Finding my father

My clothes felt like a cold, damp extension of my body, as I lay panting on the floor. Blood, water, sweat, I wasn't sure what it was. At this moment, I was just glad to be alive. As I attempted to pick myself up off the rough asphalt, I felt a warm liquid well up in the depths of my throat, as I retched onto the ground. Oddly, this wasn't how I normally felt at 11am on a Thursday morning. My name is Alex Watson. Alex was after my father, a man who I heard a great deal about, but never met. My mother was only a college girl when she met my father. He was dead before I was born. When I asked my mother about it, she got angry, or said she was tired, anything to avoid my questions. In the end, I just had to get on with my life. I moved to New York, into an apartment block which encapsulated the bleak misery of city life. You eventually learn to block out the sirens, gunshots and screaming. About a year ago, I got an urge to discover who my father was, beyond the facade of distorted facts my mother decided to disclose to me. For some reason, I needed to know. I needed to know the truth, and seeing as nobody was going to tell me, I decided to look for myself. The task turned out to be the proverbial needle in the haystack. The problem with my father was, he liked to keep a low profile. So much so that, until I was sixteen, I had no idea what he did for a living. Anything I did find out about him was on a need to know basis. Discovering my father wasn't going to be as easy as I first imagined. Home was not exactly an awe-inspiring. My roommates where cockroaches, and a stray cat who I had named Takeshi. These more than minor inconveniences allowed me some pleasures, such drowning my sorrows in â€Å"The Manhattan†, a bar so close to my apartment that I could wander out if it drunk and fall into my bed†¦or at least the floor. This was my escape, my salvation from the nine to five drudgery of my life. I was never good at working in boxes. I worked as a retail technician for a major electrical appliance company. I answered phone calls from people whose children had put jam sandwiches in their VCR's, or people phoning me asking why the cup holder on their new computer was broken. I was supposed to respond to them in a cheerful, knowledgeable manner, but most of the time I had to concentrate on not screaming and slamming the phone down. However, their phone calls did break the monotony of staring at a prefabricated cardboard wall, rules and codes of conduct staring at me in the face. I felt trapped. I felt like I needed to escape, a release from my life. It's probably normal to, at some point or other, question your existence on this planet. Why are you here? What's so special about you? In my case, I took a long hard look at myself, and found nothing. Nada. Jack shit. I could find no real reason for me to be on this earth. And to be completely honest, this didn't surprise me. I had always been decidedly average. My only sense of purpose was finding the truth about my father, but to do that I needed money, and to get money I needed to work. Unfortunately, as I've already stated, my job was like a nine to five lecture on the art of watching paint dry. What I needed was a miracle. What I got was a blessing in disguise. â€Å"Sir, you can't stay here, it's public endangerment!†. I can't say I ever heard these words, my drunken demeanour, as well the cacophony of the halted cars horns, prevented them from reaching my ears as I wandered down the middle of a road. I tripped over my own feet, and landed back first. â€Å"Back owf!† I warned, â€Å"I'm armsed!†. I swung my whiskey bottle wildly, until it flung off and hit the floor. â€Å"Crap† I murmured before passing out. Two hours later, conscious and sober, when I was informed of the events, I can't say I was surprised. My excuse? I was bored. However, when I told this to the police, they were less than impressed. I was expecting them to throw me into one of their first class, luxurious cells for the night, and maybe, if I'm luck, beaten to a pulp for saying I supported the wrong football team. But if I've learnt anything, it's that life's a bitch, and you never get what you want. Simply a clip round one ear and a â€Å"Don't do that again!† in the other. Jesus, my mother gave me better telling off than that when I was seven! Slightly disheartened at the state of the judicial and law enforcement services, I made my way towards the door, and the unbearable natural light of the afternoon. As I did this, I glanced over at the desk. She was there. The woman who arrested me last night, when I decided to take a walk on the wrong side of the road†¦figuratively and literally. Suddenly, I felt something I hadn't expected. I felt a twinge of guilt. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time, not since before I started destroying my mind with drink. I felt guilty for what I had done, I felt like I needed to apologise. I crept over to the desk, unsure of what to say, but sure of what to do. â€Å"Excuse me miss. Er†¦I just..er†¦wanted to say that†¦er†¦I'm sorry about last night.† Normally I'm a little more articulate than that, but the effects of last night's binge hadn't quite worn off. â€Å"That's ok.† She said, as her face broke into a smile. It was at this point I noticed something that had escaped me last night, (possibly because my eyesight was in a less than perfect state). This woman, smiling at me from behind the desk, was beautiful, not in a catwalk super model kind-of-way, which had never appealed to me, but in a regular, every day kind of way. Her smile was kind and gentle, and her deep brown eyes sparkled in the hazy mid-day sun. She was stunning in a subtle way. I was falling for her, and I could feel it. Her smile broke as she spoke again, â€Å"Normally, I get a nasty sneer off people, and that's off the nice ones. But I could tell you were different, even when I first saw you.† Her face broke into a smile again, and I just hoped I wasn't staring at her. â€Å"I don't know†¦I just knew you where different.† I returned the smile, the first real smile I had had in months. â€Å"Thank you. Hopefully, I'll see you around.† She smiled at me, â€Å"Hopefully not under the same circumstances, but we can live in hopes otherwise.† As I walked out of the door, the painful brightness of the midday sun couldn't dampen my mood. I was no closer to finding my father, but maybe a step closer to finding myself.

