Babies Behind Bars

The rate of women being incarcerated in prisons has dramatically risen over the last decade. While these women are being locked up for crimes ranging from drug possession to murder, they often come into the prison system with children or pregnant. Nationwide, nearly 2 million children have parents in prison. The number of those with incarcerated mothers is growing rapidly. A recent report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that the number of minors with mothers in prison increased by more than 100 percent in the last 15 years [ (Schwartzapfel, 2008) ].While some women must give up their children before or after they enter prison, a handful of women get to keep their children. These women serve their sentences at one of nine prisons that have prison nurseries. However, not all women are afforded this privilege which comes with strict qualifications. A prison nursery is a program that allows a child born to an incarcerated women to remain in the care of its mother for a restri cted amount of time within a correctional facility [ (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009) ].Prison nurseries in the United States are only open to mothers who give birth to their children while they are serving their sentence. Prison nurseries are not fairly new to the United States. In the 1950s, many women's prisons had nurseries in which infants could stay with their mothers from several weeks to two years, depending on the institution. Within two decades, every state except New York closed them. The nurseries were deemed too expensive, the mothers too ruined and the babies too precious for such an environment [ (Kauffman, 2001) ].The only program left operating was at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, New York. The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, which is a maximum security facility, has the oldest prison nursery in the United States. Opening its doors in 1901, the pr ogram is also the largest, having space for 29 mother/infant pairs. Women live with their babies in bright rooms stuffed with donated toys and clothes.During the day, while the women attend DOC-mandated drug counseling, anger management, vocational training and parenting classes, their children attend a day care staffed by inmates who have graduated from an intensive two-year Early Childhood Associate vocational training program (Schwartzapfel, 2008). Qualifications to participate in the program are stringent. Several aspects of a woman’s past are examined before she can participate in the nursery.This includes determining who is going to have custody of the child, if the mother has a history of involvement with the child-welfare system, the length of her sentence, past episodes of incarceration, and the nature of her crime. Women who have committed arson or who have a history of child abuse are not eligible for the nursery. At Bedford Hills the infant can stay for up to 18 m onths if the mother will be paroled by then, otherwise the child must leave the facility at 12 months of age (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009).There are currently prison nursery programs in nine states: California, Illinois, New York, Nebraska, Washington, Ohio, Indiana, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Many of these programs started within the last few years. These programs are relatively rare and focus on the concept of the bond formed between mother and child within the first two years of life. Taconic Correctional Facility, also located in Bedford Hills, New York, was the second facility to host a prison nursery program. Opening in 1990, it models the first program; the qualifications and length of stay for infants are similar.However, Taconic only houses 15 mother/infant pairs. Nebraska opened its prison nursery program in 1994. The Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, located in York, Nebraska, hol ds 15 mother/infant pairs. Infants are allowed to stay up to 18 months in the Parenting Program. To participate in the nursery the mother must give birth while in state custody and not have a violent criminal record. She also should not have any serious mental health concerns. A screening committee reviews each case before women are placed in the nursery.The mother must be able to complete her sentence by the time the child is 18 months old to be eligible (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009). Four years later, Pierre, South Dakota opened its prison nursery in the South Dakota Women’s Prison. The Mother-Infant Program is the only prison nursery that doesn’t have a limit to how many infants can stay. However, it has the shortest length of stay being thirty days. Women who give birth while in custody are allowed to participate in the program as long as the mother's crime was non-violent in nature.Al l expenses related to the baby's care are the responsibility of the mother, including health care expenses. Mothers keep their infants in their cells. Other women at the facility are able to take classes to become babysitters and the mothers are able to choose who they would like to act as their babysitter. The Washington Correctional Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington, opened its doors to a prison nursery in 1999. To qualify for the Residential Parenting Program, the mother’s sentence must be completed within three years of giving birth. The women must also be classified as minimum custody and be convicted of a non-violent offense.The program houses 20 mother/infant pairs and allows the infants to stay up to 36 months (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009). Marysville, Ohio implemented its prison nursery at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in 2001. The program houses 20 mothers and up to 21 infants . Infants stay for a maximum of 18 months. To qualify for the Achieving Baby Care Success Program, women must give birth while in state custody and cannot have a violent criminal record. Women must attend family training courses, adhere to rules and be in good mental and physical condition.Only women who are serving a sentence of 18 months or less at the time of delivery are eligible. The Moms and Babies Program at Decatur Correctional Center in Decatur, Illinois started in 2007. The capacity for the program is 5 mother/infant pairs with infants staying up to 24 months. A woman must have committed a non-violent offense and be within two years of release after giving birth (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009). The more recent nursery programs were started in the last four years.Indiana, California, and West Virginia were the last states of the nine to implement prison nurseries. Because the programs are newer, various changes are still being made. In 2008, Indiana Women’s Prison, in Indianapolis, Indiana, established its prison nursery. The Wee Ones Nursery Program houses 10 mother/infants pairs and 4 nannies. To participate in the program the child must be born in custody and the mother must be eligible for release by the time the child is 18 months old. Mothers and nannies who have been convicted of child abuse or a violent crime are not eligible to participate. The final two prison nurseries started in 2009.Corona, California started its Mother-Child Reunification Program at California Institution for Women. The program can hold up to 16 women: 10 with infants and 6 who are pregnant. Like most programs, the infants stay up to 18 months. After women spend up to 18 months in the nursery they will be transitioned onto parole or into a community-based program such as the Community Prison Mothers Program. In addition to the planned nursery, the facility runs a child-visiting program and mother-father mediation program. All pregnant women are placed in this institution and other women can request to be sentenced or transferred here.West Virginia’s Lakin Correctional Center for Women, located in West Columbia, has the KIDS Unit program. KIDS, Keeping Infant Development Successful, is available to pregnant women who are within 18 months of release or parole. The nursery is made up of modular homes located outside the prison’s perimeter fence. To participate in the nursery the mother must not have been convicted of a sex crime or a crime against a child and must be free of disciplinary write-ups (Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative, 2009).Many experts believe that prison nurseries increase the bond between mother and child and lowers recidivism rates. Chandra Villanueva, Policy Associate at WPA and author of the report commented, â€Å"Prison nursery programs keep mothers and infants together during the critical first months of infant development, and the research shows that these programs produce lower rates of recidivism among participating mothers. † (Women's Prison Association, 2009).Researchers studying prison nurseries found that â€Å"infants who lived with their mothers for a year or more in the prison nursery program were significantly more likely to be securely attached in spite of their mothers’ insecurity than those who were released earlier. † â€Å"Development of an attachment relationship is a long and fragile process and requires ongoing supports for mothers raising infants in prison nurseries, for future alternate caregivers living in the community, and for the children who will ultimately experience a multitude of environmental risks. † (Byrne, Goshin, & Joestl, 2010).On the other hand, some believe that babies don’t belong in prison, for their primary role is punishment and rehabilitation. Not to mention that the programs are expensive, averaging about $24,000 a year per infant (Schiavocampo, 2010). As the number of incarcerated women continues to grow, we can expect to see the number of prison nurseries growing as well. Because the programs have been deemed successful, other states may start implementing them into their prison systems. This gives the mother some form of responsibility while she is incarcerated without separating her from the child.However, we should focus more on keeping women out of prison than creating more nurseries. Bibliography Byrne, M. , Goshin, L. , & Joestl, S. (2010). Intergenerational transmission of attachment for infants raised in a prison nursery . Attachment and Human Development, 375-393. Kauffman, K. (2001). Mothers in Prison. Corrections Today, 62-65. Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternative. (2009, May). Retrieved from Women's Prison Association : http://www. wpaonline. rg/pdf/Mothers%20Inf ants%20and%20Imprisonment%202009. pdf. Schiavocampo, M. (2010, April 13). Reporter's notebook: A look at babies behind bars. Retrieved from The Grio: http://thegrio. com/2010/04/13/reporters-notebook-a-look-at-babies-behind-bars/. Schwartzapfel, B. (2008). Lullabies Behind Bars. Retrieved from Ms. Magazine: http://www. msmagazine. com/Fall2008/LullabiesBehindBars. asp. Women's Prison Association. (2009, July 13). Prison Nursery Programs a Growing Trend in Women’s Prisons. Retrieved from Corrections. com: http://www. corrections. com/news/article/21644.

