How Did The French Revolution Come From Fruition - 951 Words

When someone mentions the French Revolution, it brings to mind times of rioting, the Guillotine, and the fall of a monarchy. The Revolution was a time of change, many of which happened swiftly and caused outcry from various groups of people around not only France, but other European countries. This was in part to the Revolts that had started in European colonies. . The question is how did the French Revolution come to fruition? There were many causes of the French Revolution that span from financial and economic problems, the tension between the three estates, and the overall inability of King Louis XVI. The main financial problem in 1792 for France, was the national debt. While many believe that the building and upkeep of the Versailles Palace, it was not the leading factor in France’s debt. The actual main focus point of the debt were the efforts to maintain France’s position in relation to the other European countries, especially France’s rival of Britain. Another reason for the high amount of debt, is the various wars that France participated in. By sending aid to the American colonies during the American Revolution, they lost a lot of revenue. The disastrous results of The Seven Years’ War also did not help the debt and raised fear that the monarchy was not able to handle the challenges they faced. They were further humiliated during Frederick the Great’s reign in Prussia, and lost their colonial possessions in both India and North America to the British (Popkin 4-5).Show MoreRelatedBonaparte Betrayed the Revolution1638 Words   |  7 PagesBo naparte Betrayed the Revolution ‘Bonaparte betrayed the revolution.’ Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. Napoleon Bonaparte’s attitude towards the French Revolution is one that has often raised questions. That the revolution had an influence on Bonaparte’s regime cannot be denied – but to what extent? When one looks at France after Napoleon’s reign it is clear that he had brought much longed for order and stability. He had also established institutions that embodied theRead MoreThe Power Of The Great Powers Of Great Britain1650 Words   |  7 Pagespoison. The Congress of Vienna also to ban the slave trade in the Atlantic. All the great powers agreed to this, but only Britain really did nothing to stop the trade, creating an anti-slavery naval squadron. For all the problems that France had caused, Congress was remarkably smooth to France, which basically has to maintain its traditional boundaries, pre-revolution. Congress also stopped leaving potentially explosive hand issues: the question of Poland could have led to war or more hostility, butRead MoreThe American Revolution910 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican Revolution, 169 years in the making, was a long and hard struggle that created a constitutional republic with the greatest large-scale freedom ever seen in human history. The war was partially fought under the declaration â€Å"no taxation without representation,† which embodied the Revolutionaries rejection of the British idea of virtual representation in Parliament. Virtual representation meant that English members could e ffectively represent the colonies in Parliament. The colonies did not agreeRead MoreThe Theory Of Progress And Its Components1569 Words   |  7 Pagesnear the common day is not a straight linear progression that hits abstract checkmarks of movements and revolutions, but it is a more complex study. Historians such as J.B. Bury, Herbert Butterfield, and John Lukacs talk about the theory of progress and how it manifests in historical writings. The scientists, C.P Snow wrote in the Two Cultures a framework of mind of the significant revolutions in science. The theory of progress and its components are important in use to see a limited progress ofRead MoreThe Enlightenment Essay999 Words   |  4 Pages During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the scientific revolution brought about a slow change in societies’ thinking regarding math, earth science, physics, and astronomy. Early on, new ideas about our universe were not widely accepted, especially from the church. Thi s soon changed due to the hard work and perseverance of several scientists and philosophers who unbeknownst to them brought about an era known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, which eased into existence in the seventeenthRead MoreThe Stamp Act1599 Words   |  7 Pagesmany events could have marked the birth of the nation America is today. With research, however, it is evident that the Stamp Act was the true mark of no return in American history. When the act came into law in 1765, there was a growing resentment from colonists towards British parliament in regard to taxes. England actually paid more in taxes, but Americans felt they had done a lot for Britain and were concerned about England interfering with their local government systems and taking away theirRead MoreThe War I Was The United States Become A Super Power959 Words   |  4 Pages World War I was the war that shaped the future of the 20th century and is what helped make the United States become a super power. Since its Independence the United States had taken a stance of isolationism from conflicts in Europe and Asia. To further assert their stance on isolationism the United States passed the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 which stated that any attempt by a European nation to colonize or interfere with North and South American would be seen as an act of aggression. The United StatesRead More1 How did pollution affect London between 1700 and 1900? The development of locomotives, and1600 Words   |  7 Pages 1 How did pollution affect London between 1700 and 1900? The development of locomotives, and steamboats manufactured goods could now be sold around the globe. Families moved from the villages of their ancestors to new industrial towns and a new class of people emerged, workers who produced goods. The industrialist, the people who owned the factories, employed hundreds even thousands of people, and made enormous profits. A major concern was the growing numbers, the masses of the urban poor thatRead MoreThe Western Military Trajectory During The Gunpowder And First Industrial Revolutions2121 Words   |  9 Pagesfor a military revolution stemming from non-Western stimuli. 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For the next twenty-five years, the country would be launched into extreme political instability and party factionalism. In the beginning

Ijarah Free Essays

Ijarah Ijarah means lease, rent or wage. Generally, Ijarah concept means selling benefit or use or service for a fixed price or wage. Under this concept, the Bank makes available to the customer the use of service of assets / equipments such as plant, office automation, motor vehicle for a fixed period and price. We will write a custom essay sample on Ijarah or any similar topic only for you Order Now Advantages Of Ijarah The following are the advantages of Ijarah to lessee: 1)Ijarah conserves capital as it may provide 100% financing. 2)Ijarah enables the Lessee to have the use of the equipment on payment of the first rental. This is important since it is the use (and not ownership)of the equipment that generates income. 3)Ijarah arrangements are flexible because the terms and rental provision may be tailored to suit the needs of the Lessee. Therefore, it aids corporate planning and budgeting. 4)Ijarah is not borrowing and is therefore not required to be disclosed as a liability in the Balance Sheet of the Lessee. Being an â€Å"off balance sheet† financing, it is not included in the computation of gearing ratios imposed by bankers. The borrowing capacity of the Lessee is therefore not impaired when leasing is resorted to as a mean of financing. 5)All payments of rentals are treated as payment of operating expenses and are therefore, fully tax-deductible. Leasing therefore offers tax-advantages to profit making concerns. 6)There are many types of equipment, which becomes obsolete before the end of its actual economic life. This is particularly true in high technology equipment like computers. Thus the risk is passed onto the Lessor who will undoubtedly charge a premium into the lease rate to compensate for the risk. A Lessee may be willing to pay the said premium as an insurance against obsolescence. 7)If the equipment used is for a relatively short period of time, it may be more profitable to lease than to buy. 8)If the equipment is used for a short duration and the equipment has a very poor second hand value (resale value), leasing would be the best method for acquisition How to cite Ijarah, Essay examples

