Industrial Grinders Essay Example for Free

Industrial Grinders Essay With the introduction of less costly plastic rings by company, Henri Poulenc, Industrial Grinders is faced with a decision of a total changeover from steel rings to plastic rings for their machines that would also fit similar machines manufactured by other companies. Henri Poulenc has introduced the less expensive plastic rings in a small market affecting 10% of Industrial Grinders’ sales . Industrial Grinders believes the market will eventually change-over to all plastic rings. Industrial Grinders must decide a timeline for changing production. It is estimated that production could begin by mid-September. With raw steel and steel rings already in inventory, IG must sell-off existing inventory before changing total production to all plastic rings. a. Plastic Rings versus Steel Rings Steel rings last approximately 2 months Plastic rings last approximately 8 months 100 steel rings cost $263.85 to produce 100 plastic rings cost $66.60 to produce At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 690 steel units would be $390.00 At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 172.5 plastic units would be $437.80 If sales continue at 690 units per week from May to mid-September, 10,350  units will have been sold, leaving 15,100 steel rings in inventory at a cost value of $39,713. This would require approximately 22 more weeks of sales to deplete inventory. As steel rings will last for two months, the sale of existing steel rings will have a faster turn- around time for continued depletion of stock. Knowing that Henri Poulenc is affecting sales in only a small portion of Industrial Grinders’ territory, retooling for plastics should also begin while steel rings are being phased out. Industrial Grinders can continue to charge the same amount, or more, for its plastic rings, as Henry Poulenc has set the standard in pricing. During the upcoming slack period, the company will employ workers at 70% of regular wages to finish all steel production, while full-time staff completes retooling on available machines. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Rings account for a substantial portion of Industrial Grinder’s revenue. b. Plastic rings, sold by Henry Poulenc, are sold for at least the same amount as Industrial Grinder’s steel rings. c. Only 10% of Industrial Grinder’s market is affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. e. Shipping weight for plastic rings is less than steel rings. f. As plastic ring use spreads, the customer will demand the longer lasting plastic ring. g. Steel ring production will be phased out due to market demand for plastic rings. As the future production of rings within the industry will undoubtedly change from steel to plastic, Industrial Grinders must take swift action to keep up with industry changes and customer needs – jumping ahead of further competition. However, taking into consideration the 8 month life of plastic rings and their lower production cost as opposed to the 2 month life of steel rings at a higher production cost, sales must increase to sustain the higher profit margin of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders should change to plastic ring production. As plastic rings have been introduced by competitor, Henry Poulenc, rings with a longer life will be in increasing demand by customers. Industrial Grinders must forge ahead and heavily market the plastic rings as a better product for their customers. The plastic rings are less expensive to make, less costly to ship but have a longer life on machines. Although some revenue will be lost due to the longer life of plastic, Industrial Grinders will recoup losses with added sales. 2. Inventory Analyzing the cause of the problem or situation A changeover to plastic rings poses a problem for Industrial Grinders. Its inventory of special steel and inventory of produced steel rings must be dealt with before or during the production of plastic rings. a. Raw Steel The raw steel inventory cost value is $26,444. The steel cannot be sold to another party and will have to be used or counted as a loss to the company. b. Steel Rings The steel ring inventory cost value is $67,149. These rings could be sold within the existing market.The total cost of raw steel and steel rings inventory exceeds $93,000.00. The decision whether to use all raw steel and sell all existing steel rings becomes a major concern within Industrial Grinder’s management. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Industrial Grinders wants to change from steel rings to more cost effective plastic rings. b. Management does not want to absorb the cost of unused inventory. c. Not all management agrees on use of raw steel inventory. d. The introduction of plastic rings will spread throughout the industry. e. Industrial Grinders could produce steel rings while retooling some machines for plastic production. f. Industrial Grinders could sell existing steel rings and take a loss on raw steel. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders is faced with a financial decision regarding disposition  of current inventory. Believing that the future lies with the more cost effective plastic rings, IG should continue to sell existing steel ring inventory while producing further steel rings, using the raw steel inventory on hand. The plant down time could use excess labor to deplete the raw steel. During this period, retooling could also occur and plastic ring production would begin. The machining changeover would be possible with a minimal cost of $1800.With Henry Poulenc affecting only 10% of IG sales, Industrial Grinders should deplete stock and introduce plastic rings. 3. Management Concerns Analyzing the cause or problem of the situation: Within management, it is agreed that plastic rings should be produced. However, the disposition of inventory on hand is not agreed upon between sales management / engineering and plant management/ parent company management. a. Sales Manager, Harry Greiner, believes inventory could be counted as a loss. Plastic production should begin and steel rings should no longer be sold. Selling both steel and plastic would be cause for market retaliation. b. Development Engineer , Anders Ericsson, is concerned about inventory not being depleted by plastic ring production in September. c. German Plant General Manager, Lawrence Bridgeman, is concerned about inventory. He believes, at the onset, that plastic rings should only be sold in markets affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Parent Company Head, Hein Van Boetzalaer, agrees to plastic rings but states that IG must use inventory. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. All but the Sales Manager are concerned about inventory cost. b. Selling plastic rings within some markets may cause steel ring sales to slump when other customers learn of the plastic rings and their longer life. c. The raw inventory could be in production during plant down time. d. The existing steel rings could be sold while the raw steel could be accepted as a loss. e. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. f. IG has time within the industry to sell all existing inventory while retooling for immediate production of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders upper management should implement the course of using and selling the existing inventory while retooling for plastic rings. Although sales and engineering opinions are taken into account, the idea of taking a loss for inventory on hand is unacceptable in IG’s current position. Henry Poulenc only affects 10% of IG’s current market. Upper management must make the decision on the company’s future operations. It is not proven that IG’s total market must immediately receive plastic rings. Depleting inventory, while offering plastic rings in the affected market , is an acceptable alternative. Depleting inventory first, then changing to all plastic rings is also an acceptable alternative. However, the parent company must decide the fate of inventory and future plastic production.

Relationship Between Savings and Inflation

Relationship Between Savings and Inflation Savings help cushion the business cycle as the economy faces hard economic situations (Syden, 2014). To have a sustainable economic growth, there is a need for sustainable resources to support it. That is why savings are needed to finance capital spending. These high savings rate levels have allowed the economy to gain high levels of investment (Horioka Terada-Hagiwara, 2011). China’s domestic savings rate is one of the highest in the world (Loayza, Schmidt-Hebbel, Serven, 2000). Inadequate savings would leave the economy vulnerable to shocks in income uncertainty and unexpected rise in prices. At 52% of the national GDP, China’s domestic savings rate is among the highest in emerging markets inadequate savings leave households vulnerable to shocks in income and rising prices, add burden to government in providing retirement assistance, constrain individuals in accumulating wealth inadequate savings leave households vulnerable to shocks in income and rising prices, add burden to government in providing retirement assistance, constrain individuals in accumulating wealth. Many factors come into play with regard to how much to spend and how much to ‘keep’ for future spending. REVIEW LITERATURE There have been a lot of theoretical and empricical research studies about the relationship of savings on different factors like inflation rate, unemployment rate, and interest rate. It has been argued that savings are important, and when the economy is hit hard, having money in the bank can ease the problem (Elmerraji, 2010). Saving rates around the world differs widely. (Loayza, Schmidt-Hebbel, Serven, 2000) stated that China, world’s fastest growing economy, had one of the largest national saving rates in the world. Those at Sub-Saharan Africa save less than 15% of their gross national disposable income while East Asia saves more than 30%. In recent years, saving rates have doubled in East Asia while those in Latin America were stagnated. What people do not spend after consuming part of their income is called personal savings. People tend