What Was The Right Religion For Me - 921 Words

It was not until my freshmen world geography class where I learned about the variety of religions, that I began to question what I truly believe in and what was the right religion for me. My parents being catholic passed on their religious beliefs and actions naturally to me. I grew up with the same catholic stories and traditions for ages and I never really understood it as a child, therefore I never really believed in them. For the majority of my life I heard these stories, beliefs, and practices but never dedicated myself to them because I had inhabited a general and open prospect in life. After learning about the vast majority of culture and religions that other people practiced I spark of wonder came upon me as if I needed to know more about the other beliefs that there were. At this moment I truly realized that the Catholic religion was basically forced on me and I didn t have the option to choose freely on what I want to believe in. An important tradition in Catholicism is att ending a religious retreat. I had been trying to avoid participation in this retreat because I figured there would only be stuck-up, uptight, catholic people trying to force their beliefs on me and attempt to change me and expose me to a completely strict lifestyle. However, to not upset my parents, I agreed to go but I told myself that I would not participate in any of the activities, that I wouldn t talk to anyone, and at the end of the day go home without my beliefs changing. On the ride toShow MoreRelatedResponsibility in Religion Essay672 Words   |  3 PagesAll through my life I have lived according to the ways that I was advised and taught, by my parents, Sunday school teachers and most importantly my Bible, to know how to differentiate the right from the wrong. Through the good and the detestable the joys and the sorrows, I always managed to live through the mistakes I made. It then became intuitive for me to know when it was right to laugh or cry, or to feel happy or sad. The young woman, I am today is exactly who I want to be, with the additionRead MoreThe Value of Religion Essay1354 Words   |  6 PagesThe Value of Religion In the essay, â€Å"Is Religion Bad or Good?† John Stahl reveals his thoughts on how religion is not necessarily good even though it is supposed to be. He points out five different religions including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Quaker as he gathers his opinion on each. Stahl lets it be known that no religion is really bad, yet they all have their own errors. He stops to say that in his opinion, â€Å"both Jews and Moslems should evolve their religious beliefsRead MoreI Have Become So Open-Minded To The World And The People935 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome so open-minded to the world and the people around me because of this class. I learned many things in this class that I never thought would interest me. I came to this class with the mentality that I would not enjoy it and all and all I wanted on the first day of class was for the semester to be over. I was afraid of what I was going to discover and afraid to uncover myself. I think that my biggest fear w as to connect with other religions. Without realizing I wanted to keep myself in my own littleRead MoreReflection On The World Religions Course861 Words   |  4 PagesShere World religions REFLECTION ON THE WORLD RELIGIONS COURSE. In the World religions class PHIL 1760, I have come to gain a lot of experience and learnt very helpful things in my life related to religion in particularly. I have come to learn that Religion is a way of life that one chooses to find his/her tranquility. For example Buddhists meditate as a means to find enlightment and they find such in only their religion and that’s the reason they have faith and hope in their religion. The purposeRead MoreRights and Freedoms766 Words   |  4 PagesPOS – 301 January 15, 2013 Mr. Elliott Rights and Freedoms What would it be like if we as American citizens did not have any rights or freedoms? Thankfully we will never have to worry about thanks in regards to our founding fathers and the Bill of Rights. In this essay I will discuss which freedom in the First Amendment to the Constitution is most relevant to me personally. I will also analyze and discuss the significance of the Bill of Rights and subsequent notable amendments to the U.S.Read MoreReflection Paper On Religion1363 Words   |  6 PagesThis class has allowed me to be more open to exploring different religions. Growing up in a conservative and Christian household, studying other religions was unthinkable. My parents believed that there was only one true theology which was the Christian theology, so understanding other religions was therefore pointless and sacrilegious. Each book I read this semester allowed me to rethink about religions in a new way. The two books that influenced me the most in this class was Malcolm X and Whe n GodRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Freedom Of Religion1177 Words   |  5 Pagesfreedom of religion. As stated in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, freedom of religion averts our government from compelling citizens to practice any single kind of religion. Thanks to this marvelous Amendment, all kinds of religious practices feel comfortable practicing their religion in America Muslims, Christians, and Jews all of these people are part of the largest religions in the world, but what do they all have in common, besides being a religion? At a certainRead MoreThe Importance Of The First Amendment1239 Words   |  5 Pagesexercised right by U.S citizens. First amendment states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.