Business in Construction Management †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Business in Construction Management. Answer: Introduction As the world population continues to grow and its demand for products, services, and basic needs, the demand for construction of shelter and infrastructure also continue to expand. However, the construction industry is faced with several challenges, which make it difficult for construction companies to focus on growing their business. The success of these construction companies has been very seriously limited by these challenges(Hutchiings Christofferson, 2011). For this reason, many construction firms have to consider vital business strategies to achieve success in their business, despite the challenges facing the industry. Success in such an industry can only be achieved through a company analyzing several business factors, predict the future and then make necessary changes to ensure that the company achieves increase profits and better strategies to achieve effective cost management and even reduced risks. Due to the risky nature of the construction business, construction firms o ught to be considerate of the factors that could prevent it from achieving success and make necessary steps to avoid those factors or limit their effect in the company. At the same time, these strategies could also be important for improving the business and making it easier for the company to grow amid these factors. This study is analyzes the case of two construction companies, one from Sri Lanka and another from the Middle East, and presents their situation to explain how different factors affect the success of construction companies in different parts of the world. It also presents the business issues that affect the construction companies and suggests a number of strategies that the construction companies in the study and other in the same situation can use to achieve success in their businesses(Koota, 2013). It also analyzes the different risks that the construction industry is faced with, and how these risks affect the success rates of these companies. In so doing, its readers will be highlighted of the different factors affecting the success of construction companies as well as the risks that companies in this industry are faced with. Companies in the construction industry continue to face great challenges and risks in the business world, and this limits the ability of these companies to g row and achieve success. This can mainly be attributed to the increasing population and demand for basic needs, products, and services. This is because, the growth in the demand of needs of industries like the construction industry has brought with it complexities in the process to begin and complete projects as well as other challenges like constantly changing construction regulations and the fragmentation of the procedures involved in this industry(Abraham, 2013). This thus makes the possibilities of having successful construction companies very slim, although the few that manage to identify the right strategies and implement them to the letter become outstandingly successful. It is therefore important for the companies aiming at success in this industry to invest in identifying and staying abreast with their competition in their respective regions Due to the nature of the major factors of cost and time in this industry, the best companies always have to be the ones who deliver in the shortest time and also maintain a cost that is relatively less than that of the competition. The risks in this industry are also aggravated by the failure to utilize a lean and effective model of management(Hughes, Tippett, Thomas, 2014). Construction companies are thus advised to consider utilizing a management strategy to attain a business level where the risks have been completely avoided or mitigated, so the company continues to grow and achieve even greater heights. An effective management strategy for the business would also aid the companies to achieve lean operations with minimal wastage of resources so that the business is beneficial and the risks can be mitigated better. Management and risk planning in this industry also assure companies better rates of success, through enabling the companies to achieve their business goals and to meet the objectives and the needs of all their projects. Effective management also enables construction companies to stay on track of their resources, to ensure they deliver the expected results within the budgets and the timelines that are set by the by the developers and thus meet the specifications of the project (Gerstel, 2009). Current Performance Analysis of Case Studies Due to the increase in population and demand of basic needs in Sri Lanka, the construction industry in that country has gradually continued to shift from the construction of infrastructure like airports, roads, or even harbors, and is since focusing on residential and commercial spaces. This can be attributed to an increase in the demand for services and basic needs for the increasing population(Allmon, Haas, Borcherding , Goodrum , 2007). The construction in this industry is mainly involved in the construction of sky scrapers in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. There is also a constraining factor of land, which is being sold at extremely high prices, prompting the entire industry to focus on crating large sky scrapers with immense capacities. The demand for residential and commercial spaces in the Sri Lankan market have continued to increase while the land to meet this demand continues to diminish have left the construction industry having to settle on the construction of sky scrap ers in that capital and also into the suburban parts of the city. The construction industry in Sri Lanka is projected to remain in the sky scraper construction bubble within and around the capital city of Colombo for the next five years. This is due to the growth the tourism industry of the country has in the recent past began to grow immensely, and thus the construction of more skyscrapers as hotels for the tourists is expected to continue this bubble. The increase of tourists will also prompt the construction of shopping malls and supplementary establishments. The country is also experiencing a shortage of commercial spaces like offices, and this might also prompt a need for the entire industry to be focused on skyscraper construction. After the skyscraper bubble, the market is expected to shift to the Western Region Mega polis project which the government is expected to inject about $ 40 billion. While this is a very promising aspect about the construction industry of the country, it is also expected to pose great challenges that make it very difficult for the companies to achieve success. For instance the Sri Lankan expected developments have attracted the need for new strategies and requirements which arise from different factors. The first of these is that science and development continues to develop new building technologies and construction styles. For instance, technologies have emerged so much that most of the buildings that have been constructed in the recent past have been put together using precast segmental blocks that are simply assembled and secured in the construction process to save on time. The costs are also minimized when these precast blocks are used. Another factor prompting changes in the strategies and requirements of the Sri Lankan market is the supply chain, which is unfamiliar with the current skyscraper construction technologies. Recent developments have seen the development of different more energy saving materials which have not yet penetrated the market well. In addition, environmental awareness and technologies have also began advising construction companies to ensure less carbon emissions in the houses whose construction consumed a lot of energy in extracting the materials, so as to achieve a sustainable construction. For the Sri Lankan industry, many contractors in the supply chain do not yet have these advancements, and this contributes to the difficulty of achieving success. In addition, technology has also introduced to the industry other tools like the Building Information Modelling tools which have made work in the construction industry much easier and more accurate. This is because these tools utilize a computer based 3D modelling system that makes work for engineers, architects and even the subcontracted construction experts easier, through efficient designing and planning stages before the actual construction works begin as well as the management and construction process much more effective manage. The construction of even unchartered grounds like the skyscrapers in the case of Sri Lanka has thus been made better, easier and more accurate as the result of utilizing these Building Information Modelling tools. Further, as the number of construction projects being commenced due to the high demand for construction projects increases, the demand for huge capital flows in the industry has led to the reliance of borrowed capital to finance these projects. These high lending rates of construction capital also limit the growth and prosperity of different companies in the industry as they are coupled with inflation rates and high interests rates that negatively affect the turnover rates in this industry. For this reason, construction companies are mainly advised to take control of their cash flow to keep it healthy, to ensure the impact of the high interest rates and inflation rates in Sri Lanka do not continue to cripple the entire industry. The promising future for the Sri Lanka construction industry especially for tall skyscrapers has also attracted the attention of construction industry players on the international scale, who are more equipped for the construction of such high risk projects. This means that the construction industry in Sri Lanka has continued to demonstrate an immense level of rivalry from competition between the local companies and the international ones for the most profitable construction projects. Since the Sri Lanka construction industry is subdivided into ranks that have been allocated certain responsibilities to participate in certain levels of construction, the international players mostly win the tenders for the most profitable projects. The smaller lower ranking companies are thus restricted from bidding in projects that would give them a great boost in them of their business growth and the achievement of prosperity. The Middle Eastern construction industry has also been going through some difficult times in the recent past, as a result of the impact of low oil prices on liquidity, which has continued to decrease. The impact of this state of the industry continues to mount immense pressure on the bottom line players in the Middle East construction industry prompting the government and its entities to understand the situation and look into options to help these players save costs and increase the operational efficiencies for such companies. The effect of this would be a significant reduction on the costs that are incurred especially on projects that are relatively less critical than others, and thus increasing the chances of industry players to overcome most of their challenges to achieve success and prosperity in business. While the intentions of the government and its entities are good, the cost savings in the industry have had a direct negative impact on the industry, as many projects have been cancelled, including the large scale and high profile construction companies such as the GCC Rail Network. The non-critical construction projects are however expected to continue on a downward spiral, as a result of the consequences of the global oil prices. However, the future for the Middle Eastern construction industry appears promising as a result of the stabilization of the worlds oil market price at $50. In addition, the region is expecting the commencement of some serious and critical projects such as the constructions that are closely linked to events such as the Dubai Expo 2020 and the 2022 World Cup that will be held in this part of the globe. Players in the industry will be greatly favored by the constructions of different projects affiliated to such events as the time and budgetary resources will continue to become increasingly constrained, for the benefit of the contractors. In addition, the intervention of the government in cost savings for the industry will also benefit contractors as they will have to incur great risks of the government suspending their construction operat ions or even terminating projects. This has in turn contributed to a need for the industry to change strategies as a result of several factors in the industry/ The factors that have contributed to changes in strategies for these Middle Eastern construction companies include first and foremost the tendency to downsize and rephrase projects whose budgetary allocations are not sufficient to complete the industry. About a decade ago, such projects had to be abandoned leading to the property crash witnessed in Dubai, between 2008 and 2009. Changes in the market as well as the intervention of the government of the government and its entities have encouraged a better way of managing such risks, and thus making the industry a more conducive place for the achievement of success. As the Middle Eastern region continues to expand, the work permits in the area continue to reduce, with the availability of these work documents continuing to diminish. The effect of this is a reduction on the number of international competitors for construction projects due to the changing regulations on visa and entry requirements to the region. This means that workers and professionals in the industry have been affected and the impact is also being reflected on the construction industry in this region. Another factor that affects the success rate of the Middle Eastern industry is because the skillset fails to adjust with the technologies in demand. For instance, as the cautiousness for sustainability continues to increase, the industry is forced to take a preference for renew able sources of energy and minimal carbon emissions, specifically the use of solar energy in a region that is as hot as Dubai. However, since most of the contractors in the industry have not yet upgraded to such technologies, their businesses end up having plenty of difficulties in achieving success in business. Even when the contractors might have invested in these new technologies, construction workers are not yet equipped with the knowledge and skill required to implement these technologies. This then becomes a hindrance to the success and prosperity of many construction industry players in the Middle Eastern region. Also, as the competition for the few construction projects that have not yet been abandoned continues to increase, many players in this industry