to put their savings on bank accounts or partly invested (Piana, 2003). Given a certain income, the decision of consuming a good negatively affects savings. Postponing such consumption would increase savings and in contrast, savings can rise due to negative expectations for future income. As economic shocks occur on business cycles, households experience hard time in unexpected reduction in income. According to the Life-cycle hypothesis by Milton Freidman, people would eventually save more and minimize consumption to avoid future uncertainty. (Zaman, Carannate, Ferra, 2013) In times of economic crisis like the recent financial crisis on 2008, policy measures and uncertainty affects household consumption and saving decisions. In the Spanish economy, after the great recession, there has been an evolution of saving rates (Bande Riveiro, 2012). The behavior of households has changed after the great recession, through increasing saving rates. Large increase in savings rates is connected to the increased uncertainty in the future (Bande Riveiro, 2012). EMPLOYMENT Macroeconomic instability which is measured by inflation, causes an upward trend in saving. The season of high inflation and high unemployment, as well as cutting public benefits have raised income uncertainty and changed the expected future income of the economy (Chowdhurry, 2014). When an economy has a crisis, it leads to unemployment, and the risk of future uncertainty in income makes households save more (Zaman, Carannate, Ferra, 2013). When part of the households are affected with future uncertainty of income, it stimulates to low demand and consumption which would worsen the economic situation of the country. Financial crisis happens when labor market is distorted with high unemployment, changing households’ structure of saving portfolio. Any sort of financial crisis leading to a recession would have a significant effect on household savings. ECONOMIC GROWTH Growth models includes Harrod (1939), Domar (1946) states that economic growth is highly dependent on level of savings and output ration. These models indicate that increase in saving means high investment which stimulates economic growth. The availability of funds for investment increases as effect of having higher savings (Sothan, 2014). The higher the level of saving rate leads to increased capital stock that in progress leads to a high level of output. Business Cycle Different economies go through different patterns of ups and downs in the value of its Gross Domestic Product (Riley, 2012). This business cycle has four phases namely boom, recession, depression, and recovery. Economic boom has high consumer spending, profits, and investment. Unemployment tends to be low in this economic situation. Economic Recession has low level of consumer spending, income, and investment, and has a rising unemployment as businesses cut costs. Economic depression is when there is a declining GDP, showing weak level of consumer spending and investment, rapid rise of unemployment and prices starting to fall. Economic recovery is when economic situation starts to get better and consumers begin to increase spending and investment. Every country’s goal is for an economy to achieve a sustainable level of growth (Riley, 2012). Trend growth rate is what helps assess and compare the growth of the different economies. (Lequiller Blades, 2007) REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE EFFECT OF INFLATION ON SAVINGS RATE Almost all the past literatures that were found concerning the relationship of the variables inflation rate and savings rate concluded that the relationship between the two are positive and significant. In a cross-sectional data on inflation rates and savings rates of various countries in the world, both developed and developing, the results obtained in the recent study showed that inflation rates of all the countries positively impacts each of the countries’ savings rate (Cheng Li, 2014). El-Seoud (2014) conducted a study on the effect of Gross Domestic Product, interest rate, and inflation rate on the national saving rate in the kingdom of Bahrain over the past 20 years. The researcher found that inflation rate has a positive relationship and significant impact on Bahrain’s saving rate in both the long run and short run. Similarly, Syden (2014) also found that in their study of South Africa’s 48 years of household savings data, inflation significantly creates a positive impact on the continent’s saving rate. As for the case of Turkey, Er, Tugcu, Coban (2014) used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach and the study’s results indicated that there that inflation positively affects inflation rate and savings but there was no relationship of significance between inflation and savings in the short run. Using two stage least squares model, the study of Chaturvedi, Kumar Dholakia (2009) on the relationship between economic growth, inflation, and saving rate in Asia revealed that inflation rate has a positive effect on the interest rates of the Asian countries as well. On the other hand, Heer Suessmuth (2006) utilized data