† Meaning, as citizens, the Constitution protects our freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition the government. This amendment is a good reflection of what AmericaRead MoreEssay on Give Me that Old Time Atheist Religion1266 Words   |  6 PagesGive Me that Old Time Atheist Religion Recently, Ive noticed that some of my friends have become concerned about me because Im an atheist. This is odd, because Ive never made any secret of that fact, although I dont go around preaching it to anyone who will listen. Ever since I realized that I no longer agreed with any of the religious viewpoints which I was brought up with, I have explained my opinions, as clearly as I can, to those who were interested, curious, or who challenged by beliefsRead MoreThe Religions Of Afro Brazilian Religions1159 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout this chapter there were eight major woman-centered religions discussed. Afro-Brazilian Religions; which seems to incorporate elements of Amerindian religions, African tribal religions, Catholicism, and Kardecism. Public rituals in which a female medium would be possessed by spirits was a main feature of this religion. Black Carib Religion; This religion had some of the same main features as Afro-Brazilian religions such as communicating with spirits and instead of female mediums contacting

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1192 Words

No matter how hard people deny and suppress their evil division, it will always make an appearance. In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Utterson, a lawyer for Dr. Henry Jekyll, takes in interest in the mysterious character, Mr. Edward Hyde, who terrorized London during the Victorian era. Hyde has some sort of connection to Dr. Jekyll, yet Utterson cannot figure it out. By the end of the story, Utterson confirms that Hyde is merely a part of Jekyll and Jekyll is apart of Hyde. Throughout Robert Louis Stevenson’s, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the difficulty of containing one’s own evil side appears frequently in this book with characters like, Jekyll and Utterson, but also in many other literatures as well. In the beginning of the story, Dr. Henry Jekyll, a wealthy scientist who enjoys having dinner parties at his large estate, configures with Utterson to write up a will for him. Jekyll is concerned with his growing age, but more so with his newest experiments. His experiment transforms himself into his counterpart Hyde. Hyde represents all that is evil inside of Jekyll. Hyde also slowly takes control over Jekyll s body throughout the novel. When Jekyll tells his confession he says, â€Å"First, because I have been made to learn that the doom and burthen of our life is bound for ever on man s shoulders, and when the attempt is made to cast it off, it but returns upon us with more unfamiliar and more awful pressure†Show MoreRelatedThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1675 Words   |  7 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,† is a type of Gothic literature. In the beginning of the story when Stevenson is describing the lawyer, one â€Å"Mr. Utterson,† the mood is a bit dull. At first glance the reader may think that this story would be a bit boring and drab. Stevenson’s story is far from being another dull piece of British English literature. The setting and mood of this novella are more complexRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1440 Words   |  6 Pagescomplexity of human nature in his books, especially in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped. The former is about a lawyer named Mr. Utterson seeking out the truth of Dr. Jekyll’s very strange will. He finds out that Jekyll was transforming himself into Mr. Hyde so that he could have the freedom to do whatever he wanted no matter how evil. By the time Utterson finds all this out and findsJekyll, he is too late and Jekyll has already killed himself. The latter is about David BalfourRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1196 Words   |  5 Pageswhich do let control you? The good or evil? This was a question that Dr. Jekyll from the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, could not answer. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a book about a man who cannot control the two sides of himself, causing him to do terrible things and not even be aware of it. The theme of this book is good versus evil. Dr. Jekyll is fighting his evil side, known as Mr. Hyde, throughout the book. Some people believe that the book’s theme hasRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Essay975 Words   |  4 PagesStevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella that follows the basic outline established by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein. However, Stevenson’s monster is not created from body parts but comes from the dark side of the human personality. In both novels, a man conducts a secret experiment that gets out of control. The result of these experiments is the release of a double, or doppelganger, which causes damage to their creator. While most people think that The Strange Case of Dr. JekyllRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde938 Words   |  4 PagesVictorian Hopes and Fears Involving Science as Found in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde During the Victorian Era there was a great race to use science to alleviate the suffering of the ill, specifically for those patients who were suffering from ailments of the mind. While some of the methods used to diagnose and treat such afflictions would be considered barbaric in nature by today’s standards, they were considered cutting edge medical science during the time of the Victorian Era. It was also consideredRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1505 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the latter portion of the nineteenth century, Robert Louis Stevenson published his novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The fin de sià ¨cle saw the rise of different thoughts and ideas surrounding science and society. These concepts and interpretations sparked the discourse surrounding the theory of degeneration; which was the concern that civilization would fall to a lower state of being. This chapter will be reading multiplex personality as a manifestation of th is broader culturalRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde964 Words   |  4 PagesThe Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson was published in 1886. The story is published during the