HR Generalists vs. Specialist Essay

Working in construction teaches you a good deal of generalist versus specialist management. It is often understood that general managers are what hold the projects together; however, the specialists are who get the job done. Similar to this functionality, human resource management also struggles to decipher the value of both types of managers. Whether it is in construction, accounting, finance, business administration, health care, law, etc., there are always individuals who obtain knowledge on different levels. Having less knowledge of a particular specialty doesn’t make them less valuable. In my professional opinion, I believe the value of a generalist and a specialist are more often based on the volume of the project or organization. Timothy Bartram and his fellow colleagues discuss these relationships in their article titled â€Å"Editors’ Note: Specialist Versus Generalist Managerial Roles in HRM.† Bartram collects a few articles by various authors to convey what happens in the corporate world between these positions. From my understanding, the authors of this article are advocating for the HR specialists of the world. They find that the specialists often get bullied by the general managers because of their perfectionism. According to the authors, human resource generalists focus more on the rate of productions while HR specialists focus on protecting the organization from legal liability (Bartram, 2013). Since in most case, the specialists report to the general manager, it is common for the general manager to feel superior; however, Bartram and his colleagues beg to differ. Although they seem to be the voice of the HR specialists, they are in no way undermining the work of HR generalists. In the second article I read the authors Steven J. Cesare and Coleen Thornton discuss the importance of both managerial positions and their responsibilities. Though they may not have intended to, they’re article seems to suggest that generalists are more anxious to climb the corporate ladder while specialists work to achieve their own goal and recognition from their peer specialists. This is an interesting argument and relatively true in many cases. I, also, have come to learn that generalists more often seek the approval and applause of their superior while specialists are more interested in being innovative and furthering their knowledge. Cesare and Thornton mention how individuals evaluate themselves as either position according to their education versus their profession. For example, if an individual obtains a degree in  engineering and works as a project manager, they consider themselves an engineer which is the specialty while a project manager is more general. Vice versa, people also identify themselves as their profession over their academic degree.

Culture, Values and Communications

We live in the humanity of demanding worldwide rations. We comprise the aptitude to communicate with the populace thousands miles apart at the flicker of an eye. Though this looks and is, to nearly all, a splendid supremacy to be appreciated, it can be for a few a world bewilderment and aggravation started by their own observations and values. These obstacles to culture assortment subsist because of the ways in which dissimilar cultures ease acuity and values concerning other and themselves.Culture can be depicted as the arrangement through which communication can be invented and sporadic. Culture pacts with the manner people live. Culture is well-read through perception that is shaped in a variety of ways, where we are born and hoisted, the language we study, the people and the surroundings with which we exist and the psychosomatic spur we stumble upon. Reasonably, with the intention of successfully converse with other customs, we should first see the sights to which we pledge to re cognize the ways that we present obstacles distinguish culture variations.Culture usually refers to guides of human bustle and the figurative arrangements that give such actions significance and magnitude. Cultures can be â€Å"understood as classifications of signs and gist that even their maker’s challenge that is short of preset limits, that are continuously in fluctuation, and that interrelate and contend with one another† Culture can be cleared as all the ways of life as well as arts, beliefs and institutions of a inhabitants those are approved down from generation to generation.Culture has been called â€Å"the manner of life for a whole civilization. † As such, it comprises rules of etiquettes, outfit, language, religious conviction, customs, and games, norms of behavior such as law and ethics, and schemes of belief as well as the art. Great societies often have subcultures, or factions of group with separate sets of manners and beliefs that distinguish t hem from a larger culture of which they are a component. The subculture may be idiosyncratic because of the age of its members, or by their race, traditions, class, or sexual category.The traits that establish a subculture as divergent may be artistic, spiritual, professional, opinionated, sexual or a mixture of these factors. Local cultures of the world arise equally by realm and ethnic group and more largely, by bigger regional distinctions. Resemblances in culture frequently happen in geologically close by peoples. Many regional cultures have been prejudiced by get in touch with with others, such as by colonization, trade, migration, mass media, and religion. Culture is vibrant and changes over time.In doing so, cultures attract external influences and amend to altering surroundings and technologies. Thus, culture is reliant on communication. Local cultures alter swiftly with new communications and transportation technologies that permit for better movement of people and thoughts among cultures. An individual and cultural worth is a relative ethic value, a supposition upon which execution can be extrapolated. A value system is a set of constant values and procedures. A standard value is a base upon which other principles and procedures of honesty are based.Values are considered slanted and differ across people and cultures. Types of values comprise ethical/moral norms, doctrinal/ideological (political, religious) values, communal values, and artistic values. It is debated whether some values are inherent. Individual principles develop from conditions with the external world and can alter over time. His reliability in the application of values refers to its permanence; persons have reliability if they relate their values fittingly regardless of arguments or negative fortification from others.Values are applied suitably when they are practical in the correct area. For example, it would be suitable to concern religious values in times of contentment and in tim es of desolation. Personal values developed early in life perhaps opposed to modify. They may be derivative from those of meticulous groups or systems, such as customs, religion, and political party. Nevertheless, personal standards are not widespread; one's relations, inhabitants, generation and chronological surroundings help settle on one's personal values.This is not to utter that the value perceptions themselves are not collective, simply that each individual have a sole origin of them i. e. an individual acquaintance of the suitable values for their individual genes, manners and skills. Values are linked to the customs of a civilization, but they are more broad and conceptual than norms. Norms are set of laws for deeds in particular circumstances, whereas values recognize what should be umpired as fine or awful. Flying the national flag on a festival is a custom, but it reveals the value of loyalty.Wearing dark clothing and emerging somber are normative behaviors at an interme nt. They imitate the values of reverence and sustain of associates and relatives. Communication is the procedure of stabbing to pass on information from a dispatcher to a recipient with the use of a means. Communication entails that all parties have a region of forthcoming harmony. There are aural means, such as speaking, singing and at times tenor of voice, and nonverbal, substantial way, such as body language, sign lingo, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, or the use of testing.Communication is cleared as a procedure by which we allocate and express sense in an effort to generate communal accepting. This procedure needs an enormous inventory of talents in intrapersonal and interpersonal dispensation, listening, examining, communicating, inquiring, investigating, and assessing. Use of these processes is developmental and moves to all areas of life residence, school, society, employment, and afar. It is through communication that association and assistance arise.

NYSE:KKD, A Case Study of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. Financial Statements

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was formed in 1933 when Vernon Carver Rudolph bought a doughnut shop in Kentucky. By 1937 the business had branched into a wholesale operation, supplying local grocery stores. Today, the business is owned by Krispy Kreme franchises and there are approximately 449 factory stores throughout the world.Krispy Kreme first floated on the NASDAQ in 2000 and, with a share price of $40.64, immediately gained a market capitalization of $500 million.   A year later they switched to the NYSE where they now trade under the ticker symbol KKD.In order to perform a financial analysis of Krispy Kreme we will utilize three main financial statements; the income statement, the statement of cash flow and the balance statement.The Income Statement, or profit and loss statement, will allow us to observe how much profit has been generated by KKD and will allow us to observe how profitable the business is.   Whereas the income statement reports the results from operating the busine ss over a given period of time, the balance sheet provides a picture of the firm’s value at a snapshot period in time by presenting details of its assets, liability and owner equity.Whilst an income statement reports a company’s profits this is not actually the same as their cash flows.   It is therefore important that we also look at this when analyzing the financial health and wellbeing of a company.   By looking at the free cash flows we are able to observe how much cash is available to the company after they have paid for their investments in operating capital and fixed assets.   The free cash will be the amount that is available to redistribute to the owners and creditors.The financial reports for Krispy Kreme between the years 2005 and 2007 can be found in Appendix A.   At first glance it is evident that a has been made over the last three years since their 2005 filing.   This could be potentially attributed to their rapid growth and extension that has necessitated large investments in property, plant, equipment and investments in equity method franchises.   The losses, however, have reduced from $7.2 million in 3rd quarter 2006 to $798 in the 3rd quarter of 2007 that could indicate an improvement.The operating income, excluding the $21.05 million in depreciation, of Krispy Kreme at the end of the 3rd quarter 2007 was $22.11. The company has reported an investment of 12.63 that their annual report (www.krisykreme.com) attributed to the sale of property and the reacquisition of some of the franchises.   In addition to this KKD retired some of their long debt leading to a net loss of $15.48 in financing activities.The statement of cash flows reveal a net credit to impairment and lease termination of $268,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2007, a huge shift from the charge of $5.4million of 3rd quarter 2006.   Clearly in the latter stages of 2006 a number of stores were closed or the franchises were terminated.   The third quarter 20 07 balance sheet shows that KKD had cash of $23 million and a debt of $88 million.In order to fully understand KKD’s position in the market we need to understand the data in relative terms, i.e. how is KKD performing in comparison to their competitors or similar companies. An analysis of KKD’s financial rations provides us with further insight into their operations and can allow us to better highlight their strengths and weaknesses.   The debt ratio indicates how much debt KKD are using to finance their assets.   KKD’s debt ratio discloses that the company has a debt level that matches their level of assets.   This is clearly bad news.Furthermore they have negative earnings per share ratio of -5.45.   This EPS ratio is significantly below the industry average of -2.75 will entail that it will be extremely difficult to attract new investors as they are unable to offer earnings on the investment, at the moment they are offering a loss.   In addition to t his, if the company financials do not pick up and they are forced to default there will be no return for the investors at all.The Return on Sales ratio is currently at .39.   This is also below the industry average.   Such a low ratio indicates that the sales are not equivalent to the company’s current operating expenses.However, on a positive note, the Current Ratio (an indication of the firm’s liquidity as measured by its liquid assets) of 1.71 shows some recovery and demonstrated that KKD have the resources to meet short-term obligations.One potential source of this could be cash generated by financing activities that can help to offset the unrewarded investments in finance acquisitions.   However, this is a short-term option and will not significantly offset investors concerns.KKD currently has a quick inventory turnover and averages 20 days.   This indicates that the company is managing their inventory well and is running an efficient operation with minima l waste.   In addition to this the turnover in receivable is 8 – 11 days which is much lower than one of their major competitors; Starbucks.   Their accounts payable turnover is also high relative to Satrbucks but this is probably a direct outcome of their franchise model.KKD as an investment has received a great deal of negative publicity recently and this will undoubtedly have impacted their share price.   Accusations relating to their accounting practices and the potential over inflation of profit levels will undoubtedly have lowered investor’s confidence in the company and has also triggered a number of lawsuits.Through analyzing their current financial status and taking into consideration their ongoing issues with the SEC, I would not invest in this company.Reference PageKrispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc KKD (NYSE) Full Description. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Reuters FundamentalsWeb site: http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=KKDKrispy K reme History. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Krispy KremeWeb site: http://www.krispykreme.com/history.htmlKrispy Kreme Quarterly Financial Report. (2007). Retrieved March 3, 2008, from Krispy KremeWeb site: http://www.krispykreme.com/investorrelations.html   