are forced to introduce risky and binding commercial options so as to land a project. They are also forced to indulge in the use of cheap methods to meet the requirements of their clients and also to attract more clients and remain competitive in the delivery the expected solutions. The use of Building Information Modelling tools have also helped to make everyone in the industry equally good in deliverying the expected solution as it makes the design, planning, construction and management processes equally as effective for all experts implementing the tool. The interventions of the government to coat saving has led to the introduction of PPP laws in the Middle Eastern region, in trying to offer the public good infrastructure. This has gone ahead to limit the profitability of the companies that get involved ion such deals, making it harder fo r a company to become successful. The government and its entities also encourage developers to downsize and rephrase the construction project when faced with any difficulty. This also negatively impacts the opportunities for business prosperity in the industry as it makes the contractors to have to factor in as they revise the schedules and designs of any projects. The profitability of the business is badly affected in this manner and this hurts the chances of such companies achieving true business success through growth, stability, and profitability. These factors cause the construction businesses to settle for cheap prices for projects, and high risks of not completing the expected work, and this negative affects their chances of increasing profitability, growing and expanding, as well as achieving a stable level of business. Analysis and Strategies As earlier explained, the construction industry continues to face many challenges and concerns that affect the ability of the company to achieve success in the growth, profitability and stability of their businesses. Considering the case study examples and their challenges, companies require given working strategies and methodologies that allow the companies to stay ahead of the challenges and risks so as to continue reaping the benefits of the implemented strategies to achieve different levels of success(Green, Larsen, Kao, 2008). The market share price of construction companies has been greatly impacted by the different economic factors which then force the industry share price to continue to decrease, and thus companies cannot develop. In Sri Lanka, the impact of the force competition from international companies as well as the regulations of ranking fails to allow any construction companies to attract investors that would give the business enough cash flow to remain ahead of the challenges that prevent companies from achieving business management and profitable growth into success. In the Middle East, the go slow on the industry as well as the intervention of the government have also driven away investors into the industry, preventing the achievement of success(Grnroos, 2004). In addition, due to the effect of a low share price, many companies lack the capital to invest in the different opportunities pf projects due to the fact that the businesses dont have enough capital to commence the works(Artto Dietrich, 2014). In addition, because of the risky nature of the business, many clients prefer to pay their contractors in small installments which might make the company have issues in the development and eventual success of a company. This leads to the companies having to settle for borrowed capital, which when considering the high interest rates and the high inflation due to economic reasons does not make the project any profitable to the contractors business. The turnover rates of the two case studies in the two regions have also been seriously affected by the economic impacts affecting the regions where the companies are originally from(Anderson Narus, 2008). For instance, the turnover rate in the case of the firm from Sri Lanka is greatly affected by th e level of competition that the local players are getting from their international counterparts, who have higher ranks, more capital, and technical know how to build skyscrapers in Colombo. The local industry is also faced with an availability of land, meaning that the turnover rates for this industry are very low. Considering the Middle Eastern firm, the turnover rates have been greatly affected by the construction go slow in the region, as a result of the intervention of the government and its entities to cost savings in construction projects. The situation is further worsened by high competition within the industry for the few ongoing projects. The future is rather promising for the Middle Eastern industry, although the many regulations implemented by the authorities also affect the turnover(Johnson, Christensen , Kagermann, 2008). Due to the low turnover, the profit margins for both industries continue to be very slim, and thus the companies are not able to sustain their profitability to achieve financial success. The gearing of the industries has thus started leaning towards more debt than its equity capital due to the lack of capitals, the dependence on borrowed capital, and also the low turnover rates. However, with the right business strategies, construction companies can manage to reach their goals and overcome these economic challenges to achieve success(Teece, 2010). To increase the market share of the companies in their individual regions, these companies ought to greatly invest in embracing technology and work to strengthen the aspects of their company that make developers choose other companies. The construction industry, in both regions, has a problem improving the market share in the industry, and thus encounters a great problem in improving their profitability and growing in the industry to achieve business success(Baden-Fuller Haefliger , 2013). There is also a chance that the competition within the industry has contributed to the small market share that most companies in the industry have to work with, because of the hindrance of the lack of the technical knowhow and methodologies that guarantee success of the company(Chesbrough Rosenbloom , 2012). For instance, in the Sri Lankan market, the issue of competition has hindered the business success of the local companies, while the international companies continue to get these projects and succeed from them. Local companies in this market are greatly hindered by the inability of the companies to compete with their international counterparts, in terms of the skill and knowledge required for the construction of skyscraper projects. This is mostly because the local market is equipped with employees who are more conversant with the construction of smaller projects than the industry demands. In the Middle Eastern market, the government and related agencies have contributed to the addition of regulations and technologies to save costs and subsidize different activities in the market(Barney, 2011). Thus, the market basically needs to incorporate the use of technology and also improve the weak areas of each of the companies for the sake of improving the competitive advantage, and thus the number of projects and the market share of the industry. With regard to increasing the capital and maintaining the companys healthy cash flow, the construction companies ought to be considerate of the future of the industry considering the specific situations of the company in question(Casadesus-Masanell Ricart , 2010). For instance, the case of the Sri Lankan company predicts a future where the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, will experience an upsurge in the construction of skyscrapers due to the improvement of the tourism industry. The Sri Lankan company can thus benefit from anticipating the situation of the future, and thus adjusting itself to benefit of the most from upsurge while at the same tie implementing an effective management system. In the Middle Eastern case, the future holds a negative prediction for most of the contractors although there is light at the end of the tunnel, since projects affiliated to the Dubai Expo 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. The government has made tremendous efforts in levelling the playing field for all the contractors regardless of whether they are international or not. Thus the companies have to do everything in their power to ensure that the capital and cash flow health is well set for the challenges or benefits coming in the future(Davies Brady , 2010). An effective supply chain in this industry is important because it successfully integrates different parts of the supply chain of the construction industry. The supply chain can be developed and maintained to achieve effectiveness which in turn prevents risks and through the adoption of a lean management system that prevent the profitability of the company(Dubois Gadde, 2010). Ensuring that the time constraints of the projects are always achieved also could improve the effectiveness of the supply chain because there will be no wastages of time which hinder the profitability and growth of these companies. Achieving the expected goals within the time and budgetary restrictions of the developer of the project will enable the companies to achieve a lean management system, where the supply chain management is effective and profitable. The Sri Lankan company for instance could achieve better timelines and costs for the growing market through an effective supply chain management system. For both cases that have been analyzed in this paper, the societal influence has had a big impact on the outlook of the industry as well as the success of different firms within the construction industry. The Sri Lankan industry, for instance has been affected by the societal factors of population and the lack or unavailability of land, leading to an upsurge in the development of skyscrapers for residential and commercial purposes. The theory of risk in Sri Lankan construction Company is facilitated by the societal pressures from the increase in population which has demanded for the increase in commercial and residential spaces. Considering the Middle Eastern case study, the societal factors that affect the market are concerned with the recent drop in the prices of oil globally, while this oil is the major source of economic gain in these societies. Thus the theory of risk is greatly associated with the global oil prices which in turn affect the economic and social tendencies of this community(Gann Salter, 2010). Conclusion Success in business in the construction industry has been difficult to come by for many players in tis industry, due to the impact of external factors on the construction industry. The ever changing technologies and skills, competition, and other external factors, have constantly hit the construction industry in many parts of the world, affecting companys abilities to achieve business success. However, identifying the current state of a companys performance in the industry with regard to the projections of the area where the company is situated helps companies identify what exactly is hindering them from success. This also allows companies to identify the appropriate strategies that can be implemented in these companies to increase their competitive advantage and thus their ability to achieve success. The study looked into the cases of two companies from Sri Lanka and the Middle East respectively, and analyzes the current situations to propose strategies that would help them become m ore successful through business management. The theories of risk have also been analyzed in the case of the two companies as well. The strategies proposed will make the company more aware of the situation with regard to the industry, and how they can improve their competitive advantage to increase profits, grow, and achieve stability even for future days. References Abraham, G. L. (2013). Critical success factors for the construction industry. In K. R. Moleenar, P. S. Chinowsky, Proceedings of Constructional Reserach Congress (pp. 59-71). Honolulu, Hawaii: Freeman Publishing. Allmon, E., Haas, C. T., Borcherding , J. D., Goodrum , P. M. (2007). U.S. construction labor productivity trends. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 126(2), 97-104. Anderson, J. C., Narus, J. A. (2008). Business marketing: understand what customers value. Harvard Business Review, 76(6), 515. Artto, K. A., Dietrich, P. (2014). Industrial Marketing Management. In P. Morris, J. K. Pinto, The Wiley guide to managing projects (pp. 144-176). London: John Wiley Sons. Baden-Fuller, C., Haefliger , S. (2013). Business models and technological innovation. Long Range Planning, 46(6), 257-269. Barney, J. (2011). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99121. Casadesus-Masanell, R., Ricart , J. (2010). From strategy to business models and onto tactics. Long Range Planning, 43(2-3), 195-215. Chesbrough, H., Rosenbloom , R. S. (2012). The role of the business model in capturing valuefrom innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporations technology spin-off companies. Industrial and Corporate Change, 11(3), 529555. Davies, A., Brady , T. (2010). Organisational capabilities and learning in complex productsystems: towards repeatable solutions. Research Policy, 29(7), 931953. Dubois, A., Gadde, L. E. (2010). Supply strategy and network effects: purchasing behaviour in the construction industry. European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 6(3), 207-215. Gann, D., Salter, A. J. (2010). Innovation in project-based, service-enhanced firms: the construction of complex products and systems. Research Policy, 29(7), 955-972. Gerstel, D. (2009). The Builder's Guide to Running a Successful Construction Company. Newton, Conneticut: The Taunton Press. Green, S. D., Larsen, G. D., Kao, C. C. (2008). Competitive strategy revisited: contested concepts and dynamic capabilities. Construction Management and Economics, 26(1), 63-78. Grnroos, C. (2004). A service perspective on business relationships: the value creation,interaction and marketing interface. Industrial Marketing Management, 240-247. Hughes, S. W., Tippett, D. D., Thomas, W. K. (2014). Measuring sroject success in the construction industry,. Engineering Managememnt Journal, 16(3), 31-37. Hutchiings, M., Christofferson, J. (2011, September 1). Factors leading to construction company success: perceptions of small-volume residential contractors. ASC Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference, pp. 263-270. Johnson, M., Christensen , C., Kagermann, H. (2008). Reinventing your business model. Harvard Business Review, 86(12), 51-59. Koota, J. (2013). Market review and study of success characteristics in construction companies - Case: United States. VTT Research Notes 2195, 211-217. Teece, T. (2010). Business models, business strategy and innovation. Long Range Planning, 43(2-3), 172-194.