Victorian era, the Victorian era was an age of repression, there was no violence, no sexual appetite, and there was no great expression or emotion. In the story, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde is the complete opposite of what people are in the Victorian era. At first, Dr. Jekyll is in control of Mr. Hyde, but towards the end MrRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1290 Words   |  6 PagesThe novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde took place throughout the time period of prosperity, when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, due to the expansion of the British Empire and the industrial revolution. Because of this, Great Britain had become primarily the world s most powerful superpower. In spite of Queen Victoria becoming a powerful leader, the social morality changed from rationalism to romanticism, which in turn transformed the society of art, literature, politicsRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1012 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Louis Stevenson’s â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† is a classic Victorian tale of good and evil. The novel tells the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a respected scientist who so desperately needs to separate his morality from his self-indulgence. Aware of the evil side of his own being, he seeks to be free of it through scientific experiments resulting into the â€Å"bestial† Mr. Hyde. It’s a simple tale about the good and evil that exist in all of us. Through his brilliance, StevensonRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1739 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde† by Robert Louis Stevenson, the novel â€Å"Frankenstein† by Mary Shelley, the short story â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† by W.W Jacobs and the short story â€Å"Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These four texts convey this theme through the use of gothic conventions such as death, madness and darkness. In the novels The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll are wrongly

Response to Niemoller poem Essay Example For Students

Response to Niemoller poem Essay If you dont speak up for others when you know someone is doing an injustice to them there will soon be no one left to speak up and be left with dire consequences. If you dont help the minority evil could become the minority We have decided to develop the poem by doing a still image and improvisation Still image. In groups of 5/6 we created a still image based around our responses to the first stimulus. A still image is a dramatic convention used to capture a moment, which expresses thoughts and feelings about a subject. My still image looked like this. It was meant to show discrimination between groups. We did this by having males in blue blazers standing on chairs. And girls reaching up to them desperately to accept a blazer, some people who werent accepted died. This represented the Nazis power over women. Our caption was Sorry were exclusive this seemed snobby and showed how some people thought they were great beings because they belonged to a certain faith or did a certain job. Other groups also did a still image. One of these included Niemoller receiving an award from Hitler while people were being abused below him. This was a good representation of the poem as it showed all the of the points raised above. Improvisation After doing this still image we decided to develop it into a play showing discrimination in everyday life. My group choose to do ours in the laundrette. We had a mixture of characters in our laundrette. These included a rough young girl, a wealthy business man, the laundrette owner, an Asian and a posh lady. We used facial expression and voice to represent discrimination in the group. I think this was an effective improvisation because it showed discrimination in everyday life now. This allowed tot audience to link it in with their everyday lives. Other groups did different still images. James group did a fruit market and showed how people reacted to someone before they found something out about them and after. This was probably the most effective still image because it causes the audience to do a lot of thinking and relating. It showed us all how we can be like Niemoller. Second stimulus: The crucible My initial thoughts: John is weak willed and scared to stick up for what is right Elizabeth is manipulative John was a Wiseman John is a coward After a group discussion we decided the strongest person can be the biggest coward. I think John is a coward for not sticking up even though he is strong in the village, We also said there is a strong woman behind every man. Parallels between Niemoller and Crucible: Third stimuli: We were then given a picture. This was of 3men sitting down, of different ages and racial backgrounds. Teacher in role Mr. Devine entered a teach in role. This was to give us ideas about developing the workshop further. The teacher in role was about a son getting taken away to a work camp. In this improvisation there were serveral characters. They nearly all belonged to the same family. Their was the mother, father, sister who was a nurse in the hospital and saw terrible things, brother who was courageous and little bother who wanted to go away. The teachers role was kept quiet until he entered and took them away during dinner. In this role-play lots of ideas were shown and it allowed us to develop all 3 stimuli. The oppressed people in the photograph, the people getting taken away in the poem and curcible. After this we all decided to create a still image representing what we had just seen. .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .postImageUrl , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:hover , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:visited , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:active { border:0!important; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:active , .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5 .