Scoping and Screening in Environmental Impact Assesssment

AN OPTIONAL ESSAY ON COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE ROLES OF â€Å"SCREENING† AND â€Å"SCOPING† IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT COURSE UNIT PLAN60411/PLAN40321 STUDENT ID :8528550 INTRODUCTION Environmental Impact assessment is a systematic process that examines, analyses the environmental consequences of development or development action in advance (Glasson,J. el al 2005).It is a logical process for establishing and sustaining an environment of quality by incorporating environmental considerations into decision making; specifying and clarifying the environmental aspects of development proposals to decision makers; indicating ways of mitigation and proffering project alternatives. It involves crucial stages for its optimum desirability and success these include â€Å"screening† and â€Å"scoping†. This paper of discourse will clearly compare and contrast the roles of these indispensible tools used in environmenta l impact assessment process.DEFINATION OF TERMS Screening is a mechanism which seeks to focus on those projects with potentially significant adverse environmental impact or whose impacts are not fully known. Scoping is the process of identifying from a broad range of potential problems, a number of priority issues to be addressed by an environmental impact assessment. (Wathem,P 2004) SCOPE OF STUDY From the foregoing, we can construe that they are essential stages of environmental impact assessment.Screening and scoping are both preliminary stages of an environmental impact assessment, and executed systematically in stages which must be done in a logical and professional manner, especially in the case of an integrated environmental impact assessment approach. They both have approaches for the scrutiny of a proposed project for consequently crucial in decision making. Both share a major role: the execution of a successful environmental impact assessment as an effective protection and management tool, as resourceful as possible.Despite what roles they have in common, these components of requisite have distinctive features and approaches in the roles they play in the environmental impact assessment process. Screening is focused on the significance of an impact in the environment, while scoping works on the range of issues to be defined after level of impact significance. They have different approaches to their functionality; screening uses the following approaches: * Schedule 1 (EU: Annex 1) Environmental impact assessment is mandatory * Schedule 2 (EU: Annex 2)Environmental impact assessment is discretionary, according to thresholds. * Schedule 3 (EU: Annex 3) Further consideration of Schedule 2 projects example environmental sensitivity. The EIA regulations England SI No 1824 2011 While scoping uses * Scoping Checklist * Scoping Matrix * Network programming European commission guidance on EIA: Scoping(2001) Screening uses the Initial Environmental Examination o r evaluation (IEE) as its checks and balances. On the other hand, scoping uses Scoping and report/opinion and public input and participation through a Terms of Reference (TOR).Project screening, precedes project scoping. Hence, screening must be carried out before project scoping. It is recommended and not mandatory to public involvement and stakeholders in screening, scoping differing from screening deems it is mandatory and recommendable for public participants to be involved at the stage of environmental impact assessment. CONCLUSION It is usually difficult to overemphasis the roles played by screening and scoping in environmental impact assessment irrespective of how far they are in contrast or how close they are in comparison.What is imperative is that the success of an environmental impact assessment depends largely on how well they are conducted. REFERENCES Glasson, J. et al (2005): Introduction to impact Assessment; Routledge, Abingdon, 3rd Edition Wathern, P. (2004): Enviro nmental Impact Assessment, Theory And Practice: west Sussex London Journal On Environmental Impact Assessment Training (2002); Topic 4, UNEP

Development Through the Lifespan Essay

In brief form explain why knowledge of human development over the lifespan is important for counsellors to be aware of. Learning about human growth and development signalled, to me, the importance of assessing and considering developmental goals when working with both children and adults. Life-span development theories provide a useful place to start when offering emotional support as a Counsellor. Understanding an individual’s previous stages of development and environment can give the Counselor and Client a common place from which to begin the counselling process. Essentially, the life-span development approach addresses the basic ‘nature vs nurture’ debate by allowing for both. Just as our physicals selves are determined by both genetics and lifestyle, so are our emotional selves. Considering cognitive, biological, and socio-emotional development throughout life will provide context, guideposts, and reasonable expectations for Counsellors. Knowledge of human development over a lifespan is important for counselors to be aware of because it allows them to identify natural stages and cycles that individuals will commonly go through in their lifetime. This can help counsellors to identify what is normal and what is abnormal. Being aware of these abnormalities/normalities could save the counsellor a great of time in the assessment and interview process, the formulation of treatment goals and could ultimately change the treatment plan. As a Professional Counsellor, I plan to consider life-span development to specialize in counselling a specific type of person with hopes of becoming well-versed, and therefore more helpful, in the types of experiences that group faces. Personality can be better understood if it is examined developmentally† (Santrock, 2006, p. 45). Give two short examples of how developmental knowledge would help a counsellor deal with two specific types of adult issues. A client comes to me for stress related symptoms and during the assessment I learn that he is 22, halfway through his first year of graduate school and the first time he’s away from his home town, 2,000 kilometers away. Since he falls within the norm, I may want to delve into some related issues to also be able to cross them off a list that I use to form my diagnosis and treatment plan. Had he not been in the 19-25 age range, my assessment goals would be different. If I were asked to counsel a group, I could employ a standard set of questionnaires for everyone to fill out. From there I could ascertain many important characteristics, feelings, longings which they all had in common. I could use the lifespan to formulate a generational perspective to better relate to where they are at in this part of their life cycle. Acquiring a rich amount information in a short period of time could be very valuable in guiding the group towards their goal with compassion and empathy. Development through the lifespan is a concept of how people develop throughout the lifetime. Typically, this involves a sequence of stages and describes important factors that are likely to influence development. BENEFITS: Criteria for mental health, with characteristics of unhealthy or disordered emotional functioning either explicitly or implicitly stated. This information is important in helping people set realistic treatment goals and in assessing progress. Information on how to promote healthy development and help people reduce symptoms and enhance their coping skills and satisfaction with their lives. A description of the role of the effective counselor and the desired relationship between client and counselor. Nearly all theories of counseling currently recognize the powerful impact of the therapeutic alliance and offer clinicians ways to collaborate effectively with their clients. A safe and healing environment and a caring, skilled, and trustworthy counselor are essential to successful treatment. Strategies and interventions that counselors can use to help people achieve their counseling goals. Examples include reflections of feeling, modification of cognitive distortions, and systematic desensitization. Information on treatment parameters such as duration and frequency of sessions; whether to use individual, group, or family treatment; and benefits of medication and other adjunct services. Delineation of those people who are most likely to benefit from this treatment approach. Adaptation throughout life depends on how each of us negotiates the internal and external factors that enhance or constrain our abilities to reach our full potentials. The essence of lifespan development is in how we build on our strengths to transcend these limitations over time. While a developmental perspective has been at the heart of psychotherapeutic practice since its early Freudian beginnings, the view of development as a process spanning from birth to death is relatively recent. According to Sugarman (2001), the emphasis on childhood during much of the 20th century reflected prevailing restrictive notions of what constituted â€Å"development†, as only changes that were â€Å"sequential, unidirectional, universal, irreversible, and end-state or goal-directed† were seen to count as development. Developmental theories have increasingly expanded beyond these confines, however, and since the 1980s it has been possible to talk of a whole life-span perspective (Baltes, Reese & Lipsitt, 1980) which shares certain underlying principles, formulated by Baltes (1987, cited in Sugarman, 2001) as the seven tenets of this orientation. These can be summarized as viewing development as a lifelong process which is multidimensional and multidirectional, shows plasticity, involves both gains and losses, is interactive, culturally and historically embedded, and the study of which is multidisciplinary. While such a view of development broadens the scope both for the researcher and the practitioner, it also entails that there is no one â€Å"correct† way of development, something that places particular demands on Counselling Psychologists. We need to be open-minded and able to embrace complex and contradictory notions of development on the one hand, and be improvement-orientated on the other, so changes are inevitably evaluated, i. e. measured against some ideal. While these challenges are met differently by different approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, Sugarman (2001, p. ) points out that there is overlap between different perspectives, as they describe â€Å"common themes if not of perfection, then at least of successful ageing†. Across different therapy models, the practitioner – like the life span researcher – is involved in â€Å"finding, co-constructing and interpreting the stories people create and use to describe and understand their lives† (Sugarman, 2003,p. 316). How the story is constructed is influenced by the practitioner’s orientation, but the goal is ultimately to help the client make their own choices. Evaluating some events as negative does not entail being concerned with eliminating negatives, as, for example in a â€Å"disease† model (Sugarman, 2001). In the life-span approach, negative events are rather viewed as necessary parts of life that provide the opportunity for growth (Sugarman, 2003). The move from development as something occurring only in childhood to a continuous process spanning from birth to death brings the subject of death itself to attention. If death is merely the endpoint of the life span and of development, it could easily be discarded as a subject of interest. However, even if we see death as nothing more than the end of life, as its destination, then it follows that the life course is a movement towards death and that death is in some sense present throughout life. One fundamental existential truth is that we must die. This certainty in life is also the most incomprehensible truth for us to come to terms with, as, in the philosopher Herbert Fingarette’s words (1996), â€Å"in our consciousness [we] will never know death firsthand† (p. ). Freud (1915, as cited in Fingarette, 1996, p. 150) wrote similarly: â€Å"At bottom, no one believes in his own death. Or, what comes to the same, in the Unconscious, each of us is convinced of his immortality. † This also suggests that we have a tendency to deny death, something that according to Yalom (1980, p. 59) occurs not only in the client but also in the therapist and, as he claims, â€Å"there is collective denial in the entire field of psychotherapy†. There may also be denial in the study of life-span development, as Sugarman (2001) makes scarce mention of death throughout her otherwise authoritative text on the subject. This seems odd considering that not only the structure of the life course is determined by our expectation of death but also the meanings we attach to life. In fact, as Fingarette explains, our conceptions of life and death can be seen as mutually influencing each other: â€Å"A mirror, too, is empty, without content, yet it reflects us back to ourselves in a reverse image. To try to contemplate the meaning of my death is in fact to reveal to myself the meaning of my life. † (p. 5) Death awareness thus sharpens our awareness of life, and making sense of death involves making sense of life, as, for example, through constructing our life story, an activity that requires a sense of authorship. For Yalom (1980, p. 31), who bases his thinking partly on Heidegger, â€Å"death is the condition that makes it possible for us to live life in an authentic fashion†. Death awareness is then worth facilitating in Counselling Psychology practice, as it helps clients re-evaluate life and make important changes towards a more fulfilled life. There is ample literature promoting a positive view of death, e. g. Kubler-Ross (1975) who describes death as â€Å"the final stage of growth† and â€Å"the key to the door of life† (p. 164). She believes that growth is the purpose of living and that we all have an inner source of love and strength which connects us with the eternal and that we live more fully when we are aware of this source. Stephen Levine (1986) takes this perspective further and encourages the reader to prepare to die by letting go of their sense of self, something that can be practised through meditation and through accepting and even welcoming pain. Both authors may be over-optimistic but they have something to teach all practitioners of psychotherapy and counselling about openness and compassion. Levine thinks that therapists can only give what they have got themselves and that how they deal with their own suffering determines the depth at which they are available to the client. A completely open relationship towards pain and death may only be possible for a fervent religious believer, but Yalom (1980) warns that faith may also act as a defence against death anxiety. According to Yalom, we cope with death anxiety by employing more or less healthy defences, and it is neither possible nor desirable for the therapist to completely eliminate death anxiety in the client, as some anxiety is necessary for life-enhancing death awareness. Instead it is the rapist’s task to facilitate a â€Å"sense of certainty and mastery† (p. 189) through enabling the client to create a coherent structure out of their life events. This would be in line with the above-mentioned goals formulated by Sugarman (2003) and indicates how death awareness can enhance life-span awareness and promote a more conscious narrative re-framing in Counselling Psychology practice. While death awareness and anxiety are relevant themes throughout life, they assume particular importance in mid-life. The term â€Å"mid-life crisis† was coined by Jaques (1965), who conducted a biographical study of over 300 major artists and found a marked increase in the death rate between the ages of 35 and 39 as well as a definite change in the quality and content of creative output. It has to be noted here that due to an increase in longevity, â€Å"mid-life† would now occur at a later stage, so a definition of this phase in terms of a specific age range must be viewed with caution on account of historical changes alone. Furthermore, rather than trying to determine an exact period at which mid-life occurs, researchers now tend to see it as an â€Å"ageless† phase, characterized more by themes and on texts (Biggs, 2003). However, Jaques† general observations regarding the differences between an artist’s early productions and those later in life may still be of interest today. Specifically, he notices a â€Å"hot-from-the-fire creativity† during the artist’s youth and more of a â€Å"sculpted creativity† as of the late thirties (Jaques, 1965, p. 503). To achieve the greater serenity of mature work, the artist is seen to undergo a â€Å"mid-life crisisâ€Å". Jaques regards this crisis as arising from depressive anxieties due to an awareness of one’s own inevitable death on entering the second half of life. Coming from a psychoanalytic perspective, he views youthful idealism as arising from the unconscious denial of human mortality and destructiveness (what Freud called the â€Å"death instinct†) and argues that â€Å"constructive resignation† (p. 505) to these inevitable truths at mid-life can lead to mature creativity. However, this requires the painful working-through of a depressive crisis. While Sugarman (2001) comments that only a minority of people actually experience a crisis of such proportions, Counselling Psychology clients are more likely to be among this minority. However, Kleinberg (1995, as cited in Biggs, 2003) has observed that many mid-life clients enter therapy to deal with â€Å"stagnation† rather than a crisis, although issues around ageing and finitude are also present. A more comprehensive approach to mid-life has been presented by Levinson et al. 1978), whose stage theory of the „seasons of a man’s life? has particularly illuminated the developmental tasks of the â€Å"mid-life transition† (p. 191), a term based on Jung’s description of the divide between the first and second halves of life, the â€Å"noon of life† (p. 33). According to Levinson – whose theory is restricted to men, although much could apply to women too – this is a time of disillusionment, as the current life structure and the self need to be modified and some fundamental polarities, i. . young/old, destruction/creation, masculine/feminine and attachment/separateness, need to be resolved in preparation for middle age. Similar to Jaques (1965), Le Vinson emphasises that the illusion of one’s immortality must be given up, a painful process that may, however, lead to greater maturity: â€Å"Slowly the omnipotent Young hero recedes, and in his place emerges a middle-aged man with more knowledge of his limitations as well as greater real power and authority† (p. 218).

