Saturday, August 31, 2019

Air India 5

2012 Flying Too Low: Air India 2009 & Beyond External Environment Analysis Group 10 Strategy analysis begins with an analysis of the forces that shape the competition in the industry in which a company is based. An important factor of the analysis is External environment analysis. The essential purpose of this analysis is to identify the opportunities and threats in the organization operating environment that will affect how it pursues its mission. Analysis the industry environment requires an assessment of the competitive structure of the company’s industry. It also requires analysis of the nature, stage, dynamics and history of the industry. Here, while analyzing the external environment of Air India according to the information presented in the case, we will concentrate on Porter Five Forces Model, PEST Analysis of the Air India, opportunity and threats to Air India. Finally, we will quantify all our analysis factors to come to a conclusion. Porter’s 5 forces model: Porter's five forces analysis is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It draws upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An â€Å"unattractive† industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. Three of Porter's five forces refer to competition from external sources. The remainders are internal threats. Porter referred to these forces as the micro environment, to contrast it with the more general term macro environment. They consist of those forces close to a company that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. A clear example of this is the airline industry. As an industry, profitability is low and yet individual companies, by applying unique business models, have been able to make a return in excess of the industry average. We will see how these five factors are working for Air India. I. Rivalry among existing competitors: 1. Competition in domestic and international routes * On domestic front, private airlines like Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines * On international front, major competition was from companies like Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airlines, Qatar Airlines and new entrants like JA 2. Better performance by competitors 3. Rapid increase in market share of competitors 4. Poaching of employees by competitors II. Threat of new entrants: 1. Possibility of liberalization of Aviation Industry will weaken the entry barriers and thereby will lead to increase in number of new entrants 2. Business was very lucrative to attract new entrants 3. Consistent and rapid growth of demand for airlines offering scope for profitable business and low cost carriers 4. Examples GoAIR, IndigoAir, Paramount Airways, SpiceJet III. Threat from substitution: Road and rail services posing a major threat by offering cheaper, reliable, convenient services. Travel. In case of higher Air ticket fares, Air India could lose potential customers to Rival airlines and Indian Railways. The possibility of loss of market share to Indian railways further increases by the fact that over a period of time the rail ticket fares have marginally varied compared to significant variation in air ticket fares. IV. Bargaining power of suppliers: 1. Slow nature of aircraft sales, because the high value order placed by the industry can take several years to be delivered. 2. Labour unions are suppliers who have significant power. The performance and flexibility of the entire industry depends heavily on labour unions. 3. Aviation fuel is a commodity and its prices are decided by market forces and existing geopolitical factors such as OPEC. At times, oil producing nations at the behest of OPEC manipulate oil production target in order to keep the prices of crude to suit their profit intentions. High cost of fuel accounts for about 35% of the total cost and increasing cost is a threat to the company’s profits. 4. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) is a major cost component for the Airlines in India. It is about 40% of the operating cost of the domestic carriers V. Bargaining power of buyers: The bargaining power of buyers refers to the amount of pressure customers can place on a business, thus, affecting its prices, volume and profit potential. Various airlines are competing for the same customer, which also results in strengthening the buyer power. Hence, the bargaining power of customers in the airline industry is very high since they are price sensitive and search for the best deals available. Customers are price sensitive. Many new players who are Low Cost Carriers attract these travelers by offering them low fares and those that are convenience oriented by providing them with frequent flights. While choosing which airline to fly with, customers enjoy switching costs through frequent flyer programs created by some airlines. PEST Analysis: PEST analysis stands for â€Å"Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis† and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management. Some analysts added Legal and Environmental and rearranged the mnemonic to PESTLE. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis and gives an overview of the different macro environmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. * Political factors are how and to what degree a government intervenes in the industry or firm. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, government policies and political stability. Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. * Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a company's products and how that company operates. * Technological factors include technological aspects such as R;D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to innovation. In case of Air India, the analysis of external environment is as follows: Having done the required analysis, now let us quantify the opportunity and threats. 1| Poor control over decision making| T| 2| Drop in oil prices*| O| 3| heavy control and interference of government| O| 4| worsening service image| T| 5| Labour union| T| 6| inclination of society towards low cost travel| T| | global recession| T| 8| significant air traffic growth over a period of time| O| 9| restriction on FDI in Indian aviation industry| O| 10| Mergers among competitors| T| 11| possibility of opening of aviation market and privatization| T| 12| interest burden of new aircraft orders| T| 13| company's image perceived as public carrier| T| 14| near monopoly among Indian players in international routes| O| 15| over capaci ty of industry| T| 16| poaching of pilots from competitors| T| 17| declining debt equity ratio| T| 18| changes in ground handling policy| T| 19| agency problem| T| Here ‘T’ indicates Threat and ‘O’ indicates Opportunity Assigning the weightage to the important factors, in the sense of their importance in analyzing external environment and using rating scale of 1 to 5 where 3 indicates average favorableness of the external environment, we get- As the quantified average of all the external environment factors is coming slightly below average, we conclude that, the current external environment is not favorable to Air India but, it can work on its decision making process and improvement of service image as an immediate measure.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns

One of the best things about the aftermath of the second task was that everybody was very keen to hear details of what had happened down in the lake, which meant that Ron was getting to share Harry's limelight for once. Harry noticed that Ron's version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Hermione's story, anyway – Dumbledore had put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Professor McGonagall's office, first assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were back above the water. One week later, however, Ron was telling a thrilling tale of kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed merpeople who had to beat him into submission before tying him up. â€Å"But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve,† he assured Padma Patil, who seemed to be a lot keener on Ron now that he was getting so much attention and was making a point of talking to him every time they passed in the corridors. â€Å"I could've taken those mer-idiots any time I wanted.† â€Å"What were you going to do, snore at them?† said Hermione waspishly. People had been teasing her so much about being the thing that Viktor Krum would most miss that she was in a rather tetchy mood. Ron's ears went red, and thereafter, he reverted to the bewitched sleep version of events. As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no sooner torn off Sirius's reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be sent outside again. Sirius's letter was almost as short as the previous one. Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can. â€Å"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?† said Ron incredulously. â€Å"It looks like it, doesn't it?† said Hermione. â€Å"I can't believe him,† said Harry tensely, â€Å"if he's caught†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Made it so far, though, hasn't he?† said Ron. â€Å"And it's not like the place is swarming with dementors anymore.† Harry folded up the letter, thinking. If he was honest with himself, he really wanted to see Sirius again. He therefore approached the final lesson of the afternoon – double Potions – feeling considerably more cheerful than he usually did when descending the steps to the dungeons. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something Harry couldn't see and sniggering heartily. Pansys pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached. â€Å"There they are, there they are!† she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Harry saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands – Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand. â€Å"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!† Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside. Hermione, Harry, and Ron headed for a table at the back of the dungeon as usual. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of todays potion on the blackboard, Hermione hastily rifled through the magazine under the desk. At last, in the center pages, Hermione found what they were looking for. Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece entitled: Harry Potter's Secret Heartache A boy like no other, perhaps – yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss. Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has â€Å"never felt this way about any other girl.† However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtfu l natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest. â€Å"She's really ugly,† says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, â€Å"but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it.† Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate. â€Å"I told you!† Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. â€Å"I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of- of scarlet woman!† Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. â€Å"Scarlet woman?† she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron. â€Å"It's what my mum calls them,† Ron muttered, his ears going red. â€Å"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch,† said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her. â€Å"What a pile of old rubbish.† She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion. â€Å"There's something funny, though,† said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. â€Å"How could Rita Skeeter have known†¦?† â€Å"Known what?† said Ron quickly. â€Å"You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?† â€Å"Don't be stupid,† Hermione snapped, starting to pound up her beetles again. â€Å"No, it's just†¦how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?† Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron's eyes. â€Å"What?† said Ron, dropping his pestle with a loud clunk. â€Å"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake.† Hermione muttered. â€Å"After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to -â€Å" â€Å"And what did you say?† said Ron, who had picked up his pestle and was grinding it on the desk, a good six inches from his bowl, because he was looking at Hermione. â€Å"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else,† Hermione went on, going so red now that Harry could almost feel the heat coming from her, â€Å"but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there†¦or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task†¦.† â€Å"And what did you say?† Ron repeated, pounding his pestle down so hard that it dented the desk. â€Å"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to -â€Å" â€Å"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is. Miss Granger,† said an icy voice right behind them, and all three of them jumped, â€Å"I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor.† Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them; Malfoy took the opportunity to flash POTTER STINKS across the dungeon at Harry. â€Å"Ah†¦reading magazines under the table as well?† Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. â€Å"A further ten points from Gryffindor†¦oh but of course†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. â€Å"Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings†¦.† The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. To Harry's fury, he began to read the article aloud. â€Å"‘Harry Potter's Secret Heartache†¦dear, dear. Potter, what's ailing you now? ‘A boy like no other, perhaps†¦'† Harry could feel his face burning. Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape. Even Hermione was blushing scarlet now. â€Å"‘†¦Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching,† sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. â€Å"Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now.† Furious, Harry threw his ingredients and his bag into his cauldron and dragged it up to the front of the dungeon to the empty table. Snape followed, sat down at his desk and watched Harry unload his cauldron. Determined not to look at Snape, Harry resumed the mashing of his scarab beetles, imagining each one to have Snape's face. â€Å"All this press attention seems to have inflated your already over-large head. Potter,† said Snape quietly, once the rest of the class had settled down again. Harry didn't answer. He knew Snape was trying to provoke him; he had done this before. No doubt he was hoping for an excuse to take a round fifty points from Gryffindor before the end of the class. â€Å"You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you,† Snape went on, so quietly that no one else could hear him (Harry continued to pound his scarab beetles, even though he had already reduced them to a very fine powder), â€Å"but I don't care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me. Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him.† Harry tipped the powdered beetles into his cauldron and started cutting up his ginger roots. His hands were shaking slightly out of anger, but he kept his eyes down, as though he couldn't hear what Snape was saying to him. â€Å"So I give you fair warning, Potter,† Snape continued in a sorter and more dangerous voice, â€Å"pint-sized celebrity or not – if I catch you breaking into my office one more time -â€Å" â€Å"I haven't been anywhere near your office!† said Harry angrily, forgetting his feigned deafness. â€Å"Don't lie to me,† Snape hissed, his fathomless black eyes boring into Harry's. â€Å"Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them.† Harry stared back at Snape, determined not to blink or to look guilty. In truth, he hadn't stolen either of these things from Snape. Hermione had taken the boomslang skin back in their second year – they had needed it for the Polyjuice Potion – and while Snape had suspected Harry at the time, he had never been able to prove it. Dobby, of course, had stolen the gillyweed. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about,† Harry lied coldly. â€Å"You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!† Snape hissed. â€Å"I know it. Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behavior! One more nighttime stroll into my office, Potter, and you will pay!† â€Å"Right,† said Harry coolly, turning back to his ginger roots. â€Å"I'll bear that in mind if I ever get the urge to go in there.† Snape's eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. For one wild moment. Harry thought Snape was about to pull out his wand and curse him – then he saw that Snape had drawn out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion. Harry stared at it. â€Å"Do you know what this is. Potter?† Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again. â€Å"No,† said Harry, with complete honesty this time. â€Å"It is Veritaserum – a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear,† said Snape viciously. â€Å"Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips† – he shook the crystal bottle slightly – â€Å"right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then. Potter†¦then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not.† Harry said nothing. He turned back to his ginger roots once more, picked up his knife, and started slicing them again. He didn't like the sound of that Truth Potion at all, nor would he put it past Snape to slip him some. He repressed a shudder at the thought of what might come spilling out of his mouth if Snape did it†¦quite apart from landing a whole lot of people in trouble – Hermione and Dobby for a start – there were all the other things he was concealing†¦like the fact that he was in contact with Sirius†¦and – his insides squirmed at the thought – how he felt about Cho†¦.He tipped his ginger roots into the cauldron too, and wondered whether he ought to take a leaf out of Moody's book and start drinking only from a private hip flask. There was a knock on the dungeon door. â€Å"Enter,† said Snape in his usual voice. The class looked around as the door opened. Professor Karkaroff came in. Everyone watched him as he walked up toward Snape's desk. He was twisting his finger around his goatee and looking agitated. â€Å"We need to talk,† said Karkaroff abruptly when he had reached Snape. He seemed so determined that nobody should hear what he was saying that he was barely opening his lips; it was as though he were a rather poor ventriloquist. Harry kept his eyes on his ginger roots, listening hard. â€Å"I'll talk to you after my lesson, Karkaroff,† Snape muttered, but Karkaroff interrupted him. â€Å"I want to talk now, while you can't slip off, Severus. You've been avoiding me.† â€Å"After the lesson,† Snape snapped. Under the pretext of holding up a measuring cup to see if he'd poured out enough armadillo bile, Harry sneaked a sidelong glance at the pair of them. Karkaroff looked extremely worried, and Snape looked angry. Karkaroff hovered behind Snape's desk for the rest of the double period. He seemed intent on preventing Snape from slipping away at the end of class. Keen to hear what Karkaroff wanted to say, Harry deliberately knocked over his bottle of armadillo bile with two minutes to go to the bell, which gave him an excuse to duck down behind his cauldron and mop up while the rest of the class moved noisily toward the door. â€Å"What's so urgent?† he heard Snape hiss at Karkaroff. â€Å"This,† said Karkaroff, and Harry, peering around the edge of his cauldron, saw Karkaroff pull up the left-hand sleeve of his robe and show Snape something on his inner forearm. â€Å"Well?† said Karkaroff, still making every effort not to move his lips. â€Å"Do you see? It's never been this clear, never since -â€Å" â€Å"Put it away!† snarled Snape, his black eyes sweeping the classroom. â€Å"But you must have noticed -† Karkaroff began in an agitated voice. â€Å"We can talk later, Karkaroff!† spat Snape. â€Å"Potter! What are you doing?† â€Å"Clearing up my armadillo bile, Professor,† said Harry innocently, straightening up and showing Snape the sodden rag he was holding. Karkaroff turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeon. He looked both worried and angry. Not wanting to remain alone with an exceptionally angry Snape, Harry threw his books and ingredients back into his bag and left at top speed to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just witnessed. They left the castle at noon the next day to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, all three of them had taken off their cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. The food Sirius had told them to bring was in Harry's bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table. They went into Gladrags Wizardwear to buy a present for Dobby, where they had fun selecting the most lurid socks they could find, including a pair patterned with flashing gold and silver stars, and another that screamed loudly when they became too smelly. Then, at half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village. Harry had never been in this direction before. The winding lane was leading them out into the wild countryside around Hogsmeade. The cottages were fewer here, and their gardens larger; they were walking toward the foot of the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay. Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looking very familiar†¦. â€Å"Hello, Sirius,† said Harry when they had reached him. The black dog sniffed Harry's bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed. Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon out of breath. They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep, winding, and stony path, following Sirius's wagging tail, sweating in the sun, the shoulder straps of Harry's bag cutting into his shoulders. Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock. They squeezed into it and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff. Half gray horse, half giant eagle, Buckbeak's fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All three of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Hermione to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. Harry, however, was looking at the black dog, which had just turned into his godfather. Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when he had appeared in the fire, and it was untidy and matted once more. He looked very thin. â€Å"Chicken!† he said hoarsely after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor. Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread. â€Å"Thanks,† said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. â€Å"I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself.† He grinned up at Harry, but Harry returned the grin only reluctantly. â€Å"What're you doing here, Sirius?† he said. â€Å"Fulfilling my duty as godfather,† said Sirius, gnawing on the chicken bone in a very doglike way. â€Å"Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray.† He was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Harry's face, said more seriously, â€Å"I want to be on the spot. Your last letter†¦well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried.† He nodded at the yellowing Daily Prophets on the cave floor, and Ron picked them up and unfolded them. Harry, however, continued to stare at Sirius. â€Å"What if they catch you? What if you're seen?† â€Å"You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus,† said Sirius, shrugging, and continuing to devour the chicken leg. Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. There were two: The first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing – Minister of Magic Now Personally Involved. Harry scanned the story about Crouch. Phrases jumped out at him: hasn't been seen in public since November†¦house appears deserted†¦St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment†¦Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness†¦. â€Å"They're making it sound like he's dying,† said Harry slowly. â€Å"But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here†¦.† â€Å"My brothers Crouch's personal assistant,† Ron informed Sirius. â€Å"He says Crouch is suffering from overwork.† â€Å"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close,† said Harry slowly, still reading the story. â€Å"The night my name came out of the goblet†¦.† â€Å"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?† said Hermione, an edge to her voice. She was stroking Buckbeak, who was crunching up Sirius's chicken bones. â€Å"I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now – bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him.† â€Å"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs,† Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a dark look. Sirius, however, looked interested. â€Å"Crouch sacked his house-elf?† â€Å"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup,† said Harry, and he launched into the story of the Dark Mark's appearance, and Winky being found with Harry's wand clutched in her hand, and Mr. Crouch's fury. When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet again and had started pacing up and down the cave. â€Å"Let me get this straight,† he said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. â€Å"You first saw the elfin the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?† â€Å"Right,† said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together. â€Å"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"I think he said he'd been too busy.† Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. Then he said, â€Å"Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?† â€Å"Erm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry thought hard. â€Å"No,† he said finally. â€Å"I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars.† He stared at Sirius. â€Å"Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?† â€Å"It's possible,† said Sirius. â€Å"Winky didn't steal that wand!† Hermione insisted. â€Å"The elf wasn't the only one in that box,† said Sirius, his brow furrowed as he continued to pace. â€Å"Who else was sitting behind you?† â€Å"Loads of people,† said Harry. â€Å"Some Bulgarian ministers†¦Cornelius Fudge†¦the Malfoys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The Malfoys!† said Ron suddenly, so loudly that his voice echoed all around the cave, and Buckbeak tossed his head nervously. â€Å"I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!† â€Å"Anyone else?† said Sirius. â€Å"No one,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman,† Hermione reminded him. â€Å"Oh yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps,† said Sirius, still pacing. â€Å"What's he like?† â€Å"He's okay,† said Harry. â€Å"He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament.† â€Å"Does he, now?† said Sirius, frowning more deeply. â€Å"I wonder why he'd do that?† â€Å"Says he's taken a liking to me,† said Harry. â€Å"Hmm,† said Sirius, looking thoughtful. â€Å"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared,† Hermione told Sirius. â€Å"Remember?† she said to Harry and Ron. â€Å"Yeah, but he didn't stay in the forest, did he?† said Ron. â€Å"The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite.† â€Å"How d'you know?† Hermione shot back. â€Å"How d'you know where he Disapparated to?† â€Å"Come off it,† said Ron incredulously. â€Å"Are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?† â€Å"It's more likely he did it than Winky,† said Hermione stubbornly. â€Å"Told you,† said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, â€Å"told you she's obsessed with house -â€Å" But Sirius held up a hand to silence Ron. â€Å"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?† â€Å"Went to look in the bushes,† said Harry, â€Å"but there wasn't anyone else there.† â€Å"Of course,† Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, â€Å"of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf†¦and then he sacked her?† â€Å"Yes,† said Hermione in a heated voice, â€Å"he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!† said Ron. Sirius shook his head and said, â€Å"She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a mans like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.† He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard. â€Å"All these absences of Barty Crouch's†¦he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too†¦.It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak.† â€Å"D'you know Crouch, then?† said Harry. Sirius's face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as he had the night when Harry first met him, the night when Harry still believed Sirius to be a murderer. â€Å"Oh I know Crouch all right,† he said quietly. â€Å"He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban – without a trial.† â€Å"What?† said Ron and Hermione together. â€Å"You're kidding!† said Harry. â€Å"No, I'm not,† said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. â€Å"Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?† Harry, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads. â€Å"He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic,† said Sirius. â€Å"He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter,† he said, reading the look on Harry's face. â€Å"No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side†¦well, you wouldn't understand†¦you're too young†¦.† â€Å"That's what my dad said at the World Cup,† said Ron, with a trace of irritation in his voice. â€Å"Try us, why don't you?† A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face. â€Å"All right, I'll try you†¦.† He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, â€Å"Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing†¦the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere†¦panic†¦confusion†¦that's how it used to be. â€Å"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning – I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers – powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you – plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened†¦.† Sir ius smiled grimly. â€Å"Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power.† â€Å"Crouch's son was caught?† gasped Hermione. â€Å"Yep,† said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, flinging himself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. â€Å"Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd I magine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while†¦gotten to know his own son.† He began to wolf down large pieces of bread. â€Å"Was his son a Death Eater?† said Harry. â€Å"No idea,† said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. â€Å"I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters – but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf.† â€Å"Did Crouch try and get his son off?† Hermione whispered. Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark. â€Å"Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again – doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy†¦then he sent him straight to Azkaban.† â€Å"He gave his own son to the dementors?† asked Harry quietly. â€Å"That's right,† said Sirius, and he didn't look remotely amused now. â€Å"I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though†¦they all went quiet in the end†¦except when they shrieked in their sleep†¦.† For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius's eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them. â€Å"So he's still in Azkaban?† Harry said. â€Å"No,† said Sirius dully. â€Å"No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in.† â€Å"He died?† â€Å"He wasn't the only one,† said Sirius bitterly. â€Å"Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it.† Sirius threw aside the bread he had just lifted to his mouth and instead picked up the flask of pumpkin juice and drained it. â€Å"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made,† he continued, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. â€Å"One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic†¦next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation.† There was a long silence. Harry was thinking of the way Crouch's eyes had bulged as he'd looked down at his disobedient house-elf back in the wood at the Quidditch World Cup. This, then, must have been why Crouch had overreacted to Winky being found beneath the Dark Mark. It had brought back memories of his son, and the old scandal, and his fall from grace at the Ministry. â€Å"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards,† Harry told Sirius. â€Å"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him,† said Sirius, nodding. â€Å"If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater.† â€Å"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!† said Ron triumphantly, looking at Hermione. â€Å"Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all,† said Sirius. â€Å"Yeah, it does!† said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head. â€Å"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him.† â€Å"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?† asked Harry, but Hermione broke in. â€Å"Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -â€Å" â€Å"Oh give it a rest, Hermione,† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"I know Dumbledores brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -â€Å" â€Å"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then? Why didn't he just let him die?† â€Å"I dunno – maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-â€Å" â€Å"What d'you think, Sirius?† Harry said loudly, and Ron and Hermione stopped bickering to listen. â€Å"I think they've both got a point,† said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Ron and Hermione. â€Å"Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was,† Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. â€Å"Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters.† Sirius held up his fingers and began ticking off names. â€Å"Rosier and Wilkes – they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges – they're a married couple – they're in Azkaban. Avery – from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse – he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater – not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape's certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble.† â€Å"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet,† said Ron. â€Å"Yeah, you should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday!† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was.† He showed Snape something on his arm?† said Sirius, looking frankly bewildered. He ran his fingers distractedly through his filthy hair, then shrugged again. â€Å"Well, I've no idea what that's about†¦but if Karkaroff's genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sirius stared at the cave wall, then made a grimace of frustration. â€Å"There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort.† â€Å"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape's office then?† said Ron stubbornly. â€Å"Well,† said Sirius slowly, â€Å"I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though†¦he's a different matter†¦is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not†¦what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?† Sirius lapsed into silence, still staring at the cave wall. Buckbeak was ferreting around on the rocky floor, looking for bones he might have overlooked. Finally, Sirius looked up at Ron. â€Å"You say your brother's Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?† â€Å"I can try,† said Ron doubtfully. â€Å"Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch.† â€Å"And you might try and find out whether they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it,† said Sirius, gesturing to the second copy of the Daily Prophet. â€Å"Bagman told me they hadn't,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes, he's quoted in the article in there,† said Sirius, nodding at the paper. â€Å"Blustering on about how bad Bertha's memory is. Well, maybe she's changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn't forgetful at all – quite the reverse. She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble; she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic†¦maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long†¦.† Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes. â€Å"What's the time?† Harry checked his watch, then remembered it hadn't been working since it had spent over an hour in the lake. â€Å"It's half past three,† said Hermione. â€Å"You'd better get back to school,† Sirius said, getting to his feet. â€Å"Now listen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked particularly hard at Harry. â€Å"I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you.† â€Å"No one's tried to attack me so far, except a dragon and a couple of grindylows,† Harry said, but Sirius scowled at him. â€Å"I don't care†¦I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?† He handed Harry the empty napkin and flask and went to pat Buckbeak good-bye. â€Å"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you,† said Sirius, â€Å"see if I can scrounge another paper.† He transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back into Hogsmeade and up toward Hogwarts. â€Å"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?† Ron said as they walked up the drive to the castle. â€Å"But maybe he doesn't care†¦It'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son.† â€Å"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors,† said Hermione severely. â€Å"I don't know,† said Ron. â€Å"If he thought we were standing in the way of his career†¦Percy's really ambitious, you know†¦.† They walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall, where the delicious smells of dinner wafted toward them from the Great Hall. â€Å"Poor old Snuffles,† said Ron, breathing deeply. â€Å"He must really like you. Harry†¦.Imagine having to live off rats.†