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8c9d7521528fb52fe9e9d19dd9e54bc5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Crucible, by Arthur Miller EssayMy groups still image looked like this: It was called the mothers nightmare. We used levels and facial expressions to show she was upset her son was being taken away. This also helped to create tension in the image. From this image we created a improvisation still keeping to the mother nightmare idea. In this improvisation I played the mother. It started off with me sitting in the corner of the stage crying while talking to myself in the mirror. I used different tones to express the different feelings and thoughts the mother may be experiencing. While I did this the other members of my group formed a still image. After I had finished my monologue I stayed still as they acted out my night mare behind me. In the still image we all created a specific gesture our character would do repeatedly. This would teach us something about the cheacator and express their thoughts and feelings. My gesture looked like this: I choose this gesture because I thought it resembled the way the mother would have reacted and it may have been something she did repeatedly because of her feelings. As another direct response to the teacher in role we decided to do an improvisation which used sound to represent tension. In this we had the sister coming home after she found her brother was dead. We showed how different members of the familys responses using voice. I used silence to represent my shocked. Andrew used shouting to represent his disbelieve. Following this we decided to end our work with a movement tableau. With no sound we used movement to represents peoples reactions of guilt and disappointment. After they had found out the truth about what had happened. We had a bus stop scene in which I was the girl who didnt realise what she was doing. I tried to apologise to everyone else and they used facial expressions and movement to show they were disgusted and disappointed with me, not wanting me around. I think this was effective because it made the audicence think about different assecpts of the play. If we had added background music it could have added a 3D effect to the production but I think silence was an effective tool. Evaluation I think this has been a successful workshop in which I have learnt a lot not just about drama but about everyday life. I think the most important thing I have learnt about everyday life is that you should always stand up for what you know is right. I think he most important thing I have learnt about drama is the little the little thing you do can have these biggest effects. For examples the small gestures done in the mothers nightmare had a big impact on the drama even though they were just a tiny thing. I also think a lot had been learnt about expression in movement and voice. I am most proud of the movement tableau as I think this has taught me and lot and been a successful piece. I one realise that you dont only need to use words to convey feelings and sometimes silence is best. If I could go back and change anything I would have added to the tension in sound improvisation. I think that it needed more sound and less movement. This would have helped make it more successful because it would have portrayed more feelings and reactions. I would have also made the piece shorter as it took too long. My first response in the exploration was prejudice but after some work and input from other I realised how closely linked prejudice and discrimination was.

Manchester Airport Essay Example

Manchester Airport Essay The purpose of this report is to detail the key external environment issues surrounding Manchester Airport and how the Marketing Manger and the Operations Manager can attempt to influence or control these. The external environment is considered to be a far environment, therefore can neither be controlled nor influenced. This environment consists of Social, Legal, Technological, Economical and Political factors. For Manchester Airport these are: 1. Social – Demographics, Seasons, environmental issues. 2. Legal – Legislations. 3. Economic – Boom/bust cycle, interest rates, taxation and Government expenditure. . Political – The Government and legislation. 5. Technological – Information technology. Fig 1, Current environmental issues Social: The social factors include population factors of age, occupation, lifestyle and wealth distribution. These can all have major impacts on businesses. Age population can determine whether people will travel close to home or further away, as younger people have families, which means there is a budget attached to their spending. Older people tend not to have a young family to cater for and have a larger disposable income. Occupation determines a person’s lifestyle through their earnings and thus their wealth distribution. Seasons affect the travel industry as most people prefer to travel in the summer for the warmth; therefore it is seen as a peak period for Manchester Airport. Environment issues arise as the Airport wishes to be seen as caring for the local area to boost popularity. Therefore concern over pollution must be regarded as a priority. Legal: Legal factors for the Airport include legislations on security, noise, air pollution and waste management by the Government and EU Directives. This does has implications on operations through the cost involved. For example, the EU Directive on the maximum weekly working hour of 48 hours per employee and waste management, resulting in overall performance being influenced. Economic: The Economic factors of the boom/bust cycle are the affects of the 8 year cycle of national economies going into recession. This means production shrinks, so jobs are lost and people have less disposable income to spend. Interest rates rising tend to reduce demand as mortgage and credit charges rise. We will write a custom essay sample on Manchester Airport specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Manchester Airport specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Manchester Airport specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Taxation increases (or expenditure cuts) mean there