Project Risk Management – Holyrood Project

Project Risk Management| M3N313401-12-B| Group report    Jenna McCall : S1O21235 Adelle Kelly : S1023858 Angela Mitchell : S1034517 Luciano Farias : S1306729 Iaponaira de Abreu : S1306726| | | 5103 words Contents 1. Introduction 2. 1 Executive summary 2. Case study . What is project management 4. 2 Successful project management 4. 3 Risk management in projects 4. Project Scope 5. 4 Cost management 5. 5 Time management 5. 6 Project management tools 5. Stakeholder management 6. Conclusion 7. Recommendations 8. References 1. Introduction After the identification of the requirements of the Holyrood parliament building, responsibility for the construction of the project was handed over to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in June 1999 which took place over the course of 5 years.A project goes through many phases throughout its lifecycle and can be deemed successful if implemented efficiently against initial objectives. This includes cost effective, quality management and co mpletion within the required time scale with the overall aim being to meet stakeholder’s objectives. A project that fails is said to be one that lacks quality, control and management. In order for project management to be effective, both strategic and operational strategies must be incorporated. 1. 1 Executive SummaryProject risk management is a systematic process concerned with reducing the risks and uncertainties involved in business activities, essential if a project is to achieve its objectives which typically include scope, time and cost. It is based on managing people so that a project can be actively managed reducing the risks that could occur. After the objectives have been defined, in order for appropriate risk management to be exercised, a traditional SWOT analysis should be conducted to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in the project.This report discusses the foundations of project management and indentifies the Political, Economic al, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal drivers that can influence project management. In order for the project team to achieve successful completion of the project against delivery time and budget they should follow four steps- identifying the objectives, the projects deliverables, and the schedule and supporting plans. Overall project risk management forms the basis of any successful project. It is used to identify the challenges that the project is particularly vulnerable to in order to ensure impact is minimised.It is vital that the project team makes effective use of risk management in order to manage unforeseen complication which could arise. The biggest challenge that projects face is the inadequate management of planning. Failed projects tend to be ones which over stretch budget, schedule and do not accomplish its desired purpose. 2. Case study The construction of the ‘Holyrood Parliament Building’ first began in June 1999, and the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the building on 7th September 2004. The official opening of the new building was on 9th October 2004 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth.From when construction began in 1999 until the opening of the parliament building in 2004, the committee rooms and the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament were forced to hold their meetings in the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland. Office and administrative accommodation which were supporting the Parliament were located in buildings leased from the City of Edinburgh Council. However, the new Scottish Parliament Building allowed the different sectors within the Parliament to amalgamate into the one parliament building. According to The BBC (2004), in the initial planning stages the predicted ? 0 million was set aside by the government to fund the project. This amount remained fixed until additional uncontrolled construction costs resulted in the project cost to increase to ? 109 million in June 1999 to a total cost of ? 414. 4 million which in turn resulted in a 20 month delay to the initial schedule. The BBC (2004) also suggested that the main cause of the delay in the project finalisation was due to the â€Å"production of detailed designed variations and the late supply of information during the construction process†. The deadlines which the project manager provided for the construction of the parliament building were very tight.The BBC (2004) argues that these deadlines did not reflect the complexity of the building which resulted in both architects and trade contractors failing to deliver critical foundations of the project therefore meaning the project timescale overrun. The project manager failed to realise the unlikelihood of the targets set being achievable and therefore failed to alter the timeline to reflect this. Also the project manager should have completed steps which would allow the realisation of the key problems which were in turn causing the negative eff ect on the project’s performance in both cost and time.The project manager should have never relied on assumptions when producing construction programmes which would have resulted in the estimations of cost and time to have been realistic and therefore would have prevented the project running over time and budget. 3. What is project management Project management â€Å"provides an integrated framework for project organisation, planning and control which is designed to: ensure the timely and cost effective production of all end products†. (Project Smart, 2013) It should be delivered within the defined scope, time, and budget.Overall, â€Å"at its most fundamental, project management is about people getting things done† (Barnes, APM President, 2013). The project management lifecycle goes through various stages before it is completed where each phase is measured against checklists to ensure operations are running according to plan. The initiation phase is the beginn ing of a projects lifecycle. This is a vital stage where ideas are explored and plans elaborated, allowing feasibility and resource requirements to be examined. This stage also allocates who will take charge of the process.This involves entrusting the entire project with the project manager where they will â€Å"cultivate the  people skills  needed to develop trust and communication among all of a project's stakeholders†. (PMI, 2013), coordinating the task against budget and delivery time. Once the project plan has been reviewed and approved by sponsors, the project enters the second stage: definition. This involves the identification of the expected outcome of the complete project. Typically, the execution phase is when resources are applied to the task.A list of requirements is drafted; suppliers and contractors are brought in alongside a schedule detailing the materials and resources needed. Followed by the monitoring and control process which involves the construction of the task measured against plans. The final stage in closing the project involves carrying out an evaluation which is vital as it â€Å"compares what has been accomplished (evidence) with what should have been accomplished (criteria) and then makes a judgment about how well it was done. † C. L. Taylor (1998). 4. Successful project management Successful projects are typically ones which are executed within the required time scale and do not exceed allocated resources. Therefore, a project will be deemed successful if it: delivers the outcome within required time and quality, remaining within cost of resources. There are 5 stages that contribute to project success: 1. Objectives 2. Stages 3. Organisation 4. Planning ; Control 5. Leadership ; Management Objectives – They truly define a project and make it something concrete rather than abstract.Stages – Projects step through different phases, such as the research and exploration phase, a decision phase, a planni ng and organising phase, an implementation phase, and then a closure phase. Organisation – Since projects naturally operate outside of normal hierarchy, perhaps even crossing boundaries, it is the Project Manager’s duty to set organizational foundations for it, or rather, a â€Å"chain of command†. Planning and control – No matter the project, whether a new building or a cultural change project, are always moving into uncertain regions through uncertain paths.Leadership and management – Required for a project to reach successful team development, by allowing negotiations and influences to occur. Successful project execution is also based largely on the role that the parties involved play in the management of operations. The relationship between the project team manager and how information is communicated, both internally and externally, to stakeholders is vital to its success including team members, sponsors and senior management.There is a great d eal of risk associated with the management of any project, organisations will often gain from the benefits when the project is completed. Increased risk management as risks will be defined and identified which can â€Å"promote an uninterrupted progression of the activities within the project and, by implementing the appropriate measures, remove any interruptions as quickly as possible†. (Well-Stam, 2004) 3. 2 Risk management in projects The bigger the project, the more complex it becomes to manage, accompanied with increased risk.Project risk management â€Å"is a structured process that allows individual risk events and overall project risk to be understood and managed proactively optimising project success by minimising threats and maximising opportunities. † (APM Body of Knowledge, 5th edition section 2. 5) To be fully effective, risk management in projects requires an understanding of how risk is managed as â€Å"the need to manage uncertainty is inherent in most projects that require formal project management. † (Chapman, et al. , 2003)It is essential to conduct a swot analysis 4. Project scope â€Å"A projects scope is the sum of the work content of a project† (Murray-Webster. R, and Simon. P, 2007). This suggests all the necessary elements which have to be completed in order to achieve the projects time, cost and quality objectives and success criteria. It is crucial that a project manager has a clear understanding of the projects initial scope. They would also be required to communicate this to the organisations team and all of their stakeholders.Any consequential changes can be managed which will allow the avoidance of ‘scope creep’. According to Cupe (2010), scope creep is when continuous growth occurs in a projects scope. This is initiated when project management fails to control changes in their necessary elements. Scope Management Scope management involves the identification and defining of all of the elem ents of the project scope and to ensure that the scope is continuously up-to-date. In turn this will help manage scope creep in a project.It is a project manager’s responsibility to protect scope and prevent the occurrence of scope creep. For effective scope management, project managers must control what is and what is not in the scope of the project (Project Smart, 2013). After a review of the project scope and in the event that it is no longer effective, a project manager may decide to implement changes into the process using a â€Å"change control process† (Murray-Webster. R, and Simon. P, 2007). 4. 1 Cost management â€Å"Cost management is the process by which companies control and plan the costs of doing business.Individual projects should have customised cost management plans, and companies as a whole also integrate cost management into their overall business model†. (wiseGeek, 2013). If applied correctly, cost management reduces costs of production for p roducts and services, as well as delivering products with increased value to the customer. For a project's management to be effective in general, cost management needs to be a prime feature. For instance, in the initial stages of a project, the predicted costs need to be identified and measured.It is imperative that these expenses are then approved before any purchasing occurs. Throughout the completion of a project, all incurred costs should be made note of and kept in record, thus ensuring that costs are under control and maintained in line with initial expectations, to the extent that this may be feasible. The major challenges involved in the Holyrood project arose from the failure to identify the scope of the project when initial plans were undertaken, ensued by scope creep in cost.The earliest cost estimates for the Scottish Parliament building, in 1997, initially stated that â€Å"Overall the capital costs of establishing the Scottish Parliament – purchasing and refitt ing the New Parliament House and other buildings – are estimated to be between ? 24. 5 and ? 34 million. † (White Paper on Scottish Devolution, April 1997. Section 11. 6) This amount remained static until June 1999 when it increased to ? 109 million due to additional uncontrolled construction costs, which escalated again in April 2000 to ? 97 million with the impact of inflation. In 2003, the cost had crept again to ? 359 million and to ? 414. 4million in 2004 resulting in a 20 month delay in schedule In May 2003, after the costs had skyrocketed and the public opinion of the project was very low, Jack McConnell, the First Minister, announced a public inquiry into the handling of the building project. He mentioned how he was â€Å"astonished that year after year the ministers who were in charge were kept so much in the dark over the increases in cost estimates. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005).He also stated that â€Å"a Parliament building of sufficient sc ale could never have been built for less than ? 50m, and was ‘amazed’ that the belief that it could be was perpetuated for so long. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005). Furthermore, â€Å"? 150m of the final cost was wasted as a result of design delays, over-optimistic programming and uncertain authority. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005) According to (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005), by early 2004, close to its inauguration, the estimated cost of the project was around ? 30 million. This generated great controversy, as one would expect, concerning possible waste of public money. The building was audited, following its completion, after which it was stated that â€Å"the main reasons for construction cost increases after 2000 were design development and delay in the construction process. The design development was entirely related to realising the detail of the building and aspects such as the quality of finish and the palette of materials that were used, in accordance with the client’s requirements. (The Auditor General Report June 2004, paragraph 10) One of the main conclusions found in the Holyrood Inquiry was that â€Å"whenever there was a conflict between quality and cost, quality was preferred. † (The Holyrood Project, p240). The project showcased what lack of proper project management and control will achieve. On the same audit as above, it was stated that â€Å"Although it is likely that a high quality building is being delivered, the time and cost objectives have not been met. The same quality could have been achieved for less if the whole design and construction process had been better executed. (The Auditor General Report June 2004, paragraph 10) The Scottish Office decided to â€Å"procure the construction work under a ‘construction management contract', rather than under a Private Finance Initiative, in order to speed construction, but without properly evaluating the financial risks of doing so, and – in a decision that Fraser stated ‘beggars belief' – without asking Ministers to approve it. † (Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005). This was one of the two most flawed decisions which the report singled out.The other was the insistence on a rigid programme: officials decided that rapid delivery of the new building was to be the priority, but that quality should be maintained. It was therefore inevitable that the cost would suffer. â€Å"In the Holyrood project the general approach was to accept cost increases and include them in the forecasts as the risks materialised. Since there was no agreed planned budget after June 2001, there was little evidence that forceful action was taken to prevent or reduce the increases in cost.Project management could have taken more action at an earlier stage to control expenditure on consultants. † (Audit Scotland, 2004). Before having consultants appointed, management of the project could have explore d alternative fee arrangements more carefully including financial incentives linked to delivering value for money. There was a limit placed on increases in consultants’ fees in 2003, but this was very late in the programme, after the fees had increased significantly. The agreement to the fee capping at this late stage in the project did not provide a timely incentive to onsultants to control costs and programme. Prior to fee capping in July and August 2003, there was no regular reporting of the significant expenditure on the Holyrood project. 4. 2 Time management Time management is also known as project planning and scheduling. Haugan (2002) defines this term as the planed date for performing activities, organized chronologically according to the phases of the project and with start and completion date established. He also states that it is not possible to control costs if the schedule is not met, which was a serious problem in the Holyrood project.According to BBC (2004) the initial estimative of cost and time for the construction of the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh took place in 1997 with delivery estimate for 2001, even without a project or defined location. However, in 1998 the Holyrood site was chosen to be the actual location and a designer competition was opened based on the criteria of quality, time and cost, after which the Spanish architect Enric Miralles in conjunction with the Scottish company RMJM were chosen to design the parliament. With the delay in such definition, the time factor had become an even greater limitation for the execution of the project.According to White & Sidhu (2005) the president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), Mr George Wren, even wrote to the Prime Minister Donald Dewar calling attention to this issue and the consequences of this reduction in availability of design time and in the final product quality, besides the need for faster methods of construction. He also suggested the extensi on of the deadline to complete the building and later, RIAS published a note considering that the process was being quite rushed.Also in 1998, Mr. Armstrong, project manager at this time, established the project schedule, where the construction of the building would start in July 1999 and the initial deadline at autumn 2001 was kept (Lord Fraser, 2004). Lord Fraser, responsible for the inquiry, also commented in his report that it was ironic that factors such as sufficient time for the phases of planning and design were not included in the timeline because of political objectives to meet the deadline.Besides, he also highlighted, in a workshop of risk management conducted by the company Davis, Langdon and Everest (DLE), that the design of the parliament was considered affordable despite of its complexity. Such issues, along the differences between Enric Miralles and the RMJM and the archaeology work at the location were the main causes of delay in progress of the project at its begi nning. Therewith, Mr. Armstrong resigned from his position and a construction management company was hired in his place.White & Sidhu (2005) described that in 1999, after controversies concerning the project and its handover by the former Scottish Office to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), it was decided by the parliament that the current project would continue, increasing costs and maintaining the deadline for autumn 2001. Although at that point it had been suggested to pursue the project more slowly due to time constraints, it was alleged by Donald Dewar that delays of around two months could raise the cost of construction in about ? 2 to ? 3 million yet this deadline remained the same.Thus, the construction started in July 1999 and after this, many design changes were required in that year, which further delayed the progress of the project. In 2000, finally, as Lord Fraser (2004) mentioned, after a lot of reports pointing to the necessity of a new estimate of cos ts and time, an amendment presented by Gordon Jackson MSP was accepted by the parliament and the delivery of the building was rescheduled to the end of 2002. However, other factors slowed the work even more in that year, such as the illness and subsequent death of the architect Enric Miralles and then Donald Dewar.In the end of that year, the Audit Committee published a report, where it was highlighted that the building could only be occupied in April 2003, extrapolating the deadline again. As published in the newspaper Scotsman (2004), the year of 2001 was marked by problems in construction, and security issues delayed the progress, hence the delivery of the parliament in May, 2003 became a priority over costs and the construction was accelerated. However in 2002, the deadline was extended again to September 2003 due to further delays, among the causes were cited bomb proofing measures and even the Inquiry of Lord Fraser.Later on, because of problems in the construction of the inte rior and the most complex parts of the project, the deadline was changed to August 2004. The building was eventually delivered in October 2004, with a time span of three years from the initial deadline. On that note, considering the time management in this project, it is possible to highlight that the main problems were the non-inclusion of enough time to design and plan in the first schedules. This was due to the rush to deliver the building for political reasons and the insistence on keeping the deadline even with the problems faced.The failure to analyse the very high degree of complexity of the chosen design therefore resulted in the project running over schedule. Such factors are mentioned in the Holyrood Inquiry as well. 4. 3 Project management tools Project management tools assist in keeping track of all components of a project, ensuring each stage runs smoothly and is completed on time. As well as the smooth running and time keeping of a project, management tools also help m onitor the projects progress against planned budget. Every project is unique, encompassing all the stakeholders and the internal and external influences.Effective project management should include elements of PESTLE analysis including, Political, economic, sociological, technological and environmental, as a method of identifying potential pitfalls in the process. A SWOT analysis is typically completed in the primary stages of a project. This would be carried out during the planning phase and revisited when any complications arise in a project such as; budget or time management. In turn this would allow the project manager to ensure the project is being completed effectively.A SWOT analysis takes into account the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These are then used to control areas of planning and risk management in a project. A SWOT analysis may also be used to highlight particular areas within the project which could be maximised to result in a benefit to either th e project as a whole, or certain areas of the project. A project manager could implement a SWOT analysis to evaluate certain activities within their project to analyse their progress or determine if they could improve such activities to expand their potential.A SWOT analysis may also be used to evaluate any risks in a project or particular areas of a project and therefore define the most appropriate and effective way of controlling and mitigating any risk which may negatively affect the project’s completion (Project Smart, 2013). Henry Laurence Gantt was an American mechanical engineer, recognised for the development of the Gantt chart in 1017. A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart showing the starting and finishing dates of the different stages of a project. They are a method of tracking tasks across time and also show the elationship between the different stages. Haughey, D. (2013) describes Gantt charts as, â€Å"an important project management tool used for showing the ph ases, tasks, milestones and resources needed as part of a project. † Gantt charts have become an industry standard since their first use in the Hoover Dam project of 1931. They can be useful in planning a time frame of a project and help by categorising events and organising them into an order in which they have to be completed. They also work by showing the tasks which are to be completed on the vertical axis, with the time scale on the horizontal axis.Each task then has a bar showing the time required for each task and a percentage of how complete each task is. Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is a project management technique similar to Gantt charts in the way that it lays out the activities needed to complete a task, the time it will take to complete each activity and the relationship between these activities. CPA is a planning and managing tool, its purpose is to help predict whether or not a project can be completed on time. It is a way of managing a project and ensuring the project timing is on track and that things are completed on time.Santiago, J. and Magallon, D. (2009) state that, â€Å"The Critical Method or Critical Path Analysis, is a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. † And, â€Å"is an important tool for effective project management. † Therefore this would be a necessary tool to use in project management as it allows activities to be planned so that the job can be completed in the shortest time and allows project managers to see if remedial action is necessary to place a project back on course. Another tool used in project management is the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT).Haughey, D. (2013) describes this as, â€Å"a method for analysing the tasks involved in completing a given project, especially the time needed to complete each task and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project. † Pert charts are usually used alongside Gantt charts. However, Rouse, M. (2007) argues that, â€Å"The PERT chart is sometimes preferred over the Gantt chart, because it clearly illustrates task dependencies. On the other hand, the PERT chart can be much more difficult to interpret, especially on complex projects.Frequently, project managers use both techniques. † Therefore, by using a wide range of tools such as PERT charts, Critical Path Analysis and Gantt charts a project can be better monitored ensuring that all activities are running smoothly, according to schedule. 5. Stakeholder management Stakeholders are the individuals who are involved in a project and are affected by its activities. Essentially, stakeholders cover everyone: project sponsors, project managers, the project team, support staff, customers, users and even suppliers and opponents to the project.Understanding the needs of each of these stakeholders is vital; each of the stakeholders have different needs and expectations which have to be met. In order to do this, nee ds and expectations must firstly be identified. Exceeding these needs involves balancing competing demands to ensure the smooth running of a project. Stakeholder management is a process by which a positive relationship is created between the stakeholders and project managers of a project, through the appropriate management of expectations and agreed objectives. Kangas, P. 2011) states that: â€Å"Stakeholder management begins by identifying individuals and groups the project affects. To identify a comprehensive list of stakeholders, the project team should evaluate individuals or groups who contribute to or receive value from the project. The team should assess stakeholders for their influence, the extent to which they are affected and their attitudes toward the project. † Therefore it is clear that for a project to run smoothly a good stakeholder relationship is vital. Thompson, R. (2012) refers to stakeholder management as being, â€Å"critical to the success of every proj ect in every organisation. Before the establishment of any project, one of the most important starting points is to have full commitment of all management and stakeholders as these are the people who will benefit from the completed project. If there is not full commitment, this increases the probability of project failure. Lawlor, J. (2010) states that for the completion of an effective project, an organisation must: â€Å"Have a strong sponsor, someone who is sufficiently high up in the organisation to sustain commitment to the project and who will fight for it at senior management level.It is not enough simply to gain management and stakeholder commitment at the start of a project, they must work to sustain it throughout. † This can be achieved by keeping the sponsor firmly in the communication loop and continuously update them on all major developments, successes and all potential issues and risks that may be faced in any upcoming projects. Due to stakeholders including ev eryone involved in the project such as suppliers, sub-contractors and other external resources this introduces further risks.To overcome the majority of these risks, organisations must clearly communicate to the stakeholder exactly what is expected of them. Clear instructions should be set out along with an expected time scale that these activities should be completed by. Lawlor, J. (2010) suggests that to avoid certain risks an organisation should, â€Å"Base agreements with suppliers and other external parties on clearly specified requirements that identify the performance standards expected and the products or systems to be designed, developed, and delivered. Regular meetings with these suppliers and sub-contractors are an essential part to the on-going project, for project managers to ensure stakeholders are performing as expected. When looking at the construction of the Holyrood building, it is clear that problems occurred. A possible reason for this was the vast amount of dif ferent stakeholders who were involved in the construction of the project. Due to the numbers of different contractors and subcontractors, communication and coordination was one of the main issues which added to problems associated with the time issues.Fraser (2004) reported, â€Å"there was a lack of communication, coordination and understanding between stakeholders, for example, resolution of many design issues was delayed due to misunderstanding and lack of communication between RMJM & EMBT. † Therefore, delays occurred in the project from bad stakeholder relationships and poor communication. 6. Conclusion With an unrealistic estimated budget, the Holyrood project was destined to fail from the beginning. Despite this, and the many challenges the team faced, it can be argued that the completion of the building has been a major success.Therefore, it is evident that there are many factors that contribute to the success of a project. Undoubtedly, this depends on how efficiently the given task was managed, measured against time and budget. Failure to meet any pre-determined deadlines or budgets would indicate significant problems in the management and structure of initial plans. Achievement of projects strategic objectives is crucial to its success. This should be supported by a realistic plan that identifies critical success factors.An effective project risk management strategy should be embedded in the project lifecycle and provide a degree of certainty to all stakeholders involved. The effectiveness of this strategy should be regularly monitored alongside the other elements of the project in order to ensure total control. The grounds of project failure have been identified as running over budget, over schedule or lack of engagement with stakeholders to meet desired goal. Unrealistic timescales, poor leadership and poor communication also lead to project failure, which highlights the value that efficient project management has on the running of a project . . Recommendations The following recommendations should be considered by senior management when seeking to improve the effectiveness of project management. * Set realistic objectives, including a clearly defined scope, time and budgetary requirements * Consider the complexity and constraints of the project before implementation * Incorporate appropriate time management, allocating time for disruption * Ensuring effective communication between stakeholders at all times * Make appropriate use of all management tools in the planning and development stage 8. ReferencesAPM. 2013. Association for Project Management: What is risk management [online] Available at: http://www. apm. org. uk/WhatIsPM [Accessed 9 March 2013] Audit Scotland, 2004. Management of the Holyrood building project [pdf] Available at: http://www. audit-scotland. gov. uk/docs/central/2004/nr_040629_holyrood_project. pdf> [Accessed 3 March 2013] BBC News. Timeline. ,2004. Holyrood. news. bbc. co. uk. [online] Available a t : http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/scotland/3210729. stm [Accessed on 10th March 2013] Fraser, R. H. L. , 2004. Construction Management. Available at: http://www. cottish. parliament. uk/vli/holyrood/inquiry/sp205-07. htm [Accessed 13th March 2013] Haugan, Gregory T. , 2002. Project Planning and Scheduling. Vienna: Management Concepts. [online] Available at: http://books. google. co. uk/books? id=evSThe6mUkMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=project+planning&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GMQ_UbbzCsqb0QW-4YDQDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQ6AEwAw [Accessed on 1 March 2013] Haughey, D. , 2013. Project Management Tools [online] Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/project-management-tools. html . [Accessed 13th March 2013] HSE, 2013.Health and Safety Executive: Five steps to risk assessment [online] Available at: http://www. hse. gov. uk/risk/fivesteps. htm [Accessed 9 March 2013] Isobel White; Iqwinder Sidhu, 2005. Building the Scottish Parliament, The Holyrood Project [pdf] Available at: < http://www. parliament. uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03357. pdf> [Accessed 27 February 2013] John J. Lawlor. , 2010. Successful Project Management: Eight Simple Steps to Follow. Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/successful-project-management-eight-simple-steps-to-follow. html. Accessed 12 March 2013] Lord Fraser. ,2004. Holyrood Inquiry. [online]. Available at: http://www. holyroodinquiry. org/FINAL_report/report. htm [Accessed on 11 March 2013] Philip J. Kangas. , 2011. Back To Basics Stakeholder Management. [online] Available at: http://asq. org/quality-progress/2011/03/back-to-basics/stakeholder-management-101. html [Accessed 13 March 2013] Project Smart. 2013. Swot Analysis in Project Management [online] Available at: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/swot-analysis-in-project-management. html [Accessed 10 March 2013] Thompson, R. 2012.Stakeholder Management Planning Stakeholder Communication. Available at: http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newPPM_08. htm . [Accessed 12 Marc h 2013] Rouse, M . 2007. PERT chart (Program Evaluation Review Technique) Available at: http://searchsoftwarequality. techtarget. com/definition/PERT-chart. [Accessed 13 March 2013] Santiago, J. , Magallon, D. 2009. Critical Path Method. [online] Available at: http://www. stanford. edu/class/cee320/CEE320B/CPM. pdf. [Accessed 13 March 2013] Scotsman. 2004. Holyrood timeline. news. scotsman. com. [online]. Available at: http://www. cotsman. com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/holyrood-timeline-1-464525 [Accessed on 10th March 2013] Well-Stam, D. , Lindenaar, F. , Van Kindere, F. ,2004. Pg3-4 Project Risk Management: An Essential Tool For Managing And Controlling Project. s. White, Isobel and Sidhu, Iqwinder. , 2005. House of Commons Research Paper – Building the Scottish Parliament, The Holyrood Project. House of Commons Library, 2005-01-12. Retrieved 2006-10-29. [online]. Available from: http://www. parliament. uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03357. pdf [Accessed on 10 March 2013]