of the inflation and saving rates from United States postwar period in order to analyze the monetary policy regimes of the three eras, namely the Pre-Volcker Era (’65-’78), Volcker Era (’79-’87), and the Greenspan Era (’88-’98). There appeared to be ambiguous resu lts on the effect of inflation on the saving rates. In the Pre-Volcker Era and Greenspan Era, inflation negatively affected the saving rates. In the Volcker Era, on the other hand, inflation is positively associated with saving rates (Heer Suessmuth, 2006). EFFECT OF INTEREST RATE ON SAVINGS RATE El-Seoud (2014) concluded from his previously mentioned study that the interest rate in Bahrain, just like inflation, has a positive and significant effect on the national saving rate in the short run. However, in the long run, El-Seoud (2014) saw that while the interest rate still has a positive relationship on Bahrain’s saving rate, this effect is now insignificant. On the other hand, in the results acquired from the study of Syden (2014) on South Africa, it showed that interest rate has a negative relationship and significantly impacts the saving behavior of South Africa. In a study on the Turkish economy, the researchers found that there was no significant relationship between interest rates and saving rate found in the long run (Er, Tugcu Coban, 2014). (Challe Ragot) (Romer) References El-Seoud, M. S. (2014). The Effect of Interest Rate, Inflation Rate And GDP On National Savings Rate. Retrieved from http://www.gifre.org/admin/papers/gjcmp/1-7-EFFECT-vol-3-3-gjcmp.pdf Syden, M. (2014). Trends and Determinants of Household Saving in South Africa. Economic Affairs: 59(2): 191-208 Cheng, Q. Li, X. (2014). Cross-Country Effects of Inflation on National Savings. Retrieved from https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/52867/Cross-Country Effects of Inflation on National Savings(ECON3161).pdf Chaturvedi, V., Kumar, B. Dholakia, R. H. (2009). Inter-Relationship between Economic Growth, Savings and Inflation in Asia. Journal of International Economic Studies, No.23, 1–22. Retrieved from http://repo.lib.hosei.ac.jp/bitstream/10114/3628/1/23VaibhavChaturvedi-ather.pdf Heer, B. Suessmuth, B. (2006). The Savings-Inflation Puzzle. Retrieved from http://www.cesifo-group.de/pls/guestci/download/CESifo Working Papers 2006/CESifo Working Papers January 2006/cesifo1_wp1645.pdf Er, P. H., Tugcu, C. T. Coban O. (2014). Investigating The Link between Savings, Inflation and Economic Growth: An ARDL Analysis for The Case of Turkey. Journal of Economics, Finance and Accounting. Vol. 1, Issue 2. Wachtel, P. (1977). Inflation, Uncertainty, and Saving Behavior since the Mid-1950s. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/chapters/c9102.pdf Bibliography Bande, R., Riveiro, D. (2012, October). Private Saving Rates and Macroeconomic Uncertainty: Evidence from Spanish Regional Data. Iberian Regional Economics Network. Retrieved March 2015, from http://otega.usc.es/docs_idega/documentos_de_traballo/irene/irene_4.pdf Challe, E., Ragot, X. (n.d.). Precautionary Saving over the Business Cycle. Retrieved March 2015, from http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.57517.1321520817!/ChalleRagot.pdf Chowdhurry, A. (2014, December). Terms of Trade shocks and Private Savings in the developing Countries. Journal of Comparative Economics. Retrieved March 2015, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2015.02.006 Elmerraji, J. (2010, February 28). How Savings Are Saving the Economy. Retrieved February 2015, from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0310/savings-are-a-blessing-in-a-slow-recovery.aspx Horioka, C. Y., Terada-Hagiwara, A. (2011, November). The Determinants and Long-Term Projections of Saving Ratesin Developing Asia. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w17581 Lequiller, F., Blades, D. (2007). Understanding National Accounts. 415. doi:10.1787/9789264027657-en Loayza, N., Schmidt-Hebbel, K., Serven, L. (2000). Saving in Developing Countries: An Overview. The World Bank Economic Review, 14, 393-414. Piana, V. (2003). Savings. Economics Web Institute. Retrieved February 2015, from http://www.economicswebinstitute.org/glossary/savings.htm Riley, J. (2012, September). Economic Environment. Retrieved March http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/economy-business-cycle.html, 2015 Romer, C. (n.d.). Business Cycles. The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Retrieved March 2015, from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc1/BusinessCycles.html Sothan, S. (2014). Causal Relationship between Domestic Saving and Economic Growth: Evidence from Cambodia. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 6. doi:10.5539/ijef.v6n9p213 Syden, M. (2014, June). Trends and Determinants of Household Saving in South Africa. Economic Affairs. doi:10.5958/J.0976-4666.59.2.018 Zaman, R., Carannate, M., Ferra, E. (2013, June 17). Effects of Uncertainty on Household Saving Rate. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. Retrieved March 2015, from http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/51208/