American Indians Two Spirits

The role of the American Indians (Native Americans) in the United States cannot be underestimated. In fact, this people are the part of a cultural legacy of the United States. Due to the multiple tribes inhabiting America from East to West Americans loaned many of the common names and other terms going directly from the language of Native Americans. It concerns everything about the names of multiple states, towns, cities, etc. However, this research has its aim to disclose the nature of Native Americans in terms of gender roles and gender issues scoped out for today.In such an analysis one should pay special attention to some similarities or differences (natch! ) about two-spirit people among Native Americans. Moreover, it is not for nothing that the cultural as well as mythological approaches are taken to help an observer get the right idea of specificities going around these unique people, namely American Indians.First of all, it is possible to suggest that Indians living in the No rth America and throughout the United States, in particular, keep their culture in safety from the ominous (as they say) impacts of the Western culture.Hence, some similar terms and states of people have another coloring among Natives than it is among Westerners. Thus, one of the aspects in the research paper covers the cultural aspects of these spiritually well-treated people. Next, the question will be about the concept of two-spirit people (two-spirits) coming out to be among Native Americans. Finally, the discussion will touch upon some justifications of suchlike characterization of Native Americans. This will presuppose using features of compare/contrast analysis.As a finishing stroke, an observer should be ready to perceive the reality of two-spirit people, as it falls into traditional concept of gender, sex, sexuality, and spirituality among Native Americans (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997).Nonetheless, the play is worth candles, as they say. Thus, the value of the research is in its sociological as well as anthropological investigation of tribal life of Native Americans and some peculiarities of berdache people (meaning two-spirits). Evaluation First of all, it is necessary to draw one’s attention to the mythology of Native Americans.They are quite spiritual in their beliefs and in traditions as well. Everything about their beliefs in divinity starts from glorifying spirits incorporated in well-known elements of nature or natural features (Leeming & Page, 2000).Woodlands and Plains are the most appreciated by Natives, as the place for the basic spiritual powers (Manitou and wakan) which are personified in these widespread areas inhabited by American Indians (Leeming & Page, 2000). Hence, the cultural background of Native Americans starts with the mythology and faith they share for centuries.Such a multifaceted reality encounters some critical points while Western civilizations are trying to critique beliefs of Natives, as primitive and no longer p ossible in a fast-growing world. Nevertheless, mythology is inseparable out of what Natives secure about their own attitudes toward some social events or people being different than the rest of the tribal community. This characterization is for a reason, since gender roles and the concept of sexuality are thought of in a different way by American Indians.It is a matter of their identity and dignity. Owing to keeping their culture(s) in safety, Native Americans secure social equilibrium on the spot. Thus, it is worth mentioning that features of any kind are open for discussion in a tribe.Some of them being a taboo for Western people are beyond reproach among Natives. In fact, the question is about Native American berdaches, as the two-spirit people. As it was mentioned before, American Indians kept their precious beliefs out of Western implications.As a matter of fact, Indians are likely to omit the notion of â€Å"berdache† by changing it to another concept of â€Å"two-spir it† (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). This is because the term itself originates from the nineteenth century when it defined â€Å"slaveboys,† â€Å"catamites,† or â€Å"inverts.†Hence, Natives, as a freewill community of people in the United States, prove their identity through the notions of spirituality and belonging to a tribe. This is the most valued features associated with these people. American Indians are non-violent by nature. It is well reported in the legends going along with tribes throughout the continent.Before getting the idea of the Great Spirit, two people were proposed to choose the weapon: the first one chose a gun and became a white man while the second one chose a bow and an arrow and became an Indian (Leeming & Page, 2000).In this mythic inscription American Indians tried to illuminate that spirits saved them from â€Å"extinction,† so to speak, by letting to choose afterwards. Otherwise, they would become as a Whiteman, cruel a nd apt at violence. This is the gist of why American Indians are likely to ignore what the Western civilization has proposed them.It is so even in social relationships, of course. Indians are not willing to use the same terms as whites use. They are scrupulous at finding a better explanation of peoples’ lives. Notwithstanding some unique states of peoples’ souls and spirits in a tribe, Indians follow the prescriptions of their predecessors in judging all of their identity. It is about time to give some new implications on the term of two-spirit people. In fact, these are those being of one gender physically, but feeling strongly the presence of another gender at the same time.This simple definition provides a scope of reasoning over the nature of indigenous people in the United States. Gender was always viewed by Native Americans as having a spiritual background. The physical sphere for the spirit is a secondary thing to interpret Indians’ justification of why t hey think of gender relationships differently. By contrast, indigenous people of America use their own characterization of gender. Brown (1997) identifies six basic gender styles among Native Americans, i. e. men and women, not-men and not-women, gays and lesbians.This characterization gives substantial grounds to suppose American Indians more varied and free-to-judge about gender analysis and its significance. Western culture views these particularities senseless reducing them to four or even two elements. It is due to the influence of morale and historical background outlining bigotries as of berdaches. It is important that American Indians view a man and a woman as two beginnings or halves to give further life to a tribe. These incorporations are done to prescribe a divine nature of gender in its spiritual patterning.All in all, indigenous people are apt at coming up with the alternative gender style in their society. Despite Western people, Indians, therefore, reduce an extent o f tribal conflicts due to a right understanding of different genders in people. For instance, in Santee Dakota and Lakota tribes, gender styles are in most points associated with particular cultural norms as for berdaches and fetishism as a term which unnecessarily linked to two-spirit people (Brown, 1997). These particularities gave American Indians more freedom to choose their social niche within a tribal society.Nevertheless, one should see a sociological prerequisite for diminishing a degree of controversial, frequently conflict, situations. Native American gays and lesbians is another aspect of the discussion. These people feel no prejudice or blame because of their gender style. In fact, two-spirit people are concerned with some magical power being with them, as healers or even as associates to witchcraft (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). In this respect American Indian people do not feel like hating two-spirit people. One should notice a distinct use of the word â€Å"spirit.à ¢â‚¬ This is where a respectful attitude toward Native American berdaches starts. What is more, it is largely considered that indigenous people in the United States are unique for their own views on life and manners of social existence.This goes along with the anthropological features of two-gendered spirits of some people living in a tribe. As a matter of fact, in the contemporary discourse gays and lesbians among Native Americans are really different from those of other ethnical belongings (Western people, in particular) (Brown, 1997).Century-long history of American Indians and their unbreakable strong traditions in fulfilling their destinies does not give them a chance to drop a hint of doubt concerning their spirituality. It is remarkable that two-spirit people are also endured with force.This one is appreciated among tribal society to bear a healing power and a so-called ‘mascot’ for the rest of the society. Thus, these people are largely considered to be involve d into spiritual connections with the Great Spirit as well as with Manitou and wakan.Once again, it is significant to admit that the main difference of shaping gender identities between Native Americans and Western people is in their cultures. Culture is a multilevel system bearing the identity of a community or even society of individuals.The anthropological issue is that cultural belonging exemplifies itself in gender attitudes (Wood, 2008). As was mentioned before, two-spirit people are a particular calque for gays and lesbians in the rest of the world. However, this notion is incomplete, as it bears no connection to how American Indians treat it.Thereupon, one should be careful and accurate in explaining the fact that two-spirit people are not similar to gays and lesbians in a simple conception. Two-spirit people are admired among Native Americans (Wood, 2008).Intersexuality means something special for American Indians. It is an aspect of a sacred features in a man incorporated with spirits being of different genders. Therefore, people should not treat it wrong that two-spirit people of Native Americans have nothing to do with something else but gay or lesbian attitudes and way of life.The features of acceptance and belonging for two-spirit people today are critical, as there is a collision of two cultural backgrounds, namely Native American and traditional gay cultures (Gilley, 2006).Two-spirit American Indians are so by their initial realization of their place among people and in terms of spiritual features corresponding to their Indian identity. It is hard to talk on this topic due to the increase of current gay culture dampening genuinely sacred understanding of two-spirit implementation among Indians.Recent studies on being a two-spirit individual within Native American communities show that it is impossible for indigenous people to impose surgery for making the prevailing feeling as of gender physically apparent (Gilley, 2006).This is a silly thing f or those who knew about two-spirit people long before the scientific and technological progress and the development of medicine and plastic surgery. It is a state of spirit, a state of soul, thus, a state of mind for Native Americans.Nonetheless, it is not a big secret that in contemporary tribal rites and priorities two-spirit people encounter some problems with the overall acceptance and further belonging to American Indian society (Wood, 2008). Historically, the cultural tradition of two-spirit people among different tribes has its specific definitions. Lev (2004) provides a set of different notions for two-spirit people in different tribes: â€Å"winkte (Lakota), nadleehi (Navaho), bote (Crow), lhamana (Zuni), and haxu’xan (Arapaho) for males, and hwame (Mojave) for females† (59).Dual-gender states are explained differently but all of them derived from the precious for Indians cultural framework and strong connection to their indigenous beliefs in spirituality of a ny individual within Native American society. The hegemonic Western culture is a great impediment for two-spirit people among Native Americans. The question is that these people cannot but be nearby the trends and features of traditional gay and lesbian culture. Thus, dualism of genders seems to be on the edge of having no genuine spiritual coloring for Indians.In this respect it is interesting that Native American berdaches are not traditionally concerned with homosexuality in terms of gender relationships, but just physically (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). This evaluation comes out to be a critical and quite contradicting as explained on the part of Native Americans. The idea is that everyone having an intercourse with two-spirit people is never considered to be a gay or a lesbian: If you are a man and you have sexual relationship with a ‘berdache,’ you’re not having sex with another man. You’re having sex with a ‘berdache.’And if youâ€⠄¢re a woman who has sex with a ‘berdache,’ you’re not having sex with a woman, you’re having sex with a ‘berdache. ’ So the partners of the ‘berdache’ technically are never homosexual because they’re not having sex with their same gender† (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997, p. 104-105) This truth (apparently, an assumption) by Native Americans illuminates a sticking point for Western mentality and rationale of what being a gay or a lesbian means at large. Cultural prospects are above all for indigenous people in the North America.In fact, there is a feature of admiration in evidence. Many anthropologists refer Native Americans in their understanding of two-spirit people to some Asian cultures which have full-fledged settings of beliefs similar to duality of genders among American Indians. As