History of political parties in the United States Essay

For many years, there have been two major political parties in the United States. Today’s American political parties, Democratic Party and the Republican Party developed from the federal and anti federal parties. However, although no other major political parties have developed, the constitution of the United States does not restrict creation of more parties. The reason for dominance of the United States politics by the democrats and the republicans has been due to the belief among the Americans that their candidate will win only if they are from a major political party. The founding fathers of the United States of America had a negative view of political parties. They were influenced by classical republicans who argued that political parties would promote factional interests and misconduct of public officials. However, the Jeffersonian and Hamiltonians later emerged which was followed by the federalists and anti federalists which led to the formation of a federal government towards the end of 18th century. As the political leaders tried to address issues related to economical and social interest of different regions, they mobilized support from different regions to secure political influence during the election. The federalist focused on the interest of the elites in New England and states in Middle Atlantic. They advocated for a more vigilant government that will secure and give room for their economic development. The Republicans, who were anti federalist, on the other hand promoted social pluralism and supported commercial policies that promoted an economy dominated by agriculture (Boyer, Para 1). Although the fight between the Federalist Party and the Republican Party was severe, the activities of political parties in the early 19th century were limited and the voters’ turnout was low. Parties did not develop extensive systems to promote their interest while voters were less committed to their parties. In 1815, the Federalist Party collapsed while the Republican Party split into different factions. In 1820, political parties reappeared with more struggles and battle for authority and influence in the central government. By mid 19th century, a need for an organized electorate and election process had evolved. The Republicans and the Federalists evolved into the Democrats and the Whigs respectively. A Democratic President, Andrew Jackson, was elected in 1828 who favored a limited government. He was opposed by the Whigs who supported an economically oriented government. During the same time, the political parties were greatly influenced by religion. Political parties used campaigns extravaganza and newspaper to spread their ideologies and gather support among the voters while the voters increased their loyalty to the parties and large number were involved in elections. The authorities of the political parties increased. The presence of Electoral College in the constitution restricted the number of major political parties while parties limited the number of candidates at the local level (Aldrich, p 126). War between political parties became unusually intense after the civil war. The fight was between two parties in an election that was considered the best structured and most partisan in the history of the United States. With the increased industrialization, the federal economic policies were supported by the economic elites which called for the Republican to strengthen their pro commercial positions. On the other hand, the Democrats had support from the agricultural states in the south and among the town immigrant laborers who had run away from the Republicans’ hostility. However, the Democrats did not win all support from the agricultural states and the laborers while the Republicans were favored by partisan loyalty, war memories and hostility of ethnic groups. The less economically empowered workers and farmers in the west did not give room for the developing third parties in the populist era and the gilded age. These parties included the Greenback labor in the gilded age and the Populist Party in the populist era. In the mid 1890s election campaigns, the Democrats led by Bryan attracted these small factions in a bid to beat the Republicans in the 1896 general election. However, this strategy did not work as they were beaten by the Republicans led by McKinley. This election transformed the politics of the United States and the Republicans dominated the American politics for a long time (Payan, pg 23). The progressive era also saw some changes in the political parties. More and more economic elites started gaining interests in politics and political parties. Businessmen combined efforts with political reformers to strengthen the remaining anti-party opinions among the Americans and completely changed political culture in the United States. Using their anti partisan ideologies, they pushed for politics which are unselfish and corruption free. They pushed for legislations that limited the parties control over nominations and election processes. This was a big blow for the political parties since this was their major source of funds to fund their activities and this limited the operations of political parties. This move had far reaching consequences on political parties (Boyer, Para 8). In 1930s, major reshuffling of ideologies affected political parties. Among the Democrats, a group of urban politicians rose to seek federal welfare policies which were a major blow to their dedication to limited government. The great depression also led to alignment of the electoral systems which had a negative impact on Republican Party. Led by Roosevelt and his New Deal promise to the Americans, the Democrats took the advantage of the situation by expanding the role of the central government and promised the Americans prosperity socially and economically. However, they received some resistance from the south who opposed the liberal democrats’ idea about civil right although many republican loyal African American defected to support the New Deal. For survival, some of Republican politicians adopted democrats’ ideas as the Republican Party lost popularity among the voters. However, they were able to revive their political influence during the reign of President Eisenhower in mid 20th century. In 1960s, Democrats rose to power and with the backup from some liberal Republicans; they promoted their social policies including civil rights of minority groups (Schlesinger, p 177). Some political alignment took place in 1960s where several republicans defected and joined the democrats while many white Americans in the south defected and became republicans. The effects of progressive era event become increasingly evident and political parties were becoming less influential in the election process. The advent of television as a means of passing political ideologies also transformed political parties. The identification of voter with political parties and loyalty weakened as voters became less settled. Voter reacted to every day’s political crisis and supported a more charismatic politician as opposed to pegging on party loyalty (Boyer, Para 10). The alleged abuse of office and powers by the politicians, such as in the Vietnam War and the involvement of White House officials in the Watergate scandal which accompanied defections from political parties destabilized the electoral systems. The antigovernment disposition of the public favored the republican in the 1980s which led to election of the conservative President, Reagan. The Democrats were accused of poor policies that led to inflations and riots over civil rights. Reagan administration weakened the Democrats’ policies which increased the polarity between the two parties in terms of ideologies. In 1994, the Republican reacted against the incumbent democrats and controlled the congress for the first time in four decades. However, their gains were limited since the democrats dominated the presidency in 1990s. Towards the end of the 20th century and beginning of 21st century, the role of political parties deteriorated where voters shifted parties depending on the candidate (Boyer, Para 10). Today, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party controls the politics of the United States. However, the party loyalty has completely faded in many parts of the country where voters supporting a candidate and not the political party. People have had different views about the future of political parties. Some people suggest that the current political parties will not survive for the next generation while other opposes that view. Others have suggested some conservatives may break away from the current parties and form a third major party. Conclusion Political parties have played an eminent role in the politics of the United States for many years. They unite people with same political principles and have always been used as channels of change. However, the American politics have been dominated by two parties all way long. Many changes have however affected the political parties. The power of influence of political parties reduced significantly in the 20th century where voters became less loyal to their parties.