Tells us about a time when you took a risk, including what the risk Essay

Tells us about a time when you took a risk, including what the risk was, what happened, and how the experience change you - ( 400 to 600 Words) - Essay Example This implies that the incoming manager had to be equipped with exemplary skills in restaurant management. Mr, Smith, knew me personally. Furthermore, he knew my future ambition of becoming an entrepreneur. Having been raised in Brazil, he felt my experience from a foreign country would enrich the business through integrating new ideas with the traditional English culture. After thorough scrutiny, Mr. Smith decided I was best suited to take up this risky opportunity. At first, I thought I was not up to the task but then I decided to take up the risk after realizing it was the only way I would gain experience. Thoughts of what a disappointment I would be if I did not deliver or if the business failed to flourish kept crossing my mind. Despite this, I did not give up. Since most of my life I had lived in Brazil, I was not proficient in the English language. This situation made the assignment even more challenging considering the business was in an English setting. I had the task of proving to myself as well as to others that being a foreigner was not an impediment to success. I had no substantial knowledge of the English culture and how to prepare English food. As result, I decided to dedicate my fist day to work on making myself acquainted with these aspects. I also came up with a concept on how to deliver the best services and the kind of foods that would be more appealing. Nonetheless, I developed some marketing strategies that I would incorporate into the business so as to increase sales and achieve set goals. Not to forget how I would train those under my supervision. I decided I would be dedicated to my new job through hard work and commitment. Applying these concepts made the business a success. In a couple of months, the flow of customers had increased. The trend continued as more people brought their friends and families to the traditional English restaurant due to the good services they were receiving. More traffic was

Land Law paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Land Law paper - Essay Example This Act, together with the Rules, regulates the role and practice of HM Land Registry (The 1925 Reforms and Unregistered Land Law, 2006). The Land Registration Act 2002 simplified and modernised the law of land registration. It also makes the register reflect a more accurate picture of a title to land. It is intended to facilitate the introduction of e-conveyancing1. This Act makes some major changes to the law regulating registered land. Specifically, it enables shorter leases to be registered, introduces voluntary land registration, changes the system of protection of third party rights and reforms and modernises the law of adverse possession or squatters' rights. The Land Registration Act has been received with much critical acclaim. It is a work of monumental importance and monumental effort. The Land Registration Act 2002 contains significant new provisions that are directed towards the goal of total registration (Gray and Gray, 2006). 1/The Land Registry e-conveyancing (2006) defined e-conveyancing as the transformation of the current paper-based conveyancing system into electronic form, using electronic documents, requisitions and signatures, meaning, paperless. The programme aims to utilise advances in technology by creating a system that reduces the delay and anxiety which can be experienced in the house buying process. According to the Land Law Legal Essays and Coursework (2005), ... On the first registration, the registrar awards a grade of title to each registered estate. In the case of freehold estates, one of the following grades of title may be awarded according to section 11 of the Act. The absolute freehold title shows there is nothing dubious about the title. The estate is vested in the proprietor and is subject only to entries on the register and overriding interests. Title does not have to be perfect. If the registrar believes that any defect will "not cause the holding under the title to be disturbed", absolute title will be given - section 9(3) of the Land Registration Act (Land Law Legal Essays and Coursework, 2005). In the possessory freehold title, there is no documentary evidence of title, for example, lost title deeds. Title depends on adverse possession. It conveys no guarantee of title at the time of registration, but subsequent problems, for example forgery of proprietor's signature, will be covered by the guarantee. It can be upgraded into absolute title after being in possession as proprietor for twelve years as mentioned in section 62(1), (4)). In the qualified freehold title, the title is subject to a fundamental defect. There is no guarantee in respect of the specified defect. It may be upgraded to absolute title if registrar is satisfied as to the title (section 62 of the Land Registration Act). On the other hand, in the case of leasehold estates, one of the following grades of title may be awarded according to section 12 of the Act. The absolute leasehold title is the same to absolute freehold except the proprietor is also subject to covenants in the lease. The good leasehold title is the same as absolute leasehold except the right of the landlord to

Newborn case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Newborn - Case Study Example The normal respiratory of an infant is usually between 30 and 60 breaths/min. In Baby Cunningham’s case, the respiratory was significantly high as a result of the respiratory distress syndrome. She was also preterm, and her lungs had not fully matured. Baby Cunningham’s temperature was significantly low at 96 degrees. The American Academy of Pediatrics shows the normal range of temperature for newborns to be between 97.7 and 99.3 degrees Farenheight. The main cause of the low temperature can be attributed to the fact that she was preterm, and her subcutaneous tissue had nod developed completely. Normal blood glucose levels in a neonate is recommended at a minimum of 30mg/dl. The blood glucose levels in Cunningham’s case was 25mg/dl one hour after birth, below the recommended level. If not corrected, it can result in symptoms of hypoglycemia such as apnea, tremors, seizures, lethargy, cyanosis and poor feeding (Adamkin, 2011). Respiratory distress syndrome is characterized by several symptoms, most commonly tachypnea, nasal flaring, grunting and retractions. These symptoms are due to the difficulty in breathing, and they are managed by relieving the underlying cause. Treatment involves supplying oxygen, mechanical ventilation, surfactant replacement and supportive care. The environmental temperature can influence the chances of survival of baby Cunningham. Since she is already hypothermic and has difficulty controlling her body temperature, it is recommended to put her in a warm environment as a management measure. Due to the complications of the elective induction and the caesarean section, Cunningham was exposed to infection and, therefore, it is important to determine if she has an infection to avoid further health complications. The situation in Cunningham’s birth could have been easily avoided by waiting for her to complete her gestation period. A full term infant has got higher chances of survival as compared to a preterm. Complications can

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Research Paper

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone - Research Paper Example In Africa, countries have experienced recurrent and various forms of armed conflicts and violence due to power struggles and control over natural resources. Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo have bore the brunt of violence and armed conflicts in past decades, a fact that has led to development mishaps and stagnation. This paper examines the role of ritual, culture and religion in the shaping up of the social, economic and political stability of Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo. It further explores the role of violence and conflicts in the development process. Sierra Leone is located on the west Coast of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and it is bordered to the North with Guinea, Liberia on the Southeast and Atlantic Ocean on the Southwest (Harris, 1992). Different ceremonies were held in Sierra Leone as part of the culture and religion of the people. One of the ceremonies that were more conspicuous was the movement in rings or circles during ceremonies to honor ancestors (Harris, 1992). The movement of people in circles during ceremonies defined the art and religion of most communities in Sierra Leone. It is reported that the culture and tradition was seen as heathen by the missionaries and as such, they searched for strategies of eliminating and eradicating the practice. The missionaries did not succeed in eradicating the practice due to the strong influence that culture had among communities in Sierra Leone. ... e purposes included story telling, singing of songs, drumming and dancing, pouring of libations, cleansing ceremonies, proper burials, respect for the dead and forgiveness (Kaarsholm, 2006). The traditional cultural practices and rituals have played significant roles in the development process of Sierra Leone. Modern development strategies have incorporated traditional cultural practices in various health and human welfare initiatives such as fight against HIV/AIDS, ending of harmful traditional practices such female genital mutilation, understanding of human rights and other initiatives that are associated with human welfare and development in Sierra Leone (Burnell, 2008). The uptake and use of various traditional cultural practices and rituals in modern human development initiatives in Sierra Leone has been premised on the notion that the use of culturally appropriate interventions that are drawn from the experience and knowledge of communities has the potential of increasing the l ong-term self-reliance of communities, families and children (Francis, 2006). In addition, the use of traditional practices and rituals encourages community members to take active roles in identification of development problems that affect them and formulation of strategies and solutions to mitigate such problems. The role of culture and traditions of Sierra Leone communities was relevant and instrumental in the truth and reconciliation process that paved way for political stability and tranquility. Most of the healing activities and initiatives were based on the culture and traditions of the people of Sierra Leone. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone relied on the assistance and help from traditional and religious leaders in resolving conflicts and promotion of

Chemical Manufacturing Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Chemical Manufacturing Industry - Essay Example The paper tells that to be able to earn good profit out of manufacturing chemicals, business owners are required to produce chemical products by bulk. Aside from the tight market competition within the chemical manufacturing industry, managers should be aware that the monetary requirement in the establishment of a high-volume chemical manufacturing plant is high. Within the chemical industry sector, the threat of a new entrant is moderate. Even though a potential new player could easily enter the industry, there are quite a lot of factors that could negatively influence their decision to enter the business. Although basic chemicals are usually not protected by intellectual property rights, the number of existing manufacturers within this sector is already high. Thus, it will lead to higher competition in market. With regards to specialty or fine chemicals, most of these items are protected by intellectual property rights (i.e. patent). Therefore, potential new players are prohibited to manufacture the same product. Aside from the large capital requirements, other factors that could make a potential business player refuse to enter the chemical manufacturing business is because potential new entrant is required to take advantage out of economies of scale. ‘Economies of scale’ is the secret behind a successful chemical manufacturing business. Since it would be very difficult on the part of a new entrant to immediately win the trust of large-scale buyers, economies of scale will not be that easy for new players to achieve.

