Importance of Roger Mason in ‘The Spire’

Roger Mason is a vital character in the novel, without whom there would be no spire at all. Even before the reader is introduced to Roger there are hints that he will be important to the plot. Jocelin's first mention of the phrase ‘cost what you like' coincides with the first introduction to Roger; this foreshadows the sacrifice of Roger and the breakdown he suffers due to the pressure put on him by Jocelin, the spire and even his relationship with Goody Pangall. In many ways Roger can be seen as the strength behind the spire. From Golding's physical description of him, using phrases such as ‘bullet head', ‘like a bear' and ‘his heavy eyebrows', the reader gains the impression that he is solid and his expertise in building shows him to be very factual and rational. Nearly all of Roger's attributes are the antithesis to Jocelin's; where Roger is down-to-earth, Jocelin is spiritual and deluded. Both men are compared to animals in the novel, Roger is likened to ‘a bear' and a ‘dog' whereas Jocelin is described as ‘an eagle' and ‘beaky', Golding's choice of animals here show the reader how the two men have completely different views of the world. Roger's confrontation with Jocelin highlights the antithesis between them. Roger, as an earthy man, can see that the spire is dangerous and a nearly impossible concept and regards Jocelin's vision with ‘contempt and amusement', whereas Jocelin believes that it will be held up simply by his faith and prayer, ‘God will provide'. These contrary descriptions reappear throughout the novel and intertwine their lives until, ironically, it becomes clear that the spire only gets built due to a combination of Jocelin's delusion and insistence on his vision and Roger's skill. Roger and Jocelin not only have opposing natures but also relationships and interactions with women. Jocelin fails, or refuses, to understand women but Roger has an unusually equal relationship for the medieval times with his wife and they are often seen together around the cathedral, ‘inseparable'. His relationship with Rachel is important as it emphasises Jocelin's inability to deal with a woman who is ‘not like a decent reticent Englishwoman' or ‘silent Goody Pangall', Jocelin spends much of the novel trying to avoid Rachel and Golding continually describes her as a ‘body' or a ‘face'. The fact that Roger can have a friendship with a woman that Jocelin cannot stand outlines their differences. Roger's other relationship with a woman is with Goody Pangall. Unlike his relationship with Rachel, his affair with Goody is passionate and is portrayed as love; Roger watches her walking ‘as though nothing and no one in the whole world mattered'. When the reader first finds out about the affair, it is through Jocelin's perspective, ‘he saw this was one encounter of many. He saw pain and sorrow'. The pain and sorrow may be Jocelin's realisation that he will never have Goody or it may be sorrow in Roger for he has been forced into this by Jocelin. The novel has an inchoate structure that not only shows Jocelin's gradual descent into complete delusion and madness but the loose time frames with some chapters taking place over a month, others over six months also show Roger's growing dependence on alcohol. Golding finally turns the attention of the reader back to Roger when Jocelin visits him at the end of the novel. Roger has suffered a breakdown and is ‘moo-ing' and the reader can see the entire effect that Jocelin and the spire have had on his life. Roger's mental breakdown has turned him into a ‘crab', he is no longer the skilled and reliable ‘bear' he was at the start of the novel. This presentation of Roger shows that he, too, has an irrational side and that he is not in fact that different to Jocelin, Roger turns to alcohol in times of stress and Jocelin turns to prayers, neither of which aid the two characters and these actions eventually end in their downfall. Roger and Jocelin are also not that different in their visions either. The first description of Roger contains the phrase ‘he could see nothing else, or hear or feel nothing else' showing that when Roger is working, nothing distracts him and he becomes oblivious to those around him. The presentation of Roger in this way once more joins him to Jocelin, before the reader has even been given a description of him. This illustrates how important Roger is to the novel and to Jocelin as a tool to build his vision. Overall I think that Golding's language when describing Roger is important because he is antithetical to Jocelin and therefore provides a comparison point. This has been used by Golding to draw attention to Jocelin's delusion and to allow the reader to see Jocelin's growing madness more clearly; however as the novel progresses it also becomes clear to the reader that Roger and Jocelin's characters become less and less contradictory. This is significant as it makes Jocelin's revelation at the end of the novel more pronounced and allows the reader to see that pure facts or pure faith are not effective, but it is a combination of the two that is needed for anything to be achieved.

Economi Portfolio Essay

Price elasticity of demand (PED ) is the measure of the responsiveness of the demand for a certain good to a change in the price of this good. It is a measure of how consumers react to a change in price. The formula used to calculate the price elasticity of demand for a given product is : % change in quantity demanded of good A PED = % change in prices of good A Figure 1 : demand â€Å"VW on Monday revealed net income of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4.7bn ($6bn) last year, 14 per cent higher than in 2007, while sales increased 4.5 per cent to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½114bn as VW sold 6.3m vehicles.† This situation is shown in figure 1. There was a shift in demand curve to the right, from D1 to D2, as sales increased. VW sales increased from Q1 to Q2, and they could set higher price for their cars, which increased from p1 to p2. Car market is a type of a monopolistically competitive market. Monopolistic competition has two basic assumptions. Firstly, the producers haven’t much impact on degree of control over price. It means that they have to keep low prices for cars, because the marker is very competitive. Secondly, there are many producers and many consumers, while no business has total control over the market price. Moreover, it is assumed that all firms are profit-maximizers, and the same is with Volkswagen. It will not be concerned about revenue maximization or sales maximization, but only profit maximization. The number of workers it employs is also not important, nor environmental aims which are crucial these days. Most of the firms are not concerned about the environment, and this is why there is negative externality of consumption and production of VW cars. Manufactures emit greenhouse gasses and consumers’ cars also emit greenhouse gasses. However, Volkswagen wants only to maximize its profit. As car market is monopolistically competitive market, figure 2 will best represents VW costs and revenues. â€Å"VW on Monday revealed net income of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4.7bn ($6bn) last year†, so there was abnormal profit which is marked as pink area on the figure 2. The abnormal profit is the total revenue minus total cost at the level of output where MC curve is equal to MR curve. Figure 2 : abnormal profit Figure 3. losses It is said in the article that this year â€Å"earnings will not reach the high levels of previous years.†. It may be possible that VW will make only losses, which is shown in figure 3. Again, the total abnormal profit or loss is between the AC curve and AR curve at the level of output where profits are maximized (Q). The loss of Volkswagen is marked as the red rectangle in figure 3. VW has many ways to increase demand for their cars. First of all, they should spend more money on innovation, because consumers can be attracted by VW cars with the newest technology. VW works in monopolistic competition and it can â€Å"steal† consumers from other car makers, who will prefer Volkswagen cars. There are three possibilities of what VW may do. Volkswagen should shut down in the short run if it is unable to cover all its variable costs in the short run. This level of price is knows as shut-down price. Secondly, it may operate in the short run, when it is able to cover all its variable costs in the short run. This is known as break-even price and VW will operate in the short run so that it can make an abnormal profit in the long run. Finally, Volkswagen may operate at the profit-maximising level of output if it wants to make abnormal profit in the short run.

Why might employers have an intrest in the work - life balance of Assignment

Why might employers have an intrest in the work - life balance of their staff What is the evidance to suggest that they are tak - Assignment Example 2008). Carmichael et al. (2008) note, however, that WLB continues to be missing or weak for several sectors, such as the informal carer sector. But are employers truly interested in the work-life balance of their employees? This paper aims to answer this question through reviewing literature. It is found out that more employers apply WLB through flexible work, because of political, economic, and social factors, although substantive effects for gender equality are not yet met. More employers are developing work-life initiatives, because of international organisations’ directives. Within the European Union, WLB initiatives centralise in the ‘reconciliation of work and family’ that impact EU and nation-state level, such as the EU directives on parental leave and part-time work and the EU Council of Ministers’ declaration of 29 June 2000, which stresses the growth of paternity leave (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). Furthermore, the EU has emphasised gender equal ity (particularly through its Framework Strategy for Gender Equality and through the creation of ‘gender mainstreaming’ in policy design and evaluation) has also significantly involved different stakeholders and influenced national legislation and collective agreements that are related to WLB (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). For instance, because of the EU, trade union involvement in the carrying out of WLB policies has changed from â€Å"hard law to soft law† and to a greater implementation of these policies (Gregory and Milner 2009: 122). Hence, international laws and organisations have a huge impact on compelling employers to advance WLB efforts in the workplace. Flexible work is one of the predominant practices of WLB. In a comparative study, Ollier-Malaterre (2009) states: â€Å"As many as 70% of American and 67% of British employers state that flexible hours are available for employees...† (164). This article shows that depending on the culture, laws, and human resources (HR) frameworks and practices, many employers in the UK improve work-life balance through flexible work time. In the UK, traditional spheres that divide work and personal lives continue to exist, although recently, the Labour government played a larger role in promoting WLB among employers (Ollier-Malaterre 2009: 167). National laws and changing cultural views on WLB contribute to more employers seeing the importance of WLB to their employees and manifesting that through providing the option for flexible work. Maruyama, Hopkinson, and James, (2009) conducted a multivariate analysis of work–life balance effects of a telework programme. Findings showed that time flexibility variables are important and had positive effects to work and family matters. Industrial relations and unions’ viewpoint toward work-life practices can affect the application of WLB among employers. British and American unions have progressively become implicated in work-life (Olli er-Malaterre 2009: 168). Trade unions have become more involved in the introduction and execution of WLB measures, which indicate an evolution of their role from managing wage and wage-related bargaining towards providing information and application of WLB policies (Gregory and Milner 2009: 127). It also shows modernisation efforts through WLB development in the public sector and a supplementary â€Å"modernisation of modes of action, with a shift from distributive to integrative bargaining† (Cressey 2002). Integrative bargain