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Special Education Lecture Notes

Ensuring Ethical Practices in the Delivery of Positive Behavior Introduction Ethics refers to questions of right and wrong. Ethical professional conduct within the field of education ultimately relates to the potential to cause harm (or benefit) to the student. Ethical conduct requires that the practitioner stay within the bounds of the ethical procedures developed for the discipline that the individual is practicing.Ethical conduct standards are based in common sense (in regards to potential harm to individuals/student) as well as cumulative knowledge, formalized as codes and standards developed by professional groups within the field that is not always obvious as a potential cause/source of harm. This information describes the ethical standards of conduct, elaborated as general themes, as they relate to behavior interventions. The Nine Organizing Themes for Understanding Ethical Practices Several professional fields have codes of ethics related to conduct with children who have beh avioral needs.In addition, there is still debate regarding how to influence the behavior of children, but Figure 3-1 of textbook (Wheeler & Rickey, 2009), summarizes the key elements that underpin ethical practice in the field of behavior management. The nine themes in Figure 3-1 are probably more powerful than reading codes of ethics because they strike at the essential core of what is really required to prevent harm and to foster positive outcome for students.It is important to internalize these themes because the understanding of these themes provides an excellent guide toward the right action in most situations involving maladaptive behavior as well as in the design of behavior plans. Behavior Interventions and Ethical Standards of Conduct Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) is very consistent with the ethical themes described in Figure 3-1 in the textbook (Wheeler & Rickey, 2009). Note the consistencies of PBS in relationship to several of the nine themes of ethics. The Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a tool for determining the functional need of a behavior.PBS is proactive in the thoughtful design of behavioral environments and specifically considers the uniqueness of the individual. This includes planning with child and family involvement, including family cultural values. PBS strives to maintain student success in the most inclusive (and natural) setting possible, where the school maintains the responsibility for creating the environment for success. PBS is concerned about future independence for the student, with efforts to maintain natural consequences, as they are more relevant than artificial reward systems.PBS is concerned with using positive interventions realizing that punishment does little to teach adaptive or pro-social behavior. Finally, PBS is concerned about quality of life for the student. To this end, there is also an attempt to develop student skills and attitudes that will enhance their future adaptability to life. In other words, ideally behavior change should be durable and lasting as well as socially significant. It should have relevance across the natural settings students will encounter. Professional Organizations' Standards for Ethical PracticeProfessional groups develop ethical codes to guide the practitioners in their discipline/ field but also to reflect the group's values and mission. As such, each organization has some distinct values that they emphasize. The National Education Association (NEA) is committed to the advancing the cause of public education. This theme is reflected in an emphasis on the magnitude of responsibility inherent in the profession of teaching, particularly the obligation teachers have toward their students. Much of the NEA ethical code specifies proper teacher-student conduct.The Learning First Alliance (LFA) has the mission of improving learning for students, particularly in relationship to academic achievement. The desired outcomes are broad-based and as such, there is an emphasis on fostering school environments that are safe and supportive of learning, including a systematic approach to supporting positive behavior. The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the organization charged with improving the educational outcome for individuals with exceptionalities/disabilities. The CEC code of ethics is specific to special education professionals.The Council for Children With Behavior Disorders (CCBD) is the largest division of the CEC and focuses on children/youth with behavioral and emotional problems. All the above organizations support, in some general fashion, systematic approaches to maintaining positive behavior and fostering quality of life potential for students. Conclusion Educational professional organizations have their own ethical codes and standards specific to their targeted aims, but an analysis of each organization reveals that all of them hold core values described within the nine themes discussed above.As can be seen from the codes , standards, and principles of the various educational organizations, behavior and discipline are a significant focus of ethical concern, from the level of the individual student to the level of school-wide discipline. As ethics fundamentally relates to whether professional intervention causes harm or benefit to the student, there is also the critical need to evaluate treatment methods for efficacy (effectiveness).Evidence-based treatment should be the goal of behavior therapy whenever possible. It is an ethical obligation of educators to be cognizant of the optimum methods for intervention as well as to maintain a level of training to implement the intervention with fidelity (ensuring strategies are implemented as intended). References Wheeler, J. , & Rickey, D. (2009). Behavior management: Principles and Practices of Positive Behavior Supports (2nd ed. ). Columbus, OH.  ©Ã‚  2010. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Implementing Radical Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Implementing Radical Change - Essay Example This study follows the recommendations suggested by Gersick (1991) to differentiate between changes in processes and the outcome of these processes. The author used this recommendation to differentiate between the nature of changes and its implementation speed. These two dimensions have been used as frameworks to discuss all the issues related to radical changes implementation. This paper suggests that it is very useful to differentiate between the nature of changes and the speed of its implementation and assumes that this distinction is important to deal with radical changes; especially for researchers and change managers. This paper suggests that the gradual implementation of radical changes can reduce the degree of user resistance to changes. As pointed out by this paper, the gradual (slow) implementation of radical changes can be achieved with more effect under specific circumstances, especially in the software development. This study suggests that there are two key elements that contribute to the gradual implementation of radical changes: "organization characteristics" such as organizational culture and "technological innovation" such as investing in technology on a long-term. This study uses two dimensions of changes- the nature of change and the implementation of the changes. These two dimensions give the study a broad understanding of how the changes happen and what is the effective speed to implement the changes. The findings of this r... This paper suggests that the gradual implementation of radical changes can reduce the degree of user resistance to changes. As pointed out by this paper, the gradual (slow) implementation of radical changes can be achieved with more effect under specific circumstances, especially in the software development. This study suggests that there are two key elements that contribute to the gradual implementation of radical changes: "organization characteristics" such as organizational culture and "technological innovation" such as investing in technology on a long-term. 3.2. Evaluation This study uses two dimensions of changes- the nature of change and the implementation of the changes. These two dimensions give the study a broad understanding of how the changes happen and what is the effective speed to implement the changes. This study is limited to particular change in certain organizations during a short period of time and cannot be generalized into other changes in other organizations. The findings of this research results from the implementation of radical change in a specific organization settings, during the implementation of the specific technology -"CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tools". Hence there are no evidences to prove that the findings may be applicable to other technologies. 3.3. Key sources The authors of this paper based on the recommendation of Gersick as a key source for analysing the radical changes in the selected company. This paper drew on the works of Fichman, Kemerer and Orlikowski to categorize the implementation of CASE tools as radical changes. In addition, this study is based on the "episodic pattern" introduced by Tyre and Orlikowski to determine the implementation speed of

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

I will tell you later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I will tell you later - Essay Example America demanded for a response after endorsing presence of authoritarian governments with the purpose of assuring stability. However, there was change in the 1970’s and 1980’s as famous movements that were demanding change became very frequent2. As these movements acquire much momentum, the United States was unable to ascertain political and economical stability, which was very necessary by then. In addition, in 1980, the foreign policy used by the US was amended to a democracy promotion. The global economy continued gaining more relevance, and it was during this moment that a new elite sprout on Capitalist strength3. This was in 1980 prior to the finish of Cold war. This was very significant because America it illustrates that America majored in globalization of political and economic features prior to the end of the bi-polar hegemonic system. On the other hand, Sen argues that Globalization does not entirely reflect westernization. According to Sen, globalization is neither new, nor westernized; however, the benefits are justifiable4. Therefore, these two authors points out that we should look at the perspectives of globalization in the sense that, it is something that has been existing and it is not about transformation5 . Based on the readings, Globalization involves sharing goods and services or rather continuity of goods, concepts and authority among many nations, which leads to dependence and interconnection. In this case, globalization becomes a positive factor for change. This is because of improved technology; also, the entire world in under control and it is also empowered through global transactions. I tend to believe that globalization becomes a negative aspect because, firstly, the diffusion of both the traditions and cultures. These factors are fading day in day out. However, this is a temporal way because