Simone Martinis and Robert Campin's Annunciation Essay

Simone Martinis and Robert Campin's Annunciation - Essay Example Simone Martini is one of the second generation Sienese artists, being a student of Duccio di Buoninsegna. They both belong to the school of painting that flourished in Siena, Italy between the 13th and 15th centuries. The Sienese art has rivaled the Florentine art and its main figures are Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti among others. The Annunciation was created by Simone Martine in 1333 just a year before his death. The artist has had French influence since he spend time in the Avignon. The state at that time was enveloped with trouble, when the Great Schism was happening, with three men claiming to be pope at the same time. Simone Martini was undoubtedly influenced by the Northern artists as he met them when he was in service and the Avignon.On the other hand, Robert Campin is a Flemish artist during the fifteenth century when he was called the "Master of Flemalle†. â€Å"Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th centu ry† when â€Å"Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighboring countries†. These artists had the experience of doing painting works in the foreign courts giving them a Europe-wide influence. He is considered the great Master of early Netherlandish painting in the Early Renaissance Period. The Sienese school of painting where Simone Martini was groomed was characterized by a more conservative art, inclined towards â€Å"the decorative beauty and elegant grace of late Gothic art†.

Manage Employee Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Manage Employee Relations - Essay Example Employee relationship management plays a vital role in the management of concerns that could impact the satisfaction of the employees, which might have a subsequent effect on the productivity of the employees and the overall organizational culture. Hence, the goal of effective employee relationship management is to enable two-way communication between the employees as well as the employer, employee growth as well as conflict management. Employee relationship management consists of putting into practice an information structure by the employer for the administration and supervision of its employees. An efficient employee relationship management program encompasses all the issues and problems that are concerned with the association between the employer and its employees (Gennard, J. & Judge, G., â€Å"Employee Relation†). The report reviews and discusses various imperative issues pertaining to employer-employee relationship. ... Review of Various Issues in Employee Relationship Management Employee Relations Strategy Employee relations strategy relates to the approach on how to enhance the employee’s commitment to the accomplishment of the business aims and objectives of the organization in a number of diverse scenarios. Employee relations strategies also make certain that changes in the organization are accepted amongst the employees. This necessitates an amalgamated strategy towards employee management so that a jointly emphasized and unified set of employee policies as well as practices can be built by the employer. The employee management strategies of an organization control its business performance. Thus, it is imperative to have appropriate practices of employee management in order to gain organizational competitiveness (Gennard, J. & Judge, G., â€Å"Employee Relation†; Farnham, D., â€Å"Employee Relations in Context). Employee Communication Strategy The costs to a business organizatio n due to inefficient employee communication are very high. This is because inefficient communication between the management of the organization and the employees could lead to communication gap which might result in low employee morale and competence of the business. Effective employee communication has a strong positive association with employee understanding, since apt, pertinent and precise communication assist in the process of comprehension of corporate strategies as well as goals by the employees (Gennard, J. & Judge, G., â€Å"Employee Relation†). Promotion of the Business as a Potential Employer Sound employee relationship management assists in the promotion of the business, as it enhances the employee loyalty and employee morale in addition to

Marketing communication Plan for Aer Lingus Essay

Marketing communication Plan for Aer Lingus - Essay Example The major focus of the airline is on B2B. In order to collect information, the company should use more social media. Moreover, it has been recommended that the company should focus on B2C as well. The main reason is that the B2B is a small customer size segment as this will increase its revenues (Dialogue marketing, 2014). The brand image of the airline is professional but affordable. People perceive the airline as a low cost airline and customer expectations average quality service from the airline. The company to increase its brand image and to meet up the customers’ expectations, the management should advertise the qualities and services offered at the given price as well as should promote the brand image while advertising to attract more customers. Culture, Values, and Beliefs: The airline is committed to serve at the central and convenient locations, so that there is large number of passengers travelling. The mission of the company is to connect the Ireland with the world and different countries of the world with Ireland through providing quality services at competitive price. The secondary mission of the airline is to enhance the connectivity for the customers. The company is facing issues as the brand of the airline is not renowned and many people are not aware about the brand, thus it is essential the values are communicated clearly and more widely so that it reaches to a larger audience. The brand awareness of the airline is not strong in the United Kingdom. The perception of the airline is low carrier airline, however it is not the best service providers as compared to its competitors. Thus, this low price perception has been blurred as well due to the offerings of Ryanair and other low-cost airways. The company has limited locations to go and has lower customer retention rate particularly when compared with the competitors. In order to attain all these goals, it is essential to design a

The Count of Monte Cristo Summary Essay Example for Free

The Count of Monte Cristo Summary Essay In France during the eighteenth century, Edmond Dantes along with his close friend Fernand Mondego stop in a strange land in search of rescue help for their captain, who has just attained brain fever. They meet Napoleon and ask for medical attention for their captain. Napoleon allows them to stay in his quarters. On the first night of their stay, Napoleon asks Edmond a favor. He requests he deliver a harmless, personal letter to a friend back in Marseilles where Edmond resides. However, because of Napoleons great admiration for Edmonds loyalty to his captain, he entrusts Edmond not to speak of the letter to anyone. Sadly their captain passes on overnight leaving Edmond, Fernand and crew to continue on their way home. Once Edmond arrives home he has a nice dinner with his soon-to-be wife and father celebrating the marriage and his new job as captain of the ship. Edmond gets arrested in the middle of dinner for treason and brought to a man named J.F. Villefort for questioning. Apparently the letter Edmond hadnt the chance to deliver contained Napoleons army beach patrol times and locations. To Dantes most painful surprise, Mondego was the one who had in fact reported Dantes for delivering the letter. The night Dantes was speaking with Napoleon, Mondego had seen the happenings. Along with the help of two accomplices, J.F. Villefort and Phillipe Danglar, Mondego was able to frame Dantes for treason. When Dantes asks why he did it, Mondego responds, Youre the son of a clerk; Im not supposed to want to be you, (Mondego is the son of a Count). He is then taken to a horrible prison called the Chateau dIf, where he is barely fed, bored to the point of wanting suicide and whipped on every anniversary of his arrival. After a few years of torture, an elder man, Abbe Faria (a priest), digs his way into Edmonds cell. They make a deal that if Edmond helps Faria to dig an escape he will in return, educate Edmond. Eventually, when Dantes makes his way back to Marseilles, he is burdened by the horrible news of his fathers suicide and his ex-fiancees marriage to Mondego (she had been wrongly informed that Dantes was executed) a month after his death. After 13 years of his life taken away from him, the only  thought on Edmonds mind is revenge. He unfolds the Treasure of Sparta and buys a huge mansion. He then holds a house party to reintroduce himself to the world as the Count of Monte Cristo. Once social with his enemies again, he is able to have Danglar fall off a dock and hung. Then he tricks Villefort into confessing to a murder conspiracy so hes taken away to prison for the same suffering he had to endure. Next he wins everything he once had, back from Mondego. Mercedes rediscovers Dantes and confesses her son to be with Dantes instead of Mondego. After this confession, Dantes has the pleasure of killing Mondego in a sword fight. In beautiful conclusion, Dantes buys the Chateau dIf with his fortune and holds a proper farewell to his wise priest mentor.