might be considered, these implications are for a reason. They drop a light on the century-long communication within Indian peoples. In turn it was reflected on every feature of social life and further adaptation for living with â€Å"white† neighbors. This is why gender relationships are widely anticipated nowadays.To say more, American Indians are likely to personify deities in terms of their duality and reference to both genders. Two personifications of gender types from the spiritual point of view are eagle for a male part and coyote for a female part (Leeming & Page, 2000). Embodiment of two genders associated with nature and animals, particularly, brings a new understanding of homosexuality in. It has many things to do with neutrality and supremacy when individuals bear different feelings and preferences in life as for individuals of the same gender.It is almost impossible to speak about a two-spirit man or woman, as a bearer of some particular gender type. Here comes a dilemma in judging American Indians. They are never considered to be of the same values as pursuant to European people.Not-men and not-women are likely to be discovered out of men and women but as those having some magic power at their disposal (Brown, 1997). Among six gender styles, one should be attentive and quite rational not to mix not-men and not-women with gays and lesbians. This is why there is another incorporation of gender belonging as constituted by Native Americans.At a glance, it is hard to believe it, but it needs a proper look at how socialization takes place among American Indians. Hence, it is impossible to identify two-spirit people similar to current gays and lesbians.This would be a particular anthropological and sociological mistake. Different researches proved it to be right and full of rationality if only looking at the historical, cultural, and religious background of indigenous peoples living in America. Looking at what has been discussed previously, one can make up his/her mind about how to explain two-spirit people among Native Americans.It is apparent that the main difference betwee n two-spirits and gays with lesbians is in the spiritual and cultural background. It is a niche which provides a place for further dimensions in gender styles and gender treatment among American Indians. In the milieu of â€Å"Native American gender diversity† most of the scholars refer all two-spirits to bearing more male features than female ones (Gilley, 2006). This is why, since the colonial era until present it is documented that both not-men and not-women are basically characterized through features of masculinity.This assumption provides a scope of differences to consider two-spirit people not the same as traditionally understood homosexual minorities, as long as the European gay culture presupposes men to be like women in manners and other features and women to be more like women, as they can understand each other better than men could. This makes a constraint between two types of cultural and social ways of perceiving the reality. Westerners and Native Americans deli neate initially different beliefs which are inseparable from gender identities and attitudes toward them.The thing is that homosexuality among Westerners is in most points a reflection of Ancient Greek attitudes toward gender relationships. This idea got through different philosophical and social theories and explanations leading toward present identification of gay culture, as something transcendent and magnificent. Conversely, the evaluation of two-spirit homosexual identity among Native Americans begins on the moment when Indians came to the American continent long before the Europeans discovered it.Thus, it is rational to state two-spirit tradition of American Indians, as purely inscribed into the cultural background of these peoples. Hence, it has no Western or some other alloys of cultural intrusions, as Indians were isolated for many years continentally and by sea. This is why both cultures do not fit in what they mean for people belonging to them. A civilized life and seemin gly old-fashioned traits in traditions are like a medal with two different edges. Strict and quite elaborated norms in tribes of American Indians did not exclude homosexuality.This provides an assumption that transgender versatility should be taken into consideration in every culture in the world. As concerned with Native Americans, their predominantly genuine coloring in provision of the same sex relationships among some few people in a community are functionally defined. In this respect Lev (2004) identifies three core-features among two-spirit people within Native Americans, namely: â€Å"(1) a cross-role specialization in social, productive, and domestic roles; (2) spiritual sanction and associated powers; and (3) gender variation often denoted by cross dressing behavior† (60).This classification of the basic functions as of two-spirit people assumes implication of the key-features hierarchy. Just as they are listed above, these features should be understood by means of t he ascending scale.Two-spirit people, as described in the several tribes in the United States since the colonial time, were obliged to commit with both male and female social worlds (Gilley, 2006). It corresponds to the fact that social taboos were not possible for those who could not give birth to a child. Moreover, it becomes so until now.Two-spirit people are no longer appropriate to be claimed as having something of a man or of a woman. These people shared labor of both gender types inside Native Americans. This is why in Zuni, Cherokee, and other tribes two-spirit people were respectful for being good craftsmen or highly apt at social work within the tribal community.In fact, men could do weaving and potting alongside with hunting big game and building wigwams (Gilley, 2006). Two-spirit men were not separated from the male part of the community, but rather appreciated and adored. This constituted the same for two-spirit women.Notwithstanding, two-spirit people are widely said t o be another, third, type of gender relationships among Native Americans. This statement gives enough space to consider two-spirits economically and socially profitable for their communities.However, it is possible for those representatives of such gender type who position themselves as Jacks-of-all-trades. Nevertheless, experts are apt at characterizing the two-spirits as rather valuable individuals who are even believed to predict different events and to speak directly with spirits. This cannot but suppress ardency of the rest of a tribe.However, there were evidences when two-spirit people were widely suspected in witchcraft and bad will of spirits (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). Not for nothing, it was something like hatred to witches in a medieval Europe. Wood (2008) is inclined in her studies to state that two-spirit people of indigenous tribes of America are the result of the prior matrilineal system established among American Indians. In this respect everything, social, prope rty, or inherited things, were for women, not for men. Perhaps, this was a real pivot around which a symbiosis of two genders appeared and was applied to be another kind of gender relationships.To date, it is taken for granted that two-spirit people embody mostly cultural features and consequences in the evolution of Native Americans’ social life and development. Some experts still show perseverance in identifying two-spirit people through their spiritual estimation. However, the historical and ethno-sociological points of view give grounds to make sure Native American two-spirit people emerged as a result of some social privileges and appropriate changes in the social system and in stratification of individuals inhabiting a definite tribe.Different biases are concerned with some assumptions on the divine and culturally original personification of two-spirit people. This provides further discussion or debate, so to speak, in order to evaluate the social and cultural insights into the essence of what people call Native Americans.Contemporary talks on the theme of two-spirit people among indigenous tribes and peoples living in America including Inuit and Siberian Chukchi are all about transgendered people (being so few within communities) who are concerned women if they are two-spirit men and vice versa (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997).This is in evidence until now, and no Western intruder can explain indigenous people the gist of such doing or, perhaps, its amoral side. Moreover, culture is a strong and quite dynamic unity of states and relationships between individuals of the same cultural terrain. This is why there is plenty to talk about social factors impacting cultural growth or decline. Now, it is vital to distinguish between the main dimensions to explain the nature of two-spirit people.It was aforementioned that this is a social and physical mixture of feelings inside an individual grounded on the cultural and the religious features. Lev (2004) giv es a holistic idea on how an observer should think of two-spirit people taking into consideration everything highlighted earlier, namely: â€Å"Though physically Two-Spirit people were not commonly known to be hermaphroditic or intersexed, they are considered to have the social characteristics of both men and women and – consistent with the Indian worldview – they are thought to possess the visions of both sexes† (60).This is, perhaps, the most appropriate in terms of the social discourse. The main obstacle as well as means to survive for two-spirit people is that they should adapt to two social systems with different settings of values and morale, i. e. American and American Indian (Brown, 1997). Getting through the diversity of likes and dislikes in both systems, these people managed to save their culture despite their gender inappropriateness with traditionally marked borders.This is the gist of what makes indigenous people living in the United States so scru pulous and up-and-coming in social or everyday activities. Another applicable feature of two-spirit people is that they do not separate themselves out of the society and their own communities (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). Traditional Western culture presupposes that gays and lesbians should gather together in special places during some thematic parties and on love parades, in particular.Western gays and lesbians are more likely to isolate their community out of the heterosexual majority. Obviously, some features corresponding to morale and political situation in a country have caused such behaviors. On the other side, isolation is a kind of pride suchlike people manifest to the rest of the society. By contrast, two-spirit people never neglect their direct participation in social services and things to be done at the moment. They feel their responsibility to be nearby the majority and help as they can.This is why two-spirit people are full-fledged individuals among the heterosexual peers. Conclusion/recommendations Based on the investigation and analysis done in this research paper, it is clear now that indigenous people have a set of peculiarities about those individuals who mate with the same sex partners. One should not mix it with the traditionally implemented notions of gays and lesbians. Two-spirit people are true members of their tribal communities and of the American Indian society on the whole.It is said that dual-gendered people among Native Americans are the representatives of the third gender which presupposes both male and female views incorporated with suchlike individuals. Historically, the anthropological analysis proves direct sociological links within which the formation or emergence of two-spirit people began. Even though, the study bears an analytical and descriptive evaluation of two-spirit people among Native Americans, it provides a framework for further recommendations.First of all, the study serves as a direct stimulus for would-be so ciologists and anthropologists. Thus, it is vital that practitioners in these fields take a look at the overall analysis of gender issues among indigenous peoples of America. It would be a great precursor for further deeper insights in the subject matter. However, the research would be incomplete if observers or young scholars found out more up-to-date sources on the problem itself and its place in social affairs maintained and developed throughout the American society.Hence, the overall representation of the research paper covers exhaustive information on two-spirit peoples among American Indians. Its value and its significance for sociology cannot be underestimated for further implications in the Native American studies at schools and in colleges.ReferenceBrown, L. B. (1997). Two spirit people: American Indian, lesbian women and gay men. New York, NY: Routledge.Gilley, B. J. (2006). Becoming two-spirit: gay identity and social acceptance in Indian country. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.Jacobs, S. -E. , Thomas, W. , & Lang, S. (1997). Two-spirit people: Native American gender identity, sexuality, and spirituality. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.Leeming, D. A. , & Page, J. (2000). The Mythology of Native North America. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.Lev, A. I. (2004). Transgender emergence: therapeutic guidelines for working with gender-variant people and their families. New York, NY: Routledge.Wood, J. T. (2008). Gendered lives: communication, gender, and culture. Stanford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Interview with Teenagers Essay