Pest Brazil

BRAZIL PEST Political environment †¢Greed and Corruption †¢Increase in government expenditures †¢Political stability and emphasis on consistent economic policies and growth †¢Position of international influence and power (BRIC) †¢Many environmental restrictions and regulations (Protection of Amazon) †¢Going into business: High bureaucracy, lack of transparency of rules and slow legal procedures (are hurdles to overcome and make brazil a difficult country to do business in) †¢The huge opportunities for foreign companies in Brazil's growing economy have to be weighed up against the country's relatively high taxes and labor costs // labour rules are generous to workers †¢Foreign exchange rules are in favour for investors outside the country but with some restrictions by certain states (freely allow dividends and capital to be repatriated to investors outside the country, but some restrictions are imposed by certain states // differences in risk be tween its 27 states) Economic environment †¢The world’s sixth largest economy (GDP: $2. 089) †¢Poor GDP growth of 3. % in 2011,(was high in 2010 but dicreased due to measures to decrease inflation) the economy is expected to grow strongly. †¢inflation 5% †¢expanding its presence in world markets. ($256 billion (2011 est. ) – 24th worldly) †¢ high interest rates make it an attractive destination for foreign investors. explain †¢Imports: $226,2 billion (2011 est. ) – 23rd world – cost to import/per container:1. 730 †¢large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, †¢capital inflows over the past several years have contributed to the appreciation of the currency, hurting the competitiveness of Brazilian manufacturing and leading the govern (exchange rates: 1,6728 (2011 est. – 2(2009) †¢Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad: ? 171,7 (2011 est. ) †¢foreign direct investment unflows:31 †¢still has a relatively high debt burden †¢Several Brazilian companies ranking of the world’s largest companies. †¢unemployment (6,7%) – high rate o job creation †¢South America's leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in the area to begin an economic recovery. †¢Brazil managed to go from a net importer of food to one of the world’s leading exporters of agricultural products. †¢ease of doing business (ranked 124th) – corruption major business constraint (67% of managers believe that) Socio – cultural environment world’s fifth largest country by both population and total area. (Large and growing population (191mn in 2010, 1,5% growing, 5th in the world) ) †¢Large % of youth population (51,3% of population is under 30 †¢Urban population: 84,3% †¢increase in living standards. From 1980 to 2010, Brazil’s Human Development Index (HDI) increa sed by 30. 8 percent from 0. 549 to 0. 718. but bad gini index †¢Poverty / inequality (21,4% of population is below poverty line + Gini index:56. 99, equality of distribution of income 0-100 †¢Consumer expenditure per capita is low ($6. 619,8) †¢ Consumers rapidly adopting spending habits that are more characteristic of consumers in developed countries.According to Credit Suisse Research’s Emerging Consumer Survey 2011, Brazilians’ devote a considerably larger share of income to discretionary spending than consumers in other BRIC countries. †¢Brazilian respondents reported saving a relatively modest 10 percent, and more than half (52 percent) were not able to set aside any income for savings. (high inflation – uncertain environment) †¢favelas or shanty towns stand in striking proximity and sharp contrast to the city’s upscale environs and stunning scenic backdrop. Fortunately, some have seen fit to aid the residents of Brazil†™s favelas. The plight of Brazil’s large population of urban poor has given rise to a number of innovative social programs. increasing number of consumers attaining middle-class status (more than 32 million the past 7years) while another 20 million have escaped a state of poverty. (reach a low-income market segment of new consumer) †¢Sharing borders with 10 neighbours in Latin America †¢troubled and combative social situation †¢ illegal narcotics trafficking / border disputes Urugua-Brazil border – 1st country of number of murders by youth: 20. 386 †¢education level low 9average education 14 years old) – education spending: 4,2%of GDP Technological environment †¢Energy independent / rich in natural recourses †¢Strengths in agricultural research, know-how and technology. (Much of the credit goes to Embrapa, Brazil’s highly accomplished, public agricultural research organization. †¢Initiatives on R( that promote South-So uth cooperation in several arenas, including science and research collaboration in fields such as nanotechnology, oceanography and Antarctic research. ) †¢Many transportation routes and infrastructures ( ports (atlantic ocean) ) †¢Transportation note : the International Maritime Bureau reports that the territorial and offshore waters in the Atlantic Ocean remain a significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; 2010 saw an 80% increase in attacks over 2009; numerous commercial vessels were attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews were robbed and stores or cargoes stolen †¢Growing Infrastructure programs due to world cup / olympics (government’s Growth Acceleration Program has pumped $250 billion into infrastructure projects. †¢Recent discovery of huge offshore oil deposits near Rio de Janeiro will further promote future growth, transforming Brazil into one of the world’s biggest oil producers †¢creativity and flair for design and innovation that are ingrained in the Brazilian national character and enhanced by the country’s newfound financial fitness, telecoms talent and entrepreneurial energy. DATA SOURCES †¢Euromonitor: https://www. portal. euromonitor. com †¢IMF website: http://www. imf. org/external/country/BRA/index. htm †¢CIA website: https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br. html †¢UNCTAD: http://unctadstat. unctad. org †¢World Bank World Development Indicators: http://data. worldbank. org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators. †¢United Nations Development Programs: http://www. undp. org/content/undp/en/home. html †¢CEBR website: http://www. cebr. com/ †¢Forbes magazine website: http://www. forbescustom. com/index. html †¢CNN Money website: http://money. cnn. com/

Discuss the contributions of iron technology to the process of state Essay - 1

Discuss the contributions of iron technology to the process of state formation in Bantu Africa - Essay Example The Bantu community had the notion of a ‘big man’ who was enchanted with grasping of new opportunities. Such an idea led to the development of political establishments as chiefdoms regrouped. It is believed that three main kingdoms that inhabited the western savannas came into being through this method. They include the Kongo, Luango, and the Tio. Importantly, copper trade in the contributed to the development of major commercial market routes and major markets that expanded the territories of the existing political establishments. For instance, the Malebo Pool along River Zaire began through such a process. Furthermore, copper rich areas were regarded as ‘capitals’ headed by a ‘paramount chief’. The paramount chief was surrounded by a close circuit of a court of title holders who performed rituals and emblems within certain principalities. Archeologically, along the Zaire valley iron and copper deposits had been discovered. In areas such as Bok o Songho-Mindouli area, political establishments were related to the large deposits of iron and copper (Alimen). The emergence of these kingdoms in the 14th to 17th the century occurred more or less simultaneously as a result of iron technology. To begin with, the Mbundu Kingdom was established in the 16th century, and it controlled most economic resources and commercial routes in the south of the Kongo. As a sign of the political power they wielded, the Mbundu Kingdom used a piece of iron as an emblem and mark of their authority. This piece of metal was known as ‘ngola’. It is known that towards the end of the 15th century a holder of that emblem established a major kingdom. In subsequent centuries, the emblem played a significant role in the slave trade (Alimen). Towards the end of the 18th century, the Mbundu had organized a large commercial network of together with Portuguese immigrants whose trading caravans reached as far as the Lozi and Lunda Kingdoms. The kingdoms developed a royalty form of a