Creativity Makes Advertising Effective Essay

This essay aims at exploring the impact of creativity in advertising and how creative advertisements are more effective in communicating to a target audience. It looks at how creative ads have more impact and how consumers react when the message is delivered in a unique and new way. It particularly focuses on the value that a creative ad can imply for a brand or a product and how it can contribute to strengthen corporate brand image. How a creative ad can build consumer brand loyalty and change his or her mentality towards the firm and strengthen brand loyalty. The first part of essay talks about creativity in advertising. What is creativity in advertising and how does it impact the corporation and how it impacts a consumer. The second part of the essay deals with the investment strategies that different corporations employ in making a creative commercial. the different approaches and marketing strategies employed with the funds available . We also try and understand if it is justified if the clients need to invest their resources and faith in the creation of a â€Å"Big Idea‘ . Does a creative ad guarantee success of a product and how it affects sales of a product or brand. Lastly the negative implications of creativity in advertising as to how it sometimes can be misinterpreted and mis communicated. Creativity in advertising In the advertising industry, the use of creativity is to define a solution to a problem, being new and relevant with your ideas. It is a tool to develop a message which will influence the attitudes and behavior in a persuasive or imaginative way (Bell J, International Journal of Advertising 1992). Creativity in advertising makes advertising more presentable to a consumer. It is a more approachable method of getting the message across to the consumer. On a day to day basis the consumer is bombarded with communication messages throughout the day. Most of the advertising gets filtered out or ignored as they do not communicate the message in a persuasive manner. Its mainly happens when the advertising is mainly used as a tool to educate the consumer about the product. An audio or visual form of media is used to explain about the product, the product features and promotions. When the advertising is not presented in a exciting form to the consumer it is obvious that the consumer will not be excited about the product. This leads to a stagnation of commercials as most of them deliver the same message for similar products and that ends up being presented as a clutter effect to the viewer. Impact of creativity Communicating in a unique message, is virtually impossible, as markets are crowded with the similar products therefore execution and use of creativity become powerful marketing signals. As most brands in a product line would have similar characteristics and product features it becomes very important to present the brand in a new and different manner. Creativity makes advertising more powerful that’s results in immediate effects on brand perceptions (Dahlen M , Rosengren S and Torn F, Journal of Advertising Research 2008) . Creative advertising makes the brand more interesting and exciting, which enhances the consumers perceptions of brand quality (Stockholm School of Economics, Dahlen M , Rosengren S and Torn F, Journal of Advertising Research 2008). It can be argued that creativity differs from person to person and depends on , the individuals lifestyle , mentality and perceptions . Therefore for a commercial to be creative it has to firstly be original or novel and the second fact is that creativity has to be multifaceted The degree of creativity that is expressed in the ad builds the image of the brand in the minds of the consumer (Koslow S , Sasser S , Riordan E , Perceptions in Advertising Agencies , 2003 ) . Often the most provocative and controversial commercials can catch the attention of the consumer and makes the consumer inquisitive about the product or the service and would be influenced by the social critique to experience the brand . Unless the commercial has a unique presentation the consumer will not invest time in completing the commercial. The visual representation of the brand in a advertisement expresses one form of emotion by which consumer is influenced pre purchase and can associate with the brand post purchase . It builds brand equity among consumers which provides a physiological value to customers by enhancing their interpretation about the product and influences future purchase decisions and satisfaction . Creative advertising campaigns provide international brands to sustain market strength and internationality. Creative ads give imagination and substance to the product. Often there is a tug of war between the clients and creative’s with the use of creativity in a commercial. As clients make huge investments for a campaign they expect the commercials to be educative and persuasive. As there is no real form or method of measuring the degree of creativity or the impact of creativity most clients which have limited budgets set for a campaign do not expect the agency to make a creative and innovative ad(Charnock W, The End of ‘Think Global, Act Local’: Big Ideas Are Global , 2007) . As not all corporations or brands can afford to make huge investments in advertising by constantly using media forms to build brand retention and awareness among their consumers therefore it is vital that there is line drawn as to what kind of creativity sells and what does not . As the flipside of an creative ad is that it may not make any sense to the consumer. The commercial may not have a connection between the creative idea and the utility and features of the product. A international master brand like Coke cola had a annual budget of $2. 6 billion in the year 2006 (Coke-Cola Company ,2010) . They have the liberty to bombard consumers with commercials to sustain brand retention and loyalty throughout the year whereas the same cannot be said for a smaller organization which would have a limited budget for marketing and advertising purposes. Smaller agencies who work with clients with limited budgets or clients that are under the radar are the ones who can work on creative ideas as taking risks is acceptable when compared to other competitors in the market . They have a need to influence the consumer in building apperception about the product or service. Creativity can also become unfashionable when the reliance on novelty and originality at the expense of relevance makes the advertisement vulnerable to perceptual filtering of the message, which may actually reduce effectiveness (Bottomley P , Heath R , Nairn A, How Effective is Creativity?  Emotive Content in TV Advertising Does Not Increase Attention, 2009 ) . Especially for international campaign creativity has to be restrained and controlled as different regions with different cultural and religious backgrounds may not interpret the message in a similar way . As advertising plays with people’s emotions and perceptions, advertisers must be very shrude not to hurt the sentiments of the consumer. Also at times the creative team in a advertising agency tries to be too clever by making commercials where the message and connection towards the product is either irrelevant or makes no sense at all. This can have a negative impact on the brand and the corporate image of the organization. Conclusion Creativity does not ensure the success of the product in terms of sales and neither does it add any value to the product. However creativity is a powerful tool to entice consumers and mould a positive attitude and mentality towards a brand or a service. Very often it’s not the message, but the way that the message is delivered makes a lasting impact on the viewer which affects his perceptions and beliefs towards the Brand. From an agency’s perspective creativity is advertising is beneficial to both the client and the consumer . Creative advertising helps build brand loyalty , a positive perspective in the minds of the consumer towards the organization . Creativity enhances the utility and value of a product in the eyes of a consumer. Most creative commercials influence the consumers’ mentality to make emotional responses compared to a rational approach when evaluating a product. This is vital for any brand to grow, sustain itself for a period of time and also influence new target audiences. Not too many clients approach ad agencies with a open mind about the use of creativity in advertising. The more the use of creativity in advertising the more value we get as advertising professionals. The more the use of creativity in commercial the better the results in adding value to the product and building a brand . Creativity gives product a brand image, a sense of uniqueness. The choice offered to consumers in terms of brands for a product is endless; therefore it is essential that your brand or product stands apart from the competition. This can only be achieved by using creativity in advertising.