Interviewing teenagers turned out to be rather interesting. It’s very relevant the difference in my time of growing up a teen, to now. Teens these days have way more issues to worry about being that drugs, sex, and pregnancy are more tangible then the past. With media using tv, radio, magazines and music to tell teens how they â€Å"need† to be, it’s not hard to believe all the increase in teen violence, depression, and suicide. During the course of this paper I will be discussing the interview that I gave too four teen girls. Each of them came from different backgrounds and had very different, but yet the same answers to being a teen in today’s society. Jasmine Small, Ashley Leivas, Shavon McCorvey, and Emily Morales were the four teens that I chose to interview. Each of these girls comes from different backgrounds. Jasmine grew up without a father, Ashley grew up in foster care, Shavon had both parents present in her household, and Emily was taken from her mother as a child and was raised by her aunt. Just off of me knowing their background it was prevalent that the answers were going to be different and interesting in the same. In the beginning I made sure to discuss the purpose of this interview and notified them that they could stop me at any time for questions, or if the interview becomes too personal. After having done that all of the girls seemed to be relieved, and at that moment my interview began. What do you like about being a teenager was the first question asked all the girls. All of the girls agreed that having friends and having fun, and hanging out were the highlights of their youth. They all had their group of friends and all liked to go to the mall, movies, and â€Å"kick-backs† (parties). When I asked if school was significant to them they all laughed and said that they like school but it wasn’t too important to them. When asked about their dislikes they all had different answers. Jasmine answered that her dislike was going to school. She felt as if she didn’t learn anything, as if school was useless. Ashley disliked the fact that there is a lot of drama as far as people gossiping inside of school. She explained how many people perceived her as a person that likes to fight, and is promiscuous, when she is the exact opposite. She has issues that she’s dealing with and doesn’t seem to get along with other girl which is why she finds herself in a lot of altercations. Shavon’s dislike was growing up in Lancaster, she was born and raised in Los Angeles and was recently brought out here two years ago. She just wished that she had control over where she lived. Emily didn’t have an answer to this question she was having a difficult time with trying to determine what was a huge dislike. She couldn’t think of any so we moved on. Who is the most important thing in your life right now was an interesting question that I couldn’t wait to ask. Each answer was unique and heartwarming. Jasmines was her mother, she was very happy about having such a good mother who did all she could for children. She had not one bad thing to say about her mother. Ashley’s was her brother; her brother was the only biological family member that she had. She had seven other family members but all were split up in foster care in different states. Shavon’s was her sister; she was very close to her sister and shared everything with her. Emily’s was her cousin, whom she considered as a sister, she was close with her, and like Shavon, shared everything with her. They all had their individual stories on how close they were with their important person, and how they couldn’t imagine life without them. Of all the questions I believe that the question, if you could change one thing about your life what would it be and why, was the most important question. It showed that the girls all seemed to have some issues with growing up whether it be peer pressure or living without certain family members. Jasmine said that she would have her father in her life. She felt as if she had her father she would be a different person. She really wanted to have a relationship with her father. Ashley main thing she would change is to have a mother that cared and wasn’t on drugs. She said that she is very appreciative of her foster mother, but she would love to have known her real mother. Shavon’s change would be for her to move back to Los Angeles. She said that since she has moved to Lancaster everything has changed and that she is being mistreated at school. She began to explain that she left behind a lot of friends and didn’t seem to fit in. Emily, like Ashley, wanted her biological mother back. Unlike Ashley, Emily lived with her mother god enough to remember her before she was taken out her home. She remembered her mother for the good things that she did and not the drugs, like everyone else portrayed her mother as. During this interview it was very evident the issues that teens these days face. Later on in the interview we talked about peer pressure and if it affected them. They all stressed that peer pressure is hard not to fall into and that do have plenty of friends who are weak minded and whom have become pregnant or is having unprotected sex. They all are very smart and know how to say no when peer pressure arises. Being that I’m not that far in age many other the issues that they face, I did to growing up. There aren’t many differences except that everything is more prevalent as far as sex and pregnancy.