Over exceeding nutrients Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Over exceeding nutrients - Research Paper Example Moreover, high-saturated fat content have some side effects on the heart. Hunter avers that taking a balanced diet while being pregnant is important, but over exceeding or lack of nutrients causes severe damage and complications. Underweight or obese expectant women experience numerous difficulties while conceiving. Some of the nutrients that should be included in the diet in sustainable amounts include energy, protein, fibre, Folic acid, iron, vitamin A, C, D and calcium. Iannotti, Lora, Kenda Cunningham, and Marie Ruel. Improving Diet Quality and Micronutrient Nutrition: Homestead Food Production in Bangladesh. Washington, D.C: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2009. A home gardening program, Homestead Food Production (HFP), is described by the authors. The article indicates that the program has lead to an increase in the production of the macronutrient food and reduces the rate of nutritional diseases. According to Kohler, heat does not reduce the rate of nutrition unless it exceeds the optimum levels. Additionally, oxidation makes nutrition a bit less. For example: an apple that was cut in half and oxidized for an hour is different than if it was cut for about 2 hours. Martinez asserts that most people are oblivious about lack of enough nutrients in the body while ignoring the fact that excess of the nutrients in the body has profound detrimental impact on the health of the body. Consumption of excess calories leads to the accumulation of high amounts of fats leading to disorders such as heart disease, depression, cancer, sleep apnea, type 2 Diabetes and stroke. Excess proteins increase the risk of osteoporosis. Excess vitamins can lead to various defects such as birth defects in the unborn babies in the case of excess vitamin while excess vitamin B-6 can cause excess nerve damage. Some of the disorders

Consumer behavior Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Consumer behavior - Article Example The consumers tend to involve themselves in the products and follow up on the progress of the offers. An example of enduring involvement is a motorcycle enthusiast who constantly researches about motorcycles to find the best models. Further, enduring involvement is characterized by substantial interest in activities that boost the enthusiasm. Such activities include going to motor showrooms to check the models in the market. Situational involvement occurs when a consumer is interested in a product for a short time. The situation happens mostly as a result of need or demand for a certain commodity. The consumer may not have information or necessarily be interested in a long term involvement and looks for information to enable him make a purchase decision. For example, a consumer may get involved in smartphones when he or she wants to buy a phone. However, the interest on smartphones fades when the consumer purchase a smartphone of his choice. There are instances where consumers report their interest towards a certain offering or decision. In such instances, the consumer exhibits felt involvement and feels motivated towards making decisions regarding certain offerings. A consumer gets involved in offerings that he or she has had a psychological experience with (Samli 131). Thus, felt involvement arises from a historical perspective of the consumer about a product. For example, a consumer may form a positive opinion about a car that he or she has witnessed winning car races. Cognitive involvement occurs when a consumer is keen on understanding the offers in the market before making a purchase decision. The consumer then compares the information against his goals and makes a wise decision. In essence, cognitive involvement treats information gathering as part of the objectives off the consumer. For example, a consumer interested in a Ford

What is Customer Service Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

What is Customer Service Quality - Essay Example For Lucas (2005, p.4), customer service means the employees’ capacity to provide both their external and internal clients such satisfactory products and services. Once customers are satisfied by the products and services of the company, Lucas (2005, p.4) added that it leads to convincing word – of – mouth which then causes a good business return. In terms of having a customer service of quality, quality of service is defined by Parasuraman et al. (1985) as a satisfaction outcome between the actual service rendered by a certain organization and the expected desired service of the customer from the company. In the event of assessment of the quality of service, Parasuraman et al. (1985) added that this is subjected not only on the final outcomes of actual service but it also depends during various operations of the company’s service. Meanwhile, from the point of view of the customers, the service quality is shaped by five elements namely service delivery, phy sical aspects of service, service delivery system, service product or primary service, and social responsibility (Sureshchandar et al., 2001, p 113). 2.2 Examining the Notion of Service Quality The important outcome of different elements like customer retention, performance as well as cost – effectiveness is what we know as quality of service. According to Parasuraman et al. (1988), the quality of service is one among the different mechanisms applied by a lot of institutions to achieve success. Given the satisfaction of the customer with the company, it is more likely that that particular customer will transact with that specific company once more. In particular, it is the case that companies may possibly apply the parameter of quality of service as a defensive marketing scheme through lowering costs which results to customer retention (Parasuman & Grewal, 2000, p14). Apart from that, service quality can also be used by businesses as an offensive marketing approach through ga ining bigger market share (Parasuman & Grewal, 2000, p14). Service quality is the end product of competition among companies to fulfill customers’ needs successfully. It is suggested that how quality of service is perceived by customers is more often that the not, the major cause for his or her return (Lucas, 2005 p. 342). Given this, companies should create a quality system to attend the needs of customers in order to yield success in the market competition (Berry & Parasuraman, 1997, p.66). Meanwhile, in terms of quality of service, there are three kinds of customers which are internal, external and competitors’ customers (Berry & Parasuraman, 1997). They have engaged in a debate that an integrated information system based on all three customer categories helps in achieving high quality service and facilitates decision - making activities of different organizations. On the one hand, Berry and Parasuraman (1997, p.66) claimed that measuring the expected service, empha sis on the quality of information, describing the words of clients, connecting the performance of services to the business results, and also reaching all staff members of the company are the parameters to meet the prerequisites of quality of service. On the one hand, Parasuraman et al. (1985, p.7) stated that goods are easier to evaluate than the service quality because it is heterogeneous and intangible and same with the fact that product and consumption are two inseparable entities. Berry (1980) agreed with Parasuraman et al. (1985). As Berry (1980) pointed out, the difficulty of measuring services is due to work environment that renders service like building and office decor. Meanwhile, the most significant key determining factors of quality of service are identified by Parasuraman et al

Research week9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research week9 - Essay Example Although initially case study was my mode of selection because of the in-depth analysis of the variables however now that I review my work I think Narrative inquiry would be a lot more appropriate. By utilizing interviews and reviews as means of data gathering it will enable me to gain information directly from the participants in order to carry out my research effectively. Research Design: a. Role of Researcher. One of the biases which might affect my research is that of my own personal belief that juvenile boys are more likely to commit crimes than girls. This might result in a selection bias, that is, I might unconsciously be more inclined to pick male participants for the study. As far as my personal interest is concerned the topic of juvenile crime fascinates me. The notion that the values that we acquire from our interactions and social environment shape who we are is one that I firmly believe in. If our interactions are positive and encouraging we grow into responsible adults, at least that is what the general consensus is. However my experience suggests otherwise. There are so many adolescents that are given all sorts of facilities and encouragement yet they turn towards a life of crime. This is why I chose to study the aspect of juvenile crime and how it is affected by the social environment. b. Sample Size. Alpha = .05 Power = .80 Estimated Effect Size = .10 Conducting â€Å"Analysis of Variance† because you would be comparing more than two groups K = 3 [domestic violence, peer pressure and substance abuse]). Sample size needed: You would need 30 participants in EACH group, for a grand total of 90 participants; adding in a â€Å"buffer† for possible attrition. That makes approximately 10% attrition from pre to post assessment, adding an additional 9 participants (90 * .10 = 9). That is a grand total of N = 99 (with 33 in each group) (Dr. Burkholder, Study notes). c. Sample and Context. Under 18 boys and girls with a juvenile record, who are primarily high school students and belong to the American culture. d. Sampling Procedure. The method of non probability sampling I believe will be most appropriate for carrying out my research. In fact to be even specific purposive sampling technique which aids exploratory research and encompasses obtaining data from specific individuals, in case of my investigation this would be juveniles. This will ensure internal validity of the study as the chosen sample will be a certain fraction of the population. e. Data Type and Collection: With the help of self report surveys, questionnaire or poll participants will select a response by themselves without researcher interference. With the use of open questions as well as a Likert rating scale will provide in depth data that will facilitate data gathering for the research. f. Data Analysis: The technique that will be used to analyze the data will be that of content analysis. Ole Holsti  (1969) offers a broad definition of content analy sis as "any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages. It basically looks at "Who says what, to whom, why, to what extent and with what effect?"   g. Ethical Protection of Participants. : I will carry out a qualitative study which will observe, explore and understand the meaning of groups ascribe to a problem (Creswell, 2009). Although initially case study was my mode of selection because of the in-depth analysis of the variables however now that I review my work I think Narrative inquiry would

Merger and Acquisitions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Merger and Acquisitions - Research Paper Example For Nvidia to acquire some other company or merge with some other formidable company to bring synergy in the operations, which cut down on operating cost, improve market penetration, or enhanced scale of operations could be a good choice. There are many companies that Nvidia may think of merging to increase the value of its stockholders; however, AMD will be a finest choice for merger over any other company. Nvidia’s old competitor ATI was acquired by AMD since then AMD has been most formidable competitor to Nvidia. A good synergy can be achieved by merging these two companies. AMD'S revenue at $6.5 billion is almost double of Nvidia's $3.5. Operating margin is almost matching at 6.25%. Merger can bring about the cost cutting in managerial and other staff cost. Unnecessary competition in many product lines can be eliminated and better price realization can be achieved. Their mergers will better be able to face competition from much larger corporations such as Intel. In the pro cess merged entity will have higher price-earnings ratio in the market place leading to higher share price. (Investopedia.com) Answer 2. The AMD’s market capitalization is $5.25 billion, which is almost half of Nvidia’s market capitalization of $10.45 billion. ... This is also known as Fixed-Shares Stock offered to the shareholders of the company being merged. Thus, the company also saves on taxes as no cash outgo has taken place. The basis of ratio could be a current market price. This would not make any financial burden on Nvidia and merged entity would have increased outstanding shares with enhanced revenues and profits. It may happen that initially Nvidia share price may move southward but within 2-3 quarters when synergistic effects start percolating on the merged entity, price of Nvidia will start moving up fast. The agreed ratio will have some effect on price of AMD share but that will get stabilized soon. (Expectationinvesting.com) Answer 3. There are some other companies that can be merged with Nvidia as second or third choice for mergers. Gaughan, (2001) has rightly pointed out that merger should be able to integrate the operations of both the companies, otherwise it would be simply a leveraged buyout and that may fail to bring any e ffective outcomes that are envisaged with any merger. Xilinx Inc. (XLNX), a California based company, being in the allied field and complementary to the Nvidia’ business line could be a good choice for merging with the Nvidia. Xilinx Inc., offering programmable logic solutions in the form of advanced integrated circuits, could provide a good fillip to Nvidia in terms of business growth and can bring some level of synergy into certain functionality. Xilinx Inc., with market cap of 8.91 billion and operating margin of 34% that generates operating cash flow of 724 million in 12 months is a cash rich company to merge with Nvidia. (Source: http://finance.yahoo.com) Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) is

National Junior Honor Society Essay Example for Free

National Junior Honor Society Essay To be SCHA Queen would be a great accomplishment. I would be able to demonstrate my leadership skills and express my love for show and horses. As SCHA Queen, I would take great pride in being a spokesperson and representative for SCHA and be able to increase membership in SCHA. SCHA means a number of things to me. This was my first year, but I always looked forward to waking up and going out to ride. Another reason why SCHA means so much to me is it keeps me and my horse in shape for other things involving our riding career. Its always fun to see how much my horse changes and develops during the season, and even how I change throughout the season There’s no where to go but up, and that means improvement. SCHA has changed me by changing my attitude about competition. I’ve now learned that winning is not always everything. , it may sound cliche , but, everyone is a winner when you improve on anything. I also have become more confident horseman and I am able to push my horse to do his best. I have only been riding for about 3 years and SCHA has truly brought out my inner horseman. Now that I am more confident in my riding skills I try to teach my horse new things as well as teach myself. In addition to new skills and confidence I also made new friends. I met new people and learned some facts about riding I hadn’t known before. In general I am very shy and usually keep to myself, but this season has really taught me how to come out of my shell and talk to everyone. I now know that I can talk to anyone in the club and they will be more than glad to help me with anything I may need. A key part of being Queen would be helping others in SCHA. This would include encouraging others during their events and being a good sportsman. I can also give positive feedback about what a person is doing while riding, to help them in a way that they can ride better and be a better sportsman. To help others in SCHA I can share the knowledge I have learned in SCHA and my experience with horses. Just as other people have shared their knowledge with me, I can do the same for other people so the horse community can grow. My friends are always curious about what I do with horses and what SCHA is. I’m lways more than happy to share that information with them in hopes that they will be bit by the horse bug too. Â  As SCHA quee n I will bring a good values, leadership skills and a positive attitude to SCHA. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to represent SCHA at this level level.