Gender Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Issues - Essay Example Society has assigned role to men and women creating specific gender roles since the begging of time. This essat discusses gender roles, that are rapidly and difference between today’s roles and the gender roles fifty years ago obvious. In the past, women traditionally were expected to get married, and raise a family. Today the role of women has changed dramatically obtaining education and working outside between raising their families and their career. Regardless of this confusion of a result of new gender roles women have more choices then in the past. Men on the other hand are entering into a new gender role and are getting the shorter end of the stick. Women entering the work force are diminishing the amount of jobs available to men. The researcher believes that the situation will somehow grow worse for men in our current 21th century. Mental disorders like depression and eating disorders like anorexia, which has been described in the essay and predominately been female ill ness, will make an appearance in men sooner or later. As the divorce rate increases these days, active fathers whose children are ripped away suffer from depression. Men who choose to be a stay at home dad will suffer from depression and possibly eating disorders. In conclusion, the researcher tries to predict future realities for both genders and suggests in the essay that in order for gender challenges to become nonexistent societies gender roles for men and women should blend equally into one norm for both sexes.

Art and Morality Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art and Morality - Movie Review Example Artists are the ones who have to normally face the brunt of this censorship. Whether you consider the criminal obscenity charges against the rap group for the album 2 Live Crew in the 80s or the fatwa issued to kill Salman Rushdie for his book Satanic Verses – artists have always been persecuted for bringing out work which goes against ‘ethos’ of society. (Greenwood) This chant for censorship is not limited to Islamic countries or third world countries which are not considered ‘mature’ enough but extends to the self proclaimed champions of free speech – USA and the Western Europe. From the Comstock Law of 1873 to the 1996 Communications Decency Act; the developed world is full of laws which stifle artistic freedom. (Caso) The question which arises is this – should we allow censorship of controversial art which shows murder, explicit sexual scenes or offends religious sensibilities? The answer is a big NO. The reason is very simple. Censo rship is like a wild poisonous snake – you cannot control whom it will bite. Once power is given to the government to ban someone else; it may turn it head and ban something you like too. The most frequent target of censorship is sexually explicit art forms. Hundreds and thousands of books have been banned all across the world for their sexual content. Some books may be sexually explicit; however sexual content is usually an excuse for the ban. One example which comes to mind for such excuse is the ban of Grapes of Wrath. (Wartzman) Grapes of wrath is a much celebrated and controversial book which was releases in 1939. As a work of art; this book is exemplary which went on to win The National Book award, the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in 1962.It is set during the Great depression and focuses’ on the hardships faced by families during the period. However the book was opposed vehemently by groups of big landowners who were opponents of organized labor. Explicit s exual content was used as an excuse to ban the book at that time from schools. The example of Grapes of Wrath is given here to show how sexuality can be used as an excuse to ban books whose main content is nowhere related to sexuality. Thus obscenity can easily be used as a vehicle by the government or powerful pressure groups to ban books or ideas to which they are opposed .Pornography and sexually explicit material is completely relative. What might be sexually offensive to one person may be normal for other person. We might find it amusing and childish that many Islamic countries ban films which show lip kissing but the same argument can be used for that art forms which majority of Americans find sexually explicit. These famous lines by Justice John Marshall sums up the futility of trying to define obscenity – â€Å"one man’s vulgarity is other’s lyrics!†Not only obscenity but even pornography has no legal definition. Some may consider a little skin sh ow as pornography where as others may consider it as the requirement of the film. In the absence of a formal definition we are left to the whims and fancies of certain individuals who are given the right to decide right and wrong. Laws are those which can be objectively applied, not something which requires subjective treatment. â€Å"Concerning the Gods I am not able to know either that they do exist or that they do not exist.†- The treaties of Protagoras. (Schiappa) Most of us this day will not find the above line offensive as atheists are now an acceptable part of the society. Some openly

Biochemistry (cardiovascular biomarkers the advantages and Essay

Biochemistry (cardiovascular biomarkers the advantages and disadvantages) - Essay Example lood sugar, ECG and ECHO provide a gross information of the cardiovascular status, estimation of risk and presence of cardiovascular disease is possible only through definite markers of the disease. The ultimate aim of prevention of cardiovascular disease is to prevent end-organ injury like myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction mainly presents as chest pain. Infact, chest pain is a common cause for attendance to emergency departments. While millions of people present with chest pain every year, only about 10- 15 percent are actually diagnosed with myocardial infarction (Pasupathi et al, 2009). Lack of appropriate diagnostic and clinical tools to ascertain the presence of myocardial infarction has contributed to unnecessary hospitalization, investigations and expenses (Pasupathi et al, 2009). It is often is difficult to rule out acute myocardial infarction from several other causes of chest pain. But, in view of the high rate of morbidity and mortality associated with the condition, it becomes imperative on the part of clinician to diagnose it and treat in promptly (McPherson, 2010). While ECG is useful in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction, it is not a very sensitive and specific test for diagnosing the condition (Statland, 1996). Infact, in more than 50 percent cases, ECG is non- diagnostic with atypical features (Statland, 1996). Over several years CK-MB was the gold standard for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction. However, recent research has tarnished the image of even that test and troponin testing has replaced that (Statland, 1996). As of now, the search for ideal cardiac marker continues and currently, a combination of more than one marker is used to establish correct diagnosis and prognosis. Ideal marker for use in clinical cardiology would be that which is cardiac specific, that which rises immediately after infarct begins, that which after elevation, remains in the blood for some time, that which is easy to measure, that whose measurements

Educational Tort Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Educational Tort - Article Example Two types of torts are seen in the education: Intentional tort and Negligence tort. 'The central idea in tort law is that liability is based not so much on acting badly or wrongfully, but on committing a wrong' (www.seop.leeds.ac.uk, 2003). 'Intentional tort' is involved when offence is commited with the set intention of harming or instilling fear of reprisal or injury. Whereas, in 'Negligence tort', the injury caused is unexpected and not deliberate. The underlying concept of one's duty to safeguard the interests of others, is the vital ingredient of the law of tort. In the education system, the tort of law is increasingy being used by the students against the teachers. The most common is the assault that may not result in the physical injury. The teachers accused of assaulting students have become frequent. The verbal assault with the intention of instilling fear in the students and battery, when physica contact results in injury, have often been used by the students against the school authorities and teachers. ... Only when all the four points are proved the victim can be suitably compensated for damaged occurred. Education tort is important to maintain discipline within the different elements of the educational system including the teachers, administrators and students. We can, therefore, conclude that the law of torts has considerable impact on the public issues and plays a vital role in facilitating the welfare of the innocent victims. The huge implications of the law, has a long term deterrent effect on the behavioural pattern of the students and teachers alike and helps to instil a sense of responsibility towards each other. Reference Sansone v. Bechtel. (1980). [Accessed 22 October, 2008]. Theories of Tort Laws. Available from: [Accessed on 24 August,

