of care. Culture change must begin with owners and managers building new relationships with all stakeholders. (jrf.org.uk, 2008). All senior managers must demonstrate their seriousness and commitment to quality, middle managers must also demonstrate their commitment to ensure they communicate the principles, strategies and benefits to the people for whom they have responsibilities towards. (businessballs.com, 2009). To manage quality improvement Quality Assurance employed to ensure that successes are achieved in a given setting. Within adult social care, this means ensuring that the Essential Standards in Quality and Safety are being given importance and are informing all of the activities carried by the relevant care business. It is a pertinent way in which to gauge the level of quality being offered to Service Users. Consequently, high level policies and procedures need to be in place and implemented to ensure excellent levels of Quality Assurance. This assignment will discuss the effectiveness of the organisation and my own ability to manage and improve quality to meet customer requirements. It also tackled about development and implementation of improvement plans to meet or exceed customer requirements. UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGANISATION AND OWN ABILITY TO MANAGE AND IMPROVE QUALITY TO MEET CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS. In every organisation to be really effective, quality must span all functions, all people, all departments and all activities and be a common language for improvement. The cooperation of everyone is important to achieve a total quality organisation. The quality chains should not be broken because if any point one person or one piece of equipment not meeting the requirements of the customer, internal and external, failure exists. Failure to meet the requirements in any part of the chain creates problems elsewhere so to achieve quality throughout the organisation, every person in the quality chain must be trained and fully aware of customers needs and expectation and must respect the needs and expectation of their suppliers. (businessball.com, 2009). Quality Management System in the Care Home is designed and implemented to meet the quality objectives to achieve ongoing satisfaction of Service Users and to meet the mandatory requirements of the relevant external authorities associated with the provision of care for Service Users. Leading and operating an organisation successfully, it is necessary to direct and control the company in a systematic and transparent manner. Success can result from implementing and maintaining a management system that is designed to continually improve performance while addressing the needs of all interested parties. (Southern Cross Healthcare Quality Manual, 2006). Critically assess the organisations effectiveness in managing quality to meet or exceed customer requirements. Alexander Court Care Centre aim is to provide the highest quality care for Service Users to enable them to have as much choice and independence as they capable of. It is their objectives to constantly strive to improve all aspects of customer service, to ensure the financial viability and efficiency of the business providing security for Service Users and Staff, to invest in development of Staff skills so that services provided to Service Users can improve and to work closely with contractors and suppliers to ensure quality service at an efficient cost. The responsibilities, authority and the interrelation of all personnel who manage, perform and verify work affecting quality are defined and communicated in order to facilitate effective quality management. All people have given authorities and responsibilities to enable them to assist in the achievement of the quality objectives. The Operations Director is responsible for identifying and providing all the necessary resources to meet the requirements of the quality system and the organisations customers. These resources include trained personnel for the management and the performance of work, including system audits and verification activities. Regular meetings are held either individually or collectively to brief staff on performance, customer requirements, any recurring problems and obtaining feedback as necessary. Will hold an annual review of all staff and arrange for the preparation of any training plans and implementation. He will chair the management review meeting. He is responsible for ensuring the organisations performance can be adequately measured to meet the requirements of its customers and has nominated a Quality Representative with the authority and responsibility for ensuring that the requirements of the latest issue of ISO 9001:2000 are implemented and maintained by internal quality audits. The Quality Representative is responsible for monitoring the system and in particular for advising and training other personnel in the system, continually looking for improvements. Ensuring that internal quality audits are carried out as detailed on the schedule, and that all corrective and preventive actions arising from audits are close out, reporting to the management review on the performance, including needs for improvement and the awareness of customer needs and requirements throughout the organisation. Managing Director and top management have defined and implemented processes for the communication of quality requirements, objectives and accomplishments. The providing of this information becomes a resource for improvement and the involvement of people in achieving quality objectives including one to one, and team briefings, in house memos, information on notice boards, audio visual and electronic media as necessary. The management review the input and output process analysing current activities that may require change and consider opportunities for the improvement, including quality policy and quality objectives. In addition, all feedback received whether positive or negative is used as a learning and use to formulate changes in policies, procedures and processes. Regular Service User and relatives meeting and invitations to people to complete Satisfaction Survey to enable comments and provide opportunity to give open and honest feedback on the service provided. The Care Centre is registered and inspected by Care Quality Commission to ensure they complied with the guidelines and standards of the Health and Social Care Act and Care Standards Act. The Home Manager completes an action plan to address any areas of weakness, this way to ensure there is a process of continual improvement. Evaluate own