How far does Macbeth deserve the title “Butcher”? Essay

When deciding whether or not Macbeth is deserving of the title â€Å"butcher† it is a hard decision. There were many contributions by other characters which influenced Macbeth’s actions: such as Duncan crowning Malcolm as his successor and giving the title Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth making in which the last one was a traitor: Banquo who kept his suspicions to himself; and Macbeth and Donalbain who fled. Lady Macbeth was the one who encouraged Macbeth to kill Duncan, giving him the confidence and courage to do the deed. The witch’s’ gave Macbeth the idea in the first place that he was to become king with their prophesies. The order in which I will analyse the characters which contributed to Macbeth’s actions, are the least influential characters to the most influential characters. I must also take into consideration the time period in which Macbeth lived in to make my decision whether Macbeth deserves the title â€Å"butcher†. During the time period in which Shakespeare set Macbeth, society in the 11th Century was very different from what it is today. The society in which Macbeth had lived in was very brutal, revolving around violence, as shown by Shakespeare in his play as executions would be a form torture. Little boys in that time period wanted to be seen as great warriors such as Macbeth, but in order to be one you would have to kill many men in battle. In the time period Macbeth lived in the more men you killed the more honored you became and Shakespeare shows the audience this by making Macbeth being seen as a great warrior during his time due to all the men he’d â€Å"slain† in the battlefield. When Shakespeare wrote the play he had to please James I, who was king at the time as he was his royal play right. Throughout his play he had to convey messages to the audience that James I would approve of. Such a message occurs during the beginning of the play, as the â€Å"disloyal traitor† Macdonald the Thane of Cawdor is killed and the title is then given to Macbeth. The divine right of Kings was very important during Shakespeare’s time period. Society in the 16th Century believed that the whole universe had an order in was decided by God. The King, was believed to be chosen by God, and so any action against the King would be an action against God. Anything unnatural was against this divine order, such as evil, in which society heavily believed in at the time. Shakespeare relates his play to what was happening at the time, as there were many threats to the monarchy such as foreign invaders. At the beginning of the play there is an invasion from the â€Å"Norweyan lord† against Scotland. Not only were there plots by foreign invaders but also insider within the country, such an example is looking back at history during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. During Queen Elizabeths reign, her half sister Mary Queen of Scots plotted to get rid of her. This is seen in the play as Macbeth plots against King Duncan. It was believed that if any harm was brought to the king it would anger God: â€Å"Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act, threatens his bloody stage† and the portrayer would be punished by god himself. In the play everything is brought back into place, as normal order is back in place as the thrown goes to the rightful heir Malcolm. It was a message to the audience at the time not to plot against the king as the consequences would fall upon you. The society in which Macbeth lived in also believed in God. They believed that if there was good there had to be evil known as Satan who rebelled directly against God and was responsible through witch’s and evil spirits for all attacks on the divine order. Through history during the time society was increasingly preoccupied with witchcraft. Laws came into order so that anyone who was suspected of witchcraft could be executed. At that time Shakespeare wrote the play the people were of a very superstitious culture as James I published a book on â€Å"Demonology† in 1597. Shakespeare relates his play to society at the time as he incorporates three witch’s that are â€Å"So withered, and so wild in their attire,† as they were sources of the supernatural. Throughout the play of ‘Macbeth’ Shakespeare relates his play to what was going on at the time. By using this play as a source of evidence and my own knowledge I am able to conclude that they lived in a very harsh and brutal society where innocent people weren’t put on trial but hanged by accusations. In the time period we live in today, Macbeth’s action would make him a butcher, yet in the context of the time period Macbeth was living in, I think he would be more acceptable in the community due to the harsh realities of life they lived in. I must also take into consideration the actions of the other characters, which influence Macbeth to become a â€Å"butcher† even though they might have unwillingly contributed towards Macbeth’s actions. Such a character is Duncan who had given Macbeth the title â€Å"The Thane of Cawdor† after the previous one was a â€Å"disloyal traitor†. The title ultimately makes Macbeth the most powerful thane. To a certain extent, Duncan is to blame due to naming the heir to the throne as Malcolm, even after all the loyalty and bravery Macbeth expressed towards the king. What furthered Mabeth’s slaughterous actions is fact that Malcolm, Donalbain and Macduff â€Å"fled† from the â€Å"tyrants rule† as they betrayed Macbeth by building an army to fight against him. The character that could have stopped Macbeth from the start was Banquo, as he’s suspicious that Macbeth â€Å"play’dst mosy foully for’t† yet he thinks abou t the witch’s prophesies and what it’d hold for his future, in which he would be the â€Å"root and father of many kings† so he keeps his suspicions to himself. Lady Macbeth had a strong influence over Macbeth in his decision to kill the king. Macbeth contemplates over whether or not to kill the king yet his final decision is that he’ll â€Å"proceed no further in this business† unlike Lady Macbeth who decides to kill the king: â€Å"The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements† after reading the letter written from her husband. Yet Lady Macbeth believes Macbeth is too kind to kill the king as he is â€Å"too full o’th’ milk of human kindness† in order to fulfill his ambition in becoming king. She is determined for her husband to become the future king of Scotland as when the couple meet, Lady Macbeth speaks her mind and persuades her husband into doing what she thinks will benefit them the most. Lady Macbeth encourages him with comments such as â€Å"so much more the man† if he becomes the king. Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband as she convinces him to do the deed to prove his love for her, as she says she’d be willing to do anything for Macbeth by saying: â€Å"I would†¦have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out.† At first Macbeth doesn’t want to kill the king as he’s been â€Å"honoured† lately by the King with the title Thane of Cawdor but Lady Macbeth’s skill works as Macbeth is â€Å"settled† to do the â€Å"terrible feat† which ultimately is to kill the king. It is Lady Macbeth, who plans and organizes the murder, as she is impatient and wants the â€Å"future in the instant†. Without Lady Macbeth’s meticulous planning Macbeth may have never been able to go and kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth herself is the one that that calls upon supernatural spirits (â€Å"Come you spirits†) in order to become like a man, and fulfill the dreadful deed, which would take place. Yet Lady Macbeth contradicts herself as she can’t kill the king herself as Duncan resembles the face of her â€Å"father†. What furthers Macbeth’s murderous thoughts is the fact that when Macbeth didn’t want to kill Duncan she called him a â€Å"coward† and so Macbeth now wants to impress his wife when she finds out his great plans which leads to more killing. The second biggest thing that Lady Macbeth does which contributes to Macbeth becoming a butcher is the fact she is very deceitful. When the King arrives she plays the role of a humble hostess welcoming Duncan with many compliments, and offering â€Å"All their service† to him. It leads Duncan to believe nothing is wrong as he’s not suspicious of what a dark realm he is entering. Lady Macbeth is the one who makes sure the procedure of the plan is precise as she goes over it with Macbeth. She knows Macbeth must not show his guilt and so tells him â€Å"look like th’ innocent flower, but be serpent under’t†. Once Macbeth has killed the King he feels â€Å"sorry† and feels guilty about what he’d done, which is a contrast to how Lady Macbeth is feeling, as she tells Macbeth off for such a â€Å"foolish thought†. Lady Macbeth mocks her husband for being such a coward and to get over it, as he’s weak, feeble and overcome by the grief that shadows him. After the murder of King Duncan has taken place, Lady Macbeth is the one that takes charge and is in control as she knows that they must cover up their crime and blame it on others. Such an instance is when Lady Macbeth goes to sort things out as she says: â€Å"Give me the daggers† as she then goes off to â€Å"†¦smear the sleeply grooms with blood†. Once everything is in place Lady Macbeth once again orders Macbeth to retire back to their chamber in order to look innocent as â€Å"a little water clears us of this deed† which is ironic as she then does this as she goes crazy. A minor crime which Lady Macbeth committed, which may have contributed to Macbeth becoming a butcher is before Macbeth kills the king is when Lady Macbeth prepares to get the King’s guards drunk. Lady Macbeth sneakily served excessive amounts of alcohol to the kings guard â€Å"which hath made them drunk†. It served to put the King’s guards to sleep as they no longer had a watchful eye in order to protect Duncan from the dreadful deed that would have to take place in front of them without them knowing. Not only that but also when the lords find Duncan no longer lives and they announce the dreadful news, Lady Macbeth plays the role of a good actress as she pretends she doesn’t know a thing: â€Å"Woe, alas! What, in our house?