Monologue †Juliet Essay Example

Monologue – Juliet Essay The potion that lies in my hands will save my marriage with dear Romeo. Bid me leap, rather than marry Paris! O how I feel so wound up and fearful for what I have to go through. This potion shall make me live an unstained life to my sweet love Romeo. I’ve received this substance from dear Friar Laurence. Before I take this I will need of many orisons for I am very concerned for the future events. What if nothing goes according to plan and I will never get to see my beloved Romeo. There’s a fearful point. O how troubled I feel! What if the mixture does not work at all? Why my life is my foe’s debt. What more is there to fear? No other Capulet, no other Montague have love for each other, all is hatred and bitterness. How can my only love as a Montague live a life with I being a Capulet. This story will have no happy ending for the world as my mind is filled with distress and sorrow of how life goes. What if this substance from Friar was to have me murdered? But why? He is the one who married Romeo and I secretly. In this potion, Friar could have put absolutely anything to have me dead, if so. Why must it be? . O God knows when we shall meet again. We will write a custom essay sample on Monologue – Juliet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Monologue – Juliet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Monologue – Juliet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer What if the given poison to have me dead, but how such a holy man do so? For he is neither for the Capulet’s or the Montague’s. How I feel so pleased for someone not to be full with hate. We are star-crossed lovers. Oh Lord, from the first touch, sight and thought of Romeo it was indescribable. Finding out he is a Montague on that night left me with shock and distress. How will this ever have a happy ending? Every past event between the two families has been out of argument, disagreement, selfishness and detestation? O God how my only love, sprung from my only hate! This much do I know, that is the way life plays out I am his and he is mine, I feel so content and blissful when I think of his name. Im like a rose that cannot bloom bright red without it’s cherish of Romeo’s water. Nevertheless, my life is falling apart out of this disbelief between two families. Does Paris know that I am not willing to marry him? Why do my dear Father and Mother force me to marry Paris when I do not desire him to be my husband. This can’t go on. Allowing the Church regarding such marriage under constraint is immoral and invalid. Why can’t they understand what this could lead me into. I am full of anger and despair for my parents not being aware of this. O Goodness I almost want to die and stop all the sorrow that fills my heart. There is only one thing to do. To consume this poison and hope it will save my marriage with Romeo. I will not marry Paris! And as on Wednesday which is tomorrow, I will be in a deep sleep for which looks like death. No pulse, no warmth, no breath, shall testify that I live, I talk in sorrowful words. My rose in my lips and cheeks will fade to wanny ashes. This poison will appear like death, it will continue two and forty hours. So when I awaken from deep sleep, the letters will be passed onto dear Romeo and everybody else will think I’m dead. He will apart from Mantua to free me from the tomb. O God how much I can ever thank Friar, I do hope that I will awaken before the time that Romeo comes to rescue me. I am so young! I am the youngest of them all. Why do I have to suffer so much pain! I will take this poison for I don’t want to be in any more distress. O God, bid me come to thee, for I shall rest until the new morn is born, so very excited for the upcoming event! O Romeo, Romeo, wait for me, for I long to live a life with thee!

Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fiction

Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fiction Free Online Research Papers Fiction and non-fiction are both very intriguing types of writing to read. Many people view them as total opposites. The fiction stories are usually very funny and made up, but they can be very informative if put in the right context. Non-fiction stories can be used to tell readers of personal losses or gains. One can take a piece of non-fiction writing and place it within a fiction text’s context, which makes the writing serve a new purpose. By placing non-fiction into fiction text, the writing is transformed from a piece of analysis into a tool of the fiction’s text. There are many instances where stories are written with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. When stories are written with a bit of each type of writing they are more informational and use more examples. Even though the two are perceived as opposites, they actually go hand in hand when trying to get a point across. There are times in fiction writing where there are references to non-fiction ideas. Some writers do this for a comparison of things that aren’t possible. There are many novels, short stories, fables, fairy tales, films, comics, interactive fiction, animation, and video games that can include or reference factual occurrences. Fiction is the written expression of, reflection upon, and/or interpretation of observed, perceived, or recollected experience just like non-fiction. An example of this would be in the fiction story â€Å"Lottery† that tells of people going to a lottery and the â€Å"winner† gets killed by stones. The reason this story related to non-fiction is because it described the occurrences in towns in previous years. In non-fiction writing there is usually a lot of facts placed within the story’s text. There are a lot of other times where fiction is included in the non-fiction work because of a similarity between the idea the fiction has and the one nonfiction has. The non-fiction stories use factual references such as â€Å"Oh, this is the wrong bitch?† (141) and â€Å"Young Franklin Deland Roosevelt attended Groton, as did boys with last names like DuPont, Morgan and Harriman† (143) to give emotion and to make the story sound good by having a famous person involved. Non-fiction stories usually relate to personal issues such as losses or gains just as fiction uses humor to represent opinions. There is also the fact that both fiction and non-fiction try to resemble real-life occurrences to help stop or encourage others to do certain things. The way that fiction and non-fiction are expressed really helps people understand concepts. When people read a story that has a mix of the two types of writing, they are able to learn from other people’s doings and sometimes get a laugh also. When fiction is placed within the text of the non-fiction it helps with the understanding of the text. The way that fiction writing can be used to describe real life occurrences is interesting to many people. It is usually very important for people to read both fiction and non-fiction texts to understand the similarities and differences between both. Research Papers on Relationship Between Fiction and Non-fictionHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionMind TravelBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Fifth HorsemanHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayStandardized Testing

Aspects Of City Life

Aspects Of City Life # 8211 ; Crime Essay, Research Paper Aspects of City Life # 8211 ; Crime. Different angles can be taken with respects to offense in the metropolis, and farther to this, the chief subject can be broken down into smaller countries. I have conducted two types of research ; Primary # 8211 ; Interviews etc. Secondary # 8211 ; Named Beginnings. The inquiry of offense and how it affects a metropolis is possibly best put to those people that have either lived in a metropolis all their lives ( therefore cognizing what the offense is like in the country ) , or to those that have moved to a metropolis from a town or small town ( therefore being able to do a comparing between the types of offense and their badness in the two home grounds ) . A metropolis, apart from holding a great trade more stores, civic and recreational comfortss, and dark life will besides hold many more people # 8211 ; people that need someplace to populate, intending huge sweeps of lodging estates and other residential countries. In Sunderland # 8217 ; s instance all of the above are true, and, as with many other metropoliss across the state it has a really big pupil population. There are two Centres of higher instruction in Sunderland # 8211 ; the university, and the college, both with big subscriptions. Although both have been established for a piece now, it was merely reasonably late that the old Polytechnic achieved university position. This has non merely increased the size of the university in footings of belongings but besides the figure of pupils go toing it. This therefore means that the overall size of Sunderland has increased, including the Numberss of stores, nines, recreational activities and besides houses. A great trade of people in Sunderland believe that their local saloons and nines have been # 8216 ; taken over # 8217 ; by pupils and at first there was a great trade of apprehensiveness and tenseness between locals and pupils, frequently ensuing in violent struggle. This still exists but to a much smaller ex collapsible shelter. However, something that can be connected with this is the mugging and burglary that happens to a little minority of pupils. Obviously offense occurs everyplace, no affair where you live, but pupils are seen as easy marks due to their exposure, every bit good as the fact that they have money and valuable ownerships. The badness of some of the onslaughts has been such that victims have needed extended infirmary intervention due to the hurts they have sustained. Security steps at certain halls of abode have been questioned after several onslaughts occurred in normally safe milieus. The most startling facet of violent offense in this country is that it still occurs, despite increased policing and advice to pupils sing how to forestall it. Certain territories are peculiarly unsafe and carry high degrees of offense, but the job can frequently be pin-pointed to persons, stealing out of despair for a assortment of grounds. This leads me to the chief point of my chosen subject. The focal point of my research will be upon offense against pupils, chiefly because I can utilize primary grounds ( several of my friends have been mugged ) and in a presentation, be it audio, ocular or both, it would, in my sentiment, be more shocking and at the same clip transport a preventive message. I have certain people in head to interview that have been victims of offense that will assist the presentation carry impact. The positions of the general populace would besides be valuable to my research and so I plan to transport out an independent study to detect the positions of local people. By making this it will intend that I am non taking one side or the other ( pupils or local occupants ) but an indifferent position upon offense in the local country, the grounds it occurs, and worsening state of affairss. It will be up to the audience to make up ones mind whether or non pupils are below the belt discriminated against, or whether locals justly take the jurisprudence into their ain custodies.