ability to manage quality to meet or exceed customer requirements. In managing quality to meet customer requirements, it start with staffing factors such as turnover, staffing levels, worker stability, training and the way care is organised, it may determine staff effectiveness. Staff communication from top management as well as the need to gain support from them is important to enable staff to provide feedback. As an aspiring manager, I have to train and educate my staff to promote and establish a quality service. This includes: quality assurance, documentation, quality audits, total quality management, process management, statistics and all the methodologies for solving problems. It may be a long process so it is a good idea to firstly train qualified staff and trainers who will in turn train the rest of the staff. Training programme or continuous personnel development is important to ensure all staff have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to undertake appropriate activities in their particular area of responsibility as well as their performance quality improve. As a healthcare worker customer care is important, like for instance to our Service User and their family, we should value them by providing friendly assistance and creating comfortable atmosphere. We ensure we deal with their inquiries, create a good first impression so that they have confidence on you because I believe the saying that first impression last. Our behaviour and the way we communicate to them affects their impression so we have to act professionally. Because we are the person the Service Users sees all day so we have to comfort, care and always consider their safety. We also not forget the core values such as providing service user privacy and dignity by informing them any procedure that going to do, never expose them unnecessarily, knocking on doors and closing it, second respect by considering their thought and feelings, third their choice should always be offered and lastly fulfilment by asking them are they happy with the service received. By doing all these simple things, it can build a positive working relationship and quality assurance with the Service Users and their family. 2. BE ABLE TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT PROJECTS TO MEET, AND IF POSSIBLE, EXCEED CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS In the organisation quality improvement plan is important to meet the quality objectives of the company to achieve satisfaction of the Service Users and to meet the mandatory requirements of the relevant external authorities associated with the provision of care for Service Users. It is designed for the organisation to have direction and reflect on their accomplishment. The Quality Improvement Plan is a document about how the organisation will manage, deploy, and review the quality of care. It describes the overall management approach to quality and what is to be accomplished like mission and vision that staff can relate to in their daily work. It identifies the key terms so that staff has the same vocabulary to avoid misconceptions and unclear messages. It also describes how the quality program will be managed and monitored and includes the process for selecting quality improvement projects and relevant team leaders. The improvement plan also can indicate the types of training and support that will be available to the organisation as a whole. This Quality Improvement plan identifies the quality process, quality tools and techniques to be utilised throughout the organisation and how planned QI activities and processes are updated to the management and staff on regular basis to keep them informed as to what progress is being achieved. It also describes any quality roles and responsibilities that will exist and how measurement and analysis will be utilised and how it will help define future quality improvement activities. The Improvement plan will help to evaluate activities that will be utilised to determine the effectiveness of quality of care. 2.1 Develop an improvement plan that is designed to meet and, if possible, exceed customer requirements. Quality Improvement Plan is directed towards the organisation to assist in the delivery of quality care and success of developing skilled and educated workforce. Therefore, the organisation will continue to provide opportunities for staff to develop their careers through training and further study in order to provide highest quality service. This development ensures that all staff has the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to undertake appropriate activities in their particular area of responsibility. It also directed to the Service Users and Relatives to ensure that they receive quality care and maintain their dignity, privacy, independence and respect. Alexander Court Care Centre acknowledges that to lead and operate an organisation successfully, it is necessary to direct and control in a systematic and transparent manner. Success can result from implementing and maintaining a management system that is designed to continually improve performance while addressing the needs of all interested parties. (Quality Manual, 2006) Alexander Court includes the eight quality management principles noted below and top management uses these principles in order to lead the organisation towards improved performance. Customer Focus Organisations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations. Leadership Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organisation. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organisations objectives. Involvement of People People at all levels are the essence of the organisation and their fully involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organisations benefit. Process approach A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed as a process. System approach to management Identify, understand and manage interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organisations effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives. Continual improvement Continual improvement of the organisations overall performance is a permanent objective of the organisation. Factual approach to decision making Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information. Mutually beneficial supplier relationship An organisation and its supplier are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value. An efficient and effective way to tackle process or quality improvement is through teamwork. However, people will not engage in improvement activities without commitment and recognition from organisations leaders, a climate for improvement and strategy to implement effectively.