† When the lords question Macbeth about the murder of king Duncan, Lady Macbeth suddenly faints. Whether this faint was on purpose or not, it diverts all the attention that was on Macbeth onto Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s plan worked well, as there is no suspicion that has fallen upon them, for the death of King Duncan has fallen upon others, such as the guards. The three â€Å"hags† are a representation of trouble and evil, being â€Å"withered† and â€Å"wild† in their attire. They influenced Macbeth in the process of becoming a butcher with their prophecies. Before Macbeth even knows anything about the witch’s, they plan â€Å"to meet with Macbeth† to try tempt him with their riddles and use him as a tool towards the destruction of the natural world order. They knew Macbeth’s weakness, unlike Banquo who is good and could resist the witch’s prophecies. They are malicious and crude in their nature and seek to cause chaos, mischief and misery in the world because they see evil as good, and good as evil â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair†. Whenever the witch’s are present they bring along their omens of evil such as thunder, lightning and rain. Just before the witch’s are about to meet Macbeth a witch chants † A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come†. This is very portentous and a warning that bad things are to come. The witch’s tell Macbeth about his future with their prophecies. Once they have spoken their riddles Macbeth is desperate to know more about his future as he becomes intrigued by what he has been told: â€Å"Stay you imperfect speaker, tell me more.† Macbeth doesn’t think what he is told by the witch’s is true but wants to believe that it is. The first prophecies the witch’s predicted which Macbeth did not know of yet is that he would become the Thane of Cawdor. Ironically, after the witch’s had told him this he was then given the title that the witch’s had foreseen. The second prophecies the witch’s tell Macbeth may have greatly influenced Macbeth in his future actions in becoming a butcher. The second prophecy claims that Macbeth would become King. As â€Å"two truths are told† with what the witch’s told him being Thane of Glamis and now Thane of Cawdor, it made Macbeth believe that he â€Å"shalt be king hereafter!† The witch’s have framed Macbeth into a state of mind that this is a â€Å"happy prologue† and that his power can only grow from Thane of Cawdor. The prophecy gets Macbeth to think of a â€Å"horrid image doth unfix my hair† that he may have to take action of his own, in order to secure his own future in becoming king. Then on a second thought Macbeth thinks that if the prophecy is true it will happen without him having to interfere as he thinks: â€Å"chance may crown me without my stir†. The influence of the witch’s prophecies has changed Macbeth in his line of thought, as all he wants to do now is contemplate and discuss with Banquo the witch’s prophecies. It triggers Macbeth to get Lady Macbeth involved as he’s fascinated by what he thinks is good fortune, which ultimately leads him working for the evil causing pain and havoc which is exactly as the witch’s wanted. Macbeth was a puppet used by the witch’s, which he naively was unable to see. Since seeing the witch’s, Macbeth changes from a â€Å"noble man† to a â€Å"tyrant† due to trying to accomplish the prophecy that he wants so very much. After Macbeth killed Duncan there is a reversal of the normal order as a â€Å"falcon† was â€Å"hawked at, and killed† by a â€Å"mousing owl†. The events that occurred are very ominous as it is a dark day. Everything has been affected by Macbeth’s actions, therefore it has turned the world â €Å"wild in nature† as it has been disrupted. God shows his anger as the one he chose as the ruler of Scotland is now dead. This is exactly the way the witch’s wanted it to be. A minor crime by which the witch’s influence Macbeth into becoming a butcher is when they decide to trick Macbeth by using apparitions. Hecate herself blames the witch’s for the starting of chaos in Scotland: â€Å"To trade and traffic with Macbeth, in riddles and affairs of death†. This proves Macbeth can’t be fully held responsible. They cast a spell where there is a great influence of evil supernatural powers, changing the way Macbeth thinks and sees things. The witch’s trick Macbeth as they deliberately allow him to think that he’s learning the truth from a superior power when it’s all a faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade. Part of Hecate’s plan is that the sprites will confuse Macbeth so much he’ll make mistakes: â€Å"strength of their illusion, shall draw him on to his confusion.† The witch’s suggest who he should be careful of, such a case being Macduff â€Å"Beware the Thane of Fife† suggesting to Macbeth that he should eliminate anyone that may cause him any harm. Part of the witch’s trick is to make Macbeth feel invincible by using the apparitions that tell Macbeth â€Å"none of woman born shall harm Macbeth† and that he would be safe for his entire life as â€Å"Macbeth shall never vanquished be†. The consequences of Macbeth meeting with the witch’s make him become unaware of the trick that being played on him as he is happy and re-assured with the news, becoming over beamingly confident with his reign. The witch’s have corrupted Macbeth by using spells for him to do bad, as he is now greedy wanting more, such as passing the crown down to his descendants rather than Banquo’s. The witch’s purposely infuriate Macbeth to make him behave rationally as they taunt him. Hecate planned to make Macbeth more of a butcher than he really is â€Å"he shall†¦scorn death†. The witch’s molded Macbeth into a butcher by using his weaknesses. Concerning how far Macbeth deserves the title â€Å"butcher† much of time Macbeth’s actions were influenced by a certain individuals such as Lady Macbeth and the three witch’s. Such a case is when Macbeth killed King Duncan. To a certain extent, those certain individuals cannot be blamed and Macbeth must be held responsible. Macbeth didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to, such as killing Duncan. When the witch’s told Macbeth of the second prophecy they never mentioned the fact that he should actually go and kill King Duncan. Yet like Lady Macbeth he became impatient to know about the future. Lady Macbeth isn’t the only one that can be labeled deceitful as Macbeth told Duncan his only role is to be loyal towards him and â€Å"towards your love and honour†. Macbeth had the â€Å"absolute trust† and respect of the king, as he had fought brutally in the war like a warrior killing many of Duncan’s enemies. Due to his bravery was given the title Thane of Cawdor officially being the most powerful Thane, yet it wasn’t enough for Macbeth as he still wanted more power which shows his greed. When the witch’s first prophecy comes true, all Macbeth wants to hear is Banquo to confirm the second prophecy and say â€Å"You shall be king†. This is due to the fact that Macbeth is very keen on the subject, yet Banquo warns him about the â€Å"instruments of darkness† yet out of excitement and pride he take no notice. Once Duncan names his successor as Malcolm Macbeth starts his murderous thoughts who unlike Banquo accepts it and is happy for Malcolm. While to Macbeth Malcolm is seen as an obstacle, which needs to be got rid of. If Macbeth had never written the letter to his wife about the witch’s prophecies, she would have never encouraged him to kill the king. Even though Lady Macbeth seems to be the mastermind behind all the planning, Macbeth never dismisses the idea of killing Duncan. Macbeth at the end of the discussion with Lady Macbeth he makes up his own mind â€Å"I am settled.† When it comes to killing Duncan, Macbeth is only worried about the consequences of â€Å"If we should fail† and not the moral. The visions of the dagger that Macbeth has were created by his thoughts. When Macbeth does kill the king and he couldn’t say â€Å"amen† it shows that Macbeth is worried, as he has now gone against god and will be punished for his actions. Macbeth in contrast is very different once the lords arrive as he’s calm and collected unlike the nervous wreck he was before. Macbeth is now able to control himself and lie well, as he acts innocent to his actions â€Å"loyal and neutral† as he defends himself against accusations. I believe that when Macbeth decides to kill his best friend Banquo, he in modern day society would be seen a â€Å"butcher†. One bad deed of Macbeth’s lead to another â€Å"Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill†, as Banquo was suspicious of Macbeth that he â€Å"play’dst most foully for’t†. Even though Macbeth has got the thrown he is still not content with his present situation as he doesn’t feel safe: â€Å"To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus.† Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to accept the past â€Å"what’s done is done† yet Macbeth is unable too. Macbeth is devious as he tries to find out Banquo’s and Fleance’s movements in light conversation â€Å"Ride you this afternoon?† so he may ambush him. Even though he’s plotting Banquo’s murder Macbeth is two faced as he pretends to be nice to him. Macbeth and Banquo were always seen as equals, yet Banquo is loyal to Macbeth as he is king unlike Macbeth. Instead of Lady Macbeth arranging things now, Macbeth is the one planning. Macbeth is now misleading his wife as she knows nothing. In order for Macbeth to get the murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance he lies to them by telling them it was Banquo â€Å"which held you so under fortune†. Macbeth is glad about Banquo’s violent death. Macbeth is starting to talk like the witch’s as he uses inverted meanings such as â€Å"Banquo’s safe?† after being killed. By now Macbeth is able to hide anything and is a good liar as he pretends to miss Banquo and blames him for not attending, when Macbeth is the reason he isn’t there. Macbeth thinks that he’s done so many bad things that it’s to late to stop and isn’t giving up as â€Å"We are yet but young in deed.† Macbeth by this point has involved himself with evil â€Å"I conjure you† and is now evil himself and is doomed with the title â€Å"butcher†. Macbeth has resorted to killing innocent women and children â€Å"Each new mourn, new widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face†. Macbeth now resides to act without delay and will kill without hesitating: â€Å"From this moment firstlings of my heart shall be firstlings of my hand.† When Macbeth decides to attempt and kill Macduff, he targets his family who haven’t done anything wrong and are undeserving of their fate. Macbeth’s evil and cruelty shows through the suffering throughout the country of Scotland. Lady Macbeth feels guilty as she feels she started Macbeth on his evil path to destruction but didn’t know about any of her husband’s actions after the murder of Duncan. Macbeth has now become a â€Å"tyrant† and his â€Å"murders sticking on his hands†. Macbeth is determined to fight to the end till his â€Å"bones† and â€Å"flesh be hacked†. As he now knows that he is a butcher and no longer has a conscious, as when he finds out he was lied to by the witch’s, he’d rather â€Å"die with the harness on our back†. Macbeth wants to inflict as much pain on others before he dies, in which he fails to do so.