Power of Multinational Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Power of Multinational - Essay Example t its CEO in the five years prior to its rise to power (1995-2000) is Richard Cheney, the Vice President of the United States of America since 2000 and who lies second only to George W. Bush as the most powerful man in the world. This paper investigates the company’s rise to power, the perceived role of Mr. Cheney in the company’s success, and how the company exercises its growing power in the world’s political and economic environments. Beginning with a review of available literature on the power of multinational enterprises and how they exercise this power over nations and governments through the instrument of foreign direct investments, the paper looks at the techniques of strategic analyses to gain a deeper understanding of the company and the nation where it took root: America. Using the SLEPT/EE strategic analysis framework provides an in-depth look into the workings of the multinational enterprise and the thinking processes of its managers to discover a link between American history and the behaviour of America’s business and political institutions. The paper concludes by establishing a link that explains the consistency between the known American past, the traditional links between business, politics, and democracy, and the justifications for Halliburton’s exercise of power. This paper investigates the economic and political power of American multinational enterprises and explores the thesis that this explains America’s rise to globalism. Focusing on the American oil industry and specifically the Halliburton Oil Company, an analysis is made of the dynamics of business and government power in the light of contemporary issues using the SLEPT/EE strategic framework. The findings determine the accuracy of the thesis. This research paper looks at how a formerly obscure oil company rose to prominence in the past decade, investigates the role played by its former CEO who happens to be the incumbent Vice President of the United States of

Story from the bible Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Story from the bible - Research Paper Example She is a devout and beautiful heroine who first beguiled and then beheaded the Assyrian commander Holofernes. According to significant modern scholars, Judith is a historical romance written for didactic purposes and the author gives more importance to the religious message than to the historical fact. The intrinsic literary merit of the story of Judith had a significant influence on the popularity of the work. â€Å"The Book of Judith is a story written for house-hold reading. While it may properly be classed as didactic, yet it is one of those popular tales in which the chief concern of the writer is with the telling of the story rather than with the pointing of a moral, and in which the wish to interest takes precedence even of the desire to instruct. What gained for the book its high esteem in early times, in both the Jewish and the Christian world, was its intrinsic merit as a story, rather than its religious teaching or its patriotism.† (The Book of Judith: General Infor mation) Therefore, the story of Judith interests anyone who believes in the didactic purpose of the biblical books along with its intrinsic merit as a story. One of the most determining aspects of the Book of Judith is how the story fits into the general nature of the biblical books while also keeping the interest of a popular story. The Book of Judith tells the story of the pious and ascetic widow who takes on the public role of savior by deceiving and beheading the powerful enemy general, and the beautiful Judith has fascinated historians, artists, writers etc. Significantly, the interpretations by several important scholars has presented her as femme fatale, female warrior, feminist heroine, virtue personified, lying murderer, and saintly beauty and all these interpretations reflected the characteristics of the period of the specific scholar. â€Å"Judith was

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 93

Assignment Example The news from countries that are at war is now transformed to assume a face that is more human. Women changed the local stories that have made then public to respond to homelessness, child prostitution and domestic violence and abuse. Women were determined to change the traditions that had dominated the newsrooms for a long time (Chambers, Steiner, and Fleming 11). They argued that [people see what they are seeking and what they are adapted to. Women see perceive things differently from men, and they inclusion in the newsrooms adds a lot of value to the news coverage. They complete the news the content of the news by making all parts of the society visible. They also facilitated the redress of the discriminative nature of newspapers that perceived them as citizens who were in the second class (Chambers, Steiner, and Fleming 8). They now report about those women who are in exceptionally high ranks in any organization, not just using them in adverts to demonstrate the strength of a detergent that can remove all form s of stains. This essay is in total agreement with the fact that women have brought a major transformation in journalism, and the evidence for this is clear. In conclusion, women have brought a new face in the newsroom, by completing the news coverage to all spheres of society. However, they still have not been fully integrated to occupy the top ranks in the journalism

Environmental effects on bacterial growth Lab Report

Environmental effects on bacterial growth - Lab Report Example The central question for the experiment was: Do environmental factors limit the growth of bacteria. Due to the comprehensive nature of the term environmental factors, I chose to carry an experiment on the effects of temperature, oxygen concentration, osmotic pressure and the availability of nutrients on the growth of bacteria, as they are the major factors that affect the growth of the organisms. My main hypothesis for the experiment was that temperature, oxygen concentration, nutrients availability, osmotic pressure could limit the growth of bacteria and the optimum growth of the organism will be achieved at temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius. This is the core reason for my preference to carry out this experiment and use the stated hypothesis. My knowledge of temperature, oxygen concentration, nutrients availability and osmotic pressure availability or absence are capable of killing most of the organisms including bacteria pushed me to carry out the experiment. Secondly, the knowledge that the bacteria that exist in the polar habitats are different from those that grows in the temperate climates with different pressure and oxygen levels also made me carry out the experiment. During the experiment, different procedures were carried out labeled from procedure A, B, C, D and E. Procedure A was to test the tolerance of bacteria for osmotic pressure, procedures C and D are to examine the use of nutrients. Procedure E was to test oxygen tolerance and use by the bacteria. For procedures A and B, the width of the streak line of growth for each organism is recorded and the rate of growth for each recorded over time. For procedures C and D that are on the use of nutrients by the organism, the turbidity level of each organism is determined qualitatively and a subjective 0-5 range over which turbidity is estimated. Procedure D is done on biofilm formation. After qualitatively determining the turbidity levels qualitatively,

Tourists Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism Dissertation

Tourists Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism - Dissertation Example New Zealand, London and Scotland), especially by calling attention to the experience aspect of travel. Nature-based experiences have received increased attention from researchers during past few years. Identification of Management Issues Nature-related tourism expects high expertise from individuals working at management level since it initiates funding for conservation as well as raise environmental awareness (Balmford, et al., 2009). As a student of Management, it is very much evident that from research perspective, the interest in nature-based experiences is escalating among individuals (e.g. Mehmetoglu, 2007a, 2007b; Waitt, Lane, & Head, 2003). The focus on cross-cultural differences in tourism experience consumption, however, is for the most part neglected. In an international tourism management context competition is rising, and knowledge of the different markets could be a precondition for success. To create a memorable nature-based experience for international visitors, aware ness of how ethnic group might influence the perception of such experiences is argued essential. In the international tourism management arena, the experiential component of holidays is emphasised in promotion material as well as social media. As a result it is essential to know the customers and the national traits that might somehow characterise them. Statement of Research Question What is the relationship between Tourists’ Ethnic Background and Nature-based Tourism in London? Aim and Objective The purpose of this study is to divide tourist ethnic group, based on cultural point of reference and then compares the resulting segments in terms of the opinion of nature-based experiences of tourism from tourism management viewpoint. Literature review When people from different countries meet in international tourism, ethnic group becomes a central issue of interest. The characteristics of tourists from different countries also become evident when tourists come together in nature- based experience production and consumption. Cultural values held by tourists from different nations hence affect tourist behavior and perception, and can furthermore impact experience creation. In an international tourism context then, it is vital to understand culture (De Mooij & Hofstede, 2010), in order to recognise what tourists from various countries emphasise in their holiday experience. People's valuation of nature-based experiences, their motivation for taking part in them, and their preference for activities are therefore likely to differ according to ethnic group and cultural background. Providers and marketers of experiences are stakeholders in an international market, and from a managerial point of view the challenge is therefore to know the guests' preferences. Nevertheless, adapting to the guests' needs and wants might not be easy, as experiences are individually perceived and socially consumed. In practice, knowledge of nature-based tourists' national characteristics can result in managerial tools that guide adaptation of nature-based experiences to international tourist demands.  