(businessballs.com, 2009). There are some factors to be considered by the organisation after philosophy and mission have been established. First is chain of command which specifies the authority, responsibility and communication relationships between leaders and staff from top to bottom in the organisation by delegating authority responsible for programmes, staffing, and budget.(adekass.blogspot.com, 2008). Staffing such as human resource planning and recruitment should also consider so that finding the right people for the right jobs. The process of staff selection involves evaluating candidates through interviews and choosing the best candidate for the specific job.(fao.org, 2012). Then staff orientation to t he particular unit, colleagues and to the organisation. Staff should be aware of the mission and objectives of the organisation, the nature of responsibilities, the degree of accountability, and the systems and procedures followed to accomplish the tasks associated with the job. 2.2 Implement improvement plans designed to meet or exceed customer requirements. To meet customer requirements the suppliers must aware of customers needs and expectations, each person must respect also the needs and expectations of their suppliers. This situation is an open partnership style relationship, were both parties share and benefit. To be able to become a total quality organisation, some of the bad practices must be recognised and corrected. These may include: leaders not giving clear direction or inadequate supervision procedures, Staff behaviour such as fire fighting or reactive behaviour and the its not my problem attitude.(businessball.com, 2009) Good management involves regular procedures for overseeing and reviewing work, discussing difficulties and clarifying how to proceed. (akdn.org, 06/2004). So management must implement improvement plans to the staff members. The primary goal with the plan is improving quality performance by improving individual staff performance and ensuring them attains their own level of improvement. The key to improving staff performance is setting goals and this set of goals keep them motivated by constructively teaching them how to improve on specific areas they are struggle with. For example, time management because staff tardiness is one of the problems in the organisation apa rt from laziness and lack of skills. Managers also use formal documentation like supervision, appraisal forms and staff satisfaction survey which can help explain performance needs improvement. As an aspiring manager I have to develop improvement plan to the Staff whose performance requires improvement which I identified at the table, with specified action plan, timeframe and the support and resources to assist the staff. (See Appendix I). This performance improvement plan will help to meet the customer requirements in the organisation. CONCLUSION Managing improvement in the organisation is important to be able to satisfied customers and good business result. Good leader brings out the best in their people in a way that makes workplace productive. Teamwork within the organisation is the key to success of every business. Successful organisation involved 100 percent of their minds and passion in identifying problems and resolving them. They seek to improve performance in every area of their work by understanding customer requirements and improving performance to meet customer needs more effectively, improving communications between departments by breaking down internal barriers, getting staff involved by improving performance and working in teams to improve morale and support the development of individuals. Managers encourage open discussion to improve performance, and about the identification and implementation of solutions to problems.

Aspects of Human Gene Therapy :: Science Biology Genetic Essays

Aspects of Human Gene Therapy Introduction The prospect of human gene therapy was first realized in 1971 when the first recombinant DNA experiments were planned. Gene therapy can be simply viewed as inserting bits of foreign DNA into a patient’s tissue in hopes of evoking a biologic response that will effectively eliminate the targeted disease. Major advances in recombinant DNA technology have occurred over the last 20 years so that now gene therapy is becoming a reality. Gene therapeutic techniques have recently been attempted to treat patients with the genetic diseases severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), cystic fibrosis, and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (Donegan, 1995). The optimist foresees a time when a patient will simply receive a snippet of DNA and go home cured. There are many ethical and scientific hurdles that must first be crossed for such a dream to become reality. The technology has advanced so rapidly that many ethical questions weren’t originally addressed and accordingly are now bec oming the center of attention regarding human genetic research. Furthermore, scientists must find a way to outwit the body’s immune system which is primed to fight any foreign material such as inserted genes. There are also difficulties in getting the targeted cells to open up their molecular locks to allow the foreign genes inside. Gene therapy, like other medical advances before it, will have numerous failures before reaching its full potential. It will be important for the public, press, and medical industry to be patient in waiting for the dream of gene therapy to become a reality. Technological Aspects of Gene Therapy The underlying principle of gene therapy is the transfer of genetic material to specific cells of a patient in an effort to initiate a biological response to fight or eliminate a disease. There are two possible types of target cells, somatic cells that are non-reproducing, or reproducing germ-line cells. If germ-line cells are permanently altered, all future generations would be effected. Most of the current human genetic research involves somatic cells since the ethical ramifications of germ-line cell modification is still being debated. Some scientists have expressed concerns that even altered somatic cell genes could find their way to reproducing, germ-line cells (Donegan, 1995). Accordingly, regulations are strict in regards to somatic cell gene modification techniques so that this gene migration will not occur. Transfer of genes to target cells is usually accomplished by some sort of vector such as retroviruses, adenoviruses, or liposomes (Mulligan, 1993; Crystal, 1995).