Topshops Commitment to the Environment

Topshops Commitment to the Environment Topshop is a British clothes retailer with stores in over 20 countries and online operations in some of its markets. Topshops sales primarily come from womens clothing and fashion accessories. It is part of the Arcadia Group, which owns a number of other retail outlets including Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge. The chain was founded in 1964 as Peter Robinsons Top Shop, a young fashion brand within the Sheffield branch of the Peter Robinson Ltd ladies fashion store chain (former department store chain). The first standalone Topshop store was opened in 1974. In 1978, Topman was created as a spin-off brand to cater for male customer and is now run as a separate chain, although some stores are co-located. The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California. A specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies. With more than 134,000 employees and about 3,100 company-owne d stores and 175 franchise stores, our presence is felt around the world The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. As of September 20010, Gap, Inc. has approximately 135,000 employees and operates 3,076 stores worldwide. Gap Inc., seek to make lasting, positive impressions on the people and communities where the company operate Next. is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Next has three main outlets: Next Retail, a chain of 500+ retail stores in the United Kingdom and Eire; Next Directory, a home shopping catalogue and Website with more than 2 million active customers, and Next International, with 180+ international stores. Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Galicia. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Bershka. It is claimed that Zara needs just two weeks to develop a new product and get it to stores, compared with a six-month industry average, and launches around 10,000 new designs each year. Zara was described by Louis Vuitton fashion director Daniel Piette as possibly the most innovative and de vastating retailer in the world. Zara has also been described as a Spanish success story by CNN. As of 2011 Zara stores have mens clothing and womens clothing, each of these subdivided in Lower Garment, Upper Garment, Shoes, Cosmetics and Complements, as well as childrens clothing (Zara Kids). The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that as of 2008[update] defines, within England and Wales and Scotland, the fundamental structure and authority for waste management and control of emissions into the environment. Duty of Care Every store has to waste properly and prevent it from harming the environment and also ensure that all waste collected from the stores is transferred to an authorised person such as the local council or a waste contractor. Packaging waste regulations These apply to larger stores and require them to recover and recycle a certain percentage of their packaging waste. The regulations currently apply to companies with an annual turnover of over 2 million and which handle more than 50 tonnes/year of obligated packaging. Landfill tax The Government imposes a tax on all waste sent to landfill. This tax is designed to penalise the excessive use of landfills and to encourage businesses to reduce and recycle waste. This is one of the reasons why the cost of trade waste collections has gone up and will continue to increase. Topshop COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT: Reducing impact on the environment and Endeavour to limit consumption of valuable resources. constantly developing ways to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption in companys operations. Reducing packaging Gap,inc. COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT: the product groups who seek sustainable design solutions. store managers who conserve energy and reduce waste. the denim laundries that meet high wastewater standards. Next. COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT: improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use. minimise waste produced and increase the quantity recycled. increase the efficiency of our delivery fleet. Zara COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT: to develop in-store sustainability and energy efficiency standards. to install sources of renewable energy, such as wind energy, solar photo-thermal and photovoltaic solar energy, at the companys distribution hubs and reduce energy use to a minimum. to create, in as-yet-to-be-determined locations, the forest biomass needed to absorb 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the use of electricity at Zara headquarters. Inditex has just opened its 5000th Inditex store as the flagship of its 2011-2015 Sustainable Inditex Plan. Inditex new global benchmark in eco- efficiency is housed in the Palazzo Bocconi (Rome), a building whose history dates back more than 120 years. Just some figures: this is a store which consumes 30% less energy with regard to the annual average consumption of a conventional store, saves 50% of water consumption and avoids the emission of over 150 toms of CO2 per year. The Inditexs Strategic Environmental Plan 2007-2010 achieved various certifications in 3 of its stores including a first of its kind in Europe with Zara Barcelona being awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. This new concept of boutique hides behind a faà §ade that makes use of three key elements: shop windows and geometric composition with big metal and glass squares, and a large-format logo. The new-look shop interior comprises an extensive range of grey tones which contrast with its black furnishings. The sales area is spread over five stores. Highlights of features contributing to the stores eco-efficiency include automatic monitoring of the stores indoor air quality (CO2 levels, humidity, light intensity, noise), to ensure the comfort of employees and shoppers; motion detectors to turn lights on and off in low-traffic areas and a an air curtain system at entrance doors, equipped with special sensors that continuously monitor outside temperatures to prevent abrupt indoor air temperature changes, thereby reducing the need to run heating/cooling systems. Besides and in order to lessen the nocturnal light pollution which plagues cities, the establishments lights are programmed to dim by more than 50% when the shop is closed Companies of the dimensions of HM can have a big impact on the environment, its a responsibility of HM to reduce his impact. By our research the company has to minimize his impact at every stage of the products life cycle from how cotton is grown to the way the customer use the garments. The first major advantage of working with secondary data is economy: because someone else has already collected the data, the researcher does not have to devote resources to this phase of research. There is also a savings of time. Because the data are already collected, and frequently also cleaned and stored in electronic format, we can spend the our time analyzing the data. The second major advantage of using secondary data is the breadth of data available. Few individual researchers would have the resources to collect data from a representative sample of adults in every state in the United States, let alone repeat this data collection process every year, but the federal government conducts numerous surveys on that scale. Data collected on a national basis are particularly important in environmental issues. The third advantage in using secondary data is that often the data collection process is informed by expertise and professionalism that may not available to smaller research projects. For instance, many of the Government environmental surveys discussed in this research use a complex sample design and system of weighting that allows the researcher to compute population based estimates of health conditions and behaviors. One major disadvantage to using secondary data is inherent in its nature: because the data were not collected to answer your specific research questions, particular information that you would like to have may not have been collected, or it may not have been collected in the geographic region you want to study. In any case, you can only work with the data that exist, not what you wish had been collected. A second major disadvantage of using secondary data is t hat because the analyst did not participate in the planning and execution of the data collection process, he or she does not know exactly how it was done. More to the point, the analyst does not know how well it was done and therefore how seriously the data are affected by problems such as low response rate or respondent misunderstanding of specific survey questions. Sometimes it is readily available; for instance, many of the government data sets have extensive documentation of their data collection procedures, refusal rates, and other technical information available on their websites or in published reports. SECONDARY DATA Secondary Data is existing information that has been gathered for some purpose outside the planning process. Obtaining Secondary Data in practice normally means desk or library research. Information can be obtained from the data that is routinely collected by the planning organisation or from external sources. External data are gathered by other organisations either for their own use or for commercial use. General sources of external data are, for instance, various computerised databases, associations, other government agencies and different published sources such as libraries and newspapers. A computerised database can provide information on a wide range of topics, and lists of commercial databases are normally available in public libraries. Librarians can also be invaluable in the search for specific information for planning. Among the potentially useful data provided by government agencies are demographic data, employment data and special reports on industries. Other examples of s econdary data are historical information and census data. Associations may have valuable information about conservation or social aspects. To estimate the relevance of information for the planning process it is essential to know how and why the information was produced. Burns and Bush (2000) claim that a researcher should examine five factors when evaluating a piece of secondary data. These are: The reason the study was undertaken. Sometimes a piece of research is not independent in nature but has been carried out to support a specific point of view. Obviously, an organization should try to avoid taking decisions based on information that has been produced as a result of a biased piece of research. The credibility of the organization or individuals who undertook the research. What specific information was collected and what method the researcher employed to measure or evaluate the data. How the data was collected. There are many different methods for collecting data, which will be discussed later in this chapter. Each method may have an affect on the quality of the findings of a piece of research. The consistency of the findings of a piece of research with other studies. If several studies report similar results, that may provide support for the reliability of any findings. If a report contradicts a number of other studies it may be an indication that the research is not reliable. However, in both cases the researcher has to evaluate a specific piece of research across all criteria and not merely agree with or discount a reports findings on the basis that it does not agree with the majority of the results from other secondary research sources. Secondary data can be obtained from a number of sources BENEFITS OF SECONDARY DATA The major advantages of using secondary data are: Cost. It is much less expensive to obtain information from existing sources than to develop entirely new data. These existing sources may require a nominal charge for the information, but it will be much less than the cost of undertaking primary data collection. Timeliness. Secondary data are available almost instantaneously. A manager can have access to data very quickly and therefore does not have to wait weeks or perhaps months for primary data to be collected, analyzed, and summarized. By using secondary data whenever possible, a manager avoids the frustration of developing the research methodology design, designing the data collection instrument, pretesting the instrument, devising a sampling plan, gathering the data, checking all data for accuracy and omissions, analyzing the data, and summarizing and reporting the results. Instead, a manager can merely locate the appropriate source and access the information desired. This process can be completed in a few hours or days, whereas primary data collection can take weeks or months to complete. LIMITATIONS OF SECONDARY DATA However, secondary data collection does have the following disadvantages. Limited applicability. A manager has no assurance that information gathered by others will be applicable to a particular hospitality operation. For example, information obtained in New York about the popularity of a specific menu item is not necessarily useful to a manager operating in another part of the country. Information that pertains to one operation may apply only to that operation and be of limited value to anyone else. Information may be outdated. Managers need current and accurate information on which to base decisions. All too often, secondary data are not as useful as they might be merely because they are not current. For example, the results of a consumer attitude survey conducted by a restaurant four years ago would be of limited value to a manager making plans today. During the four years, a number of changes in consumer attitudes are likely to have taken place. These changes in attitudes will make the original data outdated and useful only in a historical sense. If a hospitality manager makes use of less-than-timely data, the results are likely to be less than satisfactory. Reliability. Whenever a hospitality operator uses secondary data as the basis for a decision, the manager runs the risk that the information may not be reliable and accurate. A manager would do well to determine who collected the data and what method of data collection was used. Information is only as good as the individuals who collect it and the methods they use. If a study is administered in a haphazard manner, the results and conclusions should be viewed with caution. SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA There are two main types of secondary data that can be used by managers within a firm (see Figure 6.2). Internal data exist within the firm and can be obtained with minimal time and effort. Advances in computer technology have made it easier to obtain this information and provide it to managers in a form that is useful. External data are not readily available within the firm. Managers must obtain this data by spending more time and/or money contacting outside sources. The Internet has made this a much easier task, but there is still a fair amount of effort involved. The various sources of internal and external data are discussed below. INTERNAL DATA. The component of a marketing information system that is the simplest to design and implement is an internal system, or the component designed to collect data from within the organizational environment. When considering the organizational environment, management needs to be concerned only with information available from within the physical confines of the organizations units, whether they are hotels or restaurants. This component of a marketing information system requires less time and money than does the competitive environment or externally generated marketing information. The internal component of a marketing information system is very valuable to management because it provides a wealth of information. Management has three main sources of internal marketing information: guest histories and sales data, employees and management staff, and customer feedback. Employees and management staff. All too often, hospitality management ignores the wealth of information that is informally gathered by hourly employees such as front desk personnel, telephone operators, restaurant service people, and hosts and hostesses. These individuals are in constant contact with guests, yet they are rarely asked to relay customer comments and reactions to operational changes, such as new menu items or guest room dà ©cor changes. These employees represent an excellent source of information, although the information they provide may not be totally objective. It is a good idea for management to meet with employees on a regular basis to discuss problems and opportunities. Employees crave recognition from their supervisors; this recognition increases the employees satisfaction and commitment to the organization. All employees need to be exposed to some motivational techniques, although managers often ignore the simple and basic needs of employees as individuals. Customer feedback. The focus of the marketing concept is the hospitality operations clientele. All aspects of the entire operation should be aimed at satisfying these individuals. The purpose of using an internal marketing information system is to solicit opinions and comments from the current clientele. This can be done in a number of ways, such as having the manager talk with a few of the customers or having service personnel check with the customers. One method used frequently is the comment card. These cards are placed in guest rooms or are provided to the guest upon checkout or when they have finished a meal in a restaurant. The purpose is to solicit their opinions and comments concerning the operations quality. All three internal sources of marketing information are very valuable. Together they can provide a great deal of useful information with which to make decisions. Historically, hospitality managers have failed to use these sources to maximal advantage, but the current competitive situation in the hospitality industry dictates that all sources of information be used to gain a competitive advantage and to earn maximal financial rewards EXTERNAL DATA. Although externally generated marketing information is extremely valuable, it is normally not collected on a daily basis, as is the case with internally generated marketing information. This is due to a much larger investment of time, money, and other scarce resources required for externally generated information. Management should consider using a wide variety of sources of external marketing information. Literally thousands of sources are available, and these sources are limited only by managements own efforts to locate them. A few typical sources of external marketing information are: Trade associations. Many industries form trade groups that provide data for their members. These trade associations collect information from their members and then provide industry averages that can be used to measure a firms relative performance. Some of the popular trade associations for the hospitality industry are the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel Lodging Association, and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. Two of the more popular tourism associations are the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA). However, most of the data for the tourism industry are collected by government travel bureaus. Travel bureaus. Cities, states, and countries usually form organizations that are responsible for promoting travel to the area. Most cities have a chamber of commerce that is responsible for promoting business in the city and, in some cases, tourism as well. Larger cities and regions form convention and visitors bureaus for the sole purpose of promoting business and leisure travel to the region. A chamber of commerce has member firms from all types of industries, whereas convention and visitors bureaus tend to have member firms from travel-related industries such as lodging, restaurants, and tourist attractions. Finally, most states and countries have government travel and tourism bureaus that are responsible for promoting travel to that state or country. Trade journals and periodicals. Many industry, or trade, journals are available to firms. Trade associations often publish their own journals, but many other organizations publish periodicals covering certain industries. Some of the more popular hospitality publications are Restaurants Institutions, Restaurant Hospitality, Nations Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, Lodging Hospitality, Lodging Magazine, and Hotel Motel Management. The articles in these publications provide information on new products and advertising campaigns, as well as current trends in the industry. These articles also provide a valuable resource for case studies involving successes and failures of industry firms. Other Periodicals. In addition to trade journals that specialize in a certain industry, other publications cover business in a variety of industries. Some of the more popular business publications that cover the hospitality and tourism industries are Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barrons, and Forbes. Internet. The growth in both the quantity and quality of information available on the Internet is well documented. Using one or more of the available Internet search engines will uncover information, some of which will be highly valuable for managers. A key consideration for managers is being able to determine the accuracy and usefulness of information gathered from the Internet. University sources. Universities and colleges have well-stocked libraries that can be a valuable resource for firms in the area. These institutions often have access to many of the other sources of external data. In addition, universities and colleges form centers to research specific areas such as hospitality. This information is often free to the public or available for a reasonable fee. Government sources. Local, state, and federal governments maintain detailed data on all aspects of the economy; the data are free or available for a nominal fee. The United States Census gathers detailed information about the population and retail business, and the Statistical Abstract of the United States contains similar information in abbreviated form. Census and statistical documents are now available in electronic form, enabling quicker searches and data retrieval. The federal government also collects information about foreign countries and provides specialists to answer specific questions and address inquiries. Syndicated services. Firms such as Harris and Gallup polls, Target Group Index, Nielsen, and W. R. Simmons specialize in collecting and distributing marketing information for a fee. These syndicated services provide information about consumer profiles and shopping behaviors, consumer responses to sales promotions and advertising, and consumer attitudes and preferences. This information is useful in focusing on market segments using aggregate data. These services often advertise in trade publications and marketing periodicals. Guides, indexes, and directories. Other valuable sources of external information include guides, indexes, and directories that are available at most university libraries and larger public libraries. Guides such as the Business Periodicals Index provide references by subject matter for articles