Methods Used to Assess Learners Writing Ability Assignment

Methods Used to Assess Learners Writing Ability - Assignment Example As a result of their proven utility, tests as well as other standardized assessments are broadly applied in educational settings. To reap the potential benefits that are associated with tests, it is critical that they are understood completely and their strengths and weaknesses evaluated (Wall & Walz, 2004). Testing is a special way of collecting information that can be employed while making decisions about a person, a program or an organization and tests consist of items that prompt responses from a person. Testing does not comprise of the simple administration of a set of questions or tasks that have to be performed as the tests need to be scored and the results used for evaluation (Wall & Walz, 2004). Essay tests are usually considered to be more valid as compared to multiple-choice questions when measuring the writing ability of students as they have the ability of sampling a broader range of composition skills. On the other hand, variance in the scores associated with essay tests can demonstrate irrelevant factors like speed and fluency under the pressure of time or penmanship (Weigle, 2002). Multiple choice testing over-predicts the performance of minority students as far as essay testing is concerned and there is no certainty as to whether these tests have fundamentally equivalent predictive validity for candidates who are not in the same academic discipline where what they are supposed to write is not the same. The best tests that assess writing ability blend both essay and multiple-choice questions but this approach may be too expensive while the alternatives that may be relatively cheaper may have a compromising effect on the quality of the assessment. Â  

Marketing plan for Kenwood group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Marketing plan for Kenwood group - Essay Example According to the study it is said that if we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help. This saying carries meaning in itself and highlights the importance of developing such plans that are not only realistic but are communicable as well. One cannot explain any phenomena; his/her intended feelings, his plans or anything else if there is lack of communication channels and proper marketing strategies. Thus, we can generalize this thing that effective communication and competitive marketing strategies have become mandatory in every type of business activity. With special regard to businesses, communication phenomenon, development of competitive and effective marketing strategies has grasped huge attention over the past few years. Its awareness truly started to spread when businesses realized the importance of communicating their purpose to their target audiences affectively. It is important to determine how businesses can communicate their purpose, intended goals and their products’ specifications to their customers. Enacted in 1950 Kenwood aspires to deliver its current and prospective customers with innovation, change, high quality and unique design products. It specializes in providing its customers with kitchen appliances, like beaters, food processors and many others that serve as a luxury and a gift for the upcoming generation. It aspires to deliver such products that makes your life easy and offer a wide range of products including hand beaters, bread makers, blenders, food processor and many other electronic appliances of this nature. (Kenwood, 2012) Reason for product selection Kenwood group is offering a wide range of products including home appliances, compressors, environmental care products, compressors and many more. The underlying reason behind the selection of an environmental care product i.e. Humidifier lies in the fact of the changing climate of UK. The fluctuations in the climate of UK have made the Kenwood group to think about expanding their operations into the UK market. According to one of the environmental reports (2010) the UK climate is changing rapidly and that the fluctuations have been observed globally. The time span of winters has increased tremendously and the snow cover prevails for a longer period of time in some parts of UK. Observations indicate that the temperature in Central England have risen by about 10C whereas in other parts like Scotland and Ireland it has increased roughly by 0.80C (Environmental report, 2010) In addition to this, agricultural sector of UK is progressing by leaps and bounds and is contributing a lot towards economic growth and development. UK ranked 5th in the production of sugar beet and in terms of wheat production it is ranked as fourth among all the EU countries. (Environmental report, 2010) However, for crops production humidifiers act as a major unit in keeping the crops moist and humid and the Kenwood group after recogni zing the need aspire to launch humidifiers in UK market for agricultural

Immigrations in California Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Immigrations in California - Research Paper Example Many of these problems the residents claim originate from traditional, cultural, and language differences. The culture and language of these new migrants behaves different from the main stream thus causing hardship for the mainstream. Immigrants are the backbone of California development (Olson 173). Since the nineteenth century, the American Indians crossed over to California State. They concentrated more on developmental activities thus becoming wealthy as opposed to Asians who were rioting. They then came up with well organized political unit, which they used as a platform to preach peace amongst all the diverse communities. Later on with the settlement of the Spanish settlers, the relative peace and stability of California State changed. There was excitement and uncertainty as the Mexican increased their attempt to impose their cultural values to Indians. This led to a thousand of Indians death from both diseases and the conflict between them and the Mexicans (Olson 173). Early twentieth century, Japanese immigrants began flowing in California. Their arrival as of more benefit to the mainstream community, as they offered cheap labor. They fully filled the main economic voids. Japanese welcome in California was short lived. This was due to the differences that existed between Japan and the united state of America during the Second World War. Sinking of the parlor harbor resulted to cold treatment of Chinese in California State. Of all the fifty states in America, none has been affected by immigration than California. The numbers of the immigrants have been tremendously increasing (Olson 276). This has brought problems caused by racial composition. The impact of immigration has been more powerful in California than elsewhere. The origins of California’s immigrant have differed with various historical eras. Majority of the immigrant coming to California has been from Mexico and Central America. In the year 2000, 46% of

Federal Systems and European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Federal Systems and European Union - Essay Example Defining federalism, Auer (2005) states that federalism consists of a specific combination of autonomy or self rule, superposition or limited rule and participation or shared rule so that two independent levels of government could coexist and work simultaneously for the citizens1. Thus autonomy, limited rule and shared rule in which centralized governance is importance could all be important features of federalism. Distribution of powers between political units, defining these constituent units and providing a scheme or approach towards resolution of conflicts are some of the functions of federal constitutions. Auer argues that EU performs all these functions and could be considered in legal terms as having a multinational federal type of system. As the EU is primarily focused in bringing out a balance of power between European nations albeit through a centralized EU control network, the system of governance and politics is highly federal or at least meant to be so2. However we may a sk whether the plan or blueprint of having an EU federal system has really worked and whether EU federalism is a reality in any way or simply a theoretical term. These are issues that have to be understood on the basis of political, social and economic factors and changes within the EU. The subject of federalism is important in the context of the Eur... Nicholson explored the routes to a united Europe and world government advocating federal union and functionalism. Drinkwater suggests that Nicholson gave a new meaning to idealism and realism through his liberal realism and used a new approach to solve sociopolitical problems. Thus liberal realism could be considered as a way towards federalism as the need to find peace and banish war would be in the spirit of working together in a centralized unified manner and federalism in the European Union would be especially important to bring peace and cooperation in the region3. The value of federalism thus relates to large longer term political agendas of peace and unification and not just short term social goals of having trust among members or improving the structure of power sharing between nations. Elaborating on issues of trust and accountability, Follesdal (2005) suggest that the Constitutional Treaty for Europe or CTE has helped in strengthening the federalism of European political order, especially for the future and multiple forms of balancing and changes in the CTE have actually helped in improvements of the political scenario within Europe. The treaty of Europe is thus geared towards creating a European political order that would have federal features to enhance trust aspects among European citizens4. Thus the true advantage of such a treaty would be to increase the trust factor among Europeans by creating a more congenial political order. With the increased federal features and emphasis on federalism in the new political order, the central changes are related to increased emphasis on human rights, issues related to national and European parliament and political parties and seeking greater transparency of operations within