Impact of Ash Cloud on British Airways

Impact of Ash Cloud on British Airways INTRODUCTION Purpose: The purpose of this project was to analyse a current issue that has affected the current hospitality industry drastically. In the recent scenario, natural disaster has been seen to put a major impact on major hospitality industry .The main purpose of the task was to choose a situation of unavoidable circumstances, which could be either terrorism or natural calamity, that organisations have faced recently, and provide a solution of the situation recently faced. Scope: While investigating the current scenario, it was important to focus on the operation and functions of the company and how these operations got affected due these particular circumstances Method: The method used in this task, was through information gathered, mainly from the secondary sources such as business magazines and articles and some old news papers. Secondary sources came out to be very helpful in gathering the customer reviews and staff reviews who were affected by these circumstances Limitation: As every project work has some limitation. As an author, it would be imperative to mention the limitation of this task .The main limitation of the task was relying only on the secondary sources of the information as primary sources were meant to be more confidential by the company. I would consider this as a limitation as it is a belief that secondary sources always have some differences with the primary one. LITERATURE REVIEW By Peter Apps LONDON | Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:58pm EDT European fuel cost of jet marked degree of difference to ICE-traded gas oil contract went down to $ 0.50 on Thursday and $ 48 a metric ton on Friday. But forecasters said the enduring price effect would be least once flights recommence; most of the airline purchase is done through long-standing contracts. European gas, oil, gas electricity production is unexpected to be affected. Some PLANES FROM THE OIL RIGS COMMENCED ,BUT THE SOURCES SAID THAT THE IMPACT OF SOLAR POWER WOULD BE MORE RATHER THAN THE CLOUDS THAT ARE PASSING BY.ACCORDING SOURCES OF THE WIND INDUSTRY SAID THAT COLD DUST WOULD NOT CREATE PROBLEM FOR THE WIND TURBINES  · IMPACT ON HELTH World Health Organization warned the ash could create problems for them, who have breathing difficulties, though it did not still had assessed this sort of specific eruption. A respiratory disease Scottish expert said to Reuters that the less poisonous DUST THOSE WER DRIFTING AROUND UK WAS LESS LIKELY TO DO ANY BIG HARM BECAUSE TO HARM PEOPLE ,THE QUANTITY SHOULD BE EXTRA AGRICULTURAL AND CLIMATE IMPACT Scientists SAID THAT THIS ERUPTION DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE CREATED ANY MASSIVE DUST THAT WOULD IMPACT PEOPLE OR FARMING,BUT THEY WER BIT CONCERNED THAT A BIGGER ERUPTION FROM KATLA VOLCANOE WOULD BE DIFFERENT THING ALTOGETHER By Andrew Torchia) By Andrew Torchia) Near about 17,000 planes were LIKELY to be STOPPED FROM FLYING on Friday, with airdromes clogged across much of subcontinent. Shares in airlines fell between 2 to 4 percent. Ryanair said it may cancel planes to and from north European countries till GMT 1200 on Monday. The interruption is costing air industry in excess of $200 million a day, (Fraport AG), that operates Germanys major airport in Frankfurt, states its primary estimate was for the dust ash to incur it between 2.5 to 3 million Euros a day. Icelands position means the flare-up could prompt broader disturbances to international aeroplanes. Iceland falls in the right on one of the crucial routes between USA and the Europe and as per meteorological circumstances it might also affect aeroplanes from Europe to Asia, thats why there are 2 big global flows which might be affected by this, as said by John Strickland, who is director of consultancy of air transport( JLS Consulting). There could be still disturbances to other planes or might have to go for more indirect routes, which increases costs and maybe even require flights to land as it would not be possible to go through direct route. ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTS Eurostar, that runs from London to other European continent, said railways were running at full capacity and it may lay extra trains if required. A taxi company of London Addison Lee said it took requests for travels to European cities Milan, Paris, Salzburg, Zurich and in Austria. IMPACT ON AIR CARGO Landed CARGO PLANES HAD TO STOP DELIVERY of stuffs such as microchips, vegetation and mails. Europes major express delivery dfirm Deutsche said it had to switch to roadways wherever it was possible. Clicking to sea cargoes would be an alternative for longer deliveries, though not for less life items such as flowers, but ship forecasters said it would probably take more days before companies started booking again by marine. Pharmaceutical equipment in particular is frequently transported by airway, but specialist forecasters said there were plenty stocks, therefore there should be no bigger shortages for that time. ENERGY JBC Energys replica for Europe jet fuel utilization puts daily expenditure at 1.17 million barrels in a day, so presuming an approximate 80 percent of Europes aerodromes were close for 48 hours, the interruption would have cut 1.87 mn barrels in demand Some demands may just vanish and those who have to fly will ultimately fly, but there will certainly be some planes that just dont take place, as said by JBC Energy fuel forecaster David Wech. european oil prices of jet went dowm from $48 to $50.50 on thursday ,but the analyst told that future impact would only be less and as soon as the fligths will resume ,it will do fast recovery. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCES FULES AND GAS PRICES WERE LESS LIKELY TO SUFFER.ALSO THE SOURCES SAID THAT SMALL HELICOPTERS COMING AND GOING FROM THE OIL RIGS ALSO COMMENCED IMPACT ON INSURANCE Airlines are believed to have less recourse to insurance companies. Most of the airlines are nor insured next to cancellations nor commerce trouble at aerodromes. Munich Re said it might offer cessation insurance to air companies if essential. Till now there hasnt been any demand in market, as said by a spokeswoman.Perhaps that will change at this time. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63F65A20100416?feedType=RSSsp=true Iceland volcano Ash cloud: airline passengers face further misery    Image  1  of  5 The cloud has caused massive disruption to European airspace.  Photo: AP Iceland volcano Ash cloud: airline passengers face further misery    Image  1  of  5 Passengers face further disruption as airlines struggled to change flight plans.  Photo: AFP/GETTY Iceland volcano Ash cloud: airline passengers face further misery    Image  1  of  5 They receieved good news, however, after the High Court outlawed further strikes by BA workers.  Photo: AP Iceland volcano Ash cloud: airline passengers face further misery    Image  1  of  5 The airline has been hit by the wave of industrial action.  Photo: PA By Andrew Hough, David Millward and Caroline Gammell 8:15AM BST 18 May 2010 Postponements were still expected at aerodromes throughout the country in spite of a last minute slab being placed on manufacturing action intended by BA crew strike and an repair of aviation no flying regulations to decrease future airline closures caused by Icelands Eyjafjoell eruptions. Official staffs admitted disruption would possibly carry on for the majority of the week. Airlines were struggling a lot to return timetable to normal after cloud of thick ash gist over the continent, shutting major aerodromes and making more than 1,000 planes to be negated. Airlines, that have incurred millions of money due to the ash alertness, criticised Mondays shutting of airports and criticise the replica used to forecast the spread of the volcanic dust as obsolete and out of place. Executives act in response with rage to what they disagree were unnecessary limitations introduced by over watchful security watchdogs. British Airways CEO Willie Walsh directed the disapproval, labelling limitations as a gross over response to a very slight risk. Experts told that the volcano, which lasted month, resulted most of Europes aerodromes to be close down for one week, has released massive quantity of ash dust, which can block jet engines, as it began to explode one month ago and cautioned that there was no finish to this in sight. Last months eruption strained many countries in north Europe to close their aerodromes, making in excess of 100,000 flights to land and an approximate 10 million explorer globally. The (IATA), the international airline industry branch forecasted that last months closure was Europes major since 2nd World War cost transporters in excess of  £1.1 billion. The latest outbreak strained Londons airports to close for 6 hours on Monday, leading to lots of postponements and score of aeroplanes in the incorrect place. Near about 200 flights were abandon at Heathrow, 88 in Gatwick and 40 in Liverpool airport. And also 50,000 passengers were stranded. Aerodrome official cautioned travellers it may take time for aeroplanes to clear the log jam of postponed flights and recommended them to get in touch with their airlines before leaving for the airport. After a day of confusion, passengers afterwards received a twofold dose of positive news after the Court banned the back-to-back agitation by cabin crew of BA while the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) distorted its criterion for allowing aircraft to take off. The court decision came very late for BA to re-establish its full flying timetable at Heathrow that had been interrupted earlier in the day by the ash dust. In spite of the High Court ban, British Airways confessed that planes will still be affected for the whole of the week The airline industry has been anxiously trying to restore the 80 small haul and 30 lengthy haul planes from Heathrow which faced curtailments had the strike went further ahead. One spokesman for the airline industry told half of small-haul and 40 % of lengthy-haul services from Londons may be affected as it was too late to restore a overall service. He told that its function, however, was thought to return to usual by the end of week. The verdict was a enormous relief for the industry which told the court that as it had planned for five-days strikes, it would have coasted the airline industry £138 million. Union representing BA crew, prepared to plea against the ban which stopped strike action planned by 1000 of members in the acidic row over employment, staffing and pay levels. The ruling came as the CAA proclaimed that it had formed a new limited time zone to allow specific aircraft to go through a bigger density of dust than previously allowed. The change that came into effect at noontime on Tuesday would not only have an effect on Flyby initially, but other airline industry is believed to follow. Once producer and airline companies have offered a joint safety case which gives a proof that they can go through the dust ash without harm, they will be permitted to fly. As a consequence of this alter, there are no forecasted limits on UK air in the instant prospect, said Richard Deakin, the CEO of Nats, the traffic control company. The CAA blamed the Met Office for the newest close down. The Met Office replica was forecasting ash which wasnt there when the check flights were done, a spokesman from CAA said We have enquired the Met Office as to why their forecasted model showed a thing that was not consequently backed up. The Met Office backed up its computer system, insisting it was assisted by imagery of satellite, observation, laser checks of the ash in the environment and other proof from test planes. It said the dust was over South East but not in the levels that ground aircraft The amount of ash is uncertain on an hourly base. The circumstances are very runny, a spokesman said to the Daily Mail. In Iceland in the meantime, there have been no signal of the volcano ending. Experts told that the Eyjafjoell flare-up, which started on April 14, have shaped up thrice, with the newest surge of movement coming Friday in April. from the starting of the outbreak, they predicted that 250 million cubic metres of tephra (ash and other fragmental material) has been formed, as said by Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson. The civil protection of Iceland agency told that the ash cloud was travelling to the north and wasnt expected to drift to Europe in coming two days May2010 by Andrew Hough, David Millward and Caroline Gammell http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7735248/Iceland-volcano-ash-cloud-airline-passengers-face-further-misery.html CASE STUDY ON BRITISH AIRWAY (April 16, 2010) Steve Rothwell and Sabine Pirone On April 16 (Bloomberg) British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and cargoes that depend on lengthy -haul business tour for earnings would be worst-hit by the close down in air travel affected by the outbreak of the Icelandic volcano. Airline companies may incur $1 billion loss, if ash cloud keeps the European airports closed the weekend, the central for Asia Pacific Company said. British Airways, which earns daily revenue of near about 24 million pounds ($37 million), halted all planes today as U.K. aerodrome was confined until 1 a.m. tomorrow least. Airline industry will have to incur their major losses in the trans- Atlantic business-passenger group, Ashley Steel, Global Chair for Transport and Infrastructure at KPMG, said in a conference. For airline like BA, every day as their plane being grounded will likely to incur millions of money. The effect on economy-class sales is likely to be weakened because persons will be changing their bookings and ultimately still fly. The ash cloud from the Icelands Eyjafjallajà ¶kull volcanoes roofed parts of Britain, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands Russia this morning and afterwards glided over France, Poland Czech Republic. Its estimate to reach Switzerland, Austria and Hungary by midnight, according to U.K. Meteorological Official data. 6 million passengers could have been affected if closures extended to April 18.. Business Trips British Airways, which is the No. 1 transporter in the market of north Atlantic including planes between London to New York, was prone to undergo loss most from the interruption because of its dependence on traveller making trips of business that cannot be rescheduled. U.Ks top. Billionaire Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic, which is the largest long-haul competitor to British Airways at Heathrow Airport, would have also lost revenue that would have been doubtful to be recovering, as said by KPMGs Steel. Coach class travellers and all those flying with the discount air buses on vacation or may be to visit friends, family were more likely to rearrange their journeys, she said. British Airways and the Virgin Atlantic said it will be very early to provide an approximation for the cost of the interruption. They said We arent giving any direction on the cost incurred at this moment, BAS spokeswoman Cathy West told in a phonic interview. We have got no clue when it is going to finish yet. The Virgin spokeswoman Anna Knowles told the Crawley, which is an England- based company, that virgin is concentrating on getting process up the operation and the running and that it is impossible to put figure on loss till now. Never Return Lots of BA and the Virgin passenger goes for top cabins and these people are travelling on totally -refundable tickets, said Steel. Most of the money will not return to them as passengers will just not go for rebooking the berths. The closedown could also tilt the balance for unbeneficial SAS AB, the current owner of Scandinavian Airlines, were one of the first flights to scrap planes as the cloud swept over Norway, Sweden , Denmark, as Steel said. Competitor Nordic carrier Finn air told that the languishness is incurring it 2 million Euros ($2.7 million) in a day. The carrier had to cancel 435 flights so far, and affected 54,000 travellers. SAS plans to approximate volcano-related expenses by April 19, Sture Stoelen, head of investor relations, told by telephone. Its complex, Stoelen said. Were losing revenue but also saving on operating costs, but then there are other costs for hotels and so on. The ash cloud has interrupted flying just like European carriers moved to hectic and more well-paid summer schedules, said Yan Derocles, who is an analyst at Oddo Securities Paris.