The End of the Cold War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The End of the Cold War - Research Paper Example One of the causes was the fact that they differed a lot in ideologies in that the United Nations was capitalist while the Soviet Union’s was socialist. The United Nations was ruled by democracy and they valued freedom, while the Soviet Union was under dictatorial rule where the interests of the state were put first as opposed to those for individuals. This led to the two nations having too many differences as each was antagonistic to the other. In the communist they were ruled majority being oppressed by the minority. On the other hand the capitalist had freedom of liberty, expression and speech, and they were free from political oppression. The other factor that contributed to the fallout between the two former allies was the resentments of the history whereby United States had joined with Britain in 1918 and tried to tear down the Russian revolution and so the Soviet Union feared the same to happen again. On the other had the United States did not forget the Nazi-soviet pact that Stalin had signed with Germany in 1939. This led to a lot of strain to their relationship which led the two becoming rivals (Harper, 46). The other cause of the cold war was differing aims. This was attributed in the fact that the USSR wanted huge compensations from Germany to create other more friendly nations to protect itself from being hit once again. On the contrary the United Nations wanted to protect democracy and also wanted to help Germany to recover from the effects of the world war. Having too many differing ideologies between the two they never trusted one another and viewed everything in a different way thus making it inevitable for the cold war. The other cause of the cold war was the remarks made by Churchill Winston who was a British leader and also an anti-communist. Given the political climate his speech tensions rose which further worsened the relationship between the two. He said â€Å"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an â€Å"Iron Cu rtain† has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow† (Harper, 54). The two nations had never been involved in any conflicts but with all those challenges in their relationships made them develop enmity. It was evident in that the two were no longer friends and they eventually started developing bombs which were meant for each other though it was indirectly. In 1949 the first atomic bomb was developed by the soviet unions and that showed that the enmity had escalated to another level. Another cause why the United States of America was involved in the war was due to the undisclosed telegram sent by German ambassador then in Mexico by Germany ambassador, asking Mexico to assail America from the north. Germany promised Mexico that they could retriev e their lost provinces, including Arizona and Texas. Afterwards, Wilson urged the Congress to employ the rule of armed neutrality. They sent merchant ships to secure their boundaries in opposition to their opponents. They also connected the war due to terror of economic despair if the allied power lost. United States had role to enhance free trade, democracy and peaceful coexistence. America finally became part of the cold

Should the Australian government introduce a carbon tax aimed at Lab Report

Should the Australian government introduce a carbon tax aimed at reducing carbon emissions - Lab Report Example In that context, Australia has a great stake in the goal and objective of opting for a sustainable economic growth and development. At the minimum, Australia needs to play a proportionate role in the achievement of the environmental objectives set by the world community (Garnaut 2011, p. 12). If Australia does not cooperate and collaborate in the achievement of these objectives, it stands more to lose as compared to any other developed nation (Garnaut 2011, p.15). The objective of this report is to ponder on the viability of the Australian government imposing a carbon tax so as to reduce the carbon emissions. The report analysis this proposal in a holistic context while taking into consideration the possible pros and cons of imposing this tax. The report came to the conclusion that imposing such a tax tends to benefit Australia in the long run. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................ 4 2.0 Discussion ........................................................................................... 5 2.1 The Impact of Carbon Tax on Carbon Emissions ...................... 5 2.2 Advantages of Carbon Tax ........................................................... ... ......................................................... 10 1.0 Introduction To put it simply, carbon tax is a type of environmental tax that is imposed with context to the carbon content of fuels (Burney 2010, p. 4). It is a way of placing a price on the carbon emissions produced by individuals and corporations. Fossils fuels do tend to have very high carbon content, which on combustion release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. On the contrary there exist many cleaner sources of energy like the nuclear energy, solar energy and hydropower which do not contribute any carbon emissions to the environment. The purpose of a carbon tax is to place a price on the carbon emissions, thereby motivating the individuals and corporations to opt for cleaner sources of energy (Anderson & Ekins 2010, p. 12). It goes without saying that the Australian economy is today dependent on many emission intensive industries (Garnaut 2011, p. 22). In the contemporary context, Australia has far higher carbon emissions per capita as compared to any other developed nation (Garnaut 2011, p. 24). So, reasonably speaking, the international community has very high expectations with regards to Australia’s ability to check carbon emissions (Ayers 2006, p. 38). Besides, by achieving tolerable carbon emission rates, Australia stands to benefit tremendously as far as the objective of safeguarding its natural environment and ecology is concerned (Garnaut 2011, p. 11). Yes, it is possible to avoid change by citing varied excuses for the nation’s inability to opt for an environment friendly future. However, such an approach could have an unwarranted impact on the Australian economy in the form of facilitating a reason for the introduction of discriminatory trade interventions by other nations (Harris