Our Moment In History :: essays research papers

Our moment in history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My moment in history would have to be my first rave I ever went to. It was in an old abandoned warehouse and my friends and I had never been to a rave. We thought it would be a good idea to get there early so we wouldn’t stand in line to long. But as it turned out there was no line and we appeared to be the first ones there. My friend mustered up the courage to go talk to the guy at the front of the building. There was just one problem he was missing his ticket.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not understanding that he needed a ticket to get, and that the building didn’t open for another hour, he sat there and argued with the man about how he should be let in right now. Well the man eventually calmed my friend down. But sent him to a checkpoint, which is a way, to detour people that the doormen feel should not be in the rave. Any way I was volunteered next to go up to the man after my friend drove off.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"So,† I said, â€Å"here’s my ticket when can I get in?† He explained that this building would not open for an hour and that we best drive around for an hour or so. I went back to car and told about how we were too early. They agreed that we should drive around for a while. As we drove around I saw my friend driving around. He pulled us over and started to talk to us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Are you guys going though the check points too?† He said, but we were thinking to our selves what is he talking about? So he went on to say how he had been going to check points that take him to the rave. He asked us why we had a confused look on our face, and I said, â€Å" No reason†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Well from there we left him and went get something to eat, he would be searching all night for the remaining check points. He would be searching all night for a good reason most of them didn’t exist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So we went do the gas station, the only thing open past nine in Florida, and got some snacks and drove around some more. We got on the Florida turnpike and got stuck on there for about an hour and a half.

Kessler’s Philosophy of Education :: Educational Educating Teaching Essays

Kessler’s Philosophy of Education The dictionary defines the word philosophy as the general principles or laws of a field of knowledge, activity, etc. I, myself define philosophy as my beliefs, values, and opinion on a subject. Specifically in this paper, the subject I will be speaking about is my philosophy of education. What is my philosophy of education you might be asking? I will answer this question as well as talk about many other aspects of education. These aspects include the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, method, and curriculum. The first aspect of education I am going to talk about is the nature of students. I agree with Rousseau that people are born innocent, neither good nor evil. I also agree with Rousseau in that a person’s environment determines whether they are good or evil. For example, if you grow up in a stable home with a family with good moral values and beliefs, then you are most likely to have those same morals and beliefs and be a good person. However, if you grow up in a family with no morals and no standards and grow up in a home of crime, then you are more likely to follow in your family’s footsteps and be an evil person. I also believe that not all people are born with the same intelligence. Everyone is different; no two people have the same intelligence. Different people can grasp certain things easier than others can. Some people are just born good at doing something while others have to work a little harder to achieve a certain goal. The nature of knowledge is either relative or absolute. I feel that the nature of knowledge is relative. I believe, as Rousseau does in that each person needs to construct his or her own knowledge rather than memorizing something. I think it is important to learn from experience, not just learn from memorizing a map, or memorizing science or geography. People need to create their own knowledge and they can do this by learning from experience. I myself always found it easier to learn from my own experiences rather than to sit and try to memorize something and then apply it.

Henry David Thoreau and the Power of Non-Violent Resistance Essay

Thoreau contends that men have lost the free will to make individual decisions regarding war, slavery, and domestic issues because government imposes on its citizens only in its own self interests. (Thoreau 1706). He states government loses its integrity when willing to consider profit over the interests of its citizens, and basic human rights such as slavery and war. (Thoreau 1707). He considers slavery as a â€Å"hateful and stupid enterprise? (Eulau 119). Thoreau feels such deep disgrace being associated with a government who condones slavery, that he refuses to vote, pay taxes, and makes his only contact with this government the tax collector. (Eulau 121). Thoreau personally does not want to be bothered with the issues of government or slavery, but because of his writings he is sought out by Abolitionists to give speeches for them. He feels idealism, individualism and democracy are not achievable in a society willing to maintain slaves. (Eulau 123). He is obsessed with right, t ruth and justice for all citizens and encourages nonviolent resistance as the means to effectively abolish slavery. (Eulau 124). This position is different than most Abolitionists of the time. During this time most of his attention is directed at the southern slaves states. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 is the event that leads him to become detached from the State. The treatment of a runaway slave weighs heavily on his emotions. His anger leads him to encouragepeople to withdraw farther from the State ...