The Reality of Affirmative Action Essay -- affirmative action argument

In the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all citizens under the law. When one citizen is treated unfairly, an injustice has been committed against all people. It is the duty of Americans to make sure such injustices are eliminated. Affirmative Action is one such program whose purpose is to make sure that equal citizens are treated equally under the law. In today’s society it is imperative that all people regardless of race or gender are given equal opportunity in the admissions and job applications processes. Affirmative Action was designed to create this equality. The history of Affirmative Action ultimately began two hundred years ago with the founding of our nation. The Constitution, which is the basis of all laws in society, was drawn up and signed by many men who themselves owned slaves. As time progressed, it became necessary to create a â€Å"Great Compromise,† which stated that blacks were now allowed to be counted as three-fifths of a person for voting purposes. Nearly, one hundred years later, slaves were freed. However, these newly freed slaves were now placed in a more perplexing situation than they were initially. They were now a large group of people who knew little of their newly founded rights, and for the most part uneducated. Sadly, the leaders of this country failed to realize that freeing this group of people was not enough. The result was a new class of people who were uneducated, by no fault of their own, and then were told that they were now on their own. These people navigated through a stranger’s culture a nd society. A similar effect occurred after World War II when the men who had been away at war returned to find their wives wearing their pants and doing their work in the yards an... .../~affirm.>. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey. Income, Poverty, and Valuation of Non-cash Benefits. 1993. 10 October 1998 . Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fact Sheet. 1994. 10 October 1998 . Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Making Full Use of the nation’s Human Capital. March 1995. 10 October 1998 . Gergen, D. â€Å"Why Race-Sensitive College Admissions Policies Work.† U.S. News & World Report Vol. 125 (October 1998): 84-85. Lewis, M. Rethinking Affirmative Action. 1996. 5 October 1998 . Pasour, E. â€Å"Affirmative Action: A Counter-Productive Policy.† The Freeman (January 1989): 24-25.

Judicial Precedent Essays -- Law Legal

This essay will examine the doctrine of Judicial precedent that helps form the English Legal System. It will illustrate various views that have been raised by Judges and relating cases to the use of ‘Stare decisis’ when creating precedents. In addition it will discuss how the developments in the powers of the courts now also allow them to depart from these precedents to an extent. The doctrine of Judicial precedent applies the principles of stare decisis which ‘lets the decision stand’. ‘Whenever a new problem arises in law the final decision forms a rule to be followed in all similar cases, making the law more predictable’ making it easier for people to live within the law. An original precedent is where a point of law is decided for the first time. This was illustrated in Donoghue v Stevenson where there was a decomposing snail in a bottle of ginger beer. The House of Lords set a precedent that manufacturers owe a duty of care to customers in the law of negligence. A key factor of judicial precedents usually refers to decisions of a higher court being binding upon a lower court in the hierarchical structure of the courts. This is best illustrated in Donoghue v Stevenson . However, if the previous decision was made by a court of equal or higher status to the court deciding the new case, then the Judge should follow the rule of law set in the earlier case. These are known as Binding precedents. The courts access these previous judgements through the system of Law reporting. The system of precedents could not work without a precise and comprehensive compilation of the key decisions of superior courts readily available to all who need them. Authoritative reports compiled by legally qualified law reporters are formed prima... ... law to be developed without need for lengthy litigation. Nonetheless, a change in law needs to be brought before the relevant court. This usually means litigants for the Court of Appeal or the House of Lords do not necessarily have the means to take their cases that far. In conclusion, the doctrine of judicial precedent has been accepted to form our legal system, through the use of binding precedents. It has helped the law maintain certainty yet through flexibility of the courts and exceptions to depart from precedents the law has continued to develop in a just manner. Works Cited Penny Darbyshire, Darvyshire on the English Legal System, Ninth edition. Terence Ingman, The English Legal Process, Eleventh edition. Catherine Elliott Frances Quinn, English Legal System, Seventh edition. Gary Slapper and Davis Kelly, The English Legal System, Tenth edition.