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Use of Motion Pictures in the Painful Deception Essay

Use of Motion Pictures in the Painful Deception - Essay Example A compelling example is Bus 174 done in 2002 by Jose Padilha and Felipe Lacerda. The documentary Bus 174 was prepared from television footages that were taken on live event of a hijacked bus. The documentary aimed at demonstrating the social, legal, and economic injustices experienced by the less fortunate in Brazil. This paper focuses on use of motion pictures in documentaries to depict reality using the documentary Painful Deception by Eric Hufschmid. A compelling documentary is made using a collection of facts about a certain event that is important to the society. A good example of such a documentary is Painful Deception. The United States government asserted that the destruction of Twin Towers, the Pentagon, Building 7, World Trade Centre and other surrounding buildings was a terrorist attack carried out using hijacked planes. However, the motion pictures displayed in Painful Deception documentary completely refute the explanations given by the U.S government. The documentary tries to explain the audience that the happenings of September 11 were a government plan, since the manner of collapse of the buildings completely disagrees with the laws of science as well as those of structural engineering. A Californian engineer called Eric Hufschmid prepared the documentary. He uses his expertise in engineering, laws of science, principles about structures, the views of those who witnessed the collapse and motion pictures to demonstrate the fictitiousness of the collapse. He exposes the controversies behind the occurrence which make a person watching the film realize that indeed, the whole attack was government instigated and not a terrorist attack as the government claimed. The documentary posits that the collapse was carried out using planned demolitions as opposed to what the United States government made the world believe. According to the documentary, all the buildings collapsed as if they were brought down through controlled demolition. The video includes several motion pictures showing the manner in which the buildings collapsed and compares it to that of images of buildings demolished using explosives. Eric disputes the claims that the impact of the planes initiated the collapse of the buildings. He argues that the intensity of the fire was not enough to melt down the heavy steel beams used in the construction of the Twin Towers and Building 7. He affirms that the only possibility was presence of explosives implanted within the building fitted with radio receivers, which could be controlled using a remote gadget. To exe mplify this, he uses motion pictures from actual controlled demolitions done using explosives. He says that the terrorist could not have been responsible of planting the explosives since the process requires time and the buildings were some of the most secure in the world. Another fact exposed was the move to insure the Building 7 just a month before the September 11 attack. The documentary claims that the owner claimed twice the amount of the insurance claiming that the building experienced two separate attacks. Another controversy the documentary tries to enlighten people on is the aircrafts used in the attack. Eric uses motion pictures to demonstrate that it was impossible that Flight 77 hit the Pentagon but instead suggests that a Global Hawk was used in the atta

Monday, August 26, 2019

Experiance of Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experiance of Childhood - Essay Example It is rightly said "There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." (Lawrence 1999) Sometimes I wish to get back into my childhood where things were so simple and not complicated and life was like a piece of chocolate. I remember some moments of my childhood which I cherish even today. I remember the experience of my father helping me out with various learning processes, be it my first bicycle ride or helping me out with learning to write, holding my hand and helping me to make alphabets, when I was in kindergarten. The most interesting part of my childhood was my school days. I had always been a friendly being and a social animal. I made a lot of friends at school. I had always this attitude of interacting with as many people as I can whom I come across, so I had a big friendship circle. I used to play soccer with my friends who lived nearby my place and in the evening I used to watch cartoon shows on television. When I was nine my father changed my school and I was put into the most reputed school of that area. Thanks to my friendly nature I made a lot of friends there as well. It was a lot of learning process there, from where I started loving my childhood even more. After school my mother used to come to pick me up and then I used to go for the swimming after taking a rest of about two hours. My father always insisted me to pick up a sport ever since I was nine years old. Initially I didn't have any interest in swimming, though I used to go for it everyday. But later I developed a keen interest in the sport and I started learning it with much of interest. I remember when I was about to be 10 , I stood second in the district swimming championship. I was so excited that I thought I have conquered this world and therefore I demanded for a bicycle. I saw in a nearby shop a brand new bicycle with speed-gear technology, I insisted my parents to buy me that bicycle but they got me a simple bicycle. Initially after getting that simple bicycle I was not happy but later I was bribed with chocolates and ice-cream by my mother and I was happy with th at bicycle. Imagine the innocence of a kid to adjust with his liking for ice-cream and chocolates. Later when was 10 years old my dad took me for an educational trip round the country and I saw various parts of the country including some parts blessed with natural beauty. One of the most amazing thing that I can never forget about my childhood was my Maths class .I was always weal in this subject and so I generally used to feel uncomfortable in that class. I never got an A grade in that subject and I literally used to struggle in that subject. I developed interest in dance and i insisted my mother to join me dance classes. My parents thought that it was a waste of time and money and refused it, but i was adamant of joining the class and kept on insisting my parents and they finally gave up and made me join it. I was excited and I learned a lot there and I made many friends there as well. The biggest surprise of my childhood was on my 12th birthday when my parents gifted me a Compute r. I was so excited but basically to play games on it. My parents have always been co-operative and interactive with me and I learned a lot from them . I can remember that day when I landed up with a fight with one of my classmates and my parents were called

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Task 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Task 2 - Essay Example The Other will always be lesser, not as good, and below the members of the group at large. This is not a new phenomenon. It is something we have seen play itself out throughout history and it is reflected in many works of literature as well. To some extent, the concept of the Other is a means of social control. It is a method of separating out into groups those who think as we do and those who do not. If someone does not think as we do, then they must be lesser than we are. They must also be ‘against’ us. Thus, caution should be exercised when dealing with a person who is an Other. In Melissa Algranati’s essay, â€Å"Being an Other,† otherness is presented as a state of being wherein you have no peer group or cohort, outside of your own family. â€Å"I learned at a young age that there are not too many Puerto Rican, Egyptian Jews out there† (Algranati, 1996, p.135). For Algranati, the realization that you are a one-of-a-kind is startling. It forces a separateness from other people. She could not simply choose one group to identify with. She explains: â€Å"For most of my life I’ve been living in two worlds, and at the same time I’ve been living in neither† (135). Algranati finds her state of being an Other most disconcerting when she is asked to choose identification for herself on the PSAT. She talks about her confusion at even being asked to select only one group with whom to identify, since choosing one means leaving out the other, which is, as she put it, â€Å"leav[ing] out so much† (135). Our identity is i n part shaped by how other people perceive us. â€Å"But when the criteria for ascribing a certain identity include things over which you have no control –as is the case with gender, race, and sexual orientation—then whether you identify with that identity†¦is not only up to you† (Appiah, 2005, p. 70). For Algranati, both parents have spent their lives as Others as well. Her father’s family was displaced—first