Project management risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project management risk management - Essay Example Risk can be defined as the possibility of loss. Risk arises due to the inability to achieve objectives within defined cost, schedule and technical constraints. Risk has two components, one the possibility of not achieving a particular outcome, and the second is the result of failure to achieve the outcome. The former is the probability of risk and the later is the loss. Risk management is a set of action that help the managers plan to deal with uncertain occurrences. It is through risk management managers assess risk and manage to reduce it to an acceptable level. The key idea in risk management is not to wait passively for a risk to materialize and become a problem. The objective of risk management is to ensure that for each perceived risk we know well in advance how to tackle it. The process of risk management begins during the analysis phase and the actual process of managing risks continues throughout. Risk management is a dynamic process because it deals with the activities that are yet to happen. Risk management has two fold agenda. First deciding actions for preventing risk from happening and second deciding actions for tackling risk that materialize. Therefore risk management is all about preempting a risk, coming up with a plan for resolving the risk and finally executing the plan. Risk identification: In this step manager gathers information about the potential risks in the project. The project manager plans the strategies for avoiding risks or controlling them. They discuss availability of technology, manpower, prevailing environment and the project related factors. The manager picks up the thread from these and creates a risk log. After risk log is prepared, the project manager calls a meeting within the team and technical experts to discuss the risk log and the mitigation plans. One of the effective ways of identifying risks is using a questionnaire to list out risks. Risk analysis: It consists of three steps i.e. Risk probability, Risk impact and Risk factor. After identifying the risks the manager needs to analyze the risks. Uncertainty and loss are the two characteristics of risk. The uncertainty factor in risk means that the unknown event may or may not happen. While analyzing risk manager needs to quantify the level of uncertainty and the degree of loss. Based on this, manger plans schedules and costs. During analysis, information on risk is converted into information on decision-making. There are various tasks involved in risk analysis; initially the task in risk analysis phase is to describe the risk. The risk can be product related, process related, organization related, client related or infrastructure related, secondly the manager quantifies the probability of occurrence of risk and thirdly the risks are rated depending on their probability of occurrence. Based on the probability of risk the manager identifies the impact of risk on cost, schedule, and quantity, which needs to be calculated and graded. Each risk is prioritized relative to other risks. The manager can prioritize risks based on the probability and impact of risks. High impact risks with moderate to high probability will catch the attention first. Risk Mitigation: Risk mitigation is the best possible approach adopted by the manager to avoid risks from occurring. The probability of

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel - Essay Example Recruitment and Retention of the workforce 20 b. Well being and Happiness at work 21 Introduction Managing humans has always been at the centre of a number of real-life management issues within an organization. The concept ‘human resource management’ has been introduced allowing enough debate to emerge in this arena. According to Storey, â€Å"the concept is shrouded in the managerial hype and its underlying philosophy and character is highly controversial because it lacks precise formulation and agreement as to its significance† (Bratton & Gold, 2001,p.1). The management of human resource has been significant for the success of any organization. Human resource management emphasizes that the employees are key factors driving sustainable growth of the organization given them the competitive advantage over its competitors. In theory, the human resource management is not pretty different from the management of other resources. However, what establishes the different is the type of resource, the people in the organization. Human beings can be seemed as the creative as well as complex resource whose behavior can be influenced by a number of different factors merging either from the internal as well as surrounding environment. Human resource management has various areas like recruitment and selection, training, employee welfare and retention. Each of these segments is important to make the human resources as a competitive advantage for an organization. Moreover, it cannot be denied that in hospitality industry the most crucial resource is the people who are responsible for the service and interact with the guests on a regular basis. So the topic is pretty significant as hotel industry is one of those industries in which human resources are thought to be most crucial for survival. This report is an effort to discuss and analyze the human resource management in Hilton hotel. This report will start off with the brief overview of the organization. In the later segments, the discussion and analysis would be carried out regarding the people management approaches, policies, practices, issues in the human resource management in Hilton hotel. The focus has been kept in two chosen areas including recruitment and retention of the workforce and well being and happiness at work. The research methodology has been discussed in the next chapters with an introduction to the data collection and analysis. In this chapter, an analysis has been done to have an insight into the emerging issues in the arena of human resource management in Hilton hotel. Effort has been put not only to discuss the techniques and tactics used in the human resource management, but also the issue and the way to resolve the same. A conclusion has been inferred from the analysis part with mention of the recommendations which are expected to enhance the human resource management further to increase the effectiveness of the critical resource in Hilton hotel. Brief Overview of Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotel has earned a huge amount of popularity in the hotel industry segment taken in an international context. The hotel company has successfully been able to internationalize its operations through extending its network to around 76 countries spread around the world. Hilton Hotel by operating through a network of six continents has been able to address the needs of its international customers through the creation of around 530 hotel outlets. The hotel and resort properties of