Alternative Methods of Involving Employees in Decision Making Essay

Alternative Methods of Involving Employees in Decision Making - Essay Example Moreover, I have realised the method of transition from one paragraph to another in order to keep the flow of a paper from feedbacks. Introduction â€Å"Employee involvement is not the goal nor is it a tool. Rather, employee involvement is a management and leadership philosophy about how people are most enabled to contribute to continuous improvement and the ongoing success of their work organization† (Employee Involvement: How to Involve Employees in Decision Making, 2012). Advancements in science and technologies and subsequent development of new organizational principles stress the importance of employee involvement in decision making process in an organization. Earlier, top management and middle management were responsible for taking critical decisions with respect to the functioning of the organization. However, the necessities of employee involvement in decision making process are well documented by modern researches. â€Å"For a company to remain healthy over the long term, a new strategic direction that would help it to grow and offer its people challenging work, is needed† (Xarcos, 2009). Ensuring employee participation in the decision making is one way of giving a strategic direction to an organization. â€Å"The concept of employee involvement originates from a leader kind of philosophy where people contribute to the effectiveness of the company and improvement is continuous. Companies that employ this strategy are most successful in areas of their business†(Alexander, 2011). Employees are the most important resource as far as an organization is concerned. In fact employees are the only active resource of an organization and the supervision from this active resource is necessary mobilize all the other passive resources of an organization. Being the only active resource in an organization, employees should be given participation in the decision making process so that they may feel more attachments towards the organization. Differe nt methods are used by different for ensuring employee participation in the decision making process. This paper analyses the alternative methods of involving employees in decision making and the benefits and challenges that these might present for an organisation. Alternative methods of involving employees in decision making The following figure illustrates the ladder of decision making in an organization. Ladder of Decision Making Level 1. Executive Decision Level 2. Executive Decision with Report Level 3. Consultative Decision Level 4. Employee Recommendation Level 5. Delegated Decision (with Veto) Level 6. Delegated decision (w/o Veto) Level 7. Employee Decision Responsibility for the Decision (Gallagher, 2002) At level 1, the chief executive is taking decisions independently and he may or may not inform his decision to the employees during latter stages. At level 2, the executive takes decisions and inform it to the employees in the near future itself. At level 3, the executive welcomes ideas from employees before the decision making process. At level 4, the executive assigns the duty of decision making to the employees whereas at level 5, the executive can accept or reject the decisions taken by the employees. At level 6 employee decisions will be accepted by the executive whereas at level 7, employees may not even inform the executive about their decisions. â€Å"Strategies to encourage employee involvement through participatory, consultative and cooperative workplaces have been widely promoted since the 1970s†

Common Merit vs Anniversary Date Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Common Merit vs Anniversary Date - Essay Example Company practices of granting merit increases are usually pre-defined in compensation and performance evaluation policies and procedures, which indicate the frequency of performance reviews; evaluation standards, criteria, measures, and rating scale; and equivalent percentage increases according to ratings. The merit date is the date at which an employee is eligible for a performance evaluation and a merit increase (Chesterfield, 2008). There are two popular ways for administering annual merit increases, either using a common merit date for all employees or o common ways or by using by using the employee’s anniversary date of hire. One practice for administering the annual merit increase is by using the employee’s anniversary date of hire. This means that one year after the employee was hired, he/she becomes eligible for a performance evaluation and a merit increase, and then every year thereafter, on his/her anniversary date. The advantage of using the anniversary date of hire as against a common merit date, is that it ensures that an employee has been given a full 12-month period to exhibit the job performance he/she will be evaluated on. Considering the length of the period, the employee would be able to improve performance over the course of the months or remedy any bad performance exhibited within ample time till the evaluation date. For the company, planning, implementing and monitoring the evaluation process and the granting of merit increases using the anniversary date would mean a lot more work as anniversary dates would be different from employee to employee. Schedules of performance evaluatio n have to be pre-defined for each employee according to his/her anniversary date, tracked, and monitored for completion, usually a joint responsibility of the HR department and the immediate manager. The greater the number of employees of a company, the more work it would entail. For managers with a number of subordinates to evaluate, it would also mean

Spectator and Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spectator and Cinema - Essay Example In the mid-'70s, the concept began to play a major role in the theoretical discussions in Britain and North America, with the result that psychoanalytical studies of the viewing subject have proliferated. In my reading of Wings of Desire, I borrow from several theoreticians of suture, including some who have been at odds with each other concerning the scope and consequence of this concept. Although my reading of Wings of Desire certainly owes much to the French scholars, claims I make concerning Wenders' film run counter to the original polemical thrust of their work. For them, suture denotes the operation by which cinema encloses the subject in ideology. Their analysis bears primarily on dominant Hollywood cinema, and they restrict the scope of suture to the ideological effacement of the cinematic code. They are reductive as well with respect to the semiotic system of suturing, positing at times the shot/reverseshot system or point-of-view cutting as the fundamental cinematic articulation of suture. Other French film theoreticians who complement a general semiotics of cinema with Lacanian notions of the subject and signification, such as Christian Metz and Jean-Louis Baudry, have avoided such a rigid application of suture to the cinematic apparatus and, nevertheless, have arrived at the even more pessimistic conclusion that cinema itself functions as a support and in strument of ideology. (Metz 1974, 39-47) Anglo-American film scholars have expanded on these psychoanalytical theories of cinema without sharing their negative assessment of the basic cinematic apparatus. (MacCabe 1977, 48-76) However, such challenges to the original French position on cinema and ideology have pertained for the most part only to films that resist closure and foreground lack and alienation. Thomas Elsaesser's 1980 article on Fassbinder is an important example of such criticism in the area of German cinema. Focusing on Fassbinder, but also claiming relevance for New German Cinema in general (mentioning by name Herzog, Wenders, Syberberg, and Kluge), Elsaesser responds to the more radical conclusions drawn by Baudry and Metz. He rejects their implication that "the cinema is indeed an invention without a future' because it systematically ties the spectator to a regressive state, in an endless circuit of substitution and fetishization." (Elsaesser 1986, 537) Nevertheless, suture as well as narrative closure of any kind has remained ideologically suspect. Wings of Desire provides, I think, an excellent opportunity to re-examine this bias that, in the wake of Oudart and his successors, persists against identification and narrative (closure). In the discussion of suture, the emphasis has been on processes of identification that position the viewing

Zara Inc Success Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Zara Inc Success - Research Paper Example As the paper highlights the Fashion Retail world has evolved ahead of others with companies fighting for share in the market and the consumers demanding the next exotic collection every few months. The internationalization has enhanced the commercial aspect of these Fashion Titans who struggle to roll out new designs and trends every season with the hope of getting noticed in a crowd of thousands. The new global economic environment has provided Zara with an opportunity to improve its current brand perception and become the premium brand for European consumers. This can be achieved by creating a high end line for Zara. This would not only increase the potential target market for Zara but also allow Zara to charge premium prices. This study declares that in 1963-74 Amancio Ortega Gaona, chairman and founder of Inditex2, begins his business activities in the textile manufacturing sector. The business grows steadily throughout the decade to include several manufacturing centers distributing products to various European countries. The first ZARA shop opened its doors in 1975 in A Coruà ±a (Spain), the city that saw the Groups early beginnings and which is now home to its central offices. Its stores can now be found in the most important shopping districts of more than 400 cities in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa which is indeed a remarkable achievement. Interesting as it may seem, its first store featured low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end clothing fashions. This was of course an instant success as it enabled the people to have copies of the more luxurious clothes at a reasonable price and so Mr. Ortega opened more stores all over Spain. â€Å"ZARA was a fashion imitator.  ZARAâ€⠄¢s strategy of low volume per style and changing products quickly in its stores helps it to down on the discounts as well. Of its 12,000 distinct items annually, only about 18% of its clothing does not work with customers and has to be discounted.  

Evolution vs Creationism Essay Example for Free

Evolution vs Creationism Essay In the history of science vs. religion there has been no issues more hotly debated than that of evolution vs. creationism. The issue is passionately debated since the majority of evidence is in favor of evolution, but the creation point of view can never be proved wrong because of long standing religious beliefs. Human creation is seperated into three simple beliefs; creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and theistic evolution theory. The complexities of all three sides create a difficult dilemma for what theory to support among commom people, religious or non-religious. The theories of human evolution tend to always cause a heated dispute in modern American society. Each theory presents its own evidence proving its acceptance, but lacks enough evidence to prove the other theories incorrect. All the theories that attempt to explain human existence fall under the categories of creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and the theistic evolution theory. The creation theory explains that a certain God, or Gods created the humans, and evolution does not exist. The naturalistic evolution theory states that evolution is driven by purely natural forces, and is not controlled by any input from a god, goddess, or multiple deities. The theistic evolution is a mixture of both creation and naturalistic theories. The theistic evolution theory states that god created the world and guides the evolution process (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The information presented in evolution studies must be viewed with an open mind since there is no definite proof or law of evolution. The dilemma boils down to science vs. religion. God has been viewed as our creator by different societies for thousands of years, but the discoveries of recent science are suddenly questioning the origins of our existence. With new discoveries, scientific theories may prevail over religious theories. Until science proves its naturalistic theory correct, the world will have to choose between the three theories based on personal beliefs, religious values, and scientific information. The creation theory includes over 500 different creation stories based on numerous religions (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The vast number of stories creates strains on which evolution story is accurate. Christians that are creationists take their holy texts literally and believe the earth is around 10,000 years old. The creation theory will always exist with religion, so the creation theory can never be proved wrong since it is simply a religious belief. Religion is still very important in the United States, and the acceptance of the naturalization theory would completely change Christianity all together. Religious Tolerance, a website that outlays the conflict of evolution vs. creationism, explains how naturalism would shake Christianity. Religious tolerance states that the acceptance of evolution would make people interpret Genesis symbolically and classify evolution stories as myths. Since the creation stories are closely tied to the fall of man and to original sin, the entire role of Jesus would change. Without original sin, there would be no need for a savior, and Christianity would change drastically. This further proves that the creation theory will live as long as religion. The Gallup Organization studies what percentages of Americans believe in each of the three theories. 44% of Americans believe in the creation theory (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The naturalistic and theistic theories of evolution were unheard of until about 200 years ago. With modern science, popularity is growing between these two theories. Naturalistic evolution is built on Darwins ideas of natural variation and selection and Mendels model of genetic inheritance (Steen, 2001). Darwin and Mendel both could not explain how evolution occurs, but recent studies have shown evolution does occur by observing the evolution of fruit flies, and the Tilapia fish (Religious Tolerance, 2004). Scientists argue that observing human evolution is nearly impossible because the past 2000 years have proved little, and relying on fossils leads to many interpretations. Even though naturalistic evolution raises many questions, the theory also has many established facts. General acceptance of creation science would mean that the entire foundational structure and inner relationships of many sciences (geology, biology, astronomy, nuclear sciences, etc. ) become meaningless, and would have to be abandoned (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The naturalistic theory incorporates many aspects of the sciences into its proof. If creation science is somehow proved correct, the sciences are useless. Specification is the newest theory of evolution. Specification is having members of a population adapt to their environments to better suit themselves, and the members will pass this trait on to the future members. Ian Steward of New Scientist states, Specification is a complex business, taking place over vastly different scales of size and time. There is no reason to suppose that it is governed by just one force-after all, we know that genetic mutations and sexual recombination of existing genes vie with environmental influences, depletion of resources, parasites, migration and disease he maths indicate that far from being a surprising phenomenon, it would be very odd if specification didnt occur. Strictly based on science, evolution would follow the naturalistic theory. The naturalistic theory falls behind on the popularity of creationism and theistic evolution in the United States because of religion, the questions raised by the legitimacy of fossils, and the simple fact that the evolution of humans occurs over a period of time inaccessible to humans. (Steen, 2001) According to the Gallup Organization, 99% of scientists believe in the naturalistic theory while only 10% of the U.  S. population believes in the theory. A theory with growing popularity is the combination of the creation theory and the naturalistic theory. Theistic evolution theory supporters believe that evolution is controlled by God. Many Religious institutions teach that evolution was under Gods control and guidance. Even Pope John Paul 11 is intrigued with recent discoveries stating, Today, more than a half century after this [Human Genesis] encyclical, new knowledge leads us to recognize in the theory of evolution more than a hypothesis he convergence, neither sought nor induced of results of work done independently one from the other, constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of this theory [of evolution] (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The popes decision to consider the recognition of evolution is based on many discoveries and theories including the intelligent design theory. The intelligent design theory for the most part is a more sophisticated version of creationism. Dr.  Meyer (director of the center for science and culture at the discovery institute) outlays the intelligent design theory stating, The current evolutionary theory cannot explain how new animal forms developed in the distant past. It advocates the theory of intelligent design, which holds that biological systems are so complex that they could have arisen only through the action of an intelligent force and not through purely random evolutionary processes (Monastersky, 2004). Dr.  Meyers statement in support of the intelligent design theory states that natural evolution could not have developed humans because we are too intelligent. The theistic view shows some aspects of religion and supports substantiate information yet does not jump to conclusions over unproved evidence. The Gallop Organization reports that 39% of Americans have a theistic view on the topic of evolution (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The naturalistic evolutionary theory will continue to gain ground on creationism as time goes by and further information is found and proved. I predict that the theistic evolution theory will become the most popular theory in the United States and around the globe. The concept of religion in peoples heads will never let natural evolution be proved or accepted. The creationism theory and the theistic evolution theory will survive as long as religion. Evolution vs. creationism is in fact science vs. religion, and no theory will ever be unanimously accepted until either religion or science is totally abandoned. Evolution vs. creationism is a controversy that may never be totally agreed upon universally.