Precis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Precis - Essay Example Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized in order to assist the adults who have terminal illness. This response is sympathetic to patient who is suffering and dying. They deliver themselves when they accept PAS on their own without coercion. When all the systems are in proper working condition, the choice of PAS will come after all other ways of treatment are exhausted and not any one method is able to treat the suffering the patient has. If the patient is in the right mind, he or she is allowed to call for assistance to end their life. This can be interpreted to mean that, a physician is allowed to give medicine prescription that will speed up death. This is only done with the consent of the patient. (1) There are fears that minority and the vulnerable may be forced to sign for the premature death. Safeguards should be put in place to prevent some medical personnel may abuse the legal laws to coerce the handicapped, minority the elderly and all other vulnerable populations sign to their premature deaths being anxious because you know the future carry the pain and death for you can only be put to rest through the PAS . After you die suffering will come to an end and the rising medical bill will be put to a halt. Individual should be allowed to make this decision without being forced by anyone be it the government, religion, or relatives. Out of what they are going through, they will decide on their own. Ethical, any person with terminal illness should be given the right to end his or her life. They should be able to do that with dignity. Quality of life is an important factor to consider in this argument. The religious supporters put forward this argument that life is sacred and belongs to God and it is always better to live than being dead. On the other hand the ethical argument says that life should continue only if the person

Hitler's Table Talk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hitler's Table Talk - Essay Example What I noticed is that the so-called words of Hitler are filled with self-centered ideas and hatred for almost everyone. His perspective on people, nations and resources is organized around the question of how they are potentially useful and controllable by him. It is the aim of this paper to demonstrate this, based on the alleged attitudes of Hitler, as found in Hitler’s Table Talk. I will argue that the controversy about whether or not he said particular phrases or words about Christianity is a distraction from the much more important issue of the hatred in his heart, and the hatred with which he chose to surround himself. This is what I see as the main message of Hitler’s Table Talk. The controversy about whether Hitler was a Christian has exposed some information about Hitler’s Table Talk. There were only two copies of his talks and they were both edited by a man named Martin Bormann. Bormann was an active anti-Catholic, and much of his activism was behind Hitler’s back (Walker). Since the strong anti-Christian attitudes expressed in Hitler’s Table Talk are not found in any other examples of Hitler’s speeches and writings, and since Luther was one of Hitler’s most respected role models, it is probable that Bormann’s editing reflected Bormann’s own anti-Catholic bias (Walker). Other contamination of Hitler’s Table Talk came from translation. The English translation is based on the French translation, by Geroud (Walker). Geroud put a lot of things into the translation that were not in the original manuscript. An historian, named |David Irving, examined a copy of the complete manuscript of another document, Hitler’s Last Testament, which was said to be a part of the table-talk. Irving saw it was typed, and found out that someone had added a whole lot of things in handwriting. When confronted by Irving, Geroud confessed that the handwriting was his and that the typescript was also his own invention. Geroud told

Philosophy of life Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of life Essay ?I saw this quote in Mr. Laxman Gnawali’s laptop and I copied it right away, I don’t know but I liked that line very much. The quote was written on the wall of some park the place was really clean and that picture showed that it was really nice clean with lots of trees. After searching it in the internet I found it that it was the attribute to those who lost their lives in the war. We were talking about the teaching training session. We were told that we can achieve the next level in our career but we need to concentrate and do the session delivery seriously. There the quote was quite related because we had the freedom to be a teacher trainer but we have to be more responsible and develop certain habit, there with the freedom comes the responsibility. Looking at the history of freedom one can always see war as the synonyma for the freedom. The first thing that comes in our mind when we talk about freedom is war and quarrels. This phrase is mostly used by the people to show gratitude towards those who have lost their life in wars. There are so many articles and books written on them or about them. Shiv Khera have written a book â€Å"freedom is not Free† and there are mny other people who have talked about it and this is the phrase I think will be talked in coming future or as long as the existence of the human beings. Freedoms are rights of individuals, according to Webster its a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any, or to any undue, restraints and restrictions. As our country is democratic country and we proudly say that we are free, we have every freedom to do whatever we like to but in the beginning we fought for our freedom, can we still be fighting. In the beginning we fought for our freedom, with the birtishers, we fought with them not for the freedom but to keep our country free. We fought for the democracy from the Rana rulers and then we fought for the cruel royal rule and we achieve the freedom but the question remains that we have been fighting within ourselves. Now we have the ability to exercise free will and make choices independently of any external determining force, but are we truly free. I think we are still fighting within ourselves for the freedom we dream of. History has been our eyewitness that whenever we fought we fought to rule and not for the development or growth and we are still doing that. First we had MAHISHPAL than came GOPALA DYNESTYR and KIRAT after that many other than the most influential SHAH now we have politicians ruling still to rule not to develop. If I talk about the freedom realting with our history than it will never finish. Historians believe were not free, but on the other hand I just say we have our rights and restrains. Because completely unrestricted freedom of action would make peaceful human existence impossible, some restraints on freedom of action are necessary and inevitable. But, we do have to recognize that basic limitation, to make our life safe. We the people have to turn over some of our rights so that our country performs right and many say that the government is in our business but if they werent all chaos would occur. But, Freedom becomes a cost, a cost of just giving up some rights in return to be a great nation. But, some cost could become a concern. In the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson have clearly stated the difficulties and problems that America has to face on the process. The very recent and clear example abo;ut freedom is not free is our own country’s fight against the maost. We faced difficulties than one can imagine but ultimately we overcame with all the difficulties we faced. In the process of freedom government has to include all the armies of moist as well. There comes the pay for freedom. We had to go through traumas which many of the nation have been through but that trauma was from our own people to their own family. India, the biggest country with large population, which is emerging ijn every field in this modern time, have faced problems. They were colonized by British people and treated in the most cruel behave that one could ever treat to another human being in their own country but they fought for their freedom and have lost so many lives but at last they are free. The payment that they paid for the freedom are the lives, the great politicians and enthusiastic youths, there county were divided into parts and there is still fight among those country. Though they got the freedom they are still paying for it, that is why freedom is not free. America the land of opportunity, was not free and with the help of many freedom fighters they declare the independence. Instead of freedom they call it independent, as everyone knows in America most of the people are from different countries, the native people, the red Indians have actually lost their identity in order to be independent or free. the country have faced so many difficulties and still facing but it is the free country everyone says and believed that but they have the most criminal records and most frustration within their country. The fragmented society, self-centered individual, loss of culture and focus point of terrorism are the payment USA is paying with. Every country have their own struggle and history of freedom and the kinds pf payment they are paying as the freedom is not free. All the great people in this world has paid one or the other way for the freedom they fought for. Countries have faced the war and loss of the youngsters but the individual who are the great influential for that event lost their family ,loved once, and their own life as well. Hitler’s life story also suggest that freedom is not free.he hated zuse and to free himself from them he committed the crime which no human can forget and he is the most cruel person in this world. He could not face the failure and to make himself free from the thought of failure he continued doing the things which kept him free from that thought and the payment for the freedom of his thought is being cruel and called murderer and be alone in all his life. However his murder is still have no actual evidence but he was killed because he was becoming cruel and threat for many people so in the quest of freedom to free the abuse and feeling of failure he paid it with his life. Mahatma Gandhi, India call him their BAPU, was hated by his son because he had no time to spend with the family as he was in great mission to free his country from the Birtish. He freed his fellow country but the payment was his own children, he was killed by the very young person as people saw that his generosity is causing the country into many countries. He was free from all the material things and loved by all the people but to gain this freedom to loved by everyone with his life. The four martyrs, who was killed by rana rulers for their freedom speech also shows that whatever our country have got is not free. in whatever way we are enjoying or complaining about is actually the payment that those martyrs paid. They were from well known and educated family but in the quest to free the country from the ranas they paid their life and we got freedom. Being anyone as human is not free from all the responsibilities and rules that we need to follow. As a baby you are free to cry over anything but the payment is most of the time people don’t understand what your problem is. As a student you are allowed to make noise or make wrong choice but the payment is later on you have to fail in your exam and in your life. As a social worker you have the freedom to help others and take their pain as your own and the payment you have to pay is your time, for you and for your family, as an engineer, your freedom is to use any model but the payment is you have to be responsible for the lives of the people who will stay there, as writer you are free to write anything but the payment is no one will write about you, as the teacher you have the freedom to conduct your classroom as you wanted but the payment is you have to be the model all the time, you cannot make any mistake if you do you have to deal with all the consequences that might occur or the payment is your time and effort. When you see some advertisement on television about the free scheme, we always need to buy something with it because nothing is free, not even the water, the air. Freedom is actually the metaphor for all the responsibilities that comes with freedom. When one becomes the minister or join the politics, like in our country everyone blames them to be the negative one, you are free to be the politician but the payment is you won’t be trusted. When I first started to teach I don’t have any freedom to chose what I do in the classroom, so I was just following whatever the teacher told me to do and there no one expected anything from me so I was free from the responsibility and the payment I was paying is getting the low pay. As I developed the teaching learning skill and given the full responsibility of the class, I had the freedom to do any kind of things in the classroom and make it my own and include everything I have learnt but the payment is time and the continuous work load and no self time. Likewise with the PGDE course we had the freedom to garnish ourselves and the payment is all the criteria that was set for us to be what we were trained to be. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, even the quote is controversial because when freedom is not free than why would one use these words and if it is used why it is mostly related with the people who have done so much for the betterment of the human being?