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  This is the most busiest time for airline industry, specially on North Atlantic direction, . Derocles said that the leading names will be losing 40 million to 60 million Euros in a day. Physical Damage Airline industry insurance strategy wont normally pay out unless theres a damage to the equipment, as said Alexandra Lewis, who is a spokeswoman for London-based Benfield branch of Aon Corp., which is the worlds biggest insurance broker. Insurers cover up business disruption only if bodily damage is the cause for it, as said Richard Manson, a spokesperson for the manufacturing insurance unit of Munich-oriented Allianz SE, continents major insurer. Thats why they did not anticipate claim from clients which included airline industry as well aerodrome. The closedown is likely to incur aviation industry near about 0.25 percentage of their yearly income per day as said by Joe Gill ,who is an analyst in Bloxham securities at Dublin that covers firms like Ryanair Holdings Plc, EasyJet Plc, which is continents two major low fare carriers. The aviation industry will be clawing back good amount of money by looking for to increase give up a measure of prices of tickets as demand rushes in the immediate consequences of the airport shut downs. The largest expenses will be for re-booking and re-funding travellers, MR Manson said, with income losses partly offset by petroleum savings. Airline industry will be losing a combined billion $2.8 in 2010 following an approximate billion $9.4 increasing loss previous year, as predicted by the International Air Transport previous month. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-16/british-airways-virgin-atlantic-may-suffer-most-from-ash-cloud.html With support from Robert Fenner in the Melbourne, Oliver Suess from Munich, Crowley at London. And the Editors: Chris Jasper and Kenneth Wong. Adapted from the editorials of Steve Rothwell, London at [emailprotected]; Sabine Pirone, London at [emailprotected] The editors responsible for this story adapted: Kenneth Wong at [emailprotected]; Benedikt Kammel at [emailprotected] Company overview COMPANY FINANCIAL OVERVIEW British Airways is among the worlds leading listed finest international airline company. The organisation chiefly operates in the Europe and US. This organisation has headquarters in Harmondsworth, in the UK and employs 41,494 staffs. The company has recorded earnings of GBP 7,994 million equivalent to $12,761.1 million) throughout the fiscal year ended March 2010 -(FY2010), a diminish of 11.1 percent as compared to the FY2009.The functioning loss of the corporation Was GBP 231 million equivalent to $368.8 million as during the FY2010, compared to the functioning loss of GBP 220 million ($351.2 million)in the FY2009. The net- profit was GBP 182 million -$290.5 million as in FY2010, compare to net loss of GBP 1,360 million (USD 2,171 million) in FY2009. History The foundation of British Airways runs equivalent to the history of civil airline industry in the globe. On the August of 25, 1919, The British Airways predecessor company The Aircraft Transport and Travel commenced the worlds first every day international planned air service running between London to Paris. In March 31, 1924, UKs four airline company Inston and Handley Page Transport, and Daimler Airways and British Air Marine Navigation fused to form the Imperial Airways Ltd. About this time, a quantity of small UK air companies also had started their functioning. All these combined in 1935, to shape the new private owned BA Ltd. During 1939 November, UK Government made Imperial Airways along with British Airways nationalised, to give ascend to the beginning of the British Overseas Airways Corporation. After the Second World War, The BOAC sustained to function lengthy-haul services, whilst other international l European and local flights were runned by a novel airline company, British European Airways Corporation (BEA). On 1972, BOAC and the BEA were merged under the new created British Airways Board. Afterwards, the separate airline companies were fused to shape British Airways, on 1974. Privatization With a vision to switch British Airways to private high revenue making Airline Company, late Lord King supposed the situation of its president, in 1981. After which he selected Colin Marshall as CEO of the airline company. The arduous efforts of King and CEO ultimately made the massive loss making Airline Company to one of the major profit earning air planes in the globe. Consequently, the airline company said itself as The Worlds much-loved Airline Company, in that time when other big airline company suffered to set up their place in the civil airline industry. The airline companys image was transformed under the leadership of king. Ultimately, this resulted to the British Airways privatisation, in the year 1987. Fleet and S Destination The British Airways has a up to date fleet which has average age of 9 years. It includes of near about 228 aircrafts, including Airbus (A319), Airbus (A320-200), Airbus (A321-200), Boeing (737-400), Boeing (747-400), Boeing (757-200), Boeing (767-300ER), Boeing (777-200) and Boeing (777-200ER). Currently, the British Airways travels to 6 local places and in 143 intercontinental places in 69 countries, which includes six continents around the world. , British Airways to Delhi and Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. http://www.iloveindia.com/airlines-in-india/international/british-airways.html Effect of ash cloud on British airways (based on the guardian report) As per the report British Airways said the confusion caused by the air travel ban across much of continent is incurring between 15m to  £20m in a day and that it will be looking for reimbursement from EU and UK government. Travel operator, the Tui Travel approximated its expenses at GBP 5m AND  £6m per day whilst budget plane service Easy Jet had put its expenses at GBP 5m per day. The Shares in airline companies and the holidays companies Around the Europe struggled with quick falls in stock market places as the interruption intensified. CEO of BA Willie Walsh told: This is an unparalleled situation which is having a enormous impact on travellers and airline companies alike. They told that they carry on offering enormous support to their customers. Though, these are unexpected conditions that are beyond all airline companies hold. To help us with these circumstances, The European airline industry has enquired EU and country governments for monetary compensation for the shutting of airplanes. There is a reason for this to happen as reimbursement was paid after the shutting of US airplane subsequent terrorist incidents of 9/11 and obviously the effect of the current circumstance is more significant. The BA shares were among the major fallers in FTSE 100, plummeting just above 3% to-227p. Travel group the Thomas Cook was downwards 4..5 percentage at 249.8p and the easy Jet shares were slated by 5% at 545p and the Tui tour went down almost 4% to 280.4p. British Airways said it has important financial support available to it to maintain a substantial period of shutting of the UKs air industry. In the beginning of the fly limitations on 14 April, it was having above  £1.7bn of hard cash and near about more than GBP 400m in on hand credit line, it can sustain if necessary. It told passengers, those booked to journey on cancelled planes can claim a full reimbursement or book again their journey afterwards. Tui, which is the company at the back of Thomson Holidays and the First Choice, said it is going in loss between 5m to  £6m per day as of the flight prohibit. The interruption resulted from the dust erupted from the Icelands Eyjafjallajokull eruptions has already incurred the holiday agents GBP 20m, and also it said that near about 100,000 of its passengers are stranded globally, and it is not able to fly them home whilst European airlines remains shut down.As for the organisation, this is a phase of somewhat low vacation programmes, but the interruption to our plan will still have a monetary impact, it told. The concern said it provided appropriate help to passengers jammed in their holiday places. Passengers who cant start their vacation because UK aerodromes have been stopped while late last week was been given the option of a recompense from the Tui, or scheduling their trip again .Near about 90 percentage of UK consumers had opted to rebook. Tui also added that it had been working with other dealers and airline companies in a belief that regulators allow the recommencement of flights as early as possible. Tui reported previous month to that it was considering a revival in customer demand as the summer business period comes near. In the previous financial year it made a fundamental profit of GBP 366m, from income of  £13.8bn. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/19/ba-volcanic-ash-losing-money Discussion As we can see that natural calamities are unpredictable, and cost millions to the companies which depends on weather .In the case of British airways we can see that ash cloud was, such a calamity which coasted not only British airways in millions ,but other airlines too. Particularly in the case of British airways, we can see that, it incurred heavy losses. According to the report by Rob Hull as stated in share prices .com Share prices in the air industry rose late in the market to a close price of 235p after information reports recommended operations from main airports may be backed up and operating at some point . In spite some planes were able to go further on Tuesday morning from north UK aerodromes, The British Airways had to land all of their short haul flights for the 6th successive day because of uncertainty hovering the latest volcanic ash dust. Because of which, BA share drowned again to a low down of 229.30p currently with current prices at 09.15 being 230p and 0.73 % down, with forecasted sum losses 15m to GBP 20m per day for group. British Airways told in the statement former that morning: that they were preparing to function short haul planes scheduled to leave from 7pm, which was later cancelled. They told that they are still hopeful to run long haul planes which were planned to leave after 4pm, Tuesday 20th April, though these leftovers subject to the whole and permanent start of air planes. Another report regarding the possible re-opening of aerodrome from National Air Traffic Service which was due at 15:00 that day with NATS sustaining close contact with the Metrological Office concerning the state of British airdrome. And as they headed to the sixth day of cancelled flights, airplanes and travel companies have reportedly turned to Government for the deals. According to the reports, Travel TUI was GBP 20m downwards with every day bills going up to GBP 6m, Easy jet also lost a sum of GBP 40m until now and the Thomas Cook was supposed to have lost  £7m . All the four groups including British Airways had approached Government for recompense for these enormous losses. Though, Easy jet and the Thomas Cook organisations along with Ryan air were in soptimistic province , with FTSE 100 0.36 % upwards in all 09:40 ,Tuesday ,20th April. TUI share cost, like British Airways , were still downwards but the company had disclosed information by saying that it intends to increase near about 500m of fresh financing through convertible bond and also added bank services. Therefore we can see that, whereas short haul airways such as Ryan air and easy jet were not so much affected by the ash cloud, British airways and Virgin airways, which are basically long haul airlines were heavily affected by this calamity (April2010)RobHull shareprices.com [Adapted from] April 2010, Business week :http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-16/british-airways-virgin-atlantic-may-s uffer-most-from-ash-cloud.html A final thought In a final thought we can say that natural calamities are unstoppable and, companies relying on it has to frame additional plans that can help cope up with busy and anxious situations like this .In the case Of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, It would be a suggestion to plan with government authorities and financial institutions to safeguard heavy loss during this type of situations