Zara in China Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Zara in China - Term Paper Example As the essay highlights Zara is a world renowned fashion retailer based in Spain. It was founded in 1975 and since then the company has grown substantially. The company is regarded as a great success story as it has made itself an international brand over a few decades. The unique thing about Zara is that it rejects the industry trends by investing no money in advertisements. The company focuses on low cost strategy by providing fashion garments and accessories to everyone. The target market of the company is not only the rich people. In contrast company has made fashion within the reach of everyone.This paper discusses that the company has up till now refused to follow the market trend of outsourcing its production to low cost developing countries. By doing this fashion retailers attempt to save costs but Zara believes that providing customers with latest fashion products in the fastest possible time. Zara is known for providing a new product to the customers within 2 weeks while th e industry average is about six months. This shows how efficient the supply chain of Zara is compared to other retailers in the industry. The vertical integration helps Zara control its supply chain and this makes it possible for the company to stay ahead of the trends. The company has audacious growth plans for future.  Zara entered the Chinese market in 2006 and since then the company has grown substantially in the country. Zara has 91 stores in China and the company is planning to open more stores in future.... This shows how efficient the supply chain of Zara is compared to other retailers in the industry. The vertical integration helps Zara control its supply chain and this makes it possible for the company to stay ahead of the trends. The company has audacious growth plans for future. Operations of Zara in China Zara entered the Chinese market in 2006 and since then the company has grown substantially in the country. Zara has 91 stores in China and the company is planning to open more stores in future. China is a huge market for the company given the population of the country is 1.2 billion people. But still most companies do not enter China due to strict regulations and lower standards of living. Zara on the other hand entered China and has shown tremendous success because the company was able to attract the middle class population of the country. As mentioned earlier Zara does not believe in extremely expensive garments rather it is known for its new fashion and cost effectiveness. Wit h this business model Zara was able to capture the market of China. The company aims at opening more stores in future in the country as well. The domestic consumption of the country is increasing and people are getting more and more aware daily about the new fashion trends. This is why it is expected that fashion retail giant will continue to pursue its expansion policy in China as well. Stores of Zara are mostly seen overcrowded which shows the potential of Chinese markets (Xinhua 1). The urban middle class of China is multiplying at a great pace and this means that more and more people are demanding fashion products. Zara is the right choice for them because of the cost related advantages the fashion retailer offers. Objectives of Zara in China The

The success of Aldi Essay Example for Free

The success of Aldi Essay Executive summary This report presents the current situation of UK supermarket especially Aldi by the PESTLE analysis, and the economic, social and technological are the main factors affecting the performance of supermarkets nowadays. For instance the unemployment rate, technology used and current trend. There is also a case study on Aldi, explaining the strategies used by Aldi, reducing cost to achieve its goal of providing both value and quality to the customers. Lastly, the report also distinguish that Aldi is applying the rational goal model, as Aldi has a clear goal and emphasis on the efficiency, and how the systematic working method of Aldi helps itself to reach the success. 1.0 Introduction In recent years, the whole UK grocery market are stretching continuously, about 4% bigger than a years ago(Supermarkets in the UK: Market Research, 2013). Aldi is one of the British ‘big four’ supermarkets in UK. It was started in 1913 as a family grocery business in Essen. In 1946, brothers Karl Albrecht and Theo Albrecht took over the business from their mother. Aldi is a supermarket flaunts low prices as its name Albrecht-Discount, and the mission statement of Aldi is†Incredible value everyday†. There are 512 stores in the UK, and over 7,600 worldwide. Aldi has increased its sales 32.7% year for the 12 weeks before September 15th (The Grocer, 24th September 2013). In this report, we’re going to use the PESTLE analysis to study the factors affecting the UK supermarket industry and especially Aldi, the approaches used by Aldi to gain the competitive advantage and the model of management of Aldi’s approach and discuss how the culture supports its strategies and lead to the success. 2.0 PESTLE Analysis PESTLE Analysis is a tool for people to understand the industry situation,  PESTLE stands for â€Å"Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental† factors. In the following, we will focus on the economic, social and technological factors( Boddy, D. and Paton, S.,2002). 2.1 Economic factors In 2013, UK is on the path of recovery. It is expected in the second half of 2014, the economy of UK will exceed the peak in 2008. It also says that the UKs GDP is now set to grow by 2.7% in 2014, an upgrade from a previous prediction of 2.2% as per data by BBC (British Chambers of Commerce) (Kern, 2013). Also, The European Central Bank has cut its inflation forecast for 2014, from 1.3 per cent to 1.1per cent (Yaker, 2013). For the unemployment rate, it stands at 7.4% down 0.3% on the quarter and 0.5% down over the year. The number of people employed was 250,000 higher this quarter and 485,000 higher than last year (HRM Guide, 2013). All the above changes and prediction of the economy are the considerations of Aldi, as they will affect the prices, demand, supply and finally the profit of supermarkets. Especially the unemployment rate, as people will have less disposable income when they have no jobs, they would then lower the demand on some leisure goods, for instance the snacks. In case of Aldi, as Aldi is aim at providing a cheaper price compare with its competitors, therefore the sale of Aldi will rise on the country as the unemployed will consider more on the price when they are in limited budget. 2.2 Social factors The British are more concern about healthy in recent years, there are concerns on organic food. People may rather consume an organic product with a higher price than an artificial stuff with lower price. And Aldi did catch on this trend and establish a product line called â€Å"Fit and Active† and organic toddler products to meet the recent needs of customers. There is also demographic problem of aging population in UK, leading to a paucity of labour in the supermarket as most low level work in supermarket require physical power and the elderly are not suitable for these. Aldi also focus on corporate social responsibility, they cooperate with many charities, for example, in 2011 Barnardo’s was Aldi’s charity of the year (The Times 100, 2013). 2.3 Technological factors Technology used by supermarkets will highly influence the efficiency of a supermarket. Most of the work in the supermarket are more or less the same and process daily, for example transportation of goods, storage, distribution system, packaging, etc. Much time can be saved if technology are developed for this simple but repeating tasks. For Aldi, their stores use the technologies like, intelligent scale, Wireless devices, Electronic shelf labeling, Radio Frequency Identification(RFID), and self-check-out machine (Gill, 2013). RFID technology is used to protect the warehouses, through the system, only people with the RFID tag will be allowed to go into the warehouses. 3.0 Strategies of Aldi All the customers want a product in the lowest price whilst possessing the highest quality. Aldi understand what customers need and offer them quality products at competitive prices. In some cases Aldi’s product are 30% cheaper than those offered by its competitors (The Time 100, 2013). According to the article(Competitive advantage through efficiency), The Time 100, the strategy used by Aldi is cost leadership strategy. This is an approach that the business eager to provide the lowest price among the market and this is achieved by cutting the cost without affecting the quality of goods which means it antagonizes with the competitors by price. Aldi is mainly based on the lean thinking principle to operate the business. The rule of lean production is getting more from less. In other words, using least resources to provide the largest amount of goods and services. Firstly, the time based management of Aldi. This is an approach aim at minimize the time the used in managing the business. In the supply chain,  Aldi will minimize the cost and time of delivery by getting most of the resources(fruit and vegetables) locally. Also, the approach is also implicated to the staffs of Aldi. The staffs of Aldi are trained to do variety of works, the multi-skilled staffs are able to lower the cost on employment of Aldi as they are able to perform different tasks. Different from the competitors, the opening hour of Aldi is regularly 8am to 8pm from Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, but not open for 24hours. This action is able to cut the cost of Aldi, as expenditure on light, wages, etc also need to be spend during the wee hours and the sale on those hours must be less than the day time. Secondly, the just-in-time approach applies on stock storage mentioned in the article. Aldi only holds the stock that it needs. As the expenditure of warehouses is high and therefore the cost on renting a warehouse and staffs on managing of the warehouse can be saved. In addition, Aldi’s products are delivered in display ready cases. Cost on managing the products can also be reduced. Aldi pays much effort on reducing costs and eliminating waste, applies the principle of lean thinking in every minutiae. Aldi is fully achieved its core purpose â€Å"Provide value and quality to our customers by being fair and efficient in all we do†. All Aldi have done is able to reduce the cost and turn out offering a lower price than its competitors, gain the reputation from customers. 4.0 Model of management of Aldi The rational goal model is the best model of management to represent Aldi’s management approach. This is an approach about an organization maximize its own capability to reach the goal. There is a clear direction of operating Aldi, offering the â€Å"happy price† to the customers. And Aldi has carry out a lot of practices in order to minimize the cost on operating the supermarket. There are different approaches throughout the whole process, from supply, delivery, grounding to packing. Every staff of Aldi is employed carefully, they should have enough capability to handle any task and duties of the day, they are trained to follow defined procedures. They are a group of flexible workforce to Aldi. The staffs of Aldi also receive a relatively high salary compare with other supermarkets and variety type of jobs enable employees to have high incentive to work. Apart from the skilled staffs, the measures of Aldi also bring itself to an upper level. These factors make Aldi processes in a high level of efficiency and productivity. The culture of Aldi is carrying out the scientific management. There are systematic working methods throughout every process as discussed above. Also, the business decisions are all made by the managers of Aldi, the employees only need to follow the defined procedures. There are a clear hierarchy among the employees. The employees have low-involvement employment relationship. This culture of Aldi can shorten the time of decision making as the decisions are only made by managers. In addition, there will lead to a quick reaction to the society changes for example the organic products cooperate to the health trend nowadays. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the performance of a supermarket can be influenced by many factors, and most of the factors cannot be anticipated especially the economic factors, for instance the unemployment rate and inflation rate. For the social factors, the recent trend will affect the products sold by supermarket, for example the organic line of Aldi. And the technological factors, technology is able to improve the efficiency of the supermarket as most of the tasks in a supermarket are simple and repeating. The strategies used by Aldi are eliminating waste to reduce the cost of production in order to offer the lowest price to the customers. For example the approaches used in the supply chain, staffs and the opening hours. All of these help Aldi to achieve its goal. Next, Aldi is operating in rational goal model as Aldi has a clear goal, emphasis on the productivity and efficiency. In addition, the culture of Aldi, systematic working methods is helping Aldi to further achieve its strategies. Reference list 1. Boddy, D. and Paton, S.(2002) Management an Introduction. 5th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited 2002, 2011 2. Barnat, R. (no date) Strategic Management: Formulation and Implementation Available at: http://www.strategic-control.24xls.com/en125 (Accessed: 16 January 2014) 3. Cost Leadership Strategy (no date) Available at: http://www.ecofine.com/strategy/cost%20leadership.htm (Accessed: 16 Jaunary 2014) 4. UK Unemployment (no date) Available at: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/jobmarket/unemployment.htm (Accessed: 15 January 2014) 5. Competitive advantage through efficiency (2013) Available at: www.thetimes100.co.uk (Accessed: 8 Jaunary 2014) 6. Prescott, R. (2013) The top 9 UK supermarkets in 2013 Available at: http://www.foodbev.com/news/the-top-9-uk-supermarkets#.UuBk9XmJMUt (Accessed: 12 January 2014) 7. Supermarkets in the UK: Market Research (2013) Available at: http://www.ibisworld.co.uk/market-research/supermarkets.html (Accessed: 12 January 2014) 8. Vizard, S. (2014) ‘Sainsbury’s Christmas marketing buzz fails to translate into sales’ Available at: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk (Accessed: 11 January 2014) 9. Gough, R. (2013) INTO UEA Diploma Business Lecture Notes, Autumn 2013 10. Aldi Homepage (no date) Available at: https://www.aldi.co.uk (Accessed: 3 January 2014)

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified?