will be less money for consumers to spend resulting in a shrink in demand. Expenditure increases (or reductions in taxation) result in more money for the economy and rise in demand. Political: Politically the Airport needs to respond to the prevailing political climate and adjust the marketing policy accordingly. EU laws are hard to influence or control, but Politicians can be influenced by lobbying over their laws. Security laws must be followed to ensure the safety of customers. This does bring high expenditure as stated in Flying to the Future, B202 DVD. Technological: Technologically Information Technology is vital to the smooth running and communications of the Airport at all levels. The system needs to function well, be reliable and staff need to be fully trained in this, which brings more cost. Fig 2, Micro- and Macro-environmental forces diagram, Essentials of Marketing, Third Edition by Jim Blythe. The macro-environment issues can have a huge impact on the company and its micro-environment and it tends to be difficult to influence. This is why the Airports policy should be seen as operating within a rapidly changing environment and must monitor and react to any changes to ensure goals are met. Marketing managers should be reactive to macro-environment factors. To do this effectively they need to analyse where they are by using a SLEPT situational analysis to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Airport and opportunities and threats from the external environment. Once this has been established they need to analyse the firm’s position within the environment and itself with a SWOT situational analysis. Social: Demography lifestyle analysis affects the way customers are targeted, so being aware of current patterns helps the Airport to target the right people. For example, shifts in the birth rate cause distortions in the market thus allowing opportunities to target sales to a specific age group. Seasons affect when people whish to holiday and therefore create peak and off peak periods. This allows marketing to adjust fares etc accordingly and market more effectively. Being environmentally active and aware brings good publicity as a caring company, which is what Manchester Airport wants. The Company value as stated in the internet site is â€Å"Social Commitment – we are a responsible neighbour and invest in our community. † The Airports Environment Plan states that â€Å"it is important that this growth takes place In tandem with a stringent framework dealing with controls on environmental impacts†. Technological: The internet is an opportunity for advertising and direct marketing. Manchester Airport’s internet site uses this advantage to its full potential by including all relevant information for passengers to view. The main computer system used by the Airport for security checking of staff and passengers and all communications is working well, reliable and staff are fully trained internally by Manchester Airport Ventures, who run the training centre. Ventures now also train outside bodies which generate more capital for the Airport. The Company value, from the internet site, states that â€Å"Integrity we strive to be better every day and take steps to make it happen. Costs – we spend money on the things that really matter. † Legal: The Airport is required by law to protect its customers, the airlines. It chooses to protect the passengers for the airlines. This ensures the safety of everyone on site and thus a good working relationship between all parties. Environment laws bring cost. But this is required by the Government and also brings good publicity, as the Airport is seen to be actively caring for the environment and local area. Economic: The boom/bust cycle occurs approximately every 8 years, in which national economies have a recession. This brings production numbers to recede, loss of jobs and purchases are then reduced. Increased expenditure, or reduced taxation would mean more money in the economy and people will want and need travel and holidays. Taxation increase or expenditure cuts would bring less money and a loss in demand. It is essential to anticipate this management of demand in the economy. Political: Government policies cause shifts in emphasis and can disrupt the Airport operations. Being aware how to adapt the Airport policies to include these is essential to ensure continued running of all areas within the Airport. Government legislations can be influenced by lobbying. EU laws are difficult to control and influence. All of the above external factors will also impact on the operations of the Airport. The political and social environment has effect on operations through standards of welfare, health and safety at work. Operations Managers will need to ensure changes required are planned and controlled so the output conforms to requirements. A strategic plan for structural decisions, long, medium and short, can then be devised. The dynamic state of operations and the environment make it essential that there is feedback on progress. This enables changes to be made so the operation can work appropriately. This is control. The process of operations strategy looks at how operations policies, plans and principles are decided and developed. The overall objective for this will be: 1. Quality. This is key to improving performance against objectives. Manchester Airport achieves this through having a skilled workforce, technology and excellent communications. 2. Speed. The Airport has to ensure time is taken into account, as there are many people travelling through areas at one time. There are fire regulations on the number of people allowed in one area to consider. And, as stated in the DVD, Flying to the Future, if an area is overcrowded, passengers will become uncomfortable and stop spending in the retail outlets. 3. Dependability. This is how the Airport keeps its promises to its customers. So ensuring all systems are functioning well to keep all operations running on time is essential to enable passengers to move through the building. 