The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Spiritual Awakening Essay -- Tolstoy Death I

The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Spiritual Awakening He went to his study, lay down, and once again was left alone with it. Face to face with It, unable to do anything with It. Simply look at It and grow numb with horror" (Tolstoy, 97). Death takes on an insidious persona as it eats away at Ivan Ilyich, a man horrified at the prospect of losing his life. Even more horrifying is the realization that despite his prominence and prosperity as a Russian high court judge, Ilyich has done nothing to make his life worth saving. The Death of Ivan Ilyich begins at the end, with his associates receiving the news of his passing. Here, Tolstoy emphasizes the diffident attitude the living often have toward the dead and their unintended insensitivity to what they can't comprehend. His colleagues are more preoccupied with what kind of personnel changes his death causes and getting in a game of whist than the loss of this individual. Even his wife, while playing up her bereaved widow status, considers how she can profit from his passing. Aside from the realistic portrayal of his truly devastated son, those who survive the dead man seem to consider him an inconvenient corpse. The story then flashes back to develop Ivan Ilyich as a living man. At first, the indifferent attitude of his loved ones seemed justified, since he leads a rather empty, superficial life common to the late 1800's. It appears that if someone else died, his first thoughts would turn to whist as well. Propriety, not morality, dictates his actions and he relishes power and glory. He is a consummately impervious individual, impervious to conscience, empathy, and understanding. This does not make him an evil man. More i... ...back the family has. Both of them suffer from false expectation brought on by their commitment to propriety over conscience or morality. As Ilyich's condition worsens, he begins to notice the hypocrisy upon which he has based his life. At first, he sees those around him as perpetrators of a "great lie," insisting that he will get better and making light of his condition. Later, he comes to accept that in the past he has lied to himself, and forgives his family of all his petty grudges. His realization and spiritual awakening in the moments before his death ultimately draw the greatest audience sympathy. We feel his denial and fear, his unending physical pains and emotional misery, and are able to accept, as Ilyich does, the unalterable course of our lives. Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Translated by Lynn Solotaroff. Bantam Books:New York, 1981.

Cultural Sensitive Care Essay -- Sociology, Transcultural Care

Cultural sensitive care Culture The classic definition for culture was proposed by Tylor (1871/1958) and still commonly cited: Culture is â€Å"that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society† (p. 1). This definition focuses on attributes that are acquired through growing up or living in a particular society, rather than through biological inheritance (Kottak, 2002). In Giger and Davidhizar’s (1991) Model for transcultural care, culture was defined as a patterned behavioral response that develops over time as a result of imprinting the mind through social and religious structures and intellectual and artistic manifestations. Culture is also the result of acquired mechanisms that may have innate influences but are primarily affected by internal and external stimuli. This definition gives more illustration on the social and religious dimensions and identified that culture is shaped by values, be liefs, norms, and practices that are learned and transmitted by members of the same cultural group (Leininger, 1991). Leininger (1991) explained In her model of transcultural care that culture is focused on the total or holistic life ways of human beings, religion (spiritual), kinship, politico-legal, education, technology, language, environmental context, and worldview are all considered. The importance of understanding patients’ culture was clearly articulated in Giger and Davidhizar’s (1991) work. They have indicated that culture guides our thinking, doing, and being and becomes patterned expressions of who we are and that cultural values guide actions and decision-making and facilitate self-worth and self-esteem. Transcul... ...ials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (1998) and The Essentials of Master’s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing (1995). Other disciplines have adopted similar steps to ensure appropriate level of knowledge and skills on cultural diversity. Elementary school and college educators were urged to respect the cultural richness of students and incorporate culturally sensitive curricula (Percival & Black, 2000). The importance of adequate physician knowledge in relation to cultural sensitivity has led to the imposition of legal mandates (Institute for International Research, 2005). In the military field, it has been recommended that cultural sensitivity training be added to the basic training curriculum (Holt, 2002). Additionally, in the market of business, cultural training is linked as the key to success (Local Relationships, 2003).