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified? In advancing into this essay, I shall discuss the history of prohibition of torture, the Utilitarian approach to torture which would include arguments and debates in favour of justification of torture by taking account of the ticking bomb hypothetical, a case study of Guantanamo Bay and the result of torturing terrorist suspects in recent times. This essay would also examine the deontology approach to torture and make recommendations on other means of getting information and truths from terrorist suspects. BACKGROUND TO PROHIBITION ON TORTURE Torture and other cruel or inhumane treatment has been internationally outlawed since the end of the Second World War and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that No one shall be subjected torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It allows for no exceptions under any circumstances. This prohibition can also be found in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights, Article 5 (2) of the American Convention on Human Rights which are both binding on the United States. In addition, Geneva Conventions III, IV and Optional Protocol I in Articles 17, 32 and 75(2) respectively prohibits physical or mental torture and any forms of coercion against a prisoner of war, they also prohibits an occupying power from torturing any protected persons and torture of all kinds and any other outrages on personal dignity, against anyone under any situation. Also the 1984 Convention against Torture takes these general duties and conventions and codifies them into a more specific rule. It criminalizes torture and tries to prevent any exemptions for torturers by disallowing his access to every possible refuge. The convention states categorically that there will be no circumstances peace time, war time, or even war against terror where torture would be permissible. Importantly even before September 11, the International Convention Against Torture (Art 2.2) states that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. The word torture is clearly a subject matter in which International Law is clear about. It does not matter who the person or persons involved are whether criminals, combatants, members of the Taliban or terrorist suspects, the rule is torture is not permissible for any reason. Anyone who threatens or participates in torture would be treated as a criminal before the law. Sands (2004: 208) furthermore explained that absolute prohibition is related to a second set of rules that deals with the status of the terrorists- whether they are to be treated as combatants or criminals. If he is a member of a regular armed force then he is a combatant and must be treated as such and is entitled to protection under International Humanitarian Law. But if he is a member of an Insurgency group such as Al- Qaeda, who is thought to have planned or is planning a suicide attack, International Law regards such people as criminals. The United States, Britain and over a hundred states support this approach. The 1997 International Convention for the suppression of Terrorist Bombings followed that analysis and made it a criminal offence to attack a government structure or facility, a public place or a state with the aim of causing death or damage. State parties to the 1997 Convention have consented to subject anyone who is thought to have been involved in terrorist activities to criminal procedure, by either prosecuting them or extraditing them to another state that will eventually prosecute them. The convention explicitly guarantees fair treatment to anyone who is taken into custody under its provisions which includes rights provided both under the International Humanitarian Law and the International Human Rights Law. Unfortunately, Lawyers in the Department of Justice and in the administration of President Bush had provided detailed legal advice to the US government on International Torture Rules. According to Sands (2005:205) they suggested that interrogation practices could be defined without mentioning the constraints placed on the United States as a result of its international obligations and that so long the practice was in accordance with the US law, it would be fine. This advice categorically ignored the 1984 Convention against Torture and all other international treaties and rules in which the US was bound. It plainly ignored the prohibition against torture in all circumstances, definition of torture, the classification of detainees either to be combatants entitled to prisoner of war status or criminals. Sands (2005: 222)notes the following: Over time a great deal more information will emerge. But even at this stage it seems pretty clear that the legal minds which created Bushs doctrine of preemption in the use of force and established the procedures at the Guantanamo detention camp led directly to an environment in which the monstrous images from Abu Ghraib could be created. Disdain for global rules underpins the whole enterprise. The deontologist-utilitarian debate over torture provides a useful background and reflects common reasoning when faced with this dilemma. Our immediate focus is on the inhumanity of torture (emphasized by deontologists) and the numerically greater threat to innocent people (emphasized by utilitarianism). However, the situation is presented deceptively simply; the next section will examine its flaws. THE DEONTOLOGY APPROACH AND ARGUEMENTS AGAINST TORTURE Deontology would appear to prohibit torture in all cases. This approach invoking Kant as the traditional torchbearer of this approach, Kay (1997:1) describes Kants theory as an example of a deontological or duty-based ethics: it judges morality by exploring the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than goals achieved. Roughly, a deontological theory looks at input rather than result. Kay (1997:1) noted that this is not to say that Kant did not care about the outcomes of our actionswe all wish for good things. Rather Kant insisted that as far as the moral evaluation of our actions was concerned, consequences did not matter. Deontologism is an approach which seeks to create universal rules for the morality of human action; its ideas of common humanity and fundamental human rights were very influential in the banning of torture. (Turner, 2005: 7, 15) Kants deontological approach creates two universal rules by which moral questions can be addressed: Act as though the maxim of your action were by your will to become a universal law of nature, and Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. (in Turner, 2005: 14) Under the first rule, the act of torture cannot be justified as we would not accept it being universalized and potentially used against ourselves. Under the second, torture is wrong because torturing a person for information is to use them as a means only. (Turner, 2005: 15) Thus Kants logic leads to the conclusion that torture cannot be justified under any circumstances. The individual who chooses not to torture makes the correct moral decision regarding their actions despite the terrible consequences that might result. By torturing a captive, we are treating him as a means only (towards the acquisition of information) as he is definitely not being treated in a way to which he would consent. Torture fails to respect him and treat him inhumanely. Kershnar (1999; 47) believes in some cases utilitarianism would support torture and that because Kantian deontologists would, in all cases, reject it, torture has the position of being a very interesting concept for ethical inquiry. People no doubt have their commitments to utilitarianism or deontology but, given the conflict, there is at least something to talk about and some debate within which to advance opinion to maintain one conclusion or the other. Posner (2004:296) clearly states that if legal regulations are propagated authorizing torture in definite situations, officials are bound to want to explore the outer limits of the rules and practise, once it were thus regularized, it would likely become a norm, in other words, taking an extra step outside the approved situation which would result in abuse of the system. THE UTILITARIAN APPROACH AND DEBATES JUSTIFYING TORTURE The utilitarian approach to torture according to Fritz (2005: 107) argues that the right action is the one, out of those available to the agent, that makes the best use of total aggregate happiness. We might to a certain extent simply imagine a situation in which the disutility of torturing a captive (his pain, the discomfort of the torturer, expense, permanent effects to both, chance of negative events causally connected to torture, etc.) is outweighed, or even dramatically outweighed, by the utility of torture (information is provided that saves many lives and therefore acquires all of the associative utilities). This utilitarian approach is exemplified by one of the most controversial debates on torture which is the ticking time-bomb scenario. This scenario has been thoroughly discussed by Michael Levin and Alan Dershowitz (2002:150) where they have both argued that torture is obviously justified when it is the only way to prevent a serious and impending threat and must regulated by a judicial warrant requirement. The ticking bomb hypothetical tries as much as possible to depict torture as an exception in an emergency. This scenario arises where law enforcement officials have detained a person who supposedly knows the location of a bomb set to explode, but who refuses to disclose this information. Officials could apply to a judge for a torture warrant based on the absolute need to immediately obtain information which will save lives. In other words to avert a greater evil, a lesser evil needs to be done. Another school of thought under the utilitarian approach proposes retaining absolute ban on torture while executing off book torture (ex post). Gross (2004:238) argues that in exceptional situations officials must step outside the legal structure and act extra-legally and be ready to accept the legal implication of their acts, with the likelihood that extra-legal acts may be legally (if not morally) excused ex post. Elshtain(200: 77) in the same way advised that in conditions where we suppose that a suspect might have crucial information, it is usually better to act with harsh inevitability. To condemn torture is to lapse into pietistic rigour in which moral torture of terrorist suspects purity is ranked over all other goods. The primary justification for the torture warrant proposal is that it is compulsory to protect the public. On this view Saul (2004:657) notes that violating the human rights of the individual is essential to safeguard the human rights of the many. Without considering if the information extracted from a tortured terrorist suspect is relevant or not, evidence obtained under torture is inadmissible in court under Article 15 of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984). Article 15 reads: Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made. Dershowitz is of the opinion that there should be an exception to torture which would justify the actions of interrogators as essential to avert greater evil to world. To him, it made no difference whether cases are real or imagined; all that matters is the theorys commitment to the moral obligation to torture in cases of imminent evil. Perhaps the general adherence to the rule torture is wrong is more likely than its negation to maximize happiness. Dershowitzs proposal was fortified by Fritz Allhoff in his article Terrorism and Torture Fritz (2005:17) concluded that: The conditions necessary to justify torture are: the use of torture aims at acquisition of information, the captive is reasonably thought to have the relevant information, the information corresponds to a significant and imminent threat, and the information could likely lead to the prevention of the threat. If all four of these conditions are satisfied, then torture would be morally permissible. Efforts to justify torture are often accompanied by rejection of any adverse physical condition effects of the selected torture methods used by interrogators. The ticking bomb scenario makes for great philosophical dialogue, but it rarely arises in real life, at least not in a way that avoids opening the door to persistent torture. In fact, interrogators hardly ever learn that a suspect in custody knows of a particular, impending terrorist bombing. Intelligence and information is rarely if ever good enough to display a particular suspects knowledge of an imminent attack. Instead, interrogators tend to use inferred evidence to show such knowledge, such as someones relationship with or apparent membership in a terrorist group. Moreover, the ticking bomb scenario is a dangerously expansive metaphor capable of embracing anyone who might have knowledge not just of imminent attacks but also of attacks at undetermined future times. After all, why are the victims of only an imminent terrorist attack deserving of protection by torture and mistreatment? Why not also use such coercion to prevent a terrorist attack tomorrow or next week or next year? And once the taboo against torture and mistreatment is broken, why stop with the alleged terrorists themselves? Why not also torture and abuse their families or associates or anyone who might provide lifesaving information? Dershowitzs arguments were faulted by Saul (2004:659) for various reasons which include the threshold of suspicion whereby it is unfeasible for law enforcement officials or judges to know with any legally acceptable height of conviction that the suspect actually possesses the intelligence and information, or whether the suspect is in anyway involved with a terrorist activity. Dershowitzs standard of probable cause is much lesser than the benchmark of evidence essential in a criminal case which requires that you can proof beyond reasonable doubt and more relaxed than the civil benchmark that is based on the balance of possibility. This means