COPs and their Disadvantages

COPs and their Disadvantages Manage the mutual relationship by fostering institutional cooperation and coordination. Such cooperation could take place simply through information exchanges between treaty bodies, or in a more ambitious form comprising joint planning of programmes or even the coordination of substantive decision-making or implementation activities. It argues that this soft alternative also has its limitations, which can be explained by incongruent memberships and limited legal mandates. It appears that while the treaty bodies of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have been rather passive on the issue of the relationship with the biodiversity convention, the CBD COP has actively sought to manage the interactions between the regimes. Since the adoption of this decision, however, there have been no major efforts to manage interactions between the two treaties. The CBD parties, in contrast, have adopted various decisions on biodiversity and climate change. These decisions have been instrumental in highlighting biodiversity concerns in UNFCCC decisions but have not led to strong references to biodiversity in the climate regimes decisions on forests. Although the institutional cooperation efforts to address the interactions between the climate and biodiversity regime are clearly intensifying, their effects are as of yet uncertain: at best, they can be seen as creating mutual awareness and building capacity at various levels; at worst, they can be viewed as an exercise in rhetoric. First, any effort by actors in one reg ime to influence rule development in another will be limited by the extent to which memberships are congruent. In this case, an important barrier is that the United States is a party to the UNFCCC, but not to the CBD. A broad mandate for the climate regimes treaty or administrative bodies to cooperate with the CBD could lead to the perception that state sovereignty is eroded by importing concepts or rules from the CBD.304 A submission by the United States to the UNFCCC seems to confirm this fear. Commenting on the paper concerning options for enhanced cooperation prepared by the Joint Liaison Group in 2004, the United States notes that the Rio Conventions have a distinct legal character, mandate and membership.305 Although this limitation may not have to hold for the Kyoto Protocol-to which the United States is not a party after all-the secretariats mandate for cooperation is determined by the UNFCCC COP rather than the Kyoto Protocols COP/MOP. More generally, it shows that parties in the climate regime may not be ready to give biodiversity conservation a more prominent place at the expense of achieving cost-effective emission reductions. Legal solutions The notion of conflict resolution leads to the second explanation of why legal techniques are not necessarily the most appropriate means to manage regime interactions: it is not always desirable that one norm prevails over another. Yet such a view ignores the notion that different treaties may pursue similar or overlapping objectives. This is particularly pertinent in the field of international environmental law. In the context of the interactions between the climate and biodiversity regimes, this would mean that any satisfactory resolution needs to result in further greenhouse gas emission reductions, while simultaneously ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. My main point is that the focus on normative conflict has overshadowed the idea that norms may also reinforce each other. There is, for instance, a strong argument for using the concept of sustainable development as an overarching objective for international environmental law, and perhaps even internati onal law more generally. The ILC Study Group report has not completely ignored this critique. In its discussion of conflict clauses, the report acknowledges that in some cases it is necessary to put in place a clause that avoids a straightforward priority and instead seeks to coordinate the simultaneous application of the two treaties as far as possible. This is in line with Chambers, who suggests that [t]here is a need to create a positive rule of cooperation . . . which promotes treaty negotiators and treaty interpreters to maintain consistency between treaties. too narrowly focused on conflicts. Conflict resolution rules resulting in a hierarchical relationship of norms may still be useful in conflicts between legal regimes with incompatible objectives, but management of interactions between environmental treaties more generally may be better achieved through conflict avoidance techniques, as well as institutional cooperation and coordination. http://www.glogov.org/images/doc/WP30.pdf It concludes that neither legal nor political approaches are a panacea for interplay management. However, there is potential for the one approach to address the gaps in the other. Whereas international law does not address synergies between environmental treaties, strengthened political coordination and cooperation between them could. It is worth investigating further how international law and politics can work together in reaping synergies and addressing conflicts between multilateral regimes on climate change. In short, the very nature of climate change as an issue of sustainable development makes it almost impossible to capture all relevant aspects under a single legal regime, necessitating the consideration of interactions with other regimes. Similarly, it is not always necessary for two treaties to state their mutual supportiveness in order for States to implement them in a synergetic fashion. The main questions for international lawyers are: 1) can a conflict be established?; and 2) if so, which treaty prevails? CONFLICT CLAUSES The starting point in addressing conflicts is examining whether States have sought to regulate these through so-called conflict clauses (Pauwelyn 2003). The purpose of these clauses is to clarify the relation between treaties, thus preventing contradictions. This can be achieved, for example, by providing that existing treaties prevail or that a new agreement prevails over existing ones (Wolfrum and Matz 2003). It would not be advisable for the Paris agreement to rely on the adoption of conflict clauses due to their prioritising nature which doesnt conform to scientific management. In contrast, the climate agreements contain several clauses that regulate their relation with other multilateral treaties. With regard to the Montreal Protocol, the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol delimit their scope by only covering greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol. Thereby, the climate agreements express awareness of the substantive interlinkages between the problems of climate change and ozone layer depletion, as some ozone-depleting substances are also greenhouse gases. However, it does not in itself prevent or resolve conflicts.ÂÂ   Another clause is relevant for an issue that has garnered much attention, namely the use of carbon sinks in the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Forestry projects are to a limited extent eligible for emission reduction credits under the CDM rules. However, it is feared that these rules do not ensure the protection of biodiversity and the prevention of land degradation, and could hence conflict with objectives and obligations of other environmental treaties Although this provision does not state which agreements need to be taken into account, it is reasonable to assume that given the role of forests and wetlands as sinks, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands are relevant. Additionally, the membership of these agreements should be taken into account: it is difficult to see how an agreement can be relevant for a Party that has not signed or ratified it. However, it is unclear what precisely is meant with taking into account, leaving open the question which treaty would prevail in case of a conflict. TREATY INTERPRETATION Treaty interpretation is an important method that can be applied by diplomats and dispute settlement bodies to harmonise two norms that seem to be in conflict. Art 31 VCLT provides gives basic interpretation rules, stipulating that a treatys ordinary meaning, its context, and its object and purpose should be taken into consideration. It also gives more dynamic interpretation rules, which determine that interpretation should take into account a) any subsequent agreement between the Parties on interpretation of the treaty, b) any subseque nt practice in the application of the treaty, and c) any relevant rules of international law applicable in the relations between the parties. CONFLICT RESOLUTION RULES Article 30 VCLT provides rules on the resolution of conflicts. An apparent limitation of this provision is that it only applies to treaties relating to the same subject matter (Article 30.1 VCLT). Of course, application then depends on how one defines subject matter. On the one hand, if this is seen as broad as protection of the environment, Article 30 could theoretically apply to conflicts between the UNFCCC and CBD. The previous section has shown that international law does not particularly aim at enhancing synergies between treaties. Stokke (2001) points to the relevance of institutional coordination and cooperation in dealing with interactions. This could take place simply through information exchange between treaty bodies, or in a more ambitious form of comprising joint planning of programmes or even the coordina tion of substantive decision-making or implementation activities The climate regime has become increasingly involved in this form of interplay management.