The Myth Of The Family :: essays research papers

The Myth of the Model Family THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were It's probably good that life wasn't like the television shows in the '50s—we wouldn't have many women now. Take a look at the ratio of boys to girls on the most popular family shows. Ozzie and Harriet had two boys, no girls. Leave It to Beaver had two boys, no girls. Rifleman had one boy, one rifle, no girls. Lassie had one boy, one dog (supposedly a girl, but played by a boy), and no girls. My Three Sons had—well, that one's obvious. Bonanza had three grown-up boys. Although Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in real life had one boy and one girl, on I Love Lucy they had one boy. The only shows with daughters were The Donna Reed Show (one boy, one girl) and that lighthouse to womanhood—despite its title—Father Knows Best (one boy, two girls). Grown to maturity, that's a late-1960s dating population of fifteen men to three women. Almost all the households were mama-papa-kiddies: the nuclear family. (The exceptions were My Three Sons and Bonanza: Steve Douglas [Fred MacMurray] and Ben Cartwright were widowers.) There were no prior marriages, no children from prior relationships, no threat or even thought of divorce, and the closest thing we saw to physical abuse was Ralph Kramden's, "One of these days, Alice, one of these days . . . to the moon!" There were no infidelities, no drinking problems, no drugs (not even prescription tranquilizers), no racism (How could there be? With the exception of Hop Sing and Ricky Ricardo, there was only one race; even the Hispanic gardener on Father Knows Best was named Frank Smith). There was no dropping out of school, no political discussion (much less political differences), no unemployment (except for Ozzie's early retirement), no severe economic problem (except for a crop failure on Lassie, when they had to sell all the livestock, including Lassie; but just befo re being carted off, Lassie pawed the ground and struck oil, and everything was okay again. Except for Lassie, who looked as though the Exxon Valdez had dumped its forward holding tanks on her).