that a person may be tortured because of unproven evidence which still poses a risk that countless innocent people will be tortured. Saul (2004:659) notes that the uncomfortable probability of collateral damage is poorly dealt with by Dershowitz. Officials are faced with multiple unknown variables, including the existence of a bomb, interval of bomb explosions, the chances of neutralizing it, the identity of the terrorist suspect, the probability of the suspect being knowledgeable about the explosion, and the truthfulness intelligence gathered from the suspect. Speculation, guesswork, and supposition will unavoidably play a part in law enforcement judgments at every level due to the fact that accuracy of the information is not certain. The Geneva Convention IV (art3 (1)(a), for example, require that a person be definitely suspected of threatening State security before exceptional powers can be implemented. Saul (2004:1) believes that the border for error drastically multiplies in the pre-trial phase, where any available evidence is imperfect and unproven. The atmosphere of tragedy and emergency surrounding the incident may encourage errors, inaccuracy or dependence on weak evidence, by law enforcement agencies and courts under pressure which may eventually produce false results. Another major fault noted by Saul(2004:1) is the threshold of anticipated harm in which he seeks to question how many lives justify torture. Dershowitz limits his torture warrant proposal to the much-fantasized ticking bomb scenario. But he still acknowledges that very rare cases of actual ticking bomb scenarios have ever taken place. Benvenist(1997) try to give a concrete Israeli example, but the harm averted was the prevention of the killing of a single kidnapped Israeli soldier which is not even close to the exemplary ticking bomb case hyperbolically referred to by Dershowitz as involving the prevention of thousands civilian deaths. Apart from trying to prevent thousands of deaths, Dershowitz provides few parameters for the ticking bomb scenario. How dangerous must a bomb be before torture is justifiable? Does it only refer to weapons of mass destruction, or also conventional weapons? Is the danger supposed to be quantified by the number of lives threatened as Dershowitz appears to suggest? If so, how many thousands must be at risk before torture should proceed, and why is it thousands rather than hundreds of people, or less? What if the bomb causes major economic loss, but does not actually kill people? It is certainly very difficult to identify a ticking bomb scenario or to place limits on the utilitarian calculation necessarily involved in torturing one to save many. The Isreali Supreme Court (1999) noted that the so called necessity defence could not be justified and prohibition of Torture is absolute and there is no room for balancing. Dershowitzs argument is built largely on faith that forcing torture into the open would reduce its use. Furthermore, given the decentralized nature of modern terrorism, it might be possible for law enforcement agents to dispute or conclude that every suspected terrorist act can be likened to ticking bomb, thereby justifying widespread preventive torture. A terrorist is likely to target any location, within an unknown time interval, causing an indefinite number of casualties. There has not been any particular set of rules guarding issue of torture warrants to immediate ticking bomb scenarios. Torture warrants is open to flexible interpretation of the probable and expected harm to be done by the strike of terrorist suspects. Dershowitz also appears to emphasize that the consent of a democratic public are relevant to the justifiability of torture in a particular case and that torture should not be ruled out universally. In reality, we can say that torture has not been seen to give excellent intelligence and results. This would be discussed in the next section. RESULT OF TORTURING TERRORISTS IN RECENT TIMES The issue of the efficiency of torture is complicated to conclude, since there are minute consistent and trustworthy facts accessible on the number of terrorists that have been tortured and of this number, how many offered information or intelligence that was subsequently useful in preventing deaths and a greater evil or gratifying the reason for conducting the interrogation. As a result of this we can say that torture has done more harm than good and its outcome over time has not been tangible enough to justify it. Payes and Mazzetti (2004:A1) reported that in July 2004, an Army investigation of detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed ninety-four cases of alleged abuse, as well as thirty-nine deaths in U.S. detention. Twenty of the deaths were suspected homicides. The military was reported to have probed into, fifty-eight deaths in Iraq, which comprising nine cases of justifiable homicide, seven homicides, and twenty-one deaths from natural or undecided causes. In one case of a detainee death, several soldiers have been charged with abuse rather than homicide due to inadequate evidence. In a different case, two soldiers were charged with intended murder. (Eric Schmitt, 2004:A7). He also reports that a Navy SEAL, whose identity has not been released, is being court-marshalled in connection with the beating of Manadel Jamadi, who was later killed, allegedly by CIA interrogators, in Abu Ghraib (and who was photo-graphed there, packed in ice). Realistically, the abuses of detainees at Abu Ghraib, Baghram, and Guantanamo pale by comparison with the death, maiming, and suffering in collateral damage during the Afghan and Iraq wars. Bombs crush limbs and burn peoples faces off; nothing even remotely as horrifying has been reported in American prisoner abuse cases. Yet as much as we may regret or in some cases decry the wartime suffering of innocents, we do not seem to regard it with the special abhorrence that we do torture (Luban 2005:5) Accounts have been given according to Wall Street Journal (2005: A16) which accuses United States interrogators to have used various interrogative techniques ranging from water boarding which was agreed to be most coercive technique ever actually authorised by U.S officials involves the submerging of victims face in water or wrapping it in a wet towel stirring up drowning feelings. Luban (2005:12) sees the principal scenery for torture to always be military triumph. In which the conqueror captures the enemy and tortures him. Torture to an illiberal state as he is noted is not only to get and an extract information and intelligence but also to humiliate the loser, to terrorize the victim to submission and to punish the suspect. Whereas Torture to a liberal state is a tool used to gather or extract information and intelligence from a suspect who has refused to disclose information. This may seem to be the same with torture used by an illiberal state to extract confession but the fundamental variation lies in the reality that confession is retrospective as it concentrates on acts of the past while intelligence gathering is futuristic as it aims to gain information to avert prospect evils. Moreover, coercive interrogation creates a less safe environment by effectively preventing criminal prosecution of the detainees. Once a confession is gotten forcefully, it becomes extremely difficult to prove, as due process requires, that a subsequent prosecution of the suspect is free of coercion. As a result, Jehl(2005) believes that the Bush administration finds itself holding some suspects who clearly have joined terrorist conspiracies and might have been criminally convicted and subjected to long prison terms, but against whom prosecution has become unfeasible. In February 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began to worry openly about the problem. What happens, it worried, when continuing to detain suspects without trial becomes politically untenable, but prosecuting them is legally impossible because of taint from coercive interrogation? Slippery slope arguments also address the wider implications of justifying torture. They are concerned with the gap between theory and practice; arguing that the theoretical limits imposed upon the use of torture would never work in practice. It is well documented that torture spreads from one class of prisoner to others, from one type of treatment to harsher types, and from one emergency situation to routine use. (Shue, 1978: 141; Saul, 2005: 3; Pfiffner, 2005: 21) The Israeli experience demonstrates these dangers. In 1987, the Landau Commission advised that coercive interrogation of Palestinian terror suspects should be legalised in extreme cases. For moderate physical pressure to be used the interrogators would have to demonstrate a necessity such as a ticking bomb situation. (BTselem, 2006) However, by 1999, the evidence that this ruling was being abused had become so overwhelming that the practice was outlawed by the Supreme Court. (Bowden, 2003) It was estimated that during this period 66% to 85% of all Palestinian suspects were ill-treated and that in many cases this amounted to torture. Supposed ticking bomb cases were pursued on weekdays but were not severe enough to warrant weekend interrogation; torture had become routine, systematic, and institutionalized (BTselem, 2006). Though returning to a complete ban, the legal repercussions for potential torturers are able to act as a deterrent. Another consequence that is little considered is the impact that becoming a torturer would have on the individual responsible. Torture is not possible without the brutalisation of the torturer; you must lose your soul if you are to save the victims. (Pfiffner, 2005: 20; Meyer, 2005) To torture requires us to overcome our socially conditioned abhorrence of violence and to accept the psychological repercussions. Shue argues that torture carries a much greater moral stigma (and therefore requires greater brutalisation) than killing in war, for example, as it constitutes an act of violence against an entirely defenceless being. (Shue, 1978: 130) The argument for legally sanctioned torture in some situations overlooks the secondary source of suffering it requires; the harmful psychological and social consequences endured by people who must train in and practice torture. To require this of someone is morally very problematic. A further adverse consequence of allowing torture in some cases is the impact it would have upon the judicial system. The US has experienced this problem in relation to its practice of extraordinary rendition. Secretly sending suspects for interrogation in countries known to use torture may occasionally provide useful information but torture evidence cannot be used in any reputable court. US government refusal to allow some of its prisoners to testify in criminal trials has led many to believe that the US is hiding the evidence of torture. As a result, the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in relation to the 9/11 attacks was stalled for four years and, in 2004, Mounir Motassadeq, the first person to be convicted of planning the attacks, had his sentence overturned because the allowable evidence against him was too weak. (Meyer, 2005) CONCLUSION Dorfman(2004: 17) expressed his opinion by saying I can only pray that humanity will have the courage to say no, no to torture, no to torture under any circumstance, no to torture no matter who the enemy, what the accusation what sort of fear we habor, no to torture, no matter what kind of threat is posed to our safety, no to torture anytime, anywhere, no to torturing anyone- no to torture. Torturing terrorists is a cruelty in which many prefer not to be faced with in the media. Some will counter it, some will openly justify it, and others will secretly go along with it providing that it is not sadistic and serves a useful, although unheralded, early-warning function in the war on terrorism. Those arguing for the justification of torture on terrorist suspects say it has helped prevent attacks. This cannot be asserted as evidence is unreliable and subjectively sketchy In all likelihood, Dershowitzs proposals will remain only proposals and Allhoffs arguments, as convincing as they seem, will not change existing laws. If Deshowitzs proposal works, then judges would oversee the permission to torture while politicians pick judges. If politicians accept torture, judges would accept as well. Though we cannot be sure of the accurate motivation of the terrorists, one thing we know for sure is that violations of human rights and gathering of information through torture will not extinguish the threat they pose. Justifying torture is just replacing a respect for human dignity with an accommodating, excusatory retort to abuse. The ticking bomb case provides perhaps the most convincing justification for torture that we have, the erosion of the torture prohibition that could be caused by justifying and legalising the practice, and the slippery slope from exceptional to routine use of torture, would have very wide implications and could lead to the torture of many individuals across the world. There would undoubtedly be innocent victims faced with long-term suffering as a result, and these victims would include those required to carry out torture. Further, the use of torture makes it impossible to use any evidence collected in a criminal trial and the US has already begun to see key suspects being acquitted as a result. These arguments lead me to believe that torture is unjustifiable, even in extreme cases. However, because the immediate choice is so difficult and because the person making it is possesses human emotions and instincts, I would not absolutely condemn the decision to torture provided it was made in an emergency situation and with the correct intention. To make prior judgment that torture is justified in some circumstances is dangerous and wrong torture must be prosecuted as a crime wherever it occurs. However, it is also important to recognize the mitigating circumstances when it occurs.