Philosophy of Man Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Man Essay â€Å"Man† seems to have been quite a neglected subject in the history of Western philosophy; more attention has been paid to God and universe than to man. Though there are many reputable histories of the specific branches of philosophy; and even of some of its special subjects such as logic ethics, aesthetics, politics, law and history, a â€Å"history of the philosophy of man† has yet to be written and even vet to be conceived. True â€Å"man† has sometimes been discussed as a part of this or that theory or system in ethics, politics or education, but such subsidiary discussions by their very nature remain controlled by the requirements and presuppositions of a particular theory or system. All this strikes rather ironical in view of the fact that, to the great Socrates; first of the founders of Western philosophy, the central theme of philosophy was not the world, but man. Socrates’ deep concern for the well-being of man makes him look like a prophet moving amongst the Greeks. In the celebrated Platonic Dialogue; the Apology, Socrates is reported to have gone to God, only to be graced with a special message for his fellow men. This Divine message exhorted the Athenians to â€Å" take the greatest possible care of their souls and not to ruin their lives by letting the care of the body and of the â€Å"possessions† take precedence over the good of the soul. Nay, they must make their souls as good as possible, making them like God†. Socrates is, however, better known to us for his detailed and meticulous analyses of the moral qualities of man; such as justice, goodness, courage, temperance and so on. But what is more important for us to note here is the woeful fact that nowhere in ‘all the twenty-eight platonic Dialogues, we find Socrates giving as a definition of man. Perhaps even for Socrates, man was too much of a mystery, and a veritable riddle to be comprehended through a philosophical definition. Both Plato and Aristotle, after Socrates, ventured to give us definitions of man; but these definitions, with due deference to these two great masters, unfortunately, are no longer tenable on empirical grounds. Plato’s definition of man as a political animal, perhaps, reflects only the intensely political atmosphere of the city-states of his days. We in our own days know fully well that man in the pre-literate and primitive societies has neither state nor politics. Aristotle’s definition of man as a social animal, very sadly, casts a slur on his otherwise well-established reputation as â€Å"the founder of a systematic and comparative Zoology†. Sociability cannot be said to be the real hallmark of man to distinguish him from the animals. Some of the animals, at quite a lower rung of the evolutionary ladder, manifest as much sociability in their behaviour as man. The social insects like termites, ants, bees and wasps live in colonies and give clear evidence of group-integration and division of lab our; they have their kings and queens and workers and soldiers much as the human beings have. The definition of man as a rational animal not only carries the formidable authority of Aristotle but also the weight of a long tradition running throughout the ages. This definition of man, to my mind, is more prescriptive than descriptive. It exhorts man to think rationally rather than describe the fact of man’s actually thinking rationally. But it is an imperative or a command, and a good command indeed but for that very reason not a definition. It may be insisted that Aristotle, in his definition has made an empirical statement of the kind that man by virtue of the quality of rationality (differentia) inherent in him, always thinks rationally. In that case this definition is not satisfactory, because it is an incomplete definition which has taken â€Å"rationality† as the sole distinctive quality of man as it differentiates him from the animals. There are, however, other similar unique qualities of man differentiating him from the animals, which have been completely by-passed in Aristotles definitionqualities, for example, of artistic imagination and numinous sense of the presence of the Divine to all things. Aristotle’s- definition could give us only a fragmented man as if a featherless biped. Aristotle’s definition of man in terms of genus and differentia, Plato’s in terms of the tripartite division of the soul, and the great scholastic philosophers’ in terms of the indivisible soul-substance which does nothing to us nor we do anything to it; all of them seem to be some of the blind alleys in the history of philosophy. These definitions, however, are not altogether meaningless; in any case they are better than Cartesians’ definition of man as an assembled organic machine ready to run, or behaviourists’ definition of him as a toy in the Watsonian box mercilessly caught between the stimulii and the responses. Classical philosophers’ definitions or conceptions of man are to be construed not through the detailed analyses of their philosophical terms but through a close and deep understanding of their whole philosophical perspective. In case their definitions continue to remain unacceptable to us, even then we are to change not the definitions but the philosophical perspective from which these definitions have emerged. This is much like moving from the geocentric perspective to the heliocentric perspective in astronomy. But the change of a perspective in philosophy, as in other domains of human knowledge, usually entails a change in the methods of its study, like, for instance, studying the moon, through a telescope and studying it by landing on its surface, or more precisely, as Max Weber puts it, like studying the cultural phenomena through the usual methods of scientific explanation and studying them through the method of â€Å"interpretative understanding†. Quite a few new perspectives in philosophy and even the new methods of their study came to be keenly discussed and elaborated in some of the major universities in Germany such as Munich, Hamburg and Berlin, somewhere in the 1020’s. Some of these new perspectives or branches of philosophy and their methods may be roughly translated in English as: â€Å"Philosophy of Life†, â€Å"Study of the Human Sciences†, â€Å"Study of the Cultural Sciences†, â€Å"Method of Spiritual Interpretation†, Method of understanding (verstehn) in Human Sciences†, and â€Å"Method of Phenomenology†. From the very titles of.these new branches of philosophy, it becomes clear that they especially focus their attention on man. The method, that the proponents of the new sciences of philosophy employ in the study of man is a highly technical affair; broadly speaking, it may be characterized as an empirical method of the highest order. From the new undertakings and preoccupations of some of the distinguished German philosophers in the new philosophy, there emerged quite a few new disciplines such as a â€Å"Philosophy of Culture†, â€Å"Philosophy of Symbolism†, â€Å"Biographical Studies† and â€Å"Philosophy of the Human Sciences†. Among them was also the philosophy of man as a very specialized and independent discipline; named as Philosophical Anthropology or Anthropological Philosophy. By 1940 there were quite a few chairs for philosophy of man in some of, the renowned universities in Germany. After World War II interest in this discipline spread to Holland and France. Soon after it had its impact felt in the United States; possibly through the influence of the most distinguished German philosopher, Ernest Cassirer, who after having left Germany in 1933 had taught at Oxford and later chaired the Departments of Philosophy, at the universities of Yale and Columbia. He is perhaps the only German Philosopher to have been admitted to the distinction of the library of living philosophers. Without any pretentions to originality the philosophers of man have acknowledged their great indebtedness to many of the philosophers of the past; notably to Blaise Pascal, Goethe, Kant, Herder, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Feuerbach, Nietzsche. They have drawn their greatest inspiration, however, from the works of Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911); one of the greatest philosophers of history and culture. Dilthey is noted for his thoroughgoing empiricism and for the encyclopedic range of his academic interests. The most singular of his contributions to philosophy, however, is his construction of a new methodology for philosophy, and a Dew science of interpretation (Hermenutics) for the study of human sciences (Geisteswisseneschaften). He is reported to have worked on these major preoccupations of his for forty years. Dilthey’s works, prepared by a team of editors, have appeared in eighteen volumes with more to follow. A six-volume English translation of his selected works is being published by Princton University since 1984. Among the writers; specifically on the â€Å"philosophy of man† in Germany, by far the most active of its exponents, is Max Scheler whose work Man’s Place in Nature (Die Stellung des Mensehen in Kosmos. 1928) is perhaps the first ice-breaker. Scheler was also the first to employ an independent method of phenomenology to the study of religion. He, however, is better known in the Anglo-Saxon world for his pioneer work on Sociology of Knowledge, the great merit of which has been recognized by th Max Weber and Karl Mannheim. Ernest Cassirer, generally known to us for being one of the earliest writers on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (1921), is in fact the most distinguished philosopher of symbolism. His very original theory of symbolism as exhibited variously in science, art, religion, myth and language, is elaborately expounded in his three-volume work: Philosophy of Symbolic Forms: (Philosophie der Symbolischen Formen, 1923-1929). This theory has given the new philosophy of man a firm empirical base; it has also given to it a definitive starting point. Man, according to Ernest Cassirer, is essentially a symbolizing animal. It is man’s unique ability to use symbols, or in the language of the Quran, the ability to name things that differentiates man from the pre-human animals. It is through this unique ability to use symbols that man learnt to assign to objects, persons and advents certain meanings such as could not at all be grasped through the sensations. So long as man did not become aware of symbols, he remained at a level of mental existence in which the world was dark and opaque and meant nothing. But the moment man started using symbols he was, as if through a magic wand, awakened to a new mode of consciousness; the consciousness of meanings. Man’s awareness of, so to say, capturing the things by assigning meanings to them through the use of symbols, lifted him literally to a new dimension of human existence. This exaltation of man to a new level of existence, verily because of his ability to use symbols; is referred to in the Quran i. e. verse: when Adam exhibited the ability to name things and this was beyond the angel’s spiritual dimensionangels prostrated themselves before him. It is interpreted sometimes to mean that it is verily through his ability to use words that man came to have a mysterious sway over everything that he touched or looked at. In the symbolic’ comprehension of meanings, the words dog, rat, rabbit, are not merely sounds but meaningful sounds. The meanings, however, are not inherent in the sounds (or in the shapes or the configurations of the letters in case of written words) as such, but are arbitrarily or conventionally assigned to them by human beings. The point to be noted here is that, in an articulate speech, the sensory sounds of the words have no intrinsic relations to the meanings intended by the speaker; sounds or patterns of sounds are used merely as symbolic instruments or vehicles for the meanings. This explains very largely that though the anthropoid apes, in the so-called great-ape-language-experiments, usually succeed in picking up short series of single words, they utterly fail to develop a sense of â€Å"contextual† relevance of words as also to acquire the ability to link the words syntactically or as the experimenters put it: â€Å"Apes are complete blank in grammar. † How and when did man learn to use symbols or words continues to remain an open question. Plato was perhaps the first to broach the subject of the origin of language in his Dialogue The Cratylos. His discussion of the matter, however, was inconclusive as also were the speculative theories of many classical philosophers who ventured into unravelling the mystery of language. Inquiries into the origin of language are now quite out of fashion with the modern philosophers and linguists. We must, however, note here  the position on this issue taken by Edward Burnett Tylor. He was, admittedly, one of the most distinguished of the British anthropologists. He tells us that â€Å"at some point in the evolution of primates, a threshold was reached in some line, or lines, when the ability to use symbols was suddenly realized and made explicit in overt behaviour. There is no intermediate stage, logical or neurological, between symbol ling and non-symbolling: an individual or a species is either capable of symbolling or he or it is not. â€Å" All that Tylor means to tell us here is that the ability to use symbols emerged through a kind of mysterious leap and is not the product of gradual and continuous process of evolution. This is clearly indicated by the, expression â€Å"suddenly realized† in the above passage. Instead of openly confessing his ignorance on the issue of the origin of symbolling, i. e. , language, Tylor seems here to cloak this ignorance by using the doubtful and debatable doctrine of leaps or jumps so popular with the Emergent and Creative Evolutionists. If both philosophy and science fail us in this matter, why not then accept the view given in the Scriptures that man learnt the names of things from God Himself and call it the divine theory of language. Even as scientists we are not to say that there are only perceptual symbols and completely ignore a whole class of symbols called the religious symbols. The religious symbols constitute a peculiar language of their own which is quite as meaningful as scientific language; only like the language of art, it has its own unique method of interpretation or in Dilthey’s words a unique Hermenutics. Having acquired the capacity to use symbols a bit more freely and having built up a sizable working lexicon of these symbols, man started his journey away from the physical world (merely a sensory world of the animals), created by the Lord, to a non-physical world, created by man himself as the Deputy of the Lord. Very briefly this new world of the Deputy is the world of, meanings and values; giving a broad classificatory description of it, it is the world of language, myth, art, religion, philosophy, and science. It is however more convenient to call it the world of culture. It is to be noted here that animals cannot possibly be admitted to man’s world of culture as earlier they could not be admitted to man’s world of symbols. Culture and symbols indeed are like soul and body to each other. Hence it would not be inappropriate to say that culture, born of the inmost passions of man’s psyche or spirit (Geist), always manifests itself in and through the dress of symbols. Much more important, however, is the fact that it is only through its symbolic dress that culture receives a tangible form so that it can be safely stored in libraries, galleries, museums, and places of worship. Soon, culture assumes a personality of its own, independent of man, its creator. It then begins to move from generation to generation, and from epoch to epoch and manages to stalk in man’s history as a power by itself. Culture thus comes to change its position with man and claims to be creator of man. The way culture is transmitted from one generation to another is the most wondrous of all the cultural phenomena. Nietzsche observed in his usual inclisive way that culture could be possessed by man alone for man alone is born as an unfinished animal. The human infant as compared to the infants of other animals is biologically much less formed as if it were born premature and certainly it is too much of a weakling to face the slightest blows of nature. Moreover this creature has to go a long