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychology - Essay Example According to Sacks, â€Å"Does the mind run the brain or the brain the mind?† This poses an interesting question regarding the development of mental abilities, which runs parallel to that of the nature vs. nurture debate. Are cognitive abilities the result of the neurology and brain development of the person, or does what a person learns influence brain development? The question is similar to that of the chicken and the egg. Thus, the question of whether our abilities are biologically driven or if they are environmentally driven are laid as a foundation to human growth and development. The compendium of human knowledge and consciousness is seated within our skulls as the brain. The brain is the most vital organ in our body in that it controls everything, both voluntary and involuntary. It is a vast collection of neurons, which work together to rely, process, and send out information. It is organized into different lobes that govern different cognitive tasks that develop with a ge. As a person ages, these parts of the brain become more complex and eventually start working together in order to processes and integrate things together. The conscious and the unconscious merge here with the storage of memory and the performance of cognitive tasks. One of the most unique features of the brain is in its adaptability (plasticity). If a part of the brain becomes injured, it will rewire itself by creating new pathways in order to bypass the damaged tissue. As a person learns, the brain rewires itself in order to make new connections to make the pathways of thought more efficient and complex. However, the reason that a person is able to learn is due to the fact that these pathways have already been created. Even as the brain develops, there is a certain threshold that is met in which the neurons will eventually lose productivity and die off. Because of this learning is hindered, however recent studies show that additional cognitive exercises can keep these neurons al ive longer, thus showing how an environmental, or rather external stimulus, can play a part in being able to alter the physiology of a person. The first basis that psychology looks at is from the biological/physiological standpoint. Innately, humans are born with traits, which are derived from a genetic code. These discrete units, called genes, are passed down from generation to generation. The genetic code, DNA, encodes for proteins and other chemical components in the brain. As a result, some behaviors and physiological functions are affected by errors or mutations in the DNA. These mutations can occur as the result of random probability as well as through interaction of environmental effects. Thus, the behavior of an individual can result from these inherent features, which are determined by biology. For example, in cases of aggression, researchers find that amounts of testosterone in an individual can effect how aggressive an individual is. Both male and female individuals have testosterone in their body (except in the case of some genetic disorders). However, there are factors in which the levels of testosterone in the body can either be abnormally high or abnormally low. Thus, we see deviations from the normal patterns of behavior. From this example, it can be shown that biology and genetics does play a role in influencing human behavior. Another important basis in biopsychology is the development of the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Visit Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visit Museum - Essay Example Ashland is also a historic place that is maintained through donations. It has beautiful sceneries for refreshment. The political position of Henry Clay and his love for racing contributed to the Lexington, Kentucky rising as the Horse Capital of the World. His role as a Senator is still remembered today, the panel of historians and Senate leaders still regard him as one of the greatest senators of all time. Mary Todd Lincoln House is a museum that was constructed to honor the wife of the wife of the 16th President of the U.S. Mary Todd was one of the first ladies in the U.S with a very unwelcoming behavior. She spent her time in seclusion because of the hatred people had towards her. The events that take place in the museum include the Presidents Day Family Event that take place in February, an annual dinner and entertainment that take place in September, Cemetery Walking Tours that take place in October, and Mary’s Birthday celebration which is held in December. Mary Todd Lincoln House is the house in which the wife of the 16th President of the U.S. grew up. The home faces the main street in Downtown Lexington, and it is a few distance from the Lexington Convention Center. Since 1977, the House, which is the first historic museum to honor first lady, has been opened to the public to honor the first lady. I was delighted to enter such a historic house in my life. I had the chance of seeing one of the portraits that were completed while she was in the White House as the first lady. In the portrait, the first lady had flowers on the hair a signification of her hair dignity style. The house had a bedroom upstairs in which President Lincoln and his wife stayed when they visited her home. Apart from this, the house consists of fourteen rooms; a master bedroom, a nursery area, Mary’s bedroom and many other rooms that served different roles. The many numbers of rooms is a signification of how wide Mary’s family house.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Galapagos Islands Essay Example for Free

The Galapagos Islands Essay The Galapagos Islands were first inscribed as a World Heritage site in danger in 1978. This was extended in 2001 and they were again inscribed in June 2007. The islands are found on the Pacific Ocean, 1000 kilometer from the South American continent, they are in Ecuador. They are 19 islands which lie on equator so their seasons vary very little. They have been called a unique â€Å"living museum and showcase of evolution†. (www. whc. unesco/org/en/danger). The islands were formed by seismic and volcanic activities which are still ongoing processes. These together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, giant tortoise and many types of finch. The finch inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution following his visit in 1835. The islands are referred to as an archipelago as they are very isolated from the nearest continent and the islands themselves are separated from one another. This separation and differences in climates favors evolutionary change. As a result, populations that are related follow separate evolution tracks leading to emergence of various species and even further diversification. The species so formed become very susceptible to changes in the environment. ( www. darwinfoundation. org) The uniqueness of the island lies in its marine and land ecosystems, and presence of flora and fauna endemic to the islands and in most cases found nowhere else in the world. The marine ecosystem is composed of both cold and warm water current systems, marine landscapes â€Å"bajos†- these are underwater mountains formed by volcanic activity they rise almost to the oceans surface. Some of the coastal animals found in the Galapagos marine reserve are sea lions, fur seals, albatrosses, several species of booby, frigate bird species, sea turtles marine iguana, penguins and flightless cormorants. (www. darwin. foundation. org) The land habitats of the Galapagos are mainly determined by their vegetation which is in turn determined by the local climate. The vegetation of the area is strongly zoned by altitude. The land ecosystem has such animal species as land iguanas, land snails, rice rats among others. The Galapagos contain a total of 560 native species of flora,180 are endemic (www. darwinfoundation. org). Some of the plant species include scalesia, opuntia cacti and the Galapagos rock-pursane and other lesser known species. Human intrusions threatening the area Threats to this hub of diversity are mainly in the form of fishing and tourism by humans. In the 1990s, fishing led to a big decline in some of the marine species such as sea-cucumbers and sharks. Then, the fishermen would fish the sharks just for their fins and the remainder of the shark’s body would go to waste. Fishing is the second most important economic activity in the region and marine resources were overused by such practices as illegal fishing and over fishing. The dangers presented by the Galapagos fisheries are-: i) Large international vessels fishing around the Galapagos pelagic zones and inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) which is illegal. Long-lining and use of large seines are modern high-technology methods with devastating effects of depleting marine species. (www. darwinfoundation. org) ii) There has also been a rapid influx of poor fishermen from the mainland of Ecuador who serve the interests of mainland fishing companies and middlemen buyers. The fishermen are provided with capital in the form of a loan by the fishing companies to buy boats and equipment. The fishermen then sell the catch to the companies; the catch is later sold in the international market especially the Asian market. The influx has led to the human explosion being experienced in the islands and also the immigration brings with it invasive species which compete with the natural species of the islands decreasing their survival chances. ( www-darwinsfoundation. org) Tourism is the leading economic activity in the Galapagos Islands. Tourism has grown economically at 14% per year and this has lead to the Galapagos experiencing drastic, social, economic, cultural and ecological changes. (www. galapagos. org) The