Impact of Globalization on Mexican Culture and Identity Essay -- Mexic

The ethnic- Mexican experience has changed over the years as American has progressed through certain period of times, e.g., the modernity and transformation of the southwest in the late 19th and early 20th century, the labor demands and shifting of U.S. immigration policy in the 20th century, and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Through these events Mexican Americans have established and shaped their culture, in order, to negotiate these precarious social and historical circumstances. Throughout the ethnic Mexicans cultural history in the United States, conflict and contradiction has played a key role in shaping their modalities of life. Beginning in the late 20th century and early 21st century ethnic Mexicans have come under distress from the force of globalization. Globalization has followed the trends of conflict and contradiction forcing ethnic Mexicans to adjust their culture and combat this force. While Mexican Americans are in the struggle against globalization and the impac t it has had on their lives, e.g., unemployment more common, wages below the poverty line, globalization has had a larger impact on their motherland having devastating affects unlike anything in history. Globalization has taken over the role of shaping the ethnic-Mexican culture. Globalization is the force that is establishing the divides of conflict and contradiction. Of course to pursue further this understanding of globalization’s effects we must first understand what exactly globalization is. According to Merriam-Webster, globalization is the act or process of globalizing, the state of being globalized, especially, the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping ... ...l unlike the Americans in the war. Globalization is affecting the whole globe and doing the same things throughout the world, as it tries to create uniform culture. Ultimately, Globalization is a powerful force which will try to deprive lesser nations of their culture and identities. However, culture is a powerful force which allows for the contradictions and conflict faced between the globalizing world to be solved and answered. With culture ethnic-Mexicans are able to remain who they are, a rich, diverse culture with a long history. The one positive of globalization has been the ability of cultures to share their greatness with others and spread about the world. However, this comes with caution, as cultures sometimes battle for dominance in an area. Globalization is good for some, terrible for others, but through culture people are able to maintain their identi

14 Elements Of A Successful Safety & Health Program :: essays research papers

Element 1: Hazard Recognition, Evaluation and Control. Establishing and maintaining safe and healthful conditions required indenifing hazards, evaluating their pontential effects, developing ways to eliminate or control them and planning action priorities.This process is the essence of successful safety and health management. Element 2:Workplace Design and Engineering Safety and health issues are most easily and economically addressed when facilities, processes and equipment are being designed. Organizations must incorporate safety into workplace design, production processes and selection.They also need to evaluate and modify or replace exisiting processes, equipment and facilities to make them safer. We explore how the design and function of the workplace can complement safety and health goals, minimize exposure to hazards and promote safe practices. Element 3: Safety Performance Management As in all areas of operations, standards must be set for safety performance. They should reflect applicable regulatory requirements, additional voluntary guidelines and best business practices. We describe how managers, supervisors and employees can be made responsible and held accountable for meeting standards within their control. We look at how job performance appraisals can reflect performance in safety and health, as well as in other areas. Element 4: Regulatory Compliance Management The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and state safety and health agencies establish and enforce safety and health regulations.Other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, also issue and enforce regulations relating to safety and health in the United States. We discuss key aspects of international regulations in the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Staying informed about and complying with regulations are essential goals of safety and health programs.We also look briefly at conducting regulatory compliance inspections. Element 5: Occupational Health Occupational health programs range from the simple to the complex. At a minimun, such programs address the immediate needs of injured or ill employees by providing first aid and responce to emergencies. More elaborate medical services may incude medical surveillance programs and provision for an in-house medical capability. In addition, some companies are beginning to focus on off-the-job safety and health through employee wellness and similar programs. ELEMENT 6: Information Collection Safety and health activities, including inspections, record keeping, industrial hygine surveys and other occupational health assessments, injury/illness/incident investigations and performance reviews, produce a large quantity of data. Safety and health professionals must collect and analyze this data. Small incidents often provide early warning of more serious safety or health problems. Complete and accurate records can be used to identify hazards, measure safety performance and improvement, and through analyses, help identify patterns. ELEMENT 7: Employee Involvement Design and engineering controls are limited in their ability to reduce hazards. Companies now understand that their real

Key Business Issues Relating to Best Value Management

The â€Å"Key Business Issues Relating to Best Value Management and Strategic Development in the Housing/Regeneration Industry & New Business and Asset Management† are inclusive of what is termed â€Å"Best Value†. In the Housing Industry the 4Cs of best value are applied to every review. The four â€Å"Cs† are: (1) Challenging why and how a service is being provided; (2) comparing performance with the performance of others in the industry; (3) embrace of fair competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services; (4) consulting with local taxpayers, customers and the wider business community. Under the Best Value standard, local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to â€Å"secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.† (What is Best Value?, 2006) Best Value is defined as â€Å"providing local people what they want, when they want it, at a price they are willing and able to pay. It's also about being imaginative in how local needs are met.† (What is Best Value?, 2006) Other principles of Best Value are stated to include: Being accountable to local people. They have to listen to and consult the people they are there to serve. They have to report regularly on what they have achieved and what they are planning. Looking to continuously improve. Sometimes this will come through many small changes, sometimes through larger changes when the existing service is fundamentally challenged. Setting targets and publicly reporting achievement against them. Cutting across departmental boundaries, rather than just looking at services individually. Councils can also work with other local agencies to tackle issues beyond the reach of a single service and need co-operative working with partner bodies. Developing partnerships with the private sector, with communities and agencies, and between authorities. These partnerships will be able to review services jointly, develop local plans, acting together to achieve local outcomes, and provide services in some cases. Being open about service delivery. Councils shouldn't assume that they should deliver activities if other more efficient and effective means are available. This is not to say however that authorities must contract their services out – what matters is what works best for delivering services to the community, so an open mind is needed. (What is Best Value?, 2006) PART A – Critical Review of the Existing Key Business Issues Related to Best Value Management and Strategic Development in the Housing Management, Regeneration, New business and Asset Management Industry. In the assessment of DHA the comments provided by the inspecting agency were in the areas of the following which require improvement: (1)Effective Financial and Corporate Governance; (2)Asset management, including repairs and response management; (3)Reinvestment in Current Stock to meet the Decent Home Standards; (4)Poor procurement and project management systems; (7)High levels of social behavior and poor neighborhood communities. According to the standards of ‘Best Practice' in this industry accountability to the local people is considered critical. It is necessary that Dante Housing Association ‘listen' to the residents; it is critical that Dante Housing Association ‘consult' with the residents; and it is critical that Dante Housing Association ‘report' on a ‘regular basis' to the residents and inform them what plans are in process. All of these actions herein stated fall directly in line with numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and are associated with number 7 of the problem areas that must be focused on in the six months allotted for Dante Housing Association, hereafter referred to as DHA to make the necessary changes and improvements. In fact, the continuous view toward improvement is necessary to be instituted into the principles and practices of DHA so it is important that this perspective and standard be initiated into all aspects of improvement toward which this report is focused. The regular reporting and accounting publicly is critical as well in the process of instituting ‘Best Value' standards for DHA because to meet the goals that are set for DHA is not enough, because without reporting of these goals and their achievement publicly then the public will not be aware of what DHA is doing and may assume that DHA is doing nothing. DHA must institute a principle of collaboration across boundaries both within and outside of DHA in order to attain the best prices, gain the cooperation and assistance of other agencies position to offer such assistance because so many times the changes that are needed are bigger than DHA has the capacity to provide single-handedly. This leads to the next issue which is the need for DHA to establish partnerships and cooperative efforts with other companies in both the public and private sector and for the reasons as just stated. Finally, DHA must agree to consider options available in services delivery and if outsourcing some of these delivery of services might mean savings, efficiency and effectiveness then DHA must prepare itself to make the necessary changes to deliver services in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