Language and Violence

The Abstract: This paper will be dealing with the use of Violence and its legitimization through manipulation of language by the state in dealing with â€Å"the other†. In an attempt to investigate the role played by the state, which monopolizes the use of violence for the sake of civilizing its people, inspired by a documentary titled â€Å"where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? †, this paper tries to go beyond spoken and written words to reach a better understanding of this role. It starts by defining the concept of â€Å"violence† and drawing a clear distinction between its meaning and that of other related, but not similar concepts, and specifying the agents of violence, mainly focusing on the state, for the entire paper focuses on its use of violence. Thinking in terms of methodological nationalism, this paper tries to find an answer to how we define ourselves and why do we define anyone outside this â€Å"we† circle as â€Å"the other† and how, as a result, violence became the means of dealing with â€Å"the other†. It then moves to justifying this â€Å"legitimate† use of violence by the state against the other and highlights the important role that language plays in this process. Finally, there is an attempt to understand the usefulness of violence advocated by some against that of the mainstream thinkers and philosophers, accompanied by exploring the role the civil and the global civil society can, and do, play in finding new means of communication and dealing with one another. It comes to the following conclusion: violence as used by individuals before the formation of the state resembles violence as used by the state apparatus, Civility is a myth. The only difference is in the agents, the targets, the interests and the domain where violence is practiced. And for that, an informed, aware and active role should be pursued by the civil society, to curb the use of violence either by the state or by any other actor. The outline: I. Introduction II. Body: Defining violence: What does the concept of violence mean? Making a clear distinction of violence vis a` vis other related concepts Recognizing the agents of violence Defining the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other†: The constituents of identity The way we perceive ourselves The way we perceive â€Å"the other† Dealing with the â€Å"other†: The psychological mindset The use of violence as a means of dealing with the other The role of language in legitimizing the use of violence: The manipulation of language The reasons behind the manipulation of language Providing a moral cause Avoiding opposition The means by which language is manipulated Dehumanization of violence Replacement of direct descriptors by * euphemistic equivalence The areas where language can be manipulated In the public sphere In the battle field An assessment of the usefulness of violence The role of global and civil society in curbing violence III. Conclusion IV. List of References I. Introduction: â€Å"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. †Ã‚  Mahatma Gandhi In an interesting movie called â€Å"where in the world is Osama Bin Laden†? A newly father-to be, fearing that his son comes out to life in such a violent world, decides to set on a mission to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaida, and the world will thus seize to know violence and will be a fit place for him to raise his son in. He visits Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He goes around and talks to people there asking them questions like: where is Bin Laden? What do they think of the Americans? How do they view terrorism and the war on it? What do they want in life? And questions of that sort. He didn’t find Bin laden, however what he found was that the people in the countries he visited are ordinary people just like himself and the audience. They are not â€Å"the barbarians† he once thought them to be, they have no desire or interest in using violence against the United States and its citizens, and their goals in life is for them to secure good living conditions for their children, just as the goals of the American newly father to be. This movie inspired me to raise a question, to which I sough of an answer through writing this paper. The question is: Why and how does the state monopolize and legitimize, through manipulation of language that enables it to portray such a barbaric and violent image of the other, its use of Violence against them? I raised this question because of a simple fact: the state was created to â€Å"civilize† people and tame their use of violence, but now I found that this was nothing but a change in the agents of violence, its targets, and the space where it is practiced. I started exploring different ideas, different opinions, and different studies, that were all concerned with violence, language, manipulation, identity, and other concepts related to my topic. Stances and views varied, but I decided on adopting the following position concerning the topic at hand: The state manipulates the use of violence because we’ve willingly subordinated this right to the state; however our consent depends on the manner by which violence is used, for if its illegitimate and goes against our consent, we ill no longer continue to support the state apparatus in its actions; that is why, via the manipulation of language, the state creates an exclusive identity to its people, portrays the other as a threat to this identity, demonize him, and thus legitimizes its use of violence when it’s used by posing it as an act in response to defend the â€Å"we† against the â€Å"other†. If that is so, this led me to raise other questions related to the usefulness of violence, and our role, as active members in a civil society, be it domestic or global, when it comes to violence. To these questions, and to other ones, I try to find answers as follows. II. Body: A. Defining violence: In this section my aim is to clarify what the concept of Violence means, and who has the right to practice it, before I further investigate why we resort to violence in dealing with others and how states and their apparatuses make use of such thing. 1. What does the concept of violence mean? Violence is an extremely wide and complex phenomenon. Defining it is not an exact science but a matter of judgment. Notions of what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of behavior and what constitutes harm, are culturally influenced and constantly under review as values and social norms evolve, domestically and internationally. Besides, there are many possible ways to define violence, depending on who is defining it, for what purpose, and depending on one’s political orientations and ideological beliefs. Generally speaking, the World Health Organization defines violence as: â€Å"The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. † In this sense, we could distinguish between so many kinds of violence; †¦accumulated violence, cultured violence, self-protective violence, the violence of aggression, the violence of competition, the violence of trying to be somebody, the violence of trying to discipline oneself according to a pattern, trying to become somebody, trying to suppress and bully oneself, brutalize oneself, in order to be non-violent†¦ † 2. Making a clear distin ction of violence vis a` vis other related concepts: It is very important, though, to make a clear distinction between violence and other related concepts to be able to apprehend what violence means. Such keywords include power, strength, force and authority. According to how Hannah Arendt puts it, power is related to the â€Å"ability† to act â€Å"in consent†, thus its existence depends on the group providing such consent, in other words, it depends on legitimacy; Strength is a natural endowment and an inherent property; Force indicates the energy itself that later manifests physically through an act of violence; And authority entails recognition either to a person or to an office; it requires neither coercion nor persuasion. Violence on the other hand is distinguished by its â€Å"instrumental† character; it denotes the physical manifestation itself. . Recognizing the agents of violence: There are many agents of violence; formal and informal, institutionalized and un-institutionalized, state, and non-state agents. However, our only concern in this paper shall be the state and the state apparatus institutionalizing, legitimizing and practicing violence. Typically described in normative terms as a vital necessity of modern life, the nation-state has employed violence to accomplish questionable ends. Its apparatus is charged with committing unprecedented barbarism. Examples of disasters brought about by the nation-state are the extermination of indigenous peoples in colonized territories by â€Å"civilizing† nations, the Nazi genocidal â€Å"holocaust† of Jews, and most recently the â€Å"ethnic cleansing† in the former Yugoslavia, Ruwanda, and so on. Thus from postcolonial perspective, the nation-state and its ideology of nationalism are alleged to have become the chief source of violence and conflict since the French Revolution. In the same vein, Marx regarded the state as an instrument of violence at the command of the ruling class; but the actual power of the ruling class did not consist of, nor rely on violence. It was defined by the role the ruling class played in society, or more exactly, by its role in the process of production. B. Defining the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other†: In this section I try exploring how identity defragments, divides and thus paves the road for violence to occur. 1. Identity and its constituents: In pre-modern societies, identity was mainly related to affiliations, both in the private and in the public space. Identity depended on the place attributed to each individual by his birth, his lineage or his group. Later on it involved the Legal recognition. However a person was not only a legal or civic entity, but also a moral being with an individual soul. That is why under the influence of postmodernism and debates over multiculturalism, the late 1980s and 1990s found historians, anthropologists, and most of all humanities scholars relying heavily on â€Å"identity† as they explored the cultural politics of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and other social categories. â€Å"Identity† is presently used in two linked senses, which may be termed â€Å"social† and personal†. In the former sense, an â€Å"identity† refers simply to a social category, a set of persons marked by a label and distinguished by rules deciding membership and characteristic features or attributes. In the second sense of personal identity, an identity is some distinguishing characteristic (or characteristics) that a person takes a special pride in or views as socially consequential but more-or-less unchangeable. It is the social sense of identity that would be of use in this paper; namely the national identity, that denotes the depiction of a country as a whole, encompassing its culture, traditions, language, and politics. It must be noted here that a sense of conflicting identities may result from the presence of multiple identities for the same individual, but the issue of concern here is the â€Å"inter-conflicting identities† rather than the internal conflicts related to identity. 2. The way we perceive ourselves: Since identities are necessarily the product of the society in which we live and our relationship with others, there is therefore a desire and a need to identify with a nation or group; to take up a â€Å"collective identity†, an example of which would be the â€Å"national Identity†, that is described by some as a†self-aware† ethnicity. This way, identity provides a link between individuals and the world in which they live i. e. their state. 3. The way we perceive â€Å"the other†: The individual defines himself, but he also needs â€Å"significant others† to acknowledge this definition. This is the base of the ethic of â€Å"authenticity. † Identity, however, implies definition by negation, inclusion based on exclusion for a â€Å"we† to be present, there has to be an â€Å"other† outside this â€Å"we† circle. Identity, mainly national identity in this case, has been constantly charged of being racist and exclusive, and sometimes even demonizing the other. That is why governments in boosting nationhood and asserting the Nation’s identity are, whether they recognize it or not, advocating more exclusion and hostility in perceiving the other. C. Dealing with the â€Å"other†: What gives rise to violence? Are identities really to be blamed? Or does the problem lie in their manipulation which results in violence being deployed when we deal with different identities? 1. The psychological mindset: To Krishnamurti â€Å"†¦The source of violence is the ‘me’, the ego, the self, which expresses itself in division, in trying to become or be somebody which divides itself as the ‘me’ and the ‘not me’; the ‘me’ that identifies with the family or not with the family, with the community or not with the community and so on.. † . However this doesn’t require that all human beings respond to difference in a violent manner, for it hasn’t been proven that the human nature is in itself violent, and it is believed by many that violence is bred from social interactions. An interesting idea of how violence is a societal creation can be found in the writings of Amartya Sen concerning colonialism. Sen talks about the social memory that colonialism, which is in itself an act of violence, has shaped. General psychological attitude towards the subject people often generated a strong sense of humiliation and imposition of perceived inferiority, one which the subject tries to overcome through hostility and supporting acts of violence against the humiliator. Franz Fanon also subscribes to such a view on colonialism, and sees that it is healthy to use violence to get rid of colonialism, which is again, an act of violence in itself to begin with. 2. The use of violence as a means of dealing with the other: â€Å"†¦ Violence in postcolonial discourse is thus deployed to suppress difference or negate multiple â€Å"others† not subsumed within totalities such as nation, class, gender, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Everything that man has put to another man, belief, dogma, rituals, my country, your country, your god and my god, my opinion, your opinion, my ideal. All those help to divide human beings and therefore breed violence. This is due to our tendency of adopting a spaceless and timeless conception of culture, which is linked either to the identity or to the belief system of the others; a form of stereotyping if you might say. Thus Violence is embedded in the dialectic of identity and Otherness. This is something that governments not only understand, but try to make use of to achieve its interests. D. The role of language in legitimizing the use of violence by the state: 1. The manipulation of language: According to George Orwell, â€Å"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. † Therefore those who are charged with committing violence on behalf of the state will adopt language designed to obscure from themselves or the people, the reality of what violence they do on their behalf. Generally speaking, Language is an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought. However it is an instrument which we shape for our own purposes as well. And as Hegel puts it, when we think, we think in language against language, which implies that selective language will lead to selective ideas formed and advocated. This is why language itself, the very medium of non-violence and of mutual recognition, involves unconditional violence. This manipulation of language involves: â€Å"†¦ enhancing the power, moral superiority and credibility of the speaker(s), and discrediting dissidents, while vilifying the others, the enemy; the use of emotional appeals; and adducing seemingly irrefutable proofs of one’s beliefs and reasons†¦ By manipulating the language, the government wishes to alter the public’s way of thinking. This can be done, psychologists theorize, because the words that are available for the purpose of communicating thought tend to influence the way people think. The linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf was a firm believer in this link between thought and language, and he theorized that â€Å"different language s impose different conceptions of reality†. Habermas also pondered upon the role which language plays in masking political interests with apparently sophisticated terms. This distortion of communication and misuse of concepts, in his opinion, might be the reason that has brought about violence in the first place as a manifestation to such distorted communication. a) The reasons behind the manipulation of language: The reasons why language can and does get manipulated by the apparatus of the state when it comes to violence are many, and they vary according to the situation. But mainly because Violence absorbs power, and lessens authority when it’s used, that is why providing a justification for the use of violence and legitimizing it is important. Here, it might be useful to distinguish between â€Å"justification† and â€Å"legitimization†; (i) Providing a moral cause; Justification: We find the state using terms like â€Å"national security†, â€Å"defensive war†, â€Å"maintaing peace and security†, â€Å"spreading democracy†, etc. But the use of such terms is supported by good reasons and arguments; it is consistent and attempts to place such ideas at the core of its concerns. This way, the state is attempting to â€Å"justify† its use of violence, i. e. roves it has good reasons for using it, which is closely linked to the following reason; (ii) Avoiding opposition; Legitimization: When these moral causes succeed in convincing the public, through its appeal to fundamental values and claims, appeals to the emotions of the masses, and its reliance on ungrounded cultural prejudices and inconsistent doctrines, the state manages to â€Å"legitimizes† as well as â€Å"jus tifies† its use of violence, i. e. the state not only has good reasons why it is using violence, but it managed to convince the masses with these reasons as well. This way the monopoly of the state over the use of violence cant not to be questioned, threatened or shared by others. b) The means by which language is manipulated: (i) Dehumanization of violence: â€Å"Terrorists, Fundamentalist, Extremists, Seditionists, Rebel, Communists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These and other terms perform the role of the â€Å"distancing of humanity†, but they also are designed for other purposes. These terms have persuasive power to allow the directors of violence to feel comfortable with the human destruction for which they are opting. It suggests that those toward whom the state directs its violence are either irrational (and thus diplomacy or persuasion are impossible) or have objectives (â€Å"the destruction of the people’s way of life†). (ii) Replacement of direct descriptors by â€Å"euphemistic equivalence†: Euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces. So for instance we call it â€Å"collateral damage† when it means unintentional killing or damage; bystander deaths and injuries. But because collateral damage sounds less troubling, and more likely for the people to accept than â€Å"unintentional killing or damage†, it is used by the state to justify sometimes the results of its use of violence and what it has brought about. That is why we find government officials and politicians talking about just wars, liberation, war on terror, national security, and so forth, instead of just explicitly mentioning the truth behind their use of violence against others. c) The areas where language can be manipulated: (i) In the public sphere: The heart of the terms used in the