James Langston Hughes :: Poet Poetry

Langston Hughes One of the most promising of the young Negro poets said to me once, â€Å"I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet,† meaning, I believe, â€Å"I want to write like a white poet,† meaning subconsciously, â€Å"I would like to be a white poet;† meaning behind that, â€Å"I would like to be white.† And I doubted then that, with his desire to run away spiritually from his race, this boy would ever be a great poet. But this is the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in America—this urge within to race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into the mold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as much American as possible (Hughes, Modern Internet). As a successful writer, Langston Hughes was proud to be African American, a fact inherent in all his literary works. Hughes’ optimistic attitude that not all people are prejudiced provided impetus to take chances to get his poetry noticed. Intensely criticized by many Negro critics and intellectuals, Hughes wrote about oppression and other racial themes in his works and utilized a jazz and blues rhythm in conjunction with black urban language. James Mercer Langston Hughes’ writing was profoundly influenced by his life, his ethnicity, and the way he viewed the world around him. He never lost sight of the fact he was African American and wrote his poetry for the people not his critics or contemporaries. Vachel Lindsay greatly influenced Langston Hughes’ writing style. Hughes, wanting to hear Lindsay read his poetry and knowing he would not be allowed into the auditorium because of his ethnic background, dared to handwrite three of his poems and leave them beside Lindsay’s plate at a restaurant where Hughes worked as a busboy (Langston, Elements 378). Langston Hughes knew he would never be allowed to speak to the famous poet, and took a risk to give Lindsey handwritten poetry; he hoped the literary giant would notice and perhaps appreciate his work. Hughes was not ashamed of being African American or a busboy and that’s why he took the chance Lindsay would actually look at his work. Hughes’ ploy worked when the headlines of the local paper the next morning read that Vachel Lindsey claimed to have found the next great African American poet. Hughes, a well-educated and traveled writer by the time he was in his mid-twenties, enjoyed the clubs around Harlem, New York and other cities around the world where he traveled. These clubs heavily influenced the poetry written by Hughes.

Karl Marx :: essays research papers fc

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in the city of Trier in Prussia, now, Germany. He was one of seven children of Jewish parents. His mother, Henrietta, was originally from Holland and never became a German at heart. Shortly before Marx was born, his father converted the family to Christianity and Karl was baptized at the age of six. In High School, Karl stood out amongst the other students. He seemed to be a devoted Christian. In 1835, he attended the University of Bonn but left after only a year and enrolled in the University of Berlin to study law and philosophy. While at Berlin, Marx joined the young Hegelians, a group organized by Hegal, a philosophy teacher. During this time, he “ came to believe that all the various sciences and philosophies were part of one overarching, which, when completed, would give a true and total picture of the universe and man.'; (Communist Manifesto, Marx (Francis B. Randal), page 15)In October of 1842, Marx became the editor of the pa per Rheinische Zeitung, and as editor, wrote editorials on socio-economic issues such as poverty, etc. He soon made editor-in-chief, but was quickly forced to step down due to his radical writings and social views. In 1843, he married Jenny Von Westphalen. In 1844, Marx met the man who would change his life forever. Both Engles and Marx had gone through the German Philosophic school and had come to the same conclusions but while Marx arrived at an understanding of the struggles an demands of the age basis of the French Revolution, Engles did so on the basis of English industry. (The Story of his Life, Mehring, page 93) In 1845, he left for Brussels, Belgium. It’s during these years that Marx is said to have really developed his views and his intellectual standing. In 1848, the Communist Manifesto or Manifest der Kommunistischen Parten was published in London. Marx and Engles wrote this book and its purpose was outlining ten measures toward Communism. In this, Marx predicts a confrontation between the working class and the higher class, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. It also discusses the importance of Communism, and the differences between his ideas and other parties’. The document ends in bold capital letters “WORKINGMEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!';“The days of November 1850 fall almost exactly in the middle of Marx’s liffe and they represent, not only externally, an important turning point in his life’s work.

Islam †a Diverse Religion in a Diverse World Essay

On September 11th 2001 at 8:45 am an American Airlines Jet Flight 11, hit the north tower of the World Trade Center; several minutes later at 9:06 United Airlines flight 175 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center. Most of the citizens of the United States watched their televisions in horror as this terrible tragedy unfolded. This single terrorist attack on U. S. soil brought to the attention of the average American citizen, the capability of the extreme Islamic sect of the Muslim religion, to mastermind and carry out a massive destructive attack. This ill view of the Islamic faith remains years after 9/11. A more comprehensive knowledge of their faith and its good attributes will help in our perceptions and how we treat members of this religious order. There are certain sects of the Islamic faith that are terrorists; this has been proven in more than one instance. For example the recent bombing during the Boston marathon, the suspect Tamerian Tsarnaev according to the FBI state, â€Å"he was a follower of radical Islam†. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013) These are the radicals of the faith. There are many more Muslims that are good people who have no intention of hurting anyone. There has been a backlash against Muslims for several years in many countries including the United States. This has made it very difficult for people of the Muslim faith to carry on regular day-to-day interactions and dealings with people that are not of their faith. We will explore the Muslim population in the United States, Great Britain, Pakistan, the Middle East, India and other Asian countries. We will examine the number of Muslims in these countries, how Islam is perceived in these countries and how the Muslim population interacts with people of Jewish and Christian faiths. According to Malloy, Islam whose followers are known as Muslim, is a monotheistic faith. They believe in God/Allah, that Muhammad is their prophet and the Qur’an is the written record of revelation to mankind. The Qur’an uses the term People of the Book to include all monotheists, including Jews, Christians and Muslims. According to Islam, all nations were given a Messenger and guidance from Allah. Islam teaches that Judaism worships one god but the idea that any one people being the chosen people is considered racist. Islam teaches that Christianity also worships one god but rejects the notion of the trinity as polytheistic. There are 4 major sects within the Islamic faith. The first sect is named Shi’a. The Second Sect is named Sunni. The third group is called Sufis. The fourth major sect is the Ahmaddiya. (Malloy, 2010) In the United States the three main practiced religions are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There have been interfaith initiatives to find harmony among these three faiths. One thing that has been observed is that Muslim Imams have been included in many more public and governmental ceremonies in recent years. The Distribution of the Muslim Population in the World It is thought, by the general population in the United States, that the majority of the Muslim world population is located in the Middle East. The fact is, that of the target areas this paper is exploring, only four countries fall into the top ten populations of Muslims. The nations with the largest percentage of Muslims are Somalia in Africa 99. %, Afghanistan in the Middle East 99. 7%, Tunisia in Africa 99. 5%, Western Sahara in Africa 99. 4%, Mauritania in Africa 99. 1%, Yemen in the Middle East 99. 1%, Morocco in Africa 98. 9%, Iran in the Middle East 98. 6%, Maldives in Asia 98. 4% and Comoros in Africa 98. 3%. (Most Muslim Nations (2005), 2013) As you can see, six of the top ten Muslim nations as a percentage of population are in Asia. These demographics are quite different than what most Americans perceive. Islam is perceived differently in different cultures United States The United States has in its constitution, Amendment I enacted in 1791, which states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof†. (Congress, 1791) This requires that the government must abstain from interfering with any religious organization. According to Bell (2007), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers of 15 people or more from discrimination against employees or applicants in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment because of their religious beliefs or practices. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for the practice of one’s religion. The three most practiced religions in the United States are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Even though the government is not a problem for the Muslim population in the United States, the radicals of the Islamic faith, with their extremely destructive, disruptive actions have made the general population wary of anyone associated with Islam, this has lead to the development of many problems as well as discriminatory, prejudiced attitudes and actions toward people of the Muslim faith. There have been interfaith initiatives to find harmony among the three faiths. Such as Initiatives of Change who are an international group who’s goals are â€Å"committed to the transformation of society through change in human motives and behavior. † (Initiatives of Change, 2013) It has also been observed that Muslim Imams have been included in many more public and governmental ceremonies in recent years. Great Britain Next to Christianity, â€Å"the second largest religion in Great Britain is Islam. There are a number of variants of Islam practiced in the UK, due largely to the number of immigrants stemming from numerous former colonies in South Asia. Estimates also put the number of white converts to Islam at up to 100,000. † (Islamic Culture in Europe, 2013) The Muslim population in Great Britain is 1,640,725 which is 2. 7% of the population and places them as the one hundred third (103) place as a percentage of population to the total population. (Most Muslim Nations (2005), 2013) According to Islamic Culture in Europe (2013) in Great Britain the majority of Muslims practice Sunni Islam. There is also a large presence of Iranian-Shia which are the minority. With this noticeable existence of followers of the Islamic faith many groups have been showing increased concern. â€Å"A startling 75% of the British population believes that Islam has a negative impact on British society and tensions remain following the 7/7 bombings in London. The press has also been largely negative, publishing articles on extremism in schools and mosques. † (Islamic Culture in Europe, 2013) â€Å"Despite these problems and difficulties, religious freedom laws in the UK make it one of the most accepting in Europe. There is no law restricting Islamic dress, acceptance of prayer schedules in most workplaces, and heavily protected freedom of speech laws. † (Islamic Culture in Europe, 2013) India The Muslim population in India is 166,097,980 which is 13. 7% of the general population. (CIA World Factbook, 2013) Though the number of people seems like quite a few, we have to remember that India has a lot of people. They have the second largest population in the world. We also have to remember that Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the original India and broke off from India over religion. They have the seventieth (70) largest population of Muslims in the world. (Most Muslim Nations (2005), 2013) Hinduism is the most practiced religion in India and Islam is the second most practiced religion. Thru the years since Islam was introduced to India, there has been an integration of the Hindu and Muslim cultures. Civil Matters for Muslims such as marriage, inheritance and property are governed since 1937 by the Muslim Personal Law. There is much that the Hindu and Muslim cultures have contributed to each other. Art and architecture are the two most prominent items of melding of styles. The Muslims adopted the cast system into their religion in this region of the world. There are two divisions. There are the Muslims which are of Arabic decent and Muslims who are not of Arabic decent. The Arabic decent Muslims are considered superior to the non-Arab Muslims. Over the years, there has been much bloodshed and suffering because of fighting between the Muslims and the Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. There still to this day is conflict and an even greater conflict between India and Pakistan.