way before it can lay claims to be on its own if ever it would! On the other hand the parents of this weakling are irresistibly attracted to it and extend to it the most affectionate care and love. The weakling’s helplessness for a long stretched period of its infancy and the corresponding intense attachment of the parents (particularly of the mother) are some of the important constituents of a new phase of the human weakling’s life. This phase has been termed as the second gestation or the extra-uterine gestation. It seems as if the infant at the time of its birth was released from the biological confines of the mother only to be thrown into the socio-cultural confines of the world. It has sometimes been said that most human animals move from the confines of one shell into those of another and never really are born, unless, of course, if they are helped through some kind of cultural maiuetics or spiritual midwifery. It is a well-known fact that a child learns his native language in the shortest possible span of time. By the age of six and even five most children would have learnt not only more than 90% of the basic vocabulary of their language but also its grammar, the correct form of its a lot of idioms, the right pronunciation, the proper accent or intonation, the appropriate choice of words to be addressed variously to parents, a sibling, a playmate, or a servant. This is amazing! How does the child learn all this? ‘I he simple and perhaps correct answer is: The child learns all this through its skin. The child starts being sensitized right from the early days of its birth by a deeply emotionalized inter-personal involvement with a number of persons around it. The most important of these persons, of course, is the mother who starts teaching the child a new scheme of conditioned reflexes, soon to be developed into an elaborate system of symbols, not merely through the words of mouth but also through the soft and warm touches of her body, her hugs, her fondlings, her caresses, and her one and hundred kisses. The language as if it were, was being injected into the child. As the child grows up through boyhood and adolescence right into adulthood this language stays with him and becomes the veritable part of his personality. It would not be for wrong to assert that the child gets enclosed for ever within the shell of its native language which it cannot possibly break through unless it chances to be a Ghalib or an Iqbal. It is exceedingly important to note here that the child imbibes its native culture through the same emotionally sensitized, subjectivized, internalized way as becomes available to it in learning the native language. Culture and language (scheme of symbols) are so closely tied to each other that it is well-nigh impossible to imagine a culture without its peculiar language; nor is it possible to think of a language without its culture. To have a language without a culture is tantamount to having words without meanings, which makes no sense. Thus child’s learning its native culture, and its learning the native language are not two processes but one in which the two are interwined with each other for their very existence. Some leading modern psychologists, however, are of the view that the child learns the whole value and belief-system embodied in its culture much quicker than he learns the language. The process of imbibing the culture they hold is comparatively more sensitized, more subjectivized and more internalized; than that learning the language. Language on the other hand, is a bit more of a cognitive and schematic affair. Language further has more of an instrumental value to serve as a symbolic medium, while culture carries all the intrinsic meanings and values which are closest to the child’s heart. The child internalizes all the cultural meanings and values of his milieu and they become real powerful ingredients of his personality. In other words the child gets snugly enclosed in a fully fortified, double-walled shell of language and culture for the rest of his life. The notion of the second, i. e. , the socio-cultural gestation of man is, thus, not to be labelled a mere speculation of the philosophical anthropologists but a doctrine well-rooted in the empirically grounded evidence. The above process of acculturation through which every human child has to pass has led some American psychologist, notably Benedict Ruth and Margaret Mead, to advance their doctrine of cultural determinism. According to this doctrine, even though individuals think that they make personal choices, at least, in such trivial matters as buying an article of clothing or eating or not eating a particular food in the restaurant, their choices are, in fact, fully determined by the socio-cultural milieu in which they have . been brought up. However bleak, gloomy or disheartening by this view of stark determinism might be, It is not easy to refute it. It carries weight in so far as it explains some important socio-cultural phenomena. Take, for instance, the strifes and conflicts between socio-cultural groups, small or big, belonging to this or that piece ,of land, in the south or the north, in the east or the west, subscribing to this or that religious view or ideological shiboleths. These social psychologists and culturologists tell us, are very largely due to the fact that the socio-political behaviour of the individuals and more particularly of their leaders is dertermined in the final analysis by the forces residing within their respective socio-cultural shells. Cultural determinism as viewed by Ruth and Mead and even as conceived earlier by the behaviourists, the psycho-analysts and the historical materialists poses a real serious challenge to any philosophy of man. Philosophers like Dilthey and Scheler, however, insist that the solution to this apparently impossible problem is not theoretical but entirely practical and experiential. Culture, according to them, owes its origin, essentially to the extraordinary experiences and arduous creative work of the great prophets, the great artists, and the great philosophers and other great geniuses who have given new meanings and new dimensions to human life. These torch-bearers of life cannot be said to be passive product of socio-cultural forces of their milieu. The very fact that they have the capacity to take these socio-cultural forces into their own hand and direct them into new channels in the light of their Geist falsifies any such view. Dilthey, however, goes farther and urges us to absorb and internalize the extraordinary experiences of these lumanaries of humanity to the best of our abilities; so that these may be re-lived to the maximum possible extent in our own humble souls, Thus alone shall we be born again and be released from the bondage of cultural determinism. This is, however, by no means, an easy, affair. Nevertheless, it is a real uphill task. It may be recalled that Dilthey worked for full forty years on the sciences of human spirit (Geisteswissenscha ften ); then he could arrive at their methodology. This is a methodology, primarily, about transferring or transmitting the experiences of the great founders of human culture to the generality of mankind. Among other things, Dilthey has insisted on the experiential rather than the barely intellectual or academical interpretations (Hermeunities) of the great texts. It is through the former type of interpretation alone that we are enabled to have true intuitive comprehension (Verstchn) of the inner import of these texts. It is heartening to note that Allama Iqbal has advocated a method for the comprehension of the text. of the Quran which is almost identical with that of Dilthey. The Allama says in his Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam : â€Å"No understanding of the Holy Book is possible until it is revealed to the believer just as it was revealed to the Prophet†. This most remarkable statement, unique in the history of Islamic thought, is to be found in the opening’ passage of Lecture VII of the Reconstruction, a, lecture addressed originally to the very learned audience of the Aristotelian Society in London (on the 5th of December, 1932). Though the Allama has ascribed this statement to an unnamed Muslim Sufi (sic), I, on the basis of my study of the Reconstruction and experience of expounding its text to a few generations of students for the last more than 20 years, beg to differ with him and aver that the said statement is positively his own. The Allama has ascribed it to an unknown Sufi, to my mind, only because he had great misgivings about the way it might be received by the traditional scholars of Islam. Let me add that the statement is purely prescriptive and not descriptive in the usual sense; it does not refer to a fact, here a credal fact, i. e. , a belief; it only exhorts us to do something in a certain way if we want to have a desired end. So, as a prescriptive statement, it strongly recommends to us a method for the true comprehension of the meanings of the Quran. It tells us that a true believer must so deeply interiorize the meanings of the Holy Book that he starts almost re-living certain â€Å"experiences† on account of which, these meanings were comprehended by or revealed to the Prophet. Thus, the reference here is essentially to a spiritual process or method through which alone (and the true believers have no choice in this matter) a true believer would comprehend the meanings of the Quranic text closest possible to the comprehension of the Prophet. This perhaps is the only, though very arduous, way of deepening or intensifying our Islamic consciousness. The statement, however, is open to the misinterpretation that in so far as it recommends the believer to do something which is very close to Prophet’s very unique way of doing it, it implies or suggests that the believer is raised to the status of the Prophet and this is sacrilegeous. It is to be noted that the true believer’s being raised in his status is purely and entirely epistemic or experiential which is a blessing, not ontic, real, or actual which is impossible, or, as James Wards puts it, the most impossible of all things in the world. We cannot be a Plato or a Shakespeare, how can we be an Abraham, a Moses or a Muhammad? May God forgive us for any such thoughts. At the time of writing Lecture VII which embodies the above statement, i. e. , September 1932, the Allama was very busy and much preoccupied in so many things Javid Nama was to come soon in December; in October he was to leave for Third Round Table Conference and so on. He did not want to be disturbed just because the great traditional scholars would not renderstand him on an important academic statement of his; so in haste he foisted it on a Muslim Sufi. Please note the rather unusual expression â€Å"the Muslim Sufi†, most unexpected of Iqbal, as perfect a master of English diction- as that of Persian. â€Å"The Muslim Sufi’, as if there could be also Christian or Hindu Sufis, betrays the very divided feelings or moments of hesitation at the time of thinking of this expression and tacitly nodding to it: â€Å"Let it go! † He was keenly aware of the profound religious meanings embodied in the above statement but also painfully aware of the spiritual opacity of his co-religionists who might be displeased with it. He was divided between pleasing his eo-religionists and pleasing himself. So he chose to father the statement on a â€Å"Muslim Sufi† he would not name, and thus please both himself and his brethren in faith nobody would know that the â€Å"Muslim Sufi† was he himself. It is generally narrated that somewhere in early November, 1933, on way back from Afghanistan Iqbal told Syed Sulaiman Nadvi that the Sufi referred to in the above statement was no other than his own father. The very fact that the name of the author of the statement â€Å"popped up† signifies that the statement must have struck the Syed extraordinary. More notable, however, is the fact that the great Syed accepted Iqbal’s assertion as it was and did not comment on it nor added anything to it not even later. He did not say, for example: â€Å"I am so pleased to know this†. But my dear friend, it is nothing very original, it may as well be found in Ghazali, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Jili, Mujaddid Alit Thani, or any name like them. It looks rather odd that the Iqbal scholars have quietly agreed to foist such an important and methodologically most significant statement on a Sufi, who never had any pretensions whatsoever in the Sufi-lore nor in the subtle and profound ways of the Sufis. Would it be better to be rich and ugly, or poor but beautiful? The Philosophy of Man is another name for mans study of philosophy. Philosophy is defined as the study of general and fundamental problems. These problems are typically related to fields such as knowledge, existence, reason, mind, values and language. The approach that philosophers take is different from other ways of addressing the problems due to it being critical and systematic. It also carries a heavy reliance on rational argument. There are a number of different of branches of the Philosophy of Man, some of these are listed below. †¢ Metaphysics. This considers the study of the nature of reality. This can include the relationship between body and mind as well as substance and accident and causation and events. Within metaphysics there are other branches including ontology and cosmology. †¢ Ethics. This is sometimes referred to as moral philosophy. Ethics deals mainly with the question about what is the best way to live and whether this is a question that can actually be answered. Ethics can be subdivided into normative ethics, applied ethics and meta-ethics. †¢ Epistemology. This is concerned with the scope and nature of knowledge. It also poses the question about whether knowledge is possible. It is often concerned with the challenge posed by skepticism and studies the relationships between truth, justification and belief. †¢ Logic. Within philosophy the study of logic is that of valid argument forms. The subject of logic can be separated into two branches, mathematical logic and philosophical logic. †¢ Political philosophy. The study of the government and the relationship of individuals to states is something that is becoming more popular within the philosophical world. Questions are posed about justice, law, rights and obligations and it is often closely linked with ethics. Philosophy A philosophy is a system of beliefs about reality. It is ones integrated view of the world. It includes an understanding of the nature of existence, man, and his role in the world. Philosophy is the foundation of knowledge. It is the standard by which ideas are integrated and understood. Philosophy is a necessary product of mans rational mind. To live, man must gain knowledge of the world. To understand the world, man must form conclusions about its very nature. For instance, to gain knowledge of particular objects, man must recognize that objects have identity. He must recognize that conclusions are possible because the world does exist, and exists in a particular way. Philosophy provides the framework for which man can understand the world. It provides the premises by which man can discover truth, and use his mind to support his life. Every man has an understanding of the world. Every man must have a philosophy, even if it is never made explicit. Philosophy of the Human Person’s Selected Theses The following are the five (5) selected theses that I shall endeavourto explicate and exemplify: 1. â€Å"Philosophy is the science of knowledge. But the outcome of any philosophical inquiry is determined by its starting place . †Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Michael Novak (Belief and Unbelief); 2. â€Å" The intrinsic objectivity of humancognitional activity is its intentionality. † Bernard Lonergan, SJ (CognitionalStructure); 3. â€Å" Reflection is one of the life’s ways of rising from one level of being to another† Gabriel Marcel (Primary and Secondary Reflection: TheExistential Fulcrum); 4. â€Å"Each symbol gives rise to comprehension by meansof interpretation . † Paul Ricoeur (The Symbol : Food for Thought); and 5. â€Å" Wehave the existential presence which is a common spiritual bond in virtue of which each is present in the other and participates in the being of another† -Engelbert Van Croonenburg (Man and Fellow- Man). â€Å" Philosophy.