“Reflection Essay on Global Citizenship Class” Essay

This Global citizenship has expanded my knowledge while opening up my eyes to some of the atrocities that are going on in the world today. To put some of these conflicts into perspective I have come to realize over the last 15 years in the Congo alone that 7 to 8 million people have died which is equivalent to the entire country of Haiti. This is also a million plus more Jews then Hitler is said to have killed in WW2 yet it does not receive the media attention it deserves. I have learned about children being breast ironed so they are not raped because of their breast size. Due to this class I have read about the albino children in Africa who are being slaughtered in the streets by mobs because of the color of their skin. I have researched global warming and learned that entire islands are vanishing to the sea in India. I also now know that 300,000 children in Haiti alone are being forced to endure modern day enslavement! Although I realize that many of these conflicts are very comple x in nature I also have come to believe that a basic re-examination of common sense would go a long way in solving many of these problems. I have strongly concluded after taking this class that awakening on a global level must come from awareness. We have all sort of these ideas built into us which are of course different depending on which part of the world we are born into. Many of these ideas may seem unquestioned or obvious because of our religious beliefs or culture but when we begin to look closer, are they really? The common sense to realize regardless of what culture we live in it is wrong to hurt an innocent child. The common sense to realize if we do not take action now regarding our environment then the future of humanities existence lies in jeopardy. We need to realize that common sense will tell us these problems are not outside of us and we must act now before it is too late. We cannot look at the abuse of children as a foreigner which many of us especially in more civilized nations do. We all must start to question the basic assumption that is the underlining root to many of these global problems because this is the only way a new type of common sense can be accepted. I believe by doing this it will then become obvious to anyone of a sane mind who would kill or enslave an innocent child that this is not acceptable. Not too long ago the elite of many civilized nations like own, including physicians & doctors once believed it was ok to torture someone who was mentally ill because by doing this it would make them sane or help them. Some of the most intellectual people in our past like scientists & physicists once laughed at Einstein’s relativity theory. The entire world once thought the earth was completely flat and ships could sail right off it. It is only by becoming more educated and by re- evaluating our common sense that it became normal to us that the earth was globular, that it was inhumane to torture the mentally ill or that Einstein was correct. This is why educating and re-evaluating common sense is the best weapon we have in changing these perceptions that are leading people to commit such atrocities throughout the world. For this reason I do concur with the Rev.Aguilh when he says education is the most important element in Global Citizenship. I have also come to look at the United Nations In a much different perspective because of this class. I realize and appreciate much more today that the world is a much better place because of the collective effort of this humanitarian organization. I would like to thank Dr. Gross for opening up my blind eye to what is happening on our planet. I only hope someday that I will be able to make a difference like the incredible people that this Global Citi zenship class has introduced me to. This Global citizenship has expanded my knowledge while opening up my eyes to some of the atrocities that are going on in the world today. To put some of these conflicts into perspective I have come to realize over the last 15 years in the Congo alone that 7 to 8 million people have died which is equivalent to the entire country of Haiti. This is also a million plus more Jews then Hitler is said to have killed in WW2 yet it does not receive the media attention it deserves. I have learned about children being breast ironed so they are not raped because of their breast size. Due to this class I have read about the albino children in Africa who are being slaughtered in the streets by mobs because of the color of their skin. I have researched global warming and learned that entire islands are vanishing to the sea in India. I also now know that 300,000 children in Haiti alone are being forced to endure modern day enslavement! Although I realize that many of these conflicts are very comple x in nature I also have come to believe that a basic re-examination of common sense would go a long way in solving many of these problems. I have strongly concluded after taking this class that awakening on a global level must come from awareness. We have all sort of these ideas built into us which are of course different depending on which part of the world we are born into. Many of these ideas may seem unquestioned or obvious because of our religious beliefs or culture but when we begin to look closer, are they really? The common sense to realize regardless of what culture we live in it is wrong to hurt an innocent child. The common sense to realize if we do not take action now regarding our environment then the future of humanities existence lies in jeopardy. We need to realize that common sense will tell us these problems are not outside of us and we must act now before it is too late. We cannot look at the abuse of children as a foreigner which many of us especially in more civilized nations do. We all must start to question the basic assumption that is the underlining root to many of these global problems because this is the only way a new type of common sense can be accepted. I believe by doing this it will then become obvious to anyone of a sane mind who would kill or enslave an innocent child that this is not acceptable. Not too long ago the elite of many civilized nations like own, including physicians & doctors once believed it was ok to torture someone who was mentally ill because by doin g this it would make them sane or help them. Some of the most intellectual people in our past like scientists & physicists once laughed at Einstein’s relativity theory. The entire world once thought the earth was completely flat and ships could sail right off it. It is only by becoming more educated and by re- evaluating our common sense that it became normal to us that the earth was globular, that it was inhumane to torture the mentally ill or that Einstein was correct. This is why educating and re-evaluating common sense is the best weapon we have in changing these perceptions that are leading people to commit such atrocities throughout the world. For this reason I do concur with the Rev.Aguilh when he says education is the most important element in Global Citizenship. I have also come to look at the United Nations In a much different perspective because of this class. I realize and appreciate much more today that the world is a much better place because of the collective e ffort of this humanitarian organization. I would like to thank Dr. Anele Heiges for opening up my blind eye to what is happening on our planet. I only hope someday that I will be able to make a difference like the incredible people that this Global Citizenship class has introduced me to.