dangers that immigration poses include increased pollution, overuse of resources and eventually a charge in climate and introduction of invasive species. A change in climate will lead to loss of some of the species in the island. Invasive species refers to alien plants, diseases, insects and other organisms that people bring inadvertently to the islands. There are now 1,321 introduced species, compared to 112 identified in 1990. These include 748 species of introduced plants compared to 500 species of native plants and at least 490 species of introduced insects. The risk of the arrival of pathogens such as the West Nile virus, insect pests, and new predators is now high-: Dengue-carrying mosquitoes and some avian diseases are new arrivals in the islands. (www. galapagos. org,2007) Existing protection areas The Galapagos Islands have several protection areas. The Galapagos National Park (GNP) is one of this. 97% of the area covered by islands was designated as a national park in 1959. The lands not included were the settlement areas. Later in 1967, a park service Galapagos National Park service (GNPS) was set up to oversee management and administration of the park. The GNP is made up of 13 large islands, 17 small islands and 40 rocks. (www. galapagos. org/). The park authorities educate the visitors and enforce the laws and regulations of the park. The GNPS also oversees the management and administration of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) which was set up in 1998, another protection area. The GMR’s function is to protect the waters surrounding the archipelago. 3000 species of marine plant and animals are found in the GMR. The necessity of the GMR became apparent when in the 1990s fishing activities around the archipelago increased and almost had devastating effects on the marine species due to the high demand of both sea cucumbers and sharks’ fins. The GNPS also approves itineraries. This ensures that no one place is too frequently visited. This serves to distribute tourism to all the islands, decreasing chances of harm to the environment. The GNPS works together with the Charles Darwin Foundation, now known as the Galapagos Conservancy. The foundation provides the scientific and technical know-how required in maintenance of the natural biodiversity and ecosystems of the islands. Other protected areas include Sangay National Park, Limoncocha Reserve, and Antisana Ecological Reserve which has the Antisana volcano that is 5758 meters high. The reserve was created in 1993. The Cuxabeno Forest Reserve is another protected area, for two thirds of the year the forest is submerged in water and when it is not, it is made up of dry futbol fields (www. ecuador. com/,2007). It was established in 1979. Part of the 6000 square Kilometer rain forest makes up part of the Amazon Rain forest. There are indigenous people found in this forest whose contribution to reservation is through jungle tours and eco-tourism. Existing efforts in Galapagos to protect and preserve the area include:- i) Registration of fishermen to fishermen’s cooperatives. This has enabled the monitoring of fishermen’s activities and from this an estimate of how much fishing is going on can be got. Also, it makes it easier to track illegal fishing. ii) Establishment of the Galapagos Marine Reserve in March 1998. In this area, all fishing is banned. The area covered by the GMR was expanded TO cover 40 miles around the whole archipelago. These are also zones of protection around the islands. All these are patrolled by GNPs park rangers. The sea shepherd conservation society assists with carrying out patrols in the service. iii) Approving the designation of the Galapagos Archipelago as Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the Marine Environment Protection Committee(MEPC). PSSA is defined by the International Marine Organization (IMO) as â€Å"an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological socio economic or scientific reasons and because it may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities†. ([IMO,2001]www. dorwinfoundation. org) iv) Introduction of residence controls which decrease immigration and in turn lower the flow of alien species. The aim is to curb population growth. The controls are however difficult to implement because it is difficult to determine genuine residents and those who come and go but have permanent residence elsewhere. (www. law. emory. edu/ ) v) Education of residents, tourists and Galapagos policy makers on how beneficial sound conservation, practices, polity and sustainable economic activities are for example finding alternative viable economic activities for the local fishermen. vi) The success of Project Isabela. This project has seen a large area being freed of feral goats and pigs. Subsequently there has been an increase in Galapagos’s rails. Areas that had been previously degraded have now become resting areas for petrels and re-establishment of vegetation like tree-terns and endemic scalesia has occurred. Also native invertebrates thought to be extinct are now being identified (www. darwinfoundation. org, 2007) vii) Successful breeding programs for tortoise run by the Charles Darwin Foundation and GPNS has led to repopulation of some islands with their native reptile species. The giant tortoise was becoming extinct due to hunting by humans and other animals. (www. galapagos. org) viii) Inclusion of various sectors in the management board of the Galapagos National Park service has been instrumental in bringing about an attitude of conservation and preservation. At first the local people felt that the government was only concerned about plant and animal life. The multisectoral approach involves key players in fishing, tourism and conservation sectors and also the local person. (www. galapagos. online/) Including the local people has helped to enhance the concept of conversation because the local people no longer feel neglected. Should human intrusion go unchecked, the loss will be great. Maintenance of the rich biodiversity of the islands is achievable of the ecosystem can support sustainable economic use where the local people, conservationist and players in tourism and fishing industry feel their needs have been put into consideration. An example of how the biodiversity can lost is seen in the fact that the present tortoise population is very small. Poaching, destruction of habitats and the presence of invasive species are the main dangers to the tortoise population. (www. galapagos. org, 2007). Though the near extinction of the giant tortoise caught the attention of people and the process was reversed the giant tortoise is not out of the woods yet, and the work of repatriation needs support. In the process of poaching the tortoise, various invasive species which trampled on the tortoise’s habitat were limited and multiplied faster than the tortoise would, leading to destruction of the tortoise habit. The mangrove finch is another species being driven towards extinction. Again the greatest threat to be mangrove forests and the finches is the exploding human presence in the Galapagos. (http://www. galapagos. org/about. html). Increased activity among humans increases the risk of disease further especially avian pox, black rats, cats, fire ants the parasitic fly philornis. All threaten the mangrove finch as well as vulnerable species in Galapagos (http://www. galapagos. org/about. html. ) For the mangrove finch to be saved there has to be study of the mangrove finch and its habitat. Activities that would require support in the mangrove finch conservation project include: ? Creating potential captive breeding facilities for the mangrove finch. ? Resting degraded mangrove finch ecosystem, including establishment of new mangrove forest plots. ? Releasing the captive-bred birds to sites on Isabela and Fernandina islands where the mangrove finch once thrived. For the future generations to be able to see and be part of the abundant biodiversity in the Galapagos islands the necessary funds and a coalition of leadership are needed to successfully conserve and preserve the world heritage site. Otherwise, we risk losing not just an area rich in natural biodiversity but a site of origin of human philosophy and in the process part of the human race. Because of ecological interdependence, there can be no climate changes that will affect animals and plants only, whatever adverse effects will affect flora and fauna will also affect the human race. This means that no part of the ecosystem will be spared the price of not doing all that is necessary to protect and preserve the balance of nature. Conclusion Islands are generally smaller than continental areas but are basically more or less the same with similar social, economic and ecologic changes happening. This then means that islands can and should serve as a model to the rest of the world for these changes (www. darwinsoundation. org). In coming up with solutions to the Galapagos problems we are more or less coming up with a prototype to solve problems that will occur in other continents of the world, but if we cannot resolve the issues then it means that we will also fail in achieving a society where there is a balance of nature and social economic sustainability in the rest of the world. References Charles Darwin foundation, Galapagos Risk; Ground Breaking Analysis Produced retrieved July 6 from http://www. org/en/library/pubs/2007/galapagos Galapagos Conservancy, ‘Breaking News: Galapagos in â€Å"Danger† Retrieved July 6 from http://www. galapagos. org/about. html. ‘Protected areas’ Retrieved July 7 from http:www. ecuador. com/protected-areas UNESCO, Galapagos islands, Retrieved July 7 from http://whc. unesco. org/en/danger UNESCO World Heritage in Danger List July 7 from http://whc. unesco. org/en/danger/ .