“Dr Jekyll is a victim of his time and deserves our sympathy.” Do you agree? Essay

Dr. Henry Jekyll was born into an age of respectability, religion, and morality. The Victorians believed in â€Å"progress†, self discipline and strict, stern morality. Writers like Samuel Smiles wrote about â€Å"Self Help†. The Victorian age was one of polarisation of the lifestyle of the people. There were always two kinds of people, the respectable Jekylls and the destructive and filthy Hydes. â€Å"Pleasures† like prostitution and gambling, were frowned on by all of high society. Even so, many respectable people indulged in these activities in secret by night and then by day take part in a communal criticism of these actions. The Victorians were hideous hypocrites. Famous people such as Dr. Banardo were biefly suspected of the 1888 Ripper murders. The Victorians had a rigid social structure. There were the middle and upper classes who owned the vast majority of the nation’s wealth. There were the lower classes who often lived in abysmal conditions, meanwhile the rich people lived in luxury. Stevenson was fascinated by this polarisation, this was maybe because his father was a strict Protestant calvinist. In his writing Stevenson highlights the extremes of society because this was something which was a feature of his life, he had been known to be a â€Å"slum adventurer†. Dr. Henry Jekyll held a very high position in Victorian society. However, he was truly a rebellious character who wanted to do exactly as he pleased. It was incredibly difficult for him to do as he liked, because of his high social status. Jekyll created Hyde to let Jekyll be a rebel without the risk of being caught. At the other end of the spectrum there is Mr. Utterson. He was a lawyer and very respectible, but he does not indulge in â€Å"pleasures†. We see that â€Å"†¦though he enjoyed the theatre, [he] had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years†. Mr. Utterson is a vicarious person. In a way, Utterson is the opposite of Jekyll, he constrains himself and ensures his respectibility. Jekyll, on the other hand, wants to have everything, so he creates Hyde. One of Jekyll’s friends was Dr. Lanyon. He was a very conventional doctor, whereas Jekyll was very experimental and inventive in his profession. We see that Lanyon did not think much of this â€Å"unscientific balderdash†. There are some cases where sympathy for Jekyll is needed. He just wants to do what he wants, so he creates Hyde, this makes us feel some sympathy because of the desperateness of his situation, but at the same time he loses some sympathy because not everyone can have everything they want. Initially he doesn’t know what the consequences of taking the drugs will be, he is risking death for the furtherment of science, which may give us some sympathy. Also what he doesn’t know is that it matters what state of mind you are in when you take the drug†Had I approached my discovery in a more noble spirit†¦an angel instead of a fiend†, an evil person comes out of the experiment. Instead of just using Hyde from time to time, Jekyll gets addicted to Hyde (through some fault of his own he needed slef control) and soon the transformation becomes almost independent of his taking the drugs to change into Hyde. Hyde is without a doubt a terrible person. The incident where he tramples over the small girl reinforces this. It is a demonstration of the duality of nature of man where a respectable doctor can trample a small girl and not think twice. However, Hyde’s wrong doing does not stop at this. There is the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew, who was an MP, so very high up in society. In Dr Jekyll’s full statement of the case he admits that it was Hyde who murdered Carew; â€Å"It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone that was guilty† This ease with which he accepts Hyde’s guilt and tries to shift the blame for this terrible act makes us feel less sympathy for Jekyll, as surely he should be more than a little upset if something that he has created can to such an awful thing. When he first discovers that he can change into Hyde spontaneously, he is absolutely mortified â€Å"I must have stared upon it half a minute†¦I rushed to the mirror†¦ my blood was changed to something exquisitely thin and icy† We may feel some sympathy for Jekyll because of this, but on the other hand, Jekyll maybe could have seen what’s coming and stopped using Hyde. We also may feel less sympathy because it’s not that Jekyll can’t remember what Hyde’s been doing; â€Å"My two natures had memory in common† so maybe Jekyll should have realised that Hyde was being too evil and tried to stop unleashing him on the world before Hyde does any serious damage, as we see he does when he murders Carew. To some extent he does limit himself, he stopped using Hyde for two months, this makes us feel a lot more sympathy for Jekyll. When Jekyll goes into hiding after the murder of Carew he feels very remorseful about the death of Carew, and this makes us feel a little sympathetic towards him. He does not, however, turn himself in immediately for fear of the death penalty, he is rather selfish; â€Å"I think I was glad to have my better impulses thus buttressed and guarded by the terrors of the scaffold.† Jekyll thinks about trying to relieve his pain by having his pleasures as himself â€Å"No, it was in my own person, that i was once more tempted to trifle with my conscience†, and he does so. This makes us feel a bit of sympathy for him, as all he wants is to be free. Later on in his full statement of the case, he says â€Å"A change had come over me . It was no longer the fear of the gallows, it was the horror of being Hyde that racked me.† This gives us some respect for Jekyll, it shows he is altruistic. He doesn’t mind being hanged so much, more he feels that if he lets Hyde loose again he will do even more evil. This is the reason why he turned himself in, and we have to respect him for this action. Victorian society of obviously partly to blame for the demise of Dr. Jekyll. We see that if he had been allowed to indulge in his pleasures without being criticised and becoming a social outcast maybe his bad side would have come out more slowly, not through the terrible deeds that Hyde does; â€Å"My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.† Nowadays we tend to tolerate depraved activities. If the addictions get too bad we try and help those affected; we don’t expel them from society. I think that the incident of Jekyll was partly Jekyll’s fault, but mostly society’s fault for not letting him be free. I do agree that Jekyll is a victim of his time and deseves out sympathy.