4. Flexibility. Being flexible to seasons in the year enables the Airport to change the balance of the range of services to meet the needs of the Airport on a whole. This then ensure a cost effective operation is running smoothly. 5. Cost. This ensures finances are being used within budgets and appropriately. This can be achieved by reduced overheads, multi purpose equipment and facilities. Four variables are important to ensure the way the Airport operates. These key environmental factors are volume, variation, variety and customer contact. The operations should be designed so that it matches these features of its environment closely. Volume: The Airport has a high volume in the way that it has to repeatedly deliver its service. The use of technology by the Airport results in high output from an efficient process. Variation: Manchester Airport provides the correct level of capacity to meet the pattern of volume demands. Variety: The ability to be flexible is essential. The Airport has proved this since changing the way security is organised within the Airport Terminals. This high variety does need a lot of planning and control, which bring more overhead costs. Customer contact: The Airport has taken the service option of Front Office and Back Office. This ensures effective and efficient gains of planning and control. The above four factors will enable effective and efficient running of operations by determining how complex the task of managing the operation is. Once the above has been undertaken, the Systems Approach should be used to analyse operations. This will enable the Operations Manager to envisage the impact any operational changes will have on other areas linked. Three key ideas are involved in the systems approach, which are: 1. Environmental influences; it is important to identify the processes of the operation and design these in the most effective manner. 2. Control; information is gathered and compared with the Airport standard. This enables Management to proactively manage operations ensuring all predetermined standards are met. 3. Structure decisions; the hard system method should be followed here, as most problems surrounding operations within the Airport will have agreement from all, as there are guidelines to follow in this business. Fig , Operations Management in Context, by Galloway, Rowbotham and Azhashemi. All the above information on the effects of environmental issues in the Marketing and Operations areas and how to address them, have been detailed. Management should now be able to effectively incorporate the above into day to day work and filter it through to team members. Business graduate skills outcome. Example of how Block 1 case studies have contributed to my skills development. Self-assessment of current level of skill – high/medium/low; any actions to be taken. Learn from non-text as well as text-based materials enhancing your general study skills. 1. The text books and block books were very good to work with. 2. Case studies helped me to have a better understanding of how a subject worked. 3. I absorbed information from the DVD/CD after watching it repeatedly. 1. I enjoyed working with the text books, but I am still finding it hard to get into the study mode. It is maybe my age, but entering back into the world of business learning is proving harder than I anticipated. 2. Low. I need to create more time to learn the art of skim reading before re- reading chapters. 3. Medium. The need to take better notes to safe time must be learnt. I did not enjoy the Listening to the CD, I found it hard to take information in that way. I must re read the study skills information. Demonstrate thinking skills (holistic, integrative, critical) and show deeper understanding of some technically detailed topics. . My note taking initially took up too much time as I was writing down every item from pages I thought was important. 2. The block information as a whole has been a good starter for me entering into the first term of my degree. It has been hard, but eventually the information is starting to be understood by myself and applied. 3. I have found that I am no w using items learnt through this block in my working life at the Council. 1. Medium. I now highlight text in the book and make small notes at the side. I find this has sped the learning process up for me, which helps with the time limit. I still need to make time to re – read chapters after the first read. 2. Low. I still need to find more time to just sit and read all the information and let it sink in. I shall also try and give myself longer to complete self assessments and case studies. 3. Low – Medium. I am not using it as often as I would like. This is down to confidence issues, as I do not want to enter into a conversation/debate that I still do not fully understand. Use examples and analyse case studies to enhance understanding, support conclusions and illustrate issues concerning business functions in organisational contexts. I have found the B202 beginning difficult, but with the use of case studies and examples it has made the work easier to do. This is because it helps to explain the subjects to you through examples etc. Low. I need to study for more than 15 hours a week, as I am needing more time for information to sink in. This is until I find my feet with the course and find the balance between family, work and study. Bibliography. J Blythe, 2005, Essentials of Marketing, Third Edition, Essex, Pearsons Education Limited. L Galloway, F Rowbotham, M Azhashemi, 2005, Reprint, Burlington, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. M Hinton, J Holloway, Other Members of OU Course Team, Block 1 Introduction: Business Functions in Context, 2006, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Manchester Airport website, http://www. manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf accessed from November 28th until December 10th 2007. Flying to the Future, DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Reference list Manchester Airport web site, Our Company Values, ttp://www. manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf/Content/OurCompanyValues. Manchester Airport website, Environmental Plan, http://www. manchesterairport. co. uk/manweb. nsf/Content/Environment