Creating Tension and Presenting the Themes in A View from the Bridge Es

Creating Tension and Presenting the Themes in A View from the Bridge Miller uses the climax of act 1 to create tension for the audience through the acting and the situation the characters are in, and to present the key themes of the play to the audience. Firstly, he uses dramatic irony to give the audience an insight into how the story is going to end, which creates frustration and tension for them, as although they can see how the story is developing, the characters can’t, this ties in with the theme of a Greek tragedy where there is a predestined conclusion. He uses the fact that in the 1950’s and especially in dockside and urban households, masculinity and being the ‘man of the house’ was a huge part of family life. He combines this with Eddies desire to control and obsession with authority, to put the audience on a knife-edge, as to when one of the characters will lose control and lash out. Miller also expands on the situation of relationships in the play, both within the family, and outside. This ties in with Eddie’s apparently incestuous feelings for Catherine, and this creates suspense and tension throughout the audience, as they don’t know what is going to happen about it. Stage Directions, play a large part of ‘A View From The Bridge’, as they give it the final touches which create tension for both the characters and the audience, they help show what a character is feeling, which allows the audience to empathize with the character, making it all the more believable and therefore creating more tension as they want to know what will happen. Alfieri’s monologue is also a main contributing factor to the tension, which slowly builds throughout the entire scene. The audience share Alfieri’s perspectiv... ...the play, just over there to send money home, but now it seems like he is taking an active part, and defending Rodolfo against Eddies slanderous onslaught. In conclusion, I feel that Arthur Miller creates tension in the climax to Act 1 in â€Å"A View From The Bridge,† in many different ways. These include the exploration and presentation of many of the key themes that Miller has sewn throughout the play, comprising mainly of: masculinity, incest, Greek tragedy, jealousy, pride and obsession. He uses surprise, and a ‘factor of the unknown’ to keep the audience in suspense as to when Eddie will lose control, but never in doubt to the fact that he will. All in all Miller uses a variety of techniques and themes to create tension for the audience and keep them in suspense for the whole play, and successfully draws on this to build huge climaxes at many points.

Gwen Harwood Essay Essay

Opportunities for an individual to develop understanding of themselves stem from the experiences attained on their journey through life. The elements which contribute to life are explored throughout Gwen Harwood’s poems, At Mornington and Mother Who Gave Me Life, where the recollection of various events are presented as influences on the individual’s perception of the continuity of life. Both poems examine the connections between people and death in relation to personal connections with the persona’s father or mother. By encompassing aspects of human nature and life’s journey, Harwood addresses memories and relationships which contribute to one’s awareness of life. Memories and meandering thoughts, related to personal experiences, are explored throughout At Mornington where the persona shifts between the past and present and dreams and reality. This is similar to Father and Child where Barn Owl is set in past test and Nightfall is set in the present, symbolic of appreciation and understanding of the complexities of life which the child learns. At Mornington opens with an evocation of an event from the persona’s childhood which establishes the temporary and ever changing nature of human life. Reflected through the shifts between past and present tense, the persona is attempting to use past experiences in order to appreciate the present and accept the future. The poem provides a reflective and personal point of view accompanied by the recurring motif of water which symbolises the persona’s transition from childhood to the acceptance of the inevitability of death. In the third stanza, the persona refers to a more recent past where she had seen pumpkins growing on a trellis in her friend’s garden. The action of the pumpkins is described as â€Å"a parable of myself† which allows the persona to reflect on the meaning and quality of her own life and existence. The metaphor between the pumpkin vine and the persona suggests that like the pumpkin, human life also ripens and matures before coming to a closure and returning to the earth. Supported by the phrase â€Å"candlelight for eyesight,† the reader is made aware of the transience of life that the persona has grown