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (1935) Essay Example for Free

Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (1935) Essay Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film The 39 Steps, is today regarded as among the best of his career, and possibly his best film before he left Britain for Hollywood in 1939. Its history was somewhat tortuous and unconventional, reflecting Hitchcock’s own unconventional working style and eccentric personality, and it became an archetype of how Hitchcock worked with actors and screenwriting collaborators alike. Based on an adventure novel by British-born lawyer and government official John Buchan, the story of an innocent man wrongly accused of murder and embroiled in an espionage plot (which he ultimately foils) bore little resemblance to its source. As was Hitchcock’s practice, he selected a literary source and adapted it freely, adding elements of what he considered a good film – in particular, romantic, frequently sexual subplots and devices intended to keep both the audience and characters within the film off-balance. After completing The Man Who Knew Too Much, Hitchcock discovered his gift for making mystery thrillers and selected as his next project Buchan’s novel, which he had read in his youth along with the author’s other adventure tales. First, Hitchcock had to transform the book into a screenplay, though this involved not merely translating the story – which was really a male-oriented thriller without a heroine or any hint of romance – into a more complex and interesting vehicle, complete with the romantic interest that the era’s audiences expected. Using the novel only loosely, Hitchcock’s main method for creating screenplays was to act as a sort of informal story editor, collaborating with others who would contribute a wide range of ideas and keeping those he found suitable to the story. He also used Plotto, a compendium of interchangeable master plots, into which he freely inserted elements he liked. Film historian Patrick McGilligan comments, â€Å"Never mind that sometimes the inserts were implausible. ‘I’m not concerned with plausibility,’ Hitchcock liked to boast. . . . ‘Must a picture be logical, when life is not? ’† (McGilligan, 2003, p. 158) For this film, Hitchcock chose an informal group of collaborators whom he dubbed the â€Å"Cromwell Road Group;† Buchan was not among them, as Hitchcock preferred. Finding fidelity to literary sources confining, Hitchcock had previously adapted both novels and plays but resented authors’ intrusions into his work, particularly in the case of the latter. Says McGilligan, â€Å"Novelists never claimed the same control over film adaptations as playwrights – and Hitchcock was through with plays, for the time being. . . . Hitchcock had more power now, and he preferred the freedom of working with novels† (McGilligan, 2003, p. 170). His group included writers Alma and Charles Bennett, as well as humorist Ian Hay – the only collaborators credited for the screenplay, though only for â€Å"continuity† in Alma Bennett’s case (McGilligan, 2003, p. 172). From them he fielded ideas about how to flesh out the thin plot and develop its themes. In this early phase, Hitchcock began developing the film’s themes and motifs. Most importantly, he chose to sexualize what film historian Thomas Leitch calls â€Å"Buchan’s adventure yarn for grownup boys† (Leitch, 2002, p. 333) by adding two romantic subplots, neither of which appeared in the novel. The first involves Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), who at first tells the police about protagonist Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) but ultimately falls in love with him, after he convinces her of his innocence. The second concerns the loveless marriage between the Scottish farm couple who hide Hannay during his pursuit; this part, borrowed from a contemporary novel called The Shulamite (McGilligan, 2003, p. 171), offered a counterpoint between the love developing between Hannay and Pamela. Hitchcock often offered contrasts as part of his motifs; for example, in this film he contrasts brunette actress Lucie Mannheim’s mysterious spy character (whose stabbing death is wrongly blamed on Hannay) against blonde Madeleine Carroll, the film’s virtuous heroine. Here, these characters obviously symbolize darkness and light, evil and good. Another contrast he explores is the disparity between appearance and reality, which persists throughout the entire film. Hannay is pursued by the British police and must assume false identities throughout his travels, while also encountering members of the spy ring who pursue him while keeping their own identities secret. Another key Hitchcock motif involved the use of handcuffs, since Hannay and Pamela are handcuffed together for a portion of the film. Reappearing in subsequent films, the handcuffs are thought to have a strong sexual connotation. Film scholar Slavoj Zizek writes that the handcuffs motif is sexual but also used â€Å"to put the love couple to the test . . . [by] maturing [them] through a series of ordeals† (Zizek, 1992, p. 4). Indeed, Hannay and Pamela move from mistrust and betrayal to trust and eventually love. Also, he uses the â€Å"double chase† motif, in which the protagonist is pursued (often under the assumption of guilt) but also pursues the agent of his misfortune, who can also release him from his predicament. (This appeared in Buchan’s novel but also recurs in numerous Hitchcock films, such as Saboteur and North by Northwest. ) Hannay flees from the authorities but is also pursuing the spies responsible for the murder for which he is wrongly accused. Incorporated with this is what film historians dub â€Å"the MacGuffin,† an unseen or little-seen object that matters vastly more to the film’s characters than to the audience. This device serves primarily as a catalyst for the film’s action (in this case, a set of plans for fighter planes). To a lesser extent, Hitchcock shows a prescient warning about the dangers of fascism. The spy ring hails from an unnamed nation, but, given Hitchcock’s own liberal sentiments (and the more leftist leanings of co-producer Ivan Montagu), the film functions as a warning against Hitler. Scholar Ina Rae Hark cites the conclusion, where Mr. Memory’s audience rises to its feet and helps apprehend the spy who shoots the vaudeville performer. Hark claims that â€Å"only after the citizens’ liberation from the social codes of spectatorship that the . . . guardians of democracy can eliminate the external threat† (Boyd, 1995, p. 100). Even before shooting began in January 1935, Hitchcock faced issues with even getting the film made. When Gaumont-British studio chief Michael Balcon took an extended leave of absence to visit the United States, he left control to board member, C. M. Woolf, who had a clear personal and artistic antipathy toward Hitchcock. A financier and film distributor with decidedly conservative tastes (he favored light comedies and lowbrow adventures, which were safe and profitable), Woolf disdained anything â€Å"artistic† and tried to block the film’s production, trying to assign Hitchcock (who relished his creative freedom) to another, less adventurous project. However, co-producer Ivan Montagu managed to stall this until Balcon returned and overruled Woolf’s decision, allowing work on The 39 Steps to proceed and rescuing the film from oblivion (Chandler, 2005, pp.96-97). Another issue involved Hitchcock’s famously brusque treatment of actors, which he considered merely a method for preparing them to assume their roles. According to McGilligan, â€Å"Adopting an attitude toward his actors that the story took toward their characters: it was a Hitchcock strategy rarely expounded upon; perhaps it was subconscious, but it was effective. . . . The iron fist was always there, lurking in reserve† (McGilligan, 2003, p. 174). This film provides a fairly illustrative example of how Hitchcock achieved this. As his second choice for the female lead, Hitchcock hired Madeleine Carroll, whose looks and onscreen charm matched those of start Robert Donat, though he was initially uncertain about her acting ability, which he had previously considered lacking. On the first day of filming, Hitchcock handcuffed Donat and Carroll together, as was required in the script, but claimed to have misplaced the key, leaving his lead performers shacked together for an uncomfortable length of time. Donat apparently accepted it, though Carroll grew annoyed and eventually let down his cool, dignified exterior in order to convey her character’s discomfort and initial disdain for Hannay. Hitchcock began shooting the film in January 1935, making certain to hire the right personnel to realize his vision and, more importantly, follow his specifications (as past crew members had sometimes failed to do). In particular, he chose longtime acquaintance Bernard Knowles as cinematographer, because Knowles specialized in creating the kind of atmospheric lighting The 39 Steps would need as a mystery thriller, and because he would comply with Hitchcock’s precise instructions, as other cinematographers had failed to do in the past (McGilligan, 2003, p. 172). Due to a relatively slim budget of less than sixty thousand pounds, a figure that would pale in comparison to the large budgets he received in Hollywood, Hitchcock shot the film mainly at Gaumont’s Lime Grove studios in London, with two brief forays into Scotland to shot location scenes. He finished in less than four months, and the film was released in Britain in June 1935 and in the United States on 1 August (Leitch, 2002, p. 331). The film’s trailers left much to the imagination, not hinting at the story to come. The original focuses only on the initial performance of â€Å"Mr. Memory,† the vaudeville performer who, in the end, reveals that the Thirty-nine Steps are actually a spy ring (in the presence of numerous witnesses and the authorities), resulting in his on-stage murder; it shows nothing of the plot or subsequent action. A later one is shorter and more sensationalistic, showing Pamela’s betrayal of Hannay to the police, a bit of his chase, and Hannay asking Mr. Memory â€Å"What are the Thirty-nine Steps? † This one promises â€Å"MURDER! MYSTERY!! TREACHERY!!! ROMANCE!!!! † (Alfred Hitchcock’s Trailers) Hitchcock himself promoted the film by suggesting that filmgoers see it â€Å"at least three times, in order to pick out all the details and the intention behind them, and in order to get deeper into things† (Spoto, 1992, p. 46). The 39 Steps was instantly successful on both sides of the Atlantic and considered by some contemporary critics to be Hitchcock’s best work to date (McGilligan, 2002, p. 175). It certainly furthered Hollywood studios’ interest in the director; apparently, American studios had courted Hitchcock prior to the film’s release, but offers appeared in greater numbers after mid-1935. Gaumont-British director Michael Balcon fended off most of them, aiming to keep Hitchcock within his fold as long as possibly. However, lured by larger budgets and promises of the creative freedom he prized, Hitchcock left for the United States in 1939. Today, the film is still highly-regarded, though perhaps less so in light of Hitchcock’s Hollywood films, made between 1940 and 1976. Critics maintain that it is the best of his career’s British years. Film scholar Donald Spoto comments: â€Å"Some critics have dismissed the film as little more than a pleasant diversion . . . but a merely pleasant diversion does not continually generate fresh interest and disclose new richness after multiple viewings and the passage of decades. The 39 Steps . . . improves with age and familiarity† (Spoto, 1992, p. 42). The 39 Steps remains in various ways an example of how Alfred Hitchcock’s creative process. Beginning with a literary work as his inspiration, he transformed it significantly by working loosely with a group of collaborators who supplied ideas that helped him reshape the story into a film that reflected his own favorite themes and sensibilities. He inserted his own themes into the story, particularly the romantic/sexual subplots, and used his somewhat harsh style of shaping actors’ performances. Audiences’ and critics’ opinions of the film have remained high for the last seven decades, giving it even greater stature within the body of the master filmmaker’s work. REFERENCES Anonymous (2006).Alfred Hitchcock’s Trailers. Retrieved 16 May 2006 at http://www. sensesofcinema. com/contents/05/35/hitchcocks_trailers. html. Boyd. D. (1995). Perspectives on Alfred Hitchcock. New York: G. K. Hall. Chandler, C. (2005). It’s Only a Movie. New York: Simon and Schuster. Leitch, T. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Facts on File. McGilligan, P. (2003). Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light. New York: ReganBooks. Spoto, D. (1992). The Art of Alfred Hitchcock. New York: Anchor. Zizek, S. , ed. (1992). Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Lacan (But Were Afraid to Ask Hitchcock). London: Verso.