Educational Services an Overview

Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Perceptions of the Quality of Tertiary Education in INDIAN Context Suparswa Chakraborty Educational services can be categorized into five parts: (a) primary education services; (b) secondary education services; (c) higher education services (i. e. , education beyond secondary education includes all tertiary education); (d)  adult education; and (e) other education services (e. g. , liberal arts, business, professional). Such education and training encompass degree courses taken for college or university credits or non-degree courses taken for personal edification or pleasure or to upgrade work-related skills. Such education and training services can be provided in traditional institutional settings, such as universities or schools and in specialized institutions. Higher (tertiary) education, adult education, and training services are expanding rapidly. These services include academic and training courses on information technology; languages; executive, management and leadership training and hotel and tourism education. They also include educational testing services and corporate training services. Many of these are practical courses for use on the job. Some can be used as credits toward degrees; and some are non-degree courses. Increasingly, educational institutions and publishers are teaming up with information technology companies and other experts to design courses of instruction on a variety of subjects. Large companies also are developing education and training courses to improve the skills of their employees and to keep them up to date on their latest products. Such services constitute a growing, international business, supplementing the public education system and contributing to global spread of the modern â€Å"knowledge† economy. Availability of these education and training services can help to develop a more efficient workforce, leading countries to an improved competitive position in the world economy. Education is at present one of the least committed of services sectors, due to recognition of its â€Å"public good† element and the high degree of government involvement in its provision. The benefits associated with liberalising education services and facilitating greater and stronger public and private education services can co-existing which would benefit students and education service providers would get improved in the following manner: Facilitating access to education and training courses that in qualitative and quantitative terms which are not otherwise available in the public sector; and †¢ Providing a competitive stimulus to institutions with flow-on benefits to all students. †¢ The education services negotiations should aim to give consumers (students) access to the best education services wherever they are provided and through whatever mode of supply they are provided. †¢ Ensuring measures that consumers (learners) are not damaged by services of low quality, and a safety-net in such areas. There are cases, for example, where the quality of a service supplied by a â€Å"university† in one state is not necessarily of the same level as that supplied by a university of another state, due to the difference in higher education system of the two states. It has also emerged that the quality of education services fails to be correctly judged, in cases where the service is supplied by a â€Å"degree mill† of one university by means of Distance-Learning. It is difficult to arrive at a universally acceptable articulation of what quality in education means. At the same time, such articulation is critical since it plays an important role in shaping the practice of education. It has often been possible to bring about such quality in education at a small scale with intensive utilization of recourses. However, the provision/distribution of quality education by a large-scale system is a daunting challenge. ’ Quality’ as a term refers to ’how well’ certain objects and processes achieve their given aims. It is validating as well as comparative. Its most immediate connotation is ’better’. ’ Better’ as ifferentiated from ’good’, and implying the existence of at least two objects or processes, between which a comparison across a decided set of parameters can be established. Understanding quality in education requires an appreciation of the aims of education; the social and philosophical roots of these aims as well as determining the nature of the organisation and system that is best oriented to achieve them. Educational quality concerns typically encompass topics such as teacher training, textbooks and materials, evaluation and physical infrastructure especially institution buildings. However the quality of these processes/topics can only be understood with reference to the objective of the education system of which they are but a part. Educational objectives in turn are influenced by societal notions of a child, human learning and schooling. The most common worldly application of the term and concept of quality is in the context of products and services. To define quality in the field of education, it may be instructive to examine the more widely practiced usage of quality, and explore its appropriateness or applicability for education. Quality: A Conceptual Exploration Owlia and Aspinwall (1996) interpreted the quality for higher education in terms of the quality dimension by using Garvin’s quality framework (Garvin, 1987), service quality dimension (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1985; 1988), and software quality dimension (Watts, 1987). However, the dimension identification frameworks focuses mainly on defining the quality aspect of the product features (Garvin, 1987) and service features (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry, 1985; 1988). We adopted a more comprehensive approach to classify the quality attributes of education. The framework we proposed is derived from West, Noden and Gosling (2000)’s viewpoint of quality in higher education. We called it the Input–Process–Output (IPO) framework in which ‘Input’ refers to the entry requirements, ‘Process’ refers to the teaching and learning process, and ‘Output’ refers to the employability and academic standings (as shown in Figure 1 below). This classification of quality attributes is in accordance with the organization’s operation system of converting the inputs (e. g. raw materials) into outputs (e. g. products and services) via the process (e. g. procedures). In this way, one can associate the quality improvements with the operating system of any organization, including those from the education sector. Some of the quality dimensions identified in Owlia and Aspinwall’s (1996) study are partially covered in the IPO framework. Current understanding and interpretations of the word ’quality’ owe much to their roots in the evaluation of manufactured products. Pioneering management techniques and concepts related to quality and quality management have become common place, and many applications to the field of education can be sought while cautiously keeping in mind the large differences between the commercial world and education. In fact, quality in education has increasingly been understood through the framework of users and in terms of its value for money. To the extent that the service of education and the provision of commercial services are similar, that is both have ’end-users’ and an expectation of ’value-for-money’, parallels are feasible. However, such parallels often regard the provision of education as similar to a marketable service such as getting a haircut. In such cases, (as the market understands it), the individual seeking the service is generally aware of the outcome that the service will provide her with–a haircut usually results in kempt hair for instance. In other words, the user has the means to evaluate the quality of the service. In the case of education, except for very specific skill-oriented training that has readily identifiable outcomes in the short term, it is not very easy to determine what the rather long term process of ’being educated’ will lead to. This is largely because the ’aims’ of education that is the pressing reasons for educating members of a population in any society or country, emanate from the need to create a social and intellectual environment as members of which individuals will be capable of making and acting on rational decisions concerning themselves and their society rather than building people with a specific set of skills. Most users–parents or children–in the case of education, do not have the means in terms of either understanding and/or experience to evaluate quality–whether the child is receiving an education (given the stated aims or those which a parent understands), except in very rudimentary ways–and how it could be better (i. e. through comparing it to some sort of ideal). In other words, the information asymmetry between the service provider and the user, especially poor users, is an important characteristic of education that must be taken into explicit account. In addition to the lack of a shared understanding of quality between consumers and providers, the field of education is also characterized by the absence of a consensus on the notion of quality. For instance, most consumers and the providers of a service, for example telephones, not only agree on what is meant broadly by ’high quality’ in their domain, but, until new technological innovation comes about, this notion remains largely constant. On the other hand, education likes many other systems or endeavours (such as good health, reform or democracy) has a continuously evolving discourse as well as vibrant debates on what constitutes quality, how can it be achieved and provided in the most optimal way to a large number of children14, making it difficult for such a constant notion to exist. Additionally, inherent in the concept of a desirable social and intellectual environment (to be evolved through educating the population), are ideas concerning values which individuals should possess as this is in the interests of society, even though all individuals themselves may not want to imbibe these (take for example, religious or racist tolerance, or fairness in the face of ’self-interest’). Many such values would not be pertinent as an outcome, were the individual’s education being carried out from a purely market oriented (i. e. mployability) perspective, but they are the founding principles of systems of governance such as democracy. This further jeopardizes the application of market or management-derived concepts of quality to education, since the good/commodity being examined for quality, i. e. education, contains many features not demanded explicitly and in some cases actually even shunned by its customers. Therefore, ’quality’ as appl ied to the provision of commercial services or products cannot be directly applied to the provision of education due to the nature of education, and the inherent ’aims’ in its provision. A Framework for Quality in Education As discussed above, the notion of quality in education is not one, which can be simply transcribed from the predominant concept of quality that has evolved from the commercial world. It needs to be unique to the field of education and based on a deeply contextual, need-based view incorporating pedagogic principles and educational aims rather than a fixed prescription or set of guidelines. A viable framework for quality in education could be envisaged as consisting of the following main components: Aims of education, curriculum, pedagogy and material, school organization and relationships, evaluation and assessment, and the nature of provision. The relationship between the design and constitution of these various components would have to be carefully conceptualized to ensure coherence in the experience of education by children. For instance, design of a curricular document needs to be based on the aims of education and epistemological concerns. Similarly, assessment needs to be understood as a means to strengthen and constantly improve children’s education in the context of the stated curricular objectives through appropriate pedagogic practice, rather then as a tool for classifying children as ’failed’ or ’passed’ and thus deciding whether their education will continue. Each of these aspects of education and its quality are discussed in more detail in the following sections. Aims of Education The ’aims of education’ refer to a broad set of principles that provide direction to the practice of education. They play an important role in determining the institutions, curriculum, and pedagogy and assessment system for providing education. What aims are worth pursuing in education is therefore an important question and the answer is often complex, especially in the context of a diverse socio-cultural milieu. In general, the aim of education could be articulated as building capabilities and instilling values in individuals considered necessary for leading personally and socially fulfilling lives. The form and nature of education in any society is deeply influenced by the notion of a human being predominant in that society, and is closely linked to the understanding of what is ’good’ for people which in turn is based on views regarding human nature, needs and potential. It is therefore not surprising and somewhat inevitable that different societies, and even different groups of people in the same society, propound different notions of education making it a contested concept. Other concepts that influence the process of formulating the aims of education include the understanding of human learning and the notion of a child in society. In education, learning is understood as ’. . . having acquired ability to do something on the basis of experience and effecting a change in the learners’ understanding’ and while learning, thus defined, is an inevitable outcome of living for most, ensuring that the aims of education become part of learning requires active teaching. What these aims actually comprise of, and more importantly translate into through the working of a system of education depends on the nature of governance in a specific nation. For example, France and Prussia historically implemented education systems designed by the elite aimed at developing their respective countries into industrial powers. Given that India is a democracy, the educational aims in the country implicitly imbibe the special characteristics of such a governance system. These include equal participation of all members, an interest in social relations and their control, the potential to make amendments without disorder, and institutions that are flexible to readjustment. As Dewey explains, even a superficial examination of a democratic government’s (such as India’s) interest in the education of its citizens yields that since a democracy dismisses the idea of external authority, education is a must to ensure that popular suffrage leads to an appropriately chosen government. Further, the author suggests that since democracy represents almost a way of life (since it requires understanding the effect of one’s action on others and thereby communicating and accommodating continuously on an individual, societal or communal level) rather than just a governance system, it is only through education that these capacities can be built and such behavior brought about. Further, given that education has been discerned as a means towards progress for not only social and economic prosperity but also for facilitating equitable access to commonly provided, individually appropriated experience, it is important that the distribution of education should be characterized by the ideal of equality of educational opportunity. This is particularly in the case of India where the social order represents pervasive inequalities of wealth and opportunity, and can often lead to social position in terms of wealth and opportunity being correlated with future access to, and experience of, education. This is where the public system of education provided by the state assumes importance as the large majority of India’s poor can afford to access education only through the government system since it is free, and this is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is important to realize that in the context of India, the state has an active interest in shaping each citizen–indeed, the idea or concept of ’state’ itself virtually depends for its existence on education, since it is only education that can effectively transmit the ideal of a democratic state to the next generation, thereby ensuring its perpetual continuity. Following the 86th Constitutional amendment, free and compulsory education in the age group of 6 to 14 is now a fundamental right in India under Article 21 (A). Thus, the aims of a system of education reflect the underlying values on which it is built, which in turn are contextual to human society, with individuals viewed both as atomistic constituents of that society as well as a collective. In practice, the aims of education are often stated in somewhat indeterminate terms. For instance, an oft-stated aim is ’the all round