The Social Implications Of The Bhagavad Gita Religion Essay

The Social Implications Of The Bhagavad Gita Religion Essay Throughout history, religious texts have been widely influential in shaping how society is run. From egalitarian societies to strict social classes, religious texts have driven societies in a great variety of directions. A fundamental example of the social impact of religious texts is the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita has had a tremendous impact on the mindset of people in India. It has provided a standard basis for beliefs and morals, which influenced not only individuals, but Indian society as a whole. This religious text has been an integral part of common beliefs and morals. Because it is such a significant text in Indias history, we want to know what the social implications of the Bhagavad Gita were. By analyzing the text, we are able to gain a greater understanding of what kind of society it promotes. The Gita encourages social stratification, and promotes a strict hierarchy in the form of a caste system. The Bhagavad Gitas idea of duty, or dharma, calls for a stratified society. With different castes each having their own duty, society is separated into distinct groups of people who are taught to act differently based on the status they are born into. The Sanskrit word dharma, is translated to sacred duty, which is a key idea of The Gita. Members of different castes have different sacred duties. We can see the importance of this idea through the warnings not to violate the laws of duty and caste. An example of this is when the text states, When the family is ruined, / the timeless laws of family duty / perish; and when duty is lost, / chaos overwhelms the family (The Bhagavad Gita 28). This verse warns the people not to go against the laws of family duty, or dharma. It introduces the idea that if people do not follow their own duty and act according to their caste, chaos will ensue. Through this, the importance of separate duties for each family is clear. This encourages people of al l castes to act according to their own specific duty. Because it tells each caste to act in a different way, The Gita causes deeper divisions between people born into different families. By dividing up the people into different classes and giving them each separate duties, The Gita asks for a strict hierarchy. The Bhagavad Gita uses fear of chaos and disorder to further divide society into the different castes. The warnings against breaking the laws of duty are elaborated on as the text continues. The fear that The Gita is trying to instill can be seen when the text says, The sins of men who violate / the family create disorder in society / that undermines the constant laws / of caste and family duty (The Gita 29). This passage pairs the word sin with not following the caste system. In telling people that undermining the laws is a sin, the text warns the reader not to disobey their duty. Those who violate the system are violating the family and cause disorder, making them severely looked down upon. To prevent disorder, all one has to do is follow his or her duty. This makes the individual feel as though they are in control of whether or not society falls into chaos. The society as a whole can avoid disorder as long as each individual follows the duty of his or her caste. This shapes the gu idelines for the different castes and introduces the idea that everyone must follow these set rules. With this passage, we see how The Gita influences societys structure, in separating people by their family duties. Some may argue that the Bhagavad Gita encourages an egalitarian society, where everyone is equal. They interpret the text to contradict the ideas of the caste system and social stratification. For example, the text says that, Learned men see with an equal eye / a scholarly and dignified priest, / a cow, an elephant, a dog, / and even an outcaste scavenger (The Gita 61). This statement encourages the reader to see everything equally, which may seem to promote an egalitarian society. However, although The Gita touches on themes of equality, these ideas clearly do not mean that society should be egalitarian. Although all beings are considered equal, it is certainly not saying that everyone should have equal wealth or that everyone should be able to pursue any endeavor they choose. The structure of this verse is an immediate indicator of The Gitas reinforcement of the caste system. In saying and even an outcaste scavenger, the text puts outcaste scavengers lower than priests and animals. This in itself hints to a hierarchal order of people in society. It is also important to note that viewing things with an equal eye does not refer to equal rank in society, but instead it focuses on the beings core essence. All beings are capable of improving themselves. The commonality is that they all have to act on their respective duties to succeed. This means that the ideas of equality in The Gita do not have any grounding in societal structure, but instead, are meant to transcend worldly status. While The Gita may be suggesting that all beings have equal value on a higher level, each being has a defined place in the hierarchal order, indicating social stratification. This can be seen as the text states that, The actions of priests, warriors, / commoners, and servants / are apportioned by the qualities / born of their intrinsic being (The Gita 141). This passage separates people into different classes and states that they each have separate actions. This idea is the outline for the caste system, as different people are meant to act a certain way based on the caste they are born into. In defining the distinct groups of people and creating a further divide between them with the idea of different necessary actions for different people, The Gita clearly supports social stratification. The text goes on to say that, Each one achieves success / by focusing on his own action; / hear how one finds success / by focusing on his own action (The Gita 141). This passage tells us that each being has an intrinsic function, and all beings can achieve success by focusing on that. All beings are equal and equally capable of achieving that success, but they have separate ways of achieving that success. Everyone has the same end goal, which is moksha, the release from the cycle of rebirth of samsara. The different path they must take towards success is what stratifies them in the social order. People are divided into different classes are encouraged to act differently according to these divisions. This means that The Gitas mentioning of viewing all things as equal does not encourage an egalitarian society. Instead, it further supports the caste system, as members of the lower castes feel that they are equal to members of higher castes, even though it is not reflected in societal s tructure. Through its definition of the castes and different necessary actions, The Bhagavad Gita encourages social stratification and a hierarchal order. The idea of moksha as the ultimate goal for everyone further demands the people to follow the social order of society, supporting the caste system. This promotes people to do as The Gita says and follow ones own duty. This is shown when the text says, Look to your own duty; / do not tremble before it; / nothing is better for a warrior / than a battle of sacred duty (The Gita 36). This clearly defines the path that one must take to reach moksha. It is referring to Arjunas path as a warrior and his duty to fight in battle. This outline of one individuals caste and duty not only tells us about how people in his caste should act, but also how everyone should. This link between caste and duty tells people to follow the caste system in order to achieve the common goal of moksha. Uniting the people under a universal purpose, The Gita cleverly divides the people into separate paths to attain the ultimate release from rebirth. This division is the basis for the hierarchy in Indian society. The Bhagavad Gita gives a sense of hope to members of lower castes, which gathers their support and cooperation within the hierarchal social structure. We have seen that in history, it is often the lower class that rises up and rebels against the system when they feel they are mistreated or underrepresented. The Bhagavad Gita takes care of this threat to the caste system by providing reason and hope for those in lower castes. The text tells that for those who are committed to achieving moksha, Fallen in discipline, he reaches / worlds made by his virtue, wherin he dwells / for endless years, until he is reborn / in a house of upright and noble men (The Gita 71). This passage gives those in lower castes optimism in that if they according to their castes duty, they have the ability to be reborn in a higher caste. This also justifies the position of those in higher castes, in that they deserve their spots. According to this passage, those who are born into higher castes earned it throug h their discipline and determination to follow their dharma. This passage explains to the reader why people are born into different castes, and strengthens the hierarchal ranking system. The justification of the caste system is further discussed in The Bhagavad Gita, as the idea of duty of castes is emphasized. The Gita stresses ideas that promote hierarchy within society. This is shown once again when the text states, The actions of priests, warriors, / commoners, and servants / are apportioned by the qualities / born of their intrinsic being (The Gita 141). This passage gives a greater sense of necessary action. It says that all the different castes of people have different actions that they are designated. This justifies the caste system by implying that ones duty remains the same for their entire life. Without the ability to move out of a caste within ones lifetime, members of different castes solely focus on how they can act upon their sacred duty and following the guidelines for their caste. This shows that The Gita wants people to only focus on their own task, without worrying about anyone elses. While there is hope to have a better life after one is reborn, t he idea that one is set in their caste for their lifetime forces people to learn to endure any suffering that goes along with being in the caste. The inevitability of this suffering allows for people to deal with it more easily. With this passage, we are able to see how The Gita justifies the different castes and the actions they must make. The Gita finalizes the ideas of the caste system through its reinforcement of the ideas of the different paths of different castes to reach a common goal. Each caste has a different duty that its members must follow and act upon to achieve moksha. The text states that it is [b]etter to do ones own duty imperfectly / than to do another mans well; / doing action intrinsic to his being, / a man avoids guilt (The Gita 142). This passage tells the reader that people should do their castes duty, even if they are unable to do it well. The key point in this passage is that doing another castes duty, no matter how well it is done, is never as good as doing ones own duty. This clearly defines the importance of ones caste in determining how people should act. It solidifies the hierarchal caste system by creating strict order. Through this, we can see how The Bhagavad Gita strongly promotes social stratification and the caste system. The continuous reinforcements of the ideas of duty, moksha, and the separate castes in The Bhagavad Gita strongly show the intent of the text to stratify Indian society. While the text does hint at equality, it does not apply to an egalitarian society. Instead, it further justifies the caste system by giving a higher sense of equality, even though there are clear differences between people in this world with the caste system. The common goal of moksha unites the people and encourages them to act upon their respective duties. The different duties of the separate castes define the hierarchal structure of society that The Gita promotes. This influential text has played a key role in shaping Indian society. Through it we are able to see how the hierarchal caste system is justified. The Bhagavad Gita is without a doubt a highly influential religious text and its social implications have echoed in Indias culture.