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 19

History - Essay Example In 1957, when Martin Luther King was just 28 years old, he took upon the mission to make the soil of America free from racism and give its people the dream for bringing America into the threshold of racial justice and instill in African-Americans to fight for their immutable rights with dignity and discipline. He gave this memorable speech as a part of the civil rights movement at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Just in the midway of the speech, King improvised the speech and gave to the world the words in which were interwoven the dreams of millions of Americans to emerge from the debris of subjugation and racism. He said: â€Å"I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood†¦.† (U.S. Constitution Online, Online) It was not just the dream for the people of that era but is also a dream for the people of today’s generation too. His words stirred among people feeling of hope and aspiration that one day they would be free and one day America would see dawn in which there would be no racial discrimination in the name of color, caste or creed, and the place where everyone would be free. America celebrates Independence Day every year on July 4, the day when the foundation was laid for the most powerful and democratic nation of the world. The report I read to commemorate the independence was published in online edition of â€Å"New York Times† on 1st July 2007 written by Maya Jasanoff titled â€Å"Loyal to a Fault†. 4th July 1776 was the most commendable day for the American independence after the prolonged

A literature review on Capital Investment Decisions Essay

A literature review on Capital Investment Decisions - Essay Example Some experienced investors feel that while making investments decisions it is very important to have a personal involvement rather than admitting a broker. The Global Investment Institute [2007] observes that relying on brokers will lack attention towards the account section, which seems to help a lot in increasing the returns of investments. In addition to that it says, â€Å"You need to become familiar with each stock you have in your portfolio so that you can make decisions on your own in the short-term, while still relying upon your financial advisor to structure your portfolio with a mix of the right instruments (stocks, bonds, money market, etc.) to help you make money in the long run†.Global-Investment-institute.com [2007]. Investment decision making is not an easy job, as the people involved in decision-making process have to calculate the previous income statements of the company or business is addition to evaluating all the accounts report and statistical details of the profit and loss of the company. Capital investments decisions have to be prepared relying on the returns and analysing whether the investment would be profitable. However, they are found to be useful in terms of â€Å"formulating long term goals†, â€Å"recognition of statistically dependent proposals†, â€Å"estimation and forecasting of current and future cash flows† etc observes [fao.org 2007] in addition to this fao.org initiates the economic evaluation of the investment proposals as another important aspect of investment decision making. The investment alternatives also have to be considered in order to make the decision in a profitable way. The investment analysis plays a very important role as a precautionary step in decision-making as there appears to be risks in returns, which would be acting as a major drawback in the financial conditions of a business or a company. There are instances of wrong decision-making in which there might be either lack of organised

Understanding the concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Understanding the concepts - Essay Example And, thus, it ultimately assists the management to arrive at a decision. 2. According to Whittington and Delaney (2010), the primary benefit of the debt financing is that it allows the firm owners to retain full power and control over their business dealings (p.220). Debt financing does not involve complex reporting processes and, therefore, it is easy to administer. In contrast, this concept would not be beneficial for small businesses as they may find difficulty in obtaining access to potential financial sources. In addition, it would be an uneasy task for small firms to make regular monthly interest payments. Generally, organizations tend to issue stocks rather than bonds to generate funds because bonds are just debt securities while the stock is a capital asset. More precisely, bond issue would further contribute to the firm’s liability as compared to stock issue. 3. According to Harle, Luders, Pepanides, Pfetsch, Poppensieker, & Stegemann (2010), safer investments or investments having the least uncertainty may generate lower average returns, whereas investments having more uncertainty or risky investments would bring higher average returns. Hence, the level of risk a firm takes can have a great influence on its volume of revenues. Thus, financial returns are related to risk. 4. â€Å"Beta† is the blended, overall return of a particular asset type, which may be divided further by market, sector or some other organization, such as size† (Fraser-Sampson, 2011, p.164). In other words, it is the tool used for measuring and comparing the volatility of a security or portfolio against the market as a whole. â€Å"Beta† is computed by using regressions analysis. The â€Å"beta† higher than 1 indicates that the security’s price will be more volatile, while the â€Å"beta† less than 1 indicates a less volatile price compared to the market as a

Urban forestry status of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Urban forestry status of China - Research Paper Example What is perhaps more disturbing is the fact that the people engaged in the destruction of forest lands for private and commercial economic construction see the latter as the most ideal definition of development for China (Konijnendijk, 2007). Consequently, the need for an urgent step to control the rate at which the beautiful green rain forest that nature gave to the people of China is being destroyed has been totally lost. As a result, China is now a victim of greenhouse gas emission, environmental warming and a very poor climate system that has made agriculture very difficult (Gao, 2003). To understand the state of urban forestry in China, the researcher will make use of document review method, which will entail a critique and review of various works of literature pertaining to the area of study. To do this effectively, there will be the construction of a literature log, which will comprise major themes about the study area where the researcher wants information. The literature log will therefore serve as the major material with which data will be collected for the study. The advantage that the literature log and the document review method offer is that it puts virtually no restriction on the researcher in terms of data collection. This means that the researcher can be as wide with data collection as possible. In this context however, an inclusion and exclusion criteria were set, defining the types of literature to include. For example, sources were to have been published not earlier than 2000. They should have been published in either Chinese or English, and they sh ould have a direct relation to urban forestry. Indeed, as people have a new desire for urbanization that is seen as the source of personal and national economic development, the most immediate action they are most likely to be engaged in is the felling of trees that made up the beautiful Chinese forestry canopy (Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences & Huadong Normal

World Provety and Starvation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Provety and Starvation - Essay Example An ethical judgment is difficult to make due to the fact that simple rules conflict. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist system as it regards an action as right as long as it benefits the whole society. According to UNICEF, 10 million children under 5 die each year due to poverty. Clearly, individuals tend to spend lavishly on themselves rather than investing these funds on someone that is malnourished and starved. Utilitarianism ethics argues that suffering, starvation and death from lack of food is detrimental. If one does not take any action to prevent this suffering without being shallow, then according to utilitarian ethics they are wrong. If one fails to donate to an agency and does not facilitate that process directly himself, they are ethically wrong and at fault. In addition, the concept of Golden Rule is embedded in the utilitarian ethics itself. If one understands the fact that the limit their lavish spending to bare minimum, they can drastically eliminate some of the pov erty in society. Consequently, Kantian ethics takes a different approach in this situation. Donating to a charitable organization often is considered a virtuous act.