development of children’. This statement clearly requires clarification if it is to provide any direction for the content or the process of education. There is a need to specify what defines such all round development and once a list is drawn it has to be determined whether to include all or select on the basis of relative importance. On the other hand, examples of very specific aims include the focus on producing skilled labour for the economy. While such an aim certainly provides some direction to the educational context, it is too narrow and can impede excellence in other worthwhile aspects of life. Formulating aims that refer to general abilities such as rationality, critical thinking, creativity and others as an end, do avoid being too narrow on the one hand, but are also relatively more specifically definable on the other; and therefore, may work better for school systems. By virtue of being better-definable they help educators translate educational aims into classroom processes. For instance, teaching the concept of numbers and other mathematical operations maybe one of the accepted means of inducing rational thinking in a child, and therefore worthy of inclusion in the curriculum. Further, it is important to ensure that the content and process of teaching mathematics to children actually does translate into rational thinking and does not get restricted to the narrow objective of passing examinations Other common classroom processes prevalent in many schools include repetition of words and poems after the teacher without adequate comprehension and copying ? Sart S (such as a flower) drawn on the blackboard without error. It is questionable whether such practices provide meaningful stimulation for expression or creativity. Meaningful decisions about content and method in education require consciousness of the aims of education as articulated by an education system. The above illustrations are indicative of the absence of such an awareness governing the practice of teaching. In order to ensure that classroom strategies actually emerge from the professed aims of education it is important to include teachers in the discourse on the aims of education and not restrict this dialogue to a few educationists. The agreed-upon aims of education should broadly constitute a ’philosophically and historically informed set’ whose rationale is ’fully stated, public, and revisable’. Indian scenarios The professional education sector in INDIA comprises various types of providers. The largest group is made up of Universities and Affiliated colleges, which are large institutions offering a broad range of vocational and academic subjects at various levels, and are attended by both young people (17-28 year olds) and adults. Deemed Institutions and Autonomous colleges are another substantial group and have traditionally catered for 17-15 year olds taking Advanced level courses. More recently, however, they have broadened both their course offering and their student profile. Specialist Colleges concentrate on specific areas of the curriculum such as management , engineering and professional or land based subjects. They often have well developed links with employers and industry because of the specialist nature of the subjects taught. Finally, Specialist Designated institutions cater mainly for adults, as do External Institutions. The latter, however, also cater to the needs of educationally disadvantaged students through Distance Learning Mode. The purpose of this study is to explore the professional education classroom and its effects on student persistence and satisfaction. In order to face the challenges of student retention, the classroom must be explored to determine how these experiences affect the student attrition process. The classroom is a part of the curricular structure that links different disciplines around a common theme. Understanding the elements of the classroom experience will provide students, faculty, staff, and administrators with a vital sense of shared inquiry. The classroom experience must be designed to provide positive experiences through the adoption of various learning strategies. The article seeks to ascertain to what degree the classroom experience enhances student learning and persistence and, if so, how it does so. Beyond its obvious policy implications, the study purports to provide the context for a series of reflections on the ways in which current theories of student persistence might be modified to account more directly for the role of classroom experience in the process of both student learning and persistence. The study identifies variables associated with student integration or lack thereof, into the educational environment and whether or not these variables have an effect on student persistence. Lastly, the study purports to provide the aspects of student satisfaction and student perceptions of their learning experiences. The Problem As a result of low retention rates, administrators are seeking strategies to create a positive atmosphere that is supportive in meeting student needs in order to ensure student persistence. There is a critical linkage that exists between student involvement in classrooms, student learning, and student persistence. Research studies have identified factors that contribute to and influence student decisions to persist, or leave college before accomplishing their intended educational goals (Astin, 1987, 1993; Bean, 1983; Braxton, 1995, Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Endo & Harpel, 1982; Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993). In particular, Tinto’s attrition model (1975, 1987, & 1993) is among those strategies that have been used in an attempt to describe and categorize the student attrition process. Although persistence in college is important, students’ overall satisfaction with their educational experiences and their interactions on the college campus are the most important factors (Tinto, 1993). Collectively, the educational environment and organizational culture is important in determining student satisfaction and their motivation to persist. Statement of the Problem Research studies in the past have analyzed student retention, particularly among traditional university student populations (Anderson, 2001; Astin, 1993; Braxton, 2000; Cope & Hannah, 1975; NCES, 1997, 1998, 1999; Noel et. al. , 1985; Tinto, 1975, 1987, & 1993). As McLeod and Young (2005) have proposed, it is necessary to investigate the factors that influence a student’s decision to remain or not to remain enrolled at a minority institution. The most important factor in predicting a student’s eventual departure from college is absence of sufficient contact with others (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1979). Ostrow, Paul, Dark, and Berhman (1986) found that supportive relationships enable students to better cope with the demands of the college environment. Few studies exist which focus on the higher education classroom and the manner in which it can effects student persistence and satisfaction of students enrolled on traditional university campuses. Evident in previous studies is the recognition that institutional variables do influence a student’s decision to persist in attaining their educational goals. There is a critical linkage that exists between student involvement in classrooms, student learning, and student persistence. The classroom plays an important role in the student learning and persistence process. According to McKeachie (1970, 1994) and Smith (1980, 1983), it is evident that multiple relationships exist between teacher behaviors and student participation in classroom discussions and learning. Student participation in the higher education classroom is relatively passive (Smith, 1983; Karp & Yoels, 1976; Nunn, 1996), and lecturing is dominant (Fischer & Grant, 1983). The author Nunn (1996) found that classroom traits, specifically a supportive atmosphere, are as important to student participation as are student and faculty traits. The recognition of the importance of classroom environment is part of another area of inquiry, namely the role of classroom context, its educational activities and normative orientations, in student learning. Instead of focusing on the behaviors of faculty, a number of researchers have focused on the role of pedagogy (Karplus, 1974; Lawson & Snitgen, 1982; McMillan, 1987) and, in turn, curriculum (Dressel & Mayhew, 1954; Forrest, 1982) and classroom activities (Volkwein, King, & Terenzini, 1986) as predictors of student learning. Generally speaking, these have led to a growing recognition that student learning is enhanced when students are actively involved in learning and when they are placed in situations in which they have to share learning in some positive, connected manner (Astin, 1987). As numerous researchers have suggested (Astin, 1984; Mallette & Cabrera, 1991; Nora, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980; Terenzini & Pascarella, 1977), the greater students are academically integrated in the life of the institution, the greater the likelihood that they will persist. Students who feel they do not fit academically in the environment of the institution possess lower levels of satisfaction than those who feel they belong (Bean & Bradley, 1986; Pervin & Rubin, 1967). Astin (1993), Friedlander (1980), Parker and Schmidt (1982), Ory and Braskamp (1988), and Pascarella and Terenzini (1991), all suggested that student involvement in the classroom influences learning. When students are actively involved in the life of the college, especially academically, they will possess greater acquisitions of knowledge and skill development. Juillerat (1995) determined students who participate actively in their learning experience possess higher satisfaction rates than less involved students. According to Endo and Harpel (1982) and Astin (1993) student and faculty engagement, both inside and outside the classroom, are important to the student development process. Endo and Harpel (1982) suggested further those students who persisted which were reported to have had higher levels of contact with peers and faculty and also demonstrated higher levels of learning gain over the course of their stay in college. High levels of involvement prove to be an independent predictor of learning. The more time students invest in their own learning, the higher their level of effort, the more students learn. Braxton, Milem, and Sullivan (2000) wrote that research studies left social integration unexplained. Institutional type (Chapman & Pascarella, 1983), organizational attributes ( Berger & Braxton, 1998; Braxton & Brier, 1989), motivations for attending college (Stage, 1989), financial aid (Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1992), fulfillment of expectations for college (Braxton, Vesper, & Hossler, 1995), sense of community in residence halls (Berger, 1997), student involvement (Milem & Berger, 1997), life task predominance (Brower, 1992), and self-efficacy (Peterson, 1993) are among the concepts given to understand both academic and social integration and their effects on student departure decisions. Various constructs may also be derived from the role of the institutional classroom in the student departure process and the identification of forces that influence academic integration and social integration. Tinto (1997) suggested that if social integration was to occur, it must occur in the classroom, because the classroom functioned as a gateway for student involvement in the academic and social communities of a college. Thus, the college classroom constitutes one possible source of influence on academic nd social integration. Student Satisfaction and Perceptions of the Classroom Experience The authors, Bean and Bradley suggest student satisfaction is defined as â€Å"a pleasurable emotional state resulting from a person’s enactment of the role of being a student† (1986, p. 398). Overall life realization includes fulfillment with specific domains, such as student satisfaction (Coffman & Gilligan, 2000). Therefore, it is assumed that a students’ overall satisf action with the learning experience is an indicator of college persistence. In addition, Coffman and Gilligan (2000) further found that those students who withdraw from college prior to graduation are less likely to be able to identify someone on campus with whom they had developed a significant relationship. These students report low satisfaction with their personal interactions, social isolation, and absence of opportunities for academic contact. Most of these students report academic difficulties which occur in the classroom highly influenced their departure from college. According to Juillerat (1995), a student related variable that has been found to be connected to student satisfaction is institutional fit. The more acquainted a student is with the environment of the institution, the more he/she will fit into the culture of the institution. Students who feel as if they do not fit into the culture of the institution possess lower levels of satisfaction than those who feel that they belong. According to Juillerat (1995), student satisfaction is the extent to which a students’ perceived educational experience meets or exceeds his/her expectations. Student satisfaction can be defined by the positive and negative gaps in the expectation level and perceived reality. If a students’ expectation is matching or exceeds his/her evaluation of reality then seemingly the student is satisfied. On the other hand, if a students’ expectation is higher than his/her evaluation of reality then seemingly the student is dissatisfied. This approach to defining student satisfaction assists institutions in determining satisfaction levels and closes the gap between reality and expectations. Bean and Bradley (1986) determined that the number of friends a student has, along with his/her confidence in his/her social life, has a significant effect on satisfaction levels. Weir and Okun (1989) found similar results in the amount of contact a student has with peers, faculty, staff and administrators was positively correlated with academic satisfaction. The availability and formal and informal interaction with faculty, staff and administrators for interaction with students is related to student satisfaction and persistence. Endo and Harpel (1982) further suggest that a student expectation for peer involvement academically is a contributor to student satisfaction and persistence. Another important factor of a students’ overall satisfaction with the learning experience is their perceptions of their academic programs of study. The authors Bean and Bradley (1986) suggest if a student is academically integrated and interested in their course of study, motivated to study, and likes the faculty teaching the course will possess high satisfaction. Juillerat (1995) suggests, stimulating coursework and high teaching ability of professors is related to academic satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to explore the higher education classroom and its effects on student persistence and satisfaction. In order to face the challenges of student retention, the classroom must be explored to determine how these experiences affect the student attrition process and ultimately the BRANDING of the Institution by minimizing the GAPS in the service delivery. The classroom is a part of the curricular structure that links different disciplines around a common theme. Understanding the elements of the learning experience will provide students, faculty, staff, and administrators with a vital sense of shared inquiry. The classroom experience must be designed to provide positive experiences through the adoption of collaborative learning strategies. The article seeks to ascertain to what degree such strategies enhance student learning and persistence and, if so, how they do so. In conclusion, administrators in higher education should embrace an understanding of strategies for minority student retention. Administrators have continuously overlooked the essentially educational and developmental character of persistence as it occurs in most institutional settings. There is a rich line of inquiry of the linkage between learning and persistence that has yet to be pursued. Administrators must continue to fully explore the complex ways in which the experiences in the classroom shape both student learning and persistence. The author Braxton (1995) questioned the role of faculty teaching in student satisfaction and persistence. Administrators must be equipped to face the challenges of minority student retention and be proactive in their approaches retain minority students. A students’ ability to be connected to the institutional environment and their ability to adapt to the organizational culture are related to vocational and educational stability, student satisfaction, and student success. The institutional environment and the organizational culture mediate student academic and social experiences in college. Educational stability, student satisfaction, and student success are the building blocks of the retention process this service quality delivery only reinforces the EDUCATIONAL BRAND. [pic]