to accept and understand. In Father and Child, as the persona moves on from childhood, her father becomes elderly and is entertained by simple things in nature, â€Å"birds, flowers, shivery-grass. † These symbols of nature remind the persona of the inconsistency of life and the certainty of death, â€Å"sunset exalts its known symbols of transience,† where sunset represents time. Both poems are indicative of the impermanence of life and that the persona has managed to mature and grow beyond the initial fearlessness of childhood moving onto a sophisticated understanding of death. The connection between life and death is expressed in a different way through Mother Who Gave Me Life, a poem of mourning for the dead. The poem can be seen as a personal farewell to the persona’s mother where the dominant images of the poem show evolution and the passing of time. Father and Child also demonstrates the passing of time as the persona moves from the innocence of childhood to the sadness of her father’s advancing age and inevitable passing. In Mother Who Gave Me Life, the reference to Halley’s Comet, which appears only once every seventy-six years, tells the reader that the mother was unable to see it once more before surrendering to death. The direct speech of the Sister is reported without the use of quotation marks as in, â€Å"When she died she was folding a little towel. † This provides readers with the knowledge that the mother addressed in the poem is dead. Without quotation marks, the flow of the poem is maintained and is therefore more easily absorbed into the texture of the poem. The parallel image of the â€Å"fabric of marvels† being reduced to the â€Å"little towel† raises the notion that whilst death may have brought a physical end to the persona’s mother’s life she remains a marvel of creation as the persona’s memories of her live on. The poem ends with the ‘fine linen’ recalling the memories of a typical childhood scene where the persona’s mother is calling for her to have dinner â€Å"as darkness falls on my father’s house. † This biblical reference to the House of the Lord, combined with the coming of darkness, reminds the reader of the inevitable ending of life and the respective movement into heaven. As the second section of Father and Child draws to a close, it is evident that the persona has grown to understand that she has limited time left with her father. The significance of Nightfall as the title of the second section, when considering the daybreak setting of Barn Owl, reinforces this. Sunrise symbolises youth whilst nightfall, in comparison, suggests an ending which implies death, a concept that the adult persona is beginning to acknowledge it as part of life. A particular instance in life can conjure different memories of the past as in At Mornington where the persona is drawn into recollections of childhood experiences with her father while standing by the graveside of her friend’s parents. A positive image of the father and child relationship is conveyed throughout the poem as in, â€Å"secure in my father’s arms. † This image conveys safety, comfort and protection which assists the persona in moving on and accepting the cycle of life. It is the security which stems from this relationship that enables the persona to mature from the perceptions and thoughts maintained as a child. Insight into the relationship between the persona, as both child and adult, with her father is also demonstrated in Father and Child. The dominance of the father is suggested through his imperative tone, â€Å"End what you have begun. † Despite the power-play in their relationship, there is still a sense of closeness, â€Å"I leaned my head upon my father’s arms. † This connection has enabled the persona to mature and grow through experiences. This personal relationship is also evident in Mother Who Gave Me Life where the imagery of light shows the persona realises the importance of her mother as she walks â€Å"in the light of the living. † This suggests that the persona is able to walk amongst the living due to her mother. The affirming experiences and enlightenment provided by this relationship enables the persona to see the life-giving role of women as part of the cycle of life. All the poems comment on an individual’s relationship with their mother or father which is essential in maturing and evolving as an individual. The relationships conveyed enable the persona to gain an understanding of life whilst considering its value and accepting its cycle. Ultimately, the exploration of memory and relationships with the persona and their father or mother enables an individual to comprehend human nature and the links between life and death. Throughout the poems At Mornington and Mother Who Gave Me Life, Harwood shows the reader, through memories and comparisons, different aspects of life which contribute to what it means to be human.