International Brand Strategy

4. Identify the factors that need to be considered when developing a brand strategy within the service-based industries and explain why the development a clear and consistent corporate brand image and reputation is a fundamental part of international brand strategy. Corporate brand image: Branding is the art and science of identifying and fulfilling human physical and emotional needs by capturing their attention, imagination and emotion.Your corporate brand is, more than anything else, the most significant thing that will define you in the public eye, and therefore the one that will help to ensure your success – or your demise. A strong brand image and name will boost confidence throughout the business, and create a strong, successful impression in the market. Keller (2003a) says, â€Å"technically speaking, then, whenever a marketer creates a new name, logo, or symbol for a new product, he or she has created a brand† A brand serves to identify a product and to distingu ish it from competition. The challenge today is to create a distinctive image† (Kohli and Thakor 1997) The resource-based view within the strategy literature has argued that sustainable competitive advantage is created primarily from intangible capabilities, including brands and reputations (Omar et al. , 2009) The relative importance placed by the firm on its corporate identity also influences brand structure. Companies such as IBM and Apple place considerable emphasis on corporate identity (Schmitt and Simenson 1997).In the case of IBM, â€Å"Big Blue† is associated with a solid corporate reputation and reflects the company's, desire to project an image of a large reliable computer company that provides products and services worldwide. The IBM logo is featured on products and advertising worldwide to convey this image. Equally, Apple used its neon apple logo to project the image of a vibrant challenger in the personal computer market. Why does it matter? †¢Identi fication of sources of product †¢Assignment of responsibility to product maker. †¢Risk reducer †¢Search cost reducer †¢Symbolic device Signal of quality †¢Promise or bond with product or maker Advantage: Awareness The harder a company works on its branding and identity, in most cases, the more awareness it creates. For example, Coca-Cola is known worldwide for its product. A consumer can see it in a foreign county, with labelling in a foreign language and know it is a Coca-Cola product. The red colour and shape of the bottle is an immediate trigger in many minds as to the fact that the drink is a Coca-Cola product. This is branding and identity at its best. Advantage: Consistency in the MarketplaceThe more often a customer sees your brand in the marketplace, the more often he will consider it for purchase. If the brand and identity are truly kept consistent, the customer is more likely to feel that the quality is consistent and to become a loyal follower of the brand. However, this means that the product must maintain a consistency that reflects the image as well. Attract stakeholders, which can aid the development of strong business relationships. Focuses on long term growth Disadvantage: Can Become Commonplace Many brands strive to be No. 1 in the minds of consumers. For example, in many parts of the U.S. , people request a Coke when they go to a restaurant, not necessarily meaning a Coca-Cola product, but any soda. While it is the goal of branding to become the standard, it is not the goal to become the generic term of a line of products. Disadvantage: Negative Attributes If a product or service experiences a negative event, that will become attached to the brand. For example, a massive recall or unintentionally offensive ad campaign can tarnish a company’s brand and image, causing the company to need to build a whole new brand and identity to recapture its place in the market.An important element of a firm's overall brand st rategy is its branding policy. Strong brands help the firm establish an identity in the marketplace and develop a solid customer franchise (Aaker 1996; Kapferer 1997; Keller 1998), as well as provide a weapon to counter growing retailer power (Barwise and Robertson 1992). They can also provide the basis for brand extensions, which further strengthens the firm's position and enhance value (Aaker and Keller 1990). In international markets, the firm's branding strategy plays an important role in integrating the firm's activities worldwide.A firm can, for example, develop global brands (using the same brand name for a product or service worldwide) or endorse local country brands with the corporate brand or logo, thus establishing acommon image and identity across country markets. The top three strategic goals for brand strategy nowadays are increasing customer loyalty, differentiating from the competition, and establishing market leadership (Davis and Dunn 2002). A company with a well-e xecuted branding strategy gains important competitive advantages over its rivals.An effective branding strategy creates a clear and consistent identity for your products, based on qualities that are important to the market. Your branding strategy positions your products clearly in the minds of customers and prospects, and differentiates your products from competitive offerings. A well-executed branding strategy builds on the strengths of your brand by communicating brand values clearly and consistently. The measure of a well-executed branding strategy is immediate recognition by your target audience with consequent impact on your sales success.The key questions that companies need to ask themselves when developing a brand include: * What is the need we need to satisfy? * What are our core competencies? * What is the reason for this brand to exist in the world? * What is the role of branding in the context of the business strategy? Is it a functional or emotional brand? And then ther e are the internal and external focuses. To maintain a positive brand reputation, there are 3 things that are required: Good leaderships skills from managers that can drive the company towards their aims and objectives * Dedicated staff that possesses the same values reflected from the brand even in the workplace. * A good clean image in the eyes of the public. No controversies The key factors that need to be considered when developing a brand strategy include: * Purchasing * Distribution * New products * Value Purchasing A well-executed branding strategy makes it easier for your customers to make purchasing decisions about your products.They have a clear perception of the performance, benefits and quality of your products. The confidence that the brand will continue to meet their expectations minimizes customers’ risk in purchasing your product. A strong brand helps you build long-term relationships with your customers. Customers continue to buy from companies they trust, so it is important to continually reinforce the brand values that are important. Distribution You can also strengthen your presence in retail outlets and distributors through a well-executed branding strategy.Retailers feel confident in stocking a product with a strong brand, because they know there is strong consumer demand for that product. Your brand strategy can help you sell into retailers and build retail sales by stimulating demand. Encouraging distributors to use your branding material in their communications can also help to build business by giving customers confidence in the service they receive from the distributor. New Products A strong brand makes it easy to introduce new products that carry the same branding. The new product could be a range extension — a different size, color or version of an existing product.In the minds of customers, the new product will have the same qualities as the existing range because of its association with the existing brand. Value A w ell-executed branding strategy ensures that your brand makes an effective contribution to profitability through increased revenue, improved distribution and growth through new products. This, in turn, creates greater value for shareholders, making it easier for your company to attract investment and fund future growth There are a few risks that could come up when creating an international brand strategy:Assuming the brand communicates the same meaning market-to- market, resulting in message confusion Over-standardizing or over-simplifying the brand and its management, ie: discouraged innovation at the local level Use of the wrong communications channels, resulting in inappropriate spending and ineffective impact Underestimating the investment, time for a market to become aware of the brand, try it, and adopt it . Not investing in internal brand alignment to ensure that regional employees understand the brand values and benefits and are able and willing to communicate and deliver con sistently.The brand image of an organisation represents the current and immediate reflection that the stakeholders have towards an organisation (Bick et al. , 2003). It is related to the various physical and behavioural attributes of the organisation, such as business name, architecture, variety of products and services, tradition, ideology, and to the quality cues communicated by the organisation’s products, services and people (Nguyen and Leblanc, 2001). Brand image must be consistent in order to have a positive image in the eyes of the public.For example, Clairol introduced a mist stick curling iron in Germany, only to later find out that the word mist was slang for manure. Pepsi translated the slogan ‘The choice of a new generation’ in Taiwan but came out as, Pepsi, it will bring your ancestors back from the dead. These small hiccups may not be enough for major brands that are already established around the Globe, but for smaller brands trying to break into i nternational territory, it could turn into a serious disaster, as it could have been the first impression of that brand for a lot of people.Reputation is an outcome of interactions between stakeholders and the organisation over time (Argenti and Druckenmiller, 2004). An organisation does not have a single reputation at any point in time. It has a number of reputations depending on the stakeholders concerned. Interactions with brand-associated stimuli (including mass communication, employees, agents or other individuals and groups that are linked to the brand), enables stakeholders to form their perceptions of an organisation. These perceptions consolidate to become a single impression at a point in time – the brand image.Over time these fragmentary images evolve to become the stakeholder’s perception of the reputation of the organisation. The corporate brand comprises two aspects: corporate expression and stakeholder images of the organisation’s identity. The fo rmer includes all mechanisms employed by the organisation to express its corporate identity to all stakeholder groups. Corporate expression links the organisation’s corporate identity with its corporate brand and accordingly is classified as part of both constructs.The strategic choices that organisational leaders must make to determine the corporate expression include the conceptualisation and communication of the visual identity, the brand promise and the brand personality. The second aspect of corporate branding encompasses stakeholders’ perspectives of an organisation’s brand. A stakeholder can never interact with an organisation’s corporate identity in its entirety – they interact with aspects of the organisation’s identity and in so doing build their perception of the corporate brand. As stakeholders experience the brand, they develop brand images.Corporate reputation is the sum of all the views and beliefs held about the company based on its history and future prospects, in comparison to close competitors. Corporate reputation: According to Firestein (2006), reputation is the strongest determinant of any organisation’s sustainability. While strategies can always be changed, when reputation is gravely injured, it is difficult for an organisation to recover. The key people who  assess reputation  are: your customers, your employees, your shareholders, competitors, trade bodies and other businesses and influential people in your sector.The key things that you do which  drive your reputation  are simply: your company values, the products or services you offer, the people you employ and how well they work as a team, and the processes that help you run the business. Fombrun and van Riel (2003) suggest that organisations with good reputations attract positive stakeholder engagement. A favourable corporate reputation results in business survival and profitability (Roberts and Dowling, 2002), is an effecti ve mechanism to maintain competitive advantage, and can aid in building customer retention and satisfaction (Caminiti, 1992)While the definition of corporate reputation is debatable, the one proposed by Gotsi and Wilson (2001, p. 29) is instructive: â€Å"A corporate reputation is a stakeholder’s overall evaluation of a company over time. This evaluation is based on the stakeholder’s direct experiences with the company, any form of communication and symbolism that provides information about the firm’s actions and/or a comparison with the actions of other leading rivals. Organisational culture and business processes are also important levers that ust be aligned with the brand promise. Development of a positive brand image will only occur when the brand promise expected by stakeholders is delivered. If this occurs consistently over time, a strong positive corporate reputation will result. Services currently represent a large and steadily increasing share of the g lobal economy (Lovelock et al. , 2004). In Australia, the top 20 brands ranking by Interbrand, reported in BRW, shows that 17 of the top 20 brands are from the services sector (Lloyd, 2001).In the next decade 90-95% of jobs created in the developed economy are expected to be in the services sector. The increasing dominance of the services economy world-wide has led some researchers to pay greater attention to unique aspects of branding services versus goods. For example, de Chernatony and Dall’ Olmo Riley (1999) conducted in-depth interviews with brand consultants and concluded that managers of services brands should not simply rely on FMCG branding techniques, and that adjustments were needed at the operational level to reflect the unique characteristics of services.Emphasising the heterogeneity and inseparability characteristics of services, Berry (2000) conceptualized a service branding model based on 14 high performance service companies, and proposed that creating an emo tional connection with customers was the key to success O’Cass and Grace (2003) found that services brands differed from manufactured goods brands and that services brand managers were faced with challenges that were distinct from those faced by goods brand managers because of the inherent risks associated with services purchasesBusinesses in the service industry are intangible so therefore are very hard to keep control of and measure quality. Kotler (1986) states that the disadvantage that it has over business selling tangible goods is that the service has to be ready whenever the customer wants it. For example, if he wanted to stay in a hotel, then there should be a room ready for him to sleep in. They are perishable, which means that the night that a room was not sold cannot be sold after the day, or an aeroplane ticket cannot be sold off after the flight has taken off. The service industry looks