Budgeted Airlines In The Airline Industry Management Essay

Budgeted Airlines In The Airline Industry Management Essay This report in-depth analyzes the European airline Industry and reports the challenges the budgeted airline faces in the industry and especially for Ryanair. Here it shows how structure, system, leadership, culture environment focus in order to see Ryanairs position and growth in the low cost market. It clearly states the Ryanairs current strategy and identifying its long term strategy. The Business Plan ranges from an industry analysis to an internal financial capability. An integrate understanding of the functioning of the company in terms of human and technical operations, leadership, customer relationship and financial structure. This material critically analyses the internal functioning to create viable strategic positioning and discus any approach changes of Ryanair for its improved sustainability. It refers its capability, structure, system, leadership, culture, people and environment in the low cost European market. The analysis has been done by using some major theories such as 7s matrix, balance score card, double loop learning of Ryanair, ansoff matrix and culture web. Accordingly, this material primarily analyses the current business strategies of Ryanair to understand the nature of their operations. Subsequently, conducts a PESTEL analysis, Porters five forces and value chain analysis to understand the environment of Ryanair, drivers of profit in the industry at present and the future and financial analysis. In addition to balance score card analysis also has been done to understand finance situation in the context of Ryanair and to evaluate its performance. Finally, this report will recommend the recommendations where its applicable. The analysis of this report was complete with the support of the case information provided and through industry related information from academic books, journals, websites and other publicly available secondary data sources. Introduction Ryanair is an Irish airline started its operation in 1985 competing in European budgeted airline industry in the recent years. Ryanair is one of the most profitable and key players in the European budgeted airline market. (Refer Appendix 1) Low cost business model was intruded by the US biased southwest in early 1070s. In 1992 Ryanair was the first to introduce low-cost business model in European market. Easyjet is the main low-cost business model competitor for Ryanair in European market, The reduction of the cost is the center point for low-cost business model. Some of the innovative choice made by Ryanair to maintain low-cost, no-frills service are eliminating traditional in-flight catering and by that reducing labour-related cost, use of on-line booking system, connecting point to point network using secondary airport, comfortable but not spacious seats by that increasing seating capacity, use of similar fleets. This report carries out detail study of Ryanait by analyzing Ryanairs current strategy and the management of the strategy. It recognizes how the business functions and operations are affecting the customer and leadership with their overall strategy. Critical success factor of Ryanair Currently Ryanair is facing lot if problems especially in cost strategy but it overcome from these problems by adding new strategies and grow up in market place. It uses different strategies to have Ryanair alive and to competitive with competitors. It gets a positive competitive advantage from competitors. Ryanair become the first largest low cost airline industry in Europe. Recently Ryanair is awarded for punctuality. It keep up times when flies through countries. Ryanair adopt new strategies to grow in market place and use tactics to keep low cost for flying and remain to get profits. Ryan airs goal is to meet the need of travelling places in low cost. Critical success factor are low cost, customer satisfaction with pricing, reliable and comfort service for customers. Ryanairs main critical success factor is to provide low cost. For that it eliminates in flight services. Seats adjustment and drinks but for their target market they prefer on time facilities, frequent departure and seat reservation. Low cost carrier business model The Low cost airline concept first was used in America by Pacific Southwest Airline in 1949. Southwest is now grown to become one of the largest profitable airlines in the United States. European history low cost airline model started in late 1990s. Low cost airline business model could be defined by the following three key elements. (Refer Appendix 2) Simple product: No in-flight catering and catering on request with extra payment. Plane with beiger capacity with narrow seat. Only single class without any seat allocation. Positioning: Price-conscious business passengers. High frequency point-to-point traffic using secondary airport. Aggressive marketing and competition with all transport carriers (Refer Assignment 1 appendix 6, p.25 and Appendix 10, p. 29) Low operating cost: Uniform fleet low maintenance cost, reduced crews training cost, low airport fees. Low wages, high usage of recourses and productivity, simple boarding process reduces ground waiting, high percentage of internet advance reservation, reduced clearing time and no hub service. Ryanairs current strategy Ryanair is an Irish airline competing in the low cost European airline industry. They are the most profitable and key players in the market. Ryanairs main objective to establish leading low-fare schedule passenger airline in the European market through continued improvements and expanded efficient low cost service. Low fare: Ryanairs low price policy increases price-conscious leisure and business travelers otherwise they would have used other mode of transport such as train, couch and cars. Ryanair sell one way air ticket for the schedule service by eliminating minimum stay requirement. Customer satisfaction: Ryanair achieved grater customer satisfaction by reduced cancellation and few lost baggage compare to other airlines. Achieve better punctuality by using less congested secondary airport. Regular point-to-point flights on short-haul routs: Ryanair provides regular point-to-point flights on short-haul routes around major populated centers by connecting secondary airport. This benefited higher rate of on time departure and faster turn around tine. Point-to-point non stop flying benefited Ryanair by way of cost of providing service for connecting passengers, baggage transfer and cost associated with transit passenger. Market segment: Early entrance in France, Italy, Scandinavian low cost airline market creates more profit brand recognition in the Europe budgeted airline industry. The success of the company is being able to attract more passengers at the both ends of their routes. This creates a name for Ryanair stating that Europe first number one no frills airline. Ryanair identify it maket growth through ansoff matrix (Refer Appendix 10) Competitive advantage: The main competitors for Ryanair in the low cost market are carriers including easyJet, FlyBe and ThomsonFly. All they try to attract potential customers by lowering the ticket price. In early stage favorable relationship with airport operators helped Ryanairs aggressive pricing until EU commission ruling in 2004 (Refer. Assignment 1, Appendix 11, and page number 30). Dispute with EU commission gives free publicity across the Europe continent. (Refer Appendix 7) Business functioning: Internal resources of the business and its functioning are extremely important for the business to prosper. Ryanairs important function and how this will affect business decision explained in SWOT analysis (Refer Appendix 15, Assignment 1- Appendix 9.p 28) Employees and Technical operations. Human resources are one of the most important functions in an organization. Ryanair keep their staff more happy and motivated. This they do by introducing incentive scheme for all operational employees and share option scheme which allow employees to participate for the success of overall company. Customer relation. Ryanair continues to offer no frills low fare service to keep the ticket rate at minimum level. Also Ryanair uses regional airports instead of national airport in order to keep the ticket price at lowest level and helped them for their punctuality due to less congested in the airport. Customers are looking for cheapest way of travelling; hence any bad publicity does not affect sales figures. Profitability. Ryanair have consistently year by year increased its profitability with customer satisfaction by keeping low cost ticket pricing and comfort service to the customers. Ryanair announced profitability despite bad year for airline industry such as gulf war and an outbreak of SARS. (Refer Appendix 6) financial statement published in Ryanairs annual report and also profit in euro for the period 2005 2008 and projection for 2009, passenger numbers and average fare for 2007 Less operating costs: Ryanairs operating cost is the lowest compare to other European airlines. It control major schedule airline operating cost such as aircraft equipment cost, personal productivity cost, customer service cost and airport handling and access cost Aircraft equipment cost Ryanairs aircraft acquisition strategy is to purchase single type aircraft. In 1998 Ryanair has taken a decision to purchase Boeings latest generation aircraft Boeing 737-800 replacing Boeing 737-200A and starts to use from 2005 onwards. Purchase of aircraft from single manufacture benefited Ryanairs barraging power for the new aircraft and cost advantages from personal training, maintenance and purchase and storage of spare parts. Also it has greater flexibility in terms of scheduling crews and equipment. Personal productivity Ryanair control their labor cost by continuously increasing its productivity with highly competitive work force. Ryanair pay productive-based incentives for employees including flight attendants for in-flight product sales and payments based on number of sectors and ours flown by pilots and cabin crews with limit of industry standard of maximum number of hours. Ryanair average salary per employee is high compare to its competitor easyjet, Lufthansa, British airways, Lberia and Acer Lingus. Customer service cost Ryanair has entered into competitive log term third party agreement for certain airport passenger, aircraft handling and ticketing and other services. Approximately 96% of the ticket sales through Ryanairs website and telephone and by this eliminating travel agent commission cost. Airport access charges Ryanairs constantly high volume of passenger traffic many of the airports benefit them to favorable contracts with those airport for access their facilities. Booking Advantage on internet The Ryanairs internet booking system Skylight reservation system allows internet users to access Ryanair host reservation system to make a reservation and to pay the confirmed reservation in real time. The company advertises heavily about reservation system though newspaper, radio and television As a result 94% of the reservation comes through the companys reservation system. Safety and quality maintenance Ryanairs management fully committed for the safety and quality maintenance to the aircrafts. The company operates latest Boeing 737-800 with additional safety features inbuilt in it. Also the company committed to hire and training pilots, cabin crews and maintenance staffs in accordance with highest European airline industry standards. In past 24 years Ryanairs operating history, it does not had any major incident injuring pilots or cabin crews or passengers. Although Ryanair aggressively practice low cost model, it gives high importance for the aircraft safety, maintenance, training and quality assurance. Increasing operating results through ancillary services Ryanair provides various ancillary passenger services connected to its main air passenger service such as in-flight sale of food, beverage and merchandise and also it provides through telephone reservation officers and Ryanairs internet system accommodation service, travel insurance and car rentals. Ryanairs corporate strategy The Ryanairs corporate strategy (Appendix 3) has been defined much advance and its main objective developed before it commence. Emerge of Ryanairs corporate strategy is the final objective is developed during the course its life. Ryanairs business visor, mission, main objective please. (Refer Assignment 1, Appendix 1 and p. 16-17) Ryanairs business strategy Ryanairs business strategy is to offer very competitive affordable fare for the airline users to reach their destination in the European market. Ryanairs long term marketing plane and its position: Ryanairs long term marketing plans please refer Appendix 2 and its position please refer (Assignment 1 and p. 8 Appendix 6.p 25) Porters competitive strategy model for low cost carrier Porters (1980) competitive strategy model (Appendix 5) describes that there are three types of strategies are used by business for their long term survival. They are cost leadership, differentiation strategy, and market share and market segmentation strategy. These strategies are measured along with business strategic scope and strategic strength. Stuck in the middle OVERROLL LOW COST LEADERSHIP FOCUSSED DIFFERENTIATION COST FOCUS BROAD DIFFERENTIATION Differentiation Narrow Market Cost Low cost Broad Ryanairs business strategic scope Ryanairs business strategic scope is to become number one low cost airline in the European market for cost conscious business and leisure travelers. Ryanairs business strategic scope Ryanairs business strategic scope is to become number one low cost airline in the European market for cost conscious business and leisure travelers. Ryanairs business strategic strength. Ryanair was first Europe discount airline capitalized by the EU decision to deregulate the airline industry stating that any European airline can operate anywhere in the Europe Its aggressive pricing and grater customer satisfaction for the punctuality, reduced cancellation and few lost baggage compare to other airline. In 2005 it became market leader in the low cost airline market. Cost leadership Use of secondary airport: Ryanair did not fly to the major hub airport bur instead it uses secondary airport some distance away from the main airport for low airport access charges. Rapid turnaround: Ryanair maximize use of aircraft by turning around the aircraft within 25 minutes Point-to-point routing: Ryanair fly point-to-point and it avoid cost connected with passenger and baggage transfer Boeing aircraft: Single aircraft family the being 737. It palace big being aircraft order just after September 11 2001 benefiting purchases price advantage. Aviation fuel: Major portion of fuel porches hedged hence increase in fuel price not