Identify and define and explain the different aspects to interpersonal Essay

Identify and define and explain the different aspects to interpersonal communication based on a Twilight Zone episode - Essay Example However, this is made clear in the end, as Marilyn, a girl who has her own mind, and who does not want the transformation, is nonetheless forced to transform, and her personality becomes exactly the same as her friend, Val, who had made the transformation earlier. The goal is to make everybody exactly the same. Why is this the reality in this universe? Professor Sig explains it. He states that the world suffered from a great deal of inequality, so the leaders of the world decided to do something about this. What they decided upon doing was that they would make everybody the same, and they would eliminate ugliness. The theory was that ugliness makes men hate, so, if nobody was ugly, then nobody would hate one another anymore. The unfortunate side effect is that the world becomes the same, and there is therefore not a place to dissent. As Marilyn pointed out, Dostoyevsky was an ugly man, yet he wrote about beautiful things. The implication is that Dostoyevsky could not exist in the pre sent world, because he wrote about things that would be abhorrent to the people in this sanitized world. The irony is that Marilyn, herself, appeared to be a girl who might have great ideas – she was intelligent and strong-willed. ... Marilyn had good feelings about her father, and she looked up to him. She told her uncle that she and her father used to talk about things that mattered in life. They used to talk about things that did not have to do with superficiality, which is what everybody is literally interested in after transformation. Their ideas transcended this, and the implication was that this kind of communication was only possible between people who had not transformed. So, this is what Marilyn feared, most of all - that she would lose the ability to coherently communicate after her transformation, because she understood that, after transformation, she would no longer have the ideas that she currently had. Her head would be filled with nothing but positivity and â€Å"liquid smiles,† and she apparently found this abhorrent. Not only was the ability to communicate important to Marilyn, the communication itself was important to her. She felt close to her father because she communicated with him. Sh e wanted to feel the same closeness with her mother, Lana, and her best friend, Val. She tried to communicate, in vain, with them about how she was feeling and why she was feeling the way that she was. However, it was clear that her communication with them, and all the others, including Dr. Rex, Dr. Sig, and Uncle Rick, that her communication with them was falling on deaf ears. None of them heard her – they were only hearing what they wanted to hear, and that was that transformation was good. Therefore, when she tried to communicate the idea that, for her, transformation was bad, they couldn't understand this, and they didn't hear her reasoning. While her need to communicate fulfilled her