Aeronautical Decision Making Essay

The airlines developed some of the first training programs that focused on improving aeronautical decision making (ADM). ADM is a systematic approach to the mental process used by airline pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances. Human-factors-related accidents motivated the airline industry to implement crew resource management (CRM) training for flight crews. The focus of CRM programs is the effective use of all available resources: human resources, hardware, and information. Human resources consist of all groups routinely working with the cockpit crew (or pilot) who are involved in decisions that are required to operate a flight safely. These groups include, but are not limited to: dispatchers, cabin crewmembers, maintenance personnel, and air traffic controllers. The importance of learning effective ADM skills cannot be overemphasized in the airline industry. While progress is continually being made in the advancement of pilot training methods, airline equipment and systems, accidents still occur. Despite all the changes in technology to improve flight safety, one factor still remains the same – the human factor. It is estimated that approximately 75 percent of all aviation accidents are human factors related. Historically, the term pilot error has been used to describe the causes of these accidents. Pilot error means that an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause, or a contributing factor that led to the accident. This definition also includes the pilot’s failure to make a decision or take action. From a broader perspective, the phrase â€Å"human factors related† more suitably describes these accidents since it is usually not a single decision that leads to an accident, but a chain of events triggered by a number of various factors. The poor judgment chain, sometimes referred to as the error chain, is a term used to describe this concept of contributing factors in human factors-related-accidents. Breaking one link in the chain normally is all that is necessary to change the outcome in a sequence of events. By discussing events that lead to an accident, it can be understood how a series of judgment errors can contribute to the final outcome of a flight. An understanding of the decision-making process provides a pilot with a foundation for developing ADM skills. Some situations, such as engine-failures, require a pilot to respond immediately using established procedures with little time for detailed analysis. Traditionally, pilots have been well trained to react to emergencies, but are not as well prepared to make decisions requiring a more reflective response. Typically during a flight, there is time to examine any changes that occur, gather information, and assess risk before reaching a decision. The steps leading to this conclusion constitute the decision making process are defining the problem, choosing a course of action, and implementing the decision and evaluating the outcome. The first step in the decision making process is problem definition. Defining the problem begins with recognizing that a change has occurred or that an expected change did not take place. The exact nature and severity of the problem are determined by the pilot’s senses and experience in flying. For example, a low oil pressure reading could indicate that the engine is about to fail and an emergency landing should be planned or it could mean that the oil pressure sensor is giving a faulty reading. According to the situation, each action by the pilot is taken differently. An important note is that once the pilot has identified the problem, other sources must be used to verify that the conclusion is correct. Once the problem has been identified, the pilot must evaluate the need to react to it and determine that actions that must be used to remedy the problem. The expected outcome of each possible action should be considered and the risks assessed before deciding on a response to the situation. Although a decision may be reached and a course of action implemented, the decision making is not complete. It is important to think ahead and determine how the decision could affect other phases of the flight. As the flight progresses, the pilot must continue to evaluate the outcome of the decision to ensure that it is producing the desired result. The decision-making process normally consists of several steps before choosing a course of action. To help remember the elements of the decision-making process, a six-step model has been previously developed using the acronym â€Å"decide. † Detect the fact that a change has occurred Estimate the need to counter or react to the change Choose a desirable outcome for the success of the flight Identify actions which could successfully control the change. Do the necessary action to adapt to the change Evaluate the effect of the action Another important aeronautical decision making is risk management. During each flight, decisions must be made regarding events involving interactions between the four risk elements: the pilot in command, the airplane, the environment, and the operation. The decision-making process involves an evaluation of these risk elements to achieve an accurate perception of the flight situation. A pilot must continually make decisions about competency, condition of health, mental and emotional state, level of fatigue, and many other factors. Airplane—a pilot will frequently base decisions on the evaluations of the airplane, such as performance, equipment, or worthiness in the air. Environment—this encompasses many elements not pilot or airplane related. It can include such factors as weather, air traffic control, navaids, terrain, takeoff and landing areas, and surrounding obstacles. Weather is one element that can change drastically over time. Operation—the interaction between the pilot, airplane, and the environment is greatly influenced by the purpose of each flight operation. Also, exercising good judgment begins prior to taking the control of an airplane. Often, pilots thoroughly check their airplane to determine airworthiness, but they do no evaluate their own fitness for flight. Just as a checklist is used when pilots check their pre-flight of an airplane, a personal checklist based on such factors as experience, currency, and comfort level can help determine if a pilot is prepared for the flight. In addition to a review of personal limitations, use the â€Å"i’m safe† Checklist in evaluation of the pilot.