public sphere stress ideological or political otherness, where the use of language is indirect and emotionally distancing. The state apparatus does all it can to deny that the violence of conflict is occurring, suggesting that â€Å"areas† are being secured rather than people killed, that violence is being prevented rather than initiated by its actions and that its ends are always just rather than self-serving. (ii) In the battle field: The heart of the terms used for the â€Å"enemy† on the battlefield arise primarily from the racial, ethnic or personal otherness of the opponent. There is no place for the persuasive or the justificatory on the battlefield; the situation on the battlefield is understood as follows: â€Å"kill or be killed†. The requirement of the manipulation of language at the point of conflict is therefore to reinforce hatred and distance so that violence can be pursued without real threat to the mental health of the soldier, which would be in danger if the humanity of the opponent were fully absorbed. Thus in the field, language will serve to dehumanize the other while in the public sphere the language will be designed to convince us that our violence toward others is justified. That is why the â€Å"National identity† card and related usage of language are used by the state to legitimize its actions within a delimited territory, to insure mobilization and coordination of policy. E. An assessment of the usefulness of violence: I have tried to expose how the state makes use of identity, difference and language to pursue its interests through deploying violence against â€Å"the other†. But does it follow that this process performed by the state is an evil one, or can it be a useful one with good coming out of it? In a series of lectures at the College de France in the 1970s, Michel Foucault put forward the interesting hypothesis that history is actually the history of violence. Foucault’s ideas on history indicate that we do not enjoy democratic privileges due to some divine decree: rather, they are the product of successful wars and civil struggles; the result of â€Å"successful violence†. The pioneers of Post-colonialism like Edward Said, Franz Fanon, among others, concerned themselves with the social and cultural effect of colonization. Fanon looked at violence in positive terms. His engagement with decolonizing violence was a form of a strategic response of subjugated peoples to the inhumane violence of colonial racism and imperial subjugation. Fanon was very clear in his message, the struggle for power in colonized states will be resolved only through violent struggle, because the colonized states were created and are maintained by the use of violence or the threat of violence, it is a necessity that it will take violence to reverse these power relationships. However, according to Edward Said's reading of Fanon’s â€Å"liberationist† critique, nationalism is always a tool of the hegemonic oppressor and holds no socially emancipatory potential. This leads us to the following conclusion, that violence is the mediation that enables state power to prevail, for good or for bad. It cannot be eliminated by counter-violence that simply inverts it. The state's hierarchical structure is made possible because of this institutionalized violence that privileges the hegemony of a bloc of classes over competing blocs and their alternative programs. But hegemony is always underwritten by coercion. Thus as Max Weber puts it, the state monopoly of legitimate violence would be used to defend private property and promote the overseas interests of the domestic business class. An opinion which is also shared by Marx and Engels who defines violence as the accelerator of economic development. These are not only the world of theories, but a truth backed up by evidence. This evidence can be tracked down as far as the nation-state itself wasn’t still created. However since I am interested in investigation the use of violence by the nation state, then if we look at the colonial experience, the two world wars, the cold war and the war on terror, we will know that the state did not used violence as it should have done. I will not use the term â€Å"misused†, but I would rather question the ends to which the state has deployed violence, and I will question the justifications and arguments it gave to legitimize its actions. And if the state is such a questionable agent of violence, and if already its monopoly of it has been breached by informal, outlawed or legitimate non-state actors, this means that we are in a serious need of not only questioning, but reviewing the concept of violence, its use and its agents. For this, scholars like Heba Raouf and Mary Kaldor think that there is a powerful case for questioning the state’s monopoly of â€Å"legitimate† violence, and suggest placing the use of force by the state under greater constraints, not only that, but to take over the â€Å"civilizing role† that the state has failed to achieve. F. The role of global and civil society in curbing violence: The prospects of peace are dependent upon the institutionalization of traditions of dialogue. And it is precisely here that civil society agents can play a vital role by bringing people together and invoking understandings that are common across difference. Basically, humankind has been rendered â€Å"civil† because violence was tamed. And violence was tamed because states had acquired, as Max Weber argued, a monopoly of violence; the modern state replaces violence by order and authority and firmly controlled the production and reproduction of violence. But this has been fundamentally challenged by the pervasive violence that infiltrates all corners of a globalised world; all controls and all norms that prescribe when the use of violence is permitted and for what reasons have been lifted. â€Å".. The employment of violence at any time and at any place sends a powerful message, no one agent howsoever powerful this agent may be, can control the use of violence, or penalize the perpetrator of violence. Violence has escaped all restraints, all monitors, and all notions of where the use of violence is legitimate and where it is illegitimate, where it is sanctioned and where it is not sanctioned. Today there is no recognized owner of violence, the adversary is unrecognizable, the goals are unclear, and the site where violence will be consumed is unknown†¦ † Therefore, civil societies are caught between two kinds of violence; that employed by trans-state and sub-state agents, and the violence of the state. A way out and a means to counter such violence appears to be in the development of a culture of civility. This happens when members of the civil society address the phenomenon of violence, intolerance and even hate, as the notion of civil society is based upon a peaceful world which is marked by the spirit of dialogue, negotiation, compromise, and coordination. This dialogue means recognizing the â€Å"other† in a conversation, and validating his moral standing. Thus civil society is important because the values of civil society encourage dialogue. But the limits of civil society have to be understood. And one of these limits is institutionalized violence within the state that has led to the breakdown of dialogue, thus making civility and toleration mere dreams. On a wider level, the Global Civil Society would have the mission of recapturing the power of language, regaining its â€Å"civilizing† role, providing a forum for deliberative democracy, re-rooting legitimacy in civil society, and highlighting the importance of the â€Å"politics of presence† rather than the â€Å"politics of representation†. III. Conclusion: A lot of theoretical debates and concepts could lead us to talking about violence and boil down to it, because violence is too wide a subject, too complex and debatable a concept that is intertwined and tangled in our everyday life affairs. The attempt of this paper was to try to investigate and explore the conditions that are responsible, if not single handedly, but to a great extent, for setting the conditions for violence to be practiced. I didn’t involve myself in questions related to human nature, and whether violence is something innate or socially created, I rather tried exploring it from the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other† point of view, that can and does have both innate and social roots. With such conditions set for violence, it’s only a matter of who practices it. I picked the state as an agent of violence, and tried to highlight why and how it manipulates language when it uses violence to achieve its interests. The conclusion I reached was unfortunately the one I had in mind when I first started thinking about this topic. Violence did not disappear with the rise of the nation-state, it only took different forms, sometimes even more devastating than it used to be before its use was subordinated to the state, and it penetrated different domains and corners in our life. Different situations came to being, different language was used, different arguments and different debates, but the fact remained: violence did not disappear, it was not curbed, and the state did not â€Å"civilize† the people. That is where and why our role comes. Not that I advocate the complete incompetence of the state in achieving its â€Å"civilizing† mission, but I do believe that we, as citizens, as individuals and as human beings, should engage in this process as well, not because we are bound by a social contract to do so, but because we are part of this process, we can stop, alter, change, direct and correct its path when we feel it has gone out of its lane. Our engagement should take different forms and be on different levels. On one level and in one form it can be through monitoring the manipulation of language conducted by the state apparatus, on another one it can protesting against it when it fails in curbing the use of violence, it can be in the form or raising awareness and spreading a culture of negotiation, communication and tolerance, trying to understand one another, instead of dealing with those outside the designated â€Å"acceptable† identities, as the other, and the list can go on and on forever. That is our mission as citizens of the nation-state, and as citizens of the world. Because after all, as Spurlock concluded in his movie â€Å"where in the world is Osama Bin Laden? †, we are not so different after all, and our similarities are more than our differences. We just have to understand and tolerate both. IV. List of References: Books: * Arendt, Hannah. On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, INC. , 1969. * Edwards, John. Language and identity. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2009. * Gaus, Gerald F. Political Concepts and Political Theories. United States: WestView Press, 2000. * Sen, Amartya. Identity and violence, the illusion of destiny. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. Books online: * Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Trans. Constance Farrington. New York: Grove, 1963. http://ls. poly. edu/~jbain/socphil/socphillectures/F. Fanon. pdf (19th of May, 2010) * Krishnamurti, Jiddu. Beyond Violence. India: Krishnamurti Foundation, 2002. http://www. scribd. com/doc/6568712/Beyond-Violence-Violence-Chapter6 (19th of May, 2010) * R. P. Lorin. â€Å"History of violence† in International Encyclopedia of the Social and Bhavioral Sciences. ELscier Science ltd. , 2001. http://www. scribd. com/doc/12497335/Violence-History-Of (19th of May, 2010) Reports: * Ezzat, Heba Raouf, and Mary Klador. â€Å"Not even a tree: delegitimizing violence and the prospects for pre-emptive civility†. Global Civil Society. Reports – Online: * â€Å"World Report on Violence and Health: Summary†, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, 2002, p. 4, http://www. who. int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/summary_en. pdf (18th of May, 2010) Articles in Journals – Online: * Ashley, Larry. â€Å"The language of violence†. Peace Studies Journal (Vol. 1 Issue 1) Fall 2008. www. peacestudiesjournal. org/archive/Ashley. doc (19th of May, 2010) * Fairchild, Halford H. Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth in Contemporary Perspective†. Journal of Black Studies (Vol. 25, No. 2) December 1994. http://www. jstor. org/pss/2784461 (19th of May, 2010) * Orwell, George. â€Å"Politics and the English language†. The journal Horizon (Vol. 13, Issue 76) (1946): 252-265. http://www. scribd. co m/doc/65590/Politics-English-language (19th of May, 2010) * Zizek, slavoj. â€Å"Language violence and non-violence†. International Journal of Zizek Studies (Vol. 2, Issue 3) http://www. scribd. com/doc/12605279/language-violnce-and-non-violence (18th of May, 2010) Online Publications: Chandhoke, Neera. Is violence constitutive of civil society?. The London school of Economics and Political Science (NGPA) Program, 13th July, 2007. http://www. lse. ac. uk/collections/NGPA/publications/WP_Violence_Civil_Society_Web. pdf (18th of May, 2010) * Fearon, James D. †What is Identity? †. Department of Political Science, Stanford University, November 3rd, 1999. http://www. stanford. edu/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2. pdf (18th of May, 2010) * Juan, E. San Jr. â€Å"Nationalism, the postcolonial state, and violence†, Center for the Humanities, Wesleyan University. http://www. leftcurve. rg/LC26WebPages/Nationalism. html (18th of May, 2010) * Manjula, B. â€Å"Identity and C ulture†. Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, http://www. scribd. com/doc/4119098/Identity-and-Culture (19th of May, 2010) * Van Dijk, Teun A. â€Å"Discourse and manipulation†, Discourse and society, Sage publications, 2006. http://das. sagepub. com/cgi/content/short/17/3/359 (19th of May, 2010) Web Sites: * Berkes, Jem, â€Å"Language as the â€Å"Ultimate Weapon† in Nineteen Eighty-Four†, May 9, 2000, http://www. sysdesign. ca/archive/berkes_1984_language. html (19th of May, 2010) * De Benoist, Alain, â€Å"On Identity†, ttp://www. scribd. com/doc/3323754/On-Identity-Alain-de-Benoist (18th of May, 2010) * â€Å"A History of Violence†, http://www. scribd. com/doc/937601/Foucault-and-Pinker-on-Violence (19th of May, 2010) * â€Å"Questions of identity: What is identity? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176757 (18th of May, 2010) * â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, the O pen University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176759 (18th of May, 2010) * http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/national+identity (20th of May, 2010) * http://jcomm. uoregon. du/~tbivins/J496/readings/LANGUAGE/euphemism_defandlist. pdf (19th of May, 2010) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. â€Å"World Report on Violence and Health: Summary†, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, 2002, p. 4, http://www. who. int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/summary_en. pdf (18th of May, 2010) [ 2 ]. ibid. [ 3 ]. Jiddu Krishnamurti, Beyond Violence (India: Krishnamurti Foundation, 2002) , pp. 3-4 http://www. scribd. com/doc/6568712/Beyond-Violence-Violence-Chapter6 (19th of May, 2010) [ 4 ]. Hannah Arendt, On Violence (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, INC. , 1969), pp 43-46. 5 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , â€Å"Nationalism, the postcolonial state, an d violence†, Center for the Humanities, Wesleyan University, http://www. leftcurve. org/LC26WebPages/Nationalism. html (18th of May, 2010) [ 6 ]. Hannah Arendt, ibid, p. 11, http://www. uc. edu/nationfamilystate/Authors/Hannah%20Arendt/HAOnViolence1. pdf (19th of May, 2010) [ 7 ]. Alain de Benoist, â€Å"On Identity†, pp. 9-10, http://www. scribd. com/doc/3323754/On-Identity-Alain-de-Benoist (18th of May, 2010) [ 8 ]. James D. Fearon ,†What is Identity? †, Department of Political Science, Stanford University, November 3rd, 1999, p. 4, http://www. stanford. du/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2. pdf (18th of May, 2010) [ 9 ]. http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/national+identity (20th of May, 2010) [ 10 ]. â€Å"Questions of identity: What is identity? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176757 (18th of May, 2010) [ 11 ]. â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open . ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176759 (18th of May, 2010) [ 12 ]. John Edwards, Language and identity, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2009), p. 162. [ 13 ]. â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, ibid. [ 14 ]. Alain de Benosit, Ibid, p. 5. [ 15 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 16 ]. J. Krishnamurti, ibid, p. 4. [ 17 ]. Sen, Amartya, Identity and violence, the illusion of destiny (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), pp. 85, 89. [ 18 ]. Fanon, Frantz, The Wretched of the Earth, Trans. Constance Farrington (New York: Grove, 1963), http://ls. poly. edu/~jbain/socphil/socphillectures/F. Fanon. pdf (10th of May, 2010) [ 19 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 20 ]. Ibid, p. 12. [ 21 ]. Ezzat, Heba Raouf, and Mary Klador. â€Å"Not Even a Tree: Delegitimizing Violence and the Prospects for Pre-emptive Civility†, Global Civil Society, p. 24 [ 22 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. 23 ]. George Orwell, â€Å"Politics and the English language†, The journal Horizo n, Vol. 13, Issue 76, (1946), p. 9, http://www. scribd. com/doc/65590/Politics-English-language (19th of May, 2010) [ 24 ]. Ashley, Larry, â€Å"The Language of Violence†, Peace Studies Journal, Vol. 1 Issue 1, (Fall 2008), p. 84, www. peacestudiesjournal. org/archive/Ashley. doc (19th of May, 2010) [ 25 ]. George Orwell, ibid, p. 9. [ 26 ]. slavoj Zizek, â€Å"Language violence and non-violence†, International Journal of Zizek Studies, Vol. 2, Issue 3, p. 11, http://www. scribd. com/doc/12605279/language-violnce-and-non-violence (19th of May, 2010) [ 27 ]. bid, p. 2 [ 28 ]. Teun A. Van Dijk, â€Å"Discourse and manipulation†, Discourse and society, Sage publications, 2006 ,p. 380, http://das. sagepub. com/cgi/content/short/17/3/359 (19th of May, 2010) [ 29 ]. Jem Berkes, â€Å"Language as the â€Å"Ultimate Weapon† in Nineteen Eighty-Four†, May 9, 2000, http://www. sysdesign. ca/archive/berkes_1984_language. html (19th of May, 2010) [ 30 ]. Heba R aouf Ezzat, and Mary Klador, Ibid, p. 21 [ 31 ]. Hannah Arendt, ibid, p. 46. [ 32 ]. Gerald F. Gaus, Political Concepts and Political Theories, Tulance University, (United States: WestView Press, 2000) , p. 39 [ 33 ]. ibid [ 34 ]. ttp://jcomm. uoregon. edu/~tbivins/J496/readings/LANGUAGE/euphemism_defandlist. pdf (19th of May, 2010), [ 35 ]. Ashley, Larry, ibid, p. 81. [ 36 ]. Ibid, p. 84. [ 37 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid [ 38 ]. â€Å"A History of Violence†, http://www. scribd. com/doc/937601/Foucault-and-Pinker-on-Violence (19th of May, 2010) [ 39 ]. B. Manjula, â€Å"Identity and Culture†, Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, p. 9, http://www. scribd. com/doc/4119098/Identity-and-Culture (19th of May, 2010) [ 40 ]. Halford H. Fairchild, â€Å"Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth in Contemporary Perspective†, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 5, No. 2 (December 1994), Sage Publications, p. 192, http://www. jstor. org/pss/2784461 (19th of May, 2010) [ 41 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 42 ]. Ibid. [ 43 ]. Hannah Arendt, Ibid, P. 9. [ 44 ]. Heba Raouf, and Mary Lakdour, Ibid, p. 21 [ 45 ]. Neera Chandhoke, â€Å"Is violence constitutive of civil society? †, The London school of Economics and Political Science (NGPA) program, 13th July, 2007, p. 39, http://www. lse. ac. uk/collections/NGPA/publications/WP_Violence_Civil_Society_Web. pdf (19th of May, 2010) [ 46 ]. ibid, p. 40 [ 47 ]. Ibid, p. 41 [ 48 ]. Ibid, pp. 42 [ 49 ]. Heba Raouf, Mary Kaldor, ibid, p. 36