60s America Through Images Essay Example for Free

60s America Through Images Essay The 1960s proved a tumultuous time for the United States in how there were so many historical developments in the mere space of a decade. Throughout the 60s Americans experienced and witnessed many events such as war, civil rights campaigns and protests, assassinations, technological developments and the emergence of a popular culture and counterculture. Photography came to the fore at the start of the 20th century and a huge emphasis was put on the visual to experience culture. The historical developments of the 60s can be seen clearly through the visual culture as they portray the historical events of the time through the medium of imagery. With the growing popularization of television, imagery could be rapidly distributed to each home and this is one of the main reasons that visual culture had such a profound effect on those who witnessed the events portrayed. â€Å"By the end of the decade 90% of Americans had access to television sets† this staggering amount of led to a high level of influence though reception of imagery. For instance when we look at the portrayal of the typical American family one would often see an image of a close-knit family sitting together watching television. In the space of a decade from the 1950s television was incorporated in the American family (see fig. 1. ). Pictures such as this defined the family of the late 50s early 60s and incorporated the television into American families. With the television being a vital part of family life there was a constant flow of imagery available for the family to view. We can clearly see through images such as this that the US population began to regularly consume what the television provided. The photograph captures the importance television as a family pastime and how it gradually became the main focus of family time. Therefore we can see that the visual culture through the media such as television, newspapers and the images they provided to the population had a serious impact on historical developments of the 1960s. Information was constantly received by the population usually alongside images of events and the visual culture affected the historical developments of the 60s in how it influenced reactions to events. It is also evident that visual culture heavily influenced the 1960s due to the amount of images and videos from the time that are still available for viewing today. Figure 1. Everett F. Baumgardner. Family watching Television. 1958. Photograph. Nation Archives and Records of Administration. http://web. archive. org/web/20071226081329/teachpol. tcnj. edu/amer_pol_hist/thu mbnail427. htm One of the most important events to happen in the 1960s which greatly affected the US was its part of was the Vietnamese War. The war had a vital part in the 60s decade as it spanned through the whole of the 60s up until 1975. The war was the first of its kind as it was reported in great detail through television and newspapers. Essentially the Vietnam War and visual culture of the time went hand in hand as the relationship between the two was constant throughout the 60s. For over a decade people could get a visual insight into the war which had never been available before and many believe this is one of the main reasons that the US lost the war. President Lyndon seen this and argued that â€Å"if the previous wars had been televised, the United States would not have preserved in fighting them. Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman would have lost support for their policies even as he lost support for his, forcing the abandonment of his campaign for his re-election. † It was due to the constant visual bombardment of the ugly realities of war on the US people that turned them against the war and forced many to protest the war (fig. 2 and fig. 3). Figure 2. Horst Faas. A father holds the body of a child. 1964. Photograph. Available at Photographer Collection: Horst Faas http://blogs. denverpost. com/captured/2012/05/15/photographer-collection-horst-faas-vietnam/5689/ . Figure3. Horst Faas. Lt. Col. George Eyster of Florida. 1966. Photograph. Available at Photographer Collection: Horst Faas http://blogs. denverpost. com/captured/2012/05/15/photographer-collection-horst-faas-vietnam/5689/ Photographers such as Horst Fass gained their reputation for showing the horrors of the Vietnamese war through their photographs. Faas captured some of the most controversial photographs that showed the suffering of both sides of the war. When we look at these photos we can see the influence of the Vietnamese War on the visual culture of the United States. Pictures such as these were received on a daily basis and they dominated the decade visually becoming some of the most well known images from the 60s and the war itself. The graphic pictures show the ugly side of the Vietnamese War and photographs such as the father clutching his daughter’s body in front of soldiers dealt with the death of civilians while the photo of injured soldiers showed frailty of US troops. At the time these photographs seen showed the truth about the war and Fass would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for his work in Vietnam. When we look these images it is clear that both reflect on the dark chaos of the war and the ugly realities which the civilian population had never seen before. The visual culture greatly affected the population’s war morale as it provided frail images of US soldiers either dead or wounded something which was not shown in previous wars. The reporting of the Second World War and the Korean War was different in that it was filtered with most hearing reports through radio broadcasts and newspapers which were controlled by the government. By the 60s there had been major developments in media reporting in that they had become more liberated. By the 60s multiple channels were emerging with their own news reporters providing multiple stories and recounts of different parts of the war. Therefore there was a vast increase in the amount of broadcasts and images being sent into the American homes greatly influencing a majority of the population. With photographers such as Faas working in Vietnam and capturing images showing innocent civilians being killed the United States population saw an unseen side to its army throughout the Vietnamese war as the army was shown in a very negative view. It can clearly be seen that photographers such as Faas greatly influenced the visual culture of the US throughout the 60s and these images had a significant impact in historical developments leading to the war effort becoming unpopular and encouraging anti war efforts. Figure 4. Ron Haeberle. My Lai Massacre. 1968. Photograph. Available at Life Magazine. Vol. 67. No. 23 . The negative view of the US army was perhaps most emphasised in the My Lai massacre in 1968. Throughout past wars the US army was seen as a symbol of justice and a manifestation of the good in that they were fighting to save the world but with the emergence of images and reports of events such as the Mai Lai Massacre there morality and ethics were questioned. Some even compared the US army to the Germans of World War Two in their way of psychologically thinking. â€Å"Two researchers concluded that Americans were deflecting the responsibility with the same defence mechanism the Germans used to rationalize the Holocaust. † The photography which emerged from the massacre by Ron Haeberle shocked the world and spurred many of the US into protesting against the war. (Fig4. Here we can clearly see why many considered comparing the US army’s actions to that of the German holocaust, the brutality and graphic detail which Haeberle’s photos captured had never been so widely distributed before. The terror on the faces or the sheer number of bodies appearing in some of the images had not been captured on camera before and these pictures were seen by thousands when they were published in magazines such as Life and greatly affected the visual culture intake of the American population. These particular photos had a huge influence on historical developments later in the war such as the protests and the investigations into what happened in the war. From looking at images such as photographs taken from the 1960s we can clearly see that the Vietnam had a huge influence on visual culture at the time and visual culture that would later emerge in the 70s. This was due to the fact that the war took up so many aspects of American life as it was a constant through the entire decade of the 60s. Regular exposure to the ugly realities of battle is thought to have turned the public against the war, forcing withdrawal of American troops and leaving the way clear for eventual Communist victory. †The visual culture was hugely influenced by the Vietnam War in the 60s it was mostly through photography and videos shown to the public by the media but later it influenced visual culture through art such as sculpture and painting. After the war ended in 1975 countless memorials were erected and many artists were inspired by the photographs this is evident in the sculpture The Three Soldiers Memorial sculpted in 1984 by Frederick Hart displayed in Washington. From looking at the Vietnam War throughout the 60s it is evident that it influenced the future of the visual culture as much as the visual culture influenced the developments of the war. The 60s decade can be defined as a decade of social revolution within the US. Many different causes gained strength and a massive following through their protests to further their cause. During this decade many protested for different reasons such as anti-war campaigners and those looking for the equal rights. There were movements for many different causes such as the African American civil rights movement, Hispanic and Chicano movement and the Gay Rights movement. For example with the Vietnamese War came protests against the war throughout the 60s. Those who were influenced by the atrocities shown in reports and images sent from Vietnam protested avidly throughout the 60s hence we can say the visual culture of the US had a great influence on the historical developments of the 60s, However although in the 60s protesting became very popular it was introduced through the Civil Rights movements in the late fifties early 60s and its idea of peaceful protesting. The 60s became a time associated with protest due to the vast amounts of protests staged for different reasons throughout the 60s. One of the major protest movements of the 60s was the Civil Rights Movement. These protests initially started in the late 50s but peaked in the 60s and were a catalyst of many other protests in the 60s. Those who protested for civil rights did so in a peaceful way and this greatly influenced the other protests such as the anti-war protests. Once again we can see that the visual culture through the medium of photography greatly influenced the development of these protests. Once again the population of the US was provided with images shocking to behold. The most influential case is perhaps the protest in Birmingham Alabama in 196 where the police reacted with unneeded violence. â€Å"Many argue that the dramatic clashes between nonviolent civil rights demonstrators and southern law enforcement in Birmingham and Selma were the principle impetus behind the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, respectively. † Photographers of the time captured the violence of the police force and once again widely distributed and impacted on the community causing widespread support for the movement. When we look at what photographers such as Bill Hudson and Bob Adelman captured in their photographs we can see why the visual culture had such an impact on the historical developments regarding the Civil Rights Movement (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6). The image of the youth being attacked by the police dog is very harrowing and controversial, through this image the US seen the severity of racism and its unneeded violence. This photo became a huge part of the visuality of the Civil Rights Campaign’s attempt to gain support from the rest of the US population due to the severity of the photo and how controversial it was. Meanwhile Hudson’s photo of the protestors grouping together to take cover from water cannons can be seen as a symbol of unification of the protestors against the oppression of the police force and the city of Birmingham. There are countless images such as these two that were taken from the Birmingham Campaign This protest was a rally point for the Civil Rights Campaign and the images taken from Birmingham united and encouraged other people to protest in the south. The visual culture greatly influenced the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement as the Birmingham protest was captured in photography and gave the rest of the US an insight into what was happening in the South. These images had a significant impact on 1960s America and provided a major boost for the campaign as it received national attention leading to desegregation and equal opportunity for the coloured population. This protest was a rally point for the Civil Rights Campaign and the images taken from Birmingham united and encouraged other coloured people to protest in the south. The visual culture greatly influenced the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement as the Birmingham protest was captured through the photographers and gave the rest of the US an insight into what was happening in the South. These images had a significant impact on 1960s America and provided a major boost for the campaign as it received national attention leading to the gradual desegregation of the US and eventual equal opportunity for the coloured population. Figure 5. Bill Hudson. Birmingham Protest. 1963. Photograph. Available at Iconic photos http://iconicphotos. wordpress. om/2010/06/26/birmingham/. Figure6. Bob Adelman. Ingram Park Birmingham. 1963. Photograph. Available at J. Paul Getty Museum. http://www. getty. edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails? artobj=258562 . The Civil Rights Movement provided an example of peaceful protest which became a popular way of protesting throughout the 60s. The social group which held a majority of the protests at the time were third level students . â€Å"From the civil rights demonstrations of the early sixties, students have turned to protest both the war in Vietnam and the policies of their schools. It is no exaggeration to give college students credit for making Vietnam a national issue. †They were influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and based their protests on the same ideology in peaceful protests. The 60s were a time of constant protest for students. The issues of the student protest movements range from racial discrimination, the war on poverty, and the war in Vietnam, to particular policies of the universities. However it was the anti- war protests that spurred the most conflict between the students and the authorities. The visual culture made impressions in developing the protests through the use of printing presses as seeing photos such as Faas’ or Adelman’s spurred the student bodies into action. With the emergence of the My Lai massacre and other such atrocities protests escalated to a climax at the end of the 60s with the Columbia University protests of 1968. Students discovered that the university was secretly affiliated with the Department of Defence’s weapon research and openly protested this affiliation with occupying university buildings and this eventually led to their violent removal. However it was this violence by the authorities that increased support for the protestors. â€Å"In his study of the Columbia Crisis in the spring of 1968, Barton (1968) found that the use of excessive police force against demonstrators had the effect of increasing the sympathy of faculty and students for the tactics (a sit-in and a general strike) employed by the demonstrators. † This violence recorded through the news and photographs once again captivated the US and encouraged many to take part in the protests (Fig. 7). The imagery taken from the by photographers such as Morris captured the harsh measures the authorities and when these pictures were published in newspapers and magazines people began to empathize with the protestors. It is evident in each movement that the media greatly influenced the historical developments through imagery such as photography. Through photography and the media it can be said that the visual culture impacted the outcome of many movements such as the African-American civil rights movements, the anti-war protests and the gradual end of the war. Figure 7. Larry C. Morris. Police forcing Columbia Students out. 968. Photograph. Available at The New York Times. Imagery was a huge part of protests throughout the 60s through photographs of the events but other visuals emerged with the protestor’s use of posters. With the gradual growth of homemade printing presses simple yet colourful posters began to emerge at protests. At protests there was a constant bombardment of simple yet very controversial. The poster entitled ‘it’s the real thing for S. E. Asia’ was simple, eye catching and precise the bright colour of the posters caught bystander’s eyes and presented its argument outwardly in the face of the public (Figure 8. . Posters such as the ‘it’s the real thing for S. E Asia’ were a common site at protests against Vietnam and mocked capitalism and the military tactics that were employed during the time. These protests were against the stupidity and brutality of the war emerged in the early 60s with controversial posters such as this one becoming a more common sight. Anti-war protests provided the majority of the controversial posters as they attempted to highlight the problems with the war. By nature these posters

Project Time Management Of Burj Khalifa Economics Essay

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