Differences Between Homogeneous Nucleation and Heterogeneous Nucleation

Newey and Weaver described nucleation as a process that must occur in a system, undergoing a phase transition, before the formation of another phase (Royce). This process is called homogeneous nucleation if it occurs away from any boundaries. On the other hand, heterogeneous nucleation takes place on a surface, interface, dislocation or other defect in the material. In addition, the latter type is favored because it requires a lower free energy change to form the initial stable nucleus where others can adhere resulting an increase in size (cited in Royce).During nucleation, the atoms are forming nano-sized solid clusters. In homogeneous nucleation, clustering occurs above the melting of the metal (Tm) turns back into the liquid state due to its stability on that phase while clustering below Tm can lead to crystallization-nuclei formation if its size reaches stability against melting (Iqbal 3). High solid-liquid interface surface energy is a thermodynamic hindrance in nucleation. Due to this energy barrier, foreign materials are added to serve as nucleation sites. These nucleation sites have lower surface energy, thus, increases the nucleation rate.The stable nuclei then grow into an equiaxed and finer grain structure (Iqbal 3). Moreover, nucleation is a kinetic process wherein atoms of the melted metal form into clusters within the liquid medium at solidification temperature (Iqbal 9). These clusters act as crystallization nuclei where other atoms adhere and solidify. The rate of nucleation process is directly affected by the difference between the equilibrium melting temperature (Tm) and the freezing temperature (Tf) or undercooling. As a rule of thumb, a higher undercooling yields higher nucleation rate. Nucleation MechanismBen Best discussed that mixtures of some metals, like copper and nickel, both in liquid and solid states are highly soluble in all given concentration. Since both copper and nickel have similar crystal structures and atomic radii, in the c ooling process the particles formed have properties imparted by both of these metals. This metal mixture type is called isomorphous. In contrast to this, the mixture of lead and tin is eutectic because of partial solubility of these metals in the solid state. Unlike copper and nickel, lead and tin have different crystal structures and atomic radii.This is the reason why the solid lead-tin alloy can only consist of 2. 5% lead and 19. 2% tin their maximum composition by weight. In addition, a eutectic mixture has composition that completely liquefies at eutectic temperature. For lead-tin mixture, the eutectic composition is 61. 9% that has a eutectic temperature of 183 ºC. This property makes lead-tin mixture as a good soldering agent. Metals typically solidify as crystals at a temperature lower than its melting temperature (Best). The difference in melting and solidification temperatures is called as the maximum undercooling.This undercooling is the effect of pure metal crystalliza tion. During the crystallization process, the nucleation of small particles or crystallization nuclei occurs first then the adherence of other particles on these nuclei follows. As such, other surrounding particles tend to dissolve it back into the liquid phase. Successful fusion into the crystal releases heat which causes other adjacent atoms to dissolve. This means that the high fusion of a metal reflects its tendency for a high solidification temperature and maximum undercooling (Best).The energy affects the dissolution process with respect to the surface area of the nucleus while energy variation favoring nucleus growth is a factor of volume proportion (Best). Surface area varies with the square of the radius, whereas volume varies with the cube of the radius. Thus, a large crystal is not susceptible to surface dissolution. In addition, a metal at a specific temperature has a critical radius size. Radius bigger than the critical radius tend to increase in size while smaller radi us is susceptible to dissolution.Nonetheless, lower temperature facilitates the attainment of the critical radius (Best). Further, crystallization may occur in less undercooling if a higher melting point metal with similar crystal structure to and insoluble at the melting temperature of the original metal is added (Best). The crystal growth around these insoluble nuclei is referred to as heterogeneous nucleation. In heterogeneous nucleation, specific sites in a material catalyze the nucleation process through the reduction of the critical free energy of nucleation (?Gc) (Balluffi, Allen, and Carter 477).It is always in kinetic competition with homogeneous nucleation wherein the faster rate mechanism prevails. The lower value of ?Gc supports heterogeneous nucleation while the greater number of potential nucleation sites favors homogeneous nucleation. Moreover, by means of the nucleation rate expressed as J = Z ßc N exp[-?Gc /(kT )], regimes of temperature, supersaturation, relativ e interfacial energies, and microstructure in which one nucleation mechanism occurs can be predicted.When a small particle deposits on the grain boundaries, edges or corners of a polycrystalline microstructures such as grain boundaries, edges or corners, these crystal imperfections will be eliminated with an associated free-energy decrease lowering ?Gc (Balluffi, Allen, and Carter 477). Solidification in Metals The solidification of metals and their alloys starts when a welded small portion of metal melts and resolidifies (â€Å"Phase Transformation†). Homogeneous nucleation occurs when there are no other chemical species involved in a nucleation process.For instance when a pure liquid metal is slowly cooled below its equilibrium m freezing temperature to a sufficient degree numerous homogeneous nuclei are created by slow-moving atoms bonding together in a crystalline form. While the involvement of other chemical species to favor nucleation results to heterogeneous nucleation . Solidification is a crucial stage in metallurgical processes such as in ingot casting, continuous casting, squeeze casting, pressure casting, atomization (Phanikumar and Chattopadhyay 25).This is also an important stage in secondary manufacturing processes such as welding, soldering, brazing, cladding and sintering. For the properties of the product largely depend on the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the different phases. The microstructure of the products on the other hand, is affected by thermal and solutal processing conditions and thermodynamic and kinetics factors of the materials (Phanikumar and Chattopadhyay 25). Solidification involves heat extraction through diffusion and convection processes, and solid-liquid interface movement.In addition, the microstructure solidification is a complex process affected by the rate of solidification (v), temperature gradient (G), composition (C) and kinetics factors such as phase equilibrium reactions, nucleation and gr owth, and crystallographic constraints (Phanikumar and Chattopadhyay 25). Solidification and Mechanical Properties Industrial treatments such as rolling or forging, alloying and thermal treatment are done to metals to strengthen their mechanical properties.For instance, pure aluminum has a tensile strength of around 13,000 pounds per square inch (psi), however, by cold-working its strength is approximately doubled. This can also be done by adding alloying metals such as manganese, silicon, copper, magnesium and zinc. Similarly, heat treatment makes the tensile strength of aluminum over 100, 000 psi (â€Å"Property Modification† n. p. ). Plastic or permanent deformation of crystalline materials is largely affected by the tendency of dislocation within the material. Thus, restraining the dislocation movement improves its strength.This is done by controlling the grain size, strain hardening, and alloying (â€Å"Strengthening/Hardening Mechanisms†). In the material science engineering, a grain is a crystal with unsmooth faces due to the deferred growth in contact with a boundary (â€Å"Solidification†). The grain boundary is the interface between grains. Atoms in this region are disordered, hence, no crystalline structure. The different orientation of adjacent grains within the material, the boundary between grains hinders the dislocation movement and the resulting slip.The solidification rate controls the size and number of grains. Smaller grains denote shorter distances between atoms that can move in a slip plane, thus, improving the strength of the material (â€Å"Strengthening/Hardening Mechanisms†). The improvement of metallic strength is done through strain or work hardening or cold-working. In plastic deformation of metals, the movement of dislocations produces additional dislocations (â€Å"Strengthening/Hardening Mechanisms†). These dislocations interact, pin or tangle resulting to decline in dislocations movement and ca uses material strengthening.This strengthening is called as cold-working for the occurrence of plastic deformation is at low temperature which impedes atom movements. However, cold-working process reduces the ductility of metals. On the other hand, when the process is done at higher temperature, the atoms rearrange to improve material strength (â€Å"Strengthening/Hardening Mechanisms†). Since cold-working process reduces ductility, thermal or heat treatment is used to remove its effect. The strengthening gained through the cold-working will be lost if the strain hardened materials are exposed at higher temperatures.Recovery, re-crystallization, and grain growth may occur during the heat treatment (â€Å"Strengthening/Hardening Mechanisms†). Nucleation and Mechanical Properties The number of nucleation sites for the freezing metal affects the grain structure of the solid metal product. Few number of nucleation sites means smaller number of crystallization nuclei, hence , large-grain or coarse structure results. An increase in nucleation site numbers, on the other hand, yields fine-grain structure because a lot of crystallization nuclei are available for the dissolve phase attach and solidify.Fine grain structure is the most desired product for strength and uniformity in metal production (Poster and Easterling 125). An ideal crystal has a perfect crystalline structure and characterized by a regular repetitive lattice in any space direction. However, crystalline materials have crystallographic defects. Minor crystal defect may impart significant metallic properties. The conductivity of silicon, for instance, is doubled when it is contaminated with 10-8 percent mass of boron (Tisza 107).There are several properties that can be identified based on the ideal lattice structure such as thermal and electrical conductivities, and specific heat. These are called as structure-insensitive properties. However, there are structure-sensitive properties such as m echanical properties that are hardly predicted on the basis of ideal crystal structure. The discrepancy between the ideal and real crystal structures result to the large differences in theoretical and experimental computation of properties (Tisza 107).