affected to the company. In-flight service: No free in-flight service such as free drink or snacks. No refund for no-shows. Staffs and overhead: Ryanair staffs are non-union and pilots and cabin crews get low salary but compensated with other benefits. Differentiation strategy: Ryanairs operation provided several positive features for the passengers towards its punctuality, reduced cancellation, few lost baggage compare with other carriers. Passengers always were assured to reach their designation on time with their baggage. Many other revenue generating service such as travel insurance, car hire, couch and train ticket. Market share and market segmentation strategy: Ryanair has taken grater market share in the low cost airline business in the European continent and it became market leader in that sector. (Ryanairs route map in Europe Refer appendix 8) Organizational Structure DIRECTOR Paolo Pietrogrnde CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD David Bonder man DIRECTOR James Osborne DIRECTOR Klaus Kirchberger DIRECTOR Michael Horgan DIRECTOR Emmanuel Faber DIRECTOR Kyran McLaughlin FLIGHT OPERATIONS David O Brien COMMERCIAL REVENUE SF HUMAN RESOURCE EW PILOT RC ENGINEERING Michael Hickey CUSTOMER SERVICE Caroline Green LEGAL SECURITY JK COO Michael Cawley CFO Howard Millar CEO (Source www.ryanair.com, last update February 14th 2010) This diagram shows the organizational structure for Ryanair. The airline is operated with the name of Ryanair Ltd. Subsidiary for this Darley Investment Ltd. In this organization all international dealing are done by Ryanair.com. Nature of this business is aircraft trading. These boards of directors are responsible for the strategic view and functions which are in Ryanair Ltd. Chairman is Michael OLeary and other directors responsible other activities such as audit, executive, remuneration, nomination and the air safety committee. Leadership. Ryanair fight for its survival in early 1990s. In 1992 Ryanair introduced low cost no frills business model in Europe market under the leadership of Mr. Michael O Leary. Despite huge success Mr. Michael O Leary has come under both praise and criticism about his leadership and management style. Financial Times Magazine Mr. Tim Jeans argue that Mr. Michael O Leary genius in his ability motivate people with single-handedly transforming European air transport. Mr. O Leary leader ship style doses not fit rigidly into one style. His characteristic highly task oriented controlling cost, aircraft acquisition, and rout development. Also at the same time he is highly people oriented both with customers and people. His outspokenness has made him to expose into public-eye. EU commissioner for Belgium describes him in the Financial Times as irritating and arrogant Creaton (2004). But former and present staffs prized his leadership style in an interview with Financial Times Magazine. (Refer Append ix 4) There are three main characteristic of leaders in an organization Finley (2000). They are Leader should have strong held vision Mr. Michael O Leary took the leadership of Ryanair with very clear vision to the model the carrier on Southwest Airline and to create low fare no frills carrier in Europe. Leader should be able to communicate the vision External communication concern Ryanair was well recognizing one of the first budgeted airline in Europe. Internal communication concern he motivated and created incredible energy among the people to achieve the desired objective. Leader should be able to convert the vision into reality. Certainly the vision has turned into reality Ryanair grown and created a record profit low cost no frills airline in the European market. Culture The culture web describes the paradigm of an organization and physical manifestations of an organizational culture. (Johnson and schools, exploring corporate strategy, p.230) culture basically explained the organizational behaviors. Culture will include stories, symbols, system, structure, routines and rituals. (Refer appendix 11) Ryanairs pricing strategy Ryanairs cost leadership is the backbone for its lower piecing strategy. Ryanair is the lowest cost in Europe and its 40% low compare to closet competitor in Europe. (Refer Appendix 6) Implementation of gap Strategic implementation is complex and time consuming but success of an organization lies on this stage. However good the business or corporate strategy is, it is off little value unless implemented (Hubbard R.C, 2008, pg 349). Therefore, during this phase, strategy makers should consider the question of who implements that strategy, what must be done and how the strategy is implemented (Fletcher, 2001, p.2). Hence, 7S framework has been applied to Ryanair to identify gaps the issues that should be addressed during implementation phase (Refer appendix diagram 9) Recommendation Ryanair continues to attract customers with heavy advertisement stating that they are not going to charge furl surcharge with the aim to keep the fare low. Davey (2006) states that the figures release by the Ryanair shows that its low cost formula is continue to work. Ryanair in order to increase the business travelers who needs punctuality, the carrier reduce the turnaround time from 30 minutes to 25 minutes by dropping there cargo service even they new that they are going to lose à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 500,000 per year However budgeted airlines continues to enjoy its boom with low cost and opening new routes in the European market. If there is drop in demand Ryanair would certainly suffer and they might have to change their strategy by offering drink vouchers and making alliances with hotel groups in order to offer complete package and attract more people to its carrier. Also Ryanair should pay attention technology changes happening such as on line check in and would able them to cut their cost. Ryanairs innovating action creates future sustainability. In future if they found new routes reach places quick it will bring more tradition of getting more passengers for Ryanair. Ryanair for low cost uses secondary airport it will cause inconvenient for some customers to reach their place so they have to consider this point to get a solution for customers to reach their place easier. Conclusion Overall RYANAIR is in good position when compared to other players. The strategies implemented seem to be more effective since they have helped to match RYANAIR with its external environment. The adoptability flexibility of RYANAIR to the environmental changes have contributed to the success of RYANAIR. Ryanair seems to be using their strategy sensibly which work for them. They aware the environment and understand the importance of monitoring and they are the first to come into low-cost market in Europe. However they constantly monitor the environment and any change they should be ready to change their strategy. The flexibility adoptability to environmental changes was possible especially because of the value adding factors RYANAIR has focused. The value chain of RYANAIR has been designed to deliver the low cost concept by emphasizing only in value adding activities and by eliminating non value adding activities such as eliminating catering. In my point of view I believe RYANAIR was successful in managing the strategic management process by matching itself to its external environment. However, it does not have a major market share as the leader though it has beaten the market leader in many areas. Therefore, I suggest following recommendations for RYANAIR to achieve its potential improve its market share. References Cavendish, Camilla, A policy that pretends we can all fly on the cheap is a policy that wont fly, The Times, 5 January 2006 Doganis, R., 2001, The Airlines Business in the Twenty-first Century, Routledge, London Fletcher J (2003) .Strategic management Study guide and plan Edith Cowan University Perth Australia Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish, P. [2008] Strategic management Thinking analysis action 3rd edition Pearson education Australia Lynch, Richard (2000), Corporate Strategy 2nd Ed. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0- 273-64303-7 Miller A, (1998), Strategic Management, McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition. New York. Study Guide: Strategic Management Ryanair industry details retrieved on the 21st may 2010 from www.ryanair.com Viljoen, J. Dann, S. 4th edition (2003). Strategic Management, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Pty Ltd. Appendix Appendix 1 Ryanairs Introduction Ryanair started its operation in 1985. In the first year more than 5,000 passengers traveled between South Eastern Ireland and London. The company expanded continuously and 600, 000 passengers traveled per year in 14 aircrafts by 1989.Past four years the cost increased substantially and ends up with loss of  £20 million. In 1990 the current CEO Mr. Michael OLeary took over the management and conducted major changes in the company. Ryanair followed the low cost-low frills concept and reduces the routes from 19 to 5 by 1991. The company increased the fleet to 21 over the next 6 years and remarkable increase in passenger traveled in Ryanair due to its low pricing policy. European regulation restricted Ryanair to take advantage to implement low pricing policy. Ryanair took full advantage in 1997 open new routes in Continental Europe due to deregulation of European Union air transportation regulation. Ryanair established 160 routes by 2001 and hubs established around the continent in London, Glasgow, Brussels, Frankfort, Milan, Now Ryanair is the most profitable and key players in the European budget airline market. Appendix 2 Low cost carrier business model (Source MERCER management consulting 2002) Appendix 3 COPORATE STRETEGY. Corporate Parenting Parenting strategy Portfolio Analysis BCG Matrix Directional Strategy Growth Stability Retrenchment Corporate strategy basically explains about the direction of the firm. It go through in three ways. They are as follows: Directional strategy This strategy includes three points which are growth, stability and retrenchment. Growth explains expansion and growth of the company. Here we are going to look at the growth perspective of Ryanair. Stability explains ryanairs did not change its current activities. Retrenchment explains strategies reduce the companys level of activities. Portfolio Ill explain about the BCG Matrix. BCG Matrix is a best analysis part to analyzing and managing the performance of a business unit within the organization. It developed to identify the growth rate of an industry by classifying its business unit. This BCG matrix relies on lifecycle and experience curve Relative market Share Low High DOGS CASH COWS PROBLEM CHILDREN STARS Industry Growth Rate% High Low This BCG Matrix growth strategy explains the growth of the company. If we looked at this case study Ryanair is in stars position that means high industry growth rate and having high relative market share. COPORATE LEVEL Low High Cost reduce Need for local responsiveness High Low Global strategy Export strategy Multi domestic strategy Transactional strategy Ryanair is moving from export strategy to transactional strategy. Export strategy which explains products are standard but can varied, market is usually main market, operation location done in home market, and strategy control is done by home. Here coordination level and local responsiveness is low. Transactional strategy explains the product are same as export strategy, market means all markets, operation location done in two way organizational structure, strategy control varies with a product are within global framework and coordination level as well as local responsive level is high. Ryanair moves from export strategy to transactional strategy to adopt more strategies to survive in the world. Ryanair evaluate on No Frills segment, low fare cost leadership, ancillary revenue into focus differentiation and adopting transactional strategy and no fares relationship. Appendix 4 Leadership vs. Management Leadership and management are two terms used to define a group behavior in a professional setting. Leadership and management are inter-connected and inter-dependent concepts. Leadership Management Setting up new goals, vision or planning a new strategy Contorting the organizing to achieve realistic goals and objectives Managing the group properly Help the leaders to achieve the goals on collective vision of the group Seeks effectiveness do the right thing Seeks efficiency do things right Provides direction to the group Enforces control Thrives on opportunity Lives for the job well done Make people go down in history as great men to inspire generations. Only behavioral aspects that alter with environment and requirements Leaders are made, not born According to Great Man theory, Leaders are born and not made. In my point of view leader are made and some or all of the following helps them to become a great leader, their background, education, knowledge and experience, and their career path. If we further explain leadership as anyone in a position whose success requires the support of others can play the role of a leader. Leaders have ability to discuss, communicate, influence, and control others to do things is absolutely indispensable to everything you achieve in life. Of course, everyone you meet has different values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, cultural values, work habits, goals, ambitions, and dreams. Successful leader should have leadership traits. When you become capable in your job or skill, then you become skillful at understanding the motivations and behaviors of other people. Michael OLeary deeply believes leaders are made not born. Mr. Herb Kelleher is the one born with leadership quality the founder of original budgeted airline, Southwest Airline in the United States Mr. Michael OLeary is made leader who flowed budgeted Southwest Airline model in the European market Leadership Skills Getting and giving information Getting and giving information is probably number one competency required from leaders. Leaders should be communicating effectively and must be able to exchange information effectively and accurately. In Ryanair Michael OLeary is the leader who gives decision to others to do. He has the charismatic power to control all its staff and work under him. Understanding the needs and characteristics of the Group As the group plans and carries out activities, Michael OLeary learns more about the individuals needs and characteristics. Knowing and understanding the resources of the Group Knowing group peoples skills, attitudes, backgrounds and experience and to use an effective technique for bring a group together and creating commitment to common goals. Controlling the Group A group exists for a purpose. As a leader exerts control, he needs to balances to get the jo