Effects of Disputes in Construction

Effects of Disputes in Construction This chapter initially deals with the causes and effects of delays in projects relating to the construction, engineering and IT industries, and the resulting disputes within them. The analytic comparison of delays in each of these industries has then been carried out. Various project case studies, pertaining to the causes and effects of delays and disputes, belonging to each of the above industries have then been included to give a reader a wider scope of the subject matter. The characteristics of certain delay mitigation strategies and dispute resolution techniques have also been investigated for the duration of this chapter. Delays in the Construction Industry Construction industry according to George, O. (1990) may be defined as that sector of the economy which plans, designs, constructs, alters, maintains, repairs, and eventually demolishes buildings, of all kinds, civil engineering works, mechanical and electrical engineering structures and other similar works. Delays on projects are a universal phenomenon and the construction industry is no exception. It has been regarded as a serious problem by Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly (1999), who further state that it proves costly for both owners and contractors. According to the authors, the owner loses by missing out on the potential revenues from the use of the project and by increased overhead cost for contract administration. Meanwhile, the contractor is said to lose as a result of increased overhead costs and lost opportunities for new projects because of diminished financial capabilities. In relation to project management, a project manager firstly needs to be concerned with the causes of delays, which could be at a national level (Kumaraswamy Chan, 1997; Kaming et al, 1997; Mezher and Tawil, 1998; Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly, 1999) or at a project level (Rad, 1979; Charoenngam and Yen, 1999; Olima and KAmumu, 1999). The next step is for them is to realise the effects of delays in terms of a projects legal disputes (Scott, 1993), cost overruns (Mansfield et al, 1994), delay analysis techniques (Bordoli and Baldwin, 1998) etc. Delay mitigation is the next step which focuses mainly on the strategies used for construction schedule comparison and accelerated working (Conlin and Rectic, 1997; Noyce and Hanna, 1998). The last step would be to analyse or examine the drawbacks of delay mitigation strategies (Cristian and Hackney, 1995) which could contribute to additional delays. The above four steps involving delays in construction projects must be considered by project managers in order to achieve successful project completion and delivery. In a hypothetical case assuming a project is delayed because materials arrive late on site, the project manager must be able to recognise it as a delay factor. Secondly, the project manager must be responsible for calculating the effects of delays, prior to deciding upon the most suitable delay mitigation strategy. If the project manager decides to use overtime work, then this according to Horner and Talhouni (1995) will lead to a reduction in productivity of the workforce, hence a new delay factor would be added to the project. According to Oztas (1995) the word delay is a relative term in construction. The way the contractor, the client, the architect and the engineer view a delay or its effect to the project most of the times, if not all, vary significantly. The differences in opinion can be explained by the role each party plays in the contract, the cost implications a delay causes to each party, or the legal disputes which arise from the delay. Understanding the nature of construction delays will enhance the ability of the project manager to handle them. All four dimensions must be analyzed in order to have a balanced view of the subject. The following section sheds light upon some of the causes of delays in construction projects around the world, its legal aspects and its effects. Causes of construction delays According to a survey conducted within the construction industry by Sambasivan, M. Wen Soon Y. (2007), the ten most important causes of delay were found to be (1) contractors improper planning, (2) contractors poor site management, (3) inadequate contractor experience, (4) inadequate clients finance and payments for completed work, (5) problems with subcontractors, (6) shortage in material, (7) labour supply, (8)equipment availability and failure, (9) lack of communication between parties, and (10) mistakes during the construction stage. These causes of delay were not far from what Sweis, G.et al (2008) had investigated during their survey. They claimed that the most important causes of delay were due to (1) Poor planning and scheduling of the project by the contractor, (2) Financial difficulties faced by contractor, and (3) too many change orders from owners. As far as commercial projects are concerned, the main cause of delay arises from delay in payment, since there is argument between the two parties on how financial backup will be provided. Odeh and Battaineh (2001) carried out a survey within construction projects involving traditional contracts, in which they identified and categorised the causes of delay according to the project participants. They state that as far as clients are concerned, delay factors include owner interference, finance and payments of completed work, slow decision making and unrealistic contract duration imposed by owners. Delay factors relating to contractors on the other hand include site management, improper planning, inadequate contractor experience, mistakes during construction, improper construction methods and delays caused by subcontractors. Consultant related delay factors include contract management, preparation and approval of drawings, quality assurance/ control, and long waiting time for approval of tests and inspections. Apart from the above mentioned categories, the authors also mention contractual relationship issues, which include major disputes and negotiations during construction, inappropriate organisational structure linking all parties involved in the project, and lack of communication between parties. External factors contributing to project delays include weather conditions, changes in regulations, problems with neighbours and site conditions. The authors failed to mention the political and socio-economical factors, which would have been a helpful addition to this study considering delays in construction projects are not all the same. Legal aspects According to Carnell (2000), delay claims are perhaps the most common form of construction disputes. Scott (1993) found that more than 50% of contracts in the UK end up with extension of time claims with supporting evidence submitted. A similar survey by Yogeswaran et al (1999) investigated 67 civil engineering projects in Hong Kong where claims arose. These claims were a result of different factors, mainly including extension of time due to bad weather (82% of projects), variation orders (49% of projects) and delays caused by utility undertakers. However, it should be noted that claims for extra time or cost do not necessarily end in disputes in all projects. From a legal point of view, according to Kraeim Diekmann (1987), delays factors are classified into three main categories: (1) Compensable, (2) Excusable, and (3) Non-Excusable. According to Scott (1993), the latter terms are used in the United States, while in the UK the terms used are: (1) the client is responsible, neither party is responsible and (3) the contractor is responsible. Irrespective of the terminology used in either country, Arditi and Patel (1989) explain the above as: Compensable/Client is responsible: Delays entitled compensable are not caused by the contractor but by the owner. The main delay factors included in this category are: owners delay in providing access to site, changes in scope of work, non payment to the contractor, improper or delayed issue of change orders, inadequate information and supervision by the owner. When a compensable delay occurs, the contractor is allowed time extension and extra costs for losses. Non-Excusable/Contractor is responsible: Non-excusable delays are caused by the contractors inefficiency. The main delay factors in this category include: shortages of qualified workers, technical personnel or materials, failure to coordinate work (i.e. deficient planning), delays caused by subcontractors, defective work that has to be redone, slow mobilisation, low contractor productivity and accidents. The owner in this case reserves the right to charge the contractor liquidated damages for such delays in the total project duration. Excusable/Neither party is responsible: Delays in this category are caused by events that are beyond the contractor or the clients control. Factors include extreme weather conditions, fire, flood, strikes, and lockouts; vandalism, war, epidemics, damages caused by parties others than the contractor or the owner, government actions or construction law. According to Kraeim and Diekmann (1987), excusable delays are listed in a clause in the contract document (i.e. Force Majeure Clause) and that the sole relief for excusable delays is time extension. The authors argue that the situation becomes more complicated in the case of concurrent delays. These types of delays occur when the overall delay is caused by several factors, some of which are within the owners responsibility and some of which are within the contractors responsibility (Arditi and Patel, 1989; pp.146). The effects of delays To investigate the effects of delays in large construction projects, Assaf Al-Hejji (2006) conducted a survey in which it was concluded that 70% of the projects experienced time overruns. Their research showed that only 30% of construction projects were completed within the scheduled completion dates and that the average time overrun was between 10% and 30%. A similar observation was made by Aibinu Jagboro (2002), whose findings for the Nigerian construction industry showed that time and cost overruns were frequent effects of delays. They had stated in their research that delay had significant effect on completion cost and time of 61 building projects being studied. In a similar but a more integrated approach to finding the effects of delays in construction projects, Sambasivan Wen Soon (2007) identified six effects of delays to be (1) time overrun, (2) cost overrun, (3) disputes, (4) arbitration, (5) litigation, and (6) total abandonment of the project. A delay affects both the construction schedule and the cost of a project. The impact on the construction schedule depends mainly on the activities in which the delay is encountered and the existence or not of float in the delayed activities. The cost effects are mainly related with the types of costs associated with the delayed activity, e.g. the liquidated damages for delay. In order to make a general statement, the author believes that the time value of money should be taken into account. The most likely effect of delay is the reduction of the NPV of the investment. Furthermore, as Thomson (1995a) state, since most recourse costs in construction projects are time related, consequently any extension of programme will lead to increased costs. An analysis of the two main effects follows. Impact on the construction schedule Bordoli and Baldwin (1998) classified delay factors in six types according to their impact on the construction schedule. These types are: Date delays: an activity cannot start or finish until a specific date irrespective of when preceding activities were carried out or were planned to be carried out. For example, a delay of this type occurs when the delivery of plant or materials is scheduled for a specific date without which the work cannot start. Total delays: Complete stoppage to all parts of the works occurs. For example, strikes and lockouts or postponements of the works. Extended delays: Duration of an activity is extended. For example when an increase in the work content of an activity occurs. Additional delays: New construction activities are added to the planned work. New or additional work is incorporated into the project, subsequent to the production of the original programme. Sequence delays: Activities cannot start or finish in the sequence originally planned. For example, changes in specification of materials or techniques which result in activities no longer able to be carried out concurrently. Progress delays: when the progress of the works was less than that planned. This could be the result of the use of inadequate labour, plant or materials, or even excessively ambitious time estimates. Examining the latter types of delays gives an overview of the impact delays on the construction schedule. The effect of a delay on the schedule can range from few minutes, hours, days to complete stoppage of works. The schedule is altered in many ways. Activities must be re-planned, changes to the sequence of work can occur, logical linkages between activities could change and resources have to be reallocated. As far as the duration of work is concerned the main factor that must be considered is float. When a delay occurs in critical activities it is clear that the duration of the project will increase if the contractor doesnt accelerate works. When a delay occurs in non critical activities then what is important to consider is the ratio between the float and the duration of the delay. If the float is consumed then this will, in turn, change the critical path of the project by concerting a non critical activity to a critical one. If on the other hand, the delay is less than the float then the overall duration of the project is not affected but the risk of overrun is increased, by the increased probability of further critical delays. Cost overruns There are several scenarios related with the cost overruns of construction delays. Oztas (1995) mentions that delays lead to additional expenses incurred by the contractor and that most of them occur due to prolonging the job, reallocation of work forces, storing extra materials on site, wasting materials, or loss of productivity or workers due to reassignment. It is vital for the project manager to assess the cost overruns in terms of materials, equipment and labour costs. There are several types of costs associated with any delayed activity in a project. Thompson (1995a) identify these as being (1) fixed charges incurred at any point in time, (2) quantity proportional charges related to quality of work completed, output of deliveries of materials, and (3) time related charges which, according to the author, refers to the cost of resources. The author argues that the sensitivity of delay in terms of cost will be determined by the relative contribution of each type of cost mentioned above, and the existence of float. Delays occurring on a critical activity lead to an extension of the duration of the project in most cases, which, in turn lead to an increase in both fixed and time related costs. Another major concern for a project manager in terms of construction costs are liquidated damages. Scott (1993) explains liquidated damages as being a sum of money, usually specified in the contract, being deducted from the contractor in the event of a failure to complete the project in the specified time frame. They state that the contract normally specifies a predetermined time after which it must be substantially completed and available for use. An example of a standard form of contract including a clause of liquidated damages includes the ICE Condition of Contract Edition 7, Clause 47 (Hawker, 1999). Delays as a benchmark of success Construction delays are not necessarily a root cause of failure of a project. Many authors investigating the causes of success or failure of projects agree that the classical triangle of cost,time and quality should not be used as the only measure of success of projects (Morris and Hough, 1987; Gardiner and Stewart, 2000; Atkinson, 1999). The latter argument is based on the fact that most construction projects encounter both time and cost overruns. Rad (1979) estimated that the increase in terms of time and cost of nuclear plant projects in the United States was significant. Similarly Morris and Hough (1987) who evaluated the records of more than 4000 projects between 1959 and 1986 concluded that the success rate of projects is generally poor and that overrun values range between 40 to 200 percent. Perhaps the most extreme view concerning time and cost estimates of projects is expressed by Atkinson (1999) who states: Time and cost are at best only best guesses, calculated at a time w hen least is known about the project. The overall conclusion drawn from current research is that construction delays and cost overrun is not something rare but instead a common phenomenon. Since time and cost may not be the best measures of success, alternatives must be presented. Gardiner and Stewart (2000) state, that the Net Present Value of the investment should be used as a criterion of success. They concluded that: It is recommended changing the performance measures that are common today from: The project was delivered on time, to budget, and of the required quality to: The project was delivered with the best achievable NPV and to the required quality (Gardiner and Stewart, 2000, pp.255) Atkinson (1999) considered a new framework to consider success; The Square Root. The main idea behind this new framework is that the there are four categories of success criteria. The first is the classical time-cost-quality triangle. The second is concerned with the maintainability and reliability of the information system. The third is related with the benefits for the organization in terms of improved efficiency, effectiveness and profits. The last group of success factors such as satisfied users, social and environmental uses and personal development. Examining the discussion related with project critical success factors brings into light different aspects of construction delays. If, on one hand, the primary objective of a project is to finish on time then a delay during construction could be the main cause of failure of the project. On the other hand, if the primary objective is customer satisfaction then a delay may just be the effect of design changes, which will lead to the desired customer satisfaction and project success. In all cases the primary objectives of the project will determine the role of delays to the success or failure of the project. Delays in the Engineering Industry The engineering industry is one of the most important basic industries for any economy. It has been referred to by Desai (1987) as being an economys Engine of Growth. It supplies plant and machinery for other industries, equipments to build up infrastructures, automobiles, aircrafts, and a host of other tools and equipments. The engineering industry has widened its base across a broad spectrum and inducted the latest technology in many areas including, electrical and electronics, mechanical, transportation, industrial and other miscellaneous engineering sectors. According to Mahapatra and Biswal (2007), the development of an economy and the achievement of self-sufficiency in various sectors depend to a very large extent on the development of the engineering industry. Since it being such a large industry, it is also not immune from delays. The project participants in engineering projects are known to be consultant engineers, contractors and owners. Similar impacts are observed on project participants in this industry due to delays, as are mentioned above for the construction industry. The following section looks into some of the causes and effects of delays in the engineering industry. Causes of engineering delays Yates (2007) identified a list of common delay factors belonging to both the planning and operating stages of engineering projects. They are (1) Political and Social unrest, (2) Religious and Social factors, (3) Labour disputes and strikes, (4) Technologic and Economic limitations, (5) Government Restrictions, (6) Global technical delay factors (7) Changes in project requirements, (8) Lack of communication between various divisions, and (9) Miscellaneous planning delays . The author explains the above delay factors as: Political and Social unrest: Certain regions of the world are said to be undergoing drastic and violent changes in their political, economic and social environment. Situations like these limits access to foreign contractors working in large engineering projects, and hence are a cause of major delay in project execution. The author argues that the ruling party in such countries are afraid to make political decisions on social or economic reforms for the fear of jeopardising the delicate balance existing between various ethnic groups, political parties and social classes. Religious and Social factors: With the aid of engineering projects being executed in the Middle East, the author argues that foreign contractors often tolerate delays due to religious festivities in these parts of the world, e.g. during the month of Ramadan. It is in these times that local labourers are hard to hire as they are not readily available due to social and economic reasons as stated by the author. As a result engineering and construction firms often import foreign labours into these parts of the world, by which they experience both time and cost overruns. Labour disputes and strikes: Labour disputes or strikes are said to be a common delay factor in engineering industries and tends to disrupt construction or manufacturing schedule. Project managers need to identify and effectively negotiate with the labour representatives in order to stop further delays emanating from such undesirable events. Technologic and Economic limitations: These include factors such as design standards, constructability issues, performance standards, quality standards, material availability, testing, inspection and safety. On the other hand, economic limitations include factors such as inflation, escalation and the availability of cash flow. Furthermore, the level of motivation in the workforce also plays a useful role in limiting economic delays. The importance of motivation in employees has been discussed earlier in Chapter 2. Government restrictions: These include imposition of legal restrictions, regulations and interference by the local government, which tends to disrupt the manufacturing and construction in an engineering industry. Some governments such as Japan put on restrictions such as acts of protectionism, where foreign firms are not allowed to operate in their country. Other government restrictions include the requirement and inspection of certain permits, before during and at the conclusion of the end product. Global technical delay factors: The results which the author has been able to gather from a global survey of engineering projects indicated the following causes of technical delays: (1) Design modifications, (2) Weather (climate), (3) Material delivery, (4) Equipment delivery, (5) Incomplete drawings, and (6) Material quality. Changes in project requirements: This has been termed by the author as one of the most frequent causes of planning delays. Irrespective of where a project is going to be built, project owners are often indecisive in their approach during the planning stage of an engineering project. The need for project owners to prioritize projects is a critical step towards attaining timely project completion. Lack of communication between various divisions: Ineffective communication in an organisation that is planning and designing projects often leads to multiple delays. A project manager who knows how to effectively document processes helps to reduce delays along with steps like formalising the planning process, scheduling routine team meetings, assigning the project to an experienced project manager, or empowering the project manager to act as a conduit for communication. The need of having effective communication in organisations has been discussed previously in Chapter 2. Miscellaneous planning delays: Other factors that cause global project planning delays include the following: (1) Lack of political and governmental support, (2) Hidden agendas and strong individuals pushing their ideas, and (3) Lack of knowledge about planning processes and strategic planning. Legal aspects Certain contractual claims exist in the engineering industry. An example according to Smith et al (1999) includes a claim made under clause 12 of the ICE contract, which entitles contractors, in limited circumstances, to claim in respect of delay and extra cost should they encounter certain adverse physical conditions or artificial obstructions as the work progresses. In such claims there is no blame on the part of the employer or the engineer since adverse physical conditions are a neutral event, and the issue of suspending the works is merely the exercise of a contractual right. Apart from contractual claims, there are certain claims for breach of contract, for example clause 7(4) of the ICE conditions contract entitles contractors to claim for delay in issuing drawings or instructions by the engineer at the right time. According to the authors, the engineers failure to provide information at the right time is a breach of the express provisions of the contract, for which the employ er is held accountable in law.

Airline Competitive Advantage

Airline Competitive Advantage During turbulent 1970s and early part of 1980s, marketing was a comparatively unimportant activity among airline companies around the world due to stringent industry regulation and the industry was operating in a sellers market conditions around the globe. In particular, protected by government ownership and regulation, airlines were safe from serious competitive effects of the marketplace. In most cases, the industry showed an oligopolistic market structure. For instance, price competition was nonexistent, promotional efforts were limited, product service quality was uneven, and little had been done to develop efficient distribution systems through hub and spoke networks Borenstein 1989. In a market which was dominated by airlines themselves the motto was if you offer flights from one destination to another, people will take them. There is substantial anecdotal evidence that an airline with a dominant share of the traffic at an airport has a competitive advantage on routes that incl ude that airport. In this approach, consumers needs and wants, their expectations did not have any meaning. In recent years, there have been a number of changes in global airlines industry which have had profound effects on the development of this very volatile sector of the economy in most countries of the world. Pustay 1992Demographic, legal-political, socio-economic and technological changes have led the way to transformation of the airline and the way they do business domestically as well as internationally. In this rapid re-structuring process, both national as well as private airlines had to modify their marketing and business policies and strategies. In particular, the emergence of consumer-oriented marketing approach was evident. The essence of the marketing concept incorporates three basic elements of customer-orientation, integrated marketing efforts and the resultant company profitability and customer satisfaction. In this process, continuous relationship between airlines and their customers has become the watchword and airline industry standard. Definition of Competitive Advantage and Strategic Thinking A competitive advantage is a medium or long-term factor that works in favour organisation or at least, a restricted number of airline industries. Competitive advantages in airline are usually facets which are costly and time consuming for others to develop so that the entry price is high. Typical competitive advantages are cost leadership, technological superiority and uniqueness. Positioning Airline Company The first approach takes the structure of the industry as given and matches the company. Strength and weaknesses to it competitive advantage can be viewed as a building defence against the competitive force or as finding position in the industry where the force are weakest. Knowledge of the airline industry capabilities and of course of the competitive force will highlight the areas where the airline industry should confront competitive and where avoid it. When dealing with the industry force that drive industry competitive, company can devise a strategy that takes the offensive. This posture is designed to do more than merely cope with the forces themselves it is mean to alter their causes. Innovation cost in airline industry market can raise brand identification or otherwise differentiate the service and capital investment in airline at large scale facilities or vertical integration affects entry barriers. The forces he identifies are: Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Threat of Substitute customer relationship and Services Threat of New Entrants Bargaining Power of customers Bargaining Power of employees Exploiting Industry Change in Airline Company Airline industry evolution is important strategically because evolution, of cause, bright with it changes in the sources of competition in the familiar services in the life-cycle pattern, for example, growth rates changes, services differentiation is said to decline as the business becomes more mature and the company tend to integrate vertically. These trends are not so important in themselves, what is critical is whether they affect the sources of competition. Consider vertical integration in the maturing airline industry, extensive vertical integration both in servicing and in customer relationship development is taking place. This very significant trend is greatly raising economics of scale as well as the industry this is turn raising barriers to entry and may drive some smaller airline competitors out of the industry once growth level off. Oligopoly and Game theory in airline industry Taking two different airlines as an example, if either airlines decides on cutting their fares, there is tendency that it will affect the other, and if both airlines decide on cutting down their fares, they will both be affected and shift to a worst situation unless, there is increase in fare sales to a reasonable level. Using the names Ryan Air and British Airways respectively to represent two different airlines, If the Ryan airline decides to go for the best fare that maximises profit, it will affect the demand of the fares for the British Airways airline and vice-versa, and also they could also decide on going for the maximum of the minimum (MAXIMIN), tending to increase they profit. So therefore, both airlines tend to have effect on effect other. Recession could be an advantage or demerit to an economy and other firms. Some organisations might see recession as an advantage because it motivates the market to run effectively mostly during long-term. Taking Ryan jar airline as an example, the organisation seen recession as an advantage to them because, during recession competition within the airline industry is less, it causes brings down the cost of airlines. If there is high number of airlines, the lesser the information they get about each others performance being an advantage to the firms, and more likely output and prices will be at a competitive level (Wessel,W.J (2006)pg 433-434). An article laid out by Elowitt, K. (2009), British Airways is one the affected airlines in the economy, stating a 14% drop in the premium traffic domestically and worldwide during the previous year, causing the company to put on hold two or more of their biggest flights. How EU Encouraged the Expansion of low Cost Carriers Reduce congestion in the skies. The European Union constructed a single European sky thereby reducing congestion drastically. The EU has the power to do so because the congestion price is at their disposal and they can also develop strategies and alliances with other airports. A country aware or facing a congestion problem can also create secondary airport to divert segments of the main airports traffic. Air regulations. Rules were imposed into to erase or prevent monopolistic practices which were anti competitive that usually prevented competition to the detriment of consumers. Most importantly, the EU competition rules regaled mergers, state aid to producers are prohibited within certain conditions and finally rules about cartels that prohibited all inter-company agreements that usually restrict or prevent competition within the European Union was implemented. Five ways to airlines reduce cost Used of secondary airport. Paying lower airport charges by using cheaper airport is a means by which cost can be reduced. A similar example is the Debonair and easy jet that set them up in 1995 at Luton where they were given extremely favourable deals on airport charges and rentals. The low-cost is very attractive to smaller airport and as a result can demand extremely low lending and other fees. Increasing number of seats by removing galleys and reduce the seat pitch; By doing away with business class, by reducing the seat pitch that is the distance between seats, low-cost carriers can simply increase the number of seats available for sale on the aircraft. Low-cost carriers tend to also increase their number of seats by reducing the number of toilets and eliminating other spaces such as coat cupboard, and so on. Direct Flight. Low-cost carriers dont set up a network. Their connection is point to point with a high market potential especially for individual private or non-business travellers. The traditional carriers have their own hubs where passengers can switch planes, from European to intercontinental flights. High cost of sales of tickets online. By so doing, they do not pay agencies like the traditional airlines on the sale of tickets. A company spokesman said Ryan airline has around three quarters of its customers already checked online and predicted that passengers would welcome the initiative. Low operating cost: All cost is reduced to its minimal e.g. maintenance cost, air fares, wages etc. No hub services, short cleaning time, no air freight, thus giving rise to high resource productivity. Low-cost carrier in the Aviation Industry Low cost carriers made a great impact on the aviation market causing the competition amongst firms to increase. Low cost carriers also led to a large extension in the number and density of civil airports, thus, the number of passengers in the traditional airport did not reduce. Basically from the point of view, low cost carriers induced either an additional demand or won clients for the air traffic which might have travelled by other means. An interview showed that 59% of the clients or passengers of the low cost carriers are new and 37% changed from other airlines. From the new airlines statistics, 6% stated they would have used the train, 15% the car and 71% said they wouldnt have travelled at all if they wouldnt have been the low cost offer. Incumbent airlines have responded with small cut-price airlines of their own to maintain market share. Due to the impact of low cost airlines, traditional European airlines such as British airways and Lufthansa are experiencing increasing pressure from the growth of the LCC. The traditional airline responses have gone to the extent of reduction in labour cost, greater use of regional aircraft and a run-down of secondary hubs. The traditional airlines also made a lot of changes to their on-board service and a move to direct-sell bring these airlines closer to the low cost carrier product. At the end, the traditional airlines network strength is largely maintained, however, which appears a better strategy to them. The traditional airlines raised up an issue against the low cost airlines that there is unfair competition and abuse to monopoly power and the conclusion led the traditional airlines to be in better shape than their counterparts. Source of Competitive Advantage in Airline Industry Competitive cost advantage in airline industry is a constantly moving target for any company in any industry; the key is not to get stuck with a single simple notion of its source of advantage. The best competitors the most successful ones, know how to keep moving and always stay on the cutting edge. Today, time is a cutting edge among the airline. The ways bigger airline industry companies manage time airline industry in new customer relationship and introduction in flight schedule represent the most powerful new sources of competitive advantage. Though certain western company are pursuing this advantage airline industry experience and practice provide the most instructive example not because they are necessarily unique but because they best illustrate the evolutionary stage through which leading companies have advantage. What Determines cost Success or Failure in Airline Industry Competition The question of what determine the cost success or failure of airline firms competition may be the most fundamental question that strategic management poses. Success, for a strategically distinct business requires that a competitive advantage be created and sustained in airline industry. Competitive advantage yield an economic rent in other words it create a situation in which economic costs are exceeded by revenue generated. Cost may be less than those of competitors, or any combination of this advantage. Conclusions Company might be affected by cyclical effects, leading them to reduce travels of all kinds most by individuals, leading to reduction in demand but the growth remains on a positive side. Individuals travelling on higher fares tickets like first class might change to second class or a lower class. Other companies deciding on building higher cash flow either by introducing higher discounts on premium tickets so as to fill lapse or even to increase demand. According to Winston and Morrison (1989), if an airline exercises monopoly